1 00:00:01,700 --> 00:00:05,000 About six months before our savior was crucified. 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,400 He took his disciples up to the regions of caesarea. 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:13,000 Philippi about 30 miles north Northeast to the Sea of Galilee. 4 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,400 And for the first time, in his Earthly Ministry, he questioned 5 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:21,100 them specifically concerning his own identity. 6 00:00:21,700 --> 00:00:24,000 Now, he'd been in his Earthly Ministry about two-and-a-half to 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,900 three years at that point and there had been multitudes, 8 00:00:26,900 --> 00:00:31,300 literally that had seen his miraculous Our the workings that 9 00:00:31,300 --> 00:00:34,400 he had performed, they have seen him healed the sick 10 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:37,100 miraculously. They had seen him cleanse 11 00:00:37,100 --> 00:00:41,200 lepers, which was unheard of. They've seen him cause the lame 12 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:43,500 to walk. The blind to see that. 13 00:00:43,500 --> 00:00:46,200 Even seen him walk upon the surface of the water. 14 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:49,500 They've watched him cast out demons who were in possession of 15 00:00:49,500 --> 00:00:53,300 individuals, that even seen him raise the dead back to life. 16 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,700 And in addition to that, they had heard his distinctive 17 00:00:57,700 --> 00:01:00,400 teaching. And, you know, the When he 18 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:02,800 taught, he didn't just quote, the latest Traditions from the 19 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:06,700 various schools of the rabbis, but he spoke as one who had 20 00:01:06,700 --> 00:01:11,800 Authority directly from God. And they, they shook their heads 21 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:14,200 in amazement, and they, they said to themselves, we've never 22 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:16,800 heard anybody teach like this man. 23 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,700 So they were equally impressed with his teaching. 24 00:01:19,700 --> 00:01:25,100 And so, at this point, Jesus wanted to know what they thought 25 00:01:25,100 --> 00:01:29,200 about him. He said he said, whom do men say 26 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:31,700 that. I Siam to put that in our 27 00:01:31,700 --> 00:01:34,200 vernacular tonight is like saying, what are they saying 28 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:36,900 about me? You know, the Lord was to ask us 29 00:01:36,900 --> 00:01:39,000 tonight? What are they saying about me? 30 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,000 What would we tell him, you know, tragically, I'm afraid 31 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,600 that we'd have to tell him that. A lot of people are not saying 32 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,000 much that there. A lot of people who are not 33 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,200 talking about him very much and that he's not in their minds and 34 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,200 their hearts very much and really doesn't have much of an 35 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:56,800 impact upon their lives. You know, there's one thing 36 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:58,600 that's being said about our Lord vote. 37 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:03,000 Now that Be surprising to you. But some in the Jewish community 38 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:08,800 of all places, there are some very prominent Jewish people 39 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:10,800 Jewish religious leaders religious leaders. 40 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:15,500 In fact, that had begun to reassess, their estimate of 41 00:02:15,500 --> 00:02:18,500 Jesus Christ. Now in, according to the New 42 00:02:18,500 --> 00:02:22,200 Testament, when Jesus arrived upon the scene, the religious 43 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,600 leaders of the Jews were hostile to him or hostile toward him 44 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:28,400 from the very beginning and mark the second chapter you'll 45 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,400 remember that there was as a civilian that were carrying a 46 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:36,000 paralyzed man on a pallet. And when Jesus was in Capernaum, 47 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:38,900 they were taking him to Jesus for the purpose of having him 48 00:02:38,900 --> 00:02:42,600 healed of his paralysis, they got to the house where Jesus was 49 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,600 the crowd was so thick that they couldn't get inside, but not to 50 00:02:45,608 --> 00:02:48,700 be denied, they went up on the roof and tore a hole in the roof 51 00:02:48,700 --> 00:02:52,400 and lowered the man down through the roof on the palate to Jesus 52 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,200 below. And the first words out of Jesus 53 00:02:55,200 --> 00:03:00,500 mouth, when he saw the paralyzed man were thy sins, be Forgiven 54 00:03:00,500 --> 00:03:05,200 Thee, Well, the Jewish religious leaders recoiled and shocked. 55 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:08,400 And they thought to themselves who can forgive sin, but God 56 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,300 only and they accused him, right? 57 00:03:10,300 --> 00:03:14,700 Then of blasphemy later, when Jesus ate normally, when he 58 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,600 visited his friends, who was, who was a tax collector. 59 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:22,200 Also when he went to a wedding Feast later according to Matthew 60 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:26,200 11 and verse 19, the religious leaders of the Jews accused him 61 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:30,200 of being a gluttonous, man, A wine-bibber and A Friend of 62 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:33,200 publicans and sinners in Mark 3 and verse 30. 63 00:03:33,300 --> 00:03:37,800 They conceded that Jesus was able to cast out demons and evil 64 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,500 spirits but they said the power by which he did. 65 00:03:40,500 --> 00:03:44,900 That was an evil spirit in Mark, three of the first seven verses 66 00:03:44,900 --> 00:03:47,900 they accused him of being a violator of the Sabbath day 67 00:03:47,900 --> 00:03:50,900 saying see that at the very beginning that they were hostile 68 00:03:50,900 --> 00:03:53,900 toward Jesus. And, you know, the fact is that 69 00:03:53,900 --> 00:03:58,600 after his resurrection and as the church began to grow and 70 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:03,500 began to become a You're popular among the people, the slander, 71 00:04:03,500 --> 00:04:07,300 and the charges that were made against Jesus by the religious 72 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,300 Jewish Community. Only intensified, you can find 73 00:04:11,300 --> 00:04:15,200 in the talmud today and the talmud it was a commentary upon 74 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:18,899 the Jewish scriptures, the Jewish writings there, Jesus is 75 00:04:18,899 --> 00:04:22,500 accused of being one who was asked offerer against the words 76 00:04:22,500 --> 00:04:25,200 of the wise. He is also called the 77 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:29,700 illegitimate son of a Roman soldier and on and on it goes. 78 00:04:29,900 --> 00:04:33,300 Goes until relatively modern times, you know, beginning about 79 00:04:33,300 --> 00:04:36,500 75 years ago, there were some Jewish leaders that began to 80 00:04:36,500 --> 00:04:39,300 reassess their opinion of Jesus Christ. 