Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CUTJ
Program Code: CUTJ000002
|
00:34 Let's bow our heads.
00:37 Father in heaven, what a joy it is to be in Your house. 00:41 How wonderful it is to be alive today. 00:44 How wonderful it is to have the Sabbath. 00:48 A day when we can just step back, unwind, and focus 00:53 only on You and Your kingdom. 00:56 We ask, Father, as we open Your holy Word, that Your Spirit 01:00 will be manifested in this place. 01:03 Give us clarity of thought and give us tender hearts 01:07 to receive the seed of truth. 01:10 And we thank You, Father, for hearing and for 01:12 answering our prayer. 01:14 For we ask it in the precious name 01:16 of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. 01:19 Amen. 01:23 Our study today will be number two in the series, 01:27 Catching Up To Jesus. 01:31 Now several weeks ago I spoke about the experience 01:35 of John the Baptist when Jesus presented Himself 01:40 as the perfect Lamb without blemish and defect. 01:45 And you remember that there were several common denominators 01:49 in that study that we had, number one in this series 01:52 called, Catching Up to Jesus. 01:55 We noticed first of all that there were prophecies 01:58 which pointed forward to Jesus as the perfect Lamb of God. 02:02 Secondly, we noticed that when these prophecies 02:06 were about to be fulfilled God raised up a prophet, 02:10 John the Baptist, to give great publicity to the fact that 02:14 Jesus was going to present Himself as the perfect Lamb. 02:19 We noticed, however, that John the Baptist 02:21 went through a misunderstanding of what prophecy was actually 02:25 trying to teach. 02:27 And because of his misunderstanding 02:29 of these prophecies, he went through a deep disappointment. 02:35 We noticed, however, that when he was disappointed in prison, 02:40 an angel drew near to him and opened up the passages 02:44 from the prophecies which he had not understood 02:47 or which he had misunderstood. 02:49 And as a result, John the Baptist died there in peace. 02:56 We also noticed in our study that God chose an instrument 03:01 who was not educated. 03:03 In other words, he was not educated in the 03:05 schools of the rabbis. 03:06 He was not one of the prominent religious leaders 03:09 of the day and age. 03:11 So this is the process which was followed in the first study 03:15 in this series. 03:17 A prophecy or a series of prophecies, 03:20 great publicity when the prophecies were about 03:23 to be fulfilled, a misunderstanding 03:25 of those prophecies, as a result of the misunderstanding, 03:29 a great disappointment. 03:31 We noticed also that after the disappointment 03:34 comes the clarification. 03:37 And God chose a very humble instrument through which 03:41 to proclaim the message. 03:42 And by the way, the religious church of the day, 03:46 the establishment of the day, rejected the message 03:50 that was presented by John the Baptist. 03:55 Now in our study today we're going to go to step number two. 03:59 We're going to study a second great disappointment. 04:02 And we're going to notice that this process 04:06 follows the same order as the experience of John the Baptist. 04:11 We're going to find that there were specific prophecies 04:15 now about Jesus going to the cross and dying 04:19 for the sins of the world. 04:21 You see, with John the Baptist, Jesus presented Himself 04:25 at the entrance to the court and He was examined 04:28 to make sure that He was the perfect Lamb. 04:31 In other words, that He had lived a sinless life. 04:35 Then He goes one step further and He comes 04:38 to the altar of sacrifice. 04:40 That's where the perfect Lamb is going to be offered 04:43 as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. 04:47 Now there were many prophecies which pointed to Jesus 04:50 as the sacrifice for sin. 04:53 As we begin, I would like to examine several of those 04:58 prophecies which pointed to the work that Jesus 05:01 was going to perform after presenting Himself 05:04 as a perfect Lamb. 05:06 We all know, for example, Genesis chapter 22, 05:10 and I'm only going to read two verses; verse 8 and verse 13. 05:17 This is the experience of Abraham when he took Isaac 05:20 to Mount Moriah to sacrifice him. 05:23 And it says there in verse 8... 05:35 In other words, God was going to provide 05:38 the lamb for the offering. 05:43 And now we jump down to verse 13. 06:03 In other words, there was a substitute offered in place 06:07 of the death of Isaac. 06:09 Very clearly, this passage in Genesis 22 06:13 is teaching us that there would be one who would die 06:16 as a substitute for the sins of humanity. 06:21 And then of course we have the story of the Passover. 06:25 It's found in Exodus chapter 12, 06:28 and I'm only going to read verses 5-7. 06:31 By the way, the Passover provided the specific day 06:36 and month in which the Messiah would die. 06:41 The month was Nissan, and the day was the 14th day of Nissan. 