pleased in the gospel by John chapter nineteen John's gospel chapter nineteen and we'll read from verse twenty three I would like you to notice while we're reading that four times in the passage we get the term that the stricter might be fulfilled I would like to speak this morning on John's account of the crucifixion and how he points out in his Gospel that it is the fulfillment of Holy Scripture. And I want you to notice these four passages. Now shall we read verse twenty-three in John chapter nineteen. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier apart, and also his coat. Now the coat was without steam woven from the top throughout. They said, Therefore among themselves levest not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which said, They parted my remit among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things, therefore, the soldiers did. Verse twenty eight. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst. Now there was sent a vessel full of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it upon his head and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. The Jews therefore, because it was a preparation, that the body should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, for that Sabbath day was in high day, the thought, Pilate, that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers and break the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they break not his leg. but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came the rod blood and water and he that saw it bear record and this record is true and he knows that he saith true that ye might believe for these things were done that the scripture should be fulfilled a bone of him shall not be broken and again another scripture said they shall look on him whom they pierced And after this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, was not Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds' weight. Then took they the body of Jesus and wandered in linen clothes with his spices, and the manner of the Jews is to bury it. And on the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and at the garden a new sepulcher, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus there for because of the Jews' preparation. For the sepulcher was now a ham. And God had a blessing to his own word. During this incoming week, we're going to have the opportunity of speaking about the spread of the gospel in different parts of the world. And I thought today, as a foundation of what we want to speak about, I would like to speak about the cross. The work of the Lord Jesus, his atoning death upon Calvary. I want to speak about that this morning. Now then this evening, I want to speak about his exaltation. That is his ascension to God's right hand. that about sixteen passages in the New Testament that deal with the ascension and the exaltation of the Lord Jesus to God's right hand. And these two great truths, the atoning precarious death upon the cross and the exaltation to God's right hand, is the foundation of all missionary work today. So I thought it might be profitable in a simple kind of way to speak about these two great truths morning and evening. Anyone who would read Holy Scripture would notice immediately that there are two great subjects in the Word of God. Now the first one is the person of Christ, the person of the Savior. And from Genesis to Revelation we read so much about him. But the second great theme of Holy Scripture is his atoning death upon the cross. Generally, when we speak about a man's biography, we're very much interested in his life. Now, the life of the Lord Jesus is important. It's very important. And the moral glory that was displayed in him when he was here upon her is most important. But the one thing about the Savior is this, that it is his death, his atoning death upon the cross that is emphasized from Genesis right through to the book of Revelation. And all our hope for time and for eternity is based on the atoning work of the Lord Jesus. So this is what we want to consider this morning. It has been said that time is divided into two by the incarnation, the birth of Christ. Everything previous to the birth of Christ is BC, and everything subsequent to the birth of Christ is AD. Time is divided by the incarnation. But the death of Christ upon Calvary's cross divides two eternities. Everything in eternity past will look forward to Golgotha, and everything in the eternity future will look back to that moment when the Lord Jesus died upon the cross. You remember seven times in the Gospel according to John, the Lord spoke about his hour. His hour, his hour. You remember as he went into the Father's presence in John chapter seventeen, just immediately prior to going into Gethsemane and going to the cross, and as he lifts his head in the presence of his Father, in that great high priestly prayer, he said, Father, the hour is come. All this is the hour that abides through eternity. On Golgotha's hint is the pivot between eternity past and the eternity future. Now, looking at the Word of God, you would notice right away that on the various sections of Holy Scripture, the cross is presented in a different way. It has been said that in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, what we get there are the foreshadowing of Calvary. All those