Participants: Charles Byrd (Host), Andrea Endries, Levi Longoria, Stephen Fowler
Series Code: THL
Program Code: THL000006
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00:10 What seems to be the problem, mate?
00:11 I tried to get a broad sheep, 00:14 but the suitcase is hard to manage. 00:19 Any topic that big needs a handle. 00:34 Yep, any topic that big needs a handle. 00:40 The same is true regarding salvation. 00:43 I read through the four gospels over 30 times 00:45 and studied much of it in depth. 00:48 You know, every time I read the gospels 00:50 I find something else, 00:51 something new about His love and salvation. 00:55 One author wrote that this will be the study 00:57 and science of the redeemed throughout eternity. 01:01 Well, if that's true, 01:02 then we've a huge suitcase of truth to deal with here. 01:06 No one would want to travel 01:08 with a large suitcase without a handle. 01:10 So, let me start by putting a grip on salvation. 01:14 A summary statement that somehow 01:16 encompasses the whole subject. 01:18 A simple single sentence 01:20 that effectively puts a handle on this topic. 01:24 In fact, if you don't remember anything else, do remember this, 01:28 "Salvation is saying yes to the Lord, 01:31 with all my known choices." 01:34 I know it seems a bit simplistic, 01:36 but simplicity is one of the hallmarks of truth. 01:40 And the truth taught by Christ 01:42 regarding salvation is no exception. 01:45 His salvation is as far reaching as eternity 01:48 and yet simpler enough that a child can fully embrace it. 01:53 Yet it caused a whole lot of thunder in the Holy Land. 01:56 Virtually, everything Jesus said about salvation 01:59 was opposed by the religious leaders of the Jewish people. 02:02 And I'm pretty sure that what Jesus taught 02:04 about being saved is still causing 02:07 some serious thunder today. 03:02 Just outside the old city of Jerusalem is a very old quarry. 03:07 A Jewish tradition points to this hill as Beth-has-sekîlah 03:11 or the house of stoning. 03:14 Early Christian tradition fixes it 03:16 as the scene of the martyrdom of Steven. 03:20 More recently, some have wondered 03:22 if this might be Golgotha, 03:24 the very spot on which Jesus authored 03:27 the gift of salvation with the cross. 03:30 Paul told timothy that it was the purpose 03:32 and plan of God to save all of mankind. 03:36 To accomplish that, it seems to me 03:38 that Jesus went out of His way to make salvation 03:41 simple to understand and experience. 03:44 No place on earth is the simplicity of getting saved 03:48 made more clear than on Golgotha. 03:52 Levi is standing by on Gordon's Calvary to explain. 03:57 Thanks Charles, and I know 03:58 you've been here on more than one occasion. 04:00 Yep, I am working on my second handful of times. 04:04 Well, today for the first time, 04:06 I had the privilege of standing atop Gordon's Calvary 04:09 right above the bus station here in Jerusalem. 04:12 As early as 1842, a German theologian 04:15 named Otto Thenius, proposed the idea 04:17 that this outcropping could possibly be significant 04:20 in the identification of the site of the crucifixion. 04:24 But not until General Charles Gordon 04:26 wrote about this site, well on sabbatical, 04:28 here in that area in 1882 and '83 04:31 that the idea really take whole 04:33 and people began to look seriously at the claims 04:36 that this could possibly be the site 04:37 listed in the New Testament as Golgotha or Calvary, 04:41 the place of the skull. 04:43 Today, well, over a century later 04:45 it looks remarkably the same. 04:48 Archeologically it matches 04:49 some of the key biblical descriptions 04:51 of the site Jesus crucifixion. 04:54 The shortlist of evidence 04:55 in favor of this site starts in Mark 15:22, 04:59 "And they brought Jesus on to the place called Golgotha, 05:02 which is being interpreted the place of a skull." 05:06 Of course, 2000 years ago 05:08 this hill may not have looked like this at all. 05:11 From the other hand 05:12 it may have looked even more skull like. 05:15 The second evidence is in John 19:41. 05:19 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden. 05:22 Just to the left of the hill is this garden. 05:26 In the Bible the word garden is used broadly 05:28 to include an orchard, olive grove, or vineyard. 05:31 And there is evidence to suggest 05:33 that this was a vineyard since it contains 05:35 this ancient wine press and a cistern for storing water. 05:40 The third and forth evidence is found 05:42 in verses 41 and 42 are that A.) 05:46 "In the garden there a new sepulcher, 05:48 wherein never yet man yet laid." and B.) 05:51 "It was nigh at hand." 05:54 And in this garden there is a tomb 05:56 and it's within a mere of 300 feet 05:57 of the skull like outcropping. 