Well hello and welcome 00:00:19.52\00:00:21.41 to Give Me The Bible 00:00:21.61\00:00:22.78 here at the 3ABN Worship Center 00:00:22.98\00:00:25.15 in Thompsonville, Illinois. 00:00:25.26\00:00:26.54 I welcome all of you from here in the So. Illinois area 00:00:26.84\00:00:30.45 as well as from across the country and around the world. 00:00:30.65\00:00:33.53 We're so happy that you've joined us this evening 00:00:33.73\00:00:35.99 for this, the 56th sermon 00:00:36.29\00:00:39.67 in this Give Me The Bible series that Pastor Cox has done. 00:00:39.77\00:00:43.13 You know, he has brought us for the last eleven months 00:00:43.43\00:00:47.77 a five-part series each month. 00:00:47.97\00:00:50.96 And each one of these series had a specific title. 00:00:51.26\00:00:55.76 For instance, tonight the series is entitled 00:00:55.96\00:00:59.57 No Other Name Like Jesus. 00:00:59.87\00:01:02.83 There will be five parts in this series. 00:01:03.13\00:01:05.13 And what I want to encourage each and every one of you to do 00:01:05.33\00:01:08.74 if you haven't had an opportunity to hear all of these 00:01:08.94\00:01:12.09 sermons that Pastor Cox has brought, 00:01:12.30\00:01:14.11 you have missed out on a tremendous blessing. 00:01:14.21\00:01:16.35 And you will have an opportunity to get these. 00:01:16.45\00:01:19.09 The subject matter tonight is Who Is Jesus? 00:01:19.29\00:01:25.22 And so I want you to take advantage of this opportunity 00:01:25.52\00:01:29.47 for the next five sermons 00:01:29.57\00:01:31.72 to learn all there is to know about Jesus. 00:01:31.92\00:01:34.25 But before Pastor Cox comes to bring us this incredible message 00:01:34.45\00:01:38.51 we have a duet that's going to come and minister to us. 00:01:38.71\00:01:41.58 It's our very own Kateena LaForge. 00:01:41.78\00:01:44.42 Kateena, if you will come on out, please. 00:01:44.62\00:01:46.41 And she has ministering with her 00:01:46.62\00:01:48.66 Matt Throgmorton. 00:01:48.86\00:01:50.54 Matt and Kateena have been ministering together now 00:01:50.65\00:01:53.06 for some time, and I know they're going to bless you 00:01:53.16\00:01:56.00 tremendously as they sing I've Just Seen Jesus. 00:01:56.20\00:01:59.73 We knew He was dead. 00:02:15.63\00:02:19.62 "It is finished, " He said. 00:02:19.92\00:02:22.97 We had watched as His life 00:02:23.37\00:02:26.91 ebbed away. 00:02:27.21\00:02:30.32 Then we all stood around 00:02:30.72\00:02:34.41 till the guards took Him down. 00:02:34.71\00:02:38.57 Joseph begged for His body 00:02:38.87\00:02:42.76 that day. 00:02:43.06\00:02:46.28 It was late afternoon 00:02:46.58\00:02:49.33 when we got to the tomb... 00:02:49.64\00:02:53.17 wrapped His body, 00:02:53.27\00:02:55.25 then sealed up the grave. 00:02:55.55\00:03:00.24 So I know how you feel... 00:03:00.54\00:03:04.21 His death was so real. 00:03:04.51\00:03:07.53 But please listen and hear 00:03:07.83\00:03:11.07 what I say. 00:03:11.27\00:03:16.27 I've just seen 00:03:16.67\00:03:20.48 Jesus. 00:03:20.78\00:03:25.27 I tell you He's alive. 00:03:25.67\00:03:31.62 I've just seen Jesus. 00:03:32.37\00:03:37.86 our precious Lord alive. 00:03:38.26\00:03:44.21 And I knew - 00:03:46.02\00:03:49.91 and I knew - 00:03:50.11\00:03:51.60 He really saw me too. 00:03:51.80\00:03:55.98 He really saw me too. 00:03:56.12\00:04:00.31 As if till now 00:04:00.61\00:04:04.67 I never 00:04:04.97\00:04:07.66 lived. 00:04:07.86\00:04:11.65 All that I've done before 00:04:12.65\00:04:18.12 won't matter 00:04:18.42\00:04:21.17 anymore. 00:04:21.37\00:04:25.86 I've just seen Jesus, 00:04:26.16\00:04:32.08 and I'll never 00:04:32.78\00:04:37.43 be the same 00:04:37.64\00:04:40.46 again. 00:04:40.76\00:04:46.74 It was His voice she first heard... 00:04:54.09\00:04:58.42 those kind, gentle words 00:04:58.72\00:05:01.57 asking what was her reason for tears. 00:05:01.77\00:05:07.69 And I sobbed in despair 00:05:08.44\00:05:11.43 "my Lord is not there. " 00:05:11.73\00:05:14.71 He said: "Child, it is I. 00:05:14.91\00:05:18.26 I am here. " 00:05:18.46\00:05:23.89 I've just seen 00:05:24.29\00:05:29.48 Jesus. 00:05:29.78\00:05:34.71 I tell you He's alive. 00:05:35.11\00:05:41.06 I've just seen Jesus... 00:05:41.88\00:05:47.33 our precious Lord 00:05:47.73\00:05:51.58 alive! 00:05:51.78\00:05:55.34 And I knew - 00:05:55.74\00:05:59.24 and I knew - 00:05:59.27\00:06:01.10 He really saw me too. 00:06:01.30\00:06:05.67 He really saw me too. 00:06:05.87\00:06:09.52 As if till now 00:06:09.83\00:06:13.89 I never 00:06:14.19\00:06:16.74 lived. 00:06:16.94\00:06:20.77 All that I've done before 00:06:21.07\00:06:26.98 won't matter 00:06:27.71\00:06:30.37 anymore. 00:06:30.57\00:06:34.94 I've just seen Jesus... 00:06:35.34\00:06:41.32 I've just seen Jesus... 00:06:42.16\00:06:48.09 I've just seen Jesus... 00:06:49.13\00:06:53.36 and all I've ever 00:06:53.76\00:06:57.17 done before 00:06:57.48\00:07:01.45 won't matter 00:07:01.75\00:07:04.27 anymore. 00:07:04.57\00:07:08.95 I've just seen Jesus 00:07:09.25\00:07:13.14 and I'll never be 00:07:13.54\00:07:17.22 the same 00:07:17.42\00:07:19.68 again. 00:07:19.98\00:07:24.90 I've just seen 00:07:25.20\00:07:27.98 Jesus. 00:07:28.18\00:07:34.13 Amen! 00:07:37.91\00:07:39.23 Amen. Wonderful! 00:07:40.99\00:07:42.92 Certainly when a person sees Jesus Christ 00:07:43.32\00:07:47.83 what a difference it makes in their lives. 00:07:48.13\00:07:51.44 Well, we're glad to welcome all of you this evening. 00:07:51.74\00:07:54.14 Appreciate you being here. 00:07:54.44\00:07:55.87 Those of you that are joining us 00:07:56.07\00:07:58.37 by television or by radio 00:07:58.57\00:08:00.45 or over the Internet, we welcome you. 00:08:00.65\00:08:03.19 Glad you're here. 00:08:03.49\00:08:04.66 This particular series that we're doing is entitled 00:08:04.96\00:08:09.13 No Other Name Like Jesus. 00:08:09.43\00:08:12.00 And so we're spending these five presentations 00:08:12.30\00:08:16.05 on Jesus Christ, and we that feel it is fitting 00:08:16.25\00:08:21.27 to bring this series of Give Me The Bible 00:08:21.47\00:08:24.77 to an end centered around Christ and what He did for us. 00:08:24.97\00:08:29.29 And so we hope it will bless you in a special way 00:08:29.32\00:08:32.10 as we take a look at Jesus. 00:08:32.30\00:08:34.75 And tonight we're looking at Who Is Jesus? 