Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast

#CST - Jesus Story Pt2 - Cross of Calvary - (#YTX4)

April 13, 2024 Reverend Ben Cooper / Simon Pinchbeck Season 16 Episode 11
Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
#CST - Jesus Story Pt2 - Cross of Calvary - (#YTX4)
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Show Notes Transcript

Please join Reverend Ben Cooper and Simon Pinchbeck as they continue last weeks podcast with Jesus story Pt 2, looking in the New Testament as well as the old Testament, looking at the man Christ Jesus, the king if kings and the Lord of Lords, also discussing the early years of Jesus living at home in the family unit.

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Reverend Ben Cooper:

Good morning world. Good afternoon, wherever you may be across the globe, thank you so much for sharing everything we do hear you're joining Simon and myself, as we gather across the mics on this glorious day, because this is the day that the Lord has made we shall rejoice and be glad God is with you. There is always hope. But welcome to#Christian straight talk, we pray that wherever you are today, whether you're on holiday, whether you're working, whether you're home, the realization is that we are in a very critical place within the UK. And God is breathing on us. He had you. He's with you, He created you. And we are going to bring a very interesting subject. I don't even like to use the word subject. What am I talking about? Simon? help me out, please.

Simon Pinchbeck:

It's great to be back. Again. Ben with you, man. You know, we're talking about freedom is freedom. Freedom. No. And it's, it's freedom and Jesus is freedom in Christ. That's what we're taught freedom in Christ. And that's what we're going to talk about today's another part of Jesus's life through the story of Jesus. We spoke about it last week. Yes, yeah, we really, the Lord took us to a place where a realization of, of Jesus's early life, you know, 20 years made him when he spent as a builder as a carpenter. That's a train wreck driver. Yeah, he was a he was a because a carpenter. Well, they used reckon that I've spoken to a couple of people this week, and they reckoned a carpenter named dice was, was akin to a builder. So Jesus was a builder, you know, he mentioned, you know, coming around and building your extension or whatever. But that's what he was, if he was alive today, that's that in in the place, that's what he wanted.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

That's exactly right, the King of Glory, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, the story of Jesus and it, I feel very emotional this morning. Because of the power of the greatest name in heaven on earth. The wonderful the glorious name God has given the name into the name, which is above every other name and the name of Jesus. Every knee shall bow, where do we start with this story? Because it's,

Simon Pinchbeck:

well, Ben, I think we have to start with, you know, he has a realisation, Jesus dummy that is committed to the will of a father. That's what it says. And if you will look at John 530, is a really interesting verse when He says, I kind of myself do nothing at all. Now, that do we see that think they can do everything themselves? Well, Jesus, who is the King of kings, the Lord of lords is, he says, I cannot myself do nothing. He says, as I hear, I judge and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of the Father who sent Me,

Reverend Ben Cooper:

John Five, Verse 36,

Simon Pinchbeck:

the will of the Father who sent him so he was always looking to the Father, but that's really

Reverend Ben Cooper:

interested in it, because man is always looking to fulfill His will. So Christ gives us a clear understanding that there is a human man to Christ, because his will, is different to the Father's will, which could bring quite a deep theological stretch on that, by myself, I can do nothing but hang on Jesus. You are the creator of heaven and earth, because the Bible tells me in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And Colossians tells me that Christ is the image of the invisible God. Then I read in the Gospel of John chapter five, verse 30, by myself, I can do nothing. So even Christ has to come to the will of the Father,

Simon Pinchbeck:

Jesus. And he goes on to say he's 31 he said, he says, If I bear witness and myself my witness is not true. What he says in verse 51, my if I, if I just stay in my own flesh, then this is not a true witness. And ain't that true in life

Reverend Ben Cooper:

are powerful is that that the creator of heaven and earth has come to this world and the Bible says in John chapter one, verse 14 ish, and the Word became flesh. That's quite frightening, isn't it? Yeah, the Word became flesh. The Bible mentions the word flesh. What is flesh? Flesh is hungry. flesh desires. Flesh is looking at what is around it. And the Word became flesh. And he made his dwelling among us. So here we have a very interesting text at Simon has bought an in John chapter five, the back end of verse 34, I seek not to please myself, my fleshly, Jesus, my, the man, Jesus, the human me,

Simon Pinchbeck:

it's such a Jesus really, but the greatest understanding of flesh and spirit in the back great understanding of what it meant, because he was fully man, but he was fully God. And

