Welcome to St Paul's.
My name's Steve, lead pastor here,
and I want to particularly add that welcome of ashes this morning
! on this special day for Christians right around the world.
!
He was popular at the end of the 19th century,
basically through to the mid-20th century.
A number of his works have been put into movies,
starring Tom Cruise and others.
But he started life, quite interesting, you see this in his work.
He started life hopeful about life,
but ended life quite despondent about life.
He, in fact, started life sympathetic to God
and ended life as a despondent atheist.
And you see this in his writing.
So in his short history of the world, he wrote this.
Can we doubt that presently our race
will more than realise our boldest imaginations,
that it will achieve unity and peace,
and that our children will live in a world
and lovely than any palace or garden that we know,
going on from strength to strength
in an ever-widening circle of achievement.
He wrote those words in 1937.
1937.
Nine years later,
in almost his final piece of writing,
and after the carnage of World War II,
he wrote this.
The cold-blooded massacres of the defenceless,
the return of deliberate and organised torture,
mental torment,
and a fear to a world from which such things
had seemed well-nine banished,
has come near to breaking my spirit altogether.
Homo sapiens,
as has been pleased to call himself,
is played out.
What Wells picks up there,
and what we would pick up,
having, for those of us,
just read the history of the 20th century,
and the carnage of the 20th century,
it's hard to avoid the conclusion
that there is fundamentally something wrong
with this world.
And you just turn on the news,
even this morning,
and you will see multitudes,
options,
varieties of what is fundamentally wrong
with this world.
And every culture,
and every society,
and every time,
every religion,
and philosophy of life,
must give account
to its people
what is fundamentally wrong
with this world,
and therefore,
how do you resolve it.
And Good Friday
is Christianity's account
of what is fundamentally wrong
with this world,
and how to fix it.
And in these verses here
that Merle just read out for us,
this fundamentally wrong
with the world
is, if you like,
represented with the image
of darkness.
Darkness.
In verses 52, 53,
Jesus, as the soldiers come
with the religious elite,
draws attention to the fact
that they are acting
under the cloak of darkness
rather than in the daylight.
You had options.
You saw me in the temple courts
in the daylight.
And then he adds this
in verse 53.
This is your hour
when darkness reigns.
Now, Jesus was saying
in that moment,
hey guys,
you know,
it's late at night,
we need a little bit more,
you know,
turn the lights up,
we need a bit more light here.
He's saying here
that the physical darkness,
by the physical darkness
in which all these events
took place,
are pointing to something
that is so much deeper.
A deeper darkness.
A deeper spiritual darkness.
And it's a darkness,
a spiritual darkness
that controls
every human heart,
mind,
and soul.
And what he's saying is,
this is the hour
where that darkness
is clearly on display,
but it's also the hour
where Jesus will
decisively solve
that deep darkness.
And so,
controlled by
this spiritual blindness,
they come to arrest Jesus
and condemn Jesus.
But this is the hour
when the reign
of these
dark spiritual powers
will end.
And so,
that's the text,
get it open,
we've got four points
that we're going to
quickly move through
in this text
to unpack
what that looks like.
the first of it
being
the mocking
of darkness.
Now,
what we notice is
you read through
not just this section
but really
into the next section
as well
as Jesus is crucified
right after the crucifixion.
He's mocked
quite a lot.
He's mocked
for claiming
to be a king,
he's mocked
for claiming
to be God,
he's mocked
to be a saviour,
and notice as well
that
everyone
is involved
in the mocking.
It's the Romans,
it's the Jews,
it's the elites,
it's the crowds,
it's the commoner,
everyone
gets involved
in the mocking.
You can't pin
the death of Jesus
on the Jews.
Everyone's involved.
And you can't pin it
on the Jews
with any shred
of historical credibility.
Everyone's in on it.
And here
in verse
right at the end
of the passage
we see that
the soldiers
are mocking Jesus
for claiming
to be a prophet.
Verse 64,
they blindfolded him
and demanded,
prophesy,
who hit you?
And they said
many other
insulting things
to him.
The irony
of their mocking
is that
as they
attack
him
and mock
his prophetic
powers,
they're actually
proving
his prophetic
powers.
