Richard Ellis Talks

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today on Richard Ellis Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
The moment you receive Him and receive that you are saved.
You are a Christian. You are a believer not just
in the existence of God, but that He has come
to live in you at some point in your life.
If you have done that, you have to settle that.
You have to believe that that's true. And you can't
let the enemy yank or chain every time you go

(00:23):
back and screw up.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
Welcome to Richard Ellis Talks with Richard Ellis. We began
last week focusing on edvent and what it means during
the Christmas season. Our first kendle was that of hope,
and this week we're looking at peace. This Bethlehem kendle
represents a new era of reconciliation, and that's what Richard's
messages are all about, the reconciling of us to the Savior.

(00:49):
I'm also very excited to share about a huge opportunity
we have with you that I'll reveal later.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
In the program.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
But for now, let's go ahead and get things off
and running with today's talk. Here's Richard Ellis.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
The title today's message is the Messiah in a Minor
So composed in seventeen forty one by George Friedrich Handel.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
The Messiah Handles Messiah. How many you ever heard this?

Speaker 2 (01:16):
There's actually a COVID rendition of it totally virtually the
orchestra of the singers, everybody in a different spot, and
it recently happened. The scriptural text was compiled by Charles
Jennings from the King James Bible, from the Coverdale Psalter
the version of the Psalms included with the Book of
Common Prayer, and it was first performed in Dublin on

(01:38):
April thirteenth, seventeen forty two. So there's three parts to
Handles Messiah. The first part prophesies by Isaiah and others,
and then moves to the annunciation to the shepherds. Part
two is the Passion, in other words, Jesus' death, beryln
resurrection and ends with the Hallelujah chorus, and if you
ever heard the Halleluja chorus, you know you've heard that.

(01:59):
And then part three the resurrection of the dead and
Christ's glorification in heaven. So it's about a two and
a half hour performance if you've ever seen it. The
music for Messiah was compiled in twenty four days, So
twenty four days straight handle crank this thing out, which
is just truly extraordinary to think that it could happen

(02:20):
in that period of time. Now, some of the songs
you may recognize from Part one, Scene three. For instance,
there's Behold a Virgin soul, Conceive It starts talking about
Jesus being born of this virgin, and then four unto
us a child is born, pretty familiar song, and then
glory to God in the highest The opening symphony was

(02:41):
actually composed.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
In E minor for strings, but it was essential for.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Us to have the Messiah in a minor to accomplish
what he came to do.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
Now you say, well, what do you mean by that?

Speaker 2 (02:57):
Jesus was born of a virgin, lives the sinless life,
dies on the cross, but he comes as a newborn,
he comes as a child, he comes as a minor.
What is the purpose of that? I'd like you to
read with me. Isaiah seven. We're going to kind of
left to right. We'll jump around just a little bit.
But Isaiah seven, verse fourteen, very familiar people talking about Christmas,

(03:21):
and this is prophesying who was coming and how he
would come. Isaiah seven fourteen. Therefore the Lord himself will
give you a sign. So this is going to be
your sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son.
Now those three things, just a virgin conceiving is impossible,
and therefore the son is impossible, and shall call his

(03:44):
name Immanuel.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
So what do they know.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
They know that Jesus the Messiah Immanuel as he's described here.
They know he's not just going to show up. And
I'll read you some verses about this in a minute.
He is literally going to be born. Okay, So you say, well,
what difference does it make if you just showed up
or he's born. We'll get to that in a minute.
Isaiah and nine to six. Go over a few pages

(04:08):
to Isaiah and nine six. And now it's not just prophesying,
it's saying it as though it had already happened Isaiah
nine six. For unto us, a child is born, unto us,
a son is given. So a child is going to
be born a son. He's going to be a son,
even though the sex of the Messiah and the government
will be upon his shoulders. And his name shall be

(04:30):
called Wonderful counselor Mighty God, Everlasting father, Prince of Peace.
So not just the prophesying that Jesus would come, the
Messiah would come, but how you would come He would
be born. Now you say, well, duh, of course he
was born. That's the story. Didn't have to be that
way unless it did have to be that way. Now,
Matthew chapter two, Matthew chapter two, verse one, And this

(04:52):
jumps in after he was born, and then we'll go before
a little bit. Matthew chapter two, verse one. Now after
Jesus was born. And I know I keep saying this,
but this is in here for a reason. Jesus was
born in Bethlehem of Judea. And the days of hair
the king behold. Wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,
where is he who has been born King of the Jews?

(05:13):
For we have seen his star in the east and
have come to worship him.

Speaker 1 (05:16):
By the way, just a little trivia here. No where
does this say there were three wise men. You say,
what's gold?

Speaker 2 (05:21):
Frankensonson, Murrh four or five guys could have brought gold.
Frankensinse and Mr Right, you said, well, that's going to
ruin my postcard or whatever. So wise men plural came
from the east, and that's what they brought. When here
the king heard this, he was troubled in all Jerusalem
with him. And when he had gathered all the chief
priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of
them where the Christ was to be born. So now

(05:44):
he's looking for a new born kid. So they said
to him in Bethlehem of Judea. For thus it was
written by the prophet. And where was this written back
in Micah chapter five, verse two. But you, Bethlehem and
the land of Judah, are not the least among the
rulers of for out of you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel. So they knew where

(06:05):
the Messiah would come from. And without getting into all
of this, back in Matthew five to two, it's described
as Bethlehem Ephratah, which is about a mile east of Bethlehem,
and it's where the tower. It's hard not to just
get into this if you get into it, but there
were towers out there that you could see the sheep from.

(06:27):
But there were more towers than normal because out there
in this right outside of Bethlehem, was where David.

Speaker 1 (06:34):
Had set up the sacrificial lambs.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
So all the sheep that came out of this that
went to the temple in Jerusalem, not too far from Bethlehem,
had to be perfect, spotless, without blemish. They couldn't have
a broken limb, they couldn't have anything. So just to
kind of connect these dots, the shepherds in this area,
some of these shepherds, their responsibility was to care for
these lambs, these sacrificial lambs. And so when the angels

(07:02):
declared to them, announced that is born to you in Bethlehem,
a savior. And the description is you'll find the babe
wrapped in swaddling cloths, laying in a manger.

Speaker 1 (07:14):
That's where they put the lambs.

Speaker 2 (07:16):
They would lay these lambs in these little carved out
manger stones, and they would wrap these lambs up in
swaddling cloths.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
Once they had inspected them in that manger and made
sure they.

Speaker 2 (07:27):
Were good to go, they would wrap them up, and
literally the priest would carry that lamb to Jerusalem to
make sure it didn't get out of its hands and
fall and break something, because you couldn't take anything but
a perfect lamb. So these shepherds know about these lambs.
This whole area is about that, and now they're told
that you'll find him lying in a manger, wrapped in

(07:50):
swallowing cloths. In other words, this is the one go
to Luke chapter two, Luke chapter two, verse one. And
it came to in those days that a decree went
out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Sirius,
so all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

(08:11):
Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city
of Nazareth. So yes, he does live in Nazareth, but
he's not from Nazareth. He's from Bethlehem in Judea, so
that's where the census takes him.

Speaker 1 (08:23):
He's engaged. Mary goes with them Mary is pregnant, right pregnant.

Speaker 2 (08:27):
Basically, and to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and lineage of David's
to be registered with Mary his betrothed wife, who was
with child.

Speaker 1 (08:36):
So it was that while they were there, the.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
Days were completed for her to be delivered, and she
brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling cloths
and laid him in a manger, because there was no
room for them in the end. And by the way,
thank God, there was no room for them in the inn.
Because the picture of this the lamb slain before the
foundation of the world, laying in the manger where these

(09:00):
lambs would lay, and being wrapped up in the way
they were wrapped up. And that picture, for the shepherds
to see and for us to read about, is astonishing.
Now they're in the same country, shepherds living out in
the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night and
beholding Angel of the Lord stood before them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were
greatly afraid. Then the Angel said to them, do not

(09:21):
be afraid, for I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which will be.

Speaker 1 (09:24):
To all people. For there is born to you this.

Speaker 2 (09:28):
Day in the city of David, a savior who is
Christ the Lord.

Speaker 1 (09:32):
And when you hear those words Christ the Lord.

Speaker 2 (09:34):
Ishua, it's him. It's the Messiah. He's here, he's on
the planet. And this will be the sign to you.
And this is the kind of stuff that got the shepherds.
I'm sure you will find a babe wrapped in swallowing
cloths lining a manger, and they knew exactly where that
would be. You say, well, how did they find it?
They knew exactly where to go look for it, because

(09:55):
they knew where these lambs were laid. And suddenly there
was with the angels a multitude of the heavenly hol
praising God and saying glory to God in the highest
and on earth, peace toward men, goodwill toward men. So
it was when the Angel had gone away from heaven
from them into Heaven, that the shepherds said to one another,
let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing
that has come to pass, which the Lord has made

(10:17):
known to us. And they came with haste and found
Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in a manger. Now,
when they had seen him, they made widely known the
saying which was told them concerning this child, and all
those who heard it marvels those things which were told
them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things
and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherd's return,
glorifying and praising God for all the things that they

(10:39):
had heard and seen as it was told them, And that,
by the way should be how our lives are lived,
that we should go back to our lives, glorifying and
praising God for the things that we have heard and
that we have seen. As it was told us. Go
to Acts chapter one and verse nine. Now this is
after Jesus dies on the cross, Acteres buried acteries raised

(11:02):
from the dead.

Speaker 1 (11:02):
Now he's going to ascend into heaven. Verse nine.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
Now, when he had spoken these things while they watched,
he was taken up and a cloud received him out
of their sight. So Jesus is standing there with them,
and all of a sudden he ascends, just kind of,
he doesn't get beamed up. He just starts going, just
starts ascending, going up, taking on gravity whatever you're going
to take on. And he disappears out of their sight.
And while they look steadfastly toward heaven. As he went up,

(11:28):
behold two men stood by them in white apparel, who
also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing
into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from
you into heaven, will so come in like manner as
you saw him go into heaven.

Speaker 1 (11:44):
So what does that tell you?

Speaker 2 (11:45):
If he can be alive and ascend into heaven and
then come back the same way. What in the world
do we need a virgin birth for? You know, thirty
years of who knows what he's doing? We get some
little glimpse of that at twelve he's in the temple,
and I get all that. But why would you come
to earth and spend thirty years and then your ministry
start at thirty and you do what you're going to

(12:05):
do for three years, then you get crucified, buried, raised
from the dead.

Speaker 1 (12:09):
Why don't you show up at thirty. Let's just bring
him in at thirty the Messiah's here and.

Speaker 2 (12:14):
Put him on a donkey, whatever you want to put
him on, rite him into town, let his ministry start,
do his three years, do his three days, ascend into heaven.

Speaker 1 (12:22):
Know that he's coming back the same way. Who's going
to question that?

Speaker 2 (12:25):
Why is it so important that he comes as a
child born man, God, god, man, and not.

Speaker 1 (12:34):
Just show up?

Speaker 2 (12:35):
Keep reading with me, Go to Glatians chapter four. So
clearly it is extremely important that Jesus comes and is born.

Speaker 1 (12:45):
Interestingly enough, not.

Speaker 2 (12:46):
The way Adam came or Eve came, because neither Adam
nor Eve were born. Adam is created from the dust
of the earth, God forms him, breathes life into him,
and he's a living being.

Speaker 1 (12:58):
He's alive.

Speaker 2 (12:59):
And then he creates Eve from Adam, and it's still
astonished to me. I mean, I thought what he did
the first time was cool, but wow, look what he
did with the ribs just extraordinary. So second time sometimes
you get it really right. So he makes them, but
then he tells them to be fruitful and multiply, and
here come the people being conceived and born.

Speaker 1 (13:21):
Conceived and born. So that's how all of mankind that's
here is here.

Speaker 2 (13:25):
Then Jesus decides to come the same way we come.
Now look at Galatians four, verse four. But when the
fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his son,
born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem
those who were under the law, that we might receive
the adoption as sons. So everyone born under the law

(13:47):
is stuck under the law. So you have to have
a lamb slain before the foundation of the world come
and be born like we are born, live a sinless life.
And now it's not a lamb a little animal that
is being sacrificed. It's literally a person that is a
part of the persons that are under the law, and
so he has to be born of a woman under

(14:09):
the law to redeem those who are under the law,
that we might receive the adoption as sons. There's no
way to get it done what he came to get
done without being born of a virgin. That makesing the
son of God, which makes the lamb of God slain
before the foundation of the world. And now he can
die the perfect sacrifice to redeem us from the law

(14:30):
and do what get us into his family, receive the
adoption as sons as daughters. So now we can be
in his family because he did this Hebrews chapter ten ten,
verse four. For it is not possible that the blood
of bulls and goats could take away sins. Ultimately, they
could not do it now because of the efficacy the

(14:54):
effectiveness of his blood.

Speaker 1 (14:56):
I had a conversation with.

Speaker 2 (14:57):
A young lady after church, after our gathering here, and
she was very concerned that somehow if she knocked on
the door or she wasn't saved.

Speaker 1 (15:08):
She didn't know if her sins were really forgiven, she
didn't know if she was God's child. Just a lot
of doubt and fear. So let me go over this
just one more time.

Speaker 2 (15:16):
If you're in the room or you're listening beyond here,
and there has been a time a day in your
life where you know for a fact you said, it's
not God.

Speaker 1 (15:26):
I just believe that you exist, because.

Speaker 2 (15:28):
The Bible says the demons in hell believe in God
and tremble at his name. So you believe there's a God.
That's not what I'm talking about. As many as received
him to them, he gave the power to become the
sons of God, the children of God. So if there's
been a point in your life where you understood, you said, God,
I cannot save myself, I cannot get myself into Heaven.

Speaker 1 (15:48):
I cannot be good enough. I don't deserve any of this.

Speaker 2 (15:51):
I understand it's a gift, and that Jesus died in
the cross, was buried and raised them dead to pay
for my sin, shed his blood to pay for me
and my sin, and I accept that payment. I ask
you to come live in me, through me, change me,
save me. The moment you receive Him and receive that
you are saved, you are a Christian. You are a

(16:11):
believer not just in the existence of God, but that
He has come to live in you. At some point
in your life. If you have done that, you have
to settle that. You have to believe that that's true.
And you can't let the enemy yank your chain every
time you go back and screw up.

Speaker 1 (16:28):
Because Jesus sympathizes with us.

Speaker 2 (16:30):
He understands that people are tempted and fall to fall.
You cannot fall so far that you fall out of
the family. You cannot fall out of his hand. No
one can snatch us out of his hand. You say,
well that I could go live like hell. Yeah, a
lot of people do. But if you're truly a believer,
either you will die that way or he will bring
you back around with some discipline. And we've heard stories

(16:53):
already in here today of a young man mom talking
about he came back around. So some of you, you
don't need to get resaved, because that's not possible. You
need to get re engaged with the God who loves
you and that already lives in you and just needs
you to say I'm wrong.

Speaker 1 (17:09):
You're right. Let's pick up where we left off.

Speaker 2 (17:11):
I confess my sins and whatever he brings to your
mind to confess, then move forward. Now, he said, well,
you know, why do you talk about these things because
I'm an expert. If someone had just helped me after
six years of age to be assured of my salvation,
I could have moved forward. But I stayed in this
hamster loop of doubt, not understanding that he loved me

(17:33):
and that's why he came and to give me the
assurance of my salvation. So if you need somebody to
nail that down with and do that, pray it, and
then put it to bed to say I'm done with this.
I'm not going back and exhuming this again. I'm going
to move forward. You either are his child or you're not.
And if you are, then live the life and get
on with it. Go to First John chapter four. This

(17:57):
is not what I'm about to read you, is not
a technicality of some kind. This is spiritual and biblical truth.
First John, chapter four, verse one. And this is written
to Christians, beloved. Do not believe every spirit, but test
the spirits whether they are of God, because many false

(18:17):
prophets have gone out into the world. So you say, well,
some guy comes along preaching Jesus or you know, some
skewed version of that. I had a lady I don't
know if she's in the room today. She moved to
Texas from out of state, been listening on the radio
there somewhere and came and is living with her daughter now.
And she came to see me, and I told her
at the end of our over an hour conversation, I said,

(18:40):
I wasn't sure about you when I sat down with you.

Speaker 1 (18:43):
She kind of looked at me. I said, I don't
know who you are. I don't know where you're coming from.

Speaker 2 (18:46):
And one of the things I asked her in that conversation,
there's another verse about this.

Speaker 1 (18:51):
All I asked her was who is Lord? And she
looked at me and I waited. He said, well, what
do you mean who is lord?

Speaker 2 (18:59):
No one can say that Jesus Christ is lord but
by the spirit of God. And I've tested people on this,
and I know people who cannot speak those words, especially
if there's demonic involvement. Do you know why they cannot
say Jesus Christ is Lord or Jesus's Lord, because Jesus
is not lord to them?

Speaker 1 (19:19):
In these verses? You don't believe every spirit? Why verse two?

Speaker 2 (19:24):
By this you know the spirit of God, every spirit
that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh
is of God. And every spirit that does not confess
that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not
of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist,
which you have heard was coming and is now already

(19:45):
in the world. So when was this written a couple
thousand years ago?

Speaker 1 (19:48):
He was already in the world. Then he's in the
world now.

Speaker 2 (19:51):
So he is going around and getting people to believe
that Jesus Christ the Messiah, did not come in the flesh,
because it is so huge a fact that he did.
So no one can say that Jesus Lord. There's one thing,
and they will never be able to say. Every spirit
that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the.

Speaker 1 (20:09):
Flesh is of God. They won't say it. And every
spirit that.

Speaker 2 (20:12):
Does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is not of God. And so you're in a
conversation with people and go, well, why are they having
such a hard time admitting that Jesus came. It didn't
just because they don't agree with it. They can't say it.
And where's that come from. It's the spirit of Antichrist.
He's already in the world. He's still in the world,
and they will not be able to say those words.
So let's go back to the Hallelujah chorus. A minute

(20:35):
in part two is literally the Hallelujah, and Patrick shares
with us all the time here the highest praise. So
when you hit a song and it's hallelujah, hallelujah, there
is nothing that you can praise with higher than the
word hallelujah. And in part two, this Hallelujah chorus comes
out of these verses, and I'd like you to look
them up with me. Revelation chapter eleven. Turn there, Revelation

(20:57):
eleven fifteen. And one of the things I love about
Handles Messiah is that it's taken from scripture. A ton
of it is taken straight out of scripture.

Speaker 1 (21:07):
Revelation eleven fifteen. Then the seventh.

Speaker 2 (21:09):
Angels sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven saying,
the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of
our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign
forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever,
Revelation nineteen six. And I heard, as it were, the
voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters,

(21:32):
and as the sound of mighty thundering, saying Allelujah for
the Lord God omnipotent reigns.

Speaker 1 (21:39):
And if you go hear the Hallelujah chorus.

Speaker 2 (21:41):
All these phrases are repeated in there, and then Revelation
nineteen sixteen. And he has on his robe and on
his thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord
of Lords. And if you've sung the song or heard
its song, King of Kings forever and ever, and Lord
of Lords forever and ever, and he shall reign forever

(22:05):
and ever. Then in part three, hand goes back to
Revelation five nine and following, and they sang a new song, saying,
you are worthy to take the scroll and to open
its seals, for you were slain and have redeemed us
to God by your blood, out of every tribe and
tongue and people in nation, and have made us kings

(22:27):
and priests to our God, and we shall reign on
the earth. Then I looked and behold the voice of
many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders,
and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands, sang with a loud voice, and
I recommend you do some practicing, either here or in
a closet somewhere, because you're going to be doing this.

(22:50):
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power
and riches and wisdom and strength, and honor and glory
and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven and
on the earth, and under the earth, and such as
are in the sea, and all that are in them.
I heard saying, Blessing and honor and glory and power

(23:11):
be to him who sits on the throne, and to
the Lamb forever and ever. Then the four living creatures
said Amen, and the twenty four elders fell down and
worshiped him who lives forever and ever, the Messiah in
a miner, There's no way around it. And because he came,
as was prophesied, conceived in a virgin, born of a virgin,

(23:35):
lives a sinless life, tempted in all manner, sin as
we are, yet without sin, sympathizes with us born under
the law, so that he can redeem us out from
under the law to our God buried, raised from the
dead bloodshed, and now we can reign with him forever
and ever. Make sure you can say that Jesus Christ

(23:58):
has come in the flesh.

Speaker 1 (24:00):
Because he has, and he'd like to move in you
if he hasn't already.

Speaker 3 (24:04):
Thank you for taking time out of your busy day
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(24:24):
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(24:45):
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(25:49):
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Richard Ellis Talks.

Speaker 2 (26:00):
Yeah,