WE’D BETTER UNDERSTAND JUST WHO
THIS JESUS IS. LET ME TELL YOU FLAT OUT, HA, HA, WITHOUT ANY
STUTTER, STAMMER, APOLOGY, QUIBBLE, JESUS IS GOD IN HUMAN
FLESH. THAT’S WHO THE LORD JESUS IS: GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH.
NOT ONLY IS HE THE SON OF GOD, HE IS GOD THE SON. IN TODAY’S
WORLD IT’S DIFFICULT TO FIND QUALITY, BIBLICAL TEACHING.
TODAY, PASTOR, TEACHER AND AUTHOR ADRIAN ROGERS WILL BE
BRINGING US A MESSAGE THAT SIMPLIFIES PROFOUND, BIBLICAL
TRUTH. HAVE YOUR BIBLES OPEN AND JOIN US FOR TODAY’S PROGRAM. AND
DON’T FORGET, DOWNLOADS OF TODAY’S MESSAGE AND OTHER
MATERIAL RELATED TO TODAY’S MESSAGE ARE AVAILABLE AT
LWF.ORG. NOW, LET’S JOIN ADRIAN ROGERS. AS THE CHOIR IS FINDING THEIR
PLACE, UH, I WISH THAT YOU WOULD TAKE GOD’S PRECIOUS WORD AND
TURN WITH ME PLEASE TO MATTHEW CHAPTER ONE. THERE AGAIN, WE’RE
GOING TO FIND A CHRISTMAS STORY. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE
LORD JESUS CHRIST UNDER THE HEADING, “COME, LET US ADORE
HIM.” AND WE’VE TALKED ABOUT HIS UNEQUALED BIRTH. ONE SUNDAY WE
TALKED ABOUT WHY JESUS WAS BORN OF A VIRGIN. THEN WE TALKED
ABOUT HIS UNBLEMISHED LIFE. NOBODY, NOBODY EVER LIVED THE
LIFE THAT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST LIVED. TODAY WE’RE GOING TO BE
TALKING ABOUT HIS UNDIMINISHED DEITY. WE’RE GOING TO BE TALKING
ABOUT THE FACT THAT THIS BABY, THIS BABY BORN SO LONG AGO, WAS
GOD IN HUMAN FLESH. I REMEMBER SOME YEARS AGO, SOME OF YOU ARE
OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER, BACK IN THE 60’S THERE WAS A MOVEMENT
AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE. MANY OF THEM HAD COME OUT OF THE DRUG CULTURE
AND THE HIPPIE CULTURE. BUT IT WAS CALLED “THE JESUS MOVEMENT.”
AND, AH, THERE WERE KIDS, MANY OF THEM BAREFOOTED, MANY OF THEM
HOLDING BIBLES ABOUT THIS BIG, GOING AROUND DOING WHAT THEY
CALLED JESUS YELLS, AND, AH, THEY WERE CHEERING THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST, AND THEY CALLED THEMSELVES “THE JESUS MOVEMENT.”
ANY OF YOU REMEMBER THAT? LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS. YOU’RE DATING
YOURSELF, BUT YOU REMEMBER THAT, OKAY. [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] NOW,
DO YOU KNOW THE STRANGE THING ABOUT THAT IS THIS: THAT THESE
KIDS, I’LL CALL THEM KIDS, AND I LOVED THEM; I THANK GOD; I NEVER
OPPOSED “THE JESUS MOVEMENT.” I HAD MUCH RATHER HAVE A YOUNG MAN
OR WOMAN GIVING A CHEER FOR JESUS THAN SMOKING POT.
[AUDIENCE: AMEN] NOW, HA, I NEVER FOUGHT THAT. I WAS GLAD
FOR IT. MANY OF THEM WERE UNGUIDED, UNTUTORED, BUT WHY DID
THEY CALL THEMSELVES “THE JESUS MOVEMENT?” IN CONTRADISTINCTION
TO THE CHURCHES! YOU TALK ABOUT STOLEN THUNDER, HA, HA, THAT
ANYONE WOULD COME ALONG AND CALL THEMSELVES A JESUS MOVEMENT AS
OVER AGAINST THE ORGANIZED CHURCH, FOR THEY OPERATED
OUTSIDE OF THE ORGANIZED CHURCH. NOW LET ME SAY THIS, FRIEND.
THAT IS AN INDICTMENT TO ANY CHURCH. BROTHER WHITMIRE ASKED
ME A LONG TIME AGO, “PASTOR, IT WOULD HELP ME IF YOU WOULD TELL
ME BEFORE YOU PREACH, THE SUBJECT, SO I COULD LINE THE
MUSIC UP WITH IT.” AND THAT’S A GOOD IDEA. FOR EXAMPLE, WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT JESUS AND WE’VE HAD CHRISTMAS CAROLS THIS
MORNING, AND I LIKE TO SEE THAT COALESCE LIKE THAT. BUT, FOLKS,
SOMETIMES I DON’T KNOW FAR ENOUGH AHEAD OF TIME WHAT I’M
GOING TO PREACH TO LET HIM KNOW. THAT’S HONEST CONFESSION, BUT
IT’S GOOD FOR THE SOUL. AND SO I JUST SAY, “JEE, JIM, LISTEN. IF
YOU’RE IN DOUBT, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M GOING TO PREACH, JUST
SING ABOUT JESUS.” [AUDIENCE: AMEN] JUST SING ABOUT JESUS AND
IT WILL FIT, IT WILL MATCH BECAUSE, LISTEN TO ME. THE JESUS
KIDS MISSED IT A TAD BECAUSE ANY SO-CALLED JESUS MOVEMENT THAT IS
NOT CHURCH-CENTERED IS NOT A JESUS MOVEMENT. THE BIBLE SAYS,
“TO HIM BE GLORY IN THE CHURCH.” AMEN? BUT LET’S TURN THAT
AROUND. ANY SO-CALLED CHURCH THAT IS NOT JESUS-CENTERED IS
NOT A TRUE CHURCH. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] ANY CHURCH THAT IS NOT
JESUS-CENTERED IS NOT A TRUE CHURCH. WITH THAT IN MIND, LET’S
LOOK AT THE CHRISTMAS STORY HERE, AND WE’RE GOING TO LOOK IN
MATTHEW CHAPTER ONE BEGINNING IN VERSE 20. IT SPEAKS ABOUT
JOSEPH, AND IT SAYS, “WHILE HE THOUGHT ON THESE THINGS, BEHOLD,
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARED UNTO HIM IN A DREAM, SAYING,
‘JOSEPH, THOU SON OF DAVID, FEAR NOT TO TAKE UNTO THEE MARY, THY
WIFE; FOR THAT WHICH IS CONCEIVED IN HER IS OF THE HOLY
GHOST. AND SHE SHALL BRING FORTH A SON, AND THOU SHALT CALL HIS
NAME JESUS; FOR HE SHALL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS.’ NOW
ALL THIS WAS DONE, THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED WHICH WAS SPOKEN OF
THE LORD BY THE PROPHET, SAYING, ‘BEHOLD, A VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH
CHILD, AND SHALL BRING FORTH A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS
NAME IMMANUEL, WHICH, BEING INTERPRETED, IS GOD WITH US.’” I
LOVE THAT PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE. NOW WHO WAS THIS CHILD BORN THAT
DAY? WHO IS THIS ONE THAT WE CALL JESUS? THERE’S ONE RIGHT
ANSWER; THERE ARE MANY WRONG ANSWERS. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE
THOSE WHO SAY THAT JESUS WAS A GREAT MAN. HUH, HUH, HUH. WELL,
BEYOND ANY, AH, PERADVENTURE, ANY SHADOW OF A DOUBT, HE WAS A
GREAT MAN, BUT IF YOU JUST TIP THE HAT TO JESUS CHRIST, YOU’VE
MISSED IT ALL. H. G. WELLS, THE NOTED HISTORIAN, MADE A LIST OF
THE TEN GREATEST MEN IN HISTORY, AND JESUS CHRIST WAS NUMBER ONE
ON THAT LIST. HE TALKED ABOUT CHARLEMAGNE THE GREAT, AND
PETER, AH, THE GREAT, AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT. BUT JESUS
IS MORE THAN JESUS THE GREAT. HE’S JESUS THE ONE AND ONLY.
