Nice to be with you today, so it is. Thank you for having me. If you have a Bible with you, would you just turn to John 18 please. John chapter 18, we'll be reading from verse 1 down to about verse 13. I'm sure some of you will know without even having to turn to the place, this is the chapter where the Lord Jesus Christ gets arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. John chapter 18 and we'll start in verse 1. John 18 verse 1. When Jesus had spoken these words he went forth with his disciples over the brook Kidron where was a garden into the which he entered and his disciples And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place, for Jesus oftentimes resorted hither with his disciples. Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and pharisees, cometh hither with lanterns and torches and weapons, Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come unto him, went forth and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. And as soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backwards and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again, whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he. If therefore you seek me, let these go their way. that the saying might be fulfilled which he spake, of them which thou givest me, I have lost none. Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cutting off his right ear, the servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, put up thy sword into the sheaf, the cup which my father hath given me, shall I not drink it? Then the band and the captain and the officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound him and led him away to Ananias first. Amen. God bless the reading of his word. But as we have seen, Christ in this reading gets arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. But of course, this was a very eventful night. And I'm sure you all know what happened earlier on that night. Because earlier on that night, the Lord Jesus Christ, he had been celebrating the Passover with his disciples. They were celebrating it in the upper room. Of course, the Passover, it's a yearly feast that the Jews celebrate to remember how God brought them out from the land of Egypt with the Passover. So the Lord was celebrating this with his disciples. But of course, it has become known as the Last Supper because it was the last supper the Lord had with his disciples before he was crucified on the cross. And Christ knew everything that was going to happen to him as he was celebrating that Passover feast with his disciples. He knew that later on that night he was going to be arrested. He knew the next day he was going to be crucified. He knew he was going to be shed his blood and he knew he was going to die on the cross. He knew everything that was going to happen to him. We read this in verse four of our reading. Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come unto him, see, he knew what was going to happen. And it was even clear as he was celebrating the Passover with his disciples, because remember how we read in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 24, it says, he took the bread and he broke the bread and he said, this is my body, which is broken for you. So he pointed to the bread after it had been broken and he says, look, this represents my body, and my body's gonna be broken for you. And he was really saying, look, I'm gonna die for you. I'm gonna give my life for you. And then later on he took a cup, and we read in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 25, how he took the cup and said, this cup is the new testament in my blood. And again, what he was really telling his disciples was, look, I'm gonna shed my blood for you. I'm gonna shed my blood for you so that I can save you. That's what he was telling him. He was telling him, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna shed my blood for you. But the thing is, he knew everything that was gonna happen to him, but he didn't go hiding. He knew he was gonna be arrested, he knew he was gonna be put to death, and yet he didn't go hiding. See, he was doing this for a purpose. At the end of 1 Corinthians 11, verse 24, Christ said, for you. That's why he gave his life. That's why he shed his blood. It was for you. It was for me to save us from our sins. How much do we owe the Lord? See, Christ knew that we're sinners. He knows that we have rebelled against him. He knows that we've gone astray from him, and naturally we want absolutely nothing to do with God. And he knows we're sinners. And he knows that because we're sinners, we're under the wrath of God. We read that there in John chapter three, verse 36. When we were in our sins, we were under the wrath of God. We were on our way to that horrible place called hell. We were without hope and there was nothing we were able to do about it. We couldn't save ourselves and there's nothing we could do about it. But Christ was telling his disciples, look, I'm going to go and die for you. I'm going to shed my blood for you to be able to save you because, look, I love you. and I'm willing to die for you and shed my blood for you so that I can save you, so that I can spend eternity with you. What wonderful love the Lord has for us, doesn't it? You know, it's love we'll never be able to understand really the depths of it. You might be able to question the love that some others have for you, but you can never question the love that Christ has for you. He loves you more than you'll ever really know. But of course, when the Lord was doing this here, He showed the disciples, like this bread, it represents my body and the cup, it represents the blood I'm gonna shed for you. Of course, didn't He tell the disciples, you know, I want yous to do this in remembrance of me. Look, I'm gonna die for you, I'm gonna shed my blood for you. But you know, after I do these things, I want you to remember me. Yes, I'm going to rise from the dead. I'm going to come back to life. But you know what? I want you to remember the things I have done for you. Look, I'm going to give my life for you. I'm going to shed my blood for you. And you know, I would just like you to remember me. Together round the Lord's table. And as they break the bread, to remember how I gave my life for you. And as you take the cup, I want you to remember how I shed my precious blood for you. Because it's only by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that our sins have been cleansed, our sins have been taken away. And the Lord says, look, I want you to do this for me. And I know here in Shiloh, everyone gathers round the table, but you know, in many other places, people have no time for the Lord's table. They just walk out through the day and they don't have time to remember the Lord, but how important it is that we do. The Lord has told us, you know, do this in remembrance of me. And see, when we gather round the table, it should help us to increase in our love for the Lord Jesus Christ, because, you know, naturally, we don't really love the Lord. We're sinners, we rebelled against him. Yes, he has saved us, but we only love him because he first loved us. That's what 1 John 4, verse 19 says. We love him because he first loved us. So if you want to increase in your love for the Lord Jesus Christ, you have to make time to consider what he done for you. You have to consider the depths of love. You have to consider the things that he done to be able to purchase your salvation. And that's what we do at the table. We remember how the Lord saved us, what he had to do, how much it cost him. And that's why we celebrate the Lord's table, because he told us to, but it also helps us to increase in our love for him. And yes, we do this every week, but of course, during the week, we should make it just a wee bit of time just to think about the Lord and think, You know, the Lord died for me. The Lord shed his blood for me. He left heaven and came all the way and, you know, look at the things he done for me. You know, he really loves me. We should make a wee bit of time every day just to consider what the Lord has done for us. But then, when the Lord had finished celebrating the Passover with his disciples, before he left the upper room, we read in Matthew 26, verse 30, it says, and when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mountain of Olives. See, before they left the upper room, it says, they sung an hymn. Now, the scholars tell us that they believe he sang Psalm 118 here, because, see, The Jews have Passover liturgy, and that's Psalm 113 to Psalm 118, the scholars tell us. And these are known as the Hillel Psalms or the Prius Psalms. And apparently, this hymn that they would have sung at this stage of the Passover feast was Psalm 118. And see, when you consider Christ would have sang with his disciples Psalm 118 at this time, Just think of what he would have been singing, because when you get to verse 22 of Psalm 118, it says, the stones which the builders refused has become the headstone of the corner. See, Christ, he would have been singing, the stone which the builders refused has become the headstone of the corner. See, he knew that he was going to be rejected. He knew that people were going to refuse him. He knew they were going to cry out to Pilate, crucify him, crucify him, away with him, away with him. He knew the chief priests and the leaders, the religious leaders were going to say to Pilate, we have no king but Caesar. They knew, he knew they were going to choose Barabbas rather than him. He knew that he was going to be refused. He knew he was going to be laughed at. He knew he was going to be mocked. He knew what he was going to go through. But he was still willing to go to La Crosse, even though he knew, I'm going to be laughed, I'm going to be mocked at, I'm going to be refused, I'm going to be totally rejected. He said, I'm still going to go to La Crosse to be able to save Simon Thompson and everyone. I'm going to make a way of salvation possible for everyone. I'm going to die for the sin of the world. It doesn't matter if I'm going to be refused. I'm going to die for the sin of the world, to be able to offer salvation to all. And you know, I wonder, are we willing to stand for the Lord? See, He knew that He was going to be laughed at. He knew He was going to be rejected. He knew He was going to be put to death. But He was still willing to go to the cross. He was still willing to go through with it all because of His love for me and for you. And I wonder, are we the same? Do we love the Lord Jesus Christ enough that we are willing to stand for Him? No matter what other people think about us. No matter what other people say. Maybe they might laugh at us. They might mock us. They might shun us. They might talk behind our back. But who cares? The Lord loved us so much that he was willing to die for us. He was willing to die for you. He was willing to be laughed at, to be mocked, to be spat upon for me and for you. Are we not willing to do the same for the Lord? Well, He done all that for me. I don't care what other people say. I'm going to stand for the Lord no matter what the cost, no matter what other people are going to say about me. Are we willing to do the same for Him? See, it's not easy to stand for the Lord. We will suffer. People will say things about us, it's not going to be easy, and the Lord knows it's not going to be easy. But Hebrews chapter 4 verse 16 says, See the Lord says, look, come boldly onto the throne of grace. Look, don't be hesitant, don't be holding back, just come to me in prayer, tell me all about it. Tell him all about your struggles, all your worries. Tell me all about it. Say everything that's on your heart. Just pour it out before me. And you know what? I'll give you the grace. I'll give you the mercy that you need, right at the very time you need it. I'll supply the grace and the mercy that you need to get you through that situation. He doesn't say, I'm going to take you out of the situation. But he says, look, I'll help you through it. And see, take everything to the Lord in prayer and he'll give you the grace and the mercy that you need to stand for him. He'll help you through the situation. And see, after the Lord and his disciples had sung this hymn, Psalm 118, we know they went out to the mountain of Olives. Because Matthew 26, verse 30 goes on to say, and when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mountain of Olives. And see, we know they were going to the Garden of Gethsemane. And the Lord and his disciples would have come out of Jerusalem, they would have went down across the valley, they would have went up the mountain of Olives into the Garden of Gethsemane. The Garden of Gethsemane was on the mountain of Olives. Now the mountain of Olives, it was only about a half a mile from Jerusalem, so it wasn't a big distance. But we know what Christ was going there for. He was going there to pray. And see, this is a place that Christ often came to pray because it says there in verse 2 of our reading, So this is a place Christ came to all the time. And Judas knew where to find him. And I wonder, do people know where to find you on, I think it's a Wednesday night you have your prayer meeting. Do you come to the place of prayer all the time? Is it your habit? Do people know, do your neighbours know, well, it's Sunday morning, Sunday evening, they'll be at church. Do people know from just watching your life, can they see something of Christ? Because Christ oftentimes came to this place to pray. But see, when Christ was coming to the mountain of Olives, he was coming to pray. But he just didn't want to pray by himself. He also wanted his disciples to pray. Because notice what Christ said in Luke chapter 22, verse 40. He said to his disciples, pray that ye enter not into temptation. So he said, look, I want yous to pray that yous don't fall into temptation. I want yous to pray now. It's gonna be a big night. Yous are gonna be tempted, but I want yous to pray that you don't fall into the temptation. Of course, we know what happened. They fell asleep. Christ came along in Luke chapter 22 verse 46. Why sleep ye? Rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. He says, why sleep ye? Look lads, why have you fallen asleep? Wake up lads. He says, I've fallen asleep. I wonder, has anyone ever fallen asleep in the prayer meeting? To my shame, I have to admit, I've done it once or twice. And if you start snowing, you get a dig in the ribs. It's a bit embarrassing, so it is. But Christ had to wake them up and say, look, why are you sleeping? Tonight, it's a big night. You don't know the significance of tonight. And tonight, yous are going to be tempted. And look, yous need to pray. Yous are going to be tempted. And if you're going to be able to stand up against this temptation, you're going to need to pray for strength. Otherwise, you'll not be able to resist this temptation. And see, we all struggle with temptation. We all get tempted. There's nothing wrong with getting tempted, but it's falling for the temptation that's wrong. But see, what tempts you might tempt me, and the things that tempt me might tempt you. We're all tempted, maybe by different things, but we all struggle with temptation. And see, Christ teaches us from this here. He gives us the blueprint. He says, look, you're gonna be tempted, but if you just want to be able to stand against it, to not fall for the temptation, you need to pray. You need to pray so you don't see. Even Christ was tempted. It says in Hebrews chapter four, verse 15 about the Lord Jesus Christ, was tempted in all points, or was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. See, he was tempted in all points. But he didn't fall for the temptation. He stood against it. And Christ here, he tells us, look, if you don't want to fall into the temptation, you need to pray. You need to pray. See, when you pray, you gain strength to resist the temptation. Isaiah chapter 40, verse 31 says, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. See when you take time alone with the Lord, see when you get the TV turned off, the radio turned off, you turn the phone off and you just get into the quiet place and just spend a wee bit of time in God's Word. You just take a wee bit of time to pray unto the Lord and you just tell Him everything that's on your heart and you ask Him for help and well that's when you'll renew your strength. See you can't go on in life by yourself if you want to run the Christian race. You need the Lord's help. And it's when you wait upon the Lord, you'll renew your strength. See, even in the last verse in Hebrews chapter three, it talks about how the Lord was tempted, but he didn't fall for the temptation, but it goes on to say about how he can succour us, to help us to not fall for the temptation. And you know, maybe if you've been fallen into temptation, you've been fallen, into it all the time. Maybe one of the reasons is your quiet time hasn't been right. You haven't been waiting upon the Lord to renew your strength. But of course, the Lord just didn't want the disciples to pray. He prayed himself when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane. We read in Luke 22, verse 42, how the Lord, he prayed, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done. He said, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me. What was he talking about? What was he talking about? Well, we know that in the Bible, the cup, it often represents, it speaks of wrath, fury, or judgment. And see, remember, the Lord Jesus Christ knew everything that was gonna happen to him. And he knew that he was going to be made sin. The perfect one, the holy one, he was going to be made sin. The nectary of us all was going to be laid upon him. And see, he hates sin. He lose it. And the thought of sin being laid upon him, you know, it was a horrible thought for him because he's perfect, he's holy, and now he's gonna be made sin, and not only that, then this cup, which speaks of wrath, re-enjudgment, he knows that God the Father is then gonna pour out his wrath upon him for the sin of the world. And he can see this cup, and he says, look, Father, if it be possible, remove this cup from me. If there's another way of salvation, if there's another way to save them, look, we'll go for the other way if there's another way. But then he goes on to say, you know, but not my will, but thine be done. See, there was no other way of salvation. If Christ was going to be able to spend eternity with us, he had to go through with it. He had to be made sin. God the Father was going to have to pour out his wrath upon him. and he was gonna have to satisfy the wrath of a holy, just God. There was no other way, and thank the Lord that he went through with it, that he was willing to be made sin for us. He endured the cross. He despised the shame for the joy that was sat before him. What was the joy that was sat before him? It was to save us. It was to be able to spend eternity with us, to hear us crying out unto him and said, Lord, I'm sorry for my sin. Will you forgive me? Will you be my Lord and Saviour? That's why he endured the cross. That's why he despised the shame. It was all for that joy. Again, what love that he has for us. But then we get to verse three of our reading. And it says, Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. See, as we've said, Judas knew where the Lord would be. Maybe the couple of Passovers beforehand, the Lord had come to the Garden of Gethsemane after he had celebrated the Passover. Judas knew where to come. He knew where to find the Lord Jesus Christ, as we have said. But he's not coming alone. Because if you look there, it says, having received a band of men and officers. See, what's that word band mean? He's not coming with guys who can play instruments. What does that word band mean? Well in Roman military terms a band means between four to six hundred Roman soldiers. Can you see Judas is not coming alone. He's coming with four to six hundred Roman soldiers. That's what that word band means. That's a lot of men to arrest one man isn't it. It's a lot of men. And naturally, as we think about it, you might think, well, what chance does the Lord have? One man against four to 600 rough, tough, trained, armed Roman soldiers. And naturally, you might think, well, what chance does he have? But of course, he's the Lord of all. But you can see, can you picture it in your mind? As Judas is coming with these four to 600 Roman soldiers, they're coming with lanterns and with torches because it's nighttime. It's nighttime, and remember the Lord is up the mountain of Olives, and they're coming out of Jerusalem, so they have to go down the valley, and they have to come up the mountain of Olives. And they have these lanterns, they have these torches, the flames coming so they can see, to give them light. And Christ, as he was up the mountain of Olives, he would have seen the flames, he would have seen the light as these men were coming, these soldiers were coming. And not only that, he would have heard them marching. There's 400 to 600 of them. He would have heard them coming. And you know, if I was in the Lord's shoes, knowing that these men were coming for me, I would have legged it. I would have smashed UCM Bolt's 100 metre world record. I would have ran away. But Christ didn't. He didn't. Look at verse four. It says, Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come on to him, went forth. See, he didn't run away from them. The Bible says he went forth. He actually walked forward. He stepped forward to meet them. And I look at those words, he went forth, and I wonder how hard must it have been for him to take those steps. He knew as he was going forward to meet them, they were gonna arrest him, they were gonna mock him, they were gonna whip him, they were gonna spit upon him, ultimately nail him to the cross. How hard those few steps must have been as he walked forward to meet them. But of course, he had already come so far, because he had already left heaven and come to earth, He had already come so far to be able to make a way of salvation for us. How hard those steps must have been, but He had already come so far to be able to save us. And He took those steps so that we could be able to go to heaven. So that we could spend eternity with Him. Then when the Lord, he steps forth, he went forth, and then he spoke to them, and it says in verse four, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? See, Christ asked them the question. Look, look, lads, who yous coming to find? Who have yous come here to get? Yous are coming for someone, so just tell me, who is looking, lads? And the answer comes back in verse five. They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. That's what they say. Look, we're looking, Jesus of Nazareth. But notice what they didn't say. You know the Lord Jesus Christ. He has many different names. He has many different titles. He's referred to by many different things in the Bible. And just think, Christ has asked these men, whom seek ye? And just imagine the different ways they could've answered him. Could've said, look, we're looking the Lord of hosts. Could've said, we're looking the Son of God. We're looking the Son of David. We're looking the Son of Man. We're looking God the Son. But they didn't use any of those tales. They just said, we're looking Jesus of Nazareth. We're looking the fellow Jesus that comes from Nazareth. That's what they said. See, they don't think anything of the Lord Jesus Christ. They think nothing of him. And I wonder what you think of the Lord Jesus Christ. What does he mean to you? How do you refer to him? What does he mean to you in your life? Because they just said Jesus of Nazareth. It wasn't a great thing to call him because remember what Nathanael said in John chapter one verse 46. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? See, Nazareth was a bit of a dump. It was a bit of a hole. The people that came from Nazareth, they didn't have the best reputation, if Nathaniel was able to say that there. Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? And they didn't think anything of the Lord Jesus Christ. I come from Nazareth, the place where the people don't have the best reputation. The place that's a bit of a dump, and they just associate Christ with that. They think nothing of him, and I wonder, what do you think of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you just think of him as that man that came from Nazareth? Or do you think of him as the son of God? Because yes, Christ, he grew up in Nazareth, but of course, he's eternal. And he actually came from heaven. He left the splendours of heaven. He left the place where in Revelation 21, verse 21, it tells us there's a street of gold. He was daily the delight of the father. The angels worshipped him and adored him. but he left it all behind to come to earth, to grow up in a place like Nazareth, just to be able to save us so that we could go to heaven, so that we could spend eternity with him. But notice how Christ then answers these men. They say, we're looking Jesus of Nazareth. Look how he answers them in verse five. They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I am he. That's how he answers them. He just says, look, yes, I'm the fellow yous are looking for. I'm the one you're looking for. I'm the one you're looking. And, you know, again, I tried to put myself in the Lord Jesus Christ's shoes. If I knew these men were coming to arrest me, do you know what I probably would have said? I would have said, here, here, lads, yous are looking Jesus of Nazareth. Do you know what? He was here, but you've just missed him. He went that way. He's only just gone, if he's go quickly, he might be able to catch him up. Go quickly, he went that way. But of course, the Lord didn't hide his identity. And how we should never hide our identity. If you're a Christian, if you're a believer, never be afraid to tell people, yes, I'm a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. I love him, he's my lord and my saviour, we should never hide our identity from Christ. But notice it says, I am he, that's what Christ said, I am he, but notice it says he in italics, if you're reading the King James Bible, the he is in italics. And without getting too complicated, when the translators were translating from the original into the English, into the King James Bible, there's different problems with translation so Christ didn't actually say he that word he is the translators put it there to help our understanding because of the difficulties of translating from one language to another Christ didn't actually say that word he but the translators put it there to help our understanding but they put the word he in the talk so we knew it wouldn't be there in the original but that means Christ he just said to them I am that's what Christ just said to him I am and If you know what I am means, it's very, very significant. Because it's actually a title of God. Remember when God was speaking to Moses at the burning bush? What did he say to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus chapter three, verse 14? It says in Exodus chapter three, verse 14, and God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And he said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am has sent me. Can you see when God was speaking to Moses? God told Moses, look, my name, my title, how I want you to refer to me is I am. And now the Lord Jesus Christ, these Roman soldiers have just said, we're looking Jesus of Nazareth. And they think nothing of him. But the Lord Jesus Christ responds, I am. And he's declaring himself to be God. He's revealing that he's God. He's revealing his deity. And when you notice and understand that there, how they just call him Jesus of Nazareth, but then the Lord, he reveals his deity. It makes verse six easy to understand. It explains it because it says in verse six, as soon then as he had said unto them, I am, They went backward and fell to the ground. Can you notice? Christ says, I am. He reveals his deity. And what happens? The Roman soldiers have to take a step back and they fall to the ground. When had that ever happened before? 600 rough, tough Roman soldiers armed. They're armed with swords and staffs. We see that in Matthew 26, verse 47. They're armed to the hilt. They're trained. And they're sent out to arrest one man. and they go backwards, and they fall to the ground, they have to bow before him. When did that ever happen? Never happened before, and I'm sure it never happened again. But see, when Christ revealed his deity, they had to fall before him. They had to bow the knee when Christ revealed his deity. They had to bow the knee before him. Of course, that reminds us of Philippians 2, verse 10. It says that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. Every knee will bow to the Lord. And you know, I wonder, have you bowed the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you repented of your sin and said, Lord, I'm sorry for my sin? Will you be my Lord and Savior? Will you forgive me for my sin? Have you bowed your knee to the Lord like that? Because if you haven't bowed your knee to the Lord like that... If you're still in your sins, there will be a day when you will bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ, but it'll be at the Great Right Throne Judgment. And you'll bow your knee to him then, when he's judging you for your sin, and then he'll condemn you to the lake of fire for all eternity. Make sure you bow your knee to him now. Make him your Lord and Savior. Ask him to forgive you for your sin before it's too late, when you'll have to bow the knee before him at the Great Right Throne Judgment. Christ revealed his deity. These sinful, wicked men, they had to take a step back and they had to bow before him. But then when we get to verse 12, notice what it says. Then the band and the captain and the officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound him. See, just maybe a minute, maybe two minutes beforehand, they had to bow their knee to him. But then one, maybe two minutes later, all of a sudden we read how they come and they take Christ. and they bind him. Can you picture it in your head? They take a wee bit of rope, a bit of baler twine, and they bind the Lord Jesus Christ, they tie him up. Do you honestly think that this wee bit of rope, a bit of baler twine, is going to hold the Lord? Just a couple of minutes beforehand, he's revealed his deity, and they've had to go back and they've had to bow the knee before him. And now a couple of minutes later, They think a bit of rope is going to hold them. They honestly think it's going to hold them. If Christ didn't want to go to the cross, he didn't have to. He could have just revealed his deity. But see, he let these men bind him because he was going to the cross willingly to make salvation possible for us. It made me think of Philippians chapter two, verse eight, when I considered this. He humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross. See, yes, Christ, he was fully God. He's God the Son, and when he revealed his deity, they all had to bow before him, but see, Christ humbled himself, and he became obedient on the death, even the death of the cross. See, he veiled his deity, and he allowed these men to bind him and take him away, In verse 13 it goes on to say, and led him away to Ananias first. See, he's just slayed. He's just led, that's fulfilling prophecy. Isaiah 53 verse seven says, he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. See, he's just been led. He doesn't fight against it. He just goes, well, and notice there it says in verse 13, he is, and led him away. It doesn't say, they're dragging him here. Come on, lad, you're coming this way. They're not pushing him, they're not shoving him. They're not forcing him. They just say, right, come on, we're going this way. And the Lord follows. He's just being led. He goes willingly, so he does. But then in verse 10, back in verse 10, it says, Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cutting off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. See, Peter sees what's happening. He sees that the Lord is being bound. He sees that he's being arrested. Simon Peter's thinking, here, I'm not having that. They're not taking my Lord. They're not taking my Saviour. And he whips out this sword. And he's going to fight them all. Remember, there's a band of men there. There's 400 to 600 Roman soldiers here. And Simon Peter, he takes out the sword, and he's going to take them all on single-handedly. Isn't that why we love Peter? Because he's a bit of a character, so he is, isn't he? He's going to take all these men on himself. And he gets the sword, and he goes for one. And we see there, he cuts off the high priest's servant's ear. He cuts his ear off. Now, do you honestly think Simon Peter was trying to cut his ear off? No. He was going for his head, probably, so he was. But of course, Simon Peter, he's only a fisherman, he's not really trained with the sword, he's not the best in sword and misses and just cuts the ear. But, see, we know from the other gospel accounts that The Lord healed this man's ear. But we read here in verse 11, it says, See, the Lord says, Saint Peter, put your sword away. Look. Do you not think I have to go and take the wrath of God? I have to be made sin? I have to take the punishment for the sin of the world? I have to go through with this, Simon Peter. Look, if I'm going to save you, this has to be the way it is. I have to go through with this. It's the way it is. If I'm going to be able to spend eternity with you, just put your shirt away. That made me go to the cross to take the price of sin. But in Matthew's account, it tells us a wee bit more of what Christ said to Peter. Because in Matthew 26, verse 53, Christ went on to say, See, Christ went on to say the same to Peter. Look, if I didn't want to go to the cross, if I didn't want these men to arrest me, Do you not think I could call more than 12 legions of angels? He says, I could call more than 12 legions of angels. That got me thinking. How many's in a legion? We've seen how many's in a band. But how many's in a legion? And in Roman military terms, in a legion, there's 6,000. There's 6,000 in a Roman legion, and the Lord said I could call more than 12 legions of angels. But I thought I would just go with the 12,000. He could have called more, but we'll go with the 12,000. So I got a calculator and typed in 12 times 6,000, and I got 72,000. See, the Lord could have called more than 72,000 angels. If he didn't want to go to the cross, if he didn't want these men to rest, he could have called more than 72,000 angels. Then I started thinking, I wonder what 72,000 angels could have done. What could 72,000 angels have done if the Lord had a called them? And in 2 Kings 19, verse 35, remember, now I know it was the angel of the Lord, I know it was the angel of the Lord, but I was just thinking, so I've done it for the crack. In 2 Kings 19, verse 35, in one night the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrians. 185,000 Assyrians the angel of the Lord killed in one night. So I typed into the calculator 72,000 angels times 185,000 dead Assyrians. And I got a big long number. I couldn't read it. I'd actually had to take it down to my dad and say, Dad, what's that number? And he said, that number is 13.3 billion. Praise the Lord Christ didn't call the angels. Could you imagine if he had called those 72,000 angels, he could have called more than 72,000 angels. But he could have wiped out everyone on the face of the earth just like that if he didn't go to the cross. But praise the Lord, he didn't call the angels. Because he was going to the cross willingly to make a way of salvation possible for us. What love he has for us. And notice what it says there in verse eight. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way. And see, because Christ allowed these men to arrest him, because he allowed them to arrest him and take him ultimately and crucify him, the disciples were able to go free. And isn't that a wonderful picture of salvation? Because Christ went to the cross and took the punishment for sin and set aside the wrath of a holy God and died on the cross, and then rose three days later, he came back to life. And because of that there, and because we repented of our sin, we've been able. to go free, we've been made free. John chapter eight verse 36 says, if the son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. We have been made free, so we're free indeed, free from sin and we'll have peace with God. Having all that to be thankful to the Lord for, all that to praise him for. Thank you very much for listening. Perhaps the jury will close and we'll go to prayer if that's possible. Father, we thank you indeed for the message that you gave upon our brother Simon this morning. We thank you indeed, Lord, that what you said to us this morning, Lord, we need to take and heed. No question about it. And we just thank you, Lord, that you undertook for Simon. As anyone knows, and so does the rest of the speakers out here, Lord, without you, they come to nothing. So we want to return our thanks to you, Lord, for undertaking for Simon, for what the message you laid upon them for this morning. And we pray, Father, indeed, that as we all leave here this morning and head home, wherever that may be, that you take us all to our homes on safe day. And Father, Simon's back this evening for the gospel, and we pray as he sets out again that you bring him here on safe day as well. We do give thee thanks, honour and praise only and unto the wonderful