The Unrivaled Conquest

Turn, if you will, with me to Luke chapter 22.

Luke 22 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 22. Well, it's great to be able to

Luke 22 · chapter mention

sing about it. It's great to be able to think

about it, but it's even better to be able to preach about it.

I know you don't get the opportunity to do that, but I do

this morning and I'm glad for that opportunity.

But Luke chapter 22, we'll get there in just a couple minutes.

Luke 22 · chapter mention

But I want to give you a little bit of a backdrop here as we as

we move into the message this morning.

To the east of the city of Jerusalem, there's a little

mountain. It's called the Mount of Olives.

And I had the privilege of, of being there in 2023.

But it's about 300 feet above the city of Jerusalem.

And as you stand there on the Mount of Olives, you can see the

entire landscape in front of you.

And the entire city of Jerusalem is there used to be the temple

that stood there. Now it's the Dome of the Rock.

But just a, just a, a scene that that's very hard to get out of

your mind. In fact, you can't forget about

it. But on the western slope of the

Mount of Olives is a garden. And I've been in that garden as

well. In that garden, there's some,

some beautiful shrubs, primarily olive trees.

And, and they say that the olive trees date back at least 900

years. Some think that there are some

of the olive trees that still date back to the time of Christ.

That's how old these olive trees are.

But they're massive. They're massive trunks are just,

they're knotted and they're gnarled and they kind of, they

stand there like Sentinels watching over the garden where

Jesus prayed. Tradition all the way back to

the 2nd century says that this is the place where Jesus prayed.

It's called Gethsemane, the garden of Gethsemane.

That word Gethsemane literally means oil press because it was

in that garden that they had a giant press to press the olive

oil from the olives. And right there next to it,

there's a, there's a building where you can, you can walk in

and see exactly how the olive press works.

And it just crushes those olives.

It squeezes them until that that oil runs out.

But Jesus would often come to that place, the Garden of

Gethsemane, to pray, and he would kneel there and speak to

his father. But this was the night like no

other night. Jesus had been up in Mount Zion,

the upper room where he celebrated what's known as the

Last Supper with his disciples. And he talked about his coming

crucifixion and prior to that, his betrayal and Judas had

already gone out. Judas, the Bible says that that

that Jesus had said there at at the supper that the one who dips

the SOP with me is the one who's going to betray me.

And every one of them in their mind said, is it I?

Is it I, is it I? And some of them even asked that

question out loud. But Judas was actually the one

who decided that he was going to do it.

And for 30 pieces of silver he went and negotiated with the

high priest to kiss Jesus on the cheek and betray him to the ones

who wanted to kill him. But the Lord Jesus, needing

prayer, left Mount Zion, and he came down, and he crossed the

Brook Kidron and came to the Garden of Gethsemane.

And Jesus kneeled there at the Rock of Agony.

And Jesus prayed 3 times. He prayed.

Lord, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me.

I don't want to drink this cup. This wasn't a literal cup.

He was using a metaphor. He was using a figure of speech,

a symbol meaning to experience something fully.

It was the cup of agony that Jesus drank, and dark Gethseman,

and he drank it there alone. And the Bible.

Says he was in such agony that he sweat, as it were, great

drops of blood. And science tells us that it is

possible to sweat blood. Only under extreme

circumstances, which obviously the Bible makes it very clear

that Jesus was. But there in Gethsemane, he

knows that soon God the Father must.

Turn his back on His only begotten Son.

Jesus will drink that cup alone, alone in Gethsemane.

And so began the events that would lead to his death, his

burial, and his resurrection. And I want to share with you 4

things that make the story of Easter what it is. 4 things that

lead to a conquest unrivalled in the history of mankind.

The unrivalled conquest. That's the title of my message

this morning. And that's what I want to talk

to you about, to preach to you about for just a a few minutes

this morning. But let's have a word of prayer

and ask God's blessing on the message, and then we'll look at

those four things. Father, again, we thank you so

much for your goodness to us. Thank you for the opportunity we

have to be here to celebrate the resurrection.

God, there is no point in celebrating A resurrection if we

don't come to you for salvation because of it.