[AUDIENCE: AMEN] THE LATE DR. CRISWELL, PASTOR OF THE FIRST
BAPTIST CHURCH OF DALLAS, TEXAS, SAID THIS, “TO COMPARE THE
GREATEST MEN ON EARTH LIKE ALEXANDER OR CAESAR OR
SHAKESPEARE WITH JESUS IS LIKE COMPARING A GRAIN OF DUST TO THE
WHOLE UNIVERSE, LIKE COMPARING A MOLE HILL TO MOUNT EVEREST IN
THE HIMALAYAS.” AND I SAY, “AMEN” TO THAT. NOW SOME SAY,
“HE, HE WAS A GREAT MAN.” OTHERS SPEAK OF HIM AS A MORAL TEACHER,
BUT AS C.S. LEWIS SAID, “WE DON’T HAVE THE OPTION OF JUST
SIMPLY CALLING HIM A MORAL TEACHER AND MOVING ON.” LET ME
TELL YOU WHAT C.S. LEWIS SAID, AH, HA, IN ONE OF HIS GREATEST
PASSAGES, “I’M TRYING HERE TO PREVENT ANYONE FROM SAYING THE
REALLY FOOLISH THING THAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT HIM: ‘I’M READY TO
ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS A GREAT TEACHER, BUT I DON’T ACCEPT HIS
CLAIM TO BE GOD.’ THAT IS THE ONE THING WE MUST NOT SAY. A MAN
WHO WAS MERELY A MAN AND SAID THE SORT OF THINGS THAT JESUS
SAID WOULD NOT BE A GREAT MORAL TEACHER; HE WOULD BE EITHER A
LUNATIC, ON THE LEVEL OF A MAN WHO SAYS HE’S A POACHED EGG, OR
ELSE HE WOULD BE THE DEVIL OF HELL. YOU MUST MAKE YOUR CHOICE.
EITHER THIS MAN WAS AND IS THE SON OF GOD OR ELSE A MAD MAN OR
SOMETHING WORSE. YOU CAN SHOW HIM UP FOR A FOOL. YOU CAN SPIT
AT HIM. YOU CAN KILL HIM AS A DEMON. OR YOU CAN FALL AT HIS
FEET AND CALL HIM ‘LORD AND GOD.’ BUT LET NONE OF US COME
AWAY WITH ANY PATRONIZING NONSENSE ABOUT HIS BEING A GREAT
HUMAN TEACHER. HE’S NOT LEFT THAT OPEN TO US.” THOSE ARE GOOD
WORDS, AREN’T THEY? [AUDIENCE: AMEN] NOW OTHERS SAY, “WELL, YOU
KNOW, HE’S, HE’S MORE THAN A MORAL TEACHER; HE’S A PROPHET; A
MESSENGER OF GOD. THE KORAN OF ISLAM SAYS THAT ABOUT THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST. UH, THE KORAN TEACHES AND I QUOTE, “JESUS WAS
ONLY A MESSENGER OF ALLAH.” NO. HE WAS MORE THAN A MESSENGER OF
ALLAH. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] HE IS GOD [AUDIENCE: AMEN] IN HUMAN
FLESH. OTHERS, NEW AGERS, SAY, “HE’S SO, SOME SORT OF A, A
MYSTIC MEDIUM.” HUH, THAT, AH, JESUS IS, AH, A CHANNEL TO KNOW
GOD, AND SO THEY DO WHAT THEY THINK IS CONCOURSE WITH THE
ALMIGHTY THROUGH THEIR MYSTIC JESUS, THEIR CRYSTAL CHRIST, WHO
IS BUT A DEMON IMITATING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. THERE ARE
DEMONS WHO CALL THEMSELVES JESUS. WE’D BETTER UNDERSTAND
JUST WHO THIS JESUS IS. LET ME TELL YOU FLAT OUT, HA, HA, BE
IT, WITH ANY, WITHOUT ANY STUTTER, STAMMER, APOLOGY,
QUIBBLE, JESUS IS GOD [AUDIENCE: AMEN] IN HUMAN FLESH. [AUDIENCE:
AMEN] THAT’S WHO THE LORD JESUS IS: GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH.
