Questions of Jesus Series #1
Pastor David T. Elms 7/22/2025
Loading…
0:00
45:26
Summary
Pastor Elms introduces a new series on the questions Jesus asked, emphasizing that Christ's inquiries are meant to pierce the mind and move the heart toward a deeper relationship with God. By examining these questions, believers can navigate the chaos of the modern world and maintain their focus on the eternal goal of being ready for His return.
Key points
- •Jesus used questions not as weapons of destruction, but as instruments of revelation to interrogate the heart and clarify truth.
- •The 307 questions Jesus asked in the Gospels were often concrete and relatable, designed to help listeners find their identity and purpose.
- •Righteous questions confront our complacency and the 'relentless information' of the world that serves as a diversion from profound truths.
- •Jesus did not lecture 'down' to people; He invited publicans and sinners to learn through self-reflection, contrasting the exclusive nature of the religious elite.
- •The ultimate purpose of the church is 'upward mobility' - being ready for the sound of the trumpet and the return of Christ.
Scripture
Spiritual Growth
Identity in Christ
The Character of Jesus
Discipleship
Life application
This week, instead of rushing to provide quick fixes or data-driven answers, practice asking 'righteous questions' of yourself and others to discern what is truly important versus what is trivial. Evaluate your identity based on your relationship with Christ rather than your professional roles or social titles.
Reflection questions
- What assumptions in my spiritual life need to be confronted by a question from Jesus?
- Am I deriving my self-worth from my job titles and roles, or from being 'at His feet' in relationship?
- How can I practice 'upward mobility' in my daily routine to ensure I am ready for Christ's return?
- What trivial information in my life is silencing the profound things of God?
Have a question about this sermon?
Ask our AI and get an answer with citations.
Full transcript
0:00Bernard, this for you to the word of
0:00God.
0:01Luke 15:es 1 and two. Then drew near
0:07unto him all the publicans and sinners
0:11for to hear him. And the Pharisees and
0:15scribes murmured, saying, "This man
0:20receiveth sinners and eats with them."
0:24I am beginning a brand new series
0:26tonight that brother Isaac inspired in
0:28the office devotion. He said, you know,
0:31I would love to just study the questions
0:34of Jesus.
0:38And I've been asking the Lord to kind of
0:40quicken my heart for a series. I love
0:42series and I love diving in. I don't
0:45search. I don't just buy a book and
0:46teach the book, okay? I do it my my way.
0:50But I love the journey. It's like going
0:51on a a treasure hunt. Honestly, it's
0:54like going through the woods and finding
0:56fruit. Uh so tonight I'm going to teach
1:02nine
1:03classes
1:05with eight additions. Tonight's the
1:07introduction to a series I'm calling
1:09Questions Jesus Asks. Questions Jesus
1:14Asks. Thank you, Lord, for your love and
1:16grace. Help us to learn your word. I'm
1:18not here to just put out data. I am not
1:20here to just put out information. I am
1:22only here Lord for the one purpose of
1:25giving power to your people. Power to
1:27face real devils to climb tall mountains
1:31and to walk through dark valleys no
1:34matter what circumstance or situation
1:36they are in. You have come that they
1:39might have life and that they might have
1:41it more abundantly. So let it flow
1:45through us in Jesus name I pray. And let
1:47the house say amen. Greet three people
1:50around you before you're seated and tell
1:51them, "I want to know what Jesus asks.
2:33Then drew near unto him all the
2:35publicans and sinners for to hear him
2:40and the Pharisees and scribes. There are
2:42four different groups of people
2:43mentioned here. Publicans and sinners
2:45were the politicians and the people of
2:49government. The people of the normal
2:52workforce
2:54uh and sinners the people in the city
2:57that did not have any religiosity.
2:59They were not attached to a synagogue,
3:01did not go to church anywhere.
3:06and the publicans and the sinners
3:09came for to hear him. The Pharisees
3:13which was a group of religious people
3:14very known and renowned for their
3:17spiritual consecrations
3:19and scribes. These were the elite
3:21religious men, highly trained, highly
3:24educated, and they were essentially very
3:27wealthy people, but they were wealthy
3:29people who loved the Lord. And they
3:32interpreted and wrote uh all the
3:36writings back in that day. It was a very
3:38big deal to be a scribe. The Pharisees
3:40and the scribes murmured,
3:43saying, "This is my problem with this
3:46man. The sinners want to hear him.
3:50He receives sinners and eats with them.
3:55So we are going to start this series
3:58about questions Jesus asked and these
4:00are the eight classifications that I'm
4:03breaking down this into
4:06our next week on Tuesday we will be
4:08learning about the questions Jesus asks
4:11about faith.
4:13Second week is confronting hypocrisy.
4:17The third week, searching the heart. The
4:21fourth week, kingdom mysteries.
