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Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021514A
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00:03 (MUSIC)
00:33 >>GOOD EVENING, FRIENDS, AND WELCOME AGAIN TO 00:35 SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY HOUR. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME OUR FRIENDS 00:37 JOINING US ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD AS WE 00:40 CONTINUE OUR STUDY IN GOD'S WORD. 00:44 I'D LIKE TO, IN A SPECIAL WAY, WELCOME OUR AUDIENCE HERE FROM 00:46 THE GRANITE BAY CHURCH. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, AGAIN, 00:49 FOR OUR TUESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY. 00:51 AND, FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING ALONG WITH THE 00:54 SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY HOUR, TODAY WE FIND OURSELVES BEGINNING A 00:57 BRAND-NEW STUDY IN THE BOOK OF LUKE. 01:00 WE'RE ON OUR LESSON QUARTERLY DEALING WITH THE BOOK OF LUKE 01:02 AND TODAY'S LESSON - LESSON #1 - IS CALLED THE COMING OF JESUS. 01:06 SO IF YOU DON'T HAVE A LESSON BUT YOU'D LIKE TO FOLLOW ALONG 01:09 WITH US, YOU CAN DOWNLOAD TODAY'S LESSON AT THE AMAZING 01:12 FACTS WEBSITE - JUST AMAZINGFACTS.ORG . 01:16 WE HAVE A FREE OFFER WE'D LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT - A BOOK 01:19 WRITTEN BY JOE CREWS CALLED DOWN FROM HIS GLORY . 01:22 AND FOR ANYBODY WHO'D LIKE TO RECEIVE THIS FREE OFFER, 01:25 JUST GIVE US A CALL. THE RESOURCE LINE IS 01:27 866-788-3966 AND YOU CAN ASK FOR OFFER #154. AGAIN, THAT NUMBER 01:36 IS 866-788-3966 - ASK FOR OFFER #154 - A BOOK ENTITLED 01:42 DOWN FROM HIS GLORY . WELL, BEFORE WE BEGIN OUR LESSON 01:46 FOR THIS EVENING, LET'S JUST BOW OUR HEADS FOR PRAYER. 01:49 DEAR FATHER, ONCE AGAIN WE THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO 01:51 GATHER TOGETHER TO STUDY THE BIBLE. 01:53 FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THESE LESSONS THAT ARE BEING PREPARED. 01:56 AS WE LAUNCH INTO A NEW STUDY ON ONE OF THE GOSPELS, WE JUST ASK 02:00 THE HOLY SPIRIT TO COME AND GUIDE OUR HEARTS AND OUR MINDS 02:03 AS WE LOOK AT THE MOST IMPORTANT AND THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THEME OF 02:06 ALL, THAT OF JESUS. FOR WE ASK THIS IN HIS NAME, AMEN. 02:11 OUR LESSON TODAY WILL BE BROUGHT TO US BY PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR. 02:14 THANK YOU, PASTOR DOUG. >>GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY, 02:22 CLASS, AND OUR FRIENDS - OUR EXTENDED CLASS THAT IS WATCHING. 02:26 AND I JUST WANT TO SEND SPECIAL GREETINGS - I ARRIVED BACK 02:31 FROM THE PHILIPPINES YESTERDAY, WHERE WE HAD ONE OF THE MOST 02:35 EXCITING MEETINGS THAT I'VE BEEN PART OF. 02:37 AND WORKED WITH - WE HAVE AN AMAZING FACTS COLLEGE OF 02:41 EVANGELISM IN THE PHILIPPINES - WE ACTUALLY CALL IT PAFCOE 02:44 BECAUSE IT'S THE PHILIPPINES AMAZING FACTS COLLEGE OF 02:47 EVANGELISM AND A LOT OF FRIENDS THERE THAT GREET US. 02:50 TOMORROW, PASTOR ROSS IS HEADING TO INDONESIA TO OUR EVANGELISM 02:54 PROGRAM IN INDONESIA, WHICH IS IN THE LARGEST MUSLIM COUNTRY IN 02:58 THE WORLD. AND SO, IT'S REALLY EXCITING THAT IT'S - IS IT SOLO? 03:02 INDONESIA - SOLO CITY? WE'VE GOT AN EVANGELISM SCHOOL 03:05 THERE. AND SO, IT'S SO EXCITING TO JUST 03:08 SEE THE - THE GLOBAL WORK OF THE LORD GOING EVERYWHERE. 03:11 AND WHEREVER WE TRAVEL - IN THE PHILIPPINES - A LOT OF FRIENDS 03:13 THERE SAY, 'OH, WE WATCH SABBATH SCHOOL. THEY DON'T ALL SEE IT 03:17 LIVE, BECAUSE OF THE TIME CHANGE, BUT WE'VE GOT A LOT OF 03:21 FRIENDS WATCHING THERE SO WE WANT TO GREET OUR CLASS THERE. 03:24 MATTER OF FACT, WE MAY ROLL IN A LITTLE SHORT HERE TO GIVE YOU AN 03:29 IDEA OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING IN THE 03:32 PHILIPPINES - SORT OF A LITTLE MISSION REPORT, IF THAT'S OKAY. 03:36 >>IN MARCH 2015, AMAZING FACTS AND PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR 03:40 TRAVELED TO THE PHILIPPINES TO SHARE THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL OF 03:44 JESUS CHRIST TO THE PEOPLE LIVING IN THE BUSTLING 03:46 METROPOLIS OF MANILA. THIS LIFE-CHANGING SERIES OF MESSAGES 03:50 CALLED PROPHECY COUNTDOWN: A BIBLE STUDY ADVENTURE FOR THE 03:54 LAST DAYS WAS PRESENTED AT THE CUNETA ASTRODOME IN PASAY TO 03:58 TENS OF THOUSANDS OVER A TWO-WEEK PERIOD, AND LIVES WERE 04:02 CHANGED. TODAY, THE LOVE AND POWER OF 04:05 JESUS CHRIST IS MORE ALIVE IN THE PHILIPPINES THAN EVER, AND 04:09 LIVES ARE STILL BEING CHANGED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AS THE FUTURES 04:13 OF SO MANY IN THE PHILIPPINES ARE RENEWED WITH HOPE, JOY, AND 04:16 PEACE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING AMAZING FACTS ON THIS 04:20 MISSION OF FAITH - THROUGH YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT - 04:23 WITHOUT YOU IT WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE. 04:27 >>FRIENDS, WE'VE JUST COME TO THE END OF OUR PROPHECY 04:28 COUNTDOWN SERIES HERE IN MANILA, IN THE PHILIPPINES, AND IT HAS 04:32 BEEN A THRILL AND A JOY TO SEE PEOPLE COME. 04:34 NIGHT AFTER NIGHT THEY'VE OPENED THE WORD OF GOD, HEARTS AND 04:37 LIVES HAVE BEEN CHANGED, HUNDREDS WERE BAPTIZED, AND IT'S 04:40 ONLY BY GOD'S BLESSING AND YOUR PARTICIPATION ALL THIS HAS 04:44 HAPPENED. WELL, THERE'S STILL A LOT OF 04:45 WORLD LEFT TO REACH. NOW, OFF TO OTHER MISSION FIELDS. 04:49 (MUSIC) >>SO THAT WAS REALLY NEAT. 05:01 THAT WAS REALLY EXCITING AND WE HAD 596 BAPTISMS LAST WEEK, 05:07 WHICH WAS THE LARGEST NUMBER THAT I'VE BEEN CONNECTED WITH 05:10 AND I THINK IT WAS - IT'S SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE 05:13 PHILIPPINES AND INDONESIA, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THAT THIS LAST 05:16 SABBATH WAS, FOR ME, THE LARGEST LIVE AUDIENCE THAT I'VE BEEN 05:20 ABLE TO SHARE WITH. IT'S PRETTY EXCITING. 05:23 SOMEWHERE AROUND 11,000 PEOPLE WERE IN THE BUILDING AND SO 05:27 IT WAS JUST PRETTY - PRETTY NEAT. 05:28 AND PART OF THE REASON IS BECAUSE - ALMOST TWO YEARS NOW, 05:32 AMAZING FACTS HAS - WE INVESTED, WITH THE CONFERENCE, IN 05:35 BROADCASTING OUR PROGRAMS ON A MAIN CABLE CHANNEL, BECAUSE MANY 05:40 OF THEM SPEAK ENGLISH, AT LEAST AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, ALL ACROSS 05:43 THE COUNTRY, NOT JUST MANILA, BUT ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 05:45 AND SO, WE THINK THAT THIS WAS SOME OF THE FRUIT OF THOSE - 05:49 THOSE ENDEAVORS AND SO I WANT TO JUST, ONCE AGAIN, GREET OUR 05:53 CLASS THAT'S WATCHING THERE. AND WE'RE GOING TO GO TO MY 05:57 FAVORITE GOSPEL. A LOT OF PEOPLE LOVE THE GOSPEL 06:01 OF JOHN BECAUSE THEY SAY, YOU KNOW, HE'S THE APOSTLE OF LOVE. 06:04 JOHN IS JUST SO PROFOUND, IT'S ALMOST ABOVE MY HEAD - 06:07 THE DEEP THEMES IN THERE. 06:10 AND THEN THERE'S THOSE THAT LOVE MATTHEW AND THOSE THAT LOVE MARK 06:12 BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A QUICK-MOVING GOSPEL. 06:15 LUKE IS UNIQUE FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. 06:18 FOR ONE, HE'S THE ONLY OF THE GOSPEL WRITERS - WELL, HE WAS 06:23 THE ONLY GENTILE THAT WROTE A BOOK IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, AND 06:27 IT IS THE - IT'S THE EARLIEST BEGINNING OF THE GOSPELS. 06:32 IN OTHER WORDS, HE TRACES BACK EVEN BEFORE MATTHEW, BECAUSE HE 06:34 GOES TO THE ORIGIN OF JOHN THE BAPTIST AND HIS BIRTH. 06:38 AND HIS GENEALOGY GOES BACK FURTHER THAN MATTHEW'S. 06:42 MATTHEW'S GENEALOGY TRACES JESUS BACK TO DAVID - HE PROVES 06:45 HE'S THE SON OF DAVID. LUKE TRACES HIM BACK TO ADAM, 06:48 THE SON OF GOD. IF IT WASN'T FOR LUKE, YOU WOULD 06:52 NOT HAVE THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON. 06:54 IF IT WASN'T FOR THE GOSPEL OF LUKE, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THE 06:57 STORY OF ZACCHAEUS. LUKE HAS THE PARABLE OF THE RICH 07:01 MAN AND LAZARUS AND MANY OTHER STORIES THAT ARE UNIQUE TO THE 07:06 GOSPEL OF LUKE. SO WE HAVE A MEMORY VERSE AND IT 07:09 - THE LESSON TITLE IS THE COMING OF JESUS , BUT THAT MAY BE A 07:12 MISNOMER FOR SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS, BECAUSE WHEN WE TALK 07:15 ABOUT THE COMING OF JESUS, WHICH COMING DO WE THINK ABOUT? 