IT IS RESURRECTION TIME; IT IS

EASTER.

SO, HAPPY EASTER TO YOU, AND I

TRUST THAT YOU HAVE AN

UNDERSTANDING OF THE FULL

BLESSING THAT IS BROUGHT TO US

THROUGH THE RESURRECTION OF

JESUS CHRIST.

WE'VE GOT A BROADCAST TO SHARE

WITH YOU TODAY THAT WILL ANSWER

THE QUESTION THAT MANY PEOPLE

HAVE LIKE WHAT IS GOD'S WILL?

HOW CAN I KNOW HIS WILL?

THE BIBLE SAYS THAT JESUS IS THE

EXACT EXPRESSION OF THE FATHER.

JESUS SAID, "IF YOU'VE SEEN ME,

YOU'VE SEEN THE FATHER."

HE IS THE WILL OF GOD IN ACTION.

WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A CLOSE LOOK

AT JESUS.

THIS IS GOING TO BE A BLESSING

FOR YOU.

[MUSIC]

THEY WERE JUST SINGING THAT

SONG, "JESUS IS ALIVE".

I DID NOT ALWAYS KNOW THAT.

NO ONE EVER TOLD ME.

OR IF THEY DID, SOMEHOW I MISSED

IT.

I HAD NEVER BEEN SPOKEN TO

REGARDING THE PLAN OF SALVATION.

AND I WAS SPIRITUALLY HUNGRY.

I REALIZED THAT THERE WAS A

HUNGER IN ME, AND I WAS LOOKING

FOR GOD.

I WAS LOOKING FOR ANSWERS IN

LIFE.

BUT I WAS LOOKING IN ALL THE

WRONG PLACES.

AND I HAD A MENTAL LIST OF

RELIGIONS AND SPIRITUAL

DISCIPLINES, AND I WAS LOOKING

INTO THEM ONE BY ONE.

AND, I MEAN, I DID EVERYTHING

FROM DRIVE UP TO THE TOP OF A

MOUNTAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF A

SNOWSTORM TO VISIT A LADY THAT

CLAIMED SHE TALKED TO ALIENS

THAT CAME OVER PERIODICALLY IN

FLYING SAUCERS TO PRACTICING

KUNDALINI YOGA, TO PRACTICING

NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIONS, TO

PRACTICING A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER

THINGS.

AND CHRISTIANITY AND JESUS

ACTUALLY, IT WAS ON MY LIST, ON

MY MENTAL LIST, BUT IT WAS DEAD

LAST.

I HAD NO IDEA HE WAS ALIVE.

NO ONE HAD EVER TOLD ME THAT.

AND I STILL REMEMBER THE NIGHT

IN THE LITTLE STREET MISSION,

WHEN HE MADE HIMSELF REAL TO ME,

HOW UTTERLY STUNNED I WAS ON A

COUPLE OF LEVELS.

ONE, BECAUSE OF THE WAY HE MADE

HIMSELF REAL TO ME.

BUT, SECONDLY, JUST BECAUSE HE

WAS ALIVE.

I WAS SHOCKED.

AND THEN, THIRDLY, BECAUSE NO

ONE HAD EVER TOLD ME.

AND I'M CERTAIN THAT I MUST HAVE

GONE TO SCHOOL WITH SOME PEOPLE

THAT KNEW JESUS WAS ALIVE.

I'M CERTAIN I MUST HAVE WORKED

AT SOME PLACES WITH PEOPLE THAT

KNEW THAT JESUS WAS ALIVE.

BUT NO ONE EVER TOLD ME.

AND SO I JUST REMEMBER BEING

ABSOLUTELY STUNNED.

AND NOW I'VE FOLLOWED JESUS FOR

OVER 37 YEARS, AND I'VE LEARNED

A FEW IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT HIM

IN NEARLY FOUR DECADES.

AND I WANT TO SHARE SEVEN OF

THOSE THINGS WITH YOU TONIGHT

THAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT MY

SAVIOR THAT MAKE ME LOVE HIM

EVEN MORE.

AND I FEEL THEY ARE REALLY

IMPORTANT.

ARE YOU READY?

NUMBER ONE, I FOUND OUT THAT HE

IS THE PERFECT EXPRESSION OF THE

FATHER.

THAT WAS HUGE FOR ME.

JOHN, CHAPTER 14, VERSE 7.

JESUS IS SPEAKING: "IF YOU HAD

KNOWN ME, YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN

MY FATHER ALSO; AND FROM NOW ON

YOU KNOW HIM AND HAVE SEEN HIM."

PHILIP SAID TO HIM, "LORD, SHOW

US THE FATHER, AND IT IS

SUFFICIENT FOR US."

JESUS SAID TO HIM, "HAVE I BEEN

WITH YOU SO LONG, AND YET YOU

HAVE NOT KNOWN ME, PHILIP?

HE WHO HAS SEEN ME HAS SEEN THE

FATHER; SO HOW CAN YOU SAY,

'SHOW US THE FATHER'?

HE THAT HAS SEEN ME HAS SEEN THE

FATHER.

HEBREWS 1:3 SAYS THAT JESUS

REFLECTS GOD'S OWN GLORY AND

THAT EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM

REPRESENTS GOD EXACTLY.

HE IS THE EXACT REPRESENTATION

OF GOD'S NATURE AND CHARACTER.

YOU COULD SAY IT THIS WAY: JESUS

IS THE WILL OF GOD IN ACTION,

JESUS IS THE NATURE OF GOD IN

ACTION, AND JESUS IS THE

CHARACTER OF GOD IN ACTION.

TO SEE JESUS IS TO SEE THE

FATHER.

HAVING SAID THAT, I HAVE A

QUESTION FOR YOU: DO YOU EVER

READ IN THE BIBLE WHERE JESUS

EVER MADE ANYONE SICK, OR HURT

ANYONE?

NO, BUT WE DO READ IN THE BIBLE

HOW THE DEVIL DOES THOSE THINGS

TO PEOPLE.

WE READ HOW SATAN TORMENTED

PEOPLE, MADE THEM SICK, ROBBED

THEM, AND DIMINISHED THEM.

AND YET WE READ THAT JESUS

RESISTED THE DEVIL.

HE CAST OUT DEMONS.

HE BROKE THE DEVIL'S HOLD OVER

PEOPLE.

IN FIRST JOHN 3:8 IT SAYS, "FOR

THIS PURPOSE THE SON OF GOD WAS

MANIFESTED, THAT HE MIGHT

DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL."

JESUS RESTORED.

HE HEALED.

HE LIBERATED.

HE LIFTED, AND HE BLESSED

PEOPLE'S LIVES.

AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF HIS

STRONGEST REBUKES AND MOST

FRIGHTENING WARNINGS WERE GIVEN

TO THOSE WHO ACCUSED HIM OF

BEING IN LEAGUE WITH THE DEVIL,

OF COOPERATING WITH THE DEVIL

AND SOMEHOW BEING JOINED

TOGETHER IN DOING THE SAME

WORKS.

NOW THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT GOD

CANNOT BRING SOMETHING GOOD OUT

OF A BAD SITUATION.

GOD CAN.

HE CAN TURN BAD THINGS INTO

SOMETHING GOOD.

BUT THEN TO TAKE THAT OVER THE

BOUNDARY AND SAY, "WELL, I KNOW

HE CAN MAKE SOMETHING GOOD OUT

OF BAD, BUT I'M SAYING THAT HE

INITIATED THE BAD AND THE EVIL,

AND HE PLANNED THE BAD AND THE

EVIL."

FRIEND, NOW THAT BECOMES WRONG.

TO SEE THE FATHER, JUST LOOK AT

JESUS.

AND LISTEN: GOD IS NOT LIKE SOME

MAFIA CRIME BOSS WHO SITS BACK

IN HIS OFFICE WITH HIS FEET UP

ON HIS DESK SMOKING A BIG CIGAR,

WHO SENDS THE DEVIL OUT TO DO

HIS DIRTY WORK.

AND EVERYBODY SAYS, "WELL, I

KNOW GOD DID IT; I KNOW GOD IS

RESPONSIBLE.

HE USED THE DEVIL."

NO, JESUS REBUKED PEOPLE THAT

PUT HIM IN CONNECTION WITH THE

DEVIL AND SAID THAT HE WAS

SOMEHOW COOPERATING WITH THE

DEVIL AND THAT THEY WERE DOING

THE SAME WORKS.

IN JOHN 10:10 JESUS DREW A VERY

CLEAR LINE OF DISTINCTION.

HE SAID, "THE THIEF, THE DEVIL,

COMES TO STEAL, TO KILL, AND TO

DESTROY.

