Latest / Scripture Central / Come Follow Me Insights (Jun 12 - Jun 18) Luke 22; John 18

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Come Follow Me Insights (Jun 12 - Jun 18) Luke 22; John 18 · Scripture Central

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Hello everyone. Thanks for listening to come.
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Follow me, insights with Taylor and Tyler, presented by
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scripture Central. We use a lot of visuals in our
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videos. So if you want to see the
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visuals, we invite you to find us on YouTube.
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Thanks for listening and enjoy. I'm Taylor and I'm Tyler.
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This is scripture Central's. Come follow me insights this
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week, Luke 22 and John 18. If you look at all of Luke
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chapter 22 it begins back with the last supper and we've
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already covered that from Matthew and Mark perspective.
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So we're going to jump forward to the very end of that
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experience in the upper room with a statement that Jesus
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makes to Peter that is unique to the Gospel of Luke.
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So we're going to pick this up in verse 31 and the Lord said
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unto Simon, Simon behold. Satan has desired to have you
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that he may sift. You as wheat Joseph Smith
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adjusted that verse to say, Simon behold.
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Satan has desired you that he may sift the children of the
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Kingdom as wheat. It's not just you that he's
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after Peter, he's after you so that he can sift the children of
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the kingdom is wheat. That's, that's a prophetic.
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A powerfully prophetic addition to this idea that if Satan could
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have taken down Peter, he would have had much more power over
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over those early members of the church, following the teachings
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of Peter after the Ascension of Christ.
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It also just reminds me that all of us need to be on the lookout.
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Gout that first of all, we all be challenged tried tempted as
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part of the process of learning and getting the opportunity to
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choose God in the face of challenge but also that none of
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us should take life and our spirituality so lightly that we
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think oh well I have a testimony, all is well in Zion
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that we may also find ourselves sifted and if we're not careful
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that, continue to grow ourselves in the strength of the lord, we
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can be sifted out. So now watch what the Lord does
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to help Peter in this effort verse 32, but I have prayed for
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thee that thy faith fail, not just, isn't it amazing.
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Once again, the contrast on the scripture page, Satan is
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Desiring to have you so that he can destroy you.
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And in the process, destroy as many other people as possible.
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And Jesus is saying, but I have prayed for He that I Faith fail.
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Not both beings. Jesus and the devil are seeking
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after Peter one with the intent, to drag him down, and destroy
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the other with the intent to lift him up and strengthen him,
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and feel him with faith. I just it's obvious.
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I get it, it's obvious. But it's fun to see repeatedly
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on the scripture page that contrast and honestly it should
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it should strengthen Us in moments of Temptation to just
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pause for a moment and throw some, some thoughts heavenward
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and just analyze who it is. That's actually tempting.
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You and what is intended as what is purposes to me, it's
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empowering against the power of the devil.
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Did you see the underlying Greek word X labo here?
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Has the sense of Of to be left out, or to die out, or to come
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to an end. So when Jesus says so that you
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fail not, you could say, so you don't come to an end.
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So you don't die. Now, we all die.
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But we're talking about death, that's permanent the spiritual
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death. Those monsters that we hear
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about in The Book of Mormon. So, even the underlying Greek
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word conveys, a sense you're talking about, Tyler, it's
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beautiful. Now the second half first 32
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listen to these words and When thou art converted strengthen
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thy brethren. Once again, the contrast here
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between verse 31 and 32, the devil is wanting to sift you and
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your and many others as wheat. And Christ is trying to
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strengthen you and strengthen your brethren through your
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conversion. Now do any of you find it, odd
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that here we are three years into the savior's Ministry.
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You know, the Miracles that Peter has witnessed firsthand.
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He's been there for many of them keys.
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Listen to the teachings, he's watched the interactions, he's
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heard the sermons he's given up his business.
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He has spent three years with an itinerant preacher with not a
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way to make a living. And so, you would think that
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Peter has already converted God. And yet there seems to be more
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that Jesus is asking from. So here he is in that last
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supper event saying to Peter, when you're converted
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strengthen, your brother. And implying There's still room
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to grow fascinating when you tie it into teachings from the
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Gospel of John, his discourse, about the comforter, and the,
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the holy spirit, that would be sent.
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And his promise, that after his Ascension, he would send the
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Holy Ghost. This, this gift of the Holy
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Ghost being poured out. If you look at Peter, the
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Apostle before Acts chapter 2 and then you look at Peter, the
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Apostle after Acts chapter 2, there really seems to be a
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strengthening a deepening of his of his power as the chief
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Apostle, after the, the day of the Pentecost that outpouring of
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the spirit, which seems to by many measures be that that he's
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fully. Inverted that point after having
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witnessed, the resurrected Christ spent 40 days with him
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and then a, maybe a roughly a week later having that Pentecost
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experience the Peter, the Apostle moving forward from that
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point on seems fearless and, and powerful.
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And he is constantly strengthening his Brethren,
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which if you stop and think about it, I could be wrong here
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but I don't know of anybody in the New Testament.
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Who receives more corrective feedback more, what could be
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called gentle discipline than Peter from Jesus.
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Jesus seems to always be shaping him in correcting him.
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And yet, Peter took it so well and he adapted so, well, that
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Jesus kept giving it and we get an example in the opposite side
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of Judas who was corrected. Once when he complains about
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Mary breaking the, the spikenard ointment and putting it on the
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savior's feet, Jesus corrects him once and in the synoptics,
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the next thing he does is he goes to the chief priests to
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conspire about how he's going to betray Jesus.