And so, God, I pray that if there is anybody in here this

morning that does not know for sure that Jesus Christ is their

savior, does not know that their sins are forgiven and that

they're on their way to heaven, that they'll get that settled

today. God, may you help me as I

preach, you help us as we listen this morning as well, and may

you speak to our hearts. Thank you again for all that you

do for us in Jesus name, Amen. First thing, as I've already

sort of alluded to is the cup and Luke chapter 22 and verse

Luke 22 · chapter mention

#39 the Bible says this. And he came out and went as he

was won't to the Mount of Olives, And his disciples also

followed him. And when he was at the place, he

said unto them, Pray that you enter not into temptation.

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and

kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing,

remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my will but

thine be done. And there appeared an Angel unto

him from heaven, strengthening him, and being in an agony, he

prayed more earnestly. And his sweat was, as it were,

great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples,

he found them sleeping for sorrow.

And he said unto them, Why sleepy, rise and pray, lest you

enter into temptation. And while he yet spake, behold a

multitude. And he that was called Judas,

one of the 12 went before him and drew near unto Jesus to kiss

him. First of all, I want you to see

the contents of the cup. What was in that cup that Jesus

drank in the Garden of Gethsemane that was so loathsome

and so terrifying that Jesus shrank in horror from that cup?

Was it the physical death by crucifixion that he knew was

coming that that caused him such dread?

Of course, it might cause anybody dread the, the, the

method of crucifixion to the method of death by crucifixion

that the Romans had invented was, was such a horrible death.

And it was, it was a death and no one wanted to experience.

And so I'm sure. Jesus knowing that his that his

physical body was going to be subjected to some of the most

heinous things that a man could come up with as a way to torture

somebody's body. I'm sure Jesus knew that that

was coming and it would be painful and hurtful and

shameful, a death by crucifixion.

But others have died that way. Other martyrs have gone to their

death. It wasn't the death that Jesus

dreaded so much. Well, was it some extraordinary

attack of Satan? Is that what was in that cup?

No. Jesus had already met Satan in

the wilderness. He had already conquered Satan.

Satan hounded him all the way to the cross.

But Jesus had No Fear of Satan. He had no dread of Satan.

What was it that was breaking the heart of Jesus Christ?

Was it the betrayal of Judas? Was it the was it the the

failure of his disciples? Was it obviously he was

disappointed. But there's a difference in

disappointment and dread. Jesus dreaded this cup that he

was going to have to drink and he said, Father, if it be

possible, let this cup pass. From me, Well, I want you to

know that first of all, the pollution of sin was in that

cup. The Bible teaches us that in

order for Jesus Christ to redeem us, our sin has to be placed on

him. Second Corinthians chapter 5 and

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

verse 21. The Bible says, For he hath made

him to be sin for us. Who knew no sin, that we might

be made the righteousness of God in him.

See, the sin of the ages was in that cup.

My sin and your sin was in that cup.

Suppose we were to go through the congregation this morning

and and put your sin in it, and your sin and your sin and your

sin and your sin and your sin. Put everybody's sin in this cup.

Not every vile thought, every wicked deed, every hateful,

hurtful thing that you can possibly imagine, all of the sin

of this congregation. And then let's step outside of

this church building and put in all the sin of the entire, the

entire city. Put that in that cup.

And then let's put the sin of the entire state of Virginia in

that cup. And then we put the entire sin,

the sin of the entire nation and, and, and, and even the

entire world, and we take all of the sins that have ever been

committed, and not just in this generation or in the last or in

the generation to come, but for generations going back thousands

and thousands of years. All of that sin, all in that

cup. Put it in there and then take

all the sins of the past and all the sins of the present and all

the sins of the future and distill it down and put it in

that cup. Put all the vile filth that you

can possibly. Think of and say Jesus, drink

it. Drink the bitter dregs, become

sin. Not just bear sin, but become

sin. He was made sin for us, the

Bible says, because He carried that sin to the cross.

You may not understand what sin is, but I can tell you that

Jesus Christ knew. What sin is?

And Jesus knew when he drank that cup, he would be numbered

with the transgressors. The Bible makes it very clear in

Isaiah 53 that he was going to be numbered with the

transgressors. Jesus Christ who had never done

anything wrong, Jesus Christ the sinless one, Jesus Christ the

spotless Lamb, was going to be numbered with the transgressors.

And not was he just going to bear the sin of the world.

He was going to become that sin. And so we see first of all, the

pollution of sin was in that cup, but also #2 the punishment

of sin. Was in that cup Jesus knew that

the punishment not of some sin, but of all the sin, not of some

people, but of all the people, would be upon him.

One man would bear it all, and when he.

Did the Father was going to have to turn his back on his only

begotten Son? The Bible says in Habakkuk that

God is is so pure that he cannot even look on sin.

