Participants: Jac Colon
Series Code: RNN
Program Code: RNN000013
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00:19 Lamb among the beast.
00:23 In Revelation the 17th Chapter 00:27 and I'm looking at verse 12, 00:33 "The ten horns you saw are ten kings 00:39 who have not yet received a kingdom, 00:43 but who for one hour will receive authority as kings 00:48 along with the beast." 00:52 They have one hour, 00:55 all of the suffering, all of the pain 00:57 that they inflict on others through the ages 01:01 for one hour of glory and then it's gone. One hour. 01:09 Verse 13, "They have one purpose 01:13 and they will give their power and authority to the beast." 01:18 The ten kings will give their power 01:21 and authority to the beast, why? 01:23 Verse 14 tells us, 01:25 "They will make war against the Lamb." 01:31 What? What chance does he have? 01:35 A pitiful little innocent lamb against the beast 01:39 and the kings of the earth and their armies, 01:42 what chance does he have? 01:46 The Bible tells us 01:48 that the lamb will overcome them 01:52 because he is Lord of lords and King of kings 01:57 and with him the called chosen and faithful followers." 02:02 The lamb will overcome them, 02:05 the lamb will win. 02:11 I read the back of the book already, 02:14 I know who's gonna win this thing. 02:16 It doesn't look like it, 02:18 doesn't seem like he has a chance 02:20 but the Bible tells us the lamb is going to win 02:24 against the beast, against the kings of the earth 02:27 because He is the King of kings 02:29 and Lord of lords, he's gonna win. 02:32 And with him is called chosen 02:36 and faithful followers. 02:39 You want to win, follow the lamb. 02:46 I want you to notice something here, 02:50 all the kings of the earth 02:53 joined together with the beast. 02:59 In Revelation 16, 03:03 he sees in verse 14, 03:05 unclean spirits coming out of the mouth of the dragon, 03:08 the beast and the false prophet. 03:09 And there are spirits of demons, 03:11 verse 14, they perform miracles, 03:13 they go out to the kings of the whole world, 03:15 there they are to gather them 03:18 for battle on the great day of God Almighty. 03:20 Verse 16, "Then they gathered the kings together 03:23 to the place that in Hebrew it's called Armageddon. 03:27 That's the last great war. Who do they fight against? 03:31 We just read it, the ten horns, 03:32 the ten kings who receive authority 03:34 along with the beast, they have one purpose 03:36 and they will give their power and authority to the beast 03:39 and they will make war against the lamb. 03:42 I want you to notice that it does not say 03:45 they make war against Israel, 03:50 and that's what the whole world 03:51 is looking for today. 03:54 But they are gathered together to make war against the lamb 04:01 and his called chosen and faithful followers, 04:05 that's you, that's all 04:09 who choose to follow Jesus Christ. 04:11 The lamb is Jesus, He will be victorious. 04:15 He is King of kings, He is Lord of lords. 04:17 Well, we know the lamb is Jesus, 04:22 but who is Jesus? 04:28 Who is Jesus, not who was Jesus? 04:34 The answer to that question, Revelation 1, 04:37 Revelation 1:17, 04:43 John had just seen a vision and he saw Jesus in vision, 04:48 he fell to His feet, he was scared 04:50 and so he placed his right hand on, 04:53 he said, do not be afraid, I am the first and the last. 04:58 He saw Jesus and Jesus said, 05:00 I am the first and the last. 05:06 Now there are a lot of people who like you to believe that 05:09 that wasn't Jesus speaking, 05:11 that has to be the Father in heaven, 05:13 couldn't have been Jesus. 05:16 Well, you read the next verse. 05:19 It shows you it has to be Jesus. 05:22 He says, don't be afraid, I'm the first and the last, 05:25 I am the living one, 05:27 I was dead and behold now, I'm alive for ever and ever 05:31 and I have the keys to death and Hades. 05:34 I was dead, now I'm alive, that is not the Father, 05:38 that is the Son Jesus Christ. 05:42 So Jesus Christ is the first and the last. 05:50 Jesus is the Lord God Almighty. 05:56 In fact, one of my favorite prophecies, 06:00 Isaiah 7:14, 06:03 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign, 06:07 The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son 06:11 and will call him Immanuel." 06:15 Imagine already in the Old Testament, 06:18 the Bible says a virgin would conceive, 06:21 give birth to a child, a son 06:24 and his name would be Immanuel. 06:30 Now the truth is that Immanuel is another Hebrew word, 06:36 actually, it's three Hebrew words. 06:40 Im in Hebrew means with, 06:45 Manu means us, 06:50 El means God. 06:55 His name would be Immanuel. 06:59 With us God 07:03 or God with us. 07:08 A virgin would conceive and give birth to a son, 07:14 so that God could be with us 07:20 and we find a remarkable fulfillment 07:24 to that prophecy in the Gospel of Luke. 07:28 In Luke 1:26, "In the sixth month, 07:32 God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, 07:35 a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married 07:39 to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. 07:42 The virgin's name was Mary." 07:47 Now the Old Testaments says that Jesus the Messiah 07:51 would come to the world, 07:53 so that God could be with us 07:55 and he would be born of a virgin. 07:59 The New Testament says He was, I believe that. 08:05 I believe God that Jesus was born of a virgin. 08:10 If He wasn't, He couldn't be the Messiah. 