05:59 Original site are not, 06:01 it makes a great place to tell a story 06:03 about that radical simplicity, the salvation of Jesus. 06:08 It was on Calvary that two men were crucified with Jesus. 06:11 Both were bad men, thieves. 06:13 By the emission of one they were both worthy of death. 06:17 At the end of their wasted 06:18 and pathetic lives they were stripped off 06:20 everything except for the one thing that matters. 06:25 The one thing that you can't take away from anyone 06:27 possessed of mind and reason, choice. 06:32 And one of those men chose to put his trust in Jesus. 06:37 He prayed the most pathetic deathbed prayer 06:39 a person could make. 06:41 The one that I wouldn't accept, 06:43 but Jesus did. Yes, he did, Levi. 06:47 But that shouldn't surprise us, should it? 06:49 Jesus said that our salvation was the reason 06:52 he came to earth as a man. 06:54 "For the Son of man is come to seek 06:56 and to save that which was lost." 06:59 Jesus came to save people, 07:02 sinful people, unpleasant people. 07:05 He also came to save the people who are the hardest to save. 07:09 Bad people who think they are good people. 07:14 Levi emphasize with clarity who it is Jesus came to save. 07:18 John 3:16 says the world. 07:21 God send his son to save the world. 07:25 That's why Paul could boldly say, 07:27 "All have sinned." 07:29 That's everyone, we all are sinners. 07:33 The prophet in Psalmist, David said, 07:35 "there is none that doeth good, no, not one." 07:39 So that would mean we all need salvation. 07:42 That means we all need a saviors. 07:45 So what do Jesus, our savior, teach about salvation 07:49 that caused so much thunder in the Holy Land? 07:52 What did he say that is still troubling so many people? 07:56 Perhaps, we should start with 07:58 what Jesus taught about justification. 08:00 And there is no better place to talk 08:02 about justification than at the temple. 08:05 Of course that building was destroyed 08:07 by the Romans in 1870. 08:09 So I visited the model of Jerusalem 08:11 at the Israel museum built to 1:50 of scale. 08:14 In Luke 18, two men went up to the temple to pray. 08:18 One, a Pharisee the religious elite of the day 08:22 and the other a publican or a tax collector. 08:25 A publican was looked on as a trader, 08:27 like Benedict Arnold or as an extortioner like Bernie Madoff. 08:32 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 08:36 "God, I think you that I am not like other men extortioners, 08:41 unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 08:47 I fast twice a week and I give tithes of all that I possess." 08:52 And the tax collector standing afar off 08:56 would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, 09:00 but be his breasts saying, 09:02 "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." 09:06 All people are sinners, even this Pharisee, 09:10 but his pride didn't let him see that. 09:13 The publican on the other hand was closer to salvation 09:16 because he said yes to God's evaluation. 09:20 "You're right, God, I'm a sinner. 09:24 But you are a merciful God. 09:26 So, be merciful to me. 09:29 Not because I deserve it but because I need it." 09:35 So, with that Jesus teaches 09:36 the outcome of the publican's prayer. 09:39 "I tell you, this man, 09:41 the tax collector went down to his house 09:43 justified rather than the other." 09:46 Justified means declared righteous. 09:50 If you want to be declared righteous by God, 09:52 pronounced not guilty by the judge of all mankind 09:57 then you must agree with Him. 09:59 He only came to save sinners. 10:03 Lay your pride in the dust, admit you are a sinner 10:07 and cast yourself on his mercy. 10:11 And one more thing that you'll have to say 10:13 yes to at this point, 10:15 if Jesus declares you righteous as one not guilty 10:19 of any sin as one under no condemnation 10:23 then you have to say, 10:25 yes, Lord and accept that as a your new reality. 10:29 Your new state of being. 10:32 And that was a problem. 10:34 Jesus was making salvation away too simple, too easy. 10:40 What? Just tell God you're sorry throw yourself 10:42 on His mercy and you're forgiven. 10:44 That's what Jesus taught. 10:46 That's the lesson Jesus illustrated 10:48 by for giving the thief on the cross. 10:50 And he didn't even say I'm sorry or payback what he stole, 10:53 but as best he knew how he put his trust in Jesus. 10:57 He chose to believe 10:58 that against all odds, Jesus was going to escape 11:00 the death that was apparent to all 11:02 and setup a kingdom that would never end. 11:05 In His own way, He said yes. 11:08 With the only know choice he had, 11:10 he chose Christ. 11:14 Oh, no, thanks. 11:25 Jesus said, "by thy words though shall be justified 11:30 and by thy words thou shall be condemned." 