Podcast appearances and mentions of Lew Wallace

In this episode, hosts Cam & Dylan take a deep dive into the cinematic colossus that is Ben-Hur (1959) — the epic historical drama that defined an era of filmmaking. From chariot races to betrayal, vengeance to redemption, the guys break down what made this film a monumental achievement in Hollywood history. Directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston, Ben-Hur swept the Oscars with a record-setting 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. Based on the 1880 novel by Lew Wallace, the film tells the powerful story of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince betrayed by his Roman friend and forced into slavery, only to seek revenge and find spiritual awakening in the time of Christ. Cam & Dylan go beyond the surface with their signature mix of hot takes, humor, and behind-the-scenes trivia. Whether you're a fan of old-school epics or just love hearing passionate movie talk, this one's got xtra butta all over it.

Die Schlacht von Lincoln ist geschlagen; doch der Krieg tobt weiter: Gesetzlose regieren, Billy the Kid steigt zu eine Anführer auf - und ein geplatzter Deal droht, New Mexico endgültig ins Chaos zu stürzen. Mit dem Ende der viertägigen Schlacht von Lincoln steht "The House" zerschlagen da, während ihr Widersacher Alexander McSween tot und die Regulatoren führungslos zurückbleiben. Doch ein Ende des Kriegs in Lincoln County steht nicht in Sicht. Statt dessen regiert die Anarchie: Gesetzlose mit Sheriff-Sternen ziehen raubend und plündernd durchs County, Vigilanten greifen gegen andere Vigilanten - und der erst 19-jähriger William Bonney schafft es, die verbliebenen "Eisernen" Regulatoren um sich zu scharen, um einen verlorenen Kampf weiter aufrecht zu erhalten. Die Bevölkerung hat das Vertrauen in Ordnungshüter und Regierung verloren: Weder Sheriff und Bundesmarshall noch Kavallerie oder Governeur schaffen es, einem Monate andauernden Morden und Plündern Einhalt zu gebieten. Schließlich greift US-Präsident Hayes persönlich ein: Sam Axtell wird entlassen, ein statt dessen soll Lew Wallace als neuer Gouverneur für Ordnung sorgen. Tatsächlich schafft es dieser mit drastischen Maßnahmen, wieder Ruhe einkehren zu lassen. Doch der Friedensplan droht auseinanderzubrechen, noch ehe er richtig beschlossen ist: Ein Anwalt wird ermordet, geheime Deals werden geschlossen, dubiose Urteile werden gefällt - und als Billy the Kid aus Lincoln reitet, sollte er der meistgesuchte Mann im gesamten Territorium von New Mexico werden. 00:53 - Nach der Schlacht von Lincoln: Plünderei und Machtmissbrauch 05:15 - Die Reste der Regulators: Billy the Kid übernimmt das Kommando 09:11 - Anarchie in Lincoln County: Jeder gegen Jeden 10:57 - Selman's Scouts und die "Rustlers": Ruchlose Gesetzlosigkeit 12:47 - 4. September 1878: Gouverneur Axtell wird gefeuert 13:44 - 29 .September1878: Ein neuer Gouverneur: Lew Wallace kommt nach New Mexico 15:06 - 15 Tage nach Amtsantritt: 10 Morde in zwei Wochen, und Vigilanten gegen Vigilanten 16:36 - "Wenn du mir meinen Lohn nicht gibst, werde ich ihn mir selbst holen" - Die Regulators als Vieh- und Pferdediebe 21:17 - Mehr Öl ins Feuer: Huston Chapman und Susan McSween verklagen die Armee 23:21 - 13.11.1878: Eine Generalamnestie und die Suche nach einem Sündenbock 31:13 - 11.01.1879: "Der Frieden in Lincoln County ist wiederhergestellt" - Anbahnung eines "Friedensvertrags" 34:24 - 18.2.1879: Waffenstillstand zwischen Rustlers und Regulators... 37:34 - Unliebsamer Störenfried: Der Tod von Huston Chapman 43:05 - 17.3.1879: Frieden auf der Kippe und ein Geheimtreffen mit dem Gouverneur 47:01 - 14.4.1979: Die Lincoln County War Prozesse: Viele Angeklagte, kaum Verurteilte 48:24 - Keine Gnade für The Kid... (trägt Ben Hur die Schuld?) 51:58 - 17. Juli 1879: Der berüchtigtste Outlaw New Mexicos... 54:04 - Verabschiedung und Ausblick aufs nächste Mal Unterstützt uns per Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/westernunchained Folgt Western Unchained auf Facebook: https://facebook.com/westernunchained  Wir sind jetzt auch auf Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/westernunchained.bsky.social         Unsere Webseite: https://westernunchained.podbean.com Nachrichten aus dem Wilden Westen (Blog): https://westernunchained.blogspot.de #western #wilderwesten #Alexandermcsween #newmexico #Lincolncounty #lincolncountywar #Billythekid #outlaw #mord #justiz #korruption #jamesdolan #rustles #johnselman #lewwallace #benhur

Episode 155 - In this episode, Father Sean Danda and Nathanael Rea explore the significance of the Magi, their journey, and the symbolism of their gifts. It delves into the historical context of the Magi, their role as the first Gentiles to acknowledge Christ, and the deeper meanings behind their offerings of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The discussion emphasizes the importance of faith, the journey towards God, and the call to share the message of Christ with the world. Takeaways The Magi symbolize the search for truth and faith. Lew Wallace's journey reflects a personal quest for understanding Christianity. The gifts of the Magi hold deep spiritual significance. The Magi's journey was a significant act of faith and sacrifice. The Magi's story emphasizes the universality of Christ's message. The symbolism of gold, frankincense, and myrrh reveals Christ's identity. The Magi's return signifies the call to evangelize. The tradition of blessing homes on Epiphany connects to the Magi's mission. The Magi remind us to seek God in all aspects of life. The conversation encourages a deeper reflection on our own faith journeys.

