(soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) (soft piano music) - Before we get started, 30 seconds.

Let me pray for us. Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for this evening you've given to us. We thank you for these brothers and sisters that we can be able to worship you through music, through the word, through a time of fellowship. I pray that you would keep us sober-minded, that you would remind us of why we're here this week, why we are seeking to dwell upon the suffering that your son went through leading up to the cross, that we understand the depth of this sacrifice for us.

Lord, I pray that we would remember where we came from, the grace that you have shown us, and how you've redeemed these stony hearts into hearts of flesh. Lord, I pray that with this change that we would live faithfully and within line in your commands, and we pray that our praises to you and our worship would be pleasing to you.

We thank you for these things in Jesus' name, amen. Will you all rise for music worship, please? (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) - Be Thou My Vision.

♪ Be Thou my vision ♪ ♪ O Lord of my heart ♪ ♪ Love be all else to me ♪ ♪ See that Thou art ♪ ♪ Thou my best thought ♪ ♪ My day or my night ♪ ♪ Waking or sleeping ♪ ♪ Thy presence my light ♪ (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) ♪ Be Thou ♪ ♪ Be Thou my wisdom ♪ ♪ And Thou my true word ♪ ♪ I ever with Thee ♪ ♪ And Thou with me Lord ♪ ♪ Thou my great Father ♪ ♪ And I Thy true son ♪ ♪ Thou with me dwelling ♪ ♪ And I with Thee one ♪ (soft music) - Riches.

♪ Riches I heed not ♪ ♪ Nor men's empty praise ♪ ♪ Thou mine inheritance ♪ ♪ Now and always ♪ ♪ Thou and the only ♪ ♪ First in my heart ♪ ♪ High King of heaven ♪ ♪ My treasure Thou art ♪ (soft music) - High King.

♪ High King of heaven ♪ ♪ My victory won ♪ ♪ May I reach heaven's ♪ ♪ Joy so bright heaven's sun ♪ ♪ Heart of my own heart ♪ ♪ Whatever befall ♪ ♪ Still be my vision ♪ ♪ O ruler of all ♪ - Heart of my own.

♪ Heart of my own heart ♪ ♪ Whatever befall ♪ ♪ Still be my vision ♪ ♪ O ruler of all ♪ ♪ Still be my vision ♪ ♪ O ruler of all ♪ - You may be seated. - Good evening, everyone. Welcome back to our Passion Week. We are now on our Wednesday, so the third day after Palm Sunday.

And one of the sweetest things that we do on top of just step-by-step walking with our Lord on the way to Good Friday and the subsequent Resurrection Sunday is that we get to listen to some of the testimonies of our very own brothers and sisters in our church. It's so sweet to be able to hear what they're going through, what they're learning.

And so tonight, just like we have the last couple nights, we have the privilege of hearing one of our sisters speak of just what God has been doing in her life, how God saved her, some of the things that the God that she serves has shed light into her.

And we call it a testimony, that it's not just a story about a person, but how Holly is going to be pointing to God. So tonight, as we welcome Holly up, would you give her a big hand? Good evening, church family. My name is Holly Gao, and this is my testimony.

I was born and raised in a non-believing family in Beijing, China. And like many Chinese kids from my generation, I was the only child, and also I didn't have many friends growing up. My parents loved me deeply and were trying to provide the best for me in their ways.

I remember my mom being often busy with work and my dad taking me around to visit different interesting sites, but not communicating with me much with what I was going through. As life went on and different challenges appeared, I struggled with the constant feeling of rejection and exclusion. When some kids bullied me in elementary school, when an in-law called me ugly in multiple occasions, or when my parents started arguing, I didn't know what to do or think, so I clung on to my cute dogs that were always there for me, TV dramas, online relationships, and games, and just moved on with my feelings.

Though doing decent academically, I was already a rebellious, stubborn, hard-outside-but-scared-inside kind of kid. To give you an example, I even ran away from home twice in elementary school. My mom knew it all, though, because I stacked up my backpack with all my money, snacks, and stickers. She knew exactly I would go to a shop in our community, spend all my money, and come back.

