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e e e e e e e e e e oh the garden a full house and we can thank the Lord for that we had a conference on Friday and Saturday this with us so we don't usually like this we have several people that have H over from the conference to attend worship with us reports the last pastors from parts of Canada very edifying very encouraging I believe it was recorded is if you're interested in that um see him I don't think it's going to be broadcast on the internet but it's certainly available for those who want to hear that so just a few announcements before we begin I want to welcome Dr Richard barcelos he is a part-time professor at the international Reformed Baptist Seminary as well as a full-time pastor of the grace Reformed Baptist Church in Palmdale California he was the pastor that sent or his church was the church that sent me here uh in 1997 he was supposed to come and preach for the group in chilak in December 96 and he couldn't make it because of a snowstorm I got up here in January 97 and I heard all about the snowstorm so so we have been longtime friends after God saved my wife and me we met him just a few months after I think he's largely responsible for how messed up I am in some ways ju just kidding he he would say the same thing but it's great to have my my dear friend my brother and my mentor present with us and to preach to us so our evening service tonight is at 5:00 p.m. Dr James Ren will be preaching that service he is currently in sui reform Baptist Church preaching there and then the Wednesday night bible study will be at 7:30 and then Dan Morley will be preaching next Sunday morning and then this coming Friday and Saturday May 3rd and 4th there is a choir the Jubilation chorus that's the name of it Jubilation chorus will be singing at the Heritage reformed congregation on 1 Avenue and that's at 7 7:30 on Friday night and Saturday night and then the final thing I want to mention and it is a sad note uh on the one hand but a happy note for them Marty and Shannon are moving away from us where are you can't find you right now so please make sure you greet them as they depart from us it's been great having them here with us and hopefully they will come and visit when they're in this area so Marty and Shannon we we love you and pray for God's blessings upon you in this Venture well now as we move into our formal corporate worship you can turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 132 Psalm 132 we heard a lot in the conference about scripture leading us to our Lord Jesus Christ Christ is the scope of the whole to give all glory to God and the way that God is glorified is in the redeeming or the Redemption of Sinners through the life death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ Psalm 132 along with Psalm 89 basically amplify the promise or explain the promise in what we call the davidic Covenant in 2 Samuel 7 so I'll read Psalm 132 beginning in verse one a song of a sense Lord remembered David in all his afflictions how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the mighty one of Jacob surely I will not go into the Chamber of my house or go up to the comfort of my bed I will not give sleep to my eyes or Slumber to my eyelids until I find a place for the Lord a dwelling place for the mighty one of Jacob behold we heard of it in EPA we found it in the fields of the woods let us go into his Tabernacle let us worship at his foot stol arise O Lord to your resting place you in the ark of your strength let your priests be clothed with righteousness and let your Saints shout for Joy for your servants uh servant David's sake do not turn away the face of your anointed the Lord has sworn in truth to David he will not turn from it I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body if your sons will keep my Covenant and my testimony which I shall teach them their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever more for the Lord has chosen Zion he has desired it for his Dwelling Place this is my resting place forever here I will dwell for I have desired it I will abundantly uh bless her provision I will satisfy her poor with bread I will also clothe her priests with salvation and her Saints shall shout aloud for Joy there I will make the Horn of David grow I will prepare a lamp for my anointed his enemies I will clothe with shame but upon himself his crown shall flourish amen well please take your hym books and turn to Psalm 92 Psalm 92b as in bravo we will use a familiar tune Psalm 92b as in bravo and we'll stand as we sing together your PR you show Forest when the morning is his of prises of my heart with through the you you ex GL [Music] shall is you his to his and to all his well let us pray our great God and our Holy Father we come to you this morning and we have the privilege to do so through the mediator the Lord Jesus Christ in and through and by the power of the Holy Spirit we confess that you are the most high we confess that you are glorious and wondrous and worthy to be praised worthy to be adored the prophet and as the Apostle asked who would not fear you oh King of the Nations for indeed it is your due but we know that because of sin because man is dead in Adam he doesn't fear you he doesn't serve you he doesn't glorify you as he ought so how we praise you for the gospel of our Salvation how we praise you that in the fullness of the time you sent forth your son born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those under the law we give praise to you for giving us faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the grace of repentance we praise you for the ministry of the Holy Spirit and all all the the blessings of New Covenant religion as Paul says we have every or have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus and we confess with the word of God that salvation is of the Lord and in that we greatly Rejoice help us as we sing this morning help us as we call upon you in prayer help us as we direct our attention to the preaching of your holy word and may you indeed cause us to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and if any have come here this morning that are dead in their trespasses and sins we pray that you would awaken them cause them to see that you are indeed a holy God to see themselves as Sinners before you and to see that in Christ Jesus alone there is forgiveness and a righteousness that avails with you we thank you for your many blessings not only the spiritual but the temporal as well we rejoice in a good conference this last couple of days we rejoice in new friendships and relationships and The Fellowship of the Saints we thank you that the pastors from various churches in Canada can be with us this morning and that our brother Richard barcelos can be here with uh from California and Lord bless Jim renahan as well as they as he visits and as he preach there uh preaches there in sui we ask God that in all these things we would just uh celebrate your loving kindness and your goodness the psalmist bless the Lord because you load us daily with benefits and we acknowledge the very same thing as we enter into your presence we are mindful that you are indeed holy we're mindful as well that we are called to live in light of Our Gospel calling and we're also uh aware of the fact that we are prone to wander and prone to leave the god that we love so we confess our sins to you now we confess our transgression our lack of Conformity to your law we pray for washing in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ thanking you for the the promises of scripture David said if you Lord should Mark