Welcome! Let's bow our heads
for prayer to ask for the Lord's
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guidance. Our loving Father,
what a privilege it is to call
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You our Father. We ask that
as we open Your Holy Word today,
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as we begin this series on
the identity of the 24 Elders
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that Your Holy Spirit
will be with us to instruct us.
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Help us to understand
this very complex subject
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and how it applies to our
own personal walk with Jesus.
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We thank You for Your presence
and for hearing our prayer
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for we ask it in
Jesus' name. Amen.
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The title of our study
today is Mission Accomplished,
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and I'd like to begin our study
by going to John, Chapter 1
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and verses 1 to 3. John 1:1-3.
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These verses are so well known
that probably most of you could
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repeat them from memory.
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There's one particular
point that I want to underline
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in these three verses.
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There the beloved disciple wrote
this: In the beginning was the
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Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.
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He was in the
beginning with God.
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And now comes the point
that I want to underline.
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All things were made through
him; and without him nothing
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was made that was made.
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This text tells us that Jesus
was the Creator of everything.
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In other words, Jesus is
responsible for our existence.
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Now we need to understand that
Jesus is not responsible for our
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sin, but Jesus is responsible
for our existence because we did
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not ask to exist. He
was the one who created us,
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and He is responsible
over the fact that we exist.
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Now you might be saying,
Well that's kind of unjust.
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I'm born into this world.
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I did not choose to
be born into this world.
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And so that's not fair.
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Well, it wouldn't be fair unless
Jesus had given us a chance
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to escape the sin as
it exists in this world.
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In other words, if Jesus
had created us and simply said,
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Well, you fell into sin.
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There's nothing
I can do for you.
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We would have problems with
that because we didn't choose
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to fall into that condition.
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But as long as Jesus has
given us a way of escape,
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He is not
responsible for us being lost.
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In other words, we don't
choose to come into this world,
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but we can choose how we
will go out of this world.
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He has given us a way of escape.
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And so this text tells us
that Jesus created everyone.
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Now when I say this,
there's always people who say,
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Well, you know, I
wasn't created by Jesus.
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I was born from my mother.
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And so I say, Okay, you
were born from your mother,
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and who was your
mother born from?
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Well, she was
born from her mother.
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And who was her
mother born from?
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Well, she was
born from her mother.
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Now if you go all the
way back to the beginning,
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where does the sequence end?
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It ends with Adam and Eve.
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When Jesus created Adam and Eve
He created every single human
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being that descended from them.
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In other words, Jesus is
responsible for our existence.
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Jesus created
everyone on planet Earth.
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Now when Jesus created this
world He created Adam and Eve,
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and He placed Adam as the king
over this realm or over this
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territory. I'd like to invite
you to turn in your Bibles
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with me to Psalm 8
verses 3 to 5. Psalm 8:3-5.
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We're going to talk about
the original individual that God
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established on this
earth to rule over the earth.
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It says in Psalm 8 Verse 3:
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It's speaking about
the creation of Adam.
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Now who is it that uses crowns?
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Kings use crowns. So
Adam was created to be a what?
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a king. His position was
the position of king or ruler.
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And so it says: for you have
made him a little lower than
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the angels, you have crowned
him with glory and honor.
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You have made him to have
dominion over the works of your
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hands. Now every king has
a realm over which he rules,
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right? And so Adam
was created to be king.
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He must have had a territory
over which he should rule,
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or a realm over
which he should rule.
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What was that
realm? Verse 6 once again:
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That expression, under his
feet, means that you have placed
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him as a ruler. Now
what was under his feet?
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7 Now when the Bible uses the
expression, beasts of the field,
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birds of the air, and fish of
the waters, it means everything
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connected with planet
Earth: sky, earth, and waters.
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In other words, Adam was created
to occupy the position of king
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and his realm, or his territory
over which he ruled was planet
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Earth. But in order for Adam
to continue ruling over planet
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Earth, he had to render perfect
obedience to God's holy law.
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In other words, he could not
deviate from God's law in the
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minutest detail. You see,
the law of God requires absolute
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sinless perfection. The law
says offer me sinless perfection
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and you will live forever.
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Unfortunately, the Bible
tells us that Adam and Eve chose
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to sin. And when they sinned
another individual took over
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the position of Adam as king,
and took over the territory
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over which he ruled. Notice
Luke chapter 4 and verses 5-7.
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Luke 4:5-7. This is speaking
about the moment when the devil
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took Jesus up unto a
high mountain to tempt Him,
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and you'll notice what
the devil says to Christ.
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Luke 4 verses 5 thru 7:
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Did you notice that the
devil is showing Him the realm?
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Showing Him the
kingdoms of the world.
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Now notice what
it continues saying.
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He shows them all of
the kingdoms of the world
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in a moment of
time, and verse 6 states:
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What does authority imply?
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That's talking about the
fact that the devil is saying,
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I am the ruler. I'm the one
who governs over the kingdoms
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of the world. So do
you notice the two aspects?
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Adam was created to be king,
and the realm of his dominion
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was the planet Earth.
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In Luke chapter 4 the devil is
saying, Look I have the kingdoms
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of the world; that's the realm.
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And he says, I have the
authority over those kingdoms.
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In other words, I rule
as king over those kingdoms.
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And then the devil says:
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Who gave the position of king
and the territory into the hands
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of his enemy? It was Adam.
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And so the devil is saying,
the kingdom and the realm
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of dominion has
been given into my hands.
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I am now the king and
this is my realm of dominion.
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Now the Bible tells us
that everyone who descended from
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Adam is also a sinner.
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In other words there's no one
on planet Earth that can offer
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the law the sinless perfection
that the laws requires.
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And so because the Bible
says that all have sinned
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and come short of the glory
of God, all of us are slaves,
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and all of us have
lost our territory,
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our position of dominion.
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So the question is, how could
man recover the lost throne,
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or the dominion, and recover
the lost territory over which
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Adam was placed
to rule originally.
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The answer to this question is
found in the laws of redemption
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in the Old Testament.
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I'd like to invite you
to turn in your Bibles to
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Leviticus chapter 25 and verse
25, and then we will also read
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verses 47 to 49. In Israel
every Israelite was given a plot
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of land over which
they were sovereign rulers.
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But what would happen if
an individual sold that plot
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of land? Could that plot
of land, or that territory,
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be recovered in some way?
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And what if an individual sold
himself, from being lord over
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his dominion, he
sold himself into slavery,
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could he be delivered
from his position of slavery,
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and once again be placed
as ruler over his domain?
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The answer is yes, but there
was a specific prescription
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that needed to take place.
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Leviticus 25 and verse 25
tells us what would happen if an
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individual sold his possession,
that is his territory. It says:
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the word redeeming there means
to buy back by paying a price.
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That's what the
Hebrew word means.
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And so if his redeeming
relative comes to redeem it,
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then he may redeem
what his brother sold.
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Who was supposed
to be the redeemer?
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It was supposed to be a relative
or a brother according to this.
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So could a brother or a relative
pay the price to buy back
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the possession
that had been sold?
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Absolutely! Now what would
happen if an individual sold
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himself into servant
hood, or into slavery?
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Could he once again be
emancipated so that he could
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occupy his position as
ruler over his territory?
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The answer is yes.
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Go with me to Leviticus
25 and verses 47 to 49.
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See, he sold himself
into servant hood. It says:
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He may be what? redeemed.
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That word goel in the old
testament means to buy something
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back by paying the price
that is required to buy it back.
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So verse 48 says:
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Who could redeem him?
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Of course, he couldn't redeem
himself because he had sold
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himself into slavery.
That's a hypothetical statement.