06:48 Notice Exodus 12:5. 06:55 There you have the first step that Jesus takes 06:58 through the Sanctuary. 07:12 That's Nissan. 07:20 Better translation would be, "at evening." 07:34 So the Passover provided the idea of the day and the month 07:40 in which the Messiah would die a sacrifice for sin. 07:46 The fact is that Genesis 22 pointed to the idea 07:49 that there would be a substitute offered in place of man. 07:55 But there were other prophecies in the Old Testament. 07:57 For example, Exodus 29:38-39. 08:02 Here it speaks about the morning and the evening sacrifice. 08:08 It says there in Exodus 29:38-39... 08:31 Or in the evening. 08:33 Once again, the idea that lambs needed to be sacrificed for sin. 08:41 And then of course, who could forget 08:42 the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7 where it speaks about 08:47 the suffering servant. 08:49 Let's read there, Isaiah 53:7, speaking about what the Messiah 08:54 would accomplish at the altar of sacrifice. 09:16 And of course, in the same prophecy we find 09:18 that He was wounded for our transgressions. 09:23 In other words, He took our place, 09:25 according to Isaiah 53:3-7. 09:30 So there were clear prophecies that meant the Messiah 09:32 was going to come, He was going to take sin upon Himself, 09:36 and He was going to be sacrificed for sin. 09:40 Now another remarkable prophecy that we find in Scripture 09:43 in the Old Testament gives the specific year 09:47 in which the Messiah would be cut off, 09:50 or the Messiah would die. 09:51 Interestingly enough, the Passover gave the day 09:56 and the month. 09:57 But there's also a prophecy which gave the year 10:00 for the death of the Messiah. 10:02 Notice Daniel 9:26. 10:05 This is the famous prophecy of the 70 weeks. 10:08 And this is speaking about the final week of the 70 weeks. 10:12 Which I'll just review. 10:13 They begin in the year 457. 10:16 Jesus is baptized in the year 27. 10:20 And then He's crucified in the year 31 10:23 on the 14th day of Nissan. 10:27 Notice Daniel 9:26. 10:51 This prophecy pointed to the fact that in the middle 10:53 of that last week of years, the Messiah would be cut off. 10:57 And Exodus 12 emphasizes that it would be on the precise day 11:02 and month on which the Passover was offered. 11:06 So the Old Testament had an abundance of prophecies 11:09 which pointed to the fact that when Messiah would come, 11:12 He would take upon Himself the sins of the world 11:16 and He would offer His life in place of our life, 11:21 and He would offer it for sin. 11:23 Now the New Testament makes it very clear that 11:26 Jesus fulfilled these prophecies. 11:29 In fact, the New Testament emphasizes that Jesus 11:32 officiated His own sacrifice. 11:35 You know, in the Old Testament you had to have a priest 11:38 and a sacrifice. 11:39 But in the New Testament we find that Jesus 11:43 is the priest and the sacrifice. 11:46 So Jesus is the Priest who offers His own life? 11:51 Notice 1 Corinthians 5:7. 11:54 Here it's speaking about the Passover. 11:56 I want you to notice who fulfills the Passover. 11:59 1 Corinthians 5:7 12:02 The apostle Paul says... 12:15 Now comes the key portion of the verse. 12:25 Notice that Jesus fulfills the Passover. 12:29 By the way, He died on the 14th day of Nissan 12:34 as a Passover lamb in the middle of that last week. 12:39 Notice also Hebrews 7:27, the fulfillment of these 12:44 Old Testament prophecies. 12:46 Hebrews 7:27, it's speaking about the Sanctuary. 12:59 This is speaking about Jesus as the Lamb. 13:02 The first step that we talked about in our 13:04 first study together. 13:12 That is, in the Old Testament. 13:26 Notice, He offered up Himself. 13:29 He was the priest and He was also the victim. 13:33 Notice Ephesians 5:2. 13:36 Another text that speaks about Jesus fulfilling 13:39 these ceremonies of sacrifices of animals, 13:42 and specifically lambs, in the Old Testament. 13:45 Ephesians 5:2 13:48 It says there, the apostle Paul is counseling the church... 14:10 Notice once again the idea that Jesus gives His life, 14:15 Jesus actually offers Himself for the sins of the world. 14:20 It's so clear in Scripture that when Messiah would come, 14:24 He would actually come to bear the sins of the world 14:28 and to be sacrificed for those sins as a sweet aroma 14:32 before God so that God's people could be accepted in Him. 14:37 Notice Galatians 3:13. 14:40 Another text that speaks about Jesus 14:42 fulfilling these prophecies. 14:44 Galatians 3:13 14:47 It says there... 14:54 How did He do it? 15:06 So the curse that I deserve, Jesus took upon Himself 15:09 by hanging on the tree. 15:11 That is, by dying. 15:14 Notice 2 Corinthians 5:21. 15:16 We'll only read two more. 15:18 The New Testament is saturated with these text. 15:21 2 Corinthians 5:21 15:24 This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. 