I HAVE COME THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE

LIFE AND THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE IT

MORE ABUNDANTLY."

IF IT STEALS, KILLS, OR

DESTROYS, JESUS IS NOT DOING IT.

IF IT BRINGS LIFE, JESUS IS INTO

IT.

LOOK AT JESUS HOW HE DEALT WITH

THE SICK, THE SINFUL, THE

OUTCAST, THE BROKEN, AND YOU

WILL SEE GOD'S HEART, GOD'S

NATURE, AND GOD'S WILL EXACTLY.

YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WERE IN THE

MIDST OF OUR LEGAL BATTLES OVER

OUR PROPERTY, THERE WERE

ARTICLES WRITTEN IN PAPERS

ACROSS THE UNITED STATES...

VIRTUALLY, EVERY MAJOR NEWSPAPER

IN THE NATION CARRIED IT FROM

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL TO THE

SACRAMENTO BEE.

IT WAS IN PAPERS ACROSS THE

NATION.

CBS, ABC, THEY WERE ALL HERE

WITH CAMERAS AT THE CHURCH.

IT WAS A HUGE DEAL.

AND, YOU KNOW, A NUMBER OF THE

PAPERS ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS

PUT OUR CHURCH IN A VERY POOR

LIGHT.

AND I REMEMBER ONE MAJOR

NEWSPAPER ON THE EAST COAST HAD

PRINTED AN ARTICLE, AND THEY HAD

SEVERELY IMPUGNED MY CHARACTER

AND BASICALLY INSINUATED, AND

WENT BEYOND INSINUATION, THAT I

WAS GROSSLY DISHONEST.

MY DAD TOOK EXCEPTION TO THAT.

HE BECAME FURIOUS!

I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW ANGRY MY

DAD GOT BECAUSE (A), HE KNEW IT

WASN'T TRUE; AND, SECONDLY, HE'S

THE ONE THAT BROUGHT ME UP.

I'M A REFLECTION OF HIM IN MANY

RESPECTS, AND HE KNEW THAT HE

DIDN'T RAISE HIS BOY THAT WAY.

WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT?

WHEN PEOPLE ACCUSE MY FATHER, MY

EARTHLY FATHER OR MY HEAVENLY

FATHER, OF THINGS THAT THEY HAVE

NOT DONE, I TAKE EXCEPTION TO

THAT.

IT DOESN'T MAKE ME HAPPY.

I KNOW WHAT THE FATHER IS LIKE

BY LOOKING AT JESUS.

HE IS THE EXACT EXPRESSION, THE

EXACT REPRESENTATION OF THE

FATHER.

ALL RIGHT, SECONDLY, I LEARNED

THIS ABOUT JESUS.

HE HAS TIME FOR INDIVIDUALS.

THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW.

HE'S NOT TOO BUSY FOR THE

INDIVIDUAL.

I THINK ABOUT THE WOMAN AT THE

WELL.

SHE WAS A MESS.

SHE'S HAD FIVE HUSBANDS.

SHE'S LIVING WITH A GUY SHE'S

NOT MARRIED TO.

SHE'S AT THE WELL IN THE

AFTERNOON BY HERSELF.

THE WOMEN NEVER WENT TO THE WELL

BY THEMSELVES.

IT WAS NOT SAFE.

BUT APPARENTLY, THE OTHER WOMEN

DON'T WANT TO HANG AROUND WITH

HER.

MAYBE THEY'RE TRYING TO PROTECT

THEIR MEN, I DON'T KNOW, BUT

THIS WOMAN IS AN OUTCAST.

JESUS GOES TO THE WELL, THE

DISCIPLES GO TO GET SOME FOOD;

HE'S THERE ALONE WITH THE WOMAN,

STRIKES UP A CONVERSATION WITH

HER, WHICH WAS SHOCKING, (A),

BECAUSE IN THAT CULTURE YOU

DIDN'T JUST STRIKE UP A

CONVERSATION WITH A WOMAN; AND

(B), BECAUSE SHE WAS A WOMAN OF

SAMARIA, AND THE JEWS HAD NO

DEALINGS WITH THE PEOPLE OF

SAMARIA.

THEY LOOKED AT THEM AS OUTCASTS,

AS SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS.

THEY WERE THE JEWS THAT HAD

INTERMARRIED WITH THE HEATHEN

NATIONS OF THE LAND, AND THE