Endure to Manifest Salvation (6)  (audio)  David Eells (7/14/24)  I'm going to pick up where we left off in our last teaching about how our faith transforms us. I mentioned just briefly about the rewards. There's a difference of reward concerning sonship. Many have been taught that everybody gets the same reward, but that's contrary to the Scriptures. There's a difference of reward because every servant will not become a son. They may have been called, but they will not be chosen. Let's start in (Eze.46:16) Thus saith the Lord God: If the prince.... The “prince” was the High Priest in the Old Testament and it says in (Heb.4:14) Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Jesus Christ is our High Priest. (Eze.46:16) Thus saith the Lord God: If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, it is his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. (17) But if he give of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty.... The “year of liberty” is the Marriage Feast. The “year of liberty” to the Jews was when the land went back to the original owner and when the servants were set free.   As it says in (Lev.27:21) But the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee, shall be holy unto the Lord, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's. (25:54) And if he be not redeemed by these [means,] then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he, and his children with him. Those who were in bondage were set free and we have come to a debt jubilee in NESARA/GESARA. All of this earth is going back to its original owner and those servants who are manifesting sonship are going to be set free and be joint heirs with Jesus. (Eze.46:17) But if he give of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty (So if God gives this gift to an unprofitable servant, he's going to keep it only until the year of liberty.); then it shall return to the prince; but as for his inheritance, it shall be for his sons.  See, He's going to take the talent away from the unprofitable servant who has the one talent and He's going to give it to His sons! His sons get the inheritance of all those other servants because the other servants didn't walk in faith and they didn't manifest Christ. The sons get the whole inheritance. We see this in (Eze.46:18) Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance, to thrust them out of their possession; he shall give inheritance to his sons out of his own possession. We are joint-heirs with Christ! We receive the same inheritance He receives!   God does what He says He's going to do. And a person who doesn't manifest fruit from the gift given to them by the Lord will have their gift taken away and given to those who have chosen sonship and are bearing fruit. There's a difference of reward for what we have loosely called “Christians.” First of all, there was the servant with the two talents and the servant with the five talents. That's a difference right there, but both of those people brought forth everything that they could bring forth and that's what God put in.   God has given you knowledge and understanding, and He's going to hold you responsible to do something with it. (Luk.12:48) ... And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more. God expects you to do something with what He gives you. It's not a heavy burden that He puts upon you. (Mat.11:28) Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. He said, “my burden is light,” because knowledge is the way to fruit. If you don't know what His promises are, then you can't set your faith on them and you certainly can't have them.   It says in (2Pe.1:3) Seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; (4) whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. We see here the profitable servants become sons having been set free by the divine nature. See, you have to know what to reach out for. Some people are going to use the excuse, “Well, the preachers didn't teach me!” Or, “The preachers lied to me!” But Jesus said, (Joh.7:17) If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself. In other words, “If you do the will of the Father, you're going to know the teaching.” No one can stop you from getting the truth, if you really want to know God, because He will make sure that it gets through to you.   Those who stay in apostate religion, don't really seek for truth, and risk being cast out and losing their inheritance. (Pro.2:16) To deliver thee from the strange woman (This is the Harlot, Babylon.), Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words; (17) That forsaketh the friend of her youth (Jesus Christ), And forgetteth the covenant of her God: (18) For her house inclineth unto death, And her paths unto the dead. And then He goes on to warn these people in (21) For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the perfect shall remain in it. (22) But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it. Remember the wedding guest who didn't have the wedding garment on? He came to the marriage feast but then he didn't get to stay. It's important to understand this because it really motivates you.   The Lord says in (Isa.65:8) Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sake, that I may not destroy them all. He is talking about the apostate people of God. He's saying that there's a remnant of something good in their midst and that's why He's not going to destroy them all. (Isa.65:9) And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.  (Notice the servant doesn't inherit the land but dwells there for a while.) (10) And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor (This represents tribulation. The root word for “Achor” means “to afflict” or “trouble.”) a place for herds to lie down in for my people that have sought me. (11) But ye that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain (speaking of His Kingdom), that prepare a table for Fortune (These people are lusting after, and paying attention to the things of the world, prosperity.), and that fill up mingled wine unto Destiny; (12) I will destine you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but ye did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not. A brother, who is a friend of mine, asked, “Lord, what is going to happen to the carnal Christian?” And these were the Scriptures God gave him.   Another warning follows just a few verses later in (Isa.65:17) For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. So after God has created a new heaven and a new earth, (20) There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed. We saw previously that a “child” and “servant” are the same. (Pro 29:21)  He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last.  Here we saw that the “bondservant of sin” and the “child” are the same. The servant is someone who hasn't entered into sonship, either through faith or through manifestation. And Isaiah says, “the sinner being a hundred years old.” Well, 100 is a tenth of the millennium, a tenth of 1000, and a lot of people under the Law are just doing business with God. They say, “I give God my 10 percent,” like the Israelites did in the Old Testament. But Jesus said we must renounce ownership of 100% to be a disciple.  But Paul said in (Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. We are free from the Law, we are free to follow the Spirit and, if we follow the Spirit, we will surpass anything that the Law says. Again, remember that the guest without the wedding garment was in the wedding feast and he did get to stay for a little while, but then he was cast out. I believe that's what this is talking about: (Isa.65:17) For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. (18) But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem (the Bride) a rejoicing, and her people a joy. (19) And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying.   (20) There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed. These bondservants of sin, who chose to remain children instead of believing and entering into sonship, will not be able to enter into the New Jerusalem Bride as it says in (Rev.21:27) And there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb's book of life. and (22:15) Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie. These people will be cast forth from the city. There's a big difference of reward between those who do serve God and those who profess God but don't serve God. Everyone who has not believed on the only begotten Son of God is already judged, but the judgment is going to be in the “separating.” We see this in (Mat.13:24) Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: (25) but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares (which has small useless fruit) also among the wheat, and went away. (26) But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. (27) And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares?   (28) And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? (29) But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn. We're entering into the Kingdom right now and the separating the sheep from the goats is happening.   We know that we are sons of God through faith, but the Bible also teaches, (1Jn.3:2) Beloved, now are we children of God (The Greek word there is teknon or “child” and not huios, which is the word for “son.”) and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. (3) And every one that hath this hope [set] on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Wow! That's a promise, isn't it? The Lord commanded us that, (Mat.5:48) Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. You know, it would have been ludicrous for Him to make a command like that, if He hadn't given us the power to bring it to pass!  Now see what Jesus said in (Joh.19:30) When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. And in (16:33) These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. “Be of good cheer ... it is finished ... I've overcome the world.” We are privileged to enter in by faith to what Jesus has already done. (Heb.4:3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.   The only thing that remains is for us to put our trust in God and enter into those works by faith. (Joh.6:28) They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God? (29) Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. We must do the works of God, which is made possible when we, “believe on him whom he hath sent.” That's the Gospel! We just have to believe that what Jesus accomplished on the cross is ours! It's our gift and it covers it all!   What Jesus bought and paid for is that we would be sons of God, not just sons by faith, but sons by manifestation. (1Pe.1:15) But like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; (16) because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy. (22) Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: (23) having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. You are progressively being saved in your soul through your obedience to the truth.   You can read this message of progressive salvation over and over in the Scriptures, but as the Bible also says, you have to be able to see your goal before you can reach it. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. We see the goal by faith! If you can see in the Scriptures what it is that God has provided for you, then you can reach out your faith to it and you will manifest the sonship that Jesus paid for you to have. Jesus is the progenitor of the new creation man. He's the Father of the sons of God. (This is not to be confused with the erroneous and dangerous Manifestation of the Sons of God or Joel's Army movements, which arose from the Latter Rain movement of the late 1940s and are still being promoted today by apostate leaders.)   Throughout the Scriptures, we see a parallel with the adoption traditions of the Hebrews, Greeks and Romans. As it says in (Pro.29:21) He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last. They all had a tradition of adopting their servants and making them sons. A fictional example is the story of Ben Hur by Lew Wallace. Briefly, Ben Hur is sentenced to be a galley slave, but after he saves the life of the warship's commander, Arrius, he adopts Ben Hur and makes him a free citizen. Ben Hur becomes the heir of Arrius, who is a leader in the Roman government and, through his inheritance, Ben Hur gains the power and authority that he wants. Can you see that this is what God is doing with us?   God used the traditions of those cultures, or else He created the traditions of those cultures, so that we would understand what He was saying when He said He adopted servants and made them sons. Paul says this in (Rom.8:16) The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: (17) and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified with [him]. We can see where we are, but we also have to see where we are going. (Psa.119:105) Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And light unto my path. Without the Word to show you where you are going, you have nothing to exercise faith in. God is showing us in the Scriptures that we are going toward sonship, which is why the Bible commands us to see Jesus in the mirror.   Most of the church says, “No, that's not possible!” But that's what the Bible commands us to do, whether they like it or believe it, or not! It's the Good News; it's the Gospel that we are to accept from the first moment of our salvation. From the very beginning, by faith we receive everything that God has provided for us, even before we see it manifested. That's why we say, “We are saved.” People don't realize what they are saying when they say, “I'm saved.” They don't understand that the Greek word soteria, which is the word translated as “saved,” incorporates total deliverance from the curse of sin and of death. Total deliverance! When people say, “I'm saved,” they're saying a word by faith. It's a deception to believe that you are saved by manifestation because then you have no reason to walk it out. We're told in (Php.2:12) So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. We are progressively saved by working out our salvation.   We were baptized and then, as we let the water of the Word put to death the old man, that baptism is increasingly manifested in our life as we walk on with God. Baptism is an act of faith. God has given us the goal of sonship through faith in Jesus Christ. We accept it as a free gift and, as we keep on confessing sonship in the face of trials, troubles and tribulations, we will see the manifestation of sonship in us. It will be just as automatic as planting a natural seed in the ground. That seed comes up, it produces a plant and the plant bears fruit, according to the type of plant it is. God's seeds are just like that, too. You plant them in good soil hearts and they're going to come up, and they are going to bear the fruit of God.   Now it says in (Rom.8:14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. What is it that keeps us from being led by the Spirit? Staying a child is to remain a servant and that will keep you from being led by the Spirit. (Gal.4:1) But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all; (2) but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed of the father. The manifestation of sonship is coming in the lives of those people who will give up being children or servants.   Children or servants are in bondage as it says in (Gal.4:3) So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world. What is it that causes us to stay in bondage to the rudiments or principles of the world and not bear fruit? Walking by the carnal senses will keep us in bondage to the flesh, to the devil and to the world. Our biggest problem is walking by sight, by hearing, and by feeling. (1Co.13:11) When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. A son of God must give up walking by what is seen in the natural and start walking by the eyes of the Spirit.   And it says in (Heb.5:11) Of whom we have many things to say, and hard of interpretation, seeing ye are become dull of hearing. (12) For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. Notice that we're looking at two different sets of rudiments. We have the rudiments or first principles of the world and the rudiments of the first principles of God, but you can't stay in either one, if you're going to mature to bear fruit. “Babes” are in these rudiments.   (Heb.5:13) For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. (14) But solid food is for fullgrown men (or “perfect men”), [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. “Babes” are not experienced in the “word of righteousness” because they don't have their “senses exercised” to discern good from evil. “Babes” in the Lord walk according to the first principles of the Lord and they speak what comes to their mind through their natural senses. They can't experience the “word of righteousness” because they walk after their carnal mind. Their knowledge is not a knowledge of what Jesus meant when He said, (Mat.13:9) He that hath ears, let him hear, and (16) But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.   The people He was talking to all had physical eyes and ears, but Jesus was saying that the people who received His Word would be those who had spiritual eyes and ears. Your carnal mind is influenced by your natural senses and it assimilates the influences of your natural senses. That's why people who walk after their natural senses can't walk by faith. They can't see the wonderful works of God! And they will never see the manifestation of Jesus, if they don't walk by faith, because it's just not possible. Often, people will have faith in one area, yet not in other areas. All of God's promises are manifested through faith and that means faith must be in every area of our lives. We read in (1Jn.5:4) For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith. Faith “is the victory” that overcomes the world. However, even babes can be justified by receiving sonship through faith. This means they are accounted righteous through faith, believing they have received.  “Babes” who walk by their natural senses, many times, do warfare that's carnal, but (2Co.10:3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. This warfare must be accomplished, but it cannot be accomplished with your carnal senses! You are fighting an enemy that's unseen and you have to fight him with the unseen. We have to “call the things that are not, as though they were.” (Rom.4:17) ... even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were. Did you know that the things that are made are not made out of things that appear? We read this in (Heb.11:1) Now faith is assurance of [things] hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. (2) For therein the elders had witness borne to them. (3) By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear.   The things that are seen are made out of faith! Sonship is made out of faith. So you can't war in the flesh; you can't war with the natural senses. We're taught in (2Co.10:4) For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), (5) casting down imaginations (or “reasonings”), and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Where do “reasonings” come from? Reasonings, or imaginations, come from what your carnal mind has assimilated through your natural senses or dead religion. But we're told in, (Rom.12:2) And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We're commanded to repent!   Again, “repent” is the Greek word metanoeo and it means “change your mind.” We must change our mind! We must not receive into our mind what is put there by the carnal senses. We have to receive what is put there by the spiritual senses, by the hearing of God, by the seeing of God. You have to change your mind to have any hope of Christ manifesting Christ in you. I don't say this to make anyone fear because sons of God are, first of all, sons of God through faith. You have to receive sonship through faith before you have it by manifestation and faith is accounted as righteousness. (Rom.4:5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness.   There are people who preach the manifestation of sonship, but they leave out the Grace of God. See, until righteousness is manifested in you, faith stands in its place. By faith, we are sons of God now! And we're studying to know what a son of God looks like, so that when we look in the mirror, we can be transformed into the same image. Be careful that the Jesus in your mirror is the Jesus of the Bible. Paul warned us about those who received another Gospel, another spirit and another Jesus! (Gal.1:6) I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel; (7) which is not another [gospel] only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. (8) But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema. (9) As we have said before, so say I now again, if any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be anathema.   Our Jesus has to look just like this Jesus! If not, you'll be transformed into a “Jesus” that is not the Jesus of the Bible and that's not the sonship of the Bible, either. I see it happen all the time! The fault here is people are somewhere in between assimilating through their natural senses and assimilating through their spiritual senses. We have to learn to see the way God teaches us to see and Jesus came to be our example of that. Now I'm sure a lot of people will say, “Well, yeah, that was just Jesus.” No, the Bible called Jesus a “sign.” (Isa.7:14) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Luk.11:30) For even as Jonah became a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. Jesus came to be our example, our pattern, in everything He did. Paul said, (1Co.11:1) Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.   When Jesus was baptized, it was “to fulfil all righteousness.” (Mat.3:13) Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. (14) But John would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? (15) But Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffereth him. In other words, “Here is what you need to do for the sake of righteousness.” He taught His disciples to do what He did. (1Jn.2:6) He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked, so obviously, it must be possible for us to do that. And what we have to learn from Jesus is the way He wants us to walk. (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself.... This is the Sabbath rest of God!   There is a Sabbath! It says in (Heb.4:9) There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. The sabbath rest for the people of God is to cease from your works. (Heb.4:3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest.... If you believe the Word of God, it's going to cause you to cease from your own struggling, cease from your own works, cease from trying to be a son of God and, instead, to accept “sonship” as your gift! The Word of God is designed so that when we believe it, if we really do believe it, we have to stop trying to deliver ourselves. (1Pe.2:24) ... by whose stripes ye were healed, and, if you believe that, then you have to stop trying to heal yourself. If you believe that, then you are healed.   All the rest of the Bible is designed the same way; it's designed in the past tense. We have been made free from sin. (Rom.8:2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. See, you should never be anxious about your sin because the Bible says you've been made free from sin. (Col.1:13) Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. You have been made free from the power of darkness. Why is it always past tense? It's past tense so that when you believe it, you can enter into the rest. You automatically have to cease from all of your self-works. It's a privilege to do that; it's not a law. This is our opportunity to keep a New Testament “Sabbath unto the Lord” by ceasing from our own works.   Jesus kept a New Testament sabbath! (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself.... That seems strange, doesn't it? He said, “The Son,” and do you know why He said that? It was because He wasn't talking about just Himself. (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. Do you think He saw a vision of everything He was about to do? I don't think so, but He did have a vision of what the Father was doing.  One of the places He got it from was in Isaiah's prophecy about the anointing. (Isa.61:1) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening [of the prison] to them that are bound; (2) to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; (3) to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. Jesus had a “vision”; He knew, He saw what the Father's attitude was toward those who accepted His Word. He knew His responsibility and He knew His ability!   And what we have to do is get a “vision” of, “Where does my responsibility start and where does my ability start?” You know, folks, it's big! It's real big! (Mat.18:18) Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. That's what Jesus said and He meant it! We are the ones who are loosing what's coming into our lives. We sow a seed that brings forth a harvest in our lives. (Gal.6:7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (8) For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.   We're creating our tomorrow right now! The Bible says, “What you bind on earth is bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth is loosed in heaven.” And did you know that we can bind the devil and we can bind God? That's because God will not change His Word. (Mat.24:35) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (Psa.119:89) Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven. He will not go beyond the boundaries He has set. A good example of that is what Jesus experienced in His own hometown. In (Mat.13:54) And coming into his own country he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?   (55) Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? (56) And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? (57) And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house. (58) And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Jesus Himself couldn't do many mighty works because of their unbelief! They had bound God! By our faith we loose God and we bind the devil. And by our unbelief we loose the devil and we bind God.   Jesus did those things that He saw of His Father and He said, (Joh.14:9) ... he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.... Not because they were one and the same, but because He was the express image of the Father as it says in (Heb.1:3) Who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. What Jesus believed, the Father believed; what Jesus said, the Father said.   You know it says in, (1Pe.4:11) if any man speaketh, [speaking] as it were oracles of God; if any man ministereth, ministering as of the strength which God supplieth: that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Col.3:17) And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. That means everything that we do, we do to represent Him. We can't do anything to represent ourselves. In word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. That is ceasing from your works. That is accepting a death-to-self, so that, (Gal.2:20) …it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.   This is what we must accept! It's a radical, death-to-self walk. I've heard some groups preach, “You must die to self. You must crucify yourself.” But you have been crucified with Christ! We are privileged to have been crucified with Christ. (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. If you don't reckon yourself to be dead unto sin, then you will never become dead unto sin. If you don't believe that He bore all your sins, past, present and future, at the cross, then they'll never go away!   Jesus said that He only did those things that He saw of His Father. And we have to learn to do the things that we see of our Father, too, because He put these in the Bible for an example to us. If you see it in the world, that's not a good enough reason to copy it. If you see it in religion, that's certainly not a good enough reason to copy it. But He will honor His Word, if we do the things we see our Father doing! (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. (20) For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth (And you know, the same is still true for us.): and greater works than these will he show him, that ye may marvel.   He also said in, (Joh.14:12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. So we know that Jesus is still talking to us. (Joh.5:21) For as the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom he will. (22) For neither doth the Father judge any man, but he hath given all judgment unto the Son. By the way, it says in (Joh.20:23) Whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever [sins] ye retain, they are retained. “David, do you mean, God gave that authority to men?” Yes! The Pharisees rebuked Jesus because He had that authority and Jesus passed it on to His disciples, the sons of men.   (Joh.5:22) For neither doth the Father judge any man, but He hath given all judgment unto the Son; (23) that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father that sent him. (24) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life. We pass out of death and into life by hearing the Word! We have to hear the Word in the midst of the circumstances and situations that come against us! We have to hear the Word because, if you hear the Word, you won't hear the flesh and you won't hear the devil.   When you hear the Word, you experience a spiritual resurrection from the dead and you pass out of death and into life. As it says in (Eph.2:1) And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins. And (Col.2:13) And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, [I say,] did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses. We were dead and all around us are people who are dead! (Joh.5:25) Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. Notice: “and now is”. Jesus is not just talking about a physical resurrection of the dead but a spiritual one. He's talking about passing out of death and into life because you hear the Word!   When we hear the voice of the Son of God, we come up out of our graves; we come into resurrection life. The Word is the seed that's being sown by Him and that seed brings forth the fruit. The seed has all the power it needs to bring forth the fruit. All it needs is good earth for God to sow His Seed in and that's about all the natural man is good for; he's the dirt.   Next Jesus goes on to talk about the physical resurrection of the dead. He says in, (Joh.5:26) For as the Father hath life in himself, even so gave he to the Son also to have life in himself: (27) and he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man. Notice, Jesus had to be a son of man in order to have the authority to execute judgment. Adam was given authority over the creation and now the “last Adam” has it. The Father gave this authority to the Son because the Son came down here in “the likeness of sinful flesh” and overcame, conquered and condemned sin in the flesh. We read this in (Rom.8:3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (4) that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.   (5) For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Jesus had the authority to judge because He overcame His flesh. (Rom.4:15) For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Do you know why the “old man” can't judge? It's because the old man is the one who's done all the sinning in the first place! He's guilty! (Rom.2:1) Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself.... If you judge others, you judge yourself. Our old man has no authority to judge, but the spiritual man in us has every authority to judge.   And in (1Co.2:14) Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. (15) But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself is judged of no man. The spiritual man judges all things and he's judged of no man because he has the mind of God. When the natural man is subject to the spiritual man there is no sin or its curse. Back to (Joh.5:28) Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, (29) and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment. Do you know who's going to be resurrected to life? Only those who have been resurrected spiritually in this life are going to have the resurrection of life. You have to wonder about all those people who say that the whole Church is going to be raptured out. Wait a minute! Look what it says in (Eze.18:4) Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. “The soul that sins, it shall die”; that's the Word and the Word cannot ever be broken (John 7:23).  And as we have seen those who attain to life will have star, moon and sun glory, bodies. Therefore, if anybody's going to fly away without dying, it's going to be those who have overcome because the soul that sins must die. So what they're talking about is not scripturally possible. We're here to go through trials, troubles and tribulations, in order to receive resurrection life, which is His life. We must lose our life to gain our life as Jesus said. We are constantly faced with making decisions. “Am I going to accept the Word?” Or “Am I going to do things my way? If we choose our way, if we choose to do things the way of the world, we separate ourselves from God. If we choose to accept the Word and do things according to the Word, we manifest more and more sonship. It's ludicrous to think that God would plant us here and pluck us up before we bear fruit! Nobody who wants a harvest picks the plant before it bears the fruit and nobody who wants a harvest pulls the seed out of the ground before it bears the plant. God doesn't do that, either, because He wants a harvest.  The reason we study the Scriptures is so that we will have spiritual eyes and spiritual ears. Jesus said, (Joh.5:30) I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is righteous; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. The Lord only did those things that He heard and saw of the Father. We want spiritual eyes and spiritual ears so that we'll no longer be “babes,” but we'll be able to experience the “word of righteousness.” (Heb.5:13) For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. The Scriptures are called the “word of righteousness” because justification is through faith in the Word.   “Justification” means “accounted righteous,” so when you speak faith and you walk by faith, God will count you as righteous, just as He did Abraham in (Gen.15:6) And he believed in the Lord; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness. He counted Abraham as righteous and it didn't have anything to do with salvation. It had to do with the fact that Abraham believed what God said. That covers everything, not just what we normally think of as salvation. God said Abraham was righteous; He called Abraham His friend because he believed what He said. (Jas.2:23) And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God.   God reckons righteousness the same way today. There are a lot of God's people who have no eyes or ears because they are not hearing what God says. (Joh.8:47) He that is of God heareth the words of God: for this cause ye hear them not, because ye are not of God. The righteous are those who hear what He says. Jesus was talking to religious people, those Jews who had believed Him (John 8:31), and He told them that! If we are, ultimately, the elect of God, we will find out. Do you know why? It's because we are going to hear God's Word! People who won't listen to you when you try to gracefully give them the Word of God either aren't being drawn by God at that time or they're not children of God.  “He that is of God hears the words of God.” Jesus gave us this example. He didn't do anything but what He heard and saw, and that's what babes do, too. The problem is that sometimes babes are using the wrong eyes and ears, and so they are without experience of the Word of righteousness. Speaking faith, which is “calling those things that are not, as though they were” (Romans 4:17), is a Word of righteousness. God has done everything from the beginning this way. He didn't create the world in any other way, but this way. It says in (Isa.46:9) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me; (10) declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. God speaks the end from the beginning and it comes to pass. We are in training to be sons who do this.  Now He's teaching us, as sons and daughters, to do the same thing, but you won't be able to do that, if you're paying attention to your natural eyes and your natural ears. You will always be inexperienced in the Word of righteousness. You will always be a babe, unless you begin to say the things the Bible says you should say. You will always be a babe, unless you begin to see the way the Bible commands you to see. And we need to be reminded of how the Scriptures tell us to see because it's so easy to slip back to seeing in the natural. Do you know what happens when you walk in the natural? You become worried and anxious, you become troubled because you're not seeing come to pass what's in the Scriptures. You start thinking, “It will never come to pass.” Well, it will never come to pass, unless you have spiritual eyes.   You have to see the way God tells you to see. And He tells us, (2Pe.1:2) Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (So, the more you know about God, the more grace and peace you're going to have, but then he goes on.); (3) seeing.... You're not going to have grace and peace without being able to see this! (2Pe.1:3) Seeing that his divine power hath granted (Notice this is past tense; it's already done.) unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue. If you can see that His divine power has already granted us everything that pertains to life and godliness, you can have it! If you can't see that, then you can't have it! Grace comes from being able to see this way.   Jesus was always bold to speak things before they came to pass, and you've probably never seen a miracle that you didn't speak first, before it came to pass. The biggest miracles that I've ever seen were bold statements of faith right out in front of everybody! Look at this in (Jos.10:12) Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon. (13) And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.   (14) And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel. Joshua stopped the whole solar system! He spoke it right out in front of everybody. That sounds like something a fool would do, doesn't it? But the Bible says that no one who puts their trust in Him will ever be put to shame. (Rom.10:11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame. If you're going to see miracles, you may have to step out there and look like a fool.   I'm not talking about saying things that you don't see; I'm talking about things that you do see. That “seeing” could be something that you see in the Word of God or it could be something that you've received in a dream or a vision from the Lord, or it could be a Word of knowledge or a Word of wisdom from the Lord. “Seeing” can come many ways and one foundational “seeing” is that God has already given you everything that pertains to life and godliness! He's telling you this is what you must see, if you're going to have it. You can't be what Peter describes as near-sighted. First he lists all the Christ-like virtues: (2Pe.1:5) Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence in your faith, supply virtue; and in [your] virtue knowledge;   (6) and in [your] knowledge self-control; and in [your] self-control patience; and in [your] patience godliness; (7) and in [your] godliness brotherly kindness; and in [your] brotherly kindness love. (8) For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then he tells you, (9) For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. So a near-sighted person is someone who sees with their natural eyes, not their spiritual eyes; and you can't have these gifts, these virtues of Jesus Christ, if you're near-sighted. (Jas.1:23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror. Someone who sees their natural face in the mirror becomes a hearer of the Word, but not a doer of the Word.   This is how we're told to see, in (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. We have to see Jesus in the mirror by faith! We have to see Him with spiritual eyes and call the things that are not as though they were because the way that God does His work is through our faith. (1Co.1:26) For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called:] Notice that God is speaking of people here not “things”, which is not numeric in the following text.) (27) but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; (28) and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are: (29) that no flesh should glory before God.  God chose the things that “are not” to bring to nothing the “things that are.” What are “the things that are”? It's the curse! What are “the things that are not”? It's what Jesus accomplished on the cross! He gave us sonship at the cross, but it is not yet manifested! (1Jn.3:2) Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. If you don't see Him as He is, you can't be like Him. We study the Scriptures so that we get a vision of Christ and we see Him as He is. He had a vision of His Father; that's why He did what He did. We study the Scriptures to get a vision of Christ so that we can do what He did, live what He lived, be what He was!   Of course, most of the Church says, “No! It's not possible!” But those people say that because they are only counting upon their own strength and they don't count upon the promise of the Word of God, which is backed up by God's strength. If God says, (Mat.5:48) Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect, you can have faith in Him and He will do it in you. Now, I agree that “perfect” is different for every one of us. The Greek word here for “perfect” is teleios, which is the same word for “mature.” God is maturing each one of us to do a different job in His Kingdom, so we are not going to look alike. The Bible clearly states that we're supposed to be growing into the fullness of Christ. In (Eph.4:13) Till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. That's what we are supposed to reach; that's God's promise to us.   Now the bad report preachers are like the spies who went into the Promised Land and said, “Nope! We can't take it! We just have to settle for where we are! We can't overcome sin. We are always going to be sinners!” (Num.13:31) But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. (32) And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. (33) And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.   They, and everyone who believed them, died of the plague in the wilderness. They didn't go into the Promised Land because they brought a bad report! (Num.14:28) Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: (29) your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me, (30) surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.   That's because Joshua and Caleb said, (Num.14:9) Only rebel not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is removed from over them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. They told the people, “Those giants are bread for us!” If they're “bread” for you, that must mean you're supposed to eat them and they'll cause you to grow, right? Yes! That's what it's all about! In type, those “giants” are the natural man who dwells in the Land of Promise. The spiritual man has to go in there to kill that giant and take his house, which is this body of our flesh.   God bless you Saints! I suggest that you meditate on this teaching to give roots to it. It is very important.