08:15 But watch this, "He appears to a virgin 08:19 pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, 08:22 descendant of David, the virgin's name was Mary. 08:25 And the angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, 08:29 you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'" 08:34 Now Mary was not very excited about that greeting. 08:39 She knew all the Old Testament stories about the prophets, 08:43 the Lord was with them. 08:44 Look at what happened to them, 08:46 they were stoned, hung, stuck in the hollow logs, 08:48 sword into half, she knew about all this. 08:51 She says, I'm not so sure 08:52 I want the Lord to be with me like that. 08:56 I'm not so sure 08:57 I want to be favored like that, it bothered her. 08:59 In fact, it even says here in verse 29, 09:01 she was greatly troubled at his words 09:04 and wondered, oh, oh, what kind of a greeting is this. 09:10 Verse 30, the angel said to her, 09:12 don't be afraid, Mary, you've found favor with God. 09:18 And you'll be with child and give birth to a son 09:21 and you would to give him the name Jesus 09:24 and He will be great 09:29 and He will be called the Son of the Most High. 09:34 The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David 09:37 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, 09:41 His kingdom will never end. 09:45 What a prophecy, what a promise 09:52 to Mary, a young lady, 09:57 a virgin pledged to be married to Joseph. 10:04 Wow. 10:09 Now Mary started thinking about this 10:13 and she thought, wow, didn't you take the class 10:18 in the birds and the bees. 10:22 How can this happen, I'm a virgin. 10:26 Verse 34, "And the angel answered, 10:31 "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, 10:33 and the power of the Most High 10:35 will overshadow you, 10:37 so that the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God." 10:44 Mary what a woman she must have been. 10:52 God chose her, handpicked 10:56 all the women on earth to be the mother of His Son. 11:03 What a woman she must have been. 11:06 You know, some times I think that as Protestants 11:11 we're so afraid of lifting Mary 11:14 up to a position that's unwarranted 11:16 the way some do that we almost avoid her altogether. 11:24 But I believe that there is a real blessing to be had 11:27 when we understand Mary 11:30 and the little more about who she was 11:34 engaged to be married to a man, 11:37 told that she would be the mother of the Son of God, 11:41 because the Holy Spirit would come upon her. 11:45 I would think one of the first thoughts 11:47 to come into her mind was Joseph. 11:51 How am I gonna tell Joseph. 11:54 Have you ever thought about that? 11:59 Joseph, I need to tell you something, 12:07 I'm gonna have a baby. What? 12:10 Oh, no, no, it's not like you think. 12:12 You see this angel-- 12:18 Now the thing that really amazes me is 12:21 Joseph believed her. 12:24 Does that tell you something about 12:26 what she must have been like. 12:30 Joseph believed her. 12:32 Sure, he took a little help from an angel 12:33 but he believed her. 12:42 What a story. 12:43 So that God to became a man and be with us. 12:51 What a God, unsearchable love 12:54 Jesus born of God, 12:57 the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, 13:01 fully God and fully man at the same time. 13:08 What a God? 13:11 And sometimes I believe that 13:12 we overemphasize the divinity of Christ. 13:17 You know, we see pictures of Jesus, 13:19 He has this spotless white robe, 13:21 hair immaculate clean, His feet are cleated, 13:25 His every hair in place, a halo around His head. 13:31 But I don't believe He was like that. 13:34 He was a real man, lived in a desert country, 13:39 walked the dusty hot roads, 13:43 feet dirty from the burning sand, 13:46 robes stained with sweat. 13:48 He was a carpenter's son, 13:49 His hands must have been rough 13:51 and callous from the rough boards 13:53 that He was working with. 13:56 Jesus was a man and He look so much like a man. 13:59 Isaiah said, there was nothing about Him 14:02 that men would desire Him. 14:04 If you saw Jesus walking down the desert road 14:07 with His disciples, 14:09 there would be no way for you to know 14:10 that He was the Son of God 14:12 unless the Father in heaven revealed it to you. 14:16 He was a man, fully God, fully man. 14:24 In fact Paul wrote in the Book of Hebrews 4:15, 14:32 "We do not have a high priest 14:34 who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses." 14:36 No we have one who has been tempted in everyway 14:40 just as we are yet He was without sin. 14:47 So Jesus became a man so much of a man 14:51 that He was tempted in everyway just like you and I. 14:57 Yet He was without sin. 15:02 It doesn't say He didn't sin. 15:07 That's entirely different. 15:09 We know He didn't sin, Jesus never sinned 15:14 but this verse doesn't say He didn't sin. 15:16 This verse says He was tempted in everyway 15:19 just as you and I, yet He was without sin. 15:24 Being without sin is something 15:26 far more profound than simply not sinning. 15:31 The Bible in the verse we just read said, 15:33 Jesus was born the Holy One. 15:37 We're not born holy. 15:40 We're born with the sinful nature. 15:43 We're born with sinful propensities. 15:47 We're born with tendencies towards sin. 15:49 We are born selfish. 15:51 You don't believe it, have a baby. 15:56 There's nothing more selfish on earth than a baby. 16:01 I've never seen one baby 16:02 that wakes up in the middle of the night 16:04 hungry with the dirty diaper 16:06 getting ready to cry as oh, no I don't want to do that, 16:09 my mom and dad need to sleep tonight. 