Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000056
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00:19 Well hello and welcome
00:21 to Give Me The Bible 00:22 here at the 3ABN Worship Center 00:25 in Thompsonville, Illinois. 00:26 I welcome all of you from here in the So. Illinois area 00:30 as well as from across the country and around the world. 00:33 We're so happy that you've joined us this evening 00:36 for this, the 56th sermon 00:39 in this Give Me The Bible series that Pastor Cox has done. 00:43 You know, he has brought us for the last eleven months 00:47 a five-part series each month. 00:51 And each one of these series had a specific title. 00:55 For instance, tonight the series is entitled 00:59 No Other Name Like Jesus. 01:03 There will be five parts in this series. 01:05 And what I want to encourage each and every one of you to do 01:08 if you haven't had an opportunity to hear all of these 01:12 sermons that Pastor Cox has brought, 01:14 you have missed out on a tremendous blessing. 01:16 And you will have an opportunity to get these. 01:19 The subject matter tonight is Who Is Jesus? 01:25 And so I want you to take advantage of this opportunity 01:29 for the next five sermons 01:31 to learn all there is to know about Jesus. 01:34 But before Pastor Cox comes to bring us this incredible message 01:38 we have a duet that's going to come and minister to us. 01:41 It's our very own Kateena LaForge. 01:44 Kateena, if you will come on out, please. 01:46 And she has ministering with her 01:48 Matt Throgmorton. 01:50 Matt and Kateena have been ministering together now 01:53 for some time, and I know they're going to bless you 01:56 tremendously as they sing I've Just Seen Jesus. 02:15 We knew He was dead. 02:19 "It is finished, " He said. 02:23 We had watched as His life 02:27 ebbed away. 02:30 Then we all stood around 02:34 till the guards took Him down. 02:38 Joseph begged for His body 02:43 that day. 02:46 It was late afternoon 02:49 when we got to the tomb... 02:53 wrapped His body, 02:55 then sealed up the grave. 03:00 So I know how you feel... 03:04 His death was so real. 03:07 But please listen and hear 03:11 what I say. 03:16 I've just seen 03:20 Jesus. 03:25 I tell you He's alive. 03:32 I've just seen Jesus. 03:38 our precious Lord alive. 03:46 And I knew - 03:50 and I knew - 03:51 He really saw me too. 03:56 He really saw me too. 04:00 As if till now 04:04 I never 04:07 lived. 04:12 All that I've done before 04:18 won't matter 04:21 anymore. 04:26 I've just seen Jesus, 04:32 and I'll never 04:37 be the same 04:40 again. 04:54 It was His voice she first heard... 04:58 those kind, gentle words 05:01 asking what was her reason for tears. 05:08 And I sobbed in despair 05:11 "my Lord is not there. " 05:14 He said: "Child, it is I. 05:18 I am here. " 05:24 I've just seen 05:29 Jesus. 05:35 I tell you He's alive. 05:41 I've just seen Jesus... 05:47 our precious Lord 05:51 alive! 05:55 And I knew - 05:59 and I knew - 06:01 He really saw me too. 06:05 He really saw me too. 06:09 As if till now 06:14 I never 06:16 lived. 06:21 All that I've done before 06:27 won't matter 06:30 anymore. 06:35 I've just seen Jesus... 06:42 I've just seen Jesus... 06:49 I've just seen Jesus... 06:53 and all I've ever 06:57 done before 07:01 won't matter 07:04 anymore. 07:09 I've just seen Jesus 07:13 and I'll never be 07:17 the same 07:19 again. 07:25 I've just seen 07:28 Jesus. 07:37 Amen! 07:40 Amen. Wonderful! 07:43 Certainly when a person sees Jesus Christ 07:48 what a difference it makes in their lives. 07:51 Well, we're glad to welcome all of you this evening. 07:54 Appreciate you being here. 07:56 Those of you that are joining us 07:58 by television or by radio 08:00 or over the Internet, we welcome you. 08:03 Glad you're here. 08:04 This particular series that we're doing is entitled 08:09 No Other Name Like Jesus. 08:12 And so we're spending these five presentations 08:16 on Jesus Christ, and we that feel it is fitting 08:21 to bring this series of Give Me The Bible 08:24 to an end centered around Christ and what He did for us. 08:29 And so we hope it will bless you in a special way 08:32 as we take a look at Jesus. 08:34 And tonight we're looking at Who Is Jesus? 08:40 Do you know? 08:42 Is He just somebody that your parents told you about? 08:49 What do you know about Jesus? 08:52 And how solid is your faith in Him 08:58 and your belief in Him? 08:59 That's what we're going to look at tonight. 09:02 Hope that we can give you some information that will help you 09:06 establish more firmly your belief in Jesus Christ. 09:10 Our subject for our next presentation is entitled 09:18 Why... why do you believe in Jesus Christ? 09:23 Do you know? 09:25 Are there things that you hold to that you say 09:31 "Well, this is the reason I believe in Jesus Christ? " 09:33 Well the next presentation we hope will give you 09:36 reasons to believe in Christ and to understand 09:41 who He is and what He's done. 09:44 So that's what our next presentation is about. 09:47 Then the next one after that is What Makes Jesus Different? 09:53 Why is He different than Mohammad? 09:56 Or Buddha? Or some of these others? 10:00 And then the next presentation after that will be 10:03 Jesus: Prophet, Priest, and King. 10:07 Jesus: Prophet, Priest, and King. 10:10 And then our closing presentation on Christ will be 10:15 entitled Unto You a Savior. 10:17 So we hope that you'll enjoy these as we go through them 10:21 and all. Appreciate having Kateena 10:24 LaForge and Matt with us. They blessed me 10:29 especially with I Have Seen Jesus. 10:32 Uh, some while back 10:35 Dona Klein wrote a book... wrote a song 10:39 that was entitled Golgatha's Hill, 10:43 and tonight Kateena's going to sing that for us. 11:21 Hear the beat of the feet of the soldiers 11:26 as they climb Golgatha's Hill. 11:32 Hear the cheers and the jeers of the people 11:37 crying "crucify and kill. " 11:43 The great love story how the King of Glory... 11:49 came, my debt to pay 11:53 on that hateful 11:57 place for death. 12:04 The light'ning flashed 12:07 and the thunder crashed 12:10 upon Golgatha's Hill. 12:15 Satan and his hosts came straight from hell 12:20 to cast their evil spell. 12:25 The battle raged on as the Lamb of God 12:31 hung helpless on the tree. 12:35 Hear Him cry, 12:38 see Him die, 12:40 for you and me. 12:48 But there never was 12:53 heard 12:55 a murmuring word 13:00 from the lips 13:03 of the Son of God. 13:11 As the hammer struck a blow 13:14 the Father bent low 13:16 to hear His dying Son. 13:21 "It is finished, " He said 13:24 then He bowed His head. 13:27 The victory had been won! 13:32 All heaven cried as the Savior died 13:38 that day on Calvary. 13:42 Time stood still 13:45 on that hill: 13:47 Golgatha's Hill. 14:01 In a borrowed grave 14:05 the Savior laid; 14:07 the air hung thick with grief. 14:12 Salvation's cost at such a loss 14:18 seemed so hard to believe. 14:23 The stillness left an emptiness 14:28 as darkness filled their hearts. 14:33 No one knew 14:37 what to do. 14:44 Then deep in the ground came a rumbling sound. 14:50 The earth began to sway. 14:55 The heavenly host which Satan feared most 15:01 had rolled the stone away. 15:05 The sky turned black 15:08 and the guards fell back 15:11 as in a nightmare's dream. 15:15 Then all was still... 15:18 deathly still... 15:21 on that hill. 15:48 With a mighty shout 15:51 the Father cried out 15:54 "Awake, awake, My Son. " 15:58 Then Jesus arose - victor o'er His foes - 16:04 salvation had been won. 16:08 Death had lost to that rugged cross 16:14 upon Golgatha's Hill. 16:18 Life began on that hill: 16:23 Golgatha's Hill. 16:29 Oooh, life began 16:34 on that hill: 16:39 Golgatha's 16:45 Hill. 17:17 Heavenly Father, 17:21 without question, for each of us 17:26 life began anew on Golgatha's Hill. 17:31 We pray that as we look 17:34 this evening at Jesus 17:37 may we settle in our hearts and in our souls, 17:41 in our mind, who He is. 17:44 May we desire to see more 17:50 of Jesus Christ 17:51 in our own lives and in what we do. 17:54 Send Your Spirit tonight. 17:56 Give us understanding. 17:59 Open our eyes. 18:01 May our hearts be soft and tender, we pray. 18:06 In Christ's name, Amen. 18:16 Unfortunately, we live in an age 18:20 of skepticism and secularism. 18:24 Today secularism has come to the place 18:29 and people are skeptics. 18:31 And when it comes to belief, they say: 18:34 "Well, you can... you can believe 18:36 whatever you'd like to believe. 18:39 You can believe in any God you want to. " 18:45 You hear that in many places... 18:49 over television. In fact, 18:51 a very popular television series just recently 18:56 said that you could simply believe in yourself. 19:02 Believe in yourself and learn what you can 19:07 and that's really all you'll need in this life 19:10 and for the future life. 19:12 You find that things like scientology 19:17 who has come to the forefront very much. 19:20 And if you look into the belief of scientology, 19:23 it just simply tells you that you are a god. 19:28 And if you look at it and see what it's saying - 19:32 that you are a god - 19:34 my understanding that that is idolatry... 19:37 and really the very worst type of idolatry. 19:41 But this is... this is where we are today. 19:44 And because of that, there's a lot of things that have happened 19:48 in the last few years that has shaken people's belief. 19:54 Shaken their belief in Jesus Christ 19:56 because people are skeptical. 19:59 Books have come out like this one particularly - 20:02 the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown - 20:05 in which they talk about Jesus 20:09 and say that He was really not what He claimed to be. 20:12 And so you find this taught 20:15 and people having real questions and doubts about Jesus. 20:19 And so tonight we want to find out 20:22 Who Is Jesus? 20:24 Because of this skepticism, you have had a tremendous 20:29 rise in what is called Gnosticism. 20:34 Gnosis is a Greek word that simply means 20:38 knowledge. 20:40 But this is something that was very, very prevalent, folks, 20:45 in the second century. 20:47 And people that believed in Gnostic teachings and beliefs... 20:53 this is what they taught. 20:55 Gnosticism has four basic beliefs: 21:00 1. They believe the world is evil. 21:02 That was their first premise: the world is evil. 21:06 Secondly they believed the world was made by an evil creator. 21:10 That it was made by somebody who was very evil. 21:15 And thirdly, they believed that salvation 21:19 consists of being rescued from it... from this evil world. 21:24 They said that's what salvation is 21:26 is being rescued from this evil world. 21:28 And their fourth belief was: 21:30 rescue comes 21:31 through secret knowledge. 21:34 Now that is the belief of Gnosticism, 21:38 and they believed that this is the way it came. 21:42 And they believed that Jesus Christ did not come 21:46 to die for you and I. 21:49 He didn't come to pay the price for us 21:52 but He came here to reveal knowledge. 21:56 He was the revealer of this secret knowledge. 21:59 They believed that is what is involved in it. 22:02 And they believed that the virgin birth 22:07 and the resurrection weren't really literal. 22:10 They were just a way of showing 22:14 how this took place and with secret knowledge. 22:17 And so you have a rise of Gnosticism. 22:21 If you go back and you read this particular period of time, 22:26 you'll find this was a hotbed in Egypt. 22:30 And you'll find that Gnosticism was taught in Egypt... 22:35 particularly in Alexandria and through there. 22:38 Why am I telling you this? 22:40 Because you, over the last few years, 22:43 have come across books such as this one 22:47 that we'll look at, and it teaches these things. 22:50 Now this belief of Gnosticism was coming into play, 22:56 folks, very strongly in the second century. 23:00 John - the beloved John, the disciple - 23:04 lived longer than the other apostles... 23:07 so he's in the 90's at that period of time. 23:13 He sees this rising. 23:15 He sees it already beginning to take place 23:18 and so you find him saying here in I John: 23:29 Very important because Gnosticism said 23:33 it really wasn't in the flesh, 23:34 it was just a revealer of knowledge. 23:37 OK? 23:51 So John saw this already beginning to rise in his day, 23:56 and he said... 23:58 he said "this has already started. The spirit of this is 24:00 already beginning to take place. 24:04 You and I would not be aware of this 24:08 very much if there weren't certain discoveries made 24:12 which has brought things to the forefront 24:15 that people wonder about. 24:17 And they're such things as 24:19 the gospel of Thomas. 24:21 Now the gospel of Thomas is a book that deals with 24:27 Gnostic teachings. 24:29 That's what it is. 24:30 And as you go in and you read these books, 24:33 you... and by the way, the gospel of Thomas, 24:35 guess where they found it? 24:38 In Egypt. 24:40 That's where it was found. 24:41 Back in the 1890's is when it was found. 24:44 And it lay in there, and really they didn't know 24:48 what they had until 1945 24:51 when they found another copy of it 24:54 and they began to find it was the gospel of Thomas. 24:57 But it's full of Gnostic teachings. 25:01 Now, you need to put things together because 25:04 you find that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John... 25:08 all those gospels have been written. 25:11 This is 100 years or so after it 25:15 in which this is all beginning to come to the forefront. 25:19 And to give you an idea of some of the writings in it 25:22 I put one of the writings here up on the screen 25:25 that's in this book of the gospel of Thomas. 25:27 And it says: 25:39 You know, they're just... the teachings in it 25:43 are rather strange. 25:46 And you find that these came to the forefront 25:49 and many people have questions about it. 25:52 And they question Christ because of these things 25:56 rather than understanding it clearly. 25:58 Here's another one that came, 25:59 and it's called the gospel of Judas. 26:02 The gospel of Judas, folks, 26:08 what it does is it takes Judas 26:11 and makes him the best disciple. 26:16 That's what it does... it takes Judas 26:18 and makes him the best of all the disciples. 26:21 And what it says is it says that Jesus came to Judas 26:26 and asked Judas if he would be willing to sacrifice 26:31 his reputation and everything 26:35 and that the death... or the betrayal of Judas was 26:38 all set up between Judas and Jesus 26:41 and that really Judas did this out of love to Christ. 26:46 And this is part of the little saying that's in there. 26:50 It says: "you will exceed them all... " 26:53 In other words, it's saying that Judas would exceed 26:55 all the disciples... "for you will sacrifice the man 26:59 who clothes me. " 27:00 And that's what the gospel of Judas is about. 27:04 Again, totally Gnostic in its teachings. 27:08 Then you have another one entitled 27:11 The gospel of Mary. 27:13 And you can see, these all come back in 200 AD... 27:16 along there. The gospel of Mary - 27:19 and by the way, let me say this, folks - 27:22 these are not books. They're referred to as books 27:26 but these are just fragments. 27:28 That's all they are... just fragments of what was written. 27:32 And so you don't have a whole book dealing with things. 27:36 The gospel of Mary is a fragment they found, 27:39 and in it Mary is telling Peter 27:44 and Andrew about a revelation she had from Jesus. 27:51 Peter and Andrew are not - how should I put it? - 27:55 they don't agree with Mary. They don't like what she's saying 27:58 because what she is saying is against what Jesus taught. 28:03 And... and they aren't going along with it 28:06 in this particular fragment. 28:09 And... and there's another man there by the name of Levi. 28:13 And he's upset with Peter and Andrew 28:15 because Mary is upset and crying. 28:19 And so he goes on and tells Peter and Andrew to 28:22 go out and preach the gospel. 28:24 And he says this: 28:26 He says "don't make any barriers 28:28 and don't make any laws. " 28:32 In other words, he said 28:34 "just do what you want to do, 28:35 you don't have to be... have any laws or anything. " 28:39 These are some of the things that were going on 28:41 and being taught. And by the way, it's this gospel of Mary 28:45 that Dan Brown in the Da Vinci Code 28:49 uses so much and all. 28:52 And then you have the Jesus papers - which is another one. 28:56 And how people can accept some of these things 29:02 and buy them I have a hard time understanding because 29:06 the Jesus papers is a papyrus document, 29:11 they say... 29:19 Now, nobody has seen this, folks. 29:24 This is what an archaeologist said he found. 29:29 This papyrus that he found... 29:33 Tell me, what piece of paper - 29:36 papyrus - would be buried in the ground 29:40 and be there for hundreds and hundreds of years? 29:46 Absolutely impossible. Couldn't have happened. 29:50 And all this based upon is this man saying this was 29:54 what was found. Not any basis of anything else. 29:59 So what I'm trying to get across to you 30:01 is these things that have all been said and done 30:05 are based on hardly any substantial basis, folks. 30:11 And so we need to take a look... 30:13 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 30:15 They were written before this ever came into being. 30:19 And as far as I'm concerned, as John said 30:22 "this is the rise of the Antichrist" 30:26 teaching contrary to Jesus Christ. 30:29 So let's take and ask ourselves tonight... 30:31 Does Jesus exist in history? 30:35 Does He exist in history? 