Reverend Ben Cooper:

so God steps into the flesh, so

Simon Pinchbeck:

other states into the earth suit. But he realizes that hold on a minute,

Reverend Ben Cooper:

this so there's a system as attendances of Paul to one world, what the world is dangling in front of me as as that dark voice said to him in the wilderness. I'll give you everything.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And it's interesting Ben in it, because we were just talking and I was up doing a little talk in the in the City of London last night. Yeah. And Thursday night is the new Friday in the city in the City of London, and Thursday night from five o'clock. While I was down there at five o'clock and crash, bang, wallop will absolutely Haven, it was a nice day there was spilling out all over

Reverend Ben Cooper:

the place, when we're done was on in the background. There was

Simon Pinchbeck:

everything going on. Yeah. And that's the flesh. That's the flesh, that's the flesh, the flesh is craving, that

Reverend Ben Cooper:

fulfillment that cannot be fulfilled from flesh on flesh, flesh with flesh, because we are spiritual, because the Bible tells us then it before the foundation of the world, I knew you, I knitted you together. But as soon as we come into this world, and we take on the skin of a human being, and even all the disciples and everyone that Christ in God used through the writings of what we know as the Bible, we see that they have real life issues, real life, hardships, but with the power of God and the Holy Spirit, all things become possible to those who believe. So Christ is telling us very clearly through this scripture that Simon has brought today, the Jesus story, that I can do nothing. By myself. I cannot seek My own will, because it's not the word of the one who sent me. So that's really interesting in it, that the Word, the Word became flesh.

Simon Pinchbeck:

But Jesus clearly knows that I can't do anything in the flesh. What No,

Reverend Ben Cooper:

I can't do without blemish. So he was already prophesied in the book of Exodus, that Christ will be this lamb, this perfect lamb. And John confirms and brings that prophecy up to speed in in the Gospel of John, the Lamb of God. So then we travel back all the way back to the Old Testament, that this Jesus that John is looking at the Jesus story. He's tempted in every way, the Word became flesh and made his dwelling he lived among us. Jesus in this flesh suit that he created from the earth, that we became from the first creation of man, Christ stepped out of the dressing room of Mary, through her womb, and he became flesh. But he did not waver in the flesh.

Simon Pinchbeck:

No, because he knew his destiny. You knew what his destiny was, Jesus didn't he knew he knew where he is, is where the father sent him, but he couldn't. He couldn't drift away at all from the Father, otherwise, it'd be in the flesh. And so you imagine that he would be tempted in every single way. That's the truth. But he had to stay with the Father. And it's the same for us every day, we're tempted in all sorts of every way, every way. And

Reverend Ben Cooper:

see, the thing is, Simon isn't isn't it true that the more we are honest, and we're open with open conversation, as the great writer writes, I recommend or my, the more we are open, the more we become free but the more I say that I want pure I'm I don't have awful thoughts. I'm really holy and, and everything is wonderful and everything is well and I don't have fleshly itches and I'm okay. And I'm lying to myself, and I'm lying to everyone around me rather than saying, God help me, please.

Simon Pinchbeck:

You know what, and this is something that we've, we've talked about before on this platform. Is that the church in general? Yeah. invites you to put on this facade that everything's great.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

A Hillsong. So, oh, everything's great.

Simon Pinchbeck:

I'm blessed and highly favored. That's yeah,

Reverend Ben Cooper:

a Bethel. So we're moving, I'm singing, I'm dancing, I'm dancing in the rain. I'm singing to album dancing to our so everything is great and wonderful. But we're

Simon Pinchbeck:

all lying to ourselves. There if that is the situation, we're lying. We're lying to ourselves, because the the churches the leader looks out you should look, he should the Lord should show him the broken vessels broken best, the broken pieces, the broken pieces there, and they should come in the church and go Father, forgive me,

Reverend Ben Cooper:

I have sinned them for the Scripture says, All have sinned and fallen short of that glory. And the Bible says the last each man is drawn away by his own last loss. So there is something in every skin that we live in. That is tempting. More times than we talk about.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And we mentioned the scripture this morning, then we in Galatians, five one Paul says it's for freedom that Christ has said is free. So do go back.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

So where do I find the freedom start? Simon, where do I find Jesus in Jesus?

