[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. This is the next message in our series on the book of John entitled, Jesus is God.
[0:14] Go with me to John chapter 12. I guess you figured that was coming, didn't you? John chapter 12. We are in the last week. And though we're celebrating in the passage, there's a very somber mood.
[0:28] And I'll only give you, we'll try to give you seven things very briefly that you can write down, maybe seven or eight things that you can write down. But the Bible is the story of the death of Jesus.
[0:41] The Bible is the story of the death of Jesus. His death, his burial, and his resurrection. And if you look in John chapter 12 and verse 27, he says, Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say?
[0:54] Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour. Check that out. I don't know if you can feel it.
[1:05] I don't know if you can go there with me to sitting with his disciples. And he's talking to his disciples and the verses that we've been reading and what we went over this morning.
[1:17] And he's told them that it's about giving your life. It's about being buried. And in verse 27, that's all we'll focus on just for about 15 minutes.
[1:29] But look what he said. Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour.
[1:42] I'll give you some things to write down. I don't know if you can imagine what it's like. Have you ever had something that you were anticipating that was an extremely painful or negative experience?
[1:56] I love dentist offices, you know. I really believe that all dentists must work on the torture team from Russia or Iraq or somewhere. Some of them go in and say, we serve cowards.
[2:09] But they never help me that much. They need to do more. I had one dentist friend who's in heaven now. And he used to say, he used to say, don't worry about it. We take care of cowards and chickens here. You're going to fit in well.
[2:20] And he would give me laughing gas. And I told him, I said, you're going to have to up that gas because I have never laughed in this room. Not one time. And, you know, when you're waiting for something painful, can you imagine being on death row?
[2:33] Can you imagine these people that get put to death and hear the noise of the preparations for your execution? Can you imagine that?
[2:44] Can you imagine being God in human flesh and somehow that we don't understand he's all God and he's all man and he knows he's God. But God has limited himself to a human body and suffering and pain and all that a man will go through.
[2:59] How in the world does that happen? I don't understand that except from what the Bible says. But he's sitting there and he says, you know, it's time. It's time. That's why I came into this world.
[3:10] I hear him say, now is my soul troubled. My hours come and I'm upset. Now, I don't know how to, I don't know what somebody is upset. I don't know.
[3:21] I don't want to say he was afraid. I don't want to say he didn't want to go through it. I don't want to say any of that. I don't know what it means. But I can only imagine what it would be like. And let me just tell you some things that I think you should bear in mind about the crucifixion.
[3:34] And this will be a little bit on the somber side for you. Number one thing is this. He came to die. You should write that down. You should remember that. He knew that all the time he was alive.
[3:47] I'm going to prove it to you. I really do have like 23 pages of notes, but almost all of them are verses. But I'll pick a handful here and there. I want you to know he came to die. I want you to know before the world was ever created, he already knew that you were going to sin.
[4:02] He already knew that we were going to mess up. He already knew that there would be a need for a plan of salvation. And our God planned to put on human flesh and allow himself to suffer at the hands of his creation and die for us.
[4:17] In Revelation chapter 13 and verse 8, the Bible says, And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of the Lamb, the book of life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.
[4:30] In 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 20, just skipping straight to the verse, Who verily, talking about Christ in the verse before that, Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but manifest in these last times.
[4:44] Jesus knew he was going to die. He says here, My hour has come. My hour has come. I know I'm about to die. My soul is troubled.
[4:56] I know I'm going to the cross. I know that I created man and he's going to spit in my face. I know he's going to pluck my beard. I know they're going to mock me. I know they're going to laugh at me and call me king.
[5:06] And then they're going to say, Who hit you? I know that I came to die. Go back if you would and read the verse, verse 27. One more time with me. Now is my soul troubled.
[5:17] And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour. I'm here. And that's why. Old Testament.
[5:28] Old Testament. Written by the prophets. Hundreds of years before Jesus said that verse right there. They knew. They foretold that Jesus would die. In Isaiah 53, a chapter you all ought to read.
[5:41] You ought to meditate on. You ought to think about. It says in Isaiah 52 that his face, his visage, his appearance was marred. By the time it was over so that nobody would have ever recognized who he was.
[5:55] His manhood. His face. Beaten beyond recognition. Beaten beyond anything that you would ever understand or I could understand. Beaten beyond anything that we've seen done in modern history.
