I remember, I'll say a few years ago, I know exactly how many, but I won't say. Uh, Mrs. Willie and I were in, uh, Fort Lauderdale for the weekend. We'd attended a meeting there, and Mr. and Mrs. John Meyer, whom we didn't know very well at all, invited us back to their house, and they were full of joy and enthusiasm because they had a little baby about this long. And I took this little baby in my arm, and that was Debbie. And then I remember, years went by, and I was sitting on the front seat here, and Debbie was sitting by my side, and she said, uh, Mr. Willie, will you baptize me? I said, well, I'll talk to you about it. And we had a talk about it. And then we mentioned that we were going to have the first baptism here since we came here. And that Sunday afternoon, not that Sunday, two or three Sundays afterward, because I- I said, when I come back from England, I was going to England, and the first Sunday back from England, we sat down and she got close to me, she said, when you gonna baptize me? So we fixed it up, and that Sunday afternoon, down in our lake, we baptized fifteen people. These were thrilling days when this assembly was growing, and uh, we baptized Mrs. Terry that day. Mrs. Terry, who now is lying in the hospital with a stroke, and Mr. Terry, who's now in heaven, and several others who are here tonight. What a thrill it was, uh, our first baptism here. And so we're so glad to have Debbie back with us. I know she's going on so well for the Lord, and the great work that Mr. and Mrs. Myers are doing up there in Lebanon, which, by the way, we follow with our prayers, and we're glad that God is blessing in you. Now we're going to sing again, and then we'll sleep. Thank you. I'd like to take just a moment of your time to tell you what happened about. Now, shall we open our Bibles again, please, to the twenty sixth chapter of Matthew? Matthew twenty six. I'm sorry, Matthew twenty seven. We finished twenty six this morning. Matthew twenty seven. When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And when they had bound him, they led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, what is that to us? See thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, it is not law for us, lawful for us to put them into the treasury because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called the field of blood unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value, and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me. And Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the king of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. When he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word, insomuch that the governor marveled greatly. Now at that feast, the governor was want to release unto the people a prisoner whom they would. And they had then a notable prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus, which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man? For I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whither of the twain will he that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why? What evil has he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person, see ye to it. Then answered all the people and said, his blood be upon us and upon our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them, and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. May God bless the reading of his precious word. Shall we pray? Blessed God our Father, we take the shoes from off our feet, like Moses of old when he drew near to that burning bush. As tonight we gaze upon the person of thy beloved son as he stood before Pilate. We marvel at his infinite grace and lowliness and love. The governor marveled that he didn't answer and that he was silent, and yet we've read in thy word that he was taken like a sheep to the slaughter and like a lamb before her shears is dumb. That as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shears is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. We marvel at this wondrous grace and wondrous love of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we pray that as we read these verses over and think about them again tonight, that thou write them upon our hearts, and we ask, Lord, that this week, as we contemplate the road to Calvary, might have done something in our hearts for thy glory. Bless us again if thou shouldst tarry till the morrow, and we look at the Lord as he was nailed to the cross. We pray, Lord, thou speak to our hearts and draw us closer to thee. So we seek that blessing in our meeting tonight, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Now we have been trying this week, in some little measure, to follow the sto- steps, footsteps of the Lord Jesus during that last terrible week, the week before he was crucified. We've called the theme of our talks this week The Road to the Cross. And tonight our subject is the trial before Pilate. This morning our subject was the trial before the high priest and the Jewish Sanhedrin. We're not trying to preach sermons here this week. We could pick so many verses and make sermons of them. How many times we've heard people preach on the verse like, say, what then will he do with Jesus? Or many of the other verses in these chapters. But we haven't thought to do that. We've tried to take the word of God verse by verse by verse, and just to think about it and talk about it, and not try and be at all clever ourselves, but just take the word of God and let the Holy Spirit apply it to our hearts. And we come tonight to the twenty seventh chapter of Matthew, and it starts with these words, when the morning was come. We could preach sermons on that, couldn't we? When the morning was come. That one morning, marked out from all eternity. When the sun rose, I wonder how the sun rose. If Joshua could say, thou sun stand still in Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Ajumun, why in the world didn't God say, sun stand still, don't shine this morning? But the sun came up, and the light of God's sunlight shone down upon the most dastardly, awful deed, an