All right, turn your Bibles tonight at First Peter chapter
3, First, Peter chapter 3, if you will.
We're going to read this verse here in just a second.
I'm going to split this up this lesson I'm going to split into
two just because it's a little bit lengthy and it's we can
definitely get too out of it as far as the amount of things that
we need to talk about in this lesson.
So next week, next week brother Josh and actually the next two
wins. Tonights will be gone.
So brother Josh is going to cover and and do a couple
lessons on Wednesday night. Brother Brian's going to preach
on Sunday mornings and and Sunday nights.
Jason brothers, my brother-in-law is going to come
up here and preach on the second Sunday night that were gone.
So a good lineup for you while we're gone.
And then we'll, so you'll have to remember what we talked about
tonight because we're going to we're going to pick up but we're
coming back in on Tuesday morning I think at 10:00 on
February the 28th. So March the first is that
following Wednesday so you might want to Here.
There's no telling what you're going to get on that Wednesday
night. But anyway, we talked last week
kind of the, you know, the context, really, the brief
history of the biblical fundamental movement, the
biblical fundamentalist movement.
And so what I want to look at tonight is a little is a little
bit more of these specific truths that are under attack.
In fact, let's look at our text there and I've got a lot of
verses for you tonight. So as many of these as you can
turn to got a lot of them up there on the screen as well.
So that way. Hey, if you can't turn to all of
them, there's not tons. But again, turn to it.
At least you can write it down to maybe go back and look at it
later. But First Peter chapter 3, and
verse number 15 says this, but sanctify, the Lord God in your
hearts and be ready. Always to give an answer to
every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in
you with meekness and fear. Now we stopped we stopped a lot
of time to be ready. Always to give an answer to
every man. And I think that I mean, it's it
fits within that context, I don't think there's anything
wrong with was saying that but basically, what this Is is we
have that there is an outside world, there's an unsaved world
that's looking at us and if we can't articulate what we
believe, if we can't articulate, what this hope is that we have
then we're missing out on a huge part of what Christianity is
sanctify, the Lord God in your hearts and be ready.
Always to give an answer to every man that asketh asketh
you. A reason of the hope that is in
you with meekness and fear. So what's the message of the
biblical fundamentals? What truth what what truth is
worth contending for? If we're talking about
contending for the faith, what are we talking about when we're
talking about that? And why is it so important that
we guard, ourselves and guard, our church from liberalism and
rationalism and all the other isms that are out there that are
threatening, the way of God's word in the Gospel of Jesus
Christ? Let me, let me revisit our
example or illustration from last week about the best ball,
right? The basketball game, and, and
the fundamentals of basketball. Are dribbling and shooting and,
you know, defense and offense and a lot of different other
things. And obviously, when you go back
to those fundamentals, it doesn't make you a radical, it
just makes you getting. It.
Just means that you are a student of the game and that
you're serious about making sure you're playing the game the
right way. But if we go back and look at
that illustration and maybe think for a minute that instead
of dribbling a basketball, we decided we're going to kick the
basketball instead, instead of having the who Oop at 10 feet,
we're going to lower it and put it at ground level instead of
having it the same width as a as the cylinder that you see on the
basketball hoop, we're going to make it quite a bit bigger, and
then we'll actually make the floor a little bit wider, as
well, a little bit longer at a few more players.
Well, you don't have basketball anymore.
If soccer, right? It may resemble a few of those
things because you still have the, you know, of court and you
still have a basketball and you still have a thick, but you
don't have basketball anymore. You have a soccer game.
It's going on. And you know, there might be
some slight similarities. But in actuality we've literally
changed the sport by changing just a few of the simple
fundamentals. And so the same thing is true
when it comes to these truths that are Central to the
Christian faith, so much so that when you alter them or when you
vary from them or when you reinterpret them, you no longer
have sure Christianity and that's exactly what we're seeing
happening, really across the entire Spectrum but even And and
what's probably most alarming is that you're seeing it happened,
within so-called independent, fundamental Baptist Churches.
There are changing the fundamentals of the faith and
still trying to call themselves. Independent, fundamental Baptist
at the same time, you can't have both.
You may have a variation that slightly resembles Christianity,
but if you've lost the central principles, then you've lost the
faith. The difference is that we're not
simply playing a game, right? The stakes are so much higher
than we're not, we're not doing this for We're doing this for
eternity. This is about truth.
The Eternal Destiny of The Souls of men and women are at stake
and when we if we get this wrong or if we change the fundamentals
and we change what Christianity is then, there's there's a
serious Eternal consequence truth is not negotiable.