iniquities oh Lord who could stand but there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared and as well John tells us that if we confess our sins you are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness so we pray for that even now that you would fit us for corporate worship and cause us to rejoice in the grace and in the mercy of our God and Father as well Lord we pray for our church plants our sister churches we pray for our Brethren and Serv we pray for the brethren in Armstrong and in dren we also pray God for the churches in Sig toek and Lord may you indeed bless those Brethren as well in Elder at cause your word to run swiftly and be glorified from each of these Ministries each of these pulpits and for all of the churches represented here this morning God may you cause these brothers to be encouraged may you strengthen them with might in the Inner Man so that Christ May dwell richly in their hearts through faith and may they go back to their Ministries uh Desir us to make known Jesus Christ and him crucified and resurrected and Lord do a great work in this land we pray for Revival among the churches we pray that we would know that that wonderful face of God shining upon us as well awaken those who are dead in their trespasses and sins for certainly this is a lawless land this is a Godless land in so many ways we see the promotion of the rejection the Abomination transgression of your sixth word in abortion in euth in Asia we see all manner of sexual perversion we know ultimately God the answer for these things is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ so bless that word and cause it to go forth conquering and to conquer and be glorified in this land as well bless the persecuted church and the various persons that we try and remember on a regular basis we think specifically of Myanmar we just commend Peter to you and to the word of your grace we pray that those orphans would be able to be at a place of safety and God ultimately we pray for a cease fire there and cease fires in other regions in this world where men have taken up arms against each other we just pray that they would learn peace and that by Grace they would have their their Nations to some degree restored thank you again for this time may you receive our worship and may you be glorified Father Son and Holy Spirit and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen we can turn with me again in your hym books to 153 153 A Hymn that celebrates the Lord's Day the fact that God has set aside one day out of the seven for the people of God to meet together in the house of God and to praise His great and awesome name so we'll stand as we sing 153 together [Music] High GL holy the GL glorious the high is glor all glor Praises father and all PR to this morning we'll read about the half of the chapter we'll read to verse 30 is on the heels of jesus' Prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem in ad70 you see that in chapter 24 I think the larger context begins in chapter 21 at the triumphal entry of our Lord he goes on to curse the Fig Tree he goes on to dispute with the religious leaders he goes on to pronounce woes and condemnations against them in chapter 23 and at the end of chapter 23 he laments according to his Humanity he weeps over the city because the city is ultimately going to be destroyed by the Roman armies and so he gives that discourse in chapter 24 and then I take chapter 25 as preparation for that event as well preparation for the second coming of Our Lord in glory to judge the living and the dead so beginning in chapter 25 at verse one then the Kingdom of Heaven shall be likened to 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom now five of them were wise and five were foolish those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps but while the bridegroom was delayed they all slumbered and slept and at midnight a cry Was Heard behold the bridegroom is coming go out to meet him then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps and the foolish said to the wise give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out but the wise answered saying no lest there should not be enough for us and you but go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves and while they went to buy the bridegroom came and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding and the door was shut afterward the other virgins came also saying Lord Lord open to us but he answered and said assuredly I say to you I do not know you watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the son of man is coming for the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his Goods to them and to one he gave five talents to another two and to another one to each according to his own ability and immediately he went on a journey then he who had received the fire talents went and traded with them and made another five talents and likewise he who had received two gained two more also but he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his Lord's money after a long time the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them so he who had received the five uh received five talents came and brought five other talents saying Lord you delivered me five talents look I have gained five more talents besides them his lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you were Faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of your lord he also who had received the two talents came and said Lord you delivered to me two talents look I have gained two more talents besides them his lord said to him well done good and faithful servant you have been Faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of your lord then he who would receive the one Talent came and said Lord I knew you to be a hard man reaping where you have not sown and Gathering where you have not scattered seed and I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground look there you have what is yours but his Lord answered and said to him you Wicked and lazy servant you knew that I reap where I have not swn and gather where I have not scattered seed so you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest so take the talent from him and give it to him who has 10 talents for to everyone who has more will be given and he will have abundance but from him who does not have even what he has will be taken away and cast the unprofitable servant into the outer Darkness there will be weeping and nashing of teeth amen just two brief observations on this passage we see that the Lord Jesus in light of a prophecy concerning judgment whether it be 8070 alone or 8070 and the second coming of Jesus gives instru ruction on what to do in light of that announcement and just working backwards I think the emphasis in that latter half is on diligence as the people of God we are to be diligent in the service of our blessed God he has saved us not by our works but he has indeed saved us unto good works and so that being said as blood-bought children of God who have been Justified freely by his grace as those who've received the spirit of adoption and the spirit who works in us to both to Will and to do according to to his good pleasure we need to be diligent we need to be faithful in what God has given us and not just sort of sit back and let things happen now I realize not everybody's called to be a CH Spurgeon not everybody's called to be a a Pioneer Min a missionary to some obscure tribe in the world but we're all called to be faithful and diligent where God has planted us I think that's a pretty obvious lesson and of course in the first half of the section