15:27 It says, "For He," that is God the Father, "made Him," Jesus, 15:32 "who knew no sin," there you have the perfect Lamb, 15:35 "to be sin for us," see, He bore our sins... 15:43 "He knew no sin..." That's the unblemished lamb. 15:46 But He took sin upon Himself and He was sacrificed 15:50 in my place and in your place. 15:52 One final text, Hebrews 2:9. 15:56 Hebrews 2:9 16:00 Here the apostle Paul describes the work that Jesus 16:04 performed for us when He came to this earth 16:07 and He died on the cross. 16:09 It says there... 16:28 So let me ask you the question, were there many prophecies 16:31 in the Old Testament about what the Messiah would do 16:34 when He would come the first time? 16:36 An abundance of them. 16:38 Did these prophecies clearly point to the idea 16:41 that the Messiah was going to bear sin and He was going to be 16:45 sacrificed for sin? 16:47 Abundantly. 16:48 The Passover, being cut off in the middle of the week, 16:52 the story of Isaac, the morning and evening sacrifice. 16:56 An abundance of prophecies in the Old Testament 16:59 pointing to the work that the Messiah was going to perform. 17:03 And the New Testament corroborates that Jesus 17:05 fulfilled those prophecies. 17:09 Now do you think that it was important for there to be 17:12 great publicity when Jesus was about to fulfill 17:16 all of these prophecies? 17:17 Of course. 17:19 What good would it do for Jesus to fulfill all of these 17:21 prophecies and nobody to know about it? 17:25 Now, was there great publicity when Jesus was about 17:28 to go to the cross? 17:30 Absolutely. 17:32 It's known as the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 17:37 You see, it was important that every eye be riveted on Jesus, 17:41 what Jesus was going to do there in Jerusalem. 17:44 He was going to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament. 17:48 And by the way, if anyone was to blame for the disappointment 17:52 that followed, we would probably have to blame Jesus. 17:55 Because Jesus staged this whole event. 18:00 It was Jesus who told the disciples that they were 18:02 suppose to go get the animal upon which He rode. 18:07 And He was the one who allowed Himself to be proclaimed King, 18:10 as we'll notice. 18:12 All of Jerusalem proclaimed Him King. 18:14 And Jesus knew very well, we're going to notice, 18:17 that this was going to lead to a great disappointment. 18:20 By the way, did Jesus during His ministry 18:23 warn the disciples about what He was going to do 18:26 when He was going to go to Jerusalem? 18:28 Did He teach them how He was going to fulfill Bible prophecy? 18:32 He most certainly did. 18:33 Notice Matthew 16:21-22. 18:38 Matthew 16:21-22 18:42 This is immediately after Peter confesses that Jesus 18:45 is the Christ. 18:47 "From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples 18:52 that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things 18:57 from the elders and chief priests and scribes, 19:00 and be killed, and be raised the third day." 19:05 Had Jesus, during His ministry, warned them that He was 19:07 going to Jerusalem to die? 19:09 Of course He had. 19:11 And yet He knew that they were going to misunderstand 19:14 what He was going to do. 19:16 And so Jesus stages this great publicity event, 19:21 the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, 19:23 so that everybody could have their eyes focused on Him 19:26 even though He knows that this is going to lead 19:29 to a bitter disappointment. 19:31 In fact, let's read from Matthew chapter 21 19:36 about the triumphal entry, and we'll begin at verse 1. 19:39 Matthew 21:1 19:43 And I want you to notice that Jesus is staging this event. 19:46 Jesus plans it, Jesus implements it, 19:49 knowing full well that people are misunderstanding 19:53 the type of King that He is going to be. 19:56 It says there... 20:55 Who staged this event? 20:57 Was this an idea that the disciples came up with? 20:59 No, it was Jesus. 21:01 It says here that Jesus said to the disciples, 21:04 "Go, loose them, bring them." 21:08 He told them what to say in case of objection. 21:10 And it says that they did as Jesus commanded them. 21:15 Let me ask you, was there great fanfare and publicity 21:19 on what we have come to know as Palm Sunday? 21:22 Was every eye in Jerusalem riveted upon Jesus? 21:26 Absolutely. 21:28 He was going to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament 21:31 about being the sacrifice, being the Lamb of God 21:34 who takes away the sin of the world. 21:36 In fact, He was going to enter Jerusalem as a King. 21:41 Notice, Desire Of Ages, page 570. 21:44 I'm going to read several statements now 21:46 from, Desire Of Ages, which describe the reason 21:50 for this event and how it transpired. 21:53 It says there on page 570... 22:03 So did Jesus know that when He rode this beast 22:07 that the people were going to understand that He was a King? 22:09 Of course. 22:28 By the way, did Jesus know that this was going to 22:30 lead to a great disappointment? 22:32 Notice, Desire Of Ages, page 571. 