It's not abstract right? Truth does not change with
political pressure. Does it change with secular
whims? It doesn't change with cultural
decline. God's truth is eternal.
It's on changing. Its absolute and I mentioned
this before you don't find your truth right.
There is no. Well this is you know you just
you just live Your Truth seeing that all over the place now.
No there's Not Your Truth. There is truth and there's your
opinion that's it and a lot of what people are promoting as
their truth is just their opinion about the truth.
And they've changed they've changed both and so on a
personal level Level. This truth is very powerful and
when I say personal talking about me, I'm talking about us
individually. This, this truth has the power
to transform your life from Darkness to light, from the
power of Satan unto God. This truth will enable you to be
born into gods, family, become a new creature, in Christ
experience, The unsearchable Riches of God's grace, and now,
and for all of eternity, Just mere words, cannot describe the
importance of the divine power of these truths.
The fundamentals of the faith. So what are they?
Some of these are going to overlap a little bit with what
we've talked about when it comes to being a Baptist.
But for the most part, we're talking about what it means to
be a fundamental Baptist. So almost assuming that all the
things that we've already talked about, when it comes to, that
whole acrostic that we've gone through.
On the Baptist, distinctives are already set in place these
things. Then are things that we'd find
inside. So tonight, I want to give you
the second or at least start the second of what we are doing in
this little mini series on the offshoot of be of what it means
to be a Baptist, the meaning of biblical fundamentalism.
And that's what we talked about last week, but what I want to
give you tonight and then in a couple weeks when we get back
together on, this is the message of biblical fundamentalism or
the message of the biblical fundamentalist.
So number one. And I think I probably should
have asked you what do you They are but then we'd be all over
the all over the place and yes we're going to get to that next
week and yes, that's one of them and whatever else.
But the first one, if you had, if you had to guess, you'd
probably all get this one right. And that is the inspiration and
the authority of the scriptures, right?
And we talked about that biblical Authority, that's the
number one thing that makes us Baptist.
We're not going off of any other Creed's or any other books or
any other anything. The Bible is our final
Authority. So turn over to Second Timothy
Chapter 3, fundamental Christians believe that the
Bible is inspired. And when I say inspired it,
literally is god-breathed. Now, obviously, you know, some
of the ways that we can tell who wrote the books of the Bible is
that will, sometimes they say, I wrote this book and or I
dictated this book and this guy wrote it, wrote it out or you
know they refer to themselves is I in there and you can tell
exactly who it is and then of course you see they all have
different personalities and everything else.
So how did God write the Bible? If If these men were actually,
the ones that did it. Well the Bible says the holy men
of God spake, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
So God, used their personalities.
God used their writing styles. God used their lingo if you will
but God gave them exactly what to write and that's what it
means. When we say that the Bible is
inspired and it's the only it is it only is the word of God.
We believe that the Bible is to be received to be believed and
to be followed Early, as the very word of God, for a Biblical
fundamentalist, the word of God is the final Authority.
And that's what God's that's what the Bible says about about
his truth. And second Timothy chapter 3,
verse number 16, all scripture is given by inspiration of God.
God breathed, that's where that word.
Inspiration means all scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for Doctrine for reproof for correction for
instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be
perfect throughly, furnished. Unto all good works.
Now, Hebrews turn over to Hebrews chapter 4, Because
Hebrews tells us that the the word of God is more than just a
book. It's not just a collection of
great ideas, or great teaching, or moral codes or, you know,
great Proverbs, or just a book of Psalms, you know, it is all
of those things, but it's a living book.
I remember hearing a story of Charles Spurgeon, one time he
set the book down and he said it's alive, its alive, and he
was actually almost like it was a snake or something like that.
But it is. It's a, it's a Alive.
It's explosively. Powerful has the ability to
transform our lives and that is the reason why you can read the
Bible through every single year for, you know, for your entire
life and you're still going to get something new out of it.
Every time you read it because it's a living book and it's God
that is speaking through his word every single time you read
it. It's not like you know well
Jackson was Jackson easy the back I don't know how old he was
probably first or Right. But he got a hold of a book or
we give him a book on Pistol Pete.
And I think it was like 400. And how many pages 475 Pages,
something like that. And first grade second grade he
read through this entire book and and then he picked it up and
read it back through again. And then he picked it up and
read it back to her again. And I mean, the pages are all
twisted and curled and finally I said, get a different book.
You can't read that one again. He's read the thing.
Like four times about Pistol Pete.
