Pastor I do appreciate this opportunity I Always get nervous before I sing I always get terrified before I speak in a church just it's just a huge responsibility and So it scares me, but I think y'all are all friendly I'll probably be okay I I appreciate the opportunity to do this kind of thing because of the, not necessarily getting up here, but it's the preparation, and it's the seeking God, and it's the Bible study before, and you... Just preparing this, I've cried a lot. I've... I've had some little shouting fits a lot, you know, just my personal time with God and prepping for this. And I know I'm very reserved in public. So you'd probably be shocked to see some of the little fits I've thrown while I was, but I was all alone. You'll just have to take my word for it. And I drive a hundred miles one way to work four days a week usually. And so I have a lot of windshield time to just concentrate on this and think about it and have a good time in my car. Usually it's dark now, so nobody sees me in my little episodes, so it's all right. But I don't think this is going to be a short message. I don't know how long it's going to be. Together, we'll experience this for the first time, and we'll be shocked together at the length of it. But we'll be all right, because we've got some sustenance right afterwards, and we'll be OK. I'm just a very blessed nobody who has the privilege of serving a lot of people. The military has been very, very good to me. It's all I've known for most of my life. My dad was in the Air Force, retired from the Air Force in 84, and I joined the Army Reserves in 87. So, and then I did have a four-year break in service, so there's been about seven years of my life that I wasn't affiliated with the active military somehow or in the Reserves. It's been good to me, and I've served, to this point, 34 years, 2 months, and 22 days. And when I do retire next December, I will retire with 35 years, 4 months, and 13 days in uniform. So I've, most of, no, no, no. And I'm leaving mostly because I have to, because I'm getting too old. They won't let me stay past 60, so. without some extenuating circumstances. Most of the travel I've done has been because of the military, either my service or my dad's. I've been to all but all the states except Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, and Maine. I've been to multiple countries. I've been to Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, France, Germany, Italy, the island of Cyprus, Japan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Tunisia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates because of my service. I've been able to see a lot. Some of it I didn't necessarily want to see, especially not twice. But it's been good, and so I've been very blessed in that way. This week, I was sent a video of Ronald Reagan, one of my absolute favorite presidents. He's kind of tied for first right now, and I'm not going to say with who. Not at the moment. I'm still serving. But this video was actually excerpts from Ronald Reagan's first inaugural address. And this video took a portion of that. The person who sent it to me thought it would be appropriate for today, and I agree. So I want to read you these excerpts from that first inaugural address. He said, if we look to answer as to why for so many years we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on earth, it was because here in this land we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before. Freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available and assured here than in any other place on earth. The price for this freedom at times has been high, but we have never been unwilling to pay that price. Those who say that we are in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look. The sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery with its row on row of simple white markers bearing crosses or stars of David, they add up to only a tiny fraction of the price that has been paid for our freedom. Each one of those markers is a monument to the kinds of hero I spoke of earlier. Their lives ended in places called Belleau Wood, the Argonne, Omaha Beach, Salerno, and halfway around the world on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Porkchop Hill, the Choshin Reservoir, and in a hundred rice paddies and jungles of a place called Vietnam. Under one such marker lies a young man, Martin Treptow, who left his job in a small town barbership in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the Western Front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire. We are told that on his body was found a diary On the flyleaf under the heading, my pledge, he had written these words, 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. We must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenal of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. It is a weapon that we as Americans do have. Let that be understood by those who practice terrorism and prey upon their neighbors. As for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people. We will, I can't read my own writing. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it. We will not surrender for it, now or ever. We are Americans. I love me some Ronald Reagan. I've read 12 books on Ronald Reagan, including his two autobiographies. The first was Where's the Rest of Me? The second was An American Life. And I'm always happy to listen to his videos and read his speeches. I want to talk to you this morning, and I've entitled this message, Just One. Just One. The phrase, you had one job, is often used to humorously point out an epic failure. In the movie Thor Ragnarok, Loki has transformed himself into Odin, and he's been running Asgard for a while. He's left instructions with the gatekeeper that if Thor shows up, come let him know. Thor does enter Asgard and he crosses the long bridge from the portal entrance into Asgard far too quickly for the gatekeeper to announce his presence. Thor witnesses a play in which the character playing Loki is made out to be a hero as he dies in Thor's arms. The real Loki disguised as Odin is delighted until the real Thor makes his entrance. Thor realizes Loki is disguised and forces him to reveal himself. Then the gatekeeper runs in and between heavy breaths announces, Thor has arrived. Loki turns to the gatekeeper and says, you had one job, just the one. Multiple memes have appeared over the years with this phrase in mind. Many point to the closing credits of the movie Jurassic Park as the inspiration for the first You Had One Job meme. In those closing credits, one person's job is listed as dinosaur supervisor. And if you're familiar with the movie, you know an epic failure occurred. And we laugh at the movie lines and the memes, and sometimes we laugh at ourselves, if only to keep from crying. The title of my message this morning is Just One. Don't get too excited, because the title and the number of points are not the same. We'll look at three, just ones. Just one tree, just one way, and just one name. 2018, we moved to Prattville, Alabama for me to attend a military school. We were there 10 and a half months, and we developed some habits that probably don't go hand in hand very well, but we enjoyed them very much. We joined the local YMCA, and one of our habits is to work out there three or four times a week. That was our good habit. We combined that with a not-so-good habit of frequenting Little Caesar's Pizza for supper and Krispy Kreme donuts for dessert. Despite our dietary failures, we managed to stay in pretty good shape. As you can see, I'm getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I told my in-laws last night that I went ahead and just gained some weight in preparation for that time. Well, I began to think about our trips to Krispy Kreme and what message my children would have seized upon before we entered Krispy Kreme. I told them they could have just one. The Krispy Kreme in Prattville, Alabama is elite. It's the best Krispy Kreme I've ever been to as far as variety goes. There's always a wide variety to select from. They had so many choices. If I'd said to the kids, who at the time were two, three, five, six, and eight, you can choose just one, how would they have taken me? Maybe Jacob would have thought he could have only one donut, whichever he chose. Maybe Tina would have thought she could have had only the donut I point to in the display window. Perhaps Bristol or Jeremy would have thought they could have just one particular type. The Oreo donut was one type they could have, but multiple of those. That's probably how they would have interpreted it. Or maybe Kristen would have taken a much more liberal approach and determined that just one meant just one box with a variety of types of donuts. So they each may have had a different perspective on their choice. And the only way they could be sure would be for me to be very specific in what I meant by just one. I would define the limits on their choices limits they may not have liked. I would in essence be telling them there were some donuts they could not have. I would have made that choice for them. Turn with me to Genesis chapter 1. Genesis chapter one, let's pray before we start reading these verses. Father, thank you for this day. Lord, I pray that you would use me today and that your message would get across. And Father, if there's someone here that doesn't know you, that this might be the time where the seed is planted and we come to see them, know you as their savior. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Genesis chapter 1, verse 1, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day and the darkness He called night, and the evening and the morning were the first day. So on the first day, God spoke light into existence. He said it was good. He divided the light from the darkness, called the light day and the darkness night and the evening and the morning were the first day. On the second day, God created the sky and gave us our atmosphere. On the third day, God created the dry land, the seas, and the plants. On the fourth day, the sun, the moon, and the stars. On the fifth day, sea creatures and birds. And on the sixth day, land, animals, man." Let's skip down to verse 27 of Genesis chapter 1, "'So God created man in His own image, and the image of God created He Him, male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. To you it shall be for meat, and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat. And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. That last verse said God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Let's look at Genesis chapter two, verses eight and nine. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. What a special garden God formed for man, this Garden of Eden. Remember, he'd already looked at everything, everything that he'd created, said it was very good. Now notice how God describes the trees growing in Eden. He says two things about them. He says they're pleasant to the sight, they look so good, so appealing, just made your mouth water. And they were good for food, just to have a little bite of the fruit trees, the fruit those trees produced. You think fruit tastes good today? Just imagine how good these pre-curse fruits tasted and how good they looked. And there among the other trees were two special trees. All the trees were pleasant to the sight and good for food, but two special trees are specifically identified for us. The tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Look at Genesis chapter 2 verse 15. And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden, thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. God gave specific instructions. Very clear. No way to misunderstand. Adam, you can eat of every tree in this garden. Yes, even of the tree of life. But there is one, just one, of which you must not eat. Just one tree. Adam, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Though it looks good to you, And though the fruit looks good for food, don't eat it. I've made a choice for you, Adam. If you eat of that tree, you will die. To eat of that tree, Adam would be telling God that God's choice wasn't the right choice. To eat of that tree, Adam would be telling God he didn't accept the limitation God gave. Look at verse 18 of chapter two. And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him and help meet for him. And out of the ground, the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle and to the fowl of the air and to every beast of the field. But for Adam, there was not found and help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept. And he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Verse 25 ends with an interesting phrase. And were not ashamed. There's no shame where there is innocence. Shame only enters the picture when there is guilt. And guilt compels cover up. Guilt insists on hiding. were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed. Adam and Eve were in Eden naked, the state in which God created them, in fellowship and agreement with God, in a state of innocence. " And then we come to Genesis chapter 3. Let's look at verses 1-5. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. And the serpent said unto the woman, you shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Eve knew that there was just one tree. Just one tree from which they were not to eat. But look at how Eve sees the tree in verse six. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. The woman saw the tree was good for food and it was pleasant to the eyes. We already knew that. God said that's what they were. She adds another qualifier. She sees something else. She sees it as a tree to be desired, to make one wise. Why can't I know good and evil? What choices was God keeping from me? Why can't I make my own decisions? Why can't I do things my way? So she took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. Now look at verse seven. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. And he said, who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee thou shouldest not eat? The shame of guilt came on them. They tried with leaves to cover their nakedness. They hid among the trees. And that voice, the one for which they listened, the one that represented close fellowship with the Creator, was now the voice of conscience, a voice they no longer wished to hear because of their disobedience, their desire to make their own decisions, made them guilty before God, and broke the fellowship they used to enjoy. They could no longer stand before each other and before God in innocence. unashamed. Sin entered into the world and the sin nature was passed to the offspring of Adam and Eve, down through generations until even today the sin nature resides in you and me. Romans 12.2 says, Wherefore is by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin? And so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Isaiah 53, 6 says, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. We have all sinned. There is not one among us that has not exercised that choice between good and evil, in opting to choose for ourselves what God would not, and thereby going our own way rather than God's way. Let's look at Genesis 3.22. And the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become as one of us to know good and evil. And now, lest he put forth his hand and take also the tree of life and eat and live forever, therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life." And here we have what God meant when He told Adam he would die if he ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Two ways are implied. The first is physical death. Adam no longer had a body not cursed by sin, and so he had a body that would die. It would return to the dust from whence it came. But there was the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. God knew that if Adam and Eve were to go and eat of that tree, their physical body would live forever. So God drove man out of the garden and set a guard of angels and a flaming sword to keep man from that tree of life. God told man he would die and God would not be a liar. So man can't get back to eat of that tree of life. The second is what we refer to as a spiritual death. Man was no longer an innocent spiritual being. He was now guilty before God. The perfect fellowship man had enjoyed with God was broken. Guilt replaced innocence as man had turned from God's way to his own. In seeking to be like God, man had corrupted the righteous state in which God had created him and attempted to replace it with his own self-righteousness, a righteousness that the law would teach was impossible for man to attain. There is no righteousness of the law, but rather an emphasis on the guilt man and his failure to be righteous apart from God. Disobedience would bring guilt and have a shame. A fall from God's way to man's way. A fall from God's way of thinking to man's way of thinking. A fall from grace and faith to law and works. Just one tree. But God had a plan. Let's go to another garden. The events of the evening before this garden visit were significant. Jesus had met with his disciples in the upper room to eat a Passover meal. He washed his disciples' feet. He announced that one disciple would betray him, and the disciples asked one by one, Lord, is it I? All four gospels give some account of the garden. In John 18.1, John refers to the place simply as a garden. Mark and Luke tell us the garden was on the Mount of Olives. And Matthew and Mark tell us the name of the garden was Gethsemane. And each gospel gives us details of what happened there. If you want the clearest possible picture of what happened in the upper room, what happened in the garden, what happened at the cross, and what happened at the tomb, you must read and compare all four gospels. Let's turn to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew 26 verse 30, and when they were in the upper room and it says, and when they had sung a hymn they went out into the Mount of Olives. Then saith Jesus unto them, and ye shall be offended because of me this night. For all ye shall be offended because of me this night. For it is written, I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, that this night before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. They sung a hymn, they left the upper room, they went to the Mount of Olives. All 11 tell Jesus that they will die before they would deny him. Then they all went to the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus told them to sit down for a while. While he went off a ways and prayed, then Jesus had Peter, James, and John come a little further into the garden with him. And then we have to compare the four Gospels to get the whole picture of what happens in the Garden. Let's look at Matthew 26, 36. Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane. And saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful. very heavy. Then saith he unto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death, tarry ye here and watch with me. And he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed, saying, O my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as I wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, what, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, O my father, if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. And he left them and went away again and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples and saith unto them, sleep on now and take your rest. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners." Matthew tells us that Jesus began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Jesus told Peter, James, and John His soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. And Jesus went a little away from them and fell on His face and prayed. Mark tells us Jesus was sore amazed and began to be very heavy. Jesus told Peter and James and John, his soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death. And Jesus went a little away from them and fell on the ground and prayed. Let's look at Luke. Luke chapter 22. Verse 39. And he came out and went, as he was wont, to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them by about a stone's cast, and kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him, and being in agony, He prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow and said unto them, why sleep ye? Rise up, lest ye enter into temptation. Luke adds two details not found in the other Gospels. It says there appeared an angel unto him from heaven strengthening him. And Luke talks about Jesus being in such agony, he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was as were great drops of blood falling to the ground. Imagine the burden that he bore, that he would collapse in agonizing prayer, that the stress would be so that he bled from his pores. And none of this was because of something he did. None of it was because of a mess he created. I have collapsed under the stress and agony of messes I have created. I have fallen in helplessness as I cried out for God's help. And I've cried and begged until I couldn't cry anymore. And I could utter no more words. And it sounds like some of y'all have been there too. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we find Jesus refers to a cup, a cup that he repeatedly asks that he not have to drink. In prayer, he tells the father that nothing is impossible for the father, and if he were willing, that he take that cup away. It isn't a physical cup from which Jesus would drink, but it was a representation of not only how he would suffer, but why he would suffer. And I can't help but believe that what he dreaded most was not the terrible death of the crucifixion, what he had to take in his physical body, but rather what he had to take onto himself as he paid the debt for the sins of all mankind. Jesus, the holy, innocent, perfect Son of God would become sin for us. He would take on and become that which was against his very nature. so that as he was nailed to the cross, the transgressions of all mankind across the ages would be nailed there too. Colossians 2, 13 and 14 puts it this way, and you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. And what transgressions did he see as he gazed into that cup? We will all find our own actions somewhere in the list. Proverbs 6, 16 through 19 says, These six things doth the Lord hate. Yea, seven are an abomination unto him, a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations. feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. Ephesians 5, 19 through 22 says, now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, the absolute best of what the flesh is capable of accomplishing. There, these are some of the things Jesus took on himself and anything else you can think of that was against God. Second Corinthians 521 says, for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He switched places with us. The righteous one became sin for the sinful, that the sinful might become righteous before God. Just one way. And nothing shouted to Jesus that there was just one way like silence from the Father. Jesus agonized in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He longed to hear the voice of the Father, that same voice from which Adam and Eve hid because of their guilt Jesus pleaded for because of his innocence. Let this cup pass from me. Imagine the intense emotional agony of Jesus as he saw how and why he would suffer and the extreme loneliness as he suffered and died alone. In that garden, in that garden his father was silent when Jesus prayed. As Jesus went back to Peter, James, and John three times, there was silence from them. They were sleeping. This was his burden to bear and his alone. The silence from heaven told Jesus there was just one way. The price of sin demanded a perfect sacrifice to settle the debt once for all, just one way. Now as we look at the crucifixion of Jesus, we see that there is just one name. Acts 4.12. Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. This was the proclamation of Peter as he spoke of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Just one name, the name of Jesus. What a whirlwind of events leading us to that crucifixion. In a short period of 12 to 15 hours, Jesus went from the Last Supper in the upper room to the cross. Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was led away for a mock trial by the religious leaders. He was denied three times by Peter. He stood before Pilate, before Herod, then again before Pilate, discouraging, carrying the cross and the crucifixion. From the time Jesus woke in the morning the day before the crucifixion till the time he bowed his head to die, no rest. I had this speculation, I can't prove this. If he woke at six the morning before his crucifixion and then died at three in the afternoon, he'd been awake for 33 hours. About an hour for every year of his life. And more suffering packed into those last hours than many experience in a lifetime. And in certain aspects, more suffering in those last hours than anyone else would ever endure. There's so much to talk about with the trial and the scourging and the crucifixion that I can't cover it all or you might run me out of here. But I do want to camp here for a few minutes. As you turn to John chapter 19, please turn to John chapter 19. I want to read some passages from two other Gospels. Matthew 27 we find this, 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. And they stripped him and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had plaited a crown of thorns they put it upon his head. and a reed in his right hand, and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him saying, hail, king of the Jews. They spit upon him and took the reed and smote him on the head. And after that, they had mocked him. They took the robe from off him and put his own raiment on him and led him away to crucify him." Mark chapter 15. Beginning in verse 15 says, and so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them and delivered Jesus when he had scourged him to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away into a hall, the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole band, and they clothed him with purple and plaited a crown of thorns and put it about his head and began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews. And they smote him on the head with a reed and did spit upon him. and bowing their knees worshipped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took off the purple from Him, and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him." And you're there in John chapter 19, verse 1 says, Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, and said, Hail, King of the Jews. And they smote him with their hands. And I'll let you read the rest of those verses at some point, verses one through 19. But the scourging of Jesus was, the scourging he endured was merciless. The Roman soldiers stripped him of his clothes and led him to a blood-stained pillar. There's an iron collar attached to it, and Jesus' face is pressed against the pillar as they fit the collar around his neck. They bind his hands with ropes that hang from iron rings. These hands, which reached out to heal and do good, are bound and await in a most horrifying torture. The scourging begins as the leather thongs, armed with bony hooks and sharp-edged objects, rip across his outstretched back, tearing flesh as they land and as they leave. This went on for nearly 15 minutes, lash after lash, horrible wound after horrible wound. Often during these scourges, the lashes would rip across the face, tearing out an eye or knocking out teeth. Could you have even watched after the first tearing of his flesh? That very moment, his precious blood began to flow. And many times these scourges ended with fainting or even death. Roman soldiers then mocked the Savior. They put a purple robe on Him, plaited a crown of thorns, and placed it on His head. They mockingly cry, Hail, King of the Jews. They put a reed in His right hand and bowed before Him. Matthew says they spit on Him, took the reed and smote Him on the head, no doubt driving the crown of thorns into His head. Surely, thought Pilate, such a horrible sight would satisfy the bloodthirsty crowd. He brings a bloody, badly injured Jesus before the crowd. Clearly they can see his claim to be a king has been mocked. Surely this will satisfy him. Pilate says, behold the man. But to his shock they cry out, crucify him, crucify him. Can you imagine our precious Jesus, bloody, beaten, battered, mocked, and put on display before this mob? Imagine as he looks silently at the ones he so dearly loves. Loves them so much that he knows he must allow them to continue to do the horrible things they are doing. And Pilate says, take ye him and crucify him, for I find no fault in him. Oh, and their reply revealed the truth. They had brought Jesus to Pilate with such piety, we wouldn't have brought him before you if he were not a malefactor. But now in the emotion of the moment, the truth comes out. We have a law, and by our law, he ought to die because he made himself the son of God. There, they said it. They said it. That wasn't one of the accusations they said before. And Pilate, though he may have been afraid before, he was even more afraid now, and he hurried back into the judgment hall. The words of his wife ringing in his mind, have thou nothing to do with that just man? For I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. And he rushes to Jesus. He says, whence art thou? He's asking, where are you from? But Jesus is silent. Pilate says, speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee and have power to release thee? And Jesus so calmly replies, thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above. Therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. John 19.12 says, and from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him. Realizing the desperation of Pilate, the Jews forced him to act. If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend. Whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. And Pilate realizes he won't win this. So in front of them all, he washes his hands and says, I am innocent of the blood of this just man. Innocent blood is how Judas described Jesus. Just man is how Pilate's wife described him. Just person is how Pilate described him. He said, I find no fault in him. Thus our substitute, our sacrificial lamb is found upon examination to be faultless. Just one name, Jesus. The Jews said his blood be on us and on our children. J.W. Sheppard in his book, The Christ of the Gospel, writes, 30 years later on this very spot, judgment was pronounced against some of the best citizens of Jerusalem. Of the 3,600 victims of the governor's fury, not a few were scourged and crucified. Judas died in a loathsome suicide. The house of Annas was destroyed some years later. Caiaphas was deposed a year after the crucifixion, and Pilate was soon banished to Gaul and there died in suicide. When Jerusalem fell, her wretched citizens were crucified around her walls until, in the historian's grim language, space was wanting for the crosses and crosses for the bodies. The horrors of the siege of Jerusalem are unparalleled in history. Matthew 27, 31 says, and after they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him and put His own raiment on Him and led Him away to crucify Him. And the mighty Son of God humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. They nailed His hands and His feet to the cross, raised it up and let it fall into place. Can you imagine the immense pain from that jolt? Psalm 22, 14 says, I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a pot shirt, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws, and thou has brought me into the dust of death. Jesus is beaten, bruised, bleeding, thirsty, in unimaginable pain, heartbroken, dying on a cross. the innocent son of God placed there by guilty, sinful man to pay for their sins. Yet one of the first words Jesus speaks from the cross, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. As his blood flows from his body, mercy flows from his lips. God has answered that prayer again and again with a gracious and merciful I will. He that cometh to me, though he nailed you to the cross, though he cause you much pain and suffering, he that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Jesus was crucified at the third hour of the day, nine in the morning. At the sixth hour, noon, darkness fell all over the land until the ninth hour, three o'clock. Imagine the eeriness experienced by those present. but what took place in the darkness between the son and the father while he became sin for us. At other times in Jesus's ministry, the father voiced his approval. At his baptism, a voice from heaven, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. At the transfiguration, a voice from heaven, this is my beloved son, hear him. Hear this crucifixion silence from heaven. Instead, as a ninth hour approached, Jesus knows what it is to be forsaken by the Father. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? In his cry, he declares his innocence. Why hast thou forsaken me? As Pilate, his wife, Judas, and the thief on the cross all declared Jesus was innocent. Without fault, just, he had done nothing wrong. Though God the Father's voice was not heard, what a stamp of approval He put on His Son. The veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom. The earth shook, caused even the Roman centurion to declare truly, this was the Son of God. John 19.28 tells us Jesus says, I thirst. He has experienced what it is like for the lost to know no fellowship with God. He has been made conscious of that destitute existence, and he utters the words, I thirst. Psalm 63, 1, David says, oh God, thou art my God. Early will I seek thee. My soul thirsteth for thee. My soul longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is. Then Jesus says, it is finished. At the very moment all seems lost, Jesus declares victory has been won. The ransom has been paid forever and for all. He was the only sacrifice needed, because he was a perfect sacrifice, the perfect Lamb of God that paid the debt for us. The wages of sin is death. payment due only from sinners. We learn this in the Garden of Eden. Then Jesus, just before he bows his head in death, cries with a loud voice, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. The price is paid, the innocent has died for the guilty, and God the Father is satisfied. Jesus will spend three days and three nights in a tomb before he comes back to life. I'll read from Luke chapter 24, verses 1-8, Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. And as they were afraid and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen. Remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, the son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful man and be crucified in the third day, rise again. And they remembered his words. He paid the sin debt for everyone. He conquered death for everyone. All that is left is to ask the question, what will you do with Jesus? I'm gonna ask the pastor to come as I close here. The choice is yours. Admit you are guilty before a holy God. Confess that Jesus is exactly who he claimed to be, the very Son of God. Believe that Jesus died for you. He was buried, that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures, and call upon Jesus for salvation. or reject Jesus and face the judgment of the guilty and eternal separation from God in a place originally prepared for the devil and his angels. I know if I were to stand before God in my own righteousness, he would look at what I've done and all he could say is guilty, guilty, guilty. Depart from me. But now, because I've accepted Christ as my Savior, I can stand before Him. And He knows everything I've done. But righteousness stands there with me, and it's not mine. It has a name, Jesus Christ. Just one tree, just one way, just one name. You've heard the gospel. If you leave here lost, you'll be without excuse before God one day. You cannot say you did not heard a clear presentation of who Jesus is and why he gave his life and why he died. As he closed out, what will you do with this man called Jesus? If you're not saved today, this would be a great day, a place of saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are saved, this ought to draw you closer to the appreciation of the price he paid for your sins. It was your sins and my sins that nailed him to that tree. He became sin for us. Amen. Let's bow our heads, close our eyes. Even if you're not a praying person, would you pay attention? Would you think about what was said? If you are a believer, you are saved, would you pray today that our minds would meditate upon these precious thoughts? The law shows the line drawn of our sins. We're all guilty before God, there's no doubt. that Jesus died on that cross and took our place, that he fulfilled the law, paid the price so that you and I should not have to. He took loneliness and separation on the cross so you'd never have to be alone again, took the thirst of hell, the separation from God so that you would not ever have to be alone and suffer in that place. I pray you'll turn your life over the Lord Jesus today, that you would call upon the Lord to be saved, that you would have a faith, a repentance of your sin and a faith towards God. If anybody here said, preach and pray for me, I know I'm lost, I've never trusted in Jesus as the only, truly one, only way and the only name. I've never placed faith in him alone. I've tried to be good enough, I've tried to quit doing this, start doing this, but I've never trusted in that one person, the one way, the one truth and the one life. Would you raise your hand? Nobody looking around. Would you raise your hand and say, Preacher, would you pray for me? I need to be saved. Anybody? I need Jesus as my Savior. No hands up, but God knows the true record of our hearts. If you are saved today, would you raise your hand and say, Preacher, These thoughts, this message has drawn my heart to a greater appreciation of what Jesus did for me. Yes, sir, lots of us, lots of us. Amen. Can you see him high and lifted up? Can you see him nearly at death before they ever nailed the first nail into his hands and his feet? And he must needs to go to the cross. It's like he must needs to go through Samaria. He did it for you and he did it for me. Father, I pray you'll draw our hearts closer to you. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for the blood. Thank you for taking my place. There's no way any righteousness that I have is all filthy rags. But you took my place and imputed that righteousness into my account because of the Son of God. And I thank you, Lord, for our salvation, our redemption. I pray, Lord, that you would bless our time today, Lord, in every way and every facet. Lord, you blessed the meal we're about to receive, blessed it for the nourishment and health of our bodies, blessed our fellowship, Lord. And Lord, continue to bless as we honor our veterans. And I thank you, Lord, to have a veteran in our church like Jerry Ball that would deliver the message. Lord, still right now, still serving, trying to serve and live for you. I pray you'll help him, Lord. I know it may not be easy. As many people would ridicule and mock faith of a man like that. I pray you'll give him strength and courage, and help him to continue to be the light and salt that you called, created him to be for you. And bless the remainder of this day, God, as we come together. And thank you, Lord, for loving us and giving yourself for us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you.