4:24The fifth week, calling compassion and
4:28mercy. The sixth week,
4:31shut down fear and fret.
4:35Seventh week,
4:42my eyes aren't working right now.
4:46Uh, leading to repentance and renewal.
4:49That's what it was. Leading. I had about
4:5120 words go through my mind right then.
4:55How did I mess up leading?
4:58These old eyes of mine. And we will wrap
5:01it up with identity and purpose. Jesus
5:05asks questions. Questions are to be
5:07pointed at chaos. When chaos is around,
5:10you are to point a question like a spear
5:12at the chaos. Because a question helps
5:15you to unpack
5:17and discern
5:19to figure or reconfigure
5:22the chaos into an orderly fashion in
5:24which you can navigate, walk your way
5:28through. And of course, the reason of
5:31questions are to help us find our place
5:33and our meaning in the world.
5:36The 21st century is an era where we are
5:39required to have the ability to learn
5:42and to think. And I have always wanted a
5:45church that was built with emotion but
5:48always employed the power of the mind
5:51because the Lord is an intelligent God.
5:54And serving God requires that you call
5:57into captivity every thought that would
6:00rise itself against the thoughts of
6:03Christ.
6:04So thinking is a very big part of the
6:08trajectory of victory. You can't just go
6:11after victory and not know how to get to
6:15victory. And so learning the ways of the
6:17Lord must be uh captured by the power of
6:22questions. And we've got to have the
6:24ability to learn and to think
6:25truthfully, think intelligently, and
6:28think selectively. know how to figure
6:32between that which is important and that
6:35which is trivial. What is the relevant
6:38information that I need to figure out in
6:40our age of relentless information where
6:44supposed answers roar at us like a
6:46whitewater
6:49rushing waterfall which last week I did
6:52go white water um kayaking. And so I've
6:56been blessed with two blood blisters on
6:58my thumb where I tried to work the
7:01paddle on the kayak. And my wife, much
7:05to her joy, she made it perfectly down
7:09all the falls in her kayak. And I
7:12didn't.
7:15I would like to tell you it was some
7:16grand cause, some great feat, some
7:19purpose. It was just that I got tipped
7:21over and the water turned me. So, the
7:23two biggest falls that we went down, uh,
7:26I went down in the water, not on the
7:28water without my paddle and my kayak was
7:32somewhere down there. So, it's always a
7:34mystery to go down the white water
7:36rapids in the water. Thank God for my
7:39helmet and other padding. To God be the
7:43glory.
7:45I know it's dangerous and I knew I could
7:47have been hurt because the water's
7:48powerful. But data comes to us like a
7:51white water rapid. It comes with us to
7:56with a roar. Screens and speakers
7:59dominate our spaces. Doesn't matter
8:01where we're at. There's some device that
8:03can show you pictures and there's some
8:06speaker that can make noises. And in
8:09that process of trying to stay
8:11connected, which is a good thing to a
8:13certain degree, the profound things of
8:16life can be silenced. The rattling of
8:19the trivial can take away the profound
8:23things that we have to hold on to that
8:26help us see life clearly and walk with
8:30God in a very spiritual manner. Too
8:33often we seek quick fixes of facts.
8:36Facts which are held up as trinkets
8:38which mesmerize and as soon as we get
8:41enough data we think we can send
8:43illusions in front of people because we
8:45spew data. Somebody says that statistics
8:48can lie. Statisticians really can lie
8:51because we can throw data at people that
8:54are somewhat uh interesting and somewhat
8:58informative, but they can be diversions
9:01of thought from the things that are
9:04important to know. And if you've ever
9:06been around somebody that's a con, uh,
9:08you realize that con people are gen
9:11geniuses at distraction at pulling you
9:15from the smart question to answering the
9:17question that you didn't ask and yet
9:21make you believe the question they
9:23answered was the question you ask. Has
9:26anybody ever been conned?
9:30I I I must tell you there's a certain
9:32admiration
9:33in the giftedness of these individuals.
9:37A righteous question though is different
9:40than just a question. And I've often
9:43said to my leadership teams, I am not
9:45concerned with answers. I want to know
9:47what is the right question. Because the
9:50right question may not be easy to get
9:53the answer to. But if you get the right
9:55question, you will arrive where you need
9:58to go.
9:59>> Just because people have questions and
10:01just because people have answers, that
10:04doesn't move me. I want to know what is
10:06the right question. And the office staff
10:09can tell you many times I'm asking them,
10:11what is the question that we ought to be
10:13asking right now? Not the easy one, not
10:16the shallow one, not the opportunistic
10:19one, but what is the right one? And I
10:21would like to take that a step further.