It's an interesting book but you know, Pete Maravich, a great
testimony of being saved. Saved.
And he wrote about that and that's that's kind of what the
whole book was about Christ. Transformed his life.
But you know it's one thing to read a book about the same
person over and over and over again.
It's another thing to read a living book about the same
person over and over and over again.
You're only going to get the same information given back to
you every time you read a book about Pistol Pete.
But when you read the Bible, it's a living book in the Bible
says in Hebrews chapter 4 and verse number 12, by the way,
this ought to be what we're going for every single time we
read. Bible for the word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 is quick and powerful and sharper than any
two-edged sword piercing, even to the dividing asunder of Soul
and Spirit and of the joints and Marrow and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart.
Well, that's why it's a living book.
He knows what we're thinking when we're reading it, he knows
what the intent of our heart is when we're reading it.
So he can take all of those things and apply it.
Hey, when you read the Bible through when you were 15 years
old, that's a whole lot different than when you ring the
bell. Go through at 35, right?
Your circumstances have changed. Your life is changed.
A lot of things are different and because it's a living book,
it can still be applied in that way.
Turn over to Proverbs Chapter 30.
Because, in addition to this, the word of God is pure, it's
perfect, it's without error. God has preserved his word for
us today. I don't think there are there
there are no errors in the word of God.
Well, you know, they would have been better if they had said
this or of hit if it had been written.
Sway, right. Everything that we that critics,
who claim to be errors, in the word of God or contradictions in
the word of God, they're just apparent contradictions are
there are there are no contradictions in the world.
What it says, it says this, number in this passage, and it's
talking about the exact same thing and has a different
number. It's just an apparent
contradiction every one of those contradictions.
So so so called can be explained.
But it Proverbs chapter 13, Verse number 5 says this, every
word of God is pure, he is a shield unto them that put their
trust in him. Well there's got to be at least
one other. Think about how big the Bible
is, how many chapters in books and words there are in the
Bible. Hey he is a shield unto them,
that put their trust in him. We just have to trust that.
When God says, his word is pure, his word is perfect.
His word is complete. That he knows what he's talking
about. It takes trust, it takes Faith
because I don't know, I don't know, Hebrew and Greek.
And all of these, you know, Aramaic.
Like some of the books of the Bible were written in.
I don't know. All of that.
I don't, I don't, I can't translate the Bible from Hebrew
and Greek, I just have to take my faith that God's given us his
pure unadulterated perfect word. So these passages all teach very
clearly that the the fact that God's word is Supernatural, it's
literally given from God, to man, and it has the power to
transform Our Lives. The second thing that is a
fundamental of the faith is the Virgin birth.
Turn over to Isaiah chapter 7. Got a couple verses here that I
want to look at. If you're if you get there
quickly, then you can turn over to Luke chapter one as well, but
the biblical fundamentalist believes that Jesus Christ was
born of a virgin and this is not just, oh, that's cruel.
You know? That's, that's pretty
interesting. He was born of a virgin.
It's absolutely necessary for Jesus Christ to be born of a
virgin and we'll talk about why in just a second.
But let's look at a couple verses here that make it very
plain, that that's what the Bible is talking about.
Or that that this is a fundamental of the faith.
Isaiah 7 verse 14. Therefore the Lord himself shall
give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.
That's a miracle, right? A virgin cannot conceive.
Luke chapter 1, Luke chapter 1 and verse number 26.
And this is the story of Gabriel coming to marry.
And telling her that she is going to give birth to Jesus
Christ. But in Luke 1:26, And the sixth
month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of
Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin, espoused to a man, whose
name was Joseph of the House of David.
And the virgin's name was Mary. Now this is really interesting.
I don't want to get into too much because I'm going to plan
on doing this when we get back from our trip but obviously been
doing a lot of study on Israel. Do you know that that the city
of Nazareth was only a population of about 400 people?
Very, very tiny. I mean, you think about 400
people have that many people that live, you know, within you
know, quarter of a mile of this place and as Earth was very,
very small. And so and that's why even to
think of said, can any good thing come out of Nazareth?
I think that's one of the reasons why it was just such a
tiny backward, a little place, you know, but one of the, one of
the many reasons and we're going to, we're going to do a series
on this, at some point, maybe this year, if not, then maybe
beginning of next. But one of the many reasons that
that our church and And me, personally, use the King James
version of the Bible. Is it carefully protects the
great fundamental doctrines of the word of God?
Like the Virgin birth. You start changing words, words
mean things and things that are different.
Cannot be the same. We start changing words.
