Richard Ellis Talks

Richard Ellis: And what stuns me is I say, "Okay, well God knew I was coming, and God knew that I would be born, and God chose to love me anyway." And he knew I would be a little kid and I would trust him and then I would screw up, and then I'd screw up again, I'd confess it, and it gets me all the way to today. And then I have to be aware that if I live another 20, 30 years, he already knows every screw-up that's coming.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Richard Ellis Talks with Richard Ellis. We're so grateful you've tuned into the program. Richard wants to share with you some encouragement, words of hope, and probably a laugh or two. And in today's complicated, busy life, that's exactly what's needed.

Richard's talks are always straight from the Bible, filled with truth. Now, you may not be able to hang out with us for the entire program, but you can always pick it back up at our website, richardellistalks.com. In fact, you can find all of Richard's talks right there waiting just for you, richardellistalks.com. So with today's talk, here's Richard Ellis.

Richard Ellis: The title today's message is TiVo. Now let me tell you where I'm going with this. This isn't just some book, and you're going to have to just go with me and get your head around this a little bit. Basically, all of time and eternity has already been TiVo-ed. It's finished. And I'll read you the verse in Revelation when we get there. You're dealing with not only the Alpha, you're dealing with the Omega as well. So it's already done.

How is that possible? Well, you are living out what is already done. You say, "Well, that means I have free will, but do I really have free will?" It means you have free will, but he already knows the stupid things you're going to do before you do them. What's the point if it's already done? You still have to live it out. You say, "Well, that could be hopeless because maybe some people never do the right thing." Exactly.

So you say, "Well, then maybe I should try, like maybe that's what God wants me to do anyway." Don't try to figure it out. Just do the right thing. But it is already done. So when you read the scriptures, there are places in scripture that you read it and he gives you little glimpses of what's coming, and some big glimpses. You say, "Well, I don't get anything out of the Bible." You better go digging because your future is in here.

What takes care of your past is in here, the way you're going to make it right now through today is in here, and your future is in this book. You say, "Well, but it's too complicated." It ain't that complicated. Do some homework. You can figure this out. There's a lot riding on this. And you can prevent a lot of problems that are coming your way if you'd just read the directions, the operator's manual.

Turn to Isaiah chapter 7. Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel." You say, "Well, but he could have been talking about anybody." How many virgins do you know having babies? Right? So you would think that if this is stated, that sooner or later here's the sign, the first and last time you ever see a virgin having a baby, that's the guy. Pay attention. So all of a sudden a virgin shows up hundreds of years later, and it's Messiah. It's literally God with us.

Go to Isaiah 9:6, a few pages over. Isaiah 9:6: "For unto us a child is born." Okay, no big deal, a child is born all the time. "Unto us a son is given," gets more specific. "And the government will be on his shoulders, and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor," and here's where you say, well, so far no big deal maybe, "Mighty God." That ain't just somebody. That's Mighty God. "Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Now go to Matthew chapter 1. Matthew chapter 1, verse 23. So you fast forward hundreds of years and what do you get? "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel," which is translated God with us. Boom, this baby shows up.

Luke 1, go to Luke 1, verse 26. "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth," the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy in the context here, "to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David." And by the way, the house of David here, one of the reasons she's engaged to Joseph, other than he would take on this kid and raise it, is that he is of the house and lineage of David, which got them to Bethlehem, which we'll get to in a minute.

The fact that she was engaged to him and he, when the taxation was called for, he would go back to his hometown, which is Bethlehem. And that's how you get the Virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus, the Messiah. Who she picked to marry and have raised as the stepfather of this child is important because that's how they get to Bethlehem. So you say, "Joseph, no big deal." He's a big deal.

"To a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, the virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women.'" But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus."

And then she goes on down a few verses: "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" So she acknowledges, "I'm a virgin." And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God."

You say, "I do not believe that." And what is so astonishing is that there are people even back then who didn't believe it either. They see Jesus, the miracles, everything. Some people saw him die on a cross, be buried, raised from the dead, the whole thing. And you say, "If I'd seen it, I'd believe it." No, you wouldn't. It still has to be by faith. Seeing is not believing. Believing is seeing.

