Participants: David Asscherick
Series Code: EHE
Program Code: EHE000003
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00:19 Welcome to Battle Creek, Michigan, where
00:21 we are getting ready for another presentation 00:23 that alert us to the fact that Jesus Christ is 00:27 alive. My friend, are you aware the fact that 00:29 Jesus Christ is alive? If you're not or if you 00:32 would like to know how to share that more 00:34 effectively with somebody else, please do 00:36 what we've told you before and get out your 00:38 paper, get out your pencils, put on your 00:40 thinking caps and get ready for an excursion 00:43 into the Bible that will change your life. 00:46 Friends, I want to begin by just sharing with 00:48 you a short experience. I met a friend when I 00:50 was young man name Tegan and he said to 00:52 me Jason, Jesus Christ is alive and those 00:56 words transformed my life never knew it, 00:58 but because of his courage in the plaza of 01:02 Humboldt State University in Northern 01:03 California, where he was handing out 01:05 literature my life became one with Jesus 01:08 Christ. I'm so excited about what happened 01:10 for me and I believe that miracles going to 01:12 happen for you because friends tonight we 01:15 are aware the fact that there is a savior and 01:19 that savior changes lives. With me in the 01:22 studio right now is Eric Umali, who is going 01:24 to be sharing with us the joy that comes 01:26 from knowing, there is a savior. 01:35 There is a Savior, What joys expressed, His 01:49 eyes of mercy, His word is rest, For each 02:03 tomorrow for yesterday, There is a Savior 02:20 who lights our way Are there burdens. 02:32 in your heart, Is the past a memory that 02:38 binds you, Is there something that you've 02:47 carried far too long, Oh there's strength in 02:59 your heart with His good news, There is a 03:09 Savior and He's forgiven you 03:20 There is a Savior, What joys expressed, His 03:34 eyes of mercy, His word is rest, For each 03:49 tomorrow for yesterday, There is a Savior 04:06 who lights our way There is a Savior, 04:19 What joys expressed, His eyes of mercy, His 04:34 word is rest, For each tomorrow for 04:48 yesterday, There is a Savior who lights our 05:05 way There is a Savior who lights our way. 05:39 Thank you Eric what a blessing to know 05:41 there is a savior friend tonight. Now I want 05:43 to go with you and ask you few questions. 05:46 I like asking questions, my background is 05:49 television news before God said Jason 05:51 Seiber I want you to be a pastor, my journey 05:54 was to the television station. Let's go out and 05:57 interview a few people would you in our 06:00 minds, let's go out there and visit with 06:02 perhaps Martin Luther King Junior in 06:05 Birmingham, Alabama, where the dogs and 06:07 the police are about ready to attack and ask 06:10 him Martin Luther King Junior why are you 06:12 doing this? Where did you get the idea for 06:15 nonviolent protest and this sort of peaceful 06:18 resistance? I think he would probably say 06:20 something like this, Jesus Christ showed me 06:23 the way. Maybe you could go with me to the 06:25 streets of Calcutta, where you see a lady 06:28 picking up young people and old people and 06:31 people of every class and bathing their 06:33 wounds and helping them to die with 06:35 dignity. And you will say Mother Teresa 06:37 why are you doing this, I suppose she would 06:40 probably say because I read in the gospels 06:42 that a man named Jesus came and changed 06:45 people's lives by attending to their hurts 06:48 into their needs and giving them new hopes. 06:52 Maybe you would go and talk to a person 06:53 like Mohandas Gandhi in Bombay. 06:57 Mr. Gandhi you might ask, why are you 07:00 offering your body to be beaten in the name 07:03 of freedom and Mr. Gandhi would might say 07:06 to you well I was reading in the Gospel 07:08 accounts of a man named Jesus, who had the 07:11 courage to let people beat him and not beat 07:14 them back. Well friends, I have a question to 07:17 you, a question you should answer, who did 07:21 Jesus draw his example from? How unique 07:26 was Jesus. Tonight pastor Asscherick will 07:30 help to answer that question. 07:32 Pastor Asscherick. 07:33 Alright, thank you Jason. Good evening 07:35 everyone, good evening, wasn't that a 07:37 powerful introduction. We are going 07:39 through the streets of Alabama through 07:41 Calcutta and we are asking these individuals 07:43 questions, where do you find your 07:45 inspiration and each of them says I find my 07:49 inspiration in Jesus Christ. Yet this raises 07:52 an important question, where did Jesus get 07:54 his inspiration from. Friends what we are 07:57 going to discover tonight is that all of these 07:59 individual figures drew their inspiration and 08:03 their example from Jesus, but Jesus was the 08:06 one who was the prototypical example that 08:10 is to say he was the first, he was the 08:13 original. Our question tonight is how unique 08:16 is Jesus in human history? Our message is 08:20 entitled has God spoken the uniqueness, the 08:24 absolute uniqueness of Jesus Christ in 08:27 human history. Let us begin first by doing 08:30 what everyone praying, praying that's right. 08:38 Father in heaven this evening we rejoice to 08:41 call you father and father we call you that 08:44 we, we say Father because in Luke 11 when 08:48 the disciples came to Jesus and they said 08:50 teach us to pray is John taught his disciples. 08:53 He said pray this way our father and we are 08:57 immediately aware that there is an intimate 08:59 connection, a powerful connection and 09:02 which we have you not only as a master, as 09:04 a lord, as a creator and redeemer, but we 09:07 know you as Abba Father and so we ask 09:11 now that you will come into this room, that 09:14 you will stoop and condescend to come and 09:17 speak to our hearts as well as to our minds. 09:20 Father tonight we need to make a decision, 09:22 a decision for you and for your son, so we 09:27 pray for each of us here in the studio and 09:29 also for those that are watching all over this 09:32 globe, we pray father that your spirit will be 09:35 with us in a potent way tonight for we ask it 09:38 in Jesus name everyone can say, 09:40 Amen. Amen. 09:43 Why don't we begin by going in our Bibles 09:45 to Luke Chapter 22, Luke Chapter 22. Our 09:50 message tonight is entitled has God spoken 09:53 the absolute uniqueness of Jesus Christ. We 09:57 are going to Mathew and what Chapter everyone? 09:58 Mathew Chapter 22. Mathew Chapter 22 10:01 and if we had time we could take a look at 10:03 the larger context of Mathew Chapter 22 and 10:06 Jesus is being asked three sets of questions, 10:10 three sets of questions. This is occurring the 10:13 Tuesday before his crucifiction, so just 10:16 hours before the crucifiction just a few 10:19 days before. Now Jesus is asked about three 10:22 questions. First, he is asked by the Pharisees. 