22:43 Of the people claiming that He was the Messiah 22:46 and praising Him as the Messiah. 22:48 Notice what she says... 22:53 Did Jesus know that they were going to be disappointed? 22:56 Why didn't He just cut it off and say, 22:57 "No, these people are going to be bitterly disappointed. 23:00 They misunderstand prophecy. 23:01 So let's abort the plan right now." 23:04 He knew full well, and He staged the event. 23:08 She continues saying... 23:27 In other words, it was important for people to rivet their eyes 23:31 upon Jesus and know that He was fulfilling prophecy, 23:34 even if they misunderstood. 23:36 Because later the reason for the disappointment 23:39 could be explained. 23:41 Now I want to read a statement about the expectations 23:45 of the people; how the people felt when Jesus entered 23:48 Jerusalem triumphantly. 23:50 This is, Desire Of Ages, page 570. 24:08 This is speaking about the disciples. 24:23 So the people are enthused, they're pumped up. 24:26 "This is the Messiah, He's the King. 24:27 He's going to march into Jerusalem. 24:29 He's going to overthrow the Romans. 24:31 And He's going to sit on the throne. 24:32 And He's going to put Israel where it should be; 24:35 at the apex of the world." 24:38 Now allow me to read you an explanation of the 24:40 triumphal entry itself and how the multitudes 24:43 reacted to the triumphal entry. 24:45 This is, Desire Of Ages, page 570 once again. 25:22 Let me ask you, was their emancipation at hand? 25:26 Was it? 25:27 Yes, but it wasn't the kind of emancipation 25:31 that they were expecting. 25:33 They were right about the timing, but they were 25:35 wrong about what? 25:37 They were wrong about the event which was going to take place. 25:41 She continues saying, "In imagination they saw 25:44 the Roman armies driven from Jerusalem..." 26:00 It's interesting to notice how Ellen White continues 26:02 describing this scene. 26:04 She says, first of all, that this procession started 26:09 with the disciples. 26:11 Then as Jesus and the disciples were marching towards Jerusalem, 26:15 those who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover 26:18 joined the crowd. 26:20 By the way, there were more than two million people, 26:22 according to Josephus, that would come to Jerusalem 26:25 during the time of the Passover. 26:27 So you can imagine the tumult that this caused in Jerusalem. 26:31 So she says that then the multitudes who had made their 26:34 pilgrimage to Jerusalem joined the crowd. 26:37 Then she says, as Jesus neared Jerusalem 26:40 the crowd grew larger and larger. 26:42 And she says that as the people sang, the praise could be heard 26:47 echoing against the hills. 26:50 And then she says, in the procession were those 26:54 from whom Jesus had cast out demons, 26:56 the blind whose eyes He had opened, 26:59 the paralytics whose legs He had restored, 27:02 the lepers He had cleansed, the widows and the orphans 27:05 He had encouraged, even the dead whom He had resurrected. 27:08 In fact, she says that Lazarus was the one who actually 27:11 led the colt as they were marching; 27:14 that man whom Jesus has resurrected. 27:16 So you can just sense the excitement. 27:19 In fact, let's read Matthew 21:8-11 27:23 to catch the biblical perspective of this 27:26 great publicity event. 27:29 It says there in verse 8... 27:43 By the way, did Jesus have a big following in the good times? 27:48 Did everybody get emotional, excited, and join the 27:51 bandwagon and say, "This is the Messiah." 27:53 Less than a week later they would be crying out, 27:56 "Crucify Him." 27:58 The majority of them, by the way. 28:01 She continues saying... 28:15 They're actually quoting Psalm 118:26, 28:19 which is a Messianic prophecy. 28:21 And verse 10 says... 28:27 Notice all of the eyes are on Jesus. 28:29 People are excited. 28:31 Jesus is going to fulfill prophecy. 28:33 What they don't know is that He's going to fulfill prophecy 28:35 differently than what they envisioned. 28:37 Because they had misunderstood the meaning of Bible prophecy. 28:42 And so it says in verse 10... 28:56 It's interesting to read the parallel account of this event. 28:59 It's found in Luke 19:37-39. 29:03 Luke 19:37-39 29:07 This passage is describing the same event, 29:10 but it has different details. 29:13 It says there... 29:28 Was this a sweet experience at this point? 29:31 Was it sweet? 29:32 Oh yes, it was very sweet. 29:34 Notice the words... 29:49 Did they believe He was a King? Absolutely. 30:03 By the way, do you know who was shouting the loudest 30:07 acclaiming Jesus as King? 30:10 I can assure you that it was not the scribes and the Pharisees. 30:14 None of the religious leaders of Israel, the great men in Israel 30:19 of the church of that day, understood prophecy 30:22 or even were interested in accepting anything 30:26 related to Jesus. 30:28 In fact, God chose humble instruments, little children, 30:33 to actually proclaim these words. 