81 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,900 And it continues on to this day. I want to read you just a few 82 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:47,300 quotes Rabbi Hyman in low past. President of the central 83 00:04:47,300 --> 00:04:51,800 Conference of American rabbis said Jesus has become the most 84 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:56,000 popular, the most studied, the most influential figure in the 85 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,100 religious history of mankind. No sensible Jews, who Be 86 00:05:00,100 --> 00:05:05,000 indifferent to the fact that a Jew has had a tremendous part in 87 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,300 the religious education and direction of the human race 88 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,300 Rabbi. Stephen s wise Zionist leader 89 00:05:11,300 --> 00:05:14,300 and founder of the Jewish Institute of Religion, says 90 00:05:14,500 --> 00:05:18,400 neither Christian protest. Nor Jewish lamentation. 91 00:05:18,500 --> 00:05:23,900 Cannot know the fact that Jesus was a Jew, a Hebrew of the 92 00:05:23,900 --> 00:05:27,500 Hebrews, he goes on to say, surely it is not wholly. 93 00:05:27,500 --> 00:05:32,000 Unfit that we not so much. Appropriate him but that he be 94 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:36,800 assigned by us to the place in Jewish life and Jewish history, 95 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:41,100 which is rightfully his own. Jesus was not only a Jew, but he 96 00:05:41,100 --> 00:05:46,400 was the Jew, the Jew of Jews doctor pinches who peed in 97 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:50,000 Orthodox collar ads. Jesus, was utterly true to the 98 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,700 law of Moses as myself hope to be. 99 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,200 I even suspect, that Jesus is even more true to the law of 100 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:59,700 Moses than I in Orthodox Jew, the laid out early. 101 00:05:59,900 --> 00:06:03,300 Stein Nobel Prize winner in physics from Princeton 102 00:06:03,300 --> 00:06:06,700 University. He said, as a child, I received 103 00:06:06,700 --> 00:06:11,300 instruction both in the Bible and in the Jewish talmud, I am a 104 00:06:11,300 --> 00:06:15,200 Jew, but I am enthralled by the Luminous, figure of the 105 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:18,900 Nazarene, Benjamin Disraeli, the former Prime Minister of Great 106 00:06:18,900 --> 00:06:23,800 Britain, he says, uh, perhaps in this enlightened age, he says, 107 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:28,300 maybe we'll be able to see that that of all the princes of the 108 00:06:28,300 --> 00:06:32,000 House of David none. Have done so much for the Jews 109 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:36,400 as the prince who was crucified at Calvary and then finally 110 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:39,600 Larry King on CNN's, Larry King live. 111 00:06:39,700 --> 00:06:42,700 He said, as a Jew, I've had nothing, but the greatest and 112 00:06:42,700 --> 00:06:46,200 the most profound respect for Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 113 00:06:46,300 --> 00:06:50,400 He was after all Jewish born, Jewish died, Jewish. 114 00:06:50,700 --> 00:06:52,400 I Think. Jesus Christ was the greatest 115 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,500 single individual in the, both millenniums. 116 00:06:55,500 --> 00:06:58,700 And he has had a more profound effect on mankind than any 117 00:06:58,700 --> 00:07:01,100 individual ever born. If there's one person in 118 00:07:01,100 --> 00:07:04,700 history, I'd like to interview, it would be Jesus. 119 00:07:05,100 --> 00:07:06,200 That's pretty interesting. Isn't it? 120 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:10,500 You know, all this began about 75 years ago, as a result of a 121 00:07:10,508 --> 00:07:15,300 book that was published by a very prominent, Jewish scholar, 122 00:07:15,500 --> 00:07:19,700 a man, by the name of dr. Joseph klaussner, dr. 123 00:07:19,700 --> 00:07:23,900 Klaussner was a professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem 124 00:07:23,900 --> 00:07:28,100 for a number of years and he wrote a book entitled Jesus of 125 00:07:28,100 --> 00:07:30,900 Nazareth. And What he concluded about 126 00:07:30,900 --> 00:07:36,500 Jesus of Nazareth, was that Jesus was just a simple teacher, 127 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:40,900 who saw himself sent only to the lost sheep of the House of 128 00:07:40,900 --> 00:07:42,800 Israel. And he quotes, Matthew 10, 129 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:46,300 verses 5 and 6, Matthew 15 and verse 24. 130 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:50,800 He said Jesus viewed himself as did every other two of his day 131 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:55,700 as a son of Abraham and superior to the Gentiles and he quotes 132 00:07:55,700 --> 00:08:02,100 Luke 19 verse 9 13:16. And Mark, 7 and verse 27. 133 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:06,600 And he goes on to argue that it never entered the mind of Jesus 134 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:10,100 to Proclaim his teachings outside of the Jewish Nation. 135 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,700 He said the law and the prophets, these were his faith 136 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:17,500 in his religion, the people of Israel, this was the people to 137 00:08:17,500 --> 00:08:23,400 whom this religion was given and he went on to say that the 138 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:28,300 ethical and moral teachings of Jesus, are the greatest that 139 00:08:28,300 --> 00:08:32,200 have ever been uttered. And he said the only way that 140 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:36,100 they can take their rightful place in Jewish literary 141 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:40,900 history, is if we can disassociate him from the 142 00:08:40,900 --> 00:08:45,900 religion of Christianity and as outrageous as that may sound to 143 00:08:45,900 --> 00:08:49,000 you, that is precisely what they've done. 144 00:08:49,500 --> 00:08:52,400 They argue that Jesus was born a Jew. 145 00:08:52,500 --> 00:08:58,200 He lived at you, he died a Jew and he never intended to spread 146 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:02,900 his teaching to anybody. Other than a small band of Jews 147 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:07,000 and they contend that it was Paul, who later Came Upon the 148 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:11,100 scene who took the teachings that that Jesus had given to the 149 00:09:11,100 --> 00:09:15,900 Jews and expanded them and turned it into a worldwide 150 00:09:15,900 --> 00:09:20,000 religion of Christianity. Now, that sounds outrageous. 151 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,200 But that's precisely. What is being said by many 152 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,400 prominent Jews in the religious world today. 153 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:31,500 You know, that way they can, they can claim the Savior but 154 00:09:31,500 --> 00:09:35,200 they don't have to accept the religion of Christianity. 155 00:09:35,300 --> 00:09:39,600 At the same time, I'll tell you what it reminds me of My son 156 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:41,700 mentioned last night. I believe it was my son. 157 00:09:41,700 --> 00:09:46,900 My older son, Corey is 28 but when he graduated from Junior 158 00:09:46,900 --> 00:09:50,600 High School seems like yesterday, we bought him a 159 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:54,700 guitar as a graduation gift. That's all he wanted. 