377. Rescue the Perishing, song number 377.
Song number 377, we'll get started on the first. Rescue the perishing, care for the
dying. Tash them, they'll be the earth's sin and the grave. Wig for the erring was
lift up the fallen. Tell them, oh Jesus, the mighty truth saved. Rescue the
perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful, Jesus who saved. Though they are
sliding him, still he is waiting, waiting the penance the child to receive. Play with
them earnestly, plead with them gently. They will forgive if they only believe.
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful, Jesus who saved.
Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, failings lie buried that grace can
restore. Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, cords that are broken will
vibrate once more. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful,
Jesus who saved. Rescue the perishing, duty demands it. Strength for the neighbor the Lord will provide.
Back to the narrow way, patiently win them. Telled up for wonder, a savior has died.
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful, Jesus who saved.
Let's open a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be in your house today. We ask you to bless this entire church service, bless the singing, and also the preaching of the word. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.
Turn to song number 36. Song number 36, Christ Arose. Song number 36, on the first.
Lo, in the grave we lay, Jesus my Savior. Wait in the coming day, Jesus my Lord.
Off from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o'er his foes. He arose the victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever with his saints to reign.
He arose, he arose, hallelujah Christ arose.
Vainly they watched his death, Jesus my Savior. Vainly they sealed the dead, Jesus my Lord.
Off from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o'er his foes. He arose the victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever with his saints to reign.
He arose, he arose, hallelujah Christ arose. Death cannot give his prey, Jesus my Savior.
He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord. Off from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o'er his foes. He arose the victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever with his saints to reign. He arose, he arose, hallelujah Christ arose.
All right, great singing everyone. Take out your bulletin.
And on the front you see our verse of the week, Habakkuk 2-2 tying into this morning's sermon.
And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and make it plain upon tables that he may run that readeth it.
That's a great verse there.
Turn to the next page, we have our weekly service times. Sunday morning at 10 a.m.
Then a short 10 minute break, and our Sunday second service at 11 30 a.m.
And also our Wednesday evening Bible study at 7 p.m.
We will be back in this room on Wednesday evening.
So it will be the same room unless they change it on the last second, which happens sometimes.
We should be back in this room though on Wednesday.
And our soul winning times, listed there Saturday afternoon, meeting at the Tropic Hut restaurant at 2 a.m.
Going to Kaesong Memorial Circle.
And also we have soul winning at 2 30 p.m. today, meeting at the Rizal Monument in Rizal Park.
Our praise report for 2019, we had 2254 salvations in 2019.
Obviously the big missions trip is a large, large part of that.
And our last Sunday morning attendance was 140.
Obviously we had a lot of people enter the event and over 100 soul winners.
We're a family integrated church which means children and infants are welcome in the services for your convenience during all the services.
Remember no eating during the services.
Maintain a professional atmosphere during the service.
And keep the children from running in rough housing before and after the church services.
And on the next side we have our 31 day Bible reading challenge which we talked about this morning.
But in case you weren't here.
And you'll see that there are two sides to this.
And one side is nine chapters a day.
And you'll finish it in 29 days.
And the other side is kind of a new schedule.
I think it's the same thing.
It's just I like to be mathematical.
So you have like seven chapters in Matthew, then eight in Mark, eight in Luke, seven in John, seven in Acts.
Books like Romans, that's 16 chapters on the 17th day.
But the book of Romans is a lot shorter than the book of Luke by chapter basis.
So it works out.
But either way you want to do this.
Our goal is obviously to finish this before the end of February.
So it's a very doable goal.
And it probably takes about 40 minutes of Bible reading a day.
Obviously it depends on how familiar you are with reading the Bible and things like that.
But it's not going to take hours and hours from your schedule.
You just have to set aside your distractions.
I always recommend to people when I preach this, because I think it's what the Bible teaches.
Do things first thing in the morning.
You want to do things first because once the day gets going you can just have all kinds of things come up.
Then all of a sudden it's like 9.30 at night and you're like, oh man, I didn't even open my Bible.
And then all of a sudden you try to get it in five minutes before you go to sleep.
So it's best to just do it first thing in the morning.
Get aside from distractions. Do whatever. Drink coffee. Do it with your breakfast.
But first thing in the morning I think is the best way to make sure you get it done.
Then we have our Salvation Bootcamp series.
We're going to be finishing that here this morning as we speak about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We have our Dissolve or Doubt series starting on February 3rd next Sunday.
Then we have our January Challenge for Bible Memorization.
And so to win the prize you must quote it to someone word for word perfectly.
And the last day to do it will be next Sunday.
That's a little bit past but we had our big missions trip so it kind of ate away the time and everything.
Plus some people were out of town so the last day to quote it is next Sunday.
And so I'm trying to think, there's about 14 verses on there.
It's definitely a doable thing but make sure to get that done and you'll win the exciting prize.
We'll find out what it is.
And then we have our missions trip coming up in 29, well we just had our missions trip.
Our final result was 2009 Salvations.
And it was a great success but I've already kind of thought of some ideas that we're going to make it better next year.
And one thing I noticed because one of the big goals of the missions trip was that everybody who came from out of the country
or from another part of the Philippines had a great time and it was really successful for them.
Because they're taking vacation time, they're spending their hard earned money.
And one thing I noticed was so many is different here than it is door to door in America.
And some people kind of struggle with that.
Because they're kind of worried, oh no the person is not going to speak English.
It's just different, it's a little bit more intimidating.
So what I noticed was that there were some people that were kind of intimidated.
And I think what we want to do next year is find out anyone who is struggling after the first couple of days, kind of take them aside.
And then someone who is fluent in Tagalog can help open the conversations and then let them preach and only step in if they need it.
Because obviously we want to get a lot of people saved and we did.
But we want every single person who comes here to walk away and say that was great.
And I noticed some people did that. I didn't think about it until afterwards. That was my fault. I should have thought about that.
But that's something we want to do next year. We want to make sure that if there's anyone struggling with their soul winning.
Because it's a little bit different here. Even though it's more receptive, it is different.
You're walking out on the water to some degree. It's different than knocking on the door.
What people are used to, we want to make sure we notice that in the first few days and kind of help them out.
Because we don't want someone to come here and walk away and they only got a few people saved.
Because in America that's not bad. But here it's very receptive. So we want everyone to have a great time.
So some other ideas that we have for next year. If it's going to be better next year, it's going to be exciting.