You start changing doctrines. And this is a perfect example of
that. In several of these modern
translations Mary is referred to as a young woman.
Rather than a virgin, and there's a great difference
between a young woman and a virgin, right?
If Jesus is born of a young woman, that's not Supernatural.
People are born of young women all the time.
Being born of a virgin is something that's super natural
and has only happened once and that's what Jesus Christ.
So the Virgin birth of Christ is foundational to the Christian
faith. You take rationalism and
liberalism and what they do is they take away the supernatural
incarnation of God. God God becoming man.
That's what the Incarnation is by just reducing married to this
young woman and Jesus to the Natural offspring of another
man, right. That thinking reduces Jesus from
a perfect Eternal only begotten, son of The Only Living God into
just some mere mortal man who simply happen to have a keen
understanding and and maybe a good teaching style, right?
That it changes everything because of Jesus was born.
Born through the lineage of a sinful man.
The Bible says wherefore as by one man sin entered into the
world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men for
that. All have sinned.
Then Jesus is in that same line and he is a sinful man just like
we are If Jesus was not virgin born, then he did, he's no
different than us and he doesn't have the ability and the power
to take away our sins either. So the Christian life is not a
philosophy, it's a faith. It's not the product of a good
teacher who lived a couple thousand years ago and happened
to suffer this. This tragic death at the hands
of the Roman authorities as this is something so much bigger than
that, because the Christian Life is a vibrant relationship with a
living resurrected savior. Who was born Not of man, it was
born of God, he was 100% God In the Flesh.
Jesus didn't have the sinful bloodline of an Earthly father
flowing through his veins. If he had, he would not have
been able to forgive our sins. He was he was born of God.
His bloodline was pure, his bloodline was wholly.
His bloodline was perfect without that Scarlet thread of
Truth. The entire tapestry of the
Gospel of the word of God falls apart This virgin birth is
absolutely a fundamental of our faith Turner.
The First Peter chapter 1, because number three, another
fundamental of our faith. Is the blood atonement?
And by that, I mean that fundamental Christians believe
the blood of Jesus Christ is the complete and full atonement for
the sins of every man. Jesus Christ had to shed his
blood, he had to shed his blood on the cross.
He couldn't have been killed by hanging.
He couldn't have been killed by, you know, strangling or
something like that. He had to hit blood had to be
shed first. Peter 1:18 makes it very clear.
For as much as you know, that you were not redeemed with
corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation
received by tradition from your father's, but with the precious
blood of Christ as of a lamb, without blemish, and without
spot. And we start looking at at these
verses that we find in the New Testament that describe that
boy, it gives a whole new picture to what we find in the
Old Testament of all the sacrifices, and all of those
things that were done, they were just a picture of what was
coming in the New Testament without the shedding.
Eating of blood. The Bible says, there is no
remission. So if Jesus was just, you know,
hanged by the neck until you know until dead, then his blood
he would not have shed blood and there would be no remission for
those sins. So, a lot of pseudo, Christian
religions, teach a sort of partial atonement.
In other words, they claim to believe that Jesus blood paid
for our sins, but then they add Works to that atonement.
A Jesus had to die on the cross. Yes, he had to die on the cross,
but then we also have Fill in the blank.
I mean, they had all kinds of other things to it, you know, we
also have to confess our sins every week, we also have to, you
know, do communion. We also have to make a
pilgrimage to the holy land or, you know, any number of things
that they say that has to be done in order to to have sins
forgiven as though, Jesus, Paid, partially for our sins and we
have to make up the rest of that payment by doing things on our
own. Well, that that's not, that's
not atonement, that's not the remission of sins and that
cheapens the death 'The cheapens the blood of Jesus Christ.
I heard a pastor tell his story that he was witnessing to a man.
And he shared this, this principle of the full atonement.
Jesus Christ died on the cross and shed his blood and his blood
pays for our sins. And he said to this pastor, he
said, I've always thought of my relationship with Christ as a
50/50 relationship. He did his part of the Cross,
but I still have to do my part to earn that payment for my sin.
He said, if I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying
that it's 100% Christ and 0% me. And the best.
Is that, absolutely? That's what it is.
It doesn't have anything to do with me.
I can't work my way to heaven. I can't earn my way to heaven.
There's nothing that I can do. Let alone must do to earn my
salvation. Jesus didn't make a partial
payment on the cross. He made a full payment for our
sins, and that's why he cried it is finished.
What is he talking about when he said it is finished, that
atonement, that sacrifice that full payment for our sins, turn
over to Romans chapter 3? Three.