awful judgment that was ever passed upon any person in the history of humanity. The blessed Son of God condemned to be crucified when the morning was come. Yes, but before the morning there was a night, and we were talking this morning about the night. They arrested him in the garden late at night, and they took him, uh, before Caiaphas, and the high, the high priest and the scribes and the elders, and uh, they had one great question. Never mind what the accusations were, the high priests and the elders wanted him to say one thing, and when he said that thing, then they could condemn him. That comes in verse sixty three. There are many things they witnessed against him, and finally they got two fellows who came up and said, well, he said he'd destroy the temple and build it in three days. But even that didn't get them very far until the high priest asked this. It says, verse sixty three, Jesus held his peace, and the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God that thou tell me whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Now, he answered, he, he, he kept peace, he didn't answer, but that was a Jewish rule. If the priest adjured him, I adjure thee by the living God, he had to answer. He had to answer. That was the Jewish rule. I adjure thee by the living God, thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. See how clearly, how clearly he put it. The Christ, that's the Messiah, the Son of God, for the priest to talk about this. He knew what he was talking about. I adjure thee by the living God that thou tell us whether thou the Christ, the Son of God. And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said. That means that's right. He was agreeing with it. Yes, that's true. I am the Christ, the Son of God. That's all he wanted to hear. Listen to the immediate answer. Well, let's for a moment see what else the Lord said. The Lord said, hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power. He's quoting from Psalm one hundred and ten. and coming in the clouds of glory. He's quoting from from Daniel number nine, uh, chapter nine. The Son of Man sitting upon the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of glory. Not only did he say, yes, I am the Son of God, but he was telling the high priest that he is the one who's going to sit at the right hand of power in the heavens, and he's coming on the clouds in glory. m sixty five. then the high priest rent his clothes. That's just what he wanted to hear. We'll see presently what Pilate wanted to hear. Pilate wanted to hear him say one thing, and the high priest wanted to hear him want- say one thing, different things altogether. The high priest wanted him to say that he was the Messiah, that he was the Son of God. That was blasphemy. If he had not been, it wasn't blasphemy when he was the Son of God and he was the Messiah, but if he had not been, and we went over all this this morning, if he had not been, then anyone in in Israel who claimed to be the Messiah, anyone who called himself the Son of God was committing blasphemy. And I read the scriptures to you this morning from Leviticus twenty four where it says that anyone who did this had to be stoned to death. So there was the sentence clear. Why was the Lord condemned to death by the Jews? Why? Because he said, I am the Messiah, I am the Son of God. That's why he was in accordance with Jewish law. Anyone that rose up to say that I'm the Messiah, he had to be put to death. He was, it was blasphemy. They didn't know he was the Son of God, but they just went by their scriptures. They knew the book. They had those Old Testament scrolls, and they knew them, and they knew the verses to apply. And the high priest rent his clothes and said, he has spoken blasphemy. What further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now we've heard his blasphemy. What think he? And so the high priest asked all the elders and scribes, what do you think? What should we do? They had only one answer. What could they do? What think he? They answered and said, he is guilty of death. That's where the decision was made, and that was the verdict at the trial before the high priest and the Sanhedrin. Then did they spit in his face. We went over all this this morning and buffeted him. Now, how long this lasted, we don't know. It tells us in Luke that they blindfolded him, and then they hit him, and they said, pro- here it says in verse sixty eight, say, prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who is it that smote thee? And they, they beat him. He must have been terribly disfigured, as we said this morning, as they cruelly beat him there and pummeled his face. Says they slapped him in the face with their hands, and it says two things. It says they spit in his face, they buffeted him, and others smote him with the palms of their hands. So he suffered there from those priests and elders. Now, what happened from then till morning, I don't know. Uh, if you look at Luke, it seems to give you a little clue there in Luke. It says in verse sixty three of chapter twenty two, the men that held Jesus mocked him and smote him, and when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face and asked him, saying, prophesy, who is it that smote thee? And many other things did, did they blasphemously speak against him. sixty six. as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and scribes came together and led him into their council, saying, Art thou the Christ? Tell us. Now, it it looks from Luke as if this question, art thou the Christ, took place very, very early in the morning. Where did they spend the night? Were they up all night? You'll find that most evil is done at night. Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. And, uh, people who do evil things usually do it in the night, in the dark. I often wonder how they ever get any sleep. And I often wonder how these people got any sleep, but it may be that they did retire for a while. What happened to the Lord? We suggested this morning what happened. In Isaiah it said he was led from, he was taken from prison and from judgment, from prison and from judgment. And I have seen in Jerusalem, underneath the supposed site of the palace of the high priest, I have seen the dungeons there where they put the prisoners, and they told us that's where the Lord was put that night. I don't know, I can't say, but I know it says he was led from prison and from judgment. Until the long hours of that night, it may be that the Lord, with his face buffeted, in pain and shame, was thrown down into a dungeon and chained down there. And then in the morning they fetched him out, as we've just read, as soon as it was day, the elders and chief priests came together and led him into their council, saying, Art thou the Christ, and tell us. And this is where the question came. Uh, hereafter the Son of God, he said, the Son of Man, you shall see him sit on the right hand of the power of God. And they all said, Thou, art thou the Son of God? In Matthew, the high priest said it, but here in Luke, they all said, Art thou the Son of God? He said unto them, Yes, I am. That's pretty definite. Yes, I am. And they said, What need we of any further witness? For we ourselves have heard with our own mouth. That's where we arrive at the first verse of twenty seventh chapter of Matthew, when the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. The verdict had been passed. He's worthy of death. Now, how could they do this? The Jewish method of execution was by stoning. But they didn't have the power to do that. The Romans were the ones that could put people to death. And the Lord had said on several occasions, the Son of Man is going up to Jerusalem, he's going to be scourged, he's going to be spat upon, he's going to be crucified, and the third day he's going to rise again. So in God's eternal counsel, that awful, terrible, painful, ignominious method of, of execution was invented. Crucifixion. When I was a boy living in England, if a man was committed, had committed murder and he was found guilty, in accordance with the scripture, he was put to death. I would like to see, I, I don't like to think of people having to die, but I believe our land would be safer to live in if we obeyed God's will today, God's word today. He that shed his man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. And when I was a boy, they used to hang them over there. Over here, they went to an electric chair. Some places they shoot them. But the Romans had invented the most cruel, excruciating, painful method of putting a man to death that the human mind could ever devise. Crucifixion. Crucifixion. And that's what they wanted. They wanted to see him crucified. So when they had bound him, they led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. Now, at this stage, we get a little parenthesis. Somewhere along the line then, probably as they were going to go to Pilate, I don't know. Judas, the one that betrayed him, he was full of remorse. He found out what he'd done. And Judas is one of the few men in the scripture that say, I have sinned. You know, in the whole of scripture, which took sixteen hundred years to write, only seven men said, I have sinned, only seven. And of those seven, um only two really repented. One was David. He said, I have sinned, but God restored him. And the other one was the prodigal son who said, Father, I've sinned in thy sight, before God and in thy sight, and he was restored. But the others, like Pharaoh and, and, uh, King Saul, there's five others of them. Judas is one. They said, I have sinned, and they went down to a lost eternity. I tell you, one of the hardest things in the world is to get a man or woman to say, I have sinned. You talk to a person about the way of salvation, you try and lead a soul to Christ, and they all start the same way and tell you how good they are. They all tell you how good they are. I remember I was speaking once in that wonderful Granville Chapel in Vancouver. I, I used to call that the Brethren Cathedral. It was such a beautiful building. We have other beautiful buildings now, but I'm talking about some, well, the year nineteen fifty, a good while ago now, over twenty five years ago, and I spoke there once, several Sundays when I was in Vancouver, and a lady came to me at the end of the meeting, and I thought she was wanting to be saved. She said to Mr. Willie, I'd like to talk to you. So we went into a little side room there, and, uh, uh, I, I began to talk to her, and she immediately upbraided me. She said, I don't agree with what you said tonight. You said we're all sinners. I said, madam, I didn't say it. She said, you did say it. No, I said, I quoted what the Bible says. The Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's not my words, that's the words of the Bible. She said, I don't believe it. And I had a long talk with her. And finally, she came to the conclusion that, yes, we are all sinners. But she didn't come to the conclusion to be saved that night. But I remember how it stands out in my mind that she could not stand the idea that I would say she was a sinner. And the hardest thing to get a person to do is commit, they say they sinned. They all tell you, well, I, I was born of Christian parents. I've been a church member all these years. I do the best I can. I do this, I do that. But to get a man down to the spot where he says, I've sinned, and that's the only way to be saved. You can't be saved unless you come to God as a sinner. And Judas is one of the seven men in the scripture who says, I have sinned. He said, I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood. And they said, what is that to us? See thou to that. And he threw down the thirty pieces of silver in the temple, and he went out and hanged himself. Turn to Acts chapter one verse eighteen just a moment. Acts chapter one, because here Peter enlarges upon this, um, in Acts chapter one. In verse chapter 15, uh, verse in in those days, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, the number of the names of whom were one hundred and twenty about. Men and brethren, this scripture must needs be fulfilled, which the Holy Scope, uh, Holy Ghost by the