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But it's interesting to notice
that if an individual sold
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himself the only way in which
he could recover his lordship,
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so to speak, was if a
next of kin, a close relative,
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would pay the price
to buy back his freedom,
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or to buy back the
territory which he had sold.
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The problem is with
regards to the redemption
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of the position that Adam lost.
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There was no one in the
human race that could recover
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the throne that Adam lost,
because we all became servants
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because we all
sold ourselves to sin.
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There was no one within the
human race that could recover
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the lost possession, the lost
territory, because all of us
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sold our
patrimony by being sinners.
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You see, the
Apostle Paul tells us in:
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And in verse 23 he says,
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So the human race was in a
very tough predicament because
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there was no one within humanity
who could redeem what had been
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lost. There was no next of kin
that could pay the price to buy
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back the position of sovereignty
and to buy back the territory
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that had been sold.
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This is the reason why
Jesus Christ came to this earth.
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Let me ask you, was Jesus
our next of kin before He became
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incarnate? Was Jesus a
member of our family before His
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incarnation? No, He
wasn't a member of our family.
00:14:35.59\00:14:39.63
Whose family did He belong to?
00:14:39.66\00:14:41.67
He belonged to the
family of the Godhead, right?
00:14:41.70\00:14:45.06
the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.
00:14:45.09\00:14:47.05
He was a member of
a different family.
00:14:47.08\00:14:49.09
So could Jesus apply the
laws of redemption when He was a
00:14:49.12\00:14:52.85
member of a different family,
and He was not our next of kin?
00:14:52.88\00:14:55.96
Absolutely not! What needed
to happen in order for Jesus
00:14:55.99\00:15:00.02
to be able to fulfill
the laws of redemption?
00:15:00.05\00:15:03.11
He had to become our brother,
or He had to become our next
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of kin. Are you
understanding me?
00:15:07.73\00:15:09.47
And so Jesus gathered
all of the angelic host,
00:15:09.50\00:15:13.94
all of the heavenly
beings together, and He said,
00:15:13.97\00:15:17.01
Folks I am going to
leave for planet Earth.
00:15:17.04\00:15:21.63
And I am going to face Goliath
in place of all of those slaves
00:15:21.66\00:15:28.32
down there who have
lost their patrimony.
00:15:28.35\00:15:31.16
I am going to fight
with the enemy down there.
00:15:31.19\00:15:34.61
But in order to do it I
have to become one of them.
00:15:34.64\00:15:39.21
I have to join their family.
00:15:39.24\00:15:40.91
And so we're told in
John chapter 1 and verse 14,
00:15:40.94\00:15:45.33
And the Word became flesh
and dwelt us, (and we beheld his
00:15:45.36\00:15:51.88
glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father,)
00:15:51.91\00:15:55.50
full of grace and truth.
00:15:55.53\00:15:57.87
You see, Jesus, by
His incarnation became our
00:15:57.90\00:16:01.65
next of kin. He became our
brother, and therefore He could
00:16:01.68\00:16:06.21
pay the price to buy back the
lost possession, and to buy back
00:16:06.24\00:16:11.25
our rulership,
or our sovereignty.
00:16:11.28\00:16:13.82
Are you following me or not?
00:16:13.85\00:16:15.14
And so Jesus says to the
heavenly beings gathered there,
00:16:15.17\00:16:19.20
He says, I'm leaving. I'm
going to be gone for 33 years.
00:16:19.23\00:16:23.90
And during those 33 years in
human flesh, being next of kin
00:16:23.93\00:16:28.79
to those people down there
who have lost their possession,
00:16:28.82\00:16:31.88
and they have lost their
position, I am going to do
00:16:31.91\00:16:34.84
battle with the
enemy in their place.
00:16:34.87\00:16:36.73
And I assure you, He says to the
heavenly beings, that 33 years
00:16:36.76\00:16:41.52
from now, I will be back,
and I will be a victorious
00:16:41.55\00:16:46.08
war hero. So you'd better
start preparing the party.
00:16:46.11\00:16:49.31
And then Jesus, by a mystery
that we can never understand,
00:16:49.34\00:16:53.84
was implanted in
the womb of Mary,
00:16:53.87\00:16:57.32
and He became our next of kin.
00:16:57.35\00:17:01.02
He became our brother.
00:17:01.05\00:17:03.37
Now, you know, it's interesting
to notice that Jesus actually
00:17:03.40\00:17:06.70
belonged to two families.
00:17:06.73\00:17:08.12
Take, for example, David.
00:17:08.15\00:17:11.46
In Revelation 22 and verse
16 we're told that Jesus is:
00:17:11.49\00:17:16.46
Now that's interesting!
00:17:19.68\00:17:21.39
He, in other words, He
is the creator of David,
00:17:21.42\00:17:24.41
and He is also the son of David.
00:17:24.44\00:17:26.02
He's the root and
offspring of David.
00:17:26.05\00:17:28.70
The Bible also tells us that
Jesus is the father of Abraham
00:17:28.73\00:17:33.50
and He is the son of Abraham.
00:17:33.53\00:17:35.34
We're told in Matthew chapter
1 that Jesus was the seed
00:17:35.37\00:17:39.29
of Abraham. But Jesus in John
chapter 8 told the Jews that
00:17:39.32\00:17:42.93
were gathered there,
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
00:17:42.96\00:17:45.86
Before Abraham was, I am.
00:17:45.89\00:17:48.62
In other words,
Jesus is Abraham's father,
00:17:48.65\00:17:52.43
and He is Abraham's son.
00:17:52.46\00:17:54.23
And you say, that's absurd.
00:17:54.26\00:17:56.07
An individual cannot be his
father's son, and his son's son.
00:17:56.10\00:17:59.89
It's impossible! But
Jesus actually was father
00:17:59.92\00:18:07.31
of Abraham, and He
was also son of Abraham.
00:18:07.34\00:18:10.10
He was father of David, and
He was also the son of David.
00:18:10.13\00:18:14.29
The father of
Abraham and David as God,
00:18:14.32\00:18:17.26
and the son of
Abraham and David as man.
00:18:17.29\00:18:21.68
Jesus became flesh of our
flesh and bone of our bones.
00:18:21.71\00:18:25.50
And Jesus had two things
that He needed to fulfill
00:18:25.53\00:18:29.65
in His mission. You see,
the law of God demands absolute
00:18:29.68\00:18:34.03
sinless perfection. No one in
the human race can offer the law
00:18:34.06\00:18:38.13
what the law requires,
and therefore the law says,
00:18:38.16\00:18:41.19
if you don't offer me the
perfection that I require,
00:18:41.22\00:18:44.40
you must die. So what did
Jesus come to this earth for?
00:18:44.43\00:18:50.18
He came to do two things.
00:18:50.21\00:18:52.23
1. He came to live the perfect
life that the law requires
00:18:52.26\00:18:57.83
in my place. And then at
the end of a perfect life,
00:18:57.86\00:19:03.05
which He lived in our place,
Jesus took all of our sins upon
00:19:03.08\00:19:08.22
Himself, and He was
punished for our sins.
00:19:08.25\00:19:11.76
He suffered the death
penalty that we should suffer.
00:19:11.79\00:19:14.58
In other words, Jesus had to
come to live the life that the
00:19:14.61\00:19:18.51
law requires from us.
00:19:18.54\00:19:20.25
And He came to die the death
that the law requires from us
00:19:20.28\00:19:23.76
as sinners. He came
to live a perfect life,
00:19:23.79\00:19:27.25
and He came to die in our place.
00:19:27.28\00:19:29.77
He lived for us,
and He died for us.
00:19:29.80\00:19:32.70
Do you know that this is
illustrated in the sanctuary
00:19:32.73\00:19:36.23
service? Notice Exodus
chapter 12 and verses 5 and 6.
