The Arrest & Trial of Jesus

And we'll begin reading in just a moment from verse 43 of Mark chapter 14. Before we do that, I I want to review just a little bit this morning of where we have been and and where we're going. We're going through the book of Mark. I skipped over chapter 13 on prophecy. We're going to come back to that after Easter so I can I can stay on schedule to be at the crucifixion resurrection in a couple in just a few weeks?

But we're in Mark 14 now and Jesus is just finished with the past celebrating the Passover and the Lord's Supper with his disciples in the upper room there in Jerusalem. While they were celebrating the Lord's Supper they also Jesus also revealed to them that one of them would betray him and of course we know that to be Judas though his other disciples were completely fooled. Of course Jesus wasn't. Jesus also revealed to them that they would desert him in just a very short time to which Peter greatly protested that maybe others would desert him but he would never desert him. Following supper, now well into the night, they left the upper room and they went to the Mount Of Olives just across the Kidron Valley just a short distance from Jerusalem there and there they they sang a hymn and Jesus went to pray.

He took Peter, James, and John with him and and he asked them to pray with him. But as he prayed, and was in in great agony over what he knew was only now hours away. As he prayed, father, let this cup pass from me but nonetheless, not my will but thy be done and reaffirmed his commitment to follow through his disciples slept including Peter. He returned and as they got up from from praying, here came Judas right on queue. Mark chapter 14 and verse 43.

And immediately while he yet spake cometh Judas one of the 12, with him a great multitude with swords and staves from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. And he that betrayed him had given them a token saying, a sign, whomsoever I shall kiss, the same as he, take him and lead him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, that is Jesus and say it, master, master, and kissed him. And they laid their hands on him and took him and one of them that stood by drew a sword and smote a servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Jesus answered and said unto them, are you come out as against a thief with swords and with staves to take me?

I was daily with you in the temple teaching and you took me not but the scriptures must be fulfilled and they all that is the disciples forsook him and fled. There followed him a certain young man having a linen cloth cast about his naked body and the young man laid hold on him and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more before we delve further. Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the opportunity this morning to praise you and to magnify your name.

Jesus Christ, our savior and Lord, who gave himself for us. Lord, we thank you for the suffering that you bore on our behalf on the cross of Calvary and the hours leading up to it. We thank you for our sins that you bore on the cross that we might be saved from wrath to come. By your grace and through faith in your name. Pray Lord if there be one here today that's never received the gift of everlasting life that today might be their day of salvation.

We pray that Jesus Christ would be magnified and we pray Lord that all things would bring glory to your name. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. So, Judas, who the council, the Sanhedrin, the high priest, and such had paid, already paid 30 pieces of silver to to betray Jesus. He shows up with a mob, an armed militia sent from the high priest to arrest Jesus there in the garden.

In response, Peter quickly draws a sword that he had with him and he cuts off the high priest servant's ear. I doubt he was aiming for the ear. He was probably aiming for a larger part of the party maybe his head and, sort of missed and and just got, just got the ear there. To this he earned Christ's rebuke and not praise. This wouldn't be the first time that Peter had done something like that and earned Christ's rebuke and not praise.

On one earlier occasion when Christ was telling his disciples how that he was going to Jerusalem and he was going to die there on the cross and rise again from the dead. Peter pulled him inside and said, oh Lord, no, may it not be and Jesus said to him, get me behind thee, get thee behind me what? Satan. Satan or he wasn't saying the things of the Lord but but of the enemy. He told Peter, put away your sword.

They that take up the sword shall perish or die by the sword. And then, he immediately restored the ear of the servant that had been cut off. And you say, well, I don't see that here in the text. No, but you can read about it in Luke. That's where we read that Jesus restored his ear.

You can read about Jesus saying to Peter, put your sword away from Matthew chapter 26 in Matthew's account there. Despite the fact that these men that had come to arrest him had no justification for their actions. Jesus showed kindness even to the high priest servant who was there to arrest him. Because they had no justification is the reason they didn't come in broad daylight to the Temple Mount. This was the point Christ was making.

