[0:00] Amen. We love him all through life. We love him. We got born again and we realized what he did for us.
[0:14] And we love him. Hopefully our love does not grow cold. So Jesus rebuked the church there in Revelation.
[0:33] He said, you have lost your first love. Might we not lose our first love? But might we love him all through life?
[0:46] And then we will be there in eternity with him. And I know this morning I'm not sure.
[1:02] It might be a little different. But I would like to at least sometimes bring in a little bit about Israel and Jerusalem and our time there.
[1:26] And, you know, and today, I guess I would say that just looking at Jerusalem and the different religions that are so strong there, and none of them have, I mean, only one has life.
[1:59] And there's even, so there's the Jewish, there's the Muslim, and then what they call the Christian. But that isn't even true Christianity.
[2:10] There is a true church there. But the bigger part of what they call Christian is only religion. It's Eastern Orthodox. It's Catholic. It's Armenian Orthodox.
[2:26] And, you know, religion is the devil's substitute for true religion. And religion will bring people into bondage.
[2:42] Religion is often used to control people. Religion, you know, you go back and you look at the Jewish, you look at the Jewish leaders at the time of Christ.
[2:59] The Pharisees and the Pharisees, the scribes, the Sanhedrin, they had taken the Old Testament law and they had added to it, and they had made it into a system, a religious system that people couldn't keep.
[3:25] They themselves didn't keep it. Jesus said, you know, they don't live what they teach. And so when Jesus came on the scene, he didn't fit into the mold.
[3:42] And he didn't submit to their religion. He didn't submit to what they were demanding. He did things that they couldn't allow.
[3:54] He healed on the Sabbath. And many other things. He taught the truth in their synagogues. And they couldn't accept it.
[4:06] People followed him and they were jealous. Why? Because he had life. Jesus said in John, it's recorded, that the letter of the law, it's death.
[4:22] But the words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. And so the words that Jesus were speaking, they were life.
[4:33] And people loved it and they followed him. And in following him, the Pharisees saw that they were rejecting them.
[4:46] Or they felt that way. And so, they were afraid they would lose control of the people.
[4:57] Well, you know, and we'll just, I just want to go on a little bit in that thought. You know, reading the book of Acts, there's a strong, vibrant church in the book of Acts.
[5:15] But you don't go far down through history. And you find that they were cooling off. You know, Jesus, when he appeared to the Apostle John there on the Isle of Patmos.
[5:31] You know, he came there. And he, and he talked to him and he gave him, he gave him letters to the seven churches.
[5:45] And most of those churches, he had things that he wanted him to go and to confront them with. Why? Because they were cooling off.
[5:55] They were drifting. They were compromising. Well, I'm not sure of, of all that history.
[6:07] And maybe I'll find more later. But, and we don't have time for all of that. But, there came a time, and, and Constantine was the emperor.
[6:20] And he made Christianity the state religion. And out of that came the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is actually a direct descendant from the church in the book of Acts.
[6:36] But, it drifted from that point into, into a form that wasn't even Christian. It was Christian in name only.
[6:47] And in that form of religion, they could, they could control the people.
[7:00] But when people started reading the Bible, you know, the Bible was only rewritten as people did it by hand until the time of the printing press.
[7:14] And when the printing press came along, and, and, Tyndale was one of the first that translated the Bible into English. And when that Bible came out, people started finding life.
[7:30] People started finding life. And of course, the religious system persecuted them. But what I want to say is, you know, it, it's always been that way.
[7:46] And the Jews, they rejected Jesus. Why? Well, there's a couple reasons. And I want to go, you can turn to Romans 10, and we want to look at this, where the Apostle Paul, he, he talks about the Jews, and, and, and how they rejected Christ, and, and how the gospel went to the Gentiles then.
[8:12] But in all of this, we will see that people who reject truth, and they go on in religious, in, in religion like that, rejecting truth, they, they, they turn blind.
[8:30] They, they, they can't see. They can't accept the truth. They reject truth, and after a while, they're blind to the truth. But Jesus said that blindness came that the gospel might turn to the Gentiles.
