Thank you for tuning us in. I'm Darrell Bailey. Service for Christ, for we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. Tune us in now as we continue in our series, The Identity or Deity of Jesus, from the King James Version. Here we'll be talking about the suffering Savior. part one in episode 26. Take your Bibles with us over to John chapter 18 as we go down from verse 1 down to verse 27 in our study of the Gospel of John. Amen. We'd love for you to Join us as you'd come and be with us at Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church, Amen. We're located at 450 Iron Hill Road, Taylorsville, Georgia 30178. Step into our sanctuary and discover the joy of worshiping with us where every soul finds its song and every heart its home. I'm glad that we'd love to have you to come and be with us on behalf of our pastor, Keith Dipsy, amen, to be with us for our Sunday school at 10 o'clock, morning worship at 11, and then on Wednesday nights, the experience, the wonderful of our teaching for our kids for Christ with Rusty and Lynn Lanier. Continue praying for brother Rusty and Lynn in your prayers that we'll pray for here in a little bit with all the pain with their current surgery. You just lift him up in the mighty name of Jesus with along with all of our other church at Bethel Crossroads Amen and then come and be with us when you can at a Bible study in the gospel of John from 6 to 7 in building number 2. This coming Wednesday night will not be having our Bible study and so you keep them much in prayer but we'd love to have you come and join us Amen. Here we look at our Bible trivia and basically I've already given away to you if you'll pay attention. John 18 asked which verses show the betrayal of Jesus to the authorities. Well, we realize that it was verses 2 and 3 of John chapter 18 because the King James says, and Judas also which betrayed him knew the place for Jesus oftentimes resorted thither with the disciples. Judas then having received a band of men and officers from the chief priest and Pharisees cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. And so, As we get into the 18th chapter of the book of John, amen, we look and we see Zadok. Zadok is the 18th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the symbol of righteousness and humility. Here in John chapter 18, verses 1 through 17, the Hebrew numerology or gematria for Zadok has a numerical value of 90. And so I'm glad that when we look at leading up to the arrest and trial, the pivotal chapter in the New Testament portraying Jesus's righteousness and humanity amidst the betrayal and injustice, we look and realize that the Hebrew Zadok, symbolizes righteousness and humility, and it represents righteousness, integrity, and justice. Here in John chapter 18, Jesus exemplifies righteousness by adhering faithfully to his divine mission. Despite facing all of the immense pressure and opposition, he remains true to his teachings, demonstrating the moral integrity and unwavering commitment to God's will to fulfill his mission. The humility of Zadok also signifies the meekness and modesty. Jesus portrays humility in his interactions with those in the face of betrayal and hostility. He surrenders willfully to his captors. and so before both God and humanity. And so, the spiritual parallels between John 18 and Zadok highlight the importance of righteousness and humility in the life of every born-again believer today. Like Zadok stands for upright and unwavering, Jesus stands firm in his righteousness, upholding the divine truth and justice for every one of us, amen. And so, when we look at the suffering Savior, amen, Let's take a moment when we look at him and realize that the narrative unfolds with Jesus' betrayal and subsequent arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Despite his divinity, Jesus willfully submits himself to the hands of his captors, exemplifying the role as a sacrificial lamb destined for suffering. And throughout the passage of this study, Jesus displays remarkable composure and steadfastness, even in the face of imminent persecution and betrayal by one of his own disciples. And so Here we set the stage for Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate as he demonstrates his divine identity through the interactions and responses. And despite the injustice and cruelty that he endures, Jesus remains resolute to his mission to redeem all humanity, embodying the profound of the suffering Savior who lays down his life for the salvation of mankind. And so here we underscore Jesus' divinity and his unparalleled willingness to endure the suffering for all of our sakes, amen, from here on out. And so I'm glad when we look at this betrayal of the suffering Savior, amen. Let's open up with a word of prayer before we go any further. Heavenly Father, we come with humble hearts seeking your guidance and wisdom as we get into the wonderful word of John 18. Grant us the grace to open our minds and hearts to the truth contained within this passage. May the Holy Spirit illuminate our understanding and enable us to look at the significance of these events in the life of your son, Jesus Christ, Lord. Lord, as we acknowledge him, may the story that we look into be more than just a story. That Lord that we've read and that we've heard all of our lives, May we look how that it holds for us to apply daily to our walk with our Lord as we look at this study of deepening our faith in an unfailing love and mercy and father that we also humble ourselves and Lord try to be the same example that Jesus would set instead of denying our Lord and Savior as Peter did. And Lord, I know that we all have our weak moments. I want to pray, Lord, for Rusty and Lynn Lanier and for our church family and all that's on our prayer list. Be the great one that intervenes. And Father, I pray that you'll be the great physician in the lives of our church family at Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church, that they may receive the salvation of the Lord, continue to bless our pastor, use him mightily in all that he does as he goes in and out before the flock. And we give glory and thanks to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. All right. Near as we look, at the suffering Savior, amen. We are able to see as through the many things that the Lord does, amen, five emblems that represent probably one of the best outlines to talk about the suffering Savior. As we go here and look at that, we see first of all, in this, the characters that are involved in this lesson of the suffering Savior in verses 1-27. Jesus is that central figure in the narrative who goes to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and is subsequently arrested. And then we also see Judas Iscariot portrays Jesus by leading the soldiers to arrest him in the garden. Amen. Then we also see the third character, Peter, one of Jesus' disciples, who attempts to defend him by cutting off the ear of the high priest, his servant. And then Malchus, the high priest's servant whose ear is cut off by Peter. And the high priest, likely Cassius, who questions Jesus about his teachings, and the disciples, and Annas, the father-in-law of Cassavas, who was not in office, but played a very important role that was involved in the trial of Jesus that was taking place. Then the disciples of Jesus present during Jesus's arrest some of whom, while Peter followed at a distance, a lot of them scattered and took off and were hiding behind closed doors. And so the five emblematic representations that are represented in this passage, here we see the descriptive picture that could be of a cowardly denial. of both the world and all of the disciples of the Lord's, because it shows that the Lord faces what the Lord faces day by day in too many of our lives today. Jesus was arrested, taken bound, and Peter's unnecessary denial that we see in all of this, but then we look and realize that Jesus' patient and private training with the 12 disciples is complete, but the public drama of God's redemption of the human race is about to commence. The scarlet thread of God's redemption that flows through the Old Testament pictures begins to puddle up here in John chapter 18, and man will serve his worst to God, and the Lord will respond with his best. Sin will abound, but grace will much more abound. Amen. And as the curtain rises on the stage of John chapter 18, Jesus and the disciples enter the Garden of Gethsemane, where we're given a grave scene. The four Gospels paint a picture of Christ from the four viewpoints like photographers that take pictures of an event from different perspectives. Amen. And so I'm glad here in the account of John, he doesn't go into a lot of detail as some of the other Gospels do. He wants the Holy Spirit to paint a picture through John that's a little bit different because there's no mention made of Peter, James, and John watching with the Lord in the Gospel of John. There's no mention of the tears and agony of the night of Jesus praying to his father and the sweat of blood in the Gospel of John. John instead focuses on the power and the majesty of the Son of God. Amen. And when Jesus finishes speaking the words all the way back to John chapter 13 to verse 17 this is where we begin to look and pick up at because I'm glad one of the first things that we see is the garden and the compliance of John chapter 18 verse 1 that we look at this and so as we take off Jesus mentioned when Jesus had spoken these words now that goes all the way back where Jesus finished speaking the words of John chapter 13 all the way to John chapter 17. And he moves forward to change the destiny of all mankind. And he crosses over the book of Kidron, the Kidron Valley, which means darkness or dark waters, giving it also the name of the Black Brook. And it was the Valley of Jehoshaphat. This area was called the Valley of Jehoshaphat that we look at. Here, the garden of Gethsemane, how beautiful this place is of all of these old, old olive trees that we see in this picture of the arrest and the absolute surrender of Jesus from verse 1 all the way down to verse 11. And when Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with the disciples over the brook of Kedron. where was a garden into the which he entered and his disciples. Notice the word went forth. Here we see the Greek that talks about here the picture of devotion, but the idea being conveyed in the word went forth, is conveyed purpose. He went forth. He had a purpose. Jesus was going forth liberally for a specific purpose, knowing exactly what he was doing. Amen. And I'm glad that here, when we realize that during the Passover, as many as two and a half million Jews were in Jerusalem, That meant that over 250,000 lambs would be slain in the temple in one week. The blood of those lambs was poured on the altar as a Cripson offering to God. And from the altar, there was a channel which led down to the brook of the Kidron. And the blood from the altar that drained down to the brook, Kidron, this channel went all the way down into the brook. And when Jesus crossed the brook, it was still red from the blood of the lambs. And the sacrifice that he was about to make with his own blood would be vivid in his mind. His sacrifice would cancel the need for the brook to drain away any further of the blood of those sacrificial lambs. Jesus was the final sacrifice. And for this reason, he cried on the cross, it is finished, praise God. The Kidron was the Black Brook. And it was the brook of the dark waters that Jesus was about to cross the dark waters of crucifixion and death. The stress that was great that was in the garden of Gethsemane. He was suffering from hemodidrosis, the sweating of blood on the hands and the feet and the scalp that's caused by intense anxiety. In the Old Testament, the Kidron was the place of suffering and anxiety for someone else in Jesus's family. When King David was fleeing from Absalom, he too had to cross that Kidron. In very similar situations, David was betrayed and rejected by his nation, so was Jesus. David was betrayed and rejected And Jesus was betrayed by Judas, one of his own disciples. The betrayals of both men ended up being hung, absolutely hung in a tree by his own hair. And all of a sudden he was the target to be speared and killed. Judas hung himself. The crossing of the Kidron was also a picture of what happened in the Old Testament on the Day of Atonement. The Kidron Valley was east of Jerusalem, between the city walls and the Mount of Olives, and on the western slope of those Mount of Olives. When we look at the picture of the Mount of Olives, On the Day of Atonement, one goat was killed and one was released across the Kidron into the wilderness beyond the Mount of Olives. And the sins of the people were said to be upon that scapegoat released into the wilderness of an inhabited land. The scapegoat was a picture of Christ because the sins of the world were placed upon him. Jesus was that picture of that goat that was slain when he was crucified. But later on in the book, We share the interesting findings and realize that Christ was crucified on the top of the Mount of Olives near the Garden of Gethsemane. I'm glad Jesus entered the garden known as Gethsemane, which means oil press. Christ was about to go through the oil press of the suffering for every one of us. Amen. And so the garden was an oasis of solitude for the Lord, especially when Jerusalem was filled with people. By the way, you've got a quiet place that you can go to. where you can spend time with the Lord. I'm glad that each and every one of us has our place, our prayer closets, our place, and we can go and get away from everything and have some peace and quiet and call upon the mighty name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Gardens played a very important role In the Bible history, in Genesis chapter 2, there was the garden of tragedy, where the seeds of death were planted. The events that took place in Eden led the events to Gethsemane, which in the garden of testing, where death stalked our Savior and beat at his door. The events of Gethsemane led to the events of the third garden, the garden of triumph, where death is beaten. And Christ arose from the grave. Praise His mighty name. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Boy, I'm glad when we look at the two gardens and the comparisons of the Garden of Eden. Amen. We see there was all delight in the Garden of Eden. But in the Garden of Gethsemane, it was dreadful and despicable. In the Garden of Eden, Adam parlayed with Satan. But in the Garden of Gethsemane, the last Adam, Jesus praised with the Father. Adam disobeyed and sinned in the Garden of Eden, but the Savior suffered and obeyed. Adam is corrupted by sin in the Garden of Eden, but the second Adam, Jesus, is the conqueror. The struggle took place, and I'll tell you, by day in the Garden of Eden, but the struggle took place by night in the Garden of Gethsemane. Adam fell before Satan in the Garden of Eden, but the soldiers fell before the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane. Adam took fruit from Eve's hand. Christ took the cup from his father's hand. Adam hid himself from God. Christ exposed himself to the danger of Satan's workers. God sought for Adam in the garden of Eden, but the last Adam sought God, his father. Adam was driven out of the garden. Christ was led out of the garden. The sword was drawn in Eden's entrance, but in the garden of Gethsemane, the sword was sheathed because Jesus said, put it away, Peter. And I'm glad Judas knows where the Lord is staying. There was gravity in Gethsemane. Jesus had agonized in prayer through the night, but Judas arise, but he's not alone. The gravity of Gethsemane continues, arriving a band of men consisting of officers of the chief priests and Pharisees, where again, that Greek word that we see today, that we look at the word ban, amen, that it talks about. Here we look. and we see the garden and the compliance that Jesus was going to have but then the kiss of that betrayal of John chapter 18 verses 2 down to verse 9 that the wonderful word of God comes on the scene and here as we see that betrayal of that kiss we realize that there is a what Judas is fixing to do. The Word of God says, and Judas also which betrayed him knew the place, for Jesus oftentimes resorted thither with the disciples. Judas then having received a ban, notice the word ban, it is the Greek word spira. And it's a word that has two meanings, ape-man. It's a word for a Roman cohort, which is 10% of a Roman legion, ape-man. That consists, it could be as much as of 600 men, but we know that 600 men didn't come to the Garden of Gethsemane. But I'm going to tell you something. When we look and realize that the officers were the temple police and we see that here, why there were so many people. Pilate helps the Jews because he's nervous about an uprising. and the Roman troops were usually stationed in Caesarea. But during the feast days, they stayed at the Antonio Fortress on the northwest perimeter of the temple grounds. They were stationed here as a precaution against mob violence, riots, and rebellion. And because of the large number of assembled Jews, there was also a large group to confront Jesus because Judas was most likely told them of his power. They didn't know what kind of power to expect, ape man. And so, here in verse 3, Judas then having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. In verse 4, Jesus therefore knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth and said to them, Whom seek ye? Praise God. I'm glad. that Judas was scheming. The money that was important to him, the 30 pieces of silver, that was about 10 and a half ounces, was what he was thinking about. But very possible Judas had something else in mind because the soldiers that were there, we look and realize that in the ancient Israel, their last name is Scarab. identified the religious or political persecution of a person or a homeland. Example Barabbas was for Bar which means son. and rabbis, which means rabbi. And so Judas Iscariot, that last name indication that came from the Judean village of Kirov. And so when we look at this, we can imagine the betrayal that was taking place during this time, amen. And so out of all of the things that were happening to our suffering savior, amen, The history will one day end in another garden, the heavenly city that John describes in Revelation 21 and 22. In that garden, there's going to be no more death. There'll be no more curse. The river of the water of life will flow carelessly and the tree of life will produce bountiful fruit. Eden was that garden of disobedience and sin, but Gethsemane was the garden of obedience and submission, praise God. And so when we look and we realize that here In verse 4, amen, Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, goes out and he asked them whom they seek, praise God. And so they answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. I'm glad they reply that they're looking for Jesus of Nazareth. And he answers, I am he. leading them to step back and fall to the ground. You know why? They were expecting something else. Maybe they were expecting resistance. But listen, here we see in the garden there's nothing but compliance. Amen. And so I'm glad that Malchus was a servant of the high priest that accompanied the temple guards and Jewish officials to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus. Here, when Jesus was confronted by the crowd led by Judas Iscariot, Peter impulsively drew his sword and struck Malchus, cutting off his right ear that we're going to get to in just a minute. And so, as we continue on, in verse 6, And soon then, as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I told you that I am he. If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way, that the saying might be fulfilled, which spake of them, which thou gavest me have I lost none. I'm glad that he's lost none of the disciples praise God because he knows exactly the only one that was lost was the one that chose to be lost and that was Judas amen because I'm glad that here is a picture that we're fixing to look at of a protective and vicarious commitment of Peter that he thought that he needed to protect the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen, through this impulsive act. that we see of the compliance in the garden and the betrayal of the kiss that here the sword amen but i'm glad as we get on over and he said put your sword back into its sheath shall i not drink from the cup of suffering that the father has given me and so Here, why did Peter fail so miserably? Peter's failure can be attributed to several factors. Overconfidence. Peter often displayed a sense of overconfidence in his own strength and devotion to Jesus. For example, when Jesus predicted that all the disciples fall away, Peter confidently declared that he would never deny Jesus, even if he had to die with him. Over in Matthew chapter 26, his overestimation of his own abilities left him vulnerable to failure when faced with the real life challenges. Secondly, misplaced priorities of Peter. On the night of Jesus's arrest, Peter followed Jesus from a distance and warmed himself by the fire in the courtyard of the high priest house. In Matthew chapter 26, by choosing to prioritize his own comfort and safety over standing with Jesus, Peter exposed himself to temptation and compromise. Thirdly, the fear of the consequences. When confronted about his association with Jesus, Peter denied knowing him out of the fear of those consequences. The hostility and the danger surrounding Jesus's trial and crucifixion contributed to Peter's fear, and it led him to disassociation himself from Jesus to avoid that persecution. Spiritual blindness, despite Jesus's warning and predictions about his impending denial, Peter failed to grasp the seriousness of the situation and the extent of his own vulnerability. And so when we look and realize that out of all of this, of Peter's mistakes, I'm glad that Jesus touches that severed ear of Malchus and puts it back on. Peter's failures stem from a combination of over-confidence, misplaced priorities, fear, spiritual blindness, a lack of prayer, and vigilance. This experience serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of humility, dependence on God, spiritual readiness, and facing trials and temptations that every one of us can learn from this today. And so then Simon Peter having a sword drew it and spoke the high priest's servant cut off his right ear and the servant's name was Malchus. And so I'm glad that when we look at all of this and realize that just it's not likely that Jesus brought that many to the garden but apparently of these soldiers that came I realized that Jesus was in full control and he knew what would happen. Judas expects some kind of deception. So we arranged to identify Jesus by kissing him. But Jesus shot both Judas and the arresting officers by boldly presenting himself to them. And he had nothing to fear, nothing to hide. He willingly laid down his life for his sheep. By surrendering to the officers, Jesus helped to protect his disciples. He kept them safe not only spiritually, but physically. Why did the arresting soldiers draw back and fall to the ground when Jesus told them, I am he? The Jews present would be struck by this I am statement and they would affirm of his deity. The Romans that were in the majority would be struck by his bearing because they did not know what to expect from him. They had heard all of these powerful things about Jesus. The Jewish leaders had tried to have Jesus arrested before and always without success. The band was prepared for conflict and when they met with surrender and calm, they were overwhelmed. And so from the manifestation of divine power or from Jesus who could say, but I know that Jesus had the power that he could have called on a legion of angels if he wanted to. Judas's kiss. which was given repeatedly to the Lord, was certainly one of the base acts of treachery recorded anywhere in sacred history. In that day, a kiss was a sign of affection and devotion, and members of the family kissed each other in meeting and party, but Judas was not a member of God's family. Disciples greeted a rabbi by kissing him. It was a sign of devotion and obedience, and so Judas was not truly a disciple of Jesus, though he belonged to the disciple band. In the garden, Judas stood with the enemy, not with Jesus's friends. And when people today pretend to know and love the Lord, they're committing the sin of Judas. It's bad enough to betray Jesus, but to do it with a kiss, a sign of affection, the worst treachery of all. And here it was born in the pit of all hell. And so when we look and we realize that of these emblems of the garden, of the kiss, of the sword, and of the cup. Amen. Here we continue on as we look and realize that not only the arrest of absolute surrender but the Jews in Peter and the cowardly denial that comes with it because the events in Gethsemane, they are right there in verses 1 through 11. We see that Jesus' confrontation with the foes in verses 1 through 7. The traitor, Judas, arrives and here he portrays his master. The temple guard in verses 3 through 7 as well. What they carry are blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons. What they have come is for the Savior. And I'm telling you, the soldiers, they're looking for Jesus of Nazareth. But Jesus' concern is for his friends. In verses 8 through 11. And I'm glad the request that he agrees to go with the soldiers, that they don't harm anyone else, amen. And I'm glad that here he chastens Peter for cutting off the right ear of Michael. Malchus, the high priest, is serving Abel. From then on, the events that were in Gethsemane, but then in verses 12 all the way down to verse 40, these are events after Gethsemane, after the garden of the Mount of Olives. Here, the denials take place because on three separate occasions, Peter denies his Lord, Abel. And so, as we look at that with the cup and the surrender, Here we look and realize that Jesus himself had already spoken of the cup when referring to his sacrificial death in these scriptures. Scripture speaks of the cup in several ways. The cup is called the cup of the Lord's fury in Isaiah 51, 17. The cup associated with suffering in God's wrath, Psalms 11, verse 6, Isaiah 51, 17, and Luke 22, verse 42. We also see the cup is also associated with salvation because Jesus drank the cup of suffering and wrath for all of us. We can take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord in Psalms 116 verse 13. He bears the judgment of God for all of the world. Isaiah 53 10. Amen. I'm glad when we look and we realize then said Jesus unto Peter, put up thy sword into the sheath. Notice the sword and the cup. which my father hath given me, shall I not drink it? Then the band of the captain and officer of the Jews took Jesus and bound him. In verse 13, led him away to Ananias first, for he was father-in-law to Cassavus, which was the high priest that same year. Now Cassavus was he which gave counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. Amen. When we look at this, we realize of the suffering Savior, amen. That is, Peter made every possible mistake that Peter fought the wrong enemy, used the wrong weapon, had the wrong motive, accomplished the wrong result. Every one of us can make mistakes. Peter was openly resisting the will of God, hindering the work that Jesus came to accomplish. And while all of us admire his courage and sincerity, it was certainly a demonstration of zeal without knowledge. And so we saw why did people fail? Peter fell so miserably. He was overconfident. He had misplaced priorities. Fear of the consequences. Spiritual blindness. Lack of prayer and vigilance. Amen. And so I'm glad Peter had slept when he should have been praying. He talked when he should have been listening. And he imitated the very enemies who came to arrest Jesus, for they too were armed with swords. Peter would discover that the sword of the Spirit is the weapon of God's service to use in fighting our spiritual battles, praise God. I'm glad for the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the, dividing the sunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and the discernment of thoughts and intents of the heart, amen, because we take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. He would use the sword at Pentecost and slay 3,000 souls. Jesus did not need Peter's protection. He could have summoned legions of angels had he wanted to be delivered. Read over in Matthew chapter 26 verses 52 down to verse 54. Because the Bible said, Then said unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place. For all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my father, and he should presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled? Thus said it must be. And so Luke tells us that Jesus healed Malchias' ear in Luke chapter 22, verse 51. And it was an act of grace on his part. It was gracious from Peter's point of view, for he had not healed Malchus. Peter might have been arrested and crucified, but Peter was acting like one of the Jewish zealots, not like a disciple of Jesus. Amen. Is it possible that Malchus had actually laid hold of Jesus? We don't know. But if he did, he laid hands on the Holy Son of God. But I'm glad we look and realize that how that he made Jesus suffer. But when we look at all of the reading, of the scriptures, amen, that tells us about the suffering Savior in this first part. Here we see where Cassius comes in and plays his part. We see the garden of compliance, the kiss of betrayal, the sword of defiance, the cup of surrender. But lastly, in verses 15 down to verse 27, we see the fire of the renunciation, amen, because I'm glad that it's here through that fire that we look and we see Peter's denial of Christ And Simon Peter followed Jesus and so did another disciple. That disciple was known under the high priest and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. You know, when we think of this and we wonder sometimes that maybe who that other disciple was, amen, was it John? Hey, was it Nicodemus? You know, I'm glad when we think of all of these things that's taken place. the cup that represented the suffering that he would endure and the separation from the father that he would experience on the cross, amen. I'm glad the drinking of the cup is used in scripture to illustrate the suffering and sorrow. And so the dregs of trembling, amen. But I'm glad that out of all of this that we see, we see also that of the teaching of Jesus, amen, that here in the last thing of the fire that as Peter awaits outside the door, the other disciple who was known to be the high priest returns and speaks to the woman on duty, bringing Peter into the courtyard, amen. I'm glad when we look at all of this and we begin to realize that Jesus had predicted that Peter would deny him three times. Peter followed the crowd when he should have been fleeing. He had gone his way, he would have never had denied the Lord. But every one of us, we admire his love and his courage. And as you watch Peter, you see him gradually moving into the place of temptation and sin. And his actions parallel the description of Psalms 1.1. First, Peter walked in the council of the ungodly when he followed Jesus and went into the high priest's courtyard. Peter should have followed the council of Jesus and gotten out of there in a hurry. Then Peter stood with the enemy by the fire. In verse 16, as we look, and Simon Peter followed Jesus and so did another disciples we read. And that disciples known unto the high priest and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door without Then went out that other disciple, which was known under the high priest, spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. Verse 17, Then saith the dapsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not. So when we look and realize that first denial, is on the three separate occasions, amen. The servant girl asked if Peter is one of Jesus's disciples and the answer, Peter denies it, amen. Then there's the second denial that comes on as well, amen, because And the servants and officers stood there who had made a fire of coals for it was cold and they warmed themselves and Peter stood with him and warmed himself. The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I speak openly to the world. I ever taught in the synagogue and the temple, whether the Jews always resort and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? Ask them which heard me. Have I what I have said unto them? Behold, they know what I said. He goes on. Jesus, in verse 23, Jesus answered to him, if I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil, but if well, why smitest thou me? Now Ananias had sent him bound under Cassavas, the high priest, and Simon Peter stood and warned himself. They said, therefore, unto him, art not thou also one of the disciples? And he denied it and said, I am not. Here is that second denial. Amen. The accusation and the answer, amen, that we see. The third denial that will come, one of the servants of the high priest being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off said, do not I see thee in the garden with him? Thirdly, in verse 27, Peter then denied again and immediately the cock crew. You know what? When we look of the four watches the evening from 6 to 9 midnight from 9 to 12 the cock crowing was at 12 midnight to 3 a.m morning from 3 a.m in mark chapter 13 verse 35 we see all that's transpired with the five emblematic representations of the suffering servant, amen, that we saw the garden and the compliance in verse 1, the kiss and the betrayal of verses 2 through 9. Then we saw the sword of defiance in verse 10, and then the cup, the surrender in verses 11 through 14, and then the fire of renunciation in verses 15 through 27, amen. I'm glad that when we look at all of these things and we begin to realize what the Lord is doing, amen, with each and every one of us, amen, we've been given a tremendous blessing that God would be that one that would take all of the suffering of the world upon every one of us, amen. And so when we look at this, we see the arrest and the absolute surrender in verses 1 through 11 and 12 through 27, the Jews and Peter and the cowardly denial that would come of them. When we look at this, we see the earthquake that struck Soviet Armenia in 1988, what was known as the Spitak earthquake. It occurred on December the 7th 1988 with a magnitude of 6.8 to 7.2 making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in the 20th century. The epicenter was near the town of Spitak in the northern region of Armenia. It caused a widespread devastation in the cities and around and All of the buildings, including schools and departments, blocks collapsed, leading to a significant loss of life and extensive damage to all of the infrastructure. The official death toll was around 25,000, although some of the estimates suggest it could have been higher with tens of thousands more injured. But the earthquake left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and caused a severe economic repercussion in the rejected region. The international communists responded with aid and support from many of the countries, sending assistance to rescue and to recover. And the impact on Armenia was so profound that it lasted, taking years to fix and rebuild all of this back that was there. Well, you know what? Here that afternoon and that day of December the 7th, Susan Petroitsyn, and her four-year-old daughter, Gany, were trying on a dress on the fifth floor of their nine-story apartment building. Without any warning, the floor and the building began to shake like jello. Susan grabbed Gany, took a few steps, and the floor opened up like a plate, like fallen boulders bouncing down a mountain slope, and they helplessly tumbled to the basement below, being showered by concrete and dust and steel from the collapsing building. In the black abyss of the basement, Susan and Gany were surrounded by tons of rubble and debris. It was a miracle that they survived the fall at all, crashing into that rumble. Next to them lay the lifeless body of Susan's sister-in-law. She was one of those 25,000 to 50,000 people that died that day from the worst earthquake that ever would hit the Soviet Armenia, registered on the Richter scale. In the darkness, little Ganny pleaded for water, but Susan couldn't do anything. They were trapped for eight days in the dark. Ganny cried, Mama, I'm thirsty. Mama, I'm thirsty. Each day, her little voice grow weaker and weaker. Susan was having difficulty keeping track of time in the darkness and she started hallucinating. The cold caused her to lose feeling in her hands and feet because she had removed her clothes to keep Ganny warm. On the seventh day, Susan sensed she was going to die soon. She wanted with all of her heart for little Ganny to live. She knew Ganny had to get something to drink soon, but there was no liquids at all. Then she thought of an idea. She would keep Ganny alive by giving her daughter her blood to drink. Susan found a sharp piece of glass in the debris and sliced open her left index finger and let her daughter drink. More, Mommy, more," she said. Susan sliced another finger, and again her daughter begged for more. Susan sliced her hands, her wrists, her arms, her legs in order to let her daughter drink. Susan willingly gave her blood that Ganny might live. Had she not shed her blood, Ganny would have died of thirst. This is what Christ willingly did for all of us. He willingly gave his blood and life for us that we might live. The agony of that decision took place in the Garden of Gethsemane. The gravity of Gethsemane was powerful. The Savior was victorious. He conquered in his will to do his Father's will to save us. Thank God, as I get ready to close out, each and every one of us when we look and realize today of what the Lord has for all of us, amen. The suffering servant, amen. I'm glad that, listen, hear this Wednesday in the word, amen, what Jesus did and how he did it for you and I. It ought to make us wonder. Perhaps you've heard the old story many times before, but you've never received Jesus into your heart and life. But maybe this Wednesday night in the word, you feel him calling you to come to him. You know what? You've never been saved. I want to remind you that Jesus loves you and has made a way for you to be born again. And he liberated you from sin. He can do that for you from judgment and from damnation. That way is none other than Jesus himself. Won't you come to him while he calls for you? Understanding that I'm a sinner, but believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross, amen, to free me from the punishment of my sins, I now receive him as my Lord and Savior. And from this day forward, I desire to live to please Christ and in placing my trust in him for the gift of eternal life. Would you put the amen on that? Ask God to be the keeper of your soul because you've got to step out on faith. The substance of things hopeful, the evidence of things not seen. And I'm glad that the suffering Savior, his love was so amazing, so divine. I'm glad that he demands our soul and our life, amen, for every one of us, amen, that he demands it. And so as I get ready to close out, I hope and pray with my closing prayer, that each and every one of you, as you listen, you can let the suffering Savior have a part in your life as well, because I'm glad that each and every one of us, from this betrayal and denial, from that divine purpose, amen, of this departure in the Garden of Gethsemane, of all that the Lord did, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, for the message and for what you've given us. Lord, as we come to a time of peace, May you give someone understanding. Lord, as they guard their hearts and minds in Jesus Christ, may that lost sinner open up and pray that sinner's prayer in their own words, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Father, Lord, strengthen us to live as both witnesses of your grace and of your truth, Father, in this world today, that everything that we say and do, Lord, Father, I pray God that we do it. for the glory of Jesus Christ. Have your way and will in all of our lives, Lord. Give us the strength, Lord, to speak on your behalf. In all that we say, Lord, as we go our separate ways, we know the suffering Savior. He took all of our sins on his life. May we reflect on that, Lord, through your word, the demonstrated sacrifice of the Son of God. We thank you, Father, for what you did for all of us in Jesus' marvelous mighty name. Amen. God bless you. Thank you for tuning us in.