10:23What is the righteous
10:25question that we should be asking? We
10:28might wander through time surrounded by
10:30data and amusing ourselves to death with
10:33trivial pursuits. We can be caught in
10:35the laziness of only wanting questions
10:39which echo what we already know. And
10:42it's always nice to say things people
10:44already know because when you do that,
10:46you'll get great response. I teach LXM
10:49when they're trying to involve the
10:51audience, they need to say some things
10:54that the people already believe and then
10:57say things like, "I know somebody in
10:59this house knows what I'm talking
11:00about."
11:02You see how all that response just came
11:04my way as soon as I said, "I know
11:07somebody in this house knows what I'm
11:09talking about." That is a way I'm trying
11:13to grab your heart and grab my
11:16destination and bring it together and be
11:18like Eliu was between Job and the Lord
11:22where he could grab Job's hand in the
11:24darkness of despondency and reach up and
11:27grab God's truths and pull them
11:29together. And that's what my role is is
11:32to try to get you wherever you are. You
11:35might be on the top of the mountain.
11:36High places are often slippery. You
11:38might be in the depths of despair. Low
11:40places are the the the what the Pilgrims
11:43Progress called the slew of despondency.
11:47All of these things are truths that we
11:49walk through. But my question is is what
11:52is the righteous question that I need to
11:55answer? Because when I get the righteous
11:57question, I might not
12:00say amen so fast.
12:03Does that make sense? When you get close
12:06to the right question,
12:08then you don't always have the shallow
12:12response.
12:14Righteous questions confront
12:15complacency. We might wander through all
12:18these things and get caught in the
12:19laziness of only wanting questions which
12:21echo what we already know. But the
12:23righteous question is a thing of two
12:26realities, beauty and terror. It's
12:29beautiful because you know that's the
12:31one that needs to be asked. It's
12:33terrorizing because sometimes it hits
12:35you.
12:37I'm a little out of breath. You've been
12:40there. What assumptions in our life need
12:44to be confronted? Not talking about
12:47being open-minded. I know some people
12:49that are so open-minded you could drive
12:50a Mac truck through their brain.
12:53>> I'm not asking people to be open-minded.
12:55In the book of in modern day academia,
12:58questions is the Socratic method in
13:01which they teach and they always teach
13:03by questions. But there are some the
13:05Bible says that are foolish
13:09questions.
13:10And I don't want to have a church that's
13:12got their mind so open that any question
13:15will do. Some things are settled and
13:19you've got to have settled things in
13:21your heart to where your mind is made
13:23up. Sister Francis Hayes, Brother Eddie
13:26Leonard's mother, uh, sat on this
13:28platform and I interviewed her about how
13:31she would live for God all these years.
13:32For many years, she lived for God just
13:34as a a wonderful woman of God in the
13:36church. Then she lost her husband. So,
13:38she was a a widow in the church. And
13:39then she married a pastor. So, she went
13:42from being a widow in the church to
13:44being the first lady of a church. And
13:46then she lost the man she married who
13:49was a pastor. So, now she was a first
13:51lady without a church.
13:53You know the roles of life, how they
13:55change.
13:58The thing about the Lord is that when
14:00your roles change, your relationship
14:03remains
14:05the same.
14:07>> And some people are so attached to their
14:09roles, they don't know how to have
14:11relationship because they derive their
14:13self-worth from their job description.
14:17And as a church, we've got to make sure
14:20that I'm building my white walk with
14:22God, not on the fact that I'm the pastor
14:24of the Cathedral of Pentecost, but that
14:26I'm Davy Gravy at his feet.
14:31Am I making any sense? Most of you all
14:33don't know who Davy Gravy is. There's
14:35only one in this church that's allowed
14:37to call me Davy Gravy. Sister Lynn
14:38Wilson, who happens to be absent
14:40tonight. I'm missing you. You're
14:41watching online.
14:43But she'll walk up every once in a while
14:45and she'll break it out in front of all
14:47her friends. Let them know how big time
14:48she is.
14:50Every time she, hey, Dave Gravy,
14:55I need to find something to call her.
14:56Y'all be praying. Help me come up with
14:58something. Winnie Lenny, I don't know.
15:02Uh but we have got to find our identity
15:07through relationship,
15:11not through titles or accomplishment.
15:15You know, we can all get to the place
15:16where we can have enough stripes on our
15:18shoulder. We think we're beyond the need
15:20to praise or to pray or to worship or to
15:24amen the preacher or to dance in the
15:26spirit. You say, "But I'm older now." My
15:28grandmother was dancing with a hanky in
15:30her hand when she was 90 years old. She
15:32didn't move a lot, but she was dancing.
15:36Something in your heart needs to say,
15:37"I'm still alive."
15:40Anybody know what I'm talking about? You
15:42used to dance when you in the world.
15:44Turn on your dance. This is a dancing
15:46church. This is a dancing generation.
15:49You You might only dance real primit
15:51proper.