00:19:36.26\00:19:40.85
You know, usually when we start
the study of the sanctuary,
00:19:40.88\00:19:43.34
we usually begin in the court
where the alter of sacrifice is.
00:19:43.37\00:19:47.15
That's not the proper
place to begin the study of the
00:19:47.18\00:19:50.63
sanctuary. The proper
place to begin the study of the
00:19:50.66\00:19:53.87
sanctuary is in the
camp where the sinners live.
00:19:53.90\00:19:57.76
You see, before Jesus went to
the cross, which is illustrated
00:19:57.79\00:20:01.39
by the altar, the Lord Jesus
came and lived in our midst.
00:20:01.42\00:20:05.61
He lived a perfect life.
00:20:05.64\00:20:08.03
He was tempted in all
things such as we are,
00:20:08.06\00:20:10.86
yet He did not sin.
00:20:10.89\00:20:12.03
You see, in the sanctuary
these two roles of Christ,
00:20:12.06\00:20:15.48
His perfect life, and His
death for sin, are illustrated
00:20:15.51\00:20:18.69
by the lamb. Now you
know the lamb was sacrificed,
00:20:18.72\00:20:22.40
but before the lamb was
sacrificed they had to be
00:20:22.43\00:20:25.57
absolutely certain that the
lamb did not have any what? any
00:20:25.60\00:20:29.80
blemish or any defect.
00:20:29.83\00:20:31.59
In other words, the fact that
the lamb didn't have any blemish
00:20:31.62\00:20:34.67
or defect represents
the perfect life of Christ,
00:20:34.70\00:20:37.73
whereas the sacrifice of
the lamb represents the death
00:20:37.76\00:20:41.70
of Christ. Two functions, one
in the camp where He lived His
00:20:41.73\00:20:45.85
perfect life in our midst,
and then the altar of sacrifice
00:20:45.88\00:20:49.59
where He suffered
death in our place.
00:20:49.62\00:20:52.09
Notice Exodus chapter 12
and verses 5 and 6 where this is
00:20:52.12\00:20:56.19
brought out clearly.
00:20:56.22\00:20:57.25
Speaking about the
Passover lamb it says:
00:20:57.28\00:21:00.35
Do you notice two
things regarding the lamb?
00:21:20.00\00:21:21.81
First of all they had to be
sure that it had no blemish;
00:21:21.84\00:21:25.13
that's the
perfect life of Christ.
00:21:25.16\00:21:27.17
And then secondly,
they had to slay the lamb
00:21:27.20\00:21:30.76
that had no blemish.
00:21:30.79\00:21:32.69
Perfect life of Christ and
His death for sin in our place.
00:21:32.73\00:21:36.51
Now this is also
spoken of in 1 Peter chapter 1
00:21:36.54\00:21:40.27
and verses 18 thru 20. 1 Peter
chapter 1 verses 18 thru 20.
00:21:40.30\00:21:45.67
Here the Apostle Peter says:
00:21:45.70\00:21:47.86
Notice the word
redeemed that we studied before.
00:21:50.66\00:21:53.15
There you have His death.
There you have His perfect life.
00:22:11.58\00:22:13.59
So my question is, what was the
function of Jesus in taking upon
00:22:21.47\00:22:26.59
Himself human flesh?
00:22:26.62\00:22:28.38
Jesus came to this world to
live a perfect life in obedience
00:22:28.41\00:22:34.16
to the law in our place.
00:22:34.19\00:22:36.15
He came to this world
to bear our sins and to die
00:22:36.18\00:22:40.28
in our place. He came to
live for all, and He came to die
00:22:40.31\00:22:46.48
for all. And He could do
that because He was the Creator
00:22:46.51\00:22:50.29
of all. Only He who created
all could offer Himself to take
00:22:50.32\00:22:55.42
the place of all. Are
you following me or not?
00:22:55.45\00:22:58.00
And so Jesus bid
farewell to heaven.
00:22:58.03\00:23:01.20
He says I'm going to go
down there for 33 years.
00:23:01.23\00:23:04.55
I'm going to
live a perfect life.
00:23:04.58\00:23:06.65
I'm never going
to disobey the law.
00:23:06.68\00:23:08.95
And then even though I'm a
perfect lamb, at the end of my
00:23:08.98\00:23:12.63
life I'm going to be
killed because I'm going to be
00:23:12.66\00:23:15.36
bearing the sins of the world.
00:23:15.39\00:23:17.85
I'm going to offer my
life a ransom for many.
00:23:17.88\00:23:21.59
Now do you think that the
devil knew why Jesus had come,
00:23:21.62\00:23:26.74
and who He was? Oh, yes he did!
00:23:26.77\00:23:29.19
Turn in your Bibles to
Mark chapter 1 verses 23 and 24.
00:23:29.22\00:23:33.72
The demons knew who He
was and why He had come.
00:23:33.75\00:23:37.19
They knew that He had come
to destroy them and to restore
00:23:37.22\00:23:40.95
Adam to his original
position of rulership,
00:23:40.98\00:23:43.95
and to the
territory which he had lost.
00:23:43.98\00:23:46.81
It says there in
Mark 1: 23 and 24,
00:23:46.84\00:23:49.37
Jesus is in the
synagogue on a Sabbath.
00:23:49.40\00:23:51.59
And now notice! Did You
come to what? to destroy us?
00:24:04.06\00:24:10.08
Did they know why He had come?
00:24:10.11\00:24:11.90
Oh yes! Did they know who
He was? Let's continue reading.
00:24:11.93\00:24:15.27
Now if the mission of Christ was
to come and live a perfect life
00:24:23.43\00:24:27.63
in our place, and to offer
His life as a sacrifice for sin
00:24:27.66\00:24:32.64
in our place, what do you
suppose the devil's mission was?
00:24:32.67\00:24:36.77
Well, it's very simple.
00:24:36.80\00:24:38.69
The devil's mission was
simply to keep Jesus from living
00:24:38.72\00:24:42.66
His perfect life, and to keep
Jesus from offering His life
00:24:42.69\00:24:47.01
as a sacrifice for sin.
00:24:47.04\00:24:48.74
In other words, the devil's
mission was to keep Jesus
00:24:48.77\00:24:52.16
from doing what He came to do,
which was to live His perfect
00:24:52.19\00:24:55.83
life and to die for sin.
00:24:55.86\00:24:58.15
And so the devil
24/7365 was after Christ
00:24:58.18\00:25:05.31
To try and keep Him
from living a perfect life.
00:25:05.34\00:25:08.50
Trying to get Him to sin, and
trying to keep Him from offering
00:25:08.53\00:25:13.21
His life as a sacrifice for sin.
00:25:13.24\00:25:15.55
And the devil used four methods
to try and prevent Jesus from
00:25:15.58\00:25:21.04
being successful in His mission.
00:25:21.07\00:25:22.74
The first method that the devil
used was to try to kill Jesus
00:25:22.77\00:25:28.05
Christ before He reached
the point where He was supposed
00:25:28.08\00:25:31.81
to offer His own
life as a ransom for men.
00:25:31.84\00:25:34.97
You see, if the devil had killed
Jesus before the hour of Jesus
00:25:35.00\00:25:39.40
had arrived, that would not
count as a sacrifice for sin,
00:25:39.43\00:25:42.84
because it was not acceptable
if His life was taken.
00:25:42.87\00:25:47.19
He had to offer His life.
00:25:47.22\00:25:49.31
So the devil says, if I can kill
Him before He offers His life,
00:25:49.34\00:25:53.49
then the plan of salvation
will not be successful.
00:25:53.52\00:25:56.31
That's why constantly in
the gospel of John we find
00:25:56.34\00:25:59.83
the expression, they could
not lay hands on Him because
00:25:59.86\00:26:03.17
His hour had not yet come.
