Grace Won on the Cross
April 2, 2026
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been thinking today a lot about that grace that was won by our Savior on the cross. I’ve been thinking about it all day. I got called up and things, but I’ve tried to spend an extra time.
Now, here’s the thing I mentioned Sunday. I just can’t see Good Friday. It’s good, but I can’t see. I have a hard time getting three days and three nights between Friday and Sunday. Even if you include one minute of each time, you just can’t get three nights out of that. I mean, you’ve got Friday night, Saturday night; you’re going to have to get Sunday night. There’s just no way around it. And the Bible says three days and three nights, so it was not a Friday, friend.
Now, Thursday and Wednesday can be debated about it. We did a whole Bible study on it last year. I really believe he died on Wednesday, and I believe somewhere Saturday night, he rose. You know, the Bible never says he rose the first day, but they found him. They went to the empty tomb on the first day of the week, and they rejoined. By the way, when the sun came up, it was already empty. See? And we celebrated on the first day of the week, because that’s when we found that empty tomb.
So here’s the thing. Today’s the day. Last night, last night, we’re celebrating, of course, Resurrection Sunday. So last night, the soldiers took him. And last night, he was on a mockery of a trial. And last night, they spit on him. And last night, they beat him.
In the middle of the night, somewhere on the line and into the morning, really by the morning time, but they weren’t supposed to do that. That trial by the Sanhedrin was so, so flawed. But they just hated Jesus. And so, that mockery of a trial last night, this morning, somewhere around 6 a.m. this morning, they, you see, because of the Sanhedrin, they condemned him, but they didn’t have the authority to kill him like they wanted to.
So this morning, right at the beginning of the morning, the gospel said, they took him to the Roman, because the Roman government, they could kill him. So it was this morning we were getting up and getting everything moving and getting dressed for work and all that. We were getting our coffee this morning, amen. It was this morning that he was taken before Pilate. And then over to Herod, and Herod, he just almost like a circus show. And then back to Pilate.
And Pilate wanted to do all he could to kind of wash his hands of it. You know, this is not Bible, but tradition says that he just kind of went psychotic a little bit, Pilate later on, and you’d find him washing. He washed his hands all the time. But you can’t wash your hands from that blood. And the Sanhedrin and the Jewish people crucified, crucified, crucified. And all of us are part of that. Our sins placed him on that cross.
And then all day today, I hope maybe, and we maybe do this again, I don’t know, first time we’ve ever had the Lord’s Supper on Wednesday night. But it was kind of special leading up to that Resurrection Sunday. And so it would be the three hours of course, about 9 o’clock on the cross. Then three hours of darkness, noon to 3. And some around 3, our kids were getting out of school over here. We’re not on spring break yet. We’re jealous of the public schools this week, but next week they’ll be jealous of us when we’re on spring break, amen, you know. But we were gathering over there to dismiss the kids out of school. And it’d be 3 o’clock this afternoon. About three and a half hours ago, our Savior that provided all that grace, we just saved by grace, it was all provided about three and a half hours ago. When Jesus said, “Father, into thy hands, I commend my spirit.” And he gave up the ghost. I mean, today’s just a special day. And it’ll do something just kind of remember what all Jesus did for us.
And so we’re changing gears tonight because of just a special week. And now here’s the thing. We’re praying 7 o’clock for the building to sell. And so seven o’clock we’ll probably be right in the middle of everything. So we’re not going to—we’re going to—I’m just going to ask you just a minute to come down here and pray. It’s just something special about the church family, all of us. And you can’t—all of us can’t get down on our knees, I get that, but we can get on the front row and second row, just coming down and humbly before the Lord. Would you now?
Here’s a prayer: Lord, would you sell this property so we can use the funds from this property to fund that building before we have to draw from our loan? That saves us. We’ve talked about it more than once. We’ve given the exact numbers. Just the interest on two, two and a half million dollars is a lot per year. We can save so much if we can sell this, use the proceeds from this before we draw from the loan.
And so we’re praying for that. It’s amazing. You started praying for this Sunday night a week ago. And we’ve had one showing last week. And then we’ve got another one tomorrow morning at 8:30. And this is one that’s viewed it before, and they didn’t have the finance. It’d be someone that they’re right on the gospel. It’s church. They’re right on the gospel. And so that’s the big thing. We’ll have a little differences here and there for sure, but they’re right on the gospel: Jesus only saves. But they told our real estate agent they’re able to come up to the financing now. And so they want to come back, a larger group of them tomorrow morning and look at it. So I don’t know. Maybe that’s the one. Maybe it’s not. I don’t know. But tomorrow morning, 8:30, I want you to pray.