30:35 In fact, let's read it. 30:36 Matthew 21:15-16, the children are the ones 30:40 who are particularly singing and praising this King 30:45 who is coming into Jerusalem. 30:47 It says there in verse 15... 31:14 In other words, God did not choose any of the prominent 31:16 religious leaders of the day and age to proclaim 31:19 the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. 31:21 He chose the lepers, and the blind, and the paralytics, 31:25 the people who had been resurrected, 31:26 the people who had been delivered from demons; 31:28 the common populace, to proclaim this great event. 31:31 He bypassed the great religious leaders 31:35 because they were soon to reject Jesus. 31:38 You know, you can catch a little bit of the tumult in Jerusalem 31:44 when the two disciples were walking on the road to Emmaus 31:47 and Jesus caught up to them. 31:48 And Jesus asked them, "What were you talking about?" 31:52 In fact, let's read this in Luke 24:17-18. 31:57 Luke 24:17-18 32:26 "Is it possible that someone who has been in Jerusalem 32:30 this weekend would actually not know about 32:34 what has happened there?" 32:37 So let me ask you, was there great publicity to this event, 32:41 to the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament? 32:44 Yes. Were the people wrong about their understanding 32:49 of Bible prophecy? 32:51 They most certainly were. 32:52 They were wrong about the kind of King 32:56 that Jesus was going to be. 32:59 In other words, they misunderstood prophecy. 33:02 Because they thought that He was going to be a King 33:04 sitting on a literal throne in Jerusalem. 33:07 By the way, was Jesus a King when He came into Jerusalem? 33:13 Was He going to be crowned a King? 33:15 Yes He was. 33:16 Not King of the kingdom of glory, 33:19 but the suffering servant King of the kingdom of grace. 33:24 In fact, allow me to share with you several interesting details 33:27 that show that Jesus, in the final procession, 33:30 in the last few hours of His life, 33:33 or the last few days at least of His life, 33:36 you have this theme of kingship attached to Jesus. 33:40 I'll just share these quickly. 33:42 Shortly before Jesus went to the cross, 33:46 He spoke the words of John chapter 12 where He said, 33:50 "Now is the judgment of this world. 33:52 Now will the ruler of this world be cast out." 33:55 He's saying, "This ruler is going to be cast out, 33:57 and this Ruler is going to be installed on the throne." 33:59 So He's predicting that He's going to take over the throne. 34:03 We notice also that Jesus had a procession as a king. 34:07 You know, when a king was going to be crowned, 34:09 there was a procession to the place of the coronation. 34:12 That was the triumphal entry. 34:13 By the way, was Jesus anointed? 34:15 Was His head anointed with oil like kings? 34:18 Yes. You remember what Mary Magdalene did to Him. 34:21 Also, was a crown placed on the head of Jesus? 34:24 Yes, a crown was placed on His head. 34:26 Was a royal purple robe placed upon Him? 34:29 Absolutely. 34:31 Purple robes were placed on kings. 34:33 Did the people render Him homage as King? 34:36 Yes. They made fun of Him, but they still paid Him homage. 34:40 Was a reed placed in His right hand? 34:42 You know, every king has a scepter. 34:45 In fact, when Pilate introduced Jesus, he said what? 34:48 "Behold, your King." 34:51 In fact, above the cross where Jesus was crucified 34:54 there was an inscription that said, "Jesus of Nazareth, 34:58 the King of the Jews." 35:00 So let me ask you, was Jesus a King? 35:03 He most certainly was a King. 35:05 Did He fulfill prophecy as to the day, 35:09 the hour, because it was evening, 35:12 as to the month, and as to the year? 35:15 He most certainly did. 35:16 But the people totally misunderstood 35:19 the meaning of prophecy. 35:21 They misunderstood the type of King that Jesus was going to be. 35:26 And therefore, they were deeply and profoundly disappointed. 35:32 And do you know that most of those people 35:35 that had joined the procession apostatized, 35:41 and they said that they had been deceived. 35:43 And less than a week later they were crying out 35:47 at the top of their lungs, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" 35:52 Because they had joined by excitement. 35:54 In fact, notice Mark 15:12-15. 35:59 The majority forsook the movement 36:00 because they said, "This has been a deception." 36:02 You know, "This wasn't the Messiah. 36:04 This wasn't the King. Look, He was killed." 36:06 And so because their experience was superficial, 36:09 they had joined in the good times, 36:11 in times of excitement, they forsook Jesus 36:16 saying that they had followed a deception. 36:18 Notice Mark 15:12-15. 36:48 However, there was a small remnant 36:53 who did not reject Jesus. 36:56 They hung on to their faith even though 36:59 they were deeply disappointed. 37:01 A very small remnant who said, "We believe that 37:05 prophecy was fulfilled. 37:07 We can't understand what happened. 