And so when Jesus Christ, his only Son, became sin for us, God

the Father had to turn his back to the point where Jesus said,

My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?

And all you can imagine the the pain that Jesus must have felt

not only have taken the entire sin of the entire world upon

himself, but having his own Father turn his back on him on

the cross. The sins of the entire world

were distilled and eternities were compressed, and Jesus,

being infinite, suffered A finite period of time and

eternity. Of hell on that cross.

The price that Jesus paid, only the damned in hell can begin to

know, but they'll never know because they're only paying for

their sin. Jesus paid for the sin of the

entire world as he hung on that cross.

He paid all the sins of all the people for all time.

No wonder Jesus said here in this passage in verse #42

Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.

So we've seen the contents of the cup, but I want you to see

this number 2, the consumption. Of the cup, Jesus said, if it be

possible, let this cup pass from me.

Nevertheless, nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.

Does it make you think the less of him that he shrank back from

the contents of that cup? It makes me think more of him.

And I'll tell you why. This was not some charade.

This was real. He didn't have to die.

He had a choice. John chapter 10 and verse 18.

John 10 · chapter mention

No man taketh it. My life he's talking about from

me, but I lay it down of myself. But in his divine love he said,

nevertheless, not my will, but dying be done.

Jesus was the only man whoever chose to die.

The wages of sin was death. There was no sin in him, there

would have been no death in him. Yet is because Jesus suffered

blood and died on that cross that you and I can be redeemed.

Romans chapter 3 and verse 23 says for all have sinned and

Romans 3 · chapter mention

come short of the glory of God because I'm a Sinner.

Jesus Christ had to die. If I had never sinned, he never

would have had to die on the cross.

There would have been no need for his death.

But Jesus took my sin. He took your sin and he carried

it to the cross. God will never overlook sin.

He cannot. God is holy and by His Holiness

he has sworn that sin will be punished.

All sin will be punished. The sins that you think, well,

that's just a small thing in the grand scheme of things.

That's, that's a little sin. That's a, that's a little white

lie. At least it's not one of the big

ones. At least I'm not sitting in jail

somewhere. At least I haven't committed

murder. At least I haven't done this.

At least I haven't done that all.

Sin must be punished by God. No sin goes unpunished.

If God were to let 1/2 of 1 sin go unpunished, God would no

longer be holy. His justice demands that there

be a punishment for that sin. And Jesus Christ drank.

That cup for. Us and so in this unrivaled

conquest, we see the cup, but I also want you to see this number

2, the crown turn over to Matthew chapter 27 Matthew

Matthew 27 · chapter mention Matthew 27 · chapter mention

chapter 27. See Jesus was crowned with

thorns and it was not accidental that that was the case.

It was it was certainly a wicked act of of hatred and rebellion.

But Jesus being crowned with thorns on his way to the cross

has a very wonderful message. They took that crown of thorns

and they pressed it upon his precious head and then they took

clubs and they beat him about his head.

But this was part of the magnificent plan of God.

I want you to see, first of all, the sacred mystery of the crown.

See, the crown of thorns symbolizes the curse that's upon

humanity. One of the curses in the Garden

of Eden all the way back in Genesis chapter 3 was that the

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

ground was going to bear thorns and thistles and that they would

begin to grow on the earth. Had Adam not sin, thorns would

never have grown on this earth. But Jesus wore that crown of

thorns because he bore the curse for.

US. Look at all the heartache, the

pain, the suffering, the toil, the anguish, and you can write

over it one word, Sin. Sin.

The thorn is the emblem of sin, the symbol of that sin.

When Jesus died on the cross, he was crowned with thorns.

He wore that crown because he bore the curse for us.

So we see the sacred mystery of the crown, but I also want you

to see the solemn misery of the crown.

That crown speaks of suffering. It speaks of pain.

That crown was placed upon his head and and jammed onto his

temples, which is one of the most sensitive parts of the

human body. It was placed there, these,

these great spikes put there. And then on top of that with the

club, they began to beat and batter him about the head.

They struck him with reeds, they struck him with rods, they spit

on him, they they punched him. And those who paint and depict

the Lord Jesus Christ and the cross are kind.

We would not want to see a picture portrayed of Jesus

Christ hanging literally the way that he hung on the cross.

His face was so brutalized that you could not tell the

difference between. Man and animal.

