"Jesus answered and said unto them,
Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up."

(Preached: March 31, 1996)

To our web site readers, we greet you in the name of Jesus Christ. Once again, to all the precious people of God, we say, Peace be unto you and praise the Lord.

Truly, it is an honor and a privilege to come before you today to tell you one more time what doth saith the word of the Lord. We are here to let you know that you must repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and tarry until you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives you utterance. We are here to let you know that there is one Lord, one faith and one baptism. Without water and without Spirit, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

God is a Spirit and they that worship Him, must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We are here to let you know that Jesus Christ is the soon-coming King and He is the God that we must worship in Spirit and in truth.

Today, many people are involved in festivals and pagan beliefs--everything that is contrary to the words of Jesus Christ. However, God wants us to worship Him according to His words. His words tell us that if we love Him, we will obey His commandments. We are here today to obey the commandments of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ; that we can always know that He is still on the throne. He is the God and Creator of heaven and earth.

Today, we would like to honor the Lord, praise the Lord; thank Him and glorify Him and magnify His great name, because we know that there is no other God other than He and that His name is Jesus Christ. We want you to honor the Lord and we want you to praise the Lord; we want you to magnify the Lord and do all those things that will give you everlasting life. If you obey our Lord and our Saviour, who is none other than Jesus Christ, then you will be storing up a crown of righteousness for you. You will always know that when the Lord comes, you will be one in that number to crown Him King of kings and Lord of lords.

What do we want to talk about today? The Lord, of course! But when Jesus was here, He did something He always does--God made a statement. When He was here on this earth, He lived in the flesh. When He was here on earth in the flesh, He called His body a "temple." The whole purpose of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ being made manifest and magnified was so that we could have eternal life. That was the whole purpose. If it was not necessary for Jesus to come and shed His blood; then I am sure if it was not necessary, He would not have come. Why would Jesus want to come down here to be among mortal men? But, God created man and He was the only one that could redeem man.

Today, you hear much about "Easter," "Palm Sunday" and all these other things, but they are not in accordance with godliness. They say that they are worshiping the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We do know, indeed, that He was resurrected, but when? We do not know when. One thing we do know--that if you love the Lord, you will do what the Lord says to do. If you love Him, you will keep His commandments. And once you keep His commandments, all will be well with you.

Our text is John 2:19, which states: "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

This is what it is all about. The world is about to worship "Easter." They say that they are worshiping the Lord, but what are they really worshiping? One thing, they are worshiping something that is not in accordance with godliness, for God never gave us a commandment to worship His resurrection. God did give us a commandment to repent and be baptized everyone one of us in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins and we shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. God did give us that commandment. When God was here, this whole business of Easter; this whole business of Palm Sunday; this whole business of False Lent and Pagan Festivals is all about so-called resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

When we think about it, we know that God was three days and three nights buried in the earth, and the third day He came back from the dead. Now, the world says that Jesus Christ was crucified on Friday and He came back the third day; and they say He came back on Sunday. Perhaps the world means Friday; Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. We do not know what they mean. But we know one thing--that God was three days and three nights in the grave and He came back that third day. When He returned that third day, He came back so that all righteousness could be fulfilled--that His word could be fulfilled. When He came back, He gave His disciples, His apostles whom He had chosen, instructions in the Holy Word. When He returned, He said, "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me." [Luke 24:44] Isaiah said that he would be "brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers . . ."[Isaiah 53:7] When Jesus Christ came, He had to none other than to fulfill those Scriptures that were written concerning Him.

When God was here, He told them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." [John 2:19] The things that are spiritual pertaineth to the Spirit; the things that are natural pertaineth to the natural. When Jesus said "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," the people thought He was talking about a natural building. God was talking about that building not made with hands. He was talking about that building that one day, we all will have--a glorified body, just like Him. For we don't know what we shall be; but one thing we do know: we are going to be just like Him and we are going to see Him as He is. [I John 3:2]

JOHN 2:13-25
13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,

14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers money, and overthrew the tables;

16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

21 But he spake of the temple of his body.

22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.