160 00:09:54,900 --> 00:09:58,500 You know, I worry that he would get it and play it a few days 161 00:09:58,500 --> 00:10:00,800 and put it in the closet for from now on. 162 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,900 Well he didn't do that. He got it and he played it every 163 00:10:03,900 --> 00:10:06,700 day and he's 28. Now think he's probably played 164 00:10:06,700 --> 00:10:08,700 it almost every day since that time. 165 00:10:08,900 --> 00:10:11,000 Time. In fact, he said it was 166 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,300 therapeutic, really. And he thinks that's about the 167 00:10:13,300 --> 00:10:16,800 only thing that kept him sane through graduate school, but 168 00:10:17,100 --> 00:10:18,800 anyhow it, when he was in high school. 169 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:22,300 I remember that, you know, he'd be on the school programs when 170 00:10:22,300 --> 00:10:25,000 they had have, you know, programs and that have talent 171 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:28,600 from the school, he had a friend that he made, they weren't real 172 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:31,300 close, but he was also a guitar player. 173 00:10:31,300 --> 00:10:34,200 He was mainly a singer, and he accompanied himself on the 174 00:10:34,208 --> 00:10:36,800 guitar. Whereas Cory was a guitarist. 175 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:38,700 But anyhow, they would always be on. 176 00:10:38,900 --> 00:10:41,500 Programs at school, never to gather, but on the same 177 00:10:41,500 --> 00:10:45,800 programs, and I remember the night that they graduated from 178 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:47,900 high school, of course, they were thrilled. 179 00:10:47,900 --> 00:10:50,500 I saw him standing together. There's about four or five of 180 00:10:50,500 --> 00:10:53,000 them standing outside the auditorium, you know, thrilled 181 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:54,800 to death. They finally graduate from high 182 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:57,800 school and, you know, from that night, it was just like that 183 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:00,800 fella dropped off the face of the earth. 184 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:04,100 I mean, I'm eating, he was just, he never came over to the house 185 00:11:04,100 --> 00:11:07,800 anymore. Never saw him again, and about 186 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:11,200 two or three years. Later, I was at home on a 187 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:15,700 Saturday, and I was watching the football game on television, had 188 00:11:15,700 --> 00:11:18,100 my sweat clothes on, but tennis shoes. 189 00:11:18,100 --> 00:11:22,100 And you know, I didn't plan on going anywhere and got a call 190 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:25,400 and is one of the Brethren he sounded frantic and he was out 191 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:28,800 at the lodge and he said that there was a wedding party out 192 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:32,100 there and that for some reason that the preacher didn't show 193 00:11:32,100 --> 00:11:34,300 up. And could I come out there and 194 00:11:34,300 --> 00:11:37,800 officiate the wedding and I thought, well I but I'm not, I'm 195 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,500 not dressed on. Ready, man, I can't do that. 196 00:11:40,500 --> 00:11:45,700 And you know the game is on and well, he handed the phone to the 197 00:11:45,700 --> 00:11:50,700 bride and she began to cry and I said, okay, I'll be right out. 198 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:53,400 Well, I got up hurriedly got cleaned up and got ready and 199 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:55,800 rushed out there. You know, when I, when I walked 200 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:58,900 into the lodge, there was Court, his old, buddy from high school 201 00:11:58,900 --> 00:12:01,500 and it was, it was his father who was getting married thing. 202 00:12:01,500 --> 00:12:05,400 He was a widower, he's getting married again, and his buddy was 203 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:08,300 going to be the best man that he was also going to sing. 204 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:11,700 For the wedding. And, you know, we spoke and kind 205 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:15,900 of renewed acquaintances. And, and I left after that, and 206 00:12:15,900 --> 00:12:18,200 I didn't see him again. I mean, again, it's just like he 207 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:19,700 dropped off the face of the Earth. 208 00:12:19,900 --> 00:12:24,000 Well, seven years from the time, they graduate from high school 209 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,500 is two summers ago Phyllis and I went out Marietta Georgia, a 210 00:12:28,500 --> 00:12:31,200 suburb of Atlanta out there to hold a meeting. 211 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:34,200 The very first day we got there brother. 212 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:38,600 Larry Parker came up to me and he said, Carl, he said, do you 213 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:43,600 know Noah guy from Ada named Blake Shelton. 214 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:51,000 Oh, that's cool, resold buddy. And I thought, oh my, I hope 215 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:55,200 he's not out here in trouble. And I thought, man, I hope he's 216 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:57,900 not wanting money. And then I got to thinking, 217 00:12:57,900 --> 00:13:01,700 uh-oh, what if he wants to ride home with us from Atlanta, all 218 00:13:01,700 --> 00:13:05,300 the way back date. He's about 65 and Phyllis and I 219 00:13:05,300 --> 00:13:08,200 can hardly get in our car and get all of our stuff in the car, 220 00:13:08,300 --> 00:13:11,200 you know, as it is. And I thought, you know, 221 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:14,300 reluctantly I said, Yeah, I know. 222 00:13:14,300 --> 00:13:19,100 Blake why he said, man? He's a big star. 223 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:24,000 He's a, he's a big country, western singer and he said, it's 224 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:25,200 not a Nashville. Ma'am. 225 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:28,000 Well I you know, I don't listen to country music, I have a shock 226 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,600 to me and he said, he's out of Nashville. 227 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:34,400 Now, I said, man, he's got a song right now that is number 228 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:38,600 one on all the charts throughout the whole United States. 229 00:13:38,900 --> 00:13:42,900 He said, men, they play his music here in Atlanta 24 hours a 230 00:13:42,900 --> 00:13:45,800 day. I'm I mean he is a star and he 231 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:48,900 said, you know, they say on the radio that he's from Ada 232 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:54,900 Oklahoma he said I just wondered if you knew him and I said, oh 233 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:58,100 Blake. Wow, I said he's like one of the 234 00:13:58,100 --> 00:14:01,000 boys. I said, why graduated with my 235 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:02,200 son? Corey from high school. 236 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:05,600 I performed his dad's wedding, man, I was ready to claim him. 237 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:07,600 Well you see that's kind of the way. 238 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:11,100 It works is somebody that you didn't think, maybe a whole lot 239 00:14:11,100 --> 00:14:15,000 of at one time all of a sudden, a hit Big time and hey, you 240 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:19,300 ready to claim them as your own and that's precisely what a lot 241 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:22,600 in the Jewish world have done today about our savior. 