11:34 Because of His words of confidence and faith, 11:37 Christ promised that unnamed thief 11:39 a place in heaven at last. 11:43 The same is true for you. 11:44 When you say yes to God with all your know choices, 11:47 salvation begins for you at that very moment. 11:51 Note of caution, the enemy of our souls 11:53 would be as happy as a tornado in a trailer park 11:56 if you can get you to think you're saved, 11:58 just because you said yes once. 12:01 But there's more into the teachings of Jesus 12:03 regarding our salvation. 12:05 If you really read texts in the four gospels about 12:07 what Jesus taught, 12:08 you'll discover that salvation is lesser than event 12:11 and more of an ongoing vital 12:12 and dynamic relationship with the living God. 12:16 When Simone came into the temple 12:18 and saw the baby Jesus he said, 12:20 "mine eyes have seen thy salvation." 12:22 He wasn't merely looking at a doctrine 12:24 or a belief system, he was looking at a person, 12:27 the son of God. 12:28 Jesus told Nicodemus, 12:30 "whosoever believes in Him, the son of God, 12:33 should not perish, but have eternal life." 12:35 Eternal life is once again not so much a church 12:38 or a creed as it a person, The Person, Jesus. 13:06 After Jesus left the upper room, 13:08 He spent a little time sharing with the disciples 13:10 before He was betrayed. 13:12 Notice His doctrine in these last words. 13:14 John 17:3, "And this is life eternal, 13:18 that they might know thee the only true God, 13:21 and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." 13:24 Life eternal, is about knowing and experiencing God, 13:27 a living being and that sets us up for a lifetime of choices. 13:31 Just before Judas betrayed his master Jesus prayed a prayer, 13:36 a prayer that will never be fulfilled. 13:39 Never fulfilled unless you and I say 13:41 yes to God in a very definite way. 13:45 While thinking of us Jesus asked his father, 13:48 "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." 13:55 Part of salvation is sanctification 13:58 and sanctification is a process 14:00 where we are actually made righteous. 14:04 Jesus prayed to the Father 14:05 that He would sanctify us through the word. 14:09 When Jesus said this, He was talking about the Bible, 14:12 the whole Old Testament. 14:14 He said, it was the truth 14:17 and it is these truths found in the Bible 14:19 that inform our know choices. 14:22 For example, in Matthew 19:16, 14:25 a rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him, 14:28 "Good master, what good thing shall I do, 14:32 that I may have eternal life?" 14:34 Jesus told him and He's telling us too 14:37 what we must do if we would be saved, 14:41 "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." 14:45 The rich young ruler asked Jesus, 14:47 "Which?" Good question, 14:49 since the Torah contains 613 laws not to mention 14:54 the thousands more in the Talmud. 14:57 But the commandments Jesus was referring 14:59 to here are from the Ten Commandments. 15:03 Jesus said, "Thou shalt do no murder, 15:06 thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, 15:11 thou shalt not bear false witness, 15:13 honor thy father and thy mother" 15:16 and then He quotes also one commandment 15:18 from Leviticus 19:18, 15:21 "And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." 15:26 So Jesus informs my choice. 15:29 Don't steal, the word of God tells me. 15:31 Then when I'm tempted to steal a penny, 15:34 some influence or my boss' time, I have a choice. 15:38 Am I going to do what I want to do, 15:41 what the tempter encourages me to do or am I going to say 15:45 yes to my savior with all my known choices? 15:49 The rich young ruler told Jesus 15:51 that he had been faithful in keeping those commandments 15:54 and indeed according to the letter of the law, 15:56 he probably had. 15:57 But he knew something was missing in his life 16:01 and I can tell you what it was. 16:03 It was a person. 16:05 You see salvation is not so much a list of rules 16:09 as it is a committed and obedient relationship 16:12 with our loving creator. 16:14 So Jesus directed His attention from the second half 16:18 of the Ten Commandments to the first half. 16:21 And Jesus said unto him, "If thou wilt be perfect, 16:24 go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, 16:28 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven 16:31 and come and follow me." 16:34 Let's unpack this verse in light our simple single sentence. 16:39 Salvation is saying "yes" to the Lord 16:41 with all our known choices. 16:44 Jesus knew this man was one, 16:47 just one step away from perfection. 