In which we discuss a very much under-appreciated and underrated General - Lew Wallace!

The full, eventful, and rich life of Lew Wallace is examined in detail in "Lew: The Life and Times of the Author of Ben Hur." Biographer Michael E. Fox appears on the Sunbury Press Books Show to discuss Wallace's career, and how one of the most popular novels of the 19th century was not religious, but a semi-autobiographical account of his own times. Fox traces Wallace's early life in Indiana (Fox was raised in Crawfordsville, where Wallace was sent for schooling at the age of nine, and where he retired), his experience in the Mexican War, and his time serving as a field commander under General Ulysses S. Grant during the western campaigns of the American Civil War. Wallace also served as Governor of the New Mexico Territory, where he completed "Ben Hur," and as a US Minister to the Ottoman Empire. Wallace's greatest work, "Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ" is considered the most spiritually influential novel of the century. He also wrote several other novels and a biography of President Benjamin Harrison, a fellow Indianan and Civil War general.  Michael E. Fox developed friendships during his childhood with men who knew Wallace. He is a graduate of Purdue University, an attorney, and with a Master of Law (LLM) with Honors. He has worked for Eastman Kodak and served as President of Screen GP Americas, a maker of high-speed, high-resolution printing equipment and is considered a pioneer in modern-day printing and publishing technology. Now retired, he lives in Southern California.  

An adaptation of Lew Wallace’s classic novel of Judah Ben-Hur, a 1st Century Jewish man unjustly imprisoned by the decree of his ambitious best friend.

The politician, diplomat, and lawyer served as Union general in the American Civil War and later governor of New Mexico territory, and wrote the best-selling novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.

Welcome back to another episode of Crawfordsville Connection! This week we are joined by Tom Meeks from the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum and Janna Bennett from the Carnegie Museum.  Tom shares information about the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum's newest upcoming exhibit: The Flower of Gallantry: The Montgomery Guards & the 11th Indiana Volunteers 1856-1861. Listen to learn more about Wallace's efforts in leading these organizations! Check out Episode 50 to dive deeper into the history of General Lew Wallace. Janna shares information about the Carnegie Museum's upcoming exhibit: The Dearly Departed: Death and Dying in Montgomery County.  Both museums have great information to share and look forward to our community participating and enjoying the exhibits. Yodel Community Calendar: https://events.yodel.today/crawfordsville  To ask any questions about this podcast or to submit topic ideas, please email Sarah Sommer at ssommer@crawfordsville-in.gov 

“I scarcely ever passed a week under such depression of spirits. […] It is terrible to see the extent to which all classes go in their determination to win. Conscience offers no restraint; nothing is so common as the resort to perjury unless it is violence. In short, I do not know who to believe: if we win, our methods are subject to impeachment for possible fraud; if the enemy wins, it is the same thing exactly. Doubt, suspicion, irritation go with the consequence, whatever it may be.”—Lew Wallace, retired Civil War general, 1876Many people will call out elections in our lifetimes as being particularly divisive, whether it's the 2000 election or the 2020 election. Those were indeed divisive, but very few elections have approached the divisiveness and the chaos unleashed in the United States Presidential Election of 1876, fought between the Democrat Samuel Tilden and the Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, in which the ultimate decision on who would be president was decided by one electoral vote.In this special five year anniversary episode of History Impossible in which we revisit this event only briefly touched upon in the inaugural episode of this entire show, we're joined by Richard Lim of the This American President podcast, who helps shed some light into the details of this contentious election and this absolutely wild period of American history. With the election of 2024 looming large and with everyone's imaginations running wild with how things will turn out, Richard and I thought it might be prudent to not just provide a historical reality check on just how wild things can get, but how Americans were able to extract themselves from such insanity while living through it.Happy five years and here's to five more with History Impossible.For more detailed look at the Election of 1876, check out Richard's episode on that election here.History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today to help keep me free and this show alive:David AdamcikMichael BeachBenjaminElias BorotaJohannes BreitsameterCharles CCliffydeuceCRdaddygorgonPaul DeCosterNathan DiehlBob DowningRob DuvalGavin EdwardsPierre GhazarianJayson GriesmeyerNathan GroteBenjamin HamiltonPeter HauckCarey HurstThomas JustesenMike KalninsBryn KaufmanLeah KodnerBenjamin LeeMaddyMounty of MadnessJose MartinezMike MaylebenJudy McCoidJim MillerKyle MohneyKostas MorosRyan MortensonSkip PachecoDavid PageMolly PanJeff ParrentJean PetersBrian PritzlAnaR737PJ RaderGleb RadutskyAleksandr RakitinPhillip RiceChris RoweJon Andre SaetherAlison SaloJake ScaliaEmily SchmidtJulian SchmidtAndrew SeeberJoshua SimpsonCameron SmithThomas SqueoBrian SteggemanPier-Luc St-PierreAthal Krishna SundarrajanJared Cole TempleChrisTXRobert VSJonny WilkieRicky WortheyMichael WroblewskiF. You

Rahasya Romancha presents Lew Wallace's Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ Support the show

Rahasya Romancha presents Lew Wallace's Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ Support the show

Rahasya Romancha presents Lew Wallace's Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ Support the show

Rahasya Romancha presents Lew Wallace's Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ Support the show

Rahasya Romancha presents Lew Wallace's Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ Support the show

Rahasya Romancha presents Lew Wallace's Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ

After the five-day Battle of Lincoln, the deputized posse called the Regulators disbanded. The Lincoln County War appeared to be over. Lew Wallace, the newly appointed governor of the New Mexico Territory knew that some of the former desperados were worried that they could be arrested at any point for whatever role they had played during the ordeal, so he offered amnesty for many of them. But those who had already been indicted for murder were still on law enforcement's “wanted” list. And that list included the person at the heart of today's episode: Billy the Kid. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from the Obsessed Network exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod Episode Sponsors: Blissy- Try now risk-free for 60 nights, at Blissy.com/COTC and get an additional 30% off. Wildgrain- For a limited time, you can get $30 off the first box -PLUS free Croissants in every box -when you go to Wildgrain.com/COTC to start your subscription. Ritual- Ritual is offering my listeners 30% off during your first month.Visit ritual.com/COTC to start Ritual or add Synbiotic+ to your subscription today. Green Pan- Head to GreenPan.us and use promo code COTC and you'll receive 30% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER plus free shipping on orders over $99. 

Episode: 2820 A Spectacular Series of Spectaculars: Remaking Ben-Hur.  Today, remaking Ben-Hur.

Welcome back to another episode of Crawfordsville Connection! This week we are joined by Larry Paarlberg, Jessica Bokhart, and Heather Shirk to talk about the weekend of August 25th-27th that's full of community events such as The Taste, the 10th Annual Ironman National Race, and the Finish Line Festival.  The Taste tickets can be purchased at The Carriage House at the Lew Wallace Study & Museum, Milligan's Flower and Gift Shop, Visitor's Center in Fusion 54, and The Parks and Recreation Office.  To learn more about Lew Wallace, you can check out Episode 50. Taste of Montgomery County information can be found at: https://www.tasteofmontgomerycounty.com/  Ironman National information can be found at https://mxsports.com/  Yodel Community Calendar & News Feed: https://events.yodel.today/crawfordsville  To ask any questions about this podcast or to submit topic ideas, please email Sarah Sommer at ssommer@crawfordsville-in.gov 

Episode 35: BEN-HUR We are back with another William Wyler picture. This is our second of the three Best Picture winners directed by Wyler. Perhaps his most famous production, the 1959 Biblical epic Ben-Hur features Charleton Heston as the title character. Based on Lew Wallace's 1880 novel, Ben-Hur cleaned up with 11 Oscars (TM) including Best Picture. How well does it hold up? Listen along as Bonnie and Dennis discuss. Perhaps surprisingly, it ranks at number 35 on our Best Picture Countdown.* Spoiler Alert: We talk about the movie in its entirety, so if you haven't yet seen it, check it out. Or not. That ball is in your court. *What is this list? We explain it in more detail in our Trailer and its Description, but as a high-level answer: we aggregated several different lists that rank the ninety-four winners of the Best Picture Academy Award in a rough attempt to get a consensus. It is not intended to be rigorous or definitive. It's just a framework to guide our journey through cinema history.

Episode: 2820 A Spectacular Series of Spectaculars: Remaking Ben-Hur.  Today, remaking Ben-Hur.

This is part four in the series on Billy the Kid. See the links below for the previous three installments.  In the aftermath of the Battle of Lincoln, Billy and the Regulators sought to acquire much-needed horses by striking the Mescalero Reservation. Although successful, they left a man dead in their wake; a killing ultimately pinned on The Kid. Moving on to Fort Sumner, they drove a herd of stolen Chisum horses to the Texas Panhandle, after which many of Billy's friends decided to call it quits. This left The Kid as the undisputed leader of those who remained. Over the next year, Billy attempted to make peace with his old enemy, J.J. Dolan, but their short-lived truce was shattered when Dolan murdered Susan McSween's lawyer. Seeking amnesty, The Kid offered to testify for the new governor, Lew Wallace, in return for a pardon, but his enemies went free and the pardon never came. Still a wanted man, Billy returned to stealing cattle – and killing – as his reputation continued to grow. It wasn't long before one of his acquaintances from Fort Sumner, Pat Garrett, was charged with taking Billy out. Also discussed in this episode: Texas Red Joe Grant, Doc Scurlock, Jesse James, The Kid's various love interests, why Texans should stop bragging so much, and more!   Check out my website for more true tales from the wild and woolly west https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Join Patreon for bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Arkansas Dave Rudabaugh - https://www.wildwestextra.com/arkansas-dave-rudabaugh/   Doc Scurlock: The Thinking Man's Outlaw - https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/p/doc-scurlock   Billy the Kid episode 1 – https://www.wildwestextra.com/billy-the-kid-orphan/   Billy the Kid episode 2 – https://www.wildwestextra.com/billy-the-kid-prelude-to-war/   Billy the Kid episode 3 – https://www.wildwestextra.com/billy-the-kid-lincoln-county-war/   Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life | Robert Utley - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0803295588?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=0803295588&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin   Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride | Michael Wallis - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393060683?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=0393060683&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin

Episode 42, Ben Hur, aired April 1, 1947 starring John Beal (born James Alexander Bliedung, August 13, 1909 – April 26, 1997) was an American actor. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a novel by Lew Wallace, published by Harper and Brothers on November 12, 1880, and considered "the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century".

Febrero Si te gusta lo que escuchas y deseas apoyarnos puedes dejar tu donación en PayPal, ahí nos encuentras como @IrvingSun 1. Ben-Hur – Lew Wallace --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/irving-sun/message

Today could be the most significant Christian holiday that Christians know about the least. Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas, was set aside in the Church calendar to remember the visitation of the Magi to the infant Jesus. Commit a year to joining others and work through the implications of a Christian worldview for all of life. Consider joining the Colson Fellows program. Applications are currently being accepted for the next class, which begins later this year.

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 594, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Oscar-Losing Songs 1: Celestial songs losing '36 Oscars included "A Melody from the Sky", "When Did You Leave Heaven" and this: [Piano instrumental plays]. "Pennies from Heaven". 2: After she sang "True Love" in "High Society", the song lost an Oscar but then she won a crown. Grace Kelly. 3: Though it lost the 1963 Oscar, this "Theme from Mondo Cane" became BMI's all-time 2nd most played song. "More". 4: 1934 nominees "Love in Bloom" and "The Carioca" are the only 2 songs which share this distinction. first 2 nominees and did not win. 5: 1954 holiday film which produced the Oscar-losing "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep". White Christmas. Round 2. Category: Nyc Movies 1: 1984 Francis Coppola film set in Harlem's hottest hangout. The Cotton Club. 2: 1 of the 2 parks in "Barefoot in the Park". Central Park (or Washington Square Park). 3: In the Paul Newman film, this title "Fort" is in the Bronx. Fort Apache. 4: In 1975, Jack Lemmon was "The Prisoner of" this thoroughfare. Second Avenue. 5: 1975 film based on a true story in which Al Pacino robs a Brooklyn bank to finance a sex change. Dog Day Afternoon. Round 3. Category: Carnivores 1: The name of this reptile is from the Spanish el lagarto, "the lizard". an alligator. 2: Weighing up to 1700 pounds, the Alaskan brown species of this animal is the world's largest land carnivore. a bear. 3: The thresher type of this aquatic carnivore uses its long tail to herd and stun fish before it eats them. a shark. 4: Although confined mostly to Africa, this fastest land animal can also be found in Iran and Afghanistan. the cheetah. 5: As this tusked pinniped grows older, the male becomes nearly hairless. a walrus. Round 4. Category: Generals 1: Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. was the only general to land with the first wave of troops on this day. D-Day. 2: William Westmoreland served in these three wars; the last two as a general. World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. 3: During the last seven years of his life, John J. Pershing lived in a special suite in this D.C. hospital. Walter Reed Hospital. 4: US general who in 1945 told his wife "Peace is going to be hell on me!". George Patton. 5: This Civil War general wrote "Ben-Hur". Lew Wallace. Round 5. Category: Jail 1: Title of the following prison song, the 2nd-biggest hit of its singer's career:. "Chain Gang" (by Sam Cooke). 2: Calling it "Most Secure Prison", Guinness says tho 23 attempted to escape from Alcatraz, this many succeeded. none. 3: This country's Kharkov Prison is said to be world's largest, accommodating 40,000 prisoners. Soviet Union. 4: Unlucky Col. Klink was in charge of this prison camp housing "Hogan's Heroes". Stalag 13. 5: In "Monopoly", if you pay to get out of jail, it costs this much. $50. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia! Special thanks to https://blog.feedspot.com/trivia_podcasts/

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 507, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Etiquette 1: After a family meal, you may fold this item and place it back inside its ring. a napkin. 2: Miss Manners says that the only safe place to keep damaging love letters is in this place, "between burning logs". the fireplace. 3: If a prom date gives you one of these floral accessories, you must wear it or at least pin it to your purse. Corsage. 4: English speakers have been using this "magic word" since the 1300s, and when you ask for something, you should, too. please. 5: Emily Post says to think of this "as an aerosol spray of infection", so if there's no tissue, use the inside of your elbow. a sneeze. Round 2. Category: An Historic Occasion 1: This organization was formally born Oct. 24, 1945 with Soviet ratification of the charter. the United Nations. 2: It's not Hillary, it's Rebecca Latimer Felton, who on Nov. 21, 1922 became the first woman to serve in this body. the Senate. 3: An act passed by Parliament July 2, 1767 allowed duty-free exports of this to America--Party!!. tea. 4: The April 17, 1722 inoculation of 2 daughters of the Prince of Wales against this made the practice widely accepted. smallpox. 5: On Jan. 1, 1993 this republic came into being, and some of its people sought citizenship in the neighboring Czech Republic. Slovakia. Round 3. Category: National Statuary Hall 1: This cousin of John Adams represents Massachusetts in the collection. Samuel Adams. 2: Jefferson Davis represents this state in the hall. Mississippi. 3: This state is represented by a monarch. Hawaii. 4: This military officer and author of "Ben-Hur" represents Indiana. Lew Wallace. 5: This state is represented by a statue of Thomas Hart Benton. Missouri. Round 4. Category: Birdies 1: This tiny bird gets its name from the noise produced by its rapid wingbeat. Hummingbird. 2: Corvus brachyrhynchos, this common bird annoys farmers by eating crops like wheat and corn. Crow. 3: "All the little birds on Jaybird Street love to hear" this bird "go tweet, tweet, tweet". "Rockin' Robin". 4: A rapacious bird called the jaeger is a type of this, chosen as an NFL nickname in 1975. Seahawk. 5: A member of the heron family, this long-legged wader can be common, great or snowy. Egret. Round 5. Category: I'm Just Wild About Harry 1: "Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography" was co-written by Merle Miller and this man. Harry S. Truman. 2: Clint Eastwood played him 5 times on the big screen -- or was it six, punk? In all the excitement, I kind of forgot myself. Harry Callahan. 3: She sang lead on the No. 1 hit "Heart of Glass". Debbie Harry. 4: For more than a day-o he co-starred with Dorothy Dandridge in "Carmen Jones". Harry Belafonte. 5: This turn-of-the-century man began his career as a teenager doing card magic as "Eric The Great". Harry Houdini. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!

