Join Pastor Greg Laurie for a time of encouragement, worship, and Bible study.
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Harvest with Pastor Greg Laurie | Greg Laurie - God Is Now Here | June 7, 2026
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- ♪♪♪
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- Greg laurie: before there was a planet called earth, and in that
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- Planet they had a garden called eden, and in that garden called
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- Eden a couple named adam and eve, with a tree of the
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- Knowledge of good and evil--before any of these
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- Things, a decision was made in the councils of eternity that
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- God would come into our world, walk among us, live a perfect
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- Life, die on the cross, and rise again from the dead.
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- He was slain from the foundation of the world.
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- ♪ this is the day, the day when life begins. ♪
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- ♪ this is the day, the day when life begins. ♪♪
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- Greg: heard the story of an atheist father who was talking
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- To his daughter.
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- He wanted her too to be an atheist.
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- And so he took out a piece of paper and he gave her a pen, and
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- She was just learning to write and she was just learning
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- To spell.
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- And so he wrote these words out: "god is nowhere.
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- God is nowhere."
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- And he said, "read that."
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- And she's just learning to read, so she's sounding out
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- The letters.
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- God is nowhere, n-o-w-h-e-r-e.
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- And she says, "oh, i get it, daddy.
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- You're saying god is now here."
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- Oh, well, she saw it differently.
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- She saw it right.
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- And there are times in life when it seems as though god
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- Is nowhere.
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- We wonder where is god when, in fact, god is with us.
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- God is present when he seems absent.
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- The bible says that the lord is a very present help in times
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- Of trouble.
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- Jesus said, "i'll never leave you or forsake you."
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- And he also said, "lo, i am with you, even to the end of
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- The age."
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- One of my favorite passages is when the lord says in isaiah 43,
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- "when you go through deep waters, i will be with you.
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- When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.
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- When you go through the fire of oppression, you'll not be burned
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- Up; and the flames will not consume you."
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- And then one of my all-time favorites, psalm 23.
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- I bet you know this one by memory.
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- We'll say it together.
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- "yea, though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
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- I will fear no evil for thou art with me."
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- That's right.
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- So maybe i'm talking to somebody right now going through
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- A valley, someone going through a storm, someone going through
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- A difficulty.
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- God is with you.
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- Now, we know this intellectually and we know this by faith and
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- We'll even say it to others; but there are times when our
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- Emotions have to catch up with the facts, and there are times
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- In our life where we might say, "where is god in all of this?"
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- Maybe you're feeling that right now, but god is with you.
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- God is now here.
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- I think of joseph in a prison cell.
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- He probably felt all alone and abandoned.
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- And how did joseph end up in a prison cell?
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- Well, it started with his brothers selling him off to
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- Slave traders because they were jealous of the father's
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- Attention that was put on joseph, their brother.
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- He ends up in the house of a guy named potiphar, who had
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- A lustful wife.
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- Her name was mrs. robinson.
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- If you laughed at that, you're old 'cause that's a very
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- Dated reference.
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- And she was lusting after young joseph and just basically
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- Grabbed him and pulled him down on the bed and said, "lie
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- With me."
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- You know, basically, "have sex with me," in so many words.
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- And he ran for his life, and she accused him falsely of rape.
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- And so he ends up in a prison cell not because he broke the
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- Law but because he kept the law, god's law.
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- And how easily he could have said, "god, what is going
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- On here?
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- Why would you let this happen to me?"
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- And then ultimately through god's providence, joseph ascends
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- To become the most powerful man in all of egypt and one day the
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- Very brothers who betrayed him stand before him, and you
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- Remember that verse where he turned to his brothers and said,
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- "i have a very particular set of skills: skills i have acquired
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- Over a very long career, skills that make me a nightmare for
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- People like you."
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- Remember that?
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- Now, that's from the movie "taken," a more recent cultural
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- Reference, though that's pretty old too.
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- No, really what he said was, "you meant this for evil, but
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- God meant it for good, to save many people alive."
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- Basically, joseph was quoting romans 8:28 before it had been
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- Written, which says, "for we know that all things work
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- Together for good to those that love god."
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- Now let's go mentally from a prison to a palace and think
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- About esther.
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- How did esther become the queen of persia?
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- She was a jewish girl.
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- Well, she won a beauty contest.
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- Well, why was she in a beauty contest?
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- Because there was another woman in this story that is often
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- Forgotten but, i think, in some ways is part of the story in a
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- Significant way and is an unsung hero, and her name was vashti,
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- Queen vashti.
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- So the king of persia throws a big giant party that's going on
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- Forever, and he has all of these people getting drunk and
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- Carrying on and he decides he wants to bring out his wife,
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- The queen.
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- He wants to parade her before his subjects, so he gives the
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- Order, "bring out queen vashti wearing her crown."