30:38 Now it doesn't make any difference whether you want to 30:43 accept the scripture as the inspired Word of God 30:46 or whether you don't. 30:47 One thing that you cannot deny 30:50 is that the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John 30:54 are historical books. 30:56 You can't deny that. 30:59 That... that they are. They're historical books 31:02 whether you want to believe they were inspired 31:04 or whether they weren't. 31:06 And as historical books, they say clearly 31:10 that Jesus Christ existed. 31:14 They're telling you, and they're the oldest that we have. 31:18 They're the oldest saying that Jesus Christ existed. 31:23 So we have the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John 31:26 that are historical books that definitely 31:30 give us evidence that Christ existed. 31:33 Also, the Jewish rabbis. 31:36 You go back and you read the Jewish rabbis. 31:39 They do not... they do not deny the existence of Jesus. 31:45 They may not accept Him as the Son of God 31:48 but they don't deny that He existed. 31:51 So what I'm trying to get across to you this evening 31:55 is there is plenty of evidence 31:58 that Jesus Christ existed. 32:01 Rabbis believe He existed. 32:03 It might be interesting to you to know that Mohammad 32:06 believed Jesus existed. 32:09 He believed that He was there... that He existed. 32:13 Doesn't necessarily accept Him as the Son of God, but 32:15 as a prophet. But he said that Christ existed. 32:19 He was there... important. 32:29 They give strange applications to it, and they try to 32:33 change what He did and this type of thing, 32:36 but they don't deny His existence. 32:38 So what I've said tonight is the fact that there is 32:42 historical proof that Jesus Christ existed. 32:46 There is more... there is more historical proof 32:51 that Jesus Christ existed 32:54 than there is historical proof that there was a Julius Caesar. 33:00 So you and I have plenty... plenty of evidence 33:05 to know that Jesus Christ existed. 33:08 All right. I also want to say 33:12 that Jewish history itself - 33:16 the Jewish people and their history - 33:21 absolutely proves that Jesus Christ existed 33:27 and that He was the Son of God. 33:29 Follow me carefully. 33:32 Gave the promise... God gave the promise 33:35 to David, and He said this to him: 33:45 So He gave the promise that his throne - David's throne - 33:50 would be established and it would be that forever. 33:54 OK. 33:55 That was the promise given. 33:58 Uh, after David we come to his son Solomon. 34:01 And you remember Solomon built the temple. Remember that? 34:05 And it says here: 34:19 Because Solomon built the temple 34:23 and because of the glory of God coming on the temple 34:26 the place was filled with the glory of God 34:28 showing God's acceptance of that and the establishment 34:34 of the temple there. 34:35 OK. Time goes along 34:39 and we find that Nebuchadnezzar 34:44 comes and he destroys the city of Jerusalem 34:50 and destroys the temple. 34:53 Gets rid of it. 34:54 Seventy years pass 34:57 and the Jewish people go back 35:00 and they re-build the temple. 35:03 Now listen carefully to what Haggai has to say about it: 35:38 Now that is saying clearly that the glory of the latter temple 35:43 would be greater than the first. 35:46 All right? 35:48 Well, the latter temple was built. 35:51 What was there that showed that the glory of the latter 35:57 temple was greater than the first? 36:00 None other than the fact that the Son of God walked in it. 36:06 Now the point I'm trying to make is simply this: 36:09 if it wasn't Jesus Christ, who was it? 36:15 I mean, the temple's not there any more... 36:18 the second temple. So it had to have that glory 36:22 before it was destroyed. 36:24 If it isn't Jesus Christ, who is it? 36:28 Christ is the only One... 36:31 the only One that fits that in any way, folks. 36:36 Just Jesus Christ. 36:38 Watch as it continues: 36:56 Now this is prophesied in the book of Daniel 37:00 and it says that in the middle of the week the sacrifices 37:03 and oblations or offerings would come to an end. 37:09 All right. Jesus, when He was here on earth, 37:13 Jesus said this: 37:27 He told them: "Your house is going to be left unto you" 37:31 what? "Desolate. " 37:33 OK. 37:35 They crucified Him. 37:38 And when they crucified Him 37:41 the veil in the temple was rent 37:46 from top to bottom 37:53 showing that the sacrifices and offerings 37:57 came to an end. 38:00 Now He said: "Your house is left unto you desolate. " 38:04 They crucified Him 38:05 and the veil split and opened up 38:08 showing the sacrifices and oblations came to an end. 38:11 And He said: "This is what's going to happen, " 38:14 and won't have changed until He comes back. 38:17 Now the point I'm trying to make again tonight is simply this: 38:21 We're now 2,000 years later 38:24 and there is no sacrifice 38:26 and there is no temple. 