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I wonder if there's an element buried deep in these two,
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contrasting stories of whom the Lord.
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Loveth the Lord chasing us. He does that.
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He corrects, not because he likes punishing, but because he
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loves refining, he loves disciplining in the best census
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of that word. Turning you into a true follower
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of him means that he's not always going to Pat you on the
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back. In fact, it's fascinating to me
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how our very bodies were created.
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The Lord made it very difficult for us to Pat ourselves on the
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back or two Ourselves in the pants.
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Consequently, I think we shouldn't do too much of either.
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One of those two things, but when we turn to the Lord and say
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what lack I yet, correct me, help me.
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Then he will give us those at times chastening whom the Lord.
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Loveth, he chasteneth, he'll give us those those corrective
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moments to shape us and help us move forward.
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You draw one of your perfect circles doesn't have to be super
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big. I love watching Tyler, draw
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these circles. These these circles are fun.
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I can't I squares, right? I try to stay in shape this way.
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so on OK from a teaching and learning standpoint learning is
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a cycle and in learning you have moments of like input where
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maybe you have some content that's given to you, your read
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something, you see something or you have some kind of
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experience, but it's interesting that a lot of learning that
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happens in our world is just a lot of inputs that just the
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teacher says something, or you read something or you see
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something, or maybe you have some experience, and that's
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great, but the learning Loop Is closed.
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When you add two crucial things, which we see here in the text,
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it's feedback and reflection. So in your own life, either for
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yourself or if you're a teacher or parent or somebody who loves
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other people and you're in a stewardship role where you're
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helping people to learn, remember, we are on this Earth
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to learn to be like God, to learn, to choose him and learn
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many things. If you want to be a great
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learner, you need feedback and reflection otherwise you only
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have half the circle. And we get what we see.
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Jesus giving his disciples is feedback and an opportunity to
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reflect on that feedback so they can act and get new experience.
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Again, the experience draws you further up in the learning Loop
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for more feedback and more reflection.
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So as we as we look at that situation, as far as he got the
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feedback, now he gets to reflect on that.
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The fascinating thing is, when thou art converted strengthen
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thy Brethren. If you look at that word in the
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Greek, it opens up A New Perspective.
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For us, it's time to start with the Latin which we get into
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English is convert. And the con here, can me is an
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intensifier and vert comes from our word that your connect that
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you are aware of. You've already seen the word
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verse and we read verses and along Time ago, in the ancient
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past, people would read the scriptures.
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They had read this way and then they would turn and read back
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this way and it keep turning at the end of every line.
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And they're called versus because you would turn at the
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end of every line. It's all about turning.
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So the word, vert literally means to turn.
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So, let's write that up. So it means to turn and The Cone
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means it's kind of intensifier. So it's a very intense or very
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complete and full turning. So you could be, you could be
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verted, you could be turned or you be converted which is fully
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turned, not just part way but all the way but then
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significantly in Greek, we have this words called a piece
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Truffles and it's related to a word that you're also.
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So familiar with in English the word trophy.
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So trophies were familiar with these are items.
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We give people to congratulate them on a job.
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Well done, you've won something you're the champion or this word
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comes from ancient. Lee is in Warfare when two
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armies would come together. Eventually, one Army would begin
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to Prevail the 2nd Army sensing, they're going to lose those
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soldiers would drop all of their weapons and their Shields And
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run the other way they would turn and run and they didn't
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want to be encumbered or held back with any heavy equipment,
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you want to be able to outrun the other Army.
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That's got the heavy equipment that's trying to Now kill you.
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So you would drop your equipment and turn and run the winning
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Army. Now gets to collect these object
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lessons of their Victory, the trophies that are evidence that
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the other Army has turned. And run.
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And the question then is, what are the trophies of our
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conversion? What are we willing to drop at
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the feet of the Savior or drop behind us and turn fully to the
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Savior? So, when we are seeking to be
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converted, the full turning happens as we are willing to
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drop those things that keep us from being focused on God and we
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all can think of things that we can let go in our lives.
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And the Book of Mormon has got some Examples of Lima Knights
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who buried their weapons of war because it was keeping them from
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fully turning to God. They wanted to walk away from
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anger and and the lust of hurting other people.
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We also have another lamanite king who says, Lord, I will give
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away all my sins. I will hand over my trophies, so
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that I might Know Thee. And I love this verse that,
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Peter can represent all of us that Jesus invites us to be
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fully. Converted.
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And when we've experienced the fullness of his love and
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atonement, the invitation is help others to also turn, love
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them, encourage them. Be patient as they work through
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that long process, Jesus was patient with Peter, it took him
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some time to learn how to be fully converted.
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Jesus did not Place final judgment on Peter.
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When Peter denied him three times Jesus allowed Peter, the
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opportunity to become his best self.
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And we to when we are fully converted can also learn to live
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in. Love for those who are also in
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process. So now we jump to verse 39 in
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Luke's account. We go into the guests Emily's
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Garden. He never mentions it by name.
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Verse 39, says, any came out and went as he was wont to the Mount
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of Olives that word, wo NT is an Old English way of saying as he
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was like accustomed. Often did Did.
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So they must have slept at the base of the Mount of Olives,
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they're probably in The Grotto of Gethsemane or in that region.
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Many times. This is this is a common
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occurrence for them and his disciples also followed him and
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when he was at the place. So we have to go to Matthew and
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Mark and and to John to get the location being as simony when he
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was at the police, he said unto them.