15:54>> I don't see how prim and proper that is.
15:56I know you're wowed, but it's not a
15:59matter of how prim proper it is. It's an
16:01expression of you know what dancing is?
16:03It's not it's a lot of moving. You've
16:05heard me say this a bunch because it's
16:07one of my favorite definitions ever.
16:08Dancing is it's a lot of moving. Not to
16:12get somewhere, but to be somewhere.
16:17>> It doesn't matter if I'm out in a mud
16:18hole.
16:22I'm in his presence. It doesn't matter
16:24if I'm on the mountaintop or out in the
16:26crowd. I'm somewhere when the dance
16:29comes in my spirit. And it lets people
16:32know I'm somewhere other than where I'm
16:34standing.
16:36The devil thinks he's got me pegged. But
16:39I want him to know you think you know
16:42where I'm at.
16:48>> He's going to lose his brain trying to
16:49figure out what's he dancing about now.
16:52I thought I had him cornered. I thought
16:54I had him pressed down. I thought I had
16:56him hunched over. And there he goes.
17:01>> And everybody's saying, "He doesn't even
17:02look good doing that." I don't care. I'm
17:05telling you, I'm somewhere. I'm in the
17:07presence of the mighty God.
17:12>> Questions are not weapons of
17:14destruction.
17:15They can be used like that, but with
17:17God, they're instruments of revelation.
17:19The purpose of our church is upward
17:21mobility. Turn to your neighbor and say,
17:22"The purpose of this church
17:25is upward mobility."
17:27And I know it sounds like something in
17:29the business world, but it's more than a
17:30pun. It is who flies. The only reason
17:34this church exists is a trumpet is going
17:36to sound. Period. And it's going to
17:39sound on a day we do not know. Period.
17:43But when it sounds, this church will no
17:47longer be needed. Period.
17:50And this church is a body of people that
17:53are looking for the blessed appearing of
17:57our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And
18:00when he appears in the cloud, we do not
18:03know what we shall be, but we know that
18:05we shall be like him when for we shall
18:08see him as he is. That's what the church
18:11is. Upward mobility. If you do not fly
18:14at the sound of the trumpet, then who in
18:16the world are we?
18:19I want your ear tuned for a trumpet.
18:23>> I want it to be plain. I want it to be
18:25clear. I don't know if you know seven
18:27steps to getting out of debt. I don't
18:29know if you know all the corruption that
18:31is in Washington. I don't care if you
18:33understand all of the machinations of a
18:36banking system. I don't care if you
18:38understand all the processes by which a
18:40man can change the oil in his vehicle.
18:42Or a woman, God bless you. Please
18:43forgive me for saying man there. I know
18:45you women change oil, too.
18:55No, those are all important things to
18:58know. I hope you know how to buy a car.
19:00I hope you know how to use interest rate
19:02to your advantage. I hope you understand
19:04you need a passport. I hope you
19:06understand the difference between an ID
19:07and a real ID.
19:10This is just the world we live in. But
19:12that's not why the church is here. I
19:15hope you understand the processes of
19:17happy home. I hope you understand how to
19:19make your marriage great. But the reason
19:21this church is here is there's a trumpet
19:23that's going to sound one day. And I may
19:25not have everything else figured out,
19:27but on this one estimate and this one
19:29regard, I'm going to be ready when he
19:32comes. Come, Lord Jesus.
19:35Come quickly, we pray. Come, Lord Jesus.
19:40Take your bride away.
19:43Come Lord Jesus,
19:46come quickly we pray.
19:49For we are watching, waiting, ready for
19:53the day.
19:57>> That's exactly how I feel.
20:03So what is the questions that are
20:05important? What is the smart
20:06information? What is the righteous
20:08information? Aristotle said the purpose
20:11of knowledge is action.
20:13The purpose of knowledge is action. It's
20:16not sitting around saying all the things
20:17you know. How does it change the way you
20:21walk? The questions of Jesus interrogate
20:23the heart, pierce the mind. They're
20:25soulsearching. They're thoughtprovoking.
20:27They're heart moving. They clarify the
20:30truth. They silence the critics. Jesus
20:33does not teach abstract truths. His
20:35language is concrete. He talks about
20:37simple things like net, fish, treasure
20:40in a field, a prodal, a Samaritan beaten
20:44on the way. He talks about a tree
20:46planted, fruits that come, a tree with
20:49no fruit. He talks about simple things,
20:52but it has deep molding of character,
20:56event, conduct changing questions, the
20:59power of life. He speaks in pictures.
21:02Matthew 7:28-29 the Bible said the
21:05crowds were amazed at his teaching
21:07because he taught as one having
21:11authority.