[6:07] Verse 6 of Isaiah 53. All we like sheep have gone astray. Listen to this. From this morning, we have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord that laid on him the iniquity of us all.
[6:20] He came to die. He came to die. He came to die. He came to carry our sins. I'm going to skip out of that one and just say this.
[6:31] He did not come to give us a good example to live as a main purpose. He did not come to teach us doctrine as a main purpose. His main purpose was to die. His death was no accident.
[6:45] It was no coincidence. It was he died because they rejected him and he died. It ought to weigh heavy on us. He is our savior. I'm amazed at how we can watch a movie about a president that's been killed or watch a movie about a hero that's died or watch a news forecast, a news report.
[7:07] And we can feel for that and you don't feel for the one who purchased your salvation. Can I remind you what he said in the verse? Now is my soul troubled.
[7:19] I don't know what that means. I cannot plumb the depths of that. I cannot understand what it must be to know that you knew before the world was ever founded that you were going to die.
[7:31] I cannot imagine what it must be like to know that you wrote history. You wrote prophecy in history. You had him write it down because it's the word of God. And it was written down in Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah.
[7:44] It was written in the Psalms. And Jesus, if you can just imagine Jesus before the foundation of the world was back here saying, I'm going to die. And then as they wrote the Bible, he's saying, write it down. Tell them how I'm going to die.
[7:55] And he described all the things that were going to happen. The Holy Spirit teaching man what was going to happen. And he came to die. Now is my soul troubled. Well, we ought to, boy, we ought to love and respect our Savior.
[8:09] We ought to reverence and awe him. No one ever in history like him. The second thing, Jesus died to fulfill prophecy. It was written about him.
[8:20] We saw it in Luke chapter 24 this morning. He said the prophets, Moses and the prophets have told you all these things. He said that you've known that I was going to die. If you read the Old Testament, you knew I was going to die.
[8:32] In the book of Daniel chapter 9, he was going to get cut off. And this is what it says in Daniel 9. Cut off. The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself.
[8:43] Cut off. Dead, but not for himself. And Zechariah said, they'll look on him whom they have pierced. And Isaiah, his visage was so marred, so marred more than any man.
[8:58] Listen to these verses about him. Written in the Old Testament. So you'll understand when he said, he said this, he said, my soul is troubled. My soul is troubled.
[9:11] You know how you're troubled because you go to a dentist and you're concerned? He knew everything that was going to happen. Verse 3, 53, 3, he says, he is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
[9:28] And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised. Surely he had borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.
[9:40] Yet, though he was doing all that for us, we did esteem him stricken and smitten of God and afflicted. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.
[9:52] The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes are we healed. The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Verse 10 in chapter 53, Isaiah.
[10:03] And it pleased the Lord to bruise him. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. John chapter 13, verse 18.
[10:16] I speak not of you all. I know whom I've chosen, but that the scripture may be fulfilled. Over and over, if you read the crucifixion story, here's what you're going to hear. That the Bible will be telling the truth.
[10:27] That the scriptures will be fulfilled. Jesus died because he came to die. Jesus died because it was prophecy. There are tons of things in the Old Testament you wouldn't have recognized.
[10:40] He knew that it was about him. In the New Testament, we find out it was about him. Maybe when you read it in the Old Testament, you weren't clear that it was him. Because in Zechariah, they said they give 30 pieces of silver and they cast it under the potter.
[10:52] In Matthew chapter 26 and verse 15, they covenanted for 30 pieces of silver. In Isaiah chapter 50, he gave his back to the smiters. In Matthew chapter 26, they spit in his face and buffeted him and others smote him with the palms of their hands.
[11:10] Matthew 27, 26. He was scourged, beaten severely and delivered to be crucified. Psalm 22 says, he was a reproach of men, despised of the people.
[11:23] And they see me and they laugh me to scorn. The cross scene and all the suffering and everything that happens in the picture of Jesus dying was all written about before.
[11:37] Jesus came to die that the scriptures might be fulfilled. I won't take you through more of it, but just let me remind you that all the way from Genesis chapter 3, when animals are killed to make skins to cover Adam and Eve's sin, Jesus was going to die.