37:09 We've been disappointed. 37:11 Bitter disappointment after this sweet experience. 37:14 All of this publicity. 37:16 There has to be something that we missed." 37:20 You know, two of these were the disciples that went 37:23 on the road to Emmaus. 37:24 They represent the small remnant that remained faithful. 37:27 They did not give up their faith. 37:29 In fact, let's join them as they walk on the road to Emmaus. 37:33 And I'm going to read you a passage from, Desire Of Ages, 37:37 page 571, on the feeling of these two men. 38:01 They didn't know. 38:03 And in Luke 24:21, we find the bitter disappointment 38:08 of these two disciples, these two followers of Jesus. 38:11 We know the name of one of them. 38:12 We don't know the name of the other. 38:14 The name of one was Cleopas. 38:16 I remember Dr. Mervin Maxwell, whom I had as a teacher 38:19 at the seminary, always use to say, 38:21 "Perhaps the other disciple was Mrs. Cleopas." 38:25 We have no evidence for that. 38:27 But it's an interesting little comment. 38:30 Those of you who knew Dr. Maxwell would catch 38:33 the little bit of humor. 38:35 He was a very humorous person. 38:36 But in Luke 24:21, one of the disciples says to Jesus, 38:42 "But we trusted that it had been He 38:46 which should have redeemed Israel." 38:51 Were they profoundly disappointed? 38:54 "We thought He was the one. 38:56 We thought He was the One who was going to 38:58 emancipate our people. 39:01 And now it's the third day since He died." 39:04 Their hopes were dashed. 39:08 But their hopes did not totally disappear. 39:11 By the way, how did the church of that day 39:15 accept the message of the death of Jesus? 39:22 Did they embrace it? 39:25 Listen, folks, the established church of the day 39:29 was the apostate church of the day. 39:32 The remnant, the faithful remnant, was the 39:35 true church of the day. 39:38 Because only those who remained with Jesus, 39:40 among whom were these two disciples, 39:42 these two faithful disciples, they did not lose their faith. 39:46 They were right, 39:47 and the religious establishment was wrong. 39:51 You say, "How's that?" 39:54 What happened when the multitudes were acclaiming 39:56 Jesus as King? 39:59 The scribes and the Pharisees said, "Be quiet. 40:02 Don't sing this." 40:05 By the way, I don't know whether you've noticed in 40:07 Matthew chapter 21 immediately after the triumphal entry, 40:10 Jesus gives all of the parables about the rejection 40:13 of the Jewish nation as His chosen people. 40:18 In the next two chapters, chapter 22 and chapter 23, 40:24 you have the experience of the vineyard workers, 40:27 you have the parable of the great banquet, 40:31 and you have the woes on the scribes and the Pharisees. 40:35 And you have that statement where Jesus says, 40:37 "The kingdom will be taken from you and will be given 40:42 to a people who produce the fruits thereof." 40:46 In other words, the religious establishment became apostate 40:50 and was rejected by God, whereas those, that small remnant 40:55 of humble people, not the prominent people... 40:58 Although there were a few prominent ones, you know, like 41:01 for example Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus. 41:05 But the great majority of them were humble people. 41:08 They were the ones who were right with God. 41:13 Desire Of Ages, page 574, we have this comment... 41:20 This is during the triumphal entry. 41:42 That was the reaction of the church of the day. 41:46 And by the way, I'm setting the stage for when we talk about 41:49 the great disappointment in 1844, if someone has 41:53 not already caught that. 41:56 Because in 1844, after the first angel's message was 42:00 proclaimed with a loud voice... 42:01 I'll get ahead of myself just for a moment here. 42:05 ...the next angel's message says Babylon is what? 42:09 Babylon is fallen. 42:12 Babylon has become the synagogue of Satan. 42:14 And folks, there was a small remnant who remained faithful 42:17 to God who said that the disappointment 42:20 was of God and that they had misunderstood prophecy, 42:25 and that Jesus had done something different 42:27 than they had expected but He had fulfilled prophecy. 42:31 And they re-studied Scripture, 42:32 and now they understood the truth. 42:36 So there's nothing new under the sun. 42:41 Less than a week after the triumphal entry, 42:44 the Jewish Sanhedrin... 42:49 ...which was the leadership of the Jewish nation, 42:54 sentenced Jesus to death. 42:57 John 19:7 speaks about that. 43:01 On the cross, we're told in Matthew 27:41, 43:05 that the scribes, the chief priests, and the elders 43:08 mocked and reviled Him. 43:12 And then, you know, when Jesus resurrected, 43:14 who were the ones who tried to bribe the soldiers 43:17 to lie about the resurrection of Jesus? 43:21 It was the leaders of the Jewish nation. 43:24 In fact, after Jesus ascended to heaven, 43:27 they became persecutors of the remnant. 43:30 They became persecutors of the church. 