That's why the Bible teaches. That Jesus is the propitiation
for our sins. You know what that word
propitiation means. It means a full payment.
He was the full payment for our sins.
Romans chapter 3 and verse 25 says this.
Whom God, hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in
his blood, to declare his righteousness.
For the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance
of God now, turn on the first John F to that.
I want you to see there. In first John first, John,
chapter 2 1st, John chapter 2. Jesus Christ had to die on the
cross. His blood had to be shed in
order to pay for our sins had. We not sinned.
Jesus Christ, never would have had to die.
Obviously, you knew that Adam was going to say.
He knew that that that sin was going to be passed from one
person to the next, and he knew that Jesus was going to have to
die. Just in his foreknowledge.
He knew that but had we never said, he never would have had to
die. There was nothing that he would
have had to die for right first, John chapter 2 and verse number
2 and he is the propitiation Ian for our sins, the full payment
for our sins, and not for ours, only, but also for the sins of
the whole world. Go, a couple of chapters later
in chapter 4, first John first, John chapter 4 and verse number
10. Herein is love not that, we
loved God, but that he loved us. And sent his son to be the
propitiation for our sins. Jesus Christ.
Had to die on the cross to pay for our sins had we not sin, he
never would have had to die. There is nothing that we can do
to earn it, there's nothing that that, we must do to earn it.
It's 100% Jesus and 0% me. Now in addition to that, there
are some groups that teach that the blood of Jesus Christ was
not Significant to our Redemption.
Turnover Hebrews chapter 9, I kind of alluded to this already
but they D emphasize the blood. They say that that it was his
death alone that paid for our sins.
The problem with that is that the Bible?
Very clearly tells us in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 22.
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood.
And without shedding of blood is no remission.
How do you get around that? How do you how do you say that?
Well, he didn't have to shed blood, he just had to die on the
cross or he just had to die without the shedding of blood.
There is no remission turn over to Acts chapter 20.
God has said throughout the Bible that death by the shedding
of blood is the payment for sin and it's for that reason that
Jesus became the ultimate perfect sinless sacrifice for
all sins for all time. When he died and he shed his
perfect blood on the cross. His blood became the full
payment for our sins once and for all.
So I will need to be saved. Once don't need to be saved over
and over and over and over again.
Jesus died once for the full payment of our sins for the
Appreciation of our sins is what the Bible says in Acts chapter
20, verse number 28, take heed, therefore unto yourselves and to
all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you
overseers to feed the Church of God, which he hath purchased
with his own death. No, it doesn't say that does it
but you have purchased, with his own blood, his blood being shed
was necessary. Romans chapter 5, Romans chapter
5, and verse number 9. It's a lot more scriptures about
the importance of the blood of Jesus Christ.
I think I meant to give them to you as a list because I'm not
going to take the time to read it, but I do want to, I do want
to read Romans chapter 5, and verse number 9.
But he says this much more than being now justified by his blood
we shall be saved from wrath through him.
There's a lot more scriptures that talk about the importance
of the blood of Jesus Christ. Given to you quickly if you're
writing these down but he fission is chapter 1 and verse
number 7, Colossians chapter, 1 and verse number 14, Ephesians
1:7, Colossians 1 14, Hebrews, 9:12 through 14, verse John 17,
Revelation, 1:5 Revelation 7:14. 12:11.
He was 1224, lots of other verses are.
If you want that list I'll give him to you later.
But I mean there's a lot of verses that talk about the blood
of Jesus Christ and the fact that he shed that blood for the
remission of our sins biblical fundamentalist do not believe in
Salvation by works. We don't believe in Salvation by
baptism. We don't believe in Salvation by
religious practice. We don't believe in partial
atonement. We stand on the word of God that
Jesus blood is the only and the full payment.
For the sins of mankind. Number four, we got a good
handful of verses here, most of them in the Book of John so if
you want to turn over to John chapter 20 and you can stay
there. If you do, if you can't turn
very quickly but number four is the deity of Jesus Christ.
When I say the deity of Jesus Christ, what do I mean by that
somebody, somebody want to tell me.
Miss Barbara. Yeah everybody.
Jesus Is God right? The deity of Jesus Christ.
Now if Jesus was not God that he couldn't do what he did and
shedding his blood and pain for mankind and all this stuff.
