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Hey everyone, welcome to church. I'm preaching with no notes today, not because I don't have any notes. I have 11 pages of notes, but it just won't open. It says it's been moved or corrupted or something. So, amen. This is the second time I've had to do this, but the first time was really something's more in my wheelhouse, which is okay. It's all in the Bible. Maybe I'll be a little slower as a result. I'll tell you, I woke up, I've been reading in Hebrews, and I woke up thinking about this verse, and it won't be any surprise to you, but it says, For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs, meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God. But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned. I believe that's just another way of saying you shall know them by their fruits. I think that's what that's saying. The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed. The earth that drinks in the rain that's coming all the time on all the earth. The Bible says it rains on the just and upon the unjust. The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth fruit, bringeth forth herbs, meat for them by whom it is dressed, bringeth forth what the people tending to this portion of earth wanted to bring forth, receive blessing from God. But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh near unto cursing, whose end is to be burned. I think that just saying you shall know them by their fruits. I wanted to get into Hebrews and talk about some of this stuff. And believe it or not, I started with this verse and I wrote it down. and I was going to preach what is ended up going to be, there's such a thing as too late. There's such a thing as too late. But as I put it down, I ended up, like I said, I had 11 pages of notes here and they're all gone. But what I ended up preaching or what I ended up wanting to preach was that Jesus paid your whole sin debt. And listen, I've preached this before, I believe two times before. It's an important doctrine because Jesus really did pay it all. He didn't pay some of it. Let me just tell you this, the price of your sin is not physical death. Your body is going to die. That will not pay off the price of your sin. If you just think that you dying physically could remedy or pay for your sin, it won't do it. you'll pay for your sin if you pay for your sin and you won't allow Jesus Christ payment to be put on your account if you pay for your sin you will die and go to hell and be there for all eternity forever and ever and ever there'll be no end to it in a billion years there's nothing more scary to me in the whole world than to think, and before I got saved as a kid, to think that in a billion years, in a million years, in an unfathomable amount of time, we've not even scratched the surface. We've not even started with eternity. So that's a very terrifying thought to me. But here's the fact of the matter is, you owe a sin debt, and that debt is eternal death. You'll just die forever. Just die forever. That's hell. Eternal damnation. Jesus paid the price for our sins. That is what the whole message and probably 9 or 10 out of 11 pages was about. And so I'm going to just give you verses and give you what I know, basically, because that's all I can do. I don't have any notes. and prove this point that Jesus paid the whole price for our sins. And there's some ancillary points that go along with it. We'll see how good I do. I may be quick. We don't know. We'll find out. Like I said, last time I did this, it was in Proverbs. And Proverbs is probably my favorite book of the Bible because I try to read it every day, you know, chapter, and you should too. There's 30, 31 chapters in Proverbs. If you read one every day, you'll get through it every month. You'll read the whole book 12 times a year. And you know, you can go back and forth in Proverbs, you'll probably read it more times than that, because Proverbs is like a key that you can use to unlock so much. The Bible says that Proverbs is so that we can have wisdom, so that we can discern the dark sayings, the understanding, the words of the wise, so we can take the things in Proverbs that we know are true and almost seem a little foggy, but we can apply them to the rest of the Bible and we get a lot out of it. I'm not preaching out of Proverbs today, so that's not as comfortable for me. But let me give you just a couple things, and like I said, I may be quick. So I'm gonna give you this verse, comes off the top of my head, 1 Corinthians 5, 2 Corinthians 5.21, and then we'll pray. 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. That's 2 Corinthians 5 21. Christ became sin for us. He didn't know any sin. He didn't ever sin, but he became sin for us. Think about the serpent on the pole in the wilderness. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you so much for your word. Thank you for giving it to us. Thank you for the truth. Lord, thank you for the light that you shine in our hearts. Thank you for the fact that the Spirit and the light and the truth, Lord, it's all just the truth and it bears witness. And Lord, if we just receive it, that you give us more of it, I thank you for it. Lord, I pray that you bless this time, bless the preaching, bless everything that I've got to say, Lord. I pray that you'd clear me of myself and help me to say the things you'd have me to say, Lord. I pray that you'd truly help me to forget things that ought not to be said and remember things that should be said because I don't have any notes. Lord and I pray that you would use this time. I pray that you'd use me I pray that you'd bless each hearer here pray that you just put this message in their heart the way you intend it Lord I know your word won't come back void and that's all I got to lean on your words I pray that you bless this time and help this time be with each of these people be with everything done here today Lord that it all be done earnestly in your name Lord that it would all be done truly to honor glorify you and I pray that you'd bless pastor and his message and Just every hearer here today, Lord, be with those that are not yet here, that are getting ready, that are coming out, Lord. I pray the weather didn't tear anybody's home up, and I pray that if it did, Lord, that you'd help them with that, and there'd be remedy for that. Again, thank you for your truth, for your word. Help us to dig into it. In Jesus' name, amen. Okay, turn with me to Isaiah chapter 53. And like I said, I'm not going to be able to be real ordered about this because one of the things about writing a message is that you're just putting it in order. You and I can sit and think about verses to prove a point or to make a point, but that's not writing a message. Writing a message is then putting them in order and then just delivering you the verses. To me, there's other people that preach messages with a lot less scripture and a lot more wisdom that they've just you know they can tell you experiences from their life that fit into the Bible you know I don't have as much of that so to me preaching a message is just putting down all the scriptures that I can think of about this topic or to prove this point taking out the ones that are just too much and then ordering the ones that are remaining and so anyway like I said Isaiah chapter 53 let's read some of this We start in verse one, it's a short chapter anyway. It says, who hath believed our report? This is about Jesus, by the way, you guys know this. And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. It says, and we hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him. And with his stripes we are healed. 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. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living. for the transgression of my people, he was stricken. Now, I don't have any of my notes, and this is not something that I know where they're at, but cut off. If somebody, if you just wanna look up cut off, you'll see that a soul being cut off means that they've done wrong and they're cut off from the people, they're cut off from the nation. It's a big deal to be cut off, all right? It's more than it just sounds like he was just, you know, he just died. Again, the price of sin is not physical death. Who should have cleared his generation? He was cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression of my people was he stricken, and he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death. That's two different things. With the rich in his death. He was buried in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea, but he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death. Because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief, when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Who is the seed of the Lord, but them that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, them that have overcome. He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, shall be satisfied by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many for he shall bear their iniquities therefore will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he hath poured out his soul unto death and he was numbered with the transgressors and he bear the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors so I read the whole Chapter of Isaiah 53 obviously you guys know that's about Jesus Christ, but here's the point I want to make it's this is this is what this is gonna boil down to is the Bible exactly right or not. Because if the Bible is exactly right, then I need only show you this and one other scripture and we can just call this Sunday School lesson good. Because it says right here that his soul was made an offering for sin. He shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied. He hath poured out his soul unto death. Here's the point I want to make. Jesus Christ paid for your sins, my sins, the sins of the whole world with his soul in hell. You say, Beau, that's blasphemy. Well, putting up a snake on a pole and saying, look to this and live seems crazy and blasphemous that that would represent Jesus Christ. But the point is he became sin for us who knew no sin. that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. So his soul truly paid the price. I've got a story to tell you that I'm taking it from another pastor and I just wrote it down, just the bullet points. I'm going to tell you this story, but I'm not going to tell you yet, but his soul was made an offering for sin. Go to Acts chapter two, Acts chapter two. Now I said all I need to do if the Bible is exactly right and we believe it's exactly right then all I need to do is show you Isaiah 53 and Acts chapter 2 and We shut this thing up and go home. I mean it's done. We will stay for church, but that's it Acts chapter 2 starting Let's start in verse 24. No, let's start in 22. It says, ye men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, the man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Slain, whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holding of it. Verse 25, and you can turn to Psalm 16 if you like. Psalm 16 verses 8 and 9 right here. Verse 9 of Psalm 16, verse 26 of Acts 2. Moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope verse 10 of Psalm 16 verse 27 of Acts 2 because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell Neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption thou hast made known to me the ways of life Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance men and brethren Let me think freely speak unto you of the patriarch David now. This is no longer quoting David. This is the preaching again Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. We know where David's body is at. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God has sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne, he, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. It even goes on, let's read just a little more. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens, but he saith himself, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom you have crucified both Lord and Christ." Here's what he's saying, and you turn to Psalm 16, that's what he's referencing here. He's saying David is not talking about himself. David is talking about the Lord that he knew God would raise up out of his loins, Jesus Christ. David didn't understand all the details, but he knew that God would send a Messiah. They knew that there would be a Messiah, all right? They didn't know the word Christ, but they knew there'd be a Messiah, and the Messiah would save them. David did not understand what he was preaching, and other men have done the same thing. I'll show you another one. David, I don't think, understood what he was saying here, but what he's doing is prophesying that Jesus Christ would pay for our sins in hell and then raised from the grave. His soul would not be left in hell, neither would his flesh see corruption." What this means is when you're in the grave, and when we bury you, say one of you dies tonight, and we're burying you later this week, and then we put your body in the grave, your body is going to begin to corrupt immediately upon death. In fact, your body's already dying right before us. I've said this before, you may have minutes, you may have years, but you're as good as dead. Your body's dying right now. So as soon as you lay in that grave with the spirit of life removed from you, you're going to begin to corrupt, you're going to begin to stink. After three days, we would not dare open the grave because your flesh has seen corruption. If you were to die and go to hell, then your soul would be left in hell. Bible says forever and ever. That's what it says. So your soul would be left in hell. That would certainly be corruption for your soul. And your flesh would be corrupting and rotting just immediately. Jesus Christ had no corruption. He was pure in every way. So his body lay in the grave, no corruption. No worms, no stink, no rot, no corruption, just simple as that. His soul was not left in hell, because he paid the price. He went down there to pay the whole price, all the price, every bit of the price. That's really the point, is that the price of sin is not just physical death. You know, this verse comes to mind, greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Your life, Jesus' life, was never in his flesh. He had life in his flesh, but his life, your life, should not be in this. have hope in this flesh only, we of all men are most miserable." I'm misquoting it. But your life is not in your flesh, alright? Jesus' life was not in his flesh. Sure, he died physically, but he poured out his soul unto death. His soul was made an offering for sin. It pleased God to see the travail of his soul. Listen, is the Bible right or not? Because here's the thing, if Jesus died a grueling physical death, no doubt he did, and then went to Good part of hell then Acts chapter 2 is not right. Psalm 16 is not right Isaiah 53 is not right if Jesus Christ went to Paradise which is the good part of hell and just hung out down there or whatever and then came up Then what it's saying is not it's not right. The Bible is not right. We're changing the Bible It's just that simple A couple other things. Let me tell you, Jonah, first go to Matthew chapter 12. This is all off memory, so I'm really sorry, guys. It was a better message before it was off memory. But go to Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12. I'll show you another instance of a man preaching something that he didn't understand fully, but he knew what he was saying, but he didn't know the gravity of what he was saying. Matthew chapter 12, starting verse 38, Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the well's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jesus is telling those guys, listen, you're not going to see any kind of sign. The sign that you're going to have to heed is the sign of the prophet Jonas. Jonas is in the Old Testament. It's in what they had. And so they could go to the book of Jonah and read it. So let's do that. Go to the book of Jonah. And you guys know the story. We've preached it a whole bunch. But in Jonah chapter two, he's in the fish's belly. It says, Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord. And he heard me. Out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hast cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas, and the floods compassed me about. All thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight. You know, the Lord looked away. from Jesus Christ as He died on the cross. Yet I will look again toward Thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul. The depths closed me round about. The weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The earth with her bars was about me forever. Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God." You know, where do we believe that hell is at, if not at the bottoms of the mountains? It's in the center of the earth. The earth with her bars was about me, around me, forever. Forever. Jonah's in a well for three days, and he says, out of the belly of hell, cried I, the earth with her bars was about me forever. It says, Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. His flesh saw no corruption, neither his soul was left in hell. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came unto Thee, into Thy holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. but I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. Jonah was prophesying what Jesus Christ would do. And Jesus went back to it and said, hey, if you want a sign, go read the book of Jonah. That's what you need to do, go read the book of Jonah. Because that's all the sign you're gonna get. Let me give you this, 1 John chapter four. Again, I'm sorry, I'm just going back and forth here. But so you say, well you can go to 1st John 4, I'm going to go to Luke chapter 16 real quick. Luke chapter 16. You guys know the story. We'll read maybe all of it, some of it. There was a certain rich man, Luke 16, verse 19. There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom." Now, before we begin to call this place where Lazarus is Abraham's bosom, paradise, the good part of hell, notice that the rich man lift up his eyes in hell, and being in torments, seeth Abraham and Lazarus in his bosom. To me, that sounds like he's got Lazarus right here, just right here with me, greeting him in heaven. It doesn't seem to me like he saw some big Abraham with a little Lazarus in his belly. It doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense. Here's the thing too. We need to systematize the Bible. So did Jesus, was his soul in hell or was his soul in a place called Lazarus' bosom? We've got to systematize all this. I've got another verse for you too, when we get done with this, if I can remember where it is. But it says, And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I'm tormented in this flame. I'm not going to read the rest of the story. You guys understand. Here's the point. We look in other parts of the Bible at the word bosom. And I think there's even a time, and I can't look it up, but there's even a time when we see someone in Lazarus bosom or, or, or with Abraham in his bosom. And what it means is that he's just right there with them. It doesn't mean that he's inside of Abraham or that this place has been called Abraham's bosom. That is just a made-up doctrine. That is just a purgatory light, is what that is. And that's not what the Bible teaches. Go to 1 John chapter 4. I'll show you this. 1 John chapter 4. This is a really good point that Pastor Turk's dad, Brother Lewis Turk, taught to me. It says in 1 John chapter four, I'll just start reading because I don't exactly know where it is. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they're of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is He that is in you. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. It says they are of the world, therefore speak they of the world and the world hear them. It says, year of God and have overcome them. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. First John chapter five, here we go. Verse one, whosoever believe it that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone that loveth him that beget loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. All right, I've got two verses for you. Revelation 2 and Revelation 3. Go to Revelation 3 first. Who is he that overcometh, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Christ? Be of good cheer, little children, because you have overcome the world. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Overcome by faith. Here, I'm gonna read that again. And this is the victory, where is it at? And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith, all right? Revelation three, verse five. He that overcometh, The same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. You overcome, by faith you've believed on Christ, you're clothed in white raiment, which represents the righteousness of Christ. You're not gonna show up to the wedding supper in the wrong raiment and get kicked out. You gotta come in the righteousness of Christ. But look at Revelation 2. Verse seven, now we're talking about overcoming, overcome by faith, overcome, you get white raiment, overcome, your name's in the book of life, you'll be confessed before the Father, overcomers. Verse seven, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. The tree of life is in the midst of the paradise of God. You guys may remember this. Brother Lewis Turk preached this not too long ago, and I'm preaching it again without notes. I have more, we're gonna go into Hebrews. You know, Hebrews is awesome because if you got any kind of confusion and you get Hebrews right, it'll clear it up. Hebrews will screw you up because it's deep for sure, but I believe if you'll get Hebrews right, and there's a lot of things in Hebrews that I wasn't gonna touch, I'm not gonna be able to touch, but if you'll get the things right, boy, it'll straighten you out. But let me give you one more. Revelation 22, And He showed me a pure river of water, of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the midst of the street of it. And on either side of the river was there the tree of life, which bare 12 manner of fruits and yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever." This is heaven. No doubt, this is heaven. The tree of the paradise of God, the tree of life is in the midst of the paradise of God, the tree of life is in heaven. When we see paradise, Jesus says, thou shalt be with me this day in paradise, to the thief on the cross. What he's saying is, you're gonna be with me in heaven. Because Jesus, let me explain to you, his body, body, soul, spirit, right? His body went to lay in the grave. For three days and three nights, his body was buried in the grave. His soul went to hell. I know that hurts. I know that's hard. But here's what I want you to know. He paid the whole price for your sins. Listen, I got saved not understanding or even hearing this fact. But when I heard this fact, it hit me hard. And I preach it now to people that seem to take lightly. the sacrifice of Christ. And this is the truth. No wonder they do, because I would die for my family. I really would. You could pick me apart with a fingernail clipper or something. I'm serious. I'd die for my wife. I'd die for my kids. But I wouldn't go to hell for anybody. Not only is that not an option for me, I don't have that much love for anybody. I'm just being honest. I don't. I love my wife more than anyone or anything on this earth. I believe that God has given her to me as a gift to have and to hold, but I wouldn't go to hell for her. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. That's forever and ever and ever. I couldn't do it. Jesus Christ literally paid the sins for you, for you in hell, for me in hell. Paid the whole price. That's the price. There's not a more true, more moving, more serious story. There's nothing that you should esteem greater than the fact that Jesus Christ died for your sins. You say, well He died on the cross. He did die on the cross. That was a picture of capital punishment, a picture of death, grueling, painful, torturous death. But that was just the beginning. That was nothing compared to the fact that He paid for our sins in hell according to the book of Jonah, which Jesus Himself referenced as if forever. if forever paid it in three hours three days don't know don't know but I know he paid it all he paid the whole price and then he rose his soul was not left in hell his flesh saw no corruption I know that for sure Jesus said you know These things I've spoken unto you, be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. I'm messing it up. It's in John somewhere. He says, I have overcome the world. He overcame. He overcame all of it. He overcame the price of sin. He overcame it all. He paid it all. That's what I want you to know. It's an important doctrine because if Jesus didn't go to hell, then Acts chapter 2 is wrong, Psalm 16 is wrong, Isaiah 53 is wrong, and what is the Bible if it's wrong? If there's things wrong in the Bible, then I don't have near the faith in it that I do standing up here in front of you today. I cannot, because I believe it is the Word of God. It is quick and powerful. It is living. It is alive. It is true. This is Jesus Christ. In print, if you want to get to know Jesus Christ, you get to know this, every detail of it, because Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh. You say, well, if everything was written down, the worlds couldn't contain what Christ did. That's right. But this is what's written down. Amen. This is what he would have us to have. So we're just digging into that and just showing you that. I had just a couple other things I wanted to show you, but I wanted to tell you this story. Let me just tell you this story and I'm sorry, but so, and I'm just stealing it. I just made notes. All right. I do have this written down. I wrote this in my Samsung notes, reliable old Samsung notes. Thank goodness for that. So this guy, listen, you may have heard this story. This is a true story. Sad story, but listen, Jesus paid the price for your sins. God saw fit to allow his son to be manifest in the flesh, live a righteous, sinless life, take on reproach and shame, be esteemed, smitten, and afflicted, and just nothing before everyone. Very few are the people that regard Jesus Christ high. Very few are those that, few there be that find it. Fewer there be still that exalt him, I believe. 1937, in Mississippi, this guy named John Griffith, he operates a drawbridge on the Mississippi River. And this is his job. He grew up in the Depression, and he's got this job operating a drawbridge. Simple job, easy job. He'd keep the bridge up. The boats pass. Certain times, there's trains coming through. You've got to put the bridge down so the train can go through. So this guy, John Griffith, This is 1937. This is a true story. He brings his son to work with him one day, going to let him see how the drawbridge works, let him see. His son's eight years old. His name's Greg. He's showing him the job, lowering the bridge, raising the bridge, all the stuff, having a good time. It becomes time for lunch. John decides they're going to go have lunch over on a hill 100 yards away. And so they go up this hill. They're having lunch, enjoying themselves. Time gets away from them. He hears a whistle in the distance. He looks at his watch. It's almost time for the Memphis Express, the 107 Memphis Express coming through. And he realizes he's got to go down the hill. He's got to cross the catwalk. He's got to climb the ladder. He's got to get into the control room. He's got to push the lever, all this. And he's got to do it. There's usually like 400 people on this train, PAX train. A lot of people, a lot of souls. So he says to his son, Greg, he says, stay here. don't go anywhere. He goes the 400 yards or the 100 yards up the hill. He goes across the catwalk. He goes up the ladder. He gets in the control room. He's about to put his hand on the lever. He looks both ways down the river, make sure there's no boats coming. Just as he's about to press the lever, he hears a faint cry. And he looks and he sees that his son followed him. And his son, crossing the catwalk, fell down into the gears of the bridge. And You know, he realizes that he's going to have to climb down out of the deal, climb down the ladder, across the catwalk, get a rope, lower it down to his son, pull his son up, you know, go back across the catwalk, back up the ladder, back into the courtroom, push the deal. He's not going to have time. He's already, he's not going to have time. And so he has to make a decision. This is a true story. He has to make a decision. If he lowers the bridge, he's going to crush his son. Just grind him to death. Terrible. But if he spares his son, then 400 passengers or something are just going to die. Just straight off into the river or against the bridge. Fiery death, because the bridge is up. So 1937, John Griffith, this guy, made this decision. He looks away. He pushes the lever. He lowers the bridge. He's crying. to drown out the screams of his son, his eight-year-old son, literally allowed him to be ground to death in the gears of this bridge. And then the bridge comes down, train passes, and he's just beaten on the window of the control room, just, do you know what I've done? And he sees people on the train, they're just driving by, drinking coffee and playing cards and laughing and having a good time. And this guy, John Griffith, sacrificed his son. These people have no idea. They're on this train, just going by, have no idea that he's put his son in their place, allowed his son, his life, to go for theirs. And they don't appreciate it. They don't know it. I'm sure they would. But this is a very powerful story to me. This is a hard story to tell. It's the saddest thing I've ever heard in my life. I don't know if I could do it. But God did so much more for us, all right? Let me tell you something, this eight year old boy, I don't know, I don't know, but I know this, when children, before they reach the age of accountability, they're under the blood. So I pray, I pray that that kid was either saved or just had not yet reached the age of accountability. Because if not, if God was working on his heart and he had, as innocent as he is at eight years old. I know people who got saved younger than that. If God was working on his heart and he was not receiving it, and that happened, then that little boy died and went to hell, and he didn't get out. So here's my point, that's a powerful moving story, a sad, sad story to me, but God did so much more. He allowed his son, who was righteous and holy, just as innocent as that eight-year-old boy, more so, to die in your place, a grueling physical death, and then he paid for your sins in hell as if forever. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." I said this, I'd die for my wife, I might die for some of you. I would not go to hell for anyone, for no one. God allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, willingly took on the form of a servant, This is where his glory's at, by the way. Took on the form of a servant. This is why we should glorify him as a servant. Took on the form of a servant, made himself of no reputation, was esteemed low. and poured out his soul unto death. His soul was made an offering for sin. There's not a more moving, more true, more powerful thing a person can understand than to know that Jesus Christ paid the sins, paid for your sins in hell as if forever with his soul, with his life. Greater love hath no man than this that a man laid on his life for his friends. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you so much. Thank you so much for your word. Thank you for your son. Thank you for the sacrifice. Thank you for everything you've done for us, God. Thank you for blessing our lives so much, Lord, in so many ways. Even though we don't deserve it, Lord, we don't deserve it. The best of us doesn't deserve it. God, thank you for just being so gracious and merciful and loving. Thank you for Jesus Christ, for the sacrifice. Thank you for the truth, for making it so easy, Lord. I pray that everyone would receive the truth. I pray that each person here would receive exactly what you want them to receive. Lord would, would bow their heart and surrender exactly as you would have them to do it. Thank you again for everything you've given us in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
Jesus Paid it All
Sermon ID | 3112538113306 |
Duration | 37:52 |
Date | |
Category | Sunday School |
Bible Text | 2 Corinthians 5:21 |
Language | English |
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