great typical sacrifices, on ceremonies that were performed by the people of Israel, they point to the cross. In the Pentateuch, it is the four Shadamis of Calvary. But then when we went to the Psalms, there are the feelings of Calvary, were taken into the sanctuary. And in the book of Psalms, the four great Psalms that speak of the death of the Lord Jesus upon the cross read about the feelings of our Lord, what he said and how he felt. But then when we come into the Gospels, we get the facts presented. In Matthew, Mark and Luke and John, the four different accounts, the four historical accounts of the death of the Lord Jesus upon the cross is presented in a fourfold way. This is what we want to look at this morning particularly. In the Pentateuch is the foreshadowing. In the Psalms it's the feelings. But on the Gospels it's the facts. And then we turn over to the epistles of the Apostle Paul and the other Apostles, and there we get the fragrance of Calvary. It is a sweet smell, a sweet odor that goes up to God, or the fragrance that surrounds the cross. And then finally in the book of Revelation, the final book of the Bible, there we get the fruits of Calvary. So the subject of Holy Scripture from beginning to end is the atoning death of our Blessed Lord. I want to confine myself particularly to John the Cop. But before we do that, it might be as well to point out the difference in the four Gospels where we find the death of Christ presented. Anyone who would look at the Gospel according to Matthew would notice immediately that it's the supernatural that is emphasized in the Gospel according to Matthew. Matthew gives us three great miracles that were performed when our Lord died upon the cross. He speaks of the supernatural darkness. We read that from the sixth hour to the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land, while our Lord was bearing our sins in his own body on the tree. Some say that what we get there is an eclipse. But an eclipse only lasts about twelve minutes. But here is one hundred and eighty minutes in the middle of the day when God wrapped this world in darkness while his beloved Son was dying upon the cross. So first of all, we get this supernatural darkness in which our Lord laid down his life. And then we read about the veil of the temple that it was rent and twinned from the top to the bottom. They say that that veil, it was about the thickness of a man's hand, a beautiful piece of tapestry. There are many things said about the veil in the Bible. It would be interesting to look at what the Scripture has to say about it. It was, first of all, a prohibition. It meant that man was kept outside, and it was only the high priest on the day of atonement that was allowed to go inside the veil into the presence of God. It was a prohibition. But here a hand, the divine hand, takes that veil and parts it from the top to the bottom. It was a divine hand. It was not only a prohibition, but here it is a pathway into the presence of God. And thank God the veil is rent. And our blessed Lord, he appeared there in the holiest of all of the one who laid on his life upon the cross. And then we read of the supernatural miracle. something that happened when our Lord died. We read that there was a great earthquake, and we read that the graves were open, and the bodies of the saints which slept arose, and went into the holy city after his resurrection, and appeared unto many. So in the Gospel according to Matthew, it is the supernatural that is emphasized in the death of Christ. When we turn over to Mark's Gospel, the Gospel of the Servant, there we read of his silence. Twice we read that as he stood before the high priest in the Sanhedrin, he opened not his mouth. And three times when he was before Pilate, various questions were asked him, but again he remained silent. And again when he was sent to Herod, he opened not his mouth. The word of God says, in Isaiah fifty three, he was led as a sheep to the slaughter. And as the lamb before her shears is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. It is the silence of the servant that is emphasized in the Gospel according to Mark. We turn over to Luke's Gospel, and there the cross-section of humanity is displayed around the cross. There are seven individuals, and they all have something to do or something to say. connected with that work that was transpiring upon the cross of Calvary. It is the sympathy of the Son of Man that is emphasized in the Gospel according to Luke. But what we want to look at this morning are these four great scriptures that were fulfilled, that John told us were fulfilled when our Lord Jesus died upon the cross. Here it is Holy Scripture. When we look at the four Gospels and compare them, again let me emphasize, in Matthew it's the supernatural. In Mark it's the silent sufferer. In the Gospel according to Luke it's the sympathy of the Son of Man. But on the Gospel according to John it's fulfillment of Holy Scripture. And four great passages, four great messianic passages in the Old Testament were fulfilled when our Lord died upon the cross. Just let me mention them. and then we'll go into them a little more in detail. First of all, a passage is taken from the twenty-second Psalm. Psalm twenty-two in verse eighteen. They parted my garments among them and for my vesture did they cast lots. And we're told here that these things therefore the soldiers did. And so the twenty-second Psalm connected with a stripping of his garments from him, it was fulfilled. And then we read of a passage in the sixty-ninth Psalm. And our Lord, knowing that all things were now accomplished, but that the Scripture should be fulfilled, said, I thirst. In the first fulfillment of Holy Scripture, it was an unconscious fulfillment. The soldiers didn't know what they were doing. They certainly didn't know the twenty-second Psalm. But our Lord did. But here is a conscious fulfillment. He says that the Scripture might be fulfilled, he said, I thirst. and grave with the soldiers, they dipped a sponge in the vinegar. The sour wine, the drink of the Roman soldier, and putting the sponge in the vinegar and putting it upon Hesep. Did you ever notice the little word that's used here? Put it upon Hesep. It was Hesep, the little plant out of the wall that was used for sprinkling the blood in the twelfth chapter of the book of Exodus. He put it upon Hesep, and he held it up to his mouth. And we read that when he had received the vinegar, he bowed his head and he said, It is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. So first of all, there's the twenty-second psalm. And then there's the sixty-ninth psalm. But then after he had laid down his life, and after he had died, we read that it was a preparation day. It was a holy day. And so that the bodies may not remain upon the cross on that day, We read that they went to Pilate, and they begged, and as a high priest, they begged that the bodies might be taken down, that they might be dispatched. And we read that the Roman soldier, he came with a club, and he broke the legs of the first, and of the other malefactor that were crucified. And then when he came to the man in the middle, the man Christ Jesus, and if he looked at him, he saw that he was dead already. He put the club down, and lifting the shark, stabbing spear, a part of the equipment of every Roman soldier, he plunges it in his thigh, and when he withdrew, the spear breathed forthwith came the wrought blood and water. And twice began the expression that the scripture might be fulfilled. One is taken from Exodus chapter twelve, the Passover lamb, a bone of it shall not be broken. And the last one, is taken from Zechariah chapter twelve, they shall look on him whom they pierce. Now it's perfectly evident that John has some very great thought in mind when he quotes these Old Testament passages concerning the death of Christ. And I think that if we look at them in sequence, we can see the gospel in all its purity and all its simplicity. This is what we want to look at just for a few moments this morning. Now, the first one is taken from the twenty-second Psalm. I don't know of any passage in the Old Testament that portrays so vividly the crucifixion. It was written one thousand and fifty years before Christ. And it was written long before crucifixion was invented as a method of capital punishment by the Roman army. And yet you would almost think it was written underneath the cross. What a wonderful picture we get here in prophecy of the death of Christ. Now John just picks out one verse from that great Psalm, and it is in connection with the garments of our Lord. And we read that the soldiers, when they crucified him, they divided his garments into four. But then the inner garment, that they might not rend it, they cast lots forth, and they shoot the dice underneath the cross. so that whose it should be. You know, the detail of the fulfillment of this item, that is the garments of the Lord Jesus Christ, is absolutely amazing. It is to me fulfilled so minutely when our Lord was crucified. There are some things about the crucifixion that one doesn't care to go into. I always feel uncomfortable when anyone goes into some of the intimate details of the crucifixion. The Word of God is very dignified and is very reserved. And I think that we need to be that too. And as we stand here, we take the shoes from off our feet because the place where we're standing is holy ground. But do let me say this, that the ultimate in humiliation took place when our Lord was crucified, when he was stripped completely of his garments. That to me is one of the worst acts of humiliation to which our Lord was subjected when he was in Pilate's judgment hall to put a robe upon him, to put a crown upon his head and a spat on his face. But when he was lifted up between heaven and earth, all his garments were removed. And there he hung between heaven and earth a spectacle to men and deen. As we look at it, our hearts just bow and worship that our blessed Lord was subjected to humiliation of this kind. I think it's Dr. Alfred Ederstein, speaking about the garments of the Lord. He describes it. He said there were four items of those garments that were of equal value. First of all, there was a headcloth or the scarf that every Jew at that time and still God, people in the Middle East, wear on their head. It's called a kaffie. It is a scarf that goes over their head and it's held by a woolen circle. Sometimes it's black and sometimes it's another color, but it's held upon the head. This was the first item of his garment, that is the head scarf. And then there was the outer garment. It's generally called a talus, the outer garment. And