Go back to Isaiah chapter 53, verse 6. "All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned, every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Now think about this. This is Isaiah. What is he talking about? Laid on him, who is there that you could lay the iniquity of us all on? Jesus hasn't even been born yet.

But it doesn't mean that he doesn't exist and that the decision has already been made before the foundation of the world was poured, that he was going to be the Lamb of God that would take on the sin of the world. This stuff is pre-done. There is a plan. And what stuns me is I say, "Okay, well God knew I was coming, and God knew that I would be born, and God chose to love me anyway."

And he knew I would be a little kid and I would trust him and then I would screw up, and then I'd screw up again, I'd confess it, and it gets me all the way to today. And then I have to be aware that if I live another 20, 30 years, he already knows every screw-up that's coming. And he still stays with me now. You say, "Well, I'm going to do good from now to the grave." No, you're not. You've been saying that for years.

You may get better, you may improve, you may sin less, but you are probably not going to be sinless. So you're in process and he has allowed for that. And you're going to be a screw-up, and you're going to screw up, and it's going to be messy. But you keep moving, you keep fighting, you keep trusting, you keep believing, you keep going back to scripture and say, "Okay, now what did the direction say? Because this is not working my way."

And you say, "Okay, yeah, that's it, that's what works." Because you run your head in the ground over and over and you've plowed it into the ground and it doesn't work. You go, "Okay, God, quit, uncle, uncle, okay, I'm stupid and stubborn, but enough already." You can always tell the people who've really had enough. You know how? They repent. They're not just sorry.

People who have had enough repent. It turns them around. It points them in another direction. They actually change their mind and go, "You know what? I don't want to go there anymore." It doesn't mean they can't or they don't think about it, or that they don't ever, but it stops. It reduces dramatically from where they were headed, what they were doing.

Isaiah 53, keep reading. "He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." And you go read the account of the crucifixion, go to any of the Gospels almost, you can get this in here, Matthew especially.

"He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare his generation? He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people he was stricken. And they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death, because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he has put him to grief. When you make his soul an offering for sin," there's no soul that can be an offering for sin but Jesus, "he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand."

"He shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many," who's going to justify anybody? Only Jesus. "For he shall bear their iniquities," only Jesus. "Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors," hanging on a cross, two guys on either side, "and he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors."

You think you've got to have faith? You know what these people listening to Isaiah read had to believe? They had to believe in a Messiah that would come someday after they had died. They had to believe when they read that, they had to believe and understand: "I am a sinner. I can go to the temple once a year, the priest can make atonement, but ultimately for this all to be removed, the Messiah, the anointed one, the Lamb slain will have to come."

And when he comes, even when I am in the grave, my faith in the future connected with him will save me. You say, "Well, I don't want to believe that, that's too hard." All you've got to do is read the Bible and go, "It's done." It's so simple. Jesus already came. He already died. He already was buried. He already has been raised from the dead. Your ticket is punched if you'll just hand it to him.

And you can be saved. You can be rescued. You can have eternity with God forever. You can have an abundant life. You don't have to look forward to being saved; you can look back to something that happened, believe it, and now move forward. I'm not waiting for him to show up the first time; I'm waiting for him to show up the second time.

You say, "Well, how do you know he's coming back the second time?" Because it's in here. Acts chapter 8, 32. About Philip being called out to the treasurer of Ethiopia on his way back to North Africa from Jerusalem. The guy's so rich he has a copy of the book of Isaiah. The place in the scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, as a lamb before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. In his humiliation his justice was taken away, for his life was taken."

So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this? Who is he talking about? I don't understand. Of himself or some other man?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this scripture, who did he preach? Jesus, because that's who he was talking about. And now it's come full turn, and this guy now after Jesus has come, died, buried, raised from the dead, now Philip can say, "This is who Isaiah was talking about, it's already happened, all you've got to do is believe."

And what happens? You keep reading, he believes, he says, "Here's water, what prevents me from being baptized?" Boom, he gets baptized, he's in. Psalm 22, Old Testament. Psalm 22, verse 16. "For dogs have surrounded me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet." Go to 22:18. The track of this, look at these things, and then we're going to the New Testament. "They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots."

