Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Why Did Jesus Not Know the Day or the Hour? | Mark 13:32 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

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Why Did Jesus Not Know the Day or the Hour? | Mark 13:32 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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I invite you to turn in your Bibles with me to the Gospel of
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Mark in chapter 13. Today we're going to be looking
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at one verse, but I want to read the surrounding passages because
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there is a blessing in the simple reading of God's Word.
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Mark chapter 13, beginning in verse 32, which will be the
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verse of our focus today we read here.
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But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the
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angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
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Be on guard, keep awake, for you do not know when the time will
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come. It is like a man going on a
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journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge,
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each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.
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Therefore stay awake, For you do not know when the master of the
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house will come in the evening, or at midnight, or when the
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rooster crows, or in the morning, lest he come suddenly
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and find you asleep. And what I say to you, I say to
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all, Stay awake. Lord, we ask that you bless the
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proclamation of the Word, the reception of the Word, that the
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Lord Jesus Christ might be exalted through it, more
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importantly, through our application of it.
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Lord, you know the hearts of all men, and we pray that you give
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us, Lord, a willing heart, an open mind, understanding and
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clarity, not just for the sake of growing in knowledge, but so
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that we can grow in our obedience and worship to You.
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We ask these things in the name, the living name, the saving name
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of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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If God is all knowing. And we as Christians believe
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that the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed God.
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But at the same time we see that Christ in this one verse admits
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to His limited knowledge, namely about the day or the hour of His
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triumphant return. How do we as Christians
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reconcile this? It is very difficult to defend
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the omniscience of the Son of God.
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If He confesses in this one verse that he doesn't know
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something. Does he therefore disqualify
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himself as being divine? Perhaps you have wrestled with
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this in your own study of the Gospels, or it's very likely
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that in your endeavours to preach the Gospel, someone has
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brought this up as an objection to you with the intent of
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casting doubt. Because he himself does not
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acknowledge that the divine nature of the Son of God.
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And it's in this particular verse in Mark, which is also
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found in Matthew, Matthew 2436, that is often employed to do
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just that, to cause others and to convince them that Jesus
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Christ isn't who we believe him to be.
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But if you have been wrestling with this particular passage or
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you find it difficult to explain it to a skeptic, then I want you
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to take heart from the beginning that the focus of today's
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message is to bring clarity to it.
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And I believe the best way to understand and reconcile what
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Christ says here with who Christ is, is by providing this answer
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in three steps. In other words, if someone were
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to approach me and bring this verse as a dilemma, then I would
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first want to ask them if they are willing to patiently receive
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a robust answer because it will require a listening ear and a
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humble heart in order to have a proper interpretation of this
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passage. And if you can remember this
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three layered response, and even if you rehearse it just a little
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bit, then I can guarantee you that you will grow in your peace
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with the veracity of the scripture.
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And you will also be able to have the confidence to convey it
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to those who may ask you for the reason of the hope that you
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have. And so this is a very simple
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approach. I want you to take this message
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as a format of an individual approaching us and asking as
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they quote Mark 1332, how do you believe Jesus Christ to be God
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manifested in the flesh if he claims himself that he does not
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know something? And the first step to this three
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staged answer, if you are taking notes, this will be helpful, is
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to ask the Inquirer #1 to consider the implications of
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that very verse. That's step #1 Consider the
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implications of the very verse that you are bringing to my
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attention. Read Mark 1332 slowly with me
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once more before we expand on it.
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But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the
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angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
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Now when the Lord Jesus says no one knows, what he means by that
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is no human being knows. And that would be more obvious
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if you held the King James Version in your hands, because
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that translation provides clarification in the following
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way. This is how it would read in the
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King James quote. But of that day or that hour
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knoweth no man. But even if you don't have the
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King James translation as your go to text, this categorization
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is understandable since the Lord would not have to follow no one
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knows with anything else. If Jesus meant to say no one
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knows to encapsulate absolutely everybody, then he wouldn't have
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to say not even the angels of heaven nor the sun.
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No, by the way, this is going to be heavier today, so you got to
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lean in and pay attention. You don't want to doze off at
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one part because you might miss it.
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Why is understanding this important?
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Because the Lord is making a clear distinction between
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classes of beings in His teaching.
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In fact, if you read it, you'll notice that there's a hierarchy
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here. He mentions how no human being
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knows, how no Angel in heaven knows.
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Then he speaks of himself by saying nor the Son, but only the
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Father. So within the same text that
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people often use to dilute the nature of Christ, you actually
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have the Lord Jesus placing himself in an order that is
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superior. He mentions no one knowing, no
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rational, intelligent human being is able to know.
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Then he speaks about the angels in heaven not knowing, and after
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that he says nor the Son, He separates himself from spiritual
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beings and from human beings. And so This is why I say step
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one is to consider the implications of the verse
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because you have to acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ is
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conveying something about himself.
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There's a intentional difference being spelled out here,
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something that I would ask a skeptic and if they're willing
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again to listen, then I would show how what Christ is saying
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here is in concert with the rest of the Bible.
