First Words of Jesus

This is the Truth Network. Welcome to If Not Forgot. Stories of Hopelessness That Turn to Hope Here is your host, Mike Zwick. All right, this is If Not for God with Mike Zwick. I've got the owner of the radio station, Stu Epperson Jr., on here today.

And I'm going to start you off with a Bible verse. Are you guys ready for Christmas? I am. I will do my Christmas shopping around December 23rd. But here it is, Isaiah 9, chapter verse 6.

It says, For unto us a child is born, unto us. The son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace. of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth for even forever And I love to hear that, Stu. But Stu, you wrote a book, and in the book, I've got it right in front of me. It's called First Words of Jesus from the Cradle to the Cross by Stu Epperson Jr.

And I just put it up for you. And there's even a foreword by Dr. David Jeremiah.

So what inspired you to write this book, Stuart?

Well, everyone loves Christmas. But most people don't know why Christmas happens, right?

So when you sign. Merry Christmas as a signature. I discovered this when I was actually signing copies of the book. to people, I would sign Merry Christmas and one time I accidentally made the T and Christmas a little bit more emphasized, punctuated. And so I thought, wait a second, that's it.

Right in the middle of the word Christmas is a cross. You know how sometimes you do it with the Truth Network logo and other logos, you know, they take... If it's a church. or a Christian organization that has faith in it, you know, they'll punctuate or accentuate the cross to make it look bigger. And to make it Make more of it inside their name.

And of course, you're like, well, they're connected, or there's a faith component to that business, that company, that ministry.

Well, that's what happened. And Merry Christmas, and then I'll sign oftentimes because of his cross.

So the cross is connected to the cradle. You cannot divorce. Christmas from Easter. You cannot divorce the birth of Christ from the death of Christ and from The reign of Christ, the crowning of Christ. And so that's why the book, First Words of Jesus, came about.

There's a little more to it, we can get into it as we talk here, but. That's the short answer. Yeah, and so, you know, there's so many people out there today, and I just saw a video on this when I came up, but there are people who say we are Christians and we don't celebrate Christmas because of the pagan tree or there's pagan the way it started and this and that. And I don't know. What do you think of all that?

I think there's paganism in everything. You know, there's Masonic symbols on your money, so you're going to stop spending money, you know, and you're going to put, but you know, are you going to go to a cashless society? Oh, no, you can't do that because that's the mark of the beast. You know, so what's going to happen, you know, once you find out that. You know, you're invested in a bunch of stocks that are doing pretty well for you.

You find out one of the stocks is connected to a not-so-appropriate. You know, industry, you're like, okay, well, let me get out of that stock. And I think it's wise to look at those things and don't go out of your way to support things that, but there are. There are all kinds of seasons. You could argue the same thing about Easter.

When these seasons pop up, hey, we love Christian Talk Radio loves it, right? Because we do trick or truth at Halloween. What do Christians do? Shut the light off, pull all the candy inside, and hope no one comes by the house? How do you redeem?

The culture's already going to come to your house.

So, you're not going to their house sharing the gospel. They're coming to your house.

So, of course, you put candy out, but you give the gospel to them. I gave all these Christian radio cards away. I share the Lord. I gave a kid a Christian radio card at my mom's house because we trick-or-treated kind of from there. I mean, we just were hanging around with the kids.

I didn't do a whole lot of trick-or-treating, although I did snack on some candy. A kid that I had given a Christian radio card to and a share of the truth card to, I shared the gospel with at a restaurant a few weeks ago, came by the house. He said, I know you. You're that Christian radio guy. And he said this.

He said, this is a divine appointment. This kid out of a 13-year-old kid said that. And I thought, how cool. And I challenged all of them to grow in Christ, follow Jesus, trust him. He's a superhero.

All this dress up stuff and this and that.

So the same thing is true of all these seasons. The same thing is true for Christmas. Love it, hate it, like it, or lose it. you have a powerful Uh event. That happened, the birth of Christ.

Did it happen in the spring? Probably more likely, you know, in terms of the calendar and all that. But. If the whole world stops, then guess what I'm going to do? I'm going to speak to the whole world about Jesus in that moment.

and tell them Christ came to begin with. And so, and it's not harmful or. unhealthy to quibble back and forth on the specifics and is it a pagan holiday or a true Christian tradition? Because you could find all the paganism in the tree and the stuff like that. But you know something?

How do we redeem this season? How do we tell a lot of people about Jesus? You know, we used to make fun of people.

Well, you only come to church at Christmas.

Well, how about the fact that they're coming to church? There you go. Let's be excited about that. And let's give them a hug when they're there. And let's say, hey, God bless you.

And let me tell you why we do church. Yeah. Not so we can make you look like you're chopped liver once a year. No, so we can say, hey, this is God's house. And hey, why don't you come back?

We're glad you're here. We're glad you're here. And you know, I actually had the opportunity to stand up this Sunday at our church and I spoke briefly. And one of the things that I had the opportunity to say was this: I said, Everybody knows, I said, that you come to church at least twice a year. That's right.

Christmas and Easter. Yeah. And I said to them, I said, maybe that person, and you've asked them 12, 13 times to come to church. Maybe they've never come. Maybe this is what you could say to them this time.

Why don't you come to church? And then pause for a minute and go, it's Christmas. There you go. You know, I mean, to me, it's just a good opportunity. That's exactly right.

So the fact that people are coming and, you know, I had to cut Easter out for going to church because of my golf handicapping was suffering.

So I, you know, so I only go once a year. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Don't, don't take that out of context. I'm picking.

I'm joking. But, you know, it's really, but, you know, then, so then you're like, okay, so. You're confronted with some Important facts. You know, because, like, even, you know, even non-Christian pagan people. get fed up with all the materialism and all the pursuit and all the clamor.

They're like, what in the world is this like? You know, it's the most stressful time of the year. And you're traveling here, you're traveling there, and you're trying to shop, and you're trying to impress people that all these things are going on. And it's easy to get caught up in all that, to forget, hold on. Why did he come?

And some of the most profound words of Christ were his first recorded words in Luke 2.49. Where he basically said I came for two reasons. I said, I came. He asked the first is the question. And by the way, the cool thing is, is the one who came to save the lost was lost.

I mean, imagine that. He's in the temple. He's where he exactly needs to be. His family's gone. And man, think about that.

Think about, hey, you've lost items before, maybe kids. at the amusement park. But think about losing Jesus. That's pretty big. And so that's a pretty big misstep.

But so they came back. Finally, they found them. They were in a panic. They were in a stressful. Christmas.

Gotta stop. Gotta get gas. Fuel tanks empty. You've got to fill it. We're starved.

Oh, there's traffic. We're stuck on the 95. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And They're a little fella. Right, the one that had never done any wrong is long gone, and they don't know where he is.

And so there they find him, and they're a little bit upset, they're a little bit. relieve, but probably at the same time like, what in the world are you thinking? And he asks this question, he says, He says, Why are you looking for me?

Now that's a great question. Michael, think about that question. Why, Jesus says in Luke 2.49, why are you looking for me? And the answer to that question changes everything. It changed Michael Zwick's life.

Yeah. It changed Stu Epperson's life. Why? Because why do people look for Jesus?

Okay. Yeah. What are they? What are they? In that case, his parents are like, we're your human guardians here.

And like, we want you safe. We don't want to find you dead in some alley, you know, and on the on the bad side of Jerusalem. You know, we want to be able to take you home. But why do people seek Jesus?

So that's crazy.

So you have this whole Christmas narrative of Shepherds seeking Jesus. Why did they seek him?

Well, because their world got rocked. by a bright light in the in the loud cacophony of angels singing and Proclaiming glory to God in the highest.

So, why do the shepherds seek him? Why would these poor people who had nothing suddenly found? the pearl of great price in the major. Why would the wise men seek him? They had everything, they weren't poor.

They weren't struggling. Man, they had all the wisdom. They had all the education. They had all the, probably all the wives and concubines they needed. They had every, you know, they had a lot of wealth.

They brought, if you can give away those kind of gifts, you have a lot coming from you. Why would they, because they were their wealth. The shepherds had nothing. and we're we're empty. and only Jesus could fill them.

The wise men had everything. Think about millionaires and billionaires, some of the loneliest people. In fact, someone told me that the suicide rate is even higher among folks that are in the higher. Wealthier classes of people. Isn't that funny?

They have so much. People spend so much time, effort, and energy trying to get rich. Yeah. And then they get there and they realize they were up against the ladder was against the wrong wall.

Next time you pop into a celebrity, don't ask them for their autograph. Ask them how you can pray for them. Yeah. Because they're so empty. They're tired of just being.

The butt of a joke, or oh, I got a picture with him and a selfie. He'd say, hey, I got to pray for you, man. You got a big platform. I'm praying you'll find Jesus. You know, I remember giving a gospel tract to Lyle Alzado from the Oakland Raiders.

Man, he was rough. He was in this big leather outfit, earrings. He was in a limo. And we were all there and I saw him get in and start to drive off. And I ran up the limo.

I was witnessing in in LA. right at w in Westwood, which is an area near UCLA campus. And I said, Mr. Alzedo, man, I absolutely love watching you play football like you are the dude. I said, but listen, I want to make sure you know if you die you're going to go to heaven.

And that you know Jesus, and I want to give you this gospel track. I know you're busy, and everyone's after your autograph. I think he signed an autograph for me, I think he like signed a napkin or something. I gave a gospel track. And I just felt burdened for that man.

I could sense, I could see, you know, there's a little bit of a respond. He said, thank you. He was very gracious. And I don't know that anyone had ever, you know, the old pins teller story. I don't know that anyone had ever given him.

A gospel track or taking a time. I wouldn't even have a conversation with him. He's in this big. conclave of cars and they're you know they're all jetting out But you think about Uh people that have everything.

Sometimes the most empty inside, you know. What about Mary? What about Joseph? What's going on in their hearts? What's tugging on them?

You know, all the people in the Christmas narrative. Herod saw Jesus to murder him. You think about that.

So this book, First Words of Jesus, kind of... It answers that first question. Why are you looking for me? Why do people seek Jesus?

Some people just want him for what he can give them. You know, they're like Simon the sorcerer in Acts chapter what, eight or nine, where he comes to Peter. He says, Hey, hey, I'll pay. Here's a bucket of gold. Give me those miracles.

Peter said, You know, get out of here. You know, you're, and he, and he excoriated him for that, you know, that evil, satanic type approach, right? Because we, sometimes we want Jesus for the gifts he gives us, as opposed to for who he is and the gift that he is, right? And to change us.

So why seek Jesus, number one? And Christmas is all about that, right? He's around whether you. Recognize it or not, and he's real, and he is Lord, whether you bow or not. And then the second thing he says is.

Do you not know I must be about my father's business?

So there are two questions.

So his first words were two questions. How important are questions, by the way? You do a great job when you host Truth Talk Live on this show, Mike, when you're asking questions. Your guest sometimes is only going to be compelling as the questions you ask them. Jesus was the king of kings and the king of questions.

He asked, whose image is on this coin? Remember that, right? He asked all these questions, you know. Uh, he said he, you know, because he wanted to engage his audience, yeah, very much. And so In doing so, He asked this first question, why are you looking for me?

So why see Jesus? The second question. Oh mm Do you not know why I'm here? Which is a question of... Mission.

A question of purpose. And so those are the two questions the world's looking for. Why did Jesus come? And why do I seek him? Yeah, and I'm looking at the book right now.

I've got some people who actually wrote something in the front of your book. What do they call them? Blurbs or whatever, but I've got Governor Mike Huckabee who says, I love Christmas, though my parents never had a dime to spare. That didn't stop Christmas from filling our home with joy. Wow.

As I wrote in my book, A Simple Christmas, the very first Christmas was so simple, it had all the makings of a first-class disaster. It's a miracle that it turned out. And then he goes on to say, he said, if we didn't need the cross, there would have been no manger. Governor Huckabee, who's on TV all the time, you see him, he says, Stu Epperson's first words of Jesus gives us a thought-provoking and engaging look. And how Christmas connects to the resurrection, how the cradle is connected to the cross.

He said, I highly recommend it.

Well, here's somebody else you might know: Dave Ramsey. If anybody knows been to financial advice and all of that, this is what Dave Ramsey has to say. He says, It might be the most wonderful time of the year, but the busyness of Christmas often distracts us from what's really important. He says, In the first words of Jesus, Stu Epperson uses the characters of the biblical Christmas story to remind us that Jesus didn't just come to earth as a baby, he came to fulfill a mission. to be about his father's Business.

You've got Pat Williams, who wrote something. Gary Chapman, who wrote the five love languages. Ted Baer, and you've got Johnny Erickson Tata. I mean, you got a pretty good list of folks who recommended your books to.

Well, listen. God is faithful and these are some dear saints that that just You know, those folks get it. Like, honestly, those folks mentored me in writing this book because they all have great contributions on the faith. In particular, Johnny Erickson Tata. In chapter th you know, chapter three, I believe.

Just the pain of Christmas, you know, the dark side of Christmas. It was a pretty hard chapter to write, you know, but I talk a little bit about her life and some of the...

some of the hymns and this is another thing that really got me Uh Mike, is the hymns of Christmas. really point to the cross. You know, to save us all from Satan's power while we were gone astray. I mean, that's kind of a heavy hymn for a light Christmas, you know, celebration. Like, what are you talking about there?

You know, so you have all of these point things and all these people you just mentioned. they see this full spectrum. And Johnny Eric Satata actually let me use, she's a gifted artist, and she wrote, she, she, She draws by mouth. You know, because she's quadriplegic, you know, so she has a lady has led so many to Christ. What a blessing she's been to our family.

And we went to church together for a little spell there when we lived in California and went to John MacArthur's church. You know, she would attend I would always see her pull up in her van and and wheel out and get kind of near the front, just amazing. And she loved the Bible teaching of John MacArthur. She spoke at Doctor MacArthur's funeral. And did a great job.

But you know she To this painting, and it's in the front cover. I'll show it to you, and you can maybe hold it up for folks that are watching you on your. your very sought after Facebook page. Open up to the front cover a couple pages and you'll see a artist rendition. You gotta flip a little bit for it.

Yeah. Mary Cuddling her little baby. You see that? That's Johnny Erickson Totter right there. Yeah, now read the caption on the opposite.

This is what it says. It says, There shall the child lie in a stall. the child who shall redeem us all. Yeah. And there was to say on the other side of the page there, if you're still there.

So this book is filled with these kinds of. It says to my wife, Julie, a woman of exceptional courage and hope, our first daughter born at Christmas time. Both of you are a true gift from God. Yeah, so you have. This rich imagery Embedded, see that picture that you showed, you held up to the camera.

For folks, let me paint the picture for you. And you can look at it, it's in the book, and you can, Johnny Exon taught it, probably at her website around her Christmas stuff. Billy Graham asked Johnny, commissioned her. to paint something. Christmas related For his giant Billy Graham Christmas card that he was going to send everywhere.

And so she really prayed about that. Like this lady, she's got depth to her, and she really is close to the Lord and just an unrealistic. And by the way, if you didn't see the picture, that was a pretty amazing picture.

Well, she painted it. For somebody to use a quadruple. She painted with her mouth.

Okay. But with in those strokes of the. of the the artist y you know p paintbrush. She captures Mary holding the baby. in the major scene, but there's a cross in the background.

There's a there's a there's Calvary Looming in the background. And that is what she sent to Billy Graham. And it was just powerful. And it's like one of their favorite cards ever. And it's my favorite Christmas card.

Like the I Johnny sent those cards out to donors. And I emailed him back and says, How can I buy like? 100 of these, 500 of these things. And they sent me all they had, you know, they could get. And they ran out of those cards.

Yeah. But she let me use that artwork in the book. to demonstrate that Jesus Christ, ready for this, was born to die. Born. My people to deliver.

Born, my people to set free. Born to die. How many babies you go? You go to the maternity ward. You go, you know, you've had some kids, right?

I've had four of them, and then a couple of grandkids, and it's a time of celebration. But Jesus Christ was born. To die and to die the most brutal, vicious death ever invented, death on the cross. Yeah. So he came to die.

But he came to die so we could live.

So there's a passion. power That is in this Christmas story. That the gospel is so rich in. Why he came, his father's business, to fulfill his father's will. In the fast forward to the garden, not my will, thy will be done.

He willingly laid his life down. The good shepherd, no one took his life, John 10, the good shepherd willingly laid his life down for the sheep, that they might have life and might have it more abundantly.

So that's why he came.

So that book, we hone in on that. in the kind of the perspective of the cross. The gifts of the wise men point to the cross. The deaths and the brutal bloodshed in. Bethlehem When Herod slaughters all these kids two and under, horrible, all these males two and under.

that point to the cross because the cross every ounce of human pain would be Absolutely perfect. poured out. On A human sacrifice, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

So you have. the perspective of the shepherds. You have the perspective of Mary, who, by the way, was the only person that we know of because we believe Joseph, it's believed Joseph had passed away by the time of Christ's death. Mary was there present. at the cradle.

Holding that precious baby. And she was present at the cross, watching her son die. Imagine watching your own son die. And there was nothing she could do about it. No parents should have to bury their own child.

And we've both known people of how to do that. That's exactly right.

Yeah. And she, but she. Trusted God? Mm-hmm. And she also fulfilled the prophecy of Simeon.

From Luke 2, who said, you know, there'll be a great pain that pierces your soul. Mm-hmm. And she, you know, so there's a burden. that Mary carried. And so that's one of the chapters.

you know, a very merry M-A-R-Y Christmas. You know, so. The Catholics go a little far with Mary. She's not co-erdemprix. She's not dying for anyone's soul.

She's not interceding for you. She's a sinner who is saved by her son. Just like you're saved by God. She had children after. She had children after.

It's clear. And, you know, James, Jude, two of her children wrote books of the Bible inspired by the Holy Spirit. But because people maybe go too far with her, doesn't mean that we don't Annunciate her more and write and celebrate. What a godly young lady. I mean, 14 years old, maybe, 14, 15, somewhere in there.

And here she gets the news that she's going to carry the one who will one day carry her cross, that she's going to give birth to the one who will one day give her new birth. and such, right? And so here you have a just a godly woman, an instrument of God being used, you know, for for the Lord to bring the Lord into into uh this world, you know? And then there she was. One of the last to be at the cross with him as he died and to pray over him.

She was probably huddled with that little group there at the funeral of Jesus when they were saying a few words and. before you know he was buried in that and they weren't rich No. I mean yeah.

Well, and it's believed that the the myrrh Of the three gifts, the MIR was used is actually Murr is used for a lot of things, but It has a curative medicinal purpose, but it also has a A Um uh of fragrance to it that is used in embalming. Because the Jews didn't embalm. Or entombing, the Jews did not embalm like the Egyptians, right? And they didn't do any of that stuff, but they treated the body.

So they put fragrances on the body just during that season of mourning so that it would counteract the putrid nature of a body that's dead and that's going to start going into rigor mortis and all that. And so that myrrh was significant, that gift or the wise man pointing to... His burial. One day, you know? And and he yeah.

The but it was also I think you had mentioned Herod wanted to kill Jesus, and they said he killed all the children under the age of two years old, yeah, that's a tragic story. Matthew chapter 2 records that. Yeah. And so if somebody if you go back towards the end of the book. You've talked about the beginning.

We've talked about who you know, who endorsed the book. What is the point of the whole book? What is what is what is the one thing that you want people to get from this book? Or why would they want to pick it up? What's the one reason why they would really want to pick it up?

Well, I would say the the answer to those two questions. Who is Jesus and why did he come?

Okay. And if you don't get those answers, in your in your soul. Mm-hmm. then your soul's in trouble. And your soul will not will not Pass.

God's muster and God's judgment on the day When you give your account to God. And so These seven chapters are simply pointing people To the answer of that. Who is Jesus? Why do people look for him? And then.

Why'd he come? Yeah. You know, what's the point of his. And the Advent is when he came, right?

So it's a. It's a real celebration. You know, the light is coming in the darkness, you know? It's good news. It's great news.

Absolutely. And so You know, and it gets into your testimony. Like, how did you think about... When you started asking those questions, when did Jesus break through to you? Yeah, I mean and it's And it's nothing that I could have ever done on my own.

The Bible says that no one seeks after God. I mean, nobody's such a good person that they go, ah, Jesus, I want to come to you. But I think when I realized how much of a sinner I was, Then at that point, then I was able to come to the foot of the cross. I've heard, I've heard people telling people about Jesus for so long and. I heard somebody one time ask a legitimate question.

Well, saved from what?

Well, to me, that's a problem. If you've been telling people, trying to explain the gospel to them, and you're not telling them what they're saved from. To me, that's a problem. That's exactly right.

You've got to be Sick. Before you can be Made whole, right? That's it. You got to be broken before you're fixed. And Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost.

Luke 19:10. And so If you don't recognize, you're lost. See, it wasn't Jesus that was lost in Luke 2. It was everyone else. In the one who came to save the lost, was right there.

in his father's house. doing his father's will. talking about the glory and the grandeur. The majesty of the of the Father. That's it.

And we see a picture of that of the Transfiguration, you know, in Matthew 17. But you have I love this I wrote a poem that is just one of my favorites just about the treasure at the cradle and the treasure at the cross. We talked about the myrrh, the gold, the frankincense. But read that right there. Read that little poem.

And I just hope it's a blessing to you. And this is what it says. The treasure at the cradle and the treasure at the cross. At the cradle, the gift of gold of purest value, a currency for kings. With hearts bowed low, his royalty behold.

At the cross, the crown of thorns salvation brings. Present him frankincense, a gift for deity, pure sweet aroma, an offering of loud. Yet the greatest offering would be on Calvary, where the spotless lamb bore the wrath of God. A fragrant scent to bless the lad, a savory gift poured at his feet. At death his body would be later clad with swaddling clothes and myrrh so sweet.

Treasure at the cradle, treasure at the cross. gold, frankincense, and myrrh. All for him, the blood of the Lamb shed for the lost, to give eternal life, forgiveness of sin. And we've got to go for today, but if you can see this right now, pick up First Words of Jesus by Stu Repperson Jr. And Stu, I want to thank you for coming on today.

It's not for God. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. All right, for my YouTube channel. If not for God with mighty Zwick.

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