And it's probably going to be in February next year. But it's not 100%. We still have a lot of time to figure that out.
And our special announcement was about our church building. And so we do have our church building. It's in Pasig.
I think it's close to the Mangahan High School. I think that was the high school that was there. And it's kind of close to Rizal.
And so it's a good area because there's a lot of houses there. And in terms of actually growing a church, you want to be where the houses are.
You don't want to be getting tons of people saved. And they say, oh I live like five hours up north.
It's like alright, well I guess you're not going to be coming to church then are you?
So obviously most people around this area that we're getting saved, we're getting tons saved. It's awesome. But most don't live here.
And in terms of getting churches started and churches growing, you need to be in a residential area.
So we're excited about that. It's a good area. And we'll let you guys know the exact address here later on.
But the target date is February 17th for the first church service in Pasig. So that's the goal.
February 17th. And definitely let me know. Or you can also go up, Brother Jay, if you have any questions, we can definitely help answer them.
So that's going to be, I think, three weeks from now? I think that's three weeks from now our goal is to have the first service there.
They're making some renovations but it should be ready by then.
And on the back we have our birthdays and anniversaries for January. It's my son's birthday tomorrow.
So I have this tie. I didn't mention the morning service. I don't know if anyone noticed it.
My wife got this. I think it's really cool. This is a picture he took in my backyard in Sacramento.
And so I don't know how old he was. Do you know how old he was? How long ago was this? You're not sure?
I mean he looks like he was five years but he was younger. But he was probably like eight months or so.
It was probably like four months ago. I think it's pretty cool. But anyways, this is his birthday tomorrow.
And let us know. Add your birthday. Name the communication card. Let us know. We'll add it to the list for January.
And we have a prayer list. We'll start praying for the mega marathon. And there's already a lot of locations in Luzon which are doing marathons that I know about for sure.
And so I know for five for sure. I think we'll probably have another one in Bicol will come up. I'm sure Pangasinan will have one.
And we're going to be hosting three of them. And so once we get closer, I'll ask you guys to let me know which one, if you're planning to come to one of them, which one you want to be a part of.
My wife and I, we're going to be going to Pampanga for the marathon. We know of at least three families as of now.
Plus some other people that are going to join for that. So we're hoping there will be a lot of people there.
I hope when Southern Metro Manila, a lot of people pop up that have been listening to sermons online because that's what happened last year.
We're going to make a marathon happen and there's like a million people said bye and no idea anyone else was soul winning or listening to sermons online.
So hopefully that will happen again this year. So let's definitely pray about that.
Our quotable quotes, in order for a person to successfully follow directions, the directions need to be clear.
Directions within the Bible are very clear, so we only have ourselves to blame if we fail at running the Christian race.
So do me a favor and find a dispensationalist and just quote that to them, so they can understand the Bible better.
And we have our offerings down there listed below and I think that's it for announcements.
So I'll leave this in another song and then we'll take up the offering and then brother Marlon will read Matthew chapter 28 after that.
So let's turn to song number 356.
356, I must tell Jesus.
356 on the first.
I must tell Jesus all of my trials.
I cannot bear these burdens of love.
In my distress he kindly will help me.
He ever loves and cared for his own.
I must tell Jesus.
I cannot bear my burdens alone.
I must tell Jesus.
Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.
I must tell Jesus all of my troubles.
He is a kind, compassionate friend.
If I but ask him, he will deliver.
Make up my troubles, quickly and end.
I must tell Jesus.
I cannot bear my burdens alone.
I must tell Jesus.
Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.
Tempted and tried, I need a great Savior.
One who can help my burdens to bear.
I must tell Jesus.
He all my cares and sorrows will share.
I must tell Jesus.
I cannot bear my burdens alone.
I must tell Jesus.
Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.
Oh how the world to me will a nurse me.
He will a nurse me.
Oh how my heart is tempted to sing.
I must tell Jesus and he will help me.
Over the world a victory to win.
I must tell Jesus.
I cannot bear my burdens alone.
I must tell Jesus.
Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.
This time we'll take up the offering and then have the scripture reading in Matthew 28.
Open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 28.
Matthew chapter 28.
As our custom will be, we'll be reading the whole chapter the same when you're there.
Matthew chapter 28 the Bible reads,
In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,
came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.
And behold, there was a great earthquake,
for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning and his reign meant white as snow.
And for fear of him the keepers did shake and became as dead men.
And the angel answered and said unto the women,
Fear not he, for I know that he saith Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here, for he is risen, as he said.
Come, see the place where the Lord lay,
and go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead.
And behold, he goeth before you into Galilee,
there shall ye see him, lo, I have told you.
And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy,
and did run to bring his disciples word.
And as they went to tell his disciples, behold,
Jesus met them, saying, All hail, and they came and held him by the feet and worshipped him.
Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid,
go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city
and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
And when they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel,
they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying,
Say ye, his disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept.
And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him and secure you.
So they took the money and did as they were taught,
and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
And when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.
And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, for this morning.
We pray, Lord, that you would bless Brother Saki as he preaches your word, Lord,
and help us to worship you in spirit and truth. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Alright, we're here in Matthew chapter 28, and we're going to be finishing up our series
on the Salvation Boot Camp. And I can't remember, this might be the seventh sermon in the series.
We've just been going through the essential elements when it comes to salvation,
and the last thing we're going to be talking about is the resurrection of Jesus,
because this is something you must believe in order to be saved.
And so I want you to notice what it says in Matthew 28. Let's start at verse number 1.
And the first point is a really simple point, but that is that Jesus rose again from the dead.
Notice what it says in Matthew 28, verse 1.
In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,
came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.
And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven
and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning, and his rain white as snow,
and for fear of him the keepers did shake and became his dead men.
The angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus,
which was crucified.
Now, let me just say this up front, because I'll talk about this during the sermon,
but there's a popular religion here that claims to be Christian,
that comes from the United States, that does not believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And that's the Jehovah's Witnesses.
You might not be aware of this, but Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe Jesus rose again.
They believe that there was a spiritual resurrection, but not that he actually physically rose again from the dead.
Now obviously we all believe that Jesus rose again from the dead in this room,
but whenever we talk about any topic, it's important to go in depth and prove it left, right, and down the center.
So in case you run into these heretics out there that you know what you're dealing with,
or in case you're trying to get them saved, since they don't believe in the resurrection,
you're going to have to show that to them.
Maybe not just Acts 16 and Romans 6, you're going to have to emphasize this actual resurrection.
