The Path of Simon Peter, Part 6 - Dec. 29th, 2024

Good morning. It's nice to see you here in our morning service here. At First Baptist Church of Westminster will ask you to take your red handbook and we'll sing page 103. Please. Stand as we sing all five versus one day when heaven.

103 one day when he was as black as could be Jesus came for example is rising Edge of Glory. One day, one day, they knew. And 29 on the tree. Stop phone, ringing ringing. Loved me dying. He said Rising hate Johnston. Five one day. One day, one day from suffering free. Angels game.

Buried, he carried my sins far away Rising he just one day.

One day the Grand Country on ceiling. No longer one day that's roll away from the rows. Oh my God made me sing me Johnston. 51. Another last verse 1. Dana Lane. Whale sound for his coming one day. Let's go guys with his glory will shine. Wonderful day. My beloved was bringing me my son Rising. He justified Raylan one day, he's coming.

Thank you. You may be seated. And so welcome to First Baptist Church of Westminster, let's go ahead and open with a word of prayer. And for those that are connected on zoom, we're glad to have you joining us as well, and we're here today to Worship the Lord, and to think about his word and open that together. Hopefully, you had a wonderful Christmas over this past week. Wow, brother. Tim I might need to get you back up here and try this again.

Okay, great. Well, there's one, we might need you to come leave that one day song again. I thought think they're still there. Are you guys? Okay. Yeah. Okay, that's a little better. Thank you. Remembering the birth of our savior. The fact that he came and gave his life for us. So, again, welcome to the service. Let's go ahead and pray and seek the Lord's blessing on the time that we have together to soak in his word. I'm so glad that you're here this morning. Let's pray Lord, we do. Thank you for your watch care, over us, your provision. Thank you that we do have something to rejoice in. And father, I ask that you would help us to set our affections on things above and not on things on the earth. There are many things that are going on around this world that would take our attention away from you. If we let it bother, there's a lot of hurt that's happening. Even today we have talked about this in Sunday school already laws that were in our class. But Lord there's just been a lot of tragedies around the world in the Middle East and also in South Korea. Lord. There's a lot of loss of life that's happened and Lord, we just want to ask you to give your grace and healing and Hope. Father, I pray that you would help us to not be distracted from your work today. But as we set our affections on things above, we would remember that. That is where we are in Christ Jesus seated in Heavenly places and thank you. Lord Jesus for being at the father's right-hand to make intercession for us. Thank you. Holy Spirit for making intercession sometimes with groanings, even, Paul tells us which cannot be uttered. Lord, thank you that when you intercede for us through our high priest and through the holy spirit, that each of those things that you asked for are always in accordance with your will, our heavenly father and Lord, I pray that your well would Prevail today that you would help us to understand the spiritual battle in which we are engaged. That we would be good with the whole armor of God and Father that you would protect this service from anything that would distract our minds from growing in the grace and knowledge of Our Savior Jesus Christ. And Lord if there happens to be one that is listening or watching weather here today in person or later I asked that if they don't know you as Savior that today would be the day that they trust you to be their savior before. It's eternally too late. We're here to worship and adore you this morning. As God of God, gods and Lord of lords. You are the most high. And father, we give you all the praise and honor and the glory for everything that we say, and do guide, our thoughts and hearts and help us to in 2024 strong together as a church, family banded together for your work. Thank you for the health and strength to be here to worship you. Today, you alone are worthy. We pray in Jesus, precious name and all God's people said, amen. I'm going to ask brother Tim or Deacon to come again and lead us in our next song which is going to be. It Came Upon the Midnight, Clear the number 90 in your red songbook. You want me to go right into missions. Are you want to take it?

That's page number 90, we'll sing all four verses please sing out. You may be seated.

Is it from bending the Goodwill to man? Dog, rash on skin changer, baseball winning, and still there, or bring way down.

Shane loan forms.

Along with painful steps and rewrote and his angels for sling.