Go to Matthew 27. Matthew 27, and let's look at verse 35. Now track with me. You've got the psalmist writing stuff. You fast forward hundreds of years. Jesus has been arrested, beaten within an inch of his life. Forget the crucifixion; the whooping he took before that. Being crucified might have been easy compared to the beating he took, almost killing him there. So he takes the sins of everyone who had lived, was living, and going to live and takes that load, and then he dies carrying that load. That's a nightmare.

Because now you're dealing with someone who knew no sin, who literally the Bible says became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. That's amazing. So you've got them arresting him, all this stuff's going down, and here's what you have to really think about very carefully. You don't have a bunch of Roman, you don't have Pilate having a conference room, calls everybody in and says, "Okay everybody, it's game on, we've got this big weekend ahead and here's what's going to happen."

"We've got these points to cover. We've got to pierce his hands. We can't just be killing this guy because in Psalm 22 we've got the piercing thing. Everybody on the same page? You guys going to do the hammering thing? Make sure we've got holes, we've got to have holes. And by the way, when you get his clothes, point number two, you've got to be under the cross gambling for his clothes because in Psalm 22:18 we have to cover that point."

There's nobody sitting around having a meeting saying, "We've got to make sure we make prophecy come true." They're just doing their deal. But yet what happens? It happens. You say, "Whoa, maybe there is some credence to this." It's going to take a little more faith than that. Just wait until I read you the stuff in a minute. Micah chapter 5. Micah chapter 5, verse 2.

He says, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you were little among the thousands of Judah," in other words, just a little bitty town, "yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting." Can't be anybody but Messiah. So you've got Jesus and he's got to be born in Bethlehem. And if you read in the New Testament, there's some discussion amongst the religious leaders at some point where they say, "But this guy's from Galilee, he can't be the Messiah."

Do your homework. Just ask a simple question: "Where were you born?" Bethlehem. There's your answer. They don't want that answer. "We're trying to write this guy off, we don't want to believe in him." Matthew chapter 2, Jesus born in Bethlehem of Judea. Luke 2, same thing here, verse 4. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David.

And that's where he had to be registered with his wife who was betrothed to him, and she gave birth while she's there. So we've got Jesus born in Bethlehem. It's too crazy. And you can't say, "Well, that was the government called for a big taxation so that Joseph would have to go to Bethlehem so Jesus would be born the right place." It's crazy stuff. That's not how this went down. It's just God is sovereign. He is in control.

So much so that even my little life, your little life, you say, "Well, why did he let that happen and what's going on?" And you say, "Well, I'm just nobody." You want to see a nobody? Go talk to Mary. She was nobody. She's just some little kid who got picked. You say, "Well, nobody picked me." Yes, they did. Yes, they did. You got picked. "Well, I didn't have any baby. I don't have any baby Jesus in me." Yeah, you do. Yeah, you do.

And you say, "Well, I'm not a Christian. What are you people talking about like you're possessed?" Exactly. We are possessed. We are owned. We have someone living in us. The difference is when you're possessed by Jesus, he never kicks the door down. When you're possessed by the devil, the devil runs your life. When you're possessed by Jesus, you have to choose to let him run. He will ride until the day you die, but if you want him to drive, you've got to make him Lord.

Go to Revelation chapter 1. I'm going to blow through these left to right. Revelation 1:1: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to show his servants things which must shortly take place." You say, "Well, this was written a couple thousand years ago. What do you mean shortly?" A day is like a thousand years, so a couple days have gone by. Heaven ain't worrying about time. In eternity, time just goes.

And he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God. So this guy John, poor John seeing all this, trying to understand, he just writes down what he sees. "And to the testimony of Jesus Christ to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy." So you're blessed because I'm reading it to you. You read it or you hear it. But then look at the rest of it: "And keeps those things which are written in it, for the time is near." Read it and keep it.

Don't read it for entertainment. Say, "God, speak to me, show me what is coming." Because if you read this book alone and you say, "I believe this is what's coming," you will live your life differently trying to prepare people for what's coming shortly. Down verse 7: "Behold, he is coming with clouds and every eye will see him, even they who pierced him will see him." Jumping around here, go to verse 19: "Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this."

He's showing John, he's saying, "Look, write it down." Why? "Write the things which you have seen. I'm showing you stuff, and the things which are right now, and the things which will take place after this." He's saying, "I want you to write down what you see because this is the future." It's basically TiVo. It's all done, and John got to watch the game before it ever happened, which is crazier than imagine.

If somebody could have walked around the Titanic handing out little leaflets and saying, "Couple of days, ship will sink. God bless you. Good luck. Iceberg. I know it's crazy, unsinkable, God bless you. Please read the pamphlet. I'm just saying." You'd go through the boat, you'd hand everybody a pamphlet you could, right? Because we're all going to die. It'll be okay. Get you a big vest, put a mattress around you, something, be ready.

People go, "Ah, you're crazy." If you actually knew the ship was going to go down, why wouldn't you warn somebody? Either because you've got a death wish, or you don't actually believe it, or you just don't care. You say, "Well, you don't have to get all crazy." I didn't say anything about getting crazy. You just pull up next to somebody and say, "Hey, you know what? This may sound like the craziest thing you've ever heard, but I'll read this to you. What do you think about that? What if that's actually true? What if it is going to happen this way? Have you thought about that? What if this isn't just some crazy book? What if it's the deal?"

Then you have a rational conversation and the person goes, "Well, what do I do?" Well, you get in a boat and hide, so when the thing sinks you're already in the lifeboat. Get a lifeboat. Are you in the boat? Not the one that's sinking, the one that's not going to sink. See, it's all pretty simple. It's just we get distracted.

Revelation 4. Revelation 4:1: "After these things I looked and behold a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me saying, 'Come up here and I will show you things which must take place after this.'" Let me show you the future. How are you going to do this? He's God.

Revelation 6, verse 12. He says, "I looked when he opened the sixth seal and behold, there was a great earthquake." Now let me tell you something. I believe every word of this. I believe a sixth seal, whatever that means, will be broken and there will be a great earthquake. "And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind," which means when you shake it, they drop like rocks.

Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain, look at this, every mountain and island was moved out of its place. That's a great earthquake. "And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of his wrath has come and who is able to stand?'"

I'll tell you who's able to stand: somebody that doesn't have any reason to be afraid. I have no reason to fear my God. Why would I fear a God who sent his only son to die for me? Revelation chapter 8, a couple of verses in this chapter. Verse 6: "So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound."

The first angel sounded, look at this, just simple little things: "And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up." You ever been in a country where all the green grass was gone? I have. "The second angel sounded: something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed."

"Then the third angel sounded: a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch. It fell on a third of the waters and of the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and men died from the water because it was made bitter. Then the fourth angel sounded: and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened; a third of the day did not shine and likewise the night."

Guest (Male): We'll get back to Richard in a moment to close out today's talk. But first, I want to share something with you about the program. Our mission is actually very simple: to take the planet. So it's our prayer that these daily talks from Richard aren't something you only hear and enjoy, but that they inspire you to share with others. Together, we can do this.

The message of the gospel is something everyone needs to hear. And that's why it's a huge priority to us. And you can join us in this important mission. Call us at 855-6-RICHARD to say you're in, or you can get on board with us through our website, richardellistalks.com. Well, here's Richard with some closing thoughts for us.

Richard Ellis: It ain't all bad, unless you don't know him. Then you're in a heap of trouble. Listen to this and then we're done. Revelation 21, verse 1. And imagine John being shown all this and writing all this down and seeing it and writing and seeing and writing. He's not just hearing about it; he is being shown these things. "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth." You know why you need a new earth? Because this one's been obliterated.

"For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away; also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Look, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will deliver them and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'" That'd be nice right there. Just that.

"There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Then he who sat on the throne said, "Look, behold, I make all things new." It's a do-over. And he said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." And he said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts."

Guest (Male): Thanks for tuning in today to Richard Ellis Talks. We all have busy schedules these days, so it means the world to us that you would take this time to listen. Richard would love to know how today's talk has touched your heart. So give us a call at 855-6-RICHARD. 855-6-RICHARD. You can also share your story with us at our website, richardellistalks.com.

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We believe that these talks with Richard are making a difference in your life. So this is how you can make a difference to ours. You can contribute by calling 855-6-RICHARD or at our website, richardellistalks.com. Thank you for your generosity. God bless and thanks for listening to Richard Ellis Talks.