38:29 I mean, exactly what Jesus Christ said is there. 38:34 He said: "Your house is left unto you desolate. " 38:37 And I'm saying tonight... IT IS STILL DESOLATE, 38:41 just exactly as He said it would be. 38:44 So why? Who is Jesus? 38:48 Jesus is someone who made it very clear who He was 38:54 and what was believed. 38:59 He spoke to the people. 39:02 He made it very, very clear who He was. 39:06 Speaking to the Pharisees He said: 39:20 Said: "Now your father Abraham rejoice to see My day. 39:26 Saw it, and was glad. " 39:38 Said: "You're not that old. Have You seen Abraham? " 39:48 Now I mean that is clear 39:52 as you can ask for. 39:55 They asked him: "Have You seen Abraham? " 39:57 He said: "Before Abraham was, I AM. " 40:00 Now what I'm trying to say tonight 40:04 is historically there's all kinds of proof 40:09 that Jesus Christ existed. 40:12 I'm also saying that He made certain claims 40:17 such as being the Son of God 40:22 that got Him into trouble. 40:27 But nevertheless it has been solid and stood solid 40:32 all down through time. 40:34 For instance: 40:48 Now, folks, He could have said 40:52 that He was a prophet. 40:56 He could have said that He was the Anointed One. 41:00 And probably if He would have said He was the Anointed One 41:04 that probably would have gotten Him beaten. 41:08 That... that's about what would have happened. 41:11 But when He said that He was the Son of God 41:17 that's a different story all together. 41:19 Watch... 41:21 This is Jesus before Caiaphas 41:25 at the time of His trial. 41:28 "And Jesus said to him.. " because Caiaphas had asked Him - 41:33 I mean had put Him under oath - 41:35 and said, you know... "Who are You? " 41:37 Asked Him point blank, under oath. 41:40 Jesus said to him: "It is as you said. " 41:43 And Caiaphas, you can go back and read it, 41:45 had asked him: "Are You the Son of God? " 41:48 That's what he asked Him. 42:00 Now you and I read that text, but you don't get the 42:03 what's involved here. 42:05 When Jesus said: "It's as you said, " 42:09 you know. But He goes on, Jesus didn't stop there. He said: 42:13 "Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting 42:16 at the right hand of the Power 42:17 and coming in the clouds of heaven. " 42:19 When He said that, 42:21 Caiaphas knew exactly what He was referring to. 42:24 I mean Christ was making a statement 42:28 without any question as to exactly who He was. 42:31 And Caiaphas understood that because he understood this text. 42:36 Caiaphas knew this scripture. 42:51 When Jesus said that He's coming back on the clouds of heaven, 42:55 man, Caiaphas understood that that He was saying 42:59 "I am the Son of God; I'm coming back. " 43:03 And that's when he cried: "blasphemy! " 43:05 and they decided they would kill Him. 43:10 Because He said: "I am the Son of God. " 43:14 No question about it. 43:17 His disciples looked upon Him as the Son of God. 43:23 When He asked them: "Who do you say that I am? " 43:26 And they said: "Well, some say You're a prophet. 43:29 Some say You're Elijah. " 43:31 Said: "Well who do YOU say I am? " 43:34 Peter said: "You are the Christ, 43:37 the Son of the living God. " 43:41 That's who they believed that He was. 43:44 Well, that being the case... 43:47 what evidence do we have that Jesus is the Son of God? 43:52 Have any evidence that He was the Son of God? 43:56 That He was what He claimed to be? 43:59 Is there evidence of that? 44:02 Well, one of the things is the miraculous feats of healing. 44:08 You just pick up your Bible and start through 44:11 and look at the indications of one healing after another 44:17 that He did. Listen to this: 44:45 I mean it says in the scripture 44:48 that He walked through villages 44:51 and healed every sick person. 44:55 Can you imagine that? 44:57 I mean, walking through a village 45:00 and every last person was healed. 45:05 Not a sick person in the whole town. 45:10 Healed every one of them. 45:13 Great, great multitudes flocked to Him. 45:17 That in itself is evidence 45:21 that He was the Son of God. 45:23 Secondly... 45:29 This... this is what - how should I put it? - 45:35 shook the disciples to the very foundation 45:40 of their... what they thought 45:43 was what He did with nature. 45:45 Listen: 45:59 So they're just going to cross the lake. 46:12 Well, here they are and Jesus is sleeping. 46:15 The wind's blowing and the boat's filling up with water. 46:25 Said this, you know: "Great danger! " 46:38 Can you just put that together, folks? 46:41 I mean, they wake Him up and He just stands there in the boat 46:46 and tells the wind to be still 46:49 and for the waves to calm. 46:54 And at His word, it takes place. 46:58 And what happened? 47:15 You see, the fact that nature itself 47:20 obeyed Him is evidence that He was the Son of God. 47:28 Also evidence that Jesus was the Son of God 47:32 is the unrivaled teachings 47:35 that no one, no one in the history of mankind, 47:40 has ever taught like Jesus Christ. 47:44 I mean, you look and study all you want to, 47:48 but the teachings of Jesus Christ are beyond 47:52 anything that anybody else has ever done. 47:55 Unrivaled. 47:57 So... 48:07 They had told him to go out and arrest Jesus and bring Him in, 48:12 and those hardened soldiers went out to get Him. 48:18 And they listened. 48:28 No one ever spoke like this Man. 48:32 This book... 48:35 dear friend, do you understand 48:38 how many millions upon millions and millions 48:42 of people's hearts have been changed 48:45 and lives have been changed 48:47 by the Word of God? 48:50 By the teachings of Jesus Christ? 48:52 You know, I've had the privilege 48:56 of over the years of watching 49:01 and seeing people's hearts changed. 49:07 Hardened men's hearts melted 49:10 by the teachings of Jesus Christ. 49:13 What a difference it makes. 49:15 Nobody else does that. 49:17 Only Jesus Christ. 49:21 Then we have not only that but 49:25 divine understanding of people. 49:28 You know, I marvel that as I read through 49:32 how He could read... He could read their hearts 49:37 and their minds and knew exactly what they were thinking. 49:40 Look: 49:48 I mean, here He's talking to them and He knows 49:52 what's going on in their minds. 50:01 I mean He had just told this paralytic 50:05 "your sins are forgiven. " 50:07 And the Pharisees were sitting there and thinking, you know, 50:12 this is blasphemy. 50:34 He said: "Get up, go to your house. " 50:37 And he arose! 50:39 Just the fact that He could read the hearts of men and women 50:45 is evidence that He, indeed, was the Son of God. 50:51 And then... the resurrection. 50:54 You know, the resurrection of Lazarus. 51:02 You understand what made that different? 51:04 What was different? 51:05 What was different than the resurrection of Lazarus 51:09 than the other people that He resurrected? 51:12 What was different about that? 51:15 Something very definite. 51:17 You see, in the widow's son at Nain 51:20 you remember here they were coming out with the coffin 51:25 and all, and He stopped it and brought him back to life. 51:28 Or when the servant... or the Centurion's daughter 51:34 He healed and all... 51:36 Those were cases where someone had just died and was fresh. 51:42 But this case with Lazarus... 51:44 They sent Him word and then He stayed and didn't come 51:49 for two days. 51:51 Why? 51:53 Why would He just not show up for two days? 51:58 So that when He got there Lazarus had been dead 52:00 for four days... been in the tomb four days. 52:05 Simply because He wanted... He wanted to put it 52:09 so that there was proof that He was the Son of God. 52:14 Because, you see, with the widow's son 52:18 they could just say "Well, he really 52:20 probably didn't die. " 52:22 See? And same thing with some of these others. 52:25 They were fresh and so they were saying: 52:27 "Well, he probably wasn't... " 52:28 But they couldn't do that with Lazarus! 52:31 He had been in the tomb for four days. 52:33 It took away all that argument. 52:36 So when He stood there and said: "Lazarus, come forth! " 52:40 and Lazarus came forth, 52:42 man, it says that the people... go back and read it... 52:45 it says it upset the Pharisees because the people believed. 52:48 They believed that He was the Son of God. 52:51 He gave proof that He was all that He claimed to be. 52:55 And, of course, His own resurrection. 52:59 He came out of the grave. 