Sermon for Lord's Day April 16, 2023 Judas - Election and Reprobation

Luke’s Account of Judas and the Arrest in Gethsemane

Stand with us if you would to honor the reading of God's Holy Word. Luke chapter 22, verse 45 through 53. This is the word of the living God. When he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow.

And he said to them, why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation. And while he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them.

He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, Judas, would you betray me? Would you betray the son of man with a kiss? And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, Lord, shall we strike with the sword?

And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, no more of this. And he touched his ear, and he healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and the officers of the temple and the elders who had come out against him, have you come out against as a robber with swords and clubs?

When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour and the power of darkness. Sir, would you care to ask the blessing on God's word today?

Dear Lord, we seek you to come before you just so that we know how to be worthy. We ask your blessing on your holy word, Lord, and to help our pastor to deliver it the way that we can understand it, Lord, and that we can understand your word, that we may be those of the word and not hear it only.

Lord, we give you all an honor and glory for Christ, in Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you, sir.

The Immediate Context of Jesus’ Prayer, Sleep, and Sudden Betrayal

We intentionally backtracked a little bit into the text that we had read from last week because, again, it's very, very important for us to recognize and know what is happening in this passage of Scripture.

I know, I understand that because it takes us sometimes two months to go through one chapter, that it seems like everything is fragmented, but we want to keep everything as it should be and remember that what we have read in chapter 22 alone is taking place within just a matter of a few hours, likely.

So Jesus has instituted his supper with the disciples, the Passover supper. We see the disciples arguing, strangely enough, about who would be the greatest after Jesus serves them. Jesus communicates to them, demonstrates to them by washing the disciples' feet, which is not here in Luke's gospel account.

It is in John's gospel account. He washes the disciples' feet, shows them what a true servant looks like. He rebukes Peter, reminds Peter that he will himself deny him three times before the rooster crows.

And then, as we read last week and the week before, we see Jesus coming to the Mount of Colossus, bringing the disciples with him, particularly Peter, James, and John, encouraging them to pray. We read, we hear, and we see throughout the gospels, whether it be Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we hear the words, we hear the effect of the weight of taking the wrath of God upon him, in Jesus' words, by asking, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.

Three times he sought the Lord on this, determined, nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done, O Lord. And we have here in Luke's account, verse 43 and 44, really an account that's not in many of the manuscripts that we have of the scriptures.

It is here in the text, and there appeared to him an angel from heaven strengthening him, and being in agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his blood, as it fell to the ground, became as great drops of blood.

And here in verse 45 is where we pick up. He rose from prayer. He arose from prayer. We can be assured of this. One thing, that he arose from prayer strengthened, because the scripture says he was strengthened.

He arose from prayer. He comes to the disciples. Remember, this is all happening right now. He rose from prayer, came to the disciples, found them sleeping, and in verse 46, he asks them this question, why are you sleeping?

There's a time to sleep, and there's a time to wake, right? There's a time to sit down, and there's a time to get up. There's a time to walk, and there is a time to run. But here, Jesus says, why are you sleeping?

And then he says this, rise and pray. For what end? That you may not enter into temptation. In verse 47, while he was still speaking, he had no more gotten this exhortation out of his mouth to the disciples that we see, and this is what we're going to look at, so let's set the scene here for the text today.

It is no sooner he gets those words out of his mouth to the disciples that we see that the night has been spent in prayer by our Lord, and in a half-waking slumber by his disciples. Jesus takes with him Peter, James, and John into the garden, particularly with him, departed from them about a stone's throw, the scripture says, to pray.

And he shares with us, Luke in his narrative shares with us this account, though it is very, very short compared to really Matthew's and Mark's account, it's very succinct, and it is very, very informative for us.

So here we see in Gethsemane's garden, this in the quiet of the night, I mean, just imagine in the quiet of the night, Jesus has prayed earnestly, sought the Lord's face throughout the night, in the quiet and in the still of the night, and then in the quiet and in the still of this night, the silence gets broken by the sound of marching feet, likely by the sound of soldiers and guards talking to one another, and they come to Jesus.