242 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:27,000 They readily admit, that Jesus is the most popular, the most 243 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:31,900 studied, the most influential figure that has ever existed in 244 00:14:31,900 --> 00:14:35,800 the history of mankind. And he was a Jew. 245 00:14:36,500 --> 00:14:41,600 And now it's time that they claim him as their own. 246 00:14:42,500 --> 00:14:46,200 But the only way they can do Do that is to say that he was only 247 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:48,800 a Jew and that he really had no lot. 248 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:51,900 No part of this matter of Christianity and that was all he 249 00:14:51,900 --> 00:14:54,400 invention. All the brainchild of the 250 00:14:54,408 --> 00:14:59,800 Apostle, Paul Well, that's an inadequate view of Jesus. 251 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:03,600 Now, that's a big turnaround from the hostility that they 252 00:15:03,700 --> 00:15:07,200 began to demonstrate toward the Savior, but that's not good 253 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,200 enough. They're going to have to admit 254 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:13,800 that he is the Christ, the son of the Living God in order to 255 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:19,600 have an adequate concept of him. Well, in addition to that, In 256 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:23,700 the Days of Our Savior, there were those who had inadequate 257 00:15:23,700 --> 00:15:25,600 views of him. We're told here. 258 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:28,700 When Jesus asked his disciples, they said was something that you 259 00:15:28,700 --> 00:15:33,300 are, John the Baptist. And I can understand how some 260 00:15:33,300 --> 00:15:37,800 could mistake Jesus for John. They were cousins and the John 261 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:39,500 was about 6 years older than Jesus. 262 00:15:39,500 --> 00:15:41,700 It could be that they had similar physical 263 00:15:41,700 --> 00:15:44,400 characteristics. One thing that we do know, for 264 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:48,500 sure is that they preached alike in March. 265 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:51,800 Matthew 3 verses 1 and 2, John preached, repent. 266 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:54,800 She for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. 267 00:15:54,900 --> 00:15:58,100 And so, John preached, the necessity of repentance. 268 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:02,500 And he also mentioned that the kingdom was near Jesus said, in 269 00:16:02,500 --> 00:16:06,200 Mark 1 and verse 15. He said, repent for the Kingdom 270 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:08,800 of Heaven is at hand. The time is fulfilled and the 271 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:12,000 kingdom of God is at hand, repent, ye and believe the 272 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:14,200 gospel. So both men emphasized 273 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:19,300 repentance and the kingdom. Furthermore, John was Appetizer, 274 00:16:19,300 --> 00:16:21,700 that's where he got his name, John, the Baptist, her John, the 275 00:16:21,700 --> 00:16:25,300 immerser, Luke 3, and verse 3 in Mark, 1 and verse 4. 276 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:27,600 The Bible says that John preached, the baptism of 277 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:32,000 repentance for the remission of sins, in John 4, verses 1 and 2, 278 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:37,800 John says that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than did 279 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:40,500 John. And so both men, preach the 280 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:45,100 necessity of repentance of baptism and the fact that the 281 00:16:45,100 --> 00:16:49,800 kingdom was at hand, neither man could stand And hypocrisy, 282 00:16:49,900 --> 00:16:53,100 there's an interesting episode in Luke the third chapter, John 283 00:16:53,100 --> 00:16:57,500 was baptizing in the River. Jordan, and there was some some 284 00:16:57,500 --> 00:17:01,200 Jews who came to him in order to be baptized but they were not 285 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:04,700 sincere and John apparently had an ability that we don't have 286 00:17:04,700 --> 00:17:06,500 today. He could look into the heart and 287 00:17:06,500 --> 00:17:10,500 he could read people's motives and John apparently refused to 288 00:17:10,500 --> 00:17:14,400 baptize them and he told them, he said woe unto you Generation 289 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:18,500 of Vipers, bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. 290 00:17:18,599 --> 00:17:22,300 Since he was in essence calling of a bunch of Snakes in the 291 00:17:22,300 --> 00:17:27,099 Grass because they'd come to him and in and actually they were 292 00:17:27,099 --> 00:17:30,800 desecrating an ordinance of God because they were not sincere. 293 00:17:31,900 --> 00:17:34,100 Some of you here in the audience, probably remember the 294 00:17:34,100 --> 00:17:38,200 late James. Our Stewart brother Stewart was 295 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,400 a gospel preacher years ago lived in Texas. 296 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:43,900 He told me one time before he died. 297 00:17:43,900 --> 00:17:47,700 He said that that he was holding a meeting somewhere and he said 298 00:17:47,700 --> 00:17:51,100 to you baptized man, you know, 30 or 40 people back in those 299 00:17:51,100 --> 00:17:52,100 days. I don't think there's all that 300 00:17:52,100 --> 00:17:56,100 uncommon baptizer, you know, maybe 30, 40 50 people. 301 00:17:56,100 --> 00:17:58,800 He said you had was having a great meeting at baptized a 302 00:17:58,808 --> 00:18:02,400 number of people, but it said there was A couple of boys that 303 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:04,500 had been coming every night he's had back in those days. 304 00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:07,200 Everybody went to the meeting, you know, regardless, that was 305 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:10,700 kind of their social Gathering and he said there was a couple 306 00:18:10,700 --> 00:18:13,300 of big old boys. Teenage boy is just really, just 307 00:18:13,300 --> 00:18:16,600 a couple of hoodlums had come to the meeting and he said that cut 308 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:20,400 up, you know, and he reserves and he said one of them told 309 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:23,200 that the other one that he thought it would be funny for 310 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:28,000 him to go up and answer the invitation and had that preacher 311 00:18:28,100 --> 00:18:30,900 baptizing even though he really wasn't converted. 312 00:18:31,900 --> 00:18:33,200 And he said, he thought he had to do it. 313 00:18:33,900 --> 00:18:36,500 And the other guy says, I don't think you'll do that. 314 00:18:36,500 --> 00:18:39,200 He said, I bet you I will. He said, I bet you you won't. 315 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:42,400 He said, I bet you have a ham that I will, he said you're 316 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:46,600 wrong when I kind of got to bragging around about it and 317 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:48,600 word filtered, back to brother Stewart. 