When will clean your ears comes around me a song? Which No, Angels

Write a couple of things to bring to your attention, we have some things coming up. For those that are interested in the classes that we offer here, through biblical School of world evangelism, you have about a week left, right? So, a week from tomorrow, January 6th. Is that right that I do that math, right? I better check the calendar. Monday, the 6th tomorrow, the 30th. Okay, then you do have a week, you have a week before classes begin. So you can either, you can approach this. Couple of ways you can enroll through a Biblical School of world evangelism and you'll connect with Milford out there where that is, that's the home base for the college. And they're nearing accreditation, they've jumped through just about all the Hoops now. It's like they're waiting for another letter of reception from another institution to receive their classwork, but they've already been down the road on that. So it will be a fully accredited degree. If you went that way by the time they get their accreditation, they have a number of graduates Graduate Center coming through. This may, so we're starting our spring semester January 6th. Now you can enroll and you can take it for credit and Milford will help you do that. If you want to go through their school there, but you can also order the classes if you just like to take them for personal personal growth and development. You're welcome to come. So, to give you the details to make sure everybody is clear as mud on. You can come. Monday January 6th. I will start teaching our first class of the morning. It will begin at 9 a.m. mountain time cuz that's where we are. And that's where I'll be teaching the mountain time here. Monday January 6th, I will begin teaching the Pastoral Epistles. You're welcome to come and then enjoy that semester with me as we go through the books of Timothy and Titus together and that will begin at 9 a.m. Monday. January 6th. Now if you want to stay for the second class, will have a brief break in between the two and I'll begin teaching my second class at 10:30. The same day and 10:30 to about 11:50, I'll be teaching the book of Acts but it's specifically geared toward the life of Paul sorby acts, the life of Paul. So those two classes will be been given this semester through May and if you can come for any or all of the classes, now, if you would Credit through our own in-house Institute which is separate from Milford, please make an appointment to see me and I can keep your transcripts separately. You'll get a certificate of study from the church. It won't be an accredited degree from the college. Does that make sense? If you'd prefer to do that and have some kind of certificate when you're done. But you can always just come and audit the classes and grow and participate in as much or as little as little of the student work as you can do. Now, if you are taking it for credit, you will be required to do the student work. That's a company with the reading in the papers and the projects and all of the research that will need to accompany that. But those classes are happening, this fall live in person. I want to promote that to you because this is an opportunity, that is an amazing opportunity for you to come and hear a Bible teacher, open the word of God, and teach through these books of the Bible and it's a privilege to be able to do that. And it's happening right here on site. At First Baptist Church Westminster it is a tremendous opportunity for you to grow in the knowledge of the scriptures and I also appreciate the church family's prayers. As I teach through these couple of classes, I'll be proctoring a couple of video courses as well Old, and New Testament survey can be taken through this. We buy video and I'm also preparing some classes for North Colorado Baptist Bible College over Elmwood, they'll have some video classes available. Probably, they're aiming for April is so they'll be those classes as well. So, great great opportunities to serve. The Lord would have us some things that you want to pay attention to. There's a team game night game night coming up on January, 10th at 6 p.m. brother and he's not here today, but I'm sure you could reach out to him for details on that. For those in our troops, the pinewood derby is right around the corner. So I hope you been whittling on those pine cars because we're going to race him on our brand new track, mr. Willie. So you can see it in the gym being ready to set up when time comes for that January 11th. So make sure you're carving on your cars and making them as fast as they can be, or as interesting as they can beat. You know, you can win prizes, not only for being the fastest car before being the one that is Ray Boltz on is her favorite. So I all kinds of ways that you can approach this project, he will get pretty creative. There are some parameters, you want to know about, so ask group leadership for those details and I'm sure the Search family would be able to come to that Derby if you want to come. Watch them race cars. I will be here for having fun that day. So I think it was there anything else that I miss them and check with our staff and team hear anything this important? I forgot to point out. Yes, thank you. I will mention that here and then I'm also going to really plug it at the end of the service come back tonight because we have a special thing plan, our ladies here, Miss, Melissa, Patterson, and Miss, Felicia are going to come tonight and do their chalk talk and I've peaked your interest. So if you want to know what that is, be back at 5. All right, they're going to do their chalk talk. You're not going to want to miss. It will be a great night tonight so thank you. Thank you, anything else. All right, brother. Tim missions. Come tell us about what's going on on the mission field and then let's have a word of prayer for a missionary.

So our missionary today for our missions moment is brother. Sue yacht from Pam panga, the Philippines Faith Baptist Church there in a mega and brother. Sue yacht is one of her to Philippine missionaries so he sent us a little video. I think, brother, Phil has that all ready to go. So we are going to have a short 4 minute video from Brother Sue yacht in the Philippines.

Do brothers and sisters.

789.

Thank you so much for the opportunity.