There's been plenty of people who have died as a martyr in
their faith, right? I mean, you look at almost any
cult you can think of, or I mean, Joseph Smith died as a
martyr for his faith, right? There's a lot of people who have
died as a martyr. Artur, well, Jesus did the exact
same thing. He died as a martyr for his
faith. If that's how you see him,
right? He's not just the same as just,
some Martyrs who died for the cause he was God, and that's
where we talk about the deity of Jesus Christ.
Some people believe that he was a good teacher.
He was a man with, with Keen Insight, he was this profound
philosopher. Some people especially the Jews
in a lot of cases would look at him.
Actually, it's very interesting. And I say this as Religious
zealot, but you know, the Jews. Don't even recognize Jesus at
all. He's not it to them.
He wasn't just this good teacher, or this philosopher or
anything like that, he's nothing to them.
They don't even they. It's very, very interesting.
They don't even know who Jesus is at all.
But the reason that this doesn't make sense, is that Jesus
claimed to be God In the Flesh, right?
That's one of the reasons why the Jews crucified him in the
first place, he was claiming to be God.
So he can't be this good man. This great philosopher.
That's good teacher, but not be God at the same time, right?
Because that's what he claimed to be.
He claimed to be God. If he was not God, that he was
the biggest fraud that's ever lived in history.
Not some good man, not some good teacher, not some great
philosopher, and all these other things, he was, he was too wise.
He was true and pure to be a lunatic, right?
He wasn't crazy. But most of his followers died
for what he taught and for what they experienced as he as he led
them personally, right? And that's the other thing you
think about too. And I don't want to get
sidetracked with this but you know the whole idea that they
said well the disciples came and stole his body.
You can maybe get away with that hopes for a while.
But you know what happened? Was every single one of the
disciples they were all tortured and martyred for what they
believed about Jesus. I mean, you know, if you're
trying to carry out a hoax, you're going to go, you'll go
far with it, but you're not going to go to the point where
you're willing to die for a hoax, right?
They saw too much and they knew too much personally about Jesus
for them to believe that it was just some hope.
Folks that they were trying to pull off or something like that,
but biblical fundamentalist, take this day in.
Once again, with the Bible on this issue, we believe that
Jesus Christ was and is literally God, we believe that
Jesus was God in a body. God, In the Flesh.
Come down to earth to seek and to save that, which was lost you
and me, here's some biblical reasons why we believe in the
deity of Jesus Christ. Number one, Thomas referred to
Jesus Christ as God. Now I know.
You know, anybody can say anything but I think this is an
interesting thing. And interesting point here in
John chapter 20 and verse, 28, Thomas answered, and said to
him, my Lord and my God, that was after he had done.
What stuck his fingers in the nail hole.
Stuck, his stuck, his hand in the in the spear hole if you
will. And he said, wow, this really
you really are. This really is my Lord and my
god well Thomas is one thing but it's completely different.
When the heavenly father refers to Jesus Christ, as God we see
in Hebrews, 1:8 course we have in the gospels as well.
You know, this is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased hear.
Ye him. That was at the baptism of
Jesus, right? We have all of those passages
that we could look at. But I think this one in Hebrews
is pretty interesting but unto the son, he saith thy.
This is God obviously talking unto the son he saith thy Throne
o God. Is forever and ever.
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.
God is calling the sun god. That's about as clear as it can
get that. God, the Father himself is
referring to Jesus Christ as God.
Don't have a first. Timothy 3:16.
Keep your finger there and John, because we're coming back to it.
But first Timothy 3:16 the scripture refers to Jesus as
God, and I'm just pulling one verse out here.
There's lots of verses that talk about these things.
We could that we could, we could point to, but for the sake of
time, I'm just going to a couple of them here without
controversy. First, Timothy 3:16 great is the
mystery of godliness God was manifest.
Fest in the flesh. God was manifest In the Flesh.
Justified in the spirit seen of angels preached unto the
Gentiles believed on, in the world received up into Glory.
Well, who's it talking about? Jesus Christ, right?
But the Bible, very plainly calls him.
God, John 1:1 is another one. In the beginning was the word.
The word was with God and the Word was God.
Who's the word, Jesus? Right.
By the way, the Mormon bible says the word was a god changes.
The meeting that simple, tiny little single letter, A changes,
the entire meaning of not just that verse, but the entire
Bible, with one single letter, tell me that it's not important.
When you start changing things in the word of God, and changing
versions, and everything else, in the beginning was the word
and the Word was with God. And the Word was God.
The scripture says he was God. Now here's another thing.
Then is Christ himself claimed to be God, turn over to back to
John chapter 10. I've got several references here
at John, that we're going to try to cover quickly here.
John 10, verse number 30. I and my father are one.