07:17 WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE SECOND COMING. 07:19 IT IS ACCURATE TO TALK ABOUT THE COMING OF JESUS, BUT WE'RE 07:22 REALLY STUDYING THE FIRST COMING OF JESUS IN THIS LESSON. 07:26 AND OUR MEMORY VERSE IS LUKE 1:37. IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT, 07:31 VERY SIMPLE VERSE. YOU READY TO SAY IT WITH ME? 07:35 "FOR WITH GOD NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE." THESE ARE THE WORDS 07:41 OF GABRIEL TO MARY BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT SAME PHRASE IS FOUND 07:45 SEVERAL PLACES IN THE BIBLE - LITTLE VARIATIONS - 'FOR WITH 07:48 GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.' OR 'IF YOU HAVE FAITH, ALL THINGS 07:53 ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD.' SO THAT IS A COMMON THEME. 07:55 AND THE BOOK BEGINS WITH SEVERAL MIRACLES, ONE BEING SIMILAR TO 08:01 THE OLD TESTAMENT WHERE ABRAHAM AND ELIZABETH HAVE THIS 08:05 MIRACULOUS BIRTH, THE FORERUNNER OF CHRIST, JOHN THE BAPTIST, IS 08:12 BORN THROUGH A MIRACULOUS BIRTH FROM AN OLD COUPLE. 08:15 IT DOESN'T TELL THE AGES OF ZACHARIAH AND ELIZABETH, IT JUST 08:17 SAYS THAT THEY WERE ADVANCED IN YEARS. NOW JUST A LITTLE MORE 08:20 ABOUT THE BOOK OF LUKE. LUKE IS, EVIDENTLY, A CONVERT TO 08:26 CHRISTIANITY. HE WAS NOT A JEW. PROBABLY THE ONLY OTHER PERSON 08:32 THAT YOU COULD ARGUE WROTE SOME OF THE BIBLE, WHO IS NOT A 08:35 JEW, WOULD BE A CHAPTER - CHAPTER 4 - IN THE BOOK OF 08:39 DANIEL, WHERE NEBUCHADNEZZAR BASICALLY NARRATES HIS PERSONAL 08:43 EXPERIENCE ABOUT THE DREAM OF THE TREE. 08:46 BUT THE REST OF THE BIBLE IS WRITTEN BY JEWS EXCEPT LUKE AND 08:50 THE OTHER BOOK THAT LUKE WROTE, WHICH IS THE BOOK OF ACTS. 08:53 AND REALLY, THEY GO TOGETHER IN A BUNDLE AND HE'S WRITING BOTH 08:57 OF THESE BOOKS TO SOMEBODY BY THE NAME OF THEOPHILUS. 09:01 NOW THEOPHILUS - HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW WHAT THEOLOGY IS? 09:07 THEOS IS 'GOD' AND, OF COURSE, THEOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF GOD, 09:14 LIKE GEOLOGY OR ANTHROPOLOGY OR SOMETHING, BUT THEOPHILUS - WHAT 09:18 DOES PHILADELPHIA MEAN? WHAT DO THEY CALL PHILADELPHIA? 09:20 CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE. AND THELIO IS LIKE A BROTHERLY 09:27 LOVE AND SO WHAT YOU HAVE IS - IT'S LIKE A LOVE OF A FRIEND. 09:31 SO THIS NAME 'THEOPHILUS' MEANS 'FRIEND OF GOD' AND SO LUKE IS 09:37 WRITING TO THE FRIEND OF GOD AND THEY - SOME HAVE WONDERED, 'WAS 09:40 THERE A PERSON OR WAS HE WRITING IN CODE BECAUSE THE CHRISTIAN 09:45 RELIGION WAS FORBIDDEN ABOUT THE TIME THAT LUKE WAS WRITING AND I 09:49 THINK THERE PROBABLY WAS A PERSON BY THE NAME OF THEOPHILUS 09:52 AND HE WRITES THESE TWO VERY IMPORTANT CHRONICLES. 09:55 HE'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST CAREFUL OF THE HISTORIANS. 09:58 HE'S REFERRED TO AS A PHYSICIAN, IN ONE PLACE, AND DOCTORS DID 10:05 NOT HAVE ALL OF THE TOOLS AT THEIR DISPOSAL BACK THEN, THAT 10:10 WE HAVE NOW, BUT THE SKILLS OF DIAGNOSIS WERE VERY IMPORTANT TO 10:14 THEM TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT X-RAYS AND MRIS AND ALL 10:17 THE THINGS THAT WE DO - AND BLOOD TESTS NOW. 10:19 THEY REALLY HAD TO, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, POKE AND PROD AND LOOK IN 10:22 YOUR EARS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. 10:25 AND SO, HE WAS A PHYSICIAN. PAUL HAD SOME MEDICAL PROBLEMS 10:30 AND SOME HAVE WONDERED IF PART OF THE REASON - YOU KNOW, PAUL 10:33 TALKS ABOUT A THORN IN HIS SIDE WHERE SATAN CAME TO BUFFET HIM. 10:36 SOME ARGUE IT WAS HIS EYESIGHT. I'M INCLINED TO THINK THAT. 10:40 OTHERS THINK THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN EPILEPSY OR - BUT HE'S 10:43 VAGUE ABOUT WHAT IT IS, BUT HE HAD SOME PHYSICAL PROBLEM HE 10:45 PRAYED ABOUT. SOME HAVE WONDERED IF LUKE 10:47 ATTENDED HIM BECAUSE HE NEEDED SOME ONGOING HELP. 10:52 A LOT OF THAT'S SPECULATION, BUT I'M JUST TELLING YOU SOME OF THE 10:55 THINGS THAT THE SCHOLARS THOUGHT. 10:57 AS FAR AS WHERE HE'S BORN, AGAIN, YOU CAN SPECULATE. 11:03 NOW LET ME GIVE YOU SOMETHING INTERESTING. 11:04 TURN IN YOUR BIBLES - I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO STUDY LUKE, BUT 11:06 LET'S STUDY ABOUT LUKE AND THEN WE'LL GET INTO THE CHAPTERS - 11:09 1 AND 2 WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT. 11:11 ACTS 16 - ALSO WRITTEN BY LUKE - ACTS 16:6 AND LUKE, UP UNTIL 11:20 THIS TIME IN THE BOOK OF ACTS, LUKE IS SAYING, 'PETER WENT 11:25 HERE, PAUL WENT THERE, PHILIP WENT HERE.' AND ALL OF A SUDDEN 11:30 THE TENSE CHANGES IN THIS CHAPTER. 11:33 I WANT YOU TO NOTICE: ACTS 16:6, "NOW WHEN THEY HAD GONE THROUGH 11:38 PHRYGIA AND THE REGION OF GALATIA, THEY WERE FORBIDDEN BY 11:42 THE HOLY SPIRIT TO PREACH THE WORD IN ASIA." - 11:44 THAT TELLS YOU SOMETIMES THE SPIRIT SAYS, 'NO, THIS IS NOT 11:47 THE RIGHT TIME OR THE RIGHT PLACE.' - "AND AFTER THEY HAD 11:50 COME TO MYSIA, THEY TRIED TO GO INTO BITHYNIA, BUT THE SPIRIT 11:53 DID NOT PERMIT THEM. SO PASSING BY MYSIA, THEY CAME 11:56 DOWN TO TROAS. AND A VISION APPEARED TO PAUL IN THE NIGHT. 12:00 A MAN OF MACEDONIA STOOD AND PLEADED WITH HIM, SAYING, 12:05 'COME OVER TO MACEDONIA AND HELP US.' NOW AFTER HE HAD 12:09 SEEN THE VISION, IMMEDIATELY WE..." 12:13 - ALRIGHT, THE BOOK CHANGES RIGHT THERE. 12:15 UP UNTIL THIS POINT IN THE BOOK OF ACTS, HE'S SAYING 'THEY.' 12:20 FROM 16 ON IT STARTS SAYING 'WE.' NOTICE HERE, IT SAYS, 12:25 "...WE SOUGHT TO GO TO MACEDONIA, CONCLUDING THAT THE 12:27 LORD HAD CALLED US" - AND SO IMMEDIATELY LUKE SAYS HE IS PART 12:31 OF THE BOOK. BUT, YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE WRITERS 12:34 WERE SO MODEST. I MEAN, HOW DID JOHN REFER TO 12:36 HIMSELF IN HIS GOSPEL? DOES HE EVER SAY HIS NAME? 12:38 IN REVELATION HE DOES, BUT OTHERWISE, IN HIS GOSPEL, HE 12:42 SAYS, 'THE DISCIPLE WHOM JESUS LOVED.' 12:44 SO THEY WERE VERY SELF-EFFACING. 12:46 THEY DIDN'T GRANDSTAND A LOT AFTER THAT EXPERIENCE WHERE THEY 12:50 WERE ARGUING WHICH WAS THE GREATEST. 12:51 LUKE DOESN'T MENTION HIMSELF IN HIS BOOK AND HE DOESN'T MENTION 12:56 HIMSELF IN ACTS, EXCEPT TO SAY, 'WE,' BECAUSE HE WAS THERE. 13:01 AND THE CHURCH FATHER, 13:05 JEROME, WHO LIVED ABOUT 300 YEARS AFTER CHRIST, HE SAID THAT 13:08 LUKE WAS BORN AT ANTIOCH AND, YOU KNOW, 13:10 OTHER THAN THAT STATEMENT WE DON'T KNOW. 13:12 BUT SOMEWHERE IN ASIA MINOR LUKE PROBABLY ORIGINATED. 13:16 AND ONE REASON WE DON'T THINK THAT HE WAS A JEW? 13:20 IF YOU TURN TO COLOSSIANS, FOR EXAMPLE, GO TO COLOSSIANS 4, 13:24 VERSE 10 AND IT SAYS - COLOSSIANS 4:10 - PAUL IS 13:29 WRITING - "ARISARCHUS MY FELLOW PRISONER GREETS YOU, WITH MARK 13:33 THE COUSIN OF BARNABAS (ABOUT WHOM YOU RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS: 13:37 IF HE COMES TO YOU, WELCOME HIM), AND JESUS WHO IS CALLED 13:41 JUSTUS." - JESUS WAS NOT AN UNCOMMON - 13:43 IT'S LIKE THE NAME JOSHUA, IT WASN'T AN UNCOMMON NAME - "THESE 13:46 ARE MY ONLY FELLOW WORKERS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD WHO ARE OF 13:52 THE CIRCUMCISION;" - NOW, WHAT PAUL MEANS WHEN HE SAYS, 'OF THE 13:55 CIRCUMCISION' - HE MEANS 'WHO ARE JEWISH' - THEY WERE JEWISH 13:58 CONVERTS. SO HE'S NAMES THESE PEOPLE. 14:00 HE SAYS, THEY ARE "MY ONLY FELLOW WORKERS... 