[11:59] When Cain and Abel made an offering and Abel's offering was accepted, it was because it was a lamb. It was because it was blood. It was because it was a presentation of Jesus.
[12:09] The whole book of Leviticus, every lamb slain, every animal put on an altar was a picture of Jesus. He says, my hour's here and my soul's troubled.
[12:25] I know what I'm about to go through. Third thing you might write down, he prophesied about it, he preached about it, and he taught about it while he was living. I want you to imagine, he knew about it before the world began.
[12:40] He told the guys in the Old Testament to write it down. And then while he was living, he kept telling everybody. They didn't pay attention. They thought he was talking poetically. They never took to heart that he was talking to them.
[12:52] And he said, I'm talking about me. I'm talking about me. Can I just show you some things he said? I just want you to imagine living with Jesus for three years and you're sitting over there. And Evan, we're not talking about going deer hunting.
[13:05] We're not talking, Jeff, we're not talking about whether or not we like to shoot guns. We're sitting there talking. He's looking. He's saying, listen to him what's going to happen to me. He knew what was going to happen to him.
[13:16] And he announced it to him over and over. Listen to a few of these things. Luke 18, 31 through 34. We'll just read 31 right now. Then he took unto him the 12 and said unto them, All right, boys, behold, we go to Jerusalem.
[13:31] And all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man, they're fixing to happen. You guys been studying the Old Testament? You guys been hearing what goes on back there?
[13:44] You guys know what it says in Psalms 22? You guys ever read Isaiah 53? You guys ever read Zechariah? You ever heard all those Old Testament things? Let's go to Jerusalem. Everything they said was going to happen is about to happen.
[13:57] My hour's here. What do I say? Do I ask him not to do it? But that's why I came. I came to die.
[14:09] And in verse 34, in Luke 18, 34, he said, And they understood none of these things. Matthew chapter 20, verse 18. Behold, we go to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be betrayed.
[14:21] They shall condemn him to death. They shall deliver him to the Gentiles, to mock him, to scourge him, to crucify him. And he'll rise again on the third day. Mark chapter 10, he said, He began to tell them, verse 32, He began to tell them what things should happen to him.
[14:44] Verse 33, he said, He shall be delivered, shall be condemned to death. They shall deliver to the Gentiles, and they'll mock him. He taught about it all the time. I want you to understand, here's a discipleship lesson.
[14:56] Here's a foundations lesson, and somebody's sitting down in a Friday class with some Bible college students, or here's a disciples walking down the road, and Jesus is talking to them and telling them what's going to happen.
[15:07] In Matthew 16, 21, he says, From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples how he must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things.
[15:18] My hour's here. My heart's troubled. What do I say? But I came for this. The Son of Man shall be betrayed.
[15:33] The Son of Man shall be betrayed. The Son of Man shall be delivered. The Son of Man shall be lifted up like a serpent in the wilderness. I give my flesh like bread. The death of Jesus is what the New Testament's about.
[15:47] Almost 20% of the Gospels is devoted to the last few days of his life. We're in John chapter 12. There are 21 chapters, and we're in the last week of his life. You know what was big about Jesus' life?
[16:00] He came to die. His death, burial, and resurrection are the climax of the Gospels.
[16:11] Fourth thing you can write down. I'll hurry through the rest of them. His death was the central theme of the apostles' teachings and messages.
[16:22] First Corinthians 15, when the Apostle Paul tells us what the Gospel is, he tells us it's the death. The burial and the resurrection. Just a few verses in Acts.
[16:33] Just reading some of the things that were said. In Acts chapter 2, Christ died for our sins. In Acts chapter 3, verse 13. And hath glorified his son Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied him in the presence of Pilate.
[16:45] Verse 14. And you denied the Holy One and the just and desired a murderer to be granted unto you. And you killed the Prince of Life. Acts chapter 5.
[16:56] You slew and hanged him on a tree. Acts 10, 39. You slew and hanged him on a tree. Acts 13. They that dwell at Jerusalem and their rulers because they knew him not.
[17:09] Nor yet the voice of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day. You did everything that was written. The apostles say, you guys have been reading the prophets every day of your life.
[17:20] And you did it down to the letter. You did exactly what they said. And you had no idea what you were doing. You read the scriptures and didn't even know as you killed Jesus.
[17:31] He came to die. My hour is here. My heart's troubled. My soul is troubled. But what will I say? Do I ask him that I don't have to do it?
[17:42] But that's really why I came to this earth. Number five. The New Testament teaches why he died. I'll just give you a handful of these real quickly. He died in Romans chapter 5 for us.
[17:56] Verse 9. So that we could be justified. Saved from wrath. Why did he die? So we could be justified. Because the wages of sin is death.
[18:10] That's what you deserve. That's what I deserve. That's what he did. Verse 10. It says we were enemies. Romans chapter 5 verse 10.
[18:22] For if when we were enemies. We were reconciled to God. By the death of his son. We know why he died.
[18:35] Romans 8.34. He makes intercession for us. In Romans 14.9. He's the Lord of the living and the dead. 2 Corinthians 5.14. If one died for all.
[18:45] I'll just give you two more verses. On this point. Colossians 1.21. And you that were sometime alienated.
[18:58] And enemies in your mind. By wicked works. Yet now. Hath he reconciled. In the body. Of his flesh. Through death. I love this. Would you listen to this? To present you holy.
[19:10] And unblameable. And unreprovable. In his sight. Let me explain to you. What it means to be presented. Have you ever gone somewhere. Where you were a stranger. And somebody introduced you.
[19:22] Hey. I'd like to introduce you. This is Austin. He's my pastor. He pastors Vision Baptist Church. I really appreciate him. He's been a good friend to me. It's a nice way to introduce a guy. I want you to understand.
[19:33] What's going to happen. Let's go back over. Your dirty filthy life. Let's think about all the lies. And the cheating. And the wicked thoughts you've had. Let's think about the porn you've looked at. Let's think about the filthy thoughts you've had.
[19:45] Let's think about the jokes you've had. Let's think about the things you've done that are wrong. And here's what he said. I died. So I can take you to heaven. And I'll introduce you this way. Look at it. I will present you.
[19:57] Holy. Nobody can blame you. Nobody can call your hand on anything. And not in your sight. And not in the church's sight. But in his sight.
[20:08] What a Savior. He's coming. He says. Boys, my hour's here. I don't know what to say.
[20:20] My soul's troubled. Do I ask not to go through it? How can I? That's why I came. Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 9. He came.
[20:30] To taste death for every man. Two more things and I'm quitting. In 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 11 and 12.
[20:41] Heaven talks about the death of Jesus. In 1 Peter 1, 11 and 12. I love this part. You'll have to read it later. Verse 12. Last part, guys. 1 Peter. What was it?
[20:52] 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 12. You know what the last part of that says? Which things the angels desire to look into. You know, angels are up in heaven saying, how in the world could that guy be presented holy and unblameable?
[21:06] And the angels are like, I can't believe this. Look at how great our God is. Look at how he took that guy. Look at how he took that woman. Look at how he took Austin Gardner. That mess of a man.
[21:17] And he presents him holy and unblameable. And the angels in heaven are like, come here and look. Come here and look. You're not going to believe what's happening. What a God we serve. Heaven talks about it. Heaven talks about it.
[21:28] In Revelation chapter 5. Now I don't have time for us to go over it. There's a whole song in Revelation chapter 5 and verse 8 that says, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Let me give you the last one.
[21:40] I'll quit. Even our church ordinances. This past week, this Thursday night, I guess it was, Mark baptized his two children. We have two ordinances of our church. Ordinances are things we believe God commanded us to do as a church.
[21:54] Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Guess what they're about? His death. His resurrection. His death and his burial.
[22:04] It's all about Jesus. We go to baptize somebody. Romans chapter 6. We go to baptize somebody. Other pictures in the Bible. I won't take the time to show you. But he stands there and we say, this is the old man.
[22:15] He accepted Christ. And the old man was buried and raised to walk in newness of life. Death. Burial. Resurrection.
[22:26] Let's take the Lord's Supper. We take the Lord's Supper. We'll hold a little piece of bread in our hand. He will say, this reminds us of the body that was broken for us. This reminds us of the blood.
[22:39] This cup reminds us of the blood that was shed for us. And we do show forth his death. Until he come. Go back to the beginning, if you would.
[22:53] Go back to John chapter 12. The first verse. And look at the. And look at what it says, if you would with me again. He says, hey, my hour's here. It's time for me to.
[23:05] It's time for me to die. What am I going to do? John chapter 12, verse 27. Now is my soul troubled. What shall I say? Father, save me from this hour.
[23:18] Eh. But for this cause. Came under this hour. I wish we could sneak in. And stand just back in the shadows.
[23:28] And listen to him as he talks. To his disciples. And he's been telling them for three years. It's about to happen. In just a little while. They'll drive those nails. Through my.
[23:40] Hands. In just a little while. They'll pluck my beard. In just a little while. God the creator. Will hang naked. Suspended between heaven and earth.
[23:50] And men will walk by. Shaking their heads. And mocking me. Like I was. An ordinary. Scumbag. Criminal. They will offer me vinegar to drink.
[24:02] Not one of my bones will be broken. Believe me. I know all that's going to happen. You see. It was planned before the world was founded. The prophets tell it. And I've been telling you guys. For three years. What's going to happen to me.
[24:15] See one of the things. That makes pain. Easier to handle. Is when it's. Not expected. You know how the doctor does. He said.
[24:26] Look that way. Don't look this way. Because you know. If you're watching them. You'll see the shot coming. And you get ready to flinch. I was. I had. My foot.
[24:37] Swole up real. I could hardly walk on it. And Dr. Benavente. Was a personal friend of ours. That lived right. Around the clock. Block. And he was a. He's one of the best bone surgeons. In Adikipa.
[24:47] And when he came over to my house. He brought this humongous syringe. And needle. That looked like you'd use it. On a. On a Angus bull. And.
[24:59] I mean. The needle was that long. At least. It looked like. As big around as one of my fingers. And I said. What are you going to do with it? He said. I'm going to shoot that into your ankle. I said. No you're not.
[25:09] I said. I'd rather hurt. I said. Are you going to give me any painkillers? He said. Oh you won't feel it. I said. You're a liar. And he said. Well put your foot up here. Let me just look at it. And he laid his syringe back over.
[25:21] And you know. He just kept playing with me. Joking around. We were friends. And he's cutting up with me. Smart talking me. And for one split second. I looked away. And he jabbed that thing into me. I thought I'd go through the roof. And he goes.
[25:32] It's okay. It's over now. That's a lie too. After he got it in there. He shot that medicine. And he says. See. That wasn't bad was it? I said. Yes it was. You lied. He said.
[25:42] I would never do that to you again. And in a few minutes. He pulled it out about an inch. And shoved it another direction. And he said. It's got painkiller in it. You know. What takes away the pain is. If you don't know what's coming.
[25:54] Can you imagine. What it must have felt like. To know. Every move. They'd make. Now is my soul troubled. What shall I say?
[26:07] Father. Save me from this hour. No. I came to the world. For this very hour. So as we go home. We'll celebrate salvation.
[26:19] You're saved. Isn't that wonderful? How many of you know you're saved? Say amen. It came at great cost. We say salvation is free. And it was to us. But it wasn't to him. We say salvation is a gift.
[26:32] And it was to us. But he paid for the gift. And you are always love. And honor. And respect. And magnify.
[26:42] Our great. Savior. Now. Is my soul troubled? What shall I say? Father.
[26:53] Save me from this hour. But for this cause. Came I under this. Hour. Father. I pray. I pray. That you would drive home. To our hearts.
[27:04] The wonderful love. Of our Savior. I pray. You'd help us. To see it. And to feel it. And to hurt today. And help us.
[27:14] To magnify. And thank you. For how good. And kind. You are. You are. Beyond. All goodness. And kindness. You are the wonderful. Precious. Fantastically.
[27:25] Wonderful. Son of God. And we love you. We thank you. And we praise you. I pray God. That you let us worship you now. I pray you'd help your children's hearts.
[27:38] To be lifted up towards you right now. God help us to say. And I ask you all to listen. Right as I pray. Say it to him now. Thank you Jesus. Thank you. Thank you for dying for us.
[27:50] Thank you for the agony you took. Thank you for paying the debt I owed. Thank you for dying in my place. Thank you for letting my sins be placed on you.
[28:01] Thank you for tasting death for me. Thank you Lord Jesus. I magnify you. You have been listening to Austin Gardner.
[28:14] Pastor of Vision Baptist Church. For contact information, location, service times, or more audio and video recordings, log on to www.visionbaptist.com.