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- Some commentators believe that contextually what that verse
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- Means is he was asking her to come wearing only her crown.
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- In other words, no clothes, just the crown.
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- But whatever the case was, he was objectifying her, using as
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- A mere object; and much to her credit, queen vashti said,
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- "i'm not doing it."
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- Well then, all of the aides of the king freaked out because
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- They said, "look, if you let her get away with this, we'll never
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- Hear the end of it from our wives because they won't do what
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- We say anymore and they'll say, 'well, queen vashti didn't
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- Do it.
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- Why should we do it?'
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- You've got to throw her out from being queen."
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- And that's exactly what happened, but that opened the
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- Door for esther to get in there, which ultimately resulted in
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- Esther being able to speak up for her people, the jews, and
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- She literally spared her whole race in the process.
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- But funny thing about the book of esther is the name of god is
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- Never specifically mentioned.
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- There's no mention of god, but yet the hand of god is in the
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- Book from beginning to end, in every scene, in every movement
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- Of every event.
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- And it just reminds me that there are times in life when god
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- Seems absence--absent, but he's always at work in the life of
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- The believer every hour of every day, and he's working things
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- Together for his purposes.
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- It's called providence.
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- You know, the word providence is a fascinating word.
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- It comes from two words: pro and ahead of time.
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- It comes from the word providentia, which means before,
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- And vindentia, which means to see.
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- So it means that god sees things ahead of time.
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- He knows what's coming, and he's in control of your life.
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- That's why as christians we don't believe in coincidence,
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- We believe in providence.
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- And so god is there.
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- Take the story of the israelites at the red sea.
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- Man, they were at a--they were between a rock and a hard place.
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- Coming toward them was the egyptian army ready to
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- Destroy them.
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- Behind them was the red sea.
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- What are they gonna do?
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- And so they freaked out and they started getting mad at moses,
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- And they said, "you know what?
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- It wasn't that bad back in egypt.
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- At least we were alive.
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- You've brought us out here to die."
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- And moses says to them, "don't be afraid.
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- Stand still and watch the lord rescue you today.
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- The egyptians you see today will never be seen again.
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- The lord himself will fight for you, so just stay calm."
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- I love that.
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- "stay calm."
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- Have you ever been really upset and someone says, "calm down"?
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- And it just makes you more upset.
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- "calm down."
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- "i am calm."
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- You know, just-- "stay calm."
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- "yeah, easy for you to say."
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- "just stay calm."
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- And then he held up his staff and the red sea opened, and then
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- Jesus showed up.
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- You're going, "greg, you're confused.
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- We're in the old testament.
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- Jesus doesn't show up in the old testament."
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- Well, that's my whole point of this series.
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- He shows up a lot in the old testament.
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- You see, jesus is in the old testament concealed, and he's in
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- The new testament revealed.
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- Jesus, being god, is co-eternal, co-equal, and co-existent with
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- The father.
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- In fact, jesus was there at creation when god made
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- All things.
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- We read in colossians 1:16, "by him were all things created:
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- Things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.
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- All things were created through him and for him.
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- He's before all things, and in him all things are
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- Held together."
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- Jesus is the creator.
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- It's not like he just showed up in bethlehem.
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- That's when he entered our world as a man and walked among us as
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- A living, breathing human being but without sin, but he
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- Pre-existed and made many appearances in the
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- Old testament.
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- So yes, jesus showed up because exodus 14:19 says, "and the
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- Angel of the lord went before the camp of israel, moved and
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- Went behind them, and the pillar of cloud went before them," and
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- The lord caused the red sea to collapse on the egyptian army.
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- The angel of the lord.
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- Many commentators believe when you read that phrase in contrast
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- To an angel of the lord, the angel of the lord, maybe what we
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- Call a christophany.
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- A christophany is an appearance of christ in the old testament;
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- And he made many of these appearances, and we know this
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- Because jesus said in john chapter 8, "your father abraham
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- Rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad."
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- So basically he's saying, "i knew abraham.
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- Yeah, we hung out a little."
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- And they're going, "wait, wait.
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- What are you talking about?
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- You're only 15 years old and you've seen abraham?"
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- And jesus responds, "most assuredly, i say to you, before
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- Abraham was, i am."
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- He's saying he preexisted before abraham and had seen him.
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- And there's one occasion when--after christ arose from
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- The dead, he appeared to two disciples on the emmaus road.
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- It had been 3 days since he died.
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- They did not know he had risen, and he joined them incognito.
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- They didn't know it was jesus.
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- So he sees their side and he goes, "hey, guys, what's up?
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- Why the long faces?"
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- "oh, haven't you heard about jesus, the prophet
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- Mighty indeed?
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- We were hoping he would have been the one to deliver israel,
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- But it's been 3 days since this happened.
