I ask you to turn with me please to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 26. This morning I would like to study with you Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. We're going to be also looking at some of the words spoken by Jesus Christ on the cross. We have just finished singing this magnificent hymn of amazing grace by John Newton. Some of you are aware of his life. He was a slave trader. He was later captured and enslaved and ended up coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ and wrote this magnificent hymn. Others as well. And I think that when we see Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane and then, of course, in his cross work, we see amazing grace in all of its fullness. I want to speak with you a little bit about this and hopefully give us a little greater understanding of what's taking place here. Matthew chapter 26, I want to begin in verse 36 and read through verse 46 and as I go along I'm going to make a few comments so hear now the very Word of God as we read from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 26 and beginning in verse 36. Now Jesus has just left the upper room, I mean he's instituted the Lord's Supper there, they had the Passover feast together, he and his twelve apostles, and then they are now moving to the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, sit here while I go over there and pray. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Now here we see Jesus going to the garden that's on the Mount of Olives, someplace on the Mount of Olives, and as he goes there, nine of the apostles he leaves in this particular place, he takes these three men, Peter and James and John, the inner circle, if you will, and humanly speaking, Jesus' closest friends, humanly speaking, his closest friends, and he moves with them a little bit further into the garden And then he moves a little bit further still. And so we read, he said to them, my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch. Keep watch with me. That's it. Remain here and keep watch with me. And he went a little beyond them and fell on his face and prayed, saying, my father, If it is possible, let this cup pass from me, yet not as I will, but as you will. Now notice that prayer, we're going to come back to that in just a few moments. If it is possible, let this cup pass from me. And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, so you men could not keep watch with me for one hour, keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. And he went away again a second time and prayed, saying, now notice the difference in the prayer, my father, If this cannot pass, you see at this point, you compare this with Luke, we're not going to go there, but at this point he recognizes that cup is not going to pass. It's not going to pass. Luke speaks after that first time, that first prayer, an angel came and ministered to him and then he says that Luke tells us that he began to pray even more earnestly, more earnestly, even to the point where he's sweating great drops of blood, not just sweat as thick as blood, but blood, bloody sweat. It's called hematidrosis. It is something that does take place. He recognizes here again that this is not going to pass from him. And so he says in verse 42, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, your will be done. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And he left them again and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more, that is, thy will be done. And then he came to the disciples and said to them, are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up. Let us be going. Behold the one who betrays me. is at hand, and thus far the reading of the infallible and inerrant word of God. Let's ask his blessings on our study this morning. Our Father, as we come now to this study of your word, this time that we have set apart in particular for the preaching and the hearing of the word, we ask that you would meet with us, that you would be our teacher, that you would be our guide, that you would give us receptive ears and hearts to your word, that your word would indeed not return void. but would accomplish the good purpose for which you said it. God grant that the words of my mouth and the meditations of each of our hearts would be pleasing in your sight, O God, for we ask these things in the matchless name of the Son of God, even Jesus Christ. Amen. Let me begin by giving thanks in particular for several men who have been very, very helpful in putting this message together through the years, the people I've studied here, one of which you may not have heard of, probably have not, a man by the name of John Howe, another by the name of Jonathan Edwards, whose thought is, of course, ever present with me, the amazing amount of help he's been to me through the years, William Hendrickson, in his exposition, as usual, has been extraordinarily helpful. I'll mention one other man that I don't recommend reading a good deal of his writings, but here N.T. Wright has been extremely helpful to me in understanding certain portions of what we are going to be looking at. Now, there are, I think probably most of you, at least some of you here, remember that I've said before, use the example of Charles Hodge, when he was lecturing to his students on the doctrine of Christology, which is the study of the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Princeton theologian began to weep, he began to cry, and tears coming down his face. His students asked him, Dr. Hodge, what's the matter? What's the problem? And he turned to his students and asked them, don't these things move you? Don't these things move you? Are they just pure doctrine? Or are they truths from scripture which are actually getting into the very core of your being? That's what he asked them. And as we go through this particular study, I am personally of the opinion that there is no more moving time. in the entirety of the Word of God that we read about here in the garden and then the time when Jesus Christ himself is on the cross. And so as we move through here, I'm going to ask you if these things we're looking at are just doctrines, great doctrines to be sure, but if they never get into your very bloodstream If they never move you to this extent, then you have a very, very serious spiritual problem. I'm not talking here about mere emotionalism. I'm talking about embracing these truths as your very own. Now before we look at Gethsemane, I want to move ahead a few hours because that's all it is, a matter of hours. No longer is it days. to the time that Jesus Christ is going to the cross. We know that he was taken before Pilate, yes, he went before the Sanhedrin, then he went before Pilate very early on that Friday morning, and then he was crucified, we read as we compare the scripture accounts, the gospel accounts, at nine o'clock in the morning. Now please pick up on this. He was crucified at 9 a.m. in the morning, and he was on that cross for a period of at least six hours. It would have to be a little bit more than six hours because at three o'clock he begins to speak the final words. But the first three hours from nine until noon he speaks three of what are called the seven words or the seven sayings of Jesus Christ. Now, I know that some of you, or at least all of you to some extent, would be familiar with these, but these words are pithy sayings that come forth from Jesus' lips, very meaningful. In fact, I think there's a real way in which we can say they summarize the entirety of his life. I really mean that. to look at them in any depth today, but I want to go over them with you very briefly. The first three of these words are spoken between nine o'clock and noon, and then come noon, darkness covers the land. And there's an eerie silence until three o'clock in the afternoon. At three o'clock in the afternoon, Jesus breaks the silence, and then he begins to speak the last four of these words before giving up his spirit. Let's look at them very briefly, if you will. Three of these, by the way, are found in Luke. Three of these are found in John, and Matthew, and Mark share the other one. Let's look, beginning here, at the first word, beginning early in the morning, or at least 9 o'clock in the morning, and on Luke, chapter 23. Turn there with me, because, again, we're going to be going through these very, very rapidly, and then coming back to Gethsemane. Luke, chapter 23, and verse Luke chapter 23, beginning in verse 33, we read this. And when they came to the place called the skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and other on the left. Now at first, we're going to come back to this in just a moment, but at first, both of these criminals are railing against him, like they at the foot of the cross. They're scorning him. Both of them are at first. We see that when we look at the gospel accounts. But Jesus was saying, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Now certainly this cannot be seen as a blanket pardon for all mankind, or else, of course, all mankind would be saved. It cannot be a pardon apart from repentance, Ultimately, the prayer is for those who do repent and we see that happening, don't we? Some at the foot of the cross, some of them were at Pentecost when Peter pointed out to them and he said, you are the ones who put him on this cross and they came to know him savingly. I do, however, find it very interesting, that this one who's hanging on the cross, the God-man, and let's not in any sense separate, but let's clearly distinguish between his humanity and his deity, this one who's hanging on that cross, the God-man, as touching his deity, is the one who spoke this whole universe into existence. The whole world. Let there be light, and there was light. He spoke the universe into existence. And with one word, one word from this cross, he could have obliterated all of these people who were railing against him. All of them. Just like that. But the only words we hear coming from his mouth at this point is, Father, forgive them. Can you imagine that? Does that move you? Father, forgive them. They know now what they're doing. Dropped in, if you will, to verse 39 and following, where we read about the second word. One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at him, saying, Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us. But the other answered and rebuked him, saying, Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence and condemnation? and we indeed are suffering justly for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds but this man has done nothing wrong and he was saying Jesus remember me simple prayer remember me when you come in your kingdom and Jesus said to him truly I say to you Today, you shall be with me in paradise. These two men, in a very real sense, represent all humanity. Every one of us, every person who's ever lived, is guilty of being crucified and far, far worse. One on this side, one on this side of that cross. And they represent, in a very real sense, the entirety of the human race. Some repent, and some don't repent. But this simple prayer, remember me, and Jesus responds, today, when life passes away from you, you will be with me in paradise. Because to be remembered by Jesus Christ is enough. That's all it takes. To be remembered by Christ is enough. The third word we find in John chapter 19 and verse 25 and following. Here we read John 25, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, that's Jesus, and his mother's sister Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. And when Jesus then saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved, now that disciple is John, and here again at the foot of the cross, the two closest people to Jesus, his mother, his father, obviously having died by now because he's going to give the his mother into the care of John, John the closest of the three in her circle, John whom he loved, and Mary standing at the foot of that cross, these two closest people to Jesus Christ, they're there at the foot of the cross, and Mary, if you can imagine some of you moms right now, looking up at her son on that cross, looking up at the one she raised, crucified on that cross, his life literally oozing out of him at this point. Oozing out of him. And yet he says here, he says to her, or he says, excuse me, woman, behold your son. Now that's not a terse word. It could be translated dear lady. It's not a harsh word. Woman, behold your son. And he said to the disciple, behold your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his own household. Jesus Christ does not give his mother into the hands of his half-brothers because they were not believing on him at this point. But here on the cross Jesus Christ is taking care of his relationship to the fifth commandment. Honor your mom and honor your dad and he does it to the fullest right here on the cross. You remember Simeon in Luke chapter 2, when speaking to Mary, he said, this one that you're bringing forth, Mary, this one is going to cause a sword to pass through your very soul. Could it be that that's what's taking place on that cross when she sees her son there? And yet her son's final words to the mom Mom doesn't call her mom. Woman, this is the one that's going to take care of you now. And John, John, you take care of my mom. You take care of my mother. This is Jesus dying on the cross. Painful death. And he thinks of his mother on the cross to honor the fifth commandment. This is the one we serve. This is the Lord Jesus Christ. Does that move you? Does that move you? Coming to noon, there's darkness covering the land. And then when we come to the hour of 3 o'clock, we read the fourth word, Mark chapter 15. Now, this is the one that's shared with Matthew. But Mark chapter 15, here's what we read. Mark chapter 15 beginning in verse 33, And when the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour, that would be three o'clock in the afternoon, at the ninth hour Jesus cried out, with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani. That's an Aramaic phrase which is translated, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Now we looked at this, interestingly, yesterday in our systematic theology class, but certainly we're not to believe here that the Father is forsaking the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Remember that we have the Father and the Son and the Spirit. They have one essence. They're the same in essence, equal in power and glory. Who is being forsaken here on the cross? Jesus Christ is being forsaken on this cross. The God-man is being forsaken on this cross. but is touching his human nature, is touching his humanity. Again, please let us never, never not think that Jesus Christ is fully human. He is 100% human. He's 100% divine. But the tendency can sometimes be to somehow deify the human nature. We must never do that. nor to humanify the divine nature. But the tendency is to see somehow this overlap. Luther went there in his theology. Remember, he had a misunderstanding of what we call the hypostatic union. But we see here that Jesus Christ is fully human and fully divine. And here on the cross, he's crying out, not, oh God, oh God, why have you forsaken me, but my God, my God. My God, why have you forsaken me? He takes upon himself a God forsakenness, but he hasn't lost his God. He still knows God as my God, my God. And he is forsaken. This one who had the most intimate relationship with the Father for 30-some years of his life, the greatest intimacy, now the Father turns away from the Son, and he's about to pour out his wrath upon that Son. And he's still my God. He's still my God. In the midst of it all, he's my God. Not just God. This is devotion to his Heavenly Father. The next word we find back in John chapter 19. John 19 and let's begin in verse 28. After this, Jesus knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, I am thirsty. Now I think that we, I think this is extraordinarily interesting because you see he's doing this to fulfill the Scripture and he shows us here, does he not, we see the entire time he's on that cross, that he's still in complete control. He's in complete control of the situation. He's on the cross. He's hanging there. But he's got it all in perfect control. He is right in the midst, right in the center of the will of his father. And to fulfill the scripture so that the scripture would be fulfilled, he says, I am thirsty. I'm thirsty. This one who gives us fountains of living water is thirsty on that cross. And that's the point. that he is thirsting there so that his people would never have to thirst in this way, but that we can come and drink from these fountains of living waters that flows from the cross work and the entirety of his life. This one is on that cross, thirst so that we would not have to. The next word flows directly on the heels of this beginning in verse 29. A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to his mouth. Now earlier you may remember that wine was offered to him with an opiate perhaps to deaden the or help him to deaden the pain somewhat of being on that cross. We do know from medical physicians who have studied these issues that just to push yourself up off of the cross would be difficult. I mean, just breathing, just to be able to breathe, you'd have to push yourself up to speak would be painful. It would be painful. And this opiate was issued, I mean, from time to time, from what I've read, from what I've studied, with the wine, mixed with the wine, to help deaden that. And he refused to take it. The different views here as to why that is, we do know that the priests were forbidden to take wine when they were in the midst of their ministry, and he denies it at this point. But now at the end, he takes it. That's one possible solution, but we do know that we read here in the next verse. He says, I am thirsty. A jar full of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop, brought it to his mouth. Therefore, when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, it is finished. It is finished. This is an economic term. It's in what we call the perfect tense, which means it's telestai, it means it has been done and it remains done and the efficacy of it continues and continues and continues. What is it that's finished? Well, his suffering is now finished, is what we call the passive obedience, not his continual ministry. The mediatorial work of Jesus Christ is necessary. forever and ever. I mean all of those who enter into this heavenly kingdom every moment of our lives completely depending upon the continuing mediatorial work of Jesus Christ. But here what's being finished is the suffering. The suffering has now come to an end. And so we end by going to the seventh word which we find in Luke chapter 23. The final word that we read there, quoting from Psalm 31, Luke 23, and verse 44 and following, we read this, It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, because the sun was obscured, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus, Crying out with a loud voice, said, Father. Notice the way he concludes, just like he began, Father, forgive them now at the end, Father. It's always Father, Father, Father, my God, my God, Father. Into your hands I commit my spirit. into your hands, I commit my spirit." And having said this, he breathed his last, and it was over. Now let's move back to Gethsemane. Hours before, when he goes to the Mount of Olives, and then when he goes there, As we saw, he takes the twelve apostles with him. He's come from the upper room, and when they go to the garden, he puts nine of the apostles in one particular place. He takes his three closest friends and moves a little bit further into the garden. And there, in the garden, he says to them, watch. Watch and pray. Watch with me and pray with me. He's speaking here to Peter and to James and to John. Please notice again here, we never separate, but we always distinguish the two natures. Here is Jesus Christ, fully human. And as a human being, he wants, he needs the companionship of his closest friends. He needs that. He's touching his humanity. Watch with me. Pray with me. Be with me here. We're told in Genesis chapter 2, it is not good for man to be alone. I will give him a helpmate suitable for him, one that can watch with him, one that can be with him. In Job chapter 2, when Job is stricken with his disease, whatever that is that comes from God, when he is stricken with this, his three friends come. And you remember what they do for the first week? They just watch with him. They don't see anything. They look at him, and they're aghast, and they're watching with him. They're being with him. Now, some of the commentators have said that this wasn't at all helpful. I disagree. We're told that there's a time to be silent in Ecclesiastes chapter 3. There's a time just not to say anything, just to be with that person, just to be with him. To know that you're there with them, and you're watching with them, and you're praying with them. And Jesus needs this. If I might be a little bit anecdotal here, in my own life, over the last several years, I've gone through some four surgeries. I counted them up recently in preparing this message. And in the providence of God, that's what he's had for me. And when you go under the knife, no matter how simple the operation may be, you just never know. I mean, the anesthesia can take you out just like that, I mean, just one slip. And it can take, and I'm well aware of that, always reminded of that. But when that day comes, and the morning hour, and I'm ready to go to the hospital, I mean, the day has come. You know how I want with me. My very closest friend, that's who I want with me. And she's there for me. She's watching with me. She takes me to the hospital. She's there in the preparation room with me. She's there in the waiting room. And when we go into that room where you get all these clothes on, you pull up the long stockings and all of this stuff that you do, you're waiting in that room. She's there with me, reading the scriptures, praying with me. And that means a lot to me. And some of you know precisely what I'm talking about. Because the wife of a man is not only my wife of some 45 years, if God gives us two more weeks, but she's also my very closest friend. And some of you know that as well. And just being there, just being there, is very important. Now the reason I'm saying this, this is what Jesus is going through as a human being. Do you see that? He needs the companionship that's touching his humanity. And these three friends, they fall asleep. They're not praying with him, but Jesus prays. He slips a little bit further away, and again the first time he prays, Father, if it is possible, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, if it's possible. But nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will, Father, what you will. The second time he begins, as I said earlier, to realize that this cup is not going to pass. It's not going to pass from him. And so he prays even more fervently here, and to the point of sweating blood. And he's saying, Father, Father, give me the strength. And yet, thy will be done, Father. Thy will be done. And of course, Jesus Christ drinks the cup. It's interesting that the word, Gethsemane, means oil press, means oil press, and very significantly so, because in that garden Jesus Christ is being pressed, he's being pressed to his fullest by the hand of my God, my God, he's being pressed fully, pressed, hard pressing upon him. And as one commentator said, When you press a lemon, what you get is lemon juice. And when you press an orange, you get orange juice. When you press something, what comes out of the something that's pressed is the very stuff that that thing is made out of. And when you press Jesus Christ to his fullest, you know what comes out of him? unwavering, unswerving, unaltering dedication to do the will of his Heavenly Father. That's the Christ we serve, not my will. Thy will be done. Thy will be done. And I'll tell you that when I'm pressed, sometimes when I've been pressed on more than one occasion, I don't like sometimes what comes out of me. And you're the same way. You're exactly the same way. We're all sinners and you know it. I know it. I don't like it. But sometimes when I'm pressed it's not pretty. And at those times I thank God that there was one who was pressed and he did not He did not shrink back. Because you see, He was devoted not only to do the will of His Father, but also He was devoted to meet the needs of those that the Father had given Him. People like you, and people like me. This is the Jesus Christ that we serve. This is the Lord of Glory. I think we also need to see here that this garden scene in Gethsemane points backwards to millennia past when the first Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden and in that garden scene paradise was lost. Adam and Eve driven outside that garden, paradise was lost. Now in this garden scene millennia later, millennia later, Jesus Christ is in that garden of Gethsemane and he is in this garden giving his life in his will at this point, that paradise can be restored, that it can be restored. But it also points forward, this garden scene, to the passage that Pastor Brackett read for us earlier. The garden into which Mary comes after the resurrection But when Mary comes into that garden, she can't find the Lord Jesus Christ. She doesn't know where he is. And what does she do? She weeps. She's weeping in that garden. She's weeping for herself. She's weeping for her Lord. But in a very real sense, she's weeping for all of us. She's weeping for all of us, standing there in our stead, if you will. Because a world without a resurrected Jesus Christ is nothing but vanity of vanities. It's nothing but vanity. And Mary knows that. Mary realizes that. Weeping in a broken, sinful world is part and parcel of what we go through. Weeping is found throughout the scriptures. We even read of Jesus weeping at the tomb of Lazarus. We read of Jesus weeping in the Garden of Gethsemane. The book of Hebrews tells us that. We read of Peter, that after he denied Jesus Christ three times, He was stricken with his guilt and he went out and he wept bitterly. He wept bitterly because of his sin. The Apostle John we read about in Revelation chapter 5. He's there in that throne room, and remember he's there in that vision in the throne room, and he sees this scroll, this scroll which is God's plan for history, this scroll that gives us revelation as to what will take place in history, and he hears no one, no one is able to open this scroll, no one can open this scroll and reveal God's plan to us. And what does he do? He weeps. He's weeping there. He's weeping. Again, I would suggest because a world without biblical revelation, without a standard, without an infallible rule by which to live, is nothing but vanity. It's all it is is vanity. And we should all be weeping over that. If we don't have revelation from God, we're living in a world of meaninglessness. And John knows it. But thank God that's not the end of the story. Because Mary in that garden, thinking that Jesus is the gardener, says to him, if you know where he is, tell me, and I'll come take him. I'll take him. Her devotion to Christ. Do you see that? Her devotion. I'll come take him. And then she hears, Mary, Mary, my sheep, hear my voice and they follow me. Rabboni! Rabboni! Rabboni! She's crying out to Jesus Christ. Rabboni! And she's clinging to him with every fiber of her being. Her weeping has been turned to rejoicing. The Apostle Peter, again having denied Jesus Christ three times, Jesus meets with him along the sea at Tiberias, and three times, three times, he says to Peter, do you love me, Peter? Do you love me? Do you love me more than all of these, Peter? And the apostle Peter there, recognizing his great weakness, says to him, Jesus, You who search the hearts and the minds, you know all things, Jesus. You know that I love you. Yes, this little flame inside of me is not much more than a candle burning, and I pray that you would flame it to white heat to serve you. But Jesus, when you look inside of me, you know that I love you. You know I love you. I'm devoted to you. And Jesus, Peter, you're forgiven. Go tend my sheep, feed my lambs. And this is the Peter who can stand before the juggernaut of the Pharisees and the Sadducees and preach powerful sermons like we read about in the book of Acts. His weeping has been turned to joy. And John, in the book of Revelation, having heard that no one is able to open that book. He's weeping, he's crying, and then he hears, but there is one, there is one, there is one who can open that book. And that one is none other than the Lion of the tribe of Judah. And Shahan perks up, if you will, and he turns to see this Lion of the tribe of Judah, and what does he see? Not the Lion, but the Lamb, having been slain. Because before the crown, there's the cross. And when he sees Jesus Christ as that Lamb of God and knows that this is the one who takes away the sin of the world, his weeping also is turned to rejoicing. And he's singing there with all the rest of them in that throne room, worthy. worthy is the Lamb, worthy is the Lamb, to receive all of the power and the honor and the glory from this time forth and forevermore. That's what Jesus Christ does for people who turn to Him, return to Him. Let me go back just for a few moments to the two thieves on the cross. I said that in a very real sense these men represent the entirety of humanity. One on one side, one on the other, both of them and all of us guilty of crucifixion and even far worse, everlasting torment, everlasting shame, everlasting hell, all of us. But one turns, both of them railing, one turns. makes him turn? I don't know, I mean obviously I do know, the Holy Spirit, you must be born again, I'm well aware of that, thank you for helping me here, but I'm asking what could it be? I'm speculating, but I'm in pretty good company. And when he's on that cross and suffering just like Jesus Christ is suffering on that cross, he hears, Father, forgive them. Perhaps he's reckoning to himself. How can that be? How can it be that anyone would forgive someone who's done this to him? How can that be? Surely this is no mere man. Jesus, remember me. Remember me. when you come in your kingdom. Today, today you'll be with me in paradise. Again, all of us represented by these two, one here, one there, everybody in this room, everybody who's ever lived in a very real sense, every one of us is one of those two men on the cross. And so I ask you, as we draw our study to a conclusion this morning, Which one are you? There's some here, I'm afraid, that are still railing, scorning, mocking Jesus Christ, mocking Him. You might not even think you are. But refusing to come to Him, you're scorning Him. You're scorning the offers that are set before you. You're shaking your fist in his face when he says, come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden. I'll give you rest. And you say, I'm not going to come. I'm not going to come, Jesus Christ. I'm not going to do it. And that's nothing less than cosmic treason to the King of kings and Lord of lords. And you're guilty. You're guilty. And so when I ask you, which one are you, I'm talking to everyone here, and I'm asking, which one of these two are you? And may I suggest to you that it all depends upon your relationship with the God-man who's in the middle. It all depends upon that. And for those of you who are still outside of Christ, if you would but turn, just like that thief did, if you would see the amazing grace that's set forth there on that cross, if you would see that grace and turn, you too will be able to hear from the lips of Jesus at the very day that you die, and it could be today, at the very day that breath passes out of your body. You will be with Jesus Christ in paradise, a paradisical state that is far, far beyond anything that we can imagine, this side of that final state. And it's yours for the taking, but you have got to come through the man who's in the middle. You have got to come through Jesus Christ. There is no other way. And my God grants you grace. May He grant you grace to do that. May He grant us all. to be moved more and more by the person and work of the very Son of the Living God, to whom belongs all of the praise and all of the glory from this time forth and forevermore. Shall we close in prayer? Our God, We come to you thanking you that you have not forsaken your people, because you have indeed forsaken your Son. We pray, O God, that you would give us greater awareness of what even Christ is doing in behalf of us, has done in our behalf, and even now is doing for us, and that you would cause us to draw nearer and nearer to you. We do pray for those amongst us that still do not know Christ savingly, that you, O God, would pour out your Spirit upon them, that you would draw them to yourself, that they too would be like that one cross of 2,000 years ago, that they would say, remember me, remember me, because we do know, O God, that to be remembered by the Son of God is all that it takes. And we thank you and praise you for this, our God. And we lift these prayers to you in the name of that same Jesus Christ. Amen.