Hey man, it's good to see a little video of some of the ministries of Faith. Baptist Church in Pampanga. The Philippines and brother Sue yacht in their Church. They have a number of different churches that they have started. They have a mini Village Church their preacher boys and young preachers and actually a few old preachers and I go out into the villages and they might just set up some some benches and some places for people to come and they teach and they preach the word of God and do everything they can to 2 to show the ministry of the gospel and their area. And so it's a real blessing, we have lent to us somebody who is from their Church, sister Linda, and she is a member of our church and she tells me a few things that cuz she has contact with the road. Do you want to go out from time to time and so if you have any questions about them she would but I'm sure be glad to tell you wouldn't you come up? I'm not going to do that but but she knows them and it's a real blessing to have her in our church. So we want to pray. Now for our missionaries, you want to pray for brother suyod in their church and their the Ministries that they have all in throughout their area. Listen to spray now. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this video from brothers who yacht showing and expressing some of the Ministries that they have, and they have many Ministries that are preaching the word of God and establishing church. And seeing Soul saved people, baptized, and it's a blessing to have folks who are preaching the word and who are involved and seen people get saved in the Philippines. Just like we do here in the United States. Like we do here at First Baptist Church of Westminster, father, help us to pray for our missionaries, be concerned about them. Thinking about them, for their safety, for their needs, for fruit and their Ministry. We just pray dear Lord that you would lead and Direct in our missions program, our faith promise missions program that each and every one of us would be involved. Be thinking about what we can do for Faith. Promise missions, programs through 2025. Thank you for this video and thank you for the witness brother. Suya is in Jesus name, I pray, amen. Now I don't know. Missionary board is actually a missionary letter from Philemon Ministries, brother Jones. He's actually kind of an adjunct part of this, and they do deaf Ministry and help in college and so forth. So if you like to see some more information that's out on the board, Out there in the vestibule. So we'll go ahead and take our handbooks and we'll sing a song now. Page, number 99 angels, from the Realms of Glory Alaska to stand as we sing this last song. 99 all four verses angels from the shop.

Shepherds in the morning. Watching. Finding Your Jon shine thing of Christ son, born King, Sean's baby, mama for cranking ignition, calm and worship, and worship.

Thanks be for the watching and being honest and function of him. Shop shop. Thank you for singing, please be seated.

2nd Peter chapter, number one. And I have you beginning here. As we continue looking at the life of Peter having begun back in Luke chapter number 6, when Jesus shows and selected his 12 Apostles. Peter being the first. We've been looking at Peter for quite some weeks now and I continue this journey from calling to commission from commission to confession and so we are looking at Peter's confession and more detail today. And I want you to read what this man, wrote The Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ in his own letter and 2nd Peter chapter number 1. I'll read verses 3 through 11 and then we will continue our study looking at Peter's confession. From his initial curiosity about Jesus Peter moved toward a later decision somewhere along the way, made a commitment to be a disciple. Jesus said, follow me and I will make you to become Fishers of Men from being a committed disciple, then Peter would move forward to be a commissioned Apostle for the Lord Jesus Christ and it all began when Jesus turned around Andrew and said those words come and see Where I abide where I dwell that was the question and it all begins for us. When we decide that we want to live in a Bible where Jesus Lives we want to abide wear a Jesus abides. We want to go where Jesus calls us to go and we want to do what Jesus calls us to do. Then we will go through that Journey grow in Grace and knowledge Peters words, not mine. Grace and knowledge to be who Jesus wants us to be in Kim. Peter says and 2nd, Peter 1 verse three, according, as his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. A man mind you who speaks from experience as well, as personal knowledge with Jesus Christ through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue. Where do you have all things that pertain to life and godliness through knowledge? But not just any knowledge. Knowledge of him. Who has cold us. Here's a man who heard that call follow me. And now he says he's cold all of us. To learn of him. Called us to glory and virtue. That word Virtue is an important and interesting word verse. Number for whereby they are given unto us exceeding, great and precious promises that by these. These promises you might be partakers of the divine nature. Having escaped. The corruption that is in the world through lust. And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your face virtue. And to Virtue knowledge and to knowledge Temperance and to temperance. One that Peter had to learn very well, mind you patience. Enter patience, godliness. And to Godliness, brotherly kindness. And to brotherly kindness charity. for if these things be in you And the bound they make you that you shall neither be Barren, nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This is the man who once said, I go a fishing and the disciples said we go with you, they toiled all the night again and caught nothing until Jesus came and said, cast your net here, and they caught with an abundance, doing it in his own strength yielded nothing but doing it in the strength of Christ yielded fruit