Several chapters
earlier
in Luke
18,
we have
he recorded
the words
of Jesus
as he's
on his way
to Jerusalem
telling his
disciples
what will
happen to
him.
Everything
that is
written
by the
prophets
about
the
son
of
man
will
be
fulfilled.
He'll be
delivered over
to the
Gentiles
and they
will mock
him
and insult
him
and spit
on him
and they
will flog
him
and kill
him.
That's the
irony of their
mocking.
But the
question is
why are
they mocking
him?
That's the
issue.
Why are
they mocking
him?
Is it just
like a
mob thing?
Opportunistic?
It's because
Jesus didn't
display what
they would
expect of
a prophet.
He didn't
display the
power that
they would
expect of
a prophet.
In their
world God
did not
work through
weakness and
vulnerability.
Prophets were
powerful figures.
In fact even
in the Old
Testament the
last time a
bunch of
soldiers turned
up in order
to arrest one
of God's
prophets,
fire came
down from
heaven.
Three times.
Jesus,
where's your
power?
Where's your
power?
They looked
at his
suffering,
they looked
at his
weakness,
his
vulnerability
and they
mocked him
because he
didn't fit
into their
categories.
They were
blinded to
who he
really was.
blinded to
us.
And part
of this
deep
spiritual
blindness,
this deep
darkness of
spiritual
blindness,
humanity
looks out
into our
world of
suffering and
of injustice
and evil
and we
conclude
there clearly
cannot be a
God.
You can't
have a
God and
suffering
or at
the very
least you
can't have a
good God
and suffering
because none
of those
categories
fit
ours.
They don't
fit our
category the
way the
world works
because we
think if
there is a
God,
he would
exhort his
power,
boom,
and wipe
out all
evil.
And so
when we
experience a
dark world,
when the
dark clouds
come around
our life,
we mock
too,
don't we?
Don't we
join in the
mocking?
Clearly
God doesn't
exist,
otherwise he
would stop
this.
Or clearly
God is not
a good
God.
God is
wrong.
But what
if our
categories are
wrong?
What if our
categories are
all wrong?
I remember
one day,
actually it's
happened a few
occasions,
but one
particular day,
taking off in
an aeroplane.
And this
day was a
stormy day.
It was one
of those
really wet
stormy,
where the
clouds were
dark,
and it
felt like
the sun
doesn't exist.
It was like
turn the
lights off,
back on
again.
And it
was the
middle of
the day,
and as we
took off,
it was
dark,
and as we
went into
the clouds,
the cabin of
the aircraft
just got
darker and
darker.
It was
eerie.
And we
bumped our
way through
the clouds,
and then
gradually the
darkness
within the
cabin,
you could
see just
lifting a
little bit,
and then
there was
this,
you know,
a moment
of a
sunlight just
sort of
beamed through
the window,
and then
within moments
after that,
pop,
bang,
and we
were up
through the
clouds,
and you
look out
the window,
and the
sun's shining,
and the
skies are blue,
and the
only clouds,
the clouds
that were
down there,
that blocked
my vision
of the
sun,
momentarily.
The sun
was there
the whole
time.
The light
was there
the whole
time,
but the
clouds meant
I couldn't
see it.
No matter
how deep
the darkness
is,
it doesn't
impact the
existence of
the sun
one bit.
Not one bit.
No matter
how bad
things get
in life,
it doesn't
nullify the
loving,
saving purposes
of God.
And when
we mock,
when we
question,
our
categories
are wrong.
It is a
spiritual
darkness
that caused
us not
to see
God
or to
trust
God
in the
darkness.
And this
is the
problem
that we
all have.
And it's
the kiss
of Judas
that actually
points to
the depths
of this
problem.
The kiss
of Judas
is very,
very
significant.
It's the
kiss of
darkness.
Verse 47,
the man
who was
called
Judas,
one of the
twelve,
was leading
them.
That is,
the soldiers
and religious
elite.
And he
approached
Jesus to
kiss him.
But Jesus
asked him,
Judas,
are you
betraying the
son of
man with
a kiss?
Now,
in Jesus'
time and
culture,
disciples
were never
permitted to
greet their
teacher
first.