43:33 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 43:37 Now after the great disappointment, 43:42 after this sweet experience that became bitter 43:45 because they misunderstood Bible prophecy, 43:48 these humble people who proclaimed the message, 43:51 how did Christ explain to them 43:55 the reason for their disappointment? 43:58 This is the most interesting part of our study. 44:01 After the disappointment, Jesus came close 44:05 to those who had belonged to this movement, 44:08 those who had not lost their faith, 44:10 to the remnant, and He explained the reason for their 44:13 disappointment by appealing to Scripture. 44:20 He opened unto them the Scriptures. 44:22 And listen up, He did not open up the Scriptures to the 44:25 most prominent people that had belonged to the movement. 44:28 He opened up the Scriptures to two disciples. 44:31 We know the name of one; Cleopas. 44:32 But who was Cleopas? 44:34 And we don't even know the name of the other. 44:36 As they were walking on the road to Emmaus 44:38 Jesus catches up to them. 44:41 And He starts talking with them. 44:45 And in this very interesting conversation, He says, 44:49 you know, "What were you talking about along the way?" 44:52 They said, "Oh, you know, are You the only person 44:56 in this area who doesn't know what went on 44:57 in Jerusalem this weekend? 45:00 That the fellow that we thought was the Messiah, 45:03 you know, our hopes were dashed. 45:05 Our joy was turned to sorrow. 45:07 And now it's the third day since He died. 45:11 Obviously you're not from this region." 45:14 I want you to notice, Desire Of Ages, page 571. 45:24 This is why Jesus, even though He knew they were going to be 45:26 disappointed, He still went ahead with the plan. 45:50 Let me ask you, would they study Scripture 45:52 afterwards to find out where their mistake was? 45:54 Of course. 46:07 In fact, Jesus, in talking to the two disciples, 46:10 I want you to notice the method that He uses 46:14 to dissipate their disappointment. 46:16 Luke 24:25-27 46:19 Luke 24:25-27 46:23 This is on the road to Emmaus. 46:33 See, Jesus wasn't always politically correct. 47:06 How did Jesus explain the reason for their disappointment? 47:10 He took them to the writings of Moses, 47:13 the writings of the prophets. 47:16 And in all of the Scriptures He showed them 47:18 the things concerning Himself. 47:20 He explained to them Bible prophecy. 47:24 You know, I would have loved to have been there 47:26 for that Bible study. 47:29 Because I wonder which passages He might have used. 47:31 Maybe the story of the sacrifice of Isaac. 47:37 Maybe explaining the Passover lamb. 47:41 The prophecy of the 70 weeks. 47:44 The suffering servant of Isaiah 53. 47:48 He probably took a combination of all of these prophecies 47:51 and said, "Listen, folks, you let your expectations 47:55 blind your eyes to the meaning of prophecy. 47:58 Look, it says very clearly that the Messiah would come, 48:01 He would be a perfect Lamb." 48:03 The first disappointment with John the Baptist. 48:06 "And after He lived a perfect life, 48:08 sin would be placed on Him. 48:11 He would be killed for the sins of the world. 48:14 And then He would resurrect the third day. 48:16 How could you miss it?" 48:22 By the way, do you know how these disciples reacted? 48:26 Later on they're on their way back to Jerusalem. 48:28 See, when they went into their home, Jesus raised His hands 48:33 to pray for the meal, and they saw the scars on His hands. 48:38 And then He disappeared from their midst. 48:39 By the way, Jesus did not materialize and de-materialize. 48:44 People say, "Oh, He walked through walls." 48:45 No He didn't walk through walls. 48:48 Desire Of Ages explains it beautifully. 48:51 In Desire Of Ages, Ellen White says that when the disciples 48:53 got back to Jerusalem, she says that the disciples, 48:57 after the two identified themselves, opened the door, 49:01 the two disciples went in. 49:04 And along with them through the open door went Jesus... 49:07 ...unseen to their eyes. 49:09 Oh, so He did materialize, because they couldn't see Him. 49:12 Well Jesus disappeared many times during His ministry too. 49:15 So do you think Jesus just materialized and 49:17 de-materialized all the time? 49:19 Of course not. 49:20 Angels hid Jesus from the sight of the people. 49:23 But He was still a human being. 49:26 And so they're on their way back to Jerusalem 49:28 and they're talking about now Jesus, the living Jesus. 49:31 "He's fulfilled prophecy. 49:32 We're starting to understand." 49:34 Notice Luke 24:32. 49:37 One of them says... 49:50 They say, "Now we understand the Scriptures. 49:52 Now we understand prophecy. 49:53 We were wrong about the event, we were right about the time. 49:57 This Man is the Messiah." 50:00 Verses 33-35, Luke 24... 50:29 And so now Jesus appears before the disciples 50:33 in the upper room. 50:34 Can you imagine their surprise when Jesus appears to them? 50:38 And now Jesus is going to explain the reason 50:42 for the disappointment. 