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Pray that ye enter not into To Temptation and he was withdrawn
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from them about a stone's cast and kneeled down and prayed.
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So, he doesn't give you any of the details of eight being left
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behind in Peter. James and John going.
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A little further, as you got back in, Matthew's account.
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And now here's his prayer verse 42.
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He kneeled down and prayed saying.
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Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me,
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nevertheless Not my will, but thine be done.
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And now we see what the father's will was after this prayer that,
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you know, please remove this cup.
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We know what Jesus is Will was, but he swallows his will up into
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the will of the father. And let's see what the father's
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going to do is kind of the point here, verse 43 says, and there
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appeared, an angel unto him from Heaven, strengthening him and
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being in an Agony, he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was
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as it were Great drops of blood falling to the ground.
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Joseph Smith translation says and he sweat as it were great
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drops of blood. So it wasn't he sweating and it
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looks like blood flying around josef's translation lines up
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beautifully with what we learn in the Book of Mormon as well as
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the Doctrine and Covenants. This is triangulated that he is
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bleeding from every pore. I remember some years ago I was
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talking. Into a friend, Don Perry he's a
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Hebrew scholar of Brigham Young University, and he shared this
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interested in sight with me that in the Old Testament law.
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If you were bleeding, you were technically ritually impure, and
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could not participate in Temple Services, until you had gone
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through the appropriate. Rituals to be cleansed virtually
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cleansed. Well Jesus, at this point is the
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most ritually impure person on the face of the Earth.
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It's another way that he has to send.
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Ended below all things to suffer, even more than any one
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of us ever suffered. So he might know how to succor
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us. So, so many beautiful things in
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this with, that's one takeaway. I get his willingness to
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experience far beyond what any one of us would ever experience.
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Now there's there's a little caveat here in verse 43 and 44.
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If you look at Bible Hub.com and you look at multiple English
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translation versions of the Bible, you will see that in some
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of them verse 43 and 44 are missing they don't show up in
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the in many of these English translations of the Bible.
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And the reason is, if you go back to our earliest
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manuscripts, those two verses are only in about half of those.
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Those earliest copies of the New Testament in Greek.
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So in some of them, it goes straight from verse 42 down to
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verse 45, completely, skipping, 43 and 44.
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So, it depends on which manuscript family.
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You are looking at whether or not you're going to translate
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those two verses. our friend and colleague, there BYU Lincoln
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Bloom, L wrote an incredible article a few years ago, because
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in academic circles the conclusion, Up to that time.
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Was that these verses were added later on, by people, in the
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early Christian Church to push back against the Dosa test
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Doctrine. There were actually Sunday
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School classes in that early Christian church where you have
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members of your congregation sitting there as Christians
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saying. Yeah, we're do statists.
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And some of your thinking what is a Dosa test of do?
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It's just is one who believes that Jesus never fully was
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embodied that he never actually had a body of Flesh and Bone
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because he's God and he couldn't have become that defiled by
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living in a body of Flesh. Because flesh is is unclean and
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we can't have God being unclean and tail.
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Just got through talking about that moment.
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Being the most ritually impure possible if he's bleeding from
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every port and So, the dose it's his Doctrine was such that they
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would say, it just looked like Jesus had a body, but he didn't
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really defile himself by taking upon Him flesh.
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That's you could see how people get to that, you know, without
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further light and knowledge. If all you have is a few words
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on the page and you get let people debate long enough
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without having the spirit interesting things can happen.
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Yeah. So so the philosophy in
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scholarly circles, was? Yeah, Luke would never Written
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verse 43 and 44. Somebody later on added it to
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try to show no. See, Jesus really did have a
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body and they're an angel really did come and help him because he
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needed it and to push back against that that what they saw
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as heretic Dosa to Stockton. Yeah.
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So the claim that it's a it's a late addition and it's
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interesting. What Lincoln was able to
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discover through his studies This, which was beautiful
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because he came at this from the perspective of the Book of
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Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, saying, no, Jesus
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bled from every pore, this is good Doctrine with the
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assumption that Luke, The Physician would pay attention to
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that more so than Matthew and Mark and John.
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So on that note, it has been medically documented where
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people have sweat blood when they're under extreme duress.
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And Sure, it's rare. But in the medical literature,
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it's happened. And so it's interesting that you
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have Luke who we know to be a physician, you would care about
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this, he would understand like this is such a significant
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suffering. I got to explain to you how bad
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the suffering was. This is what happened.
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He would understand the medical diagnosis.
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So so the contribution that that Lincoln Bloom L made to this,
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this set of verses is that instead of assuming that it was
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Just added later on by somebody, to try to push back the Dosa
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tests, what if it had actually been removed?
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What if Luke actually originally wrote it?
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Because that would line up with our restoration scripture and
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later on certain people removed it, out of their copies of the
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Bible, as they were making them to meet their own view, their
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own View, and quite frankly to make their missionary efforts,
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perhaps a little easier because About early Christian
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missionaries, going through the Greco-Roman World preaching,
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these scriptures, and think of the Greco, Roman Pantheon of
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gods. And goddesses is there is there
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a god in the Roman, or the Greek pantheon?
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The could ever suffer Agony. I'll go Nia this intense
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suffering, any of them, even think of the legendary Hercules.
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Ultimately, he Just overcomes all these challenges to show
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that he is more than your typical human as toes pointing
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out, what good Greco Roman citizen is going to be enticed
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to worship. A God, who seems to be so earthy
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and so capable of suffering. What did Paul say?