16:50 If you would be perfect He said, 16:52 "then you have to quit breaking the first commandment," 16:55 which says, "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me." 17:00 I meant, there are no other Gods, 17:03 but you have made your money 17:04 and the influence that it buys you 17:06 the most important thing in your life. 17:09 So if you want to have peace 17:12 that thing you're missing sell everything, 17:15 give it to those who are in need. 17:18 Now look at the promise Jesus made, 17:21 this is breath taking, "And he said unto him, 17:24 if thou wilt be perfect, go sell that thou hast, 17:28 give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven." 17:33 You can't have treasure in heaven 17:35 without having eternal life. 17:37 Jesus was offering him eternal salvation. 17:42 And then Jesus finished by saying, 17:44 "And come and follow me." Look at this. 17:48 He would not only have eternal life in heaven at last, 17:52 Jesus offered the rich young ruler Himself, 17:56 His friendship, companionship, His personal presence. 18:00 Oh, what a gift. 18:03 But at this point, 18:04 there is a burning question he has to answer. 18:07 A choice he has to make. 18:10 Am I going to say yes to Jesus with all my known choices, 18:15 am I going to allow Him to not only be my savior, 18:19 but also Lord in my life. 18:21 Matthew 19 tells us, his choice was, no. 18:26 What choice will you make? 18:28 The rich young ruler went away sorrowful. 18:31 He could have been happy, 18:33 he could have found peace and joy, 18:35 but he traded all that for money. 18:38 But check out the thunder Jesus dropped 18:41 on his own disciples regarding salvation. 18:45 He sure did Charles. 18:47 Once while preaching to the Jews in the synagogue 18:49 in Capernaum with many of his disciples around, 18:52 Jesus launched a stunning thunderbolt. 18:55 "Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, 18:59 hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. 19:03 For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed. 19:08 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh 19:10 my blood dwelleth in me and I in him." 19:15 For the strict Jew talk of eating the flesh of Jesus 19:19 and drinking His blood, sounded like an abomination. 19:22 And even to us today it sounds a rather cultish, 19:26 but salvation is a person. 19:28 Jesus himself in seeking to drive that point home 19:33 he made this radical statement. 19:35 But instead of loving Jesus, the truth, 19:38 some of his own disciples began to murmur. 19:41 Verse 60 says "Many therefore of his disciples, 19:44 when they heard this, said, this is an hard saying, 19:49 who can hear it? 19:51 And from that time many of his disciples went back 19:54 and walked no more with him." 19:58 They said no to a truth from Jesus 20:00 that was strange to their ears. 20:02 Instead of saying, "Lord, this is a hard saying 20:06 will you help us to understand 20:08 what you really mean by this." 20:10 They showed they were more in love 20:11 for the doctrines of the Jews 20:13 than they were with the doctrine giver. 20:16 So what was Jesus talking about? 20:19 His words, "The flesh profits nothing 20:22 but the words that I speak unto you, 20:25 they are spirit and they are life." 20:28 And that's why John started his whole letter with these words. 20:32 "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God 20:37 and the Word was God. 20:40 And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." 20:45 When Jesus asked his twelve disciples, 20:47 "are you going to go away too?" 20:49 And Peter showed that he got it and then he said to Jesus, 20:52 "Lord, to whom shall we go? 20:55 Thou hast the words of eternal life." 20:58 He is God. His words can create planets and galaxies. 21:03 His words can create life 21:05 and His words can create spiritual life. 21:09 Every day we have the privilege of picking up the living word 21:15 and eating and drinking the very life of Christ into our lives. 21:21 We can know Him, we can hear His voice 21:25 and it's this voice of His spirit made audible 21:28 through these stories that encourages us 21:31 to embrace His will for our lives. 21:34 And just another wonderful opportunity 21:36 to say yes to his goodness. 21:39 If you want to embrace the salvation offered by God, 21:43 Jesus told us what steps must be taken. 21:47 In Mark 16:16, he said, 21:49 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, 21:53 but he that believeth not shall be damned." 21:58 There are many today who totally misunderstand 22:00 what it means to believe 22:02 and what it means to be baptized. 22:07 Belief is not just a mental ascent, 22:10 a simple acknowledgment that there is God. 22:13 The devils believe in God, 22:15 but that doesn't mean they love Him, 22:17 nor does it mean that they will be saved. 22:19 They certainly don't say yes to His leadership, His lordship. 22:25 For example, Noah was told by God 22:28 that he needed to build a boat. 22:30 It was going to rain and flood the world. 