The title of our
study in this lecture is
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Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?
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And I would like to begin
our study at the gospel of
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John 1:1-3, John 1:1-3.
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However, before we do
get into our study together,
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we want to ask
the Lord's guidance.
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And so I invite you to bow
your heads with me as we pray.
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Father in heaven, as
we open Your Holy Word,
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we ask for the
guidance of Your Holy Spirit.
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Help us to understand the
purpose and the meaning of
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the sufferings of Your Son,
Jesus, and what it means to us.
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We pray this in the precious
name of Jesus our Savior, Amen.
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John 1:1-3 speak about the
Creator at the very beginning.
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It says there:
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Now there are three
elements in this passage
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that I want to underline: 1. the
expression, in the beginning.
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2. The word God.
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And 3. Created
heavens and earth.
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Now it's interesting to notice
that in Genesis 1:1 you have the
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very same elements
that you have in John 1:1-3,
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because in Genesis 1:1 you have,
In the beginning God created
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heavens and earth.
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In John 1 you have, In the
beginning, the Word, who is God,
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created all things.
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And so, obviously, the Creator
of the book of Genesis was
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none other than Jesus Christ.
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Now even though Jesus was the
Creator, He placed on this earth
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as His ruler, or as His king,
the original man who was placed
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on this planet: Adam.
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Let's turn in our
Bibles to Psalm 8,
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where we find
this clearly revealed.
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Psalm 8, and we're going to
read verses 3-5, Psalm 8:3-5.
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Here David says:
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By the way, the word man
there is adam, the word Adam.
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Was Adam crowned? Yes.
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Who is crowned? kings.
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Now what was his
realm of dominion?
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What was his territory?
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Let's continue reading. Verse 6.
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Heavens, earth, sea,
was the realm of dominion
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of this new king, Adam.
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But then, of course, came the
tragic story of the inception of
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sin into the world, and another
being took over the throne.
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He deposed Adam, so to
speak, and he sat on the throne,
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and took over the territory that
originally was given to Adam.
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And, of course, we know
who that was. It was Satan.
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Turn with me in your
Bibles to the gospel of Matthew,
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actually the gospel of Luke.
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It's also told in Matthew, but
let's read Luke's story about
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this: Luke 4:5-7,
Luke 4:5-7. It says there:
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Notice, the devil is showing
Jesus all of the kingdoms
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of the world. Verse 6:
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Now the question is,
who delivered the kingdoms
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of the world to Satan?
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Why could Satan offer the
kingdoms of the world to Jesus?
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It's because Satan had taken
over dominion of this world.
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In other words, Adam had become
the slave; he had become the
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servant, and Satan had
become the master, the king.
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He sat on the throne,
and he took over the planet.
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The sad thing is that as we
examine the history of the human
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race, there is not one single
person in the world that has not
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become a slave of Satan.
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In Romans 3:10
we find these words:
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In other words, not only
did Adam fall, not only did Adam
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become a slave, not only
did Adam lose his territory,
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but every descendent of Adam
also is born into this world
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a slave, or a servant;
is born into this world
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with Satan as the ruler.
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So there was no one within
the human race who could recover
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that which was lost.
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The human race needed a
Redeemer; needed someone to come
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and take away from Satan what
Satan had taken away from Adam.
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The human race
needed someone to come
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and to do battle with Satan;
to remove him from the throne
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so that Adam could be placed on
it again, and so that Adam could
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have this world again, along
with all of his descendents.
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My favorite verse in the Bible,
of course you all know this,
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is Genesis 3:15. God promised
that He was going to send
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someone to this world
to do battle with Satan,
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and He was going to
defeat Satan, and return to Adam
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and his
descendents what Adam had lost.
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Notice Genesis 3:15.
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God is speaking here to
the serpent, and He says:
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That is between the
serpent and the woman.
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That is the
serpent's seed, or followers.
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But notice, that's
not the real enmity.
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The enmity is not
primarily between the serpent
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and the woman; the serpent's
seed and the woman's seed.
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Notice the last
part of the verse:
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He, that is the
seed of the woman.
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A better translation would
be: He shall crush your head,
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and you shall bruise his heel.
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God is saying to Satan,
I'm going to send a Seed
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to planet Earth. That Seed
is going to do battle with you.
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In the process of the
battle you're going to hurt him.
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You're going to wound his heel,
but in the process of wounding
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his heel, he is
going to crush your head.
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He's going to remove the kingdom
from you, and he's going to
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give it back to
Adam and his descendents.
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Now you notice that the first
result of Adam and Eve's sin was
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that the Bible says
they were left naked.
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Before that they were
covered with the glory of God;
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with a glorious robe of light.
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But when they sinned
they were left naked,
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and they tried to cover
their nakedness with fig leaves.
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And even though they had covered
themselves with fig leaves,
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they still felt naked after
this, because they were hiding
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in the midst of the garden.
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And when God went to find Adam,
Adam said, I hid in the midst
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of the garden,
because I was naked.
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Well, he wasn't naked anymore.
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He had covered
himself with fig leaves.
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Obviously, the fig leaves
did not cover his nakedness.
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It was more nakedness of
soul than nakedness of body.
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In other words, man in order
to be restored to his position,
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had to be clothed.
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His nakedness, his spiritual
nakedness had to be clothed,
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and fig leaves would not do it.
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Our own works would not do it.
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Notice Genesis
3:21, how the nakedness
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was going to be
covered. Genesis 3:21:
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Who made the
coats of skins? God did.
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Who clothed them? God did.
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And, of course, the coats,
we noticed, were made of skins.
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Now what do you
have to do with an animal
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in order to get his skin?
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You have to kill the animal.
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In other words, God was saying
to Adam and Eve, Because of your
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sin, I'm going to send a
seed to the world, and that seed
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is going to be what?
is going to be sacrificed.
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And because of His sacrifice,
your nakedness will be covered.
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In other words, God was not
only revealing that the seed
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of the woman would
crush the serpents head,
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but he was revealing how
this was going to happen.
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It was going to happen
by covering the nakedness of
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man by the death of a
lamb, and thus the nakedness
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would be covered.
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For 4,000 years in the Old
Testament we find God preparing
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the world for the introduction
of the seed, the promised seed.
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The seed that would come and
crush the head of the serpent,
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and restore Adam to his throne,
and all of his descendents
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to their original condition.
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I like to imagine what it
must have been like when Jesus
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gathered the heavenly host
together and He said, folks,
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the moment has arrived.
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I'm going to leave, and I'm
going to be gone for 33 years.
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I'm going down to
the planet of the enemy,
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where Satan has
taken over the throne.
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I'm going to his turf, to his
territory, and I'm going to do
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battle with him, and I'm
going to fulfill Genesis 3:15.
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I'm not going to
allow him to beat me.
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I'm going to crush his head,
and I'm going to restore man
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to his original position.
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And then Jesus bid
farewell to the heavenly beings,
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and He was transplanted to this
world, into the womb of Mary,
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to do battle with the enemy.
00:14:08.66\00:14:12.65
Now Jesus came to this
world for two purposes.
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The first purpose for
which Jesus came to this world
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was in order to live a life
without sin, because His life
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had to stand in
place of our sinful lives.
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The Father demands perfection.
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We don't have it.
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And so Jesus had to develop
a perfect life that He could
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give me as a gift, so that I
could appear before the Father
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in the righteousness of Christ.
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But the second reason why Jesus
came to this world was so that
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He could die for sin;
live a life without sin,
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and die for sin.
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By the way, notice
Exodus 12:5, Exodus 12:5.
