Joe White Drive Time Podcast

"Before the end of Jesus's ministry, He talks a lot about his second coming. In fact, some scholars have suggested that one out of every 27 verses in scripture talks about the second coming of Christ. You know what? The world wasn't ready when he came the first time and the world certainly is not going to be ready when he comes back the second time."

Family Discussions:

1. What has been the most misleading thing you've heard or seen lately in your life?
2. What is a false Christ?
3. What is a cult leader?
4. If someone's speaking, how can you recognize that they're tell him the truth?

Transcription:

"I am a Patriot and I feel blessed to live in Branson, Missouri in the United States of America. But you know what? There's a whole lot of traditions in this country that have grown up, especially in the last 60 years that are traditions of men that I don't agree with. "

Family Discussions:

1. What is the difference between tradition and truth?
2. What politically correct idioms bother you?
3. How has this devotional from Mark chapter seven help you see your values more clearly and live by truth and not traditions?

Transcription:

"I love my church and I love my pastor and every church needs a pastor needs a leader. Uh, but have you ever wondered when you're, you know, at a wedding ceremony or you're in your church, why, you know, your pastor or leader wears a big beautiful, you know, robe? "

Family Discussions:

1. Discuss the role of your church leader. Who is he? What is he and what does he not?
2. Why does Jesus not need any man to connect you to God?
3. Why is he completely sufficient to be your high priest?
4. How does Jesus qualify to be the link between you and God?

Transcription:

00:14 Hey, I love my church and I love my pastor and every church needs a pastor needs a leader. Uh, but have you ever wondered when you're, you know, at a wedding ceremony or you're in your church, why, you know, your pastor or leader wears a big beautiful, you know, robe? Well this passage, they said something about that. It's Hebrews Chapter Seven and just verses 25 through 28 and it talks about the real priest and here's what it says. "Therefore, since we are able also to save forever, those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them, for it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens who does not need daily like those high priests to offer up sacrifices for, for his own sins.

01:14 And then for the sins of the people. Because he did once for all when he offered up himself." Of course it's talking about Jesus. The priest of all. "For the law appoints men, as high priests who are weak with the word of an oath, which came after the law appoints a son made perfect forever." You may want to get your Bible and read that passage over a couple of times. You know, some do wore coats and some wear ties and some wear, you know, long black robes and that's okay. And some wear shorts with neatly pressed, you know, white round collars, some appear in shirtsleeves and some have ultra fancy colors in their attire. I just tell my pastor to tuck his shirt tail in, you know, some are PhDs, some are doctors of divinity, some are bishops, cardinals, pastors, preachers, teachers or fathers. You know, one's called the pope, one's the president of a large association of churches.

02:09 One as a church of 20,000 people. One has 52 members, but no matter what their title, and again, I look up to our church leaders, but no matter what their title, no matter what their attire, they only have one thing in common. They're all men. They're all men. They're all born of the flesh and they'll all die in the flesh without Christ, none are divine in and of ourselves. None can go to God alone, all go to God the same way you and I go to God, we all approach God directly on the avenue of faith, paved by the sacrificial blood shed on a Roman cross on a hill called Golgotha by the one the only, the supreme, the divide, the one for all the sufficient high priest named Jesus. Whether you're Protestant, Catholic, evangelical, charismatic American, African, Asian, European, Indian. You know, we all go to God the same way.

03:12 The same way is Billy Graham went to God the same way that the pope went to God. We all go to God. In Jesus's name, we go directly. We all need churches, but we don't need a church to pray. We all need church leaders, but we don't need a church leader to pray. We love our prayer books, but we don't need a prayer book to pray. All we need is Jesus to pray. All we need is to go sincerely reverently with faith in Jesus' name. Hebrews is clear. He is our high priest. He is our intercessor for God. He is our guide to the throne of God himself. And here's some great discussion questions. If you're with somebody to study with, and I hope you're doing these with your family, discuss the role of your church leader. Who is he? What is he and what does he not? Yeah. And then secondly, why does Jesus not need any man to connect you to God? Why is he completely sufficient to be your high priest? And then lastly, how does Jesus qualify to be the link between you and God?

"I made this Bible about 20 something years ago out of a piece of pigskin and some leather from Tandy leather company and glued it to a New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. And it's been following me around in my hip pocket ever since."

Family Discussion:

1. Describe the two edges of the sword of the word of God.
2. Why is God's word the greatest offensive weapon that we've got as we're under the attack by the enemy all day, every day?
3. Make some kind of a commitment to make to the word and what you're going to do with this word daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis in your life.

Transcription:

00:14 Man, I hope that you're having half the fun of watching these and doing these devotionals as I am getting to share them with you and if I can only do two with you, I'd want to do the one today and the one that we get to do together tomorrow. In Hebrews chapter four, verse 12, it says this, "For the word of God is living and active sharper than any two edged sword. Its piercing his for is the division of both soul and spirit of both joint and marrow enabled to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." You know what? I made this Bible about 20 something years ago out of a piece of pigskin and some leather from Tandy leather company and glued it to a New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. And it's been following me around in my hip pocket ever since.

01:03 And if there was only one thing that could be saved in a fire, it would surely be this. People would be first and my pets would be second. But I'd saved this of all the possessions that I have. But after that for sure. But truly, seriously in eternity. Nothing really else matters except this the word of God and I'm thankful to Dr. Howard Hendricks for some time that I got to spend with Dr. Hendricks by listening to him on tape, believe it or not, years ago. And he changed my view forever about the word of God. It's living and active and sharper than any two edged sword. Dr. Hendricks says, the Bible will come alive to you when you read it patiently. When you take your time, when you read the book, prayerfully, when you pray, before you read, during the time you read and after you read, when you read the Bible imaginatively, when you go into the jail with Paul, when he's writing the Philippians or the Ephesians or the Galatians, you imagine what it was like in that jail. The stench and the smell and what it was like to be chained to the praetorian guard that you go to Calvary with Christ.

02:10 That you go to Golgotha and you experience, what it was like around that cross as Christ poured out his life for you. You read it, imaginatively it, and then he said your rent possessively you read it to own it. You read it to put it in your heart, you read it intentionally, you read it to change your life. And then Dr. Henderson talked about, not only reading it patiently and reading it possessively and reading it imaginatively but he said, read it like a love letter. And that's the one that changed it the most for me. That when you go to the word of God, you read it like the greatest love letter you've ever gotten in your life. And I remember back in high school when I first started getting love letters from, you know, high school girlfriends. Don't tell my wife. And how you just pour over those love letters, every word dear.

02:59 Why did he say dearest love? Why did she say Love yah? You know how love letters are, but it's what it is. It's a love letter from God. And then he said, read it like the first time. Read it like you've never been there before. You've read John Three 16 a thousand times. But today when you read it, read it like you've never seen it before. For God so love the world. That's awesome. That he gave his only son that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life. Go there like as a first time of your life. Go there like it's a gold mine because that's exactly what it is. And here's my questions for you today. Describe the two edges of the sword of the word of God and why is God's word the greatest offensive weapon that we've got as we're under the attack by the enemy all day, every day? And then lastly, make some kind of a commitment, maybe even right now of what you're going to do, a different commitment you're going to make to the word and what you're going to do with this word daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis in your life.

04:10 And if you do scripture promise and I promise that it will change your life in everything you do.

"Trust and Thanksgiving for whatever circumstance you're in will stop everything."

Family Discussion:

• Who are you trusting today?
• How do you give God thanks even when you feel like your life is being persecuted.
• How do you think God feels when you give him all the glory?
• How do you think God reacts when you give him Thanksgiving no matter what kind of circumstances you're in?

Transcription:

00:06 I want to tell you today about one of the greatest encounters with a college student I've ever had in my life. But first I want to read from second Thessalonians chapter 1. I'm going to read two or three verses in this. Skip down to verse 11. This church is getting severely persecuted and boy, I don't know if you feel persecution, if you feel lack or wont, or you just feel like you can't trust anything or anybody. If your faith and your trust are getting challenged today, this one's for you. In verse 1 Paul says this: "Paul, Silas, and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians of God, our father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace from God, our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are always to give thanks to God for you brethren, as it is only fitting because your faith is greatly enlarged in the love of each one of you, toward each other grows even greater." In verse 11, he says: "to this end we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling and fulfill every desire of goodness and the work of faith with power so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in him according to the grace of God, our father and the Lord Jesus Christ." The question I want to ask you today, whatever you're going through; and you know what, you and I are probably going through a lot, but, who are you trusting? I'm telling you what man, everybody's got to trust somebody.

01:47 We were at the University of Southern California and we were doing one of our campus outreaches and the kids literally rushed into this theater in the middle of the campus, packed the theater out, and I built that cross and then hundreds of students came down to the cross to give their lives to Christ. But the most interesting part of the night for me was this: after the event, I went to the middle of the campus to wait for a ride. And this student came riding up on a bicycle. He was an Asian student. And the spirit of God inside of me said, "this guy needs to talk to you." He was carrying one of the books that we give away at the events. And I knew he had been there, and he got off his bicycle and he wanted to talk. And I said, "how'd it go for you tonight?" And he said, "man, I can't trust anybody." This guy had received persecution in his home I found out later. And his dad had broken his trust and he said, "I can't trust anybody." And I took this guy in my arms and right there in the middle of campus, he just began to weep in my arms. And I said, "you know what, you've got to trust somebody. We trust Jesus with your life." And he did. He trusted Christ with his life, gave his life to Christ. But then later that night we went to In-and-Out burger to get a burger and a milkshake before I flew back to Missouri, and you know what? The Guy who took me there also couldn't trust, he also had been persecuted and he couldn't trust. And I told him about Proverbs three, five and six that you can trust in the Lord with all your heart, that you can lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways you can acknowledge him. Proverbs three, five and six, you can trust God. Believe it or not, the cup of the milkshake that I was drinking had a bible verse on the bottom because the owners of In-N-Out burgers are Christians. And they put a verse in the bottom of every cup. And I said, "did you know there's a verse in the bottom of every cup?" And he said really? And I turn the cup up after I finished the drink. And the verse was, proverbs three, five and six. It's a true story. He said, I give up. He said, I will trust God if you'll put that verse on the bottom of that cup for me, no matter what's going on in your life. Trust and Thanksgiving for whatever circumstance you're in will stop everything.

03:55 And I'm going to ask you this. Who are you trusting today? And secondly: How do you give God thanks even when you feel like your life is being persecuted. And then this one: How do you think God feels when you give him all the glory? How do you think God reacts when you give him Thanksgiving no matter what kind of circumstances you're in? The lifeline for today is this. God has been so gracious that our joy should overflow with thanksgiving and our trust should be in him no matter what.

"Sometimes there is the greatest hidden wisdom in foolishness."

Family Discussion

• What are you doing in your life that seems like foolishness to the world, but you know down deep in your heart it's the power of God?
• What can you change in the way you're treating people?
• How can we change that around where it might be kind of foolish to the world, but it would be absolute bullseye to the word of God?

Transcription

00:14 Maybe if you've ever felt foolish before your friends or the people in the workplace that you operate and you're just representing Christ as best you can, then this verse today is going to be encouraging to you, as it is to me. It comes from First Corinthians chapter one, verse 18 through 20. Verse 18 says this, "for the Word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to us who are being saved is the power of God." Man, I'll never forget when Mohammed Ali, some would say the greatest fighter of all time, was in a fight with Smokin' Joe Frazier, the heavyweight champion of the world at the time, and Ali, his deal in that fight was going to be rope-a-dope. And the rope-a-dope trick was going to be to train his abs.

01:02 I mean, his whole training before the fight was to train his abs, just thousands of crunches and sit ups and leg lifts. And then he would hover in the first few rounds of the fight and he let Smokin' Joe Frazier take on his midsection with all of his heart until Frazier was literally worn out. And then Ali took him out in one round. It was foolishness to the world. You don't train your abs to fight. You train your hands and you train your arms. But he trained his abs and it turned out to be victory. I'll never forget back in my days of playing and coaching would Bill Yeoman, the head coach of the Houston team, who invented the veer where you would literally not block the defensive tackle or sometimes the defensive end and you would option off of whatever he did. An unblocked defensive linemen?

01:50 Are you kidding me? It became the most powerful running game in the history of the sport. We had a kicker on our football team at SMU, kicked with the side of his foot. No one in football kick with a side of their foot. That was for soccer. We all kick with the front of our foot. Well, you know the rest of that story. Everybody kicks with the side of their foot today. They're breaking records at the straight oak kickers. And I'll never forget the first time in the Olympics when this guy starts jumping over backwards; you always rolled over the bar and that day and you could roll over five feet or six foot. Well, this guy comes along, his name is Spaz Bernie, jumped over backwards and cleared seven feet - foolishness to the world. But sometimes there is the greatest hidden wisdom in foolishness.

02:37 And so it is when you walk with Christ, so it is when you carry your Bible to school. So it is when you live your Bible in the workplace. So it is when you turn the other cheek in your home, when there's a fight and you're the first one to say, "I'm sorry, will you please forgive me?" It looks like foolishness when the world says fight for your rights, fight for your way. Sometimes foolishness is the heart of Christ because when he hung himself on that cross and they crucified him, and he was God, it looked like foolishness to the world. But we know now there's the power of God. So my questions to you today are these, what are you doing in your life that seems like foolishness to the world, but you know down deep in your heart it's the power of God? And then the big question of the day is this, what can you change in the way you're treating people? Your family or the way you're living your life at school or in your job that you know right now, it may seem like being cool to the world, but it's foolish to God. And how can we change that around where it might be kind of foolish to the world, but it would be absolute bullseye to the word of God? Sometimes foolishness is the wisest thing of them all.

One of the things they all have in common in the cults, they all lower Jesus to less than he truly was and they elevate their leader to more than he ever was intended to be. They all claim to have a special word from God, and each one commits a drastic sin when they add or replace anything in scripture with their own personal beliefs.

Family Discussions:

1. Why is Jesus the only way for a sinful man to spend eternity with a holy God?
2. Why do people follow cult leaders?
3. What's wrong with cults and other world religions?
4. Why is it that not all roads lead to God?
5. Why is Jesus the only way?

Episode Transcription:

00:14 Man, believe it or not, last spring I read the most recent Barna survey, and Barna had asked questions to students between age 18 to 23, the mosaic generation, this simple question, "Do you have a Biblical worldview?" In other words, is the Bible the inspired, inerrant word of God in principle? Is it God's breath as it says in a 2 Timothy Chapter three verses 15, 16 and 17. Only one out of every 200 in this mosaic generation agreed in the Biblical Worldview. Well, something's got to be done about that. John 14 verses one through seven talks about the truth of scripture. It's the last night before Jesus' crucifixion, and He's with His disciples in the upper room and He says this, "Do not be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself that where I am there you may be also." And He said, "You know the way where I'm going." But Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You're going. How do we know the way?" And Jesus said to him, "I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." He said, "If you would have known Me, you would have known the Father also. From now on, you have known Him and have seen Him."

01:45 You know, it's written in Time magazine that America has over 1800 active religious cults and each one has a self-righteous leader who claims to be the way to God. One of the things they all have in common in the cults, they all lower Jesus to less than he truly was and they elevate their leader to more than he ever was intended to be. They all claim to have a special word from God, and each one commits a drastic sin when they add or replace anything in scripture with their own personal beliefs, supposedly, they say are deigned or obtained from a divine revelation. The Mormon founder, for example, Joseph Smith, said that he received this message from God, and this is a quote, "All Christian denominations are wrong and their creeds are an abomination in God's sight. Church Father Joseph Fielding Smith of the Mormon Movement said, "There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith." In the earlier days of the New Age movement in America, Shirley MacLaine, you know, said "I was one with the water. I was one with God. I am God." Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science in the science and health, you know, bible said, "The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon the accursed tree than it was when it was flowing in his veins and he went daily about his father's business. The Watchtower Bible, the Jehovah's Witnesses bible teaches that Jesus was not God incarnate and the doctrine of the Trinity is a false doctrine. But Jesus said, "I and my Father are one. If you've seen Me, you've seen the Father." Hey, the cults are tragically mistaken because Jesus stated simply and firmly about Himself, "I am the only way. I am the only truth. I am the only life. No one gets to the Father except by Me." The first commandment also warns, "Thou shall have no other gods before Me."

04:04 Let me ask you these questions. Why is Jesus the only way, the only way, for a sinful man to spend eternity with a holy God? And let me ask you this one. Why do people follow cult leaders, you know, you know, whether its a rock star or a movie star or a real cult leader who claims to be Christ.? Why do people follow? And then the last one is what's wrong with cults and other world religions? You know, why is it that not all roads lead to God? Why is Jesus the only way? And then here is the lifeline for today. You know, many people join cults because some are better followers of their faith than Christians are of their faith. How can we change that in our home?

The original Webster's dictionary was written by a devoted Christian man, who like almost all of America's great early scholars, knew the Bible backwards and forwards. Webster defined the word "abundant" as "more than enough."

Family Discussions:

1. What's the difference between living and abundant living?
2. Why do real believers have more fun?
3. Why did God invent fun and happiness and pleasure, and how did He intend for us to have it?
4. How abundant is your life today?
5. How can we in this family make it even better for each other?

Episode Transcription:

00:15 I love candy, and I love to get more than enough. I love to get my hands just full and running over, especially if it's got chocolate in here. I'm going to tell you a definition of a word today that you're going to love. We're in John chapter 10, verse seven through ten, and it says this, "Therefore, Jesus said again, 'I tell you the truth. I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved,' Jesus said. 'He will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly.'"

01:02 Abundantly. More than enough. The original Webster's dictionary was written by a devoted Christian man, who like almost all of America's great early scholars, knew the Bible backwards and forwards. Webster defined the word "abundant" as "more than enough." More than enough. Think about it. Jesus came to give abundant life, abundant peace, abundance joy.

01:30 You know, how good looking is more than enough? How much pleasure is more than enough? How much fame and success is more than enough? When Jesus healed the blind man, the guy didn't need to go out and buy a pair of glasses. He saw perfectly. You know, when Jesus fed the 5,000 from one little happy meal that this little kid had, you know, they didn't need to leave that conference and go head for McDonald's. They were full and there were 12 baskets left over. When we stop trying to get high on the stuff of this world? You know, uh, every summer about 20 something thousand kids come to these Christian sports camps that, you know, I get to be involved in to get high on God. Uh, you know, man, I just, I just see, I just see adults, I see kids, you know, tapping into God's abundance all over this country. You know, there's Bible studies of two, four, eight, 10. You know, there's Christian music on the jam box. There's Christian music in the iPods and iPhones, man, in the quiet times before bed. Youth groups with a purpose. Parents encouraging their kids on making honest business decisions. You know, abundant life. I see it in business circles, you know, all over the country. You know, people finding abundance in Christ's abundance. Just live it.

02:56 Hey, here's the questions for the day. What's the difference between living and abundant living? And the second question is why do real believers have more fun? And then thirdly, why did God invent fun and happiness and pleasure, and how did He intend for us to have it? And the thought for the day is this: how abundant is your life today? And man, how can we in this family make it even better for each other?

Blind spots. It would have been a horrible accident, I'll never forget it, if my mom wouldn't have seen the car approaching at breakneck speed, just behind me over my right shoulder on that busy Texas freeway. I'll never forget it. My rear view mirror had a blind spot behind my right rear tail light because the design of the car.

Family Discussions:

1. How do we get blinded to the truth that's around us?
2. How can Jesus heal a blind spot?
3. What do you need to do to let him heal that blind spot?

Episode Transcription:

00:14 You know, some of the dearest people that I've ever made are people who are born without sight. I don't know what darkness feels like, but in John chapter nine, verses one through seven, it tells a story about a man who did, and it says this, "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Jesus, 'Rabbi who sinned, him or his parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus said, 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming, where no one can work. While I'm in the world, I am the light of the world.' Having said this, He spit on the ground, and He made some mud with the saliva and put it on the man's eyes. 'Go,' He told the man, 'wash in the pool of Siloam,' which means the word 'sent.' So the man went and washed and came home seeing."

01:20 Blind spots. It would have been a horrible accident, I'll never forget it, if my mom wouldn't have seen the car approaching at breakneck speed, just behind me over my right shoulder on that busy Texas freeway. I'll never forget it. My rear view mirror had a blind spot behind my right rear tail light because the design of the car. Boy, have I had some blind spots, do I have some blind spots. I remember in college, you know, playing sports, playing football, you know, made me progressively self-centered. Still struggle with that. Man, I didn't know what was happening to me, but later I learned the hard way that I had a huge blind spot in my ego.