Simon Pinchbeck:

So it because he says free? And don't? Once you set us free? He's saying stay close to me. Don't go back. But look at go back to go back to Sodom and Gomorrah. donco Bow look back like Lot's wife. Don't look back. Don't look back. Don't go back. You've been Sam three, why do you want to go back there because the flesh is pulling you now if you're not in the word, it's up in the flesh, the flesh, the flesh will become Come here, little Samson

Reverend Ben Cooper:

and Delilah, and anointed Nazirite Nazarene. When you look at what he is calling on his life, he was called he was anointed. But he loved to treacle. And he loved to go of the flesh. He loved it.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And the Bible tells us done it. The Bible shows us these examples. And if we don't heed them or listen to him or see him and don't listen to the words of Jesus, this is a sign stay close. Stay with me keep walking. He says doesn't he says Keep your hands to the plow and don't look back. He's, he's makes it very clear. Because if you look back, you're thorough is gonna go all over the place, you're gonna go all over the place. I'll keep your eyes in the front screen of the car, you're driving

Reverend Ben Cooper:

on my load. Do you know what he said in in the Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Luke chapter five, verse eight. Now this man that I'm going to speak about, no Jesus, he walked with Jesus, he was called by Jesus. But when Jesus was revealed to him in this area that I'm going to read out, this is what he says, Luke, chapter five, verse eight, when Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus's feet. And he kneeled and he said, Go away from me, Lord, for I'm a sinful man. There comes a point in our lives, where we, when I say, really meet Jesus, what I mean is, is not that we've not met him before that suddenly we realized the corruption of the earth. So the corruption of political agendas, the corruption of the world. And suddenly Christ reveals Himself to us not to condemn us because that was dumped across a Calvary. Because the Scripture says that he's wiped out the legal indebtedness, because of the cross the Calvary so legally is gone and had been washed away in the blood of Jesus. But quite, quite often, what we find is that we become like this, this man that says, Simon Peter saw him and fell at Jesus's feet and he said, Go away. Look, because I'm a sinful man. The physical me suddenly realizes that I am a wretched man am I but because of his holiness, and his favor, and His love for us, He will never leave us nor forsake us. So the Jesus story is with us forever on a dice rivers

Simon Pinchbeck:

and it is Willis. Yeah. And the thing is, so we have been saved once, but sanctified we get sanctified every day because we get asked to come to the cross every single day than we pick up your cross and follow me you have to come to the cross and say, Father, forgive me, deny yourself forgive me for that This is what I've been, this is what I've done wrong. This is what I'm thinking, this is what I'm thinking, this

Reverend Ben Cooper:

is what I want to do. What do you mean what you want to do, but you're a churchgoer, you shouldn't think like that. But hang on, let me remind you what Jesus said very clearly, by myself, I can do nothing. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just that's very powerful on its own, for I seek not to please myself, but the one who sent me. So that froze religion and the church going issue out the door.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And, and if you think you're doing some making secret thing again, because the guy in the Word says clearly that every nothing is hidden from me,

Reverend Ben Cooper:

nothing is hidden. He sees our thinking, and the psalmist. The psalmist says, This is really powerful. Before any word that you spoke, I see it before any physical press, I knew the path you would walk. So there is nothing new under the sun. There is nothing hidden from the eyesight, of the burning God of Israel. And God says in the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy, chapter six, he says, My anger is burning against you. If you come out of my commandments, my anger burns against you.

Simon Pinchbeck:

Very interesting point you brought up there. And I think it's something that we should stress that, that while we're under the umbrella of the safety of Jesus and staying close to him, yeah. It's when he when we step out of that, we get wet, don't we? We get

Reverend Ben Cooper:

in your worlds right in the world, the world is raining on us, the rain the world, we are under the umbrella of Christ under the covenant under the protection. But if I come out of the umbrella, and I how do I do that? How do I do that? Do I leave church? No, do I leave God no, that I don't leave him. Because that can nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. It's when my lifestyle doesn't live according to the Word of God. And my flesh kicks in, and my head kicks in. And I do something that the world wants me to do. But Jesus is making this very clear through the New Testament. I am doing what the Father's Will is.

Simon Pinchbeck:

So if we don't we want to do our own way, Lord Albert, it's kind of it's a train wreck. You know, he's, it's a crash. Proverbs 16 Three says, This was his commit. So Lord, whatever you do, He will establish your plans. So we don't think God, this is a great idea. I'm gonna go ahead and do it. Yeah. We say Is this your will father? And if it is His will, then it might you'll see the doors open like no, nothing else. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, shoot, all of a sudden you go.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

Added are getting this place.