then there were the sandals. And then there was a sash around his waist, or the girdle around his waist. Now these four items, Dr. Eder Shantels, were practically of equal value. And so the soldiers took these four parts and they divided among themselves. But when it came to the inner garment, that beautiful inner garment, all they said, let's not rend it. It was woven from the top throughout. You know, sometimes I've thought about these things and I've heard people say that our Lord, when he was here on earth, was just a simple Galilean peasant. I never like anybody to say anything of the kind. I believe that our Lord here on earth was beautifully dressed. This inner garment, it was an expensive garment. It probably was given by some devoted soul to our Lord. And so that they might not rend it, they can't fly as far. And they shoot the dice underneath the cross to see whose it should be. Every time I think of that, always my mind goes back to those garments associated with Joseph and the typical teaching that we get over there in the book of Genesis concerning Joseph and the different garments that he wore. But here upon the cross we read that the soldiers distributed the four different parts of his garments and for the inner garment they cast lots to see whose it should be. These things therefore the soldiers did. Well, I think that what we get here is the ultimate and humiliation of our Blessed Lord. Now, the second scripture that was fulfilled was taken, it's taken from the late sixty-ninth psalm. And here is a conscious fulfillment. We read that our Lord, knowing that all things were now accomplished, he was perfectly aware of these prophetic passages in the Old Testament, knowing that all things were now accomplished, but there was one thing that still remained, and he said, I thirst. The sixty-ninth sound connected with the cup that was offered to him, that needed to be fulfilled, and so he said, I thirst. It would be interesting to look at the different cups that were offered to our Lord. You remember, first of all, in Gethsemane, when we read that he lay there upon the ground, And he prayed three times, Oh, my Father, if it be possible that this cup might pass from me, nevertheless not my will, for thine be done. And as he lay there and prayed that prayer three times, we read that a sweat was as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. It's the first time we read about the cup. And again, let me say we need to be awfully reverent in speaking about it. What was that cup that was offered to him in Gethsemane? I have read one of her modern versions quite recently, and of the passage that refers to it in the fifth chapter of the Epistle of the Hebrews, we will read about the strong crying and tears. There's a footnote, and at that footnote it said that the reason that the strong crying and tears that he might be delivered out of death, I believe, is the translation of the word. But then footnote says that he might be saved from premature death. You know, that made my blood run cold when I read that. That he might be saved out of premature death. Do let me say, beloved friend, that our Lord was in no danger of dying before the time. Absolutely not. You say, is it any scripture to authenticate that? I think there is. You remember what he said himself. No man taketh my life from me. I lay it down of myself. This commandment have I received of my Father. He was in no danger at all of dying. The agony that he was passing through in Gethsemane and the cups that he was about to take from his Father's hand. It was only when it came to the point when the work had been completed and finished that he himself voluntarily laid on his life. It was an act of his own volition, and so he was in no danger of premature death. even in Gethsemane. But what does it mean? Oh, my Father, if it be possible that this cup might pass from me, nevertheless not my will, but thine be done. I believe that there were at least two ingredients in that cup. And I believe that the cup that was offered to him by his Father, I believe that the first ingredient in it was contact with sin, the sin of the world. Here is the vicarious death. the one who was without sin, absolutely sinless in every sense of the word, he became sin. And I believe that in looking at it, this was one of the ingredients in the cup, there was something that revolted in his mind and heart as he thought of being made the sin of the world. This tremendous sacrifice that he was about to offer upon the cross, and I think that this is what had caused the agony. Now there was a second ingredient. I believe in that cup. You remember upon the cross. And in the darkness he cried, My God, my God, why? Why hast thou forsaken me? I believe that the second ingredient in that cup was the fact that when it was upon the cross, his father, his God, pursued him when he was upon the cross. And therefore in contemplation, under an anticipation of taking that cup and draining it to its grave, were he that his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. This was the first cup. But you remember again as he comes to the cross. In the Synoptic Gospels we read of some benevolent women in Jerusalem, they brought a cup to those that were about to be crucified, to be executed. It was wine mingled with myrrh. It was a narcotic. It's very likely that the malefactors took it. But really that our Lord, when he had tasted her off, he would not drink. You know, if he had taken it, if he had taken that narcotic, we would have lost those wonderful words upon the crowd. First of all, he said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Those wonderful words that he uttered, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And then that great triumphant cry at the end, it is finished. But thank God our Lord. When he went to the cross, he was in the possession of all his faculties. And thank God he refused the narcotic. But then he knew that there was a scripture that needed to be fulfilled. It was a sixty-line psalm and he said, I thirst. And so the soldier, taking the sponge and putting it in the vinegar and putting it upon a piece of hyssop, he lifted it to his lips. and worried that having received the vinegar, he bowed his head, and he gave up the goss. Oh, how wonderful they say. Again the sixty-ninth psalm was fulfilled. And then the other two passages, Exodus chapter twelve, and then Zechariah chapter twelve, were read that after he had died, after he had given his life upon the cross. And after he had uttered that great cry, it is finished. He bowed his head and gave up the gospel. The Sabbath was coming on. Of course, the Jewish Sabbath had started at six o'clock in the evening. And that the body should not remain upon the cross. The high priest, very, very careful about the Old Testament. You remember it said that anyone who was hanged on a tree was cursed of God. and that the body should not remain after some die. And they needed to be buried before the sun went on. And so the priests, they went to Pilate, and they gave them leave. And I think I can see that soldier coming with a club in his hand. And as you looked at the malefactor, because sometimes they remained on the cross for three days and three nights before they died. It was a slow, painful, lingering death. But they came to the malefactor, and with a heavy club they broke the largest bone in his body, in both legs, and he expired. He went to the other man on the other side, and he did the same with him. But when he came to our Lord Jesus, saw that he was dead already. He had already bowed his head in death. He puts down the club, and he picks up the spear. You know there's a little word in the Old Testament. in Exodus chapter twelve, in connection with the ritual of the Passover. I would love to take time this morning to go into the three different sections of the teaching that we find in Exodus chapter twelve. First of all, the shedding of the blood, and the sprinkling of the blood. By the way, you don't find the blood mentioned in the book of Genesis in connection with the offerings. You do read there about the fact. but the blood is reserved for Exodus chapter twelve. And six times it's mentioned here. And the Lord is speaking about the blood, the blood of the Lamb, pointing forward to the cross. It's mentioned six times there. We read, when I see the blood, the blood shall be to you for a token. That was first of all for the person who sprinkled it. The blood shall be to you for a token. And then he said, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. Oh, the blood The precious blood of the Lamb is portrayed in that wonderful passage. It was the blood that made atonement for the soul. And in the New Testament scriptures, Peter, in speaking about it, he said, you're not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with a precious blood. The precious blood is of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Exodus chapter twelve, the first little section that emphasizes the atoning blood, the blood that was shed and the blood that was sprinkled. But then we get the ritual of the feast. And how with their loins girded in their sandals on their feet, their staff on their hand. They ate it in haste. That is the feast of the Passover. But then there's a little item at the end of the chapter, connected with the ritual, and it said, A bone of it shall not be brought. Anyone who has been in the Middle East, they know that when a sacrifice is offered or when an animal is roasted and cooked, they generally break the bones. I don't want to go into detail about it, but it's so important to notice that in connection with the Passover, a bone of it shall not be broken. We would think that an item of that kind is not important at all, but God could look down through the centuries. and they lived on in that regulation, a bone of it shall not be broken. You know when our Lord died upon the cross, those five wounds in his body was all the mutilation that man was permitted to perform to that holy body. The two wounds in his two hands, the two wounds in his two feet, and then that spear wound in his side. These will be the marks of Calvary throughout eternity. A lamb slain before the foundation of the world. But as far as the bone is concerned, that bone was unbroken. On the soldier he puts the club down. But then Exodus chapter twelve, it was fulfilled. And not only that, but we read that Zechariah chapter twelve was fulfilled as well. They shall look on him whom they pierce. Exodus chapter twelve takes us back to the commencement of their history. But Zechariah chapter twelve points forwards to the end, to the coming again of the Lord Jesus. They shall