Seeking the Lord's help and your
very prayerful attention for a little while this afternoon,
I would draw your attention to the sacred words found in Mark
chapter 14. And we will read for our text
verses 32 to 34. Saint Mark chapter 14 and reading
verses 32 to 34. And they came to a place which
was named Gethsemane. And he saith to his disciples,
Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter,
and James, and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be
very heavy. and saith unto them, My soul
is exceeding sorrowful unto death, tarry ye here and watch. We are standing on very sacred
ground this afternoon and I feel completely out of my depth as
I seek to venture to speak for a few moments this afternoon
on this very precious words. Gethsemane. Gethsemane was at
the Mount of Olivet. That place where King David,
we read of him in the second book of Samuel chapter 15 and
verse 30. And David went up by the ascent
of Mount Olivet and wept. as he went up and had his head
covered. And he went barefoot, and all
the people that was with him covered every man his head. And they went up, weeping as
they went up. His own son Absalom had conspired
against him, He was weeping, dear David, was weeping, I believe,
because of his sin. He knew that he had sinned grievously. And because he had sinned so
grievously that he was told by faithful Nathan, the sword shall
never depart from thy house. And so he goes up the ascent
of Mount Olivet and he wept as he went up. And we see in him
a type of Christ. But where that differs is that
King David, that he was weeping on account of his own sins. He felt very much the wretchedness
of his own wicked heart. And this our Jesus, a precious
Jesus, He is found weeping. He is found, as our text says,
to be sore amazed. to be sore amazed and very heavy,
to be exceeding sorrowful unto death. And this dear man, the
man Christ Jesus, he wept, he was exceedingly sorrowful, he was heavy, he was very heavy,
he was sore amazed because he had in front of him, coming before
him, coming before him, as a great, great mountain, he had coming
before him the sins the sins of the whole of the election
of grace and he knew that what was before him was that he the
spotless holy harmless lamb of god even god himself in the person
of his own dear son was to be made sin He was to be made sin,
and because God is a just God, He's a holy just God, that he
cannot look upon even one sin lightly that every sin ever committed
from Adam's day down to this and until Jesus comes every sin
must be punished must be punished must bear the victim of that
sin that one who has sinned each sinner each sinner that their
sins must be punished and they must either be punished in an
eternity in hell or to be atoned for by his own dear son and his
own dear son that he will have the sword of justice plunged
into him by a thrice holy God, God the Father, inflicting His
wrath upon His own dear Son, that He will make a complete
atonement for the sins of everyone who were chosen in eternity past,
their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and they and they
only will be safely landed at last in heaven to see that beauty
that we sang of in our opening hymn that the bride eyes not
her garment but her Dear Bridegroom's face, I will not gaze at glory,
but on my King of Grace. Not on the crown he giveth, but
on his pierced hand. The Lamb is all the glory of
Emmanuel's land. doesn't that put it into perspective
friends that which we're called to walk on to walk in in this
waste howling wilderness here below that is only for a season
isn't it it's just for a little while to be blessed or to be
favored to meditate to meditate upon this glorious man the substitute
of the sinners the God man the God man made willing made willing
to suffer, bleed and die, and he has this mountain, as I have
said, in front of him, as he says to Peter, James and John,
that he says, Sit ye here, while I shall pray, and he taketh with
him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed. So amazed as this agony, this
agony that he was to endure. He would often say, wouldn't
he, my hour is not yet come, but his hour has now come. His hour has now come. You remember that shortly after
he was baptized, that the enemy of souls, Satan, that he came,
didn't he? And he tempted him. He took him
into the mountain, didn't he? Into the wilderness. And he was
tempted for 40 days. And we read of the awful insinuations
that Satan made to him and the temptations that he made. And then we see in the 12th verse
of that Luke chapter 4 and Jesus answering said unto him, It is
said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil
had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. friends and that season that
season is now ended and he's here in another garden as as
Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden and now he's here three
years after he had tempted Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days
he left him for a season and now about three years later that
he's here in the garden of Gethsemane and he is assaulting He is assaulting
Jesus. I do believe, friends, that he
was determined. He was determined that Jesus
would not lay down his life for sinners. He was determined that
there would be another way. And as we think of Jesus that
Psalm 22 speaks so feelingly doesn't it about the sorrows
in his heart and a broken heart. But friends, that he died. He died. Well, he gave his life
a ransom, didn't he? The enemy of souls wanted him
to die a completely different way. He wanted him to die so
that it was impossible for him to finish that work that he had
been sent to do. And he would do anything he could. He would do anything he could
to assault him. And Jesus has that cup, that
cup to drink off, to drink off before he must take that cup
of suffering, that cup that is full of trembling, that is full
of the sins of all of his people, that he must be in agony, in
agony on the cross as he, as the wrath of God is poured upon
him and he drinks of that cup right to the very dregs so that
not one sin remains unforgiven. He has made an atonement for
every sin and the enemy is determined as he assaults him in the garden
of Gethsemane, that he will die some other way, that it will
be impossible for him to make an atonement for sin and friends. And so it is with the people
of God that he ever is seeking that we shall make shipwreck. He's ever seeking that we shall
become a disgrace. He's ever seeking that we shall
fall from the covenant of grace. And he knows that he's a defeated
foe, but he's still a mighty foe. And so, as you and I are
led from time to time into paths of deep grief, of deep suffering,
and sometimes it seems as though we've never believed, doesn't
it? Sometimes He tempts us that everything, that everything that
we've ever claimed, that we believe, that we've ever been blessed
with, with tokens of forgiving love and blood, that he's all
a sham and he would have us, wouldn't he, as he took Jesus
in the wilderness and sought to tempt him to do all sorts
of dreadful things. So, dear friends, it's nothing
to him to tempt and to assault his dear people. and what a privilege
to then be favoured to understand that we're walking a little in
the sufferings of Christ. And so we read that he saith
to his disciples, sit ye here while I shall pray and he taketh
with him Peter and James and John. and began to be sore amazed
he was astonished he was astonished at the sight at the sight of
all of those sins of all of the sins that were coming upon him
oh the black storm of wrath that was gathering that was gathering
over him The sword of justice, the sword
of justice brandished against him. He began to be very heavy. He began to be sore amazed and
to be very heavy. The prospect, the prospect of
what He must endure as the substitute for sinners. That's it dear friends. Do you bless God that He is your
substitute? Have you been brought to plead
that He will prove to be your substitute, to show you that
He has atoned for your sins? Surely he hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows, Yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. the chastisement of our peace
was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed, stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted. And it's with His stripes that
we poor, wretched, hell-deserving sinners, that we are healed. That we are healed. We're forgiven.
We're forgiven. Atonement. Atonement has been
made. That forgiveness. that that it's
a finished work it's a finished work the st. John he refers he refers to to
these things of Jesus that he says of him
that he he sweat he sweat as it were great drops of blood
it's Saint Luke chapter 22 and verse 44 as he prays if they'll
be willing remove this cup from me and being in an agony in an
agony I often think when meditating upon that of a conversation,
a telephone conversation that I had with Brother Andy Woodhams
many years ago now and he phoned me, he was on his way home from
work and I said, how are you? i've been in agony all day no
no he said i mustn't say that there's only one there's only
one that's ever been in agony and that's our jesus on agony
Being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat
was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the
ground. Friends, I believe the sword
of justice, the sword of justice was inflicted upon him, upon
him as he, as he prayed the more earnestly. We have Zechariah
prophesying of him in chapter 13 and verse 7. Awake, O sword,
against my shepherd. and against the man that is my
fellow, saith the Lord of hosts, smite the shepherd, and the sheep
shall be scattered, and I will turn mine hand upon the little
ones. Friend, this is him, my fellow. Isn't that sweet? Doesn't that break your heart
with love? that a holy god refers to his
own dear darling son whom he is going to inflict the sword
upon that he will kill him and he refers to him as my fellow
my fellow a Waco sword against the shepherd
and against the man that is my fellow saith the lord of hosts
smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered and I will
turn mine hand upon the little ones. Satan was assaulting him
in the garden, but there was not one hand whilst he was in
the garden until they came to get him. There was not one hand
that was raised against him. but he was suffering he was suffering
at the hands of God and I do believe dear friends that where
we have that that being in an agony he sweat great drops of
blood I believe that that was at the point where the 13th chapter
of Zechariah begins in that day there shall be a fountain opened
to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
for sin and for uncleanness. Oh, what love. What love that
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. He gave him. He gave him a ransom
for sinners. He gave Him as a substitute for
sinners. He gave Him to redeem, to be
the Redeemer, the Saviour. That He would save His people
from their sins. That He would inflict His wrath