00:26:03.20\00:26:05.12
His time had not yet come.
00:26:05.15\00:26:07.26
They could do nothing to Him
as long as the moment for Him to
00:26:07.29\00:26:12.29
offer His life had not come.
00:26:12.32\00:26:14.11
Did the devil attempt to kill
Christ on several occasions?
00:26:14.14\00:26:17.76
Yes, he did. When
was the first occasion?
00:26:17.79\00:26:21.42
When He was born!
00:26:21.45\00:26:23.78
The devil says, I'm
going to nip this in the bud.
00:26:23.81\00:26:27.17
I'm going to get rid
of Him when He is born.
00:26:27.20\00:26:29.27
Notice Revelation
chapter 12 and verses 3 and 4.
00:26:29.30\00:26:32.89
Revelation 12 verses 3 and 4.
00:26:32.92\00:26:34.96
Now, of course, we know
the way in which that occurred.
00:26:54.84\00:26:57.81
The devil influenced King Herod
to kill all of the male children
00:26:57.84\00:27:02.63
in the hopes of killing
the rival to his throne,
00:27:02.66\00:27:06.14
which the devil is really
saying to Herod, You know if
00:27:06.17\00:27:09.22
you let Him live He's
going to take your throne,
00:27:09.25\00:27:11.81
but the devil is thinking,
If I let Him live He's going to
00:27:11.84\00:27:14.48
take my throne. And so we find
the devil attempting to kill
00:27:14.51\00:27:18.52
Christ from the
moment of His birth.
00:27:18.55\00:27:20.49
Another time there
was a storm on a lake.
00:27:20.52\00:27:23.39
It was a storm out of season.
00:27:23.42\00:27:25.54
The fishermen
were out on the lake.
00:27:25.57\00:27:27.31
It was not expected
that there would be a storm.
00:27:27.34\00:27:29.99
And there was this horrific
storm, and Jesus was sleeping
00:27:30.02\00:27:33.42
in the boat. Who do
you suppose knew that Jesus
00:27:33.45\00:27:36.13
was sleeping in the boat?
00:27:36.16\00:27:37.45
Who causes storms?
Satan causes storms.
00:27:37.48\00:27:40.80
He says, I'm
going to drown this man.
00:27:40.83\00:27:43.29
On another occasion Jesus
was preaching in the synagogue
00:27:43.32\00:27:47.24
in Nazareth. This is found in
Luke chapter 4 verses 28 to 30.
00:27:47.27\00:27:51.33
And Jesus said some things
that the Jews didn't like,
00:27:51.36\00:27:53.80
like, you know, in
the times of Elijah,
00:27:53.83\00:27:56.45
and in the times of Naaman the
Syrian, God favored the Gentiles
00:27:56.48\00:28:01.34
instead of the Jews, and
they were really angry at Jesus.
00:28:01.37\00:28:04.23
And so the Bible tells us
that they pushed Jesus outside
00:28:04.26\00:28:07.78
the city and they were
going to throw Him over a cliff.
00:28:07.81\00:28:10.22
Ellen White tells us in Desire
of Ages that there were demons
00:28:10.25\00:28:14.56
disguised as men there, egging
on the group of individuals,
00:28:14.59\00:28:20.20
the multitude to
throw Jesus over the cliff.
00:28:20.23\00:28:23.45
The devil was
trying to kill Christ.
00:28:23.48\00:28:25.49
On several occasions during the
ministry of Jesus they picked up
00:28:25.52\00:28:29.45
stones to try and stone Christ.
00:28:29.48\00:28:31.36
The Bible says that He
would walk in their midst
00:28:31.39\00:28:33.96
and they could not find Him.
00:28:33.99\00:28:35.41
So the devil says, I need
to kill Him before the moment
00:28:35.44\00:28:39.74
comes for Him to offer
His life voluntarily for sin.
00:28:39.77\00:28:44.06
It didn't work. The devil used
a second method to try and get
00:28:44.09\00:28:48.50
Jesus to fail in His ministry.
00:28:48.53\00:28:50.26
The devil tried to infect
Jesus with the virus of sin.
00:28:50.29\00:28:55.48
Three times on the Mount
of Temptation the devil tried
00:28:55.51\00:28:58.62
to get Jesus to sin.
00:28:58.65\00:29:00.04
And each time the Lord
Jesus responded by saying,
00:29:00.07\00:29:03.11
It is written. I live by
what God says in His Word,
00:29:03.14\00:29:08.51
and in His law. Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:29:08.54\00:29:11.76
but by every word that proceeds
out of the mouth of God.
00:29:11.79\00:29:14.77
In other words, Jesus refused
on the Mount of Temptation
00:29:14.80\00:29:18.14
to allow Himself to be
infected with the virus of sin,
00:29:18.17\00:29:21.21
because if He had He would have
been an imperfect sacrifice,
00:29:21.24\00:29:24.82
and His sacrifice
would not have been accepted.
00:29:24.85\00:29:27.21
In Hebrews chapter 4 and verse
15 we're told about the perfect
00:29:27.24\00:29:33.85
sinlessness of
Christ. It says there:
00:29:33.88\00:29:36.01
He was perfectly sinless.
00:29:47.66\00:29:49.98
He did not allow the devil
to infect Him with the virus
00:29:50.01\00:29:52.93
of sin because He
had to be a perfect lamb,
00:29:52.96\00:29:55.89
a perfect sacrifice.
Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 26
00:29:55.92\00:30:00.24
speaks also about the perfect
sinlessness of Christ. It says:
00:30:00.27\00:30:03.64
Notice the terminology:
holy, harmless, undefiled,
00:30:13.77\00:30:17.36
and separate from sinners.
00:30:17.39\00:30:18.97
In John chapter 8 Jesus
was speaking to a group of Jews
00:30:19.00\00:30:22.95
and He threw out this
question in John 8 verse 46
00:30:22.98\00:30:27.72
where He said, which
of you convicts Me of sin?
00:30:27.75\00:30:30.81
In other words, Who of you can
convince Me that I am a sinner?
00:30:30.84\00:30:34.04
And, of course, as a rhetorical
question, nobody could say
00:30:34.07\00:30:37.13
that He was a sinner.
00:30:37.16\00:30:38.25
In 1 John chapter 3 and
verse 5, once again we have a
00:30:38.28\00:30:42.73
description of the
perfect sinlessness of the life
00:30:42.76\00:30:45.41
of Christ. It says there:
00:30:45.44\00:30:47.18
One final verse on the
perfect sinlessness of Christ,
00:30:56.13\00:30:59.11
1 Peter chapter 2
and verses 21 and 22.
00:30:59.14\00:31:03.02
Here Peter says,
inspired by God's Spirit:
00:31:03.05\00:31:06.89
Jesus committed no what?
00:31:23.99\00:31:25.91
Jesus committed no sin.
00:31:25.94\00:31:28.48
Jesus came to live the life
that the law requires from us.
00:31:28.51\00:31:33.10
He came to live a perfect life.
00:31:33.13\00:31:34.70
The devil says, I'm not
going to allow Him to do it!
00:31:34.73\00:31:37.19
So the devil was after Him 24/7
365, but each time Jesus refused
00:31:37.22\00:31:43.80
to allow the devil to infect
Him with the virus of sin.
00:31:43.83\00:31:47.40
He lived His perfect life.
00:31:47.43\00:31:48.87
The devil could not kill
Him, and the devil could not
00:31:48.90\00:31:51.69
infect Him, so the devil says,
what I'm going to do is this,
00:31:51.72\00:31:55.08
distract Him from the cross.