mouth of mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us and obtained part of this ministry. Now then, this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And he was known unto all the dwellers of Jerusalem, insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue Akodama. That means the field of blood, which is to say the field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein, and his bishopric, bishopric let another take. And you know they cast out and chose Matthias to take the place of Judah, uh, Judas, to make up the number of the twelve apostles. But Judas, it said, by transgression fell, I read, that he might go to his own place. He went and hanged himself. It supposed he was a very heavy man, and he probably hung himself on a branch of a tree that wasn't too strong or something, or a rope that wasn't strong, and the whole thing burst, and he fell down and, and he burst to pieces, as we say, all his bowels burst out. And they took the money and they bought the potter's field. Now, the potter's field was a field from which they had taken out all the clay to make pottery, and so it was a kind of a refuse heap, and they bought that as a burial place, a cemetery to bury strangers in. And that was all foretold in the Old Testament. So much for that, we pass on because we're thinking about the Lord Jesus Christ rather than about Judas. Verse eleven: Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, Art thou the king of the Jews? Now note the difference in the question. The high priest said... The high priest said to him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of God? That's what he was interested in, because he could have him condemned to death for blasphemy if he said he was the Son of God, if he was the Messiah. What could Pilate do? He could have him put to death if he was trying to usurp his place and make himself king of the Jews. There was no king there but Caesar. Caesar was the only king, and if someone rose up to be a king, he could be put to death. So the high priest's question was, art thou the Christ, the Son of God? Pilate's question art, it was, art thou the king of the Jews? The s- the sentence for that was death. The sentence for that was death. So on both counts, both governors, both leaders, both, uh, judges, the high priest and Pilate, on both counts, they got the Lord Jesus to say yes. He said, art thou the king of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. That means the same thing. Yes, that's right. I am. I am the king of the Jews. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, hearest thou not how many things they witnessed against thee? And he answered him never a word, insomuch that the governor marveled greatly. And then Pilate came up with an idea. He could see that he was in it. I expect Pilate thought he was a kind of a fanatic, belonging to one of the religious sects of the Jews, and he set himself out up as a king. How many men come along today and say they're the Messiah? And we just laugh at them because we know they're not. And I think Pilate took that attitude, and he thought, how can I get out of this? And he had a custom that at that Jewish feast, the great Passover feast, he would release one notable prisoner. So he got the idea, I'll let them have Barabbas. And Barabbas was going to be crucified too. So he had the idea. Therefore, when they were gathered to ga- ga- no, verse sixteen. they had then a notable prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto you- unto them, whom will ye that I release unto you, Barabbas, or Jesus, which is called Christ? For they, he knew that for envy they delivered him. And when he was set down on the judgment seat... Now this is another instance coming. First of all, Barabbas, but that's not settled till further down there. But in between now was the Jews go away and, and consult on this thing. They have a kind of a caucus to decide, because they had to answer Pilate, he was the governor, so they had to put up some sham sort of a council together to decide, shall we decide on Barabbas or decide on Jesus? Now, in the meantime, Pilate's wife had sent him a note. When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man, for I've suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. But Pilate was weak. Pilate couldn't give in. Pilate knew very well if he went against the Jews now, they'd report that to Caesar, and it would be reported to Caesar that he let a man go who claimed to be a king in Caesar's place, and his position is all, everything was at stake. Then the chief priests, they came back, and they persuaded the multitude. They went then and persuaded the multitude that they should ask for abbot and destroy Jesus. And the governor said to them, whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? And they said, Barabbas. The choice was made. Release Barabbas and crucify the Son of God. Pilate said to them, what then, what shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ? You ever heard a gospel sermon on that? I think I've heard dozens upon dozens. What then shall I do with Jesus, which is called Christ? And I said we could preach sermons here, but we're not going to. We're going to take the word of God as it is. But let me ask you the question tonight. I- I- I take it we're all saved here tonight, and yet every heart knows about himself. It says in Samuel that man looketh upon the countenance, but God looks upon the heart, and I can see you here tonight. But God sees more than that. He sees the heart. And I know from experience it's possible to be deceived. I remember a case of a young lady, and if I gave you her name, you'd be amazed, and I won't give you her name. She sat at the Lord's table for years and years, saying she was a Christian. And one night, after listening to a stirring gospel message, she went home to her mother and wept at her mother's feet, and she said, Mother, I've deceived you. I've deceived the Lord. I've sat at the Lord's table for years, but I am not saved. I am not saved. Thank God she is saved. I know her. She is saved and going on