10:24 What is our responsibility to Caesar, 10:27 you remember that would it lawful for us to 10:30 pay tribute or taxes to Caesar. The second 10:33 question that Jesus was asked on this faithful 10:35 Tuesday was what is our relationship to the 10:38 dead and how do we understand the 10:40 resurrection remember the Pharisees had 10:41 come and it said there was a man and he had 10:44 a woman, who had this husband, this 10:46 husband, this husband, this husband in the 10:47 resurrection whose shall she be. The third 10:51 question that Jesus was asked, is what is the 10:53 great commandment in the law and Jesus 10:56 answer that very potently and powerfully 10:58 when he said there are two Great 10:59 Commandments you should love the Lord 11:00 your God with all your heart, mind and soul, 11:02 and the second is like onto it, you should 11:03 love your neighbor as yourself. So Jesus has 11:05 been asked how many questions everyone, 11:07 three questions. What's our relationship to 11:09 Caesar. What is our understanding of the 11:11 resurrection and what is our reverence and 11:15 responsibility to the law of God. After Jesus 11:18 has met this cross examination, he has met 11:21 powerfully this, this inquiry that has been 11:23 trusted him in these three different question. 11:25 The tables are turned at the end of Mathew 11:28 Chapter 22 and Jesus instead of being on the 11:31 receiving end of these questions, Jesus starts 11:34 asking a question of his own. I'm in Mathew 11:37 Chapter 22 and I'm beginning in Verse 41, 11:40 Mathew Chapter 22 and Verse 41, it says 11:42 while the Pharisees where gathered together 11:44 Jesus asked them, notice who is doing 11:47 asking now friends. Jesus ask them saying, 11:50 what do you think about the Christ whose 11:54 son is he. In the more familiar king James, 11:58 he says what thinking of Christ whose son is 12:03 he. It goes on in Verse 42, the remainder of 12:06 it, they said to him the son of David. That 12:08 was an easy question; they could have easily 12:10 said we learned that in Sabbath School 12:12 Jesus. When you ask us who son is he, he is 12:15 the son of David. Now Jesus had a second 12:18 question, he had a rejoinder and I want you 12:20 to notice in Verse 43. He said to them how 12:23 then does David in the spirit call him Lord 12:25 saying, the Lord said unto my lord, sit thou 12:28 on my right hand, till I make your enemies 12:29 thy footstool. Verse 45 is the rub, he said if 12:32 David then calls him Lord. How is he his 12:35 son? Do you understand the dilemma? 12:39 Do you understand the question that Jesus is 12:41 asking yes or no. If he is the son of David 12:44 then how can it be under the inspiration of 12:46 the spirit in the Psalms that David would say 12:48 of this individual my Lord Jesus asks a very 12:52 powerful important question there in Verse 12:54 45. If David then calls him Lord how is he 12:58 his son? Jesus here has put his finger on the 13:02 pause of Pharisees misunderstanding about 13:05 the messianic identity of Jesus that he was 13:08 both God and man at the same time. He was 13:12 the son of David and the lord of David 13:14 simultaneously. Now notice this in Verse 46 13:19 and no one was able to answer him a word 13:22 nor from that day on did anyone dare 13:25 question him anymore. Amen. Don't you 13:27 like that? Jesus just ask them simple 13:29 question. How can he be both Lord and son 13:32 at the same time and when he puts that 13:33 question to him, he shows that they have not 13:36 thought outside of the box in their 13:37 theological understanding and the Bible says 13:39 that from the day on, from that day forward 13:42 nobody dare to ask Jesus anymore questions 13:45 because they end up looking just as foolish 13:46 as they actually were. 13:49 Now I want to put that question to you this 13:51 evening what, what was the thrust of that 13:53 question that Jesus asks there. What was the 13:55 thrust of that? He said what think ye of 13:59 Christ? What think ye of Christ? Whose son 14:06 is he. Our question tonight is, who is Jesus 14:10 Christ and is he unique in human history. 14:13 We're going to look at five testimonies 14:17 tonight, how many testimonies? Five. 14:19 Five testimonies and we are going to 14:20 discover that Jesus Christ is in fact 14:22 absolutely unique in human history, 14:26 absolutely unique. So, let us go to our first 14:29 testimony, the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in 14:32 history. Our first one is Jesus' own 14:35 testimony. If we could've ask Jesus in those 14:39 days or even today if he could come and we 14:40 could say Jesus who are you? Who do you 14:43 believe you are? What would he say? Let's 14:46 go to John in the fifth Chapter, John what 14:48 Chapter we're going to everyone. 14:49 Five. John Chapter 5 and 14:51 I want you to notice with me several Verses 14:53 in this Chapter. John Chapter 5 and we're 14:55 going to begin in Verse 22. John 5 and 14:58 Verse 22, Jesus speaking he says in Verse 22, 15:01 for the father judges no one but has 15:03 committed all judgment to the who everyone? 15:05 To the son, to the son, that all should honor 15:08 the son just as they honor the father. He who 15:10 does not honor the son does not honor the 15:13 father and notice the next three words here; 15:15 who sent him? What are those three words 15:18 everyone? Who sent him? Jesus here says in 15:21 unequivocal language. It is the father who 15:25 sent me. Now notice with me Verse 30 in 15:27 the sane Chapter. John Chapter 5 and Verse 15:29 30, I can of mine own self do nothing: as I 15:31 hear, I judge: and my judgment is right just; 15:33 because I do not seek my own will, but the 15:36 will of the Father, you say it with me, who 15:39 sent me. Now notice again in the same 15:41 Chapter beginning in Verse 36, John 15:43 Chapter 5 and Verse 36, Jesus says, But I 15:45 have greater witness than John's: for the 15:48 works which the Father has given me to 15:49 finish, the very works that I do, bear witness 15:51 of me, that the Father, what everyone? 15:55 Has sent me, has sent me. In Verse 37, And 15:56 the Father himself who sent me, there it is 15:58 again, has testified of me, you have neither 16:00 heard his voice at any time, nor seen his 16:02 form. Notice this five times in, four times in 16:05 John Chapter 5 Jesus says the father sent 16:07 me, the father sent me, the father sent me, 16:09 the father sent me, so it's very elementary 16:12 for us to ask if we could put Jesus just here 16:14 tonight and we could say Jesus, where did 16:16 you come from? Who sent you? What would 16:18 he say everyone? He will say the father sent 16:21 me. I'm sent from my heavenly father from 16:24 God himself. What was Jesus own testimony 16:27 about who he was? Did Jesus believe that he 16:31 was just a good moral teacher? Did Jesus 16:34 believe that he was just a guru or a mentor 16:37 or some kind of moralist, no, no, no. If we could 16:40 Jesus who do you think you are Jesus? 16:42 Who do you think you are Jesus of Nazareth? 16:44 He would say my father has sent me. 16:49 Now notice also in John Chapter 8 in Verse 16:50 58 since we right there in John just go with 16:52 me quickly to John Chapter 8, just three 16:56 Chapters forward, we are in John Chapter 8 16:57 and notice with me in Verse 56. 