You shall neither be Barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord. Jesus Christ. Remember that's where you have all things that pertain to life and godliness in that knowledge of him. First number 9 on the contrast, but he that lack us. These things is blind. Oh, oh, not like Bartimaeus blind, like we learned in Sunday school Bartimaeus, had spiritual eyesight, that others missed. Blind and cannot see afar off and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence to make your calling and election. Sure what was Peter's calling follow me, I'll make you become Fishers of Men. What was Peter's election out of the multitude of Disciples of the 12, Peter you come forward. You are chosen to be an apostle, he had a calling an election, we have a calling and election today in service to God, not to be an apostle. Like Peter was mind you but we have a, a task that God would choose us to do to represent him and we can spell that out as being ambassadors, as we mentioned in previous times together, wear for the rather brother and give diligence to make your calling and election short. For if you do these things you shall never fall. That gives me hope coming from a man who to whom Jesus, turned one day and said, get thee behind me Satan.

You'll never fall.

If he can do it for Peter, he can do it for me. If he can do it for me, do it for you. He'll carry you first 11 or so and entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom, that Everlasting Kingdom of which, we know, the 12 apostles will have their names engraved on the foundation stones. Having fulfilled, their calling the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Something to hold on. To as we study today, is the essence of discipleship. Let me give it to you. Very simply the essence of discipleship. We learn from Peter is recognition and submission. Recognition and submission in faith and obedience.

Recognize who he is and submit to him. Believe Adam be leaving your not waver in your faith, who Jesus is. Face in obedience obey, all things whatsoever, he's commanded us. Lord, I pray that you help us to realize that and live that out in our lives to have this essence of discipleship about us. To recognize you in our lives, to submit to you and all areas. To walk forward in faith and obedience to do what you called us to do. Lord, I pray that you help us to grow in your grace and knowledge. To walk that path. That's why we must surely walk. It will fill your will for our lives, to be a light to others and thank you for the example of this man, Peter who became your possible and left us these words that we could grow from them as we learn more about you. Together hide me behind the cross. And your Resurrection, I pray in. Jesus name, amen. J.c., Ryle commented on this and basically said that we see this recognizing and submitting, to Jesus divine Authority was how he put it. The confession that Peter makes gives us an indication that Peter is growing. He's growing and his understanding of the mission of Jesus that he had given him. It's still incomplete mind you. But he's progressing under the guidance of Jesus Christ. We began looking at the place and the purpose of Peter's confession. As we studied this confession and I'll have more to say about that place. We talked about the name Petra versus petrison and Jesus is Messianic Authority. That that establishes from Peter's confession that he makes some and I'll go into more detail. Lord willing this morning having considered the place And the purpose of Peter's confession a little bit. I want to help you understand Peters, Proclamation itself, Peters proclamation of Christ. We see this and Luke chapter 9 verse number 20. There were questions that Jesus had asked about who the people say he is and some had this answer and some had that answer. And then he turned to his disciples and apostles and he asked them and loop 920 Loop saccounty of it. He said unto them but whom say ye that I am Well, if we go to the other accounts, Matthew being the fullest. I would think from the 3 with Matthew Mark and Luke, we have some details there. That Jesus also said, come say ye that, I the son of man am and Luke doesn't give us the phrase, son of man. Remember to whom Matthew rights. He's riding to Jewish readership primarily, and he's trying to convince them of Jesus, being the king of the Jews as was placard it over him. So makes sense. Why that title son of man would be important to include their referencing Daniel chapter 7 verses 13 and 14 and others about the son of man. Which is a little bit of a different presentation of the son of man that we get from Ezekiel, who was a human man given a commission from God. And yet from Daniel 7, we see that the Messiah would be the son of, man, that would come with clouds, and we know that there's only one person who rides on clouds and his name is God. So Jesus is fully God and he's fully man. And so Matthew does include that detail where Luke doesn't who say he that I am just very simply Jesus asked Peter answering said these words here is his proclamation of who Christ is The Christ of God. The Messiah. The anointed one of God, the Christ of God. In through the context of Luke 9 Jesus has been teaching his disciples about his identity who he is. Have you recognized, who he is yet, and his mission is Mission to come, be the savior of the world to seek and save that, which was lost. That's his mission. Have you submitted to his? Will have you recognized and submitted to him. We can compare the other accounts in Matthew 16:13 and 28, as well as Mark 8:27 through 9:1 for the first time in this section that Luke is giving us. Jesus has taught his disciples about his ultimate Mission. Now he's been teaching many things up to this point, but this is where he reveals to them, his ultimate Mission the fact that he had to die. And that is the fact that they could not grasp. Not in their finite. Understanding of how they had refrained God's definition of the Messiah. You see their definition of what Messiah had to do. Was different from what God's definition of what Messiah had to do. Was And through that Miss defining, they misappropriated, their face. And their faith was not in Jesus, to be the son of David. He could not be Messiah because we'll Messiah can't die. Messiah. Must Rule and Reign from the Throne of David forever and they're right. But miss, I had to die and be resurrected seat. The resurrection is the part they missed. Edit, it was necessary for the Lamb of God to be slain, for the sins of the world, and this was set up long before Israel was ever even a thought in the brain of anybody. The Bible tells us that this plan was in place before the foundation of the world, I can explain all of that to you don't ask me to theologically, I don't have the the brainpower to do it. I just know what the Bible says and I and I tell you what the Bible says, so that you two can like me still. Hopefully stand in all of who God is a little more and say, wow, the god of gods and the King of Kings, and the Lord of lords, had this plan in place before the foundation of the world. That the, the anointed one would come to die to remedy this. And that we would break God's creation. He would come to fix God's creation. The second Adam from above reinstate us and I love with saying that over Christmas. Just the Christmas song, it's not just a Christmas song. Truth in that. He had to die. Had to die in order to be Resurrected. Going to be resurrected in order to give us life. Not just free Israel, from a temporal power that be of the day from Caesars hand. So this incident that we're looking at this confession of Christ, this proclamation of who he is as the anointed one, this happened at a location. We know of as we study the Bible as caesarea Philippi but it goes by other names and it's gone by other names through history. In fact, one of the names that's most prominent you'll hear it called. If you go over, there is baenius with a b, b, a n, i a s Mania and there's some history behind that as well. And so we're here at caesarea Philippi and this is commonly knowledge to be as some writers and put it in the Watershed of the savior's Teaching Ministry with the 12, the Watershed of his Teaching Ministry. He's been leading them just with patience and meekness that they can. I just had they have come to appreciate him more and more for who he is, what he can do in and through them, he's demonstrated over and again that he can use them to fulfill God's purposes. Now he has reached that goal, he's been ministering inside of Israel for the most part. Now he has come outside of the borders of Israel up in Syria and he's been ministering there and he comes aside to a place called caesarea Philippi. And he is there on purpose, he's not in Israel. Proper. He's just on the outskirts of it and this is where the confession of Peter is made. And he acknowledged it, previously, John chapter 6 gives us that record. But having reached his goal of helping his disciples understand who he is fully, he now moves forward with determination. He's fulfilled what he needed to do, for the most part in establishing his credentials. As going to do more miracles. We talked about this morning is Sunday school. There were four that are recorded between in a Luke 9 and Luke 18 at least and some others that that we can read about as he goes to Jerusalem, there will be more miracles but he's done everything. He needs to do to establish, who he is as Messiah. By the time, we come to Luke 9. He's reached his goal and so he determined and it looks wording is carefully says he steadfastly set his face. We might think like a flint. He said his face for one purpose. But he's not in a hurry. As we mention and say school is not in a rush to get there but he is headed to the cross and nothing will deter him. And when he comes to lay down his life, he does not do. So in weakness, he does. So according to the divine plan of the father, when he says, father, nevertheless not what I will but what thou Wilt may that be done. That's the cross that is before him. We're told and Luca Luke 9. Verse 18. That Jesus is praying alone. I draw your attention to that yet again. I can't find anywhere that it's ever says Jesus actually prayed with his disciples. Isn't that interesting? We see him praying he he's always alone, it seems to me. Maybe I missed something somewhere but I can't find where he's actually praying with his disciples. I see where he prayed for them. I see where he prayed in their presents. I see where he taught them to pray. I see his own prayer life though, as being very much separate from theirs. Hey, how's your prayer life? Do you just go through the motions when whoever the head of your home happens to be praised? Are you just kind of participating there watching what that goes on? Or do you have a private prayer? Life yourself? Do you know how to get ahold of the father or must you rely on others to talk to him for you?

God forbid, especially if you've been a christening length of time, shame on you.

We need to be able to get ahold of God, his prayer life was separate from theirs. Peter makes this Proclamation. At the geographic location we we call caesarea Philippi. Why? There's some history behind that? Is a mention. The caesarea Philippi sits at the base of Mount Hermon. It's in the north part of the country. And it's a beautiful area actually these two Springs the spring at bannes as well as the spring at Dan therefore Springs Total that feed into what become the Jordan River that runs out of the Sea of Galilee, the lake of ganesa Rhett, whatever you want to call it sea of tiberias known by those names as well. These four head waters of the four head waters, which form the Jordan, the to the one at Dan and want baenius are the most prominent that feed into that and a Dan is just about three miles mind. You West from where caesarea Philippi is talking about very close proximity.

Stonesthrow mean it would take you to hardly any time to walk there and so when we did our tour up in this area, it made sense that we would stop at both places. And we went to Dan in the city of Dan. We saw the ruins there of Leticia. There's a gate, that's the one of the oldest Gates they've ever found as an archaeological Discovery. There's a model of the Town. That's there. This is this predates Israel. Okay, when they came into the land and conquer the land, this gate would have already been there. A little bit of Dan's history. Indeed, understand. That's okay. This isn't just a history lesson for you. I want you to connect the dots. Dan was initially, given some attractive land down in Judah and Judas territory close to that, which would put them closer. If you look at a Bible map of the back your study Bible, if you have one, it would put them closer to Jerusalem area. Not up north, okay? You got some area in between that and you got the northern tribes, you get the Sea of Galilee. What, what happened was Dan decided to relocate? From the original plot of land, that was given to them under Joshua and his division of the land. They decided to relocate. And they have excuses as to why they decided to do that. But what they didn't take into account was that while they went up and scouted this area out and they found that town that's Dan. And they essentially took that over. Oh, by the way, don't forget about what they did to Micah on their way up with his, his anal, counterfeit priesthood that he had going on in the days of Judges. You can go read about it, that every man did that was right in his own eyes, are with no king in Israel. And, and Micah was there, you know, being a priest. And in a, in a capacity that priests weren't given any capacity to be a priest in. And he has these terrifying these Idols that he set up up there. Well, Dan says this looks like really good territory. So we're going to relocate up here and they take over the which became the city of Dan that the oldest date. I told you about up in that area three miles from where we are. By the time we come to Jesus and Peter in this confession at caesarea, Philippi Dan would be right on the pathway with a with a failed to account for is that anyone who wanted to invade Israel? Was going to come through them first.

Oh, maybe we should have thought this through a little bit better. It's really pretty country up here. It's beautiful. Yeah, I mean it's it's like the Garden of Eden up there. Me as it's gorgeous and there's nothing. They can't grow their, we learn data from from our God, nothing. They can't grow said coconuts, they can grow the trees but they can't grow the Coconuts for whatever reason, so you can make your own assumptions that I have my own ideas about it, but I'll keep those myself for now. Lately, it's beautiful country, Lush water. Float, it would be a place of rest but I can totally understand what Jesus would say. We need a vacation guys, let's head up to Dan, it's beautiful. In fact in some ways I felt like I was back at home in Georgia and down south and some areas that was just rushing and full of The Greenery in and just water and everywhere in a flowing, beautiful Crystal Water. Think of maybe some of the beautiful places we have here in the Rocky Mountains. It's just gorgeous. In this town of Dan, they established it and buy them taking Micah's Idols that he had up there. They the kind of started a precedent really early on a precedent mind you that that others and Israel's history are going to exploit at Great length. Because when the kingdom splits, after Solomon's rain is finished, and his son rehoboam comes and splits the kingdom. Essentially, there's a man named jeroboam who led Israel to send and that was his tagline. He caused Israel to send how. So, because jeroboam thought, well, you know, Mike has God's my cuz idles up there. We got a president or restart it. This would be a great place for us to erect a erect, a place for his ER to worship. So you don't have to go all the way down to Jerusalem and so when the kingdom was split, he set up the altar. In Dan. Know why did you do it there? Because, well, there was a long history of the pagans worshipping other gods up there like bail. There's an altar to bail that, which he tore down and built the altar to Jehovah on. Which was against God's clear Revelation in his word of what they were to do. So this then sets the trajectory that will eventually culminate in the northern ten tribes being taken captive. When when sennacherib comes down from Assyria, he is going to level this place in the first place, he's going to conquer when he comes into. Israel is Dan. We didn't take that into account, did they? When they thought will go up here and we will make our town. After they said, they had no idea the ramifications of just you know, it's just a little and they have a full-blown, full-blown idolatry happening in Dan.

well, there's more because that's about three miles from where we are. If if we go where East from Dan you, go east about three miles at the base of Mount Hermon and it's it's one of the highest precipices, you know, over 9,000 ft there. I know us coloradans, you know, where the old we got 40 nerdout, okay? Not everybody has fourteeners. When you go from the lowest sea level on Earth at the Dead Sea, up to 9000 feet. It's quite a drastic change within just a small tract of land. Geographically. Speaking Mount Hermon. That, that named itself. Even has a Dollar Tree, has connections to it. It's been called different things throughout history. You know, we have this Pagan group that name did this and this Pagan group, that named it, that you have the Egyptians that had some kind of treaty over it and they called it this and and there's like three or four different names and went by, by the time we come to to Mount, Hermon is what's known in Jesus's day and what we know what. As today, Mount Hermon, you have these Headwaters, you see that you have these Springs and in the baenius spring is at the base of that mountain. And this is what feeds the waters. As I mention that become the Jordan River flow down into the Sea of Galilee and then out and then down into the Dead. Sea, it all starts right here at caesarea Philippi. One of the largest Springs that feed that now because of the springs and we can understand that, you know, with the geography we have here. When you have Springs and stuff, you also have Caverns that go along with it. And you have these deep places that water a rose and you have all of the stuff in this Spring's just keep bubbling up and filling up these caverns and keep washing these things away. At caesarea Philippi. The reason we call it that is because well we need to not confuse it with caesarea maritime. if you could take care of the great for that, Herod. The Great was Master politician, but he had the Jews under his thumb, and he went through and really treated them poorly when he was established. When the Roman senate put him in power, it was not a good thing for the Jewish people, but he was a good politician and so to try to win them, he built them. All of these things, he refurbished the temple where it was sat with Solomon found assembly refurbished that and he also built multiple structures around Israel. We know one is Masada. That was kind of Hidden Away from Rome that was his plan. B, in case things didn't work out with Caesar, he could go hole up there in Masada, but he also really wanted to be in good with the Caesar over across the Mediterranean. It's so he built a couple of caesarea is for him named for Caesar. Why is that important? Hopefully, I'll connect some more Dots here for you. Caesarea, maritima. I'm think Maritime by the Sea. So this is caesarea by the Sea. This would be on the west coast not of the United States of America, the west coast of Israel, and you're going to have the Hippodrome there. You going to have a large Coliseum? You're going to have the pilot Stone there. If you go to caesarea Maritime and we think of the mamertine prison you know that kind of area. It's right on the Mediterranean Coast, just a stone's, throw up from where Jonah would have got on the boat in Joppa, that's where that caesarea is caesarea. Philippi is named for Herod Philip. The tetrarch and he received control of this area from Herod Antipas. The great hair degrade or however that worked out. I was going to Heritage confused anyway, but Herod Philip is who caesarea Philippi is named for Caesar, Philip caesarea Philippi. Now this is in a completely different geographical location. So, so that we don't have to caesarea and we get confused all your time at caesarea know, it's caesarea Philippi and it's up in the North Country, it's at the base of Mount Hermon. Well, why was it named caesarea? But we know it was for the Roman Emperor. The Caesar of Rome. But why, why, why the change traditionally? It had been known as paneas not with a B, but with a p penius and that was named after the pan. God. Not only that but being Mount Herman in that area and the springs in the weather in the inclement weather that can come pagans throughout history, believe that bail was the god of the storm, right? So bail went to sleep or he didn't go to sleep. He actually died as what they believe, they taught that bail would die and then he would, he would come back to life and in that was tied to the seasons.

And Mount Hermon was his home base. And these winds that would come blowing through and bring these storms. They attributed the pagans, all the tribute that to bail, lot of Baal worship going on pan was more of an outside God and they worship Him outdoors. And he's one of those kind of creepy looking creatures, you know, like they need reading these mythic books and stuff is like a goat man. And so he would be worshiped more outdoors and and he would also bring a lot of fear to pagans when they would fight their enemies because of his, his ability to to hide very quickly. And so when you saw him, you know there's inscriptions and coins with the pan got on it. And then they would they would capitalize on this with propaganda and they would put fear into people. They were going against because, oh, no, you know, they've got this, this God working for him. That's how people thought in that day. We were in trouble. Now they've got paid and it's going to go Place pipe, you know, the pan pipes and pan penius. That's that's what it was known for because it had it had worship of pan happening. It had worship of Baal happening. It gets better. You also have that, was there getting all my, my pagan gods confused? I don't study. I'm like, I study the Bible, what are the starts with an n, and I can't remember the God's name. Now, lowercase G got but they worship him there as well.

No, not Nautilus. That would be closer to the sea has has? I think it has more like an association with death to it, but So, with bale, you also had, you also had these gods that were given certain they were told they were given certain Realms where they would control, okay? This is important, don't don't take out on me. This is important to understand what Jesus is doing here, and I'll make the connection before we're done. If you haven't made it, already ahead of me bail was in charge of the, the heavens in the skies. The storms there was it was another God that was known as Hades and he was in charge of the underworld. He became very associated with death. And that was his Abode, he wasn't allowed to leave beneath the Earth. And he was the god Hades so you have Bale who goes to, he he dies and then he comes back, you know, where the seasons and you have Hades was unrelenting the pagans believed he was unrelenting unforgiving toward humans. I mean only certain things are are true in life and death and taxes. Their third one I don't know that the taxes unrelenting when you go to the Grave, you don't come back. Unless your Jesus.

Caesarea Philippi. You have an altar to bail. You have this Chasm. I don't know if chasms the right work. There's a there's a pit in Josephus has some notes about it there but it's interesting because when I was there, I got to see this Mountainside at the base of Mount Hermon where all these temples would have been the temple to pan the temple to the god that starts with an N. I can't remember his name. That tells you how important it was to me. It is also there's this being the, the Greek form of bail, you know, the Lightning God, the god of the sky. So you have Zeus, which is the brother of Hades in Azusa. I don't want to confuse you with Bales. Basically the same God, the storm. God Zeus would be the one that would die and come back again. I think I confuse that with Bill, but, but Hades and Zeus would have been brothers, and they were given these control of these Realms. So, all of this is like, my Midas is swimming right now, because three miles west, you have all of this mess happening with bale worth. With Dan and in the, in the alter that's there. And they idolatry that Israel was led into, and this is where the enemies would come to conquer, Israel. And Dan started all that, when they decided to move all the way back in the days of judges. And then, by the time we come through human history after Christ. The reason is known as Banos, not panas is because Arabic, doesn't have a key. So they just kept the label and they targeted, they turned it to do a be because you don't have the letter P in Arabic. So baenius is penius. Which still holds onto the idea of the pan. Okay. Baenius penius. You said caesarea Philippi? Yeah, because here's what Hera did to stay in good with Rome. You have you have Hades, there you have Zeus. There you have the pan. God there you have the end. God. I can't remember his name off. Look it up later. I pray. Remember at 3 in the morning the end God. That's their. You have all of this stuff happening. but then you also have what was happening in Rome, in Jesus's day and thereafter called the Imperial cult The Imperial cult and this is where Christians got in big trouble, especially when the church was, was taking the gospel to the ends of the Earth because it came down to, is Cesar, Lord, or is Jesus. Lord is Caesar Lord, or is Jesus, is Caesar the Savior, or is Jesus, the Savior? And this is where they had to defend themselves. You can read about it in the Bible where they would defend themselves to say this other king. You know, Jesus has made himself to be another king than Caesar. Those were accusations that were brought against them regularly. So what Herod did is he not only Built This Jewel on the Mediterranean Coast there caesarea Maritime. He also built up caesarea Philippi with with all the, the beauty that there. So he erected at least one Temple. There was another Temple up there. Niro's going to put his name there by the time. It's all done. And so you have Caesar worship happening but the temple to Augustus. That's at just adjacent to these other rock-hewn temples to these other gods. The 12 Caesar would eclipse, the mall. It's so by the time Jesus stands in this geographic location. He does so on purpose. He comes at the very intersection of all known world, religions of that day, if you want to call it that. The center of idolatry, the crossroads of everything that is not the true. God Of Heaven is happening right there. 3, miles west, and Dan, and that area, and then you have the Caesar worship that's happening with the temple to Augustus. Hades, Zeus limit a little bit more about Hades because it factors into what Jesus says. And what we're told the details of in Matthews account Hades. So, Hades control the underworld and in there's a pit behind the temple to Zeus a cave, a cavern, if you will that they could not Plumb the depths of There was no way that they can measure how deep the same went. And it's a dark hole, it's in abyss and the belief was that this was the gate to where you would go into Hades Realm. This is where you would enter the underworld. This was his gate. The God who controlled the underworld. Hades