And what it is, really, I'm going to call it, because I don't know any better word for it, it's a commotion. It's a commotion that is raised. And what is this commotion? It is these guards coming to apprehend Jesus Christ.

And so Jesus, as we have read, prayed earnestly, so earnestly that his sweat became his great drops of blood falling to the ground. And it is shortly after this agony that our Savior will be betrayed.

And that's what we're going to look at today. We're going to look at each verse just a little bit from verse 47 to 53. It is here that our Lord is betrayed. And as Charles Spurgeon refers to him, he's going to be betrayed by the devil's deputy.

What a term that Charles Spurgeon gives to Judas. He is speaking of Judas Iscariot, the son of perdition, as is listed in the Word of God. And the son of perdition, what he does is he leads this group of guards and he betrays our Lord with nothing less than a kiss as an identifying mark.

The kiss was something that was common then. Now, just because it was common then, it ain't common now. You ain't got to worry about coming up and kissing me on the cheek. That's kidding. We've got pictures of me trying to kiss him on the cheek and he's fighting me.

But this sign of a kiss was a common greeting amongst friends. It was a show of love and a show of familial care. It was a show of friendship. And so what Judas does, he takes this act of friendship and he uses it as an identifying sign for this crowd of guards to take our Lord and our Savior and to crucify him.

Judas is a betrayer. So a couple of questions that we would ask right here that I believe are very, very important. Number one, should we be outraged and disgusted at this behavior? Should we be outraged and disgusted at this behavior?

Short answer, yes. Next question, should we also consider ourselves in such a reasonable and sober way that we recognize that even we ourselves at times in our lives have betrayed our Lord for even less than the price that Judas was paid?

We should be sober and recognize this. We should be equally disgusted at Judas and ourselves. We should be equally disgusted at both. But as we examine the text today, let's consider some things that must be balanced by the scripture itself, because we want to allow the scripture to interpret scripture.

Our thoughts aren't, the scriptures aren't to be conformed to our thoughts, but our thoughts are to be conformed to the scriptures. So let's look at what the scriptures say about Judas. The man Judas, as Luke calls him here, the man called Judas.

And as we look at Judas today, as we examine just a little bit about Judas, we're going to look at his position. We're going to look at his character. We're going to look at basically what the Bible says about someone with the character that Judas has.

And as we do, we're going to see two doctrines really come to light. And that is the doctrine of election and the doctrine of reprobation. We hear election quite a bit. The doctrine of reprobation may not be so often spoken about, but I want to communicate with you today the importance of drawing this distinction.

Now concerning the doctrine of election and the doctrine of reprobation. So we have election and reprobation. These doctrines are largely avoided in the churches today because of the challenges that they present to our minds.

They are offensive doctrines to some, but these doctrines are not offensive to the Lord, our God. So though they are offensive and they present challenges to our minds, they are biblical doctrines. And as well as we as individual believers, we should have a well-rounded knowledge of the Bible and we should very much be able to articulate and to talk about these doctrines without fear, right?

Without concern that we're going to be misunderstood because when we go to the text of scripture, we see these doctrines articulated and we ought to be able to talk about these doctrines even as we like to talk about the doctrine of heaven and the doctrine of hell.

We ought to become comfortable with these doctrines because they are biblical doctrines. So to define the two terms, election and reprobation, we're going to be using a definition given by Wayne Grudem in his systematic theology.

We're going to be using what our own confession states, London Baptist confession in chapter three, sections three and four, for the term election. And then we're going to be going back to Grudem's definition and then we're going to go through the text of scripture.

But we want to define these terms here. Very, very important. So as defined by Wayne Grudem in his systematic theology, he said this, we may define election as follows. Election is an act of God before creation in which he chooses some to be saved, not on account of any foreseen merit in them, but only because of his sovereign good pleasure.

Very short definition. It's an act of God before creation in which he chooses some to be saved, not on account of any foreseen merit in them. In other words, not because of anything we've done, but only because of his sovereign and good pleasure.

In the London Baptist confession, chapter three, section three and four, this confession states this, by God's decree and for the demonstration of his glory, some human beings and angels are predestined to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace.

Others are left to live in their sin, leading to their just condemnation to the praise of his glorious justice. These predestined and foreordained men and angels and people are individually and unchangeably designated.

And their number is so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or decreased. So there we have in that, you have copies, each have copies of the confession. You can go to that chapter three, section three and four concerning election.

And lastly, let's define reprobation. Wayne Grudem defines reprobation like this. When we understand election as God's sovereign choice for some persons to be saved, then there is necessarily another aspect of that choice.

Namely, God's sovereign decision to pass over others and not to save them. This decision of God in eternity past is called reprobation. Reprobation is the sovereign decision of God before creation to pass over some persons in sorrow, deciding not to save them.

It's not with glee, not with joy, but and to punish them for their sins and thereby to manifest his justice. You've heard us say this before. We have quoted Paul Washer on this before. That God will be glorified in the salvation of his elect or he will be glorified in the damnation of the sinner.

He will be glorified in either way. He is the one who chooses, calls, elects, draws, saves, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies. So with that in mind, as we look at Judas, what we had in Judas is the quintessential the quintessential example of this doctrine of reprobation set forth in the scriptures.

The Lord himself refers to Judas as the son of perdition. The son of perdition is not a term that is used for saved people. It is not a term that is used for the elect of God. It is used for those who are damned.

And so let's look at Judas and see this here. His position, first of all, Judas's position. His position. And so in Mark chapter 3, Mark chapter 3, verse 13 through 19, this is what we read in the word of God concerning Judas's position.

The scripture says, in Mark 3, he went up on the mountain and he called to him those whom he desired and they came to him. And he appointed 12 whom he also named apostles so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and to have authority to cast out demons.

Now, who was it he gave authority to preach and to cast out demons? The apostles. Very important here. He appointed the 12 in their name, Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is the sons of thunder, because they were rowdy, Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

So his position, he was numbered amongst the apostles, but just because he was there did not mean he was saved. Okay, keep in mind where he was, this is going to sound terribly country, but this is how I put it in my notes, this is how I'm going to understand it, and I believe some of you all are country enough, you can get this.

Keep in mind he was where he was because the Lord put him where he was. He was where he was because the Lord put him where he was. It was no accident. It was by divine sovereignty that Judas was born when he was and that the circumstances of his life led him to this moment in history.

Some may challenge this statement and think that I'm saying that God caused Judas to sin against his only son, but I want you to know it is quite the opposite. God did not cause Judas to sin. The answer is absolutely no.

Why? Judas needed no assistance to act in such a depraved manner. Sinners do not have to be helped or instructed on how to be a good sinner. We are by nature sinful. Every single human being alive today, as cute as little John is, Votie Bauckham said it, he's a viper in a diaper.

He's out of the diapers now, right? But he can get wound up, even little April. When she was a little bitty girl, she still got in trouble. Kira over there that looks so sweet and so innocent, still got in trouble, still gets in trouble.

Your daddy, look at him, how cute he is over there. Still able to get into trouble. Sin comes natural, all right? Some may challenge, so don't think I'm saying that because the scriptures do not teach us that God caused them to sin.

God is not the author of sin, but what Judas is and what we see in Judas is an example of the permissive will of God. It's God allowing men to do as they wish. Left to himself, what Judas did was this.

He acted according to the sinful desires and the nature of his own heart. He was left to himself to do what he wants. Folks, don't realize this. This is why electing grace is so very important because a person, any man, any woman, any boy or any girl is not going to be saved on their own unless God elects, unless God calls, unless God draws, unless God justifies, unless God sanctifies, unless God glorifies their salvation.

This is why Jonas declared salvation is of the Lord. So we see his position numbered amongst the disciples. Hannibal Gammon, one of the least quoted Puritans, that you'll likely not recognize that name, but it's finally been said to you.

Hopefully, you'll look up his work. In his work, God's just desertion of the unjust, Hannibal Gammon said this. We must look to the root from where sin springs, that is to our version from God. For by how much the more a man turns from God with the greatest contempt of God, with greatest delight in sin, with greatest hurt to his neighbor, with greatest knowledge against his conscience, with fullest consent of his will, by so much the more he sins, he deserves the title of an unjust and a filthy person.