00:08:34.95\00:08:38.66 Do you know? 00:08:40.82\00:08:41.96 Is He just somebody that your parents told you about? 00:08:42.46\00:08:47.45 What do you know about Jesus? 00:08:49.03\00:08:52.01 And how solid is your faith in Him 00:08:52.31\00:08:57.86 and your belief in Him? 00:08:58.06\00:08:59.44 That's what we're going to look at tonight. 00:08:59.74\00:09:01.98 Hope that we can give you some information that will help you 00:09:02.28\00:09:06.18 establish more firmly your belief in Jesus Christ. 00:09:06.38\00:09:09.77 Our subject for our next presentation is entitled 00:09:10.07\00:09:15.43 Why... why do you believe in Jesus Christ? 00:09:18.15\00:09:22.24 Do you know? 00:09:23.66\00:09:25.34 Are there things that you hold to that you say 00:09:25.65\00:09:31.08 "Well, this is the reason I believe in Jesus Christ? " 00:09:31.28\00:09:33.59 Well the next presentation we hope will give you 00:09:33.89\00:09:36.74 reasons to believe in Christ and to understand 00:09:36.94\00:09:41.58 who He is and what He's done. 00:09:41.78\00:09:44.34 So that's what our next presentation is about. 00:09:44.64\00:09:47.21 Then the next one after that is What Makes Jesus Different? 00:09:47.51\00:09:52.24 Why is He different than Mohammad? 00:09:53.59\00:09:56.48 Or Buddha? Or some of these others? 00:09:56.78\00:10:00.16 And then the next presentation after that will be 00:10:00.46\00:10:03.30 Jesus: Prophet, Priest, and King. 00:10:03.50\00:10:06.81 Jesus: Prophet, Priest, and King. 00:10:07.11\00:10:10.09 And then our closing presentation on Christ will be 00:10:10.39\00:10:14.72 entitled Unto You a Savior. 00:10:15.02\00:10:17.00 So we hope that you'll enjoy these as we go through them 00:10:17.30\00:10:21.17 and all. Appreciate having Kateena 00:10:21.47\00:10:24.67 LaForge and Matt with us. They blessed me 00:10:24.88\00:10:29.06 especially with I Have Seen Jesus. 00:10:29.26\00:10:31.86 Uh, some while back 00:10:32.92\00:10:35.52 Dona Klein wrote a book... wrote a song 00:10:35.82\00:10:39.33 that was entitled Golgatha's Hill, 00:10:39.63\00:10:43.00 and tonight Kateena's going to sing that for us. 00:10:43.30\00:10:46.23 Hear the beat of the feet of the soldiers 00:11:21.50\00:11:26.53 as they climb Golgatha's Hill. 00:11:26.73\00:11:31.62 Hear the cheers and the jeers of the people 00:11:32.43\00:11:36.85 crying "crucify and kill. " 00:11:37.05\00:11:42.66 The great love story how the King of Glory... 00:11:43.16\00:11:49.14 came, my debt to pay 00:11:49.44\00:11:53.22 on that hateful 00:11:53.42\00:11:57.15 place for death. 00:11:57.35\00:12:03.20 The light'ning flashed 00:12:04.61\00:12:07.16 and the thunder crashed 00:12:07.36\00:12:09.93 upon Golgatha's Hill. 00:12:10.23\00:12:14.91 Satan and his hosts came straight from hell 00:12:15.66\00:12:20.31 to cast their evil spell. 00:12:20.62\00:12:25.56 The battle raged on as the Lamb of God 00:12:25.96\00:12:31.14 hung helpless on the tree. 00:12:31.44\00:12:35.64 Hear Him cry, 00:12:35.84\00:12:38.06 see Him die, 00:12:38.36\00:12:40.58 for you and me. 00:12:40.88\00:12:45.02 But there never was 00:12:48.21\00:12:53.07 heard 00:12:53.27\00:12:54.76 a murmuring word 00:12:55.17\00:12:59.88 from the lips 00:13:00.08\00:13:03.06 of the Son of God. 00:13:03.36\00:13:09.31 As the hammer struck a blow 00:13:11.30\00:13:14.02 the Father bent low 00:13:14.32\00:13:16.57 to hear His dying Son. 00:13:16.78\00:13:20.96 "It is finished, " He said 00:13:21.26\00:13:24.30 then He bowed His head. 00:13:24.60\00:13:27.23 The victory had been won! 00:13:27.43\00:13:32.07 All heaven cried as the Savior died 00:13:32.37\00:13:37.99 that day on Calvary. 00:13:38.19\00:13:42.19 Time stood still 00:13:42.49\00:13:44.77 on that hill: 00:13:45.07\00:13:47.36 Golgatha's Hill. 00:13:47.66\00:13:53.63 In a borrowed grave 00:14:01.93\00:14:04.94 the Savior laid; 00:14:05.20\00:14:07.51 the air hung thick with grief. 00:14:07.71\00:14:12.29 Salvation's cost at such a loss 00:14:12.70\00:14:18.10 seemed so hard to believe. 00:14:18.40\00:14:23.05 The stillness left an emptiness 00:14:23.35\00:14:28.56 as darkness filled their hearts. 00:14:28.76\00:14:32.87 No one knew 00:14:33.07\00:14:35.94 what to do. 00:14:37.02\00:14:43.01 Then deep in the ground came a rumbling sound. 00:14:44.56\00:14:50.19 The earth began to sway. 00:14:50.49\00:14:54.88 The heavenly host which Satan feared most 00:14:55.18\00:15:00.84 had rolled the stone away. 00:15:01.15\00:15:05.61 The sky turned black 00:15:05.91\00:15:08.60 and the guards fell back 00:15:08.90\00:15:11.30 as in a nightmare's dream. 00:15:11.60\00:15:15.45 Then all was still... 00:15:15.66\00:15:17.99 deathly still... 00:15:18.29\00:15:21.13 on that hill. 00:15:21.43\00:15:27.02 With a mighty shout 00:15:48.55\00:15:51.49 the Father cried out 00:15:51.79\00:15:54.24 "Awake, awake, My Son. " 00:15:54.55\00:15:58.65 Then Jesus arose - victor o'er His foes - 00:15:58.95\00:16:04.10 salvation had been won. 00:16:04.40\00:16:08.59 Death had lost to that rugged cross 00:16:08.99\00:16:13.82 upon Golgatha's Hill. 00:16:14.12\00:16:17.99 Life began on that hill: 00:16:18.29\00:16:22.88 Golgatha's Hill. 00:16:23.18\00:16:27.75 Oooh, life began 00:16:29.32\00:16:34.60 on that hill: 00:16:34.90\00:16:39.15 Golgatha's 00:16:39.55\00:16:44.84 Hill. 00:16:45.24\00:16:51.15 Heavenly Father, 00:17:17.55\00:17:19.05 without question, for each of us 00:17:21.16\00:17:25.38 life began anew on Golgatha's Hill. 00:17:26.90\00:17:30.73 We pray that as we look 00:17:31.96\00:17:34.54 this evening at Jesus 00:17:34.84\00:17:36.88 may we settle in our hearts and in our souls, 00:17:37.99\00:17:41.36 in our mind, who He is. 00:17:41.56\00:17:43.91 May we desire to see more 00:17:44.21\00:17:49.70 of Jesus Christ 00:17:50.00\00:17:51.28 in our own lives and in what we do. 00:17:51.58\00:17:54.16 Send Your Spirit tonight. 00:17:54.56\00:17:56.47 Give us understanding. 00:17:56.77\00:17:58.75 Open our eyes. 00:17:59.15\00:18:00.91 May our hearts be soft and tender, we pray. 00:18:01.41\00:18:05.77 In Christ's name, Amen. 00:18:06.17\00:18:09.00 Unfortunately, we live in an age 00:18:16.33\00:18:20.44 of skepticism and secularism. 00:18:20.64\00:18:23.77 Today secularism has come to the place 00:18:24.07\00:18:29.58 and people are skeptics. 