Simon Pinchbeck:

I know someone sent me a couple of times this

Reverend Ben Cooper:

week. And

Simon Pinchbeck:

someone knocked me out. Am I in this place speaking to these people?

Reverend Ben Cooper:

How did I get here? Because the journey with Christ the journey of destination is different. When God anoints and God calls and God leads suddenly we find ourselves in positions that no man can open them doors, but they are ordained and they are of God. So we will find ourselves in certain colons and certain areas of life that can only happen by a complete and absolute a revelation or a God move on God opening the door that has no handle. But we are finding we are living in a world in the west where we are opening and we are made we are like cutting the doors off to make things happen to get into our rooms. When God is saying I don't want you in that room that door is locked for a reason. Yeah, what you're doing what you're doing on Toronto open that what you're doing in that door. I don't want you but yeah, But Lord, I want my flesh I want I want I want a good idea for you, Lord, here but Lord why don't you follow me Jesus follow me, Lord. And I'll I'll I'll show you the way Jesus I will. When Jesus says I am the way the Treasury interesting.

Simon Pinchbeck:

Very, and he says I am the doorman to that one John 14 Six. But before we before we do, yeah, it's interesting. You know how many people suddenly jump on a plane and dart off to another country?

Reverend Ben Cooper:

God, God's calling me across the other side of the world. Hang on. What about your neighbor? What about your street that's in front of you this place? What about this place you Jerusalem? is where your eyes are focused on

Simon Pinchbeck:

what about Sodom and Gomorrah and this place? Oh, we

Reverend Ben Cooper:

don't go there. The church won't go into Sodom and Gomorrah. Oh Well, now we can't go there, we got to go into a nice holy HUDDLE, where we can wrap each other up in a load of old rubbish. And stroke each other's backs, when actually God says go into

Simon Pinchbeck:

all the world, to this place, which is absolutely desperate, spiritually broke. Exactly. desolate.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

There's an interesting, there's two sides of the cross. The side there across the I'm going to talk about is the side of Lucifer. And those that are in that world are serving foreign gods. And the foreign gods have everything to do with the flesh, that culture and everything, and it's being fed, and it's fed with adrenaline. And what's next, the new car, the new TV, the next massive pay rise, the next Ivory Tower, the next business, the next, the next and the next, the next party, the next or the next, the next. But with Christ, you won't find none of that. But you've got to leave on that at the cross of Calvary. The biggest challenge any human being will will find in their life. And it is a challenge is to follow Jesus was to

Simon Pinchbeck:

follow Jesus and always ask the question, you know, what, it's what's different about this peace you get when you follow Jesus, you know, and really, I could only say this, you know, I don't find peace in in a 65 inch flat screen TV, although it's very nice, I don't find does not give me peace as it. I don't find peace in my nice brand new motor vehicle that I've just bought, I don't find peace, in peace, in, in everlasting peace. In anything, no eternal rest. No eternal is anything but a word of God. And my relationship with Jesus Christ who eludes me to the Father.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

And what that does is But bit by being led to the Father. It recognizes that materialism and the world has no spiritual value, because it's trying the material world that we have to our fingertips is trying, it feeds the flesh and the flesh is external, when there's an empty vacuum that can only be filled inside. Because the Bible says greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. What's in the world. Lucifer is in the world, the physical is in the world that we see. But there's another dimension, that of that spiritual dimension, where Christ is this, this realm where the power of God is this, this place that the human eye cannot see where science cannot enter into. Where we can only go to because he is the door.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And, and we mentioned it, and in John 14, six, he says this, Jesus said, He's talking to Thomas, he said to Thomas, he says I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. So he's saying, I don't know why you aren't Jesus the way on the truth. And the life if you follow me, you'll see the father.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

That's correct. That's correct. Isn't it interesting that he's talking to Thomas, Doubting Thomas. Yeah. And he says, I am the Way the Truth and Life says I am the door. Well, when Christ came back for Thomas, the Scripture says, The windows were bolted, the doors were locked for fear of the audience around them. Christ doesn't need a door to come to us. But we need a door to get to him because he is the door. Christ comes from that spiritual dimension that the human being cannot get to. But without Christ, Christ opens the door to the spiritual realm.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And listen to this, these pictures, I want to just rip them down and smash them out to be honest with you on that, and there's not blasphemous, but he's not of Jesus with a little lamb make a mouth. You know, it's the proper date that Jesus that we read about, you know, because he came to come from authority, Danny been, you know, in Yes, oh, nine and 10. He's given it face to face with the Pharisees and the religious leaders of the day.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

He is strong, powerful. He takes no messing about. He does not allow the authorities even though he puts the authorities imposition. And you know what I love I got to remember what that Scripture is. When Christ is is in from the guard, it's from from it starts. It's somewhere between the garden and across. And he says to the authorities, and to the priests and every religious leader around him at this point, you've got one hour, you've got one hour to do what you're going to do. And then it's over. That hour of darkness was where they beat him, they whipped him they've done everything to him. They had one hour, but religion is still living on the back end of that one. Our religion is still beating cry. just whipping Christ, pushing Christ out of the churches. But Jesus said, You've got one hour. Religion has finished after that 60 minute hour that Christ spoke about, but religion is still trying to go on and it's going on in the satanic realms. Now Christ has saved you, whoever you are across this earth today. God is with you. And Christ said to religion in the order that day, you've got one hour to do what you're going to do. That hour has finished over 2000 years ago. And the kingdom of God is alive. Religion is dead. Follow Jesus, the Jesus story. Simon said he is the door. I am the Way the Truth and the Life No one comes to the Father except through me.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And next week, when we're going to talk about a father's story because it's a story that's, that's, that is never really been told or expanded on that you don't see it that often. But don't do it. You know what you said there. Ben is very powerful. And you said Jesus stood strong, and he stood strong against the crowd as well. Ben, didn't it? Because if we look in, in Luke 814, you remember, you remember Jairus, his daughter had a die. Oh, gosh, yeah. And you remember, the crowd said to him, there's no point in going, she's dead. She's dead. She's dead. It's over. There's no real point in going. If he was a crowd pleaser, he would have gone yeah.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

Okay. Let's go back to church.

Simon Pinchbeck:

The church and now he said, now and she went to Lhasa jerris took with him, Peter, James and John. And the door became alive again, didn't she? And it's the same member in Martin 46. Where, where he's on that road. To think he's Jericho. I'll think I'm right in sane and blind Bartimaeus oh, god out to Him. God called out to him is Jesus Jesus. And the crowd went Don't worry about me so blind. That

Reverend Ben Cooper:

interest in the blind man see him? Yeah. And the crowd that was physically walking with him. Couldn't see him couldn't see him. There's a lot in that text.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And any, any any dismissed the crowd and said I want to speak to this guy. And we asked him what he wanted. He wanted to see.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

I want to say, I want to say I want to see.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And also in that in that Luke, that ran about the 840 USD a woman with the issue of blood once you want that, right. Yeah. So and this woman, she tried everything. She spent all our money she had been to every single decision and oil salesman, whatever.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

No, nothing could do it.

Simon Pinchbeck:

Nothing could do it. And what does she do?

Reverend Ben Cooper:

She said, I gotta get the Jesus. I've got to touch the hem of His garment. If I can just touch the hem, I will. I will be healed. I will be if I can touch the hem of His garment. Power in Jesus. Everything is in Jesus forgiveness, Hope, Life, repentance. Redemption, salvation, and glory. Isn't fiver.

Simon Pinchbeck:

Oh, gee, you know what? It's the same really, in the world. You know, when people have tried everything, sex, drugs, rock and roll.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

Everything, everything.

Simon Pinchbeck:

None of this is working. I've tried.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

It's not working. yet.

Simon Pinchbeck:

She's She's tried everything. She's been to every physician spent all everything. As he finally comes to realization that if

Reverend Ben Cooper:

I can touch you, this is down and what does she have to do? So at this point in time, she is weak in a physical being. She's tired, she has no money. She has no one around her. But she finds this strength where she has to crawl on the floor. I've got to get through the crowd. And there are many of you that are being crushed by the crowd of life. You've spent everything. You've tried everything. And now you're on your hands and your knees, trying to crawl through the crowd of society and life. The cogs of industry, everything is gone. Nothing else is left. But I I've got this one thing I can do. If I can get through below the calf level of the human being if I can get to him and touch the hem of His garment. And Jesus stopped in the crowd and he said it was tough. To me, and his disciples and the church goers went, What are you talking about? You're surrounded by people, people are barging you, and knocking you, and not carry you in the strength for the crowd. And you said, Who touched Me, Jesus went, virtue has left me. There is a transition of when someone touches him with their heart, there is a move. There is a transaction that the church, the church was surrounding him, and the church was physically touching him. But it wasn't touching him with its heart. If you are hungry for Jesus, you might be in the crowd of business, you might be in the ivory towers you might be in the lowest part of your life, you might be caught in addictions, you might be caught in temptations. But your heart is ready to touch Jesus, your heart is ready. Because when your heart is ready, there's nothing else left.

Simon Pinchbeck:

Behind. That's powerful. You know, just let those those words have been sinking a minute, because that is the true father, a young girl last night, a beautiful young woman comes to me and said, I'm going very quietly, I'm going down that route. I'm involved in peer pressure that's taken me into a black place where there's drugs and whatever. She was hungry, she's hungry change. And the only way she could change is by embracing Jesus Christ, the

Reverend Ben Cooper:

only way I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, I am the door. I am the good shepherd. I Am that I Am. The seven items in the Gospel of John. God is with you. God is for you and not against you. He sees your heart. He sees everything he sees them tears as you commute into town. He hears your hearts cry as you're driving your beautiful car. He sees you at the desk when you're staring into the screen. And you know, what you are looking at cannot give you fulfillment as you stand at the top of your ivory tower looking across London. And you feel empty, tired and exhausted as you go back to the castle that you have built a new drive in your walk up your pathway as you open your door to your beautiful apartment. As you turn up to those houses. It can't fulfill. You're hungry for Jesus. And Jesus is calling you. Because this is the Jesus story. He's come to seek and to save that which was lost. I was lost. But now I'm found. See, he came to seek and to save. I wasn't birth to seek him. I was birthed because of unconditional love. Jesus loves you. God is with you. As you look out across the cities, as you look out across the fields, as you're in your hot tubs as you drive your cars. As you look on your bank online. It can't fulfill the spiritual hunger that you have.

Simon Pinchbeck:

So look, what we've this Jesus is just included, everything is everything. So he's done the weather father, he gathered a team around him he's He leads us to the Father. He confronts the authorities, he stands strong. But most of all, Ben is a savior

Reverend Ben Cooper:

of the world. He's the John 316.

Simon Pinchbeck:

John 316. And we're going to dig into John Genesis, chapter

Reverend Ben Cooper:

one big God said, Let there be like the God that created the heavens and the earth. And in the book of Isaiah where it says God is stretching out the expanse of the heavens like a scroll. The universe cannot be measured by science and by mathematics, the speed that is changing by light, but God tells us he's on the other side of that light. He separated light from darkness. He's the John 316

Simon Pinchbeck:

and John 316. Ben is where Jesus is talking to a fellow called Nicodemus who couldn't quite get his head around the fact that you've got to be born again.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

And what was Nicodemus is an educated he had liquidity. He had money he had, he had, he was a robber for Jews when he was a ruler. He was a leader. He was a leader of religion. He was a leader. He knew the Old Testament he knew he had the inner information, but the information hadn't been revealed. Because this right, okay carry on solid data guide to date.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And Jesus explains it to him. And we'll cut in there, John 314. Is it because he knew he knew the word he knew that the? Yeah, he knew the books of the Bible. He knew the scriptures in these. He says that. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life is great. And then he goes on to say he presses this home with with Nicodemus He says, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but should there be everlasting life. And he goes on him again, it says, For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world. But through, put the world through Him might be saved,

Reverend Ben Cooper:

saved, saved, you can't save yourself, oh, you can't save yourself. I know what the scripture says. But that's after we are saved. After we are saved. Then we recognize the scriptures that speak about salvation, because the scripture says whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. But I've got to be saved and called before I realized that Jesus is in existence, because I'm not looking for Jesus. Until he finds me, but I'm not been lost. But the scripture says, I was lost, but I was lost in the world. But I wasn't lost in the creation of the world because he knew me before the foundation of the world. So Christ has always had us in His plan. In his plan, yeah, you were created for Jesus, by Jesus by the god of this world, the God above all gods. And God said in Deuteronomy, chapter six, very clearly, he said, do not serve the gods of this world, because I am the God and I am walking amongst you, amongst the gods of this world.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And in the Old Testament, and we'll we will expand this next week. But in the Old Testament, the atonement for sin, flood had to be spilled in it, then this didn't happen just once instant app and time again, he was calling for atonement. Yeah. So the fire was plan was to send his only son in it says that he loved the world, so much. One sacrifice, the greatest love story ever got, but it had to be sinless. And Jesus, as we've already said, must have a bat with a flesh, she just knew that he couldn't do it in the flesh yet to do it,

Reverend Ben Cooper:

because the word says, And the Word became flesh. And it means very clearly that it became a human being with human feelings and human emotion, emotions.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And so Jesus struggled in every single way as we do. But he resisted all of that, because that's the difference if he'd have given in, and if he was, Olivia had sinned, they would be, he would have died for himself. Exactly. He didn't die for him, so we die for us. And you know, and when he gave his only Son, so he died on the cross, this is where he fulfilled his destiny, with the sin of the world, on on him on him and transgression and in that wonderful Him, in Christ alone, it says, And the wrath of God was satisfied.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

Now, no one will ever understand what the wrath of God is the greatest theologian, the greatest educator and thinker, we will never understand what the full wrath of God is, there isn't a book or a thesaurus, or, or a way in the human language where we can actually fully understand what the roof of God is, it is so powerful. It will wipe us off the face of the earth in the way that but but the price, the price had been paid, and the price stopped the roof of God. What we got coming next year is the judgment of God.

Simon Pinchbeck:

Well, we will expand this, but if you've got a son or a daughter, imagine having to see your son and daughter died the most horrific way for the good of mankind. And here's the deal. If that happened, you'd always be connected to always connected and the daughter, but there was a disconnect. on that cross between this Father and the Son, which we cannot even he can't

Reverend Ben Cooper:

go and go there, you can't even get there, he can't get there.

Simon Pinchbeck:

And so that's you know, was Jesus's destiny was to die on a cross. But Jesus destiny was not just to die on a cross bend was it, it was to overcome death. It was to overcome death. And he says it in will, I'll just bang on this in a moment. He says it in Romans six, verses eight to 11. It says, it says, now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ having been raised from the dead, dies, no more death, no longer has dominion over him a death, where is your sting? For the death that he died, he died to sin once and for all, but the life that he lives in, he lives to God. Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed, to sin, but live to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. So you have a commoner death.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

I'm absolutely for us. I'm actually speechless this morning. And because of this Jesus story, this story could go on goes on for eternity, doesn't it?

Simon Pinchbeck:

But I think then, all we can say really is that Jesus loves

Reverend Ben Cooper:

us. And we owe him everything. And we are saved.

Simon Pinchbeck:

He died, whether you're as sin, He rose again to save us and accept us. And that's a massive, the acceptance of us

Reverend Ben Cooper:

the acceptance, while I was a sinner, he saved me. While I was living in Sodom and Gomorrah, smoking a cigar. I think this arm of God came down, grabbed me, pulled me said, That's my son. That's my daughter.

Simon Pinchbeck:

Get out. Get your face out of the dirt. No matter what you think of yourself. I love you. You are a warlock to the cross and see what God did for you.

Reverend Ben Cooper:

Gideon said, I am the least in my clan.

Simon Pinchbeck:

He accepted you. He separated you from the world that you're now his. He led you to the Father. And he's everything and you quite rightly said he's coming again. In judgment, in glory, to judge the living and the dead and his name. Every knee will bow every tongue confess is loaded. Don't mellow who you are, no matter what Empire you built for yourself. It doesn't matter what you've got. He's coming comes your knee will bear your face will be on the dirt because the holy nests of an eternal coffin to him but you wherever you're Boris Johnson, wherever you're wherever you are on the Putin domino you are when he lands on the sort of my friends. Your face will be in

Reverend Ben Cooper:

every eye will see, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, this is glory. May God bless you we're just going to put a comma on this because we're going to continue this you can't stop the Jesus story of the Jesus story it never never ends it is moving all the time. God is with you. We thank you so much wherever you are across this Earth God love you Jesus has just gone to the cross for all of us all have sinned and fallen short of the glory but through the power of redemption through the power of redemption asset Simon Come on. Say the last few words my friend because I'm done

Simon Pinchbeck:

with just want to thank you again for listening to what we've got to say and what we believe the Lord is saying through us. And we want to encourage you to to listen to next week's one which will be on a father's story. And it's the greatest love story the world has ever known. And we'll ever know. Doesn't matter how much you love your wife, your partner, your dog, your cat or whatever. This is the greatest love story that we're gonna really dig into next week. So thanks again. We will bless you and it's all about Jesus. That's all we got. Amen.

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