NOT ONLY IS HE THE SON OF GOD, HE IS GOD THE SON. THAT BRINGS
US TO A DOCTRINE THAT WE NEED TO EMPHASIZE MORE THESE DAYS THAN
EVER BEFORE, AND THAT IS THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. I WANT
YOU TO SEE IN THIS PASSAGE THAT WE’VE READ THE HOLY TRINITY. FOR
EXAMPLE, IF YOU LOOK HERE IN MATTHEW CHAPTER ONE AND VERSE
20. AH, “FEAR NOT TO TAKE UNTO THEE MARY, THY WIFE; FOR THAT
WHICH IS CONCEIVED IN HER IS OF,” NOW UNDERSCORE THIS IF YOU
DON’T MIND MARKING YOUR BIBLES, “THE HOLY GHOST.” UNDERSCORE
THAT, “THE HOLY GHOST. AND SHE SHALL BRING FORTH A SON,”
UNDERSCORE THAT, “A SON, THOU SHALT CALL HIS NAME JESUS; FOR
HE SHALL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS. NOW ALL THIS WAS
DONE, THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED WHICH WAS SPOKEN OF,” AH, “THE
LORD BY THE PROPHET.” UNDERSCORE “THE LORD.” AND THERE YOU HAVE
THE TRINITY: FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT, GOD IN THREE
PERSONS. LOOK UP HERE AND LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. WE’RE GONNA,
AH, BE A LITTLE DEEPER THAN NORMAL THIS MORNING. THE
DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY IS THE GREAT CHRISTIAN DISTINCTIVE, THE
GREAT CHRISTIAN DISTINCTIVE: ONE GOD IN THREE PERSONS. NOW TO
MISUNDERSTAND THIS IS TO LEAD TO HERESY. WHETHER IT BE THE HERESY
OF THE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES, WHETHER IT BE THE HERESY OF
ISLAM, WHETHER IT BE THE HERESY OF UNITARIANISM, OR WHETHER IT
BE THE HERESY OF, UH, SOME OTHER GROUP. IF YOU MISS THE TRINITY,
YOU HAVE MISSED THE MEANING, THE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE: THAT GOD
IS A GOD OF THREE IN ONE AND ONE IN THREE. OUR JEWISH FRIENDS,
AND THIS CHURCH LOVES ISRAEL, OUR JEWISH FRIENDS MISS THE
MESSAGE. IN THEIR EMPHASIZING THE UNITY OF GOD, THEY FAIL TO
UNDERSTAND THAT EVEN THE HEBREW BIBLE TEACHES THAT THIS GOD, THE
GOD OF THE BIBLE, IS A TRIUNE GOD. AND WE’RE GOING TO SHOW YOU
THAT FROM THE WORD OF GOD. NOW OUR JEWISH FRIENDS BELIEVE THAT
YAHWEH, JEHOVAH, IS GOD, THE ONE GOD, THE LORD, AND THEY ARE
RIGHT. HE IS GOD THE FATHER. BUT IN THE BIBLE THERE IS ALSO GOD
THE SON. NOW LET ME SHOW YOU HOW GOD THE FATHER IS DESCRIBED IN
THE BIBLE. WHAT IS THE MOST HOLY NAME FOR GOD IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT? IT IS THE GREAT I AM. IF YOU DON’T MIND PUTTING
SOMETHING IN YOUR MARGIN, PUT, UH, EXODUS CHAPTER THREE AND
VERSE 14, “AND GOD SAID UNTO MOSES,” NOW MOSES IS SAYING,
“LORD, IF I’VE GOT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THESE PEOPLE, WHOM SHALL
I SAY, WHO SHALL I SAY THAT YOU ARE? WHO ARE YOU? AND, THE, “AND
GOD SAID UNTO MOSES, ‘I AM THAT I AM.’” “I AM THAT I AM.” NOT I
WAS, NOT I WILL BE; “I AM THE GREAT I AM. THERE WAS NEVER WAS
A TIME WHEN I WAS NOT. ‘I AM THAT I AM.’” THAT IS THE HOLY,
MYSTICAL, WONDERFUL NAME OF JEHOVAH GOD. NOW REMEMBER,
THAT’S HOW GOD SHOWED HIMSELF TO MOSES. HAVE YOU GOT IT? NOW THE
PHARISEES HAD JESUS ON THE GRILL, THESE PHARISEES IN WHOM
THE MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS HAD CURDLED. THESE PHARISEES, WHO
WERE ENVIOUS OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, ACTUALLY SNEERED AT
JESUS. THEY INSINUATED THAT HE WAS BORN OF FORNICATION AND, AH,
JESUS HAD SPOKEN OF ABRAHAM, AND HERE’S WHAT THEY SAID, AND PUT
THIS DOWN, IN JOHN CHAPTER EIGHT VERSES 58, AH, 56 AND FOLLOWING.
JESUS IS SPEAKING TO THOSE JEWISH PHARISEES, AND HERE’S
WHAT HE SAID TO THEM, “YOUR FATHER, ABRAHAM, REJOICED TO SEE
MY DAY; AND HE SAW IT, AND WAS GLAD. THEN SAID THE JEWS UNTO
HIM, ‘THOU ART NOT YET FIFTY YEARS OLD, AND HAST THOU SEEN
ABRAHAM?’” NOW LISTEN TO THIS AND DON’T MISS IT, “JESUS SAID
UNTO THEM, ‘VERILY, VERILY,’” NOW, FOLKS, WHEN JESUS SAYS
“VERILY, VERILY,” YOU LISTEN. LISTEN, “JESUS SAID, ‘VERILY,
VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU, BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS, I AM.’” DID YOU
CATCH THAT? WHAT IS THE GREAT, HOLY NAME OF GOD IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT? HE IS THE GREAT “I AM.” THEY SAID, “HAVE YOU SEEN
ABRAHAM?” HE SAID, “BEFORE EVER ABRAHAM EVER GOT HERE, ‘I AM.’”
THERE WERE, NEVER WAS A TIME WHEN HE WAS NOT, JESUS THE SON
OF GOD. AFTER THIS, THE BIBLE SAYS, “THEY TOOK UP STONES TO
STONE HIM.” BECAUSE WHY? THEY DIDN’T MISS THE MESSAGE. IT WAS
BLASPHEMOUS TO THEM THAT HE WOULD SO IDENTIFY HIMSELF WITH
THE GREAT I AM. GOD THE FATHER IS GOD; GOD THE SON IS GOD; AND
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD. NOW IN THIS CHRISTMAS STORY WE SEE
THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO OVERSHADOWS MARY. HE WAS THE ONE WHO CAUSED
THE PREGNANCY IN MARY. HE ALSO IS GOD BECAUSE JESUS IS THE SON
OF GOD ACCORDING TO THE FLESH. “PASTOR ROGERS, DON’T YOU AGREE
WITH OTHERS THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS JUST AN INFLUENCE EMANATING
FROM GOD?” NO. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON.