But let’s pray. Let’s pray tonight. Would you do this? Would you come on down? Let’s just come on down if you would. I know it’s a little different. And it’s no problem for us to get down. The problem is getting up, amen, you know. But if we can get down around the altar, if you can’t get that, hey, you can stand. Just we want it where God gets glory. He deserves it. And so let’s just pray. Let’s pray for that if you would, please. And I ask the Lord to sell this. We use the proceeds for this before we have to draw from the loan. That would just be such a blessing to save so much for our church if you would please.
Father, we come to you on such a special night. And Lord, we come to you with our petition to sell this property. But Lord, not just to sell the property, but to sell the property for at least $2.5 million. And I know you can do that. I’ve watched you do many, many things just like this. And Lord, I know you’re the same. You’re the same tonight as you were 10, 15 years ago. Lord, as I stood in a pulpit and said, we’re going to go and build a church debt-free. And Lord, you provided every penny of that money to be done with. We never had to borrow a penny. And Lord, Ruther County Baptist Church would not even have to borrow a penny if it be your will.
We have a specific request in the selling of this property that, Lord, whoever purchases the property, yes, will give us the $2.5 million or more. But, Lord, also, they’ll let us stay here until it’s time for us to move into our new building. And Lord, we’ll go and give you all the praise and honor and glory for it because you are—you are the great I AM.
And Lord, we realize your power. And Lord, if it’s your will, this will happen. And we’ll give you, definitely give you all the praise and the honor and the glory for it. But Lord, we’re looking to you. I know people have been praying for literally over probably two weeks now at 7 o’clock in the evening. Even if they missed the 7 o’clock time, they’ve been praying for this very same petition, this very same request. And Lord, these are your children. And I know you hear. And I know you answer. And Lord, we’ll accept your answer, whatever it might be.
But, Lord, we’ve got someone looking again tomorrow. And I know you’ve sent them this way. And, Lord, I realize if you’ve sent them, you’re going to use them to do exactly what you want them to do. So we lift this up to you. And we thank you already in advance for what you’re going to do. You’ve already provided the land in a miraculous way, seven of two acres of land in a miraculous way. So I know exactly—I know exactly what you can do. I just pray your will be on it. And again, we’ll give you all the praise and honor and glory you deserve for it. In Jesus’ name, I pray.
Just a beautiful day that you’ve given to us. Lord, I thank you for this time of year that we can remember what it is that you’ve done for us, Lord—the pain and the agony that you went through, the suffering and the humiliation, Lord, that you went through just for us. And Lord, help us to not forget that or take it for granted. And, Lord, it’s because of that suffering and because of what you went through and what you… coming back on the third day, Lord, because of all of that, we know that we can go to you, we can trust you, we can ask you these things.
And Lord, we do ask that you would bring just the right buyer to come through and look at this property, Lord, and that you would provide the funding for them so that they could be able to purchase it, Lord, so that we would be able to move on to that new property that you have for us. Lord, we do pray that we know that you own the cattle on a thousand hills and it’s nothing for you. And Lord, we ask that you would just provide just a little bit of that for us so that we can continue in your work, continue with your will. And Lord, we do pray that you would bless each of these families as they pray. And Lord, that you would hear and answer that prayer.
And Lord, we pray that you would bless the new building even now, Lord, that you would make it a place that we will see many come to know you as Savior, Lord, that we would see many families come and be put back together. And, Lord, that we would see men and women raised up for you to be able to serve you for generations. Lord, we do pray that you would be with us the rest of this evening. Lord, be with the pastor as he preaches, give him power, give him strength, give him clarity of mind to give to us what you’ve given to him. Lord, help us, again, to remember everything that you’ve done for us. In your name, amen. Amen.
That’s the key right there, your prayers. Thank you so much for praying on that. By the way, with Sunday’s offering and then the $14,000 that goes in every month, we’re a little above the $700,000 raised towards a building fund. So praise the Lord for that. Thank you for praying for and giving for all that. And some of you are earning those coins. Don’t forget about those coins. And let’s just keep after those things and excited to see what all God’s going to do on that.
It’s interesting. I was driving last night, and it was just a little bit after seven, and I texted my wife and my daughter. I said, “Oh, man, we’ve got to pray.” And it was maybe three minutes after seven, if I remember right, and so I sent it out, and I prayed, and then I checked my phone right after it, and that’s when I saw the real estate agent that said, “Hey, we’ve got to show him tomorrow if it’ll work,” you know. So, God just answers prayer. And praise the Lord for it.
Don’t forget the yard sale is going to be here before we know it, church yard sale. And it’s not this Thursday; Friday’s that—well, Friday and Saturday, it’s the next one. So, it’s just a little over a week away. If you have anything you think would sell and add some profit, please bring that in. You can put it underneath the carport there. And it’s just right around the corner. And the funds go towards our juniors and our teens going to camp. And see Ms. Brenda for details on it. She does a great job heading that up. And I appreciate it.
And then Easter. Easter, don’t forget about Sunday. Do your best to invite people out. And just pray, pray that God will bless it, work in a great, great way. We’ve had several visitors and people come back the last couple Sundays. Let’s pray they keep coming.
We’re not going to—if you have an offering, we’re going to take it. We’re going to take it. We’re not going to pass the plate. But we’re not going to turn down money. Come on now, you know. I mean, the Baptist Church, you know, and building funds specifically, but anything. But there’s offerings in the box. Offering plates are back there. We’re not going to take an offering per se, just keeping things flowing here tonight.
Turn your Bibles, if you would, to Leviticus, chapter 17, and then Hebrews, chapter number nine. And just a verse in each place, and we’ll move on fairly quick tonight. And brother, go for us passing out money. He’s got my attention there, you know. Brother Johan, see if he’ll give you some of it too while he’s giving money out, you know. Brother, go for it. He’s one passing it out, man.
Leviticus 17. I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you for being in God’s house on a Wednesday. It’s a special time. And I’m thrilled you are here tonight. Leviticus 17. And we’re just going to hit one verse very quickly. Good chance you know it. There are no phrases out of it. It’s very familiar, just phrases out of this verse here. Leviticus 17. And we’re going to start or just read verse number 11. We’re going to just try to get some principle, or a principle really, out of these two verses and just kind of take off with it.
The Lord’s Supper, we have it three to four times a year. And I haven’t asked this so often. Someone recently asked me this, a great question. But they said, “You know, how often do we have it and why?” And some churches will have it every Sunday. They’ll use Acts 20 and verse number seven to say that. And it does say they had it on the first day of the week, but it doesn’t say to have it every first day of the week. And it doesn’t say that’s the only day you can have it there.
But here’s the thing: the whole purpose of the Lord’s Supper is to do in remembrance of his body and his blood. And for having it every Sunday, I just know us—people, me, all of us—it becomes ritualistic. It doesn’t have that much meaning. And it’s all about remembering his blood and his body.
We’ve done it every other month for a while. We’ve done it different ways, but just trying to find the right balance. We’re to have it, but not have it so much that it’s becoming ritualistic and means something to us. And we’re not doing the same thing. One of the things we’ve done, I don’t know, the last four or five years, learned it from another pastor, but I always try to emphasize one thing, something different during the Lord’s Supper. And tonight, we’ve done this, I think, once in the last four or five years, but we’re just going to focus on the blood tonight. And we typically try to do a different angle. I think rejection is what we did last time, and shame before that, I looked at it today. But tonight, we’re just going to look at the blood. And something, something about Jesus shedding his blood.
You ever came upon a wreck or something, and there’s a lot of shed or spilled blood? I’d forget we had a neighbor. She came to church, and she had passed out, I think, and fell back and hit her head. And somehow we found out about it. I don’t have a cold or what. And I rushed over there, and boy, she was just laying in a pool of blood. And I helped get her up, and I got blood all over me. That’ll do something to you. Something about blood. And Jesus shed his blood for us. Amazing. He created the universe shedding his blood for you and for me.
Just a couple of verses as we’re starting it out, just kind of getting us going. Would you please stand for the reading of God’s word? Leviticus 17. Look in verse number 11, if you would please.
And verse number 11: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” By the way, if they had have known that, George Washington, he may have lived longer, you know. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood. And I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls. For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”
Look over in Hebrews chapter nine, if you would please. Hebrews chapter number nine. Hebrews 9. Boy, isn’t the Bible just very clear? It’s the blood that makes an atonement. By the way, it’s not just the death. By the way, they didn’t suffocate the lambs or Jesus; they shed his blood. By the way, don’t give me a songbook where they’re taking the blood out of that. I don’t want that. You know, they’re doing that nowadays. Don’t give me a Bible where they’re taking the blood out of it.
And look at this one, Hebrews 9. Look at verse number 22. Hebrews 9, verse number 22: “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood.” Here’s the thing I’m getting at. You’ll remember it when I read it: “And without the shedding of blood, there is no remission.” There must be the shedding of blood.
