Richard Ellis Talks

Richard Ellis: Today, on Richard Ellis Talks. Is there a God? You know what, you better pray there's not. Because if there's not one and it's just dust to dust, ashes to ashes, eat, drink and be married tomorrow we die, you'll be all right. But if there's a God, have mercy on your soul because this isn't a game. There's a real hell, there's a real heaven. You say, well, here he goes again trying to scare the hell out of us.

Richard Ellis: If I had to get down here on my knees, I'd beg because it's that serious.

Richard Ellis: You're listening to Richard Ellis Talks with Richard Ellis. Richard's style is unlike anyone else where he shares the life-changing message of the gospel in a way that's real, refreshing, focused, and fun. We know that life is pretty challenging these days, but these talks will help you meet those challenges head on with biblical truth, encouragement, and direction.

Richard Ellis: Now, if you're not able to stick around with us for all of today's talk, you can always listen to, download and even share this entire message with a friend right from our website, RichardEllis.com. So, let's jump right in with today's talk. Here is Richard Ellis.

Richard Ellis: At the University of Chicago Divinity School, each year they have what is called Baptist Day. It's a day when all the Baptist in the area are invited to the school because they want the Baptist dollars to keep coming in. On this day, each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area.

Richard Ellis: Every Baptist day, the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center. One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich. Dr. Tillich spoke for two and one half hours, proving that the resurrection of Jesus was false.

Richard Ellis: He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection, the religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional, mumbo jumbo because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions.

Richard Ellis: After about 30 seconds, an old dark-skinned preacher with a head of short cropped, woolly white hair stood up in the back of the auditorium.

Richard Ellis: Dr. Tillich, I got one question. He said as all eyes turned toward him. He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began to eat it.

Richard Ellis: Dr. Tillich, crunch, munch, the noise going, my question is a simple question. Crunch, munch, crunch, he's eating. I ain't never read them books you read, crunch, crunch, munch, and I can't recite the scriptures in the original Greek. Crunch, crunch, crunch. I don't know nothing about Niebuhr and Heidegger, crunch, munch. He finished the apple. All I want to know is, this apple I just ate, was it bitter or sweet?

Richard Ellis: Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion. I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple.

Richard Ellis: The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, neither have you tasted my Jesus.

Richard Ellis: The 1000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left the platform. Neither have you tasted my Jesus.

Richard Ellis: And guys, you can argue it, you can come up with all the stuff you want to come up with, but if you look into the eyes and watch the life of someone who truly knows Him as Lord and Savior, there's going to be a difference.

Richard Ellis: And I think part of what changes the world is the fact that God left the whole deal in our hands and he put the Holy Spirit in us as believers, and at some point, people hear the gospel and then they see the gospel in us and say, you know, there's got to be something to this.

Richard Ellis: All right, the title of today's talk is no doubt. K N O W doubt. Are there times when you know doubt? And see, it's interesting, some people say, well, if you're a Christian, there shouldn't be any time. You know, we're supposed to live by faith, not by sight. You ought to just believe God all the time for everything.

Richard Ellis: Let me tell you something, guys, there are times when I have questions and I have doubt. And I think for a minute, you know, and the devil, some of the times, the devil just puts stuff in your brain. And it's kind of like when kids start asking questions like, mommy, where did God come from? And you start running that through your little bitty 286, you know, head. And you're thinking, you know, I don't even know if there's a good answer for that.

Richard Ellis: And I can't even keep up with the question even and well maybe, what is this all about? So there's this God that has no beginning or end, and he created everything, but nobody created him and trying to tell a kid that, you're going, you know, I'm not even sure how to explain this. Have I lost my mind believing all this?

Richard Ellis: And then you stop and think, you know what, either I'm going to live by faith or I'm not. Maybe your deal isn't about doubt about where God came from, or if there is a God, but maybe it's just about whether he exists, whether he's real, whether all this stuff you're trusting in, standing on and believing, is worth believing.

Richard Ellis: I remember as a kid, I got saved at six. Then I got saved again, I thought, at about 14. Then I got saved again at about 16. And the preachers kept getting louder and hell kept getting hotter, and I kept getting more afraid, and you know, the next guy would scare the hell out of me a little bit more, and I'd go running down the aisle, you know, sobbing and pleading.

Richard Ellis: I had all these doubts and questions. I thought, well, maybe I didn't get it the whole deal and I was just terrified that I hadn't really trusted God. I had doubts about my salvation. Now, I'm not saying everybody has these, but sooner or later you're going to meet somebody who's got doubts about their salvation.

Richard Ellis: Now, I'm not saying you're in this boat right now, but how many of you have ever questioned whether you really were a Christian before? And most of these people probably really aren't saved. No, there's just times when you if you really get honest and you sit down, you say, well, that's a terrible thing to doubt that. No, scripturally, there's plenty of precedent for this kind of stuff.

Richard Ellis: And it's not like God doesn't understand. He's had to deal with us for a long, long time. I mean, he's been messing with people since Adam and Eve screwed up. I mean, this is a long time coming.

Richard Ellis: And I'm going to read you one of these passages today and I've been dealing with about things that happened after Jesus was raised from the dead. And one guy in particular here we're going to talk about a guy named Thomas, and let me just read it here in John 20:19 and following.

Richard Ellis: Then the same day at evening. This is the being the first day of the week when he was raised from the dead. I mean it's been a long day. Jesus has been showing up, disappearing, showing up. He's had a full day of just coming and going here. It says the same day in the evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews.

Richard Ellis: They're inside hiding from the Jews. Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, peace be with you. Again, this just me, peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. This may have anything to do with anything, but I got to think this week, what did he have on?

Richard Ellis: I think he had something on, but where did he get these clothes? And you know, now that I think about it, where do angels get their clothes? You know, you're told you're going to entertain angels every once in a while, but where are they getting these clothes? Is there like a clothes closet somewhere where they go get clothes? So they can appear. I mean, is it just that they make clothes and put them on or they've been wearing the same thing for like a thousand years? I mean.

Richard Ellis: Just one of those questions. Anyhow, so Jesus shows up. Jesus shows up, you know, just to kind of make it a little more personal. These guys he showed up to, they knew his body. Now think about this. For three years they have been together night and day, with a few exceptions. They probably all had to bathe in the same river. They knew this man.

Richard Ellis: They'd seen him hanging naked on a cross. So, if you spend three years with somebody, especially a bunch of guys, you know, you get pretty familiar. But they knew this man. They knew this body that he lived in. And when he showed them his hands and his side, I mean, whatever, he lifted up his clothes and said, you know, it's right here.

Richard Ellis: I mean, here's the mark. Here are my hands. And he's proven to them, I guess, they're going to want to know is this really him or not? Well, why in the world would somebody have these marks like he has? Then his disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, peace to you, as the Father has sent me, I also send you.

Richard Ellis: And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. Now, I don't want to chase this today, but some people say, well, he breathed on them there, what happened at Pentecost? In the garden, God took dust and he made a man. And there's this body, there's this thing that had blood, it had everything in it, but it missed something, it didn't have life, it didn't have a soul.

Richard Ellis: And it says that God breathed into that body and it became a soul, a life-giving soul. That's the first creation. Jesus is the first fruits of the second creation. The new man. He is the first one. He's the second man, the Bible says in 1st Corinthians 15. So, these guys, he breathes on them this same breath of life that he had breathed physically on them in the garden, Adam and Eve got.

Richard Ellis: Now he's and it's literally the word puff. He just breathes on it. I tell you, they knew something had hit him. I mean, some people got bad breath, but this is the real deal. I mean, this is This is powerful breath. He breathed on them and he said, receive the Holy Spirit. And then he gives them some authority. He says, if you forgive the sins of any, they're forgiven them.

Richard Ellis: If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Now, let me just say this parenthetically. That is dangerous power. Because if he told those disciples, if you forgive someone, they're forgiven. And if you don't forgive them, they're not. Well, tell you what, guys, you have the power then not to forgive, but that is dangerous power.