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It's foolishness to the wise or to the Greeks and the stumbling
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block to the Jews. It just really got people
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tripped up ancient li like this is not the kind of guy that I
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would want to spend time paying attention to, so you can imagine
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that potentially, you might have some well-meaning missionaries
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or other copyists, who are trying to entice people to
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understand Jesus, without sharing some perspectives on
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Jesus. It might be hard or distasteful
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for people to understand. Yeah.
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So you basically have three things in those two verses,
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number one, and angel came and strengthened him.
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Do you see why first century missionary might have a
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difficult Ulti teaching that to Greco-Roman audiences, that an
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angel had to come and strengthen our God.
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And number two, that he was in an Agony in an uggo.
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Nia and number three, that he bled from from his sweat was, as
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it were great drops of blood falling to the ground.
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So this isn't intended to be this huge philosophical or
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scholarly discussion. It's to show the complexity of
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when you get Into biblical studies.
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They're all these differing opinions.
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And can I just say what a blessing it is to have the Book
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of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the pearl of great
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price. And more importantly, perhaps is
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living prophets who can help us understand and understand
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interpret the words that come to us in the scriptures so that we
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can have a firm foundation for our faith that Jesus Christ went
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into guest cemani. And he actually did suffer
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infinite agonies, an angel did come to strengthen him.
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He did bleed from every pore why?
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He was partaking of the bitter cup to use his wording of
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symbolism, because we put all of our bitterness into that cup.
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He's taking it into him and he's experiencing everything that we
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talked about in that previous couple weeks ago, the lesson
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from Matthew and Mark In Gethsemane, those infinite, deep
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impossible to comprehend pains and it doesn't, it doesn't
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bother us to see an angel coming to strengthen him and and to see
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him in during this infinite agony.
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So, it's beautiful. When you can not just take what
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the used to be the scholarly consensus and just say, well, I
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guess that must be true but add to To it, what we understand
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from restoration scripture and figure out what we really
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understand in the latter days moving forward.
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Now let's pick up Luke's account of the arrest.
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Verse 45, when he rose up from prayer and was come to his
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disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow and said
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unto them. Why sleepy rise and pray lest ye
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enter Temptation into temptation.
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And then verse 47. Tells you while he yet, spake
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Behold a multitude and he that was called Judas.
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One of the twelve went before them and Drew near unto Jesus,
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to kiss him. So in Luke's account, he only
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wakes them up. Once in Matthew's account, he
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goes out and finds Peter, James, and John sleeping, three
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different times and wakes them up each time and then goes back
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into the garden. And now Judas comes into
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Gethsemane. You'll remember that earlier
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Earlier in this year we talked about this concept of
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christology which is a study of the the person the the men, the
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mission of Jesus Christ who was he and a high christology
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emphasizes the Divine. The Godly the miraculous
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attributes of Jesus Christ, a low christology emphasizes the
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human, the Mortal, the Earthly aspects of Christ's life And his
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ministry, John's gospel. As we've mentioned clear back in
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January is the highest christology perspective,
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christological perspective of the four gospel writers.
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If you were to read all of John's 21 chapters in one
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sitting and ask yourself, where is John portraying, the Divinity
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of Christ and where is he showing more?
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The humanity you're going to find elements of both, but it's
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much more emphasized on this. Hi christology in verse 10, says
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when Jesus had spoken these words which is the intercessory
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prayer from John 17, he went forth with his disciples over
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the brook kedron where was a garden into the which he entered
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and his disciples. So we combined the word Garden
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here with Gethsemane for Matthews account.
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And we often refer to it all as The Garden of Gethsemane.
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And he's got his disciples with him.
28:09
And look at verse 2 and Judas. Also, which betrayed him knew
28:12
the place for Jesus oft times, resorted, thither with his
28:17
disciples. In other words, Judas has spent
28:19
many a night in Gethsemane, with the apostles, in which Jesus,
28:23
and he knows where to find him when he brings this, this band
28:26
of men with him. And verse 3 says, Judas, then
28:30
having received a band of men and officers from the chief
28:33
priests and Pharisees and they came thither with lanterns and
28:37
torches and weapons. Fascinating.
28:41
I believe it was Elder Maxwell. Who once said there, so
28:44
spiritually blinded they need lanterns and torches in order to
28:48
see the light of the world on that dark night and Jesus verse
28:55
4 therefore knowing all things that should come upon him went
28:59
forth and said unto them whom seek ye he's not afraid, he's
29:04
not cowering back. He knows what's going to go on a
29:06
just shows up and I even think about the way John Does this
29:10
that he's focusing on these core afterwards?
29:12
These Divine qualities of Jesus and we shouldn't feel like,
29:18
gosh, John you should have also told us what Matthew and Mark
29:21
told us instead, what we get is a fuller view.
29:23
It just like if a friend told another friend about you versus
29:28
maybe a child or a parent said something about you, you're
29:31
still the same person, but the emphasis may be different and
29:34
people might get a different perspective.
29:36
For example, my kids have a certain Who I am and people at
29:41
work, see me in a different way and people who meet me out in
29:44
public, it's different and I feel the glory that we have
29:49
someone like John who so motivated in his testimony to
29:53
witness of the Divinity of Jesus, that he would Shine the
29:57
spotlight on the light of the world.
30:00
And yet we also have Luke and Matthew and Mark who are willing
30:04
to talk more about the humanity that we get the Fuller picture.
