Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000057
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00:19 Well hello and welcome to Give Me The Bible
00:22 here at the 3ABN Worship Center in Thompsonville, Illinois. 00:26 We welcome all of you from around the world 00:29 who are watching on 3ABN 00:31 or listening to us 00:32 on 3ABN Radio. 00:33 How many of you listen to 3ABN Radio here in So. Illinois? 00:37 See Jay Christian sitting there. 00:39 We love 3ABN Radio, don't we Jay? 00:41 Well, we are continuing tonight 00:45 with Pastor Cox as he has come... 00:47 you know, this is the 12th month 00:49 that Pastor Cox has come and done a 5-sermon series. 00:53 And he's covered such subjects as salvation, 00:57 the judgment... Many subjects 01:00 with five sermons on each subject. 01:02 So any of you that haven't received all of these sermons... 01:05 They are encouraging; they will build you up spiritually; 01:08 and you need to be sure to get them. 01:10 The series title that we have during this time, 01:15 this 12th time - this will be sermon #57 - 01:19 the series title is No Other Name Like Jesus. 01:23 And our subject tonight is Why Believe in Jesus Christ? 01:27 You know, the scripture says... see if you can 01:31 say this scripture with me: 01:33 "I, if I be lifted up 01:35 I will draw all men unto Me. " 01:38 Well, as Pastor Cox lifts up 01:41 the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 01:44 we can have confidence that throughout the world 01:47 God is drawing souls unto Him. 01:50 But even here in our own hearts, 01:52 how many of you have areas in your own life, 01:54 you realize you need to be drawn closer to Jesus in? 01:58 So tonight let's open up our hearts 02:00 and let the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, 02:03 draw us closer to Jesus. 02:06 You know, Pastor Cox has been coming to 3ABN for many years. 02:10 But this past year we've had... just, the opportunity 02:14 to spend many, many hours with him. 02:17 And I have come to love and appreciate him more than ever. 02:21 I have found him to be a true man of God. 02:24 And, you know, that... that is not 02:28 bragging on him by any means. 02:31 That is recognizing the power of God at work in his life. 02:35 He is yielded to God, 02:36 and every one of us can yield to God 02:38 and God can use us as well. 02:40 But before this mighty man of God comes, 02:43 we have Tammy Larson with us tonight. 02:45 And she's going to sing a beautiful story: 02:48 I Love to Tell the Story. A beautiful song, Tammy. 02:52 We hope that you receive her 02:54 and, Tammy, I know you'll do a beautiful job. 03:12 I love to tell the story 03:17 of unseen things above, 03:22 Of Jesus and His glory, 03:27 Of the Savior and His love; 03:33 I love to tell the story, 03:38 Because I know 'tis true; 03:43 It satisfies my longing 03:49 As nothing else can do. 03:54 I love to tell the story; 03:59 'Twill be my theme in glory 04:04 To tell the old, old story 04:09 Of Jesus and His love. 04:38 I love to tell the story; 04:43 For those who know it best 04:48 Seem hungering and thirsting 04:54 To hear it like the rest; 04:59 And when in scenes of glory 05:04 I'll sing a new, new song, 05:09 'Twill be the old, old story 05:14 That I have loved so long. 05:20 I love to tell the story; 05:25 'Twill be my theme in glory 05:30 To tell the old, old story 05:35 Of Jesus and His love. 05:41 To tell the old, old story 05:46 Of Jesus and His love. 06:07 Thank you, Tammy. Appreciate that very much. 06:10 Good evening to each of you. 06:12 Very glad to welcome you back again to this presentation. 06:17 We hope you've had a good day. 06:19 We also would like to welcome 06:20 all those that are joining us 06:22 by television or listening on 06:25 the radio or maybe you're watching through the Internet. 06:28 But we're glad that you've tuned in. We hope that 06:31 tonight's presentation on Why Believe in Jesus Christ? 06:36 will give you some reasons of why you believe in Jesus Christ. 06:42 That's the purpose of it; 06:43 we hope it will bless you in that. 06:46 This particular series that we're doing is on Jesus. 06:51 No Other Name Like Jesus. 06:53 That's what we're spending these five presentations on. 06:57 And our next presentation after this one 07:00 is entitled What Makes Jesus Different? 07:03 What makes Jesus different than Buddha? 