Richard Ellis: Now, who have you got the power to forgive and you haven't forgiven? Verse 24, Now Thomas called the twin, and I don't usually do this, but I'm going to just give you some interesting things here. Didymus. Thomas called Didymus or the twin, his name comes from a word that means twice. And you'll discover that him hearing about Jesus coming the first time wasn't enough.

Richard Ellis: It took twice. So I mean, he's living up to his name even in this deal. Thomas called the twin or Didymus, one of the 12, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, we've seen the Lord. Man, he was here. We saw him. So he said to them, look, unless I see his hands, the print of his nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand in his side, I will not believe.

Richard Ellis: Now that's a big statement. And how many people say to me, well, how do you believe in a God you've never seen? You know, you haven't seen him. What proof do you have? And the argument I usually come back with these people, I said, do you have electricity in your house? And they say, well, yeah. I said, but you probably know who use it, right?

Richard Ellis: They say, what do you mean? I say, well, nobody's ever seen it. They say, well, you have to have it, you turn the lights on, the light comes on. I said, no, you see the effects of the light, but nobody's ever seen electricity. And then they kind of get all disoriented a little bit. See, if you're going to believe in stuff you can only see, show me air.

Richard Ellis: See, we're all sitting here, you believe in air? Sure, show me the air. Just grab some. See, just grab some and bring it up here. You can't show me air. But we're sitting here moving through it and breathing what's in it.

Richard Ellis: If you're going to stop believing in stuff you can't see, you're in trouble. You're dead. I mean, you're going to have to hold your breath and just pray it works. You can't pray because you don't believe in that. So Thomas says, unless I see him and put and it's not just see him. He said, unless I see his hands and I put my if I don't touch what you touched, then I'm not going to believe.

Richard Ellis: That's it. So you got 11 of these guys, or 10 of them, because they haven't replaced Judas yet. You got 10 of them who have seen him and touched him, they believe, and one of them saying, I don't believe. So he's walking around for a week, it says here in a second, not believing. I'm not going to believe anything until I see it.

Richard Ellis: And after eight days, his disciples were again inside and this time Thomas is with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, same scenario, and he stood in the midst and he said, peace to you. Then he said to Thomas. Now he isn't this, you know, isn't it nice? God doesn't forget anything. Jesus has been wherever he was for eight days now.

Richard Ellis: And the second he shows up, he says, now let's just pick up where we left off, because you may not have seen me, but I was here and I heard the whole conversation and you've been living a whole week without believing in me, like I'm not back. Well, here I am. Now I got something to say to you. So he said to Thomas, reach your fingers here.

Richard Ellis: You said you want to touch me? Touch me. And look at my hands. And reach your hand here and put it into my side and do not be unbelieving, but believing. Now there's another passage in Acts where Peter, I think, is speaking. And he says that Jesus didn't reveal himself to everyone, but just to a few chosen witnesses.

Richard Ellis: Okay? So there were a few people who actually saw Jesus in the flesh after he was raised from the dead. And they are witnesses. And if you're going to have a courtroom and try to prove this, you'd bring in the witnesses who actually saw him. Now the question is, did he really raise from the dead? Do you have doubts about that?

Richard Ellis: And if he really is alive, who are you believing? You're trusting a certain number of witnesses. So in some ways, we sit as a jury and say, okay, is there enough evidence? And I've heard story after story, skeptic after skeptic who pursue this and research it and take the documented facts in the scripture and analyze it and come out saying, you know what, there's no way that he could be dead, he has to be alive.

Richard Ellis: There's no way they could have concocted this. The evidence is too great. The facts are so and so convincing that Jesus has got to be alive. And people who went into it trying to disprove it, come out on the other side proving it. So he says, touch me, don't be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, and God, I'm going through this kind of quick.

Richard Ellis: But guys, this is where if you start with doubt, this is where you end up. After he saw him and he touched him, Thomas looked at him and said, my Lord and my God. And if you go look up this word Lord, and it's not just some word you leave in or leave out, he to a person or thing belongs about which he has power of deciding master Lord, the possessor and disposer of a thing, the owner, one who has control of the person, the master.