Now notice what it says in verse 5, towards the end.
For I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
What was crucified? His spirit or his body?
His body. There's no doubt about that. What was crucified? It was his body that was crucified.
Verse 6, he is not here, for he is risen, as he said, come see the place where the Lord lay.
When it says he is risen, it would be very obvious that he's talking about the body.
When it says he is risen. Think about if you're married, you're coming here,
and then they tell you, you say, you know, where was he crucified?
And then they say, well, he's risen, you're automatically going to assume it's talking about the body.
Because that's what it was talking about at the end of verse 5.
What was crucified? The body. So what is risen? The body.
Now we do know that the Bible says the soul is not left in hell.
We'll talk about that later on in the sermon.
But the context of what is being talked about, and the main emphasis and the importance,
is this actual bodily resurrection from the dead.
It says in verse 6, he is risen, as he said, come see the place where the Lord lay.
Once again, where the Lord lay, that's talking about his body.
So sandwiched between he is risen, is talking about his body clearly, because that's what's crucified.
Where he lay, that's clearly talking about his body.
So when it talks about him rising, it's clearly talking about his body.
It's so obvious. Anyone who would walk away and say they don't get that, it's because they're not saved.
It's clear it's talking about his bodily resurrection.
Now go to verse 7.
And go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead.
And behold he goes before you into Galilee, there shall you see him, lo I have told you.
So they tell him this in verses 5 and 6, and they say quickly go and tell the other disciples.
Now if you or her, if you or them, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary at the sepulcher,
you're going to assume they're talking about bodily resurrection, aren't you?
There's no way you would think it's a spiritual resurrection.
And so you're told that he physically rose again from the dead, and you're supposed to instruct other people,
what are you going to tell them? You're going to say he physically rose again from the dead.
He was crucified, this is where he lay, but he's risen.
There's no way you would walk away from this and say it's a spiritual resurrection,
but then he didn't actually physically rise again from the dead.
It's clear it's talking about a physical resurrection.
Notice verse 11.
And in verse 11,
Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
And when they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying,
Say his disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept.
So what are they doing? They're paying money and they say lie.
Just pretend that his body was stolen. Why? Because his body's not there anymore.
Because he rose again from the dead.
I mean, there's no other way to interpret this. I don't understand what they would even say about these verses.
It's clearly referring to his bodily resurrection.
They want them to lie about it.
Anyway, that's the same thing today.
The Jehovah's Witnesses, they want to go around and preach this false thing that says,
well, it's just a spiritual resurrection.
When the Bible's very clear that his body wasn't there anymore, he is risen.
It couldn't be simpler than that.
I find it interesting that the Jehovah's Witnesses, their big holiday is Easter.
Now, what is Easter about?
The resurrection of Jesus Christ, which they don't believe in.
And yet, you know, in America, man, when you go soul winning, you see door after door saying there's this big Easter celebration.
Well, they don't celebrate holidays.
It doesn't say Easter, but it says, you know, come to this event.
But it's right at the time of Easter. It's clear it's for Easter, even though they won't say that.
But they're just trying to gather people together to teach them that Jesus didn't rise again for the day.
That's what they do. You know why? Because they're false prophets. They're heretics.
The Bible's very clear he is risen that's referring to his body.
Now turn to Luke 16. Luke 16.
I mean, if you wanted to defeat Christianity, all you had to do was show his body and it would be the end of it.
None of us would be Christians.
You know, if he had not actually risen again, all they had to do was show Jesus' body and that's the end of Christianity.
That's the whole reason why we're here is because Jesus actually is the living God. He actually did rise again from the dead.
Christianity would have been done. None of us would be Christians. There'd be no such thing.
It would have been one of these religions that kind of grows and dies. There's tons of them out there.
Religions come up, they die. They come up, they die. They come up, they die.
And if Jesus didn't actually rise again from the dead, this religion would be over. Nobody would be a Christian.
But that's what Jehovah's Witnesses teach. They say that he did not actually physically rise again from the dead.
Notice what it says in Luke 16. At verse number 30. Luke 16, verse 30.
And he said, nay, Father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
Obviously we know that when it says repent, it's talking about changing your mind.
It makes that clear in the next verse when it says neither will they be persuaded.
It's talking about you changing your mind, being persuaded. You changed what you believed to believing in the Gospel.
But what it says in verse 30 is if one went unto them from the dead. It's saying someone who physically rose again from the dead.
And he said unto them, verse 31, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.
You know what Abraham says? Even if one rises again from the dead, they're not going to believe it.
Well isn't that true today? Because how many people are saved out there?
He did rise again from the dead, but did everybody become a Christian immediately?
No. You know what we saw here? Go back to Matthew 28. But in Matthew 28, we're returning.
In Matthew 28, they're lying about it. They don't want to admit the obvious, that he rose again from the dead.
Why? Because once you become a reprobate, it doesn't matter if it's 2 plus 2 equals 4 right in front of your face, you're not going to believe it.
That's the truth. And so they want to deny it. Now it says in Matthew 28, going to verse 14,
And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him and secure you.
So they took the money and did as they were taught, and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
And so what's the phrase that they repeat? Or what do they say? They say that Jesus didn't really rise again from the dead.
And that's what the Jews believe again today. That's what all religions believe, but the Jews are the ones that actually really hate Jesus.
You can look at their writings, and they say that Jesus was basically a false prophet, some sort of magician.
They're the ones that actually hate Jesus. They're the only religion I know of.
Because every religion out there, you ask Muslims what they think of Jesus, and they'll praise him.
They don't believe he's God, but they'll say good things about him.
You know, the Buddhists, they'll say good things about Jesus. The Hindus will say good things about Jesus.
Ask a Jewish person about Jesus. I mean, this is like a homework assignment.
Go on YouTube this week, and you can listen to people from Israel talk about Jesus, and you'll see all of them cursing him and hating him.
They don't believe that, because in their writings, Jesus was a very evil person.
Everybody else, though, they believe Jesus was a good guy, but you know what? Believing he's a good guy is not enough.
You have to believe that he actually rose again from the dead, which Jehovah's Witnesses, they don't believe that.
1 Corinthians 15.
You know, that was a quick point, because everybody in this room believes Jesus rose again from the dead.
If not, then talk to me after the service, because if you don't believe that, you cannot be saved.
And that's the second point, that you must believe that Jesus rose again physically in order to be saved.