00:18:29.78\00:18:31.41 And when it comes to belief, they say: 00:18:31.61\00:18:33.89 "Well, you can... you can believe 00:18:34.09\00:18:36.34 whatever you'd like to believe. 00:18:36.54\00:18:39.34 You can believe in any God you want to. " 00:18:39.64\00:18:44.65 You hear that in many places... 00:18:45.05\00:18:48.93 over television. In fact, 00:18:49.23\00:18:51.58 a very popular television series just recently 00:18:51.88\00:18:56.74 said that you could simply believe in yourself. 00:18:56.94\00:19:01.52 Believe in yourself and learn what you can 00:19:02.64\00:19:06.95 and that's really all you'll need in this life 00:19:07.16\00:19:09.90 and for the future life. 00:19:10.11\00:19:11.44 You find that things like scientology 00:19:12.88\00:19:17.06 who has come to the forefront very much. 00:19:17.36\00:19:20.57 And if you look into the belief of scientology, 00:19:20.77\00:19:23.39 it just simply tells you that you are a god. 00:19:23.59\00:19:27.59 And if you look at it and see what it's saying - 00:19:28.00\00:19:31.82 that you are a god - 00:19:32.02\00:19:33.70 my understanding that that is idolatry... 00:19:34.01\00:19:37.46 and really the very worst type of idolatry. 00:19:37.56\00:19:40.74 But this is... this is where we are today. 00:19:41.04\00:19:43.71 And because of that, there's a lot of things that have happened 00:19:44.01\00:19:47.83 in the last few years that has shaken people's belief. 00:19:48.13\00:19:53.86 Shaken their belief in Jesus Christ 00:19:54.16\00:19:56.38 because people are skeptical. 00:19:56.58\00:19:59.21 Books have come out like this one particularly - 00:19:59.41\00:20:02.20 the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown - 00:20:02.40\00:20:05.34 in which they talk about Jesus 00:20:05.64\00:20:08.80 and say that He was really not what He claimed to be. 00:20:09.00\00:20:12.59 And so you find this taught 00:20:12.89\00:20:15.42 and people having real questions and doubts about Jesus. 00:20:15.62\00:20:19.62 And so tonight we want to find out 00:20:19.82\00:20:22.32 Who Is Jesus? 00:20:22.62\00:20:24.04 Because of this skepticism, you have had a tremendous 00:20:24.34\00:20:29.45 rise in what is called Gnosticism. 00:20:29.65\00:20:33.91 Gnosis is a Greek word that simply means 00:20:34.21\00:20:38.61 knowledge. 00:20:38.82\00:20:40.13 But this is something that was very, very prevalent, folks, 00:20:40.43\00:20:45.19 in the second century. 00:20:45.39\00:20:46.94 And people that believed in Gnostic teachings and beliefs... 00:20:47.14\00:20:53.14 this is what they taught. 00:20:53.34\00:20:55.52 Gnosticism has four basic beliefs: 00:20:55.82\00:20:59.75 1. They believe the world is evil. 00:21:00.06\00:21:02.35 That was their first premise: the world is evil. 00:21:02.98\00:21:05.98 Secondly they believed the world was made by an evil creator. 00:21:06.28\00:21:10.10 That it was made by somebody who was very evil. 00:21:10.40\00:21:15.24 And thirdly, they believed that salvation 00:21:15.54\00:21:19.10 consists of being rescued from it... from this evil world. 00:21:19.30\00:21:23.81 They said that's what salvation is 00:21:24.01\00:21:25.81 is being rescued from this evil world. 00:21:26.02\00:21:28.20 And their fourth belief was: 00:21:28.50\00:21:30.26 rescue comes 00:21:30.42\00:21:31.66 through secret knowledge. 00:21:31.86\00:21:33.81 Now that is the belief of Gnosticism, 00:21:34.11\00:21:38.31 and they believed that this is the way it came. 00:21:38.61\00:21:42.50 And they believed that Jesus Christ did not come 00:21:42.80\00:21:46.02 to die for you and I. 00:21:46.22\00:21:49.62 He didn't come to pay the price for us 00:21:49.82\00:21:52.42 but He came here to reveal knowledge. 00:21:52.45\00:21:56.26 He was the revealer of this secret knowledge. 00:21:56.57\00:21:59.33 They believed that is what is involved in it. 00:21:59.63\00:22:02.59 And they believed that the virgin birth 00:22:02.89\00:22:07.15 and the resurrection weren't really literal. 00:22:07.46\00:22:10.33 They were just a way of showing 00:22:10.53\00:22:13.89 how this took place and with secret knowledge. 00:22:14.09\00:22:16.76 And so you have a rise of Gnosticism. 00:22:17.06\00:22:20.98 If you go back and you read this particular period of time, 00:22:21.28\00:22:26.30 you'll find this was a hotbed in Egypt. 00:22:26.50\00:22:30.62 And you'll find that Gnosticism was taught in Egypt... 00:22:30.92\00:22:35.04 particularly in Alexandria and through there. 00:22:35.24\00:22:38.45 Why am I telling you this? 00:22:38.75\00:22:40.29 Because you, over the last few years, 00:22:40.59\00:22:43.57 have come across books such as this one 00:22:43.77\00:22:46.93 that we'll look at, and it teaches these things. 00:22:47.13\00:22:50.62 Now this belief of Gnosticism was coming into play, 00:22:50.92\00:22:56.17 folks, very strongly in the second century. 00:22:56.37\00:22:59.02 John - the beloved John, the disciple - 00:23:00.25\00:23:03.86 lived longer than the other apostles... 00:23:04.16\00:23:06.78 so he's in the 90's at that period of time. 00:23:07.08\00:23:11.38 He sees this rising. 00:23:13.01\00:23:15.31 He sees it already beginning to take place 00:23:15.61\00:23:17.82 and so you find him saying here in I John: 00:23:18.12\00:23:21.68 Very important because Gnosticism said 00:23:29.12\00:23:33.01 it really wasn't in the flesh, 00:23:33.21\00:23:34.47 it was just a revealer of knowledge. 00:23:34.67\00:23:36.91 OK? 00:23:37.01\00:23:38.09 So John saw this already beginning to rise in his day, 00:23:51.34\00:23:56.50 and he said... 00:23:56.70\00:23:57.85 he said "this has already started. The spirit of this is 00:23:58.15\00:24:00.45 already beginning to take place. 00:24:00.65\00:24:02.16 You and I would not be aware of this 00:24:04.08\00:24:08.55 very much if there weren't certain discoveries made 00:24:08.75\00:24:12.20 which has brought things to the forefront 00:24:12.40\00:24:15.62 that people wonder about. 00:24:15.82\00:24:17.15 And they're such things as 00:24:17.45\00:24:19.32 the gospel of Thomas. 00:24:19.62\00:24:21.45 Now the gospel of Thomas is a book that deals with 00:24:21.56\00:24:27.10 Gnostic teachings. 00:24:27.30\00:24:29.07 That's what it is. 00:24:29.37\00:24:30.57 And as you go in and you read these books, 00:24:30.87\00:24:33.05 you... and by the way, the gospel of Thomas, 00:24:33.25\00:24:35.44 guess where they found it? 00:24:35.64\00:24:37.16 In Egypt. 