So she just watched me. When I graduated middle school, my disobedience leveled up, though. I started taking care of my appearance and tasting the fun of being liked in high school. That desperate need to feel accepted drove me to dating, which was considered early dating and often forbidden by many schools in Beijing, sometimes with the consequence of expulsion.

Of course, I was self-centered and only did what I wanted, what I cared, the care and attention of people. My pride and fulfillment were in the ability to get the guys to like and care for me for my convenience and my comfort without even really caring about them. Some of them I even despised in my heart.

I had no care nor shame for what other students or teachers thought of me, even my parents when they found out about my deviant relationships. I thought I was living my best life, having decent grades, hanging out with my group of friends, preparing for going on a high school exchange to Denmark, discovering dating and different cultures.

It felt like as if nobody was able to constrain me from getting what I wanted. However, none of those good things fulfilled my heart but left me feeling empty and broken inside. God was so good to me that such a rebellious kid like me who could have fallen far, far away met the holy, holy, holy God.

After coming back from Denmark, my best friend invited me out to her home church in 2014. I remember clearly how those kids, similarly in age, had such a genuine care and love for one another that I'd never seen before, not like my high school dramas. That love overwhelmed me, and because it felt like Eden, a hiding place for me, I kept going back, even though I slept through most of the teachings, which had its consequences later on, so don't imitate me.

I didn't doubt the gospel, but I didn't think it was relevant to me either. I met Berean's China mission team through their English camp, and the sisters on the team kept in touch with me. It was until the day of my "sprinkling" baptism that I got saved on Easter Sunday in 2015.

I heard the song that we sing by the end of every Sunday service, "Because He Lives." Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know he holds the future, and life is worth the living just because he lives. As I heard the choir song these lines in Mandarin, my tears just fell out.

I felt for the first time in my life that there was a sense of hope. Wow, there is a meaning and a hope to life. From then on, where I found satisfaction started to change. The girl who could never get up on time for anything, literally, started waking up at 7 a.m.

to take the subway for an hour to go to church. Even when her mom stopped her multiple times because of the waste of time, and even she saw the change. The girl who held on to being loved and taken care of broke up her four-year-long secular relationship because she didn't want to sin anymore and disobey God.

Rather than pleasing men and myself, my heart started going after God's desire. The sins that used to bring me excitement and happiness now sadden me like a dark cloud or a heavy stone over my heart. Though my faith was very small and weak, God gave me the grace to simply follow what I knew of him.

God always has his sovereign perfect timing. My rapid growth happened when I started to understand what a holy God he is and how desperately I and everyone need him as we are all sinners. In fall of 2015, I moved to Sweden for college and started going to a very liberal church that only talked about God's love without talking about his sin-- sorry, without mentioning anything about his holiness and us to be holy.

Two years in, though I was busy with all kinds of religious activities, I felt more distant from knowing who God was. Then I met a sister who came from China and she shared a series on God's holiness from Paul Washer. In Isaiah 6-6, the angels were worshiping the Lord, saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.

The whole earth is full of his glory." It was a picture of how heavenly creatures like angels worship God blow my mind away. And it brought me to a speechless, indeed, moment of awe, bringing me to my knees to worship. God revealed his holiness to me and showed me the depths of my past and current sins of living my life for myself rather than for God.

The two of us sisters started praying and fasting to turn away from our sins and turn to Jesus, reading the Bible, singing praises, and sharing the good news with people. Every day, I look forward to meeting and getting to know my almighty Father and Savior more through looking for more than anything, through reading his words and praying to him.

My heart that always longed for love but yet was never fulfilled through human relationships was now filled with the enjoyment of his infinite love and his grace and mercy over a sinner like me. Romans 5a says, "But God demonstrates "his own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners," in other words, enemies of God, "Christ died for us." That hope that I received earlier on is now made clear to me, an everlasting life living for and through Jesus, who died on the cross and paid for all of my sins.

For the first time in my life, alone time didn't mean loneliness anymore, but consecrated time with God. Now filled with-- not filled with fear and helplessness, but with peace, hope, and joy that never experienced before. Yet, the Christian faith is not a fairy tale with a man-made getting-everything-you-want kind of happy ending.