50:43 And I want you to notice that once again He is going to use 50:46 the Scriptures, the very Scriptures that 50:48 they had misunderstood. 50:50 Luke 24:44 51:03 Had He already spoken these words to them before? 51:07 Had He tried to explain this to them before? 51:10 Yes. 51:12 Was He to blame for their misunderstanding? 51:14 No. 51:44 Did they revisit Scripture? 51:46 Sure they did. 52:11 He promises to send the Holy Spirit. 52:25 How interesting. 52:27 Jesus opens unto them the Scriptures, and He says, 52:31 "I have a mission for you. 52:34 You must go and you must prophesy again. 52:37 See, you were proclaiming that I was going to be a King 52:40 sitting in Jerusalem upon the throne overthrowing the Romans. 52:43 That's not it. 52:45 Go to Jerusalem, wait for the promise of the Spirit. 52:50 And when the promise of the Spirit falls upon you, 52:53 then go out and explain the Scriptures that I have 52:57 explained to you, explain those to others." 53:01 That Jesus is the perfect Lamb. 53:03 That Jesus has died on the cross for sin. 53:07 And now the Sanctuary is open for the forgiveness of sin, 53:10 for people to come to Jesus and accept Him 53:14 as their Intercessor and as their Lord. 53:19 And then of course, on the day of Pentecost you have 53:22 the establishment of the small remnant of the Christian church. 53:30 Let me ask you this: 53:33 Was the Christian church established 53:37 after a great disappointment? 53:41 Was it? 53:43 It can't be of God then. 53:47 The Christian church can't be of God. 53:50 How can a church be the true church 53:55 if it was founded after a disappointment? 54:01 Was the Christian church the true church? 54:04 It most certainly was. 54:07 Did the disappointment disannul the fact 54:10 that the Christian church was the chosen instrument of Christ 54:13 to proclaim the message about the first coming 54:16 to the whole world? 54:17 Of course not. 54:19 Now allow me to get ahead of myself a little bit. 54:23 Next Sabbath we're going to talk about 54:25 the Pentecostal disappointment. 54:28 We're going to talk about the disappointment when Jesus 54:30 goes into the next phase of His ministry. 54:32 Now He's going to go into the Holy Place. 54:36 And when He goes into the Holy Place, 54:37 the same process all over again. 54:40 Everything just the same. 54:41 Same steps, same problems. 54:45 And then we're going to notice in our study after that, 54:48 that Jesus is going to go into the Most Holy Place in 1844. 54:53 And there's a great disappointment. 54:55 Because they misunderstand prophecy. 54:57 They misunderstand what Jesus is going to do. 55:00 They're right about the time, 55:02 but they're wrong about the event. 55:05 And after the disappointment, the Christian world says 55:08 this was a deception. 55:12 There's a small remnant that is faithful to God. 55:16 And you have the establishment of the 55:17 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 55:20 Do you know that one argument that's used 55:22 against the Seventh-day Adventist Church 55:24 is that the Seventh-day Adventist Church 55:25 originated with a disappointment? 55:29 "Can't be the true church. 55:32 Because you misinterpreted Bible prophecy. 55:34 Jesus didn't come." 55:36 Well the fact is that if that's true of the 55:38 Seventh-day Adventist Church, 55:39 it's true of the Christian church. 55:42 Because the Christian church also originated 55:46 with a misunderstanding of Bible prophecy. 55:50 And it originated with a bitter disappointment. 55:53 And it originated with an explanation 55:56 of Scripture after the fact, explaining the way prophecy 56:00 was truly to be interpreted. 56:02 Are you following me? 56:04 So don't be intimidated when people tell you, 56:06 "Oh the Adventist church, that can't be the true church. 56:08 Because it originated with a disappointment." 56:10 Yes it did. 56:13 By the way, it's interesting to notice that in 1844 56:19 God bypassed all of the great religious leaders of the world 56:24 to proclaim this message, and He chose a humble old farmer. 56:31 And the PhD's today say, "Oh William Miller, he was so long; 56:35 he was uneducated. 56:38 But we are PhD's." 56:41 Well I'll have you know that at each stage 56:43 God bypasses the intelligentsia. 56:46 And He chooses the humble at heart. 56:49 Because He knows that the humble at heart 56:51 can be used by Him. 56:54 The same is true of John the Baptist. 56:57 John the Baptist didn't even study in the rabbinical schools. 57:02 Is that right? 57:03 On the day of Pentecost who does God use? 57:06 Peter... 57:09 ...the theologian. 57:11 No. 57:12 Peter was what? 57:13 A fisherman. 57:15 And God says that in the end time, He will use 57:17 few great men. 57:20 I hope, after we've studied this this morning, 57:22 that we understand a little bit better 57:24 the steps that Jesus follows in the plan of salvation. |
Revised 2016-05-26