When he said, are you come out as against the thief with swords and staves to take me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching and you took me not but the scriptures must be fulfilled. Christ had come to die on the cross and the scriptures must be fulfilled. That was his purpose. Why did they not take him?

In the temple, in broad daylight, what was his point? Was they were in the wrong. They had no justification for their arrest and so they came when? They came at night under the cover of darkness. What does the Bible have to say about that?

John three nineteen, Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Why did they come at night? Because their deeds were what? Were evil and they knew it. There's many today in this world that claim that they are they're fine, that they're doing, doing right, when in their heart, I think they really know they're doing what?

They're doing wrong. They're doing evil. One day, they will give an account to God but it's easier just to ignore him. But one day, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the father. One day, we will not be able to what?

Ignore him. Once Jesus made it clear that he was going to surrender without a fight, what did the disciples do? They fled. They wanted to have no part of that and they left Jesus to face alone what was to come. Including a young man mentioned here.

He's only mentioned in the book of Mark in 5152. He's not named. So we we can't know for sure who this young man was that that fled. But I would suspect as others do that the young man was John Mark. John Mark was the one that God chose to pin these words that we have here this record of Christ's life and death and resurrection in what we call the book of Mark.

I just suspected that the upper room, the home that Christ and his disciples met at that night to celebrate the Passover was the home of John Mark and that he may have followed them out to the Mount Of Olives and that's why he is the only one to mention it here in his gospel. Follow along with me if you would beginning again at verse 53 and they led Jesus away to the high priest and with him were assembled all the chief priest and the elders and the scribes and Peter followed him afar off even into the palace of the high priest and he sat with the servants and warmed himself with the fire and the chief priest and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death and found none. For many bear false witness against him but their witness agreed not together. In other words, they contradicted one another. Verse 57, and there arose certain and bear false witness against him saying, we heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands and within three days, I will build another made without hands.

But neither sold their witness agree together. Well, they were misquoting Christ. He was referring to whom? He was referring to himself and he as the temple that would would be destroyed and then would rise again in three days. The high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus saying, answers thou nothing?

What is, what is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace and answered nothing. Again, the high priest asked him and said unto him, art thou the Christ? The son of the blessed? Jesus said, what?

He said, I am. That's not the first time he had said those words, was it? And recorded, it's recorded in John that he said that he was before Abraham. He said, before Abraham was I what? I am.

He also said, I am the resurrection and the life. He said, I am the door. He said, I am the bread of life. All of those referencing his deity. So, back to verse 62.

Jesus said, I am and you shall see the son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes and say it, what need we if any further witnesses? You have heard the the blasphemy, what think you? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. Some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to buffet him and to say unto him, prophesy and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

As they arrested Jesus in the garden, they whisked him off in the middle of the night to a secret and illegal meeting, trial before what's called the council or the Sanhedrin. This is 70 ruling members of religious orders in Jerusalem and Caiaphas the high priest. False witnesses were brought. They all contradicted one another. Having really quite failed to prove their accusations, Caiaphas finally just looks at Jesus and point blank says to him, are you the Messiah?

That's what the term Christ means. When I was a kid, I thought Jesus was his first name and Christ was his last name but Christ is a title and it means Messiah, the prophesied Messiah of Israel. So, he asked him, are you the Messiah and the son of the blessed? Now, the blessed there is a reference to God. So, he's asking him, are you the Messiah of Israel?

Are you the son of God? Jesus simply responded as we pointed out with I am. Not only an acknowledgement that he was answering the question, the affirmative but I believe an acknowledgement that he is who? He is I am. He is the I am that I am of Exodus three.

He is Jehovah. He is God. Furthermore, to make sure that they understood what he was claiming, he referenced two passages of scripture from the Old Testament concerning the Messiah. One of them was Psalm one ten and verse one. There it says, the Lord said unto my Lord, notice Lord is all capital so there that's Jehovah or Yahweh.

The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Jews rightly understood this to be a messianic prophecy concerning the Lord though they did not recognize Jesus as being the Lord exalted to the right hand of the father. Daniel chapter seven verses thirteen and fourteen, he is offer also referencing. I saw in the night visions and behold one like the son of man came with the what? The clouds of heaven.

And came to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him and there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away in his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. These are all prophecies concerning the Messiah Jesus is saying clearly and unmistakably, I am he. And of course, Caiaphas responded as you would expect one who had in the blindness of his own heart and mind rejected the truth of who Jesus was. Earlier when Jesus says, before Abraham was I am, the Jews that were standing around picked up stones to stone him.

Why? Because having rejected him as the Messiah and the son of God, they were going to execute him for blasphemy and then we see the same response here from Caiaphas and the other elders. Sadly, having hardened their hearts against the Lord. This was their decision. When confronted with the truth of who Jesus Christ is, there are only two decisions one can make.

Either to receive him as Lord or to reject him. Either to receive his gift of everlasting life. Or to reject it. And face the consequences not of the the council's condemnation. But of God's.

We see here the council voted to condemn him. They spat on his face and their culture that was about the worst sign of disrespect. You could show one. Then, they blindfolded him. They hit him in the face.

They mocked him and they requested him to prophesy and reveal who hit him. But this was just the beginning. Seen as they could not execute him themselves, Rome having reserved the right of execution, they prepared him, they prepared to take him to the governor and piloted on. I I guess it was almost, it's been almost ten years ago now. I got, I was able to go on a trip to to Israel and I visited the place that is thought to be the site where this illegal trial took place in the middle of the night with Caiaphas and the council.

I actually was able to stand in an ancient dungeon dungeon that had been dug up and and refurbished That may have been the dungeon where Jesus was bound awaiting his trial before Pilate. In just a few hours. Those places are real. Jesus is real. Yeah.

What he suffered there for you is real. Continuing on in verse 66. As Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids, the high priest, and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him and said, and thou also was with Jesus of Nazareth, but he denied saying, I am not, neither understand I what thou sayest, and he went out into the porch and the cock crew, and a maid saw him again and began to say to them that stood by, this is one of them. He denied it again and a little after they stood by and again to Peter, surely, thou art one of them for thou art a Galilean. Thy speech agree it there too.

But he began to curse and to swear saying, I know not this man of whom you speak. In the second time, the cock crew. Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice or three times and when he thought there on, he wept. While this illegal trial and this beating of Christ was taking place, Peter was hiding amongst the guards and the servants curious as to see what would happen but unwilling to stick his neck out and while he was there, somebody said, hey, wait a second. Weren't you with, weren't you one with him?

And out of fear, and panic. He said, no. Then another one chimed in. No. And then several others said, hey, wait a second.

I think you are. You even sound like one of them. Peter's panic grew in his heart. It overwhelmed him. He cursed and he swore to dissuade them from thinking.

He was one of them and just at that time, the rooster crowed the second time. He heard it and he knew. Why Jesus had foretold, forewarned him of. His overconfidence in the flesh. Had come back to bite him.

He had failed Immediately convicted of his own betrayal, he went into the night weeping and ashamed. Mark chapter 15 verse one. Straightway in the morning, the chief priest held a consultation with the ers and scribes and the whole council and bound Jesus and carried him away and delivered him to Pilate. Pilate asked him, art thou the king of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, thou sayest it.

And the chief priest accused him of many things but he answered nothing. Pilate asked him again saying, answers thou nothing? Behold, how many things they witness against thee? But Jesus yet answered, nothing. So that Pilate marveled.

Now, at that feast, he released unto them one prisoner whomsoever they desired and there was one named Barabbas which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him who had committed murder in the insurrection and the multitude crying aloud began desire him to do as as he had ever done unto them but Pilate answered them saying, will you that I release unto you the king of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priest had delivered him for envy. But the chief priest moved the people that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, what will you then that I should do unto him? Whom you call the king of the Jews?

And they cried out again, crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, why? What evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly. Crucify him.

Crucify him. Pilate said unto them and then and so Pilate willing to content the people, release Barabbas unto them. Deliver Jesus when he had scourged him. To be crucified. As the night fled, the Sanhedrin gathered once again and here we see they brought him before Pilate.

They didn't just accuse him of the things he had said concerning being the Messiah but they accused him of sedition against Rome. Pilate didn't care so much for the religious issues but he was forced to deal with sedition and rebellion against Caesar. And so this was their accusation claiming that Jesus was spreading news that he was the rightful king. Of the Jews. Of course, he was but he wasn't here to lead a rebellion against Caesar, was he?

He was here to win a victory against sin and Satan. Our victory on the cross. It didn't seem that Pilate was buying it but but he didn't know what to do. So, he asked Christ, he said, are you indeed the king of the Jews? And Jesus answered what?

He answered thou thou sayest it. In other words, it's as you what? It's as you say. He confirmed. He confirmed to Pilate the assertion as to who he was.

He wasn't going to lie to save his skin because that was not the reason he was there. However, being at the Jews seemed adamant, Pilate was unwilling to simply acquit him. He offered the crowd an opportunity to release one at the Passover like he always did and they chose Barabbas rather than Jesus having been stirred up by the leadership they cried out crucify him crucify him and Pilate finally begrudgingly and yet cowardly gave in. He had Jesus scourged. Now, that that only takes up a few words here in the text in Mark but what that means is they took a cat of nine tails and they tore the flesh off of his body again and again and again.

To where he was bleeding profusely in an unimaginable pain. And then they turned him over. For crucifixion. Look if you would in verse 16 and the soldiers led him into the hall called the Praetorian and they they called together the whole band and they clothed him with a purple and They clothed him with purple and planted a crown of thorns and put it about his head, began to salute him. Hail, king of the Jews.

They smote him on the head with a reed and did spit on him and bowing their knees worshiped him. Mockingly so. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe from him, put his own clothes on him, and let him out. To crucify him. Before they sent him to death, they weren't done yet.

The soldiers mocked him. They pretended to be bowing down. They put a purple robe signifying royalty upon him and they took a crown of thorns with thorns probably about this long. I brought some of them back from Israel with me. They pushed them down into his skull.

And they mocked him there as the king of the Jews. And Jesus just stood there and what? He just stood there and took it and he kept silent. Isaiah fifty three five through seven, Jesus, God foretold of exactly this scene. It says, but he was wounded for our transgressions, our sins, bruised for our iniquities, our rebellion, The chastisement of our peace was upon him.

With his stripes and they were many were healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity and the sin of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted. Yet, he opened not his mouth.

He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before his shears is dumb. So, we opened not his mouth. As Jesus had told Peter in the garden, he says, thinkest not, thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my father and he shall presently give me more than 12 legions of angels. That's after Peter cut off the high priest's ear. He said, what will you do this sword for?

If I wanted to escape, don't you think that I have 12 legions at my disposal? Put your sword away. Jesus had that same opportunity here but he didn't say a word and he would not but he placed his faith in the hands of the father and submitted what? To whatever form of abuse and mistreatment was heaped upon him and he did it for you. We get so offended and so angry over somebody just calling us a bad name or shutting the door in our face or or just ignoring us.

How weak we are, how strong our savior, To endure what he did. For us. Having read this account many times as we read through it this morning, there was one thing that that kind of stuck out to me amidst all of the the record of what happened to Jesus that day and that is that that Peter's denial of Christ should play such a prominent role. In every one of the gospel accounts. Why why so?

Well, of course, it it does spotlight Christ what? His mercy. For shortly, he would forgive Peter following his resurrection. It gives us hope knowing that if we should fall or fail as Peter did, Christ will not abandon us and there's not only forgiveness but even restoration found upon repentance. Look how God used Peter after Pentecost.

How amazing is the grace of our God toward us? But it also highlights the potential of falling prey to fear and to selfishness when we are not walking in the spirit. If you're with us in Sunday school, that's what we're learning about, walking in the spirit. And this is how I would like to conclude the message this morning. Contrasting the response of Christ to his trial and the response of Peter to Christ's arrest and trial.

I believe that we'll see a difference and the difference we see is one totally submitted to the will of the Father led by the spirit in contrast to one though well intentioned under the influence of the what? Under the influence of the flesh and that is Peter. Make no bones about it. Peter was well intentioned. He meant it when he said, I will not desert you.

He wasn't kidding around. When they came he pulled out his sword. He was willing to fight but he was under the influence of the flesh and it got the better of him as it can also get of us. We see that Peter was bold and overconfident. Refusing to heed Christ's warning.

The spirit is willing but the flesh is what? The flesh is weak. As a result, he was surprised when the time came and totally unprepared for the crisis that he was about to find himself in. Have you ever found yourself there? Unpropelled and unprepared and overwhelmed by crisis?

That you find yourself in. I know I have and I know many of you have. These things can come into our life, these trials, and a moment's notice. We need to be what? We need to be prepared.

Peter was unprepared and we see the result. Peter was brash and violent, reactive and emotional because he wasn't prepared for what was coming, he reacted in emotion and fear rather than with principle and purpose. He reacted how? Pull out his sword. Go at it.

Not the way of who? Not the way of Christ. As a result, he cut off the high priest servants here of violent and fruitless act. What was that going to accomplish? Have you ever done something in anger or fear and reaction and thought later, what was I thinking?

That was going to accomplish. The Bible warns us not to seek vengeance but to leave that to the Lord because it only causes more trouble and regret. We do that when we're living in the flesh and we were letting fear and other things control us rather than Christ. He acted with bewilderment and cowardice. When Christ took away the opportunity to fight, Peter in the heat of the moment thought there were only two choices.

Fight or what? Fight or flee. Fight or flee. When he couldn't fight, what did he do? He fled.

For he only saw two choices. Sometimes we're that way. We only see two choices when we miss the obvious third one. What could Peter have done? Well, he could have stayed by his savior's side.

He could've stuck with Christ no matter what the cost. But while Peter's spirit was willing to die, his flesh was what? His flesh was weak. And he didn't even think about that at the time. He just fled.

What did that lead to? It led to lying and cursing. When he ventured back into the near where Christ was to the campfire and they and they recognized him. He lied and he cursed. Panic gripped him.

And he did not want to be associated with who? He did not want to be associated with Jesus. How sad? Paul says, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believe it to the Jew first and also to the Greek. You say, pastor, how could I ever be ashamed of the gospel?

We shouldn't be, should we? But there are times when we could have said something to a neighbor, to a friend, to a relative, to our server at the restaurant. We could have left the track. We could have let them know we were a Christian. We could've left the testimony but we were why?

What's the fact is we were afraid and we were ashamed. Praise God our savior. Savior is not ashamed of us. The fact is the same with us. If we walk in the spirit, we will not fall prey to the lust and the weakness of the flesh.

If we trust in the Lord and lean not on our own own understanding, God will direct us in the way that is right but if we neglect God's word, our prayer life, or live in the power of our flesh, we will what? We will fail just like who? Just like Peter. Praise the Lord. He is a merciful savior and his mercies are new every morning because I have failed.

And he has forgiven me. He's had to on several occasions. Praise God for his mercy. Look at Christ's response quickly as we close. Christ was prepared and submitted As he reaffirmed his trust in the father and prayed for his help, he received strength and help to face the suffering of the cross that was before him with peace and confidence.

He lived out what he had told Satan earlier when Satan tempted him to turn stone to bread to fill his belly. Christ said, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that preceded out of the mouth of God and that's what Jesus lived on. That's how he lived and that's how he submitted here. It resulted in a response that was peaceful, selfless, and courageous. When the soldiers came, Jesus met them.

He wasn't hiding. Jesus calmly replied to them. He wasn't angry. He went peacefully with them. He even healed the enemy's ears.

That's our savior, isn't it? While we were yet sinners, Christ what? Died. Died for us. And he wants to heal more than your ear.

He has healed my soul. He has given me everlasting life. He died to give you the same. If you will let him. He replied to the false witnesses and accusations hurled at him with meekness and respect.

Can you imagine? As he kept silent, as he responded respectfully, The words that he said in his response was simple. It was straightforward. It was forthright. Matthew five thirty three and thirty four, Jesus said earlier to his disciples, you have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy but I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that despitefully use persecute you.

We see how that's lived out in Jesus's life before his persecutors here. He did not recoil in fear as did Peter. He was honest. He was forthright. That is the way of the spirit and not the way of the flesh.

Christ really did turn the other what? Again and again and again. It was necessary to fulfill the what? The scriptures. It was necessary in obeying the will of the father.

It was necessary to redeem fallen man from sin and an eternity in the lake of fire. What a difference being yielded to the father trusting in his care and walking in his spirit made. No, we are not Jesus but he is our great example and although we battle in the flesh every day, we can have victory every day for his spirit lives where? In us. Know him and have been born again through faith in his name and we can have victory too if we're yielded to our father in heaven.

If we're led by his spirit and learn to rely on his grace. Take a quick look at Peter just a few weeks later. After the day of Pentecost. Unafraid to preach the word of God before thousands who had crucified Jesus just weeks before. And he preached with meekness and boldness.

Unafraid to stand up to the Sanhedrin, they brought him and John, he and John and others before the Sanhedrin on multiple occasions. The same council led by the same high priest. What did Peter say? He said to them whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Jesus said, you decide what you're going to decide but like Joshua in the Old Testament is for me and my house, we will serve who? The Lord. We will serve the Lord. We will obey God rather than men. Willing to follow God's direction and go to the house of a Roman Gentile soldier?

To tell him about Jesus. Willing to stand before the church council in Jerusalem and defend his actions and leading a Gentile to salvation in Christ. Willing eventually to die for his faith, church tradition holds, He was to be crucified and requested to be crucified upside down. For he was not worthy to die in the same manner. As his Lord.

What a different person. He became. Peter didn't get that way overnight. God changed him little by little Peter didn't get there apart from the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit. We see that change begin at the day of Pentecost.

Peter still messed up from time to time as Paul pointed out in Galatians. But Peter learned from his mistakes and the example of his savior by whose grace he became an overcomer. And practice what he preached to the end. And so can you. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a crowd of witnesses.

Let us lay aside every weight in the sin which doth so easily beset us. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of God. He is our example too. He is our savior. He is our Lord.

He is our sacrifice and he is our example. If we will walk in the spirit, if we will stay close to him, if we'll take the time to pray, sometimes when we want to sleep, if we'll see the need to draw near, if we'll put all of our trust in him, we too can become like him in ways that we might not imagine. Will you take up your cross and follow Christ as Peter did? Will you recognize your need to abide in the vine of God's grace, his word, and prayer each day preparing for the day that is to come. Most importantly, have you received by faith the gift that Jesus suffered and died to give you on the cross?

The following day. Do you know you've been born again? Are there doubts? If there are this morning, we're going to sing a hymn of invitation. Would you come?

Look what Jesus did for you. Will you come to him? Just come down the aisle as we begin to sing. If you're here today and you know Christ, maybe there's something else that God's working on your heart. Maybe you can just bow your head and pray.

You don't have to sing. Give God a chance today. Don't let it pass you by. Let's stand and if you would take your hymn books and turn to hymn number three eighty one. Let's pray.

Dear heavenly father, we thank you Lord for your the glorious gift of your son. We thank you Lord for what you did for us on the cross of Calvary. Lord, we pray that you would give us boldness not in the flesh but in Jesus Christ and in the spirit that you have given us that we would go forth from this place unashamed of the gospel and willing to suffer loss if need be for the sake of our savior and Lord we pray if there be one here today that's never put their faith and trust in Jesus we pray they would come as we sing this invitation hymn in Jesus name