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June 12, 2020 1:00 am
Some say that the Jesus who changed history was a just a man around whom many legends developed after his death. They say His disciples invented all sorts of stories to turn a simple teacher into the Messiah. In other words, the Jesus of history was given the role of Christ by His followers. In this message we look at a third major lie being propagated by those who reject the real Jesus.
Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)One wasn't doing was raising his voice. Jesus phoned her sons, the disciples of Jesus invented all sorts of stories to turn a simple teacher into the Messiah. In other words, Jesus of history was given the role of Christ by his followers today a look at 1/3 major ally being propagated by those who reject the real Jesus from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning to win with Dr. Erwin looks her news clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line.
Estimates are almost more about today's message online. Number three that Jesus became the Christ will Dave I think you said it correctly. There are those who want to say that Jesus was not really the Christ, but that the disciples his followers made him into a Christ. So what they are really doing is denying the full divinity of Jesus Christ and of course Jesus has attracted so much attention throughout the centuries, and he often times is still the focus of attention today. That's why Britain, the book entitled slandering Jesus six lies. People tell about the man who said he was God.
I wrote the book so that you might better understand the culture so that you might better understand how to defend Christ in an age of religious confusion for gift of any amount. This book can be yours. By the way, you go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337. It's always been my desire to defend the Jesus that is to say, to help people to understand with clarity who he is, why he is able to make the claims that he makes and why our faith is well-placed. So listen in as we continue our discussion on the real Jesus pointing out the errors of today's world.
Whenever I see a picture of Jesus on time magazine or Newsweek.
I always make sure that I have that issue and I read the issue, but I do it, always with this apprehension and I do it because I know that Jesus is going to be dissected and analyzed strip down it'll be a no-frills Jesus and it will be a Jesus who will be the object of interest and even an object of fascination, but not an object of worship.
This is a series of messages entitled the Jesus deception lies that are being told about the man who claim that to be the son of God, and today we come to lie number three the first lie was that Judas did Jesus a favor. The second lie was that Jesus is one among many in the third lie is that Jesus became the Christ. He wasn't the Christ. But his followers made him into a Christ many years ago, Rudolph Bultmann, one of the great German scholars says that the Gospels are unreliable. Quote we can now know almost nothing concerning the life and the personality of Jesus.
Isn't that interesting. In California you have the Jesus seminar, a group of scholars that meets together to dissect the New Testament to try to determine what is authentic and what isn't, and perhaps you've heard that when they vote on the various sayings, and the miracles of Jesus. They all had the and so they vote on these.
If you throw a red bead into the dish, it means that you think that Jesus said that a pink paint means.
Maybe he set it and grade bead means it's unlikely but may be, and that black means no that's not. Is it any surprise that only 18% of all of the words that are attributed to Jesus in the New Testament are believed by these scholars to have been authored by him what's going on. How can scholars come to that kind of a conclusion.
What you need to do is to realize that they are driven by a strong commitment meant an unswerving commitment to naturalism the idea that miracles can happen. And once you begin there. You dissect the New Testament to make it come out the way you want it to come out. These scholars wrote in something that they published the Christ of creed and dogma, who has been firmly in place in the Middle Ages can no longer command of the assent of those who have seen the heavens through Galileo's telescope the ideas we've seen the stars through a telescope.
We have modern scientific inventions miracles can happen throughout the years there has been a concerted effort on the part of religiously liberal scholars to separate the Jesus of history the actual Jesus that lived Jesus, the mere man from the Christ of faith. The man that he was made into by his followers, who told legends and stories and made up the miracles of the New Testament, so they try to separate the Christ of faith from the Jesus of history I need to say that this is been going on for some centuries. Actually and and the whole enterprise has become a great colossal failure. Let me tell you why it's because they're basing this on known new scientific discoveries archaeologically or in any other way. It is basically based on hunches and the subject of opinions of various scholars so you have a whole welter of beliefs about Jesus and is Albert Schweitzer himself, who wrote a book about Jesus and concluded the Jesus was insane to make the statements he did about his deity. Schweitzer himself said that this is like a Rorschach inkblot. Those weren't his words. But the idea is that it tells us more about the difference scholars than it does about Jesus because each one sees in Jesus whatever he wants to see so you have a blizzard of contradictions. Many years ago there was a celebrated painting the love among the ruins by Jones Vern and Deb that painting was a watercolor and the art firm that was supposed to restore it was told to take special care they use the wrong solvent and as a result, it totally dissolved in the picture was ruined throughout all these generations scholars have been trying to find the right solvent that can take the beautiful hues of the New Testament, its strong colors and to somehow reduce it to reduce it to a dull canvas portrait of Jesus. The mere man and no one has been able to do it except on very subject with premises because the portrait of Jesus in the New Testament is stubborn. It is immune to various solvents, no matter how you try to cut the New Testament you always realize that you can do it only only on the basis of personal opinion and not sober.