It's far better than that. In the following year of 2020, my best friend from Sunday school died at the age of 20 suddenly. He was the only child of his family, had just been admitted to Northeastern University, and had a bright future in front of him. Rather than complaining to God about this great loss, knowing his Lordship made me trust his sovereignty and focus on praying for his parents.

Then the news came that his father miraculously came to faith the day he died and even started to encourage and comfort his mom. Together, his parents even wrote on his gravestone, "To be with Christ is far better," from Philippians 1:23. What a joy to witness his amazing grace in salvation.

Out of the urgency after realizing how short our lives could be, I started sharing the gospel with literally everyone I knew and encountered, only to find out that most of my friends in Sweden and Denmark were cultural Christians who had no knowledge of the Bible and thought everyone could just go to heaven.

I had no fear in my heart to share the gospel, but only the fear that they were not saved from the curse of sin, feeling broken over their sins and ignorance of our magnificent God. During my college years in Sweden, Pastor Alex and his family moved to Beijing. They now live in Taiwan.

They moved there for long-term missions, so I also kept visiting Alex's Bible studies every time I went back to visit my parents. After being reviewed to the truth in 2017, I saw how his and Berean's teachings were as clear and bold as the Bible teaches. Therefore, in the two years of hopping around not having a solitary to go to in southern Sweden, God used Berean and Pastor Alex's family to nourish my soul and guide me through thick and thin.

Having a solitary family that worships God in spirit and truth is a huge blessing that not everyone around the world has. Upon meeting Christ, the heart change is always miraculous and often unexplainable, and I'll briefly share two areas where he changed me after college. First, God replaced my entitlement of having whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to seeing my parents sacrifice for me, choosing to love them over my pride, to be quick to seek forgiveness and to forgive because I was forgiven much through Jesus' blood.

I'm very thankful that I now have a much better relationship with my parents, and I've seen even changes from their side, though they still not yet know Christ. Second, in recent years, God taught me to trust that he is indeed sovereign and good. Through different seasons of transitions back and forth between China and Sweden and now a few years in the U.S., I see how he graciously used his words to change my heart.

The more he reviewed his word, which is the way, the truth, and the life, the more it grew me in love and desire to glorify him. In a life, decisions of choosing a career path and where to live, glorifying God was a priority. I was convicted of the possibility of international missions and therefore went into the teaching profession, which I actually disliked growing up, for the flexibility to move.

I also chose to study at USC to come to Berlin, contrasting how I went to Sweden for college to be closer to my then boyfriend and enjoying a life away from my parents. In all these, it was his grace and mercy to show me what's truly the best. And he kept humbling me to let go of my control and know that he is God.

Upon graduating college, I moved to another city in Sweden to attend a more reformed church where I started planning a future with a ministry and a relationship ahead. However, I was too blinded by my desire and my plan to see that our major theological beliefs about Genesis and creation could not be compromised.

I realized very late in the process that it wasn't the right time, the right church, nor the right relationship for me to commit to. In confusion, I questioned God's goodness in providing me two very good pathways but all gone at once. Staying in Sweden where my heart grew for ministry and the soil was being prepared and coming to the U.S.

for Berean and graduate school. In my desperation to seek the next step, Pastor Alex simply said, "Jesus is not the way to answers. "He is the answer." This simple but yet profound truth struck me and brought me to peace to seek him alone and trust God who holds the future.

Looking back, I couldn't be more thankful for his plan that's far beyond my understanding. Exposing and using my weakness to sanctify me and accomplish his plan. After all this, I can confidently pray for him to send me wherever he pleases at his timing. And though challenges will arise, I know that my Redeemer lives and he will sustain me until the last day of my death.

Oh, until my last day on earth. Alas, he also did provide the best path at his timing. I still came here to Berean with my faith tested and strengthened through all the trials. I want to conclude with Matthew 13.45 to encourage you to persevere in pursuing Christ alone. "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant "seeking fine pearls and upon finding "one pearl of great value, "he went and sold all that he had "and bought it." How amazing that we already have Christ and are called heirs of his eternal kingdom.