The conservatives complain about godlessness, reactionaries think god punishes America for its godlessness, progressives think that America is too religious. But, wherever one might be on the spectrum, they each are unhappy about how religion manifests itself in America. Today, we have Justin Clark from Red Reviews Podcast here to talk about the history of Atheism, secularism and other types of godlessness in America. He also talks about the cult of Reason and all the other problems associated with the Godless. 5:46 - Who is Robert Ingersoll?10:04 - Eugene Debs relationship with Robert Ingersoll 12:40 - How Robert Ingersoll Helped Eugene Debs in the Pullman Strike13:00 - Robert Ingersoll’s Politics20:00 - Justin’s Critique of the Secular Movement23:31 - Atheism’s Golden Age from 2004-2016 26:00 - Why Esha thinks New Atheism always represented racism28:00 - Sam Harris’s Golden Girls’ Trust FundStatistician William Briggs Explains the Fraud of Sam Harris’ PHD30:00 - The Good and Bad of Christopher Hitchens The trial of Henry Kissinger35:00 - Justin on Why he left the Cult of Reason40:42 - Biological Determinism and its connection to Cult of Reason42:00 - The Bell Curve as an Example of Biological Determinism47:00 - Bell Curve and its affect on Policy during the Clinton Years48:00 - The Cult of Stefan Molyneux 51:52 - Beware of Scientism 53:00 - Skeptical Inquirer Pedaling Overpopulation Myths 59:00 - Skeptics not so skeptical of National Security Narratives1:07:00 - Verifying Historical Narratives using Primary Sources1:17:00 - Changing Narratives and Peppery Dishes by Trotsky1:19:00 - Lew Wallace, the author of Ben Hur and his fiction about Robert Ingersoll1:28:00 - Seven Years in Tibet and the convenient lie1:35:00 - Justin’s next project regarding Eugene Debs and the Soviet UnionFollow Justin on Instagram and Tiktok Get full access to Historic.ly at historicly.substack.com/subscribe

Speaking in Pioneer Chapel is a founding faculty member of the Malcolm X Institute Rev. Dr. Finley Campbell, with his talk titled: “Malcolm X and the Spirit of 1975 – the Unity of Gen. Lew Wallace of the 11th Indiana Volunteers (1863) and Director Horace Turner of the Malcolm X Institute (1971)” Episode 162 – Original Speech Date: April 21, 2022

Happy Easter! Jonas "We came for blood" Radulich and Mark "anything for content" Radulich provide Ben Hur 2016 Alternative Commentary. Ben-Hur is a 2016 American epic historical drama film directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Keith Clarke and John Ridley. It is the fifth film adaptation of the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace following the 1907 silent short film, the 1925 silent film, the Academy Award-winning 1959 film and the 2003 animated film of the same name. It is the third version of Ben-Hur released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It has been termed a "re-adaptation", "reimagining", and "new interpretation" of the novel. The film stars Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi, Haluk Bilginer, and Rodrigo Santoro. For a 30 Day Free Trial of Amazon Music Unlimited head to http://getamazonmusic.com/w2mnetwork. Amazon Music is free. Amazon Music Unlimited is not. And for the Grammarly special offer, go to http://getgrammarly.com/w2mnetwork. Also check out the W2M Network Discord https://discord.gg/aydMgvUN9d Mark Radulich and his wacky podcast on all the things: https://linktr.ee/markkind76 also snapchat: markkind76 FB Messenger: Mark Radulich LCSW Tiktok: @markradulich twitter: @MarkRadulich

Happy Easter! Jonas "We came for blood" Radulich and Mark "anything for content" Radulich provide Ben Hur 2016 Alternative Commentary. Ben-Hur is a 2016 American epic historical drama film directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Keith Clarke and John Ridley. It is the fifth film adaptation of the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace following the 1907 silent short film, the 1925 silent film, the Academy Award-winning 1959 film and the 2003 animated film of the same name. It is the third version of Ben-Hur released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It has been termed a "re-adaptation", "reimagining", and "new interpretation" of the novel. The film stars Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi, Haluk Bilginer, and Rodrigo Santoro. For a 30 Day Free Trial of Amazon Music Unlimited head to http://getamazonmusic.com/w2mnetwork. Amazon Music is free. Amazon Music Unlimited is not. And for the Grammarly special offer, go to http://getgrammarly.com/w2mnetwork. Also check out the W2M Network Discord https://discord.gg/aydMgvUN9d Mark Radulich and his wacky podcast on all the things: https://linktr.ee/markkind76 also snapchat: markkind76 FB Messenger: Mark Radulich LCSW Tiktok: @markradulich twitter: @MarkRadulich

Today's podcast review comes from this blog review of Ben-Hur. 

Michael discussed in detail the disconnect between what William H. Bonney thought Governor Lew Wallace was going to do for him, and what Wallace actually did (basically, nothing). Wallace left Billy to twist in the wind up to and beyond the point he was indicted and found guilty of killing Sheriff William Brady on April 1, 1878. Find Michael's book "Bonney and Teebs, The Lost Years" at www.mankindpro.com Email: billythekidridesagain@gmail.com Twitter: BTKRides --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Exploring Harper's Ferry and Monocacy  National Battlefield on our way to Gettysburg from Antietam

The chariot race from the 1959 movie "Ben-Hur" is such a cinematic masterpiece many have forgotten the book from which it is taken. Lew Wallace wrote one of the all-time great action scenes in literature and created one of the all time baddest villains. And he knew Billy The Kid for real. Quite a writer. ️

Welcome to another episode of Crawfordsville Connection. We are very excited to have Larry Paarlberg, Executive Director of the Lew Wallace Study & Museum. Larry is joining us to talk to about everything Lew Wallace. Before we get there the Mayor gives us his top three things! For more information about Lew Wallace and the Study please visit www.ben-hur.com For more information about the city please visit www.crawfordsville.net

(9/27/21-10/3/21) The boys are working on the weekend, like usual. Talking R. Kelly(now) and General Lew Wallace(then). A real heater of an episode! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/isaiah-m-edwards/support

O CINEMA LIVRE desta sexta-feira (27), às 19 horas, comentará sobre o tema "BANDIDOS NO CINEMA, PARTE 2 (CINEMA INTERNACIONAL)", analisando o filme "JOVEM DEMAIS PARA MORRER", COM EMILIO ESTEVEZ" Continuação de “Jovens Pistoleiros” (Young Guns, 1988), o filme estadunidense de 1990, parte da história real de um ancião que, nos anos 1950, que dizia ser Billy The Kid e conta, posteriormente aos eventos da Guerra do Condado de Lincoln (tema do primeiro filme), sua saga e de seu bando ao fugir da brutal caçada imposta contra eles por perigosos pistoleiros caçadores de recompensa. Os eventos do filme se passam entre os anos de 1879 e 1881, quando Billy (Emilio Estevez) e outros veteranos da Guerra do Condado de Lincoln (conflito armado envolvendo comerciantes e fazendeiros do Novo México), são caçados pelo governador Lew Wallace, determinado a resolver de uma vez por todas os problemas causados pela guerra. Junto a Dave "Arkansas" Rudabaugh (Christian Slater) e Patrick Floyd Garrett (William Petersen), Billy é um famoso ladrão de gado da região do Novo México. No decorrer dos acontecimentos, acaba por resgatar seus antigos companheiros Josiah "Doc" Scurlock (Kiefer Sutherland ) e Jose Chavez y Chavez (Lou Diamond Phillips), capturados pelas autoridades em outras regiões do país e trazidos a Lincoln para o enforcamento. No entanto, o cerco das autoridades se fecha e o grupo precisa fugir do território. Mas uma traição inesperada, pode acabar frustrando os planos de Billy e seus companheiros. Um filme com muita ação, ritmo contagiante, humor e bela fotografia. Trilha sonora, com Bon Jovi embalando “Blaze of Glory”, música composta especialmente para o filme e que fez muito sucesso. Destaque para as participações dos compositor Alan Silvestri e dos vocais de Elton John, Little Richard e Lou Diamond Phillips.

Civil War general Lew Wallace wrote the best-selling American novel of the 1800s, Ben Hur.

This week we talk Battle of Monocacy. It could also be called the Redemption of Lew Wallace! 

Welcome to More Christ, where we seek to bring some of the world's most interesting and insightful guests to discuss life's central and abiding questions. In this thirty eighth episode in a series of discussions, I'm joined by the magnificent Mike Aquilina. Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers. He is executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Centre for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research centre based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He hosts Way of the Fathers, a podcast produced by CatholicCulture.org. Aquilina is the author or editor of more than sixty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); The Resilient Church (2007); Living the Mysteries (2003); and What Catholics Believe (1999). His books have been translated into many languages, from Croatian and Portuguese to German and Braille. The Grail Code has appeared in ten languages since its publication in 2006. Critics have praised Aquilina's work for making the Fathers accessible to non-academic readers: "Most scholars … study the paper trail — homilies, letters, teaching manuals, works of theological disputation … Aquilina loves the words, too. But he also finds the sermon in the stuff, the theology expressed in the little things that the first Christians left behind — fading murals on catacomb walls, pottery and dishware, pieces of coinage, ancient hymns and Mass prayers, common household items … The point is that for Aquilina, the little things matter — because they tell us big things about what Catholics believe and how they look at the world." Dr. John Grondelski said in the National Catholic Register: "Aquilina has made a vocation and career out of, in many ways, single-handedly popularizing patristics." Aquilina's 2015 book Ministers and Martyrs was an official companion volume to the NBC series A.D. The Bible Continues. A year later he published The World of Ben-Hur as a guide to MGM's remake of the Lew Wallace classic Ben-Hur. Aquilina is also a poet and songwriter. His poems, collected in the volumes Terms and Conditions (2014) and The Invention of Zero (2020), have appeared in U.S. literary journals and in Polish and Spanish translations. His collaborations with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artist Dion DiMucci include one book (Dion: The Wanderer Talks Truth) and three albums, Tank Full of Blues (2012), New York Is My Home (2016), and Blues with Friends (2020). The title song of New York Is My Home was recorded as a duet by Dion and Paul Simon, launched by Rolling Stone magazine, and released as a single in 2015. It was used in episode 5, season 1, of the drama series “Horace and Pete.” It was also chosen by clothing designer Ralph Lauren as the catwalk theme for his 50th-anniversary show in 2018. The song appears as well in the Deluxe Edition of Paul Simon's album Stranger to Stranger. Dion's 2020 album Blues with Friends, which included twelve songs co-written with Aquilina, debuted at Number 1 on Billboard and U.K. charts and was Billboard's Number 1 Blues Album for 2020. American Songwriter magazine honored “Song for Sam Cooke,” a single from Blues with Friends, as “Greatest of the Great 2020 Songs.” DiMucci-Aquilina songs have also been recorded or performed by Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Amy Grant, Christy Altomare, Joe Bonamassa, Steven Van Zandt, Brian Setzer, Joe Louis Walker, Billy F. Gibbons, Rory Block, John P. Hammond, Sonny Landreth, and Samantha Fish. Bob Dylan praised these songs for their craft.

General Lew Wallace is certainly most famously known for being the author of the novel - Ben Hur.  This novel was made into the “old-time Hollywood” classic of 1959 - with Charlton Heston and the chariot race. But there is so much more to Lew Wallace, with his Civil War career and a number of historically important government positions after the war.  Wallace was a true Renaissance man - with interests in many areas and had a constant intellectual curiosity. But he had some challenges to overcome, including being a poor student in his younger years and also issues as commander of one of the Civil War battles. My connection with Lew Wallace was that my great-grandparents were close friends of Lew and Susan Wallace for at least 10 years and lived across the street from the Wallace homestead in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Included at the end of the podcast, is a recording of my grandmother, telling of a visit with Lew Wallace in 1904. Most of this podcast will be an interview with Larry Paarlberg, director of the Lew Wallace Study and museum. He'll provide an in-depth interview, way beyond just dates and facts. 

You may have never heard the name Lew Wallace, but I bet you’ve heard of one of the books he wrote.  In fact, next to...

He was a wild child.  The son of a governor he was also a military veteran, artist, writer, lawyer…the list goes on an on, but...

Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum was invented by one of Hollywood’s greatest beauties. An Associate Justice of the Minnesota State Supreme Court was also known by millions as a Purple People Eater. A record 11 Academy Awards were given to a film based on a book written by a Civil War general. Who were these people? In this episode, we explore 6 individuals who had surprising hidden talents that were wildly different from what they were ultimately known for.Episode Edits: Alan Page played in the NFL for 14 seasons. Ben-Hur was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won 11. Episode Resources: Books Hedy’s Folly by Richard Rhodes Ecstasy and Me: My Life as a Woman by Hedy Lamarr Painting as a Pastime by Winston Churchill Sir Winston Churchill: His Life and His Paintings by David Coombs and Minnie Churchill Lewis Carroll: A Biography by Morton N. Cohen Alice in Wonderland: All Four Books by Lewis Carroll All Rise: The Remarkable Journey of Alan Page by Bill McGrane Hirohito: A Life From Beginning to End by Hourly History The Sword and The Pen: A Life of Lew Wallace by Ray E. Boomhower Ben-Hur: A Tale of The Christ by Lew Wallace Film Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story Samson and Delilah (1949) – with Hedy LamarrAlice in Wonderland (2010) – Tim Burton Version Ben-Hur (1959) - with Charlton Heston

Date: March 12, 2006 Speaker: Gail Stephens Topic: Lew Wallace - Chicago Civil War Round Table Monthly Meeting

TESTO DELL'ARTICOLO ➜http://www.bastabugie.it/it/articoli.php?id=6140LA STORIA DI BEN HUR (e Gesù) IN CARTONE ANIMATOBen Hur è un film d'animazione del 2003 basato sul romanzo Ben-Hur: Una storia del Cristo, di Lew Wallace.È il quarto adattamento cinematografico del romanzo. La società di produzione di Charlton Heston, Agamemnon Films, ha prodotto questa versione animata diretta del film, con Heston stesso che dà voce al personaggio del titolo. Heston aveva vinto un Academy Award per aver giocato lo stesso ruolo nella versione del 1959.La versione animata racconta la stessa storia del film del 1959, con alcune differenze. La storia inizia con Baldassarre che aspetta nel deserto l'arrivo di Melchiorre e Gasparre per un viaggio a Betlemme.La storia di Ben Hur avviene 30 anni dopo la nascita di Cristo. A differenza delle versioni 1925 e 1959, viene mostrato il volto di Gesù e le sue parole vengono ascoltate in questo film.Il personaggio di Messala è diverso dal film del 1959. Apparendo zoppo, si avvicina a Ben-Hur per il perdono e si unisce alla famiglia di Ben-Hur e a Baldassarre per testimoniare la passione di Gesù.Ben-Hur dà acqua a Gesù sulla via del Calvario. Mentre Gesù muore, Ben-Hur e la sua famiglia, con Baldassarre, Messala e Esther, stringono le mani in preghiera.Miracoli si verificano quando Gesù guarisce la famiglia di lebbra di Ben-Hur e permette a Messala di camminare di nuovo. Si avvicina alla croce ringraziando Gesù per il miracolo.Alla fine del film Maria Maddalena vede Gesù uscire dalla tomba e salire in cielo, promettendo agli apostoli di predicare il Vangelo. Ben-Hur, sposato da Esther, condivide con i suoi figli la sua storia e la fede in Gesù.Nota di BastaBugie: qui sotto puoi vedere la versione integrale del cartone animato dal titolo "Ben Hur" (durata: 80 minuti), ovviamente in italiano.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spDwzGgxgzc

Episode: 2820 A Spectacular Series of Spectaculars: Remaking Ben-Hur.  Today, remaking Ben-Hur.

GetPublished! Radio co-host and sci-fi author Thomas Page gives us an oddball history lesson from the Civil War about Lew Wallace, the novelist who wrote Ben Hur and Union Army General who saved D.C. #amwriting #selfpub #history #essay There's advice for self-published authors at getpublishedradio.com.

Hello Colorado Rapids Fans! This week on Holding The High Line with Rabbi and Red, the Pids aren't bottom in the Western Conference? The Pids aren't bottom in the Western Conference! The guys wax poetic about the magic of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Mark refuses to discuss the USMNT because we're living our best lives and don't need that negativity. We've also got some New Mexico United talk as well.   The guys do Good Thing, Bad Thing, Big Thing on the win over Minnesota United FC. It's not all roses, but we think that's ok. Then David Carl, President of The Curse Supporters Group and host of the CurseCast joins us for a USOC Know Thy Enemy. Matt and David talk Albuquerque soccer culture, NMU in their expansion season, and Sam Hamilton. If you haven't watched much USL this year, here's everything you need to know about Colorado's USOC opponent.   Holding The High Line has partnered up with the Denver Post to sustainably grow soccer journalism in Colorado. Listeners can get a three month trial of the Denver Post digital for 99¢/month. Go to denverpost.com/hthl to sign up. This will give you unlimited and full access to all of the Post's online content and will support local coverage of the Rapids. Each month after the trial is $11.99/month. There is a sports-content-only option for $6.99/month.   If you like the show, please consider subscribing wherever you get your podcasts, reviewing the show on said podcatcher, and telling other Rapids fans about us. It really does help. For a full list of where to find us, click here. Follow us on Twitter @rapids96podcast. You can email the show at rapids96podcast@gmail.com. If you love us and want to give us money, head on over to our Patreon page.   Our artwork was produced by CR54 Designs. Juanners does our music.