318 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:51,900 What he had in mind and brother Stewart says, sure enough at 319 00:18:51,900 --> 00:18:53,900 night, when they extended the invitation, there were several 320 00:18:53,900 --> 00:18:56,500 that responded to it, came down the aisle. 321 00:18:56,500 --> 00:19:00,300 He said, here came back, they go who to him grinning from ear to 322 00:19:00,300 --> 00:19:03,100 ear like a possum? Said he came up there and sit 323 00:19:03,100 --> 00:19:06,300 down and he said, he took their confessions and said it took him 324 00:19:06,300 --> 00:19:09,100 out to the tank. As they say in Texas, they don't 325 00:19:09,100 --> 00:19:11,400 call him a pond. They called it a tank. 326 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:12,800 He said, took him out to the tank. 327 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:15,300 Got him lined up there, got him in line you know, he's taken one 328 00:19:15,300 --> 00:19:17,500 at a time and he would raise his hand. 329 00:19:17,500 --> 00:19:20,700 And he'd say, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission 330 00:19:20,700 --> 00:19:23,900 of sins, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and 331 00:19:23,900 --> 00:19:25,500 the Holy Ghost, and he would immerse them. 332 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:29,800 But he said this big old young Hood, came up to him, you know, 333 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:33,000 kind of snickering into himself. He said he got him already and 334 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:37,400 raised his hand and he said, I'm baptizing you for half of a ham 335 00:19:37,500 --> 00:19:39,300 and he said he's soused him good. 336 00:19:39,700 --> 00:19:42,300 Well I think that was appropriate because that was the 337 00:19:42,300 --> 00:19:44,700 reason that he was being baptized. 338 00:19:44,900 --> 00:19:49,500 He he was making a mockery of the ordinance of God. 339 00:19:49,900 --> 00:19:53,700 He wasn't sincere about it and therefore he got really just 340 00:19:53,700 --> 00:19:55,500 what he deserved. And apparently that's exactly 341 00:19:55,500 --> 00:19:58,500 what what John did on this occasion. 342 00:19:58,700 --> 00:20:01,500 Well, the Lord had very little patience with hypocracy. 343 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:04,400 See in Matthew 23, verses 14 and 15. 344 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:08,300 He said woe unto you scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for you. 345 00:20:08,300 --> 00:20:11,400 Devour widows houses and for a pretence, make long prayer. 346 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:14,800 Therefore you shall receive the greater damnation, woe unto you 347 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:18,400 scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye Compass sea and land to 348 00:20:18,408 --> 00:20:20,900 make one proselyte. And when he is made, you make 349 00:20:20,900 --> 00:20:23,500 him twofold more. The child of Hell than 350 00:20:23,500 --> 00:20:26,900 yourselves further. Both men were men of 351 00:20:26,900 --> 00:20:29,600 self-denial. The Bible says, John was clothed 352 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:33,700 in leather and camels hair. And he ate locusts and Wild, 353 00:20:33,700 --> 00:20:38,200 Honey, Jesus said the foxes have holes and birds have nests, but 354 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:41,200 the son of man hath, not where to lay his head. 355 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:46,000 And then further, both men were men of great courage, you know, 356 00:20:48,900 --> 00:20:53,000 Herod Antipas was the tetrarch and that were tetrarch means the 357 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:57,100 router over 1/4 of a province, but he was the tetrarch of 358 00:20:57,100 --> 00:20:59,600 Galilee. During the days of our Lord, he 359 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:04,300 had a half-brother named Phillip, Who lived in Rome and 360 00:21:04,500 --> 00:21:09,000 Phillips wife was named herodias and the one-time Antipas went up 361 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:12,000 to visit his brother in Rome. And when he got there, he was 362 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:16,000 infatuated with his brother's wife herodias and when he got 363 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,000 ready to go back home, he just stole her from his brother. 364 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:21,300 Philip, took her back home with him and made her his wife. 365 00:21:21,300 --> 00:21:24,100 Well, it was very well known that they were living together 366 00:21:24,100 --> 00:21:26,600 in an adulterous relationship in Galilee. 367 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:30,000 And so, John, you know, the prophet, the conscience of the 368 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:34,300 nation he approached. T' antithesis and he confronted 369 00:21:34,300 --> 00:21:37,300 him about it. He said it's not lawful for you 370 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:42,700 to have your brother's wife. Well, herodias was was enraged 371 00:21:42,700 --> 00:21:48,100 and she wanted John executed on the spot when now Antipas 372 00:21:48,100 --> 00:21:50,100 respected John. In fact, he was a little bit 373 00:21:50,100 --> 00:21:55,200 afraid of John because he knew that John was a man of God, he 374 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:59,100 didn't want to kill him and so he just put him in prison. and, 375 00:21:59,100 --> 00:22:02,400 you know, the Bible actually says that from time to time and 376 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:05,300 he could get away from the clutches of his domineering 377 00:22:05,300 --> 00:22:08,900 wife, he would go down to the prison and visit with John 378 00:22:09,500 --> 00:22:14,300 instead of staying up there with her Well, she bided their time 379 00:22:14,300 --> 00:22:17,400 and waited for a convenient season which presented itself at 380 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:21,300 antithesis birthday. She planned a big party invited 381 00:22:21,300 --> 00:22:24,100 a bunch of his cronies. And you know, when things were 382 00:22:24,100 --> 00:22:31,400 just right, she sent her own daughter salami into dance, but 383 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:35,100 obviously was a very provocative dance before these half drunken 384 00:22:35,100 --> 00:22:38,200 men. And the Bible tells us that 385 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:42,600 Antipas was very pleased with it because in a moment of, for 386 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:46,500 stress braggadocio, he jumped up and said up to half of my 387 00:22:46,500 --> 00:22:49,100 kingdom, you name it and it's yours. 388 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:51,300 I've always thought that was kind of funny. 389 00:22:51,500 --> 00:22:53,100 He didn't rule over half of a kingdom. 390 00:22:53,100 --> 00:22:55,000 He ruled over a fourth of a kingdom. 391 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,900 They watch a little exaggeration when you're trying to impress a 392 00:22:57,908 --> 00:23:00,000 pretty girl. Well, she didn't know what to 393 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,700 ask for. So she went and told her mother 394 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:05,200 what he had said and she oh, whoo. 395 00:23:05,300 --> 00:23:07,700 That's just what she I've been waiting for she said you go back 396 00:23:07,700 --> 00:23:10,500 in there and you tell him that you want the head of John on a 397 00:23:10,500 --> 00:23:17,600 platter, she did just that. And tipis was, he was crushed. 398 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,400 He want to hurt John well, now he's in a bad situation if he 399 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:24,700 doesn't go through with this, he's going to look bad to the 400 00:23:24,700 --> 00:23:30,400 girl and to his drunken cronies. So he sends one of his specula 401 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:34,500 toria's down to the cell and in a Flash he's back at his got 402 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:38,400 John's head on a platter. Tradition tells us that it was 403 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:42,500 given to salomi who in turn, gave it to her mother herodias 404 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:47,100 and that herodias. Hit that she took a Bodkin and 405 00:23:47,100 --> 00:23:49,200 stuck it. Through, John's tongue and 406 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:51,200 shouted. You'll never condemn anybody 407 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,900 again and then cast his head away. 408 00:23:56,200 --> 00:24:00,400 Antipas never forgot about John, though Antipas was superstitious 409 00:24:00,900 --> 00:24:03,300 and I've got a hunch every time he went to bed at night, he saw 410 00:24:03,300 --> 00:24:08,200 John's Apparition just better where he looked and then He 411 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:10,300 began to hear people out in the courtyard. 412 00:24:10,300 --> 00:24:15,400 Talking about a man. A stranger who had a arrived 413 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,900 upon the scene, who was talking about repentance. 414 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:22,900 He was baptizing people, and he was making disciples. 415 00:24:22,900 --> 00:24:26,300 And so, and tip is needed to hear. 416 00:24:26,900 --> 00:24:29,300 He was convinced. This was John, come back from 417 00:24:29,300 --> 00:24:33,400 the dead to haunt him. He was wrong, but I think you 418 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,500 can see why he make the association, you know, John was 419 00:24:37,500 --> 00:24:40,000 one of the greatest men who ever lived according to our Savior, 420 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,000 but again, it's not adequate to say that. 421 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:47,200 Jesus was just exactly like John because he wasn't, there were 422 00:24:47,208 --> 00:24:48,300 some different. Even though there are a lot of 423 00:24:48,300 --> 00:24:50,500 similarities between them, there were some differences between 424 00:24:50,500 --> 00:24:54,100 the two, but I always think about is over in Matthew 11, 425 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:58,500 beginning at about verse 16, and also in Luke 7 at about verse 426 00:24:58,500 --> 00:25:01,600 33. You remember that the Jesus was 427 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:05,100 talking to the religious leaders of the day and he told them, he 428 00:25:05,100 --> 00:25:10,200 said, you cannot be pleased. He said, John came to you and he 429 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:15,500 said, John would eat no meat. Eat, he would drink no wine. 430 00:25:15,700 --> 00:25:20,400 He went with without food for long periods of time and he said 431 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:23,900 you called him insane. You said he was possessed of a 432 00:25:23,908 --> 00:25:28,300 demon. He said I come to you and he 433 00:25:28,300 --> 00:25:31,600 said, I attend a wedding Feast. He said I eat and drink like a 434 00:25:31,608 --> 00:25:36,000 normal person and you call me a glutton and a wine-bibber. 435 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:41,000 He said you remind me of little children who are playing a game 436 00:25:41,100 --> 00:25:45,800 and you're playing wedding feast and know you're not happy with 437 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:49,300 playing wedding Feast, you want to play funeral and so they 438 00:25:49,300 --> 00:25:52,000 change the, let's start playing funeral and you're not happy 439 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:55,500 with that either. When Jesus gave him that 440 00:25:55,500 --> 00:25:58,900 analogy, he told us a great deal about the difference between the 441 00:25:58,900 --> 00:26:02,700 way, John lived, and the way he lived John and his disciples 442 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,700 lived as though they were isolated. 443 00:26:06,900 --> 00:26:12,300 They lived, they went long periods without food and they 444 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:16,700 would not interact with society and Jesus characterize them as 445 00:26:16,700 --> 00:26:19,900 though they were at a Perpetual funeral in morning. 446 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:24,700 But he on several occasions characterized himself and his 447 00:26:24,700 --> 00:26:28,700 disciples as though they were attending a wedding feast. 448 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:32,000 And so there were some differences between the two. 449 00:26:32,300 --> 00:26:34,700 Well, there were others who said that they thought that he was 450 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,500 Elijah. Elijah of course, is one of the 451 00:26:37,500 --> 00:26:44,400 greatest men who ever lived and Elijah lived about 800 850 years 452 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:49,300 before Christ. And he, he was the one really 453 00:26:49,300 --> 00:26:52,700 who God States. Well, just to show you how great 454 00:26:52,700 --> 00:26:56,100 he was in the eyes of God. You remember when Jesus selected 455 00:26:56,100 --> 00:26:58,400 Peter, James, and John and took them up on the Mount of 456 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:01,800 transfiguration and gave them a glimpse of his glorious nature 457 00:27:01,900 --> 00:27:05,900 member, who appeared on the mount, it was Moses and Elijah 458 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:09,900 of all the characters from history, and they were the 459 00:27:09,900 --> 00:27:15,400 representation of the law. And the prophets you had the law 460 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,500 and the prophets. But God spoke from heaven and 461 00:27:17,500 --> 00:27:22,500 said but now here's my son hear ye him. 462 00:27:25,100 --> 00:27:29,000 You'll recall that when the children of Israel, the Hebrews 463 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,900 settled in Canaan and they established a kingdom. 464 00:27:32,900 --> 00:27:36,800 Their first king was King, Saul the second king, was King David. 465 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:40,400 David ruled for 40 years? David was succeeded by his son, 466 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:44,600 Solomon who ruled for 40 years and then when Solomon died, he 467 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:48,700 was succeeded by his son rehoboam and it was when Rhea 468 00:27:48,700 --> 00:27:53,300 boehm assumed the Throne of Israel that Israel had a civil 469 00:27:53,300 --> 00:27:59,100 war and Guided and the northern ten kingdoms pulled off from the 470 00:27:59,100 --> 00:28:03,400 southern Kingdom of Judah. The Bible tells us that from the 471 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:10,000 time that that happened until some 200 years later when the 472 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:13,300 Assyrians took over the northern kingdom and took them into into 473 00:28:13,300 --> 00:28:18,400 captivity, that they had 19 Kings that ruled over the 474 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:22,800 Northern Kingdom of Israel and that every single one of them 475 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:25,800 did evil in the sight. Side of God. 476 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:27,700 They were as rotten as they could be. 477 00:28:27,700 --> 00:28:31,300 They were just as wicked as human beings could possibly be 478 00:28:31,300 --> 00:28:34,600 in a seem like each one in succession was a little more 479 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:38,100 wicked than the one before. Probably the worst of the lot 480 00:28:38,300 --> 00:28:42,000 was King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. 