1 Corinthians 15. Notice what it says in verse 1.
It says, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand.
So when we talk about the gospel, we know that is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And it says, I preached on you. Paul was an amazing evangelist. He preached the gospel, and he says, which also ye have received.
What does it mean to receive the gospel? It means getting saved. You hear the gospel, and you believe it.
And wherein ye stand. Verse 2, by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached on you, unless ye have believed in vain.
You say, what is verse 2 talking about? By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory.
Well, what it's saying is that if somebody stands up and says, I'm a Muslim, they never believed.
That's what it's saying. Because if somebody just totally turns away from the faith and doesn't believe Christianity at all, they never believe.
That's what it's saying in verse 2. Like I've said plenty of times, you cannot stop believing.
You're going to dwell with the spirit of truth when you get saved.
You might have doubts from time to time, but you're not just going to reject the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
That's why Paul says, if ye keep in memory what I preached on you, unless ye have believed in vain.
So people say, well, I got saved, but it was in vain because they didn't really put their full faith on Jesus Christ.
And they're not saved. That's what he's saying.
Now in verse 3, for I delivered on you, first of all, that which I also received.
So what does Paul say there? I'm preaching the same thing that I received.
Because everybody, to get saved, they must receive the gospel. Nobody gets saved on their own.
He says, I'm preaching what I also heard myself, which I received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
Now when it says He died for our sins according to the Scriptures, it's talking about His physical death.
He died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and you can prove that in verse 4 because it says,
and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
What was buried? Was it His spirit or His body? His body was buried.
And in these verses, it's clear you must believe this.
Because Paul is saying that you're saved if you believe this.
Now what I want to highlight in these verses is this.
Yes, you must believe that He rose again from the dead. It says that.
But notice what it does not say. It does not say you have to believe that Jesus went to hell to be saved.
The Bible never teaches that. Now turn to Acts 2.
Now Jesus did go to hell. His soul went to hell when His body was in the ground.
You do not have to believe His soul went to hell to be saved.
One thing I've noticed within our movement, so to speak, is people try to get more fundamental than other people.
Like we'll preach, you know, Jesus went to hell, and then people say,
I'll take it up, and if you don't believe that, you're not saved.
That's not what the Bible teaches. Now you're preaching heresy because you're adding to the Word of God.
Yes, you know, people take away from the Word of God. You add to the Word of God and add an extra stipulation to salvation.
Now you're preaching a false gospel. You better be very careful about that.
Yes, I believe wholeheartedly because it says in Acts 2.31 that His soul went to hell.
But in 1 Corinthians 15, what was the focus on His soul or His body?
What was buried? His body. How are you saved if you believe that He was buried and rose again?
It never said anything about believing that His soul was in hell for those three days.
Look, before, you know, I do explain briefly that Jesus went to hell in my gospel presentation.
But look, I went soul-winning for years and years without ever telling anybody that.
Guess what? I still got people saved. Because they don't have to believe that.
Look, I was saved for years and I didn't believe Jesus went to hell. I used to believe in Abraham's bosom.
There's people in this room who are the same way, right? That you used to believe in Abraham's bosom, but you were saved.
You don't have to believe that Jesus' soul went to hell to be saved.
Now that's what the Bible teaches, but we should never try to get too fundamental and just add stuff.
I mean, that's just getting foolish. The Bible's very clear you have to believe that He was buried and that He rose again the third day.
But you do not have to believe that He went to hell for three days and three nights.
But I want you to notice what it says in Acts 2.31. I'm not denying that His soul went to hell. It says in Acts 2.31,
He seeing this before the spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither is fleshed in sea corruption.
So when His body was in the ground, when His flesh was in the ground, where was His soul? It was in hell.
So after three days when He rose again, yes, He spiritually rose again from the dead, but He also physically rose again from the dead.
And the part you must believe, Mr. Jehovah's Witnesses, is not that His soul rose out of hell, you must believe that His body rose up from the ground.
That's what the Bible teaches. That's what it says very clearly in 1 Corinthians 15.
You do not have to believe that Jesus' soul was in hell for three days and three nights. That's what the Bible teaches, but you don't have to believe that.
Now, let's look at Acts 2, verse 32. I remember seeing on Facebook one time, this is a guy who, he left the church a long time ago, but he went to steadfast Baptist church.
Now he's like a hardcore dispensationalist. He completely changes his beliefs because he didn't keep in memory what was preached on him.
He claimed to believe, but he never did. But he made this long video, I don't know if he's still at steadfast, he might have left, but he made this long video and said that if you don't believe Jesus went to hell, then you're not saved.
And it's like, well now he doesn't believe Jesus went to hell because he's a dispensationalist. It's kind of funny how he preached this video and said, if you don't believe this, you're unsaved.
And then like a year later, he doesn't believe it. But the Bible never says that. He went to all these verses talking about Jesus rising again.
It doesn't mean, talking about his soul rising again, it doesn't mean that you have to believe that with his soul. He never pointed to any verse.
Because in 1 Corinthians 15, which is the resurrection chapter, what you're going to see the focus is on is his body rising again. Remember from Matthew 28, that's what they were concerned about.
They weren't concerned about his soul. They were like, where's his body? Because people are going to notice, we can't deny this.
If they could deny it, they'd just show his body. They couldn't deny it. Because he physically rose again from the dead. That's where Christianity is based on, is his physical resurrection.
So the first point we saw was just simply that Jesus did rise again from the dead. The second thing we saw is that you must believe that in order to be saved, but you do not have to believe that his soul was in hell for those three days and three nights.
But the next thing I want you to see is in Acts 2.32. Let me just say one more thing regarding that last part. Some of the things I'm mentioning are, we believe a lot of unique things in this church. Isn't that true?
A lot of beliefs that other churches don't believe. When it comes to the rapture, when it comes to the reprobate doctrine, people don't have to believe in a post-trib rapture to be saved.
That has nothing to do with salvation. And look, I went to churches with pastors that were saved. I went soul-willing with my old pastor in West Virginia, and let me tell you something, he was good at giving the gospel.
Because I'm one of the biggest critics when it comes to soul-willing. I hate shallow soul-willing. I'm a big critic. I want people to do it right. But I was with him as a silent partner. He spent 15-20 minutes. I was like, man, this guy has done this before. He knows what he's doing.
Very clear, very obvious the person got saved. He doesn't believe in a post-trib rapture. It doesn't change the fact that he's saved, and I saw him win someone to the Lord.
