Number 27. Matthew chapter number 27. I want to read a story to you here as we begin our service. The name Martin Treptow might not jump off the pages of our textbooks, but his story is our story. During his first inaugural address, President Ronald Reagan told the tale of this anonymous soldier. In doing so, Reagan reminded us of the true makeup of America. In 1917, Private Martin A. Treptow left his job at a barber shop in his small hometown of Cherokee, Iowa, to enlist in the Army National Guard. On the eve of the First World War, Treptow was called into active duty. He soon found himself fighting in France on the Western Front with the 168th Infantry of the 42nd Division. Treptow was killed on the Western Front while trying to deliver a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire. On his body was found a diary, and under the fly leaf was a page titled, My Pledge. In it, Treptow had written, America must win this war. Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone. What compels a man to feel this way, to struggle so much against even his own personal interests at times? These are questions that only words like goodness, selflessness, duty, and country can answer. These are words that live in the hearts and minds of men and women when awoken that create an unbreakable will. Private Treptow was no stranger to these words. He is in the representation of what makes America and everything we've sacrificed for so very special. Years ago, as I entered into the United States military, I don't know that I went in to be the finest soldier. There were certain benefits that were being offered to me as a young man, and I decided to sign up. I didn't know all that that meant. But I thank the Lord for drill sergeants who wore hats just like the one up here, who informed me what it meant when you signed up to serve the United States of America. And I had a drill sergeant by the name of Vitaly, and if I tried to mimic his voice today, I'm sure none of you would be sleeping, but he informed us in a morning class that those of us who signed up for the GI Bill benefits may find ourselves at war and giving our lives well before we were to ever realize those college benefits that are given to soldiers. He made it very clear to us that we were soldiers first, and why it was important to listen to orders. Because on the battlefield, seconds matter, and how quickly you listen matters. It really took me away from my adolescence. You say, but don't you hear some words in the military that you shouldn't hear? Yeah, you do. But you know what? When you work in the secular field, you're going to hear those words too. You know, don't think for one second that you're going to put a child in a little glass bowl and expect that they're never going to hear a curse word in this generation. We teach our children to be in the world, but not of the world. I know a man named Paul Kirtman. Brother Paul served in the United States Marine Corps. He's the son of a pastor, and he chose to still live the life of a godly Christian as a Marine. And his call sign was Choir Boy. Because he didn't use curse words. There were some things we heard in the military that no, I wouldn't use behind the pulpit. But they weren't teaching me to be a pastor in the military. They were teaching me to be a soldier in the military. And soldiers are tough. Soldiers have to deal with things. Soldiers have to deal on the battlefield. Soldiers have to be hardened. I would say, in reference to the military and soldiers, That our soldiers today have a lot of things that are given to them when they come out of the military. Soldiers that served 2,000 years ago, they didn't know the words post-traumatic stress disorder, and they didn't go and see doctors after they were done. But trust me when I say this, the soldiers that served during the time of Jesus Christ, they were hardened men. They saw death up close and personal. One of the miracles of Calvary was that there were some soldiers whose hearts were touched. If you're in Matthew chapter number 27, we'll begin our reading in verse number 26. We're not going to take time to read the entire passage and all the stories that are accounting the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says in chapter 27 in verse 26, it says, then released he Barabbas unto them. And when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers." Two times in that verse, the word soldiers is used. These were Roman soldiers. They were brutal men. They were taught to be brutal. They would put down their enemies. They had heard, of course, that Jesus was called the King of the Jews. This would have been a rival king to those that were at Rome. And the soldiers were going to make a mockery and a spectacle of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says of these soldiers in verse 28 that they stripped him and put on him a scarlet robe. Now when you strip someone's clothes off of them, it is a humiliating experience. It's not something that I personally have ever had take place in my life, but our Lord had it take place in His life. Just like Joseph of old, he had his coat stolen from him by his brothers, and by a wicked woman, and then Joseph, or Jesus Himself comes to Calvary, and his clothes were stripped from him. The Bible says as a revelation of Old Testament scripture, it was prophesied that they would gamble for his clothes, and they did. The Bible talks about in verse 29, it was the soldiers who put a crown of thorns upon his head, in verse 29. They put a reed in his hand and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews. And they, speaking of the soldiers, spit upon him and took the reed and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him." What we have here is a picture of soldiers during the time of Jesus Christ. You know, they didn't become this brutal overnight. They were taught to be this brutal. This was their environment. Now in my day, when we were in the military, they taught me to be tough. They taught us to exercise. They got us up in the middle of the night. They spoke to me like anything but a fine white man that I am. And they made us run and get down and roll around in the mud. And they screamed in our faces. And they didn't call me by my last name. They called me boot rack. They called me several other names that I can't mention here from the pulpit, because the drill sergeants were always doing something to make fun of us. Now I told you this story before, but you'll have to humor me if you've heard this. When I went into the military, my brother was coming out of basic training. So when he was getting out of basic training, I was going in. And I'm like, give me some advice, bro. And he was just like, don't stand out in the crowd. Blend in. Everybody's heads are shaved. Everyone looks kind of the same. And I won't go into the glasses that they give to those that need glasses, but all I can say is I was glad I had 20-20 vision. But he just said, don't stand out. In the first week, they gave me a pair of boots. I've got wide feet, and the boots were causing blisters on my feet. And I was finding it hard to walk, and the doc checked my feet out. He said, you can't wear boots. So I wore white tennis shoes in a company of 300, where 299 people were wearing black army boots and I was wearing tennis shoes. So what do you think the drill sergeants did with me? Well, we had a, I don't know how many of you grew up watching the A-team, but they had a drill sergeant there by the name of Decker. We had one in our platoon, his name was Decker. He's like, boot rack, get over here. And he'd call me over to the chow table and they'd always say things like, don't look at me, we'll defend ourselves. They didn't want us privates thinking we were as good as they were. But you're only supposed to stand with your eyes front. And he would say the same thing to me every time he was at chow. He would say, boot rack, if you ever go to war, you'll be shot in one of two places, your feet or your head. Now get out of here. And then I'd have to go and eat my chow. He did that every day, and the drill sergeants got this big kick out of it. Now they taught us to run, they taught us to jump, they taught us to do push-ups. There were certain ways they wanted us to do things, and it was very challenging. That eight weeks of my life was a very challenging time. But I'll tell you what I never saw. I never saw bloodshed during my military training. When Jesus died in verse number 39, this is the man who is in charge of those who jammed the crown of thorns down on Jesus' head. This is the centurion in charge of these soldiers who are mocking Christ, nailing Him to the cross. And the centurion said these words, and this is a great miracle, one of the great miracles of Calvary. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he cried out and gave up the ghost, he said, truly, this man was the son of God. You say, what just happened? A soldier of Rome was saved. The very first recorded salvation after the death of Christ was this centurion who said, surely, this man was the Son of God. What did the Ethiopian eunuch say? Almost the exact same words when Philip said, if you believe with all your heart, you may. He said these words, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Now let's read what the centurion said. Truly, this man was the Son of God. He started the day thinking of Jesus as someone who was trying to set up an earthly kingdom against Rome. And he had part in putting Jesus to death, but when Jesus gave up the ghost, he said, this man was truly the son of God. You see, Jesus didn't come to just save the Jews. He'd even save a Roman soldier. He gave the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed his life so that all men, women, boys, and girls would come to him in faith and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. John 3.3 says, except a man be born again. He cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. It's John chapter 3 and verse 3. Sometimes you watch a football game and somebody holds that sign up. And then other times people hold up a sign, John 3, 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. In 2 Peter 3, in verse 9, it says that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. In 1 Timothy 2, right around verse 6, It says that Jesus gave himself a ransom for all, and it says that he wanted all people to be saved. There's not a person in this room today, if you come to church and you're not saved, that Jesus didn't die for your sin. He paid for every sin you've ever committed, and all it takes from you is to come to Christ and believe. Jesus says, come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. In John chapter 6 it says, him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. There's not a repentant sinner who would say, Lord, I'm a sinner, and I know you died on the cross for me, and I believe in on you. Who Jesus would say, no, I won't take you. He says yes to all who come, because He loves you. Jesus didn't die so that you would go to hell. He died so that you could be saved from hell. He died so that you could go to heaven when you die. My friend, I grew up listening to preachers say that there's a heaven to gain and there's an earth to shun, or a hell to shun. And my friend, today there is no worse place that you can go in eternity than that place called hell. But Jesus died so you wouldn't have to go there. I remember as I was coming under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit those many years ago, At 11285 East 10 Mile Road in Warren, Michigan, I sat over here to the left side of the pastor, and I started feeling that tugging in my heart and the burning in my heart that I'm lost, but that I didn't want to die and go to hell. I knew that Jesus was the only way to go to heaven, and I started thinking, why am I sitting here lost? And the pastor was so eloquent as he said, Jesus died so that you would be saved. Jesus died so that you would come to him. And I started thinking, well, if Jesus died for me and paid for all of my sins, why am I sitting here lost? That was a good question. Maybe it was the Lord who put that question in my heart. All I know is that I got out from the altar during that invitation, and I knelt down at the altar, and there it was that I received Jesus Christ by faith. I believed on Jesus Christ. I wasn't believing in that I could be a good person. Oh, I'll clean up my language, Lord. I'll clean up my lifestyle. I'll quit this and I'll quit that. It wasn't any of that. It was just a confession that I was a sinner and I was bound for hell, but I believe that Jesus died for me. And I wanted to receive his gift of salvation. Jesus says, come unto me. He says, if you're thirsty, you can come and drink. Drink of the waters of life freely. If you're lost today and you've never been saved by the grace of God, I want to invite you, even during this invitation. to come and be saved before it's eternally too late. God will save you if you'll receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Be like the centurion. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's stand together with our heads bowed and our eyes closed. Jesus Christ, the ultimate sacrifice. Some are unfamiliar with what an invitation is. An invitation is basically made for those who need to respond to the message. And there may be somebody here today, and you don't know the Lord as your Savior, and maybe you don't even understand how things in church work, but this old-fashioned altar down here where these steps are is a place where people can come and bow and pray. And there might be somebody here today who's going to pray for their child. Maybe you've got a military veteran. Maybe you've got a son or a daughter who's serving. I know that we've got a few that their sons and daughters are in the military, and they're away from them. Maybe you want a word of prayer for them at the altar today. Or maybe you've got a son or daughter who's been away from the Lord, and you want a word of prayer for them. The altar is open. There could be people here today, and you've never believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. You've never received Him as your Savior. Won't you take that step out of the aisle and say, today I want to receive Jesus. If you come down here and you need help, I'll help you. I'll show you from the Bible how to be saved. As we sing the first verse of have thine own way, won't you come.