14:02 ( THAT ARE JEWISH ); THEY HAVE PROVED TO BE A COMFORT TO ME. 14:06 ...LUKE, THE BELOVED PHYSICIAN AND DEMAS" - SO, IF HE'S NAMING 14:11 THE OTHER GUYS AND SAYING THEY'RE THE ONLY JEWS THAT ARE 14:14 COWORKERS, AND THEN HE MENTIONS DEMAS, ANOTHER GREEK NAME, AND 14:19 LUKE, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? HE'S NOT A JEW, HE'S A GENTILE. 14:23 BUT THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT LUKE IS, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS 14:27 PROBABLY NOT A JEW, HE IS THE MOST METICULOUS TO TALK ABOUT 14:31 THE JEWISH LAW SO THAT HIS GENTILE READERS WILL UNDERSTAND 14:36 THE CONTEXT OF WHAT HE'S WRITING ABOUT. 14:40 AND I'LL GET INTO SOME OF THAT IN CHAPTER 1. 14:42 YOU'LL FIND HOW OFTEN HE SAYS 'ACCORDING TO THE JEWISH LAW.' 14:45 'ACCORDING TO THE JEWISH LAW.' IT'S INTERESTING, AT THE END OF 14:48 LUKE'S GOSPEL, WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS 14:51 AND THEM NOT EMBALMING HIM ON THE SABBATH, HE SAYS, 'THEY WENT 14:56 HOME AND KEPT THE SABBATH ACCORDING TO 'THE COMMANDMENT.' 14:59 HE DOESN'T SAY 'THE JEWISH COMMANDMENT.' IT'S LIKE IT IS 15:02 SELF-UNDERSTOOD TO HIS LISTENERS THAT THIS WAS A COMMANDMENT. 15:06 SO ANYWAY, JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHO HE IS AND WHERE HE'S 15:10 FROM AND THE NAME 'LUKE' IS - IT REALLY IS CONNECTED WITH A NAME 15:17 - 'LUCAS' - AND THAT MEANS 'LIGHT GIVING.' IT'S CONTRACTED 15:22 FROM THE LATIN WORD 'LUCANIS' AND THERE'S MAYBE THREE LUKES IN 15:29 THE GOSPEL. YOU CAN LOOK IN ROMANS 16:21, HE SAYS, "TIMOTHY, 15:34 MY FELLOW WORKER, AND LUCANUS," - AND SOME HAVE ARGUED, 15:36 'IS THAT THE SAME 'LUKE?'' I THINK ORIGIN, THE CHURCH 15:39 FATHER, THOUGHT THAT 'LUCIUS' IN ROMANS 16 WAS THE SAME 'LUKE.' 15:43 AND PAUL - IT'S LIKE SOMETIMES I'VE GOT FRIENDS - I'LL CALL 15:45 THEM 'MICHAEL' OR I'LL CALL THEM 'MIKE.' I'VE GOT A FRIEND NAMED 15:48 'DAVID' AND I CALL HIM 'DAVE,' HE CORRECTS ME. 15:49 BUT SOME PEOPLE GO BACK AND FORTH. 15:51 IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON BACK THEN, TO HAVE CONTRACTIONS OF NAMES. 15:55 SO IT'S INTERESTING THAT LUKE, WHOSE NAME MEANS 'LIGHT GIVING,' 16:01 IS WRITING TO 'FRIEND OF GOD' IN HIS GOSPEL IN THE BOOK OF ACTS. 16:06 I ALWAYS LOOK AT THE NAMES IN THE BIBLE. 16:08 I THINK IT MEANS SOMETHING. SO LET'S GET TO CHAPTER 1. 16:11 I'VE GOT SOMEONE LINED UP TO READ LUKE 1, VERSE 3. 16:14 WHO'S - YOU'LL HAVE THAT? OKAY, IN JUST A MOMENT? 16:16 I'M GOING TO READ LUKE 1:1. "INASMUCH AS MANY HAVE TAKEN IN 16:21 HAND TO SET IN ORDER A NARRATIVE OF THOSE THINGS WHICH HAVE BEEN 16:25 FULFILLED AMONG US," - WHO IS HE TALKING ABOUT? 16:28 HE SAID 'INASMUCH AS MANY.' NOW WHAT GOSPELS HAD BEEN 16:32 WRITTEN BEFORE THE ACCOUNT OF LUKE? 16:34 LUKE'S GETTING READY TO WRITE THE LIFE OF JESUS AND HE SAYS, 16:38 "INASMUCH AS MANY HAVE TAKEN IN HAND." 16:40 WELL, MATTHEW WAS PROBABLY WRITTEN AT THIS POINT. 16:42 MARK - PROBABLY WRITTEN BEFORE MATTHEW. 16:44 JOHN DEFINITELY WAS NOT WRITTEN YET. 16:47 ALMOST EVERYONE AGREES JOHN WAS THE LAST OF THE GOSPELS WRITTEN. 16:50 SO DOES IT MAKE YOU WONDER IF THERE WERE OTHERS THAT HAD 16:54 WRITTEN LONG OR ABBREVIATED STORIES OF JESUS' TEACHING, EVEN 16:58 BEFORE THE FOUR SURVIVING GOSPELS THAT WE HAVE - FOR 17:01 WHATEVER REASON GOD DIDN'T SEE THAT THEY SHOULD BE INCORPORATED 17:04 IN SCRIPTURE BUT, OBVIOUSLY, JESUS FILLED THE HEADLINES 17:08 DURING HIS DAY, SO OTHER PEOPLE WROTE ABOUT HIM. 17:11 I THINK IT'S SOLOMON THAT SAID 'OF THE MAKING OF MANY BOOKS 17:15 THERE IS NO END.' AND JOHN, IN HIS GOSPEL - 17:18 YOU KNOW HOW JOHN ENDS HIS GOSPEL? 17:20 'THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE THINGS JESUS DID. 17:22 IF I WROTE THEM ALL, THE WORLD ITSELF COULD NOT CONTAIN.' 17:26 SO, EVIDENTLY, THERE WAS QUITE A BIT WRITTEN ABOUT JESUS. 17:30 THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME EFFORTS AMONG THE ROMANS, WHEN 17:33 CHRISTIANITY WAS ILLEGAL, TO DESTROY THE HISTORY OF CHRIST. 17:39 THAT WAS COMMON WHEN ONE RULING POWER WANTED TO GET RID OF A 17:43 FORBIDDEN RELIGION, THEY WOULD BURN THEIR SACRED MANUSCRIPTS. 17:47 SO YOU COULD ALMOST BE SURE THAT WE COULD BE VERY THANKFUL WE'VE 17:53 GOT THE FOUR GOSPELS WE'VE GOT - THAT THERE WERE OTHER THINGS 17:55 THAT WERE WRITTEN ABOUT JESUS - YOU CAN BE QUITE SURE - THAT 17:58 WERE DESTROYED. LUKE SAYS "MANY HAVE TAKEN IN 18:00 HAND" - IF THERE'S TWO PEOPLE IN A ROOM, WOULD YOU SAY 'MANY?' 18:03 SO ALL WE KNOW ABOUT IS MATTHEW AND MARK BEFORE LUKE WROTE. 18:06 BUT HE SAYS, "MANY HAVE TAKEN IN HAND" 'BUT I WANT TO ADD MY 18:09 WRITING TO IT.' AND HE WAS MORE CAREFUL, I THINK, TO GIVE 18:13 DETAILS. LUKE WRITES AS A HISTORIAN 18:15 KNOWING THAT, AS TIME GOES BY, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO READ IT. 18:20 HE PROBABLY WROTE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 18 AND 25 YEARS AFTER 18:25 JESUS AND ALREADY STORIES WERE GETTING MUDDY. 18:30 YOU KNOW HOW TIME GOES BY? AND I THINK LUKE WAS CONCERNED 18:34 THAT THE STORY WAS GOING TO GET DISTORTED. 18:36 RUMORS WERE SPREADING. I MEAN, THERE WERE RUMORS 18:39 SPREADING THE DAY OF THE RESURRECTION THAT HIS BODY HAD 18:42 ACTUALLY BEEN STOLEN. SO, TO GIVE AN ACCURATE ACCOUNT, 18:45 IS WHY HE'S WRITING THIS. HE SAYS, "TO SET IN ORDER" - 18:50 SOME PEOPLE WERE GETTING THINGS OUT OF ORDER - "A NARRATIVE OF 18:55 THOSE THINGS WHICH HAVE BEEN FULFILLED AMONG US, JUST AS 18:58 THOSE WHO FROM THE BEGINNING WERE EYEWITNESSES AND MINISTERS 19:01 OF THE WORD DELIVERED THEM TO US," - SO WHERE DID LUKE GET HIS 19:07 GOSPEL? DID LUKE KNOW JESUS? PROBABLY NOT. HE PROBABLY WAS A 19:13 CONVERT, MAYBE FROM PAUL OR SOMEONE WHO WENT AHEAD OF PAUL. 19:20 LUKE PROBABLY - MARY WAS STILL ALIVE WHEN LUKE WROTE - WHERE 19:24 DID HE GET THIS VERY DETAILED ACCOUNT ABOUT ELIZABETH? 19:28 YOU SEE, MARY GOES TO SEE ELIZABETH - IT'S IN THESE - AND 19:30 MARY'S ACCOUNT WITH THE ANGEL AND THE STORY IN LUKE ABOUT THE 19:36 SHEPHERDS. MATTHEW TALKS ABOUT THE WISE MEN. 19:38 LUKE TALKS ABOUT THE SHEPHERDS. MARY WAS PROBABLY STILL ALIVE, 19:42 LIVING IN ASIA MINOR. ACCORDING TO CHURCH TRADITION 19:44 JOHN TOOK CARE OF HER. JOHN RESIDED IN ASIA. 19:46 I THINK LUKE HAD FIRST-HAND INTERVIEWS. BY THE TIME LUKE 19:50 STARTED WRITING, SOME OF THE APOSTLES HAD ALREADY DIED. 19:53 JAMES WAS BEHEADED - IN ACTS CHAPTER 12 - AND HE COULD HAVE 19:59 BEEN INTERVIEWING SOME OF THE 70. 20:01 SOME OF THE APOSTLES - YOU READ IN ACTS CHAPTER 8 - GREAT 20:04 PERSECUTION UNDER PAUL - IT SAYS THEY WERE SCATTERED EVERYWHERE 20:06 PREACHING THE GOSPEL. THAT'S WHEN, TRADITION TELLS US, 20:10 THOMAS WENT TO INDIA AND SOME OF THEM WENT TO NORTH AFRICA AND 20:13 THE APOSTLES THEMSELVES SCATTERED. 20:15 SO HE PROBABLY HAD THE ABILITY TO GO INTO INTERVIEW A NUMBER OF 20:19 FIRST-HAND PEOPLE - IF IT'S NOT THE 12, THE OTHER FIRST-HAND 20:22 PEOPLE WOULD HAVE BEEN SOME OF - AT LEAST THE 70 THAT JESUS SENT 20:26 OUT - OR THOSE WHO WERE IN THE UPPER ROOM. 20:28 YOU REMEMBER WHEN THEY PICKED A REPLACEMENT FOR JUDAS? 20:30 THEY SAID, 'PICK SOMEONE FROM AMONG THE ONES WHO, FROM THE 20:35 BEGINNING, HAD FOLLOWED JESUS THAT REALLY KNEW HIM AND HIS 20:38 TEACHING.' AND SO LUKE PROBABLY INTERVIEWED 20:41 SOME OF THOSE. SO UNDER THE INSPIRATION OF THE 20:44 HOLY SPIRIT HE RECEIVED THAT. GO AHEAD, READ FOR US VERSE 3. 20:49 >>"IT SEEMED GOOD TO ME ALSO, HAVING HAD PERFECT UNDERSTANDING 20:52 OF ALL THINGS FROM THE VERY FIRST, TO WRITE TO YOU AN 20:56 ORDERLY ACCOUNT, MOST EXCELLENT THEOPHILUS," 20:59 >>ALRIGHT, SO LUKE IS AGAIN - HE'S EMPHASIZING THAT HE WANTS 21:03 TO PUT THINGS IN ORDER AND HE SAYS, 21:07 "ALSO HAVING A PERFECT UNDERSTANDING." 21:10 NOW LUKE SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH SOMEONE WHO DID SEE JESUS. 21:14 PAUL DID NOT WALK WITH JESUS THE SAME WAY THE 12 DID OR THE 70 21:18 DID, BUT PAUL HAD A PERSONAL INTERVIEW WITH JESUS AND PAUL 21:21 ALSO HAD UNIQUE REVELATION - NOT ONLY DID JESUS APPEAR TO HIM, 21:27 BUT HE SAID, 'I KNEW A MAN CAUGHT UP TO THE THIRD HEAVEN.' 21:30 AND SO PAUL SAW THINGS AND HEARD THINGS THAT HE COULDN'T EVEN 21:34 REPEAT. SO, THROUGH PAUL, THROUGH 21:37 INTERVIEWING OTHER FIRST-HAND WITNESS, MOST BELIEVE, INCLUDING 21:40 MARY AND MAYBE HIS BROTHERS - MOST LIKELY HIS BROTHERS, HE GOT 21:45 A VERY ACCURATE ACCOUNT AND THAT'S WHY HIS - HIS GOSPEL IS 21:50 UNIQUE IN INCLUDING STORIES THAT DIDN'T JUST COME FROM THE 21:53 TWELVE. IT PROBABLY CAME FROM SOME OF THE 120 IN THE 21:56 UPPER ROOM AND/OR SOME OF THE 70. 22:00 SO SOMEONE, I THINK, IS GOING TO READ FOR ME 2 TIMOTHY 3:16 AND 22:06 17 AND I'M GOING TO - YOU'LL DO THAT? 22:10 I'M GOING TO READ LUKE 1, VERSE 4. WE'RE JUST KIND OF MARCHING 22:13 THROUGH. I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO READ EVERY 22:15 WORD, BUT WE'LL COVER AS MUCH AS WE CAN. 22:17 "THAT YOU MAY KNOW THE CERTAINTY OF THOSE THINGS IN WHICH YOU 22:22 WERE INSTRUCTED." OKAY, THIS TELLS US SOMETHING. 22:24 THEOPHILUS HAS BEEN TAUGHT ABOUT JESUS. 22:29 HE IS PROBABLY A CONVERT. THE FACT THAT IN ONE OF HIS 22:33 BOOKS LUKE REFERS TO HIM AS 'MOST EXCELLENT THEOPHILUS.' HE 22:38 MAY HAVE BEEN A PERSON OF SOME WEALTH AND RANK. 22:40 HE MAY HAVE ALSO GIVEN HIM - DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WORK IT IS TO 22:43 WRITE - HANDWRITE THESE ACCOUNTS OF - GOSPEL OF LUKE AND ACTS? 22:51 HE PROBABLY COULD TRUST THAT THEOPHILUS WOULD BE A GUARDIAN 22:57 OF THIS - SHARE IT WITH THE CHURCH IN HIS TOWN AND EVEN HELP 23:01 PAY TO HAVE SCRIBES CREATE COPIES. 23:05 LUKE WOULD NOT HAVE GONE THROUGH SUCH A CAREFUL CHRONICLE - NO 23:08 PRINTING PRESSES BACK THEN - WHEN YOU WROTE SOMETHING THAT 23:10 YOU WANTED TO ENDURE, YOU WOULD WRITE IT AND GIVE IT TO SOMEBODY 23:13 WHO COULD REPLICATE IT - THEY COULD AFFORD TO PAY SCRIBES TO 23:15 MAKE COPIES. NONE OF THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS 23:19 QUESTIONED THE AUTHENTICITY OF LUKE. 23:22 IN FACT, SOME OF THE EARLIEST MANUSCRIPTS - NO, WE DON'T HAVE 23:27 COPIES OF THOSE, BUT THE COMMENTS ON THE EARLY 23:29 MANUSCRIPTS, FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS, SAY THAT IT WAS 23:32 WRITTEN FROM ALEXANDRIA, EVEN THOUGH IT ORIGINATED IN ASIA BUT 23:36 WHEN LUKE FINALLY WROTE IT THERE WAS A BIG JEWISH COMMUNITY IN 23:38 ALEXANDRIA. HE MAY HAVE BEEN THERE. 23:40 THAT WAS A PLACE WHERE A LOT OF SCRIBES WERE - THAT THEY HAD THE 23:44 BIGGEST LIBRARY IN THE WORLD - THAT WAS IN ALEXANDRIA UNTIL IT 23:48 WAS BURNED BY, I THINK, THE MUSLIMS ABOUT 700 YEARS LATER. 23:54 BUT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE HAD JUST A PHENOMENAL LIBRARY OF 23:57 HISTORY. AND SO IT MAY HAVE BEEN THERE 24:00 AND WE'RE JUST THANKFUL THAT THIS COPY SURVIVES. ALRIGHT, 24:03 SO IS LUKE JUST A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OR IS IT SCRIPTURE? 24:09 GO AHEAD, READ THAT FOR US IN 2 TIMOTHY 3. 24:12 >>"ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, AND IS 24:16 PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, FOR REPROOF, FOR CORRECTION, FOR 24:20 INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE 24:24 COMPLETE, THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK." 24:28 >>THIS IS ONE OF THE OTHER GREAT 3:16 VERSES - IS THERE IN 2 24:34 TIMOTHY, TALKING ABOUT THE WORD OF GOD, THAT ALL SCRIPTURE - 24:36 NOW, WHAT SCRIPTURE WAS IN EXISTENCE WHEN PAUL WROTE THAT? 24:40 DID THEY HAVE THE - THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE NEW TESTAMENT YET, 24:47 DID THEY? BUT YOU KNOW THAT PAUL'S WRITINGS WERE CONSIDERED 24:51 SCRIPTURE WHILE PAUL WAS STILL ALIVE, BECAUSE PETER SAYS, IN 2 24:56 PETER CHAPTER 3, "EVEN AS OUR BELOVED BROTHER PAUL...HATH 25:00 WRITTEN UNTO YOU; AS ALSO IN ALL HIS EPISTLES...IN WHICH ARE SOME 25:03 THINGS HARD TO BE UNDERSTOOD, WHICH THEY THAT ARE UNLEARNED 25:06 AND UNSTABLE PEOPLE WREST," - OR TWIST - "AS THEY DO ALSO THE 25:09 OTHER SCRIPTURES, UNTO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION." 25:12 SO PETER IS REFERRING TO PAUL'S WRITING AS SCRIPTURE WHILE PETER 25:19 AND PAUL ARE STILL ALIVE. AND SO LUKE, WE BELIEVE, IS A 25:25 BEAUTIFULLY INSPIRED BOOK. I JUST SEE SO MANY SUPERNATURAL 25:30 FINGERPRINTS ON THE BOOK OF LUKE AS I READ IT. 25:35 WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITHOUT THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON? 25:37 OR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LITTLE MAN NAMED ZACCHAEUS. 25:41 A SHEPHERD HAD 99 SHEEP AND HE LOSES ONE - AND THERE'S SO MANY 25:45 UNIQUE THINGS IN THE BOOK OF LUKE. 25:47 LUKE - THE CHAPTERS ARE AMONG THE LONGEST. 25:51 ANY OF YOU EVER READ THE BOOK THE HIDING PLACE ? 25:54 AND CORRIE TEN BOOM - IN THAT BOOK, HER PAPA USED TO READ 25:57 SCRIPTURE EVERY NIGHT AND SHE TALKS ABOUT ONE NIGHT HE SAID, 25:59 'TODAY WE'RE GOING TO READ FROM LUKE.' 26:01 AND SHE SAID, 'OH, THE CHAPTERS ARE SO LONG!' AND SHE'S RIGHT. 26:05 LUKE HAS GOT SOME OF THEM YOU SEE VERSE 60 AND SO HE WAS VERY 26:11 THOROUGH IN HIS WRITING. ALRIGHT, IF YOU LOOK IN THE 26:15 BEGINNING OF LUKE - NOW, WE'RE READING AND IT'S GIVING US SOME 26:19 INSTRUCTION OR THE STORY - THE BACKGROUND FOR THE BIRTH OF JOHN 26:24 THE BAPTIST. AND, IF YOU LOOK IN VERSE 5, 26:27 "THERE WAS IN THE DAYS OF HEROD, THE KING OF JUDEA, A CERTAIN 26:32 PRIEST NAMED ZACHARIAS, OF THE DIVISION OF ABIJAH. 26:35 HIS WIFE WAS OF THE DAUGHTERS OF AARON, AND HER NAME WAS 26:38 ELIZABETH." IS THIS A FAIRY TALE OR IS HE 26:41 STICKING THEM IN HISTORY AND GIVING THEM CONTEXT OF 26:43 TRADITION? IT TELLS WHAT TRIBE THEY'RE 26:46 FROM. IT TELLS WHAT TIME. IT TELLS WHAT THE GOVERNMENT 26:50 POWER WAS. AND IT SAYS, "HIS WIFE WAS OF 26:53 THE DAUGHTERS OF AARON, AND HER NAME WAS ELIZABETH." 26:57 SO, YOU KNOW, THERE COULD BE PRIESTLY DAUGHTERS - DAUGHTERS 27:00 OF THE PRIESTS - THEY DIDN'T CARRY OUT ALL THE FUNCTIONS OF 27:02 THE PRIESTS, BUT THEY WERE PART OF THE PRIESTHOOD. 27:05 THAT'S AN IMPORTANT POINT THESE DAYS THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE 27:08 FORGETTING ABOUT. AND IT SAYS, "AND THEY WERE BOTH 27:11 RIGHTEOUS BEFORE GOD, WALKING IN ALL THE COMMANDMENTS AND 27:15 ORDINANCES OF THE LORD BLAMELESS." - NOW, IS IT 27:20 POSSIBLE TO WALK IN ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD BLAMELESS? 27:27 I JUST READ IT. WHAT DO YOU THINK? BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? 27:31 YOU READ A LITTLE FURTHER AND ZACHARIAS IS CHASTISED BY THE 27:35 ANGEL FOR HIS LACK OF FAITH. SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WALK IN 27:40 ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD BLAMELESS? 27:42 YOU KNOW, I'M SO THANKFUL FOR A STATEMENT IN THE BOOK STEPS TO 27:45 CHRIST THAT SAYS, "IT'S NOT THE OCCASIONAL GOOD DEED OR THE 27:49 OCCASIONAL MISDEED THAT DETERMINES WHOSE SIDE WE'RE ON, 27:52 BUT IT'S THE HABITUAL WORDS AND ACTS." 27:55 SO WHAT LUKE IS SAYING HERE IS IT WAS THE HABIT. 27:58 IT DOESN'T MEAN THEY NEVER MADE A MISTAKE OR THEY NEVER 28:02 QUESTIONED OR NEVER LOST FAITH, IT WAS THE HABIT OF ZACHARIAS 28:07 AND ELIZABETH TO WALK IN THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD. 28:09 THAT WAS THEIR PATTERN. AND YOU CAN TALK ABOUT KING HEZEKIAH. 28:14 IT SAYS HE WALKED IN ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD. 28:17 THAT'S THE RECORD OF HEZEKIAH. BUT THEN YOU READ ABOUT WHERE 28:21 HEZEKIAH GOT PROUD AND STARTED TO BRAG TO THE AMBASSADOR FROM 28:24 BABYLON. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WAS RIGHT. 28:26 AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE - 28:29 AND THEN LOOK AT DAVID. NOW IT ACTUALLY SAYS DAVID WAS A 28:33 FRIEND OF GOD AND HE WALKED IN THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD, 28:35 EXCEPT FOR THE INCIDENT WITH BATHSHEBA AND THEN, LATER, 28:40 NUMBERING ISRAEL. BUT DO YOU THINK THAT MEANS THAT 28:42 DAVID ONLY SINNED TWICE IN HIS LIFE? 28:45 NO, IT MEANS IN HIS HEART - IN HIS LIFE - HE HAD A LIFE OF 28:48 CONSISTENTLY OBEYING GOD. AND SO THIS WAS THE PATTERN. 