00:31:55.11\00:31:57.65
I'm going to distract Him and
lead Him to choose a different
00:31:57.68\00:32:00.88
path, or a different way
of getting the throne back.
00:32:00.91\00:32:03.74
So the third method of the devil
is to distract Him from having
00:32:03.77\00:32:08.47
to live and die in place of
man, offering Him an easy way.
00:32:08.50\00:32:13.58
And, of course, the easier
way is to offer Jesus the throne
00:32:13.61\00:32:18.03
without Jesus having
to suffer and to die.
00:32:18.06\00:32:21.09
Now let me ask you, did
the devil on repeated occasions
00:32:21.12\00:32:25.58
try to get Jesus to take
a detour, a different way
00:32:25.61\00:32:30.54
of getting the
throne of the world back?
00:32:30.57\00:32:32.37
Yes, on the Mount of Temptation
the devil says, Look, here's all
00:32:32.40\00:32:37.29
the kingdoms of the
world, and all the authority.
00:32:37.32\00:32:39.73
I have those because
Adam gave them to me.
00:32:39.76\00:32:42.31
He says, You don't have to go
to Jerusalem and suffer and die.
00:32:42.34\00:32:46.09
No, no, no! All You have to
do is bow down and worship me
00:32:46.12\00:32:49.77
for an instant and You will be
the king without any suffering,
00:32:49.80\00:32:53.38
and without any agony.
00:32:53.41\00:32:54.93
Jesus says, no way!
00:32:54.96\00:32:56.97
That's not the way!
00:32:57.00\00:32:58.27
The way of the cross leads home.
00:32:58.30\00:33:01.32
In John chapter 6 and verse 15
Jesus had just fed 5,000 people
00:33:01.35\00:33:06.66
with 5 loaves and 2 fishes,
and the Bible tells us that the
00:33:06.69\00:33:10.46
people were so impressed
that they wanted to make Jesus
00:33:10.49\00:33:13.33
a temporal king. And, by the
way, the ring leader was Judas
00:33:13.36\00:33:17.32
Iscariot. Constantly the
disciples wanted Jesus to take
00:33:17.35\00:33:21.29
the throne. Now Jesus
had the window thrown back,
00:33:21.32\00:33:24.45
but not in that way!
00:33:24.48\00:33:26.16
The devil tried to distract
Him getting Him to choose a
00:33:26.19\00:33:29.39
different path. In
John 6 and verse 15
00:33:29.42\00:33:32.40
after feeding the
5,000, we're told this:
00:33:32.43\00:33:35.13
Six months before His
death Jesus asked His disciples,
00:33:46.45\00:33:50.51
Who are men saying that I am?
00:33:50.54\00:33:52.39
And the disciples say, Well,
some people say that you're
00:33:52.42\00:33:55.35
Jeremiah, some say that you're
Elijah, others say that you're
00:33:55.38\00:33:58.98
one of the prophets.
00:33:59.01\00:34:00.26
And then Jesus said,
Who do you say that I am?
00:34:00.29\00:34:02.46
And Peter, who appeared to be
the spokesman for the disciples
00:34:02.49\00:34:05.65
said, Oh, You are the
Christ, which means the Messiah.
00:34:05.68\00:34:08.69
You are the Messiah,
the Son of the living God.
00:34:08.72\00:34:11.50
Jesus now says to
Peter, Peter, well said.
00:34:11.53\00:34:15.14
Flesh and blood did not
reveal it to you, but My Father
00:34:15.17\00:34:18.33
in heaven did, because Peter
didn't even know what He was
00:34:18.36\00:34:20.66
confessing. You
say, how do we know that
00:34:20.69\00:34:22.83
he didn't know
what he was saying?
00:34:22.86\00:34:24.11
Yeah, he knew that Jesus was the
Messiah, but he had wrong in his
00:34:24.14\00:34:27.48
mind about the kind of Messiah.
00:34:27.51\00:34:29.38
In fact, Jesus
immediately afterwards,
00:34:29.41\00:34:32.07
in Matthew chapter
16, and verses 22 and 23,
00:34:32.10\00:34:35.79
Jesus says, I
must go to Jerusalem.
00:34:35.82\00:34:38.54
I must suffer. I'm going to
be killed, and I will resurrect
00:34:38.57\00:34:41.82
the third day. And when Jesus
says that Peter is indignant.
00:34:41.85\00:34:44.86
Notice the story in
Matthew 16: 22 and 23.
00:34:44.89\00:34:48.57
Imagine Peter
rebuking the Master.
00:34:51.63\00:34:53.35
Whose emissary was
Peter at that point?
00:35:00.12\00:35:02.64
Who was trying to say to
Jesus, Naw, You don't die!
00:35:02.67\00:35:06.14
Messiah rules! Notice verse 23:
00:35:06.17\00:35:09.12
Wow! He wasn't talking to
Peter, He was talking to whom?
00:35:14.24\00:35:19.76
To the devil
who was using Peter.
00:35:19.79\00:35:21.76
Now after Peter's confession the
disciples began their journey
00:35:29.66\00:35:34.50
with Christ towards Jerusalem.
00:35:34.53\00:35:35.92
This was Christ's last journey
to Jerusalem, and the disciples
00:35:35.95\00:35:38.95
are disturbed because Jesus
has said He's going to Jerusalem
00:35:38.98\00:35:42.06
to suffer and to die.
00:35:42.09\00:35:43.53
They kinda didn't hear that
He said that He would resurrect
00:35:43.56\00:35:46.56
the third day because they were
so focused on His sufferings
00:35:46.59\00:35:49.36
than on His death. And so for
six days the Bible tells us that
00:35:49.39\00:35:52.93
they're walking behind
Jesus, and they're sad.
00:35:52.96\00:35:55.83
And, you know, they say,
we're going to Jerusalem.
00:35:55.86\00:35:58.08
He said he's going to be killed.
00:35:58.11\00:35:59.27
He's going to die there!
00:35:59.30\00:36:00.33
And six days later Jesus
knows that they're terribly
00:36:00.36\00:36:03.89
discouraged, and so He takes
three of His disciples up to the
00:36:03.92\00:36:07.77
Mount of Transfiguration.
00:36:07.80\00:36:09.54
The Bible says that He is
transfigured in their presence.
00:36:09.57\00:36:12.77
He looked like He will
look at His Second Coming.
00:36:12.80\00:36:15.62
In other words, He was trying
to tell them, Hey, after the
00:36:15.65\00:36:18.22
suffering comes the glory.
00:36:18.25\00:36:19.71
As a result of what I'm
gong to do in Jerusalem,
00:36:19.74\00:36:22.26
I will be glorified
someday, and I will come again.
00:36:22.29\00:36:26.40
Not as the suffering servant,
but as the King of Kings,
00:36:26.43\00:36:30.21
and Lord of Lords.
00:36:30.24\00:36:31.88
And Moses and Elijah
appeared speaking to Christ
00:36:31.91\00:36:35.82
on the mountain,
and encouraging Jesus.
00:36:35.85\00:36:37.82
And then when this scene
ends Peter still didn't get it.
00:36:37.85\00:36:42.56
Peter knew that they were
on their way to Jerusalem.
00:36:42.59\00:36:45.87
He says, Lord, it is
good for us to stay here.
00:36:45.90\00:36:49.14
Let's not go to Jerusalem.
00:36:49.17\00:36:51.76
It's good to stay here.
00:36:51.79\00:36:52.82
Let's build three
tabernacles, and just stay here.
00:36:52.85\00:36:56.58
It is a temptation to stay.
00:36:56.61\00:36:58.38
You'll remember that towards
the end of the life of Christ,
00:36:58.41\00:37:01.85
during the last week of
His life, some Greeks came
00:37:01.88\00:37:04.37
for an interview
to speak with Jesus.