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And one of the go to passages for this to be echoed is the
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book of Hebrews. Turn to the book of Hebrews
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chapter one. Do you want to know the goal of
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the book of Hebrews? The author there intends to show
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why Jesus Christ and the New Covenant is greater than Moses
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as the mediator of the Old Covenant and the Old Covenant
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itself. And right at the beginning of
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this letter, there is no time wasted for the Spirit of God to
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demonstrate and declare the greatness and the superiority of
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the Lord Jesus Christ. He's greater not just more than
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Moses, not just over the Old covenant, but over everything.
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He's superior to all things, period.
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And we weren't, we're not going to read the 1st 3 verses, but we
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read there that He is appointed the heir of all things.
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We read there that He is the creator of the whole world.
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You read there that He is the radiance of the glory of God and
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the exact imprint of His nature. You read there that He's supreme
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over everything. And in the same breath, you
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realize as you come to verse four that He is even recognized
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as greater in the realm of the spirit, more specifically among
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angels. Let's read verse 4 together.
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Having become this is speaking about the Son of God having
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become as much superior to angels as the name he has
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inherited is more excellent than theirs.
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For to which of the angels did God ever say, You are my Son?
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Today I have begotten you, or again I will be to him a Father,
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and he shall be to me a Son. And so you see here that the
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prominence of Christ is heralded in that he holds a unique title
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that no Angel shares and that he has a relationship with the
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Father that no Angel has. And if that isn't convincing
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enough, you read in verse 6 something astounding.
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And again, when he brings the first born into the world, he
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says let all God's angels worship him, worship the Son of
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God. So not only is he superior
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because he has a name that they do not have, not only is he
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superior because he has a relationship they do not have,
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He is superior in that he's to be worshipped.
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He's to be worshipped by these heavenly beings.
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Now, there are some who really, really, really don't want to
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believe that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh.
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And so they would say, yes, he is superior.
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Yes, he does have eminence, but among the creatures he is the
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greatest of all creatures. He is distinguished.
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And that is what your friendly Jehovah's Witness believes, that
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he was the prized creature and through him God performed
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everything, including the creation of the universe.
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But if one is honest enough to acknowledge what we just found
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in Hebrews in the beginning of the book, then you have to also
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be honest enough to honor the rest of what the author says.
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Look down here at verse 8. He's still again proclaiming the
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preeminence of Christ. And not only does he say that
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the angels worship in verse six, but now the Spirit of God
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through this author tells us what God says about the sun.
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Highlight this if you've never seen it.
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This is where God honours and acknowledges the sun in a way
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that is undeniable. But of the sun, he says, who's
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he? Verse five tells us it's God
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who's speaking. So it's the same person who is
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saying these things. But if the Son, he says your
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throne, O God is forever and ever, who's speaking God?
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And what does he say to the Son? Your God?
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God is telling the Son of God that He is God.
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The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your Kingdom.
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You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
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Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of
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gladness beyond your companions. So the same God who declares
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that Jesus Christ the Son is superior to angels is to be
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worshipped by angels. Himself acknowledges and crowns
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him with deity. Your throne, O God, is forever
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and ever. You know, this obviously
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troubles many cults, including Jehovah's Witnesses and the
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Jehovah's Witnesses have their own version of the Bible.
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It's a perverted version. It's a satanic version actually.
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And what they've done with this particular verse, I'm going to
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quote it to you, is there's to go to show how much Satan hates
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how he absolutely loathes the truth that God, the mystery of
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godliness manifested in the flesh.
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Here it is in a New World translation and whoever came up
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with that translation is going to is going to be terrified when
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they stand before God. Hebrews 1/8 and the New world
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translation reads but about the Son, he says God is your throne
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forever and ever. What's in your translation?
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But of the Son, he says in verse eight of ours, your throne, oh
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God is forever. How did the Jehovah's Witnesses
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spell it out? God is your throne forever and
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ever, and the scepter of your Kingdom is the scepter of
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uprightness. And if you do engage with the
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Jehovah's Witness, you can actually prove from their own
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Bible that whoever mistranslated this actually messed up because
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they didn't finish the rest of the chapter.
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So they went to the most obvious verse that declares the deity of
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Christ from the mouth of God himself.
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But God didn't finish speaking in Hebrews 18 and 9:00.
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There's a verse 10. Look at verse 10 in your own
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Bibles. The the Bible is telling us here
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that God is still speaking. Look at verse 10 and quote now
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God is still speaking to the Son of the Son.
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And you Lord, you Lord laid the foundation of the earth in the
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beginning and the heavens are the work of your hands.
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So somebody forgot to miss translate verse 10 because God
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is not telling of the Son your Lord.
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And he quotes Psalm one O 225 to 27, which in that Psalm ascribes
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the creation and all these wonderful things to Yahweh.
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So the Lord is not just calling him Lord in the sense that we
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see it sometimes in the Old Testament as master as a
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superior. When you see that he's quoting
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Psalm 1O2, he's actually God is actually saying of the Son,
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you're Yahweh, you're Yahweh. So why am I bringing this all to
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your attention? Because if back in Mark in our
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main verse, Christ contrasts himself from all men and angels
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and Hebrews confirms that order that he's superior.