28:51 ALL OF THE NEIGHBORS OF ZACHARIAS AND ELIZABETH KNEW 28:54 THEM AS GODLY PEOPLE, EVEN THOUGH - 28:57 AND YOU'VE GOT TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THE TIMES. 29:00 THE JEWISH NATION, DURING THE TIME OF ZACHARIAS AND ELIZABETH, 29:05 HAD - THEY HAD SACRIFICED A LOT OF THEIR GODLY TRADITIONS TO 29:10 WHAT THEY CALLED HELENIZATION - THE INFLUENCE OF GREEK CULTURE. 29:14 AND SO, ON ONE HAND YOU HAD THE PHARISEES THAT WERE ROBED FROM 29:18 CROWN TO FOOT AND, YOU KNOW, WEARING THEIR PHYLACTERIES AND 29:21 PRAYING ON THE CORNERS AND GIVING PUBLICLY AND VERY 29:25 RELIGIOUS BUT, DURING THE SAME TIME, YOU HAD ROMANS THAT HAD A 29:30 LAS VEGAS IN MAGDALA, YOU HAD THE GREEKS THAT HAD OLYMPIANS 29:34 WRESTLING NUDE OR AT LEAST - WELL, YEAH, ACCORDING TO ALL THE 29:37 ANCIENT POTTERY AND - AND SO, YOU KNOW, SO HERE YOU'VE GOT 29:42 GREAT MODESTY AMONG SOME OF THE MORE CONSERVATIVE PEOPLE, BUT 29:45 EVEN AMONG THE JEWS THERE WERE BELIEVERS THAT WERE VERY 29:49 LIBERAL. THE SADDUCEES DIDN'T BELIEVE IN 29:51 A RESURRECTION OR A JUDGMENT. THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE IN ANGELS. 29:56 THAT'D BE PRETTY WAYWARD THEOLOGY AMONG CHRISTIANS TODAY 30:01 AND THERE ARE CHRISTIANS WHO STILL, TODAY, THEY SAY, 'OH, I'M 30:03 A CHRISTIAN BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT MIRACLES ARE LITERAL.' SO 30:06 THE REASON I'M SAYING THAT IS, IN SPITE OF THE WORLDLINESS FROM 30:09 THE ROMAN AND GREEK INFLUENCE IN ISRAEL, ZACHARIAH AND ELIZABETH 30:13 WERE STILL LIVING GODLY LIVES ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENTS. 30:17 IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US, BEFORE THE SECOND COMING - AND THEY'RE 30:20 DOING THIS BEFORE THE FIRST COMING - IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US, 30:23 BEFORE THE SECOND COMING, SURROUNDED BY A CULTURE THAT'S 30:25 COMPROMISED, TO STILL LIVE GODLY LIVES? THE SAME WAY THEY DID. 30:31 I THINK JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME. RIGHTEOUS - "BUT THEY HAD 30:35 NO CHILD, BECAUSE ELIZABETH WAS BARREN, AND THEY WERE BOTH WELL 30:39 ADVANCED IN YEARS." - NOW I THINK I'VE SAID MANY 30:41 TIMES, THERE ARE SEVEN OCCASIONS OF MIRACLE BIRTHS IN THE BIBLE. 30:47 THIS IS REALLY THE LAST OCCASION IN THE BIBLE OF A WOMAN WHO WAS 30:52 BARREN THAT MIRACULOUSLY HAD A CHILD. 30:55 JESUS IS THE LAST MIRACLE BIRTH, BUT NOT BECAUSE MARY WAS BARREN. 30:59 AND IT'S INTERESTING THAT MARY AND ELIZABETH ARE RELATED. 31:02 NOW LET'S REHEARSE THEM REAL QUICK, IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T HEARD 31:05 THIS BEFORE. SARAH WAS BARREN - HAD A MIRACLE 31:09 BIRTH IN HER OLD AGE. REBEKAH HAD TWINS - JACOB AND ESAU. 31:16 RACHEL WAS BARREN. SHE HAD JOSEPH - YOU KNOW WHAT 31:19 'JOSEPH' MEANS? ADDING - AND SHE SAID, 'GOD WILL 31:23 ADD TO ME ANOTHER SON,' WHICH WAS BENJAMIN. 31:25 THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED. SO THERE'S THREE MIRACLE BIRTHS. 31:28 HANNAH WAS BARREN. THE SHUNAMITE WOMAN AND SAMSON'S 31:33 MOTHER - MINOAH'S WIFE - WE DON'T KNOW HER NAME. 31:37 AND SO THERE YOU'VE GOT THOSE SIX - IS THAT SIX? LET ME SEE. 31:41 YEAH, THAT'S SIX AND THEN JESUS - YEAH - INCLUDING SARAH - 31:46 INCLUDING ELIZABETH. SO LUKE IS PLACING THEM, 31:51 HISTORICALLY, IN CONTEXT, AND THEN HE GOES INTO THE DIVISIONS. 31:54 NOW IT SAYS THAT HE GOES UP TO THE TEMPLE. 31:58 HE'S FULFILLING HIS CUSTOM. 32:00 HIS LOT WAS TO BURN INCENSE - THEY HAD A NUMBER OF DUTIES BUT 32:03 HE HAD BEEN CHOSEN, BY LOT, TO BURN INCENSE. 32:07 THAT WAS A GREAT HONOR, BUT DO YOU THINK THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT 32:09 THAT HE WOULD BE IN THE TEMPLE WHEN THIS PROMISED CHILD COMES 32:12 TO HIM? AND WHILE HE'S DOING IT THE 32:16 WHOLE MULTITUDE OF THE PEOPLE ARE OUTSIDE AND THEY'RE PRAYING. 32:19 NOW, SOME ARE WONDERING, 'IS THIS BASED ON LEVITICUS? 32:22 WAS IT A DAY OF ATONEMENT WHEN THE PEOPLE WOULD BE GATHERED 32:26 OUTSIDE PRAYING?' IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING. 32:28 AND THE ANGEL APPEARS, SAYS THAT 'YOUR GOD HAS HEARD YOUR PRAYERS 32:35 AND YOUR WIFE IS GOING TO HAVE A SON.' AND HE'S EVIDENTLY BEEN 32:40 PRAYING FOR SOMETHING BUT HE DOESN'T BELIEVE HIS PRAYERS ARE 32:42 GOING TO BE ANSWERED BECAUSE HE BEGINS TO DOUBT THAT THIS IS 32:47 GOING TO HAPPEN AND IT SAYS, "AND YOU WILL HAVE JOY AND 32:50 GLADNESS, AND MANY WILL REJOICE AT HIS BIRTH. 32:54 FOR HE WILL BE GREAT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, AND SHALL 32:56 DRINK NEITHER WINE NOR STRONG DRINK. 32:58 HE WILL ALSO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, EVEN FROM HIS 33:01 MOTHER'S WOMB." OH, SO MUCH I COULD SAY HERE. 33:03 JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS A NAZARITE. YOU REMEMBER WHAT THE ANGEL SAID 33:09 TO MINOAH'S WIFE? DO NOT GIVE HIM WINE OR STRONG DRINK? 33:13 SAMSON GREW UP AND DIDN'T LISTEN TO THAT, BUT HIS PARENTS, 33:16 AT LEAST, OBSERVED THAT. AND GOD HAD A GREAT WORK FOR 33:20 THIS CHILD AND HE NEEDED EVERY PHYSICAL ADVANTAGE TO HAVE HIS 33:24 VESSEL BE A HOUSING FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT BECAUSE JOHN THE BAPTIST 33:28 WAS FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT FROM THE BEGINNING. 33:31 MATTER OF FACT, JOHN THE BAPTIST, IN HIS MOTHER'S WOMB, 33:33 WAS LEAPING AT THE TIDINGS OF JESUS. 33:36 AND SO THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT BASED ON HIS WORKS, BUT BASED ON 33:40 THE GRACE OF GOD. ISN'T THAT RIGHT? 33:43 YOU KNOW, SOME OF US THINK, 'WELL, GOD INTERVENED IN MY LIFE 33:46 BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING FOR HIM. AND THAT MAY BE, BUT IT'S THE 33:49 HOLY SPIRIT THAT SOMETIMES IMPRESSES US TO LOOK FOR HIM. 33:53 AND IT WAS THE HOLY SPIRIT, NOT BECAUSE OF JOHN'S GOOD WORKS 33:56 MADE HIM DESIRE THAT, BUT HE WAS REALLY CALLED BY THE LORD. 34:00 I KNOW THAT MIGHT SOUND LIKE I'M TALKING ABOUT ELECTION, BUT 34:02 SOMETIMES GOD'S GRACE JUST INTERVENES. 34:05 PAUL WAS NOT SAVED ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS BECAUSE OF HIS 34:09 GOODNESS. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? GOD IS GOOD AND SOMETIMES HE 34:13 JUST INTERRUPTS THINGS AND HE IS SOVEREIGN. 34:16 AND HE SAYS YOUR WIFE "WILL BEAR YOU A SON," 34:21 AND GOD PICKS HIS NAME. NOW THERE'S SEVERAL SIMILARITIES 34:24 BETWEEN JESUS AND JOHN. NOT ONLY ARE THEY COUSINS OF 34:28 SOME FORM, THEIR NAMES ARE CHOSEN. 34:31 THE SAME ANGEL, GABRIEL, ANNOUNCES BOTH THEIR BIRTHS, 34:35 THEY BOTH DIE AT THE HANDS OF OTHERS, AND THEY'RE BOTH SPIRIT 34:42 FILLED AND THEY BOTH GO TO THE JORDAN RIVER. SO IT'S LIKE JOHN 34:47 IS SORT OF LEADING THE WAY AND HE ACTUALLY LED THE WAY FOR 34:50 CHRIST, AS A MARTYR, BEFORE JESUS DIED. JOY AND GLADNESS 34:55 DURING HIS LIFE - JOHN OUTLIVED HIS PARENTS, WE BELIEVE. 34:59 OF COURSE, THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO WITNESS HIS DEATH, UNLIKE WHAT 35:02 THE ANGEL SAYS TO MARY, THAT 'A SWORD'LL PIERCE YOUR OWN SOUL.' 35:06 SO, WELL, I GUESS SHE DOESN'T GET THAT FROM THE ANGEL, SHE 35:11 GETS THAT FROM SIMEON IN THE TEMPLE. 35:15 "AND HE'LL TURN MANY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL TO THE LORD 35:19 THEIR GOD." HE'LL ALSO PREPARE - HE'LL "GO 35:22 BEFORE HIM IN THE SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH, TO TURN THE 35:26 HEARTS OF THE FATHERS TO THE CHILDREN." NOW THIS IS 35:28 IMPORTANT BECAUSE WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT JOHN COMING IN 35:34 THE SPIRIT AND THE POWER OF ELIJAH, SOME HAVE WONDERED, 35:37 'DOES THAT MEAN ELIJAH WOULD BE RESURRECTED?' 