30:09
Because of these for good and what I would say, faithful
30:13
Witnesses of Jesus Christ. It's fascinating from John's
30:16
perspective, the crowd standing there.
30:20
And the implication from the, the synoptics account is that
30:25
Judas has already given the sign and the band of men with their
30:28
lanterns and torches and weapons are standing there and nobody's
30:31
moving, and Jesus steps forward and says whom seek ye.
30:36
And look at the response. This is beautiful first five.
30:39
They Him, Jesus of Nazareth, and Jesus saith unto them.
30:44
I am, he can I suggest you that? Once again, this is one of those
30:51
places where the King James translators italicized words
30:55
that they're adding of their own accord, that they're not
30:59
translating those words, this word he is italicized because
31:03
it's not in any of the Greek manuscripts that they're using
31:06
to make their translation what he said in the The Greek was a
31:11
go Amy. Now he's not speaking Greek, he
31:14
would be speaking Aramaic. But in this context the a going
31:18
me in Greek implies that he just used the Unspeakable name of God
31:26
from the Old Testament from the burning bush, speaking to Moses,
31:29
who should I tell them? Sent me, I am a go Amy, it's The
31:34
Great I Am or the Yahweh of the Old Testament because he's
31:39
speaking and Make he likely as using a variant of what Moses
31:43
would have heard from God in Exodus 3:14, which is actually a
31:49
a share FTA. And so Aramaic is not that
31:53
different, so he would have been saying something like this and
31:56
that's what gets the some of the Jewish leaders so much.
32:00
So, did you catch the significance here?
32:03
His question was whom seek. Ye they said, we seek Jesus of
32:07
Nazareth and his answer isn't oh.
32:09
Oh, I am he, I am Jesus of Nazareth.
32:12
He said it. What comes to us in the Greek
32:14
ego? Eimi.
32:15
Which is Yahweh. Jehovah.
32:18
The Great. I Am, you're seeking Jesus of
32:21
Nazareth. Hey, girl.
32:23
Amy Jesus of Nazareth is Jehovah of the Old Testament?
32:29
Is this implication here. Now, keep in mind which group in
32:33
this Garden that night with the moon somewhere, full moon
32:37
overhead somewhere middle of the night here, which group is
32:42
armed. It says verse 6 as soon as as he
32:49
had said unto them. I am they went backward and fell
32:54
to the ground. Again, the sign of his power and
32:58
Divinity, and these humans have really nothing that they can do
33:03
against him. We even consider that he knows
33:07
everything. He doesn't even need to wait for
33:11
Judas to betray him. He already knows what's
33:14
happened. He doesn't need to wait for that
33:15
kiss. If you picture this
33:18
geographically speaking, the Mount of Olives would be going
33:22
up behind us here, as you picture this to the top and
33:27
guests Emma knees down here at the base of the Mount of Olives.
33:30
And then you get the Kidron Brook, and then you get a steep
33:33
slope up to Temple, mount to the West.
33:37
These people came I'm from Jerusalem.
33:39
So they would have come either down or up, the Kidron Valley
33:42
here. Now, they're coming up into the
33:45
garden to arrest Jesus, so that they're looking up at him and he
33:50
says, hey, go Amy or Yahweh? They fall backwards to the
33:54
ground looking at him. And so Jesus has to step forward
34:00
again. Then asked, he them again, whom
34:05
seek ye and now they're on the ground.
34:10
We seek Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus answered.
34:15
I have told you that I am and once again the word he is
34:21
italicized it you can cross it out and it makes more sense
34:25
doctrinally. If therefore ye seek me let
34:28
these go their way now. Can you picture this moment?
34:34
It's dark. I mean you've got a full moon
34:37
overhead but it but it's night. They're on the ground.
34:41
They're looking at him. They've got the Torches.
34:43
You an almost here. The flickering of the flames in
34:47
your imagination. As they're looking at him.
34:51
Have you ever wondered why they fell backwards to the ground?
34:53
Is it just because of what he said?
34:56
Or is it because of how he said it can I suggest to you?
35:02
That this world has never known the kind of majesty and power
35:08
that exuded from Jesus on that occasion in that Garden on that
35:14
night. He just completed the first
35:18
phase of the infinite agonies of his atonement in our behalf.
35:24
And he's now risen from the ground in that now.
35:28
Come to meet them having blood from every pore I'm suggesting
35:32
to you that the people when they come they thought they were
35:35
coming to arrest a man named Jesus of Nazareth, and now
35:40
they've seen the sign given by Judas.
35:42
If you use the synoptic accounts, the kiss, and they
35:45
didn't do anything. Jesus has come forward and ask
35:48
them and they feel a Majesty that they can't describe the
35:53
sent them backward to the ground.
35:54
And now he's asked him again and they're still not moving.
35:58
And can you picture this moment of Stillness of quietness on
36:02
that night? And Peter is standing there
36:06
thinking. Aha, this is my moment because
36:11
earlier, in one of the synoptic accounts were told that they
36:16
brought two swords with them to the Garden that night.
36:19
So Peter Shing pulls out the sword and by the way it's
36:24
actually a short sword. It's like stabbing knife.
36:27
It might be about this big not particularly but he's a
36:30
fisherman. So Peter rushes forward and
36:34
We're told verse 10 then, Peter Simon.
36:36
Peter having a sword drew it and smote the high priests servant
36:42
and cut off his right. Ear the servants name was
36:47
malchus Now this is fascinating because all four gospel writers
36:52
refer to somebody getting their ear cut off that night and guess
36:56
cemani. Only John gives you his name
37:00
Malcolm us and tells you it's malkos right here.