Wow. No wonder they, they crucified
him, right? They didn't.
They didn't believe that. They didn't believe that he was
the Messiah, but that is, that's some powerful powerful words.
I and my father are one. I mean, could you imagine if I
came in here and said, yeah, I mean God or equal.
You know, I've been that that that's, that's blasphemy, that's
why they said, That because they didn't believe that Jesus was
the Messiah and believe that he was God and all those other
things, but Jesus Christ himself said I and my father are one.
John chapter 5 verse number 17, John 5:17, but Jesus answered
them. My father, worketh hitherto and
I work. Therefore, the Jews sought the
more to kill him because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but
said also that God was his father making himself equal with
God. Well, John chapter 12 verse
number 45 is another one. John chapter 12 and verse number
45, and he that seeketh me see, if him that sent me well who
sent him God the father right for God.
So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
So God, the Father sent Jesus Christ to this earth.
And Jesus is saying, if you seen me, you've seen God He's called
himself God. John chapter 14.
We'll just look at one more for the sake of time.
John chapter 14 and verse number 9.
Jesus, saith unto him. Have I been so long with you and
yet hast thou not known me, Philip he.
That hath seen me. Hath?
Seen the father and how sayest thou, then Shew us the father.
Believe you sell, not that I am in the father and the father in
me, the words that I speak unto you.
I speak not of myself, but the father that dwelleth in me, he
doeth The Works. Believe me, that I am in the
father and the father in me or else believe me for the very
Works sake. You saying you've seen you, if
you've seen me and you've watched me Worked and you've
seen God and you've watched him work.
He's doing those Works through me.
I am God. That's that's huge.
But a single Doctrine. This single Doctrine really is a
key litmus test for the false religions.
Who do they say? Jesus is.
Most of them, at the very least, downplay, the deity of Jesus
Christ. Some of them out, not say that
he's not God at all. Christians who believe the Bible
literally have always stood for the doctrine that Jesus Christ
is God. Let me cover one more tonight.
It's pretty quick turn over to Acts chapter one more than
anything. I just want to read a few
passages and then we'll be done. Number five is the bodily.
Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe in the bodily.
Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Acts chapter 1 and verse number
2 until the day in which he was taken up after that.
He through the Holy Ghost hath, given Commandments unto the
apostles whom he had chosen to mall.
So he showed himself alive after his Passion, by many infallible
proofs being seen of them forty days.
And speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of
God, the proofs of the resurrection of Jesus Christ are
many. He was on this Earth for 40 days
after he resurrected after he rose from the dead but he was
literally seen by over 500 people for 40 days after he
resurrected, right? He personally 8 and spoke with
the disciples in the Roman authorities of the Jewish
leaders. Worked hard to cover up his
resurrection. But the verse that we just read
actually states that he showed himself Alive by many
infallible, proofs showed himself to Great, crowds of
people, Jesus Christ showed himself alive.
After his death, went to look at two more passages.
The Bible is very clear that Jesus literally Rose from the
Not just that his Spirit was seen around not his ghost.
He literally rose from the dead. Matthew chapter 28, Matthew
chapter 28 and Luke chapter 24 and then we'll be done.
Matthew chapter 28 verse number 9, and as they went to tell his
disciples behold. Jesus met them saying all hail
and they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him then
said Jesus unto them. Be not Afraid.
Go tell my brother and that they go into Galilee and there shall
they see me verse 11 now? When they were going behold,
some of the watch came into the City and show it unto the chief
priests. All the things that were done
and when they were assembled with the elders and had taken
counsel, they gave a large money under the soldiers saying, say
ye his disciples came by by night and stole him away while
we slept. And if this come to the
governor's ears, we will persuade him and secure you.
So they took the money and did as they were taught.
And this saying is commonly reported into the Jew among the
Jews unto this day, right? They bought the soldiers off.
Now, this is this is really interesting to me because if a
soldier was found sleeping on the job, the pennant, the
penalty for sleeping on the job was death.
If they knew that the disciples had come and taken the body.
If they knew that this whole thing was a hoax, why would they
have told the soldiers? Hey, we know you were sleeping
on the job. We know that that you are worthy
of death, but instead of putting you to death, we're going to
give you money here, take this money and just say that they
came and took him in the middle of the night.
Alright, Luke chapter 24. To the world.
This is a ridiculous. Thought a man literally rising
from the dead, right? Liberal Scholars constantly are
trying to rationalize away. The resurrection by saying that
Jesus wasn't really dead or by accepting the lie that the
disciples stole his body. There's what's known as the
Swoon Theory. The Spoon Theory is that for
those three days, Jesus was not actually dead.