Just for a bit, let’s focus on the blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross of Calvary. Would you pray with me? Father, Lord, I pray you make it real. Lord, you know, I’m just a country boy. I don’t have a very wide vocabulary at all, but Lord, would you make it real to us? Use me. I yield to you, Father. Send your Spirit working power, Lord, and Holy Spirit, would you take us back to the cross and to our Savior when he shed his blood for us? Father, would you give me wisdom in the Old Testament these things kind of leading up to it and make it real to us tonight, Father, please? And we’ll thank you, Lord, for what you do. It’s in the name of Jesus we ask, Father. Amen.
Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.
You know, it’s amazing. At the very beginning, when you got Adam and Eve in the garden, and the world was just amazing, very good, God says. And you know the story, Satan came through that serpent, and he beguiled Eve, and Adam willfully sinned. And boy, they took of that fruit. And but when they took of that fruit, everything changed. Death came. Sickness came. Divorce came. Hurt and war and murder and pain and tears came. Now, man, we’re good at trying to connive and make up and and and and we’re always good at trying to remedy ourselves, but we need God for it. It’s honest truth.
So what did Adam and Eve do? What did they do? They took—they went out to a garden, some trees, and they took some fig leaves. I mean, by the way, I wonder what the vegetation was like back then. I mean, well, I’d like to have a garden back there. Come on now, you know, everything did good back then, I tell you for sure now, you know. But they took the fig tree, and they got some fig leaves off of there, and they began to sew them together, just what man could do. They knew they were naked at this point, and innocency was gone, see?
And so they tried to sew these fig leaves to get what man could do to cover our shame and our nakedness. It’s just all about what man could do. And remember what happened? You see, to take those fig leaves, there was no bloodshed. It was just kind of like Cain and Abel, the offering of the garden. And the very, very—by the way, Genesis 3:15, God had already promised, “Hey, the seed,” told me like Jesus, the coming Messiah.
But right after that, right after that, very interesting. Let me read for exactly what the Bible says, because you know the first person to shed blood was God. Pretty amazing. Because without the shedding of blood, there’s no remission. Let me read it for you in case you doubt in Genesis 3:21: “And unto Adam also and unto his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothed them.” Yeah.
And those fig leaves, what man can do, won’t take care of it. God said, “I’ve got to take.” I don’t know, but I think he took a lamb and he shed blood. And way back at the first man and first leg that ever was, Adam and Eve, and they learned, “Hey, one day there’ll truly come the Lamb of God.” And this lamb that I’m taking his skin from and making coats from, that’s resembling the shed blood of Jesus Christ. They don’t know the name per se. They’re the coming Messiah, the Lamb of God. The very, very beginning, you see, there was bloodshed. He said the life, the flesh is in the blood, and if someone’s going to give their life, they shed their…
There are so many all throughout the Bible. We’re just going to touch on three of them. Then I think about Brother Adam, how to sing that song, “When I see the blood, I will pass over.” And remember, they were in bondage there in Egypt, and Pharaoh wouldn’t let them go. And Moses kept going, “Hey, let my people go. Let my people. Let my people go.” That’s what you say about noon on Sunday afternoon, right? Don’t call down 10 plagues on me, amen.
And the 10th one, the death of the firstborn male, cattle too. And God said—God said it was April. It was the Jewish calendar basis, maybe this touch different, but best we can say April, the first month of their year. And he said the 10th day of that month, April, he said, “I want you to get a just a young male lamb, what was spotless, without blemish, and I want you to set it aside on the 10th day.” Kind of sanctify it, if you will. Set aside for a purpose. And you observe that lamb and make sure he’s spotless. And by the way, we watch Jesus while he was here on earth, and he was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.
And then the day of the Passover, the 14th day of April. The Bible says this—I put it down here. This is what it says, if I can find it. Yeah, Exodus 12, verse number six: “And shall kill it in the evening.” Now, typically their day is 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., so the evening, I don’t know. I wouldn’t say exactly, but I think it was 3 p.m.
And they would take that Passover lamb, see, because they had to cook it. A little bit later on, they’re going to eat it. And they wouldn’t just—they wouldn’t just suffocate it or choke it or shoot it. But they would take it. They would literally take a knife and they would slit its throat, and it would bleed out. And it represented the coming Lamb of God, of Jesus, that would shed his blood for you and I.
And here’s the thing: Now, that wasn’t just enough, but if they wanted that to be applied to them, they would have to, by faith. By the way, the Egyptians, they weren’t happy about it all, so it took a measure of faith for the Jewish people to take that blood and on the door of their house, they would have to go over there, and on both doorposts, they would apply the blood. And then on the top of it. By the way, pretty good symbol there, you know, you got the two arms out and the head. And they would apply that blood. And the Bible says when the death angel would pass by, if you saw the blood applied by faith, he said, “I’ll pass over you.” Just sang about it a few minutes ago. But the blood had to be applied. And there must be shedding of blood, and the blood must be applied.