Remember, with their hands they they snatched the beard from his

face. They plucked it right out of his

face. Can you imagine the pain that he

must have felt? And they whipped him 39 times

with a cat of nine tails, a, a, a leather whip that was that was

that was laced with, with glass and rocks and sharp objects to

do the most damage possible. And they say.

That 40 lashes is enough to kill a man and they whipped him 39

times. They brought him within an inch

of death and that would have been bad enough, but then they

they ripped his beard. Out and then they placed a crown

of thorns on his head and with their fists they battered that

face. They they loosened his teeth.

The blood runs down his nostrils.

It's mingled with the filthy spit from their mouths.

Isaiah chapter 52 and verse 14 says his visage, his his

Isaiah 52 · chapter mention

countenance was so. Marred more than any man, and

his form more than the sons of men.

Oh, the picture that you have in your mind of the paintings that

you see of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross make it look like

he suffered. And he makes it look like he is

in, in, in, in a little bit of pain, and it makes it look like

he's in a little bit of discomfort.

But I can promise you, nothing you could imagine can prepare

you for what Jesus Christ actually went through on the

cross. And on top of all of that, he

was stripped completely naked and hung there in shame.

Some years ago in New York City, there was a mother who was

hanging her clothes on the line and she was outside and and one

of her neighbors came running over and she said, your house is

on fire. Your house is on fire.

And she knew that she had a little baby sleeping in a crib

inside the house. And so she dropped all those

clothes and she ran in the house and she took a blanket and she

wrapped it around her baby. And by that point the the fire

was so intense that it was burning her as she was running.

But she wrapped that baby in the blanket and and made her way

outside and she laid that. Baby down in the grass and by

that time the firemen had had showed up and they unwrapped

that baby and not a single hair and that baby's head was singed.

Nothing was wrong with that baby but the fire.

Had been so intense. And the heat was so strong that

that mother was badly burned. And she went through different

surgeries and things, but it left her very scarred.

Her hands were very scarred and gnarled from that, from that

fire. Her face bore the marks of of

someone who had run through the flames.

Her little daughter grew up to be a beautiful girl, and she was

18 years old. Her high school class was having

an outing and being the beautiful girl that she was, it

was it was Senior day and they were on the Hudson River on a

boat and she was the center of attention.

And at a certain moment this girl's mother passed by.

The the parents were invited to that day because it was senior

day and all the parents were hanging out with their children.

And at one point this mother walked by where her daughter was

standing with her friends and one of them without even

thinking. How cruel.

Her remark would be said, Who is that hideous woman and that

girl, without even thinking herself said, I don't.

Know her? And the mother?

Heard it. And later on that day, when

everything was finished, the mother said, darling, I want you

to come here. I need to tell you something.

You've often asked me about the burns on my face and on my

hands. And I've I've never told you

what happened because I didn't want to put that burden on you.

But I think it's time for me to tell you that these burns that

you see on these gnarled hands and the burns that you see on

this hideous face I got because I ran into a building when you

were just a baby and I rescued you out of your crib and you've

grown into a beautiful, beautiful young lady.

I bare the scars and I bare the marks of what it took to rescue

you. I know that girl's heart was

broken. She burst into tears and she

grabbed her mother by the hands and she started to kiss those

hands. And she took her hands and she

rubbed her face and tears were just dripping from her eyes.

She couldn't believe that she had betrayed the mother who had

done that for her. Friend, I'd rather be that

daughter ashamed of her mother, than to be ashamed of Jesus

Christ, who wore that crown for me.

Oh, how could we ever, oh, shall I fear to own his cause, or

blush? To speak his name, the sacred

mystery he bore the curse. The solemn misery he suffered

our hell. But I want you to see this.

And back in Matthew chapter 27, the shameful mockery of that

Matthew 27 · chapter mention

crown. Verse #29 the Bible says.

And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it

upon his head. And a Reed.

In his right hand, and they bowed the knee before him and

mocked him, saying Hail King of the Jews.

They were mocking him because of their rebellion.

Can you imagine that? Here is the Lord of glory, Here

is the King of kings and Lord of Lords.

And they spit in his face. Not only was he just the king,

he was the king of kings. And they platted a crown of

thorns on his head. And they, they gave him a Reed

in his hand to to mock him as if it was a scepter.

And they gave him robes to wear. And they bowed down facetiously

and mockingly. And they said, Hail King of the

Jews. Sin is refusing to bow your knee

to the rightful King. May I tell you what the root of

all sin is? Not what you do wrong that you

ought not to do, not that you fail to do things that you

should do. But sin is refusing to bow your

knee to your rightful. King.