16:14 We're born self-centered. 16:18 Jesus wasn't born self-centered, He was born holy. 16:24 We're not born holy. 16:26 So how could He be tempted in everyway just as you and I? 16:29 Yet He was without sin, 16:32 He wasn't born with that sinful nature 16:34 we have, the tendencies to sin, 16:37 He was without sin, He was holy. 16:38 How can He be tempted just like us? 16:40 We know that when we sin it weakens us 16:43 and makes it easier 16:45 to be tempted in sin the next time. 16:48 Jesus didn't experience that degradation, 16:51 He was never hooked on cigarettes, 16:53 tobacco, alcohol, pornography. 16:56 So how could He be tempted just like you and I. 17:01 I think the answer to that question 17:02 is found in Luke 3. 17:06 Back to the Gospel of Luke 3, 17:09 John the Baptist was baptizing people 17:11 in the Jordon River. 17:13 In verse 22, Jesus came down 17:15 and He was baptized too, the Bible says. 17:18 And when He was baptized after He prayed 17:21 and while He was praying "The Holy Spirit 17:23 descended on Him and bodily form like a dove." 17:27 Now listen, "A voice came down from heaven 17:32 and said, "You are My Son, 17:39 with whom I am well pleased and I love." 17:44 That was the voice of the Father in heaven. 17:49 That was the word of God saying, 17:54 you are my son. 18:00 Now Jesus Himself was 30 years old 18:02 when He began His ministry 18:03 that lasted three and a half years. 18:06 Chapter 4:1. 18:08 "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan 18:10 and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 18:12 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. 18:15 He ate nothing during those days, 18:18 and at the end of them he was hungry." 18:21 I believe that. 18:23 I go four hours and I get hungry. 18:27 Forty days without eating. 18:31 Now I want you to think about something. 18:34 Jesus was God, Jesus was man, 18:38 yet He was tempted in everyway just like you and I. 18:44 In order for that to happen, 18:46 Jesus then would have to cast aside 18:50 or set aside His divine power 18:54 and be tempted as a man and not as God. 18:57 Are you following me? 18:59 He couldn't use His divine power 19:02 to withstand temptation. 19:05 He came to demonstrate that even a human being 19:09 could in fact be obedient to God and keep God's law. 19:14 He couldn't do it as God, He had to set aside 19:17 His divine power. 19:21 And so He goes to the desert 19:22 as a human being to be tempted 19:26 and went for 40 days without eating. 19:29 So what do you think He must have looked like? 19:33 Must have been pretty weak, pretty frail, skinny. 19:44 Devil came, he always comes 19:46 when you're weak and frail and skinny and down. 19:50 He always comes at your weakest moment. 19:54 So the devil came in verse 3 and he said to Him. 19:58 "If you are the Son of God, 19:59 tell this stone to become bread." 20:02 Now I don't know about you but I've never been tempted 20:05 to turn stones into bread, have you? 20:12 And the reason it isn't a temptation to me 20:14 is because I can't do it. 20:18 Jesus could have done it 20:20 if He would have used His divine power 20:25 instead withstand the temptation as a man. 20:29 You see what's happening? 20:32 He's trying to get him to use His divine power 20:34 so the devil can say, you see God, 20:35 man can't obey you. 20:39 He could have done it with His divine power 20:43 but He have to face that temptation as a man. 20:49 If you are the Son of God 20:50 tell the stone to become bread 20:51 and Jesus answered, "It is written, 20:53 'Man does not live on bread alone." 20:56 Now do you want to know how to withstand temptation? 21:00 Simple, with it is written. 21:05 But you have to know what's written first 21:07 before you can say what is written. 21:11 That's why we need to spend time 21:12 with our noses in the word of God. 21:15 So when the devil comes, 21:16 you can reply with it is written. 21:21 "Man doesn't live by bread alone." 21:24 Pass that test verse 5 21:26 "The devil led him up to a high place 21:27 and he showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 21:30 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority 21:33 and splendor, for it has been given to me, 21:34 and I can give it to anyone that I want to. 21:35 So if you worship me, it will all be yours." 21:38 I have never ever been tempted by a king to worship him 21:43 if he gives me all the kingdoms of the world, have you? 21:47 I never had. 21:49 So how could He be tempted 21:52 in every way just like you and I, 21:54 yet He was without sin. 21:58 Jesus answered, "It is written. 22:03 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only. '" 22:08 So you got to know what's written 22:11 in order to withstand temptation like Jesus did. 22:15 But there is something deeper going on here. 22:18 Look at the first one again, the devil said to Jesus, 22:23 if you are the Son of God, turn the stones into bread. 22:30 You notice the element of doubt. 22:34 If you are the Son of God. 22:38 And then he says, worship me 22:43 because all authority has been given to me. 22:51 Can you see what's happening here? 22:54 What did Jesus look like? 22:55 He was weak. 22:56 What did He feel like? He was frail. 23:00 He had gone 40 days without eating. 23:03 He was skinny. 