Transcription downloaded from https://sermonarchive.gfcbremen.com/sermons/79095/the-great-prophets-predictions/. Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions. Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt. [0:00] As we prepare to hear the Word of God preached, take your Bibles and turn to Mark chapter 14.! Mark chapter 14. Mark chapter 14. I'll read verses 12 through to verse 31. [0:17] ! On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover? [0:33] So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house. He enters. [0:44] The teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there. The disciples left, went into the city, and found things, just as Jesus had told them. [1:00] So they prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus arrived with the twelve. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, I tell you the truth. One of you will betray me, one who is eating with me. [1:13] They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, Surely not I? It is one of the twelve, he replied. One who dips bread into the bowl with me. The Son of Man will go, just as it is written about him. [1:26] But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man. It would be better for him if he had not been born. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take it, this is my body. [1:41] Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many, he said to them. I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day, when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God. [1:59] When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. You will all fall away, Jesus told them, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. [2:13] Peter declared, Even if all fall away, I will not. I tell you the truth, Jesus answered. Today, yes, tonight, before the rooster crows twice, you yourself will disown me three times. [2:27] But Peter insisted emphatically, Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you. And all the others said the same. Well, it was Thursday of Passion Week, when the Passover lambs were slain, that Jesus ate the last supper with his 12 disciples, and then instituted the Lord's Supper for his church until he comes. [2:53] That's what we're doing tonight. But somewhere during Mark chapter 14, the clock passed midnight, and went into Friday, the day of Christ's substitutionary death upon the cross. [3:08] Indeed, by nine in the morning, he will be nailed to a cross and hung up to die. And so our Lord here is having his last words with his disciples before his death. [3:21] We're coming to the pinnacle of our Savior's sufferings. And as we do, I want you to be alert to two things. First of all, Christ's fully human nature. [3:33] And secondly, his offices of prophet, priest, and king. I want you to be alert to Jesus' fully human nature in the first place. [3:44] Jesus is absolutely unique in that he has two natures in his one person. He is at one and the same time fully God. He has a divine nature. [3:56] Now, what's a nature? A nature is just the sum total of the characteristics that describe someone. That means that Jesus has all the characteristics of God. [4:11] Not one attribute less than the Father, than the Holy Spirit. He is fully divine. He is God. But he also has a human nature. [4:24] What kind of nature do you and I have? We have human natures. All the characteristics that define a human being, we have them. And when Jesus, 2,000 years ago, was incarnated, when he was conceived in the heart, or in the womb of Mary, he took on a human nature. [4:48] And that human nature is exactly like yours and mine, sin only, excluded. And so what is your human nature like? Well, you have a soul and you have a body, a human soul, a human body. [5:04] And so as we come into Jesus' sufferings, we need to remember, he too had a human body and a human soul. And that means that he felt every sinless emotion fully, just as you and I do. [5:19] It was not somehow shielded or lessened because of his divine nature. You see, his divine nature and human nature were not somehow put in a blender and stirred up, and out comes some hybrid, neither God nor man. [5:34] No, he is both God and man, and these two natures are in one person, but they're not blended. And that means then that his human emotions are real, just like any other human being, which is to say that he was wounded for our transgressions, not only physically, but with the fists that pounded his face, the hands that pulled out his beard, the whips that tore off his, opened his back, the nails that pierced his hands and feet. [6:10] Yes, it was all felt, just as you would, in your body. But he was also wounded in his soul, wounded in the house of his friends, in fact, by the betrayal of Judas. [6:27] By being forsaken by all of them and being denied three times by Peter. These things also cut him to the quick. [6:39] Many hands were raised to wound him. None would interpose to save, but the deepest stroke that pierced him was the stroke that justice gave. Not a stroke in his body, but upon his soul. [6:54] God gave him to feel in his holy soul. What it means to be forsaken by God. To have the punishment that brought us peace with God. [7:04] To be put upon him so that by his wounds, we are healed. Wounds in his human soul, as well as his human body. Now, I say that to let his fully human nature open a window then into the heart of Jesus' sufferings as we're heading into the very pinnacle of his sufferings. [7:29] The physical sufferings of our Savior are yet future at this point, but already here in Mark 14, we are witnessing the mental and emotional sufferings of our Lord Jesus, all part of that suffering that has brought us peace with God. [7:49] So secondly, I want you to be aware of Jesus' offices of prophet, priest, and king as we come into his sufferings. And especially this morning, his role as the great prophet of his people. [8:04] Now, prophets were not only foretellers telling the future, they were also foretellers. They just proclaimed the word of God. Jesus has been doing that for three years, proclaiming God's word to his people. [8:21] But he's also been foretelling, predicting the future, as a prophet also did. And we've seen that already in the recent chapters. [8:39] Chapter 13, the Olivet Discourse, what did he prophesy? He prophesied about the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, something that was to happen some 40 years later. [8:52] He prophesied about his own return, that he's coming back, and he's coming to judge all men in righteousness. All of this, his knowledge of the future, he's prophesying. [9:05] He told the two disciples on Palm Sunday where to find the donkey to ride, and that it would be a donkey on which no one had ever ridden. And if someone asked, well, what are you doing? Take it. You should tell him this. [9:16] And sure enough, it all happened just as he said. And then, just earlier this Thursday morning, he had told two of his disciples, as we just read, where to prepare the Passover. [9:28] And each time, they found things just as Jesus said they would be. the great prophet, the faithful and true prophet. Now, last week, we heard our Savior prophesy to the twelve, one of you will betray me. [9:46] This morning, we hear him saying to the eleven, you all will fall away from me. And then to Peter, you will disown me three times. [9:57] These two were prophecies. They had not yet happened, though Jesus says they will. And we find that even now, Jesus' sufferings are beginning while he's even prophesying about these events of being betrayed, forsaken, and denied. [10:20] John tells us that Jesus was troubled in his spirit when he told the twelve, one of you will betray me. It hadn't happened yet, but he's already troubled just thinking about it. [10:32] And so will it be as we look at the prophecies this morning about all forsaking him and Peter denying him. There was enough just in the thought to disturb him, to upset him, to stir up his soul like the Sea of Galilee could get stirred up by a storm. [10:53] Just thinking of the end of his friend Judas, that it will have been better for him to have never been born than to pursue this course that he's on. [11:05] The betrayal was in the future. The sorrow was already his. What a heart of compassion our Savior has. Reminds us of four days earlier as he's riding into Jerusalem on that donkey for the last time, and he has the people praising him as they welcome him as the king. [11:28] And meanwhile, Jesus is sobbing, weeping his eyes out. Why? If you, as he's looking at Jerusalem, if you, even you, had known to this day what would bring you peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes, the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you, encircle you, and hem you in on every side. [11:51] They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you. [12:04] These were not crocodile tears. These were not pretend tears. This is as real as his broken heart over the stubborn rebellion and unbelief of Jerusalem. [12:19] Though his prediction about these things was some 40 years off in the future, the very thought of it brings him to weep. So, let's consider today Jesus' three predictions of the future and their lessons for us. [12:36] The first is Jesus' prediction of them all falling away and forsaking him. Verse 27, you will all fall away, Jesus told them, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. [12:53] Now kids, Passover feast week was a happy celebration. They were celebrating the liberation of Israel from Egypt. You remember how God brought them out of Egypt with the ten plagues and through the Red Sea and drowned all their enemies and then led them to the promised land. [13:11] This was like our Independence Day, our Fourth of July. It's a happy celebration. But this last Passover of Jesus, I mean, there was a rehearsal almost of the events with the Passover lamb and all the bitter herbs. [13:28] They kind of replayed that glorious deliverance of God. But this last Passover of Jesus in the 12th, had suddenly turned somber when Jesus dropped the bomb saying, one of you will betray me. [13:45] And now a bit later, their sadness hits a new low as he says, all of you will fall away. Not just one of you, but all of you. [13:56] According to Matthew, Jesus says, this very night, you will all fall away on account of me. Now the Greek word translated fall away is scandalizomai. [14:08] You can hear our English word scandalized, can't you? On this very night, you will be scandalized, offended, because of me. [14:19] You will trip and fall because of me. Christ is the one over whom they stumble and fall. How deeply this must have pierced the heart of the Savior. [14:32] He had seen others offended at him in his teachings, but now it's to be all the 12. He praised them earlier as Luke records, you are those who have stood by me in my trials. [14:46] Just earlier that night, you guys have stuck with me in my trials. When the official spiritual leaders of Israel opposed Jesus, saying he was demon-possessed or in league with the devil, the 12 stood by him. [15:02] In John chapter 6, when Jesus was teaching hard words and they didn't like the words, it says that from that time on, many of his disciples turned away and followed him no longer. [15:15] And you remember Jesus turned to the 12 and says, you don't want to leave also, do you? And Peter speaks up for them all and says, Lord, to whom shall we go? [15:30] You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. They stood by him in his trials. What a joy our loyal friends when others are deserting you. [15:46] They're sticking with you. But how deep the sorrow and even your closest friends desert you. All of them. Just the thought of it pains him as he prophesies, this very night all of you will fall away on account of me. [16:06] John records it this way. Jesus says, a time is coming and has come when you will be scattered each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. [16:19] Yet I am not alone for my Father is with me. And he quotes as proof the very words of the Lord Almighty in Zechariah 13, 7. [16:31] For it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. These who had in all his trials been so loyal to Jesus will be loyal no longer. [16:48] They'll suddenly up and desert him, scattered to their homes, leaving him all alone. Now there were plenty of places in their Bible where God's people were told, if you seek the Lord he will be found of you. [17:07] But if you forsake him, he will forsake you. Now, that's 2 Chronicles 15 too but there's other places in their Bibles, their Old Testaments. [17:21] And that would have been righteous and just treatment, well deserved by these deserters of their Lord. Lord, you forsake me, I will forsake you. [17:32] I'll find some other men to preach my gospel, to build my church. But instead, I want you to notice. That's what they had every reason to expect. But notice in verse 28 what Jesus says to these would-be deserters. [17:50] But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. I will go ahead of you into Galilee. [18:00] There's a silver lining behind the disciples' shameful fall. He prophesies of a resurrection and of a future for them with him. Instead of forsaking them, he will forgive them. [18:15] They'll not be put on the shelf. They'll not be put out to pasture. They will be put to work in his kingdom. And instead of finding better men, he'll make them better men and motivate them by the grace that they will receive from him. [18:31] Totally undeserved. They deserved to be forsaken by him. But you see, Jesus will have the gospel of God's grace. That's what the gospel is called in Scripture. [18:43] It's the gospel about God's grace. He would have it proclaimed by men who have themselves tasted and received God's unmerited favor so that it might be preached by men who can stand shoulder to shoulder with every other undeserving sinner and tell them where forgiveness is to be found in the open wounds of the Son of God become man as he dies in the place of sinners. [19:10] and was wounded for their transgressions and crushed for their iniquities. We forsook God the Son and instead of forsaking us, he was forsaken by God that we might never be. [19:27] He takes the forsakenness to himself and promises to never forsake all who trust in him, all who come to him as their only refuge and safe hiding place. [19:41] That's why he cried, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Well, he forsook him because his disciples had forsaken God the Son and deserved to be forsaken and Jesus is taking their punishment, being forsaken by God in their place. [20:02] Oh, for grace our hearts to soften. Teach us, Lord, at last to love. We, alas, forget too often what a friend we have above. He was crushed for us, forsaken that we might never be. [20:19] After I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. I, you, together, there in Galilee. After I've risen. What words of grace and hope then for these scattered deserters. [20:33] He's going to regather them. He's going to remake them. and make them bold as lions. And so in Acts chapter 2, we'll see the apostles standing as fearless as can be and proclaiming the gospel. [20:47] You killed your Messiah, but God raised him from the dead and made him Lord and King. What shall we do? Repent and be baptized. The same men that now are going to forsake him. [21:03] I wonder, did you notice in the scripture that Jesus quotes where the Lord Almighty is speaking, it says, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. [21:17] I, this is God, the Father, speaking. You see, there's far more happening on the middle cross of Golgotha than what the naked eye can see. [21:27] What it looks like to just the naked eye is that, well, a bunch of envious Jews that hated Jesus said he needs to die and they handed him over to the Romans and they crucified him. [21:43] But if that's all you believe happened on Calvary, there's no salvation in that. There have been a lot of men killed wrongfully. No, what was happening on Calvary that makes for salvation for everyone who trusts in the Lord was that something that your eyes never saw at Calvary, that the Father was striking his son. [22:04] I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. It pleased the Lord to crush him and to make his soul a sin offering. [22:18] He will see his offspring and prolong his days and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hands. The Father was not just a spectator at Calvary seeing what men were doing to his son. [22:32] It was he who punished his shepherd that he might forgive his sheep. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him and it's trusting in that that brings salvation to our souls. [22:46] Jesus. So that's the Lord's prediction then. Earlier one of you will betray me. Now all of you. Judas has left. [22:57] He's gone to get the arresting mob and the eleven are left. He says all of you will fall away. Forsake me. Now secondly Jesus' prediction of Peter disowning him. [23:13] Jesus had barely got the words out all of you will forsake me. And impetuous Peter at once rejects Jesus' prediction. Verse 29 Peter declared even if all fall away I will not. [23:30] That was a wrong response to Jesus' prediction as Peter often made. You see what he's saying even if all even if these other guys here forsake you. [23:43] Yeah I could think of that might happening but never me. There's a couple gallons of arrogance in that statement. Can you see it? If all others forsake you. [23:57] That's why Jesus after the resurrection and he has them up in Galilee will sit down by the fire and say Simon do you really love me more than these? Because that's what you claimed that night in the upper room that evening of my betrayal even if the others betray you not I. [24:19] Peter sees himself as the exception to the rule. He cannot fathom himself ever deserting his master but he ought to know better by now to not disagree with his master's predictions. [24:33] He's just seen in the last earlier that morning he was one of the two that went and found everything just like Jesus predicted it would be. And it was always that way with Jesus and yet he can't swallow this one. [24:52] And that brings from the Lord a swift and certain and even worse prediction of Peter. Verse 30 I tell you the truth Jesus answered today yes tonight before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times this is a worse fall than all the others and he begins it as it were to say to Peter I know this is going to be hard for you to swallow Peter so hear me I am telling you the truth there's his warning something hard for you to believe not a week from now but today yes tonight before the rooster crows twice your red hot devotion that you have now for me is going to shrivel sooner than you think possible this very night you yourself it's emphatic you think that maybe others will fall away but not you [25:59] I tell you the truth you yourself will fall further than the others that you dissed you will not only fall away with them but you yourself will go further and disown me you will deny that you even know me you'll call down God's curses on you if in fact you do know me renouncing any connection between you and me now that's hard hitting! [26:26] prophecy rather than being humbled by Jesus words and repenting Peter just doubles down all the more on his claim of never me never me verse 31 but Peter insisted emphatically that's a that's a strong statement he insisted that'd be enough but emphatically insisted even if I have to die with you I will never disown you I'm sure Peter felt that way I'm sure he felt at that moment that he was not capable of ever doing that to the Lord that he loved disowning him but he way over estimated his own devotion and way underestimated! [27:20] His weakness under the pressure and the power of the coming temptation I will never disown you even if I have to die with you Peter wasn't alone in that statement that verse 31 ends and all the others said the same understand the dynamics of that night why did they all say this they're not about to let Peter out do them in his claim for devotion to the Savior earlier in the upper room that night we read in Luke 22 just hours earlier a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be the greatest okay this is the perennial argument that never got laid to rest it would just go quiet for a while and then it would resurface and pop up again here it is on the night of Jesus arrest in the upper room what are they arguing about who's the greatest and now [28:31] Peter is saying well though all the rest might forsake you not I and then he says I would rather die than to live and forsake or deny you three times and all the other they're not about to let Peter boast of being the greatest the most devoted disciple to Jesus stand they repeat the same thing themselves you see they're all going to find their pride coming before a great fall they overestimated their spiritual strength thinking some sins were just just beneath them that won't happen to me can't brothers and sisters the sins of every sin are in your heart every sin and if some have not yet sprouted we have [29:32] God to thank for that not our strength I wonder how you respond when you hear of others falling into great sin it happens often it happens to me I hear of pastors falling and dishonoring the gospel and dishonoring their savior let us never think ourselves above falling like them or we might be tempting the Lord to just leave us to ourselves to humble us and to teach us just how weak we really are without him there is a restraining grace of God that we cannot afford to live without every day in the Christian's life there is a restraining force of God's presence and spirit holding us back from what we otherwise would be left to ourselves William [30:32] Cooper says there is no evil so abominable but it would soon become plausible and acceptable to us if God should just leave us to ourselves you remember Samson kids he thought he could never fall to the Philistines and he proved it many times over before they bound him and tied him up and did all those things to him and the Philistines are on you the Philistines are here and he would break it and they never get him and then the Lord leaves him and he's awakened the Philistines are and he thinks I will arise and be as strong as ever and he rises and without the Lord with him he's as weak as a kitten and they take him away and put out his eyes and he grinds grain like an ox he thought that could never happen to me [31:34] I'm stronger than that I've proven it in the past brothers and sisters we're weaker than we realize let us know for sure that we will fall unless the Lord helps us and so let us humbly confess when we hear of others falling there but by the grace of God go I and let us pray to the Lord hold me that I do not fall hold me or I will fall I need thee every hour every hour I need thee so lead me not into temptation I don't trust myself in temptation Lord don't lead me there lead me in paths of righteousness for your name sake don't lead me into temptation but deliver me from the evil one he plans evil against me today don't let me fall so there you have it two more predictions prophecies of the future from the great prophet of the church [32:35] Jesus Christ that one promise back in Genesis a great prophet will arise like unto Moses here he is and he's prophesied not only of one of them betraying him but now of all falling away in Peter's threefold denial so what do you think will it happen just as Jesus said it would or will he prove to be a false prophet that needs to be stoned well you've read the story before haven't you you know how it ends everything happened just as Jesus said it would Judas did betray him they all fell away every one of them deserted him and fled scattered like sheep without a shepherd and Peter himself disowned his lord and savior three times I don't know the man may God curse me if I do they all found that they were weaker than they realized and more needy of the [33:39] Lord Jesus than they ever knew well one of the privileges of having a Bible is that we could learn from their example or we could fail to learn and have to learn the hard way the way of hard knocks of falling ourselves may God teach us may he teach us this morning and put this truth into our hearts just how weak we are and how poor and needy we are we need a savior to hold us to keep us and then to watch and pray that we not enter into temptation every word of God is flawless forever settled in the heavens Jesus is God so he can say heaven and earth will pass away but my words he doesn't say God's words he says my words will never pass away because he is God his words cannot fail so let's take him at his word and build our life upon his word as a sure foundation for the storms that we face in this life believing every promise that we just sang this morning what a book we have of which we can be certain how things are going to go in our life in our future you know how there's this instinctive desire to know the future and what happens people run to palm readers to cards what do you call them not carrot cards there you go [35:23] I've lost my place tarot cards and palm readers and horoscopes they're wanting to know the future we have an infallible script of how it's going to go we don't have everything told here that we might like to know we have everything told about what we need to know about our future every promise in the book that's how it's going to go every prediction of our savior what a blessing so we see these two prophecies of all of them forsaking him Peter denying him but there was a third prophecy of Christ that night in our passage verse 28 but after I have risen oh there's a prophecy of the resurrection he said it many times going to be crucified and the third day I'll rise again he's telling them again after [36:24] I have risen I will go ahead of you into Galilee there's a future for you and me that's the prediction of the prophet I wonder if the disciples even heard it because as soon as they heard you all were forsaking me they were pulling out their armor of denial no it won't happen to me and I really wonder how much they heard of this prediction clearly none of them were expecting him to rise from the dead his enemies had more of an expectation of that than they ever did and that's why they set the guard at the tomb not them they were going to the ladies were going to anoint his body not going to see if he had risen they were shocked they were surprised so these gracious words of Christ regathering them in Galilee they had a future for them with him probably meant little if anything to them as they were so fixed on denying [37:30] Christ's prophecy about them falling away but just three days from now it will be just the word that these future deserters need to hear and hear it they will they will be reminded of this very prophecy of the Savior when the angel will be there in the tomb and the ladies who had come to anoint the body of Jesus and the angels will say to them you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene who was crucified he's risen he's not here see the place where they laid him but go tell his disciples and Peter yes and Peter he'll especially need to hear this tell them he's going ahead of you into Galilee there you will see him just as he told you three days later same words of Jesus the prophecy that he made three days earlier he'll repeat to them for their encouragement oh yes he did tell us that three days ago on the night of his betrayal then he does have grace for returning deserters and deniers maybe this is just the word that you need today that you need to hear this morning your past failings maybe have left you feeling disqualified rejected on the shelf like Jesus wouldn't want to use someone like me in his kingdom [39:06] I've blown it so did Peter and the other disciples big time but how sweet this word of grace you with me in Galilee and you can read John 21 see how he restores Peter feed my sheep you love me Peter feed my sheep he's willing to entrust those blood bought sheep to a man like Peter a deserter that's grace and Peter made the most of that grace and labored hard for the sake of Christ's sheep you need to hear this this morning to know that your failures have not put you on the shelf that Jesus still has important work for you to do in his kingdom oh then don't listen it's the devil who tells you he's done with you you've out sinned his grace you know why he tells you that because he wants you groping on the sidelines for good he doesn't want you back out there working but Jesus is more than ready to forgive you to help you and to give you important work in his king so receive his grace you know it's it's amazing but it just shows how poor and needy we are that that grace can be offered to us even the grace of forgiveness and we don't receive it we somehow think I don't deserve of course you don't that's why it's grace but but we somehow want to make ourselves deserve it no just receive it it is free and he's full of it and full of it for you and from his fullness of all we receive grace upon grace and you'll receive more tomorrow and the next day receive it don't push it away he's more full of grace than you could ever be of sin if you're his child accept his love there's none like it on the earth nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in [41:16] Christ Jesus our Lord oh he may discipline you in the furnace he may prove you thanks to bring you forth more bright but can never cease to love you because you are precious in his sight and if you come to Christ confessing your sin and trusting in his substitutionary death to pay the price for your sin he'll forgive your transgressions and remember them no more that too is a prophecy from Isaiah from Jeremiah you will find it to be just as the sure word of God says it would be but I trust we can see how even the predictions of his betrayal falling away of them all Peter were deeply felt by the Savior part of the sufferings of his human soul if in your most trying hour all of your best friends fell away and scattered and one of the closest friends which was Peter he's in the inner three with Jesus if they even swore that they didn't even know you didn't want any connection with you how broken you would be well let it be a window into the heart of the [42:27] Savior who has the same human nature as you and is so cut by these things that just the thought of them and the proclaiming of them cuts him deeply we're about to turn the page as it were and now see it happen not just the prophecy but now the fulfillment Judas is coming he's gone to get them he's coming they'll all scatter like sheep Peter will three times say he doesn't know him this is your Savior don't you love him what a grace is found in the Lord Jesus I trust if you're without him cast your soul on him let's worship him for all he has suffered for us let's believe every word that proceeds out of his mouth let's watch and pray that we not fall into temptation we thank you [43:27] Lord Jesus that we don't have to guess what your response will be when we humble ourselves before you and come pleading grace mercy help strength all that we've sung we're so needy of and far more we thank you that we have the record of the scriptures of your grace to your fallen disciples even your deserters and deniers and we pray that you would send us from this place watching and praying that we not fall into temptation walking with you day by day never letting distance come between us sin come between us help us Lord we are weak we thank you that we've come to a strong savior we pray in your name amen therefore since we have such a great high priest who's gone through the heavens Jesus the son of God let us hold firmly to the faith we profess for we not have a high priest who's unable to sympathize with us in our weaknesses we have one who's been tempted in every way just as we are yet without sin let us therefore approach the throne of grace with confidence that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need amen to to to