21:13Matthew underlined the per powerful
21:15impact of Jesus's teaching. Not his
21:18miracles. He did talk about his
21:20miracles. But the total number of
21:22questions that Matthew put in his gospel
21:24that Jesus asked, he had 90 questions
21:28just in the book of Matthew. questions
21:30that Jesus asked. If you go through all
21:33the gospels, there are 307
21:35questions that Jesus asks. Now, I open
21:38with the text that the publicans and the
21:42sinners came, King James says, for to
21:46hear, but all it means is we love
21:50listening to this mantle.
21:53Now, now here's the thing about the
21:55Cathedral of Pentecost. I am I I'm
21:58always striving for our midweek service
22:00to have the same crowd that our Sunday
22:01morning service has. I'm striving for
22:04that. But I will tell you, our Sunday
22:06morning crowd is a different h cadre of
22:10people, if I could say it like that.
22:11There are people that are learning and
22:13growing. They're hungry to grow and
22:16they're trying to stretch. But the enemy
22:18doesn't like you getting closer to the
22:20church. He doesn't like that you're here
22:21on a Tuesday night. I mean, I already
22:23know how much you had to fight through
22:25to get here tonight. You had to fight
22:27through all kinds of excuses and
22:30schedules and other events. I mean,
22:33don't you know Tuesday night's the night
22:34for yoga or Tuesday night's the night
22:36for uh uh
22:39hot yoga? I don't even know. I don't I
22:42don't even know if I should say that
22:44word.
22:46Tuesday night's a night for karate.
22:48Tuesday night's a night for for
22:49football. Tuesday night's the night for
22:51soccer. Tuesday night's the night for
22:53nintine. Tuesday night's a night for
22:55pottery. Don't you know Tuesday night's
22:56the night to go to Starbucks and sit
22:58there? You're in church.
23:03>> I understand all of this and I'm not
23:05trying to stay with this because we're
23:07tradition bound. I want to make this
23:09church impactful and helpful on getting
23:13people all the way home.
23:16And this was the thing about Jesus. When
23:19he taught by questions, he wasn't
23:21teaching from a high place down to mere
23:24mortals. His disposition always
23:27presented to the people where they
23:30learned by answering the questions
23:33within themselves. He didn't hand out a
23:36a sheet of paper. Of course, they didn't
23:38have paper back then. They had, you
23:39know, paparus. It's a special paper. But
23:43he he taught in such a manner that the
23:45scribes and the Pharisees were not
23:47accustomed to because the scribes and
23:50the Pharisees knew how to talk down
23:54to people. And if you've ever been in
23:56the presence of somebody who was gifted
23:57at talking down,
24:00and we all have,
24:03I can tell you my spirit starts to chafe
24:08within me when I get around somebody who
24:11starts talking down.
24:13Uh, a lot of times they won't talk down
24:15to me, but they'll talk down to others.
24:16If they talk down to me, I have some
24:18preparation for that.
24:25But my my point is this. I just It's not
24:28like Jesus
24:30to make people feel
24:34stupid.
24:38He spoke in such a stunning manner
24:42that he here's God.
24:44Here's the creator. Without him was not
24:48anything made that was made.
24:50He put Polaris over the empty place.
24:54He's the one who put the sun in the
24:56permanent spot and spun the world on its
24:58axis. He did it all. And yet when he
25:02spoke
25:04the publicans who didn't know religion
25:06and theology and the sinners who many
25:10times didn't even want
25:13matching the word sinner they didn't
25:16even want theology but he spoke in such
25:19a manner that he said what I am is about
25:23good life. I'm about living well and
25:27dying well. I'm about you understanding.
25:30I have come that ye might have life and
25:34that you might have it more abundantly.
25:37He that believeth in me shall live.
25:40Never die.
25:42Never. So simple, so astonishing. And
25:46yet the sinners and the publicans came
25:49and it bothered the Pharisees and the
25:50scribes that they would want to come and
25:53hear him. I do know there are times that
25:55a preacher feels the pressure to preach
25:57a style that really makes the smart ones
26:00in the church feel really puffed up. But
26:03I want this church to never get a
26:05hottiness about it. That when we feel
26:07like there's something being preached
26:08that is simple, but we still have a
26:11hunger for the simple things of God. I
26:16don't want to always preach a nuance. I
26:18don't want to always preach an enigma. I
26:21don't want to always preach something
26:22that's just strange and curious.
26:25Sometimes it's just death, burial,
26:27resurrection. We're going to live and
26:29we're going to die and we're going to
26:31live forever somewhere.