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He's he's been appointed the heir of all things, He's
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superior to the angels while acknowledging that the Son is
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God. Then the skeptic has to
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reconsider his weaponization of Mark 1332 because Christ places
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himself as the Son above the angels, above all human beings.
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And Hebrew elaborates on that and says, yes, He is above all
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things, He is above the angels, but He's above in the sense that
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He is God over all these things. So what is Christ implying by
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him placing himself in that order?
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That's why you have to step one. Consider the implications of the
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very verse that you are quoting to deny the deed of Christ.
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Christ is actually confirming it.
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That's step #1. Consider the implications of
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this verse. Step #2 is to honour the
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immediate context. Honour the immediate context.
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So step number one is to consider the implications of
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that one stand alone verse. My follow up to that in the
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second stage of my response would be to honour the
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surrounding passages. Anybody who was honest would
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acknowledge that it would be irresponsible and completely
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unfair to take one verse out of a body of text and rip it out to
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make it say something that is not faithful, that is not
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honest, that is not integral. Especially that stand alone
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statement is connected to a body and a flow of thought.
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And that's exactly what Mark 301332 is.
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So if some insist that Mark 1332 means that Christ cannot be
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divine, then I would remind the person that Mark 1332 is not the
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only verse in Mark. It's not.
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Mark doesn't begin in Mark 1332 and end with Mark 1332.
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And so if you have been with us in the past, we've been in this,
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I think over a year at least, I'm sure over a year, probably
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close to two years studying Mark together week after week after
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week after week. And we've seen one
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demonstration, one display example, illustration after
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another, showing us that God is in fact manifested in the person
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of Jesus Christ. From his profound teachings and
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claims to his demonstrations of divine power, we gladly
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acknowledge that Jesus Christ is our God.
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He bears the attributes of deity.
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So in the very same breath that Jesus says he does not know the
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day or the hour, he thunders the following declaration.
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I mean, how many places can we go on Mark to show that he is in
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fact divine? But you don't even have to go
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back to chapter one. You don't have to go to chapter
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three. You don't have to go to chapter
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5. All you have to do is look at
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the immediate context and look at this right before he says
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that he does not know the day or the hour.
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Look at Mark 1331. We study this briefly last week.
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He proclaims heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
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will not pass away. For a mere man to declare that
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would be absurd would be bold. But Christ is no mere man.
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He's no ordinary fellow and the way he fashions this statement
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about the eternality of his own words was strategic because as
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you remember, this is a little bit of review.
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As you remember when he said that in the presence of his
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disciples, they would have connected it to what the Old
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Testament says about God's word. Here's Jesus saying everything
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will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
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And those listeners would have said, wait a minute, hold on
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because here's what Isaiah 40 verse eight says.
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The grass Withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God
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will stand forever. And so Isaiah the prophet
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declares the exclusive trustworthiness and
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indestructible witness of God's Word.
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And yet Jesus of Nazareth comes along, and he dares to claim
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that his word is on the same level as God's.
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The skeptic must make a conclusion.
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Either Christ is a blasphemer or he is claiming to be God.
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For him to authenticate his word as the same as God's is an
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astounding assertion. But it's not even just that.
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I mean, we're still in Mark 13. Scroll back to Mark 1326.
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And then he says, they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds
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with great power and glory. And we touched on that, how he
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is borrowing from Daniel's vision and Daniel chapter seven
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of one like a Son of man who comes before the Ancient of
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Days. And not only does the Ancient of
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Days recognize him and attribute to him the prerogatives that
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belong to God alone, but everybody will worship this one
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who is like a son of man. And most people who come to this
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passage just stick with verse 26 and don't realize that verse 27
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is jam packed with evidence, further evidence that Christ
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himself is more than just a man. Notice what he says.
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And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from
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the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
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So he says one like a Son of man will come in the clouds with
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great power and glory. And it's like that's obviously a
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reference to Daniel. But then he follows that by
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saying, and he the same one, the same Son of man, he's going to
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dispatch his angels and they're going to gather the elect from
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the four corners of the earth and from even the ends of
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heaven. And again, if if you're
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saturated in the Hebrew Scriptures, then you also with
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verse 27 would say, hold on, hold on, hold on.
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I read in many places that there is only one who has the
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authority and the ability to fetch for his people from such a
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distance, from such a scattered state.
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There's only one who possesses that ability and you guess the
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right is God Almighty. Here's one among many references
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that you can have. Write this down.
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Write it down in Deuteronomy 30, listen to what God says to his
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people after warning them if they disobeyed, how they would
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be in fact exiled. But he promises hope in
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Deuteronomy 30, verse three and four.
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And here's why I'm quoting this. I'm quoting this to show you
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that the things that Christ claims about His power and His
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ability and His authority, it can only be linked to one other
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person, and that's God himself, and it's no different here.
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Here's what the Word of God says in Deuteronomy 30, verse 3.