These other things are the result of that.

Sin is rebellion. Sin is a clenched fist in the

face of God. And you might say, well, I'm a

religious person and I may I remind you that it was the

religious crowd that crucified Jesus.

It was the religious crowd that ripped his beard out.

It was the religious crowd that drove those nails into his hands

and into his feet. It was the religious crowd that

hung him up there on the cross. They were the ones that were

behind the crucifixion. That's the mockery of that

crown. Men today, as then, refused to

bow the knee to Jesus Christ. And today either you will bow

the knee or crown him with thorns.

One more time, friend, when Jesus wore this crown, He was

the sovereign majesty. He was not some helpless victim.

And you have a choice today. You can bow your knee and honor

Jesus Christ, or you can say, take that crown from off his

head and put it on mine. And I will bear my own curse and

I'll pay for my own sin, and I will suffer and burn in hell

because I refuse to bow the knee to the One who loved me so much.

Jesus offers to you Amazing Grace.

He offers to you wonderful love, and you can be saved.

In this unrivaled conquest, we see the cup, we see the crown,

but I want you to see #3 the cross.

And I don't mean to be redundant this morning, but so much hinges

on all these aspects of the few days leading up to the

resurrection. If you will turn over to first

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

Peter, chapter 3. First Peter chapter 3.

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

Suppose someone were to come up to you, and with their fists

they punch you right in the nose.

And suppose that in some act of compassion you said, I forgive

you. And they said, oh, no need to do

that. You don't need to forgive me.

I've already forgiven myself. And somebody else that was

standing there watching the whole thing said neither one of

you guys need to forgive each other.

I've already forgiven both of you.

See, you were the one that got punched in the nose, and only

the punchee can forgive the puncher.

It's the way it works. You see, sin is that clenched

fish in the face of God and only God can forgive sin.

God is a holy God and and sin is an affront, A reproach, A

rebellion against that holy God and sin must be dealt with.

We've said that over and over again, but first Peter chapter 3

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

and verse 18, the Bible says this.

For Christ also also has once suffered for sins, the just for

the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in

the flesh. But quickened.

In the Spirit I want you to see this first of all, the vicarious

suffering of the cross, the vicarious suffering of the

cross. That word vicarious means in the

place of another or substitutionary.

That is Jesus who is just, who never sinned, the virgin born

sinless, spotless Lamb of God, the just died for the unjust

beyond Joss, that's me, that's you, that's we're the ones he

became our substitute. In fact, if you turn a couple

pages back, the first Peter chapter 1 and verse #18 the

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

Bible says for as much as you know that you were not redeemed

with corruptible things as silver and gold received from

your vain conversations, received by tradition from your

Father's, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb

without blemish and without spot.

That's how we're redeemed through the blood of Jesus

Christ. And there's so, so much here.

But Jesus was the Passover lamb, the lamb that was sacrificed

once to pay for the sins of the people.

Have you ever wondered why so much of the gospels are given

over to the last week of Jesus life, all the things that he

did. In fact, one of the last verses

in the book of John says that if all the books that could be

written about Jesus Christ were written, that not even the world

itself could contain the books that should be written.

That's how much Jesus did in in his lifetime.

All the world could not contain the books that are written.

And yet out of the four gospels so much time is given to the

last week of Jesus life. Why is that?

Because this is the climax of it all, and it's there in that last

week that Jesus is being examined as the spotless Lamb,

Pilot said. I.

Find no fault in him. Never man spake like this man

before. And then came the day when the

spotless Lamb was slain. The purpose of the cross is

substitution. And I wish I had time to tell

you more, but tongue cannot tell, throat cannot sing, hand

cannot paint. The tragedy that was called

Calvary and the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He suffered emotionally and He suffered physically in my.

Place and in your place. You know why the Romans used

crucifixion? Crucifixion was meant to be

cruel. It was meant to be unusual.

It was meant to. It was meant to inspire terror

in the people who saw it, so that when they saw a crucifixion

and they said what did this man do?

I promise you I will not do that because I don't want to end up

in that place myself. That's what crucifixion was

designed to do. That's the vicarious suffering

of the cross. Jesus Christ was my substitute.

He hung in my place. Not only the vicarious suffering

of the cross, but the vital satisfaction of the cross.

First Peter chapter 3 verse 18 says for Christ also have once

1 Peter 3:18

suffered for sins. When Jesus said it is finished,

he meant that the debt had been paid.

Absolutely. In Rome, when a man would be put

in prison, when a man was declared guilty for a crime,

they would put that man in prison.

But then they would, they would write out a certificate of debt

and it would be placed above the door of that man's cell.

However long he was sentenced to be there, whatever his sentence

was, it was, it was his debt that he owed.

And not until that debt was paid was he set free.

But then they would write across that certificate paid in full,

and they would give it to him. And you know the word that they

would write. On that certificate to Telestye,

it's the same word that Jesus spoke on the cross when he said

it is finished, it is finished. It's paid in.

Full. That man won't have to go back

to prison again. He'll never come into double

jeopardy if they arrest him for that crime.

He can say this is and they say this is what you've done.

He can show them that certificate of debt that says

paid in full, it is finished and this is what it says in first

Peter. Christ also hath once suffered

for sin. There will never be a need for

another sacrifice. I want you to see this, the

victorious salvation of the cross.

Sin separates us from the holy God.

What does the cross do on that cross Jesus took?

Holy God with one hand and sinful man with the other hand,

and by the blood of the cross He reconciled God to man.

Jesus Christ is the only one that could possibly have done

it. He made peace by the blood of

His cross with His cross that He might bring us to God.

Which brings me then to the last point, and if you will turn over

to Romans chapter 3, in this unrivaled conquest, we see the

Romans 3 · chapter mention

cup, we see the crown, we see the cross, but then we also see

the conquest. A teacher gave this assignment

to her students. They were to write an essay on

the greatest living man. And one student wrote an essay

on Jesus Christ. And the teacher said, that's

wonderful, it's a wonderful essay, but you misunderstood.

I said the greatest living man. And that student rightly

answered that teacher. He is alive.

He is alive. Others die and they stay dead.

But Jesus died and he came up out of the grave.

That's the conquest. I was reading about Harry

Houdini. He was, he was an escape artist.

He actually died in 1936, but I've read about him.

This man was a genius. He could get out of anything

they put him into. And they said that he had the

flexibility of an eel. He had the eyes of a cat.

They tried all kinds of ways to keep Harry Houdini locked up.

And sometimes they would put him in a coffin and bury the coffin

and he would get out of it. Sometimes they had put him, they

would rivet him in boilers and he would escape.

Sometimes they, they, they'd sewed him up in a canvas bag and

throw him in the river and he would come out.

Just an amazing ability that this man had.

And one time they put him in federal prison in Washington.

It was maximum security. And in less than 1/2 an hour he

walked out. And not only that, but he had

put a bunch of the prisoners that were in the cell with him

in another cell. No idea how he did that, but his

biographer said he could escape from anything except your

memory. And yet there was a day when

Harry Houdini died and he couldn't escape death.

Harry Houdini is still in the grave.

Harry Houdini. Is still in that coffin under

the ground. No trickery there.

No skill there, no flexibility there.

Harry Houdini died. Befriend.

I want to tell you that there was another one who died.

His name was Jesus Christ, and he made the greatest escape that

ever was. Jesus came out of that grave and

he arose. And I want you to see this.

First of all, our sin decrees death because of sin.

You must die. Oh sure, we're all going to die

physically, but we die the spiritual death as well.

The Bible says in Romans chapter 3, and you're there if you

Romans 3 · chapter mention

turned in your Bible verse #23 for all have sinned and come

short of the glory of God. Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse 4

Ezekiel 18 · chapter mention

says the soul that sinneth it shall die.

James chapter one verse 15. Then when lust hath conceived,

it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished, bringeth

forth death. Romans chapter 5 and verse 12.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and

death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that

all have sinned, none of us can escape the decree of death,

because. Of our sin.

Oh, we all deserve to die physically, but we all deserve

to die spiritually as well. And the Bible makes it very

plain that hell is not a figment of your imagination.

Hell is not just something that you're going through on this

earth because life is hard. Hell is not something that

you're going to go there and spend a week or a month or a

year or ten years or 50 years or 1000 years and get out.

Hell, the Bible says, is a real place that burns with fire and

brimstone. And though the worm dieth not,

and they gnash on you with their teeth, and it will be forever.

There are no exit signs. There are no fire escapes in

hell. If you find yourself in that

horrible place, you will be there for all of eternity with

no way to escape. God's justice demands that there

be a payment for our sin. And that payment is death.