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- You haven't heard about these things?"
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- Jesus says, "no, tell me.
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- What things?"
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- So now they're telling jesus about jesus, and they're not
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- Doing a very good job.
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- And after a while he says, "you fools and soul of hard to
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- Believe all that the prophets have spoken."
- 00:11:28.644 --> 00:11:31.413
- And then we read that starting at that point, beginning at
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- Moses and the prophets, jesus explained to them what was said
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- In the old testament scriptures concerning himself.
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- He took them on a guided tour of all of the christophanies, all
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- Of the types, all of the shadows, all of the things in
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- The old testament that pointed to his fulfillment in the
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- New testament.
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- I wish someone took notes on that sermon.
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- I wanna know what i missed, but that's what we're gonna focus on
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- A little bit in this series that we're calling "jesus and you
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- Too," where we look at jesus in the old testament.
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- You see, as i already mentioned, at the beginning of--well, there
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- Is no beginning.
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- He's god. he's eternal.
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- But we think of jesus, well, he was born in the manger in
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- Bethlehem, and that's a christmas story.
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- But jesus was there long before that.
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- Long before there was a birth in bethlehem, there was a tree that
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- We could call it the first christmas tree, not the kind
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- That you might have in your home that you decorate with
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- Brightly-colored lights and ornaments.
- 00:12:34.476 --> 00:12:37.313
- The first christmas tree, if you will, was in the garden of eden.
- 00:12:37.313 --> 00:12:41.517
- It was a tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and there were
- 00:12:41.517 --> 00:12:45.387
- Placed our first parents, adam and eve, in a literal paradise,
- 00:12:45.387 --> 00:12:50.226
- Radiant beauty at every turn, exotic wildlife, the perfect
- 00:12:50.226 --> 00:12:55.264
- Temperature, and, best of all, no sin or guilt or the shame
- 00:12:55.264 --> 00:12:59.802
- That accompanies it.
- 00:12:59.802 --> 00:13:01.303
- And the lord told them to stay away from this tree.
- 00:13:01.303 --> 00:13:04.607
- "you can enjoy the garden, enjoy everything i've created, but
- 00:13:04.607 --> 00:13:08.544
- Stay away from this tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
- 00:13:08.544 --> 00:13:11.914
- For god says, "and if you eat of it, you will face sin."
- 00:13:11.914 --> 00:13:17.019
- But, of course, they listened to the devil, who tempted
- 00:13:17.019 --> 00:13:19.788
- Them there.
- 00:13:19.788 --> 00:13:21.156
- They ate of the forbidden fruit.
- 00:13:21.156 --> 00:13:22.625
- First eve ate, then she gave to her husband and he ate too.
- 00:13:22.625 --> 00:13:26.962
- Have you ever eaten something that the moment you put it in
- 00:13:26.962 --> 00:13:29.365
- Your mouth you regretted it?
- 00:13:29.365 --> 00:13:31.934
- Like see's candy.
- 00:13:31.934 --> 00:13:33.936
- Sometimes people give me see's candy.
- 00:13:33.936 --> 00:13:36.972
- I only like the nuts and chews.
- 00:13:36.972 --> 00:13:38.641
- So please don't give me see's candy unless it's only nuts and
- 00:13:38.641 --> 00:13:42.511
- Chews, okay?
- 00:13:42.511 --> 00:13:43.846
- And even--please don't, but--'cause then i'll eat the
- 00:13:43.846 --> 00:13:46.015
- Nuts and chews, then there's these other ones.
- 00:13:46.015 --> 00:13:47.783
- Like, "what is in this?"
- 00:13:47.783 --> 00:13:49.218
- And you'll bite it and this weird sugary goop comes out.
- 00:13:49.218 --> 00:13:54.623
- I don't want that.
- 00:13:54.623 --> 00:13:56.058
- Sometimes i'll be eating something.
- 00:13:56.058 --> 00:13:57.426
- I'm enjoying it.
- 00:13:57.426 --> 00:13:58.761
- I've had my third bite of it, and cathe will be having it as
- 00:13:58.761 --> 00:14:01.463
- Well and she'll say, "this is rancid."
- 00:14:01.463 --> 00:14:03.899
- "wait, what?
- 00:14:03.899 --> 00:14:05.434
- Ran--do you have to use the word rancid?"
- 00:14:05.434 --> 00:14:09.204
- Her smell and taste is much more developed than mine is.
- 00:14:09.204 --> 00:14:13.342
- "it's rancid."
- 00:14:13.342 --> 00:14:14.677
- Well, you know, you don't wanna eat that thing.
- 00:14:14.677 --> 00:14:16.211
- The other day she went into the kitchen and came back into the
- 00:14:16.211 --> 00:14:19.114
- Front room and heard a munching sound, but she was very,
- 00:14:19.114 --> 00:14:21.951
- Very--being very secretive.
