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[0:00] It's all about Jesus and knowing more about Him. Thank you, Jeffrey, for your devotional. You know, there's so many negative things happening in the world, but it is truly encouraging to see young people who love the Lord and can have a devotional like that.

[0:18] And so good to see you again. Miss you at the store. I heard you went working for some contractor who pays less money and works harder. I don't understand that. You know, blessings to you.

[0:31] I hope it works out. It's certainly good to see you again. Thank you for the invitation to invite me to come and share this morning. I do have some things that I want to share.

[0:46] And I guess if I wanted to give the message a title, it would be just to know Him better, to know Him better, to know Jesus better. And I just, for some reason, I feel right at home here this morning.

[1:01] To think of, you know, we read one place in the martyr's mirror where a mother advised her son, look for the little flock. Look for the little flock whose entire life agrees with the Word of God.

[1:14] And you have a wonderful opportunity here. And to sense the presence of God here. And it's just good to be with people who I know whose hearts are turned up.

[1:25] They're open. They want. They want God. They want more of God. And I don't know where all of you are in your journey of life, in your walk with God right now.

[1:36] You know, we're different places at different times of our life. And for myself, I have come through, just come through a challenging time in my life.

[1:48] And so I hope I can contain my emotions. You all know I'm a pretty emotional person. But so the things I want to share this morning are very real to me.

[2:01] And I hope it can be a blessing to you. I want to start out in Philippians 3.10.

[2:15] There's a verse there. That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being made conformable unto His death.

[2:39] That I may know Him. And I think when I'm done, you'll understand where I'm coming from. It's all about knowing Jesus and knowing Him better. But for a message, I would like to turn to the book of John.

[2:56] And there are five chapters here that are very interesting. If you think of the setting, the context that it was that Jesus spoke these words.

[3:16] It says, so from chapter 13, there's five chapters. 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 were almost all spoken by Jesus.

[3:30] They're almost all entirely red-letter words. And it was spoken between the Last Supper, just a few hours, from the Last Supper when He had the Last Supper with His disciples.

[3:47] And Judas went out to betray Him. And then He went to the garden. And then His arrest and all that happened just right in sequence here. But here's five chapters that Jesus spoke in that time.

[4:03] And knowing, He knowing that in just a few hours, He would suffer so greatly. And Jesus didn't look forward to that any more than you and I would.

[4:14] But yet, in those few hours, He spoke, thank you, He spoke some of the most powerful words, the most beautiful promises that they are contained in the Scriptures.

[4:31] And that's really something to think about. So I think we'll start reading here in John chapter 13. It says, Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come, that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.

[4:54] And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God and went to God, He rises from supper and laid aside His garments and took a towel and girded Himself.

[5:11] After that, He poured water in a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded. Then cometh He to Simon Peter, and Peter saith unto Him, Lord, doest thou wash my feet?

[5:22] Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto Him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

[5:35] Simon Peter saith unto Him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. So that shows the love that Peter had to Jesus. And I can't read everything in all five chapters, but there's a few things in every chapter that I wanted to highlight on.

[5:54] The one thing is, when Satan's summer being ended, it says, The devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him.

[6:07] And if you read on further, in verse 27, after Jesus gave the sop to Judas, and it says, Satan entered into Him.

[6:18] And that's very significant, because Satan is always trying to trip us up. He's always trying to influence us. And sometimes we give in, even as Christians.

[6:31] Sometimes we give in, and then we see our mistake, and we're sorry. But it's one thing to have Satan suggest things to us, but an entirely another one to be possessed by Satan.

[6:48] Satan entered into Judas. And then Judas went, and he did his dirty deed there. He said where Jesus was.

[7:01] And I think that's when a lot of things, a lot of people do things. I mean, I think there's deliverance for people who are possessed, who Satan entered into. I think it's a different, maybe on a different plane, but it's still the blood of Jesus that can deliver that person also.

[7:17] But that is just one thing that really stands out to me. And as we walk in the light, as Jeffrey said this morning, then we can be assured that Satan will not enter into us.

[7:31] We're very thankful for that. So moving on. I just wrote some things down here I want to be sure to remember.

[7:46] The other thing is the example of washing feet. Jesus gave us that beautiful example. And I know that you do it here, we do it. And it's a blessing. I just want to encourage you all to continue in that.

[7:58] And I had to think, you know, did I ever, when you wash your brother's feet, do we ever go away feeling that, oh, I'm, you know, I'm disappointed at that or I wish I wouldn't have done it, but never.

[8:13] Because it's a blessing. It's a blessing from God. It's God's order. And we always, you know, even if it's a brother that that maybe rubs us the wrong way or we had issues with, it seems when washing feet kind of makes a lot of that stuff just go away.

[8:28] And so I was, I was encouraged by just continuing on that. Chapter 14. Sorry, I want to read quite a bit of this chapter.

[8:44] It says here, oh, backing up a little bit. Peter here was very confident. Jesus was saying how he's going to suffer and Jesus was telling Peter that you can't follow me now, Peter, but you will later on.

[9:01] And then Peter says, I'll go with you, Lord. I'll lay down my life for you. And then Jesus said, will thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, the cock shall not crow till thou hast denied me thrice.

[9:15] And I think, this is just my opinion, but chapter 14 starts there. We kind of go into chapter 14 thinking different, a different subject or a different theme, but I don't think it is.

[9:33] Those were words that Peter didn't want to hear. I think they were hard for Peter to accept the words of Jesus, but really what Jesus was saying, let not your heart be troubled, Peter. Let not your heart be troubled.

[9:44] In my father's house are many mansions. He told Peter that. And to assure Peter, even though Peter, you're weak at this point and you're going to deny me, all is well.

[9:56] All is going to be well. If a heart is turned towards God, God knew, Jesus knew that Peter's heart was for him and it's going to be okay. So I just want to encourage us this morning, if you mess up sometimes, keep following him.

[10:10] In my father's house are many mansions. And it says, it says, I would, if it were not so, I would have told you.

[10:23] I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also. And I think I'll stop reading there.

[10:36] Going on, he has his discourse here. I'll start again in verse 6. Jesus says unto him, well this is doubting Thomas now, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

[10:51] No man cometh unto the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. And from henceforth ye know him and have seen him. Philip says unto him, Lord, show us the Father and it suffices us.

[11:04] Jesus says unto him, have I been so long time with you and yet has thou not known me, Philip? That statement is often, I have it underlined from way back and that statement often kind of got my attention.

[11:20] Have I been so long time with you and yet, Philip, thou has not known me. And I see some people who part from leave the faith or do things that are very un-Christlike and I say, I wonder, Lord, what are they hearing when we preach Jesus and we try to bring out the, and not just myself but preachers in general or people who share devotions or whatever.

[11:46] What we hear in church, what we hear in services, we hear about the goodness of God, the kindness of Jesus and who Jesus is and, but yet do we know him?

[11:57] Do we really, is he really part of our life? And it says, He that has seen me has seen the Father and how sayest thou then, show us the Father?

[12:08] And so Thomas, that was Jesus' question to Thomas. Have I been so long time with you, Thomas, and yet you don't know me? You know, let's not miss this opportunity as we hear the word of God so freely preached and we have the word so freely.

[12:26] Let's not miss out on that, that we know Jesus, to know him better. And I want to, moving on here, we'll drop down to verse 21.

[12:39] And this verse has been my, has been my theme. It has been what I'm living off of the last several months and it is changing my life.

[12:51] And I, it says here, He that has my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loves me and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest myself to him.

[13:06] And I, if we pray for people, if we pray for children or someone we have a burden for, I think the best thing we can do is Lord, reveal yourself to that person.

[13:17] If Jesus reveals himself to us, we will not be the same. We can't be the same. It will break us. It will, it will humble us.

[13:27] And the reason, one of the reasons that this is so clear to me is, just going back a little bit in my, in my youth, when, when I was growing up, I was a handful for my dad and I often embarrassed him and my dad was a very kind person.

[13:50] He was a gentleman. Everybody liked my dad. And, but I was often very disrespectful, got into a lot of trouble, caused him a lot of embarrassment.

[14:04] And as time went on, dad passed away in 1991. And as time went on and even now today yet, it seems, it's been so long, but it's still so vivid.

[14:19] It seems my father's character and his personality, his nature, seems to become more and more clear to me, more real to me.

[14:31] And the more it does, the more I regret my past sins. And I think that's the way it is. When Jesus reveals himself to us and we see how blameless he is, how kind he is, what he did for us, I think we will regret our past sins and it will break us.

[14:54] And I've come to this realization that God wants broken men and women. He wants, he can't use people who are not, who are not broken.

[15:10] And if you, like I said in the beginning, I don't know where you are in your life and when God deals with your heart, I want you to remember this, that he is for you.

[15:22] He's not against you when you run into trials and so forth. Verse 27 of chapter 14.

[15:42] I'll come back to that subject in a little bit. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world gives us give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

[15:55] Jesus said, I'm going to give you this peace, I'm going to leave it with you and I'm going to give it, give it you. When my grandmother passed away, that would have been many years ago also, my aunt was there, present, and my aunt told me this herself.

[16:15] She said, she said, when grandma passed away, there was a, there was a presence there. She, she couldn't see it, but, but she felt it.

[16:28] There was a divine presence there and it was, it, it, it spoke of peace. It was a presence of peace and it made a, a great impression on her and she shared that with me and that, that really blessed me and that was, that was experience that and, and that's also, we can, if we understand God's government and how he works in our hearts, we can have peace in those times of tribulation that we go through and those things that we, that we have to face, whether it's sickness or whether it's relational or whatever the trial is, that we would so, so glad be free of that.

[17:15] If we understand God's government then we can have peace in that because in my father's house are many mansions. So, jumping over to, in chapter 15, at the end of chapter 14, it says this way, but that the world may know that I love the father and as the father gave me commandment, even so I do arise, let us go hence.

[17:45] So, they apparently got up and moved along and as they walked, as they walked along, I don't know, it would make sense to me that they walked past a grape arbor there or a vineyard because in verse 15, Jesus says, I am the true vine and my father is the husband man and why did he say I am the true vine?

[18:10] because there are many vines hanging low for us that want our attention. There are many vines that are clamoring for our affection and our attention but he is the true vine and he is not attractive to look on.

[18:26] Isaiah says, Isaiah 53, what does it say? That he has no beauty that we should behold or he's not attractive. if you think of God's dealings and the forsaking of sinful pleasures and sometimes persecution, then it doesn't look very attractive but he is the true vine and if we are in him, only if we are in him, we can bear fruit and he says, every branch in me that bears not fruit, he takes us away and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it that it may bring forth more fruit.

[19:13] He prunes it back. He cuts it back and that is what is painful. We were over at a pastor's retreat several weeks ago in Hungry Horse and we do this, we used to do it every year but now about every other year and there was a dozen or more pastor couples there and we would sit, we'd just get together and encourage each other and just share struggles or whatever and there was a dozen men and their wives sitting in a circle sharing things and I looked at those men, they're not perfect men, they have faults, they mess up but there was one that had both legs amputated from an electrical accident.

[20:06] He was trying to get a kite out of a power line for his son and was electrocuted and there was a man that buried his 18-year-old son several years ago. Another brother got up to go get a cup of coffee or something, he had a big old limp from a motorcycle wreck in times, sometime in the past and he spoke to me.

[20:29] He said, you know, these are broken men. The fight in them is gone, they're broken and God used those methods to break them. They were cheerful, you could sense the joy in their heart, they were encouraging but they were broken men and God wants to, God wants to break us just like he did Joseph.

[20:52] I had, you know, when Joseph was, when his brothers came back to Egypt to buy corn for sustenance, Joseph went through all that and in that process God broke Joseph and when the time was right, his brethren said, you know, now Joseph is going to get revenge, he's going to take revenge on us but Joseph had already forgiven him in his heart and he says, you thought it for evil but God meant it for good to save much people alive this day and so as we go through difficult things in life and we respond correctly, we respond in a right way it will be, will be a doormat for others to walk into, to come into the kingdom and I want to, getting back to my story about my father and how I see that and as I see more and more of Jesus and who he actually is and what he did for me, how that is breaking my heart today and I want to encourage you young men appreciate your fathers while you have them my father is is long gone and it is even just the other night

[22:18] I dreamed I saw my dad really clear and I knew I shouldn't get into this and I said, dad I want to talk to you and then I woke up crying let's read on he says every branch in me that bear is not fruit he take us away and every branch that bears fruit he purges it that it may bring forth more fruit now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you abide in me and I in you as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine no more can ye except ye abide in me

[23:22] I am the vine and ye are the branches he that abides in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing if a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned if ye abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you herein is my father glorified that ye bear much fruit so shall ye be my disciples as the father has loved me so have I loved you continue ye in my love if ye keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love even as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love so in this passage that I just read here there are Jesus mentions the word abide six times and so that's very important when a word like that is repeated over and over again it's very important to Jesus and if it is important to Jesus it should be to us also so how how do we abide in him what are some of the

[24:32] I have some scripture references written down here how do we abide in him Deuteronomy chapter 30 we'll start there as even in the Old Testament Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 10 to 16 it says this way if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God thank you if thou shall hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul for this commandment which I command thee this day will command thee this day it is not hidden from thee neither is it far off it is not in heaven that thou shouldst say who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it neither is it beyond the sea that thou shouldst say who shall go over the sea for us and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it but the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it see I have set before thee this day life and good and death and evil and that I command thee this day to love the

[26:05] Lord thy God to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments that thou mayest live and multiply and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest so let's go straight from there we'll go to 1st John chapter 2 all the way to the other end of the Bible 1st John chapter 2 verse 3 and hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments he that says I know him and keep his not his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him but whoso keep his word in him verily is the love of God perfected hereby know we that we are in him he that say as he abides in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked and then also in the next chapter chapter 3 verse 22 it says and whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight and whatsoever and this is his commandment that we should believe on the name of his son

[27:24] Jesus Christ and love one another as he gave us commandment and in chapter 5 verse 2 and 3 by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous abiding in him there are certain steps that we need to take we need never worry that Christ is not going to abide in us he will always abide with us but it is us that want to stray away just wrote a few things down here one is not forsaking the assembly get together often sometimes I'm amazed at how easy it is for some people just to skip out on service it hurts it's painful to see that because yes we have our time of private when we pray the Lord by our self but the assembly is huge the assembly of believers is huge we need that

[28:30] I don't see how we can survive spiritually without it have the nature practice the nature and spirit of Jesus Christ avoid areas of controversy and conflict I'll never forget one time we were visiting a church in North Carolina years ago and they were having their Sunday school and there was this individual that kept bringing up this same question and it was a controversial question and he just kept bringing it up and I asked my cousin he was one of the pastors there after service I said what what was he trying to accomplish her and he said well that's that's what he does he brings stuff in to the brotherhood just he knows it's controversial and he and he pushes it to get things stirred up that's not the spirit of Christ that's not the that's not a peaceable spirit at all in 2

[29:34] Thessalonians chapter 2 it says it talks about keeping the commandments as ye have been taught there's something in that 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse verse 15 it says therefore brethren stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught whether by word or our epistle now you know I say and I know you believe the same thing we are a church we have we don't have monopoly over other churches there's people serving the Lord all over the world and in this community everywhere but I think there is a value in obeying the words of Jesus as we have been taught the feet washing the non-resistance all the other things there's a tremendous value in that another one is we should always live in a state or attitude of repentance repentance to get right with

[30:49] God to accept him as our savior we need to repent of our sins we all know that but it doesn't stop there it continues on it's a way of life it's a frame of heart it's an attitude of the mind and heart a repentant a repentant attitude there was another verse here it says in verse 12 going on here in chapter 15 this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends greater love has no but he that lays down his life for his friends I want to read a little story here for you I have a book it's not the martyr's mirror but it's a book of other the story of other martyrs in modern day people who suffered for Christ in our time and there was a lot of that we're so sheltered and that's another thing that I've been thinking of the last while

[31:50] Lord that's my prayer become my prayer recently we have our ups and downs but if and when it's my turn to physically suffer for your sake Lord help me to be faithful unto death we could very very easy see persecution in our lifetime very easy we hope it doesn't happen but it could very easily and I always say we're not better than anybody else in the world and I have to think of the there were some Romanian brothers at our place years ago and from Romania they had seen prison time they had seen really rough stuff and they stayed at our house and they were so full of love and the things of God and he just told me don't pray for persecution but use the time you have to serve the Lord that was encouraging to me here's the instance where someone laid down tell us this was in

[33:00] Caneland China in the 1950s tell us the officer shouted as he brought the whip down again across the pastor's back we must know who else is working with you day after day the Chinese communist tortured Reverend Feng Chang but no matter what they did to him he steadfastly refused to give them the names of his fellow Christians one day Chang was brought again before the examining officer a heap of rags and heard a rattling of chains as the image became clearer he realized it was his mother before she did not before she did not have white hair now she had the color of her face was like ashes he could see that she too had passed through heavy suffering the communist spoke to Chang I have heard that you Christians have ten commandments supposedly given by God which you strive to obey I would be interested in knowing them would you be so kind as to recite the Ten Commandments Chang was in a terrible state of heart but any opportunity to acquaint a communist with

[34:05] God's law must not be neglected he began to list the commandments when he arrived at honor your father and mother he was interrupted the communist told him Chang I wish to give you the opportunity to know about your brethren in faith and I promise that tonight you and your mother will be free you will be able to give her care and honor let me see now whether you really believe in God and wish to fulfill his commandments it was not easy to make a decision Chang turned to his mother mother what shall I do the mother answered I have taught you from childhood to love Christ and his holy church don't mind my suffering seek to remain faithful to the Savior and his and his brothers his little brothers if you betray you are no more my son this was the last time that Fang

[35:05] Chang saw his mother it was likely that she died under torture so greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends Fang Chang and his mother laid down their lives for their friends rather than squeal on their friends or betray their friends they would die rather than doing that you are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you hence first I call you not servants for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth but I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my father I have made known unto you goes on in verse 17 these things I command you that you love one another go to chapter 16 verses 20 to 24 he says verily verily I say unto you that you shall weep and lament but the world shall rejoice and you shall be sorrowful but your sorrow shall be turned into joy a woman when she is in travail has sorrow because her hour has come but as soon as she is delivered of the child she remembers no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world and you now therefore have sorrow but

[36:25] I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice and your joy no man take us from you and in that day you shall ask me nothing verily verily I say unto you whatsoever you shall ask the father in my name he will give it you hitherto have you asked nothing in my name ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full I want to go back and remember the that all these words were spoken just prior to his suffering and yet Jesus is concerned about his disciples joy can we imagine that I can't I can't hardly comprehend that over and over almost every verse Jesus mentions something about joy he wants us to be joyful and think in the last while what reason do we have not to be joyful yes Satan wants to bring our past throw it in our face he's an accuser of the brother they're washed away by the blood of Jesus he's risen he's risen and he paid he paid a debt he paid a debt that

[37:33] I could that I could not pay and and it should create it should create a tremendous tremendous joy in our heart and it just gives us another glimpse another angle of seeing who Jesus really is that it seems he forgot about his own sufferings but he was concerned about our joy it's amazing absolutely amazing if we read that in that context chapter 17 is is the Christ prayer the entire chapter is a prayer I go to verse 4 it says I have glorified thee on the earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do and I never realized this until the other day you know the apostle

[38:36] Paul said almost the same thing I have finished my course I have run the race therefore there is laid up a crown of righteousness for me and Jesus said that Paul said that can you and I say that will we be able to say that when a hard time comes when we're done when we know our life's work is done will we be able to say that we should be we should be able to say that going on to verse 21 that they all may be one as thou father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that thou has sent me and the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou has sent me and has loved them as thou has loved me us

[39:46] Anabaptists have we're good at trying to figure out how to get along we like to make a lot of rules we have already in the past and a lot of churches make more than others not against rules all rules but you see here what makes us one is the glory the glory that Jesus has given us he has given you and me a portion of his glory and that glory is what makes us one and what is that glory I pondered on this for a long time I personally think it is nothing else and I invite your input in this it is nothing else but the spirit and nature of Jesus Christ in us working out in practical ways that's what I think is his glory here on earth and that's what makes us one that they also and this was Jesus prayer that we may be one as him and the father are one that we may be made perfect in one hallelujah what a what a promise that he has he has given us his glory and and and and by faith we have that and don't let don't let

[41:07] Satan come along and and tell you what a bad person you are or how you've messed up yeah there's sin in your life we need to repent that's that's a given that's but he is an accuser and he wants to keep us beat us down and we're not going to let him we're not going to let him because Jesus died for me and we see his heart we see Jesus heart in these chapters and he is for us in my father's house are many mansions so being Easter Sunday I thought it also would be good to respond a little bit on the suffering and resurrection of Jesus and going to John chapter 19 just a few chapters back I'll just chapter 19 verse 1 here this is not right after

[42:14] Jesus Jesus spoke those beautiful chapters those five chapters that I just talked about then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him and if you read in some of the other gospels I often wonder why Pilate did this if he wanted to let him go why did he scourge him yet on top of everything else but if you read the other gospels it would seem that Pilate scourged him in hopes that that would appease the crowd because he brought him out one time and said behold your king and they weren't satisfied with that but so that just added to Jesus sufferance and the soldiers platter the crown of thorns and put it on his head and they put on him a purple robe and said hail king of the Jews and they smote him with their hands that was his arrest and his beginning of his sufferings they placed a crown of thorns on his head and yeah he was terribly mutilated and abused before he even ever went on the cross in verse 17 and he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of his skull which is called in the

[43:32] Hebrew Golgotha where they crucified him and two others with him on either side one and Jesus in the midst Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross and the writing was Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews and there he was roughly six hours hanging there like that the most cruel death we could ever imagine and innocent at that things I have done in my life would deserve that way more than Jesus but he was innocent in that and then one verse that really stands out to me is verse 30 says when Jesus they offered him vinegar he said I thirst and he offered him vinegar to drink and he put it on a hyssop and put it to his mouth when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar he said it is finished and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost they did not take his life he gave up the ghost he he however that that was he gave up his earthly life and he gave his life they didn't take it not from

[44:42] Jesus but he gave it for us and I had to think too already you know and in between there somewhere oh that's another one I wanted to point is the garden experience that is in Luke 22 I think I'll back up to that just a little bit because that's all part of this of the whole story and I personally think that this experience in the garden was where the battle was won it wasn't on the cross as much as in the garden I wonder in Luke 22 gives a pretty descriptive account of this and it's where Jesus went disciples in verse 41 it says here Jesus was reversing what happened in the garden he was restoring that Eve gave in

[45:43] Adam and Eve gave in Jesus did not give in and he said father remove this cup if it is your will and he may have been thinking of the patriarchs you know like Moses David and Daniel in the lion stand how those old prophets and kings were often delivered from near death experiences and maybe Jesus said Lord maybe it can happen to me too maybe there's an escape route here but it wasn't there was no escape route for Jesus he had to go through with it for you and me praise the Lord and and it says and there appeared an angel unto him from heaven strengthening him and being in an agony he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground and that was that was a struggle

[46:46] I think after that yes the cross was hard but I really believe that this is where the battle was won so he died on the cross for us like one brother shared this morning it is not an idle tale he read that account wherever it was and where it seemed like an idle tale but it is not an idle tale it is real and it affects us it controls our life it affects us and now a few thoughts on the resurrection back to John chapter 20 John chapter 20 start reading verse 1 the first day of the week come as Mary Magdalene and I think I was a Mary that was cast out a bunch of demons under the sepulcher and see it's a stone taken away from the sepulcher then she run us and come to

[47:47] Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and say unto them they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher and we know not where they have laid him I want us to notice the excitement here the energy the excitement that was demonstrated here she ran she ran to find the other disciples Peter therefore went forth and that other disciple and came to the sepulcher so they ran both together and the other disciple did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulcher and he stooping down and looking in saw the linen clothes lying yet went he not in then came Simon Peter following him and went into the sepulcher and see as the linen clothes lie and the napkin that was about his head not lying with the linen clothes but wrapped together in a place by itself so if a thief would have come to take the body why would he want with the body he would have probably taken the linen instead the body and would he have taken time to organize the cloth like that no thieves are in a hurry they don't clean up after they steal stuff and it says the linen clothes but wrapped together in a place by itself then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulcher and he saw and believed for as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead then the disciples went away again unto their own home so the disciples went to their own home

[49:13] Mary hung out she stood she persevered there Mary stood at the sepulcher weeping she wouldn't give up somehow she wanted to see the body of Christ yet and she was weeping she stooped down and looked into the sepulcher and see his two angels why didn't the disciples see them two angels I guess some of the other gospels they did see an angel but there was two angels you know that's that's when when we're at our lowest point a lot of times is when the promises of God are most precious to us and she saw two angels and they say unto her woman why weepest thou she says unto him because they have taken away my lord and I know not where they have laid him the angels knew what they were talking about why weepest thou and when she had thus said she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing and knew not that it was

[50:14] Jesus Jesus says unto her woman why weepest thou whom seekest thou she supposing him to be the gardener say unto him sir if thou have borne him hence tell me where thou hast laid him and I will him in there experience with Jesus has to be real it has to be personal and Mary didn't recognize him until Jesus spoke her name and I think that's the way it is with us when we have an encounter with Jesus the verse I read there in John 14 verse 21 where it says that I will manifest myself to him it is impossible to stay the same we will that is that is the I think that is one of the greatest promises in the entire Bible I'm going to read that again John chapter 14 verse 21 he that has my commandments and keep them he it is that loves me and he that loves me shall be loved of my father and

[51:21] I will love him and will manifest myself to him Lord reveal yourself to me reveal that is that is the highest privilege we have on this earth is Jesus revealing himself to us that is that is amazing it is it is it is wonderful so he said her name personal has to be a personal a personal encounter with Jesus so it was a great privilege to be here with you today that's all I have this morning thank you again for the invitation and I know many of my church years I churched in a small group like this and it's precious it's good I always enjoyed that we're a little larger church at this point but and that's good too but

[52:28]  I do sometimes miss a small group so Lord bless you all and I do welcome any critique or correction and yeah so we'll just turn the time back over to ministry not of them move them and they were going and soil harm