23:05 What is Satan look like? 23:06 I can promise you, he wasn't standing there 23:09 dressed in that little red jumpsuit 23:10 two horns on his head, long tail with an arrow on the end. 23:14 He always appears masquerades 23:16 and angel alike, doesn't he? 23:19 So here's this dazzling being an angel of light 23:22 and here's this poor hungry suffering man 23:25 who had set His divinity aside and became man 23:28 and He is there hungry looking like the first wind 23:31 that comes along is going to blow you away. 23:33 Worship me, I'm the Son of God, 23:36 you are the fallen angel worship me. 23:43 Now how did Jesus know 23:48 that He was the Son of God? 23:51 He had set His divine power aside, 23:54 He had to be tempted as a man, 23:58 He had to learn things just like any other human being, 24:01 just like you and I. 24:04 So how did He know He was the Son of God? 24:07 He had just come from His baptism 24:10 40 days earlier 24:12 and He heard His Father in heaven say 24:15 you are My Son and I am well pleased. 24:23 You see the devil was doing nothing more 24:26 than simply attempting to get Jesus 24:29 to doubt God's word. 24:36 He was trying to get Jesus to believe what he felt. 24:42 He didn't feel like a Son of God. 24:45 He was trying to get Jesus to believe what he saw, 24:48 He didn't look like the Son of God. 24:51 He was trying to get Jesus to believe what he heard. 24:54 He certainly didn't have 24:55 a strong voice like a Son of God. 25:01 Instead of believing what God said 25:06 and that's how Jesus was tempted 25:10 just like you and I 25:13 because temptation is nothing more 25:16 than the attempt by the devil 25:18 to get you to doubt the word of God. 25:22 Temptation is nothing more than Satan 25:25 getting you to doubt that God means exactly 25:28 what He says in the word 25:30 and no matter if everyone else 25:32 in the world sees it differently 25:34 you want to believe what God says, 25:38 that's how Jesus was tempted just like you and I. 25:42 And that's the kind of man and woman 25:44 that God is looking for to stand through the end time. 25:52 To believe the word of God no matter what. 25:59 Verse 9, "Then the devil led him to Jerusalem 26:01 and had him stand on the highest point of the temple 26:02 and said, "If you are the Son of God," 26:04 There he goes again. 26:06 "Throw yourself down from here." 26:08 Because look at this, It is written. 26:14 'He will command his angels 26:15 concerning you to guard you carefully, 26:17 they will lift you up in their hands, 26:19 so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" 26:22 It is written. 26:25 Don't be surprised if the devil quote scripture. 26:30 He knows it better than you do. 26:33 He was there as it was written. 26:36 He saw it unfolding with his own eyes. 26:38 He knows what's written. 26:40 He's gonna quote it back to you. 26:43 He did it to Jesus. 26:46 And how did Jesus answered I like the way Matthew put it. 26:49 Jesus answered in verse 12, "It is also written. 26:54 'Don't put the Lord your God to the test.'" 26:57 See it's not enough to know just what is written 26:59 you have to know what is also written. 27:02 Compare scripture with scripture, 27:05 that's what Jesus did. 27:10 God is looking for men and women 27:12 that are willing to believe what the Bible says 27:15 no matter what anybody else tells them. 27:20 Some of you have been confronted 27:21 with the challenge at Revelation. 27:23 Now 'cause we dare to dig into the scripture 27:28 and talk about some things 27:29 that most people aren't talking about today. 27:33 We dare to dig into the scripture 27:35 and discover that according to the Bible 27:37 the seventh day is the Sabbath day 27:39 and God says I blessed it, I made it holy, 27:42 I want you to keep it holy. 27:45 Look around practically the whole world 27:47 is doing something else. 27:50 Practically the whole is saying it doesn't matter. 27:55 God said it does matter. 27:58 I made it holy that mean something. 28:04 Are we prepared to do what God says 28:06 no matter what everybody else around us is doing? 28:16 What a man Jesus. 28:21 Hadn't even worked His miracle yet 28:24 but He believed the word of His Father. 28:31 After this the Bible tells us that Jesus went to a wedding. 28:37 When they came home He saw a male sitting there 28:40 a little invitation all fancy, who's that mom? 28:43 Oh, that's your cousin in Cana getting married. 28:46 Oh, good let's go. 28:49 He went to the wedding. 28:50 Now why do you think Jesus went to the wedding? 28:54 Why did He go? 28:56 Wedding are places where people are happy. 28:59 They are celebrating, they are having fun. 29:03 I think Jesus went there because He like to be 29:05 around people that are happy. 29:09 He likes to be around people 29:10 that are celebrating, that are having fun. 29:12 I think Jesus like to have fun. He was a human being. 29:15 I think He enjoyed life. 29:18 Oh, that's why I don't like all the pictures of Jesus 29:21 that are always showing Him so serious. 29:23 I think He smile sometimes. I think He laugh sometimes. 29:28 I think Jesus was a happy man. 29:31 He was happy that's why He went. 29:34 He worked His first miracle there, 29:35 so they could stay happy. 29:38 But He was also a brave courageous man. 29:46 Tireless, worked all day for the people. 29:50 And at the end of day He is tired 29:52 so He says to disciples, let's get in the boat 29:53 we need to go to the other side and take a break. 29:55 I'm glad He did that. 29:58 That way I don't have to feel guilty 29:59 when I feel like I need a break. 30:02 Jesus took a break. 30:04 So He get in the boat, 30:05 they row across the Sea of Galilee to the other side, 30:09 pull it up on the shore looking around for a place 30:11 to just rest kick back a little bit 30:14 and suddenly this man comes running after Him, 30:17 his arms waving in the air, 30:20 his eyes looking like a mad man, 30:21 his hair wild blowing in the wild, 30:23 his chains dangling from his wrist and his ankles, 30:26 he is bearing down on Jesus and the disciples and-- 30:30 you know, sometimes it's fun to use 30:31 a little sanctified imagination. 30:36 See the disciples, wow, what's happening here. 30:40 They did run up and get back in that boat 30:41 row out into the water. 30:46 When they look back, they see Jesus standing there, 30:50 He wasn't afraid of this lunatic, 30:53 he wasn't afraid of this man possessed by demon, 30:58 name was Legion. 31:02 Jesus was brave, He wasn't scared of the demons. 31:07 The demons were scared of Him. 31:10 They say, we know who you are? 31:12 You are the Son of God get us out of here, 31:13 throw us into that herd of pigs over there. 31:17 And Jesus cast out the demons 31:19 and the disciples saw the man 31:20 sitting there in the sand in his right mind. 31:23 What a God? 31:26 Can't you see them quietly rowing that boat back up, 31:29 not wanting to make any noise, sneaking up behind, 31:32 maybe he wouldn't notice that they ran. 31:37 Jesus was a happy man but He was bold, courageous, 31:41 not afraid of anything, not even demons. 31:47 And then one of my favorite stories about Jesus. 31:55 Some of the Pharisees, the highest religious preachers 32:00 and teachers of the day, 32:03 the most popular pastors of the biggest churches around 32:08 were always trying to trap Jesus. 32:14 They would always come to Him 32:15 with some kind of a puzzling question 32:19 knowing that there was no good answer. 32:24 Trying to trick Him, expose Him. 32:27 But Jesus-- I love Jesus, 32:31 He was a kind of man that could take their question, 32:34 their attempts to expose Him, 32:37 and with one question turn it all around and flustered them. 32:43 This particular time they had found 32:46 the woman guilty of adultery, 32:50 so they dragged her over the Jesus, 32:53 threw her down at His feet 32:56 and said, Moses says we should stone her. 33:03 What do you say we should do? 33:07 You see they had Him trapped. 33:10 No matter how He answered. 33:13 If He said, well, if Moses said stone her, 33:16 then stone her. 33:19 Then they could turn Him into the Roman authorities 33:22 for taking capital punishment into His own hands 33:25 because it was illegal for a Jew 33:27 to exercise capital punishment. 33:30 If He said, let her go. It's illegal. 33:32 Then He could say He doesn't care 33:35 what Moses said, 33:37 He doesn't follow the scripture, He is scared of the Romans. 33:41 So you see they had Him either way it didn't matter. 33:47 But they weren't prepared for the answer that He gave 33:51 because at first He didn't say anything. 33:54 The Bible tells us He just knelt down 33:56 and began the write with His finger in the sand. 34:02 And then it tells us He looked up at them 34:06 and one by one they began to make excuses and left. 34:13 And then there wasn't anybody left anymore, 34:16 just Jesus and the woman as He is writing in the sand, 34:21 they are gone. 34:23 Oh, I got to go get my wife, she is getting off work 34:25 in a couple of minutes, see you later. 34:27 Yeah, my kinds are about to get out of school, 34:28 I got to go pick my-- 34:29 They made excuses the Bible said. 34:32 They couldn't get out that fast enough. 34:36 Nobody is left. 34:38 Jesus looks at the woman and He said 34:40 isn't there anyone here to condemn you? 34:43 And she said, no. 34:46 And Jesus said, neither do I condemn you. 34:50 Now go and sin no more. 34:56 Did you ever wonder 34:58 what did He write in the sand? 35:03 What did He write in the sand? 35:05 The Bible doesn't tell us 35:08 but I think I know, I think I figured it out. 35:13 You want me to tell you what I think He wrote? No? 35:18 All right, you want me to? Okay. 35:20 I am going to have to put my Bible down, 35:23 it's not in the Bible. 35:25 I am not preaching now, I am just talking. 35:27 You don't have to believe this 35:30 but here's what I think He wrote. 35:33 First of all, whatever He wrote, 35:35 they didn't like because they started making 35:39 excuses to get out of there. 35:42 Secondly, He said, "Let the one standing here among you 35:48 who is without sin cast the first stone." 35:52 And He started to write some more 35:55 and they really didn't like this. 35:58 And every single one of them cleared out. 36:03 I think they were-- 36:05 that Jesus was writing a list of their sins 36:10 in the sand for every body to see. 36:14 Remember, He couldn't use His divine power to save Himself 36:18 but He could use it to save others. 36:22 And He knew what was in the hearts of those people. 36:25 I think He was writing their sins down in the sand 36:28 and that's why when He said, "Let the one without sin," 36:32 if anybody dare to say he can just-- 36:33 look, it's right there for everybody to see. 36:37 Oh, I got to get out of here, man. 36:39 This isn't for me. 36:42 And furthermore, I'll tell you what else I think. 