But the conquest that Jesus Christ won was over sin, and it

was over death, and it was over hell, and it was over the grave.

And so our sin decrees death. But I want you to see this

number 2. The Savior delivers life because

He lives. You can live.

Had Jesus Christ never come up out of the grave, He would have

been no different than anybody else who claimed to be the

greatest thing that ever walked on earth.

And oh, there's all kinds of religions.

As Brother Brian mentioned when we were singing the songs,

there's a lot of people who have claimed to be the one who was

going to come and deliver everybody out of their bondage.

He was going to be the one that if you just follow my plan, you

can. You can have whatever I'm

promising you. You can have your own planet,

you can have all your virgins, you can have all of these

things. Just follow me.

And one by one, every one of those men have died and been

buried in the grave. And you know, the amazing thing

is you can go see where they're buried today.

Every one of them has a place where you can go.

And some of them have very ornate coffins in there.

They're decorated with jewels and, and you can see them and

see their coffins because they're in some sarcophagus.

That's that's clear so that you can go visit the place where

this man is. But I'll tell you what they

don't even know where Jesus grave is at exactly because he's

not there. You can't find him because he

rose from the dead. He's the only one that's ever

done that. And because he lives, you can

live as well. The Bible says in Romans chapter

Romans 6 · chapter mention

6. And verse 23.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal

life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Because he lives, you can live, Romans.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

Chapter 5 and verse #8 the Bible says but God commendeth his love

toward us he gave his love toward us, in that while we were

yet sinners, Christ died for. US.

First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse #20 But now is Christ

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that

slept. For since by man came death, by

man came also the resurrection of the dead, For as in Adam all

die. Even so, in.

Christ shall all be made. Alive.

Jesus drank that cup of sin for you.

Jesus wore that crown of thorns for you.

Jesus bore that cross of wood for you.

That should have been me that was paraded through those

streets carrying that cross that day.

That should have been me that was whipped.

That should have been me that that had my beard ripped out and

been spit upon. That should have been me that

had those nails driven through my hands and my feet.

That should have been me. That was hung up there in shame

until death finally came. It should have been me.

That was put in the grave. Jesus Christ did it for me, and

because he lives, you can live. I want you to see this.

Lastly, the situation demands a decision.

The situation demands a decision.

Next chapter 16 and verse #31 and they said believe on the

Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

Oh, see, we are sinners. And we are on our way to hell.

How do you how do you escape that punishment?

How do you? Escape that death. 2nd

Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 2.

For he saith, I've heard thee in a time accepted, and then a day

of salvation have I secord thee, Behold, now is the accepted

time. Behold, now is the day of.

Salvation. You have a choice.

You can bow your knee to the King of Kings and the Lord of

Lords, or you can suffer the penalty that comes from someone.

It comes to someone who's rebellion and sin goes

unforgiven. You see, Jesus Christ did

everything that needs to be done.

There's nothing else you need to do.

I'm not, I'm not trying to tell you that you need to get into a

Baptist Church and you need to do this and you need to give and

you need to be a good person and you need to try to do this

thing, and you need to try to do that thing.

And hopefully maybe someday you'll get a chance to go to

heaven. Though the Bible makes it very

clear that those who go to heaven are not the ones who

deserve it the most, the ones who go to hell are not the ones

who deserve that the most, the ones who go to heaven.

Are the ones who recognize that the payment that Jesus Christ

made on the cross was for your sin and my sin.

And there is no other. Way given among men whereby we

must be saved. What an amazing thing that is.

I wrote this poem that I want to read to you this morning.

They laid him in a borrowed tomb as silence sealed the darkest

gloom. The sky grew dark.

The earth did shake. All hope seemed lost for

sinner's sake. The cross stood bare, The blood

was shed. The King of life was counted

dead. All hell rejoiced and demons

cried. The Son of God is crucified.

But oh, they did not understand. This was not loss, but Heaven's

plan. For in that grave, so cold, so

deep, the Lion of Judah was only asleep.

And on day three, at break of dawn, the stone was rolled to

show he was gone. Death was defeated.

The grave lost its claim. All hell was silenced at the

sound of his name. He rose with power, He rose with

might. He rose to turn our darkness to

light. No chain can hold, no grave can

keep the one who comforts those that weep.

So hear me now, this Easter cry. You don't have to live just to

die. Because he.

Lives. Your soul can rise from death to

life, from earth to skies. The cross is empty.

The tomb is still bare and Jesus is calling.