35:40 AND YOU REMEMBER THEY USED TO - THEY CAME TO JOHN THE BAPTIST - 35:42 THEY SAID, 'ARE YOU JOHN?' - 'ARE YOU ELIJAH' RATHER - 35:45 'RESURRECTED?' AND HE SAID, 'WHAT? 35:47 NO.' BUT THE ANGEL SAID HE WAS AND JESUS SAID, 'IF YOU CAN 35:52 RECEIVE IT, THIS WAS ELIJAH WHO IS TO COME.' MATTHEW 11. 35:56 WHY DID JOHN SAY 'NO' WHEN THEY SAID, 'ARE YOU ELIJAH?' 36:00 AND JESUS SAID, 'YES HE IS,' AND THE ANGELS SAY HE IS? 36:04 BECAUSE THEY WERE ASKING A DIFFERENT QUESTION. 36:06 THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS WERE ASKING, 'ARE YOU ELIJAH 36:08 RESURRECTED?' IT WAS ALMOST LIKE BORDERING ON 36:10 REINCARNATION - AND HE SAID, 'NO.' WHAT HE HAD FROM ELIJAH 36:15 WAS THE SAME THING THAT ELISHA HAD FROM ELIJAH; HE HAD THE 36:20 SPIRIT THAT - OF REVIVAL - THAT GOD GAVE ELIJAH. 36:24 AND THIS IS WHAT THE ANGEL FORETOLD ABOUT HIS LIFE. 36:27 AND HE HAD A MISSION TO TURN "THE DISOBEDIENT TO THE WISDOM 36:32 OF THE JUST, TO MAKE READY A PEOPLE PREPARED FOR THE LORD." 36:37 THIS IS ALSO INTERESTING BECAUSE, IF YOU READ IN MALACHI, 36:40 WHERE IT SAYS, 'BEHOLD, I SEND YOU ELIJAH THE PROPHET AND HE'LL 36:43 TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS TO THE CHILDREN AND THE CHILDREN 36:45 TO THE FATHERS,' HERE THE ANGEL SAYS IT A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY 36:48 THAN THAT. IT SAYS "HE'LL TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS TO 36:51 THE CHILDREN AND THE DISOBEDIENT TO THE WISDOM OF THE JUST, 36:55 TO MAKE READY A PEOPLE PREPARED FOR THE LORD." 36:59 SO THE MESSAGE IN JOHN THE BAPTIST IS TO PREPARE THE WAY OF 37:02 THE LORD FOR THE FIRST COMING. WHAT SHOULD BE OUR WORK IN THE 37:06 LAST DAYS? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AN ADVENTIST? 37:11 DON'T WE HAVE A WORK SIMILAR TO THE WORK OF ELIJAH AND - ELISHA 37:17 AND JOHN THE BAPTIST? TO PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD? 37:20 DID ELIJAH SPEND TIME IN THE DESERT? 37:24 DID JOHN SPEND TIME IN THE DESERT? 37:26 DID ELIJAH DRESS OUT OF STYLE? THAT'S NOT THAT IT'S A 37:30 REQUIREMENT FOR YOU TO ALL DRESS OUT OF STYLE, BUT I JUST WANT 37:32 YOU TO KNOW HE HAD SIMPLE DRESS. NO ONE COULD ACCUSE HIM OF BEING 37:36 FLAMBOYANT. IT WAS, YOU KNOW, CAMEL SKIN AND 37:39 A LEATHER BELT AND THAT'S WHAT ELIJAH WORE. 37:41 AND HE HAD A MINISTRY OF BAPTISM - TO PREPARE PEOPLE. 37:47 WHAT'S THE LAST THING JESUS SAYS? 'GO TEACH. BAPTIZE.' 37:50 AND SO, YOU SEE, THERE'S SOME INTERESTING PARALLELS HERE. 37:53 NOW THE NAME 'JOHN' THAT THE ANGEL GIVES HIM - YOU KNOW, 37:59 WHENEVER YOU SEE THESE NAMES LIKE 'JESUS' - IS NOT REALLY 38:02 'JESUS,' IT'S 'YAHSHUA.' AND 'JOHN' IS - IT COMES FROM THE 38:07 WORD 'YOHANAN,' MEANING 'YAHWEH IS GRACIOUS.' LET ME SEE HERE - 38:15 LET ME - I'VE GOT A QUOTE FROM DESIRE OF AGES I'D LIKE TO READ 38:17 YOU, AND THIS IS PAGE 98. "THE BIRTH OF A SON TO 38:23 ZACHARIAS, LIKE THE BIRTH OF THE CHILD OF ABRAHAM, AND THAT OF 38:26 MARY, WAS TO TEACH A GREAT SPIRITUAL TRUTH - A TRUTH THAT 38:30 WE ARE SLOW TO LEARN AND READY TO FORGET. 38:33 IN OURSELVES WE ARE INCAPABLE OF DOING ANY GOOD THING, BUT THAT 38:37 WHICH WE CANNOT DO WILL BE WROUGHT BY THE POWER OF GOD IN 38:40 EVERY SUBMISSIVE AND BELIEVING SOUL. 38:43 IT WAS THROUGH FAITH THAT THE CHILD OF PROMISE WAS GIVEN. 38:47 IT WAS THROUGH FAITH THAT SPIRITUAL LIFE IS BEGOTTEN AND 38:51 WE ARE UNABLE TO DO WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS." 38:53 SO HOW ARE WE ABLE TO DO WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS? 38:55 IT SAYS WE SOMETIMES ARE QUICK TO FORGET THAT IN OURSELVES 38:59 WE'RE INCAPABLE OF DOING ANY GOOD THING, BUT WHEN WE SUBMIT, 39:04 THROUGH FAITH IN GOD, WE ARE ENABLED TO DO THE WORKS OF 39:08 RIGHTEOUSNESS. ALRIGHT, SO THEN JOHN IS BORN - 39:12 WE'RE HAVING TO HASTEN ALONG BECAUSE WE'VE GOT SOME OTHER 39:14 SECTIONS HERE - AND IT TALKS ABOUT THEN IT TRANSITIONS FROM, 39:19 YOU KNOW, ZACHARIAS, HE CAN'T SPEAK. 39:22 HE COMES OUT - EVERYONE'S WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED AND HIS 39:24 FACE IS GLOWING. HE'S SEEN A VISION AND HE WRITES 39:26 AND HE TELLS THEM WHAT'S HAPPENED. 39:27 HE CAN'T SPEAK AGAIN UNTIL JOHN'S BORN. 39:30 MEANTIME, FAST FORWARD A FEW MONTHS, THE ANGEL GOES TO 39:34 NAZARETH AND THERE'S MARY AND SHE'S ENGAGED TO AN OLDER MAN 39:39 THAT HAS A BLENDED FAMILY - HIS FIRST WIFE HAS EVIDENTLY DIED - 39:43 NAMED JOSEPH, AND THE ANGEL ANNOUNCES THAT SHE'S GOING TO 39:48 HAVE A MIRACLE BIRTH - AND THIS IS THE SEVENTH OF THE MIRACLE 39:52 BIRTHS IN THE BIBLE. INTERESTING, ALSO, THEY'RE ALL 39:54 BOYS, BECAUSE EACH OF THOSE MIRACLE BIRTHS WERE ALL TYPES OF 40:00 CHRIST IN THE BIBLE. ISAAC, JOSEPH, SAMSON, SAMUEL, 40:06 THE SHUNAMITE BOY WHO DIES AND IS RESURRECTED. 40:08 THEY'RE ALL, IN SOME WAY, A TYPE OR A SHADOW OF CHRIST. 40:12 AND I THINK THE LORD WANTED US TO NOTICE THAT. 40:15 SO ANGEL COMES TO MARY AND SAYS, 'YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS 40:21 PROMISED CHILD.' HIS NAME IS YASHUA - IN GREEK, JESUS, WHICH 40:28 MEANS, 'GOD IS SALVATION.' TWO OTHER JOSHUAS IN THE BIBLE THAT 40:33 ARE PROMINENT: ONE IS, OF COURSE, MOSES' ATTENDANT WHO 40:36 LEADS PEOPLE FROM SLAVERY INTO THE PROMISED LAND - OR FROM THE 40:41 WILDERNESS INTO THE PROMISED LAND. THE OTHER JOSHUA IS THE 40:44 HIGH PRIEST THAT LEADS THEM FROM BABYLON INTO THE PROMISED LAND, 40:48 DURING THE DAYS OF EZRA AND NEHEMIAH. 40:50 AND SOMETHING ELSE, IF YOU LOOK IN - SOMEBODY'S GOING TO LOOK UP 40:55 FOR ME JOHN 6:14 - YOU'LL HAVE THAT? 40:58 IF YOU LOOK IN - DEUTERONOMY 18:15 IS A GREAT - WHAT'S THE 41:04 LAST BOOK MOSES WROTE? DEUTERONOMY. 41:07 AND IF YOU LOOK IN THE LAST BOOK MOSES WROTE BEFORE HE DIES, 41:11 DEUTERONOMY'S HIS SWAN SONG - IT'S HIS CLOSING SERMON - HE 41:15 SAYS, "THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE 41:19 ME FROM YOUR MIDST, FROM YOUR BRETHREN. HIM YOU SHALL HEAR," 41:25 - AND EVERYONE KEPT WONDERING - HE DIDN'T NAME HIM. 41:28 HE SAID, 'THERE'LL BE A PROPHET LIKE ME.' I MEAN, MOSES WAS A 41:31 PRETTY REMARKABLE PROPHET. THE SIGNS AND WONDERS AND 41:34 MIRACLES HE DID. AND I HEARD SOMEONE SAY THERE'S 41:37 ONLY THREE OR FOUR WAVES OF MIRACLES IN THE BIBLE. 41:42 YOU'VE GOT ALL THE MIRACLES CONNECTED WITH THE EXODUS. 41:47 YOU'VE GOT A GREAT RAFT OF MIRACLES CONNECTED WITH ELIJAH 41:53 AND ELISHA. THEN YOU'VE GOT THE MIRACLES OF 41:56 JESUS AND THE APOSTLES. YOU KNOW, BETWEEN THOSE EPICS, 42:00 THINGS ARE NORMAL - LIKE THEY ARE TODAY. I THINK BEFORE 42:05 JESUS COMES BACK, THERE'LL BE ANOTHER WAVE OF MIRACLES. 42:09 I MEAN, IF GOD POURED OUT THE FORMER RAIN AND THERE WAS A WAVE 42:12 OF MIRACLES, JUST BEFORE THE SECOND COMING, WHEN THE BEAST IS 42:16 DOING HIS POWER, WHERE SIN ABOUNDS, GRACE ABOUNDS, RIGHT? 42:19 I THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER WAVE OF MIRACLES THAT 42:21 WILL COME DURING THAT TIME. SO WHO IS THIS PROPHET? 42:25 THEY KEPT WAITING FOR THIS PROPHET. 42:27 I'M GOING TO READ FOR YOU JOHN 1:21. 42:30 THEY CAME TO JOHN THE BAPTIST AND THEY SAID, 'WHAT THEN? 42:33 ARE YOU ELIJAH?' HE SAID, 'I AM NOT.' 'ARE YOU 42:35 'THE PROPHET?' - CAPITAL 'P' - AND HE SAID, 42:39 'NO.' WHAT PROPHET ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT? 42:41 THE ONE LIKE MOSES THEY WERE ALL LOOKING FOR. 42:43 YOU'LL NOTICE HOW MANY TIMES IT SAYS THAT. 42:44 GO TO VERSE 25 - JOHN CHAPTER 1, VERSE 25 - "AND THEY ASKED HIM, 42:49 SAYING, 'WHY THEN DO YOU BAPTIZE IF YOU ARE NOT THE CHRIST, NOR 42:54 ELIJAH, NOR THE PROPHET?'" NOTICE THE THREE NAMES THAT 42:58 ARE MENTIONED: CHRIST, ELIJAH, OR THE PROPHET (LIKE MOSES). 43:02 WHO APPEARS TO JESUS ON THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION? 43:05 >>MOSES. >>UP THERE YOU'VE GOT JESUS, 43:07 ELIJAH, AND MOSES. SO THAT WAS LIKE THE TRINITY OF 43:11 GREAT MESSENGERS. GO AHEAD, READ FOR US JOHN 6:14. 