[8:51] In Romans chapter 10, we'll start here. Well, he, in verse 12, says, there's no difference between the Jew and the Greek.
[9:06] Verse 13, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
[9:20] How shall, verse 16, but they have not all obeyed the gospel? For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
[9:32] And, and, that's out of Isaiah 52 and 53. And, it's a wonderful prophecy. You all know it. But how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
[9:44] How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? How shall they hear without a preacher? Let's just go on.
[9:57] Let's start in verse, well, let's read verse 21 yet, then we'll go into chapter 11. To Israel he saith, all day long, I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
[10:16] That's God talking. a people that have a history of rejecting the word of the Lord and rejecting the truth of the gospel.
[10:29] All right. Now, chapter 11. I say then, hath God cast away his people? You know, looking at the Jews and, and how they've rejected Christ and the system that they are still in today.
[10:47] You know, I, I read just the other day, there's approximately 30,000, according to this article, I don't know if it's true or not, 30,000 Messianic Jews there in Israel.
[11:04] And, then, in this article was written by a staunch Jew because it went on to say that the reports are that there's another 30,000 that have not come out openly and confessed Christ in a way that, that they're openly known because of fear.
[11:28] But then, the article goes on to bemoan the fact that there are, that there are missionaries in Israel trying to convert the Jewish people to Christianity.
[11:42] And, you know, you know, there's a lot of Muslims there. And, you all know, it's always in the news how, how the, the Muslims are, are trying to, to kill Israelites and, and so on.
[12:01] And, and they go on and they, but this article said, you know, we, we, we feel the love of the Muslim community by their bombs.
[12:14] But, losing, losing our people to Christianity is just as bad as losing our people to the bombs.
[12:26] that's how they, at least some of them look at it. And, but I, you know, of course, we are very thankful if there are 30,000 that are coming.
[12:44] But, in Israel, it is not legal to, to pass out literature to witness openly. and I can see, you know, so you have, you have the Muslims, like, so there's the very popular mosque there on the Temple Mount, but there's another one not far away.
[13:13] And, every Friday, which is their holy day, there's 70,000 Muslims come in to these mosques. 70,000.
[13:25] And, and on a Friday, we were there walking the streets of old Jerusalem. And, and the streets are full. And, Friday evening is the beginning of the Sabbath for the Jews.
[13:39] So, you have the, the, the Muslims going to the mosques and returning from the mosques. And, you have the Jews going to the Western Wall, the Wailing Wall, Friday evening.
[13:52] And so, it's a very busy place. And then, you go around Jerusalem to the different sites, and what do you find?
[14:08] You find these Orthodox and Catholic church houses, which, to me, are no better than Muslim or Jew.
[14:24] They're a dead religion. They claim Christianity. But, I believe there's very few of those people that have the true life of God in them.
[14:36] Very few that are born again and filled with the Spirit of God. They have a form, a form, and they call it Christianity. Christianity. And it's like, we had a guy a few days, he was with us.
[14:55] He's an Arab and he's a Christian. And he said, you know, if it wouldn't be for us true, born again people here in this city, all of Jerusalem would just simply be a museum.
[15:09] and he's right, a museum. You can go there and you can look at all the history of the last 2,000, 3,000, 3,500 years.
[15:25] The city that God said, I will set my name there. The city that God said, I will forever. It is my city.
[15:37] He gave it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. He gave that land forever, an everlasting covenant. Well, the Apostle Paul asks a question here in chapter 11, verse 1.
[15:58] Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people, which he foreknew.
[16:14] What ye not what the scripture saith of Elias, how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and dig down thine altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
[16:29] But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed to the image of Baal. And even today, there's a remnant that have not bowed to the image of Baal.
[16:45] They have not bowed to the Muslim God. They have not bowed to the religious system of the Catholics. But they, there is a remnant that are God's elect, that are serving him, and are a true witness and a testimony in the darkness of that religious setting.