it's preparation being prepared These Foolish virgins they weren't prepared and I think the instruction here is quite simple the way to be prepared in light of the coming Judgment of God most high is to find safe refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ the Bible is very clear all we like sheep have gone a tree astray every one of us is at at odds with God by Nature by virtue of the fact that we're dead in Adam the way of Salvation the way of Hope the way of life eternal is through faith in Jesus Christ when you by God's grace believe on him you're both forgiven of your sins and you're clothed in his righteousness so cleansed in Blood and clothed in righteousness fit you for entrance into heaven it's not our works it's not our performance it's not our diligence it is rather what Christ accomplished in his life death and Resurrection well let us pray our Holy Father we thank you for your word we thank you for the gospel narratives and what they tell us not only about the history of what the Savior engaged in but the Theology of it and we give thanks to you that he will say l uh he said previously in this book that the son of man has come not to not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many we bless you and we praise you for the gospel of our salvation and again pray for its Proclamation throughout this Earth and we ask in jesus' name amen we can turn with me again before the preaching to Psalm 146 Psalm 146 will stand as we sing together praise I will praise all my I will sing I have I will sing to prise for all their will come to nothing when they in the US to be his bless the the glor Earth and Heaven all his word forever he is sful willice for the S of those who H sais their EMP all the pr the the Lord he lives up those anguish andeas from their all the right the all and the the will forever forever prise to Hallelujah praise the [Music] well I had mentioned earlier that I've known Richard for 34 years that was a joke when I said whatever bad I have he passed on to me whatever good I have he passed on to me uh we got saved and I met him I knew this was going to come um it's hard to believe we're here it's hard to believe that we by God's grace through many trial and tribulation have gotten to the place where we had had our own conference it is a great Delight for me to have Richard here when we got converted I loved my Earthly father but he didn't do a lot to prepare me for Life uh I met Richard uh early on after being converted he took us in in terms of you know how to live the Christian Life uh I had a job where I could read and I asked him to you know put me on a reading program he took me under his wing um and and it's just been a god blessed friendship a God blessed mentorship and again I would want to share this weekend with nobody other than Richard so brother come please preach to us after the service I I'd like you to introduce me to that man you just described I'm only 5 years older than Pastor Butler I've never looked at myself as his father I know where you get those metaphors from but um just a joy to be here with the the Royal priests the the pastors you know I travel five to seven times a year normally in second London Confession circles there's nothing like this that I've seen I've seen the fruit of this you know a established associations healthy churches good relationships not only between the pastors but with the Saints members in the churches and then if you're like our association we're 30 almost 40 years old there's there's marriages there's grandchildren and pretty soon there's going to be great grand grandchildren cross-pollinated between the churches uh so somehow get the churches together and you'll have great in-laws and kids and grandkids to the church um Steven Lesley aren't here but the the first time I came it was probably 1994 or 95 I stayed with them um and it's really developed since then but to the church I want to say thank you for your support of our church plant it still feels like we're still planting 12 years in but uh your church has supported us from the beginning and except for the our Deacon having a problem cashing the check we are very thankful for that and then uh I should say something to Jim but I said it all the other night and we got all emotional and all that stuff I can say this though Jim is one of my heroes I don't know of any man in the ministry that works as hard as him I'm sure there is somebody he probably dead and he's going to die too probably in the Pulpit uh I don't want to I need to tell you that I'm not going to do that CU I am 5 years older than him and I don't want to put my neck out during the sermon who gives themselves during sermons like like Jim I mean he's you remember that time you were preaching in the evening just going he had glasses on Boom second row his glasses fly out there guess what he did did just kept going um God has blessed his labors here and you know what the pastor's labors are blessed because he has dear saints that serve and this is a culture created not just by the preaching but by the preaching going through you and then going out from you and showing your love to all the saints that conference was sweet we all wanted I want to bottle it up and and this morning I want to bottle it up and take it home and you know spread it on to my people but it's been a joy to be here and I'm going to be preaching from the Gospel of John not to correct anything Pastor Butler has preached but to support what he's already said and it will be something he he's preached in the the text Will in the last few months John chap 12 I'm I doubt doc uh Pastor Butler concentrated on like eight words I preach sermons on one word a series of sermons on two words okay I want to concentrate on the title of my sermon by the way is very man colen space now my soul is troubled that comes in John 1227 I'll be looking at John 1227 and 28 you I'll set it in context and all that again to support I am sure what was proclaimed from this Pulpit a few months ago on this text not to divert from it not to try to undercut U Pastor Butler but I listened to most of the lectures on of Christ the mediator um Pastor Butler gave some of those and then the Aging cam Porter gave the others and those those were wonderful I mean I'm going these are really good like these people are spoiled really good stuff not a typical Sunday School uh stuff and and so I'm sure that in light of that I'm going to say nothing new but what I want to concentrate on is the fact that you know our confession of faith says very God on the one hand very man the the person of the son um who was God and is God assumes a human nature so there's yet one Christ but two Natures United in the one person the godhood the manhood here we have a glimpse of the manhood now my soul is troubled whatever that is it doesn't sound like divinity does this so since he is very man this must refer to his Humanity the son according to his human nature while on the Earth was troubled at first out sounds odd especially in singing some of the Psalms we sing about not only the sufferings but the glory of the mediator and his victory over sin and death and resurrection and Ascension his current session and the gospel going out to the Nations but when he was in a state of humiliation that's between the womb and the tomb he said things like this now my soul is troubled I want to set this at least briefly in a the context there notice up in verses 20 and 21 G Greeks want to see Jesus I know what commentaries your pastor reads I'm sure he said made connections between Greeks and Son of Man by the way Jim did you Greeks are present and