37:04
The got cut off by Peter. There's only one gospel writer
37:10
who's going to mention that theyíre actually ended up
37:13
getting healed by Jesus? Can any of you guess which
37:16
gospel writer, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John would talk about
37:19
the healing of milk has ear. If you guessed, Luke The
37:23
Physician you're right. It's only in Luke's gospel,
37:26
where the ear gets healed, and it's only in John's gospel here
37:30
where we get his name again, we talked about this in previous
37:33
episodes. I think it's significant that we
37:37
know this man's name. It's not just a soldier or a
37:41
random guy in this band of men. It's and his name was malchus.
37:48
To me implies that when John's writing his gospel whenever that
37:53
is, John knows exactly who it is and he gives us his name and
37:58
none of the other gospel, writers do so.
38:01
John and his audience seemed to know the name alkis.
38:06
I'll tell you what I'm holding out.
38:07
Hope for I'm holding out hope that Jesus healed.
38:12
More than Mel kisses here that night.
38:15
I'm holding out hope that when Jesus touched that ear and and
38:22
and put it back on his head that he felt something deep in his
38:25
heart that this becomes a converting turning fully turning
38:30
point for milkis. Can you imagine this moment
38:36
though? You've got a whole band of men
38:38
armed and they're backwards on the ground, and Peter pulls, the
38:42
sword and cuts. One of your, your comrades ears
38:46
off. What would you expect from any
38:48
one of that group of men that are armed to do, you would
38:51
expect the next verse to say, and they all ganged up on Peter
38:55
and killed him for attacking their there, buddy in arms,
38:59
their brother, there. Do any of you find it?
39:03
Interesting that there's only one person who comes to Mal
39:07
kisses defense that night and guess how many only one And it's
39:12
none of his quote. Unquote friends were comrades.
39:16
It just so happens to be the person that milk has came to
39:20
arrest and to haul off to be judged and condemned.
39:25
It's Jesus who steps forward and stops Peter.
39:30
And he says, put up thy sword into the sheath the cup which my
39:35
father hath. Given me shall I not drink it?
39:39
And he submits. And so now what happens is the
39:45
soldiers, eventually get up the courage, apparently, to arrest
39:50
him and the apostles all flee, they abandon him.
39:58
And it says verse 3, that they led him away to Anise first for.
40:04
He was father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was the high
40:06
priest that same year. So he's Confer Stannis.
40:10
The father-in-law of the actual high priest that year Caiaphas
40:14
and while the apostles have scattered and run away in fear,
40:19
which Jesus told them what happened, it says, verse 15,
40:23
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple that
40:27
disciple was known under the high priest and went in with
40:30
Jesus into the Palace of the high priest.
40:32
Implication is that this is John the Beloved, the author of this
40:37
book that he's known that he gets in.
40:39
Somehow, I don't know for sure but he's now going to be telling
40:43
the story from the inside and Peter is standing at the door
40:48
without and then went out that other disciple, which was known
40:53
to the high priest and spake unto her, that kept the door and
40:55
brought in Peter. So, Peter is now brought in to
40:59
this inner Court of Caiaphas is Palace where Jesus is being
41:04
tried. Verse 17, then saith the damsel
41:09
that kept the door unto Peter art.
41:12
Not thou. Also one of this man's disciple,
41:15
the disciples and he saith. I am not.
41:20
So that point in your mind you would think okay, strike one.
41:24
Jesus told me I was going to deny knowing him three times
41:28
before the cock crows. Remember we did in just two
41:31
prior lesson that the circle of learning is closed with.
41:36
Feedback and reflection Peters receive feedback in advance but
41:41
apparently he hasn't reflected and so he's a to keep repeating
41:44
this mistake until he reflects enough and realizes.
41:48
I need to make a change and be fully converted fully turned to
41:51
the Lord. Yeah.
41:52
So this is this is a difficult passage years ago at BYU
41:58
president. Spencer W.
42:00
Kimball gave a talk called Peter.
42:01
My brother a great talk where he had Recently, some articles
42:08
where people were were making fun of Peter for this experience
42:13
and and dragging his name through the mud.
42:16
And here's President, Kimball standing up for this chief
42:19
Apostle saying and in a very similar position.
42:23
Peter eventually had all the keys and President Kimball is
42:26
now standing in Peters position as the chief Apostle so he has
42:31
an affinity towards this man. Absolutely.
42:33
He's basically saying don't point fingers Hers of scorn at
42:37
Peter, my brother. He talked about the significance
42:40
of Peters role in the premortal councils and at the creation and
42:44
his role as the chief Apostle, through three years and then, if
42:48
there was any wrongdoing here, Jesus completely forgiving him
42:52
and he is the chief Apostle up until his death at the hands of
42:57
Nero. So we're not, we're not pointing
43:03
fingers of scorn or accusation of Peter, we're trying to learn
43:08
principles that are applicable in our life from Peter story
43:13
here, look at Verse 18 and the servants.
43:15
In the officer stood there who had made a fire of coals.
43:20
For, it was cold. That's like what late March
43:24
early, April late, March early, April and it was in the middle
43:26
of the night and it don't when those dues come down and it can
43:30
get very chilly and We can't, we can't picture all of the agonies
43:39
that Jesus endured for us. But have you ever thought about
43:43
the fact that we do know, a couple of details?