You don't have to believe in the reprobate doctrine, post-trib rapture, and all these things to be saved. Yes, that's what the Bible teaches.
But look, when people first get saved here in this country, they still have Catholicism in them. There's a lot of stuff they've got to get fixed. They don't have to believe everything from day one.
They just have to believe that Jesus died for their sins and rose again, that it's a free gift and will last forever.
The third thing I want you to see is this. The Bible teaches that Jesus resurrected Himself from the dead. It teaches God the Father resurrected Him from the dead. It also teaches that the Spirit resurrected Him. Notice what it says in Acts 2, verse 32.
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Now, when it says God raised up, it's not referring to God the Son. It's not referring to God the Spirit.
Everyone I know would say this is referring to God the Father. This Jesus hath God raised up. There's a lot of other verses that make it clear that God the Father resurrected Jesus.
I went to this verse because it's right after Acts 2.31. I don't want to bounce you all throughout the Bible.
The Bible teaches that God the Father resurrected Jesus. I don't think anyone would deny that. Now turn to John 2.
Sometimes with Jehovah's Witnesses, I've asked them this question. I'll ask them, who resurrected Jesus from the dead?
They'll always say, God or God the Father. They don't believe Jesus is God. Then I'll ask them this question. What if I could show you that Jesus resurrected Himself from the dead?
Are you going to believe it? Sometimes they'll say yes because they're putting their feet in the ground. Other times they get scared. What verses are you going to show me that Jesus resurrected Himself?
Notice John 2, starting at verse 18.
Then answered the Jews and said unto them, What signs showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
What is the temple referring to? Verse 20. The Jews were confused.
It says, Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple and building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.
We know that the body is referred to as a temple. So he spake of the temple of his body, and what did Jesus say in verse 19? I will raise it up.
What's Jesus saying? I'm going to resurrect myself from the dead. That's what he's saying.
In verse 22, When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them, and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
So when he rose again from the dead, his disciples remembered this cycle. Wow. Everything that he said was true.
He said, I will raise it up in verse 19. So he says, If you kill me in three days, I will raise it up.
He's saying he will resurrect himself from the dead. How is that possible?
Well look, this doesn't change the Trinity. We believe God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost from eternity past.
But Jesus is declaring himself to be God very strongly, because he's the living God.
And when you resurrect yourself from the dead, that's about as proof positive that you're the living God as there is.
Notice what it says though in 1 Peter 3.
Now, I try not to be. I'm not a philosophical person. I'm a math-oriented guy. I'm not a philosophical person.
But if you try to think about how is this possible that God the Father resurrected, but also Jesus resurrected himself, and how the Spirit resurrected him,
people could have different understanding of that, and that's fine. But maybe they just all work together to get the job done.
Like for example, if I said that let's say Brother Marlin and Brother Jay came here early getting stuff organized.
I could say, hey Brother Marlin came here and got stuff organized for church. It doesn't change the fact that he did too.
So that's kind of the way I look at it. You might look at it differently, that's fine.
But just because Jesus resurrected himself doesn't mean that God the Father didn't as well.
But notice what it says in 1 Peter 3 verse 18.
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.
You say, what does quick mean? It means to make it alive.
You know Hebrews 4.12 says the Word of God is quick and powerful. What that is saying is the Word of God is alive and powerful.
There was a movie that came out maybe 20, 25 years ago in the U.S. I don't know if anyone has seen it or heard of it.
It's called The Quick and the Dead. It was like a western movie. I never saw the movie.
But The Quick and the Dead, and it was basically about the alive and the dead.
That's what it was basically saying, but it sounds better to say the quick and the dead. It rolls off the tongue a little bit better.
But that's what it's saying when it's quick. Quickened, made alive.
So he was put to death in the flesh, and he was quickened by the Spirit.
So the Spirit, the Spirit of God, made his flesh alive again.
Now the third point we saw was that Jesus, God the Father and the Holy Spirit resurrected him from the dead.
Say there in 1 Peter 3, what are the arguments against the resurrection?
Because when it comes to the Bible, how do you even argue that Jesus rose again from the dead?
It's like the virgin birth where how are you even going to make a false argument?
It's so clear. But actually 1 Peter 3 is one of the big verses they use to disprove that he rose again from the dead, or try to disprove.
You say why? Well because they go to a different version of the Bible and they change it.
This is what it says in the ASV, the ESV, the NIV, the NLT, the NRSV, and the New World Translation.
Obviously Jehovah's Witnesses use a Bible to promote what they believe.
But the ESV and NIV are two pretty big Bibles that I mentioned.
This is what it says at the end of 1 Peter 3 instead of quickened by the Spirit.
So the Spirit makes the flesh alive, it says quickened in the Spirit.
That's what they say in modern versions.
Now people say, well it's only a minor difference.
Well those two letters make a major, major difference.
Because in the Bible, the Spirit resurrects Jesus Christ.
But in those verses, the NIV, you know what? He's made alive spiritually resurrected, not bodily.
There's a big difference, quickened by the Spirit, so the Spirit quickens him, versus quickened in the Spirit.
So what Jehovah's Witnesses basically believe, well his flesh was killed, but he's quickened in the Spirit.
His Spirit was made alive. What we believe is, his flesh was killed and the Spirit resurrected Jesus from the dead.
That's a huge, huge difference.
Now, I didn't look this up in all those versions, I quickly did a word search, but those versions change every five years.
So you might have looked that up in the NLT or the ASV, maybe it says something different now.
But there's a lot of versions of the Bible that change that, quickened by the Spirit, to quickened in the Spirit, in the Jehovah's Witnesses.
They use their version of the Bible in New World Translation.
So this is one of their big arguments, that they say, well it's supposed to be in the Spirit.
Now, here's the thing, us at Verity Baptist Church Manila, we believe that King James Bible is perfect.
Now, if you're here and maybe you're new to this, this is an unfamiliar doctrine, or you're not really sure what you believe,
but we have a documentary that we can give you the link online and you can watch it for yourself.
It's a two-hour documentary that our sending church, our pastor, Pastor Roger Jimenez at Verity Baptist Church was a part of.
But that's what we believe here.
And so what you'll see is modern versions of the Bible, they'll make very small changes that cause massive differences.
This is a very, very small change.
It's one word that's two letters, and they just put one two-letter word in for another two-letter word.
But that slight change changes everything.
It's not an accident either. It's obviously intentional.
You say, well, let me just give you enough, just to let you know a few things in case this is all new to you.
