THERE'S NO BEAUTY WE SHOULD DESIRE
HIM.
Now, when Christ was here on earth we
wonder, He was born just an ordinary boy baby, born in a manger. He didn't come
to the world with a great lot of--of to do. He just was of humble parents born in a manger, raised
up, went, and was brought up with His people.
And at the
age of thirty-years old He went out into the wilderness, and there met
John, and was baptized of John in the Jordan, obeying or fulfilling...
When John saw Him coming he said, "I have need to be baptized of Thee, and
why comest Thou unto me?"
He said,
"Suffer. It's to be so, but thus it Behooveth us to fulfill all
righteousness." And then He was baptized of John, went straight way out of
the water, and low the heavens was open unto Him.
And John
bear record, seeing the Spirit of God like a dove descending from heaven and
lighting upon Him. John said farther, "I knew Him not, but He that said to
me in the wilderness to go baptize, said, 'Upon whom thou shall see the Spirit
descending and remaining on, He's the One that'll baptize with the Holy Ghost
and fire.'"
John had a
sign that that was the Messiah. When he seen Him coming he knew that It was the
Messiah. Now, He was not dressed any different from any other man. Jesus is
just an ordinary man. The Bible said, "There was no beauty we should
desire Him." He wasn't so, such a great seven foot man. There's no beauty we should desire Him.
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E-6 I
suppose He had not much of this world's education, for we have no record of Him
ever going to school, no record in the Scripture, or the history that He ever
went to school. But He had an education, of course. But where He got it, we
don't know. And now, we have Paul--Paul's record of where he went to school,
and others, but we have no record where Jesus went to school.
He was
just an ordinary man, talked an ordinary language, the language that you use at
the street where everybody, the common people would hear.
And so
then, there was nothing outstanding about His looks and so forth that you could
make Him what He was. What He was is not by outward appearance. For He was a
man outward, but inward He was God, Emmanuel. Father God was in Him,
reconciling the world to Himself. So there He brought the Christian faith.
Now,
we'll notice Him. What made Him different? As a speaker I guess He wasn't so
forceful and get out in the street and like we do, and scream, because the Bible said, "His
voice was not heard in the street. And a bruised reed and a smoking flax,"
and so forth as the prophet said it would be.
E-7 So there was just something about His talk that caught the heart of people
though. He didn't have to be so forceful about it in an outward
demonstration, but there was something down in His talk that fascinated the
hearts of people.
E-8 How I've often liked to hear
great ministers to speak, and I love to hear them. But I've often wondered how
He was felt standing there that day when Jesus stretched forth His arms and
said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and heavy
laden, I'll give you rest." Oh, I'd loved to have heard
that.
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SUNDAY_ 55-0123E
E-9 I'd
liked to have heard Him when He was setting on the rock, perhaps, on the--on
the mount there where He gave His sermon on the mount, and listen at Him.
Said, "Blessed are the pure in heart; they shall
see God. Blessed are you when men shall persecute you, and make all manner of
fun of you, falsely for My Names sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad for
great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets which were
before you." See?
Oh, I'd have
loved to have heard Him preach that. Brother Bosworth said I probably could
never hear that, but I do have the hopes of hearing this: "Well,
done, my good and faithful servant." If I could only hear that that's all... That'll satisfy me, right.
Notice, when
He was here on earth, Peter said in Acts
the 2nd chapter, after he had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit;
he said "You men of Israel, this Jesus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God
among you." By what? By His theology? Nope. By His great standing
in the church? No. By His degree? No. By His excellency of speech? No. "Ye
men of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God among you by signs and
wonders that God did by Him in the midst of you all which you all are a
witness."
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E-10
My that was right straight from the shoulder, wasn't it? Said, "You
by wicked hands have crucified the Prince of Life, but God's raised Him up
again." Amen. I like that. Said, "You crucified Him, but
it's not possible that He should be a holder of death. So death had to turn Him
loose, and He has raised from the dead. And we are His witnesses. (Amen.)
That's why these things are done, for instance, the impotent man at the gate
healed." Said, "By faith in the Name of Jesus Christ
this man's made whole." See? "The Prince of Life Who you
crucify," Said, "God's vindicated Him."
He didn't
have no... He wasn't a great princely looking man. He wasn't none of these
things that the world looks at. "But God was with
Him, because He proved that He was with Him before all of you, by signs and
wonders which He did in the midst of you all."
That's
what the apostles thought about the Christian faith. What did the great
ecclesiastical realm, the Pharisees and Sadducees, the great Sanhedrin court,
amounting to around two million people. They sent a representative over one
night, Nicodemus. He came by night. Some of you laugh at him by coming by
night. He finally arrived. Did you? Have you done as much as Nicodemus? He
finally got there. He got to Jesus.
All right. And
when he come, look at him now, a scholar, a scholar coming to a Man Who had no
diploma. It was a aristocrat coming to a pauper for knowledge. Here was a man
of great degrees coming to a Man that had no degrees. Here it was an old sage and teacher coming to a young Fellow to learn about Everlasting Life. You
see the difference?
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E-11 Now, he came along
through the alleys at nighttime making his way up because of his church and so
forth, but Nicodemus (Listen at him.), He voiced for the church, the Sanhedrin
court, for the temple, for the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, and Sanhedrins and
so forth. He said, "We know... Rabbi, or Master, we know that Thou art a
Teacher come from God." "We," who's we? "We Jews, we of
the--of the courts. We of the synagogues who's persecuted You, making fun of
You, laughing at You, but we know that You're a Teacher comes from God."
Why?
"Because
that You're an eloquent man, and great speech, melodious voice?"
"No."
"How do
you know then?"
"We
know that Thou art a Teacher come from God, for no man can do the things that
You do, the miracles that You do, except God be with Him." They knew that
that was Him, but for prejudice, selfishness, not ready to have self-denial to
renounce your old surrounding and accept Him. Yet they recognized that it was of God.
… IN HUMILIATION COME DOWN AND
BROUGHT HISSELF DOWN, HUMBLED HIMSELF IN A BODY OF FLESH TO WALK AMONG MEN
E-13
Notice Him. Stripped Hisself, humiliated Himself, come down the great
Divine One from above... You... In
humiliation come down and brought Hisself down, humbled Himself in a body of
flesh to walk among men, hear the cursing and swearing of men, feel
the pains of sickness and of death upon Himself that through all that, not
because He had to, but because love drove Him to it... That He had done all
that and was sick and had troubles...
You say,
"Was He sick?" Certainly. Didn't He make the own thing Himself, His
own--His own statement, and He said, "Won't they say to Me, 'Physician,
heal Yourself?'" Sure, He bore our sicknesses, our grief, our sins, our
sorrows. See what He was?
Now, that's
Who the apostles talked about; that's Who Nicodemus talked about. Let's see
what He was. What kind of representative did He meant of the Christian faith?
WHEN HE WAS HERE UPON THE EARTH, HE'D
TAKEN NO NAME UPON HIMSELF.
E-14
When He was here upon the earth,
He'd taken no name upon Himself. The Bible said that He didn't. He made of Himself no reputation. Many
times I've thought this: the
man that made the false plate for teeth, made a reputation in them. But the Man Who made the real teeth made of Himself no reputation.
The man that made an
artificial leg made a reputation for himself, but the Man Who made the real leg made of Himself no reputation. See?
He
just stripped Himself and come down to save you and me, to heal you and me. The
great Physician, the God of heaven, the immortal One, clothed Himself in flesh
in order to anchor sickness in His own Body to take our sickness away. It's just never be known. Words can't express what that really is, what God
did for us in Christ Jesus.
When He was
here on earth He didn't brag about Himself. He come knowing nothing, but what
the Father's will was to do. He was offered great things. Even Satan told him,
"I'll give You every kingdom of the world, and make You make You master
over them, if You'll fall down and worship me."
He said,
"Get the hence, Satan. It's written that, 'Thou shall worship the Lord thy
God and Him only shall you serve.'" Certainly.
He could've
had all the kingdoms of the world. He will have them anyhow. He falls heir to
them. He's heir of all things. And we are heir with Him, and joint heirs in the
Kingdom.
"Blessed
are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the meek: for they
shall inherit the earth." That's His sermon. Why, He give us, His
promises. That was Him.
HOW THE APOSTLES DIED
Peter and Paul
Both martyred in Rome about 66 AD,
during the persecution under Emperor Nero. Paul
was beheaded. Peter was crucified,
upside down at his request, since he did not feel he was worthy to die in the
same manner as his Lord.
Andrew
went to the "land of the
man-eaters," in what is now the Soviet Union. Christians there claim him
as the first to bring the gospel to their land. He also preached in Asia Minor,
modern-day Turkey, and in Greece, where he is said to have been crucified.
Thomas
was probably most active in the area
east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as far east as India, where the
ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder. They claim that he
died there when pierced through with the spears of four soldiers.
Philip
possibly had a powerful ministry in
Carthage in North Africa and then in Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of
a Roman proconsul. In retaliation the proconsul had Philip arrested and cruelly
put to death.
Matthew
the tax collector and writer of a
Gospel ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Some of the oldest reports say he was
not martyred, while others say he was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.
Bartholomew
had widespread missionary travels
attributed to him by tradition: to India with Thomas, back to Armenia, and also
to Ethiopia and Southern Arabia. There are various accounts of how he met his
death as a martyr for the gospel.
James
the son of Alpheus is one of at least
three James referred to in the New Testament. There is some confusion as to
which is which, but this James is reckoned to have ministered in Syria. The
Jewish historian Josephus reported that he was stoned and then clubbed to
death.
Simon the Zealot
so the story goes, ministered in Persia
and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.
Matthais
The apostle chosen to replace Judas.
Tradition sends him to Syria with Andrew and to death by burning.
John
The only one of the apostles generally
thought to have died a natural death from old age. He was the leader of
the church in the Ephesus area and is said to have taken care of Mary the
mother of Jesus in his home. During Domitian's persecution in the middle '90s,
he was exiled to the island of Patmos. There he is credited with writing the last
book of the New Testament--the Revelation. An early Latin tradition has him
escaping unhurt after being cast into boiling oil at Rome.
Peter Smith’s Bible Dictionary, there is
"satisfactory evidence that he and Paul were the founders of the
church at Rome and died in that city. The time and manner of the apostle’s
martyrdom are less certain. According to the early writers, he died at or
about the same time with Paul, and in the Neronian persecution, A.D. 67,68. All
agree that he was crucified. Origen says that Peter felt himself to
be unworthy to be put to death in the same manner as his Master, and was,
therefore, at his request, crucified with his head downward."
James the son of Zebedee: He was put to
death by Herod Agrippa I shortly before the day of the Passover, in the
year 44 or about 11 years after the death of Christ. From Acts 12: 1-2.
John: No death date given by early
writers. Death date is by conjecture only and is variously assigned as
being between 89 AD to 120 AD
Andrew: No accurate death date given. A
variety of traditions says he preached in Scythia, in Greece, in
Asia Minor and Thrace. He is reported to have been crucified at Patrae
in Achaia.
Phillip: Again,
the Bible does not say when he died nor do we have accurate information.
According to tradition, he preached in Phrygia and died at Hierapolis. Update:
FoxNews July 27, 2011, Tomb of
the Apostle Phillip is found in Hierapolis.
Bartholomew: There is no
information concerning his death, not even by tradition
Matthew: He must have lived many years as an
apostle since he was the author of the Gospel of Matthew, which was written at
least twenty years after the death of Christ. There is a reason to believe that
he stayed for fifteen years at Jerusalem, after which he went as a missionary to
the Persians, Parthians and Medes. There is a legend that he died a martyr
in Ethiopia.
Thomas: The earlier traditions, as believed
in the fourth century, say he preached in Parthia or Persia and was finally
buried at Edessa. The later traditions carry him farther east. His
martyrdom whether in Persia or India, is said to have been by a lance. And is
commemorated by the Latin Church on December 21 the Greek Church on October 6,
and by the Native Americans on July 1.
James Alpheus: We
know he lived at least five years after the death of Christ because of mentions
in the Bible. According to tradition, James son of Alpheus was thrown
down from the temple by the scribes and Pharisees; he was then stoned, and his
brains dashed out with a fuller’s club.
Simon the Canaanite – No information
either in the Bible or by tradition.
Jude (Thaddeus): according to
tradition Jude taught
in Armenia, Syria and Persia where he was martyred.
Tradition tells us he was buried in Kara Kalisa in what is now Iran.
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