- 00:14:21.951 --> 00:14:23.285
- "what are you eating?"
- 00:14:23.285 --> 00:14:24.653
- Well, she was eating pretzels with peanut butter in them, and
- 00:14:24.653 --> 00:14:28.123
- I love those.
- 00:14:28.123 --> 00:14:30.259
- And so she gave me one, and i said, "you're like eve in
- 00:14:30.259 --> 00:14:34.096
- The garden.
- 00:14:34.096 --> 00:14:35.464
- Look, here we go again."
- 00:14:35.464 --> 00:14:36.799
- And the moment i ate one i wanted more because there was a
- 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:40.069
- Time earlier, maybe a couple of years ago, where someone gave us
- 00:14:40.069 --> 00:14:43.939
- A whole container full of those pretzels filled with peanut
- 00:14:43.939 --> 00:14:48.344
- Butter, and i started eating them and i couldn't stop.
- 00:14:48.344 --> 00:14:51.981
- I was just eating them.
- 00:14:51.981 --> 00:14:53.349
- It was like three-quarters full, half full.
- 00:14:53.349 --> 00:14:55.517
- I thought, "i have to get rid of these," and i literally--this
- 00:14:55.517 --> 00:14:58.520
- Is bad.
- 00:14:58.520 --> 00:14:59.855
- It's a waste.
- 00:14:59.855 --> 00:15:01.223
- I poured them down the toilet and flushed it.
- 00:15:01.223 --> 00:15:04.159
- I--or i would have eaten them all.
- 00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:05.561
- And cathe comes out.
- 00:15:05.561 --> 00:15:06.929
- "where are the pretzels with peanut butter?"
- 00:15:06.929 --> 00:15:08.464
- "i flushed them down the toilet."
- 00:15:08.464 --> 00:15:10.099
- "why?"
- 00:15:10.099 --> 00:15:11.433
- "because i'm an addict. that's why."
- 00:15:11.433 --> 00:15:14.136
- I would have gone into a 12-step program.
- 00:15:14.136 --> 00:15:16.205
- I know it.
- 00:15:16.205 --> 00:15:17.573
- You would have found me in a street corner with the pretzels
- 00:15:17.573 --> 00:15:20.142
- Wrapped around--a paper bag around them eating them still.
- 00:15:20.142 --> 00:15:23.479
- No, i had to get rid of them.
- 00:15:23.479 --> 00:15:25.914
- But, you know, our first parents ate of the forbidden fruit and
- 00:15:25.914 --> 00:15:29.752
- Sin entered the world.
- 00:15:29.752 --> 00:15:32.021
- So god shows up in the garden, as it appears he would do
- 00:15:32.021 --> 00:15:36.025
- Every day.
- 00:15:36.025 --> 00:15:37.393
- We would read that--we read that, genesis 3:8, "when the
- 00:15:37.393 --> 00:15:40.763
- Cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife
- 00:15:40.763 --> 00:15:43.365
- Heard the lord god walking about in the garden."
- 00:15:43.365 --> 00:15:47.336
- I love that.
- 00:15:47.336 --> 00:15:48.704
- What a beautiful picture.
- 00:15:48.704 --> 00:15:50.039
- I love when the sun sets, the final breeze of the day
- 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:53.542
- Is blowing.
- 00:15:53.542 --> 00:15:54.877
- Here comes the lord walking through the garden, which makes
- 00:15:54.877 --> 00:15:57.312
- Me think this is a christophany because god is a spirit and yet
- 00:15:57.312 --> 00:16:02.551
- We hear that he walked through the garden, and they could hear
- 00:16:02.551 --> 00:16:06.221
- Him walking through the garden.
- 00:16:06.221 --> 00:16:08.357
- And normally adam would probably talk to the lord about his
- 00:16:08.357 --> 00:16:11.660
- Latest discovery.
- 00:16:11.660 --> 00:16:12.995
- "lord, i saw this.
- 00:16:12.995 --> 00:16:14.363
- What on earth is this unusual plant or this creature?
- 00:16:14.363 --> 00:16:17.433
- Well, look at this creature, lord."
- 00:16:17.433 --> 00:16:18.801
- Or, "i saw this other thing."
- 00:16:18.801 --> 00:16:20.536
- But on this particular occasion, adam was hiding because he
- 00:16:20.536 --> 00:16:25.274
- Had sinned.
- 00:16:25.274 --> 00:16:26.608
- And we read in genesis 3:8, "the man and his wife heard the lord
- 00:16:26.608 --> 00:16:29.845
- God walking in the garden and they hid from the lord god among
- 00:16:29.845 --> 00:16:33.549
- The trees, and the lord called to the man, 'where are you?'