07:07 Confucius? Mohammad? 07:10 What? Why is any difference between Him 07:14 and those different ones? And that's what we're looking at. 07:17 So we hope that you'll follow as we talk about Jesus Christ... 07:23 what He has done, what makes Him different. 07:27 After that we're going to be talking about Jesus 07:29 as the prophet, priest, and king. 07:32 Jesus Christ as prophet, priest, and king. 07:37 And then our closing presentation will be entitled 07:40 Unto You a Savior. 07:42 So we hope those will bless you as we go through them. 07:46 What are you looking at for tonight? 07:51 There's certain things that you need to be clear on... 07:56 claims that Jesus Christ made 08:01 that is reasons why you and I should believe in Him. 08:06 And so we hope you'll follow those. You know, 08:09 What says the Bible, the blessed Bible? 08:12 This my only question be. 08:15 The teachings of men so often mislead us. 08:19 What says the Bible to me? 08:21 And last presentation we talked about some of the teachings of 08:26 men that are so prevalent today. 08:28 But you and I need to go to the Word of God, 08:31 find out exactly what it has to say. 08:34 And so we thank you for being with us from evening to evening. 08:39 We ask that as we continue that Jesus Christ 08:42 may become very, very real to each one of you. 08:47 It's our privilege this evening to have with us 08:49 Melody Firestone. 08:52 She's going to sing for us a song entitled 08:55 I Have Been With Jesus. 09:10 I've just been with Jesus, 09:16 I've just seen His glory. 09:21 I've just felt His presence 09:27 as I feel it now. 09:32 He is all I long for; 09:38 there's no one I desire more. 09:44 For I've just been with Jesus 09:49 and I am with Him now. 09:55 Here in this place 09:59 my soul is satisfied. 10:04 You have erased 10:08 the wounds I tried 10:11 so hard to hide. 10:15 I'm learning how 10:19 to abandon all my fears 10:24 each time I meet You here. 10:29 I've just been with Jesus, 10:35 I've just seen His glory. 10:40 I've just felt His presence 10:46 as I feel it now. 10:51 He is all I long for; 10:57 there's no one I desire more. 11:03 For I've just been with Jesus 11:08 and I am with Him now. 11:20 Nothing but You. 11:24 That's all my eyes can see. 11:29 Finally I've found 11:32 the place my heart 11:36 has longed to be. 11:40 My own desires... 11:44 they don't matter anymore. 11:49 My will, my life is Yours. 11:54 I've just been with Jesus, 11:59 I've just seen His glory. 12:05 I've just felt His presence 12:11 as I feel it now. 12:16 He is all I long for; 12:22 there's no one I desire more. 12:27 For I've just been with Jesus 12:33 and I am with Him now. 12:45 I've just been with Jesus 12:50 and I am with 12:54 Him now. 13:22 Heavenly Father, we thank you 13:24 for the assurance that moment by moment 13:31 we can have Jesus with us 13:35 guiding and directing our steps. 13:38 Be with us tonight, Lord, as we open Your Word. 13:44 Give us understanding. 13:46 May our eyes be open. 13:51 May our ears hear. 13:55 And may we see all that Jesus Christ claims to be 14:01 and may we place our lives in His hands. 14:06 For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 14:17 He was born in an obscure village, 14:21 the child of a peasant woman. 14:24 He grew up still in another village 14:26 where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. 14:31 Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. 14:35 He never wrote a book. 14:37 He never held an office. 14:40 He never had a family. 14:42 Didn't own a home. 14:44 He didn't go to college. 14:46 Never visited a big city. 14:49 Never traveled 200 miles from the place He was born. 14:54 He did none of the things that we usually consider 15:00 to be with greatness. 15:03 The only credentials that He had was Himself. 15:07 He was only 33 when the tide of public opinion 15:12 turned against Him. 15:14 His friends ran away. 15:17 He was turned over to His enemies, 15:20 went through a mockery of a trial, 15:24 and He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. 15:29 And while He was dying His executioners 15:33 gambled for His clothing... 15:36 the only property He had on earth. 15:40 And when He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave 15:46 through the pity of a friend. 15:49 Twenty centuries have come and gone. 15:54 Today He is the central figure of the human race. 16:00 The leader of mankind's progress. 