Because in
greeting the
teacher, it
implies equality
with the
teacher.
And so
a disciple
in this
moment would
greet the
other disciples
first and
then they
would greet
the teacher
to show
deference.
And so
Judas'
kiss here
in the
darkness
was not
simply a
signal to
the mob
that this
is Jesus.
This is the
one you're
looking for.
I'll point
him out to
you.
But it
is in
fact an
act of
rejection.
It's an
act of
independence.
He was
saying to
Jesus in
this moment,
you are no
longer my
rabbi,
I am
your equal.
And I
don't need
you.
His kiss
was the
rejection
of a
personal
relationship.
A
personal
intimate
relationship.
He had
spent three
years with
Jesus.
It was
not the
kiss of
rejection of
an enemy.
It is
shocking
what he
did in
this moment
and what
it meant
for Jesus
in this
moment.
You know,
someone walks
into here,
I don't
know you,
never met
you,
and they
come up to
me straight
out of the
service and
says,
Steve,
I'm never
coming back.
Don't like a
thing you did,
never coming
back.
And I go,
oh,
wow,
that hurt
for a
while.
One of
you,
it's
different
though,
that if
one of
you who's
been here
and with
me for
the last
17 years
says,
Steve,
I'm done
with this
and I'm
done with
you,
I'm out
of here,
I'm never
coming back.
And it's
all because
of you.
That will
take a
while for
me to
get over
it,
if ever,
maybe.
You know,
I'll get
there but
it'll hurt
deeper.
If Nat
comes up
to me
after the
service
and says
the same
thing,
oh boy,
that's crushing.
That's an
entirely different
category altogether.
And so
this kiss
was a kiss
of rejection
and independence.
And it's
a vivid
picture
in this
kiss,
it's a
vivid
picture
of what
the Bible
calls
sin.
And it
is the
source
of the
deep
spiritual
darkness
of humanity.
It is
sin
is living
as if
God
does not
exist.
It is
rejection
of him
over my
life and
in relation
with my
life.
You see,
what the
Bible says,
Christian faith
in terms
of our
worldview
is God
created
humanity
to enjoy
a relationship
with him
and to
have that
relationship
with God
at the
center of
our lives.
And sin
so much
therefore is
not so much
in the Bible
the rejection
or the
breaking
of a
bunch
of
rules.
That's
not
fundamentally
what sin
is.
At the
deepest
level,
sin
is breaking
God's
heart.
That's
what sin
is.
It is a
trampling
all over
God's
heart
and all
sin,
every act
of sin
is a
betrayal
of the
intimacy
with God
for which
we were
created.
It is
the kiss
of Judas
every time
we do
it.
You see,
because the
God of
Christianity
is not a
force.
He's not a
power.
He is
deeply
relational.
He's a
deeply
personal
God.
Isaiah
49,
15,
God has
the
audacity
to take
the
image
of the
intimacy
of a
new
mother
with a
newborn
child
and says
that the
kind of
overwhelming
love that
that mother
has for
that child
is nothing
compared to
his love
for humanity.
And so
the kiss
of Judas
is a
betrayal
of
relationship
with God.
See,
Christianity
does not
divide the
world between
the bad
people who
break the
rules and
the good
people who
keep the
rules or
most of
the rules.
That's not
how the
world's
divided.
And we
get a
glimpse of
this in
Luke 22.
Jesus is
eating with
his disciples
just before
the Garden
of
Gethsemane
celebrating
the Passover
meal.
And what
he says to
them towards
the end of
that meal,
he says,
one of you
is going to
betray me.
And then it
says this in
verse 23,
there be a
question among
themselves which
of them it
might be who
would do
this.
Jesus.
In other
words, they're
sitting around
the table with
Jesus, all
the core
crew, and
Jesus says,
one of you is
going to betray
me, and
they go,
well, who?
Which one?
See the
point?
It's not
obvious that
Jesus is talking
about Judas
at all.
They don't
go in that
moment, you
know, looking
at Jesus, then
everyone looks
to Judas.
What's obvious
he's talking
about Judas,
isn't he,
guys?
Remember when
we went out
two by two
preaching?
Judas didn't
have so many
converts, did
he?