Jesus is using the title son of man again which he did quite often more than anybody else and if you trace it back probably most likely which means it is the son of man in Daniel 7 I saw one he had this vision of the future one like a son of man ascending up to the Ancient of Days and Glory was given to him and power and a kingdom and servants nations would serve him so it's talking about that I I think there's no uh accident that Greeks are here because something's going on that's going to not only be to the Jew but to the Greeks as well so now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast then they came to Phillip who was from Betha of Galilee and asked him saying sir we wish to see Jesus I can hear Pastor Butler going off on that statement right there but I won't say anything now Watch What Happens Philip tells Andrew and they tell Jesus Philip came and told Andrew and in turn Andrew and philli told Jesus then our Lord responds verses 23 and 24 but Jesus answered them saying now it's it's almost like he's obliv not oblivious but he just kind of files it away okay Greeks are here I got something else more important than really engaging with these Greeks but I I think this is connected to it but Jesus answered them saying the hour has come and here's the connection that the son of man he whom Daniel foresaw in the future is now here on the earth that the son of man should be glorified most assuredly I say to you now this is odd unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies it remains alone but if it dies it produces much fruit what do you think he's talking about Jesus death burial resurrection and the bearing of Fruit by virtue of his sufferings and Glory by virtue of his death burial and Resurrection he's going to come out of the ground and other things are ultimately going to come out of the ground and being his fruit us at the resurrection Harvest at the end then Jesus says three perplexing words in verses 25 and uh these perplexing words in verses 25 and 26 he who loves his life will lose it and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life if anyone serves me let him follow me and where I am there my servant will be also if anyone serves me him my father will honor now basically what I think he's doing there is he's calling True Believers to live for him and not themselves to give up living for Creature Comforts only and to serve him and not ourselves and then comes these strange words that I want to focus on now my soul is troubled and what shall I say father save me from this hour but for this purpose I came to this hour father glorify your name so those are the words I want to focus on verse 27 and the first part of verse 28 and I'm going to make some contextual observations before I share my outline with you by the way my outline is 0.1 2 3 and then 0 4 I have a PhD 27A 27b 27 C 28a if you want to follow along but we got to put this in a let me just kind of contextualize what's going on here so our Lord just said the hour has come readers of John know he said my hour has not come but now he says my hour has come at least you know he's in the 11th Hour he's in the last hour of his ministry on the earth the Apex of his uh incarnate work is right before him sufferings and then burial and resurrection and Ascension the time for his sufferings unto death and the time for his resurrection is soon to come about and our Lord knew it it's not that he's ignorant of it he knew it he read the Old Testament he knew his identity and vocation who he was and what he was to do at least according to his human nature partially due to the data contained in the Old Testament the son of man will be glorified he knew this because he knew Daniel 7 and other portions of the Old Testament he will bear fruit due to his death and Resurrection he knew this he will have some who serve him he knew that and he just called them to live a life of self-sacrificial service promising that those who serve him will be with him and honored by his father now now listen to this commentary from the 19th century he had just now warned them against loving inordinately life ease and convenience and had exhorted them to disregard it for his sake and now he gives expression to his own self-sacrifice and shows how entirely he yields up his own life for men so on the one hand quit living for yourself live for me my father will honor you on the other hand watch me do the very thing I'm calling you to do give myself up for others but a perplexing thing happens you don't have the like Victor ious chant from our Lord right now you got to now my soul is troubled I mean if we're there watching knowing what we know uh actually not knowing all that we know we might go what you just told your people to live a self-sacrificial life and now you're wimping out right before the best part of your ministry on the earth now your soul is troubled this is potentially troubling right he's the rock and Foundation of our Salvation I got this thought from August and I'm supposed to may lay my head on him and he's trembling right before the greatest work the Apex of his work in one sense so far the ass Assumption of our debts so it just seems like a Twist in the story that we got to untangle it so here are my four points one verse 27A we are told of the inner state of our Lord's human soul very man remember I think this is a display of manhood by the way our confession very God very man do you think they made those terms up no where did they get them probably from Creeds earlier where' the Creeds get them Bible does the bible teach Jesus is very God yes where in a lot of places so when you have two words very God it's summarizing massive swads of of scriptural teaching right that's what confessions and Creeds do if they're any good same with very man does the bible teach the very manhood of the Lord Jesus Christ where all over the place and in our case verse 27A now my soul is troubled so our Lord gives us through the writing of John a glimpse into his soul it's troubled at first sight this is troubling or I want to make it troubling in your mind it's troubled haven't you read the Old Testament you're going to suffer and then enter into Glory matter of fact you taught us you can reduce the Old Testament to a two-fold mo Motif sufferings and Glory Glory Glory is before you glory is awaiting you you're going to you're going to earn a status of existence for human nature and bestow it upon us that's better than created status and certainly better than the Fallen status and you're right on the edge of doing that and you're troubled this is troubling at least I'm trying to make it troubling in your mind the hour has come and he's troubled at the other times the hour has not come my hour has not come you know he he he he left them he went out the back door to not to die prematurely now he knows the hour has come this Apex of his sufferings which is going to affect effect change altar all of his sheep throughout all the ages least it it's the basis for it and he's troubled here's Augustine now is my soul troubled what does it mean you like it when he does that pray tell what does it mean how bidest thou my soul follow thee if I behold thee thine own troubled remember don't live for yourself 23 and 24 or whatever the verses are and then his Soul's troubled Augustine's going this doesn't you're telling me to live in a way that you're not going to live your soul troubled what is the kind of foundation I can seek if the rock is giving way in other words you just called your people to radical self-sacrifice and now facing self sacrifice your soul is troubled your soul is trembling your soul