16:04 All the armies that have ever marched, 16:07 all the navies that have ever sailed, 16:10 all the parliaments that have ever sat, 16:13 all the kings that have ever reigned 16:16 put together have not affected 16:20 the life of man on earth 16:22 as much as this one solitary life. 16:27 Now, you have some reasons 16:31 to believe in Jesus Christ. 16:35 All that's there, folks. 16:38 That is what He has done. 16:40 If you and I were to take a walk 16:45 through Israel of old, 16:48 there are plenty of reasons to believe in Jesus Christ. 16:53 Oh, yes. You can go and you can see all of these 16:56 little things, but just the big things. 16:59 You know, the fact that there is a city called Jerusalem. 17:03 Ever thought about that? 17:05 Just the fact that that city's there 17:07 is evidence of Jesus Christ. 17:10 The fact that there's a Garden of Gethsemane 17:14 is evidence that there is Jesus Christ. 17:18 The fact that there is a Sea of Galilee 17:22 is evidence that there was Jesus Christ. 17:26 I can still remember being in the Holy Land. 17:30 And we had a group with us, 17:34 and some of them wanted to be baptized in the Jordan. 17:37 And so we were baptizing some people in the Jordan River. 17:41 And I had just gotten out of the water 17:45 when this huge bus drove up. 17:48 And out of the bus got 40 - excuse me, 50 - 17:52 UN soldiers. 17:54 Come walking out of the bus, and this man 17:57 who was the guide come running down the bank 17:59 to where we were. And he said: "Help me. " 18:02 And I said: "What do you need? What can I do? " 18:06 And he said: "I have a busload of soldiers here. " 18:11 And he said: "It's a policy 18:14 that when they come over here and they are here for" - 18:17 I don't know how long it was he said - 18:19 "it's required that they get a two-week trip 18:22 through the country of Israel. " 18:24 And he said: "I've had these soldiers with me now 18:26 for two weeks. " And he said - 18:28 he was a Muslim, by the way - 18:31 and he said: "But you know you can't give somebody 18:35 a tour through Israel and not talk to them about Jesus. " 18:40 "Because, " he said, "Jesus is everywhere. " 18:42 And he said: "So we've just gone these places 18:44 and I've showed them about Jesus. " 18:46 And he said: "I have 24 on this bus that accepted Christ 18:50 and want to be baptized. " 18:52 See? So, what I'm saying is there is just evidence 18:56 there enough to believe in Jesus Christ. 19:00 It's there, folks. You just... you can't pass it up 19:04 that He's there in every way. 19:07 Christ is all that He claimed to be. 19:11 History tells you that He was there. 19:15 These are two ancient statements about Jesus Christ. 19:19 Says here from Tacitus Histories... 19:23 This is one of the oldest. 20:04 Of course, this has to do with the burning of Rome 20:06 and so forth, folks. 20:08 But what I'm try to say is it gives you clear indication 20:12 that Christ was there 20:13 as the beginning of Christianity took place. 20:16 Now many of you, over the years I am sure, have 20:20 have heard of a historian by the name of Josephus. 20:24 Josephus had this to say: 20:29 When he says about this time he means Pilate... Pilate's time 20:35 as governor, AD 26-36... 21:21 And we're talking about Josephus' day... 21:27 So history itself shows 21:32 that Jesus was what He said He was. 21:35 And so you and I have reason to believe because 21:40 of the influence and the effect that He has had 21:43 upon mankind all down through the centuries. 21:48 Secondly because of all the things that took place 21:51 throughout Israel 21:54 and because of history. 21:56 When Jesus showed up... when Jesus showed up 22:00 300 prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled. 22:07 Just when He showed up, 300 prophecies... 22:11 I want to just share a few with you. 22:12 I'm going to not go through very many. 22:14 But Micah talks about the place of His birth. 22:19 Says in Bethlehem. Tells exactly where He was to be born. 22:22 Isaiah 7 tells us He was to be born of a virgin. 22:26 Isaiah 53 talks about rejected by His own people. 22:31 Betrayed by a friend in Psalms. 22:34 Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. 22:36 The cruel treatment that He would receive. 22:40 Pierced His hands and His feet. 22:42 Gambled for His clothing. 