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Then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have
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mercy on you, and He will gather you again from all the peoples
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where the Lord your God has scattered you.
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If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from
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there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He
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will take you. You find it in Isaiah, you find
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it in other places. It's sprinkled that whenever the
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Lord says this, He attributes that ability to Himself.
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And yet here's Christ and His teaching of the end times,
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saying me as the Son of Man. When I return, I'm going to call
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for the elect. I'm going to dispatch my angels
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because they're inferior to me. They serve me, and they will
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gather the elect to myself. Who do you think you are?
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That's a simple question you can ask in the Gospel of Mark or any
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gospel account. Who does Christ think he is?
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Never mind what you think, never mind what may be convoluted and
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complicated for you. But who does Christ claim to be?
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Obviously he is claiming to be God.
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So step one, if I'm standing before a skeptic who's saying if
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Jesus is God, then how does he not know?
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I would say, well, consider the implications of the verse.
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Do you realize the order? You realize the hierarchy here.
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Where does Christ place himself? Well, I don't know what this
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means for Him to be after the angels and the human mix.
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Well, let me show you in Hebrews what it means.
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And after that I would say zoom out a little bit and look at the
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surrounding passages. What does Christ say in the same
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breath where He says He does not know the day or the hour?
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What does He say about himself? What does He say about what He
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can do? Let's not even go throughout the
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whole neighborhood. And Mark, let's just stick here
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to this one street, so to speak. But this is where it gets
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exciting. This is stage 3.
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This is step three. If that person is able to endure
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everything that I just said, I would then say this.
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Not just consider the implications of the verse, not
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just honor the immediate context.
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You're Step 3 to this answer. Factor the wider testimony of
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Christ. Factor in the wider testimony of
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Christ from throughout the Bible.
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And what you notice about these steps is what we're zooming out,
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right? You start in the verse, then you
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look at the context just in Mark.
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And that's important because some people will say, yeah,
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well, that's what this person says.
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That's what that book says. But that's not what Mark says.
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OK, let's just stay in Mark then, and if they're still
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willing to listen, then I would say, let's consider now what the
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whole Bible has to say, because all of God's Word is God's word.
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How much of Christ being more than just a man is presented to
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us? But not just that.
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There are even places where we see without a doubt, Christ
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claiming or at least receiving the acknowledgement that He is
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all knowing, that He is all knowing.
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OK, so you have your Bibles with you, right?
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Go to John 21. This is very important to see
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with your own eyes. How can Jesus be crowned as God
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if he is not all knowing? Well consider these verses in
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the Gospel accounts that tell us he is all knowing.
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John 21 verse 17. Here's Jesus with Peter and some
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of the disciples. Peter decided to go fishing when
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he wasn't supposed to be fishing.
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He was called to Fishman, but disappointment in your
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sanctification and in your performance for Christ can
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really do a number. He is so just distraught, he
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decides to go back to square one before Christ called him to
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himself. And Jesus stands on the shore.
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What a merciful king we have. And he calls to Peter and the
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rest of that boat, and they recognize that it's Christ and
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they come to the shore and what do they find?
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They find their Master. And what does the Master do?
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He prepared breakfast for them. Can you imagine God making you
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breakfast? He prepares a meal for them and
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he sits with them. And this is so amazing because
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he's intending to take this opportunity for Peter, who
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publicly denied Christ, to now publicly affirm his love for
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Christ. So after their bellies were
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full, Jesus turns over to Peter and he asked them twice before
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what we're about to read. Do you love me?
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Peter says I do feed my sheep. Do you love me?
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I do 10 my lambs. And look at verse 17.
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He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love
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me? Peter was grieved because he
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said to him the third time, Do you love me?
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And he said to him, Lord, you know everything, you know
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everything. You know that I love you.
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Wow, you know, I thought about that.
26:57
Never mind. We're making this is very much a
26:59
theological session. I get it.
27:01
But I just want to pause here. Isn't it amazing that Peter
27:04
understood something about Christ that he did not even need
27:08
to tell him he loved him. He knew that Christ.
27:11
He knew that Christ knew that he loved him or not.
27:13
Christ knows your heart. He knows my heart.
27:18
The facade might fool others, but he already knows before I
27:22
sing a note or preach a gospel message, if I love him.
27:32
Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.
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You know what Jesus didn't say, Peter?
27:40
Now you said I know everything. I don't know everything.
27:44
Remember? Remember that teaching when I
27:45
said I don't know the day or the hour?
27:48
Jesus corrected Peter on many blunders.
27:52
You read the gospel accounts, you discover that Peter has a
27:55
tendency to just say things right off the whim, right?
27:57
And Jesus corrects him, sometimes rebukes him.
28:00
But here's Peter saying, Lord, you know everything.
28:05
You know that I love you. And Jesus said to him, feed my
28:08
sheep. He doesn't misdirect his
28:11
thoughts. He doesn't correct.
28:12
He receives he receives that acknowledgement.
28:17
Now you realize that John 21 is Christ post resurrected, right?
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This is after his resurrection. This is before his ascension.
