Footprints of the Savior: Part 4

A snowcapped mountain, a shoreline of miracles, and one question that still divides public opinion from personal conviction. We follow Brother James through two unforgettable gospel settings: Mount Hermon near Caesarea Philippi and the Sea of Galilee. Surrounded by pagan temples and rival claims to authority, Jesus asks, “Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” Then He turns the question toward His disciples, and Peter’s confession lands with weight: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 

From that rocky backdrop, we climb to the Transfiguration, where Christ’s glory shines in a way that is not reflected but inherent. We unpack why this moment matters: the comfort of the Son as He nears rejection, a preview of the coming King in majesty, and needed strength for Peter, James, and John as suffering and costly ministry approach. With Moses and Elijah present, the focus narrows to the simplest, most searching takeaway: “Jesus only.” 

Then we walk the harp-shaped Sea of Galilee, naming the towns and scenes that hold the memories of Jesus’ earthly ministry: Capernaum’s healings and warning, Magdala’s deliverance, Gadara’s freed captive, the Sermon on the Mount, and the storm where Christ speaks peace. The thread tying it all together is both comfort and confrontation: Christ comes to bless and save, yet rejection brings real consequence. Listen, share with someone who needs steady faith, and subscribe and leave a review to help more people find the message.

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Transcript

Welcome And Series Overview

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All right now, a very pleasant good day to each and every one of you. I'm Brother James. I greet you as always in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, and I welcome you to the Preaching of the Cross Radio Broadcast, a 30-minute program heard over this radio station for the sole purpose of we trust, we pray, we desire, the sole purpose of bringing honor and glory to the only Savior, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we're so very thankful, we're happy that you've tuned into the program today. It's our desire to be a blessing to you, it's our desire to be a help to you. If you're not saved, if you've never truly been born again, our desire is to uh bring you the gospel message that you might come to know the Lord Jesus Christ in a personal way as Lord and Savior. And if you if you have been born again, it's our desire to uh stir you up and encourage you to live your life uh for Jesus in a way that is well pleasing in his sight. We began uh three programs ago. This will be the fourth in a series of messages on the footprints of the Savior. The footprints of the Savior, and we've been considering uh those places that are so prominent in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the events which uh took place there, which uh just stand out and and speak of the many wonderful characteristics of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We talked about uh uh Bethlehem and Nazareth, we talked about Cana and Sychar, we talked about uh uh Bethany, and on the broadcast today we want to speak about Mount Hermon and about Galilee. Mount Hermon and Galilee, and we hope and pray that you listen very carefully, very attentively, and we believe that God Almighty will make these uh truths, these blessed truths about the Lord Jesus Christ uh most uh enjoyable and most helpful to you.

Mount Hermon And Caesarea Philippi

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Now the mountains of Israel are steeped in history, shrouded in mystery, and haloed with a with a certain glory. In some senses, Mount Hermon dominates them all. You know it's the highest mountain in the region, towering nearly ten thousand feet above sea level on Israel's northern border. It is eternally capped with snow, and it's a most fitting reminder of the majesty of the scenes which were enacted on its southern slopes. Here where the Jordan River has its source is Caesarea Philippi. It's at this place that Peter made his great confession of Matthew 16 when he said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and Jesus pronounced that upon that confession, that rock solid foundation, that he would build his church. It's also here, it would seem, that the transfiguration scene took place of Matthew chapter 17. Our Lord Jesus Christ chose Mount Hermon and Caesarea Philippi as the place in which to ask the immortal question, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? Now why did he choose this particular spot to ask such a question? Well, Caesarea Philippi was originally known as Panias, P A N I A S. It was named after the pagan god Pan. This was Galilee of the Gentiles. There was a sanctuary here in which was an idol image of Pan. Philip the Tetarch, son of Herod the Great, had rebuilt the city of Pan and named it after his Caesar, Tiberius. There was another Caesar, however, or another Caesarea, I should say, on the coast, and so distinct to distinguish them, what more selfish, what more gratifying way than to associate his own name with Caesar's and to call the rebuilt city Caesarea Philippi, that is the city of Caesar and Philip. On the rock of Mount Hermon, above the city, Philip erected a majestic white marble temple in honor of Caesar, and as well as this there were in the area perhaps fourteen other temples, all built in honor of various Syrian false gods. In the midst of all this confusion of pagan deities, our Lord Jesus Christ asked his question Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And as you read the passage, public opinion was varied. There were some who wondered if the martyr John the Baptist had reappeared. There were those who saw in Jesus some likeness to Elijah, and the answer came, some say that thou art Elias. And others witnessed his tears and heard his tender pleadings. It reminded them of the weeping prophet, and they suggested, some did that he was was Jeremiah. Others

The Great Confession In Pagan Territory

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didn't know, but they simply thought that he was a prophet. But our Lord Jesus Christ now makes the question personal and piercing, but ye whom say ye that I am? Peter answered boldly, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. There was no doubt, there was no hesitation. Messiah had come, and this was he. Amid the relics of dead deities, the Son of the Living God stood in power. In the shadows of the heathendom which had corrupted the great mount, Jesus is confessed as supreme. Upon this rock he would build his church, and Mount Hermon would be remembered as the place of the great confession. After six days Jesus ascends the mount. Peter in retrospect calls it the holy mount in 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 19. And with Peter, James, and John, our Lord will climb these slopes. They will be permitted to see his glory. There were at least three reasons for this display of majesty, which we have come to call the transfiguration. Firstly, there was what might be termed a moral reason. It was for the personal human comfort of the Lord Jesus Christ. About to be cruelly, callously, and unjustly condemned by the nation of Israel, Jesus would be comforted by the approbation of heaven. The Father would express his delight in him. The heavenly visitors would intimate that the conversation of heaven was about his forthcoming Exodus, which he would accomplish. Heaven was in accord with the Father and the Son, no matter what the men, no matter what the Israelites would think or do, there was a moral reason. The comfort of the beloved Son by the adoring Father. And then secondly, there was a there was a dispensational reason for the transfiguration. This little Jewish remnant that accompanied Jesus Christ, the Bible says in Second Peter one, saw his majesty. They saw the glorified king previewed in his majesty. If it was not yet the time for reigning, for tabernacles, or for permanent glory, well, at least that was coming. They had a preview. And if they were soon to see the king hanging upon a cross, thorn crowned, bleeding, beaten, disrobed, still they had the sure promise given them on this mount of transfiguration. The eventual glory was assured. They had seen it. The king would be, the king must be vindicated one day when what they saw on the mount was fulfilled. Then there was a there was a practical reason for it. These three disciples, Peter, James, and John, these three disciples were destined for great things. But you know, my friend, they were they were destined for suffering too. Peter would become soon the Pentecostal preacher, announcing the glory of Jesus crucified, risen, and ascended. James would be an early martyr, dying for the faith in the next twelve or fourteen years. John would linger on into old age and become the sole survivor of the apostolic band. He was to be too the great writer of the revelation, the seer. And all three of them, Peter, James, and John, their

The Transfiguration And Its Three Purposes

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ministries, their futures different, yet all three of them needed encouragement. And this was it. A sight of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ that there is no way they could ever forget in the midst of their greatest trials and darkest hours, in the midst of their deepest tribulations, they would never forget this vision of the glorified Savior. Now it was proper that Moses should be there on this mount of transfiguration. He too had once climbed a mountain with three men, and his face had shone. His types were now about to be fulfilled in Jesus, and his rites and ceremonies were to be done away. It was fitting that he should appear to see the radiant face of the blessed one to whom all his writings had pointed. Elijah was also there, and this most fitting. The great forerunner of the Messiah in type, Elijah and Moses here, representing all the law and all the prophets, but they were about to be eclipsed by the glory of the Sun. The Bible says the face of Jesus shone. This was inherent. Personal glory that radiated from him. It was not reflected glory, such as the lighted face of Moses. And what is glory? Well, you know, it's well, it's rather difficult to define, actually, but someone has called it the outshining of an inner excellence. And that's what these men saw there upon the mountain. And with the glory cloud and the voice from out of it, they were sore afraid. But gently the Lord Jesus Christ touched them and said, Be not afraid. Oh, how tenderly can the Lord of glory comfort his people. On the slopes of the holy mount they saw no man save Jesus only. May the atmosphere of Mount Hermon fill our hearts and our churches. Help us to give to Christ and Christ alone the unique and solitary place. May the dew of Mount Hermon bring spiritual prosperity and refreshment to those often barren times in our Christian lives.

Moses Elijah And The Glory Of Christ

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What about Galilee? What about this region round about Galilee? How pleasant to me thy deep blue wave, O sea of Galilee, for the glorious one who came to say hath often stood by thee. Graceful around thee the mountains meet, thou calm reposing sea, but ah for far more the beautiful feet of Jesus walked over thee. The hills and valleys of the Sea of Galilee are radiant with memories of the Lord Jesus. Around this lovely lake and especially on its northwest shore were so many of the scenes of our Lord's ministry Capernaum, Bethsaida, Corazon, Magdala, Tavga, Gedara, the Mount of Beatitudes, the storm, the miraculous catch of fishes, the walking on the waters all took place round about this Sea of Galilee. Dr. Thompson says The blessed feet of Emmanuel have hallowed every acre. The eye of divine love has gazed a thousand times upon this fair expanse of lake and land. What a glorious spot it is, and the face of planet Earth, this location where Jesus did so much. The sea is harp shaped or pear shaped. It measures about thirteen miles by seven miles. It is widest and deepest at its northern end. Physically it is surpassingly beautiful, a golden beauty in the morning and evening hours, and in the daytime an exquisite jewel of blue lying on the bosom of Emmanuel's land. It is variously known in the Bible as the Sea of Galilee, the Sea of Tiberius, Geneseret, Chinnerath, or Kinnereth. This last Kinnereth with a K rather than the CH, is the Hebrew word for harp. The lake nestles among green and brown hills, and today there is tranquility and quietness, but in our Lord's day there was a bustling activity in the once populous cities which were around the shore. And let's let's talk about these cities and some of the events that took place in this region during the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. First of all, the village known as Tiberius. It is the only town today on the lake shore. Tiberius was built by Herod Antipus and named after his Caesar. It is interesting that there is no record of our Lord having visited Tiberius or of having ministered there. It was a predominantly Roman town. He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And besides, Tiberius was built

Turning Toward The Sea Of Galilee

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over the site of an old cemetery, and no Jew would have desired to live there. And so while mention is made of this village, Jesus performed no work there or preached no sermon there, as far as the Bible record indicates. And then there is Capernaum. Here our Lord Jesus Christ made his home when he was rejected by the men of Nazareth. We read in Matthew chapter 4 and verse 13 that having been cast out from Nazareth he went to Capernaum. At that time, walking by the Sea of Galilee, he called Simon and Andrew to be fishers of men. But it is a sad reflection on the moral conditions at Capernaum that although they were to reject the Savior, yet there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. Our Lord Jesus Christ graciously delivered him. It was here too at Capernaum that he healed Peter's mother-in-law of a fever. Yes, I said Peter's mother-in-law. I realize that some of you have been taught that Peter was the first pope and that popes are to be celibate, but uh we're we're teaching the Bible now, not vain traditions of false religions. Peter's mother-in-law was healed of a fever here in Capernaum, and then in the evening when the sun was setting, Jesus delivered many from disease and devil possession. Here lived the man whom we have come to know as the sick of the palsy. And this Capernaum was also the home of the nobleman whose sick son was healed by a word spoken some twenty miles away at Cana in the story recorded in John chapter number four. And did the centurion know of this? Who when the Lord was in Capernaum sent that word of faith to him, saying,

Galilee’s Towns And Mighty Works

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Lord, trouble not thyself, but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed in Luke chapter seven. What mighty works were done here in Capernaum? But they rejected him, and in so doing they pronounced their doom. Jesus spoke to these people in Matthew chapter eleven, these solemn words. And let me read to you verse twenty three. Matthew eleven, verse twenty-three, and thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which had been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. The obvious, obvious implication of the Lord Jesus Christ is that even the wicked homosexual Sodomites would have repented, but here the religious, self righteous men of Capernaum would not. Did Jesus speak the truth prophetically? Well, my friends, today there is nothing but ruin where Capernaum once stood, a somber monument to their unbelief. Tell me, ye mouldering fragments, tell was the Savior's city here? Lifted to heaven has it sunk to hell with none to shed a tear? You reject Christ, and he will reject you. And then there is Magdala. Galilee appears to have been plagued with devil possession and the blight of unclean spirits. At Magdala lived Mary, whom we now know as the Magdalene, because this was the city of her dwelling. Somewhere here by the lakeside she met the Lord, and he delivered her from devil possession, cast seven devils out of her. She was completely in their power, but he emancipated her, and it seems that from that moment she never left him. In her undying devotion she stood weeping by his tomb in the garden, saying, My Lord, tell me where thou hast laid him. We read of this in John twenty. Magdalena today is a tiny village amid the trees, but the sweetness of the memories abide, and its name is known to all Christian believers throughout the world, because of the wonder of the deliverance wrought by Mary, the Magdalene, by Jesus Christ the Lord. On the other side of the lake was a place called Gadera, a place called Gadera. And here lived a man possessed by legion. Here lived the wretched, devil-possessed man who dwelt among the tombs. And he too was delivered by the shore of this Sea of Galilee. His tormentors rushed the swine into the blue waters and left this man sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind. Also, somewhere on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee,

Capernaum’s Privilege And Judgment

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our Lord gave the famous Sermon on the Mount. Somewhere here, he also gave us the kingdom parables that are recorded in Matthew chapter 13. The Sermon on the Mount begins, of course, with what we call the Beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, and so forth. The traditional site of that ministry, therefore, has become known as the Mount of Beatitudes. Our Lord's ministry began with the pronouncement and promise of blessing. The Old Testament writings, the Old Covenant, had concluded in Malachi 4 6 with a curse. Those were the writings of Moses, the lawgiver and his fellow prophets. But grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. And by the tranquil sea of Galilee he said, Blessed are ye, blessed are ye, blessed are ye again and again, as recorded in Matthew chapter five. The stranger of Galilee had come with blessing, not to condemn, but to save. God sent not his son to the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God, and this is condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light. Christ came to bless, to free from the curse and condemnation of sin. However, his gracious words and ministry were largely rejected, and he had to outline in parable form the course and character of the kingdom during the days of his forthcoming rejection and exile. He chose the Galilean shore for that discourse as well. And then what of that storm? What about that storm? You know, every afternoon there is a storm a storm of some sort on the Sea of Galilee. The temperatures drop. The winds come through the valleys and stir the waters. At times it is trivial, but at other times it is quite severe. It was on one such occasion that Jesus slept in the storm. The storm was so great, the winds and waves so strong that the ship was was nearly sinking, and all hands would have surely been lost. The disciples uh their their faith, their courage failed, and they ran to wake the master asleep on the pillow. Asleep on the pillow, the only pillow, the captain's pillow, perhaps. I think so. He was the master of the storm, he was the master of the ship. He would prove to be the master of the Of their fears as he calmed the tempest. You know, Jesus never works a miracle simply to show that he can do it. He never works a miracle simply to show off his power. He he performs miracles so that those beholding will be helped, will be encouraged, their faith will be strengthened, that they might trust him fully and completely. He is the Lord of the tempest. He calms it. Here in the Sea of Galilee unto this day, he is still the Lord of the storm. Still, to many a troubled heart, he would say, Peace be still. And the troubled sea that would frighten us, he would still put beneath his feet. What manner of man is this? The disciples said that even the winds and waves obey him. The memories linger on of the lovely man who walked by the Sea of Galilee, who healed the lepers there, who fed the multitudes there, who comforted the widow there, and who in it all brought so much pleasure and joy to the heart of his heavenly father. O Galilee, sweet Galilee, I love your hills and vales and sea. I love the Christ you gave to me. O Galilee, sweet Galilee. Isn't it a wonderful thing that we have the Bible to record for us the footsteps of the Savior, that we might enjoy tracing

Deliverance Stories From Magdala And Gadara

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the path of a life like no other life ever before it, like no other life ever shall be after it? Isn't it a wonderful thing not only that we have the Bible to tell us about this great Lord Jesus Christ, the places that he walked in the life that he lived, but you know, if there had been no Jesus who walked this earth, if there had been no Jesus who performed these wonderful miracles, had there been no Jesus who taught these marvelous truths, what would the Bible be but another fairy tale, another storybook, another collection of fiction for people to muse over and discuss? But my friends, the Bible is not just another volume upon the shelf because Jesus is not just another man. The Bible is the Word of God, and Jesus was God manifest in the flesh. The scriptures bring us to the Savior. And the Savior brings us safely home to glory. And not only that, but he brings his own dear presence into our lives that we might enjoy not only eternal, everlasting life when we leave this world, but life more abundant while here. I hope and pray that you know this Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you know him, I hope and pray that you're enjoying the full blessing of walking in his footsteps.

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There are many listening to my voice right now who love the Lord, who want to serve the Lord with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind, and you you want to be better prepared to serve him. You've talked with your pastor about it, he's very supportive. You've prayed about, you've considered going to a Christian college or a Bible school. But you know what happened? You you looked at those those big name schools and and you wanted you wanted to be sure. You wanted to be certain. They were never going to cast doubt upon, they were never going to suggest there was an error in your precious holy Bible. You know it's the Word of God. You believe it to be the Word of God. They use it. But they don't believe it's inerrant, and that really bothers you. Plus, that that that five, ten, fifteen, twenty thousand dollars a year, that's that's a little rough too, isn't it?

Storm On The Sea And Closing Appeal

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There are a couple of smaller Bible colleges, and they're that they've stayed true to the King James Bible, and we thank God for them, and and we fellowship with them, and and we praise God for uh their work. What we started back in 2003, the Deland School of the Bible, is unique for two reasons. There is no charge for attendance, the classes, tuition, absolutely free. The books are free, the materials, everything's free. It's a 100 percent free Bible school. Three-year course of study, intensive training to prepare you for the ministry, the mission field, to serve the Lord in your uh local church. We'd like to send you information about that Bible school, or you may look on our website and see the information. It's called the Deland School of the Bible. Tuition-free, intensive Bible study, and not one time ever will you hear the Word of God come under attack. We believe the Bible to be absolutely 100% pure, perfect, inerrant, authorized King James Version without error. We believe that. We teach that all of our teachers 100% true to that principle, that idea. So the the web address is jameswnox.org. Jameswnox.org. And when you get there, just click on the link for the The Land School of the Bible. Join those that are studying with us and preparing to serve the Lord. All right. Till next time, I'm Brother James. May the Lord richly bless you, and good day.