24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Jesus knows what is in man. God knows that if you leave man to his own devices and you say, "Man, here is the one and only plan of salvation. Here is your life. You have a brain and you can do whatever you want to do." Man is going to take what he considers, his life and his brain, and he is going to do whatever he wants to do. Man believes that he lives unto himself. But the reality of it is that we all live unto our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. None of us live unto ourselves. None of us die unto ourselves. [Romans 14:8] While we are living, we might have a little dominion over what we can do, but we are living for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. When we die, we are definitely dying unto our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, because once we all die, that is the end of all things in this life. Once one is pronounced dead, the dead know not anything. [Ecclesiastes 9:5] So, whatever they may have been--they may have been the smartest that ever lived, but once we all go to the land of the dead, the dead know not anything. They said to Jesus, "Show us a sign. Since you are going to come in here and wreak havoc--turning money tables over and you are going to drive out all of us that are selling merchandise; give us a sign since you are going to do these things." "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

When the Spirit speaks of the spiritual, the "natural" cannot understand that. The first thing those people said--and I am sure there may have been some wise men in that group--undoubtedly, they said, "This building has been forty-six years in building, and you mean to tell me that in three days, you are going to raise it back up again? But, what was Jesus speaking about? Jesus was speaking about His body, that natural body. What the world says is they are honoring the Lord, because He returned. It is true that He returned, but wouldn't it be nice to honor someone that you love by doing what that person tells you? That is a way to honor them. You leave that legacy. God, Himself, left a testament. He left a testament because He was the Testator; and since He was the Testator, He left a testament. All those that love that Testator, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, they are going to obey what He said do. [Hebrews 9:16, 17]

Jesus did not tell anyone, anywhere, to accept Christ as their personal Saviour. He did not tell anyone that. He did not tell anyone, anywhere, to bow your heads and make the "Hour of Decision." He didn't tell anyone that any where in the Bible. He did not tell anyone to be baptized "in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. He didn't tell anyone to do that. He said to be baptized in the name of the Father. What is the name of the Father? Jesus! He said to be baptized in the name of the Son. What is the name of the Son? By the world's admission, the name of the Son is Jesus. He said to be baptized in the name of the Holy Ghost. What is the name of the Holy Ghost? The name of the Holy Ghost is Jesus. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are "one." Everyone ought to understand that. They try to misconstrue that so they can have it to believe what they want to believe. But when they finish, "... and these three are one."[See I John 5:7] As we have said on numerous occasions, for example, John, the carpenter; John, the electrician; and John, the plumber. Better yet, for the sake of argument--Jesus, the plumber; Jesus, the electrician and Jesus, the carpenter. But it is that same one Jesus--Jesus, the Father; Jesus, the Son and Jesus, the Holy Ghost. It is the same "Jesus." It is the same Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is one Lord, one faith and one baptism.

When God came here, what did He come here for? Surely, He came here to redeem us of our sins. But God also came that we might have life. Not only that we might have life, but that we might have it more abundantly. How? In Christ Jesus! More abundant life, in Christ Jesus. That is what God came here for. [John 10:10] When you obey His words--and you are only going to obey Him if you love Him. Anyone who says they know the Lord, the Bible says if you say you know the Lord and you keep not His commandments, then you are a liar. [See John 14:15 and I John 2:4] All liars are going to have their part in the lake of fire. You say you love the Lord, but yet you did not obey His voice. You do not love the Lord, you have a form of godliness. You are as a sounding brass and a tinkling symbol. You are like an empty wagon that makes a lot of noise. If you get an old wagon that doesn't have any weight in it, it will make a lot of noise. If you have a wagon with a lot of weight, it is not going to make too much noise. Take a heavy duty truck that carries a lot of weight. If that truck is light, it is going to bounce all over the place. If you load that truck down, that truck is going to be stable. This is what happens when you obey the words of Jesus Christ. You become rooted, grounded, planted and settled in the Word of the Lord. Jesus came so that we could have life and have it more abundantly.

When the world wants to recognize our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ and they want to have an Easter festival--what do they do for Easter? They go out and purchase a new outfit; they get an "Easter" bunny that lays chocolate "Easter" eggs--but the Bible says that God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.[See John 4:24] If you are worshiping the Lord and you have an Easter bunny laying an egg--rabbits do not lay eggs. Therefore, you are not worshiping the Lord in Spirit, nor in truth.

I believe all of my predecessors--Bishop S. C. Johnson, Bishop S. McDowell Shelton, Bishop Shelton Nehemiah, Peter, Paul and all the rest of them. Let us not leave Jesus out. We have to believe in and on Him, also, because He is the chief cornerstone. When we believe what all of those great men said, we try to live everyday what they were all about. We are not going to say, "Well, the Lord was resurrected today." All right! So, He was resurrected one year in April; one year, He is resurrected in March. If it keeps going, He might be resurrected in February. If we rely on our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, because we say we love Him, then we are going to obey what He says. What did He say? God said, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." [Acts 2:38]

Therefore, if you want to obey the Lord, why not obey what He says. Forget about Easter! Someone might say, "Oh, they're trying to get rid of Easter." But they do not have any Bible in the world for celebrating Easter. Surely, we believe that Jesus was resurrected. We know He did. But you cannot find one Scripture where Jesus was born on December 25th. God knows, you have the days all mixed up when He returned from the grave. We have to go along with the words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ and just obey His word; obey Him by doing what He says. God came here for a reason. He came here that we might have life; and that we might have it more abundantly. Let us have life more abundantly by obeying our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

JOHN 10:9-18
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

When you are worshiping the Lord for an annual salary, you might start thinking, "I need a little bit more." You get more and you want more. One thing, when a preacher is hired by the congregation, it is only so much that preacher can say. You are not going to come in and beat them under and they are paying you? You come in one week and you hear, "Well, Rev isn't here anymore. The assistant Rev is in charge." But see, God is the only true God. God's men are not hirelings. The love and zeal of Jesus Christ will keep you going. All things work together for the good.

13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

God has the power to give us life. God has the power to take the life away from us; then God has that power to give us life, again. When we get that life again, that is going to be the best part of the whole deal--because, there will be no more crying, no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more death--all the former things of this life are going to pass away. [Revelation 21:4] We are not going to know conditions as we know it today. We are going to see God for what He is. We are going to be just like our Lord and Saviour. God, Himself, He came here, and God became accursed for each and every individual on the face of this earth. He is a God that has committed no sin. He was perfect. He came here on this earth, born of the flesh. He was perfect all of His days and He walked upright so that He could present us unto Himself at the time appointed. God had no sin. Being that He had no sin, He set the stage for each and every one of us so we would know how we can live through the power of Jesus Christ, wherein we can walk in His footsteps in order to try to keep sin far from us. Being that God came here and had no sin, He had to become accursed. God, Himself, became accursed because the Scripture says, . . ."...for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" [Galatians 3:13] Anyone that hangeth on a tree, they are accursed. They hung Him on the cross. Didn't they make that cross out of a tree? Therefore, God became accursed for each and every one of us, so that we may have the opportunity to have everlasting life; so that we might have the opportunity to worship God in Spirit and in truth.

Here, in The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, we don't have to wait for Easter to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth. We don't have to wait for that which man calls "holidays." "Now, we are going to give the Lord some glory. Now, we are going to recognize the Lord." We are going to recognize the Lord in The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith each and every day, because we are going to press toward that mark of perfection. We know that they that run a race--all are running. Every race we have ever seen, only one will receive the prize. Somebody might say, "Well, they said just one." That is right! The body of Christ. We are all many members of the one body in the body of Christ. Together, we are all as one, because we are of one body. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Father. [Ephesians 4:4-6] Is there not one body? There is one body, and that body is the Body of Jesus Christ. This one body is going to win that race. The only way we are going to win that race--any race that was ever won, that person kept on running. When I say "run," I am talking about lawfully. "And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully." [II Timothy 2:5] If you jump up and you do something unlawful, you are not going to be crowned. You are not running lawfully. If you are running lawfully, then you will be crowned. When you become crowned, then you will win the race. You will win that almighty race that God, Himself, has in store for each and every one of us. What did Jesus do? He came here and became accursed, so that we could have everlasting life.

All things are here for our learning. The Word is not a mystery that cannot be understood, for if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. [II Corinthians 4:3] Jesus came, and He became accursed, so that we could worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

GALATIANS 3:9-14
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

This is the promise that we have of eternal life. It is through faith. This promise that we are going to see Jesus Christ face to face. It is through faith. This promise of being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins is definitely through faith. Of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives us utterance--that is through faith. Anyone who has ever spoken in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance knows this. Now, some people give themselves tongues. We are not talking about the tongues that are self given, but the tongues that God gives you--the tongues that God gives you through faith; through calling on Him, by being diligent, we spoke in other tongues as the Spirit of God gave us utterance, because God himself "hath redeemed us from the curse of the law."

You know, from Adam up to Moses, there was sin out there. Everyone was in a bad way. It was sin! From Adam to Moses. Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden and the Word did not come down to straighten man out until Moses came. When Moses came, then God gave man the Law. But the Law is not of faith. From the time of Moses, up until the time of John before Jesus Christ, prophets came and prophesied of what shall be. But all of those prophets up until John, they were under the Law. (See Luke 16:16) The Law and the prophets were up until John; from Moses up until John--they were under the Law. Then Jesus came and "But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away."[I Corinthians 13:10]

Therefore, whatever part of the Law that was not perfect, God, Himself, came and did away with that. After Jesus came, then we were all commanded to repent and be baptized every one of us in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Noah was here and God told Noah to build an ark and told Him and his family to come in and bring them in the ark for the saving of their souls. But then the Law came: "Thou shalt not kill; Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not steal." [Exodus 20:13-15] That Law came with Moses. Up until the time of Jesus Christ, men lived under the Law.

Now, we are no longer under the Law, because if we were, we would not have to worry about faith. We would not have to worry about seeing Jesus when He comes. We wouldn't have to worry about water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. We would not have to worry about speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives us utterance. Under the Law, the prophets prophesied that the time was going to come when . . ."...with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people." [Isaiah 28:11] Since this was prophesied under the Law when Jesus came, Jesus had to fulfill all that was written in the Law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms concerning Him. It had to be fulfilled. Therefore, since the prophets prophesied it--and they prophesied under the Spirit--then, God Himself came and obeyed what the prophets had prophesied concerning Him. [See II Peter 1:21.

Now that we are here, we are no longer under the Law--we are under Faith. Since we are under faith, we do not have to be bound by the Law. However, we do have to be bound by the words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. When Jesus came, He was perfect. He was the only perfect God.

What do they do today? "Oh, well, I love the Lord and I am going to worship the Lord." But what did the prophet, Isaiah, say? "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, ..."[Isaiah 29:13]

Easter, as the world calls it, is coming. The people will say, "Oh, we are going to church." One day, we were going down the Turnpike. I happened to look over to my right and there was a Catholic church on the side. Outside, there was a small gazebo with a small statue enclosed, inside. I saw a man kneeling down and praying to the statue, as we were going down the highway. But that statue cannot save him. That statue cannot speak; it cannot hear; that statue doesn't have any feelings; that statue doesn't know anything, but our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ--He knows all things.

This is why, when we worship the Lord, we have to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth. We know that when we are obeying His words, we are obeying in Spirit and in truth. One thing we know, no "Easter" bunny is going to lay any Easter eggs. That much we do know. Someone might say, "I know that is not true." Yet, they subscribe to that. God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. If you are worshiping in something that you know is not right, how can you be worshiping the Lord in Spirit and in truth?

God told us to, "Repent, and be baptized." This is what we should do. Why is it so hard to repent and be baptized? The Bible tells us not to worship idols. [Revelation 9:20] We do not worship idols in The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. God never was an idol. When Moses went up to the Mount to receive the tablets of the Ten Commandments of the Law of God, the people made a golden calf. Moses did not appreciate that, neither did he approve of what they did. Moses said to them, "Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me."[Exodus 32:26-35] All of those that were with Moses, came to where Moses was. One can provoke the Lord; however, one must pay the consequences. The ground opened up and swallowed all of those who offered incense. [Numbers 16:23-35] God is a spirit and an idol is not a "spirit." We give our reverence to our only Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The people draw nigh unto the Lord with their lips and with their mouth, but their heart is far from Him.

MATTHEW 15:7-9
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Let us go to ISAIAH 53:7, which states:

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Now, who prophesied this? Isaiah! When Isaiah prophesied this, Jesus Christ was no where on the face of this earth (in the flesh). Isaiah prophesied this before John the baptist. Since Isaiah prophesied it, Jesus Christ came along and did not He obey that? Yes, He did! He came back with proof, saying: "... all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me."[Luke 24:44].

When Jesus was here, Pilot told him, "You have to answer me. If you don't answer me--don't you know, I have the power to crucify you or the power to let you go?" But Jesus told Pilate, "You don't have any power at all. And the only reason you have the power you do have is because it was given to you from above."[See John 19:5-11] What I want to say to The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and to our readers is that when people appear to be over you and try to oppress you, it is only because God gave them that power. But guess what? Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. [I John 4:4]

JOHN 19:1-22
1 THEN Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,

3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.

4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.

5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!

6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.

7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.

8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;

9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.

Isaiah said that he was not going to say anything.

10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?

11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.

14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.

17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.

20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.

21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.

22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

Pilate was not going to change anything. Pilate said that He was the King of the Jews in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. Even when they were destroying Jesus, they said, "Don't write that He is the King of the Jews; say that he said that He was the King of the Jews. "Pilate answered, What I have written I have written." Pilate said that he did it and he was not going to change it. "JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS." Written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin.

Even in God's hour of despair, He still received His just due. It might have been in an uncanny way, but Jesus still received the due that He was to get. On the inscription that was placed on the cross, it acknowledged our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, as King of the Jews. I Corinthians 3:11 lets you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that other foundation can no man lay. You notice that the Scripture does not say, other foundation can no "woman" lay. It doesn't say that in I Corinthians 3:11. The Scripture says: "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Further, the Scripture tells us what is laid; which is Jesus Christ. There is no other foundation. What is the foundation that Jesus Christ laid? This is that same foundation where Jesus told them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." They destroyed the temple, because they thought Jesus was talking about the building, which was forty and six years in building. But Jesus was talking about the body--His body! And in three days, Jesus came back!

What did Jesus do when He returned? When He came back, He went to His disciples; his apostles, the ones whom He had chosen. He went to them and then opened He their understanding that they might would understand the Scriptures. [Luke 24:45] He opened their understanding and went on back up to heaven. His disciples, his apostles had their understanding opened. That is why they did not get confused with Matthew 28:19. They did not get confused with water baptism in the name of "the Father, Son and Holy Ghost." They were not confused, because Jesus opened their understanding, then went back to heaven. What did they do? The disciples went and preached water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. How do we know? We know from Acts 2:36-42. This passage shows how Peter and the rest of the apostles told the people what they must do. When they wanted to know how to be saved, the apostles told them just what to do.

ACTS 2:36-42
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Unless you have been born of water and of the Spirit you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The water baptism is the baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Knowing this, you must also be filled with the Spirit of God by speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives you utterance. Peter and the rest of the apostles told the people on the day of Pentecost that they shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Once you have received the gift of the Holy Ghost, you will speak in other tongues as the Spirit (Jesus, God is that Spirit) gives you utterance. God that cannot lie has let us know this through His Holy Word. We can read about the Holy Ghost in the second chapter of Acts.

ACTS 2:1-4
1 AND when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. Without water and Spirit, you simply cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [John 3:5].

Finally, let us go the book of I Kings 18:21
And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

May the Lord bless you; may the Lord keep you; may the Lord preserve your strength; may the Lord maketh His countenance to shine upon you and give you hope, give you peace and give you the blessed assurance that there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; and that you must repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and tarry until you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Except you be born of water and of the Spirit, you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

May God bless you and God keep you. Peace be unto you!