28:29
So that is to be taken into consideration.
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But go to John 16 and look at another account of the disciples
28:38
having a conversation with Jesus where he tells them that he will
28:43
no longer speak to them and figures of speech what will
28:45
speak to them plainly. John 1629, his disciples said,
29:00
ah, now you're speaking plainly and not using figurative speech.
29:07
Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to
29:15
question you. This is why we believe that you
29:20
came from God. So pause, take your time and
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understanding what the disciples are saying here, they realize it
29:31
dawned to them, the light was switched on.
29:33
Oh, you, you know all things. And they followed up by saying
29:37
and do not need anyone to question you.
29:39
What do they mean by that? Lord?
29:40
You don't need anybody to test your knowledge to probe you
29:46
because you've convinced us you know everything.
29:50
So unlike others who might be subject to scrutiny and
29:54
investigation and testing, you stand out among them all because
29:59
you know all things. And the omniscience of Christ
30:05
moved them to such a degree that they make this conclusion.
30:08
Look at the last part of verse 30.
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This is why we believe that you came from God.
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What compounded their conviction that Christ came from God?
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He knows all things. You know everything.
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We don't have to wonder about it.
30:26
We don't have to second guess it.
30:27
It's so plain and so obvious now.
30:30
This is a major claim, is it not, for somebody to know
30:33
absolutely everything? Wouldn't this be an opportunity
30:36
for Christ? This is before his death, by the
30:41
way. That's why I'm quoting it to
30:42
you. This is John 16.
30:44
He hasn't gone to the cross yet. This is him while he's still on
30:47
earth fulfilling His earthly ministry.
30:50
Wouldn't this be the time for him to say now, Now I did come
30:55
from heaven, but I don't know absolutely everything.
31:00
Instead, look what he says in verse 31 is his response.
31:03
Jesus answered them. Do you now believe like finally
31:07
you got it. Finally you understand that yes,
31:11
I did come from God. But more than that, he's
31:13
acknowledging everything that they're saying that I also know
31:16
all things. So we come to this passage.
31:26
The Lord doesn't deny it. He confirms everything that
31:29
they're claiming. So before the resurrection,
31:31
after the resurrection, the Scriptures directly deal with
31:35
the person of Christ and declare that He is what all knowing.
31:38
So then how do we make sense of him?
31:42
How do we make sense of Him in Mark 1332 saying that He doesn't
31:45
know something? And this is where you and I have
31:48
to take into account the dual nature of Christ.
31:53
Everything that was presented up to this point, I hope confirms
31:57
to you that Jesus did not cease to be God when he entered into
32:00
this world. And we also believe that through
32:04
the incarnation that the Lord of glory did come to become a true
32:10
human, which means that as much as his divine attributes were
32:16
present while on earth, we have to also remember that the
32:19
components and the essential ingredients of being a human
32:25
were also in function, though without sin.
32:30
So he was fully or truly God, but he was also fully and truly
32:37
man. And if he was truly man, though
32:40
without a trace of sin, you have to understand then that there's
32:44
going to be limitations by virtue of being man.
32:49
So He has to eat and he has to drink and he has to rest.
32:55
And He asked to, as we learned in the Gospels, grow in his
32:59
wisdom and knowledge. And part of that growth and
33:01
wisdom and knowledge is that there is some restriction to a
33:04
certain degree of data, and that is all to again confirm His
33:11
humanity. And so the restriction that
33:14
Christ underwent is part of His subjecting himself to the will
33:19
of God by entering into this world as a man.
33:22
Now you might think to yourself, this is so complicated, it can't
33:26
be true. How do you make sense of the
33:30
mingling of someone being truly divine and and truly human?
33:34
What are the intricacies of the mechanics of that?
33:37
The Bible doesn't give it. But let me comfort you in this,
33:40
and maybe this is something that will help.
33:43
Never mind the complexities of two nature working in one
33:47
person, your nature alone as a man, we can't figure ourselves
33:51
out. You realize that the depths of
33:54
consciousness, how your brain functions, why certain things
33:59
happen and why they don't happen.
34:00
We can't even figure that out. And here we are not renouncing
34:04
our existence. And so it's it's something for
34:08
us to take into account that we ourselves are complicated beings
34:14
and yet we're willing to throw away the truth just because we
34:18
can't wrap our minds around the person of Jesus Christ in his
34:21
incarnation. There is a ceiling that you will
34:24
meet in this. And the Bible does not give us
34:28
this in depth kind of insight into how those things work.
34:32
All it does is give us the evidence and we're supposed to
34:35
acknowledge that evidence and humble ourselves at a certain
34:38
point. Say you are God.
34:41
That's why Timothy tells us that this is the mystery of godliness
34:45
that God manifested in the flesh.
34:47
It's a mystery. It's a mystery and we as
34:51
creatures have to humbly accept mystery in our faith that we are
34:55
a rational faith. We're not people who who blindly
34:58
accept things, but there's some things that we must be joyfully
35:03
surrendered to. But again, this is the part
35:07
where we go from wondering to worship, because again, the
35:11
restrictions of man is something that Christ willingly surrender
35:14
to. And that's why in Philippians
35:16
27, you read this in Philippians 27.