481 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:45,300 And it's interesting to me that have all these 19 Kings. 482 00:28:45,500 --> 00:28:49,400 They have is the only one who has, you know, the, the 483 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:53,400 privilege of having his wife mentioned Jezebel. 484 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:57,400 And there's An obvious reason for that, he is truly was a 485 00:28:57,700 --> 00:29:02,000 petticoat rain. She was the boss, she ran the 486 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:06,300 show and he did what she said. Now she was an idolater. 487 00:29:06,500 --> 00:29:10,700 She worshipped Baal. She worshipped a stir rod and 488 00:29:10,700 --> 00:29:13,900 she wanted to make that the national religion of Israel. 489 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:17,700 They literally slaughtered hundreds of prophets of God 490 00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:22,900 because she was determined to make Baal and ashtaroth the 491 00:29:22,900 --> 00:29:28,100 national religion of Israel. Well, God decided to use a man 492 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:33,600 by the name of Elijah to confront Jezebel and King Ahab. 493 00:29:33,700 --> 00:29:35,900 Take a look at Elijah's name for just a minute. 494 00:29:42,900 --> 00:29:49,200 The letter z l in Hebrew. Are an abbreviation for Elohim 495 00:29:49,300 --> 00:29:52,000 or elephant how you prefer to pronounce it. 496 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:55,600 But it is an abbreviation for the name of God, it is the 497 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:59,100 general name for God. Often times in the Old Testament 498 00:29:59,100 --> 00:30:05,000 Hebrew God is referred to by the letters e l then the letters j. 499 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:07,400 H. That is an abbreviation of God 500 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:10,900 specific name Jehovah, the letter. 501 00:30:10,900 --> 00:30:16,100 I I means me or mine. So, just from analysis of the, 502 00:30:16,100 --> 00:30:21,300 his name is named means my God is Jehovah. 503 00:30:22,100 --> 00:30:26,200 So when Elijah appeared upon the scene and he introduced himself 504 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:31,600 to King Ahab and Jezebel, he was condemning them, he said my God 505 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:34,800 is Jehovah. Well, he appeared upon the scene 506 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:39,000 with lightning and thunder and and fire raining down from 507 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,400 heaven in chapter 18 of first king. 508 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:45,300 Remember probably the most momentous episode in the life of 509 00:30:45,900 --> 00:30:48,400 Elijah. Was he challenged the 450 510 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:51,300 prophets of Baal to build an altar and he would build an 511 00:30:51,300 --> 00:30:54,100 altar and they would pray to their respective gods and 512 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:56,700 whichever one sent down fire and consume the altar. 513 00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:58,800 They would agree that that was the true God. 514 00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:03,700 Well, of course, god Jehovah is the one who answered and the 515 00:31:03,700 --> 00:31:06,000 people cried out and said, Jehovah is God. 516 00:31:06,300 --> 00:31:10,400 And so Elijah had the people gather up the 450 prophets of 517 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:14,600 Baal and he took his sword and he executed every one of them. 518 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:18,000 You may be sitting there thinking wasn't that a little 519 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:21,100 bit of an Overkill but you know what? 520 00:31:21,100 --> 00:31:27,000 If you've got a cancer that's going to destroy the body, you 521 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:31,400 need to cut it all out. Excise you need you need to get 522 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:37,500 it all and the 450 prophets of Baal were a Cancer and if they 523 00:31:37,500 --> 00:31:44,900 were destroying the people of Israel and he got them all He 524 00:31:44,900 --> 00:31:47,800 went out the same way. He appeared on the scene with 525 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:51,800 fire and Thunder From Heaven. When his life was over, he 526 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:58,900 didn't die a natural death. God sent a chariot of fire in a 527 00:31:58,900 --> 00:32:02,600 whirlwind and took him to Heaven translated him without his 528 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:05,600 tasting of death in the natural. Since, you know, I've heard 529 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:11,900 people say, you can see how that Jesus could be mistaken for 530 00:32:11,900 --> 00:32:14,300 Elijah. It's, you know, in the last two 531 00:32:14,300 --> 00:32:17,300 verses of the Old Testament, The Book of Malachi, the prophet 532 00:32:17,300 --> 00:32:20,700 Malachi says that before the Messiah. 533 00:32:20,700 --> 00:32:27,300 Comes that, that, that Elijah, I'll return, He will return to 534 00:32:27,300 --> 00:32:30,300 be the Forerunner for the man of God. 535 00:32:30,700 --> 00:32:33,000 And the course Jesus explained his disciples. 536 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:36,200 What that meant, that that was referring to John, the Baptist, 537 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:39,600 who was coming in the spirit of Elijah to pave the way for him. 538 00:32:40,100 --> 00:32:43,500 But the Jews even to this day are still looking for the return 539 00:32:43,700 --> 00:32:47,100 of Elijah. The fact is orthodox, Jews will 540 00:32:47,100 --> 00:32:49,500 set an extra plate at the table for the Passover. 541 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:52,300 Just in case. He Elijah comes back at that 542 00:32:52,300 --> 00:32:55,500 time. And so, because most of the Jews 543 00:32:55,500 --> 00:32:57,700 were looking for Elijah to come back. 544 00:32:58,700 --> 00:33:01,200 And there appeared upon this. Seen a man who could work 545 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:05,600 miracles and He's all time talking about fire. 546 00:33:06,300 --> 00:33:08,900 Did you know that the word if I if memory serves me correctly, 547 00:33:08,900 --> 00:33:13,400 the word hell is found 12 times in the gospel nine times. 548 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:18,300 Jesus is the one who voiced it he was, he talked about hell 549 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:23,900 about fire about a lake of fire and the an eternal fire in 550 00:33:23,900 --> 00:33:27,000 addition to that, he cleansed the temple, he drove out the 551 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:30,200 money changers, he turned over the tables of the money changers 552 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:32,300 and the seats of the dove sellers. 553 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:38,200 And people saw that this man wasn't just me. 554 00:33:38,900 --> 00:33:43,800 But they saw that there was that there was also some, some 555 00:33:44,900 --> 00:33:47,900 severity involved. Remember? 556 00:33:47,900 --> 00:33:52,100 Paul said in Romans 11, verse 22 behold, both the goodness and 557 00:33:52,100 --> 00:33:55,200 the severity of God. And there are those who seem to 558 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:56,900 think that? Well, you know, maybe this this 559 00:33:56,900 --> 00:34:01,200 man was Elijah. And again, that's even though 560 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:03,000 there were some similar characteristics. 