53:04 They couldn't stop Him. 53:06 He was resurrected, and those... 53:10 and you don't find the disciples, folks, 53:12 you don't find them after the resurrection of Jesus going out 53:16 and preaching that He was a great prophet. 53:19 That isn't what they're doing. 53:21 They don't go out and preach 53:22 He's a great prophet. 53:23 They go out there and say He was the Son of God. 53:26 That's what they're preaching and believing: 53:29 that He WAS the Son of God. 53:31 And so, who was Jesus? 53:34 Jesus was the Son of God. 53:38 That's who He was. 53:40 He was the Son of God. 53:41 It made all the difference in the world. 53:44 And so tonight I hope that you 53:48 put your life in the hands of Jesus Christ. 53:52 Understand who He is. 53:54 Accept Him into your heart as your Savior. 53:58 Let us pray. 53:59 Heavenly Father, 54:01 we thank you. Thank you that Jesus Christ 54:06 came here and lived. 54:10 Lived a life so that we by faith 54:14 can reach out and accept You, 54:17 give our hearts to You, and follow You. 54:20 Help us, Lord, that each one of us 54:23 day by day may keep our lives surrendered to You. 54:28 That we might walk with You. 54:31 That we might follow You, 54:34 and that we might reach out and claim You 54:38 as our Savior and indeed as the Son of God. 54:43 We thank You for these promises in Christ's name, 54:46 Amen. 54:49 Well remember our next presentation 54:52 is entitled Why Believe In Jesus Christ? 54:57 We're going to look at definite reasons 55:00 why you and I should believe in Jesus Christ. 55:04 So we hope that you'll be back with us 55:06 in our next presentation. 55:08 Thank you for being here. 55:09 Good night. God bless you. 55:14 Hello, friends. 55:15 In Luke the 12th chapter Jesus tells an interesting story 55:20 of a master who returned home from his wedding 55:24 hoping to find each of his servants eagerly waiting 55:27 to let him in 55:28 no matter what hour of the day or the night. 55:31 This story is about each of us 55:33 who have been bought by His precious blood 55:36 and therefore have become His servants. 55:38 And His hope is that we will faithfully be doing 55:42 the work He assigned while anxiously awaiting His return. 55:46 But this beautiful parable 55:49 has a dark warning as well. 55:51 Luke writes about a break-in that happens 55:54 in the night while the master of the house is fast asleep. 55:58 Under the cover of darkness, 56:00 a thief steals his most precious possession. 56:03 And Jesus goes on to say 56:06 "But know this, that if the master of the house 56:08 had known what hour the thief would come 56:11 he would have watched 56:12 and not allowed his house to be broken into. 56:15 Therefore you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming 56:19 at an hour you do not expect. " 56:20 Friends, none of us know the hour of Christ's second coming. 56:24 To some it may seem like a far-off event. 56:28 But if their life should end today, 56:31 it will feel like only a moment. 56:33 Jesus' message is the same for us today. 56:36 Do all you can to prepare 56:39 and faithfully watch and wait. 56:41 Satan is a thief, and there is nothing he enjoys more 56:47 than stealing our relationship with Jesus. 56:50 He robs us by making us careless and indifferent. 56:53 He tries to distract us from spending time with our Lord 56:57 and to burden us with so much care that we become indifferent 57:01 to those who are suffering 57:03 and those who don't know about our loving Savior. 57:08 As Christians, we are given the great privilege of being 57:12 called the sons and daughters of God. 57:14 But with this privilege comes an awesome responsibility: 57:18 to be faithful servants and to tell others about Jesus. 57:22 Are you being faithful to God? 57:25 Are you ready to give an account of your stewardship? 57:28 Our ministry is geared entirely 57:30 to taking care of those spiritual needs 57:33 of those who watch us all over the world. 57:36 Won't you help us? 57:37 Please consider what you can do 57:39 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:42 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:44 please send your tax-deductible gifts to: 57:58 Thank you for helping us spread the light of God's Word 58:00 through television and radio. 58:02 Your gifts help bring the blessed hope of salvation 58:05 to millions around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17