35:18
But he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born
35:22
in the likeness of man. So Paul tells us, not only did
35:27
he humble himself by becoming a man, but he became a servant.
35:32
Yes, human, but not a king, not a human king, not a not a human
35:37
ruler. No, He came as a man, but as a
35:40
servant. And what's so amazing is that
35:43
Jesus Christ indirectly speaks about one of the elements of
35:49
being a servant. That sheds some light into him
35:51
not knowing the day or the hour. If you want to see it, you're
35:54
already in John. I hope go to John 1515 and
35:56
you'll be able to under score what I'm conveying.
36:04
John 1515 No longer speaking to his disciples.
36:14
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does
36:18
not know what his master is doing.
36:24
Paul tells us that when Jesus came to this world, he became a
36:26
servant. And look how Jesus qualifies.
36:28
What a servant the limitations of a servant.
36:32
At least he says a servant doesn't know what his master is
36:35
doing. But I've called you friends, for
36:39
all that I have heard from my Father, I have made known to
36:41
you. Ah, Christ becoming a servant is
36:47
willing to subject, subjugate himself to a role in which he
36:51
restricts his knowledge. So how do we tie this all
36:55
together? As a man, as the perfect servant
36:59
of the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ would not be able to
37:04
recollect that which the Father chooses only to make known to
37:08
Him. So he he surrendered to the
37:13
Father, revealing to Him everything that He needed to
37:15
know as a servant. At the same time, the ability
37:18
for Christ to recall all things always remained, so He
37:23
surrendered Himself to that limitation in His humanity.
37:26
But in His divine aspect He did know all things.
37:32
How to make sense of that? Not easy, it's not easy, but the
37:38
evidence is plain, and so the intricacies of it, the
37:42
harmonization of it, may not be plain, but what it is plain is
37:46
that He does know all things. And yet in His humility and His
37:49
mission to come save us to identify with man, He applied
37:52
limitations as a servant, only being able to convey and bring
37:57
to mind that which the Father as his superior would make known to
38:02
him what we can under there. Hopefully you know now the three
38:09
steps to answering that question concerning that that verse.
38:12
But there is an alternative view.
38:14
There is an alternative view that I want to present to you.
38:16
And it's a good case to make many people make it.
38:20
Maybe this is the first time you've heard it.
38:22
Maybe this is something that you believe.
38:24
Go back to Mark 1332 as we're prepared to close in a moment,
38:31
he says. But concerning that day or that
38:33
hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,
38:37
but only the Father. Now the word know in the
38:43
Scriptures can mean something else depending on the context.
38:50
It can also mean to make known. So to know something isn't
38:56
limited to the Bible in the sense of having cognitive
38:59
understanding of something that word know can also mean to make
39:04
known. It's almost like a verb to
39:05
reveal or to disclose. And the the best example of that
39:11
being the case is in First Corinthians chapter 2, verse 2,
39:15
where Paul tells these Corinthian believers the
39:17
following. For I decided to know nothing
39:22
among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
39:29
So what's happening here is Paul admitting that he knows
39:33
absolutely nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
39:37
No, no, that's absurd. That's not what Christ.
39:39
That's not what Paul rather is saying.
39:40
He's telling these Corinthian believers as he's reminding
39:42
them, that when he came to them to preach to them, he decided to
39:46
make known. I decided to know in his
39:50
language, nothing among you. My central message was the
39:53
gospel, the person of Christ and what he's done on the cross.
39:58
But notice the verbiage here. For I decided to know nothing
40:02
among you. And so the alternative view is
40:05
when you take this and apply it back to Mark 1332, it could read
40:10
the following way. But concerning that day or that
40:14
hour, no one knows one because they don't have the ability to
40:18
know. Human being knows that they are
40:19
the hour, not even the angels in heaven, because they also don't
40:25
know. They're not omniscient.
40:27
They don't have access to that, nor the son, not because he
40:32
doesn't know, but because as a servant, because he is subject
40:38
to the father, he does not have the prerogative or the right to
40:42
make it known. I cannot make that known unless
40:46
the father gives me access and the authority to make it known.
40:49
I do know cognitively, but I can't, like Paul says, I can't
40:53
make it known to you. That's up to the father alone.
40:57
And that's why he says, but only the Father.
41:00
So that is a view that many do hold to even his historically.
41:04
That is a view that many have held to and explained this verse
41:06
in that way. But All in all, this is how I'm
41:09
going to end because I don't want to end it on that thought.
41:16
But concerning that day or the hour, no one knows, not even the
41:18
angels in heaven, nor the Son. But only if I what is he talking
41:20
about that day or the hour? The day or the hour of his
41:22
return. And when he returns, he's coming
41:23
to judge. So we were in school today, we
41:30
this was heavy theology today and that's good.
41:32
The church needs it. But I want to end by giving you
41:36
an opportunity to receive the Lord Jesus Christ.
41:40
You know, verse comes to mind and I want to quote it to you.