22:44 No broken bones, the date of His death, the resurrection... 22:48 all that was foretold in the Word of God. 22:51 So, when you pick up the book and you begin to look through it 22:57 folks, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence 23:02 that Jesus Christ was indeed the Son of God. 23:09 It, you just... when you look at it 23:11 there's no way 23:13 you can come away with any other 23:15 conviction other than He was everything that He claimed. 23:19 The prophecies that Jesus made - 23:22 Jesus Himself made - 23:25 all came true. 23:27 I mean, it'd be one thing for Him to make prophecies, 23:31 you know, and then them not be fulfilled... 23:34 but they all took place. 23:36 This is what it says about it: 23:46 Jesus is talking about the city of Jerusalem. 23:49 He's talking about what's going to happen to them. 24:02 Now, to stand there and make that prophecy, folks, 24:08 do you have any idea what that meant when He said 24:12 "there won't be one stone left up... on top of another. " 24:17 You're looking at the temple that Herod has refurbished. 24:23 That's what you're looking at. 24:24 Herod is without doubt one of the greatest builders 24:29 that we've ever known. 24:30 And there were stones - granite stones - in that temple 24:36 that were 4' thick, 4' high, 24:40 and 20' long 24:42 laying on top of one another. So perfectly laid 24:46 you couldn't stick a knife blade between them. 24:50 And for Jesus to say "There's not going to be one 24:54 stone left on top of another, " 24:57 that... that sounded like blasphemy. 25:04 And yet when those Roman soldiers surrounded that city 25:10 and finally in desperation 25:16 they came in and started taking the city 25:21 threw a firebrand, and it went through a window of the temple. 25:24 And the temple was on fire. 25:29 They couldn't put it out. 25:31 Now folks, this is a temple 25:33 that's basically made out of stone. 25:37 They couldn't put it out. 25:40 The fire was so hot that it melted the gold 25:46 that had been overlaying the walls 25:49 and all the articles of furniture and stuff. 25:53 That gold melted and ran down into the rocks and the crevices 25:58 all through there so that the people came 26:01 after it was over and they pried every stone 26:05 off the top of the other. 26:07 And they even plowed the ground to gather the gold... 26:11 just exactly as Jesus said. 26:14 So, you know, it's one thing to say something. 26:20 But when you say it and history records that it actually 26:25 took place as you said, that's something else. 26:30 Even to His own disciples... I mean, 26:35 this is after the resurrection. 26:39 Jesus is at the lake; the disciples are there. 26:43 And this is after Jesus had talked to Peter and said: 26:47 "Lovest thou Me? " 26:50 And Jesus gave this prophecy about him: 27:10 Said: "Peter, you went where you wanted to go, 27:13 but when you are old you will stretch out your hands 27:17 and they'll take you where you 27:19 didn't particularly want to go. " 27:31 And just true to God's Word 27:34 when Peter was arrested 27:36 and they were going to crucify him... 27:40 stretch out his hands. 27:42 Peter requested that they would crucify him upside down 27:47 because he didn't feel worthy to be crucified as his Master. 27:53 But what I'm trying to say is 27:56 it fulfilled just exactly as Christ said. 28:02 So, the prophecies that He gave is evidence 28:06 for you and I to believe in Jesus. 28:10 Should I believe in Him? Yes, because the prophecies 28:13 He said took place... they happened as He said. 28:17 Thirdly, because of His works. 28:21 I mean, recorded in the New Testament 28:27 are 37 miracles. That's what's recorded in the New Testament. 28:31 Thirty-seven miracles. 28:33 That isn't all that He did by any means. 28:36 But there's 37 that are recorded that you and I can read. 28:40 Some of those miracles, folks, happened in the presence of 28:44 not one or two people 28:46 but in the presence of thousands they took place. 28:51 This is what it says: 29:01 He did a lot of things not recorded here. 29:05 OK? 29:08 "But these are written that you may.. " 29:11 OK, why are they written? 29:28 So that's the reason they are recorded. 29:31 They are recorded so that you and I can believe. 29:37 So when I read the miracles 29:42 in this book and the prophecies 29:46 they help me believe. 