Look, you know, when it comes to different versions of the Bible, let's say we have the NIV over here and we have the King James.
He either said it like this or this.
He didn't say it both ways. He said it one or the other because you're writing down what was said.
It was either said like this or it was said like this.
You can't look at 15 versions of the Bible and say, well, God spoke it like this, but He also said it like this.
And it's also like this. It's either like this or this.
And so that's one of their arguments. Now turn to 2 Corinthians 5.
And so when it comes to what the Jehovah's Witnesses believe, I went to their website to look at their arguments against the resurrection.
I was trying to figure out what do they even argue about. That was one of their big arguments.
Now on the website, I tried to find their explanations and they didn't really give much explanation.
This was kind of their big verse, but they're changing what the Bible says.
Now the other ones, though, I'm going to read it to you, but this next one, I have no clue what their argument is.
I'll do my best to guess, but I guess it's smarter for them just to throw verses out there and not explain what they think it means because I'm sure their explanation is foolish.
But 2 Corinthians 5, this is one of their big arguments that Jesus did not rise again from the dead.
It says in verse 14, For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then we're all dead.
And that he died for all, all they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again.
Now for me, it's pretty clear when it's talking about him rising again, he died and he rose again.
It sounds like a pretty strong argument for us in my opinion.
But in verse 16, Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh, yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
I think what their argument is towards the end of this verse is, well, we knew Christ after the flesh, but once he rose again, we don't know him after the flesh, just after the Spirit.
I think that's what their argument is. They didn't give an explanation on their website, so I'm not really sure.
But look, if you look at these verses being put to death, I mean, when it says died and rose again, we're talking about him physically dying, you're going to naturally say, well, that's talking about him rising again from the dead.
Turn to Acts 13. Acts 13.
So I'm not 100% positive what their argument is there. One of their big arguments was in 1 Corinthians 15, but that is a long chapter.
We don't have time to get into that. I mean, I've got to preach on Easter here coming up in a couple months, so I'll probably preach on 1 Corinthians 15 then, and I guess we can cover what their argument is.
But we're going to cover their other arguments, and they use some logical arguments. But in Acts 13, this is one of their big arguments.
It says in verse 33, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, and that he raised up Jesus again, as it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return the corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the shore of mercies of David.
Wherefore, he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption.
And so it uses the terminology of corruption. This is their big argument. I'm assuming this is their big argument here, that he uses the term corruption.
What they're saying is, well, they consider the flesh corruption, and they say, well, he was in corruption, then he rose again to perfection. Basically is what they're saying. I think that's what their argument is.
Let's keep reading. Verse 36, For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, and was laid on to his fathers, and saw corruption.
But he whom God raised again saw no corruption. So what they're saying is basically that the body is corruption, and when God rose again, he saw no corruption.
So it's just a spiritual resurrection. That's their argument. We'll see how they disprove this here in a second.
Turn to Acts 2 31.
So basically they're saying that the flesh is corruption. But what is the Bible actually saying in Acts 13?
Well, notice what it says, going back to Acts 2 31, which we looked at earlier.
He seeing this before speak of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
What does it mean for your flesh to see corruption? Turn to John 11.
Now let me ask you this question. This is not a trick question. How many days, how many nights was Jesus dead?
Three days, right? Notice what it says in John 11, verse 39.
Jesus said, Take ye away the stone, Martha the sister of him that was dead, saith unto the Lord, By this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four days.
Lazarus, the Bible says, he stinketh. He was dead for four days. What does it mean that Jesus' body did not see corruption?
Go back to Acts 2, we'll look at it again. When it says his flesh didn't see corruption, what it means was his flesh was not dead long enough to see corruption.
Because after four days, he's stinking. After three days, it doesn't say he's stinking. You understand what I'm saying?
The body didn't just decompose immediately all its corruption. It was after three days it was still fine.
And so in Acts 2, 31, at the end of that verse where it says his soul was not left in hell. So his soul did not stay in hell.
It was there for three days and three nights, but then it says his flesh did not see corruption. So his flesh, neither his flesh did see corruption.
So his flesh was in the ground for three days and three nights, but his flesh did not see corruption. Why?
Because he rose again before it could see corruption. Because he had been dead for four days, behold, he's stinking.
Now obviously, depending on where you're dead, what the temperature is and everything like that, the time frame could be different.
I would say if you're in hot temperature, I'm assuming your body's going to decompose a lot faster. I'm not an expert at this stuff at all.
Whereas in really cold temperatures, I'm guessing it doesn't as much. I mean that seems to make sense with me with food. You put it in the freezer at last.
But I'm just saying what the Bible is trying to show you and teach you there is that his body basically was risen again before it was capable of seeing corruption.
Because if it had been dead longer, it would have seen corruption. It would have started to decompose or whatever the terminology would be.
It would start to stink like Lazarus' body did. Now when Lazarus' body was stinking, the reason why he waited that long is he wanted to make it very obvious that a miracle was being performed.
That he was dead so long. It wasn't just that he wasn't really dead. He was just, you know, whatever.
He was making it very obvious that Lazarus was dead because they could start to smell the effects of that.
And then he made the miracle even greater by making it very obvious that he was dead and he was risen again.
But the Bible is very clear in Acts 2.31, his flesh didn't see corruption. Why? Because he rose again from the dead before death.
Before his able soul.
So that's one of the arguments in Acts 13, but when it comes to seeing corruption, well we saw what that's talking about.
That's talking about his body not being dead long enough to see corruption.
Now one of the logical arguments that they have is this.
They say if he was sacrificed, if he sacrificed his flesh and then was bodily resurrected after that, that that would cancel out the sacrifice.
Now I don't understand what that argument is, but if Jesus, you know, was crucified but then he rose again, then the crucifixion is just null and void.
That doesn't make any sense, it's actually the other way around.
If he didn't rise again, it doesn't really matter that he died.
Plenty of people have died, but that he actually rose again from the dead is what the difference is.
They say, wow, if he was crucified and then he rose, then the crucifixion didn't even really happen.
It's like he tried to pay for your sins, but since he rose again, whoops, that screwed it up.
I mean, when you make arguments like that, it's clear, you know, you don't believe the Bible.
And honestly, you know, I've talked to a ton of Jehovah's Witnesses in America.
There are some here that have seen not as many, there are some near us all sometimes.
And I preach the gospel, I've been able to win Jehovah's Witnesses to the Lord, and here's the truth.
They never really read the Bible and study it for themselves.
And if they do, it's their New World Translation.
They're giving like reading programs, like read this scripture, read this.
They would be afraid of their members doing what we're doing, reading through the New Testament.
Because they would be very afraid of what they would walk away with believing.
Now the members that are Jehovah's Witnesses that are just members, a lot of them are just innocent people that are unsaved and we need to try to get saved.
But the leaders of religions like that, that are denying the resurrection of Jesus, they're evil, wicked people.
That's the truth. They hate the God of the Bible.
And whether or not they realize that they're a deceiver, because the Bible says deceived and being deceived,
whether or not they realize that they become a deceiver is irrelevant, because that's what they are.
Because they're a false prophet, they're a deceiver, they're a wicked person, the Bible says.
Now one thing that would be very obviously destroy what they believe, that He only spiritually rose again,
you say well how did they see Him if He didn't have a body?
And what the Jehovah's Witnesses teach is this, that He only spiritually rose again,
but then God gave a different body for Him to appear in for all those times after He was risen spiritually,
just so they could see Him.
It's like why didn't God just use the body that He had?
That's what their argument is.
Now turn to Matthew 27.
And so we see very clearly that Jesus did rise again from the dead.
We see that we must believe that.
We see that all three members of the Trinity are given credit for resurrecting Him from the dead.
And we see what the arguments are, or some of the arguments against the resurrection.
And the last thing I want to focus on is give you an application,
and just say that you know what, if Jesus didn't rise again from the dead,
the whole point of this church, the whole point of what we believe, it's all gone.
The whole purpose of why we're here is because Jesus did rise again from the dead.
Notice what it says in Matthew 27, verse 57.
When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple.
He went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus.
Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in a rock,
and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher and departed.
Now what you'll see here is that Joseph is asking for the body of Jesus.
Now, one thing you'll notice in the Bible is that God always mentions people that are believers and good people being buried.
That's very important in the Bible. You never see them being cremated.
I'm against cremation. I think it's wrong.
You say, well, is it a sin or not? Well, I mean, you see everybody who's a godly person getting buried in the Bible.
So whether or not you want to call it a sin, you see the pattern is that wicked people get burned up,
but God's people get buried. That's what you see in the Bible.
And so Joseph asks for his body, and then it says, so he can give him a proper burial.
Then it says in verse 61, and there is Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sitting over against the sepulcher.
Now the next day that followed, the day of the preparation, the chief precinct Pharisees come together on a pilot saying,
sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, after three days, I will rise again.
Now remember this time, everybody's depressed about what's happened.
It's like they feel like they've been defeated.
Right? Jesus has died, and they've spent all these years, they feel like, in vain, like, man, what's the purpose of all this?
And they're down, they're depressed. It would be like us today.
I mean, obviously we know Jesus rose again, but what if somehow we just found out today, well, Jesus didn't rise again?
We'd be all depressed. We'd be like, what have we been doing for all these years?
Because what we're teaching people is that Jesus paid for our sins, was buried, and then he rose again.
That's what we're teaching them. That is the gospel.
And all his followers, they're depressed. They don't fully get what's happened, or what is about to happen.
But notice what the bad people say, in verse 63.
We remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, after three days, I will rise again.
A few things that are interesting. They are calling Jesus a deceiver, or a liar, basically.
That's a strong term in the Bible. You know, deceived and being deceived, that's a term you give for false prophets, right?
They're calling him a liar, and they said, well, he said that when he was alive, I'm going to rise again.
Look, if he's a liar, why are you worried about it?
They're saying he's a liar, you're a deceiver, but we're worried it's actually going to come to pass.
It's just like, okay, he's a deceiver, but we're really worried he's actually going to rise again from the dead.
And I want you to notice something else, though. I want you to notice the third and fourth word in verse 63.
It says, we remember. Now, when you say we remember, what are you implying? You're implying you forgot to mention something.
Do you think that they just all of a sudden said, oh, whoops, hey, we forgot to tell you, Pilate, he's actually going to rise again from the dead.
No, they intentionally withheld that. It's obvious they intentionally withheld that. They didn't just remember.
You say, well, why is it that they did that? Well, first off, they're accusing Jesus of being a deceiver.
Oftentimes, bad people accuse other people of being bad because it makes them look innocent.
They're deceivers, they're false prophets, they're wicked, they're calling Jesus wicked.
And they conveniently leave that out because if you remember, Pontius Pilate was kind of on the fence about what to do.
He did not want Jesus crucified. Now, I'm not saying Pontius Pilate was a good guy.
Pontius Pilate was a good guy. I remember a long time ago when I was newly saved.
Actually, one time before I was saved and one time after, my freshman year of college, I watched the movie The Passion of the Christ.
Who's seen that movie? Anybody? That's a terrible movie.
Now, it's funny because before I was saved and I was starting to go to Bible study, I was like, man, this is such a great movie.
And then all of a sudden, I watched it after I got saved and read the Bible a little bit. I was like, whoa, that's totally not what the Bible says.
I still remember some of the things. That's a whole other sermon.
But that movie was actually based on these women that had stigmata that said they felt the pain.
Kind of like, was that guy Padre Pio? Is that the guy's name? The guy who supposedly felt the stigmata or pain?
That movie was based on two women. I think one of the names was Anne Catherine Emmerich and one other lady who said they felt the pain of Jesus in their hands.
That movie was based on their vision. It wasn't based on the Bible. That's the truth.
You could ask Mel Gibson. You could see what Mel Gibson says about it online. It wasn't based.
He actually wanted the movie with no subtitles so nobody could understand it.
Why? Well, that's just like Catholic Church used to be because the guy's a very hardcore Catholic person.
It wasn't based on the Bible at all.
But in that movie, Pilate was portrayed as a good guy. I remember.
I remember they looked at Pontius Pilate as if he was a good guy. Pontius Pilate was not a good person.
But he didn't want Jesus to be crucified because he wasn't sure what he believed but he was worried.
It's like when we preach the Gospel to people and they don't believe what we're saying but they're afraid we might be right.
They're kind of in an in-between position. They understand what we're saying.
Hey, you're going to hell if you don't believe this. But they don't necessarily believe it yet.
That's kind of Pontius Pilate. He was worried. Even his wife said, I've had dreams about this guy.
He's really, really worried when he spoke to Jesus. But you know what ends up happening usually?
Usually people bow down under pressure. He knew he shouldn't put him to death.