01:59 You know, I work with business guys. You know, who struggle with blind spots because the computer, and the portfolio, and the 401k and the whole money thing, you know, becomes our life. Our God. You know, I see, you know, high school kids and college kids and adults where a girl, or to the girl a guy, can become like a god, and we can love them more than we even love God. You know, you see the little boy who loves his candy more than anything. He wouldn't share it, you know, for anything. And probably the biggest challenge, you know, of growing up, of being, you know, in junior high or high school, is that popularity and being accepted by her friends can become our God. You know, we'll even forsake the love of our parents and the love of God to fit in. You know, whatever the blind spot is, you know, whatever it is that's blindfolding you or blindfolding me, you know, we don't get it until we get in big trouble. Blind spots. They're places in our lives where we can't see the truth. Blind spots or places where Satan has his way.

03:02 Here's the questions for the day. How do we get blinded to the truth that's around us? And how can Jesus heal a blind spot, and then what do you need to do, man? What do you need to do to let him heal that blind spot? And here's the lifeline for the family: man, as a family, boy, we are God's best instruments to help Jesus identify and heal the blind spots in each other. That's why gave us to each other.

There's an incredible thought that C.S. Lewis, I think, originated called "Lord liar or lunatic." And it goes like this. What if you or one of you or someone who's watching this, you know, stood up right now and announced to the rest of the, you know, your friends that you were, you know, Tiger Woods or Shaquille O'Neal or, you know, Michael Jordan or whatever. What would everyone's response be?

Family Discussions:

1. Why do many people try to lower Jesus to less than He claimed to be?
2. Why is Jesus in a completely different class than Mohammad or Buddha, or Confucius, or any other religious leader of history?
3. If Jesus is Lord, what does that mean to us?
4. Who do you say that Jesus is?
5. How can you help Jesus be the Lord of your home and your family today?

Episode Transcription:

00:14 Hey, I don't know how you're doing, but as I go through this book of John, man, I just marvel at this man named Jesus. Listen to this passage today. We're in John chapter eight, verses 54 through 59. It says this, "Jesus replied, 'If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim is your God, is the one who glorifies me.' Jesus said, 'Though you do not know Him, I know Him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him, and I keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day. He saw it, and was glad.' 'You are not yet 50 years old,' the Jews said to him, 'and you've seen Abraham?' 'I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am.' At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself slipping away, and he slipped away from the temple grounds.

01:21 There's an incredible thought that C.S. Lewis, I think, originated called "Lord liar or lunatic." And it goes like this. What if you or one of you or someone who's watching this, you know, stood up right now and announced to the rest of the, you know, your friends that you were, you know, Tiger Woods or Shaquille O'Neal or, you know, Michael Jordan or whatever. What would everyone's response be? I mean, I think they'd say "You're crazy!" and they'd tell you to sit down. You know, they'd say, "Hey man, you're kidding. You're lying." You know, no one would say, "Well, you know, your close," or "Maybe you're just, you know, a little confused, you know, but you may make it someday. You may be the Shaq one day."

02:04 Now, you know what? Claiming to be the best basketball player in the world, would take a liar or a nut, unless you really were what you claim to be. Folks, Jesus didn't claim to be just another prophet like some people say. He didn't claim to be just a good man with some great moral teachings. He didn't claim to be just another religion. He claimed to be God in the flesh. To the Jew who knew scripture well that was called blasphemy, and that's why Jesus was crucified. You know, look, today we all have a chance to ponder. Either Jesus was God, or He was lying, or He was crazy. You know, Easter morning and history stand as witness that He couldn't have been a liar. He couldn't have been a lunatic. There's been too much that's come as a result of His life. That leaves us with only one other choice. If He's not a liar, He's not lunatic, then He must be Lord.

03:10 And here's the questions for today. Why do many people try to lower Jesus to less than He claimed to be? And why is Jesus in a completely different class than Mohammad or Buddha, or Confucius, or any other religious leader of history? And then, and then lastly, if he is Lord, what does that mean to us? And most importantly, who do you say that Jesus is? And here's the lifeline for today: how can you help Jesus be the Lord of your home and your family today?