41:43
It's in Acts 10 where the apostles say the following in
41:48
Acts 1042. And He commanded us to preach to
41:53
the people and to testify that He is the one appointed by God
42:00
to be judge of the living and the dead.
42:03
Let me tell you something. Jesus Christ was not just
42:07
appointed to save the world. He's been appointed to judge the
42:10
world. Judgement Day is coming.
42:14
And for you who might be bothered by that message, you
42:16
have to come to this verse and try to explain it, because these
42:18
are telling us that they were commanded to preach.
42:22
What judgement He commanded us to preach to the people to
42:26
testify that what he is the appointed 1 by God to judge the
42:30
living and the dead. Not a lot of talk of judgement
42:33
from preachers today, but this is Apostolic and so I want to
42:39
let you know that there's a day coming where God is gone to by
42:43
the Son. Take into account every single
42:47
thought, deed, action, lack of action, and bring retribution to
42:53
it. There is a day coming where
42:56
you're going to give your final breath, and the very few seconds
43:00
after that, your eternal destination will be sealed.
43:06
And I heard somebody say it this way, that the job of the
43:08
preacher is to preach and convince others to change their
43:12
eternal address. You're going somewhere, I'm
43:18
going somewhere. I know you want to try to live
43:20
here as long as possible, but I heard another preacher say this
43:24
way, that he stood on the side of many deathbeds where people
43:27
have fought for their breath and they couldn't keep it.
43:32
Explain the sight and the sound of it that there have been
43:34
people who try to hold on to their breath and it's going to
43:38
leave you. No matter how strong you are, no
43:41
matter how many vitamins you've pumped into your body, no matter
43:43
how many weights you've lifted, no matter how many things that
43:45
you've done for you to be as healthy as possible, there's
43:48
going to be a day where your breath is going to leave you and
43:50
you can't do anything about it. And the moment you give that
43:55
final breath, you're going to enter into a world more real
43:58
than this one. And what's going to happen is
44:01
this. What you did with Jesus here
44:04
will determine what Christ will do with you then.
44:09
He's been appointed by God to judge.
44:11
He's going to judge every wicked deed, every unbelieving thought,
44:15
every single conviction that contradicts His truth will not
44:19
be winked at. It will be acknowledged and it
44:22
will be dealt with by a holy God and the scrutiny of His
44:26
Holiness. No man can dare stand there and
44:29
even think that they can defend themselves.
44:31
The very sight of His being will cause you to melt and realize
44:36
that you have no chance. You have no chance to receive
44:41
eternal life. But that's not the only thing
44:45
that the apostles said here in Acts 1042.
44:50
We're told that they were were to preach this message.
44:53
But look at verse 43. To him, all the prophets bear
44:58
witness that everyone who believes in Him receives
45:01
forgiveness of sins through His name.
45:03
So it's not just judgement, it's grace forgiveness.
45:10
Judgement Day is coming, but you can escape it.
45:13
Judgement Day is coming, but you can be forgiven.
45:15
And notice that forgiveness for any sin, any deed, any action,
45:19
any misaction, is only applied and accessed through His name,
45:23
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom I serve.
45:27
And I present to you that name. If you have not believed on that
45:29
name, if you have not repented from your sin and received and
45:33
applied your heart to that name, today is your day.
45:38
Let your heart be at rest this afternoon, knowing that you've
45:41
made peace with God Almighty. Let your heart be at rest,
45:45
knowing that you have received salvation as a gift from this
45:49
Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And so I want to invite you
45:55
today if you have never made that choice, if you can't
45:58
remember a time where you have decided I will turn from my sin
46:02
and I will receive the shed blood of Jesus Christ to wash
46:05
over me, why would you deny such a request?
46:08
There is a time coming where many, many people will realize
46:14
the foolishness of them rejecting this message that I
46:16
present to you. You think we're just a random
46:21
ball floating in the blackness of space and this just all
46:24
happened? You think this is going nowhere?
46:26
No, no, no, no, no. Every Rd. is leading to Judgment
46:30
Day and God in His great love and steadfastness has made a way
46:37
for us to hide from the wrath to come and to receive not just
46:41
forgiveness, but fellowship with God, fellowship with God.
46:46
This is not just you erasing your account so that when when
46:49
he comes, he's going to examine you, say, OK, you pass, now just
46:52
tuck yourself somewhere in the peripheral of heaven.
46:56
This is God in his great love, though Judge is also one who
46:59
desires to extend himself as Father to his creatures, and he
47:02
wants to receive you and know you, walk with you, love you,
47:05
and for you to share an eternal communion forever.
47:11
And so I herald this truth to you today.
47:15
Repent from your sins and flee to the cross of Jesus Christ.
47:20
Run to him. Flee to the city of refuge
47:25
before it's too late. I know many people want to make
47:30
other people feel good. You can make people feel good
47:32
until they go to hell. That's not my job.
47:37
That's not the job of the preacher, the job of the
47:39
preachers, to proclaim salvation and for people to enter into
47:43
abundant life through His name alone.
47:45
I'm not inviting you to a drudgery.
47:47
I'm not inviting you to some kind of weighty way of life in
47:50
which you're always looking over your soul.
47:51
I'm inviting you to joy. And joy abundantly can only come
47:56
for the One who made you, can only come from the One who
47:58
created. You can only come from the One
48:00
who saved you, wants to restore you, make you whole.
48:03
You are a frag. You are creating the image of
48:05
God, but it's fragmented. You are created to reflect His
48:09
glory, but sin has muddied it and only Christ can cleanse it.
48:14
Only Christ can restore you and make you whole.
48:17
And I want to tell you today in my closing that this Jesus
48:20
Christ, who I proclaim to you is not just the way into heaven,
48:22
He's the way into. You can know freedom here on
48:25
earth. He sets free.
48:28
He breaks any shackle, any bondage, any turmoil.
48:35
Let me tell you something. When I got saved, I know I got
48:39
saved. Not into sinless perfectionism.
48:42
No, no, no, no, no. But I can tell you that the
48:44
weight came off. The burden of sin, the power of
48:48
iniquity was removed from my life.
48:52
And it's been 12 years and I can look back and still say I'm a
48:56
free man because of Jesus Christ.
48:59
I invite you into freedom in Christ, my brother.
49:07
Do you struggle, dear? Do you have bad days?
49:09
You better believe it, but I have Christ in my life, and I
49:14
rather be with Christ on a stormy day than be without
49:18
Christ on a sunny day. I want Him.
49:21
I have nowhere else to go. You are a wanderer.
49:25
You are lost. You are abandoned without Him.
49:29
But here He is now, inviting you to know fellowship and
49:33
relationship with your Maker. Do not deny it.
49:37
He is stretching His hand to you on the Sunday afternoon, and
49:40
he's pleading with you to come and receive the assurance of
49:43
eternal life and life today. And so I beg of you, come,
49:49
receive the living bread of heaven.
49:51
I beg of you, drink of this living water.
49:53
If you come and sip from this, you will never have to look at
49:56
another well again. I assure you that if you drink
49:59
from this fountain, you will never have to explore another
50:02
day in your life to no satisfaction.
50:04
It's completely found in him. And there's a day coming that
50:08
this invitation I present to you has an expiration.
50:11
There is an expiration date. You cannot afford to wait.
50:14
Did you notice what we read in the beginning?
50:16
After speaking about that day or the hour in which he will
50:18
return, he urges his listeners stay awake.
50:21
We're going to talk about that next week.
50:24
You don't know when it's going to happen.
50:25
Don't. Don't allow yourself to stay
50:27
asleep. Get up from your slumber and
50:30
realize that the day of salvation is now, is now.
50:34
So I beckon you to get saved. Listen, if you don't know Jesus
50:37
Christ as your Lord and Savior, the elders will be here.
50:40
Whoever came with you as a believer will be here to answer
50:43
any questions and to help you find the light in Christ.
50:47
That's what this is about. We're not here to play church.
50:48
They didn't sign up for this thing to just go through an hour
50:50
and a half every single Sunday and just go home.
50:53
Souls are hanging in the balance every week.
50:55
And so I want to let you know that we take this seriously.
50:58
If you need to be saved, find one of us.
51:01
Find one of us and ask, and we'll be glad.
51:03
It will be considered a privilege to help you see the
51:05
glory of Jesus Christ. I'm done.
51:09
Let's pray together as the praise team comes up, before the
51:12
actually praise team come up, and then I'll pray.
51:14
I just want you right now in the silence of your own heart to
51:17
evaluate yourself. If you're somebody here who
51:19
doesn't know Christ, ask yourself, why would I deny this
51:23
gospel? Why would not I accept this free
51:26
gift of salvation? Believe if you're here, just
51:29
rejoice in knowing that this Bible that you hold is the
51:32
truth, and give God glory in knowing that you have everything
51:35
you need in Him. Lord, we do thank you from the
51:40
bottom of our hearts for this session in which we were able to
51:43
understand the depths of Scripture.
51:45
Thank you for confirming to us that even in places in the Bible
51:48
that may seem to be challenging and those who may say he's
51:51
contradicting, you've given us answers.
51:54
We praise you for that. But Lord, in this day or the and
51:57
then in this hour, we realize that the gospel must be
52:00
proclaimed. Yes, explanations, but also the
52:03
gospel that saves. Explanations can only go so far.
52:06
It's this gospel that renews and redeems.
52:09
So we pray that if even if there's one person in here that
52:11
doesn't know Christ, that your Spirit will continue his work.
52:14
They're bringing that conviction that brings about change if it's
52:16
responded to appropriately. Lord, at this time, we worship
52:20
you. We thank you that you did send
52:22
your Son, the superior one who humbled himself and became a
52:26
servant to serve sinners. There is no God like you and we
52:34
worship you and give you your due on this Sunday afternoon.
52:38
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
52:40
Let's stand and give him glory and praise and exaltation.
52:44
He is worthy. He is the King of kings.
52:46
He is the Lord of Lords.