26:34Just because you may have your somewhere
26:36figured out doesn't mean others don't
26:38need to realize they're going to live
26:41>> and they're going to die
26:43and they're going to live forever
26:46somewhere. You won't get that on
26:47tonight's nightly news. You're not going
26:49to get that at school. You're not going
26:51to even get that at college. If you take
26:53philosophy in college, all you're going
26:55to get is a bunch of enigmas and it's
26:57going to be a bunch of shells of the
26:59husk that the pig do eat the swine
27:04because it's emptiness. It's void. The
27:06greatest philosophers of all, many of
27:08them it ended not good because of the
27:11depression that came on them. But all
27:13they knew how was to pop postulate
27:15questions and not understand. There are
27:17some things that are real. There is no
27:20fountain of of life except Jesus Christ.
27:25>> There's none except Jesus Christ.
27:27>> We're all going to die. That's not being
27:29morbid. That's being truthful. None of
27:32us are guaranteed. I talked to my uncle
27:35today. I think he's 90 years old. None
27:36of us are guaranteed to live to 90. He's
27:38coming trying to come see my be at my
27:40dad's celebration. My dad's uh put in
27:42the Order of the Faith and he's trying
27:43to come and he he said, "David, I want
27:45to come, but I can only walk about a
27:47hundred yards." And then my legs start
27:49getting shaky and and he one of the
27:51greatest athletes I've ever known. Uncle
27:53Bernard just played raetball until he
27:55was like 75. Unbelievable. Unbelievable
27:58stuff that makes me under conviction.
28:00But but what what what's all of this
28:02about? He still has that hunger. that
28:05hunger for the things of God and that
28:08desire to learn and and to not present
28:12himself as the expert of experts. I was
28:14sitting here trying to say to him today,
28:16you know, this legacy has come because
28:18of you and grandma and grandpa and all
28:20that. He said, "Oh no, David, we just
28:23barely cracked the door open where you
28:25guys are soaring. It's just
28:27unbelievable." And I sat there and I
28:29wanted to say, "Put a cork in it.
28:33I don't want to hear you brag about my
28:36generation because I know your
28:39generation. I'm only 58. I've got
28:42another 22, 32 years to get where you're
28:45at where I've got to have victory. I've
28:48got to be clean. I've got to be above
28:51above reproach. I got to make it all the
28:53way loving my wife, being faithful to my
28:55children and my grandchildren. Hey,
28:57that's not it's not finished, folks. I
28:59haven't made it yet.
29:02I got I got a lot yet to do. I got to
29:04see my grandchildren filled with the
29:06Holy Ghost.
29:08I got to see them talking in tongues
29:10with tears coming down their eyes. I got
29:13to get a picture of them and put it on
29:14my desk. I'm not there yet, but I'm
29:17getting there.
29:20How do we get there? Not by acting like
29:22it's just the realm of specialists. It's
29:25the realm of people. He loved people. In
29:28our age of relentless information, where
29:30supposed answers roar upon us and come
29:33back and forth, we're always always
29:36trying to find a quick fix. But in the
29:38kingdom, there is no quick fix.
29:44No quick fix. So, we've got to ask, what
29:47assumptions must be confronted? We've
29:49got to not be too open-minded. Sister
29:52Elms, come. Jesus did not lecture down
29:55to people or speak as if he was on high.
29:58He even said this and these are there's
30:00so many questions I'm just going to kind
30:02of every week I'm going to give you more
30:04than one question. Okay? But here he is
30:07the mighty God in Christ
30:10God in flesh walking among us. The one
30:14who asked his disciples whom do men say
30:18that I am?
30:20And they said John the Baptist Elias one
30:23of the prophets. And he said, "But who
30:26do you say that I am?" And Peter said,
30:29"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
30:32living God. Thou art the Messiah. Flesh
30:35and blood hath not revealed this unto
30:37you." He was the Christ. He was spotless
30:40lamb. But hold on just a minute.
30:43They called him good, master. And he
30:47said, "Why do you call me good?"
30:57He has every right to walk taller than
31:01anyone else.
31:03He is the good, good father.
31:08But he said, "Why do you call me good?
31:10No one is good except God alone."
31:15I think some of them had the revelation
31:17who he was.
31:20But he wanted you to be sure that you
31:22knew the only one good. All you
31:25Pharisees that's got the stripes on your
31:27shoulder of accomplishment.
31:29All of you scribes that get to walk. I
31:31don't know if you've ever seen old
31:33Jerusalem, but if you ever get to see a
31:35map of old Jerusalem, there's the
31:38eastern gate on the east side, which is
31:40across from the Mount of Olives. And so
31:43I'm gonna kind of show you here. Mount
31:46of Olives is here. There's a valley.
31:48There's the eastern gate. There's Temple
31:50Mount. But all the way over on the west
31:53side, Herod originally had built a
31:55temple on the edge of the I mean a
31:57house, a palace on the edge of the
32:00temple and the northwest edge of the
32:03temple. But eventually he he gave that
32:07to the Roman centurion guards and they
32:09stayed there and he moved all the way
32:12west and built a retreat center on the
32:16west side of the entirety of Jerusalem
32:20and it was the wealthy part and there
32:23was a high walkway that the common
32:26people did not have access to from
32:28Herod's house that was level and the
32:32undulations of the land went down, but
32:34the level walkway walked all the way
32:37from the retreat center of Herod all the
32:41way to Temple Mount. They never had to
32:43walk among the riff raff of life. They
32:48were the elite. They were the rich. They
32:51were the powerful. They were the ones
32:53who could stroll with Herod. And of
32:55course, the populace loved to watch the
32:58celebrities. No different than ours.
33:00Right now, our day is just the same. We
33:03want our celebrities. We want our stars.
33:07We want our red carpet. We want our
33:09ropes. And we will get on the edge and
33:11selfie selfie.
33:15They had it. But it was the scribes and
33:17Herod that would walk all the way from
33:19the west to the temple mount. Jesus, I
33:22don't know if he ever walked on that
33:26elevated way because he was among the
33:31people. He did not lecture down. Why do
33:34you call me good? He presented his
33:36preaching as an inclusive
33:39revelation
33:41as opposed to exclusive.
33:44You might one day can arrive to my
33:47level. Never did that come out of his
33:50mouth.
33:51So when you work with people at the in
33:53your jobs and in the world and you start
33:56wondering how am I going to respond when
33:59they belittle me and some make fun of me
34:01and some uh are kind to me and some are
34:04are super hungry. You have all kinds.
34:07The disposition that I want you to have
34:10is first of all
34:13empower yourself with great questions
34:16instead of giving answers. People want
34:19to know, well, is this right or wrong?
34:22Why not just not telling them what's
34:24right and wrong? Why don't you ask them
34:26a question? What do you think the word
34:28says? Where do you what book do you
34:30think that's important to get out of?
34:33Well, you can guide them, but don't just
34:37hit them with what they're asking for.
34:39Let them learn by growing.
34:45Jesus demonstrates with his inquiries,
34:50with his questions
34:53that he can heal divisions
34:55and he can illuminate truth.
34:58If you only though love those who love
35:02you,
35:05what do you do more than others?
35:09What a question.
35:11What do ye more than others?
35:14You love your kids, wonderful. You love
35:17those who are nice to you, wonderful.
35:20You love those who give you promotions,
35:22wonderful. If you only love those,
35:28see that one, I don't expect a lot of
35:30aisle running right now,
35:32which uh our church doesn't have many
35:34aisle runners right now anyway, but and
35:37I'm not saying you have to start. I'm
35:38just telling you it's an old expression
35:40of great ex exaltation.
35:44But the question, what am I doing more
35:47than others is an important one. What
35:49shall it profit a man if you gain
35:54the whole world?
35:58Get your job you want. Get the beautiful
36:01wife you're looking for. Get the kids
36:03you want. Get the car you want.
36:08get the advances because of
36:11miles and points you want. You know the
36:15game.
36:17If you gain it all and you lose your
36:19soul,
36:21you tell me what prophet was it.
36:27Although Jesus asked during this
36:29retreat, whom do men say that I am?
36:34They had no real clue what he meant
36:39when they said, "Thou art the Christ."
36:42They had no clue what it meant to be
36:45Messiah.
36:47Because the Bible tells us after he
36:49asked that question, then began he to
36:52tell them of the death that he would
36:56die.
36:58Immediately he went to start talking
37:01about the cross. They thought Messiah
37:04was coming on a white stallion.
37:07This understanding that being Messiah
37:10meant crucifixion was out of their
37:12brain.
37:15And so they they did not realize the
37:17only way to have victory over the
37:19underworld was to get into hell. They
37:23didn't understand that for him to get
37:25the power over the devil, he had to get
37:27down and face the devil. They didn't
37:30understand that for him to get the key
37:32to take away the sting of death, he had
37:34to die.
37:37But they also didn't understand though
37:39he would be crucified, go to hell, and
37:42be buried that he would also resurrect.
37:47>> Light would come out over darkness.
37:49Christ would be over bile. Good would
37:51live over evil. Truth would reign over
37:53lies. And life would reign over death.
37:57in a world of degradation and stench and
38:02entropy.
38:04That is not the final word.
38:07As I begin to mature in my life, my body
38:11is changing somewhat.
38:14And uh that process is not glorious to
38:16me, my friend.
38:20You can say glory, but I will stay
38:22silent.
38:28I have a battles to stay clean. You know
38:31that all of us have to battles to stay
38:34clean. And I appreciate every one of you
38:37that fight that battle.
38:40I appreciate all of the soap you own.
38:44I appreciate the lotions you wear. I
38:46appreciate the shampoo you have. And I
38:48appreciate the fact that you don't just
38:50take a bath on Saturdays in the number
38:53nine washed up.
38:59I appreciate the fact if you don't,
39:01you're going to start bathing more.
39:06In the midst of all of this, I want you
39:08to know he said, "These are they who
39:11wash their robes in the blood
39:15of the lamb." Shall we stand?
39:19I come and ask myself questions. I want
39:23them to be tuned by the questions of
39:26Jesus. Romans 5:10 was brother Harold's
39:30favorite verse. Brother Harold loved
39:32this verse. It says, "For if when we
39:34were enemies, we were reconciled to God
39:37by the death of his son, how much more
39:40being reconciled, we shall be saved by
39:45his life." I'm clean.
39:48I'm washed.
39:50I'm redeemed.
39:52My robe is made white without spot,
39:57without wrinkle.
39:59Why? Because I'm willing to take these
40:02questions and present them to myself.
40:08And I want you to look at this next few
40:10weeks as just a way to consider how to
40:14make yourself more clean. Whether it's
40:17the flame of faith or confronting
40:19hypocrisy or searching the heart or the
40:21kingdom mysteries or calling comprom uh
40:24compassion and mercy or shutting down
40:27fear and fret or le uh leading to
40:31repentance and renewal or finding
40:33identity and purpose.
40:35I don't want to just go through these as
40:37titles and fill a Wednesday or Tuesday
40:40night. I want it to be something that
40:43changes me, teaches me to pray better,
40:47ask better questions of myself that I
40:50may learn from the questions of Jesus.
40:53Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing
40:57power?
40:59Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
41:05Are you fully
41:08trusting in his grace? This how are you
41:13washed in the blood of the lamb?
41:19>> Are you washed
41:22in the blood
41:25in the soul cleansing blood of the lamb?
41:32Are your garments
41:34spotless? Are they white as snow? Are
41:38you in the blood of the lamb?
41:44>> How dare songwriters ask questions like
41:47that?
41:49I mean, people come to church for the
41:51first time and somebody has the nerve to
41:54say, "Are you washed in the blood?"
41:58I mean, sometimes we got to laugh at
41:59ourselves.
42:01We get so used to Bible speak and
42:03scriptural speak that we don't even
42:04realize what we're asking people.
42:09>> But they had the nerve to say, "Are you
42:12walking daily by the Savior's side? Are
42:18you washed in the blood of the lamb?
42:23Do you rest each moment in the
42:27crucified?
42:29and you're washed.
42:33Did you hear what we just asked? Do you
42:36rest each moment in the crucified?
42:40>> Think about it.
42:42That's a steep question to ask somebody
42:45who doesn't understand the Bible. I know
42:47I've got a bunch of religious folks out
42:49here. All of you scribes and Pharisees
42:51know all your theology.
42:53But sinners and publicans may not know
42:56what it means to rest in the crucified
43:00until they watch our lives and they
43:03realize it's not that I've been
43:06crucified, but the one who was crucified
43:10took my sin away. He took my guilt. He
43:14took my shame. He's made me have a brand
43:17new beginning. Because he did it, I
43:20don't have to do it. I don't have to be
43:23crucified and suffer and die. No,
43:26because he took it on me on himself.
43:29That's why I can be washed in the blood
43:33of the lamb. Verse four said, "Lay aside
43:36your garments that are stained with sin
43:40and be washed in the blood of the lamb.
43:43There's a fountain flowing for the soul
43:45unclean. Oh, be washed in the blood
43:51of the lamb. Let's lift our hands and
43:52gather around this altar for a few
43:54moments. Just in the presence of worship
43:57just for a few moments. Let's just
43:59gather around everybody. Everybody.
44:01Everybody. Let's just gather around and
44:03have a little talk with the Lord. Talk
44:06through what you've heard in your spirit
44:09tonight. Maybe there's a moment that
44:11your spirit was quickened and you want
44:13to revisit in your prayers. You want to
44:16go back and say, "Lord, I felt that. I
44:18felt that. I felt that when you when you
44:21touched me, that one word that that made
44:24the hairs rise on the back of my arms,
44:27oh Lord, or that one moment that it was
44:29like, "Aha, what's going on here?" I
44:32want to bring to you, Lord, to say, "I
44:34was listening. I was tuned in. I want to
44:37hear the questions that you want me to
44:39be asking. I want to be filled, oh Lord,
44:42with the fullness of your way. I want to
44:45be filled with your spirit. Wash me in
44:48your blood. Are you washed in the blood
44:51tonight? Why don't you get blood? Washed
44:54clean, made pure, made holy, made new.
45:00He says, "Come unto me all ye that are
45:02weary and heavy laden, and I will give
45:05you rest. Take my burden upon you. My
45:10yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
45:13Come unto me. Come unto me.
45:18>> Oh, hallelujah.
45:19>> Nothing but the blood.
45:21>> There's freedom in this house tonight.
45:24>> There's power in this house tonight.