And when we
were healing
sick, I
mean, who
ever got
healed by
Judas?
Judas isn't
tithing as
much.
He's not
as good.
as humble
as the
rest of
us are.
It was
not obvious
to them
that Judas
was the
one who
was going
to betray.
He was
no different
from the
rest.
He was
no different
to you
and me.
Judas,
like the
others,
were using
God rather
than centering
his life
on God.
And even
on the
walk to
the Garden
of Gethsemane,
the debate
was not
who amongst
us would
possibly
fail
Jesus.
The debate
was who
amongst us
is the
greatest.
Such was
their pride.
God.
You see,
in this
moment,
the favour
of the
religious
elite
and that
30 pieces
of silver
were more
important to
Judas.
You see,
our spiritual
blindness is
we are blind
to the
reality
that we
are trampling
all over
God's
heart
as we
choose to
live
ourselves.
unable to
trust God
when things
are hard
and we
trample
all over
his heart
when things
are good
and we
ignore him.
We
practise the
kiss of
Judas all
the time.
And Jesus
came into
the darkness,
suffered in
the darkness
to rescue
us from
this deep
spiritual
darkness
that lives
lives
independent
of God.
So let's
now look
back at
the beginning
of this
text and
the suffering
of Jesus,
the suffering
of darkness.
Verse 39,
Jesus went
out as
usual to
the Mount
of Olives
and his
disciples
followed him
and on
reaching the
place he
said to
them,
pray that
you will
not fall
into
temptation
and he
withdrew
about a
stone's
throw
beyond
them,
knelt
down and
prayed,
Father,
if you're
willing,
take this
cup from
me,
but yet
not my
will,
but yours
be done.
An angel
from heaven
appeared to
him and
strengthened
him and
being in
anguish,
he prayed
more earnestly
and his
sweat was
like drops
of blood
falling to
the ground.
This is the
only place
in the
Bible where
this word
anguish
is used.
Other
other
gospels
say that
he was
appalled
and
profoundly
troubled.
His
affliction
was so
great,
is the
image,
his affliction
was so
great that
he was
sinking under
the weight
of it and
an angel
needed to
come and
steady
him.
He was
in such
agony,
there was
blood in
his sweat.
Now
that's
actually
possible.
It's a
rare
medical
condition
where
capillary
blood
vessels
which
surround
sweat
glands
actually
rupture
and it's
usually
triggered
by
extreme
physical
or
emotional
shock,
stress.
Now
Jesus
isn't
under,
he hasn't
run a
marathon
and if
he had
he'd be
doing it
with the
disciples
and they'd
all be
going but
only Jesus
is here.
He's
under
extreme
emotional
shock.
He's
staggering
and the
angel needs
to come
and steady
him.
What
caused
it?
It's
there in
verse
42.
Father,
if you
are
willing,
take
this
cup
from
me.
Yet
not
my
will,
but
yours
be
done.
His
anguish
is
connected
to the
cup.
And
for the
first
time,
he began
to
experience,
get a
glimpse
of the
cup
and he
prays
that that
cup
would be
taken
away
because
the
anguish
of it
was so
great.
The
cup in
Old Testament
language
means the
cup of
God's
judgment.
It's
God
pouring out
his
judgment
against
sin in
the Old
Testament.
And
this
is the
critical
moment
in
Jesus'
life.
When
he
first
gets a
whiff,
a glimpse
of
exactly
what
the
cup
means
for
him.
What
it will
mean
for
him
to
obey
the
Father
in
this
moment.
You
see,
he was
determined
to bear
God's
judgment
for
sin.
He
knew
that
was
his
mission.
When
he
said
his
face
towards
Jerusalem
earlier
in
Luke's
gospel,
he
told
them,
I'm
going
to
go
there,
I'm
going
to
suffer
and
I'm
going
to
die
and
I'm
going
to
do
it
for
the
sin
of
the
world.
And
he
did
it
with
such
amazing
resolve
that
those
who
were
around
him
were
just
Jesus
you
can't
do
that
and
he
says
do
not
get
in
my
way
that
is
my
mission.
Even
his
demeanour
after
his
arrest
right
through
to
his
crucifixion
is
resolute
calmness.