Richard Ellis: In the state, the sovereign, prince, chief, the Roman emperor, is a title of honor expressive of respect and reverence with which servants salute their masters. This title is given to God, the Messiah. So when he says, my Lord. He didn't just say Lord, he said, my Lord. He says, I believe that you are my Lord, and I acknowledge you as my God.

Richard Ellis: My Lord and my God. And guys, it is not enough to believe in a Lord somewhere, because he's Lord whether you believe it or not. And to believe that there is a God. You believe a God exists. The Bible says that demons in hell believe in God, tremble at his name. And I have people all the time say, I believe in God. I say, oh, well, you and the demons are running neck and neck now.

Richard Ellis: You know, you're going to have to take it a little bit beyond the demons. See, you believe in God, but is he your Lord and is he your God? You say, well, what difference does that make? It makes all the difference. At that moment, Thomas said, I believe. You got me. And I see you and I know what you and I believe.

Richard Ellis: Now, so you say, well, sure, easy for him. If I'm sitting in a room and Jesus shows up, my doubts are probably go away too. Then why haven't they gone away? Because see, I've sat in some rooms this week where he's shown up. And I'll try to tell this as if I can, but I had the unfortunate privilege of burying two people two days ago at the same time.

Richard Ellis: A mama and her daughter and the grandmama, who's the only survivor, sitting on the front row. You might have heard the story in the news about the mom who shot the daughter and then turned the gun on herself. There were two busloads of school children in the room. It happened to be in a large black church in South Dallas, because that's the only place they had room to hold all these people.

Richard Ellis: And I kind of looked both ways and I said, you know, I don't know who's in here and I don't want to upset this pastor, but I'm going to talk to these kids. And I took a deep breath and I said, you know, to those kids, I said, death sucks. Now they understood that. And the preacher was a little nervous, but I don't think that word had been used in that building.

Richard Ellis: What do you say? What do you say? There are times if Jesus doesn't show up, you're toast. That was one of those moments when you said, Lord, and the title of my deal that day was, help Jesus, help. Because there are times and places in your life, and I talked to a woman recently who was raised, knowing about Christ and church, and she got away, went off to college, chased after everything there was, every religious thing.

Richard Ellis: And her life started falling apart and one day she was in trouble and all she could get out was help Jesus, help. Jesus, that's the only name that came to her mind. Isn't it funny how when people are cussing, that's the only name they can come up with. And when they're crying out for help, it's the only name they can come up with.

Richard Ellis: We use the same name to bless and curse. The same tongue. But there are times, guys, when you call on his name, and I'm going to tell you what, he's there. You say, well, I don't believe that. Well, you've never tasted my Jesus then. Because I've been in places where there's no other explanation. I've had people come to church.

Richard Ellis: A woman came for a long time to church. She says, I'd come into the church and sit down and I'd start crying and shaking and I'd have to leave. I couldn't come back. She couldn't come back for a year. And finally she came back and the other day became a Christian in a Starbucks. And I said, let me tell you something. I said, that crying and shaking, that wasn't me.

Richard Ellis: I said, you're in the presence of an almighty God. And until you make him your Lord and your God, you are in trouble. And Thomas sees and he believes. And you say, well, that's easy. But look at what else Jesus said to them at that point. Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you believed.

Richard Ellis: Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Now who are they? That's us. And Jesus said, blessed. And if you go back over, I think it's in John 17 when he prayed for us. In verse 20, he said, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you, and they also may be one in us, and that the world may believe that you sent me.

Richard Ellis: Jesus, before he ever left, before he ever died, was already praying, and he is still praying. He ever lives to make intercession for us. You think he's up there flying around heaven having a good time, guys? He is seated at the right hand of the Father and hadn't stopped praying since he got there. For you and for me.

Richard Ellis: And when we pray and get in that stream and say, all right, Father, in Jesus' name, I'm coming in. I mean, it's like having a T1 line to heaven or DSL, if that's all you got. I mean, it is like tapping in and saying, Father, I am tying into Jesus' prayers already praying. And I'm telling you specifically, this is what's happening and I need your help.