00:37:04.40\00:37:06.89
See, they wanted Jesus to go
to Greece to speak the beautiful
00:37:06.92\00:37:10.41
things that He had spoken and
to perform His marvelous signs.
00:37:10.44\00:37:13.79
And so they come to Jesus for
an interview, and they talked to
00:37:13.82\00:37:17.12
Philip, and
Philip talks to Andrew.
00:37:17.15\00:37:18.85
And when they say to Jesus,
The Greeks want to speak to you,
00:37:18.88\00:37:22.05
Jesus said something
that is very strange.
00:37:22.08\00:37:24.88
Let's read about this
in John 12 verses 20 to 24.
00:37:24.91\00:37:28.40
And now notice the
strange answer of Jesus.
00:37:46.45\00:37:49.23
In other words, the hour
for Me is not to go to Greece,
00:37:55.44\00:37:58.51
the hour is now to be glorified,
to die, and to resurrect,
00:37:58.54\00:38:02.58
and to be
exalted. Then He says this:
00:38:02.61\00:38:05.68
What He's saying is, if I go to
Greece now people will believe
00:38:17.04\00:38:20.74
but they can't be saved,
because in order to be saved
00:38:20.77\00:38:24.61
there has to be a perfect
life, and a death for sin
00:38:24.64\00:38:27.24
in their place. And so
they'll hear my beautiful words,
00:38:27.27\00:38:31.32
and they will be
healed by my marvelous works,
00:38:31.35\00:38:34.95
but they won't be saved!
00:38:34.98\00:38:36.44
He says, the only way in which
they can truly be saved is if
00:38:36.47\00:38:40.78
a seed of wheat, or a grain
of wheat falls into the earth,
00:38:40.81\00:38:44.18
, and dies, it then germinates.
00:38:44.21\00:38:48.40
It becomes a plant,
and it produces much fruit.
00:38:48.43\00:38:51.91
Jesus says, if I die and I
am buried, I will sprout to new
00:38:51.94\00:38:56.29
life, and then there
will be many people saved
00:38:56.32\00:38:59.46
in the kingdom. The devil
was trying to distract Jesus
00:38:59.49\00:39:03.06
from going to the cross, to go
to Greece to preach the gospel.
00:39:03.09\00:39:07.05
He was even using something
positive to try and distract
00:39:07.08\00:39:10.30
Jesus from the way of
the cross, even when Judas
00:39:10.33\00:39:14.44
betrayed Jesus Christ.
00:39:14.47\00:39:15.90
You know, some people think that
Judas betrayed Christ because
00:39:15.93\00:39:19.75
he wanted
Christ to be crucified.
00:39:19.78\00:39:21.54
No, no, no, no! That's
not what the gospels say.
00:39:21.57\00:39:24.74
Judas betrayed Christ
because he wanted to put Jesus
00:39:24.77\00:39:28.81
between a rock and a hard place.
00:39:28.84\00:39:30.30
He wanted to pressure Jesus
into retaliating against those
00:39:30.33\00:39:35.17
who arrested Him, and
to proclaim Himself king.
00:39:35.20\00:39:39.61
He wanted to pressure Jesus
into taking over the kingdom.
00:39:39.64\00:39:42.96
You way, How do we know that?
00:39:42.99\00:39:44.36
Hey, if it was the intention of
Judas that Jesus be crucified,
00:39:44.39\00:39:49.06
he wouldn't have committed
suicide. When he saw that Jesus
00:39:49.09\00:39:51.85
was being crucified, he would
have said, Hey, my plan worked
00:39:51.88\00:39:54.31
perfectly. But what happened
when he saw that Jesus did not
00:39:54.34\00:39:57.44
escape, and did not
proclaim Himself king?
00:39:57.47\00:39:59.97
The Bible says that he
went and he threw the money.
00:40:00.00\00:40:02.93
You see money meant nothing
for this covetous man anymore.
00:40:02.96\00:40:05.98
He threw the money
there in front of the Priest
00:40:06.01\00:40:08.32
and he said, I have
betrayed innocent blood.
00:40:08.35\00:40:11.46
And the Bible says that he
went and he committed suicide.
00:40:11.49\00:40:15.13
You see, once again the devil
was using, in fact the Bible
00:40:15.16\00:40:18.21
says that the
devil entered Judas.
00:40:18.24\00:40:20.21
That's what the Bible says!
00:40:20.24\00:40:21.82
And through Judas the devil
was trying to pressure Jesus
00:40:21.85\00:40:25.43
into taking the throne in
a different way than living
00:40:25.46\00:40:29.44
a perfect life
and dying for sin.
00:40:29.47\00:40:31.47
The devil used a fourth method,
and this was the most terrible
00:40:31.50\00:40:36.21
method of all, the most
trying for Jesus Christ.
00:40:36.24\00:40:40.13
Basically the fourth
method was to discourage Jesus
00:40:40.16\00:40:44.45
in such a way that He would
pick up, and that He would leave
00:40:44.48\00:40:47.93
to where He was loved in heaven.
00:40:48.07\00:40:50.70
Do you know that Jesus at
any point during His ministry
00:40:50.73\00:40:53.87
could have chosen to go back to
heaven and allow the human race
00:40:53.90\00:40:57.99
to perish? And the devil,
especially at the end of the
00:40:58.02\00:41:01.55
life of Christ, tried to
discourage Jesus in such a way
00:41:01.58\00:41:05.68
that Jesus would simply say,
It's not worth staying here.
00:41:05.71\00:41:10.25
I'm going back to
heaven where I am loved.
00:41:10.28\00:41:13.41
Let's notice several
verses in the final days,
00:41:13.44\00:41:17.38
in the final hours,
of the life of Christ.
00:41:17.41\00:41:19.96
Matthew 26 and verse 38.
Jesus speaks to His disciples
00:41:19.99\00:41:25.03
when He goes to the Garden
of Gethsemane and He says,
00:41:25.06\00:41:28.04
Notice Jesus is filled
with sorrow as He goes to
00:41:36.39\00:41:39.37
the Garden of Gethsemane.
00:41:39.40\00:41:40.96
And then in chapter 26
and verses 39, 42, and 44
00:41:40.99\00:41:46.42
Jesus three times begs the
Father that if it's possible
00:41:46.45\00:41:50.12
the cup might be taken from Him.
00:41:50.15\00:41:52.68
Notice Matthew chapter
26 and verse 39. It says:
00:41:52.71\00:41:57.69
Let me ask you, what was it
that was contained in that cup
00:42:32.27\00:42:37.65
that Jesus had to drink?
00:42:37.68\00:42:39.28
Folks, it was the
wrath of His Father!
00:42:39.31\00:42:43.11
That word cup that is used there
is the same word that is used
00:42:43.14\00:42:47.86
in Revelation 16 where it speaks
about the bowls of God's wrath
00:42:47.89\00:42:52.67
being poured out upon the earth.
00:42:52.70\00:42:54.70
The word bowl in Revelation
16 is the same word cup here.
00:42:54.73\00:42:59.24
Jesus was going to drink
the wine of the wrath of God
00:42:59.27\00:43:03.84
because He was bearing the sins
of the whole world upon Himself.
00:43:03.87\00:43:07.85
Who gave Him that cup?
00:43:07.88\00:43:09.89
His Father gave Him that cup.
00:43:09.92\00:43:12.41
Notice John
chapter 18 and verse 11,
00:43:12.44\00:43:15.21
John chapter 18 and verse 11.
00:43:15.24\00:43:18.23
This is when he
cut off the ear of the
00:43:23.11\00:43:25.39
servant of the High Priest.
00:43:25.42\00:43:27.08
Why would the Father give
Jesus the cup of His wrath?
00:43:36.06\00:43:39.88
It's because Jesus was
carrying upon Himself the sins
00:43:39.91\00:43:44.76
of the whole world;
the punishment for sin.
00:43:44.79\00:43:47.60
He had lived the perfect life,
and the devil is saying to Jesus
00:43:47.63\00:43:51.21
If You go through with this
You will never see Your Father's
00:43:51.24\00:43:54.77
face ever again. You'd
better leave while You can.
00:43:54.80\00:43:58.35
In fact, Hebrews chapter 5
and verse 7 describes the agony
00:43:58.38\00:44:04.38
of Jesus in the
Garden o Gethsemane.
00:44:04.41\00:44:06.71
The devil was torturing
the heart of Jesus with his
00:44:06.74\00:44:09.76
temptations, according to
The Desire of Ages, telling Him
00:44:09.79\00:44:12.96
listen, leave now while You
can or else You are going to be
00:44:12.99\00:44:16.61
lost and everyone
else is going to be lost.
00:44:16.64\00:44:19.04
And Jesus, you know, He
wanted the encouragement of His
00:44:19.07\00:44:21.81
disciples. He says, pray, pray
for Me, and three times He finds
00:44:21.84\00:44:26.85
them sleeping. And the
devil is saying to Jesus,
00:44:26.88\00:44:29.16
Oh, Your disciples sure
love You a lot, don't they?
00:44:29.19\00:44:31.79
They're sleeping while You are
agonizing; trying to discourage
00:44:31.82\00:44:36.21
Christ. It says in
Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 7,
00:44:36.24\00:44:39.60
speaking about the suffering
of Jesus in Gethsemane,
00:44:39.63\00:44:42.13
Notice the expressions:
prayers, supplications, cries,
00:44:58.23\00:45:02.30
and tears He's
raising up to His Father.
00:45:02.33\00:45:05.11
In fact His agony was so great
that instead of sweating sweat,
00:45:05.14\00:45:09.73
the Bible says
that He sweated blood.
00:45:09.76\00:45:12.12
Luke chapter 22
and verse 44 says:
00:45:12.15\00:45:15.46
Ellen White in The Desire of
Ages, page 753, expresses the
00:45:26.38\00:45:30.05
the agony, and let me interject
before I read that statement
00:45:30.09\00:45:33.73
something very important, Jesus
did not die from His wounds.
00:45:33.76\00:45:37.48
Do you know that Ellen White
tells us that Jesus would have
00:45:37.51\00:45:43.71
died in the Garden of Gethsemane
before one finger was placed
00:45:43.74\00:45:47.98
on Him if it hadn't been
for an angel that was sent
00:45:48.01\00:45:50.93
to strengthen Him.
That's before anything happened
00:45:50.96\00:45:54.39
to Jesus. Before one finger
was placed on Him, she says,
00:45:54.42\00:45:57.68
He fell dying to the
ground, and an angel was sent
00:45:57.71\00:46:01.02
to revive Him so
that He would not die.
00:46:01.05\00:46:03.62
Jesus did not die
because of His wounds,
00:46:03.65\00:46:06.27
Jesus died because of the weight
of the sin of the whole world
00:46:06.30\00:46:10.01
that He was bearing upon Himself
after living His perfect life.
00:46:10.04\00:46:13.82
Ellen White says:
00:46:13.85\00:46:14.88
Imagine that! The
devil is saying the
00:46:41.35\00:46:44.82
separation is going to
be eternal. Then she says:
00:46:44.85\00:46:47.54
And do you know something folks?
00:47:07.39\00:47:08.90
Jesus said to His disciples, He
said to Peter after he cut off
00:47:08.93\00:47:12.88
the ear, He said, Put
away that sword. Don't you know
00:47:12.91\00:47:17.11
that if I wanted to I could call
right now 12 legions of angels,
00:47:17.24\00:47:21.01
and they would deliver Me?
00:47:21.04\00:47:22.38
In other words Jesus is
saying, I could leave right now
00:47:22.41\00:47:25.30
if I wanted to. I don't
have to go through with this.
00:47:25.33\00:47:28.15
Imagine the devil says to Jesus,
Huh, Your disciples really care
00:47:28.18\00:47:32.54
for You, don't they?
One of them betrayed You.
00:47:32.57\00:47:35.59
The other one denied You.
00:47:35.62\00:47:38.13
And all of the rest
of them scampered away.
00:47:38.16\00:47:42.12
And they slept when You
asked them to pray for You.
00:47:42.15\00:47:45.16
Hey, not even Your
disciples are going to be saved,
00:47:45.19\00:47:48.86
much less the human race.
00:47:48.89\00:47:51.03
Pick up and leave while You can.
00:47:51.06\00:47:53.80
The Bible tells us that Jesus
was beaten, and He was punched.
00:47:53.83\00:47:59.90
They spit in His face.
The purpose of the devil is to
00:47:59.93\00:48:03.53
either get Jesus to leave, and
to go where He's appreciated,
00:48:03.56\00:48:07.06
or else for Jesus to retaliate,
00:48:07.09\00:48:09.32
and in this way sin and
ruin the plan of salvation.
00:48:09.35\00:48:13.14
We're told in Mark
chapter 14, and verse 65:
00:48:13.17\00:48:16.29
In Mark chapter 15, verses
16 thru 20, we find how Jesus
00:48:28.09\00:48:32.85
was treated. The devil is
causing this because He wants
00:48:32.88\00:48:35.70
Jesus either to retaliate
or He wants Jesus to leave.
00:48:35.73\00:48:39.26
It says there in
Mark chapter 15, verse 16:
00:48:39.29\00:48:43.28
Do you know that even
while Jesus hung on the cross,
00:49:15.67\00:49:18.94
the devil tried to entice
Him to come down from the cross?
00:49:18.97\00:49:22.48
There were individuals gathered
at the foot of the cross
00:49:22.51\00:49:26.84
that actually said to Jesus,
If you're really the Son of God,
00:49:26.87\00:49:30.30
come down and prove it.
00:49:30.33\00:49:32.38
They were breathing
the words of the devil.
00:49:32.41\00:49:35.09
Notice Matthew
27, verses 41 to 43:
00:49:35.12\00:49:38.78
But Jesus would
not be discouraged.
00:50:01.98\00:50:04.30
He was going to go to
the tomb even if it meant
00:50:04.33\00:50:07.73
eternal
separation from His Father.
00:50:07.76\00:50:09.80
That's how much Jesus loves us!
00:50:09.83\00:50:12.76
In John 8 and verse 29, Jesus
explained that His Father was
00:50:12.79\00:50:18.74
always with Him. In fact it
says there, Jesus is speaking:
00:50:18.77\00:50:23.32
So Jesus says the
Father is always with Me.
00:50:32.74\00:50:35.08
He's never left Me alone.
00:50:35.11\00:50:36.75
But listen carefully, Matthew
27 verse 46 tells us that when
00:50:36.78\00:50:41.11
Jesus hung on the cross He could
not feel the presence of His
00:50:41.14\00:50:44.47
Father. In fact He cries
out, My God, My God, why have
00:50:44.50\00:50:49.85
You forsaken Me? Why
hast Thou forsaken Me?
00:50:49.88\00:50:52.62
You walked with me all during
My life, but now I don't feel
00:50:52.65\00:50:56.57
Your presence. Why
have You forsaken Me?
00:50:56.60\00:50:59.45
And then Jesus says on
the cross, It is finished!
00:50:59.48\00:51:05.37
And as we'll notice in our
next lecture in this series,
00:51:05.40\00:51:08.70
Jesus was actually speaking
those words to His Father.
00:51:08.73\00:51:12.52
Jesus was saying, I have lived
the perfect life that the law
00:51:12.55\00:51:16.71
requires, and now I am
bearing the sins of the world.
00:51:16.74\00:51:20.22
Salvation is finished!
There's a perfect life,
00:51:20.25\00:51:23.49
and there's a death for sin
available to every repentant
00:51:23.52\00:51:27.86
human being who comes confessing
his sin, and trusting in Me.
00:51:27.89\00:51:32.28
It is finished!
John 19, verse 30 says:
00:51:32.31\00:51:36.35
But, you know what? Luke tell us
that Jesus said one last thing
00:51:44.30\00:51:48.86
after He said, It is finished.
00:51:48.89\00:51:50.50
This is found in Luke 23
and verse 46; Luke 23 verse 46.
00:51:50.53\00:51:56.66
Now listen folks, Jesus
felt forsaken by His Father.
00:51:56.69\00:51:59.96
We just read it. He said,
My God, My God, why have You
00:51:59.99\00:52:04.12
forsaken Me? He could not see
beyond the portals of the tomb.
00:52:04.15\00:52:07.16
He feared that sin was
so offensive to God that the
00:52:07.19\00:52:10.20
separation would be eternal.
00:52:10.23\00:52:11.53
And yet Jesus, the last words
that He pronounces on the cross
00:52:11.56\00:52:15.73
are found in Luke 23
verse 46. where we are told:
00:52:15.76\00:52:19.94
Do you know what
Jesus was saying?
00:52:30.22\00:52:31.83
Jesus was saying, Father You
promised that if I was faithful,
00:52:31.86\00:52:35.89
that if I lived a perfect life,
and that if I offered My life
00:52:35.92\00:52:40.26
as a ransom for sin that
You would preserve My Spirit,
00:52:40.29\00:52:44.66
and that You would
resurrect Me from the dead.
00:52:44.69\00:52:47.61
Father into Your hands
I'm commending My Spirit
00:52:47.64\00:52:51.64
because You have promised that
the third day You are going to
00:52:51.67\00:52:54.99
give Me my Spirit back. You are
going to resurrect Me and I will
00:52:55.02\00:52:58.26
be alive again. Father, into
Your hands I commend My Spirit.
00:52:58.29\00:53:01.71
So Jesus did not die a
dejected and pessimistic life.
00:53:01.74\00:53:06.50
Jesus feels separated from
His Father, but He says, Father,
00:53:06.53\00:53:10.26
I claim Your promise that
You will return to Me My Spirit.
00:53:10.29\00:53:13.85
You will preserve My Spirit,
and You will return to Me
00:53:13.88\00:53:17.60
My self identity. You will
make Me who I was in life on the
00:53:17.63\00:53:21.93
third day when I
resurrect from the dead.
00:53:21.96\00:53:24.31
Jesus died on what
is known as Good Friday.
00:53:27.63\00:53:32.17
He rested in the
tomb on the Sabbath.
00:53:32.20\00:53:36.93
Very early on the first day
of the week two angels descended
00:53:36.96\00:53:40.83
from heaven. One of
them removed the stone.
00:53:40.86\00:53:45.72
Ha! You know the devil
was trying to keep Jesus
00:53:45.75\00:53:48.08
in the tomb. Ha, Ha! It
kind of makes me snicker.
00:53:48.11\00:53:52.32
The devil thought that he
could keep the Prince of Life
00:53:52.35\00:53:55.18
in a tomb with a little
stone in front of the entrance
00:53:55.21\00:53:58.35
of the tomb? with a Roman guard?
with his demons there, present
00:53:58.38\00:54:05.95
in front of the tomb? He
actually thought that he could
00:54:05.98\00:54:08.33
keep Jesus in the tomb? And
so one of the angels removes the
00:54:08.36\00:54:12.22
stone and sits upon it. The
other angel stands in front of
00:54:12.25\00:54:16.55
the tomb, and with a commanding
voice he says, Oh thou
00:54:16.58\00:54:21.41
Son of God, Thy
Father calls thee!
00:54:21.44\00:54:25.11
Remember He had said, Father
into Your hands I commend My
00:54:25.14\00:54:28.38
Spirit. Immediately out through
the entrance of the tomb comes
00:54:28.41\00:54:34.79
Jesus Christ. He had removed
the wrappings, and He had folded
00:54:34.82\00:54:39.46
them neatly. See He
was a neat individual.
00:54:39.49\00:54:42.41
This teaches us that we
should make our bed kids
00:54:42.44\00:54:45.67
in the morning. It teaches
us many important lessons
00:54:45.70\00:54:49.02
that we need to be orderly.
00:54:49.05\00:54:50.32
See, He didn't say, Oh
I've got to resurrect, you know,
00:54:50.35\00:54:53.09
just throw everything aside.
00:54:53.12\00:54:54.50
No, He folded
everything perfectly.
00:54:54.53\00:54:56.67
And when He comes out of
the tomb He says in a commanding
00:54:56.70\00:55:00.69
voice, I am the
resurrection and the life!
00:55:00.72\00:55:04.55
The Roman soldiers
fell like they were dead.
00:55:04.58\00:55:07.81
The demons scattered. The
earth shook because the Messiah
00:55:07.84\00:55:12.35
had come forth from the grave.
00:55:12.38\00:55:14.45
Now He had a perfect life!
00:55:14.48\00:55:16.76
And He had a death for sin that
He could offer to every sinner
00:55:16.79\00:55:20.94
that comes to Him repentant,
confessing sin, and trusting
00:55:20.97\00:55:25.84
in Jesus Christ as
Savior and as Lord.
00:55:25.87\00:55:29.03
But Jesus did not
resurrect by Himself.
00:55:29.06\00:55:31.75
Our final point is that
there was a group of individuals
00:55:31.78\00:55:35.18
that resurrected with Him.
00:55:35.21\00:55:36.67
Notice Matthew
chapter 27 verses 51 to 53;
00:55:36.70\00:55:41.19
Matthew 27 verses 51 to 53:
00:55:41.22\00:55:44.34
There was a multitude of
individuals that resurrected
00:56:10.88\00:56:14.40
with Christ, and the
purpose was two-fold.
00:56:14.43\00:56:17.17
1. For 40 days to go into
the city and prove that Jesus
00:56:17.20\00:56:24.08
had resurrected from the dead.
00:56:24.11\00:56:25.79
And secondly, when Jesus
went to heaven 40 days after His
00:56:25.82\00:56:30.19
resurrection, Jesus took these
people who resurrected with Him
00:56:30.22\00:56:34.95
as a sample to heaven of all
of those that will come forth
00:56:34.98\00:56:40.26
from the grave when
Jesus comes for the second time
00:56:40.29\00:56:43.53
in power and glory. In other
words, by taking that small
00:56:43.56\00:56:47.53
group to heaven Jesus is saying
to the devil, I'm only taking
00:56:47.56\00:56:51.51
the sample now, but when I
return again I'm going to take
00:56:51.54\00:56:55.81
all of the rest of
them with Me as well.
00:56:55.84\00:56:58.93
Now some people have reached
the conclusion that this group
00:56:58.96\00:57:03.99
that resurrected with
Christ were the 24 elders
00:57:04.02\00:57:07.99
of Revelation 4 and 5. But
the question is, as we conclude
00:57:08.02\00:57:12.67
this presentation, are those who
resurrected with Jesus really
00:57:12.70\00:57:17.86
the 24 elders, or are the
24 elders a different group
00:57:17.89\00:57:23.64
who play a very important
role in the plan of salvation?
00:57:23.67\00:57:28.50
Don't miss the
next exciting episode
00:57:28.53\00:57:30.87
when we will study this subject.
00:57:30.90\00:57:32.83