- 00:16:33.549 --> 00:16:36.718
- And he replied, 'i heard you walking in the garden so i hid,
- 00:16:36.718 --> 00:16:40.422
- And i was afraid because i was naked.'"
- 00:16:40.422 --> 00:16:44.093
- It reminds me of a story of a pastor that went to visit
- 00:16:44.093 --> 00:16:47.296
- A member of his congregation.
- 00:16:47.296 --> 00:16:49.264
- He knocked on the door.
- 00:16:49.264 --> 00:16:50.632
- There was no answer.
- 00:16:50.632 --> 00:16:52.134
- Well, it turns out the lady inside was just getting ready
- 00:16:52.134 --> 00:16:55.070
- To take a bath.
- 00:16:55.070 --> 00:16:56.405
- So she quickly hid and noticed that a little card was slipped
- 00:16:56.405 --> 00:17:00.342
- Under the door, and it was the name of the pastor with this
- 00:17:00.342 --> 00:17:03.579
- Verse written down.
- 00:17:03.579 --> 00:17:04.947
- Revelation 3:20, "behold, i stand at the door and knock.
- 00:17:04.947 --> 00:17:08.150
- If any man hear my voice and open the door, i'll come in."
- 00:17:08.150 --> 00:17:11.420
- Well, she said okay.
- 00:17:11.420 --> 00:17:12.988
- So she went to church on sunday and saw the pastor and handed
- 00:17:12.988 --> 00:17:16.391
- Him his card back, but she wrote her own verse below his verse,
- 00:17:16.391 --> 00:17:20.229
- And she wrote down genesis 3:10: "i heard your voice in the
- 00:17:20.229 --> 00:17:23.765
- Garden, but i was afraid because i was naked so i hid myself."
- 00:17:23.765 --> 00:17:29.037
- But adam and eve are now hiding from god.
- 00:17:30.806 --> 00:17:33.275
- Why would anyone wanna hide from god?
- 00:17:33.275 --> 00:17:35.043
- You would hide because you were ashamed.
- 00:17:35.043 --> 00:17:37.412
- When my grandkids were little, we would play hide-and-seek, and
- 00:17:37.412 --> 00:17:41.049
- They were so easy to find because they would hide behind
- 00:17:41.049 --> 00:17:44.453
- The curtains and i would see their feet there, or i would
- 00:17:44.453 --> 00:17:47.322
- Hear them laughing.
- 00:17:47.322 --> 00:17:48.724
- I go, "caught you."
- 00:17:48.724 --> 00:17:50.425
- And then they'd go back to the same place again and again.
- 00:17:50.425 --> 00:17:53.028
- It's crazy, right?
- 00:17:53.028 --> 00:17:54.396
- But that's us hiding from god.
- 00:17:54.396 --> 00:17:56.765
- It's impossible.
- 00:17:56.765 --> 00:17:58.734
- The bible tells us that, "where shall i flee from your presence?
- 00:17:58.734 --> 00:18:03.472
- If i go to heaven, you're there.
- 00:18:03.472 --> 00:18:05.073
- If i go down to the grave, you're there."
- 00:18:05.073 --> 00:18:08.343
- So now the lord confronts him and says to adam, "did you eat
- 00:18:08.343 --> 00:18:12.581
- Of the tree i commanded you to not eat of?"
- 00:18:12.581 --> 00:18:15.517
- Genesis 3:11.
- 00:18:15.517 --> 00:18:17.052
- But adam says, "yes, but it was the woman you gave me who
- 00:18:17.052 --> 00:18:22.157
- Brought me the pretzel with peanut butter and i ate it."
- 00:18:22.157 --> 00:18:26.762
- That's from the original language.
- 00:18:26.762 --> 00:18:29.498
- And the lord asked the woman, "why would you do such a thing?"
- 00:18:29.498 --> 00:18:32.401
- She said, "well, the serpent tricked me, and that's why
- 00:18:32.401 --> 00:18:35.704
- I ate it."
- 00:18:35.704 --> 00:18:37.039
- This is the first instance of humans playing the blame game.
- 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:42.144
- We still play it, too.
- 00:18:42.144 --> 00:18:43.512
- "it's not my fault. it's not my fault.
- 00:18:43.512 --> 00:18:45.547
- You know, he's a bad teacher.
- 00:18:45.547 --> 00:18:47.216
- That's why he gives me bad grades."
- 00:18:47.216 --> 00:18:48.884
- "my boss just hates me.
- 00:18:48.884 --> 00:18:50.586
- That's why i got fired.
- 00:18:50.586 --> 00:18:51.954
- It had nothing to do with my performance."
- 00:18:51.954 --> 00:18:54.189
- Or, "i don't know how that crazy thing got posted.
- 00:18:54.189 --> 00:18:57.159
- Someone hacked my account."
- 00:18:57.159 --> 00:18:58.694
- You know, we never wanna take responsibility for what we do.
- 00:18:58.694 --> 00:19:03.031
- God says, "have you eaten of the tree i told you not to eat of?
- 00:19:03.031 --> 00:19:08.036
- Who told you you were naked?"
- 00:19:08.036 --> 00:19:09.805
- Was god ignorant, and was he looking for information?
- 00:19:09.805 --> 00:19:13.008
- No.
- 00:19:13.008 --> 00:19:14.343
- God knows all things.
- 00:19:14.343 --> 00:19:15.711
- He was looking for confession.
- 00:19:15.711 --> 00:19:18.213
- He was looking for honesty.
- 00:19:18.213 --> 00:19:19.948
- He was looking for them to say, "yes, we sinned."
- 00:19:19.948 --> 00:19:23.285
- But instead, adam blames eve, eve blames the devil.
- 00:19:23.285 --> 00:19:28.123
- No one wants to take responsibility for what they
- 00:19:28.123 --> 00:19:31.159
- Have done, but god is ready with a solution.
- 00:19:31.159 --> 00:19:35.964
- The bible tells us that jesus christ was slain from
- 00:19:35.964 --> 00:19:39.668
- The foundation of the world.
- 00:19:39.668 --> 00:19:42.204
- What does that mean?
- 00:19:42.204 --> 00:19:43.672
- That means that before there was a planet called earth, and in
- 00:19:43.672 --> 00:19:47.309
- That planet it had a garden called eden, and in that garden
- 00:19:47.309 --> 00:19:51.046
- Called eden a couple named adam and eve, with a tree of the
- 00:19:51.046 --> 00:19:54.716
- Knowledge of good and evil--before any of these
- 00:19:54.716 --> 00:19:57.119
- Things, a decision was made in the councils of eternity that
- 00:19:57.119 --> 00:20:01.223
- God would come into our world, walk among us, live a perfect
- 00:20:01.223 --> 00:20:05.160
- Life, die on the cross, and rise again from the dead.
- 00:20:05.160 --> 00:20:10.165
- He was slain from the foundation of the world.
- 00:20:10.165 --> 00:20:15.570
- So here now is the first christmas passage.
- 00:20:15.570 --> 00:20:19.241
- In other words, the first passage that points to the birth
- 00:20:19.241 --> 00:20:22.177
- Of jesus.
- 00:20:22.177 --> 00:20:24.079
- No, it's not isaiah 9:6 that says, "unto us a child is born,
- 00:20:24.079 --> 00:20:28.050
- Unto us a son is given; and you'll call his name wonderful
- 00:20:28.050 --> 00:20:31.053
- Counselor, the mighty god, the everlasting father."
- 00:20:31.053 --> 00:20:34.056
- Nor is it micah, where he says, "you, bethlehem, though you be
- 00:20:34.056 --> 00:20:38.160
- Little among the thousands of judah yet out of you will come
- 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:41.330
- Forth one whose origins have been from everlasting."
- 00:20:41.330 --> 00:20:44.266
- No.
- 00:20:44.266 --> 00:20:45.634
- The first passage pointing to messiah was a statement made by
- 00:20:45.634 --> 00:20:50.005
- God to the devil.
- 00:20:50.005 --> 00:20:52.174
- Genesis 3:15, the lord says, "there is coming one who will
- 00:20:52.174 --> 00:20:56.845
- Bruise your head--or crush your head and you will bruise
- 00:20:56.845 --> 00:21:02.284
- His heel."
- 00:21:02.284 --> 00:21:03.618
- "game on, devil.
- 00:21:03.618 --> 00:21:04.986
- Messiah is coming.
- 00:21:04.986 --> 00:21:06.688
- He's gonna crush you, but you will bruise his heel."
- 00:21:06.688 --> 00:21:12.294
- So now the devil knows that the lord is coming.
- 00:21:12.294 --> 00:21:15.530
- One more christophany and then i'll wrap up.
- 00:21:15.530 --> 00:21:18.233
- Go over to genesis 22.
- 00:21:18.233 --> 00:21:21.002
- This is where jesus intervenes in a powerful picture of what
- 00:21:21.002 --> 00:21:27.976
- Would happen at the cross of calvary, the story of abraham
- 00:21:27.976 --> 00:21:31.847
- And isaac on mount moriah.
- 00:21:31.847 --> 00:21:35.884
- Isaac was born to abraham and his wife sarah when they were
- 00:21:35.884 --> 00:21:40.722
- Older people.
- 00:21:40.722 --> 00:21:42.090
- They never thought they would have a son, but god had promised
- 00:21:42.090 --> 00:21:44.292
- They would, and they were so thrilled with isaac.
- 00:21:44.292 --> 00:21:47.996
- In fact, his very name meant laughter.
