Richard Ellis Talks

Richard Ellis: People that are looking for life, and you got life, the person who claims to be life living in your physical body, and they are drawn to him, then you begin to speak of your life and how he has changed your life. It's almost impossible for them not to go, tell me your reason why you have so much hope.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Richard Ellis Talks with Richard Ellis. Thanks for allowing us to share this time with you. You may be stuck in traffic or stuck in life. Either way, today's message is going to help you get on the right track as you learn how much God loves you right where you are. Richard's unique style checks all the boxes with a lot of hope, insight, truth, and of course, humor. Today's talk with Richard will get our conversation started, but we want to keep it going with you. So let's stay in touch through our website, richardellis.com. But right now, let's go ahead and get right into today's talk. Here is Richard Ellis.

Richard Ellis: The title of today's message is Whack Jesus. Let me read you a quote and we'll jump in here. A.W. Tozer said, "Religious men who rejected Christ were not offended by irreligion, but by a holiness that exposed them."

Matthew 2, verse 13: "Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, 'Arise, take the young child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.'" So from the moment Jesus is born, in his first couple of years at least of his life, the enemy is trying to kill this kid.

Matthew chapter 12: "Now when he had departed from there, he went into their synagogue. And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?' that they might accuse him. Then he said to them, 'What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.' Then he said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, how they might destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all."

This word "destroyed" is used in another place. These are the people that God has on the planet running the people of Israel. They're waiting on Messiah; for forever they've waited for Messiah. Here he is, born of a virgin, Bethlehem, everything lines up, and he starts doing miracles, proving who he is, and they hated him. You do not want to be on the wrong side of whether you love or hate Jesus.

Unfortunately, as we'll see here repeatedly, you can almost not find anyone in Scripture who hates Jesus more than the Jewish religious leaders that were supposed to be leading people to Messiah. And this word here, by the way, "destroy" means destroy, kill, ruin, cause to perish, put an end to, remove completely, get rid of Jesus as a threat.

Matthew 26, verse 58. Jesus has been betrayed and now they've arrested him. "But Peter followed him at a distance." Don't be that. Don't be anybody who follows Jesus at a distance or from a distance. "He followed him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end. Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put him to death."

Now they don't just hate him, now they're trying to find people that will lie about him to get him killed. Come in and say something that we can accuse him of and say you saw this, you heard this, and we're going to put him to death. And they couldn't find anybody. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days,'" which he said, but he wasn't talking about the actual temple, he was talking about himself.

"And the high priest arose and said to him, 'Do you answer nothing? What is it these men testify against you?' But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to him, 'I put you under oath by the living God,'" in other words, by yourself, though he didn't know that's what he was saying, "'tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.'" Now, you say, well, they got it. Tell us if you're the Christ, the Son of God. If he had said, "I'm the Christ, the Son of God," they would have said, "Blasphemy," and now we've got reason to kill you, because they did not believe it.

Jesus said to him, "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest, the high priest, he's the guy, tore his clothes, saying, "He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? We don't need witnesses, it's out of his own mouth. Look, now you have heard his blasphemy! What do you think?" They answered and said, "He is deserving of death." Then they spat in his face and beat him, and others struck him with the palms of their hands, saying, "Prophesy to us, Christ!" mocking him as the Messiah, Christ, "who is the one who struck you?" What is up with these people? They want someone to die. The woman caught in adultery: "We caught her in the very act. The Book says to stone her, let's stone her." They've got this death wish toward people who they believe are out of line.

Matthew 27: "When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death. Therefore when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, 'Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?' For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy." So Pilate, the Roman ruler, he knows what's going on. What is the problem? They're jealous of Jesus. They turned him over to them, to Pilate, they're trying to get him killed, because they're jealous. Because people are following Jesus. They were not following the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the high priest.

The cool thing about being a Christian is nobody's making you follow Jesus but Jesus. And he ain't even making you follow Jesus. He makes himself so attractive, so irresistible, that you almost cannot not follow him unless you hate him like these people. He knew that they had handed him over because of envy. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with this just man." Look at that, listen to your wife. Have nothing to do with that just man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him. She's having dreams about this just man. Pilate, get away from this man.

