Thank you. Greetings, friends. The Gospel by John chapter nineteen. Verse sixteen. This is leading up to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. The most terrible event in the annals of history. And yet, by God turned out to be the greatest benefit. and blessing for mankind, if mankind will accept their Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Individually, everywhere around the world, anywhere, everywhere, whosoever will may come, set forth in that magnificent verse John P. sixteen, for God so loved the world, not the earth, but the world of human beings. that He gave His only-begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, settled in heaven long ages before, that He would die on the cross for mankind to bring them back to God. He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever, anybody, everybody who will, whosoever will, whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life, eternal life. The gift of God is eternal life. The wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life. Now these are the events leading up to the crucifixion of the Savior. Pilate three times over said, I find in him no fault at all. And he was ready to release them. But their multitude cried out, and as a mixed multitude certainly, it was Jews and Gentiles, all of them together, they cried out in their mob. and in this really insurrection, and they cry, Crucify him, we have no king but Caesar. Then delivered he, that Pilate delivered him, Jesus, therefore unto them to be crucified, and they took Jesus, and led him away. Now this only brings to mind that wonderful prophetic scripture in the Old Testament in the Book of Isaiah and the fifty-third chapter where we read that the Lord Jesus was oppressed and he was afflicted, and yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb. to the slaughter. Notice that, as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shears is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was brought, or led as a lamb. Here we read in John chapter nineteen and verse sixteen. Then delivered he him, therefore, unto them to be crucified, and they took Jesus and led him away. The lamb does not resist. The sheep does not resist. And the prophetic statement is concerning the Lord Jesus that he has led or brought as a lamb to the slaughter. No bleeding, no resistance. Here's the Lord Jesus knowing full well what's going to be accomplished. And while he in Gethsemane's garden prostrated himself and prayed three times that that awful cup of suffering might be taken from him, but then he could say, Not my will but thine be done. This was the human side of the Lord Jesus, the awful suffering that he was going to endure. But when it comes to the mob of people, that his own hand had created, that are now turned against him as their Savior, and as their Redeemer, and as their Messiah, as the Lord of life and glory, men turned against him, and actually, with all heinous insults, and suffering and sorrow put down upon him, and breaking his heart, brutally treating him, beating him so that his back was like a plowed field. pulling the hairs from his face, spitting in his face. Oh, what horrible insult. What a degraded manner in which the awful mob deported itself. But when he's before the mob, they just led him away, like a sheep to the slaughter. He didn't fight to stay. He could ask for twelve legions of angels, they would have protected him. He could have said one word, and they had all been blasted into eternity. But he's the Savior now. He's not the Creator. He's not acting in the capacity of omnipotent God with all the power of the universities at Beck and Call. The university had created themselves. For we read that when the worlds were created, the Lord was there. The Lord Jesus, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All were there long before creation's day. And here he is now, his meek and submissive, not trying to get away, not trying to resist. the awful torture and the insult, the ignominium shame that's being heaped upon him. Think of man, the puny creature, made by the Lord Jesus the Creator. And here man stoops to the lowest level of human acts and leads the Savior, the Creator of heaven and earth, leads them to a Roman gibbet. a Roman cruel cross, that they might execute him and get him out of their way. They led him and led him away. Led him away. My friends, we ought to think seriously of that prophetic scripture in Isaiah fifty-three. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter. No word. Undoubtedly, the thieves that are crucified with them used much of their oaths and cursings against those that was causing them so much trouble, so much sorrow, so much pain and agony, the awful agony of the cross. But here's the Lord Jesus. Not a word escapes his silent tongue. They let him away. And he, bearing his cross, went forth into a place called the Place of the Skull, the place of the Skull, the place of where death is, where death reigns, and where three are going to be put to death. Two who were malefactors and involved in an insurrection and in murder, and the innocent, spotless, holy... harmless, undefiled Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, are going to be put to death in a most horrible, cruel fashion, a diabolical manner in which they're going to handle the Creator of the heaven and the earth. My friend, has it ever caused you to stop and think that the Lord Jesus endured all of this for you and me? He endured all this to put your sins away and to put mine away. This was necessary that He shed His precious blood, that we might be redeemed, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission. The Lord Jesus was willing to do this and did do it. And they led Him away to this place of the skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha. My what a place, friend. It is noticeable on one of the palisades in this place. There are indentures in the rock that have some resemblance to a skull. And perhaps this is the very place where the Lord Jesus was crucified. It's a place where there is a natural formation in the rock that resembles. to some extent a face, a skull. So in the place of the skull, the Hebrew tongue Golgotha, the place of death, and verse eighteen says, Where they crucified him and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. And here he is now, he's numbered with the transgressors. Isaiah's prophecy tells us in the fifty-third chapter that he was numbered with the transgressors, and here is where it's fulfilled. He's numbered with the two who were called thieves, the two who had raised insurrection and were guilty of murder. And here's the Lord Jesus, and one of them is on one side. and the other one is on the other side, and Jesus in the midst. He was numbered with the transgressors, and he bear the sin of many. Verse twelve of Isaiah fifty three. He was numbered with the transgressors, and he bear the sin of many. and made intercession for the transgressors. He cried, Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. Oh, how horrible this death was, and yet it is for you and me, friend, have we trusted Christ for ourselves. Blessed Father, we pray thy blessing on thy precious word, and we pray that many will, by faith, follow the Savior to the cross where he suffered and bred and died for them, that they might be saved for all eternity. Bless our President, his family, and the Cabinet, the Congress, and the courts, and our great government, and our great land, and all of our people, and the worldwide. May wars soon cease, we pray. In the worthy name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.