43:46
It was a cold night and when Jesus was out in the garden,
43:51
bleeding from every pore, he's it's cold to add to all of the
43:58
infinite agonies and all of the Eternal prices that are being
44:01
paid. There's also that physical
44:05
element that Jesus is enduring for us.
44:10
It's such a small detail, it was cold, but for me, it becomes one
44:17
of these significant additions to the store because I can at
44:20
least wrap my head around that part.
44:23
I can at least understand him. And during that part of the
44:26
bitter cup for us, even though it's infinitesimally small
44:30
compared to all of the agonies that he's enduring.
44:33
And so, here's Peter warming himself standing with some and
44:37
then verse 19, the high priest and ask Jesus of his disciples.
44:40
Pools and of his Doctrine and Jesus answered him, and said I
44:44
speak openly to the world I ever taught in the synagogue and in
44:49
the temple, whither, the Jews always Resort.
44:51
And in secret have, I said nothing.
44:54
So in verse 21 he says why ask us thou me ask them which heard
44:59
me what I have said unto them behold, they know what I said
45:04
and when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by
45:06
struck Jesus, with the palm of his hand Saying answers Now, the
45:11
high priest. So, oh, the irony is thick.
45:15
Jesus is the high priest of all high priests and he just got
45:19
struck on the face by this servant of the high priest that
45:25
face that minutes ago, half hour ago was on the ground in
45:33
Gethsemane suffering, intense Agony.
45:37
And now Jesus says, if I have I've spoken evil bear witness of
45:42
the evil, but if well Weiss mightest thou me.
45:47
Now Anna said sent him bound unto Caiaphas, the high priest,
45:51
and Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.
45:54
And they said, therefore unto him art.
45:55
Not thou. Also, one of his disciples he
45:58
denied it and said, I am not. There's number two, More
46:04
pressure and one of the Servants of the high priest, being his
46:08
Kinsmen, whose ear Peter cut off says, did not.
46:11
I see the in the garden with him and Peter, then denied again and
46:16
immediately, the cock crew. I love something that I learned
46:21
many, many years ago from Michael Wilcox when he was
46:23
teaching this section. He said if if you're Peter and
46:28
you want to make sure you're not going to be tempted to deny
46:33
knowing Jesus. You probably want to avoid
46:36
caiaphas's Palace that night rather than going to the very
46:41
place where it's most likely that you're going to be tempted
46:45
to deny him again. We're not accusing Peter.
46:48
We're trying to take this story from Peters context and figure
46:51
out what lessons, Peter might be able to teach us today if he
46:55
were standing here today. I think it's possible that Peter
46:59
might say to you and me, don't go to a place where, you know,
47:05
you have a propensity or a weakness to to perhaps give in
47:11
to that weakness. Avoid that place go somewhere
47:16
else. Don't think that we're stronger
47:20
than than the Temptations in certain settings.
47:25
And isn't it interesting that the animal that Jesus used
47:28
again? Not applying to Peter?
47:31
But to Tyler in this context, the animal, as we apply, this
47:35
story is the rooster. The caulk was going to Crow
47:41
immediately, the cock crew. Isn't that interesting?
47:46
How Nature has an alarm clock a wake-up call if you will?
47:53
It's the roosters Grow and isn't it?
47:55
Interesting, how often I go into situations thinking I got this,
48:02
I'm going to be strong and I go in kind of cocky if you will and
48:09
then in the moment of Temptation, sometimes turns out
48:13
I recognize that I'm chicken and I give in and I fall I love the
48:20
fact that for the rest of Peters life, he's not holding himself
48:25
Hostage to these three denials. But every morning moving
48:30
forward, the Peter wakes up. And here's a cock crowing.
48:35
It's once again, a reminder a wake-up call for him.
48:40
That when he was fully converted, he would strengthen
48:42
his Brethren. And that's what we see this to
48:44
me is not a, let's make fun of Peter.
48:46
For a moment of denial, this is a moment of glorying in the fact
48:52
that Jesus is willing to work with us through moments of
48:57
weakness. And give us those wake-up calls
49:00
and the help us be strong and faithful and more powerful than
49:04
ever before. I love this story and this
49:07
perspective of Caiaphas is powerless and to acknowledge the
49:11
fact that I know certain places certain things I can't trust
49:15
myself so it's best. I just stay away from those
49:19
caiaphas's Palace in my life. When they move on and they lead
49:24
in verse 28, then LED they Jesus from Caiaphas under the Hall of
49:28
judgment and it was early and they themselves went not into
49:32
the Judgment Hall, lest they should be defiled, but they that
49:36
they might eat the Passover. And isn't it ironic that these
49:39
leaders of the Jews are unwilling to go into that
49:41
praetorium into that judgment seat area, because that would
49:46
defile them for / taking of the Passover that night, Without
49:52
acknowledging, the fact that they're turning, they've
49:54
condemned and are turning over the Lamb of God.
49:57
The Passover Lamb of all Passover, Lambs for judgment and
50:03
to be, to be crucified, we will cover more of these experiences
50:10
in the next episode. When we give you Matthew, Mark,
50:13
and Luke perspective of the trial experience.
50:17
But let's pick up John's here. So pilate went out unto them and
50:21
he said, what accusation bring you against this man?
50:24
And they answered and said unto him.
50:25
If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up
50:28
unto thee. It's the ultimate argument of
50:31
look, don't worry it. Trust us if he weren't guilty,
50:35
we wouldn't have woken you up early in the morning and brought
50:37
him to you. It's you've just got to trust
50:40
us. He's a bad guy.