561 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:06,900 It's inadequate to say that Jesus was just like Elijah 562 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:09,300 because there was differences between them. 563 00:34:11,500 --> 00:34:15,400 I'm often reminded. When the Lord and his disciples 564 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:19,199 were getting ready to make that fateful Trek From Galilee down 565 00:34:19,199 --> 00:34:21,300 to Jerusalem, that would end in his crucifixion. 566 00:34:22,199 --> 00:34:26,600 He sent some of his men ahead of him through Samaria and told him 567 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:28,300 to go down there and secure a place for them. 568 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:31,100 Now they didn't usually travel through Samaria. 569 00:34:31,100 --> 00:34:35,800 Here was Judea here with Samaria and he was Galilee usually they 570 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:39,100 would go over here east of the River Jordan and go up that way 571 00:34:39,100 --> 00:34:41,800 to go around so they wouldn't have to go through Samaria 572 00:34:42,300 --> 00:34:45,300 because there was bad blood. Blood between the Samaritans and 573 00:34:45,300 --> 00:34:48,900 the judeans Jesus. However, on this occasion told 574 00:34:48,900 --> 00:34:52,400 his disciples to go through Samaria and secure them, a place 575 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:56,900 to stay en route to Jerusalem and his disciples got down 576 00:34:56,900 --> 00:34:59,900 there, and they wouldn't give them a place to stay. 577 00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:06,000 They would not accommodate him. And you remember on that 578 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:12,800 occasion, That John. He told Jesus, he said, why 579 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:17,500 don't we just do like Elijah did and call down fire from heaven 580 00:35:17,500 --> 00:35:20,100 and burn them off the face of the Earth? 581 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:27,700 I'm going to confess to you about 10 years ago. 582 00:35:27,700 --> 00:35:29,300 I was driving out here to California. 583 00:35:29,300 --> 00:35:32,300 Told me that I don't remember where I was going now, but I do 584 00:35:32,300 --> 00:35:34,300 remember that I got a late start. 585 00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:37,900 For some reason, how was gonna be able to leave very early 586 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:40,400 about noon? I think it was and I knew it was 587 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:42,800 going to take me at that time probably about 10 or 11 hours to 588 00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:46,900 drive to Albuquerque. And so I called and I made a 589 00:35:46,908 --> 00:35:51,900 reservation at a motel that I'd stayed had before and I secured 590 00:35:51,900 --> 00:35:56,700 it by paying for it, with my, with my credit card, You know, I 591 00:35:56,707 --> 00:35:59,200 got there is late. I don't remember, you know, 592 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:02,200 around midnight. I was so tired. 593 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:07,100 I was absolutely a just, I felt Dopey. 594 00:36:07,100 --> 00:36:09,600 I got out of my car. My reflexes were slow. 595 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:14,300 I didn't I couldn't walk a straight line into the lobby and 596 00:36:14,300 --> 00:36:18,300 I got in there and I told the clerk, I said I'm Carl Johnson. 597 00:36:18,300 --> 00:36:20,300 I've got a reservation for tonight. 598 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:26,600 And forgive me this this arrogant snotty clerk 599 00:36:27,300 --> 00:36:32,200 condescendingly told me he said, Mr. Johnson, he said we've over 600 00:36:32,200 --> 00:36:34,800 booked for tonight. You have no reservation with us. 601 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:38,100 He said there's a roadway in couples, couple of blocks down 602 00:36:38,100 --> 00:36:41,400 the street. You know, I thought about Elijah 603 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:44,000 thin. And if I could have called down 604 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:48,500 some fire from heaven, I would have given him a dose so I can 605 00:36:48,500 --> 00:36:51,000 understand you. I kind of identify with maybe 606 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,600 how John felt on that occasion, but you know what? 607 00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:57,100 The Lord told John on that occasion, it's just amazing. 608 00:36:57,100 --> 00:36:59,500 He told John. He said that you don't even know 609 00:36:59,500 --> 00:37:02,800 what you're talking about, call down fire from heaven and 610 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:04,600 burned. These people to a crispy said, I 611 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:07,700 didn't come into the world to destroy mankind. 612 00:37:07,700 --> 00:37:09,500 He said, I came into the world to save. 613 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:13,900 Voom. Now, even even Elijah 614 00:37:13,900 --> 00:37:16,700 understood. Eventually that there's a place 615 00:37:16,700 --> 00:37:21,100 for fire and thunder and lightning and earthquakes and 616 00:37:21,800 --> 00:37:28,600 not clear the Clutter But it still takes the calm reasoned 617 00:37:29,300 --> 00:37:34,300 voice and word of God to convert the heart. 618 00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:39,600 Well, we could go on tonight. There are others who thought 619 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:44,400 that he was, Jeremiah Jeremiah was the weeping prophet Jesus 620 00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:47,800 was called The Man of Sorrows acquainted with grief. 621 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:53,300 Both men wept for the same reason because of the sins of 622 00:37:53,300 --> 00:37:56,700 the people and I guess we could go on and on and you know, those 623 00:37:56,700 --> 00:38:01,300 are flattering estimates of anybody to say that they're like 624 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:05,100 John that they're like Elijah that they're like Jeremiah that 625 00:38:05,100 --> 00:38:08,800 they're like any of Is great. Esteemed profits in history. 626 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:10,700 The friends. I want to tell you, all of those 627 00:38:10,700 --> 00:38:14,900 are inadequate. The only adequate response is 628 00:38:14,900 --> 00:38:17,900 the golden Oracle. That was spoken by Peter. 629 00:38:18,500 --> 00:38:23,100 When it said, Thou Art the Christ, the son of the Living, 630 00:38:23,100 --> 00:38:26,600 God and Friends, regardless of what estimate, you might have of 631 00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:28,600 Jesus. If you don't have that estimate 632 00:38:28,600 --> 00:38:33,000 of him, it's inadequate. We thank you for listening to 633 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:35,500 our podcast. Put on by the Church of Christ. 634 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:40,700 At 2215 plans, Road in Bakersfield, if you would like 635 00:38:40,700 --> 00:38:44,300 any additional information or you would like to receive a free 636 00:38:44,300 --> 00:38:46,500 Bible correspondence, course by mail. 637 00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:51,000 Please email us at info at her Church of Christ 638 00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:55,000 Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays 639 00:38:55,000 --> 00:39:01,500 at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. please, 640 00:39:01,500 --> 00:39:04,700 make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our 641 00:39:04,700 --> 00:39:05,500 honored guest