He tried to change him but he was not willing to just stand without the camp.
And as far as we know, Pontius Pilate was an unbeliever as in hell today. He made his choice.
You made your bed. You lie in it now.
He should have stood up but Pontius Pilate is not a good person.
But they're coming to Pontius Pilate and they say, well, we just remembered this.
We forgot to tell you he's also going to rise again from the dead.
That could have been, if they had told Pontius Pilate that, that might have been enough where he changed his mind.
Now obviously this was going to happen. It was four days Jesus would die for us.
I'm just saying Pontius Pilate was kind of in-between of what he wanted to do.
Verse 64, because if you'll remember, Jesus said,
The person that delivered you hath the greater sin than Pontius Pilate.
So Pontius Pilate definitely had sin in his part in the action.
But they were more guilty because they were intentionally deceiving.
Now in verse 64,
Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day,
lest his disciples come by night and seal him away and say unto the people he has risen from the dead,
so the last error shall be worse than the first.
So they said command that the sepulchre is made sure.
They want to do everything they can to prevent any possibility.
Now they claim that his disciples are going to steal the body.
But honestly I think they were worried that he was going to rise again from the dead.
Even though they didn't believe it, they were worried about it.
And then it says in verse 64 at the end,
The last error shall be worse than the first.
They're admitting, you know what Pilate, we shouldn't have had you kill Jesus.
That's a pretty big error you made there.
That's a pretty big sin that you made.
Now notice what it says in verse 65.
Remember Pontius Pilate was kind of in-between on what he wanted to do.
Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch, go your way,
and make it as sure as he can.
He went from being kind of in-between to being a bad guy himself.
Why? I believe he probably became a reprobate.
And when you become a reprobate you're just going to be a bad apple
and you're going to get worse and worse and worse and worse.
People make decisions in life and they have to live with them.
That's the reality.
And you know what, he's very worried as well because he was worried before
that Jesus was going to rise again from the dead.
He didn't believe it, but he thought it was a possibility.
Now he's saying we've got to make sure this doesn't happen.
They're trying to prevent the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
They're basically trying to fight against God.
And they kind of know that too.
When you look at them they're worried, they're kind of thinking about that
they're fighting against God.
But how are you going to stop God?
I mean if he's going to rise again from the dead it doesn't matter what you do,
it's going to happen.
And then it says in verse 66,
So they went and made the sepulchre sure,
sealing the stone and setting a watch.
If you'll notice what we just read, these last 10 minutes,
the fight back then was over the resurrection of Jesus Christ, wasn't it?
That's the fight. They're doing everything they can to make sure he doesn't rise again from the dead.
It's the same fight we have today.
Look, if he did not rise again from the dead,
if Jesus never rose again, if he just died and that was it,
everything he did was in vain.
And that's why when you look at all these religions of the world,
they don't believe he rose again.
Muslims do not believe Jesus rose again from the dead.
They say, well, he was a great teacher.
Look, it doesn't matter what you teach,
because if you claim to be the living God and you didn't actually rise again from the dead,
you're a false prophet.
You know, I've used this example before to people,
because I was in Guyana on a missions trip a couple years ago for a few weeks,
and a famous false prophet went to Guyana like 40 years ago or so,
Jim Jones, if people recognize that name.
The phrase drinking the Kool-Aid came from him,
because he was down there and he basically said he was the son of God on earth.
He's kind of like that other guy we have in the Philippines,
not going to name any names, but you should know who I'm talking about.
But Jim Jones claimed to basically be the son of God,
and he had all of his followers.
Then they eventually were all killed.
You can go back to his story, tons of people talking about rape
and all these disgusting things you always see false prophets involved in.
But Jim Jones basically declared himself to be God.
That's what he was doing.
And I use this example with people,
and I said, you know, let's say for example that I told you that,
you know what, I'm God in the flesh,
and that I paid for your sins and I'm going to rise again from the dead.
And I said, there's three possibilities.
One is that I'm telling the truth.
That's a possibility, right?
Two is I'm a liar.
And three is that I'm insane.
Those are the three possibilities, right?
Look, if Jesus didn't rise again from the dead, He was not a good God.
He was either the real deal or He was a very evil, wicked man.
In fact, if He wasn't the real deal,
He would be the most wicked man who ever lived.
Which is what the Jews believe.
Because the Jews completely deny everything about Him.
If He didn't actually rise again from the dead when He told people.
Because look, we're all liars.
We've all lied before.
I've never gone around telling people that I died for their sins
and I'm going to rise again from the dead or that I'm God in the flesh.
If you're lying about that,
you're the most wicked person who ever lived
because He was more successful than anyone as a false prophet
if He was a false prophet.
So what Hindus and Buddhists and Muslims and all these people believe
that He was a great teacher,
but that He didn't actually rise again from the dead,
that's something that's impossible.
He was either a deceiver or He was the real deal.
What do we believe? We believe He was the real deal.
We believe that Jesus rose again from the dead
and if He did everything we do,
we're of all men most miserable, the Bible says.
Because our whole life is based on the fact,
teaching people that He rose again from the dead.
And in this country,
everybody believes He rose again from the dead.
The problem is they don't understand that.
And that's why they still have Jesus on a cross in their idolatry.
They don't get it.
And it's our job to go out there and preach and teach people
that you know what, Jesus did die for their sins
and He rose again, it's finished,
all you have to do is believe.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us
to be here in your house this morning.
We ask you to help us keep these things in mind.
Obviously this is a truth that we are all aware about.
We all believe this, God.
Hopefully we have a deeper understanding about it, God.
Help us to always really focus on the basics
and really have a good understanding of God
as we continue to grow and learn your word.
We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen. Amen.
Now turn to song number 45.
Song number 45.
45, When I Can Read My Tidal Clear.
Song number 45 on the first.
When I can read my tidal clear
Two mansions in the skies
I'll bid farewell to everything
And wipe my weeping eyes
I'll bid farewell to everything
And wipe my weeping eyes
Should hurt against my soul
Engage in fiery darts
The earth
And I can smile at Satan's rage
And face a frowning world
And I can smile at Satan's rage
And face a frowning world
That cares like a wild damage
From man's storms of sorrow
May I God safely reach my hope
My God, my heaven, my all
May I God safely reach my hope
My God, my heaven, my all
There shall I paint my weary soul
In seas of heavenly rest
And not a wave of trouble roll
Across my peaceful rest
And not a wave of trouble roll
Across my peaceful rest