He's
not
in
anguish
because
of
fear
of
death.
He's
not
even
in
anguish
because
of
the
weight
of
human
sin.
He's
not
in
anguish
because
of
the
suffering.
There
is
something
else
he
saw
in
the
cup
he
got
a
glimpse
of
that
caused
him
to
stagger
and
it's
the
first
time
he
saw
it.
You
see
the
consequence
of
humanity
turning
its
back
on
God
ultimately
is
for
God
to
turn
his
back
on
humanity
for
eternity.
And
Jesus
got a
glimpse
that
his
hell
was
going
to be
deeper
than
anyone
else's.
He
got a
glimpse
for the
first
time
of
what
carrying
the
weight
of
human
sin
would
mean
for
him.
The
father
turning
his
face
away.
You
see
the
best
relationship
in the
history
of
humanity
is
like
a
drop
of
sweat
in
all
the
oceans
of
the
world
compared
to
the
love
of
Jesus
and
the
father.
If
you
think
the
kiss
of
Judas
was
big
in
rejection
Jesus
got a
glimpse
here
of
something
more
profound.
His
relationship
with his
father has
been a
perfect
relationship
of mutual
love and
commitment
and service
and his
anguish
was that
he got a
glimpse of
here in
the cup
his
anguish
was the
horror
of
one
who
had
lived
wholly
for the
father
for all
of
eternity
getting
a
glimpse
of a
crack
of a
breach
of
alienation
from
God
on the
cross.
Even
momentarily
even for
three days
in a
tomb
was
enough
and the
horror he
gets at
that
glimpse
is the
horror
that we
hear him
cry out
on the
cross
the cry
of
dereliction
my
God
my
God
why
have
you
affected
me
there is
no greater
horror
than
separation
from
God
you
see the
garden
of
Gethsemane
had
always
been a
refuge
for
Jesus
and his
disciples
he
came to
talk to
his
father
knowing
the
darkness
of his
betrayal
arrest
and rejection
on this
particular
night
he knew
his execution
was just
moments
away
and he
had
always
come
here
to
talk
to
his
father
and
he
did
it
on
this
night
and
instead
of
experiencing
heaven
being
opened
up
to
him
he
got
hell
instead
he
got
hell
he
got a
glimpse
of the
horror
of
separation
from
God
and
yet
as
one
who is
completely
obedient
to his
father
he
said
not
my
will
but
yours
be
done
he
the
dark
clouds
are
closing
in
and
yet
he
still
sees
the
brightness
of
the
love
of
the
father
he
trusts
in
his
plan
despite
knowing
what
it
will
cost
him
you
see
in
the
very
first
pages
of
the
Bible
God
creates
humanity
and
makes
them in
his
image
and
he
puts
them
in
this
perfect
paradise
called
the
garden
of
Eden
and
Adam
and
Eve
his
first
people
were
told
there
in
the
garden
it's
all
yours
enjoy
it
but
there's
one
thing
that
you
must
do
there's
one
thing
that
you
must
obey
me
on
and
you
must
not
take
of
the
tree
of
the
knowledge
of
good
and
evil
you
must
not
determine
for
yourselves
how
to
live
you
must
live
under
my
rule
and
what
is
they
believed
the
lie
they
believed
the
lie
that
God
was
holding
out
for
them
that
he's
not
good
live
life
your
way
and
you
will
flourish
they
ignored
God's
command
and
instead
of
flourishing
it
led
to
them
being
cursed
it
led
to
pain
and
suffering
and
death
they
were
separated
from
the
presence
of
God
as
he
kicked
them
out
of
the
garden
and
in
this
garden
Jesus
is
told
to
embrace
the
tree
get
nailed
to
the
tree
die
on
the
tree
and
Jesus
knows
obeying
the
command
he
obeys
it
knowing
that
he'll
receive
the
curse
he'll
receive
separation
from
God
Adam
and
Eve
were
in
a
perfect
garden
in
perfect
relationship
with
God
and
God
said
if
you
obey
me
about
this
tree
you
will
live
and
you
will
flourish
and
you
will
enjoy
my
presence
forever
and
they
chose
instead
to
do
things
their
way
and
Jesus
millennia
!
later
is in
the
darkness
of a
different
garden
and
his
father
said
to
him
if
you
obey
me
about
this
tree
you
will
be
cursed
and
you
will
be
crushed
and
you
will
be
separated
from
me
and
he
trusted
the
father
and
was
plunged
into
unimaginable
darkness
and
this
deep
spiritual
darkness
that
Jesus
was
plunged
into
was
physically
represented
in a
world
plunged
into
darkness
at
the
point
of
his
death
it
was
now
about
noon
and
darkness
came
over
the
whole
land
until
three
in
the
afternoon
for
the
sun
had
stopped
shining
Jesus
drank
the
cup
of
God's
judgment
and
he
died
in
the
darkness
why
to
get
back
for
God
the
one
thing
that
God
did
not
have
and
that
was
humanity
alienated
from
him
to
get
you
and
me
back
in
relationship
with
him
into
a
perfect
relationship
with
him
and
so
Jesus
entered
this
world
of
darkness
was
plunged
into
the
depths
of
darkness
a
depth
to
the
depths
that
no
one
else
will
ever
experience
in
this
world
or
even
in
hell
and
he
did
it
to
rescue
humanity
who
caused
it
all
and
so
how
do
we
take
up
this
how
do
we
move
from
darkness
to
light
there's
one
other
disciple
who
gets
a
pretty
bad
rap
in
these
verses
and
that's
Peter
he
doesn't
come out
glowing
at
all
really
Judas
rejects
Jesus
and
Peter
denies
Jesus
but
it's
what
they
do
next
that
really
matters
Judas
went
into
the
darkness
and
he
stayed
in
the
darkness
not
mentioned
again
in
Luke
Peter
followed
Jesus
at
a
distance
he
followed
Jesus
maybe
he
was
curious
he
was
weak
but
he
was
curious
maybe
he
was
hoping
that
Jesus
would
eventually
say
actually
Peter
now's
the
time
to
get
your
sword
and
let's
get
the
revolution
going
let's
finally
get
the
power
on
here
but
it's
when
Peter
denies
Jesus
for the
third
time
that
the
rooster
crowed
just
as
Jesus
predicted
it
would
that's
when
his
heart
broke
it's
in that
moment
verse
61
says
the
Lord
turned
and
looked
straight
at
Peter
and
when
Peter's
blindness
started
to move
he
started
to see
light
and
what
he
saw
caused
him
to
weep
bitterly
and
what
he
saw
was
not
the
darkness
of these
events
what
he saw
was not
Judas's
betrayal
what he
saw
was the
darkness
in his
heart
and
he
wept
bitterly
his
tears
were not
tears
of remorse
they
were tears
of deep
sorrow
over the
darkness
in his
heart
and he
turned away
from it
Peter
moved
from
arrogance
to
brokenness
and what
caused
him to
see the
darkness
in his
heart
was the
word of
the
Lord
and the
look from
the
Lord
that's
what broke
him
he
realized
that
Jesus'
assessment
of him
as a
betrayer
was
correct
that
he
had
darkness
in his
heart
that
he
was
not
good
and
he
saw
that
he
was
weak
that
he
was
flawed
and
that
he
too
had
abandoned
God
but it
was also
the
look
you see
the
look
was
not
a
look
of
disgust
it
was
not
a
look
of
judgment
it
was
a
look
that
told
him
that
Jesus
was
not
done
with
him
yet
it
was
not
a
look
of
rejection
but
a
look
of
compassion
of
forgiveness
and
it
was
a
look
that
bid
him
to
come
not
a
look
that
caused
him
to run
into
the
darkness
you see
Judas
was
filled
with
regret
and
remorse
but
it
didn't
take
him
back
to
Jesus
it
led
him
to
despair
and
death
by
his
own
hand
but
Peter's
darkness
led
him
to
weep
bitterly
to
repentance
over
his
sin
and
back
to
Jesus
as
the
source
of
hope
and
salvation
and
so
the
Christian
does
not
repent
of
sin
hoping
to
gain
God's
favour
and
attention
they
repent
of
sin
because
they
have
God's
favour
and
attention
in
the
person
of
Jesus
and
so
look
to
Jesus
he is
the
solution
to
your
darkness
and
this
world's
darkness
look
to
Jesus
because
he's
fixed
his
gaze
on
you
already
on
the
cross
and
in
the
cross
look
to
Jesus
who
is
willing
to
be
plunged
into
the
darkness
of
sin
and
rejection
and
death
and
hell
to
give
us
freely
the
gift
of
forgiveness
and
acceptance
and
life
that will
never be
extinguished
in
heaven
you
see
the
Christian
hope
in a
world
of
darkness
and
disappointment
and
pain
and
suffering
and
injustice
the
Christian
hope
is that
this
is not
the way
it will
always
be
at the
very
end
of the
Bible
what
Jesus
has
achieved
for
us
is
not
just
light
and
acceptance
now
but
for
all
of
eternity
the
end
of
the
Bible
Revelation
22
verse
5
says
that
in
heaven
in
God's
presence
at
the
end
of
it
all
in
God's
remade
perfect
world
there
will
be
no
more
night
no
more
darkness
no
more
pain
no
more
suffering
we
don't
need
a
lamp
or
the
sun
because
the
Lord
God
will
be
its
light
that
is
the
Christian
hope
right
now
and so
whatever
pain
and
suffering
and
darkness
that
you're
experiencing
in the
depths
of
your
soul
Jesus
is
the
solution
for
you
now
for
your
own
darkness
and
sin
and
he
is
the
hope
that
he
gives
you
for
all
of
eternity
in
existence
!
of
perfection
and
light
and
so
we
come
and
we
celebrate
what
Jesus
did
just
before
the
darkness
of
Gethsemane
the
Lord's
Supper
that
he
gave
his
disciples
I'm
going to
begin
by
reading
the
very
words
of
Peter
this
Peter
who
in
this
moment
denied
Jesus
went
on
to be
restored
and
wrote
some
of
the
New
Testament
this
is
how
he
describes
those
who
come
and
put
their
trust
in
Jesus
you
are
a
chosen
people
God's
special
possession
that
you
may
declare
the
praise
of
him
who
called
you
out
of
darkness
into
his
wonderful
light
once
you
were
not
a
people
but
now
you
are
the
people
of
God
once
you
had
not
received
!
mercy
!
but
now
you
have
received
mercy!
And
so
the
first
thing
I'd
want
to
say
is
that
if
you're
someone
who
does
not
know
Jesus
hear
the
words
of
Peter
here
calling
you
out
of
darkness
into
light
calling
you
out
from
under
the
condemnation
of
sin
the
darkness
of
that
into
the
light
of
mercy
receive
the
mercy
of
Christ
make
that
decision
today
on
this
good
Friday
that
you
might
have
the
hope
of
light
and
life
and
acceptance
for
eternity
come
out
of
the
darkness
you
do
not
need
to
end
life
like
H.G.
Wells
despondent
about
the
darkness
and hear
the words
of Jesus
calling you
out of
the
darkness
come
to me
all
who are
weary
and burdened
and I
will give
you rest
how does
he do
that
God
so
loved
the
world
that
he
gave
his
only
son
that
whoever
believes
in
him
shall
not
perish
but
have
eternal
life
and hear
the words
of the
apostle
John
if anyone
sins
we have an
advocate
with the
father
Jesus
Christ
the
righteous
one
he is
the
atoning
sacrifice
for
our
sins
I'm
going
to
invite
my
helpers
to
come
they're
going
to
distribute
the
elements
of
communion
to
you
I
would
say
to
you
that
if
you're
someone
this
is
particularly
for
those
who
are
already
in
Christ
those
who
have
accepted
Jesus
this
is
a
reminder
of
what
we
have
in
Jesus
if
you're
someone
who
you're
not
sure
about
that
or
you
definitely
know
that
I
can't
I'm
not
a
Christian
then
don't
take
these
elements
it
is
dangerous
for
you
if
you
do
dangerous
for
you
because
you
are
mocking
Christ
don't
take
them
but
if
you
do
take
it
for
your
joy
no
judgment
either
way
you
see
at
the
heart
of
the
Christian
life
is
an
active
trust
in
the
Lord
Jesus
and
his
sacrificial
death
for
us
that's
what
Good
Friday
is
all
about
and
what
we
are
doing
now
in
this
symbolic
meal
that
Jesus
gave
his
disciples
at
the
Last
Supper
we
are
participating
in
Christ's
work
for
us
we're
doing
it
together
and
what
we're
doing
in
participating
in
is
we're
expressing
!
and we're
strengthening
our
trust
and our
hope
in
him
the
Lord's
Supper
is
an
outward
invisible
sign
of
the
grace
that's
shown
to
us
in
the
sacrificial
and
atoning
death
of
Jesus
on
the
cross
and
so
as
we
share
in
these
elements
the
wafer
and
the
juice
we
are
invited
really
to
spiritually
feed
on
Christ
in
our
hearts
to
be
thankful
to
him
for
what
he
has
achieved
!
for
us
and
I
think
as we
hold
them
we
are
captivated
by
the
symbols
of
them
of
God's
love
for
us
who
are
unworthy
we
are
strengthened
by
faith
in
Jesus
who
lived
the
perfect
life
that
we
haven't
lived
represented
in
the
wafer
the
bread
whatever
it
is
because
he
is
the
bread
of
life
and
we
are
also
strengthened
by
faith
in
the
one
whose
blood
flowed
for
our
redemption
and
so
what
we're
doing
here
is
it
basically
reminds
us
of
the
core
of
the
Christian
faith
the
gospel
the
good
news
it
humbles
us
because
which is
what the
gospel
does
what
good
friday
does
for
us
it
humbles
us
because
we
are
more
wicked
and
dark
and
evil
and
sinful
than
any
of
us
dare
to
imagine
Judas
and
Peter
didn't
even
see
it
but
at
the
same
time
in
Jesus
we
are
more
loved
and
affirmed
than
we
ever
dreamed
that's
who
we
are
and
so
knowing
the
grace
and the
mercy
and the
tenderness
of
God
knowing
that
we
live
life
our
way
let's
confess
our
sin
it
is
the
only
appropriate
way
forward
on the
screen
let's
do
this
together
heavenly
Father
you
have
loved
us
with
an
love
but
we
have
gone
our
own
way
and
rejected
your
will
for
our
lives
we
are
sorry
for
our
sins
and
turn
away
from
them
for
the
sake
of
your
son
who
died
for
us
forgive
us
cleanse
us
and
change
us
by
your
Holy
Spirit
enable
us
to
live
for
you
and
to
please
you
in
every
way
for
the
glory
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ
amen
I
think
the
beauty
and
the
wonder
of
Christianity
is
really
summed
up
in
these
words
of
scripture
God
is
slow
to
anger
and
he
is
full
of
compassion
he
forgives
all
who
humbly
repent
and
turn
to
his
son
Jesus
Christ
to
whom
there
is
no
condemnation
and
so
I
would
invite
you
to
say
the
words
in
the
bowl
lift
up
your
hearts
let
us
give
thanks
to
the
Lord
our
God
and
so
we
praise
and
we
thank
you
heavenly
father
for
every
spiritual
blessing
in
Jesus
our
Lord
in
whom
we
have
the
forgiveness
of
sins
the
gift
of
your
spirit
and
the
certain
hope
of
being
with
you
in
your
presence
sharing
in
your
glory
and
the
light
of
life
and
acceptance
where
we
are
redeemed
where
there's
no
more
pain
no
more
death
no
more
evil
no
more
uncertainty
no
more
darkness
a
day
when
you
will
tenderly
wipe
away
every
tear
thank
you
thank
you
father
thank
you
Jesus
thank
you
holy
spirit
amen
and
so
on
the
night
before
Jesus
died
he
took
bread
he
gave
it
thanks
and
he
gave
his
disciples
take
and
eat
this
is
my
body
given
for
you
live
the
perfect
life
that
we
did
not
live
let's
take
and
remember
our
darkness
and
his
perfection
and
you're
taking
up
the
clock
let's
remember
that
his
perfection
his
grace
his
mercy
led
him
to
the
cross
the
shed
sin
for
our
darkness
his
light
his
light
was
extinguished
that we
might have
light
and life
and hope
let's
drink
together
and
to
go
to
the
other
to
the
to
the
to
the