17:01 John Chapter 8 and Verse 56, Jesus has an 17:03 another dialogue here with the Pharisees and 17:05 the scribes and he says in Verse 56, 17:07 your father Abraham rejoice to see my day 17:10 and he saw it and was glad then the Jews 17:13 said to him what you are not yet 50 years old 17:15 and you have seen Abraham. Notice Jesus 17:17 response in Verse 58, Jesus said to them 17:20 most assuredly in other words you can have 17:22 confidence in this before I say to you before 17:26 Abraham was and what are those next two words? 17:28 I am. Now when Jesus here 17:31 says before Abraham was I am what is he 17:33 referencing? What is he talking about I am? 17:37 That's exactly right remember back there in 17:38 Exodus Chapter 3, a midnight shepherd by 17:41 the name of what was his name? 17:43 Moses. Moses saw a burning 17:45 bush, but the bush was not consume and as 17:47 he stepped up to that burning bush the, the, 17:49 the angel of the Lord spoke out of that bush 17:51 and said I want you to go down and talk to 17:53 that rascal pharaoh and say let my people 17:55 go. Moses protested who shall I say to them 17:58 has sent me and he said you tell them I am 18:01 that I am had sent the. Now friends think 18:05 about that for just a moment Jesus here has 18:07 just said I mean he has had the audacity, 18:09 the temerity to say before Abraham was 18:12 because they were protesting about his age. 18:13 They said you are not even 50 years old how 18:16 can you say that Abraham rejoice to see you 18:17 today and Jesus response was listen before 18:20 Abraham was I am. Jesus here makes the 18:25 unequivocal claim to be listen carefully now 18:28 the very God of the Old Testament the very 18:32 your way, the very Jehovah of the old 18:35 testament he said that is me and in another 18:39 occasion in John Chapter 10 and Verse 30 18:41 Jesus said again in unequivocal language he 18:43 said my father and I are one, 18:48 I and my father are what everybody? 18:50 One. One and the Jews 18:51 protested they said, they said you are 18:53 making yourself to be equal with God. 18:57 Now let's look at one more here and then we 18:58 will sort of wrap this up. Go with me in our 19:00 Bibles to John Chapter 14. John in the 14 19:03 Chapter, we will just stay in the Gospel of 19:05 John for convenience sake. John Chapter 14 19:08 and notice with me Verse 6, John 14 and 19:10 Verse 6, we'll actually pick up the context in 19:12 Verse 5. Thomas said to him Lord we do not 19:14 know where you are going and how can we 19:16 know the way. Now you know these Verses 19:18 by heart don't you notice in Verse 6. 19:19 Jesus said to him I am, there are those two 19:23 words again, I am the what? Way the truth 19:27 and the life and notice this no one comes to 19:31 the father except through me. Now notice that 19:34 that Jesus uses the singular definite article 19:37 am the way and the truth and the life, 19:41 he does not use the indefinite article A. 19:43 I am A way and I am A truth one among 19:47 many and I am A life. Jesus uses the 19:50 singular definite article the way, the truth, 19:53 and the life. Jesus here makes the exclusive 19:57 claim to be in the soul contact point with 20:00 God in heaven. Are these remarkable 20:02 claims yes or no? No. 20:04 So if we could bring Jesus here this evening 20:06 and we could interview him in journalistic 20:08 fashion and we could say Jesus who do you 20:10 think you are. He would say my father has 20:11 sent me before Abraham was I am, I and my 20:14 father are one and he would conclude by 20:16 saying no one can come to the father except 20:19 through me because I am the way, I am the 20:21 truth, and I am the life. These are 20:22 incredible claims friends. 20:26 It was these kinds of far reaching claims that 20:28 led Christian author C.S. Lewis to make this 20:31 very salient observation and conclusion. 20:35 C.S. Lewis said because of the claims that 20:38 Jesus made about himself, we cannot 20:41 confine him harmlessly or innocuously into 20:44 some category as a good moral teacher, 20:46 as a nice philosopher, as a guru of sorts. 20:49 Mr. Lewis said this man must be one of 20:52 three things necessarily because of the 20:55 claims he made about himself, he is either a 20:58 liar that is to say he was not telling the 21:00 truth, he was a lunatic that is to say he was 21:02 mad and out of his mind or he was in fact 21:04 the Lord of glory, a liar, a lunatic, or the 21:09 Lord. Do you understand that yes or no? 21:11 Amen. The reason that Mr. Lewis 21:13 said that friends is precisely this because of 21:16 the claims that Jesus made about of himself 21:18 we cannot just consign him innocuously to 21:20 some good moral teacher. He has not left that 21:25 option open to us. If we would ask Jesus, 21:28 Jesus who do you think you are? 21:30 Who do you think you are? 21:32 What should testimony about yourself? 21:33 He would have said I am in fact the 21:36 eliminable God of the Old Testament, 21:38 but what about number 2 his followers 21:41 testimony? What about those who are closes 21:43 to him? Now I've been married now for just 21:45 about five years and I've no shame in telling 21:48 you that before I was married I thought I 21:50 was almost perfect. I don't if you had the 21:53 same experience you know you think you're 21:55 doing just fine thank you and ready for 21:58 translation just waiting for the fiery chariot 22:00 to come pick me up right and then you get 22:02 married and you realize that you're stubborn. 22:04 Amen. Amen. 22:07 And you are mean spirited and your, 22:09 you are unkind and you are selfish and all of 22:12 that sort of came upon me after I was 22:15 married before I was married I was ready 22:16 for translation, now I wonder if I even ever 22:19 going to be ready for translation. 22:22 Now friends why do I bring that all precisely 22:23 because of this. Those listen carefully those 22:27 who are closest to you know you best isn't 22:32 that true? Those who are closest with you 22:35 know you best. Now let's think about those 22:37 followers of Jesus. Let's think about those 22:38 disciples. They slept were Jesus slept, 22:40 they ate what Jesus ate, they walked with 22:43 him, they talked to him for three and a half 22:44 years they were with him virtually every 22:47 single step of the way. If anybody would 22:50 have been able to see an inconsistency in 22:52 Jesus life it would have been those who are 22:54 closest to him. For example, if I stand up to 22:58 you and preach tonight you might say, 23:00 Oh! That pastor Asscherick he is a 23:01 Christian, but friends look if you think I'm a 23:04 Christian this is not particularly impressive 23:06 because I can stand up here with my suit on 23:08 and I can preach the best I can preach that 23:10 doesn't make me a Christian were the rubber 23:12 meets the road the real test is if my wife 23:14 think I'm a Christian, Amen. 23:17 Amen. Because my wife is 23:19 with me all the time, she can see my, my 23:22 idiosyncrasy, she can see my inconsistencies 23:25 and even at times my hypocrisies. 23:26 Friends I'm not perfect and my wife knows 23:29 that very well, she would stand up and 23:30 testify if she was here and I'm glad she is 23:32 several thousands miles in California right 23:33 now, but she would tell you I believe by the 23:36 grace of God he is not perfect, but he is 23:38 trying, he is doing his best and he is a 23:39 Christian man. Amen. 23:42 You understand so what about those who are 23:44 closest to Jesus? What about the ones who 23:47 would have seen him be in that time, 23:49 where it would have been so easy for him to 23:51 be frustrate, it would have been so easy for 23:54 him to become annoyed as the mob was 23:56 always pressing up on him and pushing up 23:58 on him what about those who were closest to 24:00 him? What was their testimony about Jesus 24:02 of Nazareth? What was their testimony 24:04 about the historical Jesus? Well if we went 24:07 and ask John the Baptist, we could say John 24:09 the Baptist who, who did you think Jesus 24:12 was and he would have testified that this is 24:14 the one whom I came to prepare away for. 24:18 This is the one who, who send those, 24:20 I'm not even worthy to latch friends. 24:24 Since we are in the Gospel of John let's stay 24:25 right there and go to John Chapter 20 notice 24:28 with me in John Chapter 20, if we were 24:31 given the opportunity to ask John why he 24:33 wrote his gospel? What would he say? 24:35 John why did you write your even Galleon 24:38 your gospel let's ask him John Chapter 20 24:41 and I'm reading in Verse 30. John Chapter 24:44 20 and Verse what everyone? 24:45 30. 30, John says And 24:48 truly Jesus did many other signs in the 24:51 presence of his disciples, which are not 24:52 written in this book, but these are written 24:55 that you may believe that 24:57 Jesus is the what everyone? 25:00 The Christ the son of God and that believing 25:03 you may have life in his name. Amen. 25:05 Did John believe that Jesus was the Christ, 25:08 the son of God, and then if we would to ask 25:11 him John why did you write your gospel? 25:12 Why did you take the time to sit down and 25:14 write out this even Galleon, this account of 25:17 the life of Jesus, he would say because I 25:19 want you to believe what I believe namely 25:22 that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God. 25:25 Those who are closest to Jesus, those who 25:28 are in the most intimate connection with 25:29 Jesus affirmed his messianic and divine 25:32 identity and yet these were the ones who 25:35 would have been able to see if there had 25:36 been an inconsistency, if there had been a 25:38 hypocrisy, these are the ones who could 25:40 have seen it day in and day out, night after 25:43 night, day after day, moment after moment 25:45 with Jesus. One day Jesus was conducting a 25:49 public survey, a pole and he said who do 25:53 men say that I the son of man in Mathew 25:55 Chapter 16 and oh some say you are John 25:58 the Baptist and some say you are Jeremiah, 26:00 one of the prophets and other say your this 26:01 person and that person and Jesus says okay I 26:03 think you give me a fair example, 26:05 a fair representation of what others are 26:06 saying and then he puts the question right to 26:08 them, but who do you say that I am. 26:10 And remember who wants to spoke up on 26:12 behalf of the rest of the disciples. 26:13 Peter spoke up and said thou are the Christ, 26:16 the son of the living God. If we could ask 26:19 Peter, Peter who did you believe this Jesus 26:21 of Nazareth was, thou was the Christ the son 26:24 of the living God. If we could ask Andrew, 26:26 Andrew, son of Peter's brother, who do you 26:28 believe this Jesus is, he is the Christ the son 26:30 of the living God. If we could survey his 26:32 followers and ask them who did you think 26:35 he was each would say in succession, 26:37 he was in fact who he claimed to be. 26:43 Are you understanding yes or no? 26:44 Yes. Amen. Its coming together 26:46 isn't it. Now notice number 1 Jesus own 26:48 testimony, who did Jesus think he was? 26:50 What would he say to us? 26:51 Number 2, His followers'testimony. 26:53 Who did those, what did those who are 26:55 closest to him think about his claims to 26:57 identity and now. Number 3 and this 27:00 is very remarkable, His enemies testimony. 27:05 Friend its one thing if your, if your friend 27:07 speak well of you it is quite a different 27:10 matter, if those who don't like you speak 27:14 well of you. Amen. Amen. 27:17 Now go with me in your Bible, we will stay 27:19 in John to John Chapter 7. What did the 27:21 enemies of Jesus have to say about Jesus. 27:24 John Chapter 7 and this is, this is a classic 27:29 story in fact this is one of my favorite stories 27:31 in the Bible. The only problem is this we 27:33 only get kind of a sketch, an outline of 27:36 what actually happened and so I use my 27:37 fertile imagination to sort of fill in the rest 27:40 of the details. The sketch is there in 27:42 front of us let me try and paint the picture 27:44 for you. John Chapter 7 and we are 27:45 beginning in Verse 45 it says then the officers, 27:49 that is the roman officers, came to the 27:50 chief priest and Pharisees who said to 27:53 them why have you not brought him? 27:59 Now we don't know the background, 28:00 but let's try to put it together. Here's Jesus of 28:03 Nazareth, he is a provocative young Rabi in 28:07 ancient Palestine. He is turning the religious 28:10 world and the religious hierarchy of those 28:12 days up side down. He is saying things that 28:15 are totally different, totally contrary to what 28:17 the religious leaders of his day were saying 28:19 and he is beginning to attract a rather large 28:21 following on at least one occasion there 28:23 were 5000 men plus woman and children 28:25 and so people are flocking to this 28:27 provocative young Rabi and the people of 28:29 his day the religious hierarchy saw that 28:32 Jesus was a threat to the establishment, 28:34 Jesus was what everyone? Threat. 28:36 A threat to the establishment and so they 28:40 decided hey they are gonna the point yeah 28:41 where they wanted to kill him, so they said 28:43 you know let's just arrest him, get him off 28:44 the scene, so we can go on with you know 28:47 the status co business as usual and so the 28:49 scribes in the Pharisees approach some 28:51 Roman centurions and they say look this 28:53 guy is giving us trouble, he has all kinds of 28:56 thrown in our flesh and we just want to get 28:57 rid of him. And so they hire the soldiers and 29:00 said would you please go and arrest him. 29:02 So the picture, I have in my mind here is we 29:04 will say one, we will four, four of these big 29:07 barely ogre like Roman soldiers going to 29:10 arrest Jesus and this is the picture of my 29:12 mind, Oh! We are going to arrest Jesus. 29:14 They got their spears and are going to arrest 29:15 Jesus and sure enough when they arrive 29:17 there is a large crowd around Jesus and so 29:20 they've got to push through the crowd. 29:21 Oh! Excuse me, we are gonna arrest Jesus 29:24 and they are pushing their way to the crowd 29:26 and as they are pushing their way through 29:28 Jesus continues to preach. Jesus is teaching 29:31 the people as he was frequently and so as he 29:34 is teaching, as he is preaching and there is 29:36 sort of pardon me, pardon, Umm! Umm! 29:41 And they are standing there totally 29:42 dumbstruck, their slack jaw and they just 29:46 heard something that caught their attention. 