29:49 You see, if you were to just reach in and take all the 29:55 miracles out of the Bible 29:57 and take all the prophecies out of the Bible, 30:00 do you know what you'd have left? 30:03 Well really all you'd have left is a book of philosophy. 30:07 That's all that would be left. 30:10 You see, it's the miracles and it's the prophecies 30:14 that give it the divine. 30:16 It makes it more than human... 30:19 it makes the book divine. 30:21 In this book is life. 30:24 You ever thought about it? 30:27 The same energy that God used 30:32 in creating this world 30:34 is in the Word of God. 30:37 See, it's more there... 30:39 So Jesus Christ was everything that He claimed to be. 30:46 This miracle He did in the presence 30:49 of 5,000 people. 31:10 Five thousand men, not counting women and children, 31:16 were fed that day. 31:19 Have you ever taken time to read the conditions there? 31:25 I mean, if Jesus Christ, folks, 31:32 was just a man 31:35 and just trying to - how should I say? - 31:40 promote himself, 31:42 this was the opportunity of all opportunities... 31:46 because here He had just 31:51 healed person after person after person 31:55 and now He has thousands of them sitting down there 32:00 and He is feeding them. 32:02 And those people are saying 32:05 "He is... He is 32:10 a prophet. He is the one that's going to deliver Israel. 32:16 Let's make Him king! " 32:19 That's what they're saying. 32:22 Now if He wasn't what He said 32:26 then here was the opportunity for Him to take over. 32:31 But instead He sent His disciples across the sea. 32:37 He went up in the mountain to pray 32:40 and He dismissed the crowd 32:45 because He said: "My kingdom is not of this world. " 32:51 You see, what I'm trying to get across to you tonight 32:55 is that Jesus Christ is without question, folks, 33:00 exactly what He said He was. 33:04 Then the miracle of the resurrection. 33:15 But the miracle of Lazarus. 33:19 The resurrection of Lazarus without question 33:23 was what brought about His death. 33:29 Because He calculated that and had that done 33:35 because He knew that's what would happen. 33:37 The time had come... the time had come when He 33:41 knew that He was to give His life for you and for me. 33:45 You see, folks, 33:49 Jesus understood and Jesus knew that He came here to die. 33:56 He understood that. That... He knew that was necessary, 34:00 that was required, for you and I to be saved 34:04 was that He had to die. 34:08 And so as things went along and developed 34:12 He knew that He needed to give proof 34:16 that He was indeed the Son of God. 34:20 And so with the resurrection of Lazarus 34:24 He gave that proof because Lazarus had been in that grave 34:30 for four days. There was no question 34:34 that Lazarus was dead 34:37 and He was calling him forth. 34:57 The scripture says that with the resurrection of Lazarus 35:02 a great multitude of people believed. 35:07 Then shortly after this you have the triumphal entry. 35:13 You have Jesus with Lazarus 35:17 going in front of Him into Jerusalem. 35:20 And of course this was more than the Pharisees could take 35:26 because they said: "If we don't do something, everybody's 35:30 going to be turned to Him. " 35:33 But oh, dear friend, if they would have been. 35:36 Oh that they just would have responded 35:38 and given their hearts to Him. 35:41 What a difference it would make. 35:43 Claims... 35:51 One of the claims that He makes 35:53 is that He is God. 35:56 He doesn't hide it. 35:59 He doesn't try to do anything. 36:02 He makes it very clear that He is God. 36:07 And you and I must recognize Him as God 36:13 if you are going to receive the benefits 36:17 of what He has done for you and me. 36:21 You remember He was brought in before the Sanhedrin... 36:42 I mean, you can't have it any clearer. 36:45 He's been put under oath and he said: "You tell us 36:48 are you the Son of God? " 37:06 I told you in our last presentation 37:09 that when He said that, 37:12 that is a direct reference to Daniel the 7th chapter. 37:18 That's a direct reference to it and Caiaphas understood that 37:22 and knew that without question. 37:24 That's the reason he tore his robe and said: "blasphemy. " 37:28 He said - Jesus said - without question He was the Son of God. 37:33 Jesus claims to be God. 37:39 The question that you and I have to answer tonight 37:42 in your own selves is do you recognize Him as God? 37:49 Do you recognize...? If you do, 37:53 if you recognize Him as God, 37:55 then, dear friend, He is worthy of your worship. 