22:33 Now up till this time it had never rained, but Noah believed. 22:40 "Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, 22:44 moved with godly fear, 22:46 prepared an ark for the saving of his household 22:50 by which he condemned the world 22:52 and became heir of the righteousness 22:54 which is according to faith." 22:57 Even though it had never rained, 22:59 Noah believed and the proof, he built a boat. 23:05 That is how he became an heir of the righteousness of God. 23:09 And here is the doctrine of Jesus, 23:12 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 23:17 and all these things shall be added unto you." 23:21 The righteousness of God is something 23:23 that we should seek for. 23:25 The farmers land can be full of corn, 23:28 but he has to plant it. 23:29 The ground is full of water, 23:32 but we have to dig the well. 23:35 When Jesus says, seek first that eternity 23:38 and that holiness that makes eternity worth living in, 23:42 it is our job to say yes. 23:45 True belief is not just something we think, 23:49 but it's something we do. 23:51 True faith, true belief and His righteousness, 23:56 is what we seek for daily in His word and in our lives 24:01 and that's how we attain eternal life. 24:05 Salvation is simple. 24:07 Just say yes to the Lord of all your know choices, 24:10 but it's not always that easy. 24:11 The battle itself is the greatest battle 24:13 we have to fight 24:14 and Jesus understands he had to fight self too. 24:18 That's why he said, "If any man will come after me, 24:21 let him deny himself 24:22 and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, 24:27 but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, 24:30 the same shall save it." 24:32 That's what baptism is all about too. 24:34 Learning to say yes to the Lord 24:36 with all your know choices while dying to self. 24:40 And this experience is daily. 24:42 Jesus said so, "take up your cross daily and follow me." 24:46 Paul agreed, "I die daily." 24:50 But this I know for sure, 24:51 if you make just yourself in saying yes to the Lord 24:54 a daily deliberate part of your life, 24:57 it does get easier. 24:58 It does become a habit 25:00 and it is exciting when you see God changing you. 25:04 "For it is God which worketh in you, 25:06 both to will and to do of his good pleasure." 25:09 He will help you to make the right choices, 25:11 He will provide you the power to live above the world. 25:14 But every step of the way and into eternity, 25:16 we must continue to say yes. 25:19 Just imagine the thief arriving 25:21 and having--and seen in the golden streets. 25:23 He then picks up a hammer 25:24 and it shows that he's getting ready 25:25 to chip off a piece of the curb. 25:27 Angel then taps him on the shoulder and says, 25:29 "What are you doing?" 25:31 "That's gold," the thief says, pointing to the curb. 25:33 "That's pavement," says the angle. 25:36 "No, no you don't understand, that's gold, 25:38 don't you know what you can do with gold?" the thief asked. 25:41 "Paved streets," the angles says. 25:43 "But that's gold," he says again. 25:46 Then the angel says, 25:48 "Jesus would like you to leave it there." 25:51 And he'll say, "okay." 25:53 That's what makes heaven a place worth seeking for. 25:56 Everything there would be perfect, 25:58 because we're all saying yes to the Lord 26:00 with all our known choices. 26:02 So, do you want to be saved? 26:06 Do you want to go to heaven? 26:08 Then he who has ears to hear let him hear 26:11 the doctrine of Jesus. 26:14 Revelation 21:27, "And there shall in no wise 26:18 enter into the New Jerusalem anything that defileth, 26:22 neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie, 26:25 but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." 26:30 Do you know the number one thing that will defile you, 26:33 making you unsafe to save? 26:36 Not saying yes to God with all your know choices. 26:40 That's what happened to Lucifer. 26:42 At some point he quit saying yes to God's will. 26:46 He encouraged Adam and Eve to make the same choice 26:49 and that is the reason for every war, every rape, 26:53 every theft, every murder or domestic abuse. 26:57 That's why there is cancer and Alzheimer's and diabetes. 27:00 That's why there is death, pain, tears and sadness. 27:05 The good news is, Jesus came to not only save us 27:09 from the consequences of sin, 27:11 He also came to save us from sin itself. 27:15 So next time the Holy Spirit whispers to your heart 27:18 "love your enemies" say yes, 27:21 "obey your parents" say yes. 27:26 Some folks may hate you, but don't stop being faithful. 27:30 Don't stop saying yes to God with all your know choices. 27:35 For Jesus said, "he that shall endure unto the end, 27:37 the same shall be saved." 27:40 So, keep saying yes, to his love. |
Revised 2014-12-17