Richard Ellis: And I'm praying in Jesus' name. That activates the power and stuff happens. And he says, blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed. And then verse 30, And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

Richard Ellis: That's what it's all about. And I do want to read you one of the verse down in 1st Peter 1:6-9. Listen close. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love.

Richard Ellis: You talk about a love story, guys. You hear somebody fall in love with somebody they've written to, never seen, and then one day they see him, it's an awesome thing. You have fallen in love with someone you have never seen. And they've written love letters and you talk back and forth, but you've never seen him.

Richard Ellis: Though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. Guys, I don't know what your doubts are. And I promise you, if you're in a tough spot, you know, it's not hard to believe in God if you just want, you know, a new car or something.

Richard Ellis: That's easy. Oh, there is a God. Praise the Lord. You know, funny how everybody believes in God when things are going good. But if your husband just walked out on you or your wife just took the kids and left, or your husband just took the kids and left, it can happen either way. Or you just got fired, or they're about to repossess your car, or you're not sure when you go home tonight if the lights and the phone will be on, or if the water's going to be running, or if you're going to have money to buy gas to get to work tomorrow or ride the bus.

Richard Ellis: You say, well, who's he talking to? More people than you think. Because see, I've been there. I'm going to have to run to the ace tonight. Get my lights turned back on. I might have to sell my wedding ring to get some money. And in moments like that, you say, you know what, God? I haven't seen you and I believe, but I'm a little shaky today.

Richard Ellis: Because it's getting pretty hot down here. And I need some encouragement that you're really there. Not really there, that you're really here and you haven't left me and it's going to be all right. And see, people in heat like that, under that kind of burden, they're not worried about next week. They're worried about today.

Richard Ellis: They're concerned about today. And we're going to make it through another day. That grandmother, whose daughter and grandchild, I buried the day that they were killed, I called her house, and the first things out of her mouth, this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. That better be all you have to say, but you better be able to say it from your heart or you won't make it.

Richard Ellis: And some of you are sitting out there sucking air pretty bad. You say, you know what, what the heck are you talking about? I don't know anybody like you know. You seem to know somebody I don't know. You seem to be in love with somebody I'm not in love with. You seem to have something I don't have. What have you got and where did you get it?

Richard Ellis: It's available to any and everybody. Before Richard comes back to wrap things up for us today, I'd like to share a couple of important things with you. Let me encourage you to take a minute and check out our website, RichardEllis.com. You'll find today's talk right there in the talks page along with all of Richard's audio and video messages.

Richard Ellis: You can even forward them to a friend so they can hear them too. You'll also find the prayer wall to add your prayer requests, a link so you can connect with us, the contribute page for you to be able to give to this ministry, all of our social media links and much more. So check it out, RichardEllis.com. And Richard's back now to wrap up today's talk.

Richard Ellis: You see, if you think Christians have doubts, you ought to get in a non-believer's head for a while. Is there a God? You know what, you better pray there's not. Because if there's not one and it's just dust to dust, ashes to ashes, eat, drink and be married tomorrow we die, you'll be all right. But if there's a God, have mercy on your soul because this isn't a game.

Richard Ellis: There's a real hell, there's a real heaven. You say, well, here he goes again trying to scare the hell out of us. Let me tell you something, guys. If I had to get down here on my knees, I'd beg because it's that serious. And I had an auditorium full of school age kids, 12, 13 year olds that I knew and I said to the grandmother, I said, God may have allowed this to get those kids, 100 something kids in a room, maybe the only chance they'd get to hear that God loved them and that Jesus died for them.

Richard Ellis: And this may be my last chance or your last chance to be a witness or to become a witness of who he is and what he's done. So, as long as I stand here, you'll hear this. As long as I have breath, Lord willing, then I'll want you to know him and I'll tell you about him, because there's no other way.

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Richard Ellis: Call us at 855-6-Richard or you can contribute through the website, RichardEllis.com. That's 855-6-Richard or RichardEllis.com. Until next time, thanks for listening to Richard Ellis Talks.