36:46 I think that one of those men accusing 36:49 that woman of adultery was probably the one 36:53 who committed adultery with her. 36:56 And why do I think that? Where was the man? 37:02 Where was the man? 37:04 He should have brought the man too. 37:07 He should have been stoned too. Where was the man? 37:09 I think he was standing there 37:12 and I think he was the first one to hightail it out of there 37:16 when Jesus wrote all this down in the sand. 37:19 No, I don't know. 37:20 When we get to heaven you can go ask Him, 37:22 was Colon right about that. 37:24 The Bible doesn't say. 37:29 This makes sense to me. 37:32 What a God, what a man 37:37 to take this attempt to crush a human life 37:40 and change it into the opportunity 37:42 to save the soul, 37:44 that's the kind of the man that Jesus was. 37:49 And then when it came time to unmask 37:52 the Pharisees, the popular pastors, 37:54 the great preaches of the day. 37:56 Jesus was the one who was man enough to do it. 38:00 Matthew 23, some of the toughest words 38:03 to come from the mouth of Jesus, 38:05 verse 25, "Woe to you, teachers of the law 38:07 and Pharisees, you hypocrites! 38:11 You clean the outside of the cup and dish, 38:13 but inside they are full of greed 38:14 and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisees! 38:17 First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, 38:19 and then the outside also will be clean. 38:21 Woe to you, teachers of the law, 38:23 you Pharisees, you hypocrites! 38:24 You are like whitewashed tombs, 38:26 which looks beautiful on the outside 38:27 but inside are full of dead man's bones 38:29 and everything unclean. 38:31 In the same way, on the outside 38:32 you appear to people as righteous 38:35 but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 38:38 You snakes! You brood of vipers! 38:40 How will you escape being condemned to hell?" 38:43 Wow, some pretty straight words, isn't it. 38:50 But you know I sense 38:54 that when Jesus was saying those words, 38:58 He had tears in His eyes 39:01 because He loved those Pharisees. 39:06 He loved those hypocrites, He died for them. 39:12 I think He must have had tears in His eyes 39:16 but yet 39:22 He was man enough 39:26 to stand up to them 39:29 when nobody else would. 39:36 Jesus was a real man. 39:37 You know there's some sense of completeness 39:40 about a man like Jesus 39:44 who could meet any emergency 39:47 with steel nerves, cool headedness like He did 39:53 and yet not be so bold and brave and callous. 39:58 And He wasn't ashamed to let His tears 40:00 stream down the side of His cheek 40:02 at the grave side of a friend. 40:05 The shortest verse in the Bible 40:07 when Jesus went to the grave side of His friend Lazarus 40:10 and saw his two sisters, 40:12 Mary and Martha there at the tomb crying. 40:15 The shortest verse in the Bible, 40:17 John 11:36 says, "Jesus wept." 40:22 He was so full of compassion 40:25 and understanding of what it means to be human 40:29 because He was just like you and I. 40:34 Tender hearted, He wept. 40:37 Tender hearted, even the children love Jesus. 40:42 Disciples one day were there, 40:44 and the children running up to Him, 40:45 "Oh, tell us a story." 40:46 And He-- disciples, shoo-shoo away. 40:48 He doesn't have time for you. 40:51 And Jesus said, don't do that. 40:54 Leave them alone, let then come here to me. 40:58 And I love to see pictures of Jesus 41:01 in my mind sitting under a tree in the shade in the desert. 41:05 Children sitting on His lap and Jesus telling them stories 41:10 about His Father in heaven. 41:14 You know adults, we can fool each other 41:18 sometimes, did you know that? 41:20 You can make an adult think you like him when you don't 41:25 but you can't fool children, they can see right through it. 41:31 So the fact that the children loved Jesus meant 41:33 that they knew He loved them. 41:37 What a man, tender hearted man. 41:40 He had physical needs like we do. 41:45 One morning the Bible says the disciples had been out 41:47 fishing all night and Jesus was there on the beach. 41:51 When they came in, He was fixing breakfast for them 41:54 because He knew they will be hungry. 41:57 He understood what it was to be human. 42:00 He had been out working all day, came in one day, 42:02 He say, "Hey, what you got to eat, man, I am hungry?" 42:06 Isn't that just like a real man? 42:10 Jesus was a real man, He understood. 42:12 I believe Jesus craved human friendship. 42:17 Now don't believe for a second 42:19 all the stories that you saw in 42:22 some of the movies that they put out 42:23 later that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. 42:26 It's just sheer bunch of lies, 42:29 but I believe that He did crave friendship. 42:34 I think that He was a lonesome man. 42:36 He never complained about it 42:39 but there are times when the curtain is pulled aside 42:41 and we didn't catch a glimpse of a lonely man, Jesus. 42:47 May be in a time like that 42:49 a rich young man comes up to Him and says, 42:52 "Master, I think you are going to make it. 42:55 You are going to build this into something really big. 42:59 You are going to have a lot of followers. 43:01 There would be a lot of people 43:03 wanting to contribute, a lot of money coming in, 43:08 you going to need a treasurer. 43:10 I am a CPA, 43:12 let me be Your treasures. I will help you. 43:15 His name was Judas. 43:19 Maybe there was a time like that 43:20 when Jesus said, "You know, 43:24 the birds of the air, they have their nests. 43:28 Foxes have their holes but the son of man 43:34 doesn't even have a place to lay his head." 43:38 Sounds like a lonely man to me. 43:42 And He is saying, "Judas, don't follow Me 43:45 because of what you think you're going to get here. 43:49 You need to follow Me because of what's up there." 43:58 And then my favorite thing, 44:03 maybe been an evangelist that's why. 44:06 Jesus was a hard burden preacher. 44:10 He had a passion for His mission. 44:14 He had a passion, 44:16 burning fire inside for His message. 