- 00:21:47.996 --> 00:21:51.466
- He was the light of abraham's life.
- 00:21:51.466 --> 00:21:54.202
- That's why it was such a shock when the lord comes to him in
- 00:21:54.202 --> 00:21:57.706
- Genesis 22, and we read these words.
- 00:21:57.706 --> 00:22:01.877
- One day god asked the incomprehensible.
- 00:22:01.877 --> 00:22:04.079
- "take that son of yours and offer him as a sacrifice."
- 00:22:04.079 --> 00:22:08.150
- And he tested abraham's faith and said, "abraham," and abraham
- 00:22:08.150 --> 00:22:12.821
- Said, "here i am."
- 00:22:12.821 --> 00:22:14.189
- "take your son, your only son, whom you love so much, and go to
- 00:22:14.189 --> 00:22:18.693
- The land of moriah and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering."
- 00:22:18.693 --> 00:22:22.564
- Isaac asked his father, "where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"
- 00:22:22.564 --> 00:22:27.669
- Abraham prophetically says, genesis 22:8, "my son, god will
- 00:22:27.669 --> 00:22:32.441
- Provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering."
- 00:22:32.441 --> 00:22:35.644
- So the two of them went together.
- 00:22:35.644 --> 00:22:37.846
- What a powerful story, abraham and his son isaac.
- 00:22:37.846 --> 00:22:42.083
- Now, often in religious art, you see an elderly man, abraham,
- 00:22:42.083 --> 00:22:47.088
- Bringing a very small boy up to the altar to be sacrificed.
- 00:22:47.088 --> 00:22:50.826
- The fact of the matter is, as we look at where isaac would have
- 00:22:50.826 --> 00:22:53.662
- Been at this point, he was probably a full grown young man,
- 00:22:53.662 --> 00:22:56.865
- A big guy, probably bigger than his dad.
- 00:22:56.865 --> 00:22:59.534
- And he might have said to his father, "father, i'm not so sure
- 00:22:59.534 --> 00:23:03.071
- About this sacrificing me.
- 00:23:03.071 --> 00:23:05.941
- You're old.
- 00:23:05.941 --> 00:23:07.275
- Let's sacrifice you."
- 00:23:07.275 --> 00:23:10.979
- But to the credit of isaac, he believes the words of his
- 00:23:10.979 --> 00:23:15.283
- Father, who says god will provide himself a sacrifice.
- 00:23:15.283 --> 00:23:19.120
- Prophetic words, not just god will provide for himself a
- 00:23:19.120 --> 00:23:22.357
- Sacrifice but god will provide himself a sacrifice.
- 00:23:22.357 --> 00:23:26.294
- God would be the sacrifice.
- 00:23:26.294 --> 00:23:28.196
- To the credit of isaac, he willingly went to this place.
- 00:23:28.196 --> 00:23:33.235
- And to the credit of abraham, he did the same.
- 00:23:33.235 --> 00:23:36.938
- You could not ask a father to make a greater sacrifice than
- 00:23:36.938 --> 00:23:40.775
- To offer up their child.
- 00:23:40.775 --> 00:23:43.778
- When our son died 16 years ago, if i was given the choice, and i
- 00:23:43.778 --> 00:23:47.382
- Say this in complete honesty--if i was given the choice to take
- 00:23:47.382 --> 00:23:51.319
- His place where he would have lived his life out, i would have
- 00:23:51.319 --> 00:23:54.556
- Gladly traded places with him, but i was not given that choice.
- 00:23:54.556 --> 00:24:00.529
- I was not given that choice so that was the ultimate pain,
- 00:24:00.529 --> 00:24:04.499
- To lose a child.
- 00:24:04.499 --> 00:24:06.568
- We don't think about the sacrifice that the father made
- 00:24:06.568 --> 00:24:10.205
- In sending his son and watching his son suffer and die on the
- 00:24:10.205 --> 00:24:15.110
- Cross for our sins.
- 00:24:15.110 --> 00:24:16.478
- But then there's the sacrifice of the son who willingly went
- 00:24:16.478 --> 00:24:20.282
- And laid his life down, and the hardest part of the crucifixion
- 00:24:20.282 --> 00:24:23.785
- Was not the scourging, as awful as that was.
- 00:24:23.785 --> 00:24:28.089
- Probably the roman cat o' nine tails' numerous strands from
- 00:24:28.089 --> 00:24:32.994
- A whip made out of leather embedded with bits of rock and
- 00:24:32.994 --> 00:24:36.498
- Glass and metal tearing into the body, lacerating, exposing vital
- 00:24:36.498 --> 00:24:42.537
- Organs, especially after 39 lashes.
- 00:24:42.537 --> 00:24:46.374
- Many people did not even survive the cruci--the scourging, much
- 00:24:46.374 --> 00:24:50.545
- Less the crucifixion.