00:24:38.46\00:24:39.72 That's where it was found. 00:24:40.02\00:24:41.32 Back in the 1890's is when it was found. 00:24:41.52\00:24:44.19 And it lay in there, and really they didn't know 00:24:44.49\00:24:47.91 what they had until 1945 00:24:48.12\00:24:51.39 when they found another copy of it 00:24:51.69\00:24:54.32 and they began to find it was the gospel of Thomas. 00:24:54.53\00:24:57.62 But it's full of Gnostic teachings. 00:24:57.92\00:25:01.06 Now, you need to put things together because 00:25:01.36\00:25:04.08 you find that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John... 00:25:04.28\00:25:07.84 all those gospels have been written. 00:25:08.04\00:25:10.90 This is 100 years or so after it 00:25:11.20\00:25:15.16 in which this is all beginning to come to the forefront. 00:25:15.46\00:25:18.88 And to give you an idea of some of the writings in it 00:25:19.18\00:25:22.53 I put one of the writings here up on the screen 00:25:22.73\00:25:25.21 that's in this book of the gospel of Thomas. 00:25:25.51\00:25:27.64 And it says: 00:25:27.84\00:25:28.93 You know, they're just... the teachings in it 00:25:39.98\00:25:43.41 are rather strange. 00:25:43.61\00:25:46.68 And you find that these came to the forefront 00:25:46.98\00:25:49.32 and many people have questions about it. 00:25:49.52\00:25:52.77 And they question Christ because of these things 00:25:52.97\00:25:56.22 rather than understanding it clearly. 00:25:56.52\00:25:58.64 Here's another one that came, 00:25:58.74\00:25:59.78 and it's called the gospel of Judas. 00:25:59.98\00:26:01.74 The gospel of Judas, folks, 00:26:02.04\00:26:07.81 what it does is it takes Judas 00:26:08.01\00:26:11.61 and makes him the best disciple. 00:26:11.81\00:26:15.03 That's what it does... it takes Judas 00:26:16.23\00:26:18.04 and makes him the best of all the disciples. 00:26:18.24\00:26:21.27 And what it says is it says that Jesus came to Judas 00:26:21.57\00:26:26.10 and asked Judas if he would be willing to sacrifice 00:26:26.31\00:26:31.17 his reputation and everything 00:26:31.37\00:26:34.95 and that the death... or the betrayal of Judas was 00:26:35.15\00:26:38.30 all set up between Judas and Jesus 00:26:38.50\00:26:40.83 and that really Judas did this out of love to Christ. 00:26:41.13\00:26:46.21 And this is part of the little saying that's in there. 00:26:46.31\00:26:50.24 It says: "you will exceed them all... " 00:26:50.44\00:26:53.22 In other words, it's saying that Judas would exceed 00:26:53.52\00:26:55.51 all the disciples... "for you will sacrifice the man 00:26:55.61\00:26:58.94 who clothes me. " 00:26:59.14\00:27:00.66 And that's what the gospel of Judas is about. 00:27:00.86\00:27:03.92 Again, totally Gnostic in its teachings. 00:27:04.22\00:27:08.47 Then you have another one entitled 00:27:08.77\00:27:11.09 The gospel of Mary. 00:27:11.29\00:27:12.95 And you can see, these all come back in 200 AD... 00:27:13.25\00:27:16.55 along there. The gospel of Mary - 00:27:16.75\00:27:19.40 and by the way, let me say this, folks - 00:27:19.60\00:27:22.06 these are not books. They're referred to as books 00:27:22.36\00:27:26.22 but these are just fragments. 00:27:26.42\00:27:28.45 That's all they are... just fragments of what was written. 00:27:28.75\00:27:31.90 And so you don't have a whole book dealing with things. 00:27:32.20\00:27:36.28 The gospel of Mary is a fragment they found, 00:27:36.58\00:27:38.94 and in it Mary is telling Peter 00:27:39.24\00:27:44.23 and Andrew about a revelation she had from Jesus. 00:27:44.43\00:27:48.94 Peter and Andrew are not - how should I put it? - 00:27:51.16\00:27:55.63 they don't agree with Mary. They don't like what she's saying 00:27:55.83\00:27:58.62 because what she is saying is against what Jesus taught. 00:27:58.92\00:28:02.94 And... and they aren't going along with it 00:28:03.25\00:28:06.24 in this particular fragment. 00:28:06.55\00:28:09.00 And... and there's another man there by the name of Levi. 00:28:09.30\00:28:13.32 And he's upset with Peter and Andrew 00:28:13.62\00:28:15.77 because Mary is upset and crying. 00:28:15.97\00:28:19.20 And so he goes on and tells Peter and Andrew to 00:28:19.50\00:28:22.66 go out and preach the gospel. 00:28:22.86\00:28:24.62 And he says this: 00:28:24.82\00:28:26.40 He says "don't make any barriers 00:28:26.61\00:28:28.61 and don't make any laws. " 00:28:28.82\00:28:31.96 In other words, he said 00:28:32.26\00:28:33.97 "just do what you want to do, 00:28:34.17\00:28:35.77 you don't have to be... have any laws or anything. " 00:28:35.97\00:28:38.96 These are some of the things that were going on 00:28:39.26\00:28:41.64 and being taught. And by the way, it's this gospel of Mary 00:28:41.84\00:28:45.35 that Dan Brown in the Da Vinci Code 00:28:45.55\00:28:49.66 uses so much and all. 00:28:49.86\00:28:52.61 And then you have the Jesus papers - which is another one. 00:28:52.81\00:28:56.12 And how people can accept some of these things 00:28:56.35\00:29:02.35 and buy them I have a hard time understanding because 00:29:02.55\00:29:05.82 the Jesus papers is a papyrus document, 00:29:06.02\00:29:11.17 they say... 00:29:11.37\00:29:12.43 Now, nobody has seen this, folks. 00:29:19.77\00:29:23.76 This is what an archaeologist said he found. 00:29:24.06\00:29:29.20 This papyrus that he found... 00:29:29.50\00:29:33.33 Tell me, what piece of paper - 00:29:33.53\00:29:36.66 papyrus - would be buried in the ground 00:29:36.86\00:29:40.62 and be there for hundreds and hundreds of years? 00:29:40.82\00:29:46.55 Absolutely impossible. Couldn't have happened. 00:29:46.95\00:29:49.92 And all this based upon is this man saying this was 00:29:50.13\00:29:54.37 what was found. Not any basis of anything else. 00:29:54.57\00:29:58.70 So what I'm trying to get across to you 00:29:59.00\00:30:00.99 is these things that have all been said and done 00:30:01.19\00:30:05.22 are based on hardly any substantial basis, folks. 00:30:05.42\00:30:10.95 And so we need to take a look... 00:30:11.25\00:30:13.21 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 00:30:13.41\00:30:15.37 They were written before this ever came into being. 00:30:15.67\00:30:19.50 And as far as I'm concerned, as John said 00:30:19.80\00:30:22.66 "this is the rise of the Antichrist" 00:30:22.86\00:30:26.14 teaching contrary to Jesus Christ. 