43:14 >>"THEN THOSE MEN, WHEN THEY HAD SEEN THE SIGN THAT JESUS DID, 43:17 SAID, 'THIS IS TRULY THE PROPHET WHO IS TO COME INTO THE WORLD.'" 43:21 >>AGAIN, WHO ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT? 43:23 THEY DON'T REALIZE THAT JESUS WAS NOT MOSES, JESUS WAS THE ONE 43:29 MOSES TALKED ABOUT. THAT'S WHY THE MOUNT OF 43:31 TRANSFIGURATION EXPERIENCE WAS SO IMPORTANT, BECAUSE MANY WERE 43:35 INCLINED TO THINK THAT JESUS WAS LIKE MOSES, ANOTHER GREAT 43:38 PROPHET - BUT HE WAS MUCH MORE THAN THAT. 43:41 THAT'S WHY, WHEN PETER, ON THE MOUNTAIN, SAID, 'OH LORD, IT'S 43:43 GOOD FOR US TO BE HERE, LET'S BUILD THREE TEMPLES. 43:46 WE'LL BUILD ONE FOR YOU AND WE'LL BUILD ONE FOR MOSES. 43:48 WE'LL BUILD ONE FOR ELIJAH' AND THE APOSTLES THOUGHT THAT JESUS 43:52 GOT EQUAL MARQUEE BILLING WITH MOSES AND ELIJAH. 43:56 AND THEN YOU KNOW WHO SPEAKS UP? 43:58 GOD THE FATHER SAYS, 'NO, NO, NO, NO. THIS IS MY BELOVED SON. 44:03 HEAR HIM.' JESUS WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN ELIJAH OR MOSES. 44:09 AND SO THEY JUST THOUGHT THAT THIS PROPHET LIKE MOSES. 44:12 MOSES DIDN'T MEAN HE'D BE A PROPHET OF THE SAME CALIBER, BUT 44:16 HE WOULD BE A GREAT SAVIOR - NOT FROM SLAVERY, BUT FROM SIN. 44:21 SO THERE'S A LOT OF PARALLELS BETWEEN JESUS AND MOSES. 44:24 IN FACT - SHAMELESS PLUG - I, YOU KNOW, WROTE A BOOK A LITTLE 44:30 WHILE AGO CALLED SHADOWS OF LIGHT: SEEING JESUS IN ALL THE 44:33 BIBLE - I HAVE A WHOLE SECTION TALKING ABOUT ALL THE PARALLELS 44:36 BETWEEN MOSES AND JESUS. IT'S PHENOMENAL HOW MANY THERE ARE. 44:41 MATTER OF FACT, YOU CAN JUST ALSO READ IN ACTS CHAPTER 3:22 - 44:47 PETER IS PREACHING AND HE SAID, "FOR MOSES TRULY SAID TO THE 44:51 FATHER, 'THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE 44:53 ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN. HIM YOU SHALL HEAR IN ALL THINGS, 44:57 WHATEVER HE SAYS TO YOU...YES, AND ALL THE PROPHETS," - 45:00 NOT JUST MOSES - "ALL THE PROPHETS, FROM SAMUEL AND THOSE 45:04 WHO FOLLOW, AS MANY AS HAVE SPOKEN, HAVE ALSO FORETOLD 45:07 THESE DAYS." ALL THE PROPHETS WERE POINTING TO WHO? 45:10 THE DAY OF JESUS WHEN GOD'S SON WOULD FINALLY COME. 45:15 AND THEN, BEFORE STEPHEN'S STONED - IN HIS CLOSING SERMON - 45:18 LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAYS, "THIS IS THAT MOSES WHO SAID TO THE 45:23 CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, 'THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A 45:26 PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN. HIM YOU SHALL HEAR.'" 45:29 STEPHEN SAID, 'JESUS IS THAT PROPHET - THE ONE YOU EXECUTED.' 45:33 THEY GOT UPSET AT THAT AND THEY KILLED STEPHEN. 45:35 SO, YOU KNOW, THE ANGEL COMES TO MARY AND EXPLAINS THAT YOU'RE 45:40 NOT JUST HAVING ANOTHER BABY, HE SAID, 'YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE 45:44 BABY EVERY JEWISH MOTHER DREAMED THAT HER SON MIGHT BE - THE 45:50 BLESSED MESSIAH - THE ANOINTED ONE. 45:53 AND THAT'S WHY SHE SAYS IN VERSE 43 - I'LL GO TO LUKE 1, VERSE 45:57 42, "THEN SHE SPOKE OUT WITH A LOUD VOICE AND SAID, 'BLESSED 46:02 ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN, AND BLESSED IS THE FRUIT OF YOUR WOMB! 46:05 BUT WHY IS THIS GRANTED TO ME, - I'M SORRY, THESE ARE THE WORDS 46:08 OF ELIZABETH - "'BUT WHY IS THIS GRANTED TO ME, THAT THE MOTHER 46:12 OF MY LORD SHOULD COME TO ME?'" SO ELIZABETH UNDERSTOOD THAT 46:17 JESUS WAS - MARY'S BABY WAS NOT GOING TO JUST BE ANOTHER 46:20 PROPHET, THIS WOULD BE THE SAVIOR THAT WAS FORETOLD. 46:24 "FOR INDEED, AS SOON AS THE VOICE OF YOUR GREETING SOUNDED 46:26 IN MY EARS, THE BABE LEAPED IN MY WOMB FOR JOY. 46:30 BLESSED IS SHE WHO BELIEVED, FOR THERE WILL BE A FULFILLMENT OF 46:35 THOSE THINGS WHICH WERE TOLD HER FROM THE LORD." 46:38 GOD, THROUGH GABRIEL, TOLD MARY SHE WAS GOING TO HAVE MESSIAH. 46:43 ELIZABETH CONFIRMS IT AND SAYS IT IS DEFINITELY TRUE. 46:46 THEN MARY, HEARING THAT, SHE ISSUES WHAT'S CALLED THE 46:49 MAGNIFICENT - MAGNIFICAT - AND SHE SAYS, "MY SOUL MAGNIFIES 46:54 THE LORD, AND MY SPIRIT HAS REJOICED IN GOD MY SAVIOR." 46:58 - NOW I WANT TO PAUSE. A PROMISE IS GIVEN TO ZACHARIAS 47:03 IN THE EARLY CHAPTERS OF LUKE, AND A PROMISE IS GIVEN TO MARY. 47:06 BOTH DOUBT - ZACHARIAS STRUCK DUMB - WHY ISN'T MARY? 47:16 MARY DOES NOT DOUBT WHAT GOD IS GOING TO DO, 47:20 MARY WONDERS HOW IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. 47:22 SHE SAID, 'HOW CAN THIS BE? BECAUSE WE'RE NOT MARRIED YET.' 47:27 AND SO THE ANGEL THEN SAYS, 'THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME UPON YOU. 47:31 MARY BELIEVES, SHE JUST DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HOW. 47:34 ZACHARIAS DOUBTS THE WORD OF THE ANGEL AND - YOU EVER PRAY A 47:40 PRAYER - NOT EVEN SURE IF YOU BELIEVE YOUR OWN PRAYER? 47:43 YOU KNOW GOD CAN ANSWER A PRAYER THAT YOU DON'T EVEN BELIEVE? 47:47 I MENTIONED THIS AT OUR STAFF WORSHIP TODAY, BUT WHEN WE WERE 47:51 JUST IN MANILA DOING SOME MEETINGS, WE SPENT A DAY 47:54 VIDEOTAPING - WE DID THIS AMAZING FACT ABOUT JEEPNEYS - 47:58 SPENT THE WHOLE MORNING VIDEOTAPING - I WAS JUMPING OFF 48:02 AND ON, OFF AND ON - WE RENTED A JEEPNEY AND A DRIVER WENT AROUND 48:06 - BREATHED A LOT OF EXHAUST AND DIDN'T - WE FINALLY GOT WHAT WE 48:08 THOUGHT WOULD BE A GOOD AMAZING FACT. 48:10 GOT BACK TO THE HOTEL WITH WAYNE AND OUR CREW THERE THAT WERE 48:14 HELPING US AND WE REALIZED WE HAD LEFT THIS VERY EXPENSIVE 48:19 CAMERA IN THE JEEPNEY. THIS IS A PUBLIC JEEPNEY - NOT 48:23 ONLY THE LOSS OF THE CAMERA, THOUGH IT'S INSURED, BUT, YOU 48:26 KNOW, THOUSANDS OF DOLLAR CAMERA - BUT THE CARD WITH ALL THE 48:31 FOOTAGE THAT WE'D JUST TAPED THAT MORNING. 48:33 AND IT WAS THE ONLY DAY - VERY TIGHT SCHEDULE - WE WERE GOING 48:35 TO BE ABLE TO DO IT. WE WERE JUST SICK ABOUT IT. 48:36 AND WHEN OUR PRODUCER CAME IN AND TOLD ME, HE JUST LOOKED LIKE 48:41 HE WAS GOING TO CRY. AND I WAS - I WAS ALL READY TO CRY TOO, BUT 48:45 I THOUGHT, 'WELL, LET'S PRAY.' WHAT ELSE DO YOU DO? 48:48 I MEAN, WE CALLED THE - WE MANAGED TO FIND THE JEEPNEY 48:53 DRIVER'S PHONE NUMBER BY SOME MIRACLE - CALLED - HE SAID, 48:56 'NO, THERE'S NOTHING IN MY CAR. IT WASN'T THERE.' AND THEY 48:58 WOULD LOOK AROUND - THERE WAS NO SIGN OF IT. 49:00 SO WE PRAYED AND SAID, 'LORD, WE REALIZE THAT IT DOESN'T LOOK 49:06 VERY HOPEFUL RIGHT NOW, THAT IN A CITY LIKE MANILLA YOU WOULD 49:10 DROP AN EXPENSIVE CAMERA LIKE THAT ON THE STREET SOMEHOW AND 49:13 IT WOULD DISAPPEAR AND SOMEHOW FIND ITS WAY BACK. 49:15 WHAT ARE THE ODDS?' AND I SAID, 'LORD, WE'RE GOING 49:19 TO HAVE TROUBLE BELIEVING THIS ONE, BUT ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE 49:22 WITH YOU - BUT IF THERE'S ANY WAY YOU COULD BRING IT BACK, 49:24 WE'D APPRECIATE IT.' SO WE PRAYED AND THAT NIGHT AT THE 49:27 MEETING I GOT A TEXT FROM OUR TRANSLATOR WHO WAS DRIVING US TO 49:32 THE MEETINGS. HE SAID, 'I JUST GOT A CALL FROM 49:34 THE FATHER OF THE JEEPNEY DRIVER AND, EVIDENTLY, HE FOUND THAT 49:38 THE SON HAD TAKEN THE CAMERA. IT WAS IN HIS CAR. 49:41 AND HE TALKED TO HIS SON AND SAID HE NEEDS TO BRING IT BACK. 49:45 AND THEY BROUGHT THE CAMERA BACK, WITH ALL THE FILM AND 49:47 EVERYTHING, THAT DAY. HE CAME UNDER CONVICTION, TOLD 49:50 HIS FATHER WHAT HE HAD DONE, AND HE BROUGHT THE CAMERA BACK. 49:54 THAT'S THE HOLY SPIRIT - IF WE HADN'T PRAYED - BUT I DIDN'T 49:57 EVEN BELIEVE MY PRAYER WOULD BE ANSWERED WHEN I PRAYED IT. 49:59 BUT YOU CAN TELL THE LORD THAT, I MEAN, CAN'T YOU? 50:03 AND THAT'S WHAT WE SAID, WE SAID, 'LORD, IT DOESN'T LOOK 50:04 LIKELY, BUT ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH YOU.' AND WE JUST 50:07 - WE KIND OF WROTE IT OFF IN OUR MINDS AND GOD SAID, 'WHY DO YOU 50:10 DOUBT? I CAN DO IT.' SO, PRAISE THE LORD. 50:13 SO YOU'LL SEE A JEEPNEY FACT SOMEDAY. 50:15 ANYWAY, SO WHERE AM I? ALRIGHT, SO MARY PRAYS. 50:20 YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO JUMP UP TO CHAPTER 2 AND THEN IT SAYS IN - 50:25 YEAH - THEN IT SAYS IN CHAPTER 2, VERSE 1, "AND IT CAME TO PASS 50:31 IN THOSE DAYS THAT A DECREE WENT OUT FROM CAESAR AUGUSTUS THAT 50:34 ALL THE WORLD SHOULD BE REGISTERED," - THIS CENSUS TOOK 50:37 PLACE - NOW NOTICE THIS - "THIS CENSUS FIRST TOOK PLACE WHILE 50:41 QUIRINIUS WAS GOVERNOR OF SYRIA. SO ALL WENT TO BE REGISTERED, 50:45 EVERYONE TO HIS OWN CITY. JOSEPH ALSO WENT UP FROM 50:48 GALILEE, OUT OF THE CITY OF NAZARETH, INTO JUDEA," - LUKE 50:51 IS, AGAIN, REINFORCING THE STORY WITH HISTORICAL CONTEXT. 50:57 EVERYBODY LIVING BACK THEN - FIRST OF ALL, AUGUSTUS CAESAR, 50:59 WHO WAS ONCE KNOWN AS OCTAVIAN - AND YOU CAN READ ABOUT HIM IN 51:02 THE STORIES OF CLEOPATRA AND MARK ANTHONY. 51:04 LATER - HIS NAME WENT FROM 'OCTAVIAN' TO 'AUGUSTUS CAESAR' 51:07 - RULED FOR 40 YEARS - VERY WELL KNOWN IN ROMAN HISTORY - EASY TO 51:11 ESTABLISH - TELLS - EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT THIS GREAT CENSUS, 51:14 WHICH WAS A TAX FOR THE WORLD, AND THAT YOU HAD TO BE 51:17 REGISTERED - YOU HAD TO GO TO YOUR PLACE - YOUR NATIVE TOWN 51:21 FOR REGISTRY TO MAKE SURE YOU WEREN'T SKIPPING OUT. 51:24 SO LUKE IS CONSTANTLY SAYING, 'THIS IS A REAL STORY. 51:27 THE STORY OF JESUS IS NOT A FAIRY TALE. 51:29 WE ARE GOING TO JUST SURROUND IT WITH HISTORICAL FACTS.' AND IT'S 51:33 ONE REASON I LOVE THE BOOK OF LUKE, IS BECAUSE HE JUST STATES 51:37 IT ALL LIKE, 'THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED, BELIEVE IT OR NOT.' 51:40 AND HE PUTS IT IN HISTORY. "TO BE REGISTERED WITH MARY, HIS 51:45 BETROTHED WIFE...SO IT WAS, THAT WHILE THEY WERE THERE, THE DAYS 51:48 WERE COMPLETED FOR HER TO BE DELIVERED." 51:50 - LUKE KNEW ABOUT THOSE DAYS - A DOCTOR - "AND SHE BROUGHT FORTH 51:53 HER FIRSTBORN SON, AND WRAPPED HIM IN SWADDLING CLOTHS," - I 51:57 THINK HE TALKED TO MARY - "AND LAID HIM IN A MANGER," - WE 52:01 WOULDN'T HAVE THIS STORY ABOUT THE MANGER AND NO ROOM AT THE 52:03 INN IF IT WASN'T FOR LUKE. MATTHEW DOESN'T MENTION THAT. 52:07 "NOW THERE WERE IN THE SAME COUNTRY SHEPHERDS LIVING OUT IN 52:11 THE FIELDS, KEEPING WATCH OVER THEIR FLOCK BY NIGHT." 52:13 NOW, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE DIFFERENT FEASTS AND WHEN THESE 52:16 THINGS HAPPEN, JESUS WAS MOST LIKELY BORN IN THE FALL. 52:21 NOW, HOW DO YOU GET THAT? BECAUSE, DO WE KNOW WHAT TIME OF 52:25 YEAR JESUS DIED? WHEN? PASSOVER - SPRING. THAT'S A FIXED DATE. 52:32 DO WE KNOW HOW LONG HE MINISTERED? 52:34 >>THREE AND A HALF YEARS. >>THREE AND A HALF YEARS. 52:37 DO WE KNOW HOW OLD HE WAS WHEN HE BEGAN HIS MINISTRY? 52:40 YOU KNOW WE GET THAT FROM LUKE ALSO. 52:42 MARY WOULD KNOW WHEN HIS BIRTHDAY WAS AND HE ALSO NEEDED 52:47 TO BE 30 BECAUSE A PRIEST COULD NOT MINISTER UNTIL THEN. 52:50 SO AS HE BEGAN TO BE 30 - AS HE ENTERED ON HIS 30TH BIRTHDAY, HE 52:55 WENT TO JOHN AND HE WAS BAPTIZED. 52:57 SO YOU COUNT BACK THREE AND A HALF YEARS FROM THE PASSOVER 53:01 AND IT LANDS IN THE FALL SOMETIME. 53:03 AND THE SHEPHERDS OUT IN THE FIELDS - HERE IN NORTHERN 53:07 CALIFORNIA, THE CLIMATE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IS VERY SIMILAR TO 53:10 THE CLIMATE IN ISRAEL DURING THAT TIME AND IT'S COLD AND IT'S 53:15 WET AND THE SHEPHERD'S ARE NOT OUT IN THE FIELDS GRAZING. 53:18 THERE'S - IT'S BROWN - IF ANYTHING, OR MUD. 53:21 AND SO IT WAS PROBABLY IN THE FALL. 53:24 ANYWAY, SO WE'VE GOT ONE MORE VERSE WE'LL CLOSE WITH. 53:27 YOU'RE UP, OKAY KATRINA? WE'RE GOING TO DO 2 CORINTHIANS 8:9. 53:32 >>"FOR YOU KNOW THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THAT THOUGH 53:37 HE WAS RICH, YET FOR YOUR SAKES HE BECAME POOR, THAT YOU 53:41 THROUGH HIS POVERTY, MIGHT BECOME RICH." 53:44 >>YOU WILL FIND THIS THEME ABOUT THE RICH AND THE POOR EMPHASIZED 53:48 IN LUKE ALMOST MORE THAN ANY OTHER GOSPEL - THE PARABLE OF 53:51 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS AND HE TALKS ABOUT THE RICH AND THE 53:56 POOR A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY IN HIS BEATITUDES. 53:59 AND SO LUKE MAY HAVE ACTUALLY FORSAKEN SOME WEALTH OF A 54:03 PHYSICIAN AS HE BECAME AN ITINERANT WORKER WITH PAUL. 54:07 BUT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING TO KNOW HIM BETTER AS WE 54:10 STUDY THE STORY OF LUKE. I WISH I HAD MORE TIME, THERE'S 54:13 SO MUCH TO SHARE. ONE AGAIN, FRIENDS, IF YOU 54:15 DIDN'T GET IT AT THE BEGINNING, WE HAVE A FREE OFFER. 54:16 IT'S A BOOK BY JOE CREWS CALLED DOWN FROM HIS GLORY AND IT'S 54:20 OFFER #154. IF YOU'D LIKE A FREE COPY JUST 54:23 CALL 866-788-3966 - BETTER YET, IF YOU WANT IT NOW, JUST GO TO 54:29 AMAZINGFACTS.ORG . GOD BLESS YOU. 54:32 LOOKING FORWARD TO STUDYING MORE ABOUT LUKE WITH YOU NEXT WEEK. 54:37 >>I GREW UP IN A CHURCH-GOING FAMILY. 54:40 I MEAN, WE WERE AT EVERY MEETING. 54:42 I SANG IN FOUR OF THE CHOIRS THERE - I DIRECTED THREE - VERY 54:46 INVOLVED - VERY ACTIVE. IT ALMOST SEEMED LIKE BUSY WORK 54:51 SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW? I WENT TO SUNDAY SCHOOL. 54:54 I KNEW ABOUT GOD. I KNEW ABOUT JESUS, BUT I DIDN'T 54:58 HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST. 55:01 MY SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL I GOT THE NEWS THAT MY FATHER HAD 55:08 BEEN MURDERED. I PLAYED IT OFF WELL. 55:13 NO ONE REALLY SAW THAT I WAS STRUGGLING WITH IT. 55:20 IT JUST REALLY FELT LIKE THERE WAS A HOLE THAT NEEDED TO BE 55:22 FILLED AND I TRIED TO FILL IT WITH DRUGS, WITH ALCOHOL, 55:27 WITH PARTYING. AFTER COLLEGE I JUST STOPPED GOING TO CHURCH 55:31 ALTOGETHER. ONE DAY, ON A SUNDAY, BECAUSE I DIDN'T 55:37 FEEL LIKE GOING TO CHURCH WITH MY MOM, I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, I 55:42 SHOULD GET A LITTLE BIT OF WORD. SHE HAD THE SATELLITE SYSTEM 55:46 HOOKED UP AND I'M FLIPPING THROUGH CHANNELS AND THEN THE 55:49 LOGO POPS ACROSS: AMAZING FACTS PRESENTS . 55:53 I'VE LISTENED TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT MINISTERS, BUT HERE 55:55 WAS - THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT HE'S ACTUALLY SAYING 55:58 SOMETHING WHERE I HAD TO GRAB MY BIBLE AND ACTUALLY PICK IT UP 56:01 AND I'VE NEVER HEARD THIS BEFORE, LET ME - LET ME LOOK 56:04 THROUGH AND FIND THIS. I WENT THROUGH ALL THE 56:07 STORACLES. I WENT THROUGH ALL THE STUDY 56:09 GUIDES AND I JUST COULDN'T GET ENOUGH. 56:11 AND THEN THE SABBATH CAME UP AND HE'S GOING THROUGH THE APPEAL 56:15 AND I'M JUST GOING, 'LORD, I HEAR YOU. 56:17 I HAVE TO GO TO CHURCH.' SO I SHOW UP - IT WAS FUNNY, I DIDN'T 56:21 FEEL LIKE I WAS GOING TO BE JUDGED - ANYTHING JUDGMENTAL - 56:25 ANYTHING. AND I WALKED IN THE DOOR AND I JUST FELT AT HOME. 56:29 BUT THERE'S STILL A PROBLEM. I'M STILL PARTYING. 56:34 I WAS STILL GOING OUT TO THE BARS. 56:36 AT THIS TIME, I WAS SELLING COCAINE TO PAY MY RENT. 56:40 16 DAYS LATER I FIND MYSELF IN A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION. 56:46 I HAD JUST CAME BACK FROM A LIQUOR STORE AND I GRABBED A 56:49 BOTTLE OF VODKA AND THERE I AM, HIGH OFF COCAINE, WITH MY BIBLE 56:55 IN HAND, TRYING TO DO A BIBLE STUDY. 56:58 AND I HEARD AN AUDIBLE VOICE, 'JUST LOOK AT YOURSELF.' AND I 57:05 DID AND I WAS LIKE 'WHAT AM I DOING?' 57:12 AND I GOT ON MY KNEES AND I SAID, 'LORD, IF YOU DO NOT TAKE 57:15 THIS AWAY FROM ME NOW, I'M GOING TO KILL MYSELF.' I WAS GOING TO 57:21 CONTINUE THIS LIFESTYLE AND I WAS GOING TO END UP OVERDOSING, 57:24 HAVING A HEART ATTACK, WHATEVER IT WAS. 57:28 'YOU HAVE TO TAKE THIS AWAY. ALL OF IT.' AND THAT DAY HE 57:37 LIFTED ALL OF IT AWAY FROM ME. IT WAS ALL GONE. 57:41 WHEN GOD DOES SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE, HE DOES IT COMPLETE. 57:54 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2015-04-02