upon Him. And He should be made sin. Never ever a taint of sin. A body had been prepared for
him in the womb of Mary. Formed by the Holy Ghost. A spotless, spotless conception. A spotless birth. A spotless
life. And He goes as the spotless,
holy, harmless Lamb of God to the cross. And as He hangs upon the cross, sins, loads of sin on Him were
laid, as the hymn writer says, yea, every sin, not one sin ever
committed. By the election of grace, they
were all laid upon him. And so that a propitious God,
a propitious holy God, that he reigned, a sword was awakened
and his wrath descended upon this propitiator, this substitute,
as he hung in the sinner's room, place, and stead. and so that
Jesus had said hadn't he and we must bring our thoughts soon
to a close we have the communion service but he had said as he
as he rode into Jerusalem just a few days before he did lay
his life down for poor sinners, before he suffered, bled and
died, that he said in verse 27, Now is my soul troubled. and what shall i say father save
me from this hour but for this cause came i unto this hour father
glorify thy name then came there a voice from heaven saying I
have both glorified it and will glorify it again oh and so And
so as we think of the Psalmist, dear David again in Psalm 32,
that he had sinned so much and yet he looks to this by faith,
that he looks to redeeming love and blood. And he says in Psalm
32, blessed Blessed is he whose transgression
is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom
the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is
no guile. And so we read of this blessed
Jesus, of our Redeemer, that he comes to his disciples the
third time. And he says in verse In verse 41, in our chapter 14
Mark 14, And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep
on, and take your rest. It is enough, it is enough, the
hour is come. Behold, the Son of Man is betrayed
into the hands of sinners. Rise up, Let us go, lo, he that
betrayeth me is at hand. Friends, it is enough. I go now to finish, to finish
the work which I was sent to do. I go to finish the anger
of God against sinners. I go. I go as a substitute. I go willingly. I go for the
joy that is set before me. Oh, consider Him who endured
the cross. at despising the shame, and he
sat down at the right hand of God. It was for the joy that
was set before him. He endured the cross. despising
the shame. He was made willing. He was made
willing as he came under the condemnation of the law, that
every one from Adam's day, as we all came under the holy law
of God, that we were condemned, condemned for an eternity in
hell. But blessed be God, because he
finished that work which he was given to do, he was made sin,
that a holy, holy, holy God inflicted his sword of vengeance on him, that his dear people plead that
it's for you and I, that we shall not be killed in the same manner
and experience the second death, to be forever in an eternity
in hell. If one sin is found in us, we
shall spend an eternity in hell. But blessed be God, as Paul was
to declare in that glorious Romans chapter eight, There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Friend, if you and I, if our
sins have been atoned for on the cross at Calvary, we are no longer under the condemnation
of the Lord. We will be brought in measure
and we have been brought, some of us have been brought in measure
to be there under the condemnation of the law and to be in deep
soul trouble as we believed that we'd sinned against light and
knowledge and there was no hope for us until blessed with living
faith to view this precious Jesus suffering bleeding, dying in
our room, place and stead, so that we came from under the condemnation
of the law, that we were blessed, we were blessed, delivered from
the curse of the law. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus. who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free. Oh, we're free, released,
released from the law of sin and death. It's a finished work. He's finished. Oh, that's why
our precious Jesus, our Redeemer, our Substitute, that's why He
cried as He gave His life for a ransom. It is finished. There is therefore now no more
condemnation upon my dear people. I've taken it all. I've paid
for it all. I've suffered. The just for the
unjust. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in
the flesh. that the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh. but after the Spirit. And so he says, who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth,
who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand
of God. who also maketh intercession
for us. Blessed be God. Amen. Our closing hymn is hymn number
675 from Gadsby's Come boldly to a throne of grace,
ye wretched sinners come, and lay your load at Jesus' feet,
and plead what he has done. Hymn number 675 to the tune 129.
? Glory to the throne of grace
? ? Where righteous sinners go ? ? And may your love at Jesus'
feet be heard ? what he hath done. How can I count some soul
may say, ? My guilt and sin hath stopped
my path ? ? I sigh but dare not do ? ? Come homely to the throne of
grace ? He makes the dead to hear His
voice, He makes the blind to see. The sinner lost, He came
to save, Come, oh, how they do, the throne
of grace, O bankrupt souls who fear and
loathe the hell of sin within. Come boldly to the throne of
grace, the Lord The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God the Father, the fellowship and the sweet communion
of the Holy Spirit rest and abide with us all. Amen.