29:47 Now they've gone to arrest Jesus, but here 29:51 they are one two, three, four Roman soldiers 29:53 standing there, looking dumb founded and 29:56 intensely interested in what this Rabi is 29:58 saying and Jesus is preaching away and 30:00 there is a, Ah! Ah! Good boy, Ah! Ah!, 30:04 and when the whole thing is done he 30:06 dismisses them, everybody goes home, 30:08 here go the roman soldiers that was a good 30:10 sermon, good sermon, and they make their 30:12 way back. They make their way back 30:15 way back to the very place, where they have 30:16 been commissioned and hired and when they 30:18 walk in the scribes in the Pharisees are 30:20 incredulous they say where is Jesus? 30:22 Why haven't you brought him? 30:26 And notice the response of the self-styled 30:29 enemies of Jesus. What did they have to say 30:33 notice with me in Verse 46 of John 7, 30:35 the officers answered no man ever spoke 30:39 like this man. Amen. Amen. 30:43 Friends they heard something. We don't 30:45 know what they heard, but that must have 30:46 been some scene, here they go to arrest him 30:49 and something causes them to stop in their 30:51 tracks, why because Jesus spoken away that 30:54 never heard anybody speak before. 30:55 He was unique, he was what word did I say? 30:59 Unique. Now what does the word 31:00 unique mean? What is that mean? 31:03 One of a kind or unlike any other. Notice 31:06 Verse 46 again what did they say, no man 31:08 ever spoke like this man. What are they 31:10 saying in essence, if you could do still with 31:12 their saying down to a single word what did they 31:13 say? Unique. 31:14 He is unique. They couldn't these are harden 31:18 Roman centurions, they couldn't bring 31:20 themselves to arrest Jesus why because he 31:22 was unique. No man ever spoke like this 31:28 man spoke. Now go with me from the fourth 31:32 gospel to the first gospel. Mathew Chapter 31:35 27, here we find another incredible story, 31:39 an incredible testimony in which one of the 31:42 self styled enemies of Jesus actually affirms 31:46 the divinity of Jesus. Let's look at this in 31:50 Mathew Chapter 27, Mathew Chapter 27 31:54 and were in Verse let's start in Verse 51, 31:58 then behold the vale of the temple was torn 32:01 into from top to bottom this is the 32:02 crucifiction accounts and the earth quaked 32:05 and the rocks were split and the graves were 32:07 opened in many bodies of the saints would 32:09 fallen asleep are raised and coming out of 32:11 the graves after his resurrection they went 32:13 into the holy city and appeared to many. 32:14 Now notice Verse 54, so when the centurion 32:17 and those with him, so how many are here, 32:20 how many centurions are here? 32:23 We don't know it says the centurions and 32:26 those who are with him they may have been 32:27 other centurions or may have just been the 32:28 public, but there was more than one person 32:31 there. Are we clear on that, yes or no? 32:32 Amen. It says in Verse 54, 32:34 so when the centurions and those with him 32:36 who were guarding Jesus. Friends they were 32:39 bodyguards trying to protect him, these are 32:41 the very ones that who just lifted him on the 32:43 cross. Are you understanding now, 32:45 yes or no? Amen. 32:47 So when the centurions and those are with 32:48 him who were guarding Jesus saw the 32:50 earthquake and the things that happened, 32:51 they feared greatly, saying, what did they 32:53 say? Notice what they said, truly this was 32:58 the Son of God. Friends look at that as the 33:01 Roman soldiers stood there at the feet of 33:03 Jesus and he saw the way that his man met 33:06 is punishment, the way that he met that 33:08 ignominious humiliating death not with 33:10 scathing rebukes on the soldiers, but humbly 33:13 the Bible says in Isaiah Chapter 53, like a 33:15 lamb to the slotter they protested and said 33:17 surely this was in fact the son of God. 33:20 Can you imagine being aware that you 33:22 would just kill the son of God? 33:25 This is not, this is not an intellectual 33:27 statement, Oh! Surely this was the son of 33:29 God, this is the crime from anguish lips, 33:31 surely this was the son of God what 33:33 have we done. 33:37 Friends even the enemies of Jesus said he 33:39 was unique, he was divine. The enemies of 33:43 Jesus testimony was perfectly consistent 33:46 with Jesus own testimony and with the 33:48 testimony of his followers. 33:51 Consider with me as I read to you from Acts 33:53 Chapter 6 in Verse 7. I'm going to read it for 33:55 you Axe 6:7 in the interest of time it says 33:58 and the word of God increased and the 34:00 number of the disciples multiplied in 34:02 Jerusalem greatly and a great company of 34:05 the priests were obedient to the faith. 34:10 Now let me ask you this question for the 34:11 most part when Jesus was in the mist of his 34:13 earthly ministry were the priests his friends 34:15 or his enemies. His detractors or his 34:17 supporters. They were enemies won't they 34:20 and yet when you come down into the Book 34:23 of Acts, we find that many of those who 34:25 have been responsible for actually putting 34:26 Jesus upon to that cross, who has had that 34:29 unjust mockery of a trial before. These were 34:32 the very ones who began do affirm that 34:34 Jesus was in fact he messiah. 34:39 He is unique in human history. 34:42 Consider with me as we go to the screen 34:44 number 1 Jesus own testimony, who did he 34:47 think he was? If we could ask him what 34:48 would he say? Number 2, how about his 34:51 followers testimony did they corroborate 34:53 Jesus testimony or did they contradicted. 34:55 They corroborated it. His enemies testimony 34:57 even his enemies affirmed the uniqueness of 35:01 Jesus Christ and number 4, let us move now 35:04 to our fourth of five what about the 35:07 testimony of history? Let me ask you a 35:09 simple question. Has the passage of time 35:13 roughly 2000 years since Jesus walk this 35:15 earth has the passage of time increased or 35:19 decreased the significance, importance, 35:21 and preeminence of the man Jesus Christ. 35:23 You tell me increased or decreased? 35:27 Friends increased exponentially increased. 35:29 There are approximately 2 billion people out 35:33 of six billion people on the planet today that 35:35 believe that Jesus Christ was in fact the 35:37 divine son of God. How many were there 35:39 when Jesus was walk in the earth roughly 12 35:41 plus a few. Now friends I would say that's 35:43 remarkable increase wouldn't you, 12 to 2 35:46 billion. What about the testimony of history? 35:50 Notice this incredible statement this is taken 35:52 from Dr. Norman Geisler and he said one of 35:54 the great Christian apologist of our day. 35:56 He said Christ is absolutely unique among 36:00 all who ever lived. That's why our message 36:01 is entitled the absolute uniqueness of Jesus 36:04 Christ. Christ is absolutely unique among 36:07 all who ever lived. He is unique in his 36:09 supernatural nature, his superlative 36:12 character, and in his life and teaching. 36:16 No other world teacher claimed to be God. 36:18 Even when the followers of some prophet 36:20 deified their teacher, there is not proof given 36:23 for that claim that can be compared to the 36:25 fulfillment of prophecy, the sinless and 36:28 miraculous life, and the resurrection. Jesus is 36:31 absolutely unique among all human beings 36:34 who ever lived. Amen. Now I want you to 36:38 notice that he says to the resurrection, 36:40 the resurrection. Let's talk about that 36:42 resurrection for just a moment in fact our 36:44 entire message tomorrow evening is entitled. 36:46 The resurrection of Jesus Christ fact or 36:49 fiction. We are actually going to look at the 36:51 historical evidence, so what kind of 36:53 evidence did I say? Historical. 36:55 The historical evidence. We're going to do 36:56 something unique tomorrow night, 36:57 tomorrow night we're going to come to the 36:59 Bible not as a Christian who believes in its 37:02 inspiration. Tomorrow night, we're going to 37:04 take our commitment to the Bible as the 37:05 inspired word of God and we are going to 37:07 set that commitment on a shelf momentarily 37:09 and we're going to try and approach the 37:11 Bible like a historian would. And we're 37:13 going to ask is there any historical record, 37:16 any historical validity to the fact that Jesus 37:19 was resurrected. Tomorrow night you are 37:20 going to see that one of the most firmly 37:22 established facts of antiquity is the 37:25 resurrection of Jesus Christ. It anchors 37:29 human history, we will talk more about that. 37:31 His resurrection friends demonstrate that he 37:35 was who he claim to be think about this the 37:37 man was resurrected, he went into the tomb 37:40 and yet he came out of the tomb can you say 37:43 Amen. Amen. 37:44 I quote for you very quickly from G. B. 37:46 Hardy's book countdown he said this, 37:49 there are only two essential questions. 37:52 Number 1, has anyone ever cheated death 37:54 and number 2 is it available to me. 37:58 Let us survey the record Mr. Hardy says 38:00 Buddhist tomb occupied, Mohammad's tomb 38:04 occupied, Confucius tomb occupied, Jesus 38:08 tomb empty and then he adds argue as you 38:11 may, but for me and my purposes there is no 38:14 point in following a loser. Now he is not 38:18 being, he is not being unkind or anything of 38:21 that nature when he says a loser what he is 38:23 saying is that death got the victory over a 38:26 Budha and Confucius and Mohammed, 38:27 but death could not hold Jesus he is unique. 38:31 Amen. I'm already preaching tomorrow 38:33 night sermon. Friends his resurrection firmly 38:37 anchored in history. Notice this incredible 38:39 quotation, this quotation is taken from 38:41 W.E.H. Lecky a famed skeptic, 38:45 not a follower, not a disciple, 38:47 he said the character of Jesus has not only 38:50 been the highest pattern of virtue, 38:52 but the strongest incentive in its 38:54 practice, and has exerted so deep an 38:57 influence that it may be truly said that the 39:00 simple record of three short years of active 39:02 life has done more to regenerate and to 39:05 soften mankind than all the disquisitions of 39:09 philosophers and all the exhortations of 39:11 moralists. You see what this man is saying 39:15 now keep in mind this is no friend of Jesus, 39:18 not a disciple, not a believer in the inspired 39:22 in the word of God, a skeptic who says the 39:24 highest pattern of virtue that we have is 39:27 Jesus Christ has his influence increased or 39:31 decreased since the passage of time over the 39:33 last 2000 years. It has exponentially 39:36 increased. What is the testimony of history 39:38 about the person of Jesus Christ? 39:42 Friends, I want you to consider with me 39:43 something absolutely remarkable there are 39:47 people today on all seven continents from 39:50 every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue, 39:53 who affirm exactly what Jesus claimed 39:56 about himself that he was the divine son of 39:58 God. The same thing that the disciples 40:00 affirm that he was fact the Christ the son of 40:03 the living God. The same thing that even the 40:05 enemies said truly this was the son of God 40:07 and they are people on the top side of the 40:08 earth in every single continent, every 40:11 village, every country, every place in fact as 40:14 3ABN is broadcasting all over the globe 40:16 friends there are people in every nuking 40:18 cranny of this globe that believe that Jesus 40:20 Christ was who he claim to be. 40:22 Amen. Amen. 40:24 Now that is an increase, an increase in 40:27 preeminence, an increase in importance, 40:29 an increase in influence. 40:33 Now consider with me go with me to second 40:35 Corinthians Chapter 4, second Corinthians, 40:37 we leave the Gospels momentarily and we 40:40 go to second Corinthians Chapter 4 now you 40:42 tell me second Corinthians is that 40:44 in the Old Testament or the New Testament, 40:47 New Testament second Corinthians Chapter 4, 40:49 second question now Jason loves to ask 40:51 questions let me ask you a question, 40:52 who wrote the book of second Corinthians? 40:56 Oh! Silence, Paul wrote the book of second 41:00 Corinthians. Now let's talk about the apostle 41:02 Paul. Who was the apostle Paul? 41:04 He was formerly Saul of where? 41:07 Tarsus, Saul of Tarsus. Now who was Paul? 41:12 Paul was a Hebrew. Is that true yes or no? 41:16 Was Paul a Jew. Yes. Absolutely Paul was a 41:18 Jew, he was Hebrew. Now Paul was also a 41:21 Roman citizen is that, true yes or no? 41:25 Sure, read the Book of Acts and on several 41:27 occasions Paul protested hey you can't do 41:29 this, I'm a Roman citizen. So Paul was a 41:31 Hebrew, who was also a roman citizen and 41:35 if you look at Tarsus, Tarsus was a city in 41:38 the ancient world that was strongly influence 41:40 by the Hellenistic world, by the Greek 41:43 world, so notice this very carefully he was a 41:45 Hebrew, who was also a roman citizen, 41:48 who had strong Greek Hellenistic 41:51 influences. Paul lived at the convergence of 41:55 three cultures, the Hebrew culture, 41:57 the Greek culture, and the Roman culture. 42:01 Now notice with me in second Corinthians 42:03 Chapter 4, the apostle Paul writing says 42:06 something absolutely remarkable. 42:08 Second Corinthians Chapter 4, I'm reading 42:10 in Verse 6 he says for it is the God, 42:13 who commanded light to shine out of 42:15 darkness. What is that reference to the God 42:18 who commanded light to shine out of 42:19 darkness? That's reference to creation 42:21 isn't it, let there be light and there was 42:24 like for God who commanded the light to 42:26 shine out of darkness have shown in our 42:28 hearts to give us the light of the knowledge 42:32 of the glory of God, where everyone? 42:36 In the face of Jesus Christ. Now let's, let's 42:37 look at all of those words, let's look at 42:39 those syllables, let's unpack them. 42:41 For God who commanded the light of shine 42:43 out of darkness that same God who spoken 42:45 to the actual darkness and said let there be 42:47 light that same God have shown in our 42:49 hearts to give us what the light what kind of 42:52 light a luminous light and incandescent light 42:54 like we have here, no, no, no, the light of the 42:57 knowledge, the light of what everyone? 42:59 Knowledge. The light of the 43:00 knowledge of the glory, of the glory, what's 43:03 the glory, the glory is the character. It's the 43:06 personality of God, so we are sure in our 43:08 hearts to give us the light of the knowledge 43:10 of the glory of God, where does he give us 43:15 the light of the knowledge of the glory of 43:17 God, where is it given in the face of Jesus 43:21 Christ. The light of the knowledge of the 43:24 glory of God, where Paul, where do we find 43:26 this light of the knowledge of the glory of 43:27 God. Who God actually is? He says we find 43:30 it in the face of Jesus Christ. One of my 43:33 very, very favorite authors, a woman by the 43:35 name of Ellen White, she said this when 43:37 Jesus came to this earth, the earth was dark 43:40 through a misapprehension of the character 43:43 of God. The earth was dark in a 43:46 misunderstanding of who God was. In John 43:49 Chapter 9 in one occasion the disciples 43:50 found a blind man and they ran back to 43:52 Jesus and they said Jesus we found this man 43:54 who is blind why is he blind? I mean you 43:56 got him good God why because he sinned 43:59 because his parents sinned and Jesus 44:02 protested utterly Jesus took no responsibility 44:05 for this man's blindness he in fact said this 44:07 man's blindness is for the glory of God and 44:09 he healed him. Amen. The earth was dark 44:11 through misapprehension of the character of 44:13 God people didn't know what God was like. 44:17 Yet friends Paul says the God who 44:19 committed light to shine out of darkness had 44:20 shown in our hearts why to give us the light 44:22 of the knowledge of what of the glory of 44:25 God. What God is like how do we know 44:26 what God is like in the face of Jesus. 44:28 Jesus put it this way if you've seen me, 44:31 you've seen my father. That same author that 44:34 I eluted to earlier Ellen White, she makes a 44:36 remarkable statement, where she says if the 44:38 father had come and given his life. 44:40 If the father had come and walk the streets 44:43 of dusty ancient Palestine, the gospels would not 44:45 have been one iota different than they are 44:49 now. If Jesus had remained in heaven and 44:51 the father himself had come you would have 44:53 the identical Bible in front of you that you 44:55 have now. There is synonymous in their 44:57 character, their goals and their nature. 44:58 Amen. Now let's unpack that, remember the 45:04 apostle Paul was a Hebrew, who was also a 45:08 Greek or a Roman citizen, who lived in a 45:10 very strongly Greek influence city or 45:12 Hellenistic city. If we could distill, if we 45:17 could distill the pursuit of the Hebrews 45:18 down, the Hebrew culture to a single word 45:21 what did they pursue? The answer is light. 45:25 Read the Old Testament and how frequent 45:27 are the illusions to light? Do they come up 45:29 frequently, yes or no? Absolutely. You have, 45:31 you have God at the beginning saying let 45:33 there be light. I think of Psalm 109, Psalm 45:35 119 Verse 105, it says that word is a light 45:39 under my feet and what lamb under my path 45:42 think about Isaiah Chapter 60 in Verse 1 45:43 literally 100s of scriptures could be 45:45 sided, Isaiah 60 Verse 1 says arise, shine for 45:48 that light has come and the glory of the Lord 45:50 is risen upon, the behold darkness covers the 45:52 earth and grows darkness the people, but the 45:54 Lord shall arise upon the and his glory shall 45:56 be seen upon thee. What was at the dwelt in 45:59 the most holy place of the ancient mosaic 46:02 sanctuary what was that there was in the 46:04 most holy place between the two chairs of 46:05 him on top of the mercy seat of the ark of 46:07 the covenant. What was there. The shine and 46:09 kind of glory the light, so if you could distill 46:12 the pursuit of the Hebrews down, they were 46:15 the light that was to lighten the darkness of 46:17 the gentile world. If you could take their 46:19 whole culture distill it down to a single 46:21 pursuit you would say the pursuit of the 46:23 Hebrews was light. 46:26 Now what about the Greeks? 46:27 What about the Greeks if we could take and 46:30 distill the pursuit of the Greek culture down 46:32 to a single, a single word what might that be 46:36 let's think about the Greeks, who were they. 46:39 Did these names mean anything to you 46:40 Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, those names 46:44 mean anything to you? 46:45 They are philosophers what kind of 46:47 philosophers, Greek philosophers. 46:50 Now friends the whole, you know what a 46:51 university is don't you. A university, 46:54 a university is, the concept of the university 46:58 is paternally Greek. It's an Hellenistic 47:00 concept, the academy is it's a Greek, 47:03 the pursuit of the Greek's friends was the 47:05 pursuit of knowledge. 47:09 If you go to Acts Chapter 17 it says that 47:10 there in Athens they all stood around and 47:13 they didn't do anything else except want to 47:14 hear something new. They were interested in 47:17 knowledge, the pursuit of knowledge, 47:19 the relentless pursuit of knowledge, 47:20 so the pursuit of the Hebrews was light, 47:22 the pursuit of the Greeks was knowledge, 47:24 what about the pursuit of the Roman world? 47:25 Let's distill it down to a single word it's very 47:27 easy. All roads lead to Rome. Rome wasn't 47:32 built in a day, when in Rome do is the 47:36 Romans friends what was the whole pursuit? 47:39 What was the, the epitome of the Roman 47:42 Empire it was glory, glory that glorious iron 47:48 monarchy of Rome. Now look at those three 47:52 words put them here on the screen, put them 47:55 on the screen here, just go with me one 47:57 more, pass that one, Oh! We missed it, 48:01 you're gonna have to bring the back. 48:03 Well, there is a powerful, let's just distill this 48:05 down maybe if we can get the slide up for us 48:07 here. Here it is the Hebrews three cultures 48:11 conversion the apostle Paul, the Hebrews 48:13 pursuit what everyone? Light. 48:15 Light. The Greeks pursued knowledge and 48:18 the Romans pursued glory. Now look at 48:20 your Verse of scripture again second 48:22 Corinthians Chapter in Verse 6, it says for 48:24 God who commanded the light to shine out 48:25 of darkness had shown in our hearts to give 48:28 us the light of the knowledge of the glory of 48:34 God where? In the face of Jesus what is Paul 48:37 saying, Paul is saying he takes all of the 48:39 three cultures that he existed in he 48:42 synthesizes them, he combines them all and 48:44 he says Jesus is the consummate fulfillment 48:47 of all history and all cultures, Amen. 48:51 Amen. Friends that's why a 48:52 black men can be saved just like a white 48:53 man, that's why a man can be saved just like 48:56 a woman and a woman like a man, and an 48:58 individual from India can be saved just like 49:00 an individual from Pakistan. And God will 49:02 save Africans in the same way he saves 49:04 Europeans can you say, Amen. Amen. 49:06 All cultures, all histories find their 49:08 consummation in the person of Jesus Christ 49:11 of Nazareth. The testimony of history, 49:14 the testimony of history friends. 49:17 Now how about number 5, we've looked at 49:19 the testimony of Jesus, the testimony of his 49:21 followers, the testimony of his enemies, 49:23 the testimony of history and number 5 my 49:25 own testimony, let me let you tonight. 49:28 That eight years ago, I was an aimless young 49:31 person, I was looking for happiness in sin 49:35 activities, relationships, academics, and I can 49:42 tell you that my testimony is this. 49:44 I have found that Jesus was right when he 49:49 said. My father had sent me, I am the way 49:53 the truth in the life, no one comes to the 49:56 father, but by me. My testimony 49:58 corroborates the testimony of his 50:00 followers. I believe with Peter that he is the 50:03 Christ the son of the living God. 50:05 I have found that to be true in my experience 50:08 friends. I have also agreed with those 50:12 soldiers who said no man ever spoke like 50:15 this man. Now I can speak with just a little 50:17 bit of authority on this just a tiny bit because 50:20 before becoming a Christian I read some 50:22 of the Hindu holy books and I got into 50:23 into Buddhism a little bit and I was exposed 50:26 to other religions, but I can tell you there is 50:28 something in the way that Jesus says what 50:30 he says it has the ring of truth. Amen. 50:35 He is unique and so I, I agree even with the 50:37 enemies and friends I agree with the 50:39 testimony of history. My testimony tonight 50:43 is that I have found true happiness, 50:46 true satisfaction, true contentment, 50:50 true meaning, I have found that the purpose 50:53 of life the true purpose of life is to be found 50:56 not in the pursued of excellence or activities 50:58 or relationships or any of these kinds of 51:01 things, but in the pursuit and in the 51:03 apprehension of a person. 51:07 And that person is Jesus Christ. 51:08 Go with me in your Bibles to Philippians, 51:10 Philippians Chapter 3, Philippians Chapter 3 51:16 this is one of the very first passages of 51:18 scripture, I ever memorized, Philippians 51:20 Chapter 3 beginning in Verse 7. 51:23 In Philippians Chapter 3 in Verse 7, 51:25 we find here the words of a man, who is 51:28 almost consume to listen to the way he talks 51:32 it seems like he is almost off her rocker, 51:34 he uses such far reaching language. 51:38 Philippians Chapter 3 beginning in Verse 7, 51:39 notice what the apostle Paul says he says, 51:41 but what things were gained to me, those I 51:44 count but loss for Christ. Yet doubt listen 51:47 I count all things, but loss for the excellency 51:50 of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my lord. 51:53 For whom I have suffered the loss of all 51:55 things and do count them, but don't that I 51:57 may win Christ and be found in him not 52:00 having my own righteousness, which is 52:01 of the law, but that which is through the 52:03 faith of Christ. The righteousness, 52:05 which is of God by faith, but I may know 52:08 him and the power of his resurrection and 52:11 the fellowship of his sufferings being made 52:12 conformable onto his death, if by any means 52:15 that I might attain into the resurrection of the 52:17 death nor as though I had already attained 52:18 either we are already perfect. But I follow 52:21 after if that I may apprehend that for which 52:25 also I'm apprehend of Christ Jesus. Brother I 52:28 count not myself to have apprehended, 52:29 but this one thing I do for getting those 52:31 things that are behind and reaching forward 52:33 nto those things that are before I press on, 52:35 tore them all for the price of the high calling 52:38 of God in Christ Jesus. Amen. 52:43 This is a man, who is consumed with Christ. 52:46 A man who says that he lost everything 52:49 reputation, fame, family, fortune, everything 52:53 has gone and yet he says he count it as gain. 52:57 Madness says the world that's why when 52:59 Paul preached the cross he said when I 53:01 preach the cross the Jews stumble over it 53:03 and the Greeks thinks its foolishness. 53:08 The consuming Christ, tonight we've looked 53:12 at five testimonies, tonight we've looked at 53:16 five testimonies and there is one remaining. 53:21 We have looked at the testimony of Jesus 53:23 about himself, we've looked at the testimony 53:25 of his followers those closest to him, 53:29 we've even looked at the testimony of his 53:30 self-styled enemies and they have affirmed 53:33 that Jesus was who he claimed to be, 53:34 we've looked at the testimony of history and 53:37 have found that the significance, 53:39 importance, influence, and preeminence of 53:40 Jesus has not decreased, but significantly 53:43 increased and then I have given you tonight 53:45 as best as I could my own testimony. 53:48 A man who is searching everywhere under 53:50 every rock looking for something that brings 53:53 meaning, happiness, and cohesiveness to life 53:56 and I can tell you I found it not in a thing 53:59 not in an activity, not in an education, 54:02 I found it in a man and that man is Jesus. 54:05 Amen. Like the apostle Paul 54:09 what things were gained to me those I count 54:12 but lost for Christ. A doubtless and I count 54:15 all things, but loss for the excellency of the 54:18 knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. 54:21 There is one testimony that remains to be 54:24 given though and that is number 6 your 54:26 testimony. Friends will you add your 54:29 testimony to what we have seen tonight to 54:31 these other five, would you add your 54:33 testimony, would you agree with the 54:34 testimony of Jesus about himself, 54:36 his disciples, his enemies, history and even 54:38 my testimony. You would have to cast your vote 54:41 tonight friends and you say well who is this 54:43 Jesus and then you look to the cross and you 54:46 see there a man on a cross like you see more 54:49 than a man, you see a savior, you see a 54:51 friend, you see a brother and you see God. 54:54 Amen. On the cross, why friends for you 54:58 and I. He is unique in human history. 55:02 So many things set him apart. So, many 55:06 things make him as a man unique, 55:08 unparalleled, peerless in the corridors, 55:12 and beyond time and so I put to you the 55:15 question today that Jesus put to those scribes 55:17 and Pharisees. I put to you that question friend, 55:21 what think ye of Christ? 55:26 What think ye of Christ? 55:32 Ponchus pilots standing outside of the 55:33 judgment hall had two decisions, 55:36 two options, two choices, he could crown 55:38 Christ as the true king or he could crucify 55:42 him and humiliate him. Friends today what 55:45 think ye of Christ? For our television 55:47 audience who is looking in what think ye of 55:49 Christ friends, what think ye of Christ. 55:55 I put this question to you tonight and I 55:56 affirm utterly that the testimony of Christ, 56:00 his disciples, his enemies and history and 56:02 my own testimony is that Jesus is the son of 56:04 God the Christ and the savior, Amen. 56:08 For you tonight who want to say with me he 56:11 is my savior, he is my Christ. Won't you 56:14 stand on your feet, won't you stand and 56:16 contribute, won't you stand with me as we 56:19 close. You see they were standing here and 56:21 for those of you in the television audience, 56:22 why don't you stand with us, why don't you 56:24 stand right now and say with me he is not 56:27 only the Christ tonight he is my Christ. |
Revised 2014-12-17