38:01 He accepts worship. 38:03 And only as God could He accept worship and it be of value. 38:08 But He does accept worship because He is God. 38:24 I mean, we talked about that a little bit 38:27 in our last presentation... 38:28 the fact that nature obeyed Him. 38:34 I mean, when He stood up there and said to the wind: 38:38 "stop blowing" and to the waves "to calm, " 38:42 they obeyed His voice. 38:44 And the disciples couldn't... they couldn't understand this 38:48 because this person who they were following 38:51 who they believed to be the deliverer of Israel, 38:55 many of them believed Him to be a prophet, 38:57 but all of a sudden they were faced with somebody 39:00 who was more than that... 39:01 who nature listened to His voice and followed His commands. 39:05 And they said: "Who is this? " 39:07 "Who is like this that even the wind 39:12 and the waves obey His voice? " 39:15 And they worshiped Him as God. 39:19 So you and I need to worship Him 39:24 indeed as God. 39:28 He said... these are claims that He made... 39:31 He said He came to "seek and save the lost. " 39:37 That includes us, yeah. 39:40 He came to seek and save the lost. 39:44 How wonderful that He's here. 39:48 You know, certain things there, folks, that's so different. 39:52 Let me read the text to you first. It says: 40:09 It'd be one thing if that text says 40:12 that the Son of Man came to save that which is lost. 40:17 See? 40:19 That puts Him - if it said that... 40:21 that "the Son of Man came to save that which was lost" 40:25 that puts Him - how should I say it - in a way 40:28 in the same category as Buddha 40:31 or as Confucius. 40:34 See, Buddha tells you that if you do this and this and this 40:39 you'll be saved. 40:40 And Confucius says the same thing. 40:44 But Jesus doesn't say that. 40:46 It says He came to SEEK. 40:48 That means He came looking for you! 40:51 See, that's like if you fell in a well. 40:55 You see? And Buddha would look in the well and say: 40:58 "Well if you do this and this and this you might get out. " 41:02 See... Along would come Confucius and he would say: 41:06 "Well if you obey these things and you try hard enough, 41:09 you probably could work it out to get out of the well. " 41:12 But Jesus Christ got down in the well. 41:16 Got you, brought you out. 41:19 "To seek and save that which is lost. " 41:23 And He did that for you and for me. 41:28 He says He will forgive you and your sins. 41:34 He will forgive you of your sins. 41:37 I don't know about you 41:42 but, dear friend, how shall I put it? 41:46 That's what takes the monkey off your back 41:52 is to have your sins forgiven. 41:55 You know? That's what it does. 41:57 It just... it brings about relief 42:00 to know that no matter what my past may have been... 42:05 And to those of you who are watching by television 42:08 or listening on the radio, I don't care how dark 42:12 your past may be 42:16 the Lord Jesus Christ will forgive you 42:20 if you come to Him. 42:22 It does not make any difference 42:25 what sin you may have committed 42:28 or how dark your past is... 42:31 He will forgive. 42:58 I don't know what that did for you, 43:01 but oh, dear friend, when I came to the Lord Jesus Christ 43:05 and found that my sins were forgiven 43:09 what a difference that made. 43:12 What a load that took off of me. 43:16 You know, the nice thing about it is 43:18 is you can day by day keep that off you. 43:22 You don't have to carry that. 43:24 And if you're burdened down with sin, 43:29 dear friend, you don't have to carry that. 43:32 The Lord will forgive you; you can have that off your back 43:36 all the time. You don't have to carry it. 43:39 He'll forgive you of your sins. 43:42 He promised He would resurrect His followers from the grave. 43:48 You know, it's one thing to say: "Well, fine. " 43:52 But I'm sorry. All of us - 43:56 unless time should come to an end and Jesus should come back - 44:01 every one of us are going to face the grave. 44:06 I mean, that's something that just is part of mankind 44:12 is we're going to die. 44:15 If that's all there is, 44:18 not much... you know. 44:23 I don't know about the rest of you, but man, 44:26 time went by awful fast. 44:29 I mean, it just seemed like it flew. 44:31 And all of a sudden I'm looking back and here... 44:34 there's a whole lot back there and not very much this way. 44:39 You know... and it's just some- thing that we're going to face. 44:47 Fortunately, Jesus Christ rose from the grave 44:53 and He said: "Because I live you can live. " 44:57 And He gave proof - came forth from the grave - 45:02 that He was indeed the Son of God. 45:17 Said: "I am the resurrection and the life. 45:21 He who believes in Me, though he may die, 45:26 yet he shall live. " 45:29 Then He asked a very pointed question: 45:38 Do you tonight believe that? 45:42 That he who believes in Jesus Christ 45:46 shall live... shall never die. 45:49 That's a promise that's given to you and to me. 45:53 And what I'm trying to tell you tonight is 45:56 the Word of God stands on that promise. 46:00 Jesus Christ rose from the dead 46:03 as the firstfruits of the resurrection... 46:05 proof to you and to me 46:09 that we can have life in Jesus Christ. 46:14 Well, He will judge the world. 46:20 You know it's one thing to say: "Well, 46:24 you know, I don't believe that. Not going to accept that. " 46:29 But it's another thing to realize 46:31 that there's a day coming in which you are going to face it. 46:36 And if He is all that He claims to be, 46:40 which history and evidence and all says that He is, 46:46 then dear friend you're going to have to face 46:49 the Judge of the universe. 47:10 He will judge the world. 47:15 You and I have the privilege... 47:20 Oh that we would understand 47:24 that this is not based on your ability. 47:27 You understand that? 47:29 This is not based on how good you are. 47:32 This is not based on your ability. 47:38 It's based on two things. 47:40 It's based on your acceptance of Him 47:44 and what He did for you. 47:46 That's what it's based on. 47:49 And so it doesn't make any difference who you are. 47:53 It doesn't make any difference what your situation is. 47:56 Doesn't make any difference where you've been. 47:58 It is totally on the basis, tonight, 48:02 is if you want to accept Him. 48:05 And if you accept Him as Savior, 48:10 if you accept Him as the Son of God, 48:13 you accept what He did for you, 48:16 then, dear friend, you and I stand 48:22 where we are totally - how should I put it? - 48:26 totally protected and totally cared for 48:29 because He has done everything that's necessary 48:34 for you and me to have life. 48:43 Thought about it? 48:46 Why is it important that I believe in Jesus Christ? 48:49 Well to begin with, salvation is found only in Him. 48:53 There's nobody else that offers you salvation. 48:59 Acts 4:12: 49:09 Salvation is in Jesus Christ alone. 49:14 Show me... Show me somebody else 49:19 who came forth from the grave. 49:22 Come on, show me! 49:27 He alone is the One. 49:30 Salvation is found totally and completely 49:33 in Him... nobody else. 49:35 Therefore it's important that you and I believe in Him 49:39 in order to be saved. 49:42 It can't be any other way. 49:45 Secondly, life is found only in Christ. 49:51 It says here in I John 5:12: 50:02 Life is found only in Jesus Christ. 50:07 Not only eternal life... 50:10 that is found only in Jesus Christ. 50:13 But really folks, 50:16 life on this old earth 50:18 is really found 50:20 only in Jesus Christ. 50:23 To that person who has never known Jesus Christ, 50:28 who has never accepted Jesus Christ, 50:32 that person has never lived. 50:37 That person has never experienced life. 50:42 Only when an individual has given his heart to Jesus Christ 50:48 and understands and experiences 50:54 forgiveness - experiences the joy 50:58 and the peace and the love that comes into his life 51:02 through Jesus Christ - 51:04 only that person knows what it means to live. 51:09 So Christ is the One who gives life. 51:13 Also, He's the way... Christ is the way. 51:27 If you want to find the way, 51:30 if you want to find answers to life's questions, 51:34 if you want to find joy and happiness in living day by day, 51:39 then Jesus Christ is the way. 51:42 He's the One. 51:44 So these are claims that Jesus Christ makes 51:47 and this is why it becomes so important 51:51 that you and I believe in Jesus Christ. 52:01 Tonight what are you going to do with Him? 52:04 Are you going to stick your head in the sand... 52:09 say "don't tell me? " 52:12 Are you going to ignore the facts of history? 52:18 Ignore all the evidence that's there? 52:22 What will you do with Jesus Christ? 52:37 Listen. 52:52 All the things that Jesus Christ did 52:57 even the world couldn't contain them. 52:59 So the question is: The evidence is there. 53:03 Why believe in Jesus Christ? 53:06 Because, folks, the abundance of evidence 53:10 that's laid down through prophecies and through history 53:14 and through miracles that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God. 53:19 Jesus and the disciples 53:24 had come down from the mountain, 53:28 and this young man - this man whose son 53:33 was epileptic, said to Jesus: 53:38 "If you can... if you can do something, heal him. " 53:50 Tonight, can you believe? 54:03 And so tonight I offer to you 54:07 Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 54:11 Let us pray. 54:13 Heavenly Father, 54:15 we thank you that Jesus came. 54:20 That He died. 54:22 That He lived. 54:25 That He rose. 54:26 That each of us may have life. 54:30 Grant to us, Lord, the peace and the joy 54:34 the understanding that comes 54:37 in giving our hearts to You. 54:39 For this we ask in the name of Jesus, Amen. 54:45 Remember our next presentation is What Makes Jesus Different? 54:51 What makes Him different than these other 54:54 who claim to be saviors? 54:57 So that you and I can know where is the dividing line. 55:01 What makes Him different from them? 55:04 Appreciate you being here. 55:05 Hope that these presentations on Jesus will bless you. 55:09 Thank you for being here; good night. 55:11 God bless each one of you. 55:13 Stay close to Jesus. 55:17 Hello, friends. 55:19 In Luke the 12th chapter Jesus tells an interesting story 55:23 of a master who returned home from his wedding 55:27 hoping to find each of his servants eagerly waiting 55:30 to let him in 55:31 no matter what hour of the day or the night. 55:34 This story is about each of us 55:36 who have been bought by His precious blood 55:39 and therefore have become His servants. 55:41 And His hope is that we will faithfully be doing 55:46 the work He assigned while anxiously awaiting His return. 55:50 But this beautiful parable 55:52 has a dark warning as well. 55:55 Luke writes about a break-in that happens 55:58 in the night while the master of the house is fast asleep. 56:02 Under the cover of darkness, 56:04 a thief steals his most precious possession. 56:07 And Jesus goes on to say 56:09 "But know this, that if the master of the house 56:12 had known what hour the thief would come 56:14 he would have watched 56:15 and not allowed his house to be broken into. 56:18 Therefore you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming 56:22 at an hour you do not expect. " 56:24 Friends, none of us know the hour of Christ's second coming. 56:28 To some it may seem like a far-off event. 56:31 But if their life should end today, 56:34 it will feel like only a moment. 56:37 Jesus' message is the same for us today. 56:40 Do all you can to prepare 56:42 and faithfully watch and wait. 56:45 Satan is a thief, and there is nothing he enjoys more 56:50 than stealing our relationship with Jesus. 56:53 He robs us by making us careless and indifferent. 56:57 He tries to distract us from spending time with our Lord 57:00 and to burden us with so much care that we become indifferent 57:04 to those who are suffering 57:06 and those who don't know about our loving Savior. 57:11 As Christians, we are given the great privilege of being 57:15 called the sons and daughters of God. 57:17 But with this privilege comes an awesome responsibility: 57:22 to be faithful servants and to tell others about Jesus. 57:26 Are you being faithful to God? 57:28 Are you ready to give an account of your stewardship? 57:31 Our ministry is geared entirely 57:34 to taking care of those spiritual needs 57:36 of those who watch us all over the world. 57:39 Won't you help us? 57:41 Please consider what you can do 57:42 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:45 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:47 please send your tax-deductible gifts to: 58:01 Thank you for helping us spread the light of God's Word 58:04 through television and radio. 58:06 Your gifts help bring the blessed hope of salvation 58:08 to millions around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17