is agitated that is human soul was troubled is clear the text says it but I have a question why is it troubled you know we got to dig in a little deeper here instead of just saying he was troubled I'm not going to ask some questions we're going to do some contemplation we're going to do theology what a novel idea why is his soul troubled it must be due to the contemplation of what he was about to suffer right he's contemplating something in the really near future uh and it's and it's and it's affecting him according to his human nature he's contemplating circumstances uh outside of himself that when they come he knows are going to be a big Challenge and it's agitating his soul at the moment now is our Lord simply scared to die have you ever thought of that he's just scared to die now if that's the case he seems to be showing less courage than some who would suffer Marty him for his cause in the future we've read the stories you're reading that book I forgot what it's called but you've read the stories of saints dying under horrible circumstances singing hymns so now it looks like if Jesus is just afraid of dying that he doesn't even have the courage that his people have so I don't think that's the answer many of us have read about those stories and concluded God came to their aid in the hour of their greatest need and gave them Grace To Die well we don't want to conclude God did not come to the aid of the Son of God incarnate and Heaven did not help him die well he died terribly with sin in his heart he trembled at the cross and the Wrath to come and he didn't do well with this this was actually a device of the devil that tempted him to be derailed and he derailed the Son of God we're not going that way right this can't be sin so it and then if we back up a little and say he became man for us and for our Salvation can we ask the question is this trembling whatever it is and for whatever reason it is is it somehow for us and for our Salvation that is is Jesus not doing something here that benefits us and doing something else that benefits us you know what I'm going to say yes and I'll try to show you that in a moment it was not a shrinking from Mere bodily sufferings quoting somebody for he had exhorted his disciples to boldness and endurance in the face of every torture so it can't be that he's violating the mandates he gave his own people in the verses right before it can't be that be courageous but I'm not going to be courageous so if that's true you can have that kind of a Jesus that that's not our that's not our savior here's another question why is his soul troubled if not for his soon if why is his soul troubled if not for his sooncoming bodily sufferings so I'm saying it looks to me like his soul is troubled whatever that means in light of bodily sufferings now one man says it was an inward overcoming sense of the Divine wrath which he had to endure as a substitute for Sinners see what he just did he says it's not merely the bodily sufferings he realized there was an anguish of soul that was coming upon him that was and the deepest stroke that pierced him was the stroke that Justice gave and I think it might be capitalized Divine Justice you know executed upon the Son of God on the cross that's the contemplation that's the agony he well knew Isaiah 536 for example the lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all and Isaiah 53:10 yet it pleased the Lord to crush him he was he has put him to grief when you made his soul an offering for sin he has put him to grief that's Isaiah 53 servant Oracle uh fulfilled in our lord Jesus surely he knew Isaiah 53 surely he knew that grief that sense of soul that something's wrong with circumstances in my life something's averse to my uh security and Tranquility I think this is what troubled him um matter of fact I think I already quoted this uh stricken smitten and Afflicted many hands were W raised to wound him none would interpose to save but the deepest stroke that pierced him was the stroke that Justice gave it is capitalized by the way so our Lord was at this moment contemplating the stroke that Justice would give him he was contemplating becoming a curse for the cursed he was musing upon his damnation exhausting death and this is what troubled his Soul right so far so good all right here's another question since his soul was troubled did he sin because I can see myself in a similar situation where I know death's going to come upon me and my trouble my soul's going to be troubled but you know what I would do with that infliction upon me with that troubled soul I would probably sin a lot you know not a little is that how you do it sin a lot lot like a lot a lot like we sin way more than we realize we're way worse than we realize and God is way way better than we'll ever know so did he sin we know the answer theologically no but let's work through this is it a sin to contemplate a horrible future event and be agitated by it be troubled by it some of you ladies have been pregnant the first time it's you never been there second time you're going oh my so do you ever get agitated before you give birth contemplating you know four six months of sweating more twice as much as you usually sweat and you you probably do you know I'm already agitated about a doctor's appointment I have to go to in in June but in light of this last week and staying up too late and eating way too much I think I'm going to call and say move it to August so I can lose wait we we foresee events coming upon us and we don't always do well with them right it is natural to human nature to be affected by such thoughts it's not an unnatural thing you know our Lord assumed very manhood this side of the fall into sin with all the infirmities of living in a sinful world yet without sin right so we know he can't be sinning listen to sirel of Alexandria he said this long ago probably never heard of him he probably quotes him every week right in the John series uh the Lord is troubled by what he thinks and anticipates he is not yet on the cross but he experiences mental anguish ahead of time as he looks ahead to what is going to happen and and endures by his rational faculty the thought of future events yeah but we're asking the question is it a sin for our Lord according to his human nature to be troubled about the impending curse he's going to become for the cursed uh did true or false did our Lord hunger true uh yes excuse me true or false our Lord hungered true true or false therefore our Lord sinned false did he weep true did he sin no did he thirst yes did he sin no was he sorrowful of Soul yes did he sin no but we're still trying to figure out what is all this stuff he he did all that other stuff and didn't sin here our Lord's Soul was troubled but did not sin just think if he sinned give me another savior I need a third Adam right the last Adam failed so give me another Adam because we don't need a new an Adam that sins we need somebody who does not sin why do we need why do we need somebody representing us who does not sin because we need somebody to obey the law as a covenant of works for us personally perpetually and perfectly on our behalf do you think maybe Jesus is actually obeying the law of God here he's not sinning and he's procuring through his obedience a righteous standing in relation to it that he's going to confer on others if he is that's pretty good news because I've found myself in sit situations where I'm foreseeing an event that's I know it's coming my way unless Divine Providence points it in a different direction and I don't do well with it I don't pray like I should and even when I pray I I don't pray and then I don't and then I pray and pray don't pray like I should and then I have to confess my sins of praying with a distracted heart about this event that's coming upon me and then I should probably read the Bible more and call a brother or sister and say hey I got this thing that's coming could you help me could you you bear a burden I don't do that either I if you haven't figured it out we're a lot alike we we sin with events in our lives that overcome us and we transgress the law of God so here's what I'm saying tempted in all points as we are we can there's solidarity with our Lord there but there's not solidar solidarity with the next statement yet without sin we need a yet without sin last Adam and that's what I believe we have here in our Lord now the preachers are going he just got off the notes he has no idea where he is yes okay he hungered he thirsted all those without sin here he's anguished of Soul without sin here's Matthew P Christ was capable of no sinful trouble he was capable of and experienced a troubled soul but he was CA not capable of sinful trouble sinful agitation sinful concern our troubles are upon Reflections for our own sin and the wrath of God doe to us our troubles are because we have personally sinned against God his was because those give to him had sinned had sinned against God our troubles have mixtures of Despair distrust sinful Horrors the there was no such thing in his trouble his trouble was in the very nature of it not pure and clean have you ever read these words the the next two words are wonderful not only pure and clean but also Sanita and healing what in the world is pool mean by that okay his Sorrows we have them ours are fraught with distrust and you know sometimes atheistic thoughts we don't do well with trials his were pure and holy but not only were they pure and holy because he's a spotless lamb but they're also Sanita and healing what does that mean uh you you've heard it your pastor and C has said it what is not assumed is not healed I think that's what Mr P's getting at but I'm ring on my own parade so let's keep going surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows a Man of Sorrows acquainted with grief here's Isaiah 53 terminating on our Lord right here second point I'll go faster on the other ones 27b we have a question and its answer in the form of a question and what shall I say father save me from this hour forgive me I didn't read it right the first time it should be read that way right like should I say this and you know if I read it this way and what should I say father save me from this hour or better read this way and what shall I say father save me from this hour so he's saying no I shouldn't say that so here's a actually a glimmer of hope for us he's troubled and yet this comes out of my mouth his mouth what shall I say save me from this hour of course not ah he doesn't get derailed you think there is a tempt temptation to be derailed from his Messianic Mission here I think so though our Lord was troubled acquainted with grief he was not derailed he composed his troubled Grieving Soul at this Crucible of I think Temptation he conquered the temptation to be derailed from the will of God God that the thought of the horror of his impending wrath bearing death presented to him we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin it is as if our Lord were saying shall I request of my father to help me abandon my mission he checks his soul quickly yet without sinning I think that's what's happening there have you ever checked your soul and yet kept on sinning yeah you know an impending Dark Cloud that you knows coming your way or a difficulty in life's coming your way we don't always handle those situations rightly we're tempted to really s it up and sometimes we give into those Temptations and we violate the law of God and therefore our guilty we incur is is guilt uh guilt which is by the way the just liability unto punishment God owes us punishment for all of our trans transgressions but not only that when we get in those situations and don't handle it well in sin like like those terrible moments when somebody pulls in front of you on a freeway and you know that 85-year-old woman was waiting on the sidelines when you came out if she did it perfectly personally against you on purpose and you honk the horn and maybe do other gestures and things like that and say foul things and she's 85 she didn't didn't see you we don't handle some situations very well right lot of pressure there an 85y old woman pulling in front of you don't you know who I am it's a silly illustration but that the shoe fits where it and it probably does for some of us especially people in the front row so I don't I don't I think this is a we learned from the Lord Jesus I told him he was going to get him he's on the front row um by the way I reserve the right to get any ow so don't laugh I could come after you this is very this is this is our Lord being holy not simply because he's the Incarnate Son of God he's being holy in accordance with the law of God this side of the fall end of sin he's being attacked by the Devil he's having Temptations come his way and he stands against them and obey and and and procures righteousness for us he became man for us and for our Salvation third point in 27 C we have a rebuttal of the question and its answer but for this purpose I came to this hour okay so he's going I'm not going to do that ask the father to help me you know get derailed off my mission the Holy One here is committed to his holy mission after all so see what just happen he could be troubled and not sin and still fulfill his mission I came to this hour for the very purpose of suffering for my sheep I came to this hour for the very purpose to suffer in their place to stand condemned for them to Bear their their guilt and on the way I need to take their duties and live according to the Divine Law for them as well my sheep must and will be set free from their guilt I've appeared to destroy the works of the devil and that is what I will do I think this is a this is a this is a triumphant statement by our Lord I'm not going to ask that for this very purpose is the Incarnation to go suffer for them and to earn U eternal life for them and the last point of the sermon is uh it's 1228 it's 28 1228a we have a prayer request father glorify your name this is like uh this is good news actually have you ever prayed and then afterwards realize n that was selfish that my prayer was tainted with sin Micah does all the time he's the first one that responded to that of course we've done that right do you think Jesus prayed sometimes and afterwards going Peter comes up to him Lord that was tainted with sin and Jesus says oh yeah you're right yet without sin even the prayer is Holy by the way did you think the Lord according as a human nature prayed merely because he was a man or because he was a man on on a mission for us and for our Salvation And as he passed through all the phases of Human Experience he is being righteous according to the law because we've passed through all the phases of human experience and we were unrighteous in all of them including our prayer life is his prayer life righteousness for us the answer is yes we need his righteousness to cover our prayer lives you guys are pretty pathetic if you if that's the way you are we're all pretty we're more pathetic than we'll ever realize and God is way better so here we have these words father glorify your name in other words use me to make thy name glorious over all the Earth Psalms you know make much of your name through me Daniel saw in a prophetic Vision the future