"But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus," same word, destroy Jesus. "The governor answered and said to them, 'Which of the two do you want me to release to you?' They said, 'Barabbas!' Pilate said to them, 'What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?' They all said to him, 'Let him be crucified!' Then the governor said, 'Why, what evil has he done?' I've got to have something to crucify him over. But they cried out all the more, saying, 'Let him be crucified!'"

Luke 22: "Now the feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill him, for they feared the people." So what did they fear? Why did they fear the people? Because if they don't kill him, these people are going to start following the truth, and he has declared himself as the truth. The way, the truth, the life. And they're starting to say, "This is him." And if they follow him, they will not follow us. So we've got to get rid of him so they'll stick with us. They're scared. Envy, fear, hatred. Aren't these people supposed to be sitting around figuring out what God has to say to his people, not figuring out a way how to kill the Messiah?

Luke 22:1: "Now the feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill him, for they feared the people. Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him to them. And they were glad." Great, one of his own followers is going to betray him, we've got a way in. They're excited because they've got a way to get to Jesus and kill him. And they agreed to give him money. So he promised and sought opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of the multitude. What was their problem? We can't arrest him in front of all the people, we've got to find a time when he's not with the people. Well, Judas says, "I know where he goes and what he does. I'll tell you when he's going to be by himself, and you can snag him and you won't create a problem for yourselves."

Now what is so odd about this to me also is this: you think, well, God's going to, something's going to happen. Messiah's going to be born of a virgin, live a sinless life, ministry kicks in at thirty, thirty-three, it's going to be time for him to die on a cross, so he's going to use the Romans. They're going to stir up some problem, and he's going to use them to get him strung up. He did use them, but who's pushing this thing? It's the chief priests, it's the Pharisees, it's the last group you'd think are doing it. Make sure if God is going to use you, it's not in this way.

Now listen to me really closely. Make sure when you are doing something that you claim it's Jesus doing it, that it is actually Jesus doing it and not your religious self cranking something up that is going to create a problem. And I've done whack-a-mole evangelism. Does anybody know what whack-a-mole evangelism is? You just hit anything that's breathing. Just going to hit them with Jesus. You say, well, but shouldn't we talk to everyone? You should approach people the way Jesus would approach a person, because he lives in you and if you'll get out of the way, he'll approach them through you. But you don't approach everybody the same way.

Go read the examples of Jesus. John chapter 4, woman at the well. He doesn't pull up to the well and go, "You're going to hell because you have five husbands," just unload all the cannons on her. He starts talking about water. She's like, "What are you doing out here? What are you doing out here? Are you married?" "No." She's saying, "Yeah, you've had five husbands and you're living with some guy." He's easing into it. He gets around to it, and she believes. The whole village gets saved, it looks like. So it's not just hit everything that's breathing, because you can get wound up in a religious way and lose your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.

Alright, where were we? Luke 22:52: "Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to him, 'Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?'" This is when they arrested him according to Luke. "'When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize me, but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.'" So he's being arrested. They wouldn't take him, and what did Judas say? He said, "I'll betray him to him in a quiet place." I know where he's going to be, that was true, they came to get him, and Jesus looks at them and says, "This is your hour and the power of darkness." In other words, all of heaven has yielded to allow you this time and the power of darkness to do whatever it's going to do, and it's game on. And these religious rulers are going to use the Romans to get Jesus crucified and they're thinking, "We're done with him."

Now here's one of my perplexities about this briefly. What I can't figure out is how the devil is so stupid and was so desperate to get Jesus killed and maneuvered all of this, and he had to have been listening to Jesus teach. I mean, God made Satan, so it's not like they haven't known each other for eternity. Like you've got to know who you're dealing with. The religious people, no one factored in, "We're going to kill him, he's going to be dead." No one's thinking we're going to kill him and three days later he's going to come back from the dead. They've got a Lazarus problem, I'll read it to you in a minute. He's raised some dead people, so that's an option, but hopefully we're just going to kill this guy once for all and he's going to be dead and our problem's solved and we'll go on leading the people.

Huge mistake, as he was raised from the dead. But why would Satan push so hard to get him killed if he knew that Jesus would be raised from the dead? Because Jesus himself kept saying, "Go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, be crucified, be buried and raised from the dead." He's so eaten up with killing him, he doesn't factor in that he's going to come back from the dead. And dying, he defeats death, being raised from the dead, he defeats death, and now we have eternal life, abundant life.

And you say, well, so the devil was neutralized. Yes and no. Anybody in here still struggle with sin? Oh, we got almost 100 percent. So is it possible to live a sinless life? I don't know that that's the point, but it is possible to live a sin-less life. That is possible. So like all of you today in this room or wherever you're listening or watching beyond here, you're not on a quota system. Oh, it's already 10:00 and I should have sinned four more times. You don't have to wake up and be mean every day. You don't have to be bitter, you don't have to be angry. You can forgive and the load be gone.

Then what happens to you is if you're living that kind of life and you meet someone who doesn't even know that life is possible and you begin to speak to them of Jesus, they start seeing him. They start going, "You can't do this by yourself." And now all of a sudden they're getting pulled toward you, either repelled by you, that's possible too, I get that. But people that are looking for life, and you got life, the person who claims to be life living in your physical body, and they are drawn to him, then you begin to speak of your life and how he has changed your life. It's almost impossible for them not to go, "Tell me your reason why you have so much hope," instead of being some crazy religious person trying to get them to jump through some hoops you can't even jump through.

So back to Luke 22, I'm reading you the verses. I can't tell you technically how this goes down, but when Jesus says, "This is your hour and the power of darkness," they unleashed the Kraken on Jesus, beat him within an inch of his life, almost killed him before he even got to the cross.

John chapter 3, verse 19: "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." So if you're walking with Jesus, you're not better than anybody else, you're just walking with Jesus and the light's on. There are going to be people that used to run with you who will run from you because it's not you. You've got to stop thinking it's you. If the light's on and they prefer darkness to light, they're going to get away from the light, and you are the light.

So don't be, you think, well, what happened? Why do they? I want people to like me. It's not about having people like you, it's about people finding Jesus through your life. But when they get tired of the darkness, I guarantee you they come looking for light. And Jesus didn't say you have a light, he says you are the light of the world. So if the world is dark, it's because you're not being the light that I told you you are.

John chapter 5: "After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porches." So there's this guy, the story is, well, we'll just read it. Okay, so that's the scene. Go down to verse 14. So Jesus heals this guy who couldn't get to the water when it would stir, whoever got in first got healed. It's a crazy sounding story, but that's just how it worked. "Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, 'See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.' The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill him, because he had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, 'My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.' Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." Why did he say things like that? Because it's true, he is God.

John 7:1: "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for he did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him." So he was wise enough not to go where they were trying to kill him.

John chapter 8, let me just jump in here to read you these verses, verse 39: "They answered and said to him, 'Abraham is our father.' Jesus said to them, 'If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.'" And then at the end of that chapter, verse 58: "Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.'" Now he's in trouble. "Then they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by." So when he says "I AM," what is he claiming? "I'm God." "I AM THAT I AM" is quoting God, he's saying "I AM." By the way, they want him dead, they're trying to kill him. Here they took up stones to throw at him, but he got away. You're not killing Jesus till it's time for Jesus to die. You think, "Oh, heaven must be nervous, this is going to get out of the timetable." You ain't taking Jesus out till Jesus is ready. You say, "We're going to whack Jesus," not till it's time. Because even if you look at him dying on the cross, there are certain things that happen: the moon turns to blood, earthquakes, there's all kinds of things that's built into creation that go simultaneously with his crucifixion.

John chapter 10, another story here, Feast of Dedication, verse 31: "Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, 'Many good works I have shown you from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?' The Jews answered him, saying, 'For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself God.'" You would think they'd go, "He keeps claiming to be God, what if he is God?" Never occurred to them. And if you're not a believer and someone keeps telling you about Jesus and says that he's God, you go, "Well, that's not possible." What if it's really true? Give it a shot.

Just a few more and we're done. He has just raised Lazarus from the dead, he's been in the tomb for four days, I think it is. John 11:43: "Now when he had said these things, he cried with a loud voice," so Jesus says this, "'Lazarus, come forth!' And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Loose him, and let him go.' Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in him." So not all of them hated Jesus.

What is it going to take for you to believe Jesus is God? What's it going to take for you to go, "It's him! This is the guy! This is the Christ! This is the Messiah!" He's raising the dead. I don't think it's him. Who else can raise the dead but God? I don't need God to raise the dead, then why aren't you out in a cemetery raising the dead? Because you've got nothing. No one can raise the dead but God. So some of them believe, like, "Okay, I was skeptical, but no, he just raised Lazarus from the dead, I believe."

"But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, 'What shall we do? For this man works many signs. If we let him alone like this, everyone will' what? 'believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.'" They care more about their position, their place, their nation than people following Jesus.

And you think, oh, glad that's over. It's not over. There are people who care more about their churches, their little kingdoms, whether money's coming in, keeping everybody happy, scratching people's ears, telling them what they want to hear because if they tell you what the Book says you'll go, "I'm out," and take your money with you. I don't live that way. And that's very expensive, because you get up and say that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father but by him, people go, "I don't believe that," they're gone. They want somebody to tell them everybody's going to end up in heaven, it's all going to be okay. It's just not true.

"What are we going to do? We're going to lose our place and nation. And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, 'You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.'" This is crazy. This is Caiaphas. Now, he said true that, right? They're like, "What are we going to do?" He says, "Well, we're going to let this guy die because it's better for one person to die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." So, it may not be great, but we're going to figure out a way to get this guy out of here. If they had not killed Jesus, which is not possible, God had a way to get him killed, get him crucified. But think if they had just left Jesus alone. They couldn't do it.

"Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation." He didn't mean he's going to die in that way, though. "And not for the nation only, but also that he would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then from that day on, they plotted to put him to death." I'm not going to ask this question, but if you want someone dead this bad, you are completely jacked up. You've got problems. If all you sit around thinking about is how am I going to take this get this. Now there are people who live this way. They want revenge, they are angry, they want someone eliminated. This is no way to live.

John chapter 19, verse 10: "Then Pilate said to him," he's having this conversation with Jesus, "'Are you not speaking to me? Do you not know that I have power to crucify you, and power to release you?' Jesus answered, 'You could have no power at all against me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin.'" In other words, dude, you got nothing. Unless my Father basically, who is above, had given you this power to do what you're doing, you could not do this.

And then lastly, 1 Corinthians 2:7: "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."

Guest (Male): Richard will be back in a moment to wrap up today's talk. But first, I want to share a couple thoughts with you. Let's be honest, real life isn't about living some highlight reel for others to see. Most people have deep hurts, questions, and struggles. We get it and want to help you in any way we can. So let's keep this conversation going. Give us a call at 855-6-RICHARD or connect with us at our website, richardellis.com. You can even put in your prayer request right there on the prayer wall so others can pray for you as well. Call us at 855-6-RICHARD or online at richardellis.com. And now let's get back to Richard with a final word on today's show.

Richard Ellis: You say, well, I would not have been one of the people screaming, "Crucify!" I wouldn't have wanted him dead. Okay, so if you're one of the people that doesn't want him to die, then why don't you let him live in and through you? Why don't you say, "Okay, so he dies, buried, raised from the dead, and he's asking me to die, reckon myself dead unto sin, alive unto God, and if I die to myself, I'm going to experience resurrection life and I'm going to get on with the life God intended." Or do you have some place that you're protecting? Some sin you're protecting? Something you won't let go of?

I am yet to find a sin that cares more for me than Jesus. You say, well, my weed's good to me. It's not going to be as good to you as Jesus. You say my porn's good to me. It's not going to be as good to you as Jesus. You say my money's good to me. It's not going to be as good to you as Jesus. You say my pleasure is good to me. It's not going to be as good to you as Jesus. As my mama would say, get you some Jesus. You want to live a real life, an abundant life, the life that he intended. Get you some Jesus.

Guest (Male): This has been Richard Ellis Talks with Richard Ellis. The message of the Gospel is one we take very seriously in our mission to reach the planet, and you have a vital part of doing that along with us. If you've been encouraged by these talks with Richard, be sure to tell someone about the change they've made in your life. You can even share today's talk with them through the website, richardellis.com. And we'd love to hear your story as well as to how these talks have made a difference to you too. Give us a call at 855-6-RICHARD. You can also reach us through our website, richardellis.com. And while you're there, check out all the pages we've put together for you, richardellis.com. Also, be sure to click on the contribute tab to send your very generous gift. If the program is making a difference to you, your gift will make a big difference to us. Until next time, thanks so much for listening to Richard Ellis Talks.