Lew Wallace, général anglais, au cours d’un voyage en train, rencontra le colonel Ingersoll, athée notoire. Les deux hommes s’entretenaient du ridicule du christianisme et de toute forme de croyance religieuse. — Mon cher Wallace, disait Ingersoll, avec votre intelligence et votre immense culture, je vous crois capable de réaliser un ouvrage qui sonne le glas et assène un coup de grâce à tout cet obscurantisme religieux qui retient nos semblables dans ses filets. Je suis assuré du succès d’un tel livre. Wallace fut séduit par la proposition, et par la perspective d’atteindre la célébrité, mais ne voulant pas écrire n’importe quoi, il entreprit de faire des recherches sérieuses sur les sources des différentes croyances. Comme dans son pays la foi chrétienne et biblique était la plus implantée, il s’attaqua au plus gros morceau : la Bible. Confiant en sa perspicacité et son esprit d’analyse, il ne doutait pas qu’il trouverait, dans la Bible elle-même, toutes les erreurs, contradictions et affabulations qui réduiraient à néant les croyances fondées sur ce « bouquin ». Il se mit au travail, lisant, étudiant, confrontant les textes. Plus il avançait dans ses recherches, moins il trouvait d’arguments soutenant ses idées. Par contre, il en voyait de plus en plus qui plaidaient en faveur de l’authenticité des textes, de la réalité d’un Dieu vivant, et de la validité d’une foi vraie et active. Il finit par acquérir la conviction que Jésus était réellement le Fils de Dieu, venu pour lui pardonner son incrédulité, le réconcilier avec ce Dieu qu’il avait si longtemps nié. Par la repentance et la foi, il accepta Jésus comme Sauveur personnel et maître de sa (nouvelle) vie. Et le livre prévu ? Il l’écrivit. Ce fut… « Ben-Hur », ce best-seller mondial, véritable plaidoyer en faveur de la Bible et de la foi en Jésus-Christ, qui en a convaincu plus d’un et d’une, partout dans le monde. L’avez-vous lu ami ? Encore sceptique ? Si non, ce n’est pas grave. Vous trouverez dans la Bible, surtout dans les quatre Évangiles, tous les éléments que Wallace a développés en les romançant quelque peu, à condition que vous vouliez bien faire les investigations nécessaires. Mais… cela dépend de vous, et de vous seul. Il m’a aussi semblé bon, après avoir fait des recherches exactes sur toutes ces choses depuis leur origine, de te les exposer par écrit d’une manière suivie, excellent Théophile, afin que tu reconnaisses la certitude des enseignements que tu as reçus, Luc 1 : 3-4.

GetPublished! co-host and sci-fi author Thomas Page gives us an oddball history lesson from the Civil War about Lew Wallace, the author of Ben Hur and Union Army General who saved D.C. #amwriting, #selfpub, #podcast, #bookreview This featurette runs to promote the GetPublished! Radio Show getpublishedradio.com

Gov. Lew Wallace breaks his promise of clemency to Billy~ Billy joins Dave Rudabaugh's gang~ Breaks out of jail killing Sheriff and Guard~Pat Garret catches up to him in Ft. Sumner and kills Billy- or does he?-  Many believe Billy escaped to Mexico and later changed his name. We cover the story and the controversy. Meanwhile- Google Amazon.com  "The Gunfighters" by David C Horan and "The Authentic Life of Nilly The Kid" for starters. Also check out books on the Brushy Bill Roberts controversy. SUPPORT OUR SHOW MONTHLY AT PATREON Become an Assistant Producer at 1001 Stories Network ( a great resume enhancement) and support us at Patreon today! Here;s the link:  https://www.patreon.com/1001storiesnetwork YOUR REVIEWS AT APPLE/ITUNES ARE NEEDED AND APPRECIATED! Catch RADIO DAYS now at Apple  iTunes!   https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-radio-days/id1405045413?mt=2 Catch 1001 HEROES now at Apple iTunes Podcast App:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-heroes-legends-histories-mysteries-podcast/id956154836?mt=2 Catch 1001 CLASSIC SHORT STORIES at iTunes/apple Podcast App Now:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-classic-short-stories-tales/id1078098622?mt=2 Catch 1001 Stories for the Road at iTunes/Apple Podcast now:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-stories-for-the-road/id1227478901?mt=2 ANDROID USERS- CATCH OUR SHOWS AT WWW.CASTBOX.FM  SUBSCRIBE FREE  THEN SHARE  THANK YOU 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales:  https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Classic-Short-Stories-%26-Tales-id381734?country=us 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries:  https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Heroes%2C-Legends%2C-Histories-%26-Mysteries-Podcast-id1114843?country=us 1001 Stories for the Road: https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Stories-For-The-Road-id1324757?country=us Catch ALL of our shows at one place by going to www.1001storiesnetwork.com- our home website with Megaphone. Website For  1001 Heroes is still www.1001storiespodcast.com  (we redirected that one to www.1001storiesnetwork.com) Website For 1001 Classic Short Stories is still www.1001classicshortstories.com ( we redirected that as well) Website for 1001 Stories For The Road is still www.1001storiesfortheroad  (we redirected that one, too) Website for 1001 Radio Days is www.1001radiodays.com Links: Our Twitter:  @1001podcast Our Facebook: www.Facebook.com/1001Heroes Our Email:  1001storiespodcast@gmail.com

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Nesta edição, o Podcast Cinema em Cena entra no clima da temporada do Oscar para analisar os aspectos técnicos e temáticos do recordista Ben-Hur (1959), vencedor de 11 estatuetas, número igualado apenas por Titanic (1997) e O Senhor dos Anéis: O Retorno do Rei (2003).Ben-Hur tem direção de William Wyler e traz no elenco Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet e Hugh Griffith. Adaptação do livro de Lew Wallace, este épico com pano de fundo bíblico narra a história do príncipe Judah Ben-Hur (papel de Heston), que é condenado por vingança a se tornar um escravo, é expulso de sua cidade e vê a mãe e a irmã também serem sentenciadas. Após anos no deserto e confinado aos remos das galés do Império Romano, ele retorna a Jerusalém em busca de justiça.Programa apresentado e produzido por Renato Silveira, com os comentários de Antônio Tinôco e Stephania Amaral, da equipe Cinema em Cena, e de Ana Lúcia Andrade, professora da Escola de Belas Artes da UFMG.Edição e mixagem de áudio: Eduardo Garcia.Interaja com os demais ouvintes nos comentários abaixo. Tem um recado para a nossa equipe? Envie sua mensagem para o e-mail cinema@cinemaemcena.com.br

Scott Witzke interviews the author of The Sword & the Pen: A Life of Lew Wallace.

Pastor Andy Davis preaches on Galatians 4:1-11, and how God frees people from the slavery of sin. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - One of the most powerful Christian novels of all time, historical novels, and probably one of my favorite movies of all time is Ben-Hur. It was written by a former Civil War general, named Lew Wallace, who was a strong believer in Christ. It's an amazing story of a Jewish nobleman, a wealthy Jewish man, who was wrongly condemned for attacking the Governor of Judea by a boyhood friend, a Roman friend named Messala, who had become a passionate convert to the Roman Empire and was zealous for the glory of the Roman Empire. And it led him falsely to accuse his boyhood friend. And for three years, Judah Ben-Hur was enslaved. He was in chains, as a galley slave, rowing on a Roman warship. And you have this picture in your mind's eye of what that bondage was like, what that slavery was like. A chain around his ankle and the lash of the taskmaster on his back or on the backs of the other slaves, if they needed to row faster and they weren't doing what the master wanted done. And in the story, Judah Ben-Hur comes to save the life of his Roman commander, Quintus Arrias, a Roman tribune named Quintus Arrias, very powerful man. And in the course of events, this Roman man is so filled with love for Judah Ben-Hur, that he comes to adopt him legally as his son, as his heir. In the novel, General Wallace writes these words. These are the words of Quintus Arrias. He's speaking to his friends about this Jewish man. He said, "Good friends, this man is now my son and my heir. Who as he is to take my property, if it be the will of the Gods that I shall leave any, shall be known to you by my name. I pray you all to love him as you love me." Now, this story may have struck many at that time as preposterous. How could a high-ranking Roman official ever adopt a Jewish slave to be his heir and his son? But General Wallace was a genuine Christian and he understood the Gospel. And he knew that something far more amazing than that, far more preposterous happens every time an individual sinner is brought to faith in Christ. Something far more amazing than that, and what is that? That the holy God of the universe, who can't even look at sin because his eyes are so holy. This holy God adopts sinners who were rebels, fighting against him, adopts them to be his sons and daughters, and makes us heirs with his only begotten Son. Heirs of the universe that he is going to make for us. That's even more amazing than anything General Wallace wrote in the novel Ben-Hur. Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of our salvation is our adoption. It's really amazing. It was JI Packer that summed up the Christian message in these very brief words, "Adoption through propitiation." By the blood sacrifice of Jesus, the wrath of God is turned away. We are reconciled through that propitiation work and we are adopted into the family of God. And it is astonishing. We get to study that today. I mean, there's no better way we can spend our time, Amen? I think this message has the power to make you Christians far happier than you were when you walked in here. Amen? And even better, it has the power to make any of you who are presently outside the Gospel, who are living in darkness, who are living in bondage, to set you free, as well. And you can walk out of this room, every bit as adopted, and every bit as much an heir as a Christian has been so for 50 years, when they walked in here today. I. From Enslaved Childhood to Free Maturity (verses 1-3) So let's get to it, shall we? Enough of the introduction. Probably should have just jumped right in, but I like these kind of stories. I think they set up the issue very, very well. We're looking here in verses 1-3, in Galatians 4:1-3, of a movement from enslaved childhood to free maturity. Look at the verses. He says, "What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his Father. So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world." So, we've got a train of thought here. We're jumping in the midst of a flow of thought. Sometimes, the chapter divisions break things up a little bit more than they should be broken up. But we're in the middle of a train of thought here. Verse 1, "What I'm saying is... " Paul says, or to kind of unfold this thought a little bit more. So, we want to go back to Galatians 3:23-29, which I think in many ways was the climax of a lot of Paul's reasoning or train of thought. Again, to step back and look at what's going on. The Apostle Paul was a trailblazing, church-planning missionary. He was the Apostle to the Gentiles. He came to this region in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, and he preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And many Gentiles, many pagans came to faith in Christ and became Christians as a result, then he left. And after he left, some other false teachers came along. Jewish people, who claimed to believe in Jesus, but also said that these Gentiles had to be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses, in order to fully and finally to be saved. They were called by many, not in the text, but they were called Judaizers, they were false teachers. And so, Paul is reasoning against that, and he says that the Gentiles, these Galatians, the moment they heard the Gospel and believed it, they were justified by faith in Christ, all of their sins were forgiven. And they received the gift of the Holy Spirit, they were adopted as sons and daughters of God, they became sons of God. And they received the spirit who cries out, "Abba, Father." We see that in Galatians 3:26, he says, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Simple and clear declaration. And then, in verse 29, "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs, according to the promise." Now, Paul talks about it in both passages, the last one and this one, a time of confinement before the time of freedom. So we're moving from confinement or somewhat bondage, to a time of freedom. Both of these scriptures, these sections talk about it. Both passages speak of a guardianship that has now ended, both passages speak of a transition, so that we're no longer under that confinement. Both passages speak of our status as sons of God, no longer slaves. Both passages call us heirs, standing ready to receive a vast inheritance. So in effect, he's repeating these same themes, he's going at it again. Why does he repeat it? Well, he wants to emphasize it, he wants to help these Gentile believers in Christ to realize their freedom and their status as children of God, and that they would not submit to a yoke of bondage. And he wants to do it because it's evident that they've relapsed into their old way of thinking, when they should be living a whole new kind of life as adopted children of God. Instead, they're thinking like slaves again, and they seem to be bound in servitude to a pattern of relating to God and he wants to set them free. He yearns for them to understand their status as adopted children of God and to live out that freedom in holy lives that honor God. And so, he begins with this image of a movement from childhood to maturity. Every culture has rites of passage, in which sons become men. The time of childhood has ended, now it's time of adulthood. And so, this movement from childhood to adulthood is what was well understood in those days. And also, the movement of liberation, from being in bondage to being set free, and you become a freedman, you're no longer a slave, that was understood as well. So first, this movement from childhood to adulthood. Look at verses 1-2, "What I'm saying is that, as long as the heir is a child, he's no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. And he is subject to guardians and trustees, until the time set by his father." Now, again, we have to look at this in terms of the big picture of Israel as God's people, the Jewish nation. And he's trying to answer the question, "What then is the purpose of the Law? Why did the Law of Moses come? If it's not meant for our salvation, if it's not meant to be the ladder by which we climb up to heaven by our good works, if that's not what it was for, then what was it for?" And he's going to answer it, both in terms of the nation as a whole, and in terms of individual sinners. So why did God give the Law, only to repeal it later? Now, these are very important questions. It was God who said, "You must circumcise your sons on the eighth day." You can read chapter and verse, it's very clear and there's indications there because Moses hadn't circumcised his sons, that God was ready to kill him. It's a whole other passage. But God was serious, this was something he commanded, if you disobeyed, you were cut off from your people. This was a serious thing. Why did God put it in, only to take it off later? The same thing with the dietary regulations. Why would he make it very clear what they could and couldn't eat, if later all foods were going to be declared clean, why? Why would God have all these ceremonies and special days and months and seasons and years and a whole calendar of religious observances if he's only going to take it off later? Why even do it at all? And so, Paul reverts to this image of childhood and then a movement to maturity, to adulthood. The Jewish nation was in some metaphorical sense the son of God, a child of God. God told Moses to say to Pharaoh these words, Exodus 4, "This is what the Lord says, Israel is my firstborn son. And I told you, let my son go, that he may worship me." So that's a clear statement. He sees that metaphorical connection between himself and the nation as a whole, "Israel is my firstborn son." Then, in Deuteronomy 1, Moses talking to the Jews, says about their experience for 40 years out in the desert and how God had cared for them. He said, "You saw how the Lord your God carried you as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place." And then in Hosea 11:1 it says, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt, I called My son." So, for an extended period of time, the Jewish nation was held under guardianship to the Law, that's what Paul's saying. The nation was subject to guardians and trustees, to these precepts and laws, and rules. And they had to obey these laws and regulations, and strictures and precepts, like circumcision, the dietary regulations, and the ceremonial rhythm of the calendar and all that. And yet, the whole time, the Jewish nation was seen by God in the big picture to be Abraham's seed and heirs, according to the promise, and that someday, they will come into their full maturity. Now, in many ways, Paul says, the child in a wealthy home, picture this child in a wealthy home, little different than a slave in that home. Some of you children are saying, "Amen. That's exactly how it is." I've been saying that and you're just not listening. We're just like slaves around here. But that's a different topic, different message. That's not what I'm talking about here. But in many ways, that's how it is. The child has to obey the laws, and the rules, and the regulations of the household, or there's going to be consequences, there's going to be punishments to come. The child is not free to walk away, child's not free to do as he or she pleases, child's a little different than a slave, though someday, Paul says, "They're going to come into the whole estate." And so, also the descendants of Abraham, the Jewish nation, would someday inherit not only that patch of promised land, but as we've seen in Romans 4:13, "It was through a promise that Abraham received the news that he would be heir of the world." And how awesome is that? So, the status of the Jewish nation under the law was temporary, like that of a child who has to come to his maturity. They were schooled by the constant demands of the Law. Charles Spurgeon put it this way, "The Jewish nation of old was under the yolk of the Law. Its sacrifices were continual. Its ceremonies were endless. New moons and feasts must be kept. Jubilees must be observed. Pilgrimages must be made. In fact, the yoke was too heavy, heavy for feeble flesh to bear. The law followed the Israelite into every corner and dealt with him upon every point of his life. It had to do with his garments, it had to do with his meat, his drink, his bed, his board, everything about him. It treated him like a boy at school who has a rule for everything. Now that faith has come, we are full-grown sons, and therefore, we are free from the meticulous rules which govern the school of the child." I bet you're wishing he would just come preach a sermon and not me, right? Isn't that powerful? But Spurgeon really just makes it clear, when the heir gets to the set age, he then comes into the full status in the household, and that's a picture of salvation in Christ. The status of the Jewish nation under the law was temporary, like that of a child who has to come to his maturity. They were schooled by the constant demands of the Law." Look at verses 4-5, "When the time had fully come, God sent His son, born of a woman, born under Law, to redeem those under Law that we might receive the full rights of sons." So those under the law, at that time, were Jews, and not Gentiles. But they were locked up under the guardianship of the Law, until Jesus had made his entry into the world. Now, the same image is applied to individual Christians, as well. There's a sense of confinement, a sense of bondage under the Law, under the lash of the Law, your conscience accusing you, all of that, until you come to the freedom of faith in Christ. Same thing for the individual. II. From Slavery to Adoption (verses 3-8) So let's go to the next section of the sermon, verses 3-8 "From slavery to adoption." The fact of our slavery is established in verse 3, "So also, when we were children, we were in slavery, [he says] under the basic principles of the world." Then, he gives us the good news of our redemption by Christ. Verse 4-5 say, "When the time had fully come, God sent His son, born of a woman, born under the Law, [verse five] to redeem those under the Law." Just like Daniel was saying about the ransom, a price paid, we're set free, not slaves anymore. Redemption through His blood, to redeem those under the Law that we might receive the full rights of sons, and then, the declaration of our status as sons. Look at verse 7, "So you are no longer a slave, but a son. And since you are a son, God has also made you an heir." Isn't that beautiful? Look at verse 7. Verse 7 has the power to give you joy in any and every circumstance of your life. You are now a child of God. So look at the facts of our slavery. Paul puts all Christians in one analogy, in verse 3, "So, too, when we were children, we were in slavery," he says, "under the basic principles of the world." The essence of slavery is bondage. No freedom, no way out. Sense of domination, especially if the master is cruel, but to what were we bound? Paul says, in verse 3, "We are in slavery under the [NIV gives us] basic principles of the world." Basic principles of the world. ESV has, "elementary principles of the world." The Holman translation has, "elemental forces of the world." Clearly, this is an interesting idea. It's an interesting word. He's going to mention it again in verses 8-9. Look down at verses 8-9, "But in the past, when you didn't know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not God's. But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and bankrupt elemental forces?" Same word, see that? Do you want to be enslaved by them all over again? Now, the word is a very interesting word. I don't usually pronounce Greek words here. I'm not trying, in any way, to impress you with my Greek knowledge. Just a few minutes with me and you won't be impressed. But 'stoicheia' is the word. Now, my parents are both chemists, and I learned that there's something in chemistry called 'stoichiometry.' You don't need to know this, there's not going to be any quiz, it's not on the final. But what it is, is it's a process by which chemists can figure out what elements are in a chemical, in a compound. Stoichiometry. They're able to break it apart into its elemental parts. What does Paul mean, though, by this word? Well, in Paul's day, it could either refer to the fundamental components of the universe, what we would call atoms, so the basic building blocks from which everything is made. They had elements like air, earth, fire, water, but we have the elements in the periodic table, basic elements. Or the word could refer to essential principles of some area of study, like the ABCs in a primer, like the kind of elemental lessons, the things you learn when you're just a little kid, beginning something that you're studying, like basic piano skills or something like that. Or it could refer to invisible spiritual beings, what we would call demons. All three of those are really actually very interesting, and the scholars go on and on about what they think it is. But Paul says, in any case, we were enslaved to those elemental things, whatever they were. We're enslaved by them. It could mean that then, before faith in Christ, the Galatians were all enslaved to the basic forces of the universe, the basic laws of morality they could never keep, and the demonic forces that rule the world of the unregenerate. So if the basic principles of morality are in mind, they were a cruel master, in that they could only bring death. Jews, under the Law, or moral Gentiles under their conscience, and under their sense of right and wrong. Either way, it was a form of bondage. If the elemental forces of the world were demons, they were malicious and vicious, and wanted to enslave and to beat people up because they're murderers and they hate human beings. "Galatians were all enslaved to the basic forces of the universe, the basic laws of morality they could never keep, and the demonic forces that rule the world of the unregenerate." Now, the slavery analogy is very powerful. Apart from Christ, every single person, every sinner, is a slave. Jesus said in John 8:34, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." In bondage to sin. And you heard Daniel read Ephesians 2:1-3, powerful words, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live, when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath." Jesus likened Satan to, in Luke 11, a strongman fully armed who guards his possessions carefully. Well, his possessions are people. People in bondage, people in a house of slavery, and he's standing like a strongman at the door and he won't let anyone get in. Jesus says, "If I want to rescue them, I have to overcome him. I have to overwhelm him and strip him of his armor and subdue him and then, I can rescue you." And that's exactly what he said, I am doing by driving out demons. Powerful image there. Jesus, it says, in Matthew 9:36, "When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Harassed by demonic assaults, helpless to get out." It says in Romans 5:6 that we were powerless, at the right time when we were powerless, Christ delivered us. We were powerless to set ourselves free, that's the essence of our slavery. And even worse, we were in bondage to death. We were en route to death, judgement, hell. It says in Romans 5:21 that “sin reigned in death.” Paul there personifies sin and makes sin sit like a vicious tyrant on a throne, the throne of death, and we couldn't get out, could not set ourselves free. We were all slaves before faith came, before Christ came, our condition was desperate. No matter how we understand this word, 'stoicheia,' this elemental forces, we come up losers. We couldn't even keep the most basic moral principles you learn from your mommy when you're little, be good, do good, think good, things like that. ABCs, be generous, treat others well, don't hurt people. I mean, just the basic lisping principles of morality, we couldn't keep them. And we were afflicted by the basic human drives of human existence. We were enslaved to our stomachs. We couldn't get out, the drive for food, the drive for love, the drive for significance, all of these things, and pleasure, we're enslaved to them. And though we couldn't see this, and an atheist would never acknowledge it, etcetera, but we were enslaved to demonic forces. We had demons that were inflicting us and harassing us and crafting special temptations for us, and flogging us. Couldn't see it, but it was true. We were enslaved to sin and Satan and death and there was not a thing we could do about it. III. Christ Redeemed Us From Slavery (verses 4-5) But Christ redeemed us from slavery. Amen? How sweet is that? Look at verses 4-5, "When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those under the Law, that we might receive the full rights of sons." In the fullness of time, God had a perfect timetable. Isn't that beautiful, how God has worked everything out so carefully before the foundation of the world and orchestrated a timetable? I believe he did that for all of human history and he did it for your life, as well. You came to Christ at the perfect time, in the fullness of time. And so also, Jesus entered the world in the fullness of time, at the perfect time. Now, why was that the perfect time? Well, John Calvin says don't speculate, it's none of your business. That's kind of the way he is. He just hates speculation. It doesn't say why it was the fullness of time, the perfect time, it just was. John MacArthur said it was perfect for four different reasons. Either way, I think it's interesting to look into, so with apologies to Calvin, we're going to go ahead and look at why was it the fullness of time? Well, it was the perfect time religiously because the Jewish diaspora had already happened. The Jews were scattered all over the Roman Empire. And they'd spread the idea of monotheism, and they had set up the laws of Moses that were read in the synagogues on the Sabbath every week and that was already infiltrating and there many Gentile converts to Judaism and they were aware, so it was the perfect time religiously. But the Jews had come back from dominion under Gentile power and they were still under the Roman boot and so, it was just perfect for a delivery to come, it was just the right time culturally because Alexander the Great had swept through, with his zeal for Hellenism, his zeal for Greece and everyone pretty much in that region spoke Greek. And so, as a result of that, there was a unified language. The Romans spoke Greek and the Jews spoke Greek and it was the common language and so that really facilitated the preaching of the Gospel. It was the right time politically because the Pax Romana had subdued that whole area, made travel easier, there were the Roman roads and it was just a great time for travel and for moving out. I don't know, all I know is that's when Jesus was born and God thought that was the perfect time! God is the Alpha and the Omega, he is the first and the last. He is the beginning and the end and everything's been sequenced, down to the atom, every moment. He knows exactly the right time for everything, perfect time. God sent forth his Son. The exact same verb he's going to use to talk about the Spirit, isn't that awesome? God the Father sent forth Jesus, and God the Father sent forth the Spirit to achieve the ends of the sermon, that you would be liberated from bondage and adopted as his sons. This is God the Father doing this and he sent forth his Son into the world, as an ambassador. The idea here is of a missionary or emissary or an ambassador. Jesus was a heavenly missionary sent from heaven to Earth, a heavenly ambassador from the heavenly country, down to this rebellious land, and he came. God sent his only begotten Son into the world to save the world from sin, says in John 3:17, "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world would be saved through Him." And it says he was born of a woman, marvelous phrase. At Christmas time, we celebrate this, but we can celebrate this year-round, amen? I had the thought that I might line up my sermons with Christmas, but we're what, we're five, six, seven weeks off, sorry. I just love the details, there was no chance we're going to preach this at Christmas time, but here we are, we can still think about it, can't we? We celebrate the incarnation of Jesus, the mystery of the God man, fully God, fully human, born of a woman. "God the Father sent forth Jesus, and God the Father sent forth the Spirit ... that you would be liberated from bondage and adopted as His sons." The deity of Christ, very plain, the humanity of Christ, also very plain. John 1:1, "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God." And verse 14, "The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us and we have seen His glory, glory of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." The incarnation, focus here, is specifically on Jesus born of a woman, and I think that must hearken back to the first prophecy about Jesus, back in the Garden of Eden, you remember? How the serpent came with his subtlety and guile and approached the woman, Eve, and deceived her and led her into sin, and she gave some fruit to her husband, who is with her, and he ate and then God comes in judgment to deal with the situation? And as he deals with the serpent, as he deals with the snake, who we know is Satan, he's taken on this deceptive guise, as he always does, God judged the serpent directly. To some degree, the serpent had made kind of a deal with the woman, kind of a pact. And God came and severed it in a beautiful way. He says, "I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head and you will bruise his heel." It's a clear prophecy for us of Christ, isn't it? Jesus is the seed of the woman and it's very unique because of the special movement of the Holy Spirit on her body, so that there was no human father and this is the mystery of the incarnation. Mary wrestled with it first, really. When the angel told her what was going to happen, the angel said in Luke 1:30-35, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God, you will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the most high." There's the deity of Christ. "The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father, David," that's the humanity of Christ, "and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, His kingdom will never end. 'How will this be?' Mary asked the Angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you, so the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'" So Jesus was born of a woman specifically because he had no human father. There was no human father in this amazing conception of Jesus, but Mary was fully human and so Jesus has connection to the genealogy of David, his father, as he was called Son of David, was through her, he was born of a woman. It also says he was born under the Law and how beautiful is this? Jesus came from absolute freedom on the throne of the universe and put his neck under the yoke of the Mosaic Law. It's just amazing to think of the humility, the condescension of Jesus to do that. He was under the yoke, it was said a yoke that neither we nor our fathers are able to bear. Jesus, this mighty Samson, really comes and he can bear it. This moral Samson, this powerful ruler, who comes and puts his neck under the meticulous precepts of the Law of Moses and fully obeys it, perfectly obeys it. He was completely obedient to the Law of Moses. Now, in many ways, Jesus is the only one that really perfectly fulfills the words that Paul gave us at the beginning of this text. Look again, verse one and two, this is really of Jesus, I think. "What I am saying is that as long as the heir," read Jesus as the heir, "as long as the heir is a child, He's no different than a slave, although He owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees, until the time set by His father." Isn't that true of Jesus? Jesus is the heir of the world, He's the heir of the universe, Son of God, but he submitted to his parents, right? Submitted to Joseph and Mary, didn't he submit to them? Says he was submissive to them, in Luke 2. He obeyed all of the laws, submitted to that. He was under guardianship until the right time, perfectly law-abiding. Jesus alone, fulfilled his own summary of the Law. Remember that, the twofold summary? "Jesus came from absolute freedom on the throne of the universe and put his neck under the yoke of the Mosaic Law. It's just amazing to think of the humility, the condescension of Jesus to do that." The first and greatest Commandment of the Law is this, "You should love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength." Only one man has ever done that. Jesus obeyed that. He loved God every moment of his life, with every fiber of his being. And the second is like it, "Love your neighbor as yourself." The cross, really, is the measurement of Jesus's love for his neighbor. He was willing to die for us. Perfectly, day by day, healing infirmities, feeding the hungry, counseling those that needed wisdom. Jesus loved His neighbor perfectly, He was submissive to that. He actually obeyed all of it, every minute detail. Those are just the summaries. He obeyed it all, all the 10 Commandments, perfectly obeyed. Some scholars have counted 613 commandments given in the Mosaic covenant, he obeyed them all. All of them. Jesus said, in Matthew 5:17-18, "Do not think that I've come to abolish the Law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until Heaven and Earth pass away, not the smallest jot or tiniest tittle, the little pen stroke of the Law will pass away, until everything has been fulfilled." Jesus was under every jot and tittle, every little minute, meticulous law. And Jesus's perfect obedience to the Law won a righteousness in the sight of God, that He then offers you as a gift. Isn't that awesome? His active obedience to the Law for those 30 plus years that he lived under the Law, wove a garment, everyday that he lived under the Law of Moses, another thread in the loom of a beautiful, radiant garment and he just hands it to you in the Gospel and says, "Here, put this on. You're going to need this on Judgment Day. So put it on and I will see you. God, the Father, will see you as perfectly righteous in me." We are not saved, except by the active obedience of Christ, under the Law, day by day, plus the passive obedience of Christ to take the curse of the Law on himself. Both of those are essential to our salvation. Tim Keller beautifully put it this way, "Jesus lived the life we should have lived, and died the death we should have died." It's beautiful, isn't it? To redeem, it says, those under the law. The word 'redeem' here fits this context perfectly. We were bought out by the payment of a price. Says in 1 Corinthian 6:19-20, "You are not your own, you were bought at a price." It is so vital for us to remember that. We don't own ourselves. Jesus shed his blood, says in Ephesians 1:7, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace." So by Christ death, the Law no longer has any claim on us, in that sense. The Law does not stand over us any longer to condemn us to hell. We are free from the accusations and the condemnation of the Law through Jesus. Roman 6:14 also says, We are not under sin at all. "Sin shall not be your master because you are not under Law, but under grace." It's a whole different way to live now, we are free. We're not under what once bound us, we are redeemed from tyrannical masters. We are set free. But free to what? Free to what? Free from the Law and all that, now what? We're on our own? Think about how it was with the slaves here in America. After the war was over, millions of them instantly set free. For what though? Some of them had nowhere to go. Some of them actually stayed in the same plantation and worked in much the same way because they had no other... Now, they had to be paid. But they just didn't... Into what kind of life were they being freed? Now, definitely, it was superior to slavery, but there's a question. IV. The Full Rights of Adoption (verses 5-7) The text says we are not merely set free, we are also adopted by our Father, who will now take care of us and provide for us and protect us the rest of our lives. We have been adopted, not just set free, not just emancipated. And so we have verses 5-7, the full rights of adoption, "To redeem those under the Law that we might receive the full rights of sons, and because you are sons, God sent the spirit of His Son into our hearts, the spirit who cries out, 'Abba, Father!' So you are no longer a slave, but a son. And since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." This is the most astonishing aspect of our privileges in Christ, we are adopted, adopted sons and daughters. Now, our status as sons and daughters is not by nature, but by grace. You could say, in one sense, there's only one natural Son of God, what we call only begotten Son of God, and that's Jesus. Forever, there'll be an essential and infinite difference between Jesus and us, in that sense. He is the only one of his kind, only begotten. The Son, Jesus, is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, that's what Jesus is. We are adopted by grace, what was our nature? Well, you know what our nature was. How about this? Titus 3:3, "At one time, we too are foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envied being hated and hating one another." That was our nature. Contrary to our nature, by grace alone, we are adopted now, as sons and daughters of the living God. This is a supernatural work, something only God could do. We are born of the spirit. It says in John 1:12-13, "as many as received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. Children born not of blood, nor of the will of man, nor of human nature, the will of the flesh, but born of God." It's a supernatural... Every Christian is a miracle, supernatural movement of God's grace on you. And when he did that, then God sent forth, like he sent forth Jesus, he sent forth his spirit into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!' Crying out, 'Abba, Father!' It's almost like a homing mechanism, a beacon going inside you, saying, "Father, Father, Father, Father," or you could also say, "Heaven, Heaven, Heaven. I'm coming home, I'm coming home." And the spirit is leading us along that beam, right to that celestial city. How awesome is that? The spirit in our hearts crying out, 'Abba, Father!' By the way, Abba, the very same thing Jesus called his father in Gethsemane, daddy, in Arameic, "Abba, Father," he said, "All things are possible for You. May this cup be taken from me." But that intimacy, the spirit of Jesus, the spirit of sonship is in us. Crying out, not just whispering, crying out, "Abba, Father!" And it's so awesome, the Father now in Christ loves us as much as he loves his own son. It's incredible teaching, but Jesus prayed that. He said, in John 17:23, "I, in them and you, in me. May they be brought to complete unity, to let the world know that You have loved them even as You have loved me." That's awesome. And that spirit testifies, it says in Romans 8, "With our spirits, that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings, in order that we may also share in His glory." And we are infinitely rich in that. Infinitely rich, as adopted sons of God, and we are going to be made rich. It says in Revelation 21:7, God has made this clear promise, "He who overcomes, will inherit all this." New Heaven, new Earth, new Jerusalem, and "I will be his God, and He will be my son." V. The Insanity of Sons Living Like Slaves (verses 8-11) Alright, so that's what we are. Do you not see how insane it is to live like a slave? Do you not see how insane it would be for us, who are redeemed sons and daughters of the living God, to live like slaves? Look at verses 8-11. "Formally," it says, "when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not God's, but now that you know God or rather are known by God, how is it that you're turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You're observing special days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you." He's talking there about their former life as pagans. Ignorant of God, they did not know him. They didn't know his holy ways. Living in lust and pagan revelry. Sacrificing to pagan deities. Living under the dominion of demons. It says in 1 Corinthians 10:20, "The sacrifices of pagans are given to demons." They were enslaved by those who, by nature, were not God's: Demons, wicked, hostile, restless, murderers. That was your former way of life, oh Galatians. That's the way you used to live. "Now that you know God, and even more importantly are known by God," how sweet is that? We love. Why? Because He first loved us and you know what? We know him. Why? Because He first knew us. It's vastly more important that God knows us than that you know God, just so you know. It's so important that on Judgement Day, he claims you as one of his own children. And so he claims, everything has changed for you now. You know God and are known by God. This God, who it says in the Psalms, "Oh Lord, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You know when I come in and when I go out. You hem me in behind and before." This God knows you intimately and loves you completely. How can you now go back to your old way of life? How can you turn back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you want to be enslaved by them all over again? You're observing special days and months and seasons and years. Now, I want you to listen carefully what I am about to say. It's probably one of the most explosive things in this whole sermon. Here it is. The implication of that statement is this, that by going after legalistic Christianity, in which the Law of Moses dominates, it's no different than it was before the Gospel ever came to their town. Let me go a step further. Christless Judaism is every bit as demonic as paganism or animism or anything else. They're equally demonic. We tend to think, "Well, you know, it's monotheistic, at least. It's a step closer to it." No, it's just the deception of the devil to ensnare people with moralistic, legalistic principles and teach them that they can save themselves by their own good works. It's just demonic. So Christless Judaism is every bit as demonic as animist or paganism or pantheism or any of those things. There is a beautiful circle of light and that's called the Gospel. We stepped inside of it because everything else is darkness. And Paul says, "you're going back to the same thing you had before I came to your town and preached. I am afraid, I fear that somehow, I may have wasted my efforts on you." "Christless Judaism is every bit as demonic as paganism or animism or anything else." VI. Applications So what application can we take from this? Well, first, understand the spiritual condition of every non-Christian around you, enslaved to these demonic principles and they can't get out. They can't set themselves free, there's nothing that they can do. There's only one power that can set them free and that's the power of the Gospel. It is the power of God to salvation for all who believed. Secondly, understand the gift of redemption through faith in Christ. Blood redemption is full payment for our sins. Understand the joy of that, freedom from guilt and condemnation. Trust in Christ, all of you, trust in him. You may have been Christians for decades, trust in him still. Look to Christ and trust in him. Don't lapse back into legalistic patterns, trust in him at every moment. Those of you who walked in this place outside of the Gospel, come in now. Come in while there's time, come into the circle of light, come into freedom, come into adoption. Then you get to celebrate your emancipation for the rest of your life. So I can just say this to you Christians, celebrate. Smile, not just because the sermon's almost done, because it is. But celebrate, celebrate that you are set free from sin and bondage and demonic forces, celebrate that. Be joyful and delight in the privileges of your adoption as sons and daughters. You have a Father now who loves you, you have security in his family. He will never kick you out. He will provide for all of your needs until the day you die. He will protect you from all attacks, nothing can harm you, accept what passes through his hands and it won't harm you. All trials come from him. You have discipline. If you sin, he's going to discipline you, he's going to treat you like a son. If you sin, he will discipline you. You have free access to the Father in prayer. The spirit cries out within you, "Abba, Father!", so pray. Pray freely, pray with great confidence, pray with great zeal and energy. You have fellowship with brothers and sisters, you're in a vast family. You have now a shared family mission with the Father. He's doing some work, He wants you to join Him in the family business, we can put it that way. You have the Holy Spirit as counselor and guide. You have authority to reign with Christ. You can be called, are called by God's name. You are known by God and you can know him. So don't live like a slave. Finally, very practically, a good number of the members of our church are excited about in the process of literally adopting children. It's a very costly process, it takes a lot of money, it takes a lot of energy. It takes a lot of resources. Our church should get around the people who are doing that. We should encourage them. We should find out who they are, we know who they are, I'm not going to list them right now, but we should encourage them. We should say, "How can we help?" They'll let you know, alright? But let's be financially generous to help them. Let's pray for them and encourage them, and let's just rejoice in adoption itself. It's such a great picture of the Gospel, isn't it? Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for the time that we've had to study Your word and I pray that as we close now this worship service, oh Lord, I pray that You would fill us with Your spirit, the spirit of sonship, by which we cry "Abba, Father!" and that we would walk in the joyful freedom that is ours, as adopted children of God and as co-heirs with Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen.

One of the most powerful Christian novels of all time, historical novels, and probably one of my favorite movies of all time is Ben-Hur. It was written by a former Civil War general, named Lew Wallace, who was a strong believer in Christ. It's an...

Gail Stephens, author of "Shadow of Shiloh: Major General Lew Wallace in the Civil War."

Gail Stephens, author of "Shadow of Shiloh: Major General Lew Wallace in the Civil War."

Gail Stephens, author of Shadow of Shiloh: Major General Lew Wallace in the Civil War. CWTR Episode #909 (Season 9, Show 9) Show#246

Gail Stephens, author of "Shadow of Shiloh: Major General Lew Wallace in the Civil War."

If youre wondering what Im doing here, Pastor Jeff sends his regards. He was very sad not to be able to be here today. Hes not feeling so well. He spent a lot of time helping a couple of people during the snow storm get out of the ditch. By the weekend, he wasnt feeling too well. I planned on being in Iowa this weekend with my daughter. We were there on Friday looking for apartments. She got a call on her cell phone, and I hear this voice say (in a gruff voice), Jerry. Can you help me? Pastor Jeff was hoarse, couldnt speak very well, and was not feeling too great; so you get me instead today. Im glad to be here with you. Well put the Scriptures up there. As we think about this series Coming Before Winter and winter things-dealing with denial, depression, despair, and then this Sunday with death-death is a very difficult subject. Its the ultimate subject in terms of our lives, and if you dont deal with that, you really deal with nothing at all. Youre not being honest. All of us here today have probably suffered loss of people we care about. I know for myself, death is the very first memory I have in life. When I was two and a half years old, my aunt in Texas, who my parents said was my favorite, was electrocuted and died in her early 30s. I can tell you everything about it. I remember the trip and driving from Illinois to Texas. I can remember pulling up in the parking lot at the funeral home, the service, the color of the room, the color of the casket, and all of those things because it was an incredibly traumatic event. Yet, Im incredibly thankful for that. I saw death in my family. My dad had a large family, eight sisters, and they were all older than he was. I saw a lot of death with grandparents, aunts, and uncles. What that did was something that Solomon says in Ecclesiastes all of us should do. Ecclesiastes 7:1 (page 662 of pew Bibles) is a verse Ive shared hundreds of times at funerals. It says (paraphrasing) its better to go to a funeral than it is to a party because death is what happens to everyone, and wise people think about that. We live in such a party culture-such a here-and-now culture, such a grab-the-moment culture-that we dont like to think about way down the road. We dont like to think about the end. We dont like to think about death and dying, but God says wise people do. They think ahead. They plan ahead. This morning, I want to leave six pictures with you from Gods point of view about what death is and six different skills that you can use to develop your capacity to face that with courage, with hope, and with peace. Were going to look at two different passages of Scripture this morning-one in John 11 and later on the Passage that this series sprang from in 2 Timothy. If you turn to John 11 (page 1063 of pew Bibles), the first thing I want to say is this: From Gods point of view, death is sleep. Listen to what Jesus says. One of His dear friends, Lazarus, had passed away. Friends, Jesus allowed him to die. He heard about Lazarus being sick, and He allowed him to die. All of him of us have probably faced that-friends or loved ones that we pray and ask God to heal them, and God doesnt seem to hear. We say, God, why? Where are You? Why did You let this happen to me? What we need to know and remember is that God has a plan, and God views death differently than we do. We see Jesus perspective in this verse when He said this things in Verse 11, After He had said this, He went on to tell them, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up. The Disciples, of course, say, Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better. Jesus very plainly then says, No, Lazarus has died, and Im going to raise him from the dead. Thats pretty remarkable, but the first thing I want you to notice from Gods perspective is that death is sleep. I always like bringing props along (Pastor Jerry brought in a pillow with him today). Somebody asked me when I brought this in, Are you going to sleep in church? I said, Yes, its going to be incredibly boring. What does the pillow remind us of? From Gods point of view, how does He view death? He says its simply sleep. Its naptime. We lie down for a minute, but that isnt the end. One day we will rise. Remember as a little kid how you used to hate to take naps? I dont know-is anybody in that ball park along with me? Its like, An afternoon nap? You have to be kidding me! We face death the same way. We dont want to take that nap. We dont want to lie down. But from Gods point of view, Hes a little wiser than we are. He says, You need this. This is part of the plan. But what do we look forward to? We look forward to that day, interestingly, its the stuff of fairy tales when out of a deep sleep the handsome prince comes and with a kiss does what? Awakens the sleeping princess. Its the stuff of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Its the stuff of Sleeping Beauty. Tragedy is befallen. That's true in our world. Sin has entered; death comes. We lie down and sleep, but we look forward to the day when the prince is coming to awaken His bride with a kiss. The people who are not followers of Jesus Christ, the people who dont believe in God, they dont believe in His power of resurrection, they say, Like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, its myth. Its fantasy. Thats not reality. That's not fact. That's fiction. Thats not hope. Thats just hype. Friends, I ask you this question: why does that story resonate with us? Why do the Snow White and Sleeping Beauty stories get passed down from generations? Why are there legends like that in so many different cultures? The reason for that, and the reason that resonates in the heart of little girls so much, is because were made in the image of God. Thats really the story of eternity. Its the story of the prince who leaves his home, leaves his castle, and leaves the safety to go and rescue his bride Thats what Jesus does for us. Interestingly, in terms of sleeping and waking, God challenges us in this regard to wake up. How are you going to handle that moment when you lie down and sleep the sleep of death? Youre only going to handle that if youve practiced waking up in this life. In the Bible, in both the Old and the New Testaments, God says, Wake up often. What does He mean when He says that? He means, Think. Hes saying, Wake up. Study. Change your mind. Isaiah says, Come now and let us reason together says the Lord. God wants you to wake up. There are people when facing death who would rather not think about it and put it off. Dont entertain the idea that I might someday die. You see that with young people all the time, right? They think theyre invincible. Nobody can hurt me. Im young. Its going to last forever. No, its not. Wise people think about that. Friends, as you come to this question about death and eternity, that is the ultimate question. We get asked all the time, and as I challenge you to think, reason, study, and find out for yourselves, how does your religion or your philosophy with the world deal with that question of death? I tell you this morning your religion may raise you to higher levels of morality. That all may be well and good. Many of the great religions in the world say the same thing, Dont kill people. Dont commit adultery. Dont rob. But if they dont handle the ultimate question of death, they are absolutely, completely, and unequivocally worthless because were all going to die. One of my favorite movies that makes me laugh and laugh is a movie with Bill Murray in it called, What About Bob? Have any of you ever watched that? I love the fact that Bob can drive his psychiatrist, Dr. Leo Marvin, nuts! Dr. Leo Marvin has a son, Siggy, who dresses all in black. Why? Because as Siggy says, Were all going to die. No matter how much money you accumulate or how famous you are, Were all going to die, and theres nothing you can do about it. We kind of poo poo and pat that off, but you know what? Siggy is right. We are all going to die. Have you planned for that? Any religion that doesnt plan for that or doesnt deal with it is absolutely worthless. People say, Oh, there are many ways to God. Really? I want a way that deals with death. I want a way that shows me that there is hope in the face of the worst enemy that we will ever face. Thats where Jesus and Christianity stand out from every other religion that exists. The founder of Confucianism, the founder of Buddhism, Joseph Smith, Charles Taze Russell, Judge Rutherford, and Muhammad-you name them-they are all dead, buried, and in their graves. One religion has the audacity, the courage, the backbone to say, No, our founder rose from the dead. Are you kidding me? That alone makes it worth testing out, doesnt it? That alone makes it intriguing because Christianity alone has the audacity to say, Our Founder rose from the dead. When I face death, I want to walk through that porthole with somebody who has been there, done that. Amen? Thats why Im a Christian. Friends, God challenges us in the same way to think, to examine the facts. One of the biggest reasons Im a Christian is I just love to think. As a little kid, I asked questions of every single pastor I had. I remember being about nine years old and asking one of my pastors a whole bunch of questions. He looked at me and said, Jerry, you think too much. I was like, Really? You have to be kidding me. I thought that was what we were supposed to do! I love the fact that so many people, if they are honest with the facts throughout history-scientists, doctors, lawyers, generals, national heroes, and authors-if they examine the facts, they come down on the side of…its inescapable; the evidence is overwhelming: Jesus rose from the dead. If you look up Lee Strobel, who is the editor of the Chicago Tribunes law section, you will find out his wife became a Christian. He saw such dramatic changes in her that he spent two years examining the facts. Finally he gave in from his atheism and embraced Jesus Christ and is a preacher of the Gospel today. One of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis, is one of the most celebrated authors of the twentieth century. I love what it says about him: he said, God dragged me kicking and screaming into the Kingdom of God. Isnt that hilarious? He didnt want to become a Christian. He didnt want to believe there was a God, but he couldnt help it. The evidence was way too overwhelming. Frank Morrison, a British lawyer, set out to prove that Jesus never rose from the dead; but after examining the facts, he gave in. He gave his life to Christ and ended up writing a famous book called, Who Moved the Stone? One of my personal favorites, Lew Wallace, a Civil War general, was a hero who saved Washington from confederate attack. He later became the governor of New Mexico when Billy the Kid was running around out there. He was challenged on a train ride by Robert Ingersoll, the leading atheist in America at the time, to examine his faith and to reject Christianity. Wallace set out to find the facts. He ended up writing a book that became the biggest seller at the time outside of the Bible. In that culture, it was the only other book besides the Bible that many people had ever read in their lives. It went on to win numerous Broadway awards and was made into a Broadway play at least six different times. It was a runaway hit and then became a worldwide movie that won an Oscar. He wrote a story of the Christ entitled Ben Hur. Why? Because he was overwhelmed by the evidence. I could go on and on. Just a few years ago, one of the leading scientific atheists in the world in the twentieth century just became a Christian, Dr. Anthony Flew. He was a professor at Cambridge. He came out in November of 2007 with his book. He embraced Christianity and wrote these words: There is a God. How the Worlds Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. Dont you love that title? Why? Because people are honest with the facts. The evidence is overwhelming. Jesus challenges us today as we approach the subject of death to think, reason, study, and examine the facts. Did Jesus or did He not rise from the dead? Like Paul said long ago, If Jesus didnt rise from the dead, then our faith is in vain and we ought to be pitied. Friends, He did rise from the dead. The amazing thing is how do you get ready for death? David wrote in the Psalms [2:12] several thousand years ago these interesting words: Kiss the Son lest He be angry and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Thats an interesting phrase-kiss the Son. How do you prepare for the coming kiss of your Prince? Begin to get up every day, awaken every day, ready to kiss the Son. Get ready to embrace Him, spend time alone with Him every morning. Get used to His touch; get used to His voice; get used to hearing Him; get alone with Him, and you will long for that day when the Prince of glory comes and plants His kiss on you, awakens you out of sleep, and takes you home to live with Him forever. Amen? The second picture Id like to leave with you as you look at death is also found in John 11:33 (page 1064 of pew Bibles). Jesus is at Lazarus funeral, and He sees Mary weeping and the people around her weeping. It says these words: When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people whaling with her, a deep anger welled up within Him, and He was deeply troubled. The New Living Translation says it very well. That really is the interpretation of that Greek word. Other translations say He groaned, but the idea of anger captures it very well. Friends, death is a time for anger. One of my favorite comic book symbols is The Incredible Hulk. You know the old story: Please dont make me angry. You wouldnt like me when Im angry. Its interesting to know that there is an appropriate response, and death is not out of question or anger is not out of question when facing death. If were honest, we go through those things, dont we? People who chart that, psychiatrists or psychologists who chart that, know that oftentimes anger is one of the steps of grief. You hear that news that maybe the disease you have is terminal. Youre not going to make it. You hear the C word, the cancer word for the first time, or youre facing bypass surgery. Maybe theres a lump, theres a tumor, and your mortality comes into question. You come face to face with the end of your life. Yes, theres fear and maybe despair. You go through those things and theres also oftentimes anger. Maybe youre angry at yourself, I should have taken better care of myself. If its a loved one, Why didnt they take care of themselves better? Maybe youre angry at the doctors, They got it wrong. Im going to get a second opinion, then a third opinion, and then a fourth opinion. Nobodys ever done that, right? Interestingly, one of the people that were most angry at is God. God, if You loved me, if You cared, how could You let this happen? Even as Christians, were tempted to go there. Thats a natural response. Its a very human response. Jesus, in the face of death, is angry. Friends, I want to encourage you. Im glad we have a God that gets angry at that. That says something about Him. Its interesting: Moms, if you spend all day cleaning your house, have you ever become a little irked or annoyed when the kids or the grandkids come home and trashed it all in two minutes? None of you have ever done that, have you (sarcastically asking)? Guys, youre fixing something or youre working on a project, and you just get this thing done when somebody comes along and wrecks it! Were tempted to become angry. Thats an emotion that God carries. Back in Genesis 1, Jesus, who created the world, looked at everything He made and said, Its good. Now He stands at the gravesite of His friend, and hes ticked. Why? Because this isnt the world He made. It wasnt how He imagined it. It wasnt what He had envisioned. His creation had been trashed. He made it wonderful, and somebody messed it up royally. Friends, in a way, that can be an incredibly comforting thing. My wife and I have a very dear friend, a really Godly woman, who was molested as a young girl by someone in her family, someone who was a member of the police department. When she told people about it-what the person had done to her-guess what? Nobody believed her. It separated her from her mother. It separated her from family and friends. She felt ostracized; she felt cast out; she felt like nobody cared. It destroyed her. She went over the edge and delved into all kinds of things-drinking, drugs, and an immoral lifestyle. God, in His mercy and grace, rescued her from that. We dont know what people go through. We dont know how things comfort them. She said after she had started walking with God, one of the things that meant the most and touched her heart most deeply-one of the things that assured her that God loved her more than anything else-was the verse that said God is angry with the wicked every day. You might be sitting here thinking, Why in the world would that assure somebody that God loved him or her? but this dear lady said, My whole life, I tried to tell people who I thought cared about what happened to me, and nobody cared. Nobody was angry. Nobody was mad, but then I realized the God of the universe looked at what happened to me, and He was ticked off; and I felt loved. Somebody cared. Somebody was moved by my pain. Jesus stands at the gravesite of Lazarus, and Hes angry because it wasnt the world He had made. Friends, I would challenge you: what do you put into place at those moments of despair or anger, when your world is caving in? I would challenge you to do what Jesus did at the gravesite of His friend. What did Jesus do? He prayed. He said (John 11:42, page 1064), Father, I thank You that Youve heard Me, and I thank You that You always hear Me; but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me. Then He prayed. Friends, let me ask you: How do you get ready for that moment when youre going to face death? Those words that will make your blood boil or make you angry that life is mortal, how do you get ready for that? Begin a life of prayer now. Pray over the little things that annoy you now. Pray over the things that irk you now. Pray about evil in the world. You know today is Super Bowl Sunday. One of the other biggest sports that will occur today at the Super Bowl in Dallas, Texas, and theyre gearing up for it already, is one of the things that absolutely makes my blood boil with having two daughters that I just love and am crazy about: human trafficking. There are hundreds of young ladies and some young men who are going to be sold today so that men can have their way with them. That ticks me off, and it ticks off the God of Heaven! If you have five seconds or ten seconds when youre watching the Super Bowl today, say a prayer for some of those children. Say a prayer for some of those young people who are being sold. Remember that those things make God angry. If you pray over the things that make you angry now, you will be ready for that day when you come face to face with death. Thats what Jesus did, and thats how He handled it. The third picture I want to leave with you is from our original Passage in 2 Timothy 4:6 (page 1180). Paul says these words: …Im being poured out like a drink offering and the time of my departure is at hand. Notice that phrase, Im already being poured out as a drink offering. A drink offering-its a gift. We dont so much present offerings today except in monetary terms, but we view our offerings as gifts to God. Drink offerings are gifts. Thats really what God has in mind. Its interesting that Jesus died well and left a legacy and a gift for all of us about how to die, didnt He? Two thousand years later, we still celebrate the Lords Supper. What do we remember? He passed on an incredible inheritance to all of us about how to die. How does He die? He died forgiving people who hurt Him. He died blessing people and offering encouragement to people who were dying with Him, the thief on the cross next to Him. What a way to go! He died trusting God, Father, into Your hands, I commend My Spirit. Friends, I would challenge you in this third picture here, to leave the way you die as a legacy to the people who will come after you. Prepare for it now. Steven Covey even says in The 7 Habits of the Highly Effective People, If you want to have a successful life, begin with the end in mind. Think about what you want on your Tombstone. Id go beyond that and say, Think about how you want to go. Friends, Im here to tell you why Im a Christian. Ive seen the death of hundreds and hundreds of people, and there is incredible difference. There is a gulf; there is a chasm difference between the death of people who have died having hope and faith in Jesus Christ and those who do not. One of the greatest blessings my grandmother ever left with me was not just the ability to play the piano, which I dearly love her for, but I will never forget this big German woman who was 510 and weighed 175 or 180 pounds when she was alive. She got ovarian cancer, went downhill very quickly, and died at about 90 pounds with family gathered around her. This woman who loved music, how did she go out? We were all singing; we were all praying; we were reading Scripture, and she died in peace. She died with a smile; she died with hope; and she died with joy. I remember sitting there thinking, Now, thats the way to go. Thats how you do it. My wife and I had a very dear friend who was the former pastors wife of the church where I first went. At one time, this church was the largest church in the city of Janesville. This woman was a rather large woman, and her husband had had multiple affairs while he was a pastor and eventually left her for the church secretary. She could have been broken by that, but she wasnt. She learned how to pray and have hope. I walked with her through all of those difficulties and one of the greatest trials in her life as she faced heartache, loss, desertion, and loneliness. She prayed, and her light continued to shine. Her personality and warmth sprang out. Then a few short years later, she contracted ovarian cancer as well; but what an unbelievable attitude. I remember standing beside her bed. This dear lady who had spent her lifetime trying to lose weight looked at me and with a smile on her face said, Guess what, Jerry? Im losing weight. Isnt that cool? Can you believe it? What an attitude! Thats the attitude of Christ. Thats the attitude of Romans 8:37, In all these things, you are more than conquerors… I will never forget the warm sunny spring day when we laid her to rest in Oakhill Cemetery. There were about 200 people standing around her gravesite. There was such joy, such happiness, and such warmth that nobody wanted to go. We stood beside the grave and spontaneously sang song after song after song after song. What a contrast to the funerals Ive had of unsaved people who have no hope. I always think of Oakhill Cemetery because theres a bar right at the end of the driveway. Time and time again as soon as the last Amen is spoken, the last word is said, Ive watched people who have no faith, no hope in Christ, boom, go right down the driveway, right across the road, and right into the bar. Why? Because they dont want to face it. They want to forget about it, and they dont want to deal with it. Ive seen time after time the gift and the power of faith and hope in Jesus Christ. It allows you to be a champion and an overcomer in the worst times of life. Leave that gift to the people who come after you. Begin to ask God to use you to enrich the lives of others where you are now. Dont wait until youre on your deathbed to try to touch somebodys life for good. You have a chance to share blessings, to share joy, with everybody around you starting today. What are you really preparing for? Youre really preparing for that moment when youre going to leave your greatest blessing and inheritance behind. Do it today. Start now. The next picture I want to show you of death is that it is the ultimate journey for those who love adventure. I love this phrase, this little short, obscure phase in 2 Timothy 4. Paul says these words, The time of my departure is at hand. What does that sound like? It sounds like somebody is standing in the lobby in the airport waiting for his or her flight time. No, Im not going to say, My flights coming at 3:15. Then Im going to go. Im going to be gone for a while, but Ill see you again. Well, my departure is here. Of if youre standing on the train platform, Well, the 8:15 is coming. Im ready to go. My time is up. What an attitude, right? Friends, thats how God views death. He views it as the ultimate adventure, the ultimate trip. The unbelievable thing is…who is the ultimate tour guide? Jesus Christ. You see, if you go visit someplace really cool, you want to go with a tour guide who knows it inside and out, upside and down, every which way under the sun. I get to let you in on my home pictures. These are vacation pictures. My wife had always wanted visit Savannah, Georgia, so last fall we went. On the way back passing through the Carolinas, we stopped at what was and is the largest private home in America, the Biltmore Mansion. You sit there looking at that, and we paid a really steep price to get in there. Its expensive to go in there, but you know what? We kept saying, Man, this is awesome. The grounds, the gardens, it was incredible. Every corner we turned, wed say, Isnt this cool? Oh, man, look at that! Thats unbelievable. Wed stop with the guides. We hit it off with one dear sweet lady. The guides kept moving, and we kept running into her in different places in the house. It was just a blast talking with her and hearing the stories. Friends, Jesus Christ is the ultimate tour guide. He has faced death; He has been through death and hell, and Hes come out the other side. He knows every nuance, every nook and cranny. He was in all points tempted like we are yet without sin. He says, When you come to that point, take My hand. Walk with Me. Ill lead you through. Ill guide you through. The places I can take you, you would never guess-rivers that flow like crystal, streets that are gold but look like glass, gates made out of pearl. For all you Packer fans, guess what the color of the rainbow around Gods throne is? Its green. Im here to tell you. Green is my favorite color. Even though Im not a Packer fan, green is my favorite color. How about that? Guess what? I cant wait to see that! Angels, Cherubim and Seraphim, with four different heads [we will see]. There will be a head with a lion on this side, and ox on this side, an eagle [on one side and a man on this side]. Im like, Thats going to be bazaar! I cant wait to see that. Creatures flying around with six wings-everywhere you go in Heaven, it will be like, Look at that! Look at that! Thats incredible! Thats awesome! Jesus says, Your eye hasnt seen. Your ear hasnt heard. You cannot comprehend the things He has prepared for those who love Him. I think of our dear friend, Judy. Dennis is here this morning and got up and shared her journey and the things she went through. Judy faced her fears, she faced her difficulties, and faced her pain. Dennis and Judy liked to travel, and I know one of her favorite pictures as she talked about death, facing that, and going through that portal was this one right here, Im going on a trip. Im going on a vacation. Im going to be gone for awhile, but Ill be back. I have the greatest guide in the world. Judy died with peace; she died with hope; she died with joy. I will tell you being in that home and with that family, you could see it. You could feel it. The joy, the peace, and the hope were so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Thats not normal. Well, it is among people who know Christ; but among people in the world, its not. God says there is hope even in the face of death. Why? Because its a journey; its an adventure. God says, You cant imagine the things that I have prepared for you. Take My hand. Ill guide you through it with hope and with joy. The fifth picture I would like to leave with you is found in the next phrase when Paul says in Verse 7 (still page 1180), I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. He says, Death is the biggest fight, the most terrifying opponent, the greatest difficulty that you must face. God calls every one of us-guys in particular, you can resonate this stuff. We talked about princesses and handsome princes for the ladies. Guys, this is the stuff that resonates in our hearts. God calls every single guy to be a warrior. I dont care whether youre a guy who has never been athletic in your life, never been in a fight in your life, or never done anything particular physical. God doesnt care. He calls every single guy to face at one point in his life the greatest opponent you will ever face, and that's death. You will stare it in the face, and you will feel fear. I can tell you outside of baseball, boxing was my favorite sport. Before mixed martial arts, I just loved boxing. I loved everything about it. I started fighting in fifth grade and boxed all the way through college. I played football all the way from fifth grade through college as well. Friends, Ill tell you that Im not ashamed to admit that there was not a single fight I ever fought, there was not a single football game I was ever involved in, that I was not afraid before it happened. Whats the battle? The battle is overcoming your fear. If you read the inside stories-today is the Super Bowl-probably somewhere between 30 and 35 percent of the guys playing in the Super Bowl today will throw up before the game. Do you know why? Because theyre afraid. Heres the amazing thing: you do all that training and practice; you do all those repetitions; you go through all the struggles; and you get into the game, you face your fears, and you begin to fight. You take that first hit, and guess what? All the fear goes away, and friends, Im here to tell you: the training takes over. Ill never forget my first fight in college. I fought a guy who was the state runner up in Michigan. By all accounts, he was the biggest, baddest, and toughest guy in the entire school. He was a junior; I was a freshman. I walked out of my corner, and I walked into a straight right [fist]. Everything went black; I saw sparks; and if he would have followed up with a combination, I would have been toast. When the lights came back on and the fog cleared, guess what? All that training kicked in. I still enjoy that so much that to this day, down in my basement gym, I still hit the heavy bag on a regular basis. Im going to need some new bag gloves after a while. Its interesting that after the lights went out and then came back on, guess what happened? I never thought about being afraid; all that training kicked in. Its really fun to say I spent the next three rounds just chasing him all over the ring. That was a blast. Why? The training kicked in. Friends, heres the wonderful thing about your walk with God. Jesus has been there. He has faced the ultimate opponent. He faced not just death, but He faced hell. He went through hell for you. He faced the wrath and the curse of God in a way that you and I will never will, and He came out the other side. Theres an obscure Passage in the Book of Hebrews that says in the days of His flesh, He offered up strong crying and tears. Do you think Jesus was afraid? Let me ask you that question: do you think Jesus was afraid? The answer is yes. Hebrews says He was in all points tempted as we are. Friends, He was afraid. He didnt want to go through that, but then it says something amazing. All that training kicked in. All that time alone with God, all the prayers, all the walks with Him, all the hours spent with God in secret and the training kicked in. In the face of His deepest, darkest moments, the author of Hebrews says something incredible. He says that Jesus offered up those prayers, and He was heard. He offered the prayers up to the One who was able to save him from death. Dont overlook that phrase. It says from death. Thats the Greek word ek from which we get our word exit or out of (as in Jesus wasn't just praying that God would "prevent" Him from dying. He was praying that God would raise Him up "out of" death and the grave once He was in it.) What was Jesus praying for in the face of death? He literally prayed for His own resurrection. Thats literally what that Passage was saying. Can you believe that? Jesus is saying, God, Father, I know Im going to die, so raise Me up again. You say, But He had Gods promise. He prayed for it anyway. Father, save Me. Raise Me up again. Friends, when you spend that time alone with God in your deepest, darkest, scariest moments, what begins to happen? The power of God resonates in your lives. As you become so acquainted with the God of the universe who rolls up His sleeves and bares His arm in the face of all adversity, you begin to know courage. So, like Solomon in Proverbs, you begin to say, The good man may fall or the good woman may fall seven times, but whats going to happen? They rise again. I love the Passage in Micah, Rejoice not over me, O my enemy. When I fall, I will arise. Friends, sin, evil, destruction, and the wrath of God put Jesus down on the canvas, didnt it? He died; He was buried, but you couldnt keep a good Man down, could you? Three days later, the Champion comes up. He gets off the canvas; He comes off the floor; He comes out fighting, and He wins. Friends, the God of the universe says, When you trust in Him, He put that same Spirit in your heart. If youre here this morning, I dont care how weak you are. I dont care if youve ever played a sport, lifted a weight, fought a fight-God doesnt care. Inside of you beats the heart of a champion; inside of you beats the heart of the living God. God says to you, We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and you have the mind of Christ. Believe it. Start practicing those truths today. Start your training today. Get alone with God on a regular basis. Open up His Word; talk to Him about it; sing His praises when youre afraid. The training will pay off in your deepest, darkest moments. Youll make one of the greatest comebacks of all time. Amen? The last picture I want to leave with you is this: Paul says, Because of that, there is laid up for Me a crown of rejoicing, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to Me on that day. Notice what He says, …theres laid up for me a crown of righteousness… One of my favorite things about sports is I like trophies. I like awards banquets; I like medals; I like all of that stuff. Ive been very blessed. Ive coached some great teams and played on a lot of cool things. One of the coolest trophies Ive ever received came about two years ago. I won nationals in power lifting, and they gave out really cool trophies. The sculptor that made it was unbelievable. I got really excited when I first saw it. I thought it was Jesus because if you look really close, he has a beard. I thought, Well, thats cool. Jesus is holding up the world. I was truly disappointed when I found out it wasnt Jesus; it was Atlas, but oh well. You cant have everything, right? It was still really cool. I say that to say there is something wonderful about getting awards. As you think about that, is Paul really confident? Is he? He knows its going to happen. He knows hes going to stand before his Lord and hear the words, Well done, good and faithful servant. God had seen him through. He was at the end, and the awards banquet was waiting. The thank yous were coming. The trophies were going to be there. In fact, thats the last thing Jesus promises in the Book of Revelation, Behold, I come quickly, and Im bringing what with Me? …My reward. Its trophy day, boys and girls. Gods going to be handing out medals. So how should you approach that? Well, when does Paul start thanking and blessing God? Before he has received the medals or afterwards? Before. Its interesting with Jesus as well, if we look back at the chapter in John, He is standing at Lazarus gravesite. He hasnt yet raised Lazarus from the dead, but what does He do? He says, Father, I thank You that You hear Me. Theyd be lying to tell you otherwise, but all the actors and actresses that are going to win awards here in the shows coming up, if theyre even nominated and in the running, what do they practice before they ever receive the awards? They practice their acceptance speech, right? Some of them go on and on and on and on because they have all these people they want to say what to? Thank you. Oh, and I want to thank this person. I want to thank that person. I want to thank this person. Friends, how do you get ready for death? You begin thanking people a long way off. Thats what Jesus did. He hadnt raised Lazarus from the dead yet, but He was already saying, Father, thank You that Youre listening to Me. Even in the face of death, I know Youre listening. I know Youre going to hear My prayer. I know Youre going to raise him from the dead. Friends, start practicing your acceptance speech now. Get up every day telling God thank you for as many possible things as you can thank Him for. Get up every day and start telling everybody around you in your life thank you for as many possible things as you can thank them for because when you stand before God and hear Him say, Well done, good and faithful servant, trust me, there will be many more people that you wished you would have thanked in this life. Man, I should have told them thank you. I should have told them thank you. Friends, be looking for-be living for-that moment. Be thinking about that moment. Think about it now. Picture yourself standing before God, and He hands out trophies and says, Well done, good and faithful servant. Its so cool. What do Gods children who receive those trophies and awards do? They take those crowns, and they throw them back at His feet and say, Thank You. No, it was all You. It was all You. It was all You. Thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You. I wouldnt be here if it werent for You. Friends, we can face death with hope, with joy, with peace. Why? Because Jesus lives, and there is hope. If you need prayer, feel free to come up. Shall we stand and close in prayer. If you need someone to pray with, feel free to come forward, and our prayer team will meet with you. I pray that youll be encouraged and blessed. Father, I thank You so much for Your love. I thank You for Your kindness. I ask Your richest blessing on Your people, especially those who may be hurting with bad news or the loss of a loved one or friend. I pray that Youd give us Your hope and courage. Thank You for the example of Jesus Christ and that we can pray in His name. Amen. God bless you all. Thank you so much.

FAVORITE STORY aired from September 1947 through December of 1949 hosted by Ronald Colman. This is an excellent dramatic series of great stories from classic literature brought to radio. It's popularity was so high and with such well done stories, it was rebroadcasted for many years.THIS EPISODE:Ben-Hur is a 1959 epic film directed by William Wyler, and is the most popular live-action version of Lew Wallace's novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880). It premiered at Loews Theater in New York City on November 18, 1959. The film went on to win eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, a feat equaled only by Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings.