Matthew 26. Matthew chapter 26. We have entered the holy of holies in the Gospel of Matthew now,
within the veil. This morning, stories of how
the multitude came to apprehend our Lord. And they would have taken all
the disciples too. But no, He said, not going to
happen. This whole message, I hope, for
His glory and our comfort, the glory of our God, how He purposed
and ordained everything, and how He willingly laid down
His life, how God the Father spared not
His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. No one could have put a hand
on Christ if He had not willed it. They couldn't touch Him. They
tried many times, didn't they? They tried. It wasn't His hour. And people, for your comfort,
no one can touch you. Nothing and no one. can touch
you except what our Lord ordains. Then verse 54, and we're going
to keep seeing this, that everything, the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
Verse 54, how then, if this doesn't happen, how then shall the Scriptures
be fulfilled that thus it must be? that it must be, all these
things must be. Ought not Christ to have suffered
and enter into His glory? In the volume of the book it
is written of Him. Scriptures must be fulfilled that Christ
must suffer and die for His people. And Peter said of us, he said,
you greatly rejoice if though now for a season it need be. You're in heaviness through the
manifold temptations or trials. At the trial of your faith, being
much more precious than gold, it perisheth, though it be tried
with fire, if need be, he said. And it must be. If it be, it
must be, or it wouldn't be. And all this must be. Christ
must suffer according to Scripture. And He must suffer for us at
the hands of God, or we will. Verse 24 back there in this chapter
says, the Son of Man goeth as it is written of Him. Everything
is written of Him. And that's what He came to do,
to fulfill God's will. It was all written in that council
before the world began, ordered in all things insure, that covenant.
Listen to John 13. Oh, how I love this. The Lord
said, It says, the Lord Jesus, knowing His hour was come, that
He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having
loved His own which were in the world. He loved them unto the
end. Supper being ended, the devil having now put into the
heart of Judas Iscariot Simon's son to betray him, and Jesus
knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and
that He was come from God and going to go. He arose from supper. Known unto God are all His works
from the beginning of the world. And for His glory, this is all
for the praise of the glory of His wisdom, His power to fulfill
everything that's written. He said, I've spoken it, I'll
do it. I've purposed it, it'll come to pass. Heaven and earth
shall pass, but not one thing that I have said will pass. it will be fulfilled. And for
our comfort, God, who worketh all things after the counsel
of His own will, worketh all things together for our good. All things. All things. We've seen before that the disciples
at this time thought if you would have told, and the Lord did tell
them what He was what was going to happen. He kept telling them
what was going to happen. And they wanted to avoid it,
didn't they? They didn't want to talk about it. It was the
worst thing that could possibly happen, the Lord being killed.
And they didn't want to talk about it. And the Lord tells
us. He tells us in His Word what
to expect. Oh yes, not the exact particular,
but He tells us, in this world you shall have tribulation. It's
coming. Doesn't he say that? Expect it
when it happens. Don't marvel, he said, if the
world hates you. Peter throughout his books, you must suffer for
his name sake. Don't marvel if it happens. When
it comes, remember, I told you. And in your peace, possess your
souls, he said. Our Lord kept telling them, you
must suffer. I came to suffer for your sin. You're not going
to suffer for those. He said, be of good cheer. I've overcome the world, I've
overcome your sins, I've over..." He kept telling them. And He tells
us all things work together for good, but we worry, we fear,
don't we? We fret. Fret not, fret not, fear not. And before they came, remember
in the garden, verses 45 and 46, He said, sleep on, take your
rest. And they did and he watched over
them as they read. He gives his beloved sleep. Last
night I didn't, Mindy and I, neither one got any sleep. I
don't know what her problem was other than being 55 or 56. But
I started worrying about people and things. Worried about problems
and people. And I couldn't sleep. But there
are times when he gives us sleep, doesn't he? It gives us sleep,
rest. And this was a time they were
overcome with sorrow, but they slept. Before they slept, when they
shouldn't be sleeping, and so do we. No, when we get spiritually
sleepy and He rebukes us, we sleep when we ought not and don't
sleep when we should. We ought to be resting, go to
sleep, knowing that He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber
or sleep, but we stay awake. And then when the Gospels preach
our peace, we sleep. He says, watch with us, we sleep.
But He said, then He woke them and said, the hour has come.
Now the Son of Man is betrayed in the hands of men. Rise, let
us be going. Behold, He's in hand that doth
betray me. He told them before it happened, He's coming. He's
coming. Go face the foe. You must face
the foe. Arise. And our Lord told us that,
didn't He? I'm going to send you out into
this world." And they thought he'd left them,
didn't they? No, no. No, no. It's going to be a trial
of their faith. Peter, I prayed for you that
your faith fail not. Here came Judas, verse 47, while
he yet spake, that is exactly according to when he said it.
See, things happen when He says it. This is something I'm trying
to get across to us this morning, and I hope will get across to
me, that nothing happens except the Lord says it. Nothing. Your worst fears are not going
to happen unless He wills it. Nothing and no one. Nothing moves
and nothing harms us. Scripture said. Satan said, you've
set a hedge about Job, I can't touch him. That's exactly right.
Isn't that wonderful? But now I want to try him. Judas came. He had a name that
was a good name. Judah. Same name as Judah. That's the Old Testament name. That's where the name Jew comes
from. Jude, the writer of Jude, our Lord's brother. It's a good
name, isn't it? Judah had a name that he lived,
but he was dead. Just like the church at Sardis,
he warned them. How many bear the name of Christian? How many call themselves believers?
And it will be revealed in the end. That's when it will be revealed. And those that are not of the
world wouldn't trade Christ for nothing in this world. But those that are of this world
would trade Him for thirty pieces of silver. You know what He betrayed
our Lord for was the same price of an ox. That's how much he valued, how
little he valued the Lord. And men trade Christ for a lot
less now. And it'll be revealed someday. And our Lord said this, so it'd
be better than never been born. Better than never been born. Our Lord He was in the garden
of Gethsemane, olive press. As Scripture says in Mark or
Luke, as he was want, as he was want to do, he won't. That's an old southern word,
people use it down south, he won't. as he was wont to do. That means
used to doing. That's what he was used to doing.
It was his habit. That's where he often resorted.
That's what John's gospel said. Judas knew that's where he was
going to be because he often resorted there with his disciples.
He went in there with them. That's where he went to pray
for them. That's where he went to commune
with his God. That's where he went to commune
with his disciples. That's where he told them wonderful
things. And by the way, the Lord's sermon in John 14 through 16
is not here, but that's where he gave it. That's where he told
them on the way. That's where he spoke all those
things. And then he prayed John 17. That's where he prayed in
the garden before he went in and prayed in sweat blood. But that's where he resorted
to often to pray and commune with his disciples. And I thought
about this, Oh Lord, let that be my want. Let it be my desire,
my want to be in the garden with You always. That's what the Shulamite
maiden said, Oh blow north wind on thy garden. and cause the
spices to flow out. He whose cheeks are the bed of
spices. O come, O Holy Spirit, and cause
the precious things of Christ to flow out unto us. And He does
it in a garden, His garden. And what could the Lord do to
His vendored more than He has done? Verse 47, Judas came with
one of the twelve. and with him a great multitude
with swords and staves from the chief priests and elders of the
people." All four gospels give this same account. With the great
multitude, many, when the Lord says a multitude, that's a lot
of people, that's thousands. A great band, a great crowd,
a great multitude, the majority came against 12 men. The multitude came against these
12 men. That's the way it was. That's
the way it's always been. That's the way it is now. That's
the way it always will be. The truth has always been in
the minority. The world, John said, they are
of the world. Therefore speak they of the world,
and the world hears them. He said, We are of God, he that
is of God, heareth God's word. We are of God, and the whole
world lieth in wickedness. Didn't he say that? Truth is
in the minority, always has been, while evil, false religion, and
the vast majority of false preachers are with the multitude. Man thinks
it's the opposite. Man thinks it's the opposite.
Man thinks because everybody believes this, it must be so.
Don't they? This is what man thinks. Because
all men and women believe this and accept this way, it must
be so. How could all these people be
wrong and just a few be right? Well, that's the way it is though. Before the flood, the Lord says
He looked down upon the whole earth and said the whole earth
had corrupted His way, didn't it? The whole earth. Eight souls were found in the
ark. At Sodom, our Lord came and He
said, if I find five righteous I was spared that blame. Couldn't
find five. Psalm 19 says, the Lord looked
down from heaven to see if there were any that didn't understand.
He said, they're all together. Unprofitable, filthy, guilty.
And though many, though the multitude will gather together and agree
on any one thing, Though everybody believes one way, it's the truth
of the matter is, whatsoever the world believes, the opposite
is true. Whatever man thinks is right
is wrong. That's just so. And whoever or
whatever man highly esteems, God says, It's an abomination,
especially religion. Judas came with a multitude from
the chief priests and elders. These were the highly esteemed
men. These were the Billy Grahams. These were the popes. These were
the bishops, the reverends, the doctors, the masters of divinity. These were the men that the whole
world said, these are men of God. No, they're not. They're
of their father, the devil. And they're in league with him.
Here they come. What did they come to do? Had they come to
bow to him? They come to crucify him. Religion, because there's no
king in Israel, no sovereign God being preached today in Christendom,
so-called Christianity. No sovereign God, no sovereign
Lord being preached, no sovereign Christ. No holy God who will by no means
clear the guilty. No righteous God who loveth righteousness
and hates iniquity. No judgment. Where is the God
of Elijah? That's what Elisha said. Where
is the God of Elijah that fire fell? He's still on the throne. But He's a God that hides Himself,
David said. But He reveals Himself unto babes,
unto His own. Brethren, get in the ark, okay? Though the whole world scoffs
and mocks in these last days, stay in the ark. You stay in
that little place where the pitch is. You stay in that ugly little
brown building, that tabernacle where the Shekinah glory of God
is. You stay right there with Rahab
where that scarlet lion is in the winter. You stay right there
in that little house where those bunch of poor, unarmed Israelites
are, where the blood's on the doorpost and the lamp. You stay
right there and God has promised, when I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. And he's coming to smite Egypt.
But you stay right there. Don't be out of the house. And all four of these gospels
say they came with swords and staves and lanterns. They had
their little lanterns and their torches. Ha! Oh, if the light
is in them, be darkness. How great is the darkness! You
don't need a lantern when you come to Christ. He is the light,
but they were in darkness. It doesn't say anything about
the disciples needing lanterns or torches, does it? Why? Christ
is their light. Like the children of Israel had
light in their dwellings, the Egyptians didn't. Here they came
with lanterns and torches to take the Lord by force, to take
Him as a thief. That's what He said in all the
Gospels. Verse 55, Are you come out as against a thief, with
swords and staves, for to take Me? Who was the thief? Who's the
thief? If there's only one man ever
lived, it wasn't a thief. Christ! Men steal God's glory,
don't they? Steal His glory, claim what He's
done for their own, and try to steal their way into heaven without
giving Christ His due. Christ is the only one who didn't
come in His own name. He came in the Father's name.
He came for His glory. He's the only man that ever lived
who was out for God's glory and the good of God's people. He
didn't come to steal anything. He came to give. Men are takers
and takers and takers. And He made this clear. He said,
I've taught, I've teached in the temple. Who condemns me of sin? Who can
possibly condemn him of stealing God's glory, stealing God's words? Oh, if you make examination of
these thieves, these wolves in sheep's clothing, you'll see
them stealing God's Word from the people, not him. A sword came out of his mouth,
and also grace. The goodness of God and the severity
of God. Well, in John's Gospel. It's not written here, but I
have to tell it. In John's Gospel, when they all came out with their
sticks and their stones, our Lord in one last display of who
He was, who He is, went out before His disciples. And He said, Whom
seek ye? The Lord always went before them.
And He went out before His disciples to face the foe, to face the
enemy. And one last show to us that
no one can touch you, but you have to go through Him. And He
went out before them and said, Whom seek ye? And they all thought
they were coming to get Jesus of Nazareth, the prophet, you
know. And they said, Jesus. And what
did He say? Out of His mouth. came the words
that Moses heard on that mountain to the, whom shall I say has
sent me? And God, Jehovah said, tell them
I am. And our Lord uttered those words,
says they all fell backward to the ground. Our Lord said, no
man taketh my life from me, and no man taketh your life from
you. And he uttered these precious words, words of our salvation. He said, if you seek me, and
let them go their way. And they did, in spite of Peter, in spite of being identified
with him. They didn't take him. They took
him. They did not, unless he was willing.
You see, one time they came to make him king. You remember that? They came, a big multitude came
to make Him king, make Him Lord. They decided to make Jesus Lord. He wouldn't let them do that, would
He? Slipped through and said, oh no, you don't make me Lord. And they came to kill Him. He
said, you don't kill me either. You're not going to crown Him
and you're not going to kill Him until He says so. You're
not gonna make him Lord. You're not gonna keep him from
being so. No man makes him Lord. Let Jesus
be your Lord. You're gonna find out. You're
gonna find out that God hath made this same Jesus whom you
crucify, Lord, and cry. And I pray to God you find it
out now before it's everlastingly too late. Oh, you're gonna find
out He is Lord, always has been, always will be. He's your Lord.
You're in His hands. What will you do with Jesus?
They said crucify Him. Here's the question now. What
will He do with us? And I bet you some of these people
were at Pentecost that day. Some of this crowd, this multitude
was at Pentecost. Three thousand people found out
who was Lord. And one day laid hands on them. Wicked hands. And oh, they found
out that He's merciful. Whom seek ye? I am." Amazingly,
isn't it amazing that though they saw something of His glory,
they saw something of His power, they heard, they came one time
to take Him, never a man spake like this man. But none of that
moved them. They still got up from the ground,
and they couldn't have gotten up unless Christ said so. He
slew them and He said, now get up. Now who are you looking for?
And in spite of all that, God said, why should you be stricken
anymore? And Isaiah warned, you'll rebel, you'll keep rebelling.
That's not going to make man repent. It's the goodness of
God that's going to make him repent. You're going to have
to see, He's going to have to make you see
your guilt before Him. They came out against Him as
a thief. Now here's the blessed truth I want us to see here.
That Christ came to save His people in a way that even His
disciples couldn't understand. They will later. They're going
to see the wisdom, the glory as never before. that Christ
came to save them in a way they couldn't understand, and doing
it by trouble, by sorrow, by death, and by our trouble, and
by our sorrow, and by our death. They're going to die. They're
going to go through all that. But after they see Him doing
this for them, it's nothing. They're going to think, It's their highest honor and
privilege to die for the one that died for them. Peter said
that before, I'll die for you. No, Peter, you can't die for
me. You won't die for me unless I die for you. He's got to die
first. And then Peter seeing that, he's
going to lay down his life. The whole world. And here's what
I want us to see too. That according to the Word and
the will of God, Christ came. All things were ordained and
everything. And sure, He's the surety. And His chosen ones,
those with Him. Nothing and no one can touch
them. Nothing and no one can take them.
That the Scriptures might be fulfilled. That of all which
Thou has given me, I've lost nothing. Our Lord was not just
talking about those disciples, He's talking about every single
one that the Father gave Him. They must go free. And though the whole world encamp
against us, David said this, whom shall I fear? Whom shall
I be afraid? Thou art my salvation. The law? We tremble at the law, don't
we? Fear not, Christ said. I've magnified it. I've made
it honorable. I've fulfilled it. You're guilty,
yes, that I was made guilty. If God be for us, how do we know
God's for us? Christ died. He that spared not
His own Son delivered Him, and God did this. It pleased the
Father to do this. Peter, I love the story where
Peter said, these are things the angels desire to look into.
Can you imagine what the angels were thinking? They don't know. They didn't know. They learned
the gospel. You know that they learned the
gospel through the church. That's what the Scripture says. And while these men are taking
with filthy hands and laying hold of their Lord, their master,
their king, their sovereign, the one they adored, the one
they loved, had loved throughout ages, and bowed to Him and did
His bidding. What were they thinking? Like
those angels that hovered over that ark of the testimony of
the covenant, the mercy seat. Looking down into that ark, the
angels. And here in our story, the Lord
said, I could call twelve legions of angels. They're ready. They're
ready. They're wondering, why? Why is
He allowing them to touch the Ark? Brother Chapman brought out this
beautiful thing, something I've never noticed before. It says
in verse 48, that he that betrayed him gave them a sign saying,
Whomsoever I shall kiss, the same as he, hold him fast. Whomsoever
I shall kiss. Brother Chapman said that he
was so identified with his disciples, He was so one with them, as He
is, they were, and as they were, He became, that no one could
recognize Him apart from them. No one could identify Him apart
from the rest. He looked like them. He dressed
like them. He was one of them. He didn't dress in beatific robes
and pious robes and collar turned around so that they'd see He
became one with them, equal with them. And He had to be betrayed,
had to be identified. It was dark too. But look at
how He was identified. Look at how the betrayer betrayed
Him with a kiss. Do you know that nobody ever
kissed Christ on the cheek until now? Nobody. Those disciples never did. It's
not written. There's only one person that says kissed Him.
It's a woman, guilty. And she came in and fell at His
feet, and she didn't kiss Him on the face. She kissed His feet. And that's what Psalm 2 says,
kiss the Son. Oh, you don't come up with some
familiarity to Jesus like you're an equal with Him. What does
religion do? How do they betray themselves? How do they betray their content
for our Lord? How is it that they reveal that
they're sons of perdition? It's on the cheek. Jesus, Master. We don't come up to our Lord
like that, do we? We come like that woman at His
feet. And our Lord said, Friend, in verse 49, He came to Jesus,
Hail, Master. We noted before, didn't we, how
all the disciples said, Lord, is it I? Judas said, after, Master,
Teacher, Jesus, and kissed him. And our Lord said unto him, Jesus
said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? It's
a question, isn't it? Friend? Are you my friend? Are you my friend? The Lord didn't call him friend
because he was his friend. He called him friend that the
Scripture might be fulfilled. Everything our Lord said and
did was that the Scripture might be fulfilled, as is everything
done upon this earth. Psalm 41 verse 9 says, my own
familiar friend. whom I ate bread lifted up his
heel against me." Judas was supposed to be his friend, was thought
to be his friend. Like, you know, those are not
Israel, they're of Israel. And they're not Christian that
say they're Christian. And they're not friends of our Lord who betray
Him either, who say they are. A friend sticketh closer than
a brother. Where was Judas when the table was being taken? He
wasn't with him. Where was Judas when they met
in the garden to watch and pray with our Lord? He wasn't with
them. He's with the enemy. He's out there with the enemy,
Judas. A friend sticketh closer than
a brother. A whisperer betrayeth very friend, separated. And Judas
was found with those fellows that didn't love our Lord, that
hated Him. And he betrayed Him and whispered to them, I'll give
Him to you. Judas is no friend. He's no friend. Oh my, look at verse 50. Why
art thou come? Then came they and laid hands
on Jesus and took Him. And as said, they could not have
touched Him had He not willed it. He willingly laid down His
life for us. I love that when our Lord hung
on that cross, and He had already been bleeding profusely, He had
already been bleeding for hours, six hours. Any other man would have died
long before this, from loss of blood. Not our Lord. The life of the flesh is in the
blood, not Him. And it says when He hung in there
on the cross when it was all finished, it was all said and
done, it says He bowed His head. And those angels gave him a standing ovation. No man takes my life from me.
And no man takes your life from you. And no man takes anyone's
life from them. God says, I kill. I make alive. I wound. I heal. I save. I damn. It's in my hands. In
my hands. They laid hands on Him. People,
this is for our comfort. I hope we get some comfort from
this. And Christ dying for us, and that we'll not die until
it's time. And I hope we'll be allowed,
like these disciples, to bear a dying witness of Him. Verse
51, Behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out
his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high
priest, and smote off his ear. That was Peter. I love Peter. Don't you love Simon Peter? Don't
you love him? We're going to look at him betrayed,
our Lord, next. It's going to break our hearts.
And I'm so glad he did. And it must be. It must be. Christ must be betrayed. He must be apprehended. He must
be crucified. They've got to flee. All this
has got to happen that the Scriptures might be fulfilled, that Christ's
glory might be seen, that God's Word might be seen, that the
wisdom of God, the power of God, and the glory of God might be
seen as never before, that the love and the mercy and the grace
of God will be seen as never before, but in Christ crucified. It must be. And everything concerning us
must be to the praise and the honor of His glory who loved
us. It must be fulfilled. It will be. It shall be. Everything concerning
Him, concerning us, praise be to God. But old Simon Peter,
you know, he said, I will lay down my life for you. And he
meant it. So the Lord allowed him to take
out that sword. And buddy, He's going to take
them all on, isn't He? What do you think that did to
our Lord? He didn't rebuke Peter. But here's the fact of the matter,
as I said before, Peter can't die for Him right now. Why didn't
these people come out with swords? gave the man's name, whose ear
he cut off. Everybody saw this. Gave the man's name, the servant
of the high priest. And nobody touched Peter. Huh? Nobody touched him. Are you getting a hold of this? Peter's got that sword out and
against them all, but I can't touch him. The sword is going to be against
the shepherd, you see. And our Lord said this, and we're
going to see how that Peter later, we're going to see how he does
lay down his life for our Lord. And our Lord said this to him
and says this to us. He said, Peter, verse 52, said
unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place. All they that
take the sword shall perish with the sword. Now the Lord is telling
us plainly that this battle is not ours, it's His. Jehoshaphat. Our Lord said to
Jehoshaphat. They were all, you know, an enemy
had come. A multitude had come against
Jehoshaphat and all of Israel, the king. And here's what the
preacher said to Jehoshaphat and all the people. Stand still.