well with the Lord. I knew her father and her mother. It's possible to deceive, to deceive ourselves, to deceive our brethren. But here is the great question, what then shall I do with Jesus, which is called Christ? And the hymn says, you can receive him, if you may, or you can reject him. What will you do with Jesus? And tonight we all have to make the decision, not only those that are, should they be an unsaved one, but we all have to say, what shall I do with Jesus? Am I going to let him be the master of my life for the remaining part of my life? We've been talking this week about the shortness. Uh, one night we were talking about it was two days to go to the Passover, two days, and Mary took advantage of that and anointed his feet, anointed his head. Good job she did it, it was only two days to go. But the next chapter we got to, there was one day, it was the day before the feast, one day before. Then I think it was last night, the Lord Jesus said, can it be watched with one hour? We had the countdown, you remember, last night, one hour. And for whatever there is left of life for you and me, for some it may be many years, for others it may be how little, who knows. What are we going to do with Jesus? Are we going to crown him as the Lord of our life and submit the remainder of our lives, whatever it be, to him for his glory, to do with us just as he will? Let's be s- s- let's be pliable in his hands. Let him lead us, guide us, do with us, but use us for his glory till he comes. What will he do with Jesus? They all say unto him, let him be crucified. And the governor said, why? What evil has he done? But they cried out the more, saying, let him be crucified. And when Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tomb up was made, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person, see ye to it. How in the world could he pass sentence on an innocent man? But he did it to save his own position. He did it to save his own position. And how easy it is in business sometimes to save our business, uh, position and prestige, and perhaps to save some big order. How easy it is to deny the Lord Jesus Christ. And he released to him, then released he unto them Barabbas. But they made this tremendous statement, listen. Then answered all the people and said, his blood be on us and our children. Don't you worry about his blood. He said, I am innocent of the innocent blood of the, of the blood of this just person. See ye to it. They said, don't you, Pilate, worry about his blood. We'll worry about his blood. His blood be upon us and upon our children, and how they paid the price for two thousand years. His blood be upon us and upon our children. What persecution, what awful times the Jewish people have suffered right down through the ages, till we got to that great climax in World War II where Hitler massacred six million of them, Six million. His blood be upon us and upon our children. And it's not over yet. In the Great Tribulation, it's going to be a time of Jacob's trouble, Jacob's trouble. Jerusalem is going to be part captured anyhow, a third of the city is going to fall, and oh, what sorrow and trouble they're going through yet. In response to what they said, his blood be upon us and upon our children. Then released he the rabbis unto them, and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. How could he do that? He said he was innocent. The scourging was an awful thing. They made these scourges, these whips with several, several tongs, and they bound into them pieces of metal and bone and things, so that when they beat these things across the man's back, they tore the flesh out. And they carried swords in the, in the Old Testament. They plowed upon his back and made deep furrows in his back, and his back became a bleeding, awful sight to see. Why? It's hard to say. He was innocent, but that was Roman law. Before a man was subjected to that awful torture of crucifixion, to add to the torture, his back was torn till it was a mass of flesh, and then that naked, bleeding door was nailed to a cross, and the wood was pressing against those open sores on his back. What an awful thing crucifixion was. And he delivered him to be scourged. We'd have to leave it there tonight, pick it up in the morning, because the next thing, he was tried by the high priest. He was tried by Pilate. One said, he's got to die, and the other specified the way in which he would die, crucify him, delivered him to be crucified. And then he handed him over to the soldiers, and what an awful thing that was. We'll come to that tomorrow morning, when they mocked him and crowned him with thorns and so on. May God bless us as we come to bed, and as we go to bed tonight, let's go with these thoughts in our mind and read these things over tomorrow. As I said, it's Good Friday. We'll go on with the story and the crucifixion tomorrow, and perhaps the burial tomorrow night, and go forward till we get to, in the will of the Lord, to Easter Sunday. Don't forget we have a sunrise service at seven o'clock at the lakeside. Shall we pray? Blessed God our Father, we thank thee that thou hast recorded in thy holy word these awful things that happened to thy beloved son. Oh, it's hard to understand. We thank thee that he took our place. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, and we bow at his feet in worship and praise and adoration tonight. Oh Lord, we feel we cannot preach sermons on this awful, awful scene, but we can read thy word and we can contemplate upon it, and we can think, and we can go to bed tonight contemplating the sufferings of thy son. We pray, Lord, thou grant that as we do this, it'll have a cleansing effect in our lives, and we'll answer the question, what then will he do with Jesus? Oh, we want, blessed master, to crown thee as our master and lord, and not in any way to have our will in our lives, but to submit our lives to thee and quietly move or act or do what thou wouldst have us do for thy glory. We seek thy blessing now and ask that thou touch every heart here tonight in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.