Will you meet him there? Friend, you must understand that

Jesus did all of that for me. He did all of that for you.

Not so you could try to work your way to heaven.

Not so you could try to earn your place.

Not so you could try to escape hell and hope that you've done

enough in this life. Now Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8

Ephesians 2:8

says For by grace are you saved through faith?

And that not of yourselves. It's a gift of God, not of

works, lest any man should boast.

Doesn't have anything to do with how good I've been.

It doesn't have anything to do with how bad I've been.

Has everything to do with what Jesus Christ did for me.

And if you die and go to hell, you die and go to hell with your

sins paid for. Jesus Christ already did

everything that was necessary for you to spend an eternity in

heaven with Him. Now He's waiting on your

decision. Will you accept Him or will you

reject Him? Oh, and sometimes it's not that

you say, I don't want anything to do with that.

I don't. I don't believe all that stuff.

I don't believe those stories. They're just made-up stories

anyway. Most of the time when somebody

rejects Christ, that's not what they're saying.

Most of the time when somebody rejects Christ, they say.

That's that's, that's interesting.

I need to do that, but I'll do it later.

I'll do it later. There's time.

There's time, friend. You are not guaranteed tomorrow.

You're not guaranteed another minute of life.

When you take your last breath, you're going to find yourself in

heaven. Are you going to find yourself

in hell? The wonderful thing about that?

Is that this decision is yours. Nobody gets to make that

decision for you. Nobody gets to determine where

you spend eternity but you. Will you accept him or will you

do nothing and reject him? That's the decision that's put

before you this morning. What decision are you going to

make? What will you do with Jesus?

Oh, it was an unrivalled conquest.

He took the cup, all of your sin and all of my sin and all the

sins of the entire world, and he drank it.

And then he wore the crown. Oh, when they shoved that on his

head, it wasn't just a torture device.

It was a symbol of all the rebellion, all the sin being

placed upon the head of Jesus Christ.

And then he went to the cross. He did that for you and He did

it for me. The cross was so heavy as he

made his way down the Via Dolorosa to the place of Calvary

where he was going to ultimately take his last breath, he

stumbled underneath. The weight of it because he was

so weak. The Bible says that as He hung

on the cross, he said it is finished.

The work that He came to do was done.

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

And oh, thank God for the conquest, because it had not

been for Jesus Christ coming up out of that grave.

There would be no opportunity for salvation.

If you know Christ is your Savior this morning, you know

the peace that comes that passes all understanding.

If you don't, then maybe you're sitting there this morning

saying I need to do something about that and I want to give

you the opportunity to do that this morning.

So if you would please stand at your seats with your heads bowed

and your eyes closed, I'm going to have a word of prayer and

then I'm going to give you an opportunity that if you would

like to come. Have somebody take a Bible and

show you how you can know for sure that you're on your way to

heaven. You can get that settled today.

Boy, what a wonderful thing it would be to reach out to Jesus

Christ on Easter Sunday, on Resurrection Day, the day that

we celebrate what Jesus Christ did for us and we try to

celebrate it all year, but on the very special day to come and

know Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior.

Listen, it doesn't have anything to do with baptism now.

Baptism is only to let everybody know that you have been saved.

It doesn't have anything to do with coming to church.

Ah, you know, the thief on the cross that was crucified next to

Jesus never went to church a day in his life.

He never put 1 dime in the offering plate.

As far as we know, he was a criminal.

He was a thief. He was being crucified not

because he had been lied about, but because he was convicted of

his crimes. He didn't have time to come down

off that cross and get baptized. No, no, it doesn't have anything

to do with what you can do or what I can do.

It has everything to do with what we do with Christ.

It's not about a religion. It's about a relationship.

Do you have that relationship with Him?

Do you know Him and more importantly, does He know you?

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not

prophesied in Thy name, in the thy name?

Cast out devils in the Thy name done many wonderful.

Works and he's going to say to them, depart from me.

I never knew you some of the saddest words in all of the

Bible. Do you know Christ?

Does he know you? If not, I beg you, get that

taken care of this morning. Father, we thank you so much for

sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross and thank you so much

that he died for me. Thank you so much that we have

the privilege of knowing for sure that we can spend eternity

in heaven with you, knowing for sure that our sins are forgiven,

that you our Savior. I pray that there would not be

one person that walks out without knowing that for sure

themselves this morning. Thank you again for all that you

do for us. In Jesus name, Amen.