[17:11] Verse 8, According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they, that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day.
[17:26] David saith, let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompense unto them.
[17:38] Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back, always. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid, but rather through their fall, salvation is coming to the Gentiles, for to provoke them, to jealousy.
[17:58] So he's saying here that because the Jews rejected Christ, then they turned to the Gentiles, and he, Paul, he was called the apostle to the Gentiles, but there's an account in Acts where he went to the synagogue and he preached Jesus, and they rejected him, and then he said, well, I'll go to the Gentiles, and you have rejected him, I'll go to the Gentiles.
[18:30] And so he did exactly what he's saying here. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness?
[18:48] You know, he's saying, you know, so because I turn to the Gentiles and we take the gospel to the Gentiles, how much more would the Gentiles reap or receive the gospel if the Jews would only have received the gospel first?
[19:11] Verse 15, if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead? You know, God has a plan.
[19:25] Let's just keep reading here. For if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy. If the root be holy, so are the branches.
[19:36] If some of the branches be broken off, and thou being a wild olive tree, would graft in among them, and with them partakest of the root, and fatness of the olive tree, boast not against the branches, but if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
[19:59] Thou wilt say then, the branches were broken off, that I might be graft in. Well, because of unbelief, they were broken off, and thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear.
[20:13] For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed, lest he also spare not thee. Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God.
[20:26] On them which fell severity, but toward thee goodness, if thou continue in his goodness, otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
[20:38] And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree, which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature, into a good olive tree, how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
[21:06] You know, can we see and understand what he's saying here? He's lightening the Jews to an olive tree, and they were cut off because they rejected Christ, and where they were cut off, us Gentiles were grafted in, and we became, we were grafted in to the root, the olive tree, Jesus being that root, but they were cut off because of unbelief, and we, if we will abide in him, and if we will continue in faith, then we can bring forth the fruit that comes from that root, our Lord Jesus.
[21:53] You know, in talking of olive trees, I find it very interesting, the olive tree is a very interesting tree. You know, there's olive trees over there that are today 2,000 years old, but, you know, olive trees, they can be cut off, and the root will just spring up again, so they're not sure if they were all, you know, the report is that Titus, when he took over the land there, the Roman general that destroyed Jerusalem, when he took over, he cut down all the trees, is what the report is.
[22:41] There might be one olive tree that he missed, but even if he cut them all, there's some trees there that are probably 2,000 years old, and the roots are a lot older than that, maybe 3,500 or more years.
[22:56] So the olive tree is a very interesting tree, and it's not unusual. for it to be cut off and then to come back again.
[23:10] And so when he talks about being grafted in, that's what he's talking about. The olive tree being cut off, and then a wild branch, the Gentiles being grafted in, and now we are a part of the kingdom of God, because of his plan and his love and his mercy.
[23:38] And it is God's plan to again bring in Israel, to again bring them in. You know, we'll just read on, I think we'll come to that verse here in a little bit.
[23:56] Verse 25, for I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles become in.
[24:15] And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written, there shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
[24:28] You know, isn't that an amazing prophecy, that the day will come when all of Israel will be saved. You know, I find it very, how would you say, I'm not sure even how to say it, you know, to know that I believe that a lot of those leaders that openly rejected Christ, in the end they would have deepened their heart, they knew they were wrong.
[25:01] You know, yes, many did receive him. The Bible tells us that there were those of the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin that did see that Jesus was the Christ and they secretly followed him, Nicodemus being one of them.
[25:22] But, you know, after the resurrection, when those guards, they came into Jerusalem and they told the story, I mean, there was no denying it, that it was the power of God that had come and rolled back the stone.
[25:40] That angel rolled away the stone and he sat on it and those keepers, they fell as dead men. There was no way to deny it. What did they do? Well, you just go and tell the story that you fell asleep and the disciples came and they stole the body of Jesus.
[26:04] And the Bible says that this is commonly reported unto this day. And I believe it's still what they say today. To this day.
