Walk With Me

Walking with Faith: Resurrection Stories and Believing in Christ

• JJ

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Speaker 1:

Hello everybody, welcome to another episode of Walk With Me. I'm your host, jj. It's so good to have each and every one of you here. Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast. You could be listening to any other podcast out there, but you've taken a moment, a moment to listen to this one, or a few moments to listen to this one, and I really do appreciate and love each and every one of you, not just because you listen of this podcast, but because we are all on the same journey, trying to make it to heaven.

Speaker 1:

If you don't believe in heaven, that's fine, just walk with us anyway, you might actually start believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and believing in getting in a heaven, or avoiding hell, as it were, because that's what this is all about. Uh, we are on a, a journey, uh, while we are still alive and a destination at the time of our death. There is no, uh, reincarnation. I know a lot of people's preaching this now. I interesting thing and I know I'm going to get aside on this I was in a place buying, uh, some dress clothes and, believe it or not, the guy started talking as soon as I walked in. He's hey, man of god, whatever, and I and I, I know what it is. It's a sales tactic, I can't. But I'm in there and, um, he's talking about reincarnation, my friend, that we're not reincarnated.

Speaker 1:

The bible doesn't say anything about us being reincarnated. The bible talks about a resurrection, but that's only to go to heaven. So, um, or the resurrection up to go to the great white throne judgment, there's only one stop after you see the great white throne judgment. There's only one stop. You see the great white throne, then it's only one stop. After that, we don't want to go there.

Speaker 1:

Okay, there is no such thing as reincarnation. I know we well in the Christian faith there's no such thing as reincarnation, and I said it this way because there are people who firmly believe in reincarnation. But when you kind of test it out, it doesn't make sense. But the only thing I can do is go by what the Bible says, not whatever scripture that they used to back up their belief system. Only thing I can say is the Bible is true.

Speaker 1:

If your belief system had things in it that came to pass and was true and was more than just you know, hey, it would be a great thing to look into, for instance and I'm not here to bash anyone, but there's that other book that starts at the Q, but they have really nice things. They're great proverbs, they're great things to say in there. Some of them not so much, just like there's some not so good things, not pleasant things, in the Bible, but there are really nice things and nice proverbs and nice rules on living. Some of them, some of them not so much. But if there was anything in that book that had come to pass and I'm not saying twisted to come to pass, but I mean literally came to pass then you could say that that religion is a good religion or that belief system is a good belief system. Meanwhile, we have the Bible, in which so many thousands of scriptures, prophecies have come true. So that's why I follow the Bible, and it is Not just because it's a convenient thing, it's literally the word of God. Okay, so big shout out to my sponsor. Thank you all so much. I got off on that. There's no such thing as resurrection. There's no such thing as Getting virgins from heaven, because that part of you is only for reproduction and we won't be reproducing in heaven. So then that's it All right. So, that being said, I don't know how I got off on that, but this is where we are. A big shout out to our sponsor Two Bars of Lyricist Exquisite Creations and the other sponsor that we're still working on the name of. And also big shout out to Iron Gate Ministries. I guess I have to acknowledge that. So we have a ministry called Iron Gate Ministries and I'm not exactly sure what God wants me to do with that yet, but it's formed, it's got an income, I'm tied into it, so I'm not sure what God wants me to do with it. And hey, listen again, I thank God for each one of you.

Speaker 1:

We're going to go right back into our lesson from last week where we were talking about what believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is and, if I'm not mistaken, we were talking about John's account of the resurrection. And just a brief recap believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is not just saying hey, I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, is not just saying hey, I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. There's a lot that goes into quote unquote believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and right now we were talking about how believing on the Lord Jesus Christ plays into the resurrection and why that was important, was important. So we were talking about how John was talking about when Mary Magdalene ran up on the tomb for Resurrection Day, right, and if I'm not mistaken and let me just stop right here because I have to make sure I kept thinking there was something I was forgetting yes, there is something I'm forgetting. We believe in context here. There's only one rule of the podcast, I know. I'd like you to share it, I'd like you to tell other people about it, but the rule is a verse or two above, a verse or two below, but preferably the whole chapter, because context is key Now into the lesson.