We are unjust. We in and of ourselves are filthy and wicked people. And outside of the amazing grace of God that we sing about, outside of that grace of God, we are helpless and hopeless sinners. But by the grace of God, God, because in his great love and in his mercy, he has called us unto salvation, we can now say that we are children of the living God, that we have been adopted, that we, as the old song says, are now children of the king.

Going on, John Flavel said this concerning the depths of sin. He said, oh, the depths of the evil of sin. If you ever wish to see how great and how horrid and how evil sin is, he said this, measure it in your thoughts.

Measure it in your thoughts, either by the infinite holiness and the excellency of God, who is wronged by our sin, or measure it by the infinite sufferings of Christ, who died to satisfy for our sin. And it's when you compare your sin to the infinite holiness of God, when you compare your sin to the infinite sufferings of Christ, then you will have a deeper apprehension of just how evil sin is.

We must not neglect this reality, church. We must not neglect this reality, that hell itself will have within its populace, preachers, deacons, Sunday school teachers, song leaders, as well as even those more respectable sinners who did not hide themselves and pretend themselves to be something or someone that they are not.

You can be sure of this, there will be none in heaven who have not been called by the grace of God. And there will be none in hell who have been called by the grace of God, because the grace of God is effectual in those whom he calls.

And so here we see Judas's position. Now let's look at Judas's character. Judas's character. What is the moral makeup of Judas, if you would have it? This is found in John's gospel, John chapter 12, verses one through eight.

Here's where we're going to see the character of Judas as set forth in the word of God itself. John chapter 12, verses one through eight. Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.

This is such a beautiful account. The scripture says the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume, but Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, in parentheses, he who was about to betray him said this, why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?

And how much was a denarii? A denarii was a day's wage. So Judas is asking the question, why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor? He said a man could be paid for nearly a year on what this ointment would have cost.

But the scripture notes that he said this, Judas said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. And having charge of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

This is the character of Judas Iscariot. Jesus said though, leave her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial for the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me with you.

Judas Identified by Jesus at the Last Supper

So we see his character. Next, let's see Judas identified. And not just by identified by some random person, but here we had the betrayer identified, pointed out, marked out by Jesus himself. Two examples really, John chapter 13.

While you're in John, just jump over to chapter 13, verse 21 through 30. The scripture says this, after saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit and he testified saying this, truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.

This is at the last supper. The disciples looked at one another uncertain of who he spoke. One of his disciples whom Jesus loved, this is John's gospel. John wrote the gospel in the third person referring to himself as the one whom Jesus loved.

So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask of Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, John, leaned back against Jesus and said to him, Lord, who is it? And Jesus answered and said, it is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I've dipped it.

He gives him a very clear indicator here. So when he had dipped the morsel, the scripture says he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him.

Jesus said to him, what you're going to do, do quickly. Now, no one at the table knew why he said this to him. This wasn't, again, remember, this was a kind of a conversation just going on. The other guys were probably carried on conversation.

So nobody heard everything that was going on there. But Jesus identified the betrayer to John, the apostle, and we have inscripturated in the word of God, this identification of Jesus concerning the one who was betrayed to betray him.

Some thought that because Judas had the money bag that Jesus was telling him, buy what we need for the feast, or that he should give something to the poor. So after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out and it was night.

Now, if we go back in the Gospels to one other text, let me see if I can find it here because I want to share this. I want you to know this. Perhaps Matthew 26. Matthew chapter 26, beginning in verse 20.

The scripture states this, when it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. Again, this is Matthew's account of the last supper. And as they were eating, he said, truly I say to you, one of you will betray me.

And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, is it I Lord? He answered, he who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed.

It would have been better for that man if he had not been born. And Judas, who would betray him, answered Jesus and said, is it I Rabbi? And he said to him, you have said so. The scriptures teach us that by the mouth of two or three witnesses that every word would be established.

So here we can see not only is the betrayer Judas identified to John the apostle, but he is identified to his own self. Jesus spoke directly to Judas and saying, yes, you are the one. He knew this, but my goodness, what a condemnation of testimony this was to hear that you are the one.

I think back into the old Testament, right? When David took Bathsheba, had Uriah her husband killed. Nathan the prophet comes to David, tells David about the man who took the one little ewe lamb of the man who he was already had.

David got riled up, David got mad. And basically said that man needs to die. And Nathan said, you are the man. A very similar instance. And this, my friend, conviction apart from salvation has to be the most awful thing anyone can encounter in life.

It has to be going on. So we see this betrayal prophesied in the old Testament in other places. Among the old Testament prophecies that pertain to the events surrounding Jesus' arrest, Jesus' trial, and Jesus' crucifixions.

The ones that I find referred most closely to the arrest of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane are Psalm 41. In Psalm 41, the Psalm says, even my close friend, someone I trusted who shared bread has turned against me.

We see this in the Psalm. This referring to Judas, his act of betrayal and leading the arrest party to Jesus in which Jesus himself made specific reference to at the Last Supper. In Psalm 27, when the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies who will stumble and fall.

Jesus said this referring to the manner in which members of the arresting party shrink backward and fall to the ground when Jesus stepped forward and identified himself to him. In the other gospel accounts, we see this.

Jesus, identified though by a kiss, identified by this act of love, which makes it the greatest act of betrayal to use love as an evil, is wicked. And so Jesus, in one of the other gospel accounts, Jesus steps up when they ask, who is, which one of you are Jesus?

Jesus stepped up and says, I am he. And the scripture says they fall back to the ground. We have that in the book of Psalm 27. So where do we go? Where do we go from here? How do the scriptures themselves mark out those who are lost?

How do the scriptures identify someone who is lost, separated from God by their sin? How do the scriptures identify someone who is lost? 1 Corinthians 6. 1 Corinthians 6, verses 9 and 10. The apostle Paul says this.

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

In Galatians chapter 5, 19 through 21, the apostle Paul lists these out to the Galatian church. And he says this, the works of the flesh are evident. These are they, sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envies, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. These are clear identifiers. In the book of the Revelation, in chapter 21, verse 8, the Lord states, but as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

So all that just identifying Judas in verse 47. In verse 48, we see Jesus said to Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? This was a strong statement that Jesus is making right here to Judas, a very strong statement.

Alexander McLaren said this concerning verse 48. He said, every word of Christ's answer to the shameful kiss is a sharp spear struck with a calm and a not resentful hand right into the hardened conscience of Judas.

McLaren said there is a wistful tenderness and a remembrance of former confidences in calling him by name. The order of words in the original Greek, in the original emphasis, the kiss as if Jesus had said, is that the sign that you have chosen?

As if to say, maybe it would have been better if you just came up and smacked me to identify me. But no, you come with a kiss. Are you so dead to all feeling that you can kiss and betray? The Son of Man flashes on Judas for the last time, the majesty and the sacredness against which he was lifting his hand.

And he asked, betray us thou, which comes last in the Greek, seeks to startle by putting into plain words, the guilt. And so to rend the veil of sophistications in which the traitor was hiding his deeds.

What is the purpose of preaching against sin? It is to inform those who hear that they must recognize that they, you, old and young alike, are sinful and separated from God by your own nature. But God, who is rich in his love and in his mercy, has sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

The Arrest, the Cut Ear, and Jesus’ Healing Mercy

So moving on, verse 49, 50 and 51. And when those who were around him saw what would follow, this is, to me, this is somewhat comical. When those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, Lord, shall we strike with the sword?

And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, no more of this. And he touched his ear and he healed him. Why is that comical? So one reason is because the beauty that we have in having the gospel text, it's not necessarily left to our imaginations as to who cut off his ear.

Because John, in his gospel, tells us it was Peter who cut off the servant of the priest. Malchus had a name. He gives us that. The Bible doesn't say if it was Peter that asked this question. But as we read the text, I would say there's a high probability that it was either Peter that asked while he was swinging, or that maybe it was John, James's brother, one of the sons of thunder in which they were called.

Now, you may ask, why could we even speculate here? And this is speculation, of course. I will not say that this is gospel here, but this is speculation. But why would we speculate this? Because we have in John's gospel, chapter 18, the account of when Simon Peter drew the sword, he struck the high priest Malchus.

It gives us that. But in another place, in another of the gospels, we have the account of the disciples going into a town. The town don't want to hear the word of God. And so James and John asked Jesus, Lord, would you like us to call down fire from heaven on these people?

Jesus said, I don't think so, John. I don't think so, James. Hold on, right? Just cool your jets, calm down. So that's why I would say that there's some speculation there. Maybe James is saying, should we strike with the sword?

And Peter's drawing it out, and he's slicing right when that happens, right? He struck the servant. The servant's ear is lopped off. Jesus said, stop. Took the servant's ear in mercy, compassion, and love.

Put the ear of the servant back on to Malchus. And so moving to a close here in verse 52, we see this. Jesus said to the chief priests and the officers of the temple and the elders who had come out against him, have you come out against me as a robber with swords and clubs?

Again, a very pointed question. We look at this as though this was some kind of generic thing. No, Jesus had been addressing them this whole time, trying to get them to understand, trying to get them to see the fact that he was the only begotten son of God.

He is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament, that to which they devoted their entire lives to study about. He is the one, but they would not see it. And we have in the text of scripture, not just they would not, but they could not see it.

Why? Because their eyes had not been opened. Their ears had not been opened. And God was going to be glorified in their damnation, in their judgment, just as he will be glorified in the salvation of his elect.

Verse 52, McLaren said this to the prime movers of this conspiracy who had come to gloat over its success. He asserts his own innocence and he hints at the preposterous inadequacy of swords and clubs.

He is no robber and their weapons are powerless. Again, in another place in the gospel, he said, need I remind you that if it were necessary, I could ask 12 legions of angels from my father to come and to rescue me.

And Jesus is saying, you're coming at me with sticks? You're coming at me with swords? And so going on, McLaren said this, and then with that same sublime and strange majesty of calm submission, I wish I could talk like this guy.

With strange majesty of calm submission, which marks all his last hours, he unveils to these furious persecutors the true character of their deed. And that is this, that man's passions inflamed from beneath were used to work out God's purpose.

And the cross is at once the product of human unbelief, of devilish hate and of divine mercy. His sufferings were what Jesus referred to when he said, this is your hour. This is the power of darkness.

Christ brands enmity to him as the high watermark of sin, the crucial instance of man's darkness, the worst thing that was ever done. So mark this, McLaren said, mark the assurance that animated him that the eclipse was but for an hour.

It was but for a period of time. This eclipse of the glory of God was but for a short time. The victory of the darkness was brief, and it led to the eternal triumph of Jesus Christ. By dying, McLaren said, by dying, he is the death of death.

Death was defeated. Christ died on the cross for our sins, raised between the heavens and the earth, taking upon himself the right. He's finished. He's taken down from the cross. He's put in Joseph of Arimathea's tomb.

And on the third day, he arose from the grave, never to die again. So verse 53, the power of darkness, that phrase itself in the Greek, it's defined like this, the power of darkness. It's defined like this.

Metaphorically used, it's speaking of ignorance. The power of darkness is spoken here concerning ignorance of divine things, ignorance of divine things and ignorance of human responsibility. Here's where the lines meet.

Is God responsible for solely electing those whom he calls to be saved? Yes. Does man still have a responsibility? Yes. We are fully responsible for our sin. And the reasonable man, the reasonable woman, the reasonable boy, the reasonable girl will come to the understanding and the realization of saying, if I'm responsible for my sin, how can I?

And we must only come to this conclusion. I have nothing of any value to offer. Right. But we have in the word of God that Christ paid that debt. Yes. Amen. Not in part, not 99 .9%, but he paid it a hundred percent.

Right. It was finished. Jesus paid it all. And so concerning this word, power of darkness, respecting divine things and human duties and accompanying, and the things that accompany this reality are ungodliness and immorality together coupled with a consequent misery in hell.