Beloved congregation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's about two hours now that Jesus has walked from the upper room into the darkness. We have heard also that judas iscariot left the upper room and went into the darkness And the light is moving into the darkness thematically symbolically spiritually jesus is the light of the world just as the Prologue has told us we continue to go back there in the beginning was the word the word was god The word was the light of man. He is the life of man and that light shines in the darkness He came to his own but his own did not receive him and now one of his very own has gone to betray Him. And as John paints this canvas for us, this painting for us, everything is moving towards the light in the painting. And the light in that painting is emanating from Jesus Christ. It's not center, but Jesus is moving towards center. And in the shadow and the darkness, we're seeing Judas Iscariot and those with him, with their flickering torches and with their weaponry and their shields, the police force. And now they're going to meet in the middle, but we're on that collision course with John and the disciples and Jesus. And those coming to get Jesus, they head out into the night. And that light burns there in the darkness of the night of Jesus' arrest. And we're gonna see our Lord and Savior as king and as a soldier warrior, as the good shepherd, as the one who asked to drink the cup to the bottom, the dregs, the bitter dregs that are his for you. There's not going to be a lot of moral application in this sermon. There's not going to be a lot of, you need to do this, and you need to do that. There are times when we need to preach that, and we've heard the law this morning, and all of that's good. But sometimes the sermon, sometimes the painting that we're seeing that John is showing for us is, you need to see Jesus. You need to believe in Jesus. You need to take your stand with Jesus, who has prayed not only that none of the eleven would be lost, but that none of you would be lost. That all that the Father has given to them, He will protect them. And none can be lost because they belong to the Father. They're in the Father's hands, and they are in the hands of the shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. And yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, yea, I walk through the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil. For my shepherd is the light of the world. He burns brightly. Give your life to the shepherd. Hold on to the shepherd. Trust and obey the shepherd. Hear his voice today. Look what he's done for you. Jesus has been praying. Jesus has been spending time for who? For the church of Jesus Christ. Because God has, from before the foundation of the earth, from the beginning of time, decided to save a people. And to save that people, he has decided that he's going to use his bride. But his bride must be saved. The church of Jesus Christ must be justified and sanctified and then activated And to do that, she must be protected in the world, else the darkness would swallow us all up. There would be no hope for us while the devil tries. And one more time, the devil's gonna try in a garden, just like he tried at the very beginning when our father, our brother Adam, sinned so badly. made that foolish mistake, and listened to his wife, and he ate of the fruit, and he plunged all of us into the darkness. And at that point, in that moment, it seemed that the devil had won. He had slithered into the garden so much like a snake. And he betrayed Adam, who betrayed God. And now Jesus, the new Adam, has come. And now Jesus is going to go into the garden, the garden of Gethsemane. He crosses over the Brook Kidron, which now is running at a very low ebb. It's really a wadi. It's not much of a stream at all. But it separates the garden from the Mound of Olives. And in that day, it's Passover, those who were not so well-to-do would find a place right around the Garden of Gethsemane. Farmers there would offer a place for them to set up their tents or some place where they could lay down and sleep for the evening. They would set up headquarters. Luke tells us about that. And likely that's what Jesus did. Jesus had set up a small headquarters there in Gethsemane. He goes there. Which is interesting, right? Because in the last two Passovers, those first two Passovers of Jesus' ministry, when it got hot, when they wanted to get Him, He went back to Judea. He went back to Galilee. He got out of town. Because his hour had not yet come, but now he goes to the place that Judas Iscariot knows where Jesus will be. Because that's where a camp is. Jesus goes exactly to the place that he knows that Judas Iscariot will take the new snake. Now, why do I say that? Well, you have to think a little bit visually now. And maybe we're pressing the text a bit. But how does Judas Iscariot come? And did you notice that? That the troops were given to Judas Iscariot. He is now the leader of the realm of darkness. Parts of those troops are there with Herod. They belong to Rome. They're soldiers that are there to keep the peace. Now remember what we said. It's not simply that they're going to go to get Jesus, but they're upset or they're uptight that if people find out who are camped there, they're going to rise up and now we're going to have an insurrection and then a thousand men isn't going to be enough. And so the Pharisees have gone to Rome and asked for help, and then added to that the temple police. So there's anywhere between 500 and 1,000, maybe even more men that have come. But how do they come? Well, to get there, they've got a snake through the path. And you can see them with their torches and their lights slithering through to where? A garden. Where one more time, the Son of Man, who is the Son of God, must confront the devil represented by Judas Iscariot who walks up to Jesus and kisses him. What utter betrayal. The Psalms even speak about this. Even my best friend has betrayed me with a kiss. For three years Jesus walked with Judas Iscariot and empowered him to cast out demons. He was able to do miracles. He brought the good news of the kingdom of God. From the mouth of Judas Iscariot came the words, repent and believe for the kingdom of God is at hand. And he sells them out for 30 shekels of silver. Basically the price of a slave. Because that's now what Jesus is worth. Judas Iscariot, loving money more than he loves Jesus Christ, loving mammon will not serve the master. He was predestined for this. This happened by the will of God. Why? Because you need to get saved and I need to get saved. Jesus needs to go to the cross. He needs to die on the cross, a horrible, ugly, brutal death, but not just that. He needs to be betrayed. He needs to be sold out. He needs to be treated horribly. because that's part of what bearing sin is about. The man of sorrow is acquainted with grief. There is nothing comely about him that we should be drawn to him. Is he a pathetic Jesus? Do you feel sorry for Jesus? Feel sorry for your sins. Be embarrassed that this had to happen, that we are those kinds of people, but do not feel sorry for Jesus Christ, because like we said, he could have got out of town, but he didn't, he went to Gethsemane. He could have disappeared like He had done other times, just disappeared and they couldn't touch Him. But now He's going to provoke this. He's going to go to the cross for you. He will drink the cup. Isn't that what He says? Shall I not drink the cup which my Father has given me? And isn't that what we sang, the Lord's hand holds a cup with foaming wine well mixed. He pours it out and the wicked ones must drink it to the dregs. Jesus has become as if he's the wicked one. He must suffer this. He must undergo this. And He does it willingly. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Who else does this? What other religion talks about this? The one who is the Son of God becomes the Son of Man and submits Himself to this kind of humiliation and this kind of misery. How can you not embrace Christianity? It is the most beautiful religion. And we have the most beautiful Savior. He is a warrior, he is courageous, he is the shepherd now. Sometimes the shepherd needs to take the flock and get them away from the wolves, but now it's time for the wolf to be laid down. And our beloved David, the lion of Judah, the son of David, the son of Joseph, the son of Mary, is now going to confront Goliath. He must do it on his own. But he will do it knowingly. Willingly, do you see the light now shining is it becoming brighter for you? Do you understand a little more of what Jesus is doing and what he is saying they come to him? But he asks them I Asked the questions here. Jesus is saying because that's what the king does who's in control of this situation Have you ever really looked at it? Certainly not Judas Iscariot And it's certainly not the soldiers and their commanders. It's Jesus. Who are you looking for? He could have snuck right on by, it seems. It's dark. They don't really seem to know. And they said to them, Jesus of Nazareth. And he says, I am. So if you have your Bibles open to verse five there, you can see that the new King James has I am in regular letters, and then he is italicized. That's because it's added. Literally, it says ego, I, he, me, am, or you could even say I am, I am. That's what Jesus says. Now, we've gone through the Gospel of John, and we've seen that Jesus normally refers to himself with, I am. I am the good shepherd. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the door, et cetera. Before Abraham was, I am, ego e me. It is me, but he is, for our benefit, by the power of the Spirit, helping us understand that he is God, that there's a power in him. In fact, if we would go to the Septuagint, which is the greek translation of the hebrew old testament in the days that jesus was and we would look in isaiah chapter 40 through 55 and then go to exodus 3 verse 14 where god appears to moses and says and moses says well who should i say sent me i am sent you it's the exact same greek construction who are you looking for jesus of nazareth And there's a power in it, isn't it? Look what happens. And they drew back, and they fell to the ground. Have you ever walked out of a dark room, dark cave, driven through a tunnel, and it's a sunny day like today, and all of a sudden, wow, your eyes get hard done by, you gotta look down, you cower. Now we magnify this. That's what's happening, this light spiritually, truthfully, is blowing these men away, and they fall down. It's like John, who wrote this gospel, will experience when he goes to heaven, in the book of Revelation, and he sees the marvel and the wonder of Jesus Christ, and he falls to the ground as though dead. It's that word, isn't it? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. God speaks. God is speaking through Jesus Christ. They're confronted with the power of God, yet mercifully, because though they fall, they don't drop dead, though God would have every right now to do it. Jesus does not command their death, though He has every right to do it. He will not, because you need to get saved. I need to get my sins paid for. The elect need someone to die for them. Jesus is going to go, but not without a demonstration of who He is. Those men ought to stay on the ground. Those men ought to turn over and get down on their hands and knees and say, oh, dearest Jesus, beautiful Savior, truly I love you. Truly I will serve you. You are our king. We've heard your prophetic voice. I am. We know that you are the priest, God, and man joined together in one. Do you see the power of Jesus Christ? Oh, I know. I know they will deny it. The great religions, Judaism will say it cannot happen. God cannot have a son. Islam will tell you there is only one God. He cannot be father, son and Holy Spirit. The world will say it's nonsense. There is no God and there was a God. He wouldn't become human. Now you're just getting into Greek and Norse mythology. That's all you're doing. And we're saying no. No, that's not what's happening at all. Do not limit our God. Do not put him into a box that you create. This is the light shining in the darkness. We need this light. We need to reflect this light. We need to hold on to this light. We need to fall down before it too, in humiliation and desperation for our sins. Father in heaven, save us. Lord Jesus, remember us and remember our sins no more. They ask again, they just get up. Who are you seeking? Jesus could have left now. Don't miss it. He's going to the cross for you. Whom are you seeking? Jesus of Nazareth. I have told you, I am. Therefore, if you seek me, let these go their way. That's what kings do, by the way. Let these go their way. Don't miss it. Because Jesus isn't only speaking about the 11 right then, and he is. And that gets back to John chapter 10. I will lay down my life for the shepherd or for the sheep, and I will take it up again, and I will lose none that you give to me. John 17, Jesus has been praying for that. Father in heaven, protect them, hold them close. All of this is coming together now. But now Jesus will make his promise clear. I have promised that I will lose none of them. Of these whom you gave me, I have lost none. You will not touch these 11 men. Because these 11 men will go on to become the new media of the kingdom. They will become the ambassadors of the empire of Jesus Christ. By them, Jesus is going to have dominion over the earth. By them, he's going to be fruitful and multiply. Do they understand it? No. In their weakness, they are frail. Do we understand it? Well, we need to because we need protection on the one hand, and yet on the other hand, Jesus must go alone. And so the king tells the devil in the garden, you will obey me. Do not lay your hands on them, just like God did with Job. Did Job suffer? Absolutely. Did he go through terrible times? He sure did. Will the disciples? Yes. Will you? Absolutely. I guarantee it. If you're a child of God, if you seek to live a righteous life, you will be persecuted. The Bible tells me so. You who belong to Jesus Christ cannot be lost. You will not be lost. Because this shepherd is providing for you. He is protecting you. He is going to war for you. And he will not lose. He cannot lose. We already have the taste of it there. Grown men, soldiers falling down. Don't touch them. This is our savior. The Lord is our shepherd. and we shall not want. He makes me lie down by green pastures. He restores my soul. Fear no evil, for he is with us. His rod and staff, they comfort us. Hold on to this Jesus in your trial and your struggle. Hold on to this Jesus, all you teachers this week in VBS. There'll be days you don't think you know what to say. There'll be days when you're waking up in the morning and going, there'll be those Those students that are going to be probably not easy to deal with. But think of this Jesus. As He goes for those 11, He will go in front of all of you this week. How do you explain that the Church of Jesus Christ is still standing? That in this world that hates us so, they can't stop us. The gates of Hades cannot prevail against the Church because the Lord is our shepherd. Do you see the light? Do you see it burning there so brightly, there's nothing they can do about it? Do you hear the promise of God? We have seen Christ betrayed. We've seen the power of Christ, who is the Son of God, the Word of God, and now we see the promise of God will be kept. Of those whom you gave me, I have lost none. And then Peter. What do we do with Peter? Peter's always interesting for us ministers because he always does something that we have to exegete, and we're like, it would just sort of be easier if he wasn't in there. He's always doing something. What do we do with Peter? Is he a brave man? What do you children think? Do you think Peter was a brave man? So he pulled out a little knife, okay? A half sword. Maybe in our day it'd be a switchblade or a butterfly. And he'd just go. And you know what he wants to do. He's going to pull out of here and go like this. And he's going for Malchus's head. He's going to kill Malchus. But in the providence of God, he misses. You can kind of think of what happened yesterday. That happens in the providence of God. In the same way that the pebble hits Goliath in the head, in this way, Malchus's life is spared. You think Malchus knew that? And so he slices off the ear. That's what's happening there. And that must have been something to see. How does John, by the way, know it's Malchus? He's not mentioned anywhere, but we think that John is related to or from the family of the Levites, and certainly of Caiaphas, and so he would have known Malchus by name. By the way, for Malchus to be up front like this was quite a thing, because he's actually a priest's servant. So he was probably thinking this is a big day, this might even be a day of promotion, and now you're sitting there and your ear's cut off. And Jesus just takes the ear and he puts it back on. What an act of kindness. What a marvel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now, what do we make of Peter? What did he do? And all the bravado. I mean, what was he thinking? The odds are insurmountable. There's certainly no way he's going to win a physical contest here. He's the only one, apparently, who's got the sword, doing anything about it. And you can just see him again. Oh, Lord Jesus, you won't have to go to the cross. I'll protect you. And if somebody has to go, I'll go. That's where our word impetuous comes from. It's from Peter. And in his impetuosity, he has belittled the Savior. This is the one, oh, wash all of me, because I'm a sinner. But no, Jesus needs defending from Peter? We've just seen him in all of his power and glory. Jesus says, I am, and people are dropping dead, and Peter's parrying and cutting. To the detriment and humiliation of Jesus Christ, there's a betrayal there too, you know. And Jesus in his love does not rebuke him. in the sense of Peter and chastising him. He commands him one more time and he takes the position of a king. Put your sword in the sheath. You know I have to drink the cup. Now, when Jesus is walking on the earth as he's moving towards Jerusalem at the end of his life, James and John's mother had come to Jesus and said, when you come into your kingdom, please remember my sons, that one may sit on the right and one may sit on the left. And Jesus, you know, typically just, oh, woman, it's not for me to give. But, and then he talks to the disciples, and he says, can you drink the cup that I drink? Can you be baptized with the baptism that I will be baptized with? And they all, of course, say, oh, yes, yes, of course, Lord Jesus. But of course they couldn't. From the other Gospels we know that Jesus even was struggling with this cup. Let this cup pass from me. The Lord holds a cup with foaming wine well mixed. He pours it out and wicked ones must drink it to the dregs. Jesus must suffer unimaginably for you and for me and these disciples cannot do it. And what's interesting is Jesus says to them, in fact, in time, you will drink the cup, and you will be baptized, and these men will go through very difficult, physical, trying, spiritually difficult and trying times for the sake of the good news, but not now. Jesus will, Jesus will drink the cup, and now the canvas is filled with the light of Jesus Christ. The darkness of the serpent is being switched so that the foot of the messiah is now slowly but surely coming down on the head of that serpent jesus is going to go to the cross to cut the head off the serpent this is the interesting thing about satan to me he wants jesus to die He wants to bring Jesus to the cross, and yet that's exactly the beginning and the end of his demise. He is so wicked, he is so caught in his corruption and hatred that he loses sight that what he wants to happen will bring an end to him and all who follow him. And that's why you've been called to be the light of the world. to bring an end to the dark regimes of the world we see around us, these late stages of these great Western democracies and empires crumbling about us, the rise of the new paganism, the rise of the new peasant revolts, and the constant of Jesus Christ, and the constant of an adapting church, because all the light might be flickering a bit and they're blowing hard, But the foot is coming down upon the head of the serpent, and it's being crushed. And soon, and very soon, it will all be over. In some hours, Jesus will head to the cross, to the grave, and then to glory. And in time, you will head to the grave, and then to glory. And in time, Jesus Christ will come again, and not one of us will be lost. because the Lord is our shepherd. And please think about that. In my own life this past week, and I think many of you, man, we can get so caught up in the mortgage, the money, the busyness of the church, the busyness of our families, all of that stuff, and it's good, we need to be involved with that, but at the expense of comfort and peace, all this, even this beautiful building, it will be gone. when Jesus Christ comes again. We can get so caught up in us. And it's just nice to come to church this morning and just get caught up in Him. The light that burns in the darkness there in the garden of Gethsemane, it'll be so different than what happened in Eden. As we look forward to the new garden and the beauty and the marvel, the coming of the new heavens and the new earth, see Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. What a Savior. the Son of God who became the Son of Man to drink the cup of wrath for you, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. Repent and believe, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen.