The sermon focuses on Mark chapter 14, discussing two significant prophecies made by Jesus: one of the disciples' failure and another of his resurrection triumph. It highlights the disciples' weaknesses and failures in the Garden of Gethsemane, drawing parallels to Adam's failure in the Garden of Eden. The sermon emphasizes the importance of Jesus being truly God and truly man, as he needed to be the new covenant head to reverse the curse of sin brought by the first Adam. Jesus' actions in the garden demonstrate his submission to God's will and his role in fulfilling the prophecies and restoring humankind. The sermon concludes by encouraging believers to turn to Jesus, who offers triumph over sin and death, and to live as a reflection of his sacrificial love.

Mark chapter 14 beginning in verse 27. And I would ask the congregation to stand as we hear now from the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, beginning in verse 27, And Jesus said to them, you will all fall away, because it is written, I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee but Peter said to him even though all may fall away yet I will not and Jesus said to him truly I say to you that this very night before a rooster crows twice you yourself will deny me three times." But Peter kept saying insistently, even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you. And they all were saying the same thing also.

They came to a place named Gethsemane and he said to his disciples, sit here until I have prayed. And he took with him Peter and James and John and began to be very distressed and troubled. And he said to them, my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch." And he went a little beyond them and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass him by. And he was saying, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.

Remove this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will. And he came and found them sleeping and said to Peter, Simon, Are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." Again he went away and prayed saying the same words.

And again he came and found them sleeping for their eyes were very heavy and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough. The hour has come. Behold the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners get up let us be going behold the one who betrays me is at hand immediately while he was still speaking Judas one of the twelve came up accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who were from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

Now he who was betraying him had given them a signal saying, whomever I kiss, he's the one, seize him and lead him away under the guard." After coming, Judas immediately went to him saying, "'Rabbi!' and kissed him. They laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Jesus said to them, have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as you would against a robber? Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me.

But this has taken place to fulfill the scriptures. And they all left him and fled. A young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body. And they seized him. But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.

May God bless the reading of his word. Amen. Amen. He may be seated. Let's pray together.

Our Father in heaven, what we do not know, I pray this morning you would teach us. Lord, what we do not believe, I pray that you would make us to believe. Sins that we must confess, I pray that you would make us to believe. Sins that we must confess, I pray that you would make us confess. And Lord, what we are not yet by your grace, I pray that you would make us.

For Jesus' sake, according to your will, even in this passage. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Our passage this morning comes on the heels of Jesus instituting the Lord's Supper, where Jesus inaugurates the new covenant that will be sealed and ratified by his body and blood. And so it comes as no surprise then that Jesus now sets off to do just that. To offer his body and his blood as the final sacrifice for the sins of the world.

We are told at the end of verse 26 that Jesus and his disciples went out to the Mount of Olives and while there Jesus prophesies. Jesus gives two prophecies. Two prophecies. A prophecy of failure and a prophecy of triumph. The first is a prophecy of failure, a scattering of the disciples.

And this scattering had been foretold long ago. Verse 27. And Jesus said to them, you will all fall away because it is written, I will strike down the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. You will fall away because it is written. That's a quote from Zechariah chapter 13 verse 7.

We are once again shown that Jesus And all that's going on here in our passage is the fulfillment, the direct fulfillment of prophecy. But notice something about that particular prophecy. Notice something very particular about that particular prophecy. Who does the striking? What's the prophecy say in verse 27 of our passage?

I will strike down the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. I will. Who is that? Who is the I? Who's talking there?

Well, if you go to Zechariah chapter 13, verse 7, you should always go to the Old Testament and look at what is being quoted there. You would find that you realize quite plainly the I there is God. God will strike Jesus down. The death of Jesus was purposed and planned and brought about by the sovereign will of God. Zechariah 13 was God saying how God would deal out punishment upon sinners while at the same time saving and refining his people.

In that prophecy, if you go back and look, you have God executing judgment while at the same time promising to save and refine his people. And Jesus in Mark 14 verse 27 is saying, I am the one whom God the Father will strike to atone for sin. I am the one who will also save and restore God's people. That's beautiful. The gospel.

Jesus is saying, I'm the one who fulfills Zechariah chapter 13. I'm the one who will atone for sin and save God's people. I'm the fulfillment of prophecy, and you will all forsake me." That's what Jesus is saying. We see here a prophecy of the disciples' failure. But notice that though verse 27 is a prophecy of the disciples failure scattering, that Jesus doesn't leave his disciples with only the prophecy of failure.

We don't leave you in on the Lord's day service with only your failure and confession of sin. We give you the note of triumph and the assurance of pardon. Look in verse 28. Jesus goes on to prophesy of the coming triumph. In verse 28, but after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." That's a prophecy of triumph.

The resurrection of Christ. In the midst of the disciples' failure, prophesied in verse 27, the Lord Jesus will not fail. In the midst of them falling away, He will raise up and He will restore them to Himself. He will arise and see them again. Restoration.

That's the two prophecies. And I really need you to see this those two verses these two prophecies really sum up the rest of the passage actually these two prophecies really sum up the rest of the passage. Actually, these two prophecies really sum up the rest of Mark. Because these prophecies come true exactly as Jesus foretells in Mark 14, Mark 15, and Mark 16. Number one, the disciples' failure, Peter's denial, the betrayal, the disciples fleeing in the garden, that all comes true.

First prophecy, failure. In the second prophecy, the Savior's triumph comes true as well. He was crucified. He was buried, placed in a tomb. And on the third day, death lost its steam.

On the third day, the tomb lost its power. Forever. When Christ rose up, Christ won. Christ triumphed. And he restored these men unto himself and he's restoring and reconciling sinners to himself still to this very day hallelujah that's triumph you see those two prophecies These two prophecies and the setting of the Passover, that is the grid through which you can understand the rest of this gospel.

And that will be how we structure the rest of this sermon. Failure and triumph. I'll say it again. Failure and triumph. Two prophecies, and the first of the disciples' failure.

And Peter just doesn't have it. At least he's not having it for himself. Notice in verses 28 through 31 Peter says this, Though all may fall away, I will not. Peter has just heard Jesus make a prophecy and so Peter tries his hand at prophecy as well. Right?

Oh, well Jesus, you don't prophesy, I will prophesy a little bit myself. Bad idea. Now you need to remember that the last time Peter took a stand like this against Jesus, he tried to talk Jesus out of suffering and dying, that suffering and dying business, that's not fit for a king, Jesus. And that was in Mark chapter 8 you remember the rebuke that he got he was referred to as one being in the camp of Satan Peter is a smart guy he's a moved on from that tactic and so perhaps with this in mind he chooses a different tactic self-confidence this time I got I got a year full when I rebuked Jesus directly so I'll just tell him how good I am. Self-confidence.

Even though all the other disciples might fall away, I want Jesus. I won't do that. And Jesus says to him, truly I say to you that this very night before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny me three times. And what happens? Well it's not in our passage this morning, but at the end of chapter 14, Peter does exactly that.

Even when he said he wouldn't, he denies Jesus three times. And this was quite the prophecy from Jesus when it comes to predicting Peter's denial. Jesus is telling Peter, just think about this, Peter, In the time it takes for a rooster to crow twice, you will have outdone him in your three-kind betrayal. The rooster will be more faithful than you. That's quite a rebuke for Peter.

But verse 31 tells us Peter doesn't listen to the rebuke. The disciples don't listen to Jesus. They all kept saying, the text tells us, All of them, I will not deny you. Even if I have to die with you, I will not scatter. I will not fail." They were all saying the same thing.

That's the setup. Two prophecies, failure and triumph. And the disciples say, nowhere! Beloved the disciples, they simply do not understand. They simply just do not know, at this juncture, just how weak they are.

They do not know just how deep the corruption and depravity of the first Adam runs within them. Do you? Do you? Do you know just how weak you are? Do you know just how deep the corruption of your sin inherited from that first Adam in Genesis chapters 1 through 3?

Do you know how deep that corruption extends within you? You dealt with that? You thought through that? These disciples are weak, but they are too proud to see it. They are too proud to acknowledge that they are in desperate need.

Instead of crying out to Jesus, who so far every one of his prophecies has come true, instead of crying out to Jesus and saying, Lord, oh let it not be so, Lord please help us, Please tell me more about this restoration that you promised. Please tell me more about the resurrection. No, no, no. We won't fail. Dear ones, I have prayed and I pray still that you would learn from these men and lay down your pride this very day.

That you would recognize, as these disciples should have, that the arm of the flesh will fail you. Self will fail you because the curse runs too deep within you. But you would hear the words that Jesus speaks to these disciples later on in verse 38. As they keep failing, Jesus says to these disciples, the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. You would hear the words that Paul declares in Philippians chapter 3.

Beloved, put no confidence in the flesh. Trust not in yourself, but trust in God. Hope in God. That's my prayer for you. Children, children, young men, young women, I pray that you would recognize, as these disciples will later on, how desperate you need the Savior, who is strong, to take you who were spiritually dead in your sin and make you alive in Himself.

To take you who were hopeless in the grave of your sin and raise you up to newness of life and be the blessed hope when you once had none. Forever. These disciples and you, children, you and adults, you need this Jesus Who is strong to rescue you, who are weak. You need this Jesus to rescue you as a sheep who needs a shepherd. These disciples need the one who wants to be struck down to then rise up and save them and raise them up with Him and hold them in His hand and never let them go.

Because if you let them go, they scatter again. That's what you need. That's what I need. And that's why the second prophecy of triumph that we read in this passage, that's why that second prophecy is so wonderful. Because Jesus prophesied that he will do exactly that And praise the Lord, Jesus did do exactly that.

He did that for these men who failed. He reconciled them to Himself. If you get to the end of the Gospels, he reconciled these failing men to himself. Will he not do far more abundantly for you? If you turn to this Savior who was raised to be saved, he will.

This prophecy says so. Come ye sinner, he's saying, poor and needy, weak and wounded, sick and sore, weak and wounded. Jesus ready stands to save you, full of pity, love, and power. So the scene is set. Two prophecies, the disciples' vain confidence in the flesh.

And now in verse 32, we find that they come to a place named Gethsemane. A place named Gethsemane. And if you were to look in John chapter 18 verse 1, you would find that Gethsemane was a garden. So in Mark's gospel, he doesn't call it a garden, but we know it is the garden of Gethsemane, located somewhere on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. Okay?

So two prophecies, failure and then triumph, set the stage, and now Jesus and his disciples enter into the garden of Gethsemane. Let me say it again. They enter into the garden of Gethsemane. The garden. The garden.

A place where failure has occurred all the way back in Genesis chapter 3. The garden, a place where more failure occurs in this passage. But also the garden, a place where the greatest victory that conquers all those failures occurs. Restoration and reconciliation is triumphantly won. I'm going to unpack that for you, I hope.

Jesus tells the disciples to sit down. They're in the garden. Keep watch until He's done praying. And then taking only Peter, James, and John, Jesus went on further to pray. Now, if you're like me, you pause there and you say, why those three men?

And we can't be entirely sure, but I think we can get pretty close to knowing exactly why Jesus brings these three men. We must remember that it was these same men that Jesus took up into the home of that little girl when she died. Do you remember that in the early chapters of Mark? It was these three men that went up with Jesus to that little girl and it was these three men that saw her raise up that little girl from the grave. It was these three men that went with Jesus in Mark chapter 9, and they witnessed the transfiguration on the top of the mountain.

It was James and John in Mark chapter 10 that told Jesus they wanted to be great in the kingdom. And Jesus asked them, are you able to undergo the baptism that I undergo? Are you able to drink the cup that I'm going to drink? Are you able to endure the sufferings that I'm going to endure? And James and John said, you bet we are.

Oh yeah. They're more than willing to suffer with Jesus, just like Peter, who said in the verse prior, I will not fail. I will not fall away. I will suffer with you too. Put that all together.

These three men have seen the most of Jesus and they have expressed the most to Jesus of their confidence and resolve to stick and stand by him. It's been clear throughout Mark. It's not an accident. And so Jesus takes these three men. If ever there were three disciples who wouldn't fail, If ever there were descendants of the first Adam who would stand firm, it would be these.

They've seen it all. They've witnessed a resurrection. They've witnessed a transfiguration. They have been bold with their mouths. If ever, if ever there were men descended from the first Adam who would stand firm, it would be these two sons of thunder and the rock Peter.

So Jesus takes these three bold men with him. He tells them to keep watch. And in three different instances, what happens? Jesus goes off to pray, distressed and troubled. And when he returns, what do you see in verse 37 and 40 and 41 what do you see in each of those verses three times these men these three times these three men fail one for each man They slept when Jesus said to be alert.

And the text tells us that they did not know what to answer him. What do you see here below? We see, you should see the weakness of these men. The weakness and the failure of men. The weakness of the flesh.

But what of Jesus? What of Jesus? While his disciples failed, what did Jesus do? Jesus went to pray. Our text tells us that he became distressed and grieved.

Verse 34, and he said to them, my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch. And he went a little beyond them and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass him by. And he was saying, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me.

Yet not what I will, but what you will. When you read those verses, I wonder, does that language from Jesus surprise you? Does Jesus, the Son of God, crying out to His Father in heaven, if there's any other way, if there's any way, Father, to win the world, let it be done. If there's any other way to win the world, let it be done that way. But if there's not, then you will be done.

Is that surprising language to any of you in here? I think it should be. I think it's meant to be. Oh, what is this? Jesus asking for the hour to pass him by, fervently crying out to God.

Our text tells us three times Jesus goes and prays this same prayer. Three times in agony and anguish. Another Gospel says that so great was His agony that He was sweating as like drops of blood. Do these verses surprise you the way that they describe Jesus? Brothers and sisters, you just need to know how wonderful the Bible is.

Because chapter after chapter after chapter in Mark's Gospel, we have clearly seen time and time and time again the deity of Christ. We have seen how Jesus is truly God. He's forgiving sin at the beginning of Mark's gospel. He's the Lord of Sabbath in Mark chapter 3. The demons have been testifying of how Jesus is truly divine.

Here is the one who has been transfigured. Here is Jesus who initiates a new covenant with his blood. Only God can do that. Time and time again Mark is showing you Jesus is truly God. But he's also truly man.

And here in this garden, we see the humanity of Jesus on display. Here in the garden, we see Jesus in agony and prayer. We see that He has been tempted as we are and yet is without blemish. Jesus believed that all things are possible for God. Do you know that He said that in Mark chapter 10?

In Mark chapter 10 he says all things are possible for God. And so here he says that again in verse 36. Because all things are possible for the Father, and he asked God the Father if there was a way, if there's a possibility that the hour would pass for him, that the Father would remove the cup from him to drink. What was the cup? Why was Jesus in such agony, thrice-fold agony over a cup?

Friends, the cup here in verse 36 is the same cup that Jesus talked about in Mark chapter 10. The cup of the wrath of God poured out for the sins of the world. Jesus was to drink the judgment that the elect deserved himself. His life was to be a ransom for many. And that ransom of sinners, that redemption of slaves to sin required that the judgment of God upon sin, my sin, your sin, be satisfied.

That's what the ransom required. The satisfaction of God's wrath upon sin. The requirement for the ransom was the propitiation of the sin bearer drinking God's wrath down to the dregs for the elect. The sin bearer must bear the awful and full weight of the sin for the elect who alone would bear the sins of the world. You've got to think about this.

That is a really serious cup. Drinking the sins for the world. Who is the only one who can satisfy the wrath of God and drink the cup of iniquity? Who is the only one that can atone, as 1 John says, for the sins of the world. Who is the only one qualified and able to undo all that the first Adam did in plunging the world into depravity and each of us joining wholeheartedly into that wickedness ourselves?

Who is the only one able to undo what that first Adam did? Only the same one who sought out that first Adam in the garden in Genesis chapter 3. Only God. Only God can satisfy his own wrath. Only God is big enough and mighty enough and good enough to satisfy the demands of His thrice holy judgment by drinking the cup himself.

And that is the cup that Jesus is referring to here. That is the cup that Jesus, who is truly God, was going to drink and endure while he was placed on the cross. At the cross, the cup of God's wrath was to be poured out. And his wrath would be satisfied by that Savior on the cross. To such a degree, the wrath of God was to be so satisfied, fully dealt with it, to such a degree that we who partake in this cup every Lord's Day, we partake now in a cup of blessing in exchange.

What? How can we get the cup of blessing? You know you're a sinner, you know the ways you fail. Here's the answer to why you get the cup of blessing. Because Jesus who is God drank the full cup of God's wrath.

And because he drank God's wrath, because he's satisfied in his body and with his blood on the tree, the punishment that our sins deserve, because he drank every last drop of punishment that is due to my sin and your sin, past, present, and future, Because Jesus drank the cup of curse, we get the cup of blessing. That's an amazing exchange. That's why Jesus had to be God. No mere mortal could satisfy the wrath of Almighty God. Only God could drink such a cup of cursing down to the dregs, so that in Him there would be no more condemnation for all who would believe forever.

That's why Jesus had to be God. But He also had to be a man. Jesus also had to be a man. And that's what Mark is painting for you in this passage. A picture of the humanity of Jesus he wants you to see without a doubt.

This Jesus who He has time and time and time again said He's God, He is also truly man. You see here in the garden, the humanity of Jesus. Why? Why on earth does Mark want you to so clearly see that? Why does he want you to know that Jesus was truly a man?

Why must he be truly a man? You keep saying it, Pastor, but why? And the answer to that question, I hope you see why he must be truly God but the answer to why he must be truly man is the reason I think mark writes this passage that's the question he answers you want to know why Jesus had to be truly man while he was truly God right here So I don't want you to miss this. I'm going to answer the question in the next 20 minutes. You got time?

20 minutes. Why Jesus had to be truly man. Do not miss this. Three times in the garden, the disciples fail. Three times Jesus comes and finds them sleeping.

And finally after the third time, waking these disciples up, Jesus said to them what? Verse 41, it is enough. The hour has come. Behold, the Son of man who is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up.

Let's be going. Behold, the one who betrays me is at hand. What's he saying there? God the Father has answered the Lord Jesus' prayer, hasn't He? It is enough.

The hour has come. I will be betrayed. The cup will be mine. Behold, all that was foretold will now come to pass. The Father has given the Son the answer, and the Son will bear the cup.

The will of the Father is the will of the Son. That's what Jesus is saying. You see right here, God the Son, truly God and truly man, wholly and entirely submitted to the will of the Father. What happens next? Verse 43.

Immediately while he was speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, I mean the words are barely out of Jesus' mouth, Judas comes up, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who were from the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders. Now he who was betraying him had given them a signal, saying, whomever I kiss, he's the one who sees him, and lead him away under guard. Verse 45, after coming, Judas immediately went to him saying, Rabbi, and kissed him. They laid hands on him and seized him. Do you remember Mary anointing Jesus just in the verses prior to this.

Luke chapter 7 verse 45 tells us that Mary washed and kissed Jesus. She washed his head, washed his feet, and she anointed him. She kissed his feet in that. Go to Luke, you don't have to go here now, but Luke chapter seven verse 45 tells you she kissed his feet. What did Jesus do?

As she's kissing his feet, he leaves away in a huff. Go betray Jesus. And now here we have Judas again, and there's a different kind of kiss. We have Judas here, the betrayer, kissing the Jesus, the anointed one, to betray him. Two kisses.

And then verse 47. But one of those who stood by drew his sword He struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear And Jesus said to them have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me you come out as you went against a robber Every day I was with you in the temple teaching and you did not seize me. But this has taken place to fulfill the scriptures. All that was occurring was exactly as the triune God had ordained it to be. It was actually exactly what Jesus had prepped and warned and told his disciples time and time again, what happened?

I'm going to be betrayed. I'm gonna be handed over to the chief priests and to the elders and to the scribes. And you know what's funny, that's the exact language Jesus uses in Mark chapter eight. And what does Mark say? He puts those same three characters in this narrative.

Just so you know, Jesus said exactly this would happen. Chief priests, scribes, elders. Jesus told his disciples that this would be what would happen. This was to fulfill the scriptures. And now here are these same men who earlier in Mark's gospel feared the people time and time again.

Do you remember? They wanted to destroy Jesus, but they feared the people. Here are these same men, the leaders of Israel, representatives of Israel, coming out to get Jesus under the cover of darkness. And one of them gets his ear cut off. And another gospel tells us that Jesus goes to that man with the ear that's been lopped off.

One of the other gospels tells us it was Peter that lopped the ear off. Jesus goes and touches that man's ear and restores it. Now we aren't entirely sure, theologians disagree on this, but I think that's pretty significant, the whole ear lopping off thing. I mean, it's not just there for just, you know, ha! It's kind of funny.

It's not funny. Like, it's significant. I want you to think about this just for a moment. Just for a moment, Israel did not have ears to hear. Sinners do not have ears to hear.

Israel was to be judged. Those who did not repent and believe were to be what? Cut off. Didn't have ears to be here, here to be cut off. But then you have this promise that Jesus would restore them.

Jesus would restore them. The ear is cut off and Jesus restores the ear. I think that's a pretty cool picture. In the midst of all of this, the disciples' failure, Jesus' triumph, the ear is blocked off, Jesus restores it. I don't think that's a mistake.

I don't think that's just there. I think that's an incredible picture of failure and the work of Jesus to restore the promise of God to Israel. And so these men in the fear of the people, they come at Jesus as though he's a robber in the cover of darkness. Ear gets lobbed off, ear gets restored. All of this just like Jesus had foretold his disciples to fulfill the Scriptures.

And how do these disciples, who had heard all of this from Jesus, how do these disciples who had said, who had all said in verse 31, we're not going to deny you, we're not going to fall away, we're not going to scatter, how do these disciples respond? Here's the moment to shine, baby! Verse 50. They all left him and fled they all left him and fled exactly as Jesus had foretold. Exactly as the Scriptures had prophesied.

Beloved, I'm going to say it again. God was moving in total and complete sovereignty here in this garden of Gethsemane. None of this was catching our Almighty God off guard. Exactly as had been foretold, and these disciples flee. Beginning of the passage, you will all scatter.

You will all fall away. You will fail. Here at the end in the garden they do just that, they fail. That's the failure. But I want you to notice in contrast to the disciples, what does Jesus do in this garden?

What does Jesus do in this garden? It's contrasted completely with the disciples. Jesus stands His ground. You see Him that? Jesus does not run away with His disciples.

I want you to think on that. That's really significant. Jesus knows who these men, these chief free scribes and elders, coming with clubs and weapons. He knows who these men are after. Just think about how easy it would be for Jesus to run after his disciples.

How easy it would be for Jesus to flee and hide. But Jesus doesn't flee, and Jesus doesn't hide. No, instead, Jesus says what the first Adam should have said a long time ago. Take me instead. The cup is His to bear.

The will of the Father is the will of the Son and Jesus remains steadfast. That's huge. That's if you understand the narrative of the Bible as a whole, this moment is huge because that's triumph. When before in a garden there had only been failure. Focus in here.

It's funny on a typical Sunday, it's funny how often, and I know we got distractions and everything, but I'm up here, everyone's looking at me, so I get to see what everybody's doing you know some people are you know look up at the sky and you're not even sky some people are you know drooling stop all that because I'm really if you're gonna listen to something this is what you got to do and put the pieces together What have we seen in this passage so far? We've seen the failure of the disciples in the garden. We've seen the failure of men. In fact, we have seen Genesis chapter 3 all over again, haven't we? What's the setting of Genesis 1, 2, and 3?

It's the same setting as these verses in Mark, in a garden. What happened in that first garden? Adam, naked and not ashamed, in perfect harmony, in perfect relationship with Almighty God, and yet in Genesis chapter 3, in the garden, Adam and Eve are tempted. First John chapter 2 verse 16 tells us that they were tempted in how many ways? Three.

The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life. And they sinned, listening to the lies of the serpent, and they ate from the tree they were not to eat of. Adam failed. He was not alert. Adam failed.

He did not stand between his wife and the serpent. Adam failed. He slept on the job, just like these disciples failed. These disciples tempted three times. Peter tempted three times as well.

And in Adam, as descendants of that first Adam, what did they do? They fell. They fled. Just like their father Adam had done. Do you see the connection, beloved church?

That was what the first man did. That was how the first man, Adam, failed in the garden in Genesis chapter 3. And these disciples here in this narrative are there to remind you and to represent. This is what you get with the first apple. You're supposed to see the failure of men, the failure of the flesh in this garden.

And you know what you're supposed to say? Same old, same old. Nothing has changed. All the way since Genesis 3, you'd think if Darwin was right, we'd get somebody back. That's silly.

Same old failure. Same old sinners. Same old sons of Adam. Church, you need to understand that Adam was the federal head for all of humanity. I know that's a really big theological term.

Federal means covenant. He's the covenant head of all of humanity. And this is what I mean by that. In Genesis chapter 1 and 2, you need to understand that in the Garden of Eden, in the Garden of Eden, Adam was the covenant head of humanity, indeed he's the covenant head of the whole world. God had made Adam the federal head, the covenant head, which means that if Adam obeyed all that came after him, all of his offspring, all of the world would inherit what?

Blessing. But if Adam sinned, all who were under him, all of his offspring, all that came after him, would fail and would receive the curse and receive it willingly. You see that? You don't see it? Come talk to me.

You want to unpack that for you more? Adam in Genesis 1 through 3 was our representative head and the direction that Adam would choose, we would willingly choose with him as his descendants. What did Adam choose? Through this one man in the first garden, through Adam, sin entered into the world. And death through sin.

And so death spread to who? All men. And it spread to you and spread to our children And it spreads to our children's children because all have sinned. And death reigned from Adam because in Adam all men are sinners. Because of the first sin in the garden, death was imputed to all who come after Adam, to all who find their lineage from Adam.

That sin of Adam is imputed to your account. All men are sinners, willingly so, in the first Adam, and therefore all men stand condemned. Genesis chapter 3, if you haven't read it for a while, you read that, and you should just weep at the destruction that occurred there. But now here in Mark 14, in another garden, with another man. But this man is different.

This man is not just truly man. He is also truly God. This man in the garden is the second Adam. This man is the final Adam. He begins his ministry with three temptations from Satan.

Just like Adam was tempted with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. But unlike the first Adam, what does the second Adam do? He triumphs over the evil one. Jesus succeeds where the first Adam failed. In a garden, the disciples sleep three times.

Later Peter denies Jesus three times, just as their federal head had failed. They failed. But Jesus, the second Adam, triumphs three times. Jesus, three times, remains alert, Praying to God the Father three times while His disciples do not. Are you seeing the failure of the first Adam represented by these disciples contrasted with the triumph of the second Adam, Jesus the Christ in the garden?

In a garden, get this, this is the best, in a garden, Adam did what after he sinned? He fled. He fled from the presence of God. In a garden, the disciples, in this garden, the disciples followed the first Adam's lead and they flee the presence of Jesus. And yet in that garden, there is a man who remains.

There is the second Adam who does not flee. His will and the Father's will are one. Jesus does what the first Adam should have done. Jesus stands firm and says, don't go after them, take me instead. And here is perhaps the most wonderful thought of all, I think.

I think. What did the first Adam do after he failed and fled? What did the one who represented all of humanity, who plunged us all beneath the curse. What did he do in his failure and his fleeing? You remember in Genesis 3?

He flees, he makes a covering. He makes a covering to do what? To cover his shame, to cover his guilt. The first Adam made a covering out of plants to cover his sin. That's what happened in the first garden, the covering.

Now notice what happens in this garden. Look at verse 51. Look at verse 51. A young man was following him. Might have been Mark.

He was wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body. And they seized him, but he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked. Do you have eyes to see that? A covering removed. Verse 51 is not written there just to make you laugh, even though it makes me laugh almost every time.

It is funny. But God has an absolute reason why it's there. I've talked to so many of you, you all agree with me. There isn't just like junk verses. Like, well, this is unimportant.

No. God has a reason why it's there, and here's the reason. In the garden is a man wearing a linen covering. A covering made from plants. That's what Adam was wearing after the fall.

And yet here we see Jesus doing everything that the first Adam did not do. We see the second Adam triumphing in the garden where the first Adam and these disciples have failed in the garden and this man has his plant covering removed and he runs away naked. That is incredible if you're tracking with me. The fact that the first Adam and these disciples in a garden failure, flee, The first Adam covers up the nakedness. He covers his nakedness because of his guilt in the garden.

But now in this garden, with the second Adam, the covering is removed and the man goes away naked. What you have in this passage is the first Adam's failure represented by the disciples, sin and death reigning over all the earth is a result of the first Adam's failure and yet now the second Adam in the garden has triumphed in every way the first Adam didn't, and he's so triumphed that he's visibly removing the curse. The covering that the man placed on himself in his fleeing away from God is now completely reversed, the covering is removed, and now you see a man naked. Now don't over press it. Don't over press that, but that's symbolic.

That's amazing. I hope you see now why Jesus was truly man, why he had to be truly man. You see it yet? Do you know now why Mark writes in such a way so that you see the humanity clearly of Jesus on display? Here's the reason, if you haven't gotten it yet.

The reason Jesus must be truly man is because you, you, and I, and this world need a new covenant head. We need a new man. A new man who would come like Adam and yet triumph where the first man failed. A man who would come and reverse the curse that we in the first Adam had received. We need a new man, a new Adam to undo what the first man had done in subjecting us to the curse in the garden.

We need a new Adam to come and restore us, to reconcile us back to God, where the first Adam had brought only endentity. And here in Jesus, we have that man. We have that man. Here is Jesus truly God, truly man, conquering and triumphing in every way that our first covenant had failed. Here he is reversing the curse to such a degree that even the covering of this young man has been removed and you see a man now walking and running away naked.

That's a symbol of the guilt from the first garden being taken away and dealt with. And do you know the only other place in Mark's Gospel where a linen sheet is mentioned? It happens to be mentioned in the tomb where Jesus was no longer in. That's triumph. That's dealing with your guilt and your shame.

He is your covering. He is your righteousness. He is your hope. He is your triumph. Brothers and sisters, this is exactly what Romans chapter 5 teaches.

I basically have outlined my sermon the way Romans 5 reads. For by the transgression of the first Adam, the first covenant head, if by his sin the many died, how much more will life and righteousness abound to the many who forsake the covenant they had with the first Adam and enter into covenant with the second and final Adam, Jesus the Christ. And I'm not making this up. In case you think, well, you're just kind of throwing Adam and Eve into this, you know, talking about Adam being the covenant head and that Jesus is the new covenant head. I'm not making it up.

It's not like I just came to this passage and said, you know what, I think putting Adam in here would be a really good idea. Jesus, it's his idea. Who's the one that introduced covenant language in the verse right prior to this passage? Jesus did. What did Jesus say?

I got a new covenant. And I'm the covenant head, because it's ratified by my body and my blood. Let's just put little antennas up. Oh, well the new covenant means a new covenant head. And I know about the old covenant head.

He's a, that's a bad deal. I failed him. I got sinned. I'm a sinner because of that. I need a new covenant head.

And then here, here he is. Here he is. That's why Jesus was truly man, while also being truly God. So that all who are in covenant with Him, for all who have Him, the second Adam, as their federal head by faith, no longer is the curse of the first Adam, no longer is the condemnation that that first Adam earned for you, no longer does it have to be true. Through repentance and faith in the second covenant head, Jesus the Christ, you inherit blessing.

You inherit forgiveness. You inherit life eternal. You inherit triumph. This passage began with two prophecies. We're coming to the end now, don't worry.

Number one, failure would come, but number two, restoration would be right on its heels. That though verse 27 would sadly happen, that verse 28 would ring true. That Jesus would rise up and that all who had fallen away would be restored and reconciled. And one chapter later, after these prophecies are made, and we're going to get to this in the weeks to come, almost in years. Ha.

One chapter later, this Jesus in his humanity dies. He's placed in a tomb. He was struck down, just like he said. But in that tomb, according to John chapter 19 and chapter 20, that tomb was in a what? You just can't make this stuff up.

Where was that tomb located? In a garden. The tomb was in a garden. I think that's amazing. Three failures of the disciples, three denials from Peter, and three days later, in that garden, Jesus was raised up out of the grave and in that resurrection what did he do he reconciled all things to himself what a fulfillment of prophecy In the garden where the first Adam failed, and all who come from him, all who are born in the first Adam, they perish.

The promise to you in the new covenant is all who believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, the new covenant head, will not perish, but have everlasting life. Death reigned from Adam, but that death reigns no longer. For the second Adam in the garden on the third day rose up, and he in his life, he reigns in death's place. One day, death will be no more. That is a triumph.

Well, that is a salvation that you and I, we should just go home and just shake our heads in amazement And then, when we're done being amazed for a moment, offer up our lives as living sacrifices to the one who came to make his blessings flow as far as the curse is found. That is reason to sing, isn't it? It's reason to move and to proclaim in song the wonders of our Savior. And so I think we should do that. So Aaron, if you'd come now, Sandra, if you'd come, let's sing together as we consider what we've just heard in God's Word.