look on him whom they fear. On that day a fountain shall be opened for sin and for uncleanness to the nation that was guilty of the judicial murder of their Messiah. And this word will be fulfilled in the coming day. It's mentioned again in the book of Revelation chapter one. So taking the four passages and putting them together, we find how these great messianic passages were fulfilled when the Lord Jesus died upon the cross. It would be interesting to look at Exodus twelve and go over into the Psalms and look at the various passages that are mentioned there. And then into the prophets, Isaiah fifty three, and into the prophet Zechariah, those last few chapters. And thank God all was fulfilled when he died upon the cross. Notice that it's only John that gives us that cry that our Lord gave upon the cross before he died. He said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up the gospel. Many a time are looking at this passage, I wondered what it meant. I believe it has a two-fold meaning. It is finished. It means all is fulfilled. The Holy Scripture is fulfilled. But it has another meaning. And I believe that the meaning is that the great work of redemption, the carious atonement, the work of propitiation, the work of reconciliation of men was performed when our Lord died upon the cross. And he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and he gave up the ghost. Beloved friends, this is the message we want to bring this morning. It is a finished work. You know, the word of the day is they had to pay a thousand dollars. for God's salvation that some people would work their fingers at the bone to get the thousand dollars to pay for salvation. If it were possible to work for a full year and work and work and work to get salvation, that some people would gladly do it. But you know you can't do that. The tree is complete. It's absolutely finished. The work of redemption was complete when the Lord Jesus bowed his head in death upon Calvary Strauss. It may be, there's someone here this morning that is grasping after God's salvation, maybe groping in the dark, and possibly the thought in your mind is, oh, that I knew where I might find him. Oh, that I had that peace and rest that the Bible speaks of. For the Lord Jesus said, come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. This is what the world very, very badly needs today. My beloved friend this morning let me tell you that the work of Calvary is a completed work. Absolutely complete. You know, over in Africa, we had to make every stick of furniture that we had. We went into a place where there wasn't a table or a chair or a window frame or a door frame or anything else. And before we had any furniture at all, we had to knock the trees down, cut them up into ten foot lengths. plain them, mortise, tenon, and stick them together. And if there's one thing that I appreciate more than another, it's a lovely piece of furniture. And you can imagine anybody like myself coming here and going into a home where you find a beautiful sideboard. And as you look at it, it's just a perfect work of an artisan. And I always delight to see anything like that. We've had it learned the hard way. But to look at that piece of furniture and the French polisher has put a shine on the top of it, and you can imagine some child, six or seven years of age, going down to the basement and getting a hold of a jack plane, saying, Now, you watch me. I'm going to put the finishing touches on this lovely, lovely piece of furniture. Well, it'll make your blood run go. And you'd want to grab the jack plane and say, You let it alone. Don't you touch it. It's perfect, it's complete, and it's just beautiful. My dear friends, don't you put your hand upon that work of the cross? It's complete. And the Lord Jesus, before he bowed his head and said, it is finished. It's finished. And he bowed his head and he gave up the gospel. It is a completed work. What do we need to do? Oh, just to come and say, thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. I'm just a poor sinner. God knows we all are. does none of us can lift our hand and say that we're innocent, that we're holy, that we have never sinned. Paul has sinned and come short of the glory of God, but all the finished work. It is finished, and he bowed his head, and he gave up the gospel. Now there's just one other little item here I want to mention before I close. The gospel is composed of three great messages that God sends out to mankind. And Paul, he goes into them in first Corinthians, verse And those first three verses, this is what he says, Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. So this is John nineteen. Christ died for our sins. The vicarious death of Christ. Died for our sins according to the Scriptures. And then the second one is, and he was buried. Sometimes we emphasize the cross, and rightly so. But you know, the burial is also a part of the gospel. He was buried. And then the third cloud did, and the third day he rose, according to the Scriptures, the death, the burial, and the resurrection. Now the only one that goes into detail about the burial of the Lord is John. And that's the reason why I read that last little paragraph in the chapter. And here again we get the Word of God fulfilled. Worry the two men, and believe that they were both rich men, that they came and they begged the body. Many years ago I heard Mr. Harlson can point out that there are two words for body here. When the soldiers and those that were responsible for the crucifixion on Pilate, the word that's used for body there is one word. But when John speaks about it, or the evangelist speaks about it, there's another word. One word it means a corpse. To Pilate it was a corpse. But to the disciples, those that knew and loved the Lord, it was the body of a bridegroom. There are two entirely distinct words, and I think that it's absolutely beautiful to notice how they're used in the New Testament. But they begged the body, and believed that one man, he provided the place of the burial, the clean place, fuel out of the solid rock. The other man provided the perfume. Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night, and I believe that he had experienced the great truth that the Lord taught him of the new birth. Read one man, he provided the place of the burial, and the other man provided the perfume. And read that Nicodemus brought one hundred pound weight of myrrh and aloes for the burial. Did you ever think of the tremendous amount of spice that Nicodemus brought to the burial? One hundred pound weight. When I look at it, it must have been a tremendous amount of material, of splinters, of embalming material that he brought to the burial. I have a friend who lives in Virginia. He's in the funeral business. He provides at the present time all the material for embalming and for funeral. He had a friend who was a Jew. And my friend is a real born-again Christian. And one day he was witnessing to the Jew about the burial of the Lord, and he said, how much do you think, he said, it's cost to bury Jesus of matter. And the Jew, he given the sarcastic answer, oh, he said, they likely dug a hole at the foot of the cross. And when the light was extinct, they unceremoniously buried them in the hole at the foot of the cross. And my friend, he said, you have never read John's Gospel. And he read this lovely passage. or that Nicodemus he brought one hundred pound weight of Myrna and Allo. Now he said, you're an educated man. He said, you know, in those days Myrna and Allo's were very expensive. He said, what do you think the cost? And the Jews, he said, well, he said in those days it was so expensive that it was generally used for kings and noble men. And he said, Myrna and Allo's in those days were weighed according to their weight and gold. He said, how much is gold worth today? This is some little time ago. Oh, he said, thirty-five dollars an ounce. Thirty-five dollars an ounce. On a hundred pound weight of Mir and Alice, he says, you do a little bit of figuring. He said, how much do you think that costs? On the figure that they came up for the rock, hewn, tomb, and for the one hundred pound weight of Mir and Alice, it amounted to anywhere between thirty and forty thousand dollars. He said, the burial of a criminal? He said, do you think they could have taken all that amount of spices, myrrh and aloes, and put it in the fold of the bandages that were wrapped around the body? Oh, no, he said, that would be impossible. He said, what do you think they did with the surplus? Well, he said, what they usually did, when a king was being buried, and you read about it in the Old Testament, they made a bed of spices, and the myrrh and aloes that were put. in the fold of the bandages, when the surface of that was made into a bed, and it was on that bed of spices that a person was buried. And my friend said, that's true. And he opened his Bible to first chronicles, I think it is, chapter sixteen, and he read about the death of Esau, a good king of Judah, and read that when he died, he was buried on that bed of spices. And then, my friend, he said, you know, Jesus of Nazareth, he said he wasn't buried like a criminal. But he said he was buried like a king. He said he had the burial of a king. And then my friend turned over to another passage in Isaiah chapter fifty three. And this is what he read. The scripture said, They made his grave with a wicked. Oh, they did that. They dug the hole all right. They made his grave with a wicked. But he was with a rich man in his head. Instead of being buried like a criminal, he had the burial of a king. And it's only John that tells us that. I am awfully thankful that this dear servant of God giveth these little details concerning the burial, and then this is the resurrection. God willing, tonight we want to speak about his exaltation and about his ascension to God's right hand. I shall be closed with a word of prayer. Our God and Father, we do thank you for thy word. How beautiful it is. On the one hand, our Father, as we think of these details concerning the sufferings and death of thy beloved Son, it just breaks our heart. But, our Father, we thank thee that he died for us. And as we think of his sufferings and death and his precious blood that was poured out, we thank thee that all our hopes for time and for eternity are based on that day. Our Father, we do pray that thou will help us from day to day to seek this service. for what he has done for us. We pray that it will bless thy word to each one here this morning. For there is thy children that know and love the Lord Jesus. For whether it is those that know and not. Our Father, we do pray to bless and salvation.