00:30:26.35\00:30:29.31 So let's take and ask ourselves tonight... 00:30:29.51\00:30:31.68 Does Jesus exist in history? 00:30:31.98\00:30:35.42 Does He exist in history? 00:30:35.72\00:30:37.83 Now it doesn't make any difference whether you want to 00:30:38.13\00:30:42.86 accept the scripture as the inspired Word of God 00:30:43.06\00:30:46.31 or whether you don't. 00:30:46.51\00:30:47.55 One thing that you cannot deny 00:30:47.85\00:30:50.67 is that the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John 00:30:50.87\00:30:54.50 are historical books. 00:30:54.70\00:30:56.30 You can't deny that. 00:30:56.60\00:30:58.77 That... that they are. They're historical books 00:30:59.08\00:31:01.80 whether you want to believe they were inspired 00:31:02.00\00:31:04.52 or whether they weren't. 00:31:04.72\00:31:05.92 And as historical books, they say clearly 00:31:06.12\00:31:10.57 that Jesus Christ existed. 00:31:10.77\00:31:13.23 They're telling you, and they're the oldest that we have. 00:31:14.15\00:31:18.57 They're the oldest saying that Jesus Christ existed. 00:31:18.88\00:31:22.81 So we have the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John 00:31:23.11\00:31:26.62 that are historical books that definitely 00:31:26.92\00:31:30.28 give us evidence that Christ existed. 00:31:30.48\00:31:32.71 Also, the Jewish rabbis. 00:31:33.01\00:31:36.09 You go back and you read the Jewish rabbis. 00:31:36.39\00:31:39.51 They do not... they do not deny the existence of Jesus. 00:31:39.71\00:31:44.92 They may not accept Him as the Son of God 00:31:45.22\00:31:48.20 but they don't deny that He existed. 00:31:48.40\00:31:51.55 So what I'm trying to get across to you this evening 00:31:51.85\00:31:54.84 is there is plenty of evidence 00:31:55.04\00:31:58.26 that Jesus Christ existed. 00:31:58.46\00:32:01.03 Rabbis believe He existed. 00:32:01.33\00:32:03.38 It might be interesting to you to know that Mohammad 00:32:03.59\00:32:06.55 believed Jesus existed. 00:32:06.75\00:32:09.27 He believed that He was there... that He existed. 00:32:09.57\00:32:12.73 Doesn't necessarily accept Him as the Son of God, but 00:32:13.03\00:32:15.52 as a prophet. But he said that Christ existed. 00:32:15.72\00:32:19.55 He was there... important. 00:32:19.85\00:32:21.90 They give strange applications to it, and they try to 00:32:29.01\00:32:33.27 change what He did and this type of thing, 00:32:33.47\00:32:35.80 but they don't deny His existence. 00:32:36.00\00:32:37.85 So what I've said tonight is the fact that there is 00:32:38.15\00:32:42.24 historical proof that Jesus Christ existed. 00:32:42.44\00:32:45.81 There is more... there is more historical proof 00:32:46.11\00:32:51.37 that Jesus Christ existed 00:32:51.68\00:32:54.47 than there is historical proof that there was a Julius Caesar. 00:32:54.68\00:32:59.23 So you and I have plenty... plenty of evidence 00:33:00.60\00:33:04.89 to know that Jesus Christ existed. 00:33:05.09\00:33:08.49 All right. I also want to say 00:33:08.79\00:33:12.36 that Jewish history itself - 00:33:12.76\00:33:16.79 the Jewish people and their history - 00:33:16.99\00:33:21.16 absolutely proves that Jesus Christ existed 00:33:21.36\00:33:27.00 and that He was the Son of God. 00:33:27.30\00:33:29.35 Follow me carefully. 00:33:29.55\00:33:30.82 Gave the promise... God gave the promise 00:33:32.71\00:33:35.58 to David, and He said this to him: 00:33:35.68\00:33:38.00 So He gave the promise that his throne - David's throne - 00:33:45.82\00:33:50.17 would be established and it would be that forever. 00:33:50.37\00:33:53.57 OK. 00:33:54.07\00:33:55.15 That was the promise given. 00:33:55.35\00:33:56.94 Uh, after David we come to his son Solomon. 00:33:58.29\00:34:01.41 And you remember Solomon built the temple. Remember that? 00:34:01.71\00:34:04.82 And it says here: 00:34:05.12\00:34:06.60 Because Solomon built the temple 00:34:19.93\00:34:22.92 and because of the glory of God coming on the temple 00:34:23.12\00:34:26.06 the place was filled with the glory of God 00:34:26.36\00:34:28.50 showing God's acceptance of that and the establishment 00:34:28.80\00:34:33.83 of the temple there. 00:34:34.03\00:34:35.30 OK. Time goes along 00:34:35.60\00:34:39.36 and we find that Nebuchadnezzar 00:34:39.56\00:34:43.29 comes and he destroys the city of Jerusalem 00:34:44.10\00:34:50.05 and destroys the temple. 00:34:50.25\00:34:51.86 Gets rid of it. 00:34:53.21\00:34:54.36 Seventy years pass 00:34:54.66\00:34:57.21 and the Jewish people go back 00:34:57.61\00:35:00.48 and they re-build the temple. 00:35:00.78\00:35:02.77 Now listen carefully to what Haggai has to say about it: 00:35:03.07\00:35:08.54 Now that is saying clearly that the glory of the latter temple 00:35:38.02\00:35:42.78 would be greater than the first. 00:35:43.98\00:35:46.03 All right? 00:35:46.43\00:35:48.56 Well, the latter temple was built. 00:35:48.86\00:35:51.46 What was there that showed that the glory of the latter 00:35:51.76\00:35:57.22 temple was greater than the first? 00:35:57.42\00:35:58.90 None other than the fact that the Son of God walked in it. 00:36:00.07\00:36:05.27 Now the point I'm trying to make is simply this: 00:36:06.42\00:36:08.87 if it wasn't Jesus Christ, who was it? 00:36:09.90\00:36:12.86 I mean, the temple's not there any more... 00:36:15.34\00:36:18.11 the second temple. So it had to have that glory 00:36:18.42\00:36:22.25 before it was destroyed. 00:36:22.45\00:36:24.00 If it isn't Jesus Christ, who is it? 00:36:24.30\00:36:26.48 Christ is the only One... 00:36:28.76\00:36:31.47 the only One that fits that in any way, folks. 00:36:31.57\00:36:36.07 Just Jesus Christ. 00:36:36.37\00:36:38.13 Watch as it continues: 00:36:38.43\00:36:40.12 Now this is prophesied in the book of Daniel 00:36:56.43\00:36:59.93 and it says that in the middle of the week the sacrifices 00:37:00.13\00:37:03.62 and oblations or offerings would come to an end. 00:37:03.82\00:37:08.30 All right. Jesus, when He was here on earth, 00:37:09.63\00:37:13.55 Jesus said this: 00:37:13.75\00:37:15.51 He told them: "Your house is going to be left unto you" 00:37:27.30\00:37:31.32 what? "Desolate. " 00:37:31.42\00:37:33.51 OK. 00:37:33.81\00:37:35.61 They crucified Him. 00:37:35.91\00:37:38.05 And when they crucified Him 00:37:38.35\00:37:41.64 the veil in the temple was rent 00:37:41.94\00:37:46.00 from top to bottom 00:37:46.10\00:37:47.23 showing that the sacrifices and offerings 00:37:53.85\00:37:57.44 came to an end. 00:37:57.64\00:38:00.63 Now He said: "Your house is left unto you desolate. " 00:38:00.94\00:38:03.99 They crucified Him 00:38:04.29\00:38:05.49 and the veil split and opened up 00:38:05.79\00:38:08.21 showing the sacrifices and oblations came to an end. 00:38:08.41\00:38:11.36 And He said: "This is what's going to happen, " 00:38:11.56\00:38:13.93 and won't have changed until He comes back. 00:38:14.13\00:38:16.69 Now the point I'm trying to make again tonight is simply this: 00:38:17.71\00:38:20.82 We're now 2,000 years later 00:38:21.22\00:38:24.23 and there is no sacrifice 00:38:24.53\00:38:26.40 and there is no temple. 00:38:26.50\00:38:28.23 I mean, exactly what Jesus Christ said is there. 00:38:29.47\00:38:34.58 He said: "Your house is left unto you desolate. " 00:38:34.88\00:38:37.21 And I'm saying tonight... IT IS STILL DESOLATE, 00:38:37.51\00:38:40.90 just exactly as He said it would be. 00:38:41.20\00:38:44.36 So why? Who is Jesus? 00:38:44.66\00:38:48.26 Jesus is someone who made it very clear who He was 00:38:48.56\00:38:53.86 and what was believed. 00:38:54.16\00:38:55.93 He spoke to the people. 00:38:59.54\00:39:02.04 He made it very, very clear who He was. 00:39:02.44\00:39:06.82 Speaking to the Pharisees He said: 00:39:06.93\00:39:11.30 Said: "Now your father Abraham rejoice to see My day. 00:39:20.43\00:39:24.69 Saw it, and was glad. " 00:39:26.15\00:39:27.71 Said: "You're not that old. Have You seen Abraham? " 00:39:38.03\00:39:40.93 Now I mean that is clear 00:39:48.04\00:39:52.38 as you can ask for. 00:39:52.58\00:39:54.84 They asked him: "Have You seen Abraham? " 00:39:55.14\00:39:57.24 He said: "Before Abraham was, I AM. " 00:39:57.44\00:40:00.54 Now what I'm trying to say tonight 00:40:00.84\00:40:04.25 is historically there's all kinds of proof 00:40:04.45\00:40:09.46 that Jesus Christ existed. 00:40:09.66\00:40:12.13 I'm also saying that He made certain claims 00:40:12.43\00:40:17.58 such as being the Son of God 00:40:17.98\00:40:22.38 that got Him into trouble. 00:40:22.68\00:40:25.73 But nevertheless it has been solid and stood solid 00:40:27.22\00:40:32.07 all down through time. 00:40:32.27\00:40:33.76 For instance: 00:40:34.06\00:40:35.37 Now, folks, He could have said 00:40:48.40\00:40:52.06 that He was a prophet. 00:40:52.26\00:40:54.47 He could have said that He was the Anointed One. 00:40:56.19\00:40:59.68 And probably if He would have said He was the Anointed One 00:41:00.92\00:41:03.78 that probably would have gotten Him beaten. 00:41:04.08\00:41:06.86 That... that's about what would have happened. 00:41:08.58\00:41:10.97 But when He said that He was the Son of God 00:41:11.27\00:41:16.07 that's a different story all together. 00:41:17.33\00:41:19.36 Watch... 00:41:19.56\00:41:21.16 This is Jesus before Caiaphas 00:41:21.46\00:41:25.00 at the time of His trial. 00:41:25.30\00:41:27.84 "And Jesus said to him.. " because Caiaphas had asked Him - 00:41:28.14\00:41:32.78 I mean had put Him under oath - 00:41:33.09\00:41:34.97 and said, you know... "Who are You? " 00:41:35.17\00:41:37.13 Asked Him point blank, under oath. 00:41:37.43\00:41:39.93 Jesus said to him: "It is as you said. " 00:41:40.23\00:41:43.50 And Caiaphas, you can go back and read it, 00:41:43.70\00:41:45.26 had asked him: "Are You the Son of God? " 00:41:45.46\00:41:47.84 That's what he asked Him. 00:41:48.14\00:41:49.72 Now you and I read that text, but you don't get the 00:42:00.60\00:42:03.26 what's involved here. 00:42:03.46\00:42:05.27 When Jesus said: "It's as you said, " 00:42:05.57\00:42:09.13 you know. But He goes on, Jesus didn't stop there. He said: 00:42:09.23\00:42:13.43 "Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting 00:42:13.64\00:42:15.94 at the right hand of the Power 00:42:16.14\00:42:17.77 and coming in the clouds of heaven. " 00:42:17.97\00:42:19.27 When He said that, 00:42:19.57\00:42:20.80 Caiaphas knew exactly what He was referring to. 00:42:21.00\00:42:24.62 I mean Christ was making a statement 00:42:24.92\00:42:27.96 without any question as to exactly who He was. 00:42:28.26\00:42:31.24 And Caiaphas understood that because he understood this text. 00:42:31.54\00:42:35.92 Caiaphas knew this scripture. 00:42:36.12\00:42:38.07 When Jesus said that He's coming back on the clouds of heaven, 00:42:51.58\00:42:55.09 man, Caiaphas understood that that He was saying 00:42:55.29\00:42:59.59 "I am the Son of God; I'm coming back. " 00:42:59.79\00:43:02.83 And that's when he cried: "blasphemy! " 00:43:03.13\00:43:05.45 and they decided they would kill Him. 00:43:05.75\00:43:09.55 Because He said: "I am the Son of God. " 00:43:10.74\00:43:14.15 No question about it. 00:43:14.45\00:43:15.83 His disciples looked upon Him as the Son of God. 00:43:17.50\00:43:22.73 When He asked them: "Who do you say that I am? " 00:43:23.03\00:43:26.00 And they said: "Well, some say You're a prophet. 00:43:26.30\00:43:29.34 Some say You're Elijah. " 00:43:29.64\00:43:31.54 Said: "Well who do YOU say I am? " 00:43:31.84\00:43:34.14 Peter said: "You are the Christ, 00:43:34.44\00:43:37.66 the Son of the living God. " 00:43:37.86\00:43:41.24 That's who they believed that He was. 00:43:41.55\00:43:43.96 Well, that being the case... 00:43:44.16\00:43:47.06 what evidence do we have that Jesus is the Son of God? 00:43:47.26\00:43:52.69 Have any evidence that He was the Son of God? 00:43:52.99\00:43:56.46 That He was what He claimed to be? 00:43:56.76\00:43:59.75 Is there evidence of that? 00:43:59.96\00:44:02.44 Well, one of the things is the miraculous feats of healing. 00:44:02.74\00:44:08.15 You just pick up your Bible and start through 00:44:08.45\00:44:11.48 and look at the indications of one healing after another 00:44:11.88\00:44:17.79 that He did. Listen to this: 00:44:17.99\00:44:20.16 I mean it says in the scripture 00:44:45.54\00:44:48.58 that He walked through villages 00:44:48.78\00:44:51.39 and healed every sick person. 00:44:51.59\00:44:55.29 Can you imagine that? 00:44:55.32\00:44:57.49 I mean, walking through a village 00:44:57.69\00:45:00.38 and every last person was healed. 00:45:00.59\00:45:05.02 Not a sick person in the whole town. 00:45:05.32\00:45:09.87 Healed every one of them. 00:45:10.17\00:45:11.50 Great, great multitudes flocked to Him. 00:45:13.24\00:45:17.12 That in itself is evidence 00:45:17.43\00:45:21.53 that He was the Son of God. 00:45:21.74\00:45:23.39 Secondly... 00:45:23.59\00:45:24.90 This... this is what - how should I put it? - 00:45:29.67\00:45:35.24 shook the disciples to the very foundation 00:45:35.54\00:45:40.79 of their... what they thought 00:45:40.99\00:45:43.19 was what He did with nature. 00:45:43.39\00:45:45.60 Listen: 00:45:45.90\00:45:46.93 So they're just going to cross the lake. 00:45:59.29\00:46:01.45 Well, here they are and Jesus is sleeping. 00:46:12.41\00:46:15.37 The wind's blowing and the boat's filling up with water. 00:46:15.67\00:46:19.05 Said this, you know: "Great danger! " 00:46:25.44\00:46:27.63 Can you just put that together, folks? 00:46:38.05\00:46:41.23 I mean, they wake Him up and He just stands there in the boat 00:46:41.54\00:46:45.95 and tells the wind to be still 00:46:46.15\00:46:49.64 and for the waves to calm. 00:46:49.94\00:46:53.92 And at His word, it takes place. 00:46:54.22\00:46:58.16 And what happened? 00:46:58.46\00:47:00.42 You see, the fact that nature itself 00:47:15.39\00:47:19.33 obeyed Him is evidence that He was the Son of God. 00:47:20.77\00:47:26.56 Also evidence that Jesus was the Son of God 00:47:28.21\00:47:31.95 is the unrivaled teachings 00:47:32.15\00:47:35.14 that no one, no one in the history of mankind, 00:47:35.44\00:47:40.35 has ever taught like Jesus Christ. 00:47:40.55\00:47:44.34 I mean, you look and study all you want to, 00:47:44.64\00:47:48.20 but the teachings of Jesus Christ are beyond 00:47:48.40\00:47:51.89 anything that anybody else has ever done. 00:47:52.10\00:47:55.14 Unrivaled. 00:47:55.44\00:47:56.89 So... 00:47:57.19\00:47:59.08 They had told him to go out and arrest Jesus and bring Him in, 00:48:07.95\00:48:12.03 and those hardened soldiers went out to get Him. 00:48:12.33\00:48:16.98 And they listened. 00:48:18.58\00:48:21.59 No one ever spoke like this Man. 00:48:28.38\00:48:31.77 This book... 00:48:32.28\00:48:34.58 dear friend, do you understand 00:48:35.08\00:48:38.43 how many millions upon millions and millions 00:48:38.63\00:48:42.12 of people's hearts have been changed 00:48:42.33\00:48:45.74 and lives have been changed 00:48:45.94\00:48:47.69 by the Word of God? 00:48:47.89\00:48:49.84 By the teachings of Jesus Christ? 00:48:50.14\00:48:52.31 You know, I've had the privilege 00:48:52.61\00:48:56.35 of over the years of watching 00:48:56.65\00:49:01.62 and seeing people's hearts changed. 00:49:01.82\00:49:07.08 Hardened men's hearts melted 00:49:07.28\00:49:10.15 by the teachings of Jesus Christ. 00:49:10.45\00:49:12.63 What a difference it makes. 00:49:13.13\00:49:14.80 Nobody else does that. 00:49:15.00\00:49:17.71 Only Jesus Christ. 00:49:17.91\00:49:19.99 Then we have not only that but 00:49:21.13\00:49:25.66 divine understanding of people. 00:49:25.86\00:49:28.78 You know, I marvel that as I read through 00:49:28.98\00:49:32.60 how He could read... He could read their hearts 00:49:32.81\00:49:36.93 and their minds and knew exactly what they were thinking. 00:49:37.13\00:49:39.85 Look: 00:49:40.25\00:49:41.80 I mean, here He's talking to them and He knows 00:49:48.72\00:49:52.00 what's going on in their minds. 00:49:52.20\00:49:54.66 I mean He had just told this paralytic 00:50:01.40\00:50:05.42 "your sins are forgiven. " 00:50:05.62\00:50:07.31 And the Pharisees were sitting there and thinking, you know, 00:50:07.61\00:50:12.42 this is blasphemy. 00:50:12.62\00:50:14.60 He said: "Get up, go to your house. " 00:50:34.20\00:50:37.29 And he arose! 00:50:37.59\00:50:39.61 Just the fact that He could read the hearts of men and women 00:50:39.81\00:50:45.33 is evidence that He, indeed, was the Son of God. 00:50:45.53\00:50:50.52 And then... the resurrection. 00:50:51.89\00:50:54.62 You know, the resurrection of Lazarus. 00:50:54.92\00:51:00.56 You understand what made that different? 00:51:02.28\00:51:04.48 What was different? 00:51:04.68\00:51:05.68 What was different than the resurrection of Lazarus 00:51:05.88\00:51:09.17 than the other people that He resurrected? 00:51:09.37\00:51:12.02 What was different about that? 00:51:12.12\00:51:15.44 Something very definite. 00:51:15.74\00:51:17.53 You see, in the widow's son at Nain 00:51:17.83\00:51:20.74 you remember here they were coming out with the coffin 00:51:20.94\00:51:25.01 and all, and He stopped it and brought him back to life. 00:51:25.21\00:51:28.69 Or when the servant... or the Centurion's daughter 00:51:28.99\00:51:34.19 He healed and all... 00:51:34.39\00:51:36.40 Those were cases where someone had just died and was fresh. 00:51:36.70\00:51:40.89 But this case with Lazarus... 00:51:42.20\00:51:44.73 They sent Him word and then He stayed and didn't come 00:51:44.93\00:51:49.46 for two days. 00:51:49.66\00:51:50.72 Why? 00:51:51.02\00:51:52.84 Why would He just not show up for two days? 00:51:53.15\00:51:56.19 So that when He got there Lazarus had been dead 00:51:58.01\00:52:00.75 for four days... been in the tomb four days. 00:52:00.95\00:52:03.64 Simply because He wanted... He wanted to put it 00:52:05.21\00:52:09.47 so that there was proof that He was the Son of God. 00:52:09.67\00:52:13.92 Because, you see, with the widow's son 00:52:14.12\00:52:17.94 they could just say "Well, he really 00:52:18.14\00:52:20.19 probably didn't die. " 00:52:20.39\00:52:22.36 See? And same thing with some of these others. 00:52:22.56\00:52:24.80 They were fresh and so they were saying: 00:52:25.00\00:52:27.07 "Well, he probably wasn't... " 00:52:27.27\00:52:28.42 But they couldn't do that with Lazarus! 00:52:28.62\00:52:31.13 He had been in the tomb for four days. 00:52:31.33\00:52:33.65 It took away all that argument. 00:52:33.85\00:52:36.00 So when He stood there and said: "Lazarus, come forth! " 00:52:36.30\00:52:40.11 and Lazarus came forth, 00:52:40.31\00:52:42.18 man, it says that the people... go back and read it... 00:52:42.38\00:52:45.33 it says it upset the Pharisees because the people believed. 00:52:45.53\00:52:48.50 They believed that He was the Son of God. 00:52:48.81\00:52:51.35 He gave proof that He was all that He claimed to be. 00:52:51.56\00:52:54.91 And, of course, His own resurrection. 00:52:55.21\00:52:59.55 He came out of the grave. 00:52:59.85\00:53:02.45 They couldn't stop Him. 00:53:04.32\00:53:06.47 He was resurrected, and those... 00:53:06.77\00:53:10.01 and you don't find the disciples, folks, 00:53:10.21\00:53:12.69 you don't find them after the resurrection of Jesus going out 00:53:12.89\00:53:16.17 and preaching that He was a great prophet. 00:53:16.37\00:53:18.64 That isn't what they're doing. 00:53:19.88\00:53:21.60 They don't go out and preach 00:53:21.80\00:53:22.77 He's a great prophet. 00:53:22.78\00:53:23.83 They go out there and say He was the Son of God. 00:53:23.93\00:53:26.14 That's what they're preaching and believing: 00:53:26.44\00:53:29.26 that He WAS the Son of God. 00:53:29.56\00:53:31.60 And so, who was Jesus? 00:53:31.90\00:53:34.51 Jesus was the Son of God. 00:53:34.81\00:53:38.15 That's who He was. 00:53:38.45\00:53:39.95 He was the Son of God. 00:53:40.25\00:53:41.69 It made all the difference in the world. 00:53:41.99\00:53:44.69 And so tonight I hope that you 00:53:44.99\00:53:48.48 put your life in the hands of Jesus Christ. 00:53:48.69\00:53:52.11 Understand who He is. 00:53:52.41\00:53:54.29 Accept Him into your heart as your Savior. 00:53:54.59\00:53:57.94 Let us pray. 00:53:58.15\00:53:59.19 Heavenly Father, 00:53:59.49\00:54:01.16 we thank you. Thank you that Jesus Christ 00:54:01.46\00:54:06.00 came here and lived. 00:54:06.40\00:54:09.02 Lived a life so that we by faith 00:54:10.88\00:54:14.63 can reach out and accept You, 00:54:14.83\00:54:17.23 give our hearts to You, and follow You. 00:54:17.53\00:54:19.80 Help us, Lord, that each one of us 00:54:20.10\00:54:23.23 day by day may keep our lives surrendered to You. 00:54:23.43\00:54:28.36 That we might walk with You. 00:54:28.66\00:54:31.44 That we might follow You, 00:54:31.74\00:54:33.99 and that we might reach out and claim You 00:54:34.29\00:54:37.73 as our Savior and indeed as the Son of God. 00:54:38.03\00:54:43.09 We thank You for these promises in Christ's name, 00:54:43.39\00:54:46.65 Amen. 00:54:46.85\00:54:48.40 Well remember our next presentation 00:54:49.74\00:54:51.97 is entitled Why Believe In Jesus Christ? 00:54:52.17\00:54:57.29 We're going to look at definite reasons 00:54:57.59\00:55:00.39 why you and I should believe in Jesus Christ. 00:55:00.59\00:55:04.23 So we hope that you'll be back with us 00:55:04.43\00:55:06.31 in our next presentation. 00:55:06.51\00:55:08.06 Thank you for being here. 00:55:08.27\00:55:09.58 Good night. God bless you. 00:55:09.78\00:55:11.54 Hello, friends. 00:55:14.63\00:55:15.65 In Luke the 12th chapter Jesus tells an interesting story 00:55:15.85\00:55:19.99 of a master who returned home from his wedding 00:55:20.02\00:55:23.78 hoping to find each of his servants eagerly waiting 00:55:24.08\00:55:27.08 to let him in 00:55:27.28\00:55:28.37 no matter what hour of the day or the night. 00:55:28.57\00:55:30.98 This story is about each of us 00:55:31.28\00:55:33.19 who have been bought by His precious blood 00:55:33.39\00:55:35.84 and therefore have become His servants. 00:55:36.04\00:55:38.15 And His hope is that we will faithfully be doing 00:55:38.45\00:55:42.47 the work He assigned while anxiously awaiting His return. 00:55:42.68\00:55:46.15 But this beautiful parable 00:55:46.65\00:55:49.59 has a dark warning as well. 00:55:49.80\00:55:51.48 Luke writes about a break-in that happens 00:55:51.78\00:55:54.75 in the night while the master of the house is fast asleep. 00:55:54.95\00:55:58.36 Under the cover of darkness, 00:55:58.66\00:56:00.43 a thief steals his most precious possession. 00:56:00.63\00:56:03.42 And Jesus goes on to say 00:56:03.62\00:56:05.81 "But know this, that if the master of the house 00:56:06.01\00:56:08.65 had known what hour the thief would come 00:56:08.85\00:56:11.14 he would have watched 00:56:11.34\00:56:12.47 and not allowed his house to be broken into. 00:56:12.68\00:56:14.95 Therefore you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming 00:56:15.25\00:56:18.93 at an hour you do not expect. " 00:56:19.13\00:56:20.79 Friends, none of us know the hour of Christ's second coming. 00:56:20.99\00:56:24.74 To some it may seem like a far-off event. 00:56:24.94\00:56:28.13 But if their life should end today, 00:56:28.44\00:56:31.17 it will feel like only a moment. 00:56:31.37\00:56:33.37 Jesus' message is the same for us today. 00:56:33.67\00:56:36.65 Do all you can to prepare 00:56:36.95\00:56:39.12 and faithfully watch and wait. 00:56:39.32\00:56:41.48 Satan is a thief, and there is nothing he enjoys more 00:56:41.78\00:56:46.84 than stealing our relationship with Jesus. 00:56:47.05\00:56:49.84 He robs us by making us careless and indifferent. 00:56:50.04\00:56:53.35 He tries to distract us from spending time with our Lord 00:56:53.55\00:56:57.38 and to burden us with so much care that we become indifferent 00:56:57.58\00:57:01.16 to those who are suffering 00:57:01.36\00:57:03.01 and those who don't know about our loving Savior. 00:57:03.21\00:57:06.41 As Christians, we are given the great privilege of being 00:57:08.79\00:57:11.89 called the sons and daughters of God. 00:57:12.09\00:57:13.98 But with this privilege comes an awesome responsibility: 00:57:14.28\00:57:18.47 to be faithful servants and to tell others about Jesus. 00:57:18.77\00:57:22.63 Are you being faithful to God? 00:57:22.94\00:57:24.89 Are you ready to give an account of your stewardship? 00:57:25.19\00:57:28.10 Our ministry is geared entirely 00:57:28.20\00:57:30.57 to taking care of those spiritual needs 00:57:30.78\00:57:33.10 of those who watch us all over the world. 00:57:33.30\00:57:35.77 Won't you help us? 00:57:36.08\00:57:37.49 Please consider what you can do 00:57:37.79\00:57:39.40 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 00:57:39.60\00:57:42.14 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 00:57:42.34\00:57:43.91 please send your tax-deductible gifts to: 00:57:44.11\00:57:46.12 Thank you for helping us spread the light of God's Word 00:57:58.06\00:58:00.58 through television and radio. 00:58:00.78\00:58:02.38 Your gifts help bring the blessed hope of salvation 00:58:02.58\00:58:04.81 to millions around the world. 00:58:05.02\00:58:07.24