I’m saying the significance of our Savior shedding his blood goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, and then a little bit into Israel’s history. And there, God over there in Exodus 25, he says, “Hey, I want you to build a tabernacle because I’m going to dwell among you.” That was the purpose of the tabernacle. Exodus 25:8 tells us that. That’s the purpose of a God.
And not just there in the tabernacle, but you remember the tabernacle: the outer court, and inside that the brazen altar, then the laver, and then the holy place. And inside the first compartment of the holy place, over on the—oh, let’s see—the one side, the table of showbread, and then right before the veil is the altar of incense, and then the seven golden candlesticks, the menorah, and just a very wonderful place. But then the veil, and then behind the veil in the most holy place was the ark. And then on top of the ark was the mercy seat, and the two cherubims coming out on each corner. I think it’s on the corner. Some say at the ends. And they’re there, and their wings are coming out, they’re right there touching. And God says right between those wings right there, that’s where I’ll dwell, right above the mercy seat.
Remember all those years? That’s where the fire would come out at nighttime and the cloud. It all came out of there. That’s where God was living, if you will. Now, heaven is thrown on earth as this footstool, but God said, “I have a desire to dwell on my people.” And so he came down and he dwelt there, glory, the most holy place. So, so.
By the way, nobody could go in there besides a high priest once a year. Nobody was to look on it. They had very clear instructions. They were to carry it. It was covered. And then they set it in there, and they’d set up all the curtains around. Then they’d take it off there. Nobody ever saw it, and besides the high priest. And probably the most holy or high and holy day, if you will, of Israel was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Just a very, very sacred day.
Now, they offered their daily sacrifices morning and evening, but one time of the year, the high priest, just a very, very sacred day, and he would get a book. It was for a sin offering, basically, it was his own sins, the high priest. Because if you went in there sinful himself, he’s going to die. Mother, he gives instructions over to Leviticus 16 about it, and right before it is when Aaron’s two boys got killed for offering strange fire. So you know he’s listening, boy, I better do this thing right.
And all that, he would bring the two rams with two goats, and they would cast lots. Lots are kind of like flipping a coin type thing, if you will. And one would be the scapegoat and one would be the sacrifice for the Lord. And they’d have all that. They would select them. They’d get them all ready to go. And then the high priest would wash. And he would put on the priestly garments. And he’d even looked like he even washed a little bit afterwards too.
And then he would go over to that young bullock. And same thing. He didn’t just have him killed or stabbed or whatever. They’d cut his throat, and he’d bleed. He’d catch some of that blood in the basin. And if you could just imagine, he would have that blood in that basin. And then he would take that in, and he would go into the—to the holy place and that altar of incense right before the veil, he would offer up incense on that. So it would just be flowing real good and the smell would go into the most holy place where God’s presence in a mighty way was there.
And then he would take that blood and it would go inside that veil into the most holy place. And he’d take his fingers and he’d take it, dip it in that blood, and seven times. I watched a couple videos today and just something about—I thought about maybe trying to mimic it—but if you just see something, you see blood getting splattered on it, it kind of just startles you a little bit.
And that blood, seven times, he would sprinkle that blood on the mercy seat. Then he would come out. He would come out, he’d come back. By the way, that was basically for his sins. Then he’d come back and the one ram, or he’d go there that said that was going to be the sacrifice. He would come out and he would come out and he would shed its blood. It looks like it was mixed in the same basin. There may be some argument about that. And he would go back in there, same thing. He would take that blood for the sins of the people of God, Israel. He had applied that blood on the mercy seat there. Seven times, a number of completion, he’d sprinkle on that there.
And as he’d come out, he would pass by the altar there that has four horns, only each corner have a horn. And he would take some of that blood and apply it to that horn and apply it to that. You see how much God just emphasizes the blood? And then they just came out of the most holy place, and then he passes by the altar there of incense with the horns, and then he comes out, and there’s a brazen altar there, and at the foot of it, he would pour some of that blood there. He’d apply the blood.
Then they go over to the scapegoat, and they put a scarlet ribbon basically on us. By the way, that represents our sins and the shed blood. And then the high priest would put his hands—I think they’d have to hold that thing—and the high priest would put his hands on that head of that, that he’d go there and he confessed the sins of the children of Israel. He may have been there a long time, I don’t know. And he’d confess those sins. And then they, then they would have a—the Bible says—a well-fit man. That would not be me nowadays, amen, somebody younger in shape, they can run. And they’d take that scapegoat, and he’d just take off and go way, way far away. The Bible says wilderness, and it uses this term where there’s not people, no inhabitants, nobody’s there. It kind of reminds me, buried in the deepest part of the sea, as far as the east is from the west, so far as he removed our transgressions from us. And that scapegoat, he takes it out there.
But I want you to notice every one of these bloods. The very beginning, in the Garden of Eden, no, that a garden, fig leaves won’t work. There’s going to have to be shedding the blood. No, no, no, you just can’t shed the blood. You just can’t shed the blood, but if you won’t be saved, you’re going to apply the blood by faith—Passover. And then the Day of Atonement and the blood that the high priest used.
Now, here’s the amazing thing about it is, look over real quickly in Hebrews. You’re there. Look at Hebrews 8. Hebrews 8 in verse number 5. We could show this principle several different places. We could show it in Exodus, where Moses is on the Mount, and God’s telling him how to build a tabernacle. And God actually showed him the real tabernacle. And this down here was just made after the real deal, if you will. And Hebrews 8, verse number 5, talks about that.
Hebrews 8, verse number 5: “Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, see, saith he, notice that, see, saith he, that thou make all these, all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.” So the real deal was in heaven. They just kind of made a pattern of that. How many ever seen your mom way back in the day or grandma have a pattern of a dress or something like that, a pattern of them? Ms. Brenda them, they still do that sometimes, have patterns, you know. And the real deal is in heaven. This one down here is just kind of a shadow of the real deal.
Now, so here’s the thing: The real ark and mercy seat is in heaven. Not all that. Look over in chapter number nine. You’re in the eight. Look over in Hebrews nine. And look at verse number 23. Hebrews 9 and verse number 23: “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.” We won’t take time to look it up, but Hebrews 4:15 talks about Jesus, our great high priest.
So here’s the thing: Jesus, not only is our sacrifice—that’s what we just read about, a much better sacrifice than the old lambs and goats and bullocks and all that—He’s the Lamb of God, He’s a better sacrifice, and He is also the great high priest. So you see, when He shed His blood on that cross, and He shed His blood, and then, of course, He rose again.
Remember what He told Mary Magdalene over there in John? He said, “Don’t touch me.” Because a high priest, once they had washed and cleansed themselves, you couldn’t touch him. They don’t want to be defiled by this old world. And Jesus, “Don’t touch me because I’m not ascended to the Father yet.” And Jesus, you see, He took His very own blood, a much better sacrifice. And He went—not to the one down here on earth—He went to the true most holy place where the true mercy seat is. And He went and He took His own blood, and He went to the mercy seat, and He is our great high priest, and the sacrament. He’s everything for Him. And He applied His own blood seven times, seven times.
You see, that’s the only way God can look down through the mercy seat and see an old sinner like me and say, “They’re perfect in My sight,” because of Jesus’ shed and applied blood. My wife’s got these sunglasses that, you know, it’s kind of like rose-colored sunglasses. It makes everything just kind of a little bit of a taint pink. It doesn’t have anything to do with pink shirts, Ms. Brenda.
And if you will, God looks down through the mercy seat of Jesus’ applied blood, and He says, “They’re redeemed. They’re perfect. They’re forgiven.” You know, it’s interesting. We’re going to move on to the Lord’s Supper, one more thing, just a little thought. Look over in Genesis 4, if you would, please. This is where Cain and Abel, Cain killed Abel. And the Lord goes to Cain, says, “Hey, bud, where’s your brother at?” You know, and old Cain says, “Well, am I my brother’s keeper?” Remember that? Yeah.
And let’s look and see what Jesus says back. It’s very interesting. Just a little truth here. Genesis 4. And look at verse number 10, would you please? Verse number 10. If you’re there, would you say, “Amen”? Amen. Look at this, Genesis 4:10: “And he said, What hast thou done?” Watch this. Look at this, King James Bible: “The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” Wonder what the blood of Jesus on the mercy seat is saying? “Forgiven, redeemed, justified, perfect.”
And we say, “Man, Lord, I’m so messed up. I fall short about 10 million times every day, seem like every minute, and you still love me.” And you think, if you will, He knows through the blood of Jesus, forgiven, redeemed, justified, just as if—the blood speaks for you and I. All the blood of Jesus, the blood of Jesus. Praise the Lord for the blood of Jesus. We have no hope without it. The devil can’t stand up.
This is the first time in 26 years having the Lord’s Supper on a Wednesday night. I think it’s the first time in 26 years. We’re not going to actually go—I’ll just read maybe two verses from 1 Corinthians 11, but I’ve always been so concerned, I want to follow the Bible pattern. I say this often: Probably the most important time to take church seriously is at the Lord’s Supper. One of the most—it’s just very sacred territory.