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This is speaking about the
institution of the Passover.
00:15:07.38\00:15:11.40
This is very, very interesting.
00:15:11.43\00:15:14.41
Exodus 12:5.
Notice the characteristic
00:15:14.44\00:15:18.69
of the
sacrificial lamb. It says:
00:15:18.72\00:15:20.76
Your lamb shall be
without what? without blemish;
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a male of the first year.
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Ye shall take it out from
the sheep or from the goats.
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In other words the lamb, before
it was sacrificed, had to live
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for a whole year, and could
not have one single blemish.
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It had to be a perfect lamb.
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This represents the
fact that Jesus had to live
00:15:46.44\00:15:49.39
a perfect life before He died.
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And then, of course,
we know what was done
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with the sacrificial lamb.
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It was actually slain, which
pointed to the death of Jesus.
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So Jesus came to this
world for two reasons:
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Reason 1. To live a life
without sin, so that His life
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could stand in place of my life.
00:16:09.11\00:16:10.77
And 2. So that He
could die for sin,
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so that I don't have to die.
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That was the mission of
Jesus: live a perfect life,
00:16:17.40\00:16:23.03
and then die, and, of
course, the devil knew it.
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Notice 1 Peter 1:18-20, on this
mission of Jesus as revealed
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in the sacrifice of the lamb.
00:16:37.37\00:16:40.73
1 Peter 1:18-20. It says here:
00:16:40.76\00:16:48.36
Forasmuch as ye know
that ye were not redeemed
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with corruptible things, as
silver and gold, from your vain
00:16:51.48\00:16:55.06
conversation received by
tradition from your fathers;
00:16:55.09\00:16:57.91
but with the
precious blood of Christ,...
00:16:57.94\00:17:01.15
Did you see that? redeemed
by the precious blood of Christ.
00:17:01.18\00:17:05.89
...as of a lamb...
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What kind of lamb?
00:17:08.75\00:17:10.11
...without blemish
and without spot:...
00:17:10.14\00:17:13.81
Remember Exodus 12:5?
00:17:13.84\00:17:16.12
And then it continues
saying here in verse 20:
00:17:16.15\00:17:19.68
Who verily was
foreordained before the
00:17:19.71\00:17:22.36
foundation of the world.
00:17:22.39\00:17:23.42
That's why you have
the sacrifice in Genesis.
00:17:23.45\00:17:26.32
The sacrifice represented the
fact that Jesus was foreordained
00:17:26.36\00:17:30.61
to come and die, and so it says,
Who verily was foreordained
00:17:30.64\00:17:34.44
before the foundation of
the world, but was manifest
00:17:34.47\00:17:38.15
in these last days for you.
00:17:38.18\00:17:41.11
In other words, the
plan was made in eternity,
00:17:41.14\00:17:47.31
but it was manifested when Jesus
actually came to this world.
00:17:47.34\00:17:53.04
Now when Jesus came the
devil knew that He had come,
00:17:53.07\00:18:00.89
and the devil said, I
know what His mission is.
00:18:00.92\00:18:04.70
His mission is to
live a life without sin.
00:18:04.73\00:18:09.42
Do you think the devil
knew about why the lamb
00:18:09.45\00:18:11.79
was supposed to
be without blemish?
00:18:11.82\00:18:13.62
Of course he did.
00:18:13.65\00:18:15.26
He's going to live
a life without sin,
00:18:15.29\00:18:16.95
and He's going to die for sin.
00:18:16.98\00:18:19.11
And so Satan says, I
am not going to allow Him
00:18:19.14\00:18:24.46
to fulfill His mission.
00:18:24.49\00:18:25.52
I'm going to infect Him
with sin, and I'm going to try
00:18:25.55\00:18:30.72
and keep Him from
going to the cross.
00:18:30.75\00:18:32.75
Now I'd like to share with you,
as I've examined the gospels,
00:18:32.78\00:18:38.53
that the devil used three
methods to try and keep Jesus
00:18:38.56\00:18:45.05
from being
successful in His mission.
00:18:45.08\00:18:46.89
1. Satan tried to kill Jesus
before Jesus got to the cross.
00:18:46.92\00:18:55.94
We have many, many
instances of this in scripture,
00:18:55.97\00:19:01.61
in the gospels. You have,
for example, Revelation 12:4.
00:19:01.64\00:19:08.11
Let's go there for a
moment: Revelation 12:4.
00:19:08.14\00:19:11.77
This is speaking
about the birth of Christ.
00:19:11.80\00:19:15.58
We've read it many, many times.
00:19:15.61\00:19:17.98
Revelation 12:4 says: And his
tail drew the third part of the
00:19:18.01\00:19:24.83
stars of heaven, and did
cast them to the earth:...
00:19:24.86\00:19:27.88
And here comes the part
that I want to emphasize.
00:19:27.91\00:19:30.33
...and the dragon stood before
the woman which was ready to be
00:19:30.36\00:19:33.87
delivered, for to devour her
child as soon as it was born.
00:19:33.90\00:19:38.75
Do you know what
the devil is doing?
00:19:40.84\00:19:41.94
He's saying, I'm going
to nip this in the bud.
00:19:41.97\00:19:43.49
Before He lives a perfect life,
before He gets to the cross,
00:19:43.52\00:19:48.81
I'm going to kill Him.
00:19:48.84\00:19:50.52
And so from the
time that Jesus was born,
00:19:50.55\00:19:53.19
the devil tried to destroy Him.
00:19:53.22\00:19:56.25
But do you know that there are
other instances in the gospels
00:19:56.28\00:20:00.06
where Satan tried to kill Jesus
before He offered His life?
00:20:00.09\00:20:02.66
You say, well, if the devil
killed Jesus, then that would be
00:20:02.69\00:20:05.82
a sacrifice for sin.
00:20:05.85\00:20:07.08
Jesus died for sin.
00:20:07.11\00:20:08.30
Not so, because the death
for sin needed to be an offering
00:20:08.33\00:20:14.75
on the part of Jesus.
00:20:14.78\00:20:15.92
The devil could
not take His life.
00:20:15.95\00:20:17.60
That wouldn't count.
00:20:17.63\00:20:18.66
Jesus had to offer His
life as a sacrifice for sin.
00:20:18.69\00:20:22.31
And the devil knew that, so he
says, if I can kill Him before
00:20:22.34\00:20:26.30
He offers His life, then my
head is not going to be crushed.
00:20:26.33\00:20:31.18
Now let me mention two or three
other instances in the gospels.
00:20:31.21\00:20:35.76
We have once a terrible
storm in the Sea of Galilee.
00:20:35.79\00:20:42.48
Actually, there was more
than one occasion when there was
00:20:42.51\00:20:46.21
a storm, but this
one was particularly bad.
00:20:46.24\00:20:48.60
The disciples were
bailing water out of the boat.
00:20:48.63\00:20:51.69
They were afraid that
they were going to perish.
00:20:51.72\00:20:54.08
And Jesus was
sleeping in the boat.
00:20:54.11\00:20:56.67
Do you know that this
was a storm out of season?
00:20:56.70\00:20:59.69
Because there were
other boats out on the lake,
00:20:59.72\00:21:03.28
and boats don't go out on
the lake in the rainy season.
00:21:03.31\00:21:08.58
They just don't.
00:21:08.61\00:21:09.79
And yet all of the
boats were out there.
00:21:09.82\00:21:12.48
This storm was a
supernatural storm.
00:21:12.51\00:21:15.51
Who do you suppose knew that
Jesus was sleeping in the boat?
00:21:15.54\00:21:18.92
Satan knew it. He
says, I'll drown Him.
00:21:18.95\00:21:22.06
On another occasion Jesus
said some very unpopular things
00:21:22.09\00:21:27.26
in the synagogue at Nazareth.
00:21:27.29\00:21:29.05
He said, you know, who did God
benefit in the days of Naaman?
00:21:29.08\00:21:34.41
It says He benefited a Syrian
general, and He ignored Israel.
00:21:34.44\00:21:38.21
Who did He benefit
in the days of Elijah?
00:21:38.24\00:21:41.34
Oh, it was a
widow woman, a Gentile,
00:21:41.37\00:21:43.45
while He bypassed Israel.
00:21:43.48\00:21:45.88
Of course they were very
nationalistic, and they got
00:21:45.91\00:21:48.35
furious at Jesus, and it
says there in Luke 4:28-30
00:21:48.38\00:21:54.69
that they started
pushing Jesus outside the city.
00:21:54.72\00:21:58.25
And they took Him to a cliff,
to a precipice, and they were
00:21:58.28\00:22:01.94
going to push Him over.
00:22:01.97\00:22:03.79
But the Bible tells us
that Jesus walked through
00:22:03.82\00:22:07.21
the midst of them.
00:22:07.24\00:22:08.27
They couldn't see Him.
00:22:08.30\00:22:10.44
Who do you suppose had that idea
of throwing Jesus over a cliff?
00:22:10.47\00:22:15.07
Satan. And then we have
several instances in the gospels
00:22:15.10\00:22:20.47
where people
wanted to stone Jesus.
00:22:20.50\00:22:22.92
They would pick up stones, and
they would be ready to kill Him.
00:22:22.95\00:22:26.70
And the Bible says, you can read
this in the last few verses of
00:22:26.73\00:22:30.45
John 8, that Jesus would
walk in the midst of them,
00:22:30.48\00:22:33.72
and they wouldn't
be able to see Him.
00:22:33.75\00:22:36.05
In other words, the
devil's first strategy is:
00:22:36.08\00:22:39.09
if I can kill Him
before He fulfills His mission,
00:22:39.12\00:22:42.65
my head is not
going to get crushed,
00:22:42.68\00:22:44.48
Genesis 3:15 is not
going to be fulfilled.
00:22:44.51\00:22:47.08
And so the devil, all throughout
the ministry of Jesus,
00:22:47.11\00:22:50.79
tries to kill Jesus
before Jesus can offer His life,
00:22:50.82\00:22:55.08
a perfect life, a
sacrifice for sin.
00:22:55.11\00:22:58.78
But the devil had
a second strategy.
00:22:58.81\00:23:02.50
He said, I need to keep
Him from going to the cross,
00:23:02.53\00:23:05.35
but he said, I
also need to infect Him
00:23:05.38\00:23:10.55
with the virus of sin.
00:23:10.58\00:23:12.24
Because if I can infect Him
with sin, His death won't count
00:23:12.27\00:23:16.66
anyway, because it will
be an imperfect sacrifice.
00:23:16.70\00:23:20.07
And so the devil said, if
I can infect Him with sin,
00:23:20.10\00:23:23.44
He's not going to crush my head.
00:23:23.47\00:23:25.06
And so the devil all throughout
the ministry of Jesus,
00:23:25.09\00:23:28.54
was after Christ to get
Him to sin, at least even once.
00:23:28.57\00:23:34.92
You know, we usually think
of the temptations of Christ
00:23:34.95\00:23:37.95
as being the three
temptations in the wilderness.
00:23:37.98\00:23:40.33
That was only the
tip of the iceberg.
00:23:40.36\00:23:42.57
The devil knew who Jesus
was, and he was going to try
00:23:42.60\00:23:47.93
and defeat Jesus at all costs.
00:23:47.96\00:23:50.16
Can you imagine what the life
of Jesus must have been like?
00:23:50.19\00:23:54.40
The devil after Him
24-hours a day, 7 days a week,
00:23:54.43\00:24:00.67
365 days a year, for 33 years?
00:24:00.70\00:24:06.02
It's unimaginable.
00:24:06.05\00:24:09.39
And we can't really
fully comprehend how Jesus
00:24:09.42\00:24:12.99
was able to live a life for 33
years with the devil's onslaught
00:24:13.02\00:24:20.27
against Him, and all of the
evil angels, and He never sinned
00:24:20.30\00:24:25.49
even once! Let's notice what
the Bible has to say about this.
00:24:25.52\00:24:30.75
Matthew 4:10, Matthew 4:10.
00:24:30.78\00:24:35.40
Of course, this is what happens
on the mount of temptation.
00:24:35.43\00:24:40.53
Matthew 4:10, Then Jesus said
unto him, Get thee hence, Satan:
00:24:40.56\00:24:50.27
In other words,
get behind Me, Satan.
00:24:50.30\00:24:52.43
...for it is written, Thou
shalt worship the Lord thy God,
00:24:52.46\00:24:55.98
and him only shalt thou serve.
00:24:56.01\00:25:00.50
Every time the devil came
after Jesus, Jesus answered,
00:25:00.53\00:25:05.23
It is written. By the way,
there are several texts in the
00:25:05.26\00:25:11.92
New Testament that
speak about the perfect
00:25:11.95\00:25:13.88
sinlessness of Christ.
00:25:13.91\00:25:16.07
Notice, for example,
Hebrews 4: 15, Hebrews 4:15.
00:25:16.10\00:25:22.75
Here we find a text
that describes the perfect
00:25:22.78\00:25:25.57
sinlessness of Christ, in
spite of the onslaughts of Satan
00:25:25.60\00:25:29.35
against Him. It says there,
in Hebrews 4:15 the following:
00:25:29.38\00:25:37.89
For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the
00:25:37.92\00:25:42.84
feeling of our infirmities; but
was in all points tempted like
00:25:42.87\00:25:50.22
as Adam was. What does it say?
00:25:50.25\00:25:56.18
...tempted as we
are, yet without sin.
00:25:56.21\00:26:03.52
How was Jesus tempted?
00:26:03.55\00:26:05.34
He was tempted as we
are, and yet He never what?
00:26:05.37\00:26:09.91
He never sinned. Incredible!
00:26:09.94\00:26:14.45
And the devil did
not leave Him alone.
00:26:14.48\00:26:16.91
By the way, the
demons knew who Jesus was.
00:26:16.94\00:26:19.11
You can read it
in Mark 1:23, 24.
00:26:19.14\00:26:22.62
You know, Jesus was walking
along with the disciples,
00:26:22.65\00:26:25.80
and suddenly there was this
demon possessed man that came up
00:26:25.83\00:26:29.26
to where Jesus was.
00:26:29.29\00:26:30.32
I'll bet those demons were just
anxious to tear Jesus apart.
00:26:30.35\00:26:33.47
But they could come no
closer than a short distance
00:26:33.50\00:26:36.88
from Christ, and the voice
was heard, Don't torment us,
00:26:36.91\00:26:41.58
You Son of God. We know who you
are; You're the Holy One of God.
00:26:41.61\00:26:45.63
And then they
expressed their deepest fear.
00:26:45.66\00:26:47.83
They said, Have
you come to destroy us?
00:26:47.86\00:26:51.04
They knew what
Jesus had come for.
00:26:51.07\00:26:54.04
They knew that Jesus had
come to undo, and to destroy
00:26:54.07\00:26:58.62
the works of the devil,
according to 1 John 3:8.
00:26:58.65\00:27:03.98
Notice also 1 John 3:5 on
the victory of Jesus over sin.
00:27:04.01\00:27:09.61
1 John 3:5, we find
the same idea once again.
00:27:09.64\00:27:15.63
It says: And ye know that
he was manifested to take away
00:27:15.66\00:27:21.23
our sins; and in him is no sin.
00:27:21.26\00:27:27.55
The New Testament cannot be
any clearer to express the fact
00:27:27.58\00:27:34.44
that Jesus lived a
perfect, sinless life,
00:27:34.47\00:27:39.21
and He was a
lamb without blemish.
00:27:39.24\00:27:42.14
The devil was not able
to infect Him with sin.
00:27:42.17\00:27:45.83
The devil was not able to kill
Him before He got to the cross.
00:27:45.86\00:27:50.09
But the devil had a
third strategy to lead Jesus
00:27:50.12\00:27:55.38
to fail in His mission.
00:27:55.41\00:27:56.64
Because let's face it, the devil
knew that if Jesus beat him,
00:27:56.67\00:28:01.27
he would lose his throne,
he would lose his kingdom,
00:28:01.30\00:28:06.84
and he would ultimately
lose his very existence.
00:28:06.87\00:28:09.78
His head would be crushed.
00:28:09.81\00:28:11.21
So this is a struggle for his
life; for his very existence.
00:28:11.24\00:28:17.19
So when he goes after Jesus,
he says, if I don't defeat Him,
00:28:17.22\00:28:21.31
I am lost! I'm finished!
00:28:21.34\00:28:25.00
So he's not able to infect Him.
00:28:25.03\00:28:27.84
He's not able to kill Him.
00:28:27.87\00:28:30.65
So the devil says, perhaps
I might be able to detract Him
00:28:30.68\00:28:36.99
from going to the cross.
00:28:37.02\00:28:39.35
This was the biggest temptation
of Satan against Christ.
00:28:39.38\00:28:43.85
He says, if I can't
infect Him, if I can't kill Him
00:28:43.88\00:28:47.92
before He gets to the
cross, maybe I can convince Him
00:28:47.95\00:28:51.88
to take a detour
from going to the cross.
00:28:51.91\00:28:55.19
And we have several
examples of this in the gospels.
00:28:55.22\00:28:59.09
You have, for example,
in the mount of temptation,
00:28:59.12\00:29:01.66
you find it in Matthew 4:8, 9.
00:29:01.69\00:29:05.61
The devil takes Jesus to a
very high mountain and he says
00:29:05.64\00:29:08.37
to Jesus, You see all
these kingdoms of the world?
00:29:08.40\00:29:11.16
All of these kingdoms of
the world I will give you
00:29:11.19\00:29:14.39
if You just bow and
worship me for an instant.
00:29:14.42\00:29:19.78
Do you know what the devil's
real temptation is there?
00:29:19.81\00:29:22.86
Jesus knew He was going
to have to go to the cross.
00:29:22.89\00:29:26.56
Jesus knew He was
going to have to suffer.
00:29:26.59\00:29:28.96
Jesus knew about the nails.
00:29:28.99\00:29:31.81
Jesus knew about
the crown of thorns.
00:29:31.84\00:29:33.74
He could read Bible prophecy.
00:29:33.77\00:29:35.52
He knew that He would have to
suffer to get the kingdom back.
00:29:35.55\00:29:38.73
So the devil is really telling
Jesus, hey, You think You have
00:29:38.76\00:29:43.03
to go and suffer on the
cross to get the throne back,
00:29:43.06\00:29:46.25
and get the kingdom back?
00:29:46.28\00:29:47.32
No, I'll give you an easier way.
00:29:47.35\00:29:49.86
All You have to do is just
bow for an instant, worship me,
00:29:49.89\00:29:53.59
and I'll give it
to You free of charge.
00:29:53.62\00:29:55.57
The idea was to keep
Jesus from going to the cross.
00:29:55.60\00:30:00.55
To take an easier road.
00:30:00.58\00:30:02.87
In John 6:15 we find the
multitudes trying to force Jesus
00:30:02.90\00:30:09.12
to become king; the kind
of king that they wanted,
00:30:09.15\00:30:12.51
the king of the
Jews, so to speak.
00:30:12.54\00:30:14.60
Do you know who was the ring
leader that led the multitudes
00:30:14.63\00:30:20.21
to want to place Jesus as king?
00:30:20.24\00:30:21.76
It was Judas' Iscariot,
who wanted an earthly kingdom.
00:30:21.79\00:30:26.29
But Jesus knew that there could
be no earthly kingdom without
00:30:26.32\00:30:31.89
living a perfect
life, and dying for man.
00:30:31.92\00:30:35.03
And so He says, I will
not take the position as king.
00:30:35.06\00:30:38.39
And it says there in John 6,
that when they wanted to force
00:30:38.42\00:30:41.62
Him to become king, He went
to the other side of the lake
00:30:41.65\00:30:45.03
to a secret place
where they couldn't find Him.
00:30:45.06\00:30:48.47
It was the devil's idea that
Jesus should occupy the throne
00:30:48.50\00:30:52.75
before He suffered.
00:30:52.78\00:30:54.29
We all know the experience
of Peter, as it's mentioned
00:30:54.32\00:30:57.46
in Matthew 16:23. Jesus
says, I need to go to Jerusalem,
00:30:57.49\00:31:01.94
and I must die. I'm
going to be mistreated,
00:31:01.97\00:31:05.41
and I'll
resurrect the third day.
00:31:05.44\00:31:06.94
And Peter takes Jesus by
the arm, and aside, and he says,
00:31:06.97\00:31:10.85
what's this about dying?
00:31:10.88\00:31:13.64
Messiah doesn't die.
00:31:13.67\00:31:15.85
Messiah sits on the throne in
Jerusalem, and rules the world.
00:31:15.88\00:31:21.57
What did Jesus say?
00:31:21.60\00:31:23.58
He said, Get
thou behind me Satan.
00:31:23.61\00:31:27.80
Was He speaking
to Peter primarily?
00:31:27.83\00:31:30.00
No, He was speaking to Satan.
00:31:30.03\00:31:32.57
What was Satan trying to do?
00:31:32.60\00:31:34.71
He was trying to tell Jesus,
You don't have to go where?
00:31:34.74\00:31:38.50
You don't have
to go to the cross.
00:31:38.53\00:31:41.53
You don't have to die.
00:31:41.56\00:31:43.41
Messiah doesn't die,
Messiah sits on the throne.
00:31:43.44\00:31:46.79
You know, Peter didn't learn
his lesson, because just a few
00:31:46.82\00:31:50.28
verses later, in Matthew 17:4,
after Jesus is transfigured
00:31:50.31\00:31:55.58
on that mountain, Peter says
to Jesus, You know, by the way,
00:31:55.61\00:32:01.49
this time Jesus, with His
disciples, were already making
00:32:01.52\00:32:05.44
their last journey to
Jerusalem, where Jesus had said
00:32:05.47\00:32:08.15
He was going to die.
00:32:08.18\00:32:09.21
And so, you know, Peter
says, Lord, it is good for us
00:32:09.24\00:32:14.08
to stay here. In other words,
let's not go to Jerusalem.
00:32:14.11\00:32:19.29
Let's build three tabernacles
here at the top of this mount,
00:32:19.32\00:32:22.94
and stay here. Once
again the temptation:
00:32:22.97\00:32:26.48
don't go to the cross.
00:32:26.51\00:32:28.34
Take a detour, take an easier
road, because the devil knew
00:32:28.37\00:32:33.16
that if Jesus died,
his kingdom was finished.
00:32:33.20\00:32:36.92
And then, of course, towards
the end of the life of Christ,
00:32:36.95\00:32:40.26
you have some
Greeks that come to Jesus.
00:32:40.29\00:32:44.28
And those Greeks want Jesus
to go and preach the gospel
00:32:44.31\00:32:47.95
in Greece. They say there's
a lot of believers over there
00:32:47.98\00:32:50.16
that are hungry and
thirsting for Your message.
00:32:50.19\00:32:52.29
Why don't you come over to
Greece and preach the gospel?
00:32:52.32\00:32:55.12
And Jesus
appears to ignore them.
00:32:55.15\00:32:58.52
In fact, in John 12:20-24, He
says, The time has come for the
00:32:58.55\00:33:05.40
Son of man to be glorified.
00:33:05.43\00:33:08.10
In other words, the time is not
now for me to go over and preach
00:33:08.13\00:33:11.49
the gospel in Greece.
00:33:11.52\00:33:12.55
He says the time has
come for Me to be glorified;
00:33:12.58\00:33:16.35
that is to go to
the cross and die.
00:33:16.38\00:33:18.36
He says, If a seed falls
into the ground and dies,
00:33:18.39\00:33:24.08
it will sprout and
produce much fruit.
00:33:24.11\00:33:26.43
But if it doesn't fall
into the ground and die,
00:33:26.46\00:33:29.18
there will be no fruit.
00:33:29.21\00:33:30.90
And so Jesus is
saying, I must die in order
00:33:30.93\00:33:35.75
to recover the kingdom.
00:33:35.78\00:33:38.30
Now we need to take a
look at the closing scenes
00:33:38.33\00:33:42.95
of the life of Christ, because
this is where the devil's
00:33:42.98\00:33:48.66
strategy of trying to
detract Jesus from the cross,
00:33:48.69\00:33:52.98
to keep Him from going to
the cross, is the clearest,
00:33:53.01\00:33:57.87
his strategy is the clearest.
00:33:57.90\00:33:59.74
Go with me to the gospel of
John 13, the gospel of John 13.
00:33:59.77\00:34:06.87
Did the devil want
Jesus to die on the cross?
00:34:06.90\00:34:09.22
You know, some people
say, of course he did.
00:34:09.25\00:34:12.78
Look what he did
to Him, you know.
00:34:13.22\00:34:15.19
He brutalized Him.
00:34:15.22\00:34:17.19
So the devil, he
actually wanted to kill Jesus.
00:34:17.22\00:34:20.28
Not so! Notice what we
find in John 13, John 13:1-3.
00:34:20.31\00:34:29.67
Speaking about Judas, it
says here: Now before the feast
00:34:29.70\00:34:35.91
of the Passover, when Jesus knew
that his hour was come that he
00:34:35.94\00:34:39.23
should depart out of
this world unto the Father,
00:34:39.26\00:34:41.44
having loved his own
which were in the world,
00:34:41.47\00:34:43.94
he loved them unto the end.
00:34:43.97\00:34:45.50
And supper being ended,
the devil having now put into
00:34:45.53\00:34:50.28
the heart of Judas Iscariot,
Simon's son, to betray him;...
00:34:50.32\00:34:55.20
Why did Judas betray Jesus?
00:34:55.23\00:34:57.82
Satan was the one who
led him to betray Jesus.
00:34:57.85\00:35:03.78
Do you know why
Judas betrayed Christ?
00:35:03.81\00:35:05.82
It was not his purpose for Jesus
to be delivered unto death.
00:35:05.85\00:35:11.06
What Judas wanted to do
was force the hand of Jesus,
00:35:11.09\00:35:16.05
force Jesus into fighting
against those who arrested him,
00:35:16.08\00:35:20.66
and taking over the throne.
00:35:20.69\00:35:23.03
You say, How do you know that?
00:35:23.06\00:35:25.83
For the simple reason that
Judas, when he saw that his plan
00:35:25.86\00:35:31.01
backfired, and Jesus did not
deliver Himself, and He did not
00:35:31.04\00:35:36.71
take the throne like
Judas expected, the Bible says,
00:35:36.74\00:35:41.08
that Judas went out.
00:35:41.11\00:35:43.63
First of all he threw the money.
00:35:43.66\00:35:46.03
He said, I've
delivered to you innocent blood.
00:35:46.06\00:35:49.45
And then, of course, he went
out and he committed suicide.
00:35:49.48\00:35:54.46
The devil wanted to force
the hand of Jesus into claiming
00:35:54.49\00:36:00.81
the throne, the kingdom,
and that's why he used Judas
00:36:00.84\00:36:05.71
to accomplish this purpose.
00:36:05.74\00:36:08.37
And then, of course, you
have the sufferings of Christ.
00:36:08.40\00:36:11.02
You know, you notice,
for example, in Matthew 26;
00:36:11.05\00:36:15.24
Go with me to Matthew 26.
00:36:15.27\00:36:17.20
We're going to be in
there for a few minutes now.
00:36:17.23\00:36:20.01
Matthew 26, and I'd
like to read verse 38.
00:36:20.04\00:36:24.00
Here we find a description
of the agony of Jesus
00:36:24.03\00:36:26.61
in the garden of Gethsemane.
00:36:26.64\00:36:28.19
It says there, Matthew
26:38: Then sayeth he unto them,
00:36:28.22\00:36:38.23
My soul is exceeding sorrowful,
even unto death: tarry ye here,
00:36:38.26\00:36:45.91
and watch with me.
00:36:45.94\00:36:47.99
Can you hear the agony of Jesus?
00:36:48.02\00:36:50.43
My soul is exceedingly
sorrowful, even unto death.
00:36:50.46\00:36:57.38
And then, of course, verse 42,
actually verse 39, 42, and 44.
00:36:57.41\00:37:04.42
We find Jesus
speaking about a mysterious cup
00:37:04.45\00:37:08.78
that He has in His hand.
00:37:08.81\00:37:09.92
Notice Matthew 26:39.
00:37:09.95\00:37:14.55
And he went a little
farther, and fell on his face,
00:37:14.58\00:37:23.83
and prayed, saying, O my Father,
if it be possible, let this cup
00:37:23.86\00:37:28.98
pass from me: nevertheless,
not as I will, but as thou wilt.
00:37:29.01\00:37:36.11
Jesus has a cup in His hand.
00:37:36.14\00:37:38.53
He says Father, may this
cup pass from me: nevertheless,
00:37:38.56\00:37:44.27
not my will be done, but yours.
00:37:44.30\00:37:46.47
And this happened three times.
00:37:46.50\00:37:48.00
Notice what we find in verse 42.
00:37:48.03\00:37:51.38
He went away again the
second time, and prayed, saying,
00:37:51.41\00:37:53.91
O my Father, if this cup
may not pass away from me,
00:37:53.94\00:37:57.18
except I drink
it, thy will be done.
00:37:57.21\00:38:00.43
And verse 44 says: And he
left them, and went away again,
00:38:00.46\00:38:04.47
and prayed the third
time, saying the same words.
00:38:04.50\00:38:07.12
And, by the way, every
time that He comes back,
00:38:07.15\00:38:09.51
He finds the
disciples what? sleeping.
00:38:09.54\00:38:13.27
Who do you
suppose put them to sleep?
00:38:13.30\00:38:14.99
Why would the
devil put them to sleep?
00:38:15.02\00:38:17.84
Because he knew that
Jesus loved His disciples.
00:38:17.87\00:38:21.90
He wanted them to
sympathize with Him.
00:38:21.93\00:38:24.09
He wanted them to pray.
00:38:24.12\00:38:25.75
He wanted them to be with Him.
00:38:25.78\00:38:26.96
But a supernatural slumber fell
upon them to discourage Christ.
00:38:28.98\00:38:33.12
The devil is saying, look,
not even your own disciples
00:38:33.15\00:38:37.01
are with You, or even
care what You're doing.
00:38:37.04\00:38:40.92
What's the use of
going through with this?
00:38:40.95\00:38:42.99
It's no use; give it up.
00:38:43.02\00:38:47.39
By the way, who gave
that cup to Jesus to drink?
00:38:47.42\00:38:55.38
In John 18:11 we are told the
Father gave that cup to Christ.
00:38:55.41\00:39:07.52
What did the cup contain?
00:39:07.55\00:39:09.55
What do the cups
contain in Revelation 16?
00:39:09.58\00:39:14.86
The very same Greek word, cups.
00:39:14.89\00:39:18.36
The cups contain
the wrath of God.
00:39:18.39\00:39:22.35
So what was
Jesus going to drink?
00:39:22.38\00:39:26.92
He was going to
drink the wrath of God.
00:39:26.95\00:39:30.35
In fact, do you know
that His agony was so great
00:39:30.38\00:39:33.89
that we're told in
Luke 22:44 that He sweated
00:39:33.92\00:39:40.56
great drops of blood?
00:39:40.59\00:39:43.77
How much anxiety must you
have in order to sweat blood
00:39:43.80\00:39:50.61
instead of sweating sweat?
00:39:50.64\00:39:52.61
I mean His agony
was excruciating.
00:39:52.64\00:39:56.54
And, by the way, many of you
probably have seen Mel Gibson's
00:39:56.57\00:40:00.25
movie, The Passion of the
Christ, you know, where Jesus
00:40:00.28\00:40:05.27
is brutalized? But do you
know the greatest agony of Jesus
00:40:05.31\00:40:09.51
did not start when
they started whipping Him.
00:40:09.54\00:40:11.47
His agony started in the garden
of Gethsemane before anyone
00:40:13.52\00:40:16.52
layed one finger on Him.
00:40:16.55\00:40:17.58
He sweated drops of blood
before anyone even touched Him.
00:40:17.61\00:40:21.64
He agonized before His Father,
because He had in His hand
00:40:21.67\00:40:28.39
the cup that belongs
to you, and belongs to me;
00:40:28.62\00:40:31.01
the cup that we should
drink, because we're sinners.
00:40:31.04\00:40:34.39
Jesus took that cup in His
hand and He says, I am willing
00:40:34.42\00:40:39.57
to drink it in
place of sinful man.
00:40:39.60\00:40:43.04
You know in the book of
Hebrews we find a description
00:40:43.07\00:40:46.13
of the feelings of Jesus
in the garden of Gethsemane.
00:40:46.16\00:40:48.48
Hebrews 5:7, Hebrews 5:7.
00:40:48.51\00:40:52.78
Listen to this. It says,
Who in the days of his flesh,
00:40:52.81\00:40:58.97
when he had offered up prayers
and supplications with strong
00:40:59.00\00:41:05.25
crying, listen to this, with
strong crying and tears unto him
00:41:05.28\00:41:10.96
that was able to save
him from death, and was heard
00:41:10.99\00:41:15.24
in that he feared;...
00:41:15.27\00:41:16.33
Notice the terminology: prayers,
supplications, strong crying,
00:41:16.36\00:41:21.63
and tears. This describes what
He went through in the garden
00:41:21.66\00:41:25.81
of Gethsemane. Do you
know what the devil was
00:41:25.84\00:41:29.03
whispering in His ear?
00:41:29.06\00:41:30.09
The devil was saying, listen,
what You're doing is useless.
00:41:30.12\00:41:35.11
One of Your
disciples has betrayed You.
00:41:35.14\00:41:38.35
The other disciples,
You've asked then to pray,
00:41:40.41\00:41:43.88
and to watch with
You, and they're sleeping.
00:41:43.91\00:41:46.83
I mean, if even Your very
own don't care about what You're
00:41:46.86\00:41:53.52
doing, what makes You think
that the rest of the human race
00:41:53.55\00:41:56.50
is going to be interested?
00:41:56.53\00:41:57.67
What You're doing is in vain.
00:41:57.70\00:42:00.25
Go back to heaven
where You're appreciated.
00:42:02.53\00:42:04.73
In fact, in that classic book,
The Desire of Ages, Ellen White
00:42:04.76\00:42:11.64
says that the devil whispered in
the ear of Jesus, Listen, if You
00:42:11.67\00:42:16.32
go through with this You will
never see Your Father again.
00:42:16.35\00:42:20.69
Because sin is so offensive; it
creates such a barrier between
00:42:20.72\00:42:28.00
You, between God and man,
that if You go through with
00:42:28.03\00:42:31.54
this, if you bear the sin
of man, if You drink the cup,
00:42:31.87\00:42:34.97
the separation between you
and Your Father will be forever.
00:42:35.00\00:42:38.89
And she even goes so far
as to say that the salvation
00:42:38.92\00:42:43.24
of the human race
hung as if by a thread.
00:42:43.27\00:42:48.97
Because Jesus could pick up
and leave, if He had wanted to,
00:42:49.00\00:42:54.30
and the devil knew it.
00:42:54.33\00:42:55.36
But the agony of
Jesus did not end there.
00:42:55.39\00:42:58.86
You see, the devil,
this is the final onslaught
00:42:58.89\00:43:01.48
of the devil against Christ.
00:43:01.51\00:43:02.71
The devil and all of
his angels are involved here
00:43:02.74\00:43:05.91
in this last stage.
00:43:05.94\00:43:07.41
Notice Luke 22:53, Luke 22:53.
00:43:07.44\00:43:13.69
We find here a very
interesting remark of Christ as
00:43:13.72\00:43:20.34
the multitude
came to arrest Him.
00:43:20.37\00:43:22.87
Once again, the
gospel of Luke 22:53.
00:43:22.90\00:43:28.56
Notice this remark of Christ.
00:43:28.59\00:43:31.32
It says there, Jesus speaking,
When I was daily with you
00:43:31.35\00:43:36.75
in the temple, ye stretched
forth no hands against me:
00:43:36.78\00:43:41.94
but this is your hour,
and the power of darkness.
00:43:41.97\00:43:48.17
What did Jesus say when
they came to arrest Him?
00:43:48.20\00:43:51.67
This is your hour,
and the hour of darkness;
00:43:51.70\00:43:55.35
the power of darkness.
00:43:55.38\00:43:57.09
Who is the prince
of darkness? Satan.
00:43:57.12\00:44:00.48
This was the hour of Satan.
00:44:00.51\00:44:02.84
And what did the disciples
do when Jesus was arrested?
00:44:02.87\00:44:10.14
They all hung in
there with Him, right? No.
00:44:10.17\00:44:14.61
You read Matthew 26:56,
it says in harmony with the
00:44:14.64\00:44:19.07
prophecy in Zechariah, that all
of His disciples forsook Him.
00:44:19.10\00:44:23.41
Who do you suppose led the
disciples to do that? Satan.
00:44:23.44\00:44:29.34
Why? He's trying
to discourage Christ.
00:44:29.37\00:44:32.51
Say, look at Your
disciples: they sleep!
00:44:32.54\00:44:34.75
One of Your
disciples betrays You.
00:44:34.78\00:44:38.40
Now they all forsake You.
00:44:38.43\00:44:41.00
If even Your disciples
aren't going to benefit
00:44:41.03\00:44:43.15
from what You're
doing, what's the use?
00:44:43.59\00:44:44.88
And then, of course, we
all know what Peter did:
00:44:44.91\00:44:48.56
Matthew 26:73, 74.
00:44:48.59\00:44:52.56
You know you can look it up.
00:44:52.59\00:44:55.03
It says there that Peter
denied Jesus three times,
00:44:55.06\00:44:58.39
and the last time
that Peter denied Christ,
00:44:58.42\00:45:00.60
it was in fisherman's language.
00:45:00.63\00:45:03.01
It says that he used
profanity to deny Christ.
00:45:05.05\00:45:10.53
Who do you suppose
led Peter to do that?
00:45:10.56\00:45:14.25
This is the hour of
the power of darkness.
00:45:14.28\00:45:18.73
It's the devil who is
trying to discourage Christ.
00:45:18.76\00:45:21.75
And then, of course,
comes the brutalizing of Jesus.
00:45:21.78\00:45:26.86
Notice Mark 14:65, Mark 14:65.
00:45:26.89\00:45:33.94
I mean the physical
sufferings of Jesus were savage,
00:45:33.97\00:45:38.55
and yet that was not the
greatest agony of Christ.
00:45:38.58\00:45:42.07
The greatest agony of
Christ was spiritual agony.
00:45:42.10\00:45:44.61
Notice Mark 14:65.
00:45:44.64\00:45:49.77
It's speaking about when Jesus
is before Pilate, And some began
00:45:49.80\00:45:55.26
to spit on him, and to cover
his face, and to buffet him,
00:45:55.29\00:46:01.48
and to say unto him, Prophesy:
and the servants did strike him
00:46:01.51\00:46:06.26
with the palms of their hands.
00:46:06.29\00:46:07.96
What is the devil
trying to do here with Christ?
00:46:07.99\00:46:10.05
He's trying to get Jesus to
retaliate, to manifest anger.
00:46:10.08\00:46:16.09
In this way he'll
infect Him with sin.
00:46:16.12\00:46:18.40
That's at best, or at worst
his plan is for Jesus to get so
00:46:18.43\00:46:24.66
discouraged by the fact
that those He came to save are
00:46:24.69\00:46:28.37
doing this to Him;
that He came to His own,
00:46:28.40\00:46:31.89
and His own received Him
not, that He would pick up the
00:46:31.92\00:46:34.33
pieces, and He would
leave the human race to perish.
00:46:34.76\00:46:37.59
Notice chapter 15, and verse
16, speaking about the soldiers.
00:46:37.62\00:46:47.87
The soldiers led him away into
the hall, called Praetorium;
00:46:47.90\00:46:51.35
and they called
together the whole band.
00:46:51.38\00:46:53.52
And they clothed him with
purple, and platted a crown
00:46:53.55\00:46:57.32
of thorns, and put it about his
head, and began to salute him,
00:46:57.35\00:47:01.86
Hail, King of the Jews!
00:47:01.89\00:47:04.51
And they smote him on the head
with a reed, and did spit upon
00:47:04.54\00:47:08.71
him, and bowing
their knees worshiped him.
00:47:08.74\00:47:11.47
And when they had mocked him,
they took off the purple from
00:47:11.50\00:47:15.81
him, and put his own
clothes on him, and led him
00:47:15.84\00:47:18.48
away to be crucified.
00:47:19.34\00:47:20.81
Is the devil doing everything
possible to discourage Jesus,
00:47:20.84\00:47:26.11
and to keep Him from
giving His life on the cross?
00:47:26.14\00:47:30.56
As a matter of fact he is.
00:47:30.59\00:47:33.08
Even while Jesus was on
the cross, and you know this.
00:47:33.11\00:47:38.99
It's found in Matthew 27:41-43.
00:47:39.02\00:47:45.87
Actually, let's read
that, because it's very,
00:47:45.90\00:47:47.70
very important.
Matthew 27: 41-43.
00:47:47.73\00:47:52.25
As Jesus is hanging on the cross
those that are at the foot of
00:47:52.28\00:47:56.91
the cross are pronouncing
some very interesting words.
00:47:56.94\00:48:00.47
Matthew 27:41-43: Likewise also
the chief priests mocking him,
00:48:00.50\00:48:11.00
with the scribes and
elders, said, He saved others;
00:48:11.03\00:48:15.25
himself he cannot save.
00:48:15.28\00:48:18.18
If he be the King of
Israel, let him now come down
00:48:18.21\00:48:23.27
from the cross, and
we will believe him.
00:48:23.30\00:48:25.66
Whose voice is that?
come down from the cross?
00:48:25.69\00:48:28.89
Who wanted Him to come down
from the cross before He died?
00:48:28.92\00:48:34.19
It was not the intention
of the devil to kill Jesus.
00:48:34.22\00:48:37.69
His intention was to push Jesus
just far enough so that He would
00:48:37.72\00:48:44.66
retaliate, or He would leave.
00:48:44.69\00:48:47.06
But Jesus drank the cup fully,
to the very bottom of the cup,
00:48:47.09\00:48:58.25
scraped the bottom of it.
00:48:58.29\00:49:01.73
He drank the
fullness of the wrath of God.
00:49:01.76\00:49:05.37
The devil was
not able to kill Him.
00:49:05.40\00:49:08.04
The devil was not
able to infect Him.
00:49:08.07\00:49:11.05
The devil was not
able to discourage Him.
00:49:11.08\00:49:13.82
The devil was not able to
detract Him from the cross.
00:49:13.85\00:49:17.27
The devil was not
able to get Him to leave.
00:49:17.30\00:49:20.11
He went all the way.
00:49:20.14\00:49:22.81
And then, of course, we
reach the final moments.
00:49:22.84\00:49:27.53
Notice John 8:29, John 8:29.
00:49:27.56\00:49:34.46
This is during the ministry
of Christ, and I find it very
00:49:34.49\00:49:38.92
interesting that
Jesus would say this.
00:49:38.95\00:49:41.36
John 8:29, and then He
would say something so radically
00:49:41.39\00:49:45.25
opposite as He's on the cross.
00:49:45.28\00:49:47.14
Notice John 8:29. Here
Jesus says: And he that sent me
00:49:47.17\00:49:53.43
is with me: the Father
hath not left me alone;
00:49:53.46\00:49:58.58
for I do always those
things that please him.
00:49:58.61\00:50:04.01
Did you notice that, the
father has not left me alone?
00:50:04.04\00:50:08.93
And yet when Jesus hung on the
cross, drinking the cup of the
00:50:08.96\00:50:14.45
wrath of God, that
famous verse in Matthew 27:46,
00:50:14.48\00:50:19.74
which we don't even have to
look up, because you know it.
00:50:19.77\00:50:22.70
Jesus says, by the way,
it caused such a great impact
00:50:22.73\00:50:28.54
on Matthew, that he actually
wrote it in the language
00:50:28.57\00:50:36.15
in which Jesus spoke it.
00:50:36.18\00:50:37.74
And, of course, the words
were Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?
00:50:37.77\00:50:45.18
My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me?
00:50:45.21\00:50:49.52
Hadn't He already said,
in John chapter 8, The Father
00:50:49.56\00:50:52.56
doesn't leave me alone?
00:50:52.82\00:50:53.88
He's always with me.
00:50:53.91\00:50:55.09
Now suddenly He
says, My God, my God,
00:50:55.12\00:50:56.88
why hast thou forsaken me?
00:50:56.91\00:50:58.40
Why did He feel like His
Father was forsaking Him?
00:50:58.44\00:51:02.61
Because Jesus felt the way
that you and I should feel.
00:51:02.64\00:51:06.78
He was separated from His
Father by our sins, not by His.
00:51:06.81\00:51:13.46
Then, of course, Jesus, the
next to the last words that He
00:51:13.50\00:51:20.15
pronounces as He's on the cross.
00:51:20.18\00:51:22.57
They're found in John 19:30.
00:51:22.60\00:51:26.52
He says, It is finished!
00:51:26.55\00:51:31.64
Do you know who
He was speaking to?
00:51:31.67\00:51:34.78
He was speaking to His Father.
00:51:34.81\00:51:38.75
We'll notice that
in our next lecture.
00:51:38.78\00:51:41.13
It is finished, Father.
00:51:41.16\00:51:44.08
I have lived a sinless life,
and I will now die for sinners,
00:51:44.12\00:51:51.46
so that all of My
people can recover the position
00:51:51.50\00:51:56.34
which was
originally lost by Adam.
00:51:56.37\00:51:59.74
And then, of course, the
very last words that Jesus
00:51:59.78\00:52:03.42
pronounces on the cross.
00:52:03.45\00:52:04.56
You know, He says, My
God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?
00:52:04.59\00:52:08.71
He feels forsaken.
00:52:08.74\00:52:11.21
How could He hang in there?
00:52:11.25\00:52:12.49
How could He put up with the
depression of being separated
00:52:12.52\00:52:17.40
from the Father that He loved?
00:52:17.44\00:52:19.32
His feelings told Him that
His Father was not with Him.
00:52:19.35\00:52:25.18
And yet Jesus, the last words
that He pronounces on the cross
00:52:25.21\00:52:29.86
is, Father into Your
hands I commend My Spirit.
00:52:29.89\00:52:37.20
Do you know what
Jesus is saying there?
00:52:39.69\00:52:41.51
We've studied about the
Spirit in other lectures
00:52:41.55\00:52:45.33
that we've done here
on the state of the dead.
00:52:45.36\00:52:49.59
We had a whole study
on what the spirit is.
00:52:49.62\00:52:52.90
It's really the self identity.
00:52:52.94\00:52:54.88
It's the individuality of
the person that God preserves
00:52:54.91\00:52:59.34
in His heavenly records.
00:52:59.37\00:53:00.55
So Jesus is saying to His
Father, Father into Your hands
00:53:00.58\00:53:05.05
I commend My Spirit.
00:53:05.08\00:53:06.11
In other words, Keep My
Spirit in safe keeping up there,
00:53:06.14\00:53:09.56
because You have promised that
if I live a life without sin,
00:53:11.34\00:53:16.16
and I die for sin, that
You will raise Me from the dead
00:53:16.19\00:53:19.34
on the third day. Jesus
did not go by His feelings.
00:53:19.58\00:53:24.06
He lived by the Word of God.
00:53:24.09\00:53:27.34
If He had gone by
feelings, He would have failed,
00:53:27.37\00:53:31.99
because He would have said,
even My Father has forsaken Me.
00:53:32.02\00:53:36.05
What's the use? I
might as well give up.
00:53:36.08\00:53:38.73
But He did not go by
feelings, He went and trusted
00:53:38.76\00:53:41.87
in the promises of His Father.
00:53:41.90\00:53:43.40
His Father said, I
will resurrect You.
00:53:43.43\00:53:46.06
And so when Jesus dies,
He says, Into Your hands
00:53:46.10\00:53:49.85
I commend My Spirit.
00:53:49.88\00:53:51.20
Father, You're going to
have to give it back to Me.
00:53:51.23\00:53:54.37
And that's
exactly what happened,
00:53:57.06\00:53:58.43
early the first day of the week.
00:53:58.46\00:54:02.42
Of course, the devil, he
had done everything he could
00:54:02.45\00:54:07.13
to keep Jesus in the tomb.
00:54:07.16\00:54:09.02
A great big stone
rolled in front of the tomb,
00:54:09.05\00:54:12.15
a Roman guard, plus the devil
had his choicest fallen angels,
00:54:12.18\00:54:21.83
demons there outside,
because he knew, the devil knew,
00:54:21.86\00:54:26.86
that scripture prophesied
the resurrection of Christ.
00:54:26.89\00:54:30.26
And so the devil thinks that
he can keep the Prince of Life
00:54:30.29\00:54:33.64
in the tomb with a little
pebble, with a few soldiers.
00:54:33.67\00:54:40.58
All of the demons on planet
Earth could not have kept Jesus
00:54:40.61\00:54:45.06
in the tomb. In fact, a powerful
angel comes down from heaven.
00:54:45.09\00:54:50.12
You can read this
in Matthew 28: 1-6.
00:54:50.15\00:54:53.03
A powerful angel comes down
from heaven, removes the stone,
00:54:53.06\00:54:58.51
and then pronounces
those words, O thou Son of God,
00:54:58.54\00:55:04.98
thy Father calleth thee.
00:55:05.01\00:55:07.97
Suddenly from the entrance of
the tomb comes forth this man,
00:55:08.00\00:55:19.69
who drank the cup
of the wrath of God.
00:55:19.73\00:55:22.82
He pronounces the words, I am
the resurrection and the life.
00:55:22.85\00:55:30.14
And what He is
saying is, because I live,
00:55:33.28\00:55:35.37
you shall live also.
00:55:35.40\00:55:39.32
I've won! I've
gotten the throne back.
00:55:39.35\00:55:43.49
I've gotten the world back.
00:55:43.52\00:55:46.25
Satan's head has been crushed.
00:55:46.28\00:55:49.01
And someday I'm going
to bring my people home.
00:55:49.04\00:55:54.88
One final verse. Jesus
did not resurrect alone.
00:55:54.91\00:56:01.44
Notice Matthew
27:51-53, Matthew 27:51-53.
00:56:01.47\00:56:14.20
Here we find the description
of the moment of the death
00:56:14.24\00:56:18.68
of Christ. It says there: And,
behold, the veil of the temple
00:56:18.72\00:56:22.97
was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom;
00:56:23.00\00:56:25.70
and the earth did quake, and
the rocks rent; and the graves
00:56:25.73\00:56:30.07
were opened; and many bodies
of the saints which slept arose,
00:56:30.10\00:56:34.58
and came out of the
graves after his resurrection,
00:56:34.61\00:56:38.05
and went into the holy
city, and appeared unto many.
00:56:38.08\00:56:41.48
Have you ever wondered what
happened to all of those saints
00:56:41.52\00:56:45.15
who resurrected? Don't
miss the next exciting episode.
00:56:45.18\00:56:51.81
Let us pray, Father in heaven,
we thank You for being willing
00:56:51.84\00:56:55.40
to send Jesus. We thank
You because through Your power,
00:56:55.43\00:56:59.32
power that we can have as well,
He lived a life without sin,
00:56:59.35\00:57:04.27
and died for sin. Father
help us to appreciate Jesus
00:57:04.30\00:57:09.67
more every day. Help our hearts
to be filled with love for Him.
00:57:09.70\00:57:13.74
Father we want to be saved
in Your kingdom, so we can live
00:57:13.77\00:57:17.59
with You, and with Your
Son Jesus forever, and ever.
00:57:17.62\00:57:20.56
We thank You for
hearing our prayer,
00:57:20.59\00:57:23.18
for we ask it in
Jesus' name, Amen.
00:57:23.21\00:57:26.66