44:22 One day He is coming in with the disciples, 44:24 there's the city Jerusalem, 44:25 looking at it out there outstretched 44:27 and finally Jesus gets quite like He is pondering something. 44:31 He says, "Look, I want you to go to this address in town, 44:34 there's a broken colt, unbroken colt there, 44:38 a donkey, go get it. Bring it back." 44:43 Well, they couldn't wait for that. 44:45 They dashed into town. 44:46 They knew the prophecy in Zechariah, 44:48 it said the son of man, the Messiah 44:51 would ascend to the throne 44:52 and David riding on the back of an unbroken colt. 44:54 So they ran in the town to get that donkey. 44:57 They thought now, finally, they couldn't understand Jesus. 45:00 They believed Him, they trusted Him, 45:02 they believed He was a Messiah 45:04 but they never could understand 45:06 why didn't He act like it. 45:08 Because see, their view of Messiah was one 45:10 who would be a military leader 45:13 that would build Israel into a mighty nation 45:15 and crush the yoke of Roman oppression. 45:18 And Jesus, all He did was go around 45:20 healing people and forgiving sins. 45:23 When is He going to be the Messiah? 45:24 When He is going to act like the Messiah? 45:26 Now, now is the time, they ran into town, 45:29 they found that donkey, they brought him back to Jesus. 45:31 In undeveloped countries 45:32 it's amazing how rapidly the news gets out. 45:35 Everybody knows what's going on. 45:36 They are all gathered together on the outskirts of town. 45:39 Jesus is there riding on that donkey 45:42 and there the disciples, 45:43 they are all pressed tightly against Him. 45:46 They are the inner circle. 45:47 In fact, they had been fighting over 45:50 who's going to be first in His kingdom. 45:53 So they are pressing against Jesus, 45:54 they wanted everybody to see that they were there, 45:56 they were the inner circle, 45:58 they were going to be the vice-president, 45:59 secretary of states, secretary of defense, treasurer. 46:02 They wanted everybody to see them 46:04 and Jesus is going, the crowd is gathering. 46:07 They are taking off their cloaks, 46:08 they are bringing palm branches 46:10 and singing, hosanna, 46:11 hosanna bless it is the one who comes 46:13 in the name of the Lord, the Messiah. 46:16 Jesus finally ascending to the throne of David, 46:19 finally acting like the Messiah. 46:21 The whole city is there when suddenly Jesus stops. 46:26 The singing stops 46:29 and it's so quite you can hear a pin drop. 46:33 CNN is there with a 150 microphones sticking on His face 46:39 because they want to get that kingly proclamation. 46:43 People standing on their tiptoes, 46:46 wanting to catch a glimpse 46:47 of that kingly expression on His face. 46:52 Disciples pressing tightly, they are the inner circle. 46:58 Nobody saw kingly expression, they saw tears. 47:05 Nobody heard a kingly proclamation, 47:10 all they heard was Jesus saying, 47:13 "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 47:19 how many times I would gather you in 47:23 like a mother hen gathers her baby chicks 47:28 but you won't come." 47:32 Hard burden preacher, 47:36 tears in His eyes as He looks 47:39 at the rich young man who walked away 47:42 because he was afraid 47:43 it would cost him too much to follow Jesus. 47:48 Tears welling up in His eyes 47:50 as He sees the young teenage girl 47:53 afraid of what her friends might think 47:57 if she joined with this bunch. 48:02 Hard burden preacher, 48:03 He loved even those Pharisees standing out 48:07 on the outer edge with their arms folded. 48:10 He loved them. 48:14 He died for them. 48:18 Finally the crowd left. 48:21 Jesus told to disciples, 48:22 "Go and meet me in the upper room." 48:26 Place is prepared there for the Lord's supper. 48:29 So they went and there was nobody there, 48:32 just the disciples. 48:33 All the preparation has been made, 48:35 everything was in place. 48:36 The only problem was that there was 48:38 no servant there to wash their feet. 48:40 There was table, basin, put water in, 48:43 a pitcher of water and the towel there 48:45 but no servant to wash their feet. 48:47 And Jesus is coming, 48:48 they hear Him walking down the hall. 48:50 Now remember, they have been fighting over 48:51 who's going to be first in the kingdom. 48:53 So when Jesus comes in 48:55 and there's no servant there, they are scared to death. 48:57 He is going to ask one of them to do it. 48:59 And if He ask one of them to do it 49:00 that means they would be at the bottom of the list 49:02 instead of the top. 49:03 So they are not looking up, 49:04 they are looking down at the floor. 49:06 When that door open they turned the other way 49:10 because Jesus might catch a glimpse of one of them 49:12 and tell them, "Come wash our feet." 49:17 They didn't hear anything. 49:20 They turned, look out of the corned of their eye, 49:25 couldn't believe what they saw. 49:27 There was Jesus, sinless son of God, God. 49:34 Taking off His outer robe, walking over to the table, 49:40 pick up a towel, wrap it around His waist, 49:42 dumped the water in the basin 49:45 and began to wash their feet. 49:49 Wow, what a God. 49:55 One by one, even Judas was there. 49:59 He had already betrayed Jesus 50:01 for 30 pieces of silver and Jesus washed his feet. 50:09 Later on, he couldn't take it. 50:10 Later on, after he fled from the room 50:12 he went out and hung himself. 50:17 Disciples celebrated the Lord's Supper with Jesus. 50:22 It must have been an event. Love to been there. 50:27 Afterwards they sang with Him, 50:29 they went out, walk through the city out the eastern gate, 50:33 across the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane. 50:36 Jesus was strangely quite, 50:40 maybe even groaning a little bit 50:41 as though he was carrying a heavy load. 50:45 Disciples weren't saying anything. 50:49 They got to the Garden of Gethsemane 50:51 and Jesus told the disciples, 50:52 "I want you to stay here and pray. 50:55 Just stay here and pray. 50:59 Peter, James and John, you come with me." 51:02 So they came and then He stopped again. 51:04 He said, "I want you to stay here 51:06 and pray, just pray." 51:10 And then they watch Jesus as He walked up the pathway 51:15 in the Garden of Gethsemane, 51:17 they could see Him in the moonlight 51:18 filtering down through the olive trees 51:23 and finally He stopped 51:24 and fell heavily to the ground and He began to pray. 51:32 And the disciples heard Him. 51:36 They said, "Father," He said, "Father, 51:40 if there's any other way 51:44 let this cup pass from me. 51:50 Nevertheless not my will, 51:54 let Your will be done." 52:01 Let this cup pass if there's any other way. 52:04 You see, Jesus did not want to go up that hill to Calvary. 52:12 He didn't want to die on the cross. 52:14 If there's any other way, Father, please. 52:19 But there was no other way. 52:24 Then not My will, let Your will be done. 52:28 What were these strange words coming from the lips of Jesus? 52:33 The one whose will had always been one with the Father 52:36 and now He is saying, not My will, 52:38 let Your will be done. 52:41 You think the disciple would have suspected 52:43 something of an unusual magnitude 52:46 was happening that night 52:47 and that they would have been alert 52:49 and they would have been praying 52:50 but the Bible says they fell asleep. 52:55 Jesus came back and shook them, 52:58 "Can't you pray for just an hour." 53:01 That's all, just an hour. 53:06 When was the last time you prayed for an hour? 53:11 Then He went back, fell to the ground again, 53:16 "Father, if there's any other way let this cup pass. 53:19 Nevertheless, not My will, let Your will be done." 53:28 Three times they fell asleep. 53:35 They didn't understand what was happening that night. 53:38 They didn't understand that Jesus was taking in His own body 53:41 the guilt for their sins, for your sins, mine. 53:49 They didn't realize that Jesus was feeling 53:51 the weight of the sins of the world 53:53 and they were crushing His life. 53:57 And He would have died right there 54:00 if it hadn't been for an angel coming to strengthen Him, 54:03 it wasn't time for Jesus to die yet. 54:07 No, He had to be tried as a common criminal. 54:10 Dressed in a purple robe, stick in His hand, 54:13 crown of thrones slammed on His head, 54:15 mocked as king of the Jews, knocked down, 54:18 beat till His back was raw and bleeding, kick, spit on. 54:22 Stood up again, beat some more. 54:24 He had to have that heavy cross thrust on His shoulders 54:27 and carry it up to hill to Calvary. 54:29 He had to be stretched out on those rough boards. 54:32 He had to have the Roman shoulders 54:34 pick up the heavy hammers, 54:35 the big nails and drive them into His hands. 54:38 The same hands that had reached out 54:40 and healed and touched and love. 54:42 And now they are nailing them to the old rugged cross. 54:45 It wasn't time for Him to die yet. 54:47 He had to be lifted up like a snake on a pole 54:50 and dropped into that hole 54:51 with a sickening thud that racked His pain, 54:54 his body with pain. 54:55 No, it wasn't time for Him to die yet. 54:58 He had to be hanging up there, a spectacle to the universe, 55:01 the emblem of sin, 55:05 guilty for the sins of the world. 55:11 Bible tells us the pain of crucifixion 55:14 was beyond human endurance. 55:17 Some of you saw the movie 55:19 and you saw the beatings with the chains and the pain 55:23 and the torture that He went through on the cross 55:25 but I want to tell you something, 55:27 that wasn't the real passion of Christ. 55:30 I don't even know that He felt the chains, 55:33 I don't know that He felt the beating 55:35 because of the pain in His heart 55:38 when His own disciples fled 55:41 and the words of Peter ringing in his ear, 55:43 "I don't know that cursed man." 55:48 I don't know that He felt the physical pain 55:50 because of the pain in his heart, 55:52 a broken heart because of the ones He loved 55:56 so much had abandoned Him. 56:01 I don't know that He felt the physical pain 56:05 because as He hung on the cross 56:08 like the serpent on the pole, 56:09 the emblem of sin, bearing our sins. 56:14 He was made to be sin for us. 56:17 He realize that His heavenly Father, 56:19 so holy and so pure 56:21 couldn't even bare to look on the awful spectacle, 56:25 turning His face, causing Him to feel in His own heart 56:29 the separation that sin brings 56:31 between man and God causing Him to cry out, 56:34 "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me." 56:41 For the first time in eternity, 56:42 He felt the distance from His Father. 56:51 Then He hung His head and died for you, me. 57:02 He would have done it, 57:04 if looking down through the ages 57:06 He could see that you would be the only one, 57:10 the only one that would ever follow Him, 57:13 He would have done it for you. 57:18 Now that story isn't over yet 57:22 because one day soon the heaven is going to open 57:26 and He is going to come again. 57:29 Not wearing a crown of thorns 57:32 but a crown of glory. 57:36 Follow the Lamb. 57:40 He won. |
Revised 2014-12-17