He was just kind of in a coma so he didn't rise from the dead.
He came out of the grave but he wasn't actually dead, right?
But the facts are Are undeniable that stone was rolled away.
The Roman government was greatly disturbed by this occurrence,
the followers of Jesus Christ, after that were willing to die
for that which they were eyewitnesses to.
Well, Luke chapter 24 verse number one, now upon the first
day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the
Sepulchre bringing the spices, which they had prepared, and
certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled
away from the Sepulchre and they entered in and found.
Not the body of the Lord Jesus. By the way, the way they All
these Stones was sealed not in an entrance, it was sealed over
the entire doorway. There's no way that you could
have gotten to that seal from the inside.
Unless you were strong enough to knock that whole Stone over.
Well it wasn't knocked over. It was rolled back right?
Verse verse, number 4, verse number 3 and they entered in and
found out the body of the Lord Jesus and it came to pass as
they were much perplexed. Thereabout behold, two men stood
by them in shining garments and as they were afraid and bow down
their faces to the Earth, With they said unto them.
Why seek ye the living among the dead?
He's not here. He's risen.
Remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee
saying the son of man must be delivered into the hands of
sinful, men, and be crucified and the third day rise again.
And they remembered his words see that the followers of Jesus
Christ, knew that they had seen the literal resurrected body of
Jesus Christ. And that's why they were willing
to go all the way to the death. For this message, the first
century world was turned completely upside down by this,
this event, this historic event, Jesus Christ, rising from the
dead and more importantly. This event really is the
Cornerstone of the Christian faith because a bible-believing
Christian who is fundamental in his Doctrine will always contain
for the bodily. Resurrection of Jesus Christ,
you can go find the graves of Buddha and Joseph Smith and all
of these other guys who claim to be leaders of what's now
worldwide. Religions You can see their
graves. Jesus is grave even though they
don't know exactly where it is, although they think they know
now has nothing in it and there's a reason why because he
didn't see didn't stay in there for long.
He only borrowed it for a couple days and then he came up out of
that grave and that was the end of it.
That was, that was the beginning of the, the message of the
gospel. And that's something that that's
so special. That we have that.
No other religion in the world has Jesus Christ.
Rose from the dead and the bodily.
Resurrection. Of Jesus Christ is one of those
fundamentals of the faith will talk about a few more when we
get back together next time. But I encourage you to be here
next week, brother. Josh, I've heard preaches a lot
better. When there's more people here,
so the type of message you get depends on how many people are
in the auditorium next week. So come on in and be a part of
that pray for us while we're gone as well.
Just for safety. You never know what could
happen, especially over there. The I'm sure you've heard about
the The. Earthquake that happened and
it's not all that far from where we are going to be the land of
Israel and all this stuff is kind of on the southwestern
corner of the Mediterranean Sea. And where this earthquake
happened is really in the, in the, in the northwest corner of
the Mediterranean Sea, right up in that area.
So, it's in turkey and Syria kind of where they, where they
meet. It's it's, you know, I mean,
it's a decent little hike from where we're going to be but not
all that far. So Anything Could Happen,
obviously that area is a hotbed too.
Right now with all the the tension between the Muslims and
the Jews and all that stuff. So I know people go there all
the time and you know, they come out of there just fine but just
just pray for us while we're gone.
And I'm looking forward to seeing what we're going to see
over there. And then being able to show you
I think it's going to open up the Bible in a whole new way and
betting on how everything goes maybe within I don't know 3
years or so we'll try to put it together a trip and get
everybody over there. Who wants to go?
But we'll see what happens. Lord willing, let's pray.
And then we'll be done for tonight.
Father, we love you again. We thank you for your word.
I thank you for the fundamentals of the faith.
I pray that no matter what culture says, no matter what
society says, no matter what other churches are doing to help
us to stand for the truth of the word of God that we wouldn't
waiver we wouldn't bend and that we'd be found faithful.
When you come back I'll pray that you just give us a good
week, the rest of the week and thank you for all you do in
Jesus name. Amen.
Father, we love you again. We thank you for your word.
I thank you for the fundamentals of the faith.
I pray that no matter what culture says, no matter what
society says, no matter what other churches are doing to help
us to stand for the truth of the word of God that we wouldn't
waiver we wouldn't bend and that we'd be found faithful.
When you come back I'll pray that you just give us a good
week, the rest of the week and thank you for all you do in
Jesus name. Amen.