The battle is not yours. It's the Lord's. You're not going
to fight in this battle. Our Lord is telling Peter and
he's telling us, this is not your battle. You have no part
in this matter. Put up your sword. I'm going
to fight this foe. I'm going to fight this battle.
I'm going to go do battle with the prince of the power of the
air. He's come now and he's going to be cast out. And you're not
going to help me. I'm going to do it alone. I'm
going to do it alone. And he's also telling us that
we're not to wield the sword. You know, this is the sword in
which we fight. We're not wrestling with flesh and blood. And the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal. And God forgive me, but I've
used this as a weapon before. I've been like the disciples
of old wanting to call down fire on people, haven't you? And I've
used this slashing and slashing. That's not the way it's done,
people. That's not the way it's done. But it's done with the sport
of His Spirit, the Word of the Lord. And He's not forbidding,
the Lord's not forbidding us to defend our families or even
our country here. That's not what He's saying.
He's saying, He that lives by the sword will die by it. The
bloody man, thinkest thou not, look at this, verse 53, thinkest
thou not that I cannot now pray to my Father and He shall presently
give me more than twelve legions of angels? He could have called
ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set Him free. He
could have called. But He didn't. Why? How then shall Scripture be fulfilled?
That thus it must be. One angel destroyed tens of thousands,
well hundreds of thousands all through the old scripture. One
is going to destroy a quarter of the world today. Our Lord
said, all I have to do is speak the word and He'll send twelve
legions of angels. But He didn't. It's all He has
to do with us. But you know our angels, we have
an angel. That reminded me of the story
of Elijah and Elisha. Both of them. Who and I were
talking about this? Somebody. Both of them, Elijah,
they sent fifties down to get Elijah. One man and his servant. Fifties, fifties, fifties. And
the Lord kept slaying them. Fifties, till finally they all
said, would you please come with us? Don't slay us. That's our Lord. In Elisha, the
story of Elisha, remembering his servant, the servant went
out and saw the enemy all surrounded him. In 2 Kings 6, all the enemy
surrounded him. And he went in and asked, Master,
what shall we do? And the Lord said, Open his eyes. Elisha said, Open his eyes, Lord. And he opened his eyes and said,
Sheriff, it's a fire. And the servant went on chopping
wood. He didn't worry about anything. Don't you know, people, that
our angels behold our Heavenly Father's face? It must be fulfilled. Everything concerning Him and
everything concerning us must be fulfilled. We have to spend
our years as a tale that's told. And when it's over, it's over.
And nothing can stop that either. In verse 55 and 56 I close, in
that same hour said Jesus to the multitude, are you come out
as against a thief with swords and staves to take me? I sat
daily with you teaching in the temple and you laid no hold on
me. No, because all this was done that the scriptures of the
prophets might be fulfilled that smite the shepherd and the sheep
will be scattered. and all the disciples forsook
Him and fled." This is all done according to purpose. And let
me just read this to you. That's Zechariah. Turn with me
and I'll close with it. Zechariah. Let's read that in
Zechariah, a little book just before Malachi. Zechariah chapter
13. All this was done that the Scripture
might be fulfilled. Proving He is the Christ, proving
this is God's Word, God's truth, proving we are His people. Verse
6 of Zechariah 13, One shall say unto him, What are these
wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with
which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 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'll turn my hand upon the
little ones. And it shall come to pass in
all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut
off and die, but the third shall be left therein, a remnant. And
I'll bring the third part through the fire. I retrial, and will
refine them as silver is refined, will try them as gold is tried,
and they'll call on my name, and I will hear them, and I will
say, it's my people. And they shall say, the Lord
my God. And isn't that what Thomas said
when this was all over? Smipe the shepherd and the sheep
will be scattered." No, they can't stand with him now. He's
got to stand alone. He's got to do this battle alone.
Beginning in the garden. No man was ever alone. No one
has ever been alone but our Lord. Cast out by men and God. And it says, they fled. They
all forsook Him and fled. But you know what He said before
this? He said, I'll never forsake them. I'll never leave you. And you know what? They all fled,
Kelly. They all went out there, John. They all fled. Peter and
all of them said, I'm going fishing. I'm going here. I'm going there.
Well, the shepherd arose. He went after them. He went after them. And he found
them all. That's Scripture. Okay. What number, Brother John? 127. 127? 127. The standards
are the same.