Thank you. >> All right, well, thank you, Holly, for sharing your testimony. One of the things about Passion Week is it's something that as you continue on as a Christian every year, we kind of come back to this season where we think about the resurrection and we think about the crucifixion.

And here at Berean, if you've been with us for any number of years, year to year we do this, where we walk day by day. And one of the things--one of the reasons why I love these testimonies so much is because you can't help but get this sense of a connection, of something that seems so rehearsed, something that we have heard over and over again, but these things are not separated from the testimonies that we hear, that what Jesus came to do has everything to do with what our brothers and sisters have been sharing over the last few nights.

And that the sentiment of the fact that Jesus came to seek and save the lost, that matters. And so what we're doing in understanding and seeing of our Christ has every effect and every importance to our lives like right now. And so I hope that we continue as we go through Wednesday's happenings to remember that that has that connection to us.

Let me open us up in prayer here. Heavenly Father, we pray, God, that your word, as it describes our Lord's last days before the crucifixion, would strike deep into our hearts, that we would see it so much more than a story that we already understand and know, but, Lord, that it would be fresh, that it would open our eyes again, and that we would marvel, that we would grieve, that we would worship and adore, that Christ would be magnified, and, God, that you would be glorified.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Well, as we've gone through these days, we're going to continue to give a rehashing. On Sunday, on day one, this is something where we would call it Palm Sunday, and Pastor Peter gave a sermon on it this past Sunday, where the people were crying out, "Holy, holy, holy," or, I'm sorry, "Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna," and they were using these big palm branches to worship.

And in the midst of this, this is the first slide here, in the midst of this, we saw that Jesus grieved. And so that was one of those things where when you took some time to step back and look at what happened, it's quite a strange sight that Jesus would be grieving in the midst of all this worshiping that was happening.

And it sets up a theme for the week. Because on the second day, it says that Jesus curses the fig tree. He clears the temple. And in this, again, this is a place of worship. This is a site where people are coming and they're sacrificing to God. And again, Jesus is not acting in the way you would think that he ought to act.

Instead of receiving the worship of the people, he sits there and he begins to preach and to teach, and then he begins to overturn the tables. On the third day, Jesus begins to pronounce the woes on the Jewish leaders. He tells them to be aware of the future and what's to come.

And he's doing all of this aimed at the religious leaders of Israel. These were the teachers. These were the scribes. These were the ones who had devoted themselves to the temple, to the law, to God. And again, Jesus does not act the way we would assume. It's a packed few days from Sunday, when all are praising him, to Monday, when people are shocked as he flips over these tables, and to yesterday, when parable after parable, and he says woe after woe to these Pharisees and scribes that this judgment is coming upon you.

And it doesn't fit. And so if we go to the next slide, here's what we see. That on Sunday, Jesus does not receive the worship of the people. On Monday, he does not receive the temple worship, and on Tuesday, he does not receive the worship the religious leaders have set up in Jerusalem.

This is all with a backdrop, remember, of the Passover. Passover was the single biggest event in Israel. This is the time of the greatest form of worship. This backdrop is so important because this was supposed to be the singular passion of the time, to make it to the Holy Land, wherever you were as a Jew, to come back to this place, that all the remnant will come back together.

They know the prophecies. They recognize the understanding of the remnant being pulled together, that this one, as they're coming back year after year after year, that they were there to worship God, and yet Jesus was showing that this worshiping of him was for nothing. Jesus was not looking at things the way humans looked at things.

He didn't see these attempts of worship as true and spiritual. In fact, Jesus looked at them in the exact opposite way. He wept. He grew angry. He rebuked. This was all upon a religious people who were, in the name of worship of God, doing all of these things. It would have been better for them not to corrupt the Holy City.

It would have been better for these people not to corrupt the Holy Temple. For these people not to set up these laws that they would corrupt in a fake and vain attempt of worship. And this is the exact thing God had been telling them. They were not unaware of this.

In the book of Isaiah, in his prophecy, if you want to see how Jesus felt, if you want to see how Jesus, why it is that Jesus acted in the way he did the last few days, you can look at Isaiah chapter 1, verse 11. I mean, look at this.

Take a deep, long look at this and compare it to what we've been seeing on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Look at the heart of Christ. It says, "What are your "multiplied sacrifices to me?" says the Lord. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams "and the fat of fed cattle, "and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, "or goats.

"When you come to appear before me, "who requires of you "this trampling of my courts? "Bring your worthless offerings no longer. "Incense is an abomination to me. "New moon and Sabbath, "the calling of assemblies. "I cannot endure iniquity "and the solemn assembly. "I hate your new moon festivals "and your appointed feasts.

"They have become a burden to me. "I am weary of bearing them. "So when you spread out "your hands in prayer, "I will hide my eyes from you. "Yes, even though "you multiply prayers, "I will not listen. "Your hands are covered with blood." Now, this next slide is what I want us to kind of concentrate in on here as we look at what happened on this Wednesday.

"How the faithful city "has become a harlot. "She who is full of justice, "righteousness once lodged in her, "but now murderers. "Your silver has become dross. "Your drink diluted with water. "Your rulers are rebels "and companions of thieves. "Everyone loves a bribe "and chases after rewards." And look at this prophecy.

Look at this prophecy before we go into the happenings of this Wednesday. Look at how it is that Jesus was feeling. Why it is that he was angry. Why it is that he wept. Why it was that as people were attempting to worship God and in the name of a worship of God, that Jesus did not try to just rectify or correct them.

That he said, "It would be better "not to have done this." And look at this passage. "The faithful city," he says, "has become a harlot." This is adultery. And he says, "You are murderers." The faithful city is Jerusalem. He says, "Jerusalem, "you have become murderers." You think Jesus does not know what's going to happen as the people are singing "Hosanna, Hosanna." He says, "Their silver meant for worship "is now dross." He says, "Their leaders are rebels "and thieves." Remember when he was overturning the temple.

He says, "You've made this place "into a den of robbers." Take special note of that as we look at today's happening. He says, "Everyone loves a bribe "and chases after reward." Wednesday is also called Silent Wednesday. This is because the Gospels are silent on Jesus' activity during this day.

The Gospels move directly from Tuesday evening into Thursday. But there is movement going on behind the scenes. What we know about Silent Wednesday is that Judas Iscariot is active. He's on the move. He goes to the chief priests and scribes. Essentially, he goes to the leaders of Israel. And if you would turn with me to Luke 22 1-6.

If you don't have your Bibles, you can look up here. But please turn there if you do Luke 22 1-6. With Isaiah fresh in our minds, it says, "Now the feast of unleavened bread "which is called the Passover "was approaching. "The chief priests "and the scribes were seeking "how they might put him to death "for they were afraid "of the people.

"And Satan entered into Judas "who was called Iscariot "belonging to the number "of the twelve. "And he went away "and discussed with the chief priests "and officers "how he might betray him to them. "They were glad "and agreed to give him money. "So he consented "and began seeking "a good opportunity "to betray him "to them apart from the crowd." That's it.

That's what we see in this Wednesday. As you look at Luke chapter 22, take note. Take special note of all the parties that are involved. Start from the top and look. Who's the first? Which is the first party that's brought up here in Luke chapter 22? The chief priests and the scribes, the leaders of Israel.

What's the second party involved here? Satan. Satan enters into Judas and the third party is Judas who's called Iscariot. Now if you look at what each of these parties are doing, the religious leaders were conspiring against Jesus to kill him. Secondly, Satan was moving to kill Jesus and third, perhaps most heartbreaking of all was that Judas was conspiring to have Jesus killed.

Everyone involved in this desire to see Jesus dead. The word we find in this Luke passage is seeking. It's a very active word. This is a word of intention and purpose. This is a word that has to do with someone who's setting their minds on something. In Colossians chapter 3 when it says set your minds on the things above it's the same word.

That we are setting our minds on something means that we would be resolute upon something. That we want to accomplish something. That we are thinking about something. We're scheming and hatching out a plan that we're strategizing to get to the end of this. It's a word of intention and purpose.

Everyone is seeking for Jesus' death. It's the great focus here in this world of sin. With the leaders involved. With Satan involved. With Judas. One of Jesus' closest relationships. The question is what would possess the people to be like this? What would cause people to seek Christ's death? Have you thought about that?

I'm sure you have. What harm has Jesus brought? You can say the blasphemy thing. But hasn't Jesus healed the multitudes? Did he not make the blind see and the lame walk? Didn't he cast out demons who used to froth at the mouth and all of a sudden he heals them where they're sane and able to go back into society?

Wasn't Jesus the one to multiply drink for many? To multiply the bread and fish and fed the thousands? Didn't he heal people from years long bleeding? Didn't he raise someone's beloved daughter from the dead? And the same to someone's brother? Jesus had great teaching. He was an innocent man.

He was a good man. He was the best man. He was awe-inspiring. He was perfect. Say what you will, maybe people can decide not to follow him. People can decide, "I can't follow this kind of teaching." What would drive a people to want him killed? That that would become their seeking.

That that would become their focus. Doesn't this seem terribly imbalanced? And this is so illogical. This makes no sense. Take note of the day. This is the day before the Passover. The day when people would be preparing for the Passover meal. A day when the lamb would be prepared and killed on the eve of the Passover is what it said.

And just as the priests were to be the ones to prepare the sacrifice. What we have in this story in Luke is that Judas, one of Jesus' closest relationships, holds hands with these priests of Israel to prepare the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world to be killed.

Judas goes to these chief priests and officers and discusses how he might betray Christ. In the account of Matthew, if we go to the next slide here, it records Judas' actual words to these leaders. Judas asks, "What are you willing to give me to betray him to you?" And we learn in this account of Matthew that 30 pieces of silver is all it took.

And this is shocking because this was not just a crowd of people that witnessed all the good that Jesus did. This was Judas. Judas did this. Judas was someone so close to Jesus. He walked with Jesus. He didn't see only all the miracles Jesus did. He didn't only see the power of Jesus.

Judas saw Jesus' compassion. Judas saw Jesus' love and his grace and his desire for people to come to know him. He saw how much exertion Jesus put, the sleepless nights so that he would continue around the clock with people, that he cared so deeply for the people and for these disciples, he probably knew how much Jesus loved him.

Satan enters into Judas, yes, but this was still the responsibility and action of this man. Judas doesn't just give into a moment of weakness. He calculates. What would drive a man? What would drive a people? What would drive these leaders? What possible thing has Christ done? After hearing everything it is to enter into the kingdom, after witnessing and seeing the Holy One of God, the very presence of God walking upon the earth, Judas paves the way for sinful humanity to nail Jesus to the cross in crucifixion.

He single-handedly paves this way. Judas heard that all Jesus had to say yesterday as Pastor Mark took us through that. He heard all of it. He heard the woes. He heard the judgment. He heard the rebukes. He heard what's going to happen at the end. He heard about the sun that's going to be darkened, about the judgment that's going to be proclaimed.

He heard everything you and I heard and he doubles down in hardness of heart. The very next day he goes straight to the leaders to have Jesus killed. Why? Because this is what sin looks like. Sin is terribly illogical. Sin is terribly irrational. Sin doesn't make any sense. Sin will see what is good and say, "Let's kill it." See, sin, we like to dress it up as a society.

We call our sins mistakes and flaws and deviances. We say, "How could God be so cruel? How could God be so exacting?" But this right here is sin. This is what sin looks like. This is a picture of sin manifested in a man, in a leadership, in a nation, in a humanity.

Calculating, cold, rebellious, angry, seething. It doesn't simply want nothing to do with Christ. It wants Christ dead. It needs Christ dead. And that's what we're seeing here on this Wednesday. This sin in every fabric of humanity, individual, even to the corporate level. Now think about in all of this.

This is a silent Wednesday, but think of what must have been going through Christ. What must he have been thinking? What goes on in the mind of our God? This is the last week of Jesus' life before death on the cross. These are the last days before Jesus has to face not just something that is torturous physically, but he's looking down the barrel of eternal wrath.

In times of great anxiety for us, think back to a time when you had great anxiety. It's difficult to get past our own immediate view, isn't it? It's difficult to concentrate on others because we are so fixated on ourselves, but not Jesus. And all we can see in Jesus is a love for God, his Father, and a love for people.

What must it have been like for Jesus in these last moments to know that betrayal was to come? And Judas, yes, but from all of sinners, that he was going to take the sin of people who are so hostile. I sometimes wonder what it must have been like for a holy God to walk amongst the vile, amongst the wretched and the depraved.

The very same holy God whose very presence melts and obliterates. A holy God who, just by his very presence, ought to create fear. And in the middle of all this, that everyone around him wants him dead, that's what he's facing on this Wednesday. That's what he's facing on this Passion Week.

For us, if we were able to, in hindsight, if someone were to betray you, and you look back at that, we would almost assuredly protect ourselves. At least we would perhaps do something differently, but with Jesus, what we see is he does nothing differently. He knows exactly what people are thinking.

He knows what is coming to him. He knows what they want. He knows what Judas is going to do. And he does nothing to protect himself. He knew exactly what was going to happen and he did not change his resolve. In fact, the very next day during the Passover meal, Jesus washes Judas' feet.

Nothing changed. In his last days, he had a love for God. He had a love for others. He had his face set towards the cross. And though all of the world wanted him dead, he set his face. Now this account on Wednesday reminds us of two things. First, there's a lot to fear.

There's a lot to fear because we ought to take care of where we stand. The story of Jesus is frightening because nearness to Christ means nothing. Nearness to the things of Christ doesn't guarantee our salvation, let alone our devotion. We have to take stock of our lives and we have to evaluate our hearts and see where there is not only a heart of unbelief but perhaps even a purposeful rebellion, resistance.

And we can dress it up all we want, but sin is hatred of God. We all have a bit of this Judas and some amongst us are straight up Matthew 7, 21 people who will one day come before God and say, "Did we not do all these things in your name?" And Jesus will look at these individuals and say, "I never knew you.

Depart from me." What do you think of Judas before a judging God? What kind of words will come out of Judas's mouth? Do you not think that Judas wouldn't hearken back and say, "Perhaps the works that I at least did, that the devotion that I at least gave, maybe that would be enough.

It would be a ridiculous thing to try to do that." But don't you think he will try to do whatever it is in his power? But in Matthew 7 it says that "I never knew you. Depart from me." And that's it. And so there is great fear in this.

The good news for us tonight is that Judas's time is done, but our time is not. That we still have opportunity to turn and to repent. You don't have to wait until Good Friday. You don't have to wait until Resurrection Sunday. That you can turn and place your faith in Christ.

And he will save you. You can let go and surrender your arms of hostility before God. Of a life that wants to be devoid of his control and to surrender and say, "Tonight salvation can be had." God is calling upon you to turn away from your sin and to turn towards him.

And so secondly there is hope and there is grace and there is love in this story that we read about. We ought to remember how great the love of Christ was in his sacrifice on the cross. No one was with him at the end. The religious leaders were against him.

By the end the people were screaming "Crucify him!" and even desiring Jesus to die over a high-profile murder. His disciples had scattered in fear, deserting him in the name of the Savior's greatest need. And most terrifying of all, the Father himself unleashed all pent-up fury of wrath against his Son.

In thinking of Judas remember that Jesus knowing what Judas would do still chose to wash his feet. At the end there is hope and grace and love because in this story this is the love of the Savior. He didn't die for good people. That's great hope. There is no scrubbing of self that needs to happen before we come to God.

There is only a cry of surrender recognizing our wretched state and that he alone can wash my sins away. That's it. That's all we need. This is a story of great hope because Jesus came to die for wretched sinners. He was surrounded by depravity. He knew exactly what he came for.

He knew exactly what we would do. And he still faced the cross and marched towards it. Why? Because of his love. I want to conclude with John's account of the Judas narrative. John's account of the Judas's narrative is the most beautiful in my opinion. John 13.1 says, "Now before the feast of the Passover Jesus knowing that his hour had come that he would depart out of this world to the Father having loved his own who were in the world he loved them to the end." On silent Wednesday as the entire world was working in conjunction to kill him we see the gospel message at work.

Despite how great sin is how much greater God's love is. That there is no one too far from his grace and his love. There is no one too far to hope tonight in the fact that God can indeed save you for the rest of eternity. Tonight as we look around there is nothing righteous in me there is nothing righteous in us there is nothing good in me in you in this church there is nothing good in our families in our jobs in our nation in our government in this world.

There is only brokenness there is only sin there is only hostility against God down into sin and Jesus marches resolutely intentionally purposefully to the cross to die for our sins even though he knew that we would betray him that we want nothing to do with him that we want him dead and that on Good Friday hopefully as we invite all that we know to come and hear the gospel message that Jesus is so good to us and he cares and God loves us.

Let's take a moment to pray together. Father please help us to see the heart of your son. Please help us to see life through his eyes. God to remember again what Christ did why he came and the fact that he knew. God has all conspired to kill Jesus. Humanity has no power to kill the son of man.

Jesus willingly silently walked to his death. He purposed he intentioned this to fulfill your will because of his love for the world. And so God as we prep our hearts continually would you again open our eyes to marvel and to worship at our Lord at our King that we would grieve again our sin that nailed our savior to the cross.

So thank you so much God for this time of year every year that we can remember again your great grace and your love for us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Let's stand together. What can wash What can wash away my sin Nothing but the blood of Jesus What can make me whole again Nothing but the blood of Jesus For my pardon For my pardon This I seek Nothing but the blood of Jesus For my cleansing This my plea Nothing but the blood of Jesus Oh precious Oh precious is the flow That makes me white as snow No other fount I know Nothing but the blood of Jesus Nothing Nothing can force in a tomb Nothing but the blood of Jesus Not a good that I have done Nothing but the blood of Jesus Oh precious Oh precious is the flow That makes me white as snow No other fount I know Nothing but the blood of Jesus This is all my hope and peace Nothing but the blood of Jesus This is all my righteousness Nothing but the blood of Jesus Oh precious Oh precious is the flow That makes me white as snow No other fount I know Nothing but the blood of Jesus Nothing Nothing but the blood of Jesus Nothing Nothing but the blood of Jesus Father, God, that is what we sing and this is our plea.

Father, there is no other fount I know nothing but the blood of Jesus and pray God that Christ would be that precious, that singular to us so as we look forward now to the Passover meal tomorrow and to Good Friday, to Resurrection Sunday God that our hearts would be filled with worship as we behold and gaze upon your great majesty in Jesus name we pray, Amen.

You may be seated. Just a few quick announcements here. So tomorrow is the Passover meal. The Passover meal is not open to everybody. It's open to anybody who has signed up and so please make sure to come even before 630 if possible for the Passover meal and specifically for the Passover meal following today there is going to be a setup meeting in the cafe after this is over.

So if you signed up to help set up for the Passover meal please don't talk to each other and just go out the doors and walk across the way to the cafe so that you can be given instructions as to how to set up that cafe. Another announcement here is that we still need volunteers for Passion Week specifically for a few things to help serve lunch after second and third service and then after second service to set up tables and chairs in the courtyard and then to help clean up after the lunch is over.

So if you just kind of take a picture of this QR code or scan it those things we still are in need of help. So if you're kind of like do I really want to raise my hand up right now? This is the time to do it. If you have time if you have availability please come and help us with that.

And the last announcement here for Good Friday and for Easter Sunday especially for Good Friday please come in a timely manner on Good Friday if you can come earlier if possible so that we're not all rushing the doors at once and trying to find parking all at once in the dark and all together specifically so that those who are coming to our church as visitors it will be easier for them and that we can receive them too.

And take note of the special parking that's going to be just for Good Friday. Well that's it. We hope to see you if not tomorrow on Good Friday. Good night everyone.