[26:16] You know, the Bible says to the day this was written. But I believe it is still that way today. They're still saying that same lie. But blindness has overtaken them.
[26:30] Why? Because they rejected the truth. They became blind. You know, the Jews, they go down to that western wall and they cry out and they pray that the Messiah might come.
[26:48] they cry, they pray that the Messiah would come. You know, you know, just think with me.
[27:05] There's crowds and crowds of Jews there. And they're crying out for the Messiah to come. And the Messiah has already come.
[27:17] But they rejected him and now they're blind. They're blind. In the same city. There's 70,000 Muslims. Every week they go to the mosque and they cry out to some false god.
[27:32] and then on Sunday you have all those people going to mass and worshiping the Virgin Mary and all of that.
[27:53] But there is a true witness there. I praise God for that. verse 25 the last part says that blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles become in.
[28:12] And so all Israel shall be saved as it is written. There shall come out of Zion the deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob for this is my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins.
[28:29] As concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sakes but as touching the election they are beloved for the father's sakes for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance for as ye in times past have not believed God yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief even so have these also now not believed that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy for God has concluded them all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all God has concluded the whole world under unbelief Jews and Gentiles alike we're all that's where we all were and today as we have come to him and we've accepted we've seen the truth we've come to the glorious light of the gospel of Jesus
[29:30] Christ and we've been born again by the gospel of Jesus Christ and he has saved us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son oh hallelujah oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who hath known the mind of the Lord or who hath been his counselor or who hath first given to him and it shall be recompensed unto him again for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever amen our God our Lord Jesus Christ yes by him through him for him it's all for him it's all for his sake it's all for the name of
[30:33] Jesus hallelujah yes oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments you know we can we can only get a glimpse of our God we can only get a glimpse of his plan we only see in part someday we will see it all you know Corinthians tells us that if if the princes of this world had known if they had known the plan of God they would not have crucified the Lord of glory but Jesus had to die he had to shed his blood why that we might that there might be redemption that we might be saved to to purchase to purchase the church of
[31:37] Jesus Christ let's turn to Hebrews Hebrews chapter 10 Hebrews chapter 10 I just want to look at some of this and we'll just skip through this chapter verse 1 for the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the commerce there unto perfect you know they offered those sacrifices daily and however and yearly and all of that but they could never take away sin they covered the sin until the time of the perfect sacrifice you know
[32:45] I I'm going to read a couple verses in chapter 9 chapter 9 verse 7 he's talking here about the priests they went into the tabernacle and they they did the service of God there but into the second into the holy of holies verse 7 went the high priest alone once every year not without blood which he offered for himself and for the heirs of the people the holy ghost is signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first tabernacle was yet standing which was a figure for the time then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience so those sacrifices they could never make the sinful people perfect but the sacrifice of Jesus once for all did that
[34:04] I'm still in we'll just keep going in chapter 9 verse 11 but Christ being common high priest of good things to come by greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this building neither by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us for if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctify to the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living
[35:09] God now let's just think a little bit you know Jesus Jesus when he came and you know we don't have time to look at a whole lot of of that but just remember with me you know when he was there in Jerusalem just before the Passover you know the Jews they were trying to figure out a way to get rid of him they wanted to kill Jesus but one thing they said not on the feast day we don't want to do this that it will disrupt the Passover well what happened God worked it that it was exactly then you know Jesus he the Passover was only a type of what Jesus did in reality and Jesus is the true
[36:11] Passover lamb and as we have the blood of Jesus applied to our hearts then the destroyer will pass over us you know all of that in Egypt that's a type of what Jesus did for us you know they had to kill the lamb and they had to save the blood and they had to take that blood and put it on the door post and on the lintel and then the death angel came through and he passed over those houses and Jesus is our Passover lamb he paid the penalty of our sin for us and he was killed for our Passover notice what he says here the blood of goats and bulls calves they could not do it but by his own blood Jesus by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place
[37:16] Jesus shed his blood and he entered into the true holy place of heaven and he went to the father and he presented his sacrifice I have shed my blood yes and it was accepted the price for the human race to be bought back to our almighty God the holiness of God nothing else could pay that penalty nothing else could erase our sin nothing else could pay the price of our rebellion but the blood of Jesus says he entered into he entered once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us eternal redemption for us you know he doesn't have to do this every year not even every ten years not even every hundred years no but he did it once for all hallelujah now look at verse thirteen here he says for if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctify it through the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the blood of
[38:40] Christ who through the eternal spirit who through the power of the holy ghost offered himself without spot to God he will purge our conscience from dead works to serve the living God the dead works of religion the dead works of trying to be right the dead works of trying to please God that's all gone now we are justified in the sight of God hallelujah just as if we had never sinned and now we will because we love him and because of his spirit within us our life will bring forth the fruit of good works and we don't have time to go into that but let's look again here and let's think with me back to the Jews those that are still going to the western wall they're still going to the synagogues and they and they're still crying for the messiah to come and what they want what they expect is the messiah will come and he will remove that that muslim mosque and they'll build a new temple and they will again be able to have sacrifices and one reason they can't build the temple and they can't enter into the holiest is because they don't have exactly what it says here in verse 13 the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean so they don't it takes a perfect red heifer that they have to have and they burn this heifer and they take the ashes of the heifer and they run water through it and then they sprinkle this water and it purifies the priests that they are that they can enter into the holiest place into the holy of holies and so they can't do this until they have that heifer you know they're still they're in bondage to their own beliefs and their own religion and they're looking to the Messiah to come to bring the answer for them but Jesus he did all that for us he did it for them just as much he did it for us yes our Lord our Savior our Jesus verse 15 and for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament that by means by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance for where a testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the testator for a testament is a force after men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at all while a testator liveth whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood for when
[42:25] Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law he took the blood of calves and of goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book and all the people saying this is the blood of the testament which God has enjoined unto you moreover he sprinkled the blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry and almost all things are by the law purged with blood and without shedding of blood there is no remission without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins it was therefore necessary that the pattern of things in the heavens should be purified with these there it is the things of the earth the tabernacle of
[43:26] Moses and the temple Solomon's temple and all of that it was a pattern of the heavenly and they were purified by the blood of bulls and of goats but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these for Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us hallelujah nor yet that he should offer himself often as a high priest enter into the holy place every year with blood of others for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself
[44:31] Jesus sacrificed himself he shed his own blood he lived here on earth a sinless life why to deliver us from the power of sin he sacrificed himself to buy us back from from Satan and as it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation hallelujah Jesus our savior our lord he he will appear he is coming again yes he is and there's appointed a day for all of us that we will die unless we live until he comes again all men will die and then we will come to the judgment seat of
[45:38] Christ what have we done with him what have we done with Jesus have we have we lived a life led by the holy ghost or have we lived a religious life you know church is it's it's a choice it's something that you choose to do you came here today because you decided and you desire to be here like David said I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord you know we we do not force people to church we do not force people to become members of a church but if people desire and they want to give their hearts to Jesus that is his desire you know you know the Jews they they they tried to force everybody into their religion the
[46:43] Catholics they come up with a state religion and they forced everyone to be a part of their church they would baptize infants so they wouldn't miss anybody so everybody was a part of their church in the reformation then a Baptist said well only true believers can really be a part of this church because the church the true church of Jesus Christ is those that are bought by the blood of Jesus it is those that are born again and have a relationship with Christ that is the true church and so they stepped out they stepped out of the Catholic they stepped out of the Lutheran they stepped out of the reformed churches out of all that dead religion that I've been talking about they stepped out of that and their vision was to have a church that is 100% people that are believers and so people started getting baptized with a believer's baptism and they became a part of their church and so it was a threat it was a threat to the state church just like
[48:04] Jesus was a threat to the Jews why because they couldn't control him and here all of a sudden then a Baptist here we have a group of people they don't come to our church anymore they don't bring their babies to be baptized anymore and they're not under our authority anymore so we have to do something about this and they started to persecute the Christians you know it's always been that way you like Bert says in the school of Christ there was no problem there was no problem in Abraham's tent until Isaac showed up and then Ishmael created a problem that first born isn't that something the first born is in our experience our first born is the old man that old life the newborn is the new man born after righteousness and true holiness born again of the spirit of
[49:24] God more you know that's the new covenant that is that is the born again life when we're born again by the spirit of God and he comes and he takes residence then he writes the law of God in our heart he writes it in our heart and we no longer we no longer follow the laws of religion but we now follow the law of God the law of this word and the spirit of
[50:27] God writes that law in our heart and it's not a problem to us why because if we're led by the spirit of God then we will gladly follow the law of Christ and walk in his way you know Jesus he brought yes he was bringing in the new covenant but he came and he taught in the synagogues and I you know just looking and looking at maps and Jesus he covered the promised land you know and I was just thinking of this since just the last week or so you know during history after Solomon's reign you know there was the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom and so at times there was war between them and so on and there was a lot of conflict but somewhere there before
[51:37] Jesus came the Roman Empire came and they were conquering the world and they took over they took over Israel they took over both kingdoms they took over Syria and all of that land and if you look on a map the original promised land that that that Joshua gave to the children of Israel that Solomon had in his kingdom it it encompasses a lot of Syria and Jordan and all of that and but Jesus you know because the Roman Empire controlled it all he could freely travel and he could go spread the gospel all through that whole area he spent a lot of time around the Sea of Galilee Capernaum was a place where he was a lot of times and he spent time there in that area and he went over into what is
[52:44] Syria and Jordan now and back into Israel and you know there's a reason the Bible says they go up to Jerusalem you know Jerusalem was up on a hill and I I forget the altitude of Jerusalem but coming from the Sea of Galilee you go through Jordan you go through Jericho to go up to Jerusalem Jericho is 1300 feet below sea level and Jerusalem is up on a mountain we would call it a small mountain but so there's a reason the Bible says many times you know we're going up to Jerusalem Jesus went up to Jerusalem the disciples they went up to Jerusalem but Jesus came to Jerusalem he came to
[53:45] Jerusalem and he started teaching in the synagogues you know he had been there before I think he came about every Passover he would come you know he was there when he was 12 years old and we don't have any record until he started his ministry and then I believe he came every time but by that time the Jews knew that they had to get rid of him they had to get rid of him and Jesus you know he was there on the Mount of Olives and he wept over Jerusalem he wept over Jerusalem he said how often would I have taken you in you rejected me you rejected truth you rejected your Messiah well you know the story you know the triumphal entry and then he comes into
[54:51] Jerusalem and he of course he cleanses the temple but he would spend time there in the temple and then he would go out and spend the night in Bethany or the Mount of Olives there and he come back but then of course the Passover and so he was there a little bit before the Passover when he was then betrayed but Jesus he knew his time had come and before that whenever they tried to take him he would just slip away his time had not yet come but when the time came we know the story yes well yeah who is
[55:53] Jesus to us today you know the Catholics they worship the Virgin Mary because she bore Jesus you know there was a divine work the spirit of God came upon Mary and she carried the son of God so yes Mary was special when Mary was human but the Catholics worship the Virgin Mary you know there's church houses built everywhere the church of the ascension the church of where Jesus wept over Jerusalem the church there's a church at almost every place that they think that something happened there's there's a
[56:56] Catholic or Orthodox church of some sort to mark the spot I ask the question what about where Jesus walked on the water there's no greater miracle than Jesus walking on the water there's no church out there on the sea of Galilee there's no building out there but you know what I conclude that's the church the true church of Jesus Christ we're walking on the water hallelujah that old church that old ship is I hallelujah there's many storms the church has gone through that church will safely come to the shore someday will you be there will you be a part of it will you be found faithful that old ship beside
[58:16] Jesus won't let us down he'll carry us through every storm that we face amen let's pray to you we be to all group to