Speaker 1:

Mary Magdalene had ran up to the tomb where Jesus was. This is where we are. We're going to pick up right where we left off. Mary Magdalene ran up to the tomb and the first thing she sees is, kind of put a horrible fitness in her substance, horrible stinking feeling in the pit of her substance. She walks up and, holy cow, that stone is gone Now, as far as she turns around on her heel and runs back to the upper room as fast as she can and the first thing she does is says, peter, peter, they took away the lord out of the suburb. We don't know where they've laid it. So she's already thinking that the the other um idea that someone might have stolen the body. Now, everybody this is weird because everybody thinks that someone else is going to steal the body and mary's the first one to think that someone stole the body, to actually think that someone stole the body. So she runs back and she tells Peter hey, peter, someone took the body. So Peter and John run light to sirens over there and he goes right inside and the linens and napkins are there. Now they're still coiled. So now, at this moment, john believes to understand the Old Testament prophecies. He says his body rose right up through the rapid. He's alive. Peter still can't get it. So him and John return to the upper room and Mary Magdalene stays at the suburb.

Speaker 1:

She's crying and everything. And then there's two angels. That says hey Mary, why are you crying, girl? She says because they've taken my Lord away and I don't know where they put him. So then she's not even waiting for an answer from the angels, she doesn't even realize she's speaking to an angel. So she turns around and she walks out and there's a figure in the dim light in the moon. She thinks it's the gardener. She says quote unquote gardener. She says woman, why are you crying? I remember the angel just asked her that Woman, why are you crying? Now, if you ask me JJ a question, then someone else ask me the same question when they should have heard me answer the question the first time. Probably 98% of the time I'm going to get a little irritated. I'm just saying, hey, listen, I'm still human. I'm probably going to get a little irritated and I'm going to say, hey look, maybe you're the one that took it. And this is what Mary says to the guy, or who she thinks is the gardener right. So Mary says if you have him, tell me where you put him and I'll go take care of him. I'll go carry him away.

Speaker 1:

Girl, you're a little old, wispy girl and for all the council, purposesesus was a pretty sizable guy. In in the flesh he was a pretty sizable guy. He wasn't some little wispy kind of soft guy, he was a pretty big guy. Remember he's in the temple flipping over tables and he took his body, took a serious beating right. So he's a pretty sizable guy. He has to be pretty sizable. Mary said, oh no, tell me where he's at, I'm going to go take care of him. And she could not have carried that.

Speaker 1:

But all of a sudden she realized that she is speaking to Jesus. And the one thing I wonder is how he said her name, mary. Now, I know when my wife is mad at me she'll say my name a certain way, and I know when my wife is really, really feeling the love for me she'll say my name. But I just can't imagine how Jesus said her name to where. At first you didn't recognize him. But yet as soon as he said it, she recognized him. Because as soon as she said Mary, that certain way, that way that God talks to you, the way that you recognize that voice, if you really believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, when God speaks to you you know that voice. And Mary knew right away because she fell down and she worshiped and beat.

Speaker 1:

So now let's put John on pause here, because now we've got to go to Matthew and we're going to pick up the story. So Mary had to tell Peter and John that she's seeing God and you know he said that now he kind of considers her a faithful friend. The other Mary, she and the other Mary goes to the seventh one. Now the day is by this time beginning of dawn, so we're looking at about in the summertime, because they're walking around. We're just going to assume that it's like either spring or summer, so it's got to be somewhere around 6, 630 am. Right, while they're on the way, there's a great earthquake and the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled back the stone. Now, remember, now we're talking about the differences in the two accounts. We have John's account, now we have Matthew's account.

Speaker 1:

So now the angel rolls the stone away and he sits on the stone. Now, keep in mind, it's not a little bitty rock, this is a stone, it's a boulder, A boulder that seals an opening big enough for people to carry a body into and be respectful with the body. So this stone has to be at least six foot in diameter, and even if you make the stone flat, it's got to weigh a couple tons. So, and even if you make the stone flat, it's got to weigh a couple tons. So you're literally watching this angel, this. You know the guy's not doing it. So his angel's sitting up on the stone saying, hey, um, there you go. Look what I did. Now, this is not to let God out, and I actually used to believe that. Well, he rolled the stone away and sat on it so God could come out. No, no, no. He rolled the stone away and sat on it so that they could go in. Because the two women are told to go and tell the disciples that he is risen. And as they went to tell the disciples, jesus already met them somewhere else. So he actually did it to let them in, let them see.