Careful historical concerns now today I'm not going to discuss the Jesus seminar in any kind of detail that would involve technical material far beyond the benefits that would come through the sermon. After all, you are here to be edified and strengthened.
I'm going to look at this a little differently were going to ask this question.
Why can scholars look at the Jesus of the New Testament and try to make him into a man and deny his deity and deny the miracles, whereas when I read the New Testament and we are blessed and we are encouraged and we sense that work of the Holy Spirit of God within our hearts and we fall before Jesus in worship why the difference or to bring it more closely to home, why can somebody hear the Bible taught week after week and still not come to trust Christ as Savior many years ago we had an atheist that attended Moody church here.
And that I was told that he attended because he enjoyed hearing the speak, but so far as I know he never converted from his atheism. Why, in fact, even here today, there may be some atheists. If you're an atheist would you come up and shake my hand afterwords and looked me in the eye and like to just have a brief word with you and it'll be an Encouraging Word. I'll probably tell you is I look at you that you're too smart to be an atheist. You're too smart to be an atheist. There was a cameraman here a couple of weeks ago and he said that he was an atheist in three minutes.
I gave an explanation why atheism is impossible totally inconsistent and he said you know you're right. No sober person is an atheist, but why is it that people can come they can listen, they can hear and they are unchanged. That's the agenda for the next 15 or 20 minutes. Thank you for joining me on the flight.
Could I say this, the whole idea of looking at Jesus and everybody saying something different is not a new phenomenon. I didn't begin with critical scholars. No it started right in the New Testament, you find some people looking at Jesus and some called him a glutton and a drunkard and they dismissed them. This is in Matthew chapter 11 verse 19. Some said that he was Beelzebub the prince of demon send through the prince of demons he cast out demons.
Some called them the deceiver. They said when will this deceiver do this and that they looked at the same Jesus, that the disciples looked at.
They concluded something very very different.
Why I'm going to read one passage to you and then I'm going to ask you to turn to another but listen carefully as I read the words of Jesus as he gives his own explanation for this interesting phenomenon.
He says this is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says you will indeed hear but never understand you will indeed see but never perceive for this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed last. They should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them, but blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears, for they hear Jesus is contrasting the disciples with the opinion of those around his disciples that when Jesus was on earth. Here the blaze of glory that is going to have at his return was not visible, but they should have known that Jesus spoke the truth. But what Jesus is saying is that spiritually speaking.
You need eyes in order to see specialized transformed eyes and you need transformed ears in order to hear without that you can listen to the Scriptures. You can listen to sermons and you can read the Bible and be on moved to illustrate this. I'm going to ask that you turn in your Bibles if you would please to John chapter 9 John chapter 9.
This is a remarkable passage of Scripture. I say it's remarkable because Jesus heals a man who was born blind and to see the response of the people afterwords is very interesting. It's a it's a troll of interest in human nature, but it says in chapter 9 verse one as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth and his disciples asked him, Rabbi, who send in this manner, his parents that he was born blind.
Jesus answered, it was not this man who send or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
This is a parenthesis I'm not speaking about this man from the standpoint of his healing per se. I'm looking into the aftermath, but what Jesus is saying is, is that there's not a tight connection between the sin of his parents and his condition. Some of you may be struggling with a child who has a disability.
Or maybe you know someone who has a disability. Don't say to yourself that they are being judged for their sin.
Jesus didn't mean that the parents had no sin.
He says that there is no tight connection between what they did and what happened here. I have a purpose in the life of this blind man that shall be to my glory. Well, how do we look at this chapter very quickly and that the answer is we look at the four times this man was asked how he was healed, Jesus took mud put it on his eyes, he went to the pool of sigh loan he washed he came away seeing verse eight the neighbors and those who had seen him before. As a beggar were saying is this not the man who used to sit and beg.
Some said it is he others nobodies like him but he kept saying I'm the man so they said to him, how were your eyes opened. That's the first time he's asked in verse 11. The man called Jesus. He said made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me go to the pool of sigh loam and watch so I went and washed, and receive my site well they bring them to the Pharisees and that was only right.
The Pharisees were the custodians of the law. They're the ones who should know what happened and to analyze it.
Verse 13 they bring them to the Pharisees, verse 14. Now it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes, so the Pharisees again asked him how he received his sight and he said to them, he put mud on my eyes and I washed and see. So the Pharisees are divided. They say this man doesn't keep the Sabbath day. He can't give God another say yeah but you know the miracle apparently happened well in verse 18 there's a broader category.
The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received aside and asked him, is this your son who you say was born blind.
How then does he now see, this is such an interesting answer is parents. As we know that this is her son and he was born blind, but how he now sees we do not know nor do we know who opened his eyes ask him. He's of age. He will speak for himself. John says his parents said these things because they feared the Jews for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be the Christ. He was to be put out of the synagogue alright so they go back to him. Verse 26 they said to him, what did he do to you. How did he open your eyes, he answered them.
I've told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again. I have to read the rest of this. This is so interesting makes you smile, doesn't it. You also want to become his disciples, they reviled him saying you are his disciple, but we are Moses disciples, we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man. We do not know where he comes from. The man answered what this is an amazing thing. You don't know where he comes from and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and doesn't God listens to, never since the world began. Has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God. He could do nothing.
They answered him, you were born in a hearse and you're going to teach us.
They cast them out.
Jesus heard that they had cast them out, and having found him. He said you believe in the Son of Man, he answered Lizzie Sir, but I may believe in him. Jesus said, you have seen him and it is he who is speaking with you and he said, Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him.
I'm going to pause there, but keep your finger in the page verse 39 comes next in the text. Why is it that people in the presence of Jesus in the presence of miracles can still diss the leave three reasons. First of all, the commitment to naturalism that I've already told you about miracles can happen because we've never seen them happen before. So they close their minds to the possibility of miracles.
Now it is true that we should not be gullible. All kinds of things in the history of the church had been purported to be miraculous and careful investigation has shown them not to be so let's be careful students here, but but here you have a remarkable story. I mean, you know, everybody the neighbors know that this is the man who was born blind. The parents know it.
Still, they can't believe it. I think of the great skeptic, David Hume, who wrote an essay against miracles.
It is used in philosophy classes nowadays as a classic example of circular reasoning.
Hume says miracles don't happen because they've never happened well and so he discounts all the miracles because miracles don't happen. Why because they just never have happened.
Circular reasoning why not investigate whether or not they have happened. Just because miracles don't happen often. That doesn't mean that they can't happen. And furthermore, in the case of Jesus. You have a man here who does a whole series of miracles. He feeds 5000 people with a boys lunch is able to still the storm is delivering people from demons. So when you look at the whole constellation of miracles that Jesus performed there was plenty of evidence that this man was doing what had not happened before and that this man was of God. But if you're committed to a naturalistic worldview, you will not believe no matter what a person convinced against his will is still of the same opinion still. Jonathan Edwards says that Jesus Christ has diverse qualities in the New Testament an admirable conjunction of diverse excellence. We don't have time to go into it, but if you look at the total package of Jesus's powerful, compelling soul, a commitment to naturalism, but also second now. Now we get to the real heart of the matter, a commitment to spiritual darkness or to blindness. Jesus is speaking there in verse 39 and he says for judgment. I came into this world that those who do not see may see what's pause there just for a moment.
This man was blind physically. He was also blind spiritually. Jesus healed him physically, but Jesus also healed him spiritually. The man ended up worshiping Jesus. He ended up seeing Jesus for who he was, for judgment. I came into this world that those who do not see may see something like this man. He was able to see physically but also spiritually and those who see may become blind.
My dear friend, I want to thank you so much for listening to the ministry of running to win. You know we are desirous that the gospel of Jesus Christ go to as many people as possible. I have in my hand a letter that says listening to you preach was like a light came on inside of me and woke me up and I felt strengthened by the truth you were speaking for a moment.
It was like my new man woke and was ready to go.
Did you know that you had a part in this testimony because we are really partners together as we share the word of God. Would you like to become an endurance partner endurance partners are those who stand with us regularly. I like to think of them as being a part of the running to win family. If you want to know more about how to become an endurance partner. Here's what you do you go to RTW offer.com. Click on the endurance partner button RTW offer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 running to win is in more than 20 countries of the world. Recently we've gone into Arabic available to the Arabic communities throughout the Middle East.
Join us in this venture. As we continue to share the gospel become an endurance partner RTW offer.com. Click on the endurance partner button or 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. Some scholars want to strip Jesus of anything supernatural.
They approach the Bible as its judges, not realizing the book they scorned will one day judge them next time I'm running to win more on slandering Jesus will see that in the Scriptures. Jesus is not on trial. We are thanks for listening for Dr. Erwin Luzerne this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the teacher