service of the son of man I am that son of man that which was future to Daniel is present in me I am here to gain a kingdom with people of all Nations to serve me glorify your name I'm going to die I'm going to be buried I'm going to be raised from the dead and because of that death burial Resurrection motive and the power of the work of Christ it's going to affect others others will someday come out of the ground and be my fruit but in the meantime I'm going to rule and Reign and I have a people of not only Jews but also those Greeks that were present there and I if I be lifted up from the earth will draw Jews and Gentiles from all over the time periods of the world to myself and all over the geographic areas of the world okay so now we have the the Puritans would say now time for uses or application I abominate the word application so I use the word contemplation now we're going to I did the act of Jesus now we're going to now we're going to do theology okay that wasn't theology that was just act of Jesus now we're going to contemplate we're going to think about this very man is what I want to kind of extract from this text so first of all by the way sometimes people go that sermons those the pastor doesn't preach practical sermons a lot of times what they mean is he doesn't tell me what to do every Sunday like buy Fords instead of Chevys or whatever in other words I don't have a guru who mingles into my personal affairs and crosses the line of Christian Liberty and some people like that Pastor B is not that way I know so one of the ways I steer away from that you know you want to have a good marriage take your wife out once a week buy her flowers twice a month and all that stuff where's that in the Bible I can give that Counsel on the phone Mormons can give that counsel too right it's not like distinctly Christian so let's do a distinctly Christian thing and think so as to worship contemplate Muse throw the things we've learned so far around and try to put them in a little different order to draw something from us that doesn't necessarily make you want to go out and do stuff this way it what makes you want to do stuff this way by the way the more we do stuff this way we get the vertical the more the love of Neighbor comes out of us so the first contemplation is we have here a clear indication of the true or or real Humanity of Our Lord now my soul is troubled Nob brainer as man our Lord had a soul an immaterial part of his Humanity he was Body and Soul he was very man our confession in 82 says two whole perfect and distinct Natures were inseparably joined together in one person without conversion composition or confusion which person is very God and very man yet one Christ the only Med mediator Ator between excuse me God and man then in 87 our confession said says Christ in the work of mediation acteth according to both Natures by each nature doing that which is proper to itself it is proper for the son according to his human nature the soul to be troubled while contemplating what our Lord contemplating it is not proper for the son according to his divine nature to pray for instance is that right cam yeah that's right prayer is a creaturely thing prayer is not God but the son is God according to his divine nature so this praying here must be according to his human nature our Lord was very man that's my first contemplation second we have here a clear indication that our Lord experienced true and real trouble or grief how do we know it's in Red Letters he said it now my soul is troubled this agitation of Soul experienced by our Lord was real okay it it existed you experienced that by the way does the Lord Jesus according to his divine nature experience things that all alter his Divine mind no does the Lord Jesus did the Lord Jesus during the state of humiliation experience things that altered him according to his human nature yes this agitation of Soul experienced by our Lord was real mention has been made already of Isaiah 533 a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief very man are are confession says the Son of God did when the fullness of time was come take unto him man's nature with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof yet without sin so he took to himself creaturely liabilities this side of the fall into sin yet without sin and then third and finally it's always good to preach shorter sermons than longer ones on the road in case they're bad you know having said that it'll probably take me a half hour to land the plane let's think of this we have here a clear indication that our Lord handled true and real trouble or grief yet without sin very man really grieved and he didn't sin with it I already quoted I think Hebrews 4:15 we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin he was a acquainted with grief yet without sin here's sirel the word of God United to himself the entire nature of man in order to save the whole of man for what is not assumed is not healed that's probably been quoted here dozens of signs for us and for our Salvation our Lord assumes body and soul in terms of his soul he experienced trouble of G and or grief in terms of his body he experienced death here serel again just as death was destroyed in no other way than the Savior dying so it is with each of the passions of the flesh if he had not been troubled our nature would not have been Freed From Fear see what he's saying he's saying look he's got to go through all this stuff that we messed up in and not mess up by the way have you ever thought about this you got a first Adam and a last Adam our confession says Adam and Eve were made perfect it's an Old English word meaning mature or adults the last Adam begins his life on the earth not as a mature adult me he starts his ministry as a mature adult but he comes in a womb why does the last why didn't the last Adam in correspondence with the first Adam in the typology there start as an adult why didn't he just pop out on the earth as a 30-y old man or however old he was by the way we're going to be 30 in the Eternal State Body and Soul just so you know it's good news for some of us Theory how perfect or mature was Adam probably around you know Puritans would say 30 years and two months and 6 hours and but have you ever thought why does the Son of God need to become incarnate in a womb couldn't he just a appeared incarnate adult here's what I think it's I'm not the only one who thinks this sir's getting at this and some of you have heard of a man named irus or irus he has this theory of the it's called recapitulation uh heading up again doing things the last Adam recapitulates not only the first Adam's uh steps and doesn't sin but all the other adamites that he came to save who started in the womb where did we start sinning where do we need a representative to not sin for us in the to not sin for us the first place in in a mother in a mother's womb right that's why I think the Lord Jesus the last Adam comes as in the womb first because where did we when did we start lying we came out of the womb lying you know is at Psalm 5355 Psalm someplace in sin my mother conceived me we need we needed somebody to go through all the stages of life where we have failed and sinned and procure righteousness and under the very circumstance where we procured guilt and and just condemnation we needed Jesus to experience all the various stages of life cuz cuz some of you were rotten teenagers toward your parents weren't you who are two of the sweetest kindest people I know they didn't deserve what I gave them we needed Jesus not to sin as a teenager or a pre-teen or a six-year-old or a 2-year-old I'm looking at