Speaker 1:

Now Luke gives us a little bit different account. We're still talking about the account of the resurrection. Right dawn is broken and here comes another party to the, mary Magdalene, the other Mary I think we had a lady by the name of Joanna the two Marys must have sent the others on ahead and they see the two angels now that they go and tell them, tell the disciples, he reminded them, the angel reminded them of Jesus' word, that he must be crucified and he would rise again. So they returned, all the disciples of France. But you know, and I hate to say this, remember now, these are the disciples who walked with Jesus, who walked with him, who saw the miracles he did. And they had to have started because they had never seen anyone do this before. They had to be like oh girl, mary, come on. You just telling tales. You are just telling tales. They crucified him. I saw him bleeding out. I saw him give up the goat. I felt the earthquake when it happened. I saw what happened to the temple when he died. I saw I saw them take his body down and wrap it in linen and put it in. I saw that, but you're not going to tell me that Jesus is up and resurrected. Walking around Now, jj would be like well, is it a zombie movie? Because here we got a problem. So they thinking it's just an idle tale.

Speaker 1:

So Peter goes down once again to the seventh bird, still wondering at what's really happening. Peter as for all, as much as I love Peter sometimes, peter was kind of a brick and that's why I think I identify with Peter the most, not because he was so prominent, but because Peter was a prick. Peter was a prick. You could tell Peter stuff and Peter would just simply let it roll off and then realize it later. But Peter was there, but Peter was there. So and Mark kind of continues where Luke left off. So and he continues it as the sun has risen, we're still going back to the beginning. Not discrepancies, but the differences in the narrative about when this is happening, because now, this is now the sun has risen, now we're talking about maybe 8 or 9 am, the way we consider it right.

Speaker 1:

And so another group are coming to the tomb, the marries, of course, from one group to another, telling people that they had to go to the seventh group because, hey, it's daylight now and they can ask about the stone, and they can't believe it. And then they see the stone is rolled away and it's now. There's only one angel that's still there and he appears as a young person. So he tell him hey, listen, don't worry about it, ladies. Uh, just go and look where they laid them. Remember I said before stone was not rolling away, the stone was not to let jesus out but to let people in. So because they had to see, um, that jesus had risen and was not there, so he tells them to go tell the disciples.

Speaker 1:

But now peter is like, oh my god, how many people gonna tell me that this thing happened? So the women were afraid and don't mention it to anybody because, you know, sometimes people just don't listen. These women were afraid, don't tell anybody now. And the reason why is very simple, and I can commiserate with this, because, again, besides the lazarus, no one had ever seen anybody raised from the dead. And the person who raised lazarus was dead. So tell me again, why would you believe that If someone just rolled up to you and said, hey, I saw Jesus. No, he's not there, he's not in the tomb, he's alive, somewhere. What do you mean somewhere? He's somewhere. And then people will start asking questions and then they're poking holes in the story. And then now we got to remember we're still talking about believing on the Lord. Sorry this takes so long, but we're going somewhere. So it's not only the friends of Jesus who are busy and frightened and running around.

Speaker 1:

Matthew tells us that the watch remember that guard that we talked about, the guard that came up from the city said oh crap, what is going on over there? Oh boy, what is that going on over there? What is going on? Why we're running in and out of that place. And they didn't bring a body out. But I don't know who that one guy was that rode that stone away. But I'm not messing with him because he's big or he may not be that big, he sure is strong, but oh my gosh, he blew that stone away like it was nothing. So now they they're kind of stunned and now they're going back and they're telling the elders hey, man, listen, somebody took that body. What do listen? Somebody took that body. What do you mean? Somebody took that body. I told you your life depended on no one taking that body. Man, listen, someone took that body because it ain't there. We didn't see anybody come out with it. It's not there. Maybe somebody didn't even put it in there. I don't know. It's not there.

Speaker 1:

And believe it or not, that lie, that lie affected so many things, generations. We got to be careful of the lies we tell and that was one of the things that God revealed to me in that sermon on resurrection day. It's what led to the Jews and the Christians not being the same, the Jews not generally becoming Christians, because that lie so many people are still promoting. Well, jesus didn't raise him dead. Jesus is dead. He's still on the cross. There's an organization that still has to fix him hanging on a cross. He's not on the cross anymore. He came off the cross.

Speaker 1:

So now we have Jesus appearing to the disciples. So now we're walking down Emma's road and here's two of Jesus' disciples walking around, walking this way. Just two ordinary people, not even big name disciples like Bartholomew, just two ordinary people, not even like big name disciples, like Barzala, just two random disciples and we only get to know one of their names. And one of their names is Well, we'll get to that. So one of their names. It was just a dusty road out in the middle of nowhere and the spirit of God is depicted.

Speaker 1:

And this story is still thrilled after so long and I can't believe we're running out of time again. So Cleopas that's the one name that we know had a guy that was walking, had someone that was walking with him. Now some people think that was his wife that was walking with him. Some people think it was a friend. I tend to more think it was his wife that was walking with him, because it just says two disciples, they were walking together. Sometimes I like to imagine it was his wife. I've had a lot of preachers tell me it was two men. I don't know why they came to that conclusion. So sometimes when I'm telling the story I'll say it's God. But I really believe it was Cleopas and his wife. So they're walking and they're kind of like man, there's nothing to do anymore.

Speaker 1:

The Sabbath is over. They met in the upper room, they prayed a little bit. They cried a lot and you know, for all intents and purposes, this Jesus thing is over. It's over, he's gone. He killed him. But you know, and we've all kind of had this kind of experience, if you really think about it, you know, when you go to a funeral and you know somebody that you really, really, really love and you just kind of deal with it and you're watching the people cry and you're crying, walking up to the casket and you just kind of lean over the casket and you just kind of get one last look at them and then they close the casket and then you sit down, you go through the whole thing about how they were a great person or how they would mean sometimes whatever said it here, and then you take them out to the grave site and then you watch the casket go down into the hole not the last time, it's the only time I want to say one final time. No, it's really just one. Casket go down into the hole. Not the last time, it's the only time I was going to say one final time. No, it's really just one time. They go down in the hole and then they start covering them up.

Speaker 1:

This is what the disciples had just gone through and it's important to understand the mindset of the disciples, because it's important. So they had seen all of it. This was their Lord, this was their Savior, and even people like Peter, which I just called the brick this was the guy that was supposed to deliver Israel from Rome. Remember, peter's a brick I am a brick too, so in hindsight I don't blame Peter for thinking this way. But they had all centered their hopes around Jesus delivering them not just from sin, but from the oppression of Rome. The oppression of Rome he talked about you know how to live and how to rule and how to deal with each other and how to live with Romans and how to be peaceful. And every time he saw a Pharisee he got upset, he turned stuff over and he got them trapped in their doctrinal lies. And then there was this adversarial spirit between the two.

Speaker 1:

But these two people, cleopas and his companion, which again I'm going to say it twice was walking, and Jesus came up to them and just started kind of talking to them. Now I've got to do that to you too. These people believed on the Lord, jesus Christ, and God started talking to them, and you know how sometimes when we have it going on really bad and gotta start talking, because sometimes we may not even recognize the voice right away, but because we're so wrapped up in our problems and we're so wrapped up in the things that are going on that we just sort of kind of like, yeah, right, whatever. They didn't recognize it at first and then they was like, well, what are you talking about? And they answered him. Do you know what happened? Do you know why we're all upset? Have you not been in Jerusalem? What are you talking about? Do you know what's happened the last few days? And so Jesus goes.

Speaker 1:

Now, jesus, okay, now, at this point Jesus goes. Yes, I understand, he's a good thing. So they tell him about Jesus of Nazareth. They literally preach Jesus to Jesus, and let that sink in. They preach Jesus to Jesus. So Jesus knows, he just wants to hear it from us. So, and then Jesus opened their understanding. He let them know that, hey, man, this is what the scriptures tell us to have. You know, we started this back in Moses. This ain't a new thing.

Speaker 1:

The prophets, the song Genesis, the promised seed of prophet, the song Genesis, the promised seed of the woman. Through Abraham, passover, jeremiah, ezekiel, david, the prophet taught exactly what Jesus was saying. Why has thou forsaken all of that? And think of it. Think of it Now. Now their hearts are really burning within them. But now this stranger made it as though you know he will go on and and you know. But now they, they started begging and pleading with him don't, please, don't, go. And they really constrained him to stay with them over. You, stay with them overnight. Please understand.

Speaker 1:

Jesus really loves to be invited. If you're going to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are going to not only talk about Jesus, you are going to invite him. You're going to invite him into your life. Again, this is just the beginning A lot of people will stop at. Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Yes, have you preached Jesus Christ to anybody? Have you told anybody about Jesus? Have you invited him? Have you invited him? No, and this is just the beginning. This is why I said this is why I said it's going to take more than one episode. Now, it's going to take more than two Because we are out of time. Folks Remember they preached Jesus to Jesus and when they found out it was talking to Jesus, they invited him, they begged him, to stay with them for the night. All right, I love each and every one of you. God bless you. Tell somebody that you love them. Tell somebody that God loves them. I'll see you on the next one. Thank you all for liking and sharing. God bless you all. Thank you you.