And let me just read for you two verses out of 1st Corinthians 11:24, where it says this: “And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.” And after the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”
The whole purpose, the whole purpose, is to go back and remember what Jesus did for us. This body’s what—here’s the amazing thing about it—it means something to Him when you and I remember what He did. It means something to Him.
You know, Sarah was in the accident, and I don’t know if it’s still like this for Sarah or not, but for a while, if someone’s compassionately listening, you kind of like to tell them and relive it with them. It’s just a tragic moment. And my wife, who was someone, they eating, and she told everybody, and they were listening, and well, my wife just—she just went on because it’s a tragic moment, you know. And it means something to Jesus when we go back and relive that tragic moment if you go with Him. And He did it for you, He did it for me, and He wants you to remember what He did. It means something to Him.
You’re just thinking about it, remembering. He wants that. It’s so important that He gives two ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. I want you to stop everything. I want you to go back to remember what He did on the cross, and that’s the whole purpose of it.
Now, if I wasn’t saved, I for sure wouldn’t take the Lord’s Supper. That’d be like someone coming in here never—never been to boot camp, never done any push-ups and all the rest of that, and they came in with a Marine uniform on. And Ms. Mickey’s son, Lucas, is here, and he’s looking—but you’re no Marine, get that thing off, you know. Kind of the same thing if someone took the Lord’s Supper and they’re—they’ve not been saved, or if I’m not willing to get baptized, just follow the Lord in believers’ baptism. There’s been times, occasions when someone wants to, but maybe their parents or whatnot wouldn’t let them, and God understands that. But if I’m just not willing to—now, nobody’s perfect. Doesn’t mean you have to be perfect to take the Lord’s Supper because none of us would be taking it. But we as children of God go back and we examine ourselves. And Lord, do some things I need to get right.
And boy, it’s amazing how the Holy Spirit can point them out, didn’t it? And I think it was D.L. Moody’s meeting, some men, and they were having some kind of prayer meeting. He said, “Let’s confess and get right with God.” And some guy said something like he said, “Well, I don’t know if what I’m thinking is right or not.” And D.L. Moody said, “Well, just guess at it. I bet you’ll get them right.”
The Holy Spirit brings them up. And just take them to the Lord. And here’s the thing: Take them, take it back, get them under the cross, under the blood. Not for salvation, but now as a child, not as the neighbor next door, you know, but now as a child, going to get back right in my dad. I have fellowship with Him. First child through the blood is Jesus Christ, and it cleanses us. And go back and just get that thing right and just remember. Now that’s what it’s all about: remembering His body and His blood that was shed for you and I.
I’m going to ask if the deacons would come up here for a minute here. We’re going to have a word of prayer and we’ll pass out the elements, and we’ll have a time together. We’ll all take it together, but we’ll pass out the bread first. But don’t you just remember. Bread’s first. We’ll pass it out just about His body. Just remember His body. And I have a word of prayer. Then we’ll pass this out, just remembering Jesus, what His body.
By the way, if you’re not a member, people are different on this. I’ve got a good friend of a pastor that believes otherwise, and that’s fine. But each church goes by the pastor. Someone’s not a member of our church. It’s how you’re saved: born again, live for the Lord. Hey, I’m fine with you. You’re part of the family of God. So everybody’s different on that one, but I’m personally fine with it. You say baptized and want to live for the Lord, hey, pray, Lord, take it with us. But we’ll pass out those elements and just remember Jesus giving His body. Would you do that? And we’ll pray if we get some instruments playing after that, and we’ll pass those things out.
Father, thank you again. I’m just so grateful. Then, Lord, for me, even today, I’ve tried to remember today, but not as much as you should. And what a sacred day. Forgive me for not remembering more. And Father, thank you for giving us Your Son. It’s amazing, Lord. Thank you, Jesus, Your body You gave. And bless these just a few minutes we have left, Father. Make it just so real to us. And Lord, we’ll praise You for what You do. And it’s in Jesus we pray. Amen.
As you look at that piece of bread there, would you kind of let your mind just dwell on those different scenes? The garden scene when He prayed and He sweat as if it were great drops of blood. And then Judas coming in with a band of soldiers and the clanking of swords and shields and coming like it’s a criminal, and the kiss of betrayal. And Jesus there, Caiaphas and Annas, the high priest, and just a mockery of a trial, and the spitting on Him, the buffeting Him, plucking out His beard, and to Pilate.
And the next morning, and then to Herod, and they take a crown of thorns. Someone made these for me. And they placed those, that crown on His head. And then if you notice, it says it took a reed in the gospels, and they beat that down into His head. And then back to Pilate, and Pilate, I think, maybe thought he would kind of get some sympathy and maybe he could get out of it. And so he had Jesus beat with the cat o’ nine tails, typically 39 times. And cat o’ nine tails just wrap around that old whip, and they’d just pull it. They’d just fill the victims and just a pull of blood. And often people would die from that.
And Jesus, giving His body, then they placed the old regular cross on Him, and He carried it to Golgotha. They had to pull someone out and help them carry it up to the hill. And outside the city walls of Jerusalem, Golgotha, just an ugly hill, humanly. It looks like a skull, place of the skull. And that’s where our Savior…
And they didn’t hold Him down on that cross. Nobody could have held Him down. But He laid His hands down. And they took a big old spike, and they put it right there somewhere on there. And nobody held Him down. Well, that old hammer came down. And boom, right through His head. And He was giving His body for you. And He wants you and I just remember what He went through for you because He loves you. He loves you.
And in His feet, some will say more almost like the ankles, but His feet, His ankles. And Psalm 22 says it was pierced. By the way, He wasn’t tied to His stake like the Jehovah’s Witnesses say. He was nailed to a cross for Him and shed His blood. And then that cross being stood up and all that He went through hanging there and the darkness and the demons of hell and the shame of sin coming on Him. And He was giving His body for us. And somewhere around 3 o’clock today, He said, “It’s finished.” I did what my Father sent me to do. And He gave up the ghost. And He wants us just remember, just remember Him giving His body for us.
I’m going to ask Brother Chip. Brother Chip is just a good deacon, about to come off the deacon board, and I’m going to ask for Chip. He’s going to ask for the Lord. And I’m going to ask for Chip, as we’re so sorry for our sin.
And he took bread and gave thanks and break it and gave it to them saying, “This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” You can take that bread this time. We’ll pass out the juice at this time.
Just imagine all the different scenes of the cross. It’s just amazing how the blood, even in the garden, sweat as if it was great drops. I mean, just shed blood everywhere. And He’s truly fulfilling what was said at the very beginning: “Hey, those fig leaves won’t do it. Got to shed some blood.” And the Passover, got to shed His blood. And the David told him with that lamb, got to shed His blood. And pray, Lord Jesus, shed His blood.
Can I say a word about it? It is not fermented. It is not alcoholic. Wine means the blood of the grape. And just like we have unleavened bread, that leaven represents corruption or sin. Same thing with juice. That fermentation represents sin. His blood was sinless blood. And no, it wasn’t fermented. And the Bible goes, it wine, blood of the grape, but it was sinless, perfect blood, and knew no sin, the Bible says. And Jesus shed His blood. Oh, praise the Lord for His blood!
And as our high priest, He went and applied the better sacrifice on the true mercy seat, and God looks down, and He sees—if you’re a born-again Christian—He sees you through the blood, and that blood speaks for you: forgiven, cleansed, redeemed, “My son, my daughter, paid for, paid in full.” And the blood of Jesus. Praise the Lord for the blood of Jesus. What a great, great thing the blood of Jesus is.
We need to have three prayers. I can ask everyone with the deacons to pray. You know, I tell you what, because it’s just tough. I had to get Brother Chippen. It’s his last time, you know. But what do you do? You’ve got all three great men, and I appreciate them all. Brother Marlon, would you at least do the prayer? Thank you, Lord. Appreciate the blood.
“Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” Would you take the juice?
Praise the Lord, we’re under the blood if you’re saved tonight. Man, can you imagine God looking down? The thing is, we know ourselves. We know how messed up we are. And just it’s hard to imagine that God Almighty sees you as perfect. But He does because of the blood of Jesus.
And now, you know, the last supper there, they went out and they sung a hymn. So this is the one service we close without a prayer. Brother Adam usually picks out the song. Brother Adam, we gotta do “What Can Wash Away My Sin?” Nothing but the best. It’s just—it’s a night for you know. And he probably would have picked it anyway, but I don’t know what the number is on it. We’ll sing that, we’ll head home now.
Sunday, different vibe, you know. You can’t have a victory without a battle. The battle’s tonight: His death. But man, praise the Lord, burial, and then Sunday, Resurrection Sunday. May it be a different vibe, triumphant. But you got to have a battle before you have victory, you know. And so just thank Him for shed blood and body. And praise the Lord, He’s risen. Amen. We’re going to be celebrating that Sunday. Looking forward to a great, great day on Sunday. Thank you for being here tonight. And man, we serve an amazing, amazing Savior. And He’s awesome. Thank you for being here tonight.
Original File: 2026-04-02 - Pastor Paul Chisgar - Wednesday PM 04⧸01⧸2026