50:42
It's an interesting word here that the word charge or
50:45
accusation comes to the Greek word.
50:49
Korea and you might hear the word category and the word Agora
50:55
in Greek means public space. And Katha means to go down you
50:59
would go into the public place. The Agora you would go down Kata
51:03
Agora into the public pace place to make Claim about somebody.
51:08
And so they're trying to categorize Jesus or cues him,
51:12
put him in a box of being a malefactor somebody who does
51:17
evil and even We like to pile criticism on pilot, he wasn't
51:23
the most moral of men. He does seem to try to do a
51:27
little bit of figuring out, whether there's a reason to be
51:31
listening to the Jews or not. Yeah, so look at verse 31.
51:35
It says then said pilate unto them.
51:36
Take heed him and judge him, according to your law, the Jews,
51:40
therefore said unto him. It is not lawful for us to put
51:43
any man to death. Well, that's not going to going
51:46
to stop them later on. Right with Steven.
51:49
And And other Apostles down the road because the way they put
51:55
people to death by stoning, look at verse 32.
51:59
That's the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake
52:02
signifying, what death? He should die.
52:05
He told his Apostles on at least three occasions in the synoptic
52:08
gospels. That when they go to Jerusalem,
52:12
he will be turned over to the, the Romans and be lifted up and,
52:15
and slain by crucifixion. And so pilate entered into the
52:21
Judgment Hall this praetorium again and he called Jesus and
52:25
said unto him, art, thou the king of the Jews.
52:29
And Jesus answered him sayest thou this thing of thyself or
52:33
did others tell it of thee of me and pilate answered Mi a Jew
52:39
Dino nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto
52:42
me. What hast thou done?
52:44
What what did you do wrong? Why are you here?
52:46
Jesus help me understand. And this powerful response.
52:50
I love verse 36 and 37. These are some of the most
52:54
powerful words in all of scripture at this critical
52:58
moment of judgment when Jesus has full power to stop all of
53:02
this. This abuse from proceeding.
53:05
He doesn't verse 36. Jesus answered.
53:10
My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this
53:14
world, then would my servants fight that?
53:16
I should not be delivered to the Jews.
53:18
But now is my kingdom not from hence pilot is not going to
53:24
understand this, he's so confused.
53:26
He says he says unto Jesus art. Thou.
53:28
A king then. If you have a kingdom that means
53:31
you must be a king, right? And Jesus answered thou, sayest
53:36
that I am a king. To this end was I born and for
53:41
this cause came I into the world that I should bear witness unto
53:44
the truth, every one that is of the truth.
53:47
Heareth my voice that is so profound it.
53:53
If you bear witness unto the truth you're going to hear my
53:57
voice but then this question from Pilot that he asks and just
54:02
lets it hang in the air without a response.
54:07
What is truth? That is probably one of the most
54:12
profound questions ever asked in the history of the world,
54:15
especially considering that moment in the audience of that
54:17
question. Jesus standing there condemned
54:20
by his own people's Chief priest.
54:23
Turned. Over to the Gentile governor of
54:26
the land. What is truth.
54:31
And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews and
54:34
saith unto them. I find no fault in him and the
54:38
King James translators out of the words at all.
54:42
So now comes the second rejection in John's account, but
54:46
you have a custom that I should release unto you.
54:48
One at the Passover will be there for that.
54:51
I release unto you, the king of the Jews and they cried all
54:54
again saying, not this man, but Barabbas now Barabbas was a
54:59
robber. We will tell you.
55:00
You his story in Greater detail next week, in Matthew's account
55:06
of this story because you get a lot more detail from Matthew.
55:10
There are a couple of interesting things here.
55:12
You get the word of where in 38 pilot says, I find no fault in
55:17
him. The underlying Greek word is, I
55:19
don't see the guilt. I don't see the cause for why
55:22
you guys should be angry with him.
55:25
And then we have this word of release.
55:28
And pilate is like, who share our beliefs onto you.
55:31
The underlying Greek word there, which is a peluso is actually
55:36
used when Jesus announces his ministry and his mission in the
55:42
synagogue in Nazareth. He uses the same word that his
55:46
purpose is to loose, those who are bound.
55:51
And here's the one who is spending his life?
55:53
A loosing people who are bound is willing to be Bound and
55:59
delivered to death. Now we go to finish this, this
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chapter of John 18 today, I want to finish with first Nephi
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chapter 19. Actually, the words here in the
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Book of Mormon verse 9 and the world, because of their
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iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught.
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Worthless that the world judges him as dross as cast him out.
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Wherefore, they Scourge him, and he suffereth it, and they Smite
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him and he suffers it. Yeah, they spit upon him, and he
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suffereth it because of his loving kindness and his
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long-suffering towards the children of men.
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And we'll talk a lot more about this next week as well, but at
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any stage along this process Jesus could have stopped it but
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he didn't, he suffereth it. He allowed it to happen, which
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meant suffering pain and anguish in agony for him.
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What a great example for us to follow because we're not
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promised to pain-free life in our own sphere and, and domain
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of mortality and what a beautiful example to move
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forward on that Covenant path in that connection was Christ and
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suffer any, and all persecution that may come upon us because We
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have our eyes firmly set on, he who taught us, how to endure
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perfectly in infinite proportions so that we can
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endure in are infinitesimally small proportions in comparison
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to him and we leaves out with you in the name of Jesus Christ.
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Amen. Know that you're loved and
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spread light and goodness.