- 00:24:50.545 --> 00:24:52.047
- Then, of course, they beat him, they pulled the beard out of his
- 00:24:52.047 --> 00:24:54.749
- Face, they punched him, and then they pounded spikes through his
- 00:24:54.749 --> 00:24:58.820
- Hands and feet.
- 00:24:58.820 --> 00:25:00.155
- But that was not the worst part of the crucifixion.
- 00:25:00.155 --> 00:25:02.857
- Here's the part that was harder than any of that, and this is
- 00:25:02.857 --> 00:25:05.994
- What jesus recoiled from in the garden of gethsemane when
- 00:25:05.994 --> 00:25:09.931
- Dr. luke says he sweat, as it were, great drops of blood,
- 00:25:09.931 --> 00:25:13.902
- Probably describing a medical condition known as hematidrosis,
- 00:25:13.902 --> 00:25:19.641
- Which is a state that a person finds themselves in when they're
- 00:25:19.641 --> 00:25:22.677
- Under intense stress.
- 00:25:22.677 --> 00:25:24.045
- They literally perspire blood.
- 00:25:24.045 --> 00:25:27.115
- There's blood mixed with their perspiration.
- 00:25:27.115 --> 00:25:30.185
- Jesus was sweating blood as he thought about it and said,
- 00:25:30.185 --> 00:25:34.356
- "father, if it's possible, let this cup pass for me.
- 00:25:34.356 --> 00:25:37.993
- Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done."
- 00:25:37.993 --> 00:25:40.695
- What was jesus recoiling from?
- 00:25:40.695 --> 00:25:42.564
- He's recoiling from taking the sin of the world upon himself.
- 00:25:42.564 --> 00:25:47.602
- He who was holy would bear everything that was unholy.
- 00:25:47.602 --> 00:25:50.705
- He who was sinless would take upon himself everything that was
- 00:25:50.705 --> 00:25:54.242
- Sinful, all the sin of humanity.
- 00:25:54.242 --> 00:25:57.045
- My sin's bad enough.
- 00:25:57.045 --> 00:25:58.613
- Yours makes it even worse.
- 00:25:58.613 --> 00:26:00.248
- Imagine the whole human race poured upon him as he died in
- 00:26:00.248 --> 00:26:04.352
- Our place as a substitute, and that is why he cried out, "eli,
- 00:26:04.352 --> 00:26:08.690
- Eli, lama sabachthani," which means, "my god, my god, why have
- 00:26:08.690 --> 00:26:13.395
- You forsaken me?"
- 00:26:13.395 --> 00:26:14.996
- But jesus was forsaken so i could be forgiven.
- 00:26:14.996 --> 00:26:19.267
- He died in my place.
- 00:26:19.267 --> 00:26:21.803
- He died for you and for me. [congregation applauding]
- 00:26:21.803 --> 00:26:26.875
- Greg: hi, i'm greg laurie.
- 00:26:30.478 --> 00:26:31.813
- I've got some good news for you.
- 00:26:31.813 --> 00:26:33.248
- God loves you, and god has a plan for your life.
- 00:26:33.248 --> 00:26:36.985
- Here's the problem.
- 00:26:36.985 --> 00:26:38.353
- We're separated from god by our sin because we've all broken his
- 00:26:38.353 --> 00:26:42.757
- Commandments, but the good news is 2,000 years ago god sent his
- 00:26:42.757 --> 00:26:47.262
- Son, jesus christ to die on the cross for your sin and then to
- 00:26:47.262 --> 00:26:51.533
- Rise again from the dead.
- 00:26:51.533 --> 00:26:53.535
- The same jesus who died and rose is alive and ready to come into
- 00:26:53.535 --> 00:26:57.706
- Your life right now.
- 00:26:57.706 --> 00:26:59.474
- Would you like your sin forgiven?
- 00:26:59.474 --> 00:27:01.509
- Would you like to know that when you die you will go to heaven?
- 00:27:01.509 --> 00:27:04.479
- If so, pray this simple prayer with me right now.
- 00:27:04.479 --> 00:27:07.782
- Just say, "lord jesus, i know i'm a sinner, but i believe
- 00:27:07.782 --> 00:27:11.352
- You're the savior who died on the cross for my sin.
- 00:27:11.352 --> 00:27:14.789
- I turn from my sin now and i choose to follow you from
- 00:27:14.789 --> 00:27:18.760
- This moment forward."
- 00:27:18.760 --> 00:27:20.729
- Did you just pray that prayer with me?
- 00:27:20.729 --> 00:27:22.664
- If you did, god in heaven has heard you.
- 00:27:22.664 --> 00:27:25.934
- Congratulations, and welcome to the family of god.
- 00:27:25.934 --> 00:27:29.010