NEVER SPEAK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS “IT.” [AUDIENCE: THAT’S
RIGHT] DON’T TALK ABOUT ME AND SAY, “IT WORE A DARK SUIT THIS
MORNING.” [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON WHO
FEELS, WHO WILLS, WHO ACTS, WHO LIVES, WHO CAN BE ABUSED. THE
BIBLE SAYS, “GRIEVE NOT THE SPIRIT OF GOD WHEREBY YOU ARE
SEALED UNTO THE DAY OF REDEMPTION.” YOU CAN’T GRIEVE AN
INFLUENCE; YOU CAN ONLY GRIEVE A PERSON. AND YOU CAN ONLY GRIEVE
A PERSON WHO LOVES YOU. THE NEIGHBORS’ KIDS WILL VEX YOU;
YOUR OWN CHILDREN WILL GRIEVE YOU, AMEN? YOU ONLY GRIEVE
SOMEBODY WHO LOVES YOU. LET ME GIVE YOU A SCRIPTURE, PROOF TEXT
HERE, SPEAKING OF THE DEITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: ACTS CHAPTER
FIVE VERSES THREE AND FOUR. THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE NAMED
ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA WHO HAD LIED, AH, TO THE APOSTLES AND TO
THE EARLY CHURCH, AND HERE’S THE SCRIPTURE, “BUT PETER SAID,
‘ANANIAS, WHY HATH SATAN FILLED THINE HEART TO LIE TO THE HOLY
GHOST,’” UNDERSCORE THE PHRASE “TO LIE TO THE HOLY GHOST,”
“‘AND TO KEEP BACK PART OF THE PRICE OF THE LAND? WHILE IT
REMAINED, WAS IT NOT THINE OWN? AND AFTER IT WAS SOLD, WAS IT
NOT IN THINE OWN POWER?’” NOW NOTICE THIS. LISTEN CAREFULLY.
HE’S ALREADY SAID, “YOU’VE LIED TO THE HOLY GHOST,” AND THEN
LISTEN. “‘WHY HAST THOU CONCEIVED THIS THING IN THINE
HEART? THOU HAST NOT LIED UNTO MEN, BUT UNTO GOD.’” DID YOU
CATCH IT? “WHY DID YOU LIE TO THE HOLY GHOST? YOU LIED TO
GOD.” THE FATHER IS GOD. THE SON IS GOD. THE HOLY GHOST IS GOD.
ONE IN THREE, THREE IN ONE. “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, MERCIFUL AND
MIGHTY, GOD IN THREE PERSONS, BLESSED TRINITY.” YOU’VE SUNG IT
SO MANY TIMES. DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SINGING? THREE THINGS
WE’RE GOING TO NOTICE THIS MORNING. FIRST OF ALL, I WANT US
TO THINK ABOUT THE UNFATHONABLE MYSTERY, THE UNFATHONABLE
MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY. NOW WE’VE ALREADY SHOWN YOU, AH, THE
TRINITY, AH, IN THE CHRISTMAS STORY, AH, BUT LOOK IF YOU WILL
IN FIRST TIMOTHY THREE VERSE 16. WE REFERENCED THIS LAST SUNDAY.
“AND WITHOUT CONTROVERSY GREAT IS THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.”
GOD WAS MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH. YOU SAY, “PASTOR ROGERS, I DON’T
UNDERSTAND IT.” WELL, HIP, HIP, HURRAY. I’M GLAD YOU DON’T
UNDERSTAND IT. I’M GLAD I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT! I’M GLAD NOBODY
UNDERSTANDS IT, BECAUSE IT CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD; IT MUST BE
BELIEVED. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] I WOULDN’T HAVE ANY CONFIDENCE IN
A GOD THAT I COULD UNDERSTAND. JOHN WESLEY SAID, “HOW CAN A
WORM UNDERSTAND A MAN?” HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND GOD? HOW CAN THE
FINITE KNOW THE INFINITE? HOW CAN WE UNPICK THE MYSTERIES OF
THE HOLY TRINITY? IT’S NOT GIVEN TO US TO UNDERSTAND; IT IS GIVEN
TO US TO BELIEVE. IT IS A MYSTERY. IT GOES BEYOND LOGIC.
IT GOES BEYOND PHILOSOPHY. IT GOES BEYOND SCIENCE. IT GOES
BEYOND MATHEMATICS. DON’T THINK THAT YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO
CRAM GOD INTO THE LITTLE SUITCASE OF YOUR INTELLECT IN
ORDER TO UNDERSTAND HIM. THERE ARE MANY THINGS IN THE NATURAL
REALM YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW OUT OF THE
MUCK AND THE MIRE OF DIRT A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER CAN GROW. BUT
THERE’RE OTHER THINGS THAT YOU DON’T EVEN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND.
WHICH OF YOU UNDERSTANDS INFINITY, SOMETHING THAT NEVER
ENDS, LIKE SPACE? WHO IN THIS BUILDING CAN UNDERSTAND, AH,
ETERNITY, SOMETHING THAT NEVER BEGINS AND NEVER ENDS? OUR MINDS
JUST STOP BECAUSE EVERYTHING WE KNOW HAS A BEGINNING AND AN
ENDING. EVERYTHING WE KNOW HAS A, AH, A STARTING PLACE AND AN
ENDING PLACE. BUT THERE IS INFINITY. THERE IS ETERNITY.
THESE THINGS, VERY FRANKLY, ARE BEYOND US. AH, WE, DON’T TRY TO
PROVE THE TRINITY. YOU’LL NEVER PROVE THE TRINITY. HA, HA, HA,
WHY, THROW AWAY, AH, YOUR TEST TUBES, PUT AWAY YOUR COMPUTER
AND YOUR SLIDE RULES, BOW DOWN IN THE DUST, OPEN THE BIBLE, AND
SAY, “I BELIEVE IT BECAUSE GOD SETTLES IT [AUDIENCE: AMEN] IN
HIS WORD.” NO, THIS IS AN UNFATHONABLE MYSTERY, BUT IT IS
NONETHELESS TRUE. AH, WE DON’T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE RACE THEIR THEOLOGICAL MOTORS TO TRY TO
ILLUSTRATE THE TRINITY, AND THEY SAY, “IT’S LIKE THIS, IT’S LIKE
THAT.” WE TRY TO COMPARE GOD TO SOMETHING. WELL, THERE’S ONLY
ONE GOD, SO THERE’S NOTHING TO COMPARE HIM TO. A GIRL HAD A
BOYFRIEND, BUT SHE WENT OUT WITH ANOTHER BOY ONE NIGHT, AND SHE
CONFESSED TO HER BOYFRIEND, “I WENT OUT WITH HENRY AND HENRY
KISSED ME.” HE SAID, “HE DID? I’LL TEACH HIM.” SHE SAID, “YOU
COULDN’T TEACH HENRY ANYTHING.” [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] AH, YOU CAN
COMPARE ONE KISS WITH ANOTHER KISS, BUT YOU CAN’T COMPARE GOD
WITH ANYTHING BECAUSE THERE IS NO OTHER GOD. LET ME GIVE YOU A
VERSE. PUT IT DOWN. ISAIAH 40 VERSE 18, “TO WHOM, THEN, WILL
YE LIKEN GOD?” DON’T EVER MAKE THE, THE MISTAKE OF SAYING GOD
IS LIKE THIS. “TO WHOM WILL YOU LIKEN GOD?” ONE KISS MAY BE
DIFFERENT OR LIKE ANOTHER KISS, BUT THERE’S ONLY ONE GOD, ONE
GOD. NOW WE SEE REFLECTIONS OF HIS TRINITY IN EVERYTHING.
REFLECTIONS, BUT NOT PROOFS. TIME AND SPACE, THAT MAKES OUR
UNIVERSE. TIME IS WHAT? PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. SPACE IS
HEIGHTH, WIDTH, AND DEPTH. ALL BELONG TOGETHER. EACH IS
DISTINGUISHABLE, BUT ALL ARE INSEPARABLE. YOU CAN’T HAVE A
PAST WITHOUT A PRESENT, YOU CAN’T HAVE A PRESENT WITHOUT A
FUTURE, AND YOU CAN’T HAVE A FUTURE WITHOUT A PAST. EACH ARE
DISTINGUISHABLE, ALL ARE PART OF ONE. AND YET THEY ARE
DISTINGUISHABLE, AND YET THEY ARE INSEPARABLE; NOT A PROOF OF
THE TRINITY, ONLY A REFLECTION. SPACE: HEIGHTH, WIDTH, AND
DEPTH. YOU CAN’T HAVE HEIGHTH WITHOUT WIDTH, YOU CAN’T HAVE
WIDTH WITHOUT DEPTH, YOU CAN’T HAVE DEPTH WITHOUT HEIGHTH. EACH
IS DISTINGUISHABLE. ALL ARE INSEPARABLE. WHY? BECAUSE
THEY’RE REFLECTIONS OF THE GREAT GOD WHO MADE EVERYTHING, GOD IN
THREE PERSONS. AND THIS IS THE UNFATHONABLE MYSTERY. NOW
SOMETIMES, SOMETIMES, AH, WE USE FALSE ANALOGIES. SOMEONE MAY
SAY, “WELL, OH, IT’S EASY TO UNDERSTAND. IT’S LIKE PASTOR
ROGERS. HE IS JOYCE’S HUSBAND, HE IS MY PASTOR, AND HE IS
ANGELA’S GRANDFATHER.” NO, WE’RE NOT, THAT’S CALLED MODALISM.
IT’S NOT GOD ACTING IN THREE WAYS; IT IS GOD IN THREE
PERSONS. WELL, YOU SAY, “PASTOR ROGERS, I DON’T UNDERSTAND
THAT.” YES, THAT’S TRUE. ISAIAH 55 VERSES EIGHT AND NINE, “‘FOR
MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS; NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS
MY WAYS’, SAITH THE LORD. ‘FOR AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN
THE EARTH,’” BY THE WAY, HOW HIGH IS THAT? HA, HA, “‘AS THE
HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER
THAN YOUR WAYS AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS.’” A WISE MAN
SAID, “DON’T TRY TO EXPLAIN THE TRINITY; YOU’LL LOSE YOUR MIND.
DON’T DENY IT; YOU’LL LOSE YOUR SOUL.” HOW DO WE KNOW IT? BY
DIVINE REVELATION AS WE OPEN THE WORD OF GOD. THE ONLY KNOWLEDGE
WE HAVE OF THE MOST HIGH, IS HE DISCLOSES US, HIMSELF TO US. NOW
HERE’S THE SECOND THING I WANT YOU TO SEE. I WANT YOU TO SEE
NOT ONLY, AH, THE UNFATHONABLE MYSTERY, BUT I WANT YOU TO SEE
THE UNFOLDED MANIFESTATION OF THE TRINITY. IF GOD IS A, AH, A
TRIUNE GOD, THEN YOU WOULD EXPECT HIM TO MANIFEST HIMSELF,
WHICH INDEED HE HAS DONE. YOU SEE, AGAIN, IN OUR SCRIPTURE,
MATTHEW ONE VERSES 22 AND 23, “NOW ALL OF THIS WAS DONE, THAT
IT MIGHT BE,” AH, “FULFILLED WHICH WAS SPOKEN OF THE LORD BY
THE PROPHET.” NOW GOD HAS GIVEN US THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES,
AND THERE HE, HE UNFOLDS THESE THINGS. WE SEE THEM. NOW, UH,
MUSLIMS CLAIM TO BELIEVE THE OLD TESTAMENT. JEWS BELIEVE THE OLD
TESTAMENT. JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES CLAIM TO BELIEVE THE OLD
TESTAMENT. WHY DON’T WE GO TO THE OLD TESTAMENT AND SEE IF WE
CAN FIND THE TRINITY THERE? WELL, WE DO, ON THE FRONT DOOR
IN THE FIRST VERSE. GENESIS 1:1, “IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED
THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH.” YOU SAY, “PASTOR, I SEE NO TRINITY
THERE.” WELL, STAY WITH ME. THE HEBREW WORD FOR GOD THERE IS
“ELOHIM,” “ELOHIM,” AND IT IS A PLURAL NOUN. “EL” IS THE
SINGULAR APPELLATIVE FOR GOD, THE SINGULAR NAME FOR GOD, “EL.”
AND THEN IF YOU ADD THE “IM” TO IT AND MAKE IT “ELOHIM,” THEN
THAT PLURALIZES IT. FOR A SERAPH IS ONE ANGEL; SERAPHIM, ANGELS.
A CHERUB IS ONE ANGEL; CHERUBIM, MORE ANGELS. IT IS THE PLURAL
NOUN. BUT THIS PLURAL NOUN COULD BE TRANSLATED, “IN THE BEGINNING
GODS.” WELL, WE KNOW THERE’S ONLY ONE GOD, BUT YET THE HOLY
SPIRIT INSPIRED MOSES TO WRITE DOWN “ELOHIM,” GODS, PLURAL. BUT
THEN, ALMOST IN BAD GRAMMAR, EXCEPT FOR DIVINE INSPIRATION,
HE USES A SINGULAR VERB. GODS, ELOHIM, CREATED THE HEAVENS AND
THE EARTH. NOW WHAT IS THIS? IT IS GOD ACTING AS A UNITY, THE
TRIUNE GOD. WITH THAT IN MIND, REMEMBER THAT THE BABY OF
BETHLEHEM WAS THE ONE WHO CREATED THE MANGER AND THE, THE
VERY, AH, STABLE IN WHICH HE WAS BORN. JOHN ONE VERSES ONE
THROUGH THREE. REMEMBER IT SAID NOW, “IN THE BEGINNING,
BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH.” GODS?
NOW LISTEN TO THIS, JOHN ONE, ONE THROUGH THREE, “IN THE
BEGINNING WAS THE WORD.” THAT’S THE BIBLE, AH, NAME OR
DESCRIPTION OF JESUS. “IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE
WORD WAS WITH GOD.” OKAY. NOW WAIT A MINUTE. “AND THE WORD WAS
GOD. THE SAME WAS IN THE BEGINNING WITH GOD. ALL THINGS
WERE MADE BY HIM; AND WITHOUT HIM,” WITHOUT WHOM? WITHOUT
JESUS, “WAS NOT ANYTHING MADE THAT WAS MADE.” DO YOU SEE IT?
NOD YOUR HEAD. JUST, LET ME KNOW. ARE YOU AWAKE? HELLO!
[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] OKAY, NOW LISTEN. WHAT I, WHAT I’M TRYING
TO SAY IS THIS: THAT THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM IS THE MIGHTY GOD OF
GENESIS ONE. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] NOTHING WAS MADE WITHOUT HIM.
YOU SEE IT IN THE CREATION OF THE WORLD. YOU SEE IT IN THE
GREAT COMMANDMENT THAT GOD GAVE TO ISRAEL. THERE IS A
COMMANDMENT THAT GOD GAVE TO ISRAEL. EVERY ORTHODOX JEW KNOWS
IT BY HEART. IT’S CALLED THE “SHEMA.” HERE IT IS, DEUTERONOMY
SIX VERSES FOUR AND FIVE, “HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD IS
ONE LORD.” THE JEWS USE THIS AS THE PRIME PROOF TEXT FOR THE
UNITY OF GOD. “THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD: AND THOU SHALT LOVE
THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THINE HEART, WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND
WITH ALL THY MIGHT.” THE WORD “LORD” IS A TRANSLATION OF THE
WORD “YAHWEH,” OR JEHAV, “JEHOVAH.” JEHOVAH IS ONE LORD,
OR “THE LORD OUR ELOHIM IS ONE LORD.” “JEHOVAH OUR GODS IS ONE
LORD.” “YAHWEH,” OUR “ELOHIM.” DON’T DROP OUT ON ME NOW. WHAT
I’M TRYING TO SHOW YOU IS THIS: THAT EVEN IN THIS GREAT
CONFESSION OF ISRAEL, HERE WE HAVE THE TREE, THE TRINITY. WE
HAVE REFLECTIONS OF THE TRINITY HERE. NOW WHEN HE SAYS, “JEHOVAH
OUR ELOHIM IS ONE LORD,” HE USES A WORD FOR ONE, “ECHAD.” E-C,
E-C-H-A-D, IF WE WERE TO ANGLICIZE IT, WHICH MEANS ONE,
NOT A SINGULAR ONE, BUT A PLURAL ONE. YOU SAY, “HOW CAN YOU HAVE
A PLURAL ONE?” WELL, LET ME GIVE YOU OTHER PLACES WHERE THIS WORD
IS USED. IN GENESIS CHAPTER TWO, DO, VERSE 24. WHEN THE BIBLE
SPEAKS OF HUSBAND AND WIFE COMING TOGETHER, THE BIBLE SAYS,
“THEY TWO SHALL BE,” ECHAD, “ONE FLESH.” NOW ARE THEY TWO OR ONE?
THE ANSWERS YES. [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] ALL RIGHT. LET ME GIVE
IT TO YOU AGAIN. IN GENESIS 11 AND VERSE SIX, BEF, AT THE TOWER
OF BABEL, GOD SAYS, “THE PEOPLE IS ONE.” ALL OF THESE? YES, BUT
ONE. THE SAME WORD THAT’S USED HERE, “THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE
LORD.” LOOK AT IT HERE IN NUMBERS CHAPTER 13 AND VERSE 23,
“ONE CLUSTER OF GRAPES.” MANY GRAPES, YET ONE CLUSTER. WHAT IT
IS, IS A PLURAL UNITY. AND WHEN, “HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR
GOD IS ONE LORD,” JEHOVAH OUR ELOHIM IS ONE JEHOVAH. HAS THAT
GOT YOU SCRATCHING YOUR HEAD? GOOD. I’M HAPPY. NOW, YOU SAY,
“BUT, BUT WE DON’T LEARN ABOUT GOD’S SON TILL WE GET TO THE NEW
TESTAMENT.” NO, YOU’RE WRONG. YOU LEARN ABOUT GOD’S SON IN THE
OLD TESTAMENT. LOOK IN DANIEL CHAPTER THREE VERSE 25.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR LOOKED INTO THE FIERY FURNACE, AND, “HE ANSWERED
AND SAID, ‘LO, I SEE FOUR MEN LOOSE, WALKING IN THE MIDST OF
THE FIRE, AND THEY HAVE NO HURT; AND THE FORM OF THE FOURTH IS
LIKE THE SON OF GOD.’” WHO WALKED WITH SHADRACH, MESHACH,
AND ABEDNEGO THROUGH THAT FIERY FURNACE? JESUS DID. [AUDIENCE:
AMEN] LOOK IN PROVERBS CHAPTER 30 AND VERSE FOUR. HERE’S A
QUESTION FOR THE ANCIENTS, “WHO HATH ASCENDED UP INTO HEAVEN, OR
DESCENDED? WHO HATH GATHERED THE WIND IN HIS FISTS? WHO HATH
BOUND THE WATERS IN A GARMENT? WHO HATH ESTABLISHED ALL THE
ENDS OF THE EARTH? WHAT IS HIS NAME, AND WHAT IS HIS SON’S
NAME, IF THOU CANST TELL?” HIS NAME IS JEHOVAH, AND HIS SON’S
NAME IS JESUS. THAT’S THE ANSWER. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] GOD HAS
A SON. AND WHAT IS GOD’S PURPOSE WITH HIS SON? READ IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT IN PSALM CHAPTER TWO VERSES SIX AND SEVEN. HERE’S
WHAT THE ALMIGHTY SAYS, “YET HAVE I SET MY KING UPON MY HOLY
HILL OF ZION. I WILL DECLARE THE DECREE: THE LORD HATH SAID UNTO
ME,” JESUS IS SPEAKING, “‘THOU ART MY SON; THIS DAY HAVE I
BEGOTTEN THEE.’” NOW, FOLKS, I’M TALKING OLD TESTAMENT HERE. AND
THEN WHAT ABOUT OUR CHRISTMAS VERSE? ISAIAH CHAPTER NINE AND
VERSE SIX, “UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN, AND UNTO US A SON IS
GIVEN.” THE CHILD BORN IS THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM; THE SON GIVEN
IS THE EVERLASTING JESUS. “AND THE GOVERNMENT SHALL BE UPON HIS
SHOULDER: AND HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR,”
NOW HOLD THIS RIGHT NOW, HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED “THE MIGHTY
GOD.” “WHOSE NAME?” THE BABY! “YOU’RE CALLING THAT BABY THE
MIGHTY GOD?” ISAIAH THE PROPHET DID. “EL GIBBOR.” THAT’S THE
NAME. “EL GIBBOR,” THE MIGHTY GOD. DO YOU KNOW WHAT “EL
GIBBOR” LITERALLY MEANS? THE GOD-MAN! THAT’S ISAIAH CHAPTER
NINE VERSE SIX, 700 YEARS BEFORE JESUS CHRIST IS BORN. THE
GOD-MAN. NOW THE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES WILL TELL YOU, “WELL
THAT’S NOT JEHOVAH GOD.” WELL THEN, TURN OVER TO THE NEXT
CHAPTER AND LOOK IN ISAIAH CHAPTER 10 VERSE 21, “THE
REMNANT SHALL RETURN, EVEN THE REMNANT OF JACOB, UNTO THE
MIGHTY GOD.” AND THERE, BEYOND THE SHADOW OF ANY DOUBT, IT’S
TALKING ABOUT JEHOVAH. AND YET JESUS IS CALLED JEHOVAH.
THEREFORE, IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, WHEN WE COME TO THE MIRACLE
STORY OF THE BIRTH OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, IT’S NO AMAZEMENT
TO, TO US THAT WE SEE GOD THE SPIRIT AND GOD THE FATHER AND
GOD THE SON COMING TOGETHER IN THIS WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS STORY.
AND THE SAME, THE SAME GOSPEL OF MATTHEW THAT BEGINS IN MATTHEW
CHAPTER ONE, SPEAKING OF THE HOLY TRINITY, CONCLUDES IN
MATTHEW CHAPTER 28, GIVING THE GREAT COMMISSION TO THE CHURCH.
AND LISTEN, BEGINNING IN VERSE 19, MATTHEW 28 VERSE 19. JESUS
IS SPEAKING, “GO YE, THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING
THEM,” INTO, OR, “IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND
OF THE HOLY GHOST.” WHEN WE BAPTIZE PEOPLE, WE BAPTIZE THEM
WITH A TRINITARIAN FORMULA: FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOST.
LISTEN TO ME. LOOK AT ME. THAT WOULD BE BLASPHEMOUS IF JESUS
CHRIST IS NOT GOD, TO PUT HIMSELF ON THE SAME PLANE, TO
INCLUDE THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND TO SAY, “BAPTIZE THEM IN THE NAME
OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY GHOST,” IF JESUS IS NOT
CO-EQUAL AND CO-ETERNAL WITH GOD THE FATHER. HAVE YOU GOT IT? NOD
YOUR HEAD. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] ALL RIGHT. NOW, LET’S MOVE TO THE
THIRD AND FINAL THING. I WANT YOU TO SEE THE UNCHANGING
MINISTRY OF THE TRINITY. NOW IT IS A MYSTERY, A MYSTERY
MANIFESTED. BUT WHY ALL OF THIS FUSS ABOUT IT? “PASTOR, WHAT
DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?” WELL, YOUR DESTINY RIDES ON IT. YOUR
DESTINY RIDES ON IT. LISTEN AGAIN. MATTHEW CHAPTER ONE
VERSES 20 AND 23, “BUT WHILE HE THOUGHT ON THESE THINGS, THE
ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARED UNTO HIM IN A DREAM, SAYING, ‘JOSEPH,
THOU SON OF DAVID, FEAR NOT TO TAKE UNTO THEE MARY, THY WIFE;
FOR THAT WHICH IS CONCEIVED IN HER IS OF THE HOLY GHOST. AND
SHE SHALL BRING FORTH A SON, AND THOU SHALT CALL HIS NAME JESUS;
FOR HE SHALL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS.’” THE HOLY
TRINITY, FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOST, WORKS TOGETHER IN YOUR
SALVATION YOU ARE SELECTED BY THE FATHER. HE LOVED YOU BEFORE
YOU WERE EVER BORN. YOU WERE SAVED BY THE SON. YOU ARE SEALED
BY THE SPIRIT. ALTOGETHER THIS IS THE WAY YOU’RE SAVED. THAT’S
THE REASON THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID IN SECOND CORINTHIANS 13 VERSE
14, “THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THE LOVE OF GOD AND
THE COMMUNION OF THE HOLY GHOST,” HUH, HUH, “BE WITH YOU
ALL.” GOD LOVES YOU. JESUS SAVED YOU. THE HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERS
YOU. THAT WAS THE BLESSED BENEDICTION THAT PAUL GAVE TO
THAT CHURCH. MY TIME IS GONE, BUT, UH, GEORGE DUNCAN OF
ENGLAND TOLD A STORY TO A FRIEND WHO PASSED IT ON TO ME. HE SAID
BACK IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR THERE WAS A MAN, A BRITISHER,
VERY WEALTHY, WHO HAD A SON. AND THAT SON GOT IN THE ROYAL AIR
FORCE, THE RAF. HE WAS SHOT DOWN IN FLAMES AND DIED; LEFT THIS
MAN, WHOSE WIFE HAD PREVIOUSLY DIED, IMMENSELY WEALTHY WITH NO
RELATIVES, NO OTHER DESCENDANTS. THIS BOY WAS LOST IN THE BATTLE
FOR BRITAIN. THERE CAME A TIME WHEN THE MAN HIMSELF DIED AND HE
WROTE A WILL. AND HIS WILL SAID THAT HIS ESTATE WAS TO BE SOLD
AND GIVEN TO VARIOUS CHARITIES. AND HE SAID, “MY ART COLLECTION
IS TO BE AUCTIONED OFF.” HE HAD AN INCREDIBLE ART COLLECTION.
SOTHEBY’S WAS GOING TO DO THE AUCTIONING. THE PEOPLE CAME FROM
ALL OVER, ART COLLECTORS. BECAUSE IT WAS A FAL, A VALUABLE
COLLECTION, THEY WERE SALIVATING WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO BID ON
IT. AND THE AUCTIONEER, THE EXECUTOR, SAID, “FIRST OF ALL,
WE’RE GOING TO AUCTION ONE PAINTING.” IT WAS THERE ON A
TRIPOD. THEY UNVEILED IT. AND IT WAS A PAINTING OF A MAN. IT WAS
THE WEALTHY MAN’S SON, THE ONE WHO DIED. FEW IF ANY OUT THERE
KNEW THE BOY. IT WAS NOT A WELL-KNOWN ARTIST. TO THEM IT
WAS MORE OR LESS VALUELESS AND NOBODY BID. BUT ONE MAN WHO WAS
AN OLD FRIEND OF THE FAMILY, WHO KNEW THE BOY AND HAD SEEN HIM
GROW UP, THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A PAINTING OF THAT
LAD. “I KNEW HIM. I WATCHED HIM. I LOVED HIM.” AND HE BID ON IT.
THERE WAS NO OTHER BID. THE AUCTIONEER SAID, “DO I HEAR ANY
OTHER BIDS? VERY WELL, IT IS SOLD TO THIS INDIVIDUAL.” AND
THEN HE SAID, “THE AUCTION IS OVER.” THEY SAID, “NO, THERE ARE
OTHER, OTHER PAINTINGS.” HE SAID, “NO.” SAID, “I WAS
FORBIDDEN TO TELL YOU THIS, BUT IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN IN THE WILL
THAT WHOEVER BUYS THIS PICTURE GETS WITH THE PICTURE THE ENTIRE
COLLECTION. WHOEVER GETS THE SON GETS ALL THE REST.” FRIEND, I
WANT TO TELL YOU, GOD HAS A SON, AND WHEN YOU GET JESUS, YOU GET
IT ALL. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] YOU GET IT ALL WHEN YOU RECEIVE JESUS.
I’VE TRIED IN VAIN A THOUSAND WAYS, MY FEARS TO QUELL, MY
HOPES TO RAISE; WHEN ALL I NEED, THE BIBLE SAYS, IS JESUS. MY
SOUL IS NIGHT, MY HEART IS STEEL; I CANNOT SEE, I CANNOT
FEEL, FOR LIGHT AND LIFE I MUST APPEAL TO JESUS. HE DIES, HE
LIVES, HE REIGNS, HE PLEADS. THERE’S LOVE IN ALL HIS WORDS
AND DEEDS. ALL, ALL THE GUILTY SINNER NEEDS IS JESUS. THOUGH
SOME WILL KNOCK AND SOME WILL BLAME, IN SPITE OF SIN, IN SPITE
OF SHAME, I’LL GO TO HIM BECAUSE HIS NAME IS WHAT? [AUDIENCE:
JESUS] JESUS. “THOU SHALT CALL HIS NAFME JESUS, JESUS, FOR HE
SHALL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS.” THE GOD-MAN, EL GIBBOR.
DON’T YOU LOVE HIM? [AUDIENCE: AMEN] WHAT A SAVIOR. BOW YOUR
HEADS IN PRAYER. HEADS ARE BOWED AND EYES ARE CLOSED. I WANT TO
INVITE YOU TO INVITE HIM INTO YOUR HEART. I WANT TO LEAD YOU
IN A PRAYER. AND IN THIS PRAYER YOU CAN SAY AN EVERLASTING,
“YES” TO JESUS CHRIST. AND IF YOU ARE NOT CERTAIN THAT YOU’RE
SAVED OR CERTAIN THAT YOU’RE NOT SAVED, TODAY YOU CAN RECEIVE
HIM. WOULD YOU PRAY THIS PRAYER? “LORD JESUS, I BELIEVE YOU’RE
THE SON OF GOD, AND GOD THE SON. I BELIEVE YOU PAID MY SIN DEBT
WITH YOUR BLOOD ON THAT CROSS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRECIOUS SHED
BLOOD. I BELIEVE THAT GOD THE FATHER RAISED YOU FROM THE DEAD.
YOU DIED TO SAVE ME AND PROMISED TO SAVE ME IF I WOULD TRUST IN
YOU. I DO TRUST YOU. THIS MOMENT, RIGHT NOW BY FAITH, I
OPEN MY HEART AND I RECEIVE YOU INTO MY LIFE AS MY LORD AND
SAVIOR. FORGIVE MY SIN; CLEANSE ME, SAVE ME, JESUS.” PRAY IT
FROM YOUR HEART, “SAVE ME, JESUS. SAVE ME.” DID YOU ASK
HIM? WERE YOU SINCERE? THEN PRAY THIS WAY, “THANK YOU FOR SAVING
ME, LORD JESUS. I RECEIVE IT BY FAITH AND THAT SETTLES IT.
YOU’RE NOW MY LORD AND SAVIOR. I DON’T LOOK FOR A SIGN OR ASK FOR
A FEELING. I STAND ON YOUR WORD. YOU CANNOT LIE. NOW I WILL LIVE
FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU DIED FOR ME. AND HELP ME NEVER, EVER TO BE
ASHAMED OF YOU. GIVE ME THE COURAGE TO MAKE IT PUBLIC. IN
YOUR NAME I PRAY, AMEN.” AND FRIEND, AS I HAVE INVITED
THESE OTHERS TO RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST IN TO THEIR HEART AS LORD
AND SAVIOR, I WANT TO PERSONALLY INVITE YOU, WHEREEVER YOU ARE,
RIGHT NOW; I PROMISE YOU ON THE AUTHORITY OF THE WORD OF GOD, IF
YOU WILL OPEN YOUR HEART AND BY FAITH EMBRACE THE SON OF GOD, HE
WILL SAVE YOU. NOT ONLY WILL HE SAVE YOU BUT HE WILL GIVE YOU
JOY AND STRENGTH. YOU KNOW, IF THERE WERE NO HEAVEN, JUST TO
KNOW JESUS IN THIS WORLD WOULD BE WONDERFUL. BUT THERE IS A
HEAVEN. THERE’S A HELL TO SHUN, A HEAVEN TO GAIN, A LORD TO
SERVE AND HE WANTS TO BE YOUR SAVIOR. PRAY AND ASK HIM TO COME
INTO YOUR HEART AND SAY, “LORD JESUS, COME INTO MY HEART,
FORGIVE MY SIN, BE MY LORD AND SAVIOR.” AND HE WILL DO IT. AND
FRIEND, IT WILL BE ABSOLUTELY, GLORIOUSLY, WONDERFUL. GOD BLESS
YOU AS YOU DO IT. AND IF YOU DO, WRITE TO US AND LET US KNOW,
WE’LL SEND YOU SOME LITERATURE TO HELP YOU TO GET STARTED IN
YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE. WE HOPE THAT TODAY’S MESSAGE HAS BEEN AN
ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. YOU CAN LISTEN TO THIS
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