somebody behind you or a 5-year-old or a 40-year-old or a now somebody's going to saywell what about a 90-year-old I don't I haven't worked all that stuff out yet but I do know this he recapitulates The Human Experience in order to sanctify to heal what were those two words um stive and healing stive and healing wow those are good words I like them so just as death was destroyed in no other way than the Savior dying so it is with each of the passions of the flesh if he had not been troubled our nature would not have been Freed From Fear if he had not grieve there could never have been any deliverance from grief because our grief is always sinful he had holy grief therefore he can Deliver us from our grief if he had not been troubled and alarmed Med there would have been no escape from these conditions for every Human Experience you will find the same corresponding experience in Christ the passions of the flesh are stirred up however not to overcome him as they do us but so that once they are stirred up they may be destroyed Transforming Our nature to a better condition somebody help me amen if that doesn't happen there's massive gaps in our doctrine of salvation we don't need a savior that just deals with our guilt and suffers punishment for us we need a savior that deals with our lack of positive righteousness in all the various experiences of Life the categories of Life starting from the womb going all the way to death my God my God why hast Thou forsaken me is that a complaint a sinful complaint whatever it is it's not that he never sinned we need to we need him to go through everything we go through and not mess it up not violate the law of God not incur guilt the just liability to punishment we need somebody born of a woman who assume somebody who assumes our nature born under the law who assumes our duties in order that he might redeem us from the the law who assumes our liabilities that's what we need and you know what we have that he assumed our nature so that he can assume our duties and so he could assume our liabilities so that he could bring us safely into the presence of God he's going to bring many sons to Glory Hebrews 2:10 Against All Odds Against All Enemies and you know what and against all our resistance you know where Paul says nothing can separate us from the love of God you read that list of things that can't separate us from the love of God and you say Well it yeah but it didn't say me in there and I know me I'm I'm a idiot sometimes I can separate myself s from the love of God or any other created thing are you a created thing some people might deny whether you are but we're all created things we can't separate us from the love of God he's got a Plan of Redemption and he's got enemies and he destroys them along the way now judgment is of this world now the ruler of this world shall be cast out and I if I be ra uh lifted up from the earth I will draw all men to myself he said this signifying by what death he would die so this is sirel I think it's wonderful Stuff This Is Why We Sing hymns like this Jesus thy blood and righteousness you see what the him writer did blood shed for the remission of all our the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from most of our sins you didn't come here to hear that all of our sins blood and righteousness there's a there's connection there because his his obedience was unto death so his death itself is obedience to the law and justice of God but his life unto that point is also righteousness he was a law abider and he did all this for us and for our Salvation my beauty are my glorious dress both blood and righteousness midst flaming worlds and these array with joy shall I lift up my head bold shall I stand in thy great day for who ought to my charge shall lay fully absolved through these I am from sin and fear from guilt andame shame you see that that's a good line there Judgment Day what are we going to do well Jesus took care of most of it but boy I did some good things for Jesus add those onto the pile of what constitutes the earning of eternal life please is that the butler move no don't do that we're not neonian baans yeah amen there when from the dust of death I Rise to claim my mansion in the sky eyes even then shall be all my plea this shall be all my plea Jesus hath lived hath died for me righteousness and blood in different words there so here's what I'm saying he's living for us by contemplating the death and sufferings not just of body this Divine wrath coming his ways contemplating that and he's experiencing natural human tendency grief agitation and right when you might think he's going to give up he basically says I'm going all the way father glorify your name I came for this purpose right when we just give in give up have hard thoughts against heaven Heaven and Earth at that Crucible our Lord obeys for us when from the dust of death I Rise to claim my man I already read that one Jesus be endless praise to thee whose boundless Mercy hath for me for me a full atonement made and everlasting Ransom paid oh let the dead now hear thy voice now bid thy vanished one vanished ones Rejoice their beauty this their glorious dress Jesus thy blood and and righteousness wonderful lyrics hopefully my sermon has supported I think it has the ministry here you're a blessed congregation be very thankful for Pastor Jim Gil it's easy to preach here and I know why he he cultivates you every week and that's a good thing and don't ever lose sight of that when you have a good church do you have a good church just die here let him bury you and then you can bury him it's it's hard it's to to build a church up and to maintain it and when you have it prize it okay let's pray thank you Lord for your word not only but certainly inclusive of the written word of God but the written word of God we have to reveal to us the Incarnate Word of God the Son of God the the second person of the Trinity who assumes our nature to repair it and bring it to Glory this is uh the Divine Plan of Redemption this is rooted in the decree of God this is for us and for our Salvation this shows your over abounding goodness toward not just creatures but sinful creatures like us we we are Grace has been lavished Upon Us heaped Upon Us in the beloved one your goodness is infinite there's no bottom to that bucket we just get and get receive and receive and receive thank you for your goodness toward us in the Incarnate one thank you that he's both very God and very man thank you that he didn't linch he didn't sin under excruciating temptation to do so thank you that he destroyed the devil in more than one way he conquered him he was not just an example he was our hero he was the Victor and we ask your blessings on this sermon preached in Jesus name amen amen we'll close our service this morning you can turn in your hym books to 352 352 we'll sing the first the thir third and the fifth stanzas 13 and 5 352 will stand [Music] together for the son of who to hallel what a and heless SP was full [Music] Hallelujah he our glorious K all hisome to sing hallelu the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all amen thank you Father for this time to gather for worship thank you for the proclamation of your truth may you encourage encourage our hearts as we see the the very Humanity of our blessed savior on the pages of Holy Scripture as well constantly refresh and remind us of his glorious Divinity and that we will one day see him where he is and we praise you for that go with us now and cause your face to shine upon each one here and we pray through Christ Our Lord amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation e