The sermon explores the identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and the significance of His crucifixion. It emphasizes the repeated questioning of Jesus' identity by religious leaders and Roman officials, highlighting Jesus' affirmative response and consequent condemnation. The sermon discusses the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah, particularly focusing on Jesus' crucifixion at Golgotha, the 'place of the skull.' It draws parallels between Jesus and Adam, illustrating Jesus as the second Adam who triumphs over sin and death. The narrative illustrates how Jesus' refusal to drink wine during His crucifixion fulfills His promise to His disciples, and how the mockery and insults He endured from onlookers serve as proof of His true identity as the Christ. The sermon underscores the sovereignty of God in orchestrating these events for the redemption of humanity and calls listeners to acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord, urging them to repent and believe for salvation.

And what has happened so far? Well The Lord Jesus has been brought before the high priest The priest the high priest has asked Jesus a question. You remember the question that the high priest asked Jesus Who are you? Are you the Christ? Are you the Son of God?

And how does Jesus respond? Jesus responded, Yes, I am. And then he is subsequently condemned to death. Jesus was then brought before Pontius Pilate. Pontius Pilate asked Jesus a similar question.

Are you the king of the Jews? Who are you? And once again Jesus says yes I am the king and after a while Jesus is sentenced to death by crucifixion. You see a pattern here. It's the same question that we've been asking since Mark chapter 1 verse 1.

Who is Jesus? Is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God? If he is, that has massive implications for each and every one of you this morning massive If he is this morning and he is Then you should bow the knee of your heart this very day repenting of your sin and trust Him and follow Him as Master, Lord, Savior. It's a really big deal for Jesus to be the Christ of the Son of God. It's a really big deal for Jesus to be the promised Messiah, the promised king who would rescue his people.

Mark keeps bringing it up with the high priest and with Pilate, and he does so again here at the crucifixion. Who is Jesus? The answer to that question is blasted on 10 all over this passage. It should be so clear by the end of this chapter, by the end of the book, that even the pagans are agreeing. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, that Jesus really is who he says he is.

So the question for you this morning and for next Lord's Day is this, who do you say that Jesus is? Children, young people, friends, visitors, who do you say that Jesus is? Let Mark tell you. Let the Scriptures tell you. Let the Roman centurion, who was just mocking moments before, let him tell you and believe what they say the answer that question who is Jesus it's all over this passage It's going to take us two Sundays to fully unpack it.

So let's begin this morning, part one, with identifying prophetic fulfillment here at the crucifixion. The prophecies of the Christ are fulfilled. Again, this passage is blasting who Jesus is. The text tells us that they, that is the Roman soldiers in verse 22, they brought Jesus to the place of Golgotha, which is translated place of the skull, place of a skull. This place has also been translated calvary, but more than likely this hill was called the place of a skull because it resembled a skull.

Golgotha, the place that looked like a skull. I wonder if you've ever considered the significance of Jesus being brought to this place. Have you? Adam, in Genesis chapter 3, what did he do? He fell and he ate from the tree he wasn't supposed to.

And in Adam eating from the tree, we all died under the curse, yes? Generations of skulls lie beneath our feet in tombs as a testimony to the wages of sin, death. But now here in Mark 15, there is a second Adam who is placed upon a tree, who will three days later triumph over the wages of sin, death, as he rises up from the grave. As we come to this passage and we read verse 22, the place of the skull, it should remind you not just of the curse that was resulted in Adam eating from the tree. It should remind you of that.

But it should also remind you of the great promise in the midst of the curse in Genesis chapter 3. What was the great promise from God in the midst of the curse, God had pronounced a curse upon Adam, and indeed all the world, but in the midst of that curse, God promised. When you read verse 22, what are you supposed to think of? You're supposed to think of that promise. Here's the promise.

The Savior would come. A seed from the woman would come. The Christ the promised one would come. What would he do? He would crush the head.

He would crush the skull of the serpent Satan. Where do we find this Jesus, the promised seed, who came to crush Satan's skull? We find in Mark chapter 15 verse 22, we find the promised seed of the woman we find him at the place of the skull so that here at Golgotha he would crush Satan's head by nailing your sin and your condemnation to his cross as he died in your place Christian he did that in triumph At Golgotha, the place of the skull, the promise of Genesis 3, the promise that God made in the midst of the curse, that promise was fulfilled as Jesus the Christ became a curse for you and thereby crushed the head of Satan." On Golgotha, the place of the school. I think that's pretty cool. Golgotha, prophetic fulfillment.

In the garden, a tree, the curse. Now out of the garden comes Jesus on a tree, becoming a curse to fulfill the promise and crush the serpent's head on Golgotha Genesis 3 mark 15 prophecy fulfilled If you want to see that even more plainly go read Colossians 2 14 go read Galatians 315 That's really incredible. I mean when you begin a sermon with that kind of setting You know what that makes you want to do? Keep going! That's what I'm gonna do.

Mark tells us they brought Jesus to Golgotha, prophecy fulfilled. They brought him outside the camp, prophecy fulfilled, and they tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh but Jesus did not take it you see the myrrh would have dulled the senses would have been like some Tylenol and The fact is that it was offered to Jesus probably conveys the pitiful state that Jesus was already in before he was even crucified. Before he was even erected upon the cross, he had been beaten to a pulp. But Jesus refused the myrrh, he refused the Tylenol, He would endure all of the agony to the maximum degree. No sense is doled.

Jesus refuses. For that reason, yes, he will bear all even the physical anguish without any Tylenol. That's one reason he refuses the wine mixed with myrrh, but there is a second reason you know. I think it's important to point out that Jesus refused the wine for another reason. Jesus had promised his disciples that he would not drink wine again until he could drink it new in his kingdom.

And so here again, what do we have? A prophecy fulfilled, a promise that he had made, a promise kept. Jesus would not drink wine until the work was accomplished and his kingdom established. And so refusing the wine, Mark tells us plainly in verse 24, they crucified. They crucified Jesus.

Now there's a lot packed into those words. They crucified Jesus and well what happens? After verse 24 what happens? I'll tell you what happens. Prophecy after prophecy after prophecy gets fulfilled.

Prophetic fulfillment happens. Mark tells us the soldiers divided up his garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. What's that all about? Well, Why include this detail about the Romans divvying up his garments? Well, in part, because it's exactly what Psalm 22 said would happen to the promised Messiah, the Christ.

Psalm 22, verse 16. Let me read it for you. For dogs have surrounded me, a band of evildoers has encompassed me. Fulfilled. Jesus was handed over to the Gentiles prophecy fulfilled.

Psalm 22 verse 17 let me read that for you. They pierced my hands and my feet, I can count all my bones, both of these prophecies fulfilled by the scourgings and crucifixion of Jesus. Psalm 22 verse 18, They look at me, they stare at me, they divide my garments among them, and from my clothing they cast lots. Even these messianic prophecies, down to the casting of lots, little stones probably, It's fulfilled exactly by Jesus. Psalm 22 fulfilled by Jesus.

And I just read verse, after verse, after verse, and what has happened? It's exactly what's happened in Mark's gospel. Who is Jesus? Well, He's fulfilling every single one of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, concerning the King to come. God had said in the Old Testament, here is who I'm sending, here is what the coming King will do, here is what will be done to the coming Christ, prophecy after prophecy.

Here is what He'll do, Here is what will be done to the coming Christ. Prophecy after prophecy. Here is what he'll do. Here's what will be done to him so that he might rescue his people. Now here is Jesus.

Here is someone who is checking all the boxes that God said that Christ should check. By the way, when I say that word Christ, I want to make sure I'm not speaking over anyone's heads. Children, adults, When I say the word Christ, what I mean is the promised one, the anointed one. That's what Christ means, the promised Messiah. The one that God promised all the way back when the first Adam ate from the tree.

God said, I'm going to send someone that's going to undo what the first Adam did. You know, remember Adam when you ate from that tree and now as a result you die and in fact the whole world is plunged into the curse with you. The ground is going to bear thorns. I'm going to send a second Adam that's going to so undo all of that that he's going to go to a tree and wear a crown of thorns. He's going to so undo the curse.

That's what I mean by Christ. The promised one. Here is Jesus checking all of those boxes that the Christ would check. So again, I just want to review real quick, make sure you're with me. God promised a Savior all the way back in Genesis chapter 3.

Golgotha, place of the skull, Genesis chapter 3, one promise to crush the skull of Satan in the midst of the curse. Here is Jesus bruised, just like God said he would be bruised in the garden. He will bruise his heel, he'll crush his head. Here is Jesus bruised and suffering the curse in the place of sinners, prophecy fulfilled. Jesus is handed over to the Gentiles placed outside the camp, Leviticus 16, fulfilled.

Jesus is nailed to a cross. His hands, his feet are pierced, his clothing has been removed. You can now see his bones through the naked and ripped, tattered flesh. Lots are cast for his garments. Psalm 2216, Psalm 2217, Psalm 2218 are all fulfilled.

You with me? Who is Jesus? Jesus is the promised Christ, the Son of God. And yet there's far more. I'm just giving you a few boxes.

Let's look. Skip over verses 25 and 26 for just a moment, we'll come back, probably next week. Look at verse 27. They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right, one on his left. And then in case you haven't been putting the pieces together yet, Mark puts them together for you now at this point.

He says, hey, and that's the fulfillment of scripture. Then thus the scripture was fulfilled which says he was numbered with the transgressors. Which scripture was fulfilled? Well that's Isaiah chapter 53. Isaiah 53 12.

God had said that the Christ would be punished as though he was a common criminal and here is that happening exactly as God said it would. And then in verses 29, look in Mark 50, look at verse 29 through 32, what else do you see there? Let me read it. Those passing by, hurling abuse at him, wagging their heads and saying, Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!

Come down from the cross." In the same way, the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking him among themselves, saying, He saved others! He can't save himself. Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe. Those who were crucified with him were also insulting him. What do you see there?

I know I'm just saying the same thing over and over again, but that's the key to learning, you know. Repetition, repetition, repetition. So what do you see here? Well, Mark's adopting the three keys of learning. He's giving you more prophetic fulfillment.

What do you see there? You see people hurling abuse at Jesus. Where's that from? Where was that promised? Psalm 22 verse 7.

Psalm 22 verse 7 reads that to the Messiah, all who see me sneer at me. They separate with the lip, they wag the head. And literally in Psalm 22 it says wag the head. I mean, that's a funny phrase. That's what it says in Mark.

It's not funny, is it? Because it's true. They wag the head saying commit yourself to the Lord, let the Lord deliver him, let the Lord rescue him because he delights in him. And that verbiage from Psalm 22 that I just read is the exact verbiage that these people are hurling at Jesus. Now I want to point out something.

You know that prophecy that I just quoted, I'm gonna read it again. These people are saying, they're wagging their heads saying to the Messiah, Commit yourself to the Lord. Hey, let the Lord deliver you. The Lord delights in you, so let him rescue you, Mr. Delighted-in-the-Lord Person.

That's the mean, that's the evil that they're spewing towards the Messiah. If the Lord really delighted in you, he'd bring you down from that cross. Do you know that that language is bookended in the book? How did the gospel start? How does Mark start?

Mark begins with the baptism of Jesus And God from heaven saying what? Behold, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Could easily be translated, in whom I delight in. In whom I delight. And now here is the crowd at the end of Mark saying, ha, look at you up there on the cross, the one whom God delights in.

And that was really so, you'd come down from that cross. That's what God said they'd say. That's what God said they'd say when these sinners nailed the Christ to the cross. And hurled abuse at him. That's exactly what God said would happen to the one in whom he was well pleased.

I just need you to see this. These men, these people, these robbers, all of these people hurling abuse at Jesus, what are they unwittingly doing? They are unwittingly making the airtight case that Jesus really is exactly who they are mocking Him to be. What are they calling Jesus? Verse 32.

Let this Christ, let this King of Israel now come down from the cross so that we may see and believe. What are they calling him? They're calling him the Christ. I know mockingly, but they are saying let this Christ, let this King of Israel, let him come down. If you go back up to verse 26, look at verse 26, what does that inscription over Jesus' head read?

Even the inscription, the King of the Jews. King of the Jews, it's all over the place. Who is Jesus? He is the Christ, he is the King of the Jews, he is the King of Israel, and though they are using those titles to mock him, Mark has interspersed their mocking into this passage chocked full of messianic prophecy so that you see, wow, in their mocking they are actually proving that Jesus is who they mocked him to be. This is exactly who the Christ was supposed to be.

This is exactly what the Christ was supposed to go through. But those present, especially the Jews, they don't have eyes to see. They don't see what, you know, see, they don't hear that what they're saying, how they are insulting, is actually proof, proof that Jesus is who they say that He is. Beloved, here's the perfect Savior who fulfills all prophecy. And so when you read those insults like He saved others, but He can't save Himself, You need to realize, of all people, this God man, the stronger man, the strongest man, he could totally save himself.

With a word, with a thought, with less than a snap of a finger it would all be over but in love he didn't in love he didn't save himself so that you could save these people cursing at him. So that he could save people like you and be made a curse in your place. So that in exchange you might have life and have it abundantly. That's really good news. It's amazing news that Jesus didn't save himself but that rather for the joy set before him and for the joy set before you that he endured the cross to save you.

Notice what the religious leaders of Israel say there at the end of verse 32. Notice what they say. What do they say? Well, they say, let this Christ come down on the cross that we may see and believe. They demand to see one last miraculous sign of Jesus, right?

If you come down on the cross, Then we'll believe. They demand to see one last, miraculous sign. But had they not heard of the raising of the dead? Had they not heard of the little girl? Had they not heard of Lazarus?

Had they not heard, and some of them even seen, the legions of demons destroyed and deceased by this Jesus of the Christ? Have they not heard, have they not seen all of those with disease and blindness and paralysis made well? The blind walk, or the blind seed, the lame walk, the dead are raised to life. Isaiah 26, Isaiah 29, Isaiah chapter 35, Isaiah chapter 61, all fulfilled by Jesus. Every sign that God had said to look for when it comes to looking for the Christ, all of those miraculous signs are pointing to Jesus.

But there is no sign that will make these hypocrites see because it is only God Almighty who can give them eyes to see and ears to hear. It is only God Almighty that can make these blind sinners see and these deaf hypocrites hear that this Jesus really is the Christ. You know, friends, it is only God Almighty that can give you eyes to see and ears to hear that this Jesus really is the Christ the Son of God. It is only God Almighty that can give you eyes to see your need for this Savior Jesus who came to take away the sins of the world. Yes even yours.

Do you believe that? Do you believe this is who Jesus is and this is what Jesus has done for you? Do you believe that? Marvel if you do! Marvel if you see it!

Marvel if you can hear it! Marvel if you believe on the name of Jesus for salvation. Marvel! For it is only because of the supernatural work of God that you who were once blind, that you who were once dead in your sin are now alive and believe. You see your need for the Savior, if that's true, that's a miracle.

Because the Bible says prior to conversion you had a spiritually dead and stony heart. You were worse off than Lazarus in the grave. And he was dead. He was sealed in a tomb. You were worse off than that.

Because not only were you spiritually sealed in a tomb, you loved it. But if this day you believe, marvel, marvel at the sovereign grace of God, because he has called you, like he called Lazarus up from the dead Lazarus come forth Grant Brown come forth see my son and believe and you did you did you heard his voice so glorious So irresistible. It changed everything. No longer was sin master over you. Grace was.

Christ is. And you heard his voice and you followed him out of the grave. We just sang it, my chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth and followed thee. Amazing, how can it be? How can, what's the answer to that question?

How can it be? Almighty God's sovereign mercy. So you should marvel at the miracle that God has worked in you Christian. So that when you see and you hear about Jesus in this passage, your heart leaps within you. Marvel at the miracle of the new birth.

You are just a walking miracle in Earl of Iowa right now. Marvel at the miracle of a new heart circumcised by the Spirit, a fulfillment of even the prophecy of Ezekiel chapter 36. Marvel at the sovereign mercy of God. It's a miracle that God has wrought in your life. These mocking crowds, those hurling abuse, such were some of you.

They do not see. At least not yet. At least not yet. And yet, even in their blind mockery, even in the inscription nailed above his head, which by the way according to John's gospel that inscription over Jesus' head was written in three languages so that all could see it. It's just so obvious, right?

Like all, I'm going to get into that more next week, but this is blaring. If you don't read one language, here's another language. If you don't read that one, I'll give you a third. Obvious. Here's who Jesus is.

In the mockery, in the midst of the multilingual inscription nailed above the head of Jesus as he was crucified. All of it. Their insults, the inscription, it actually bears witness to the truth that Jesus is the promised one. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus has fulfilled all messianic prophecy.

They are all in him. Yes and amen. And again, the inscription above his head, it just declares it to the world. So what these scoffers mean for evil, God completely sovereigns for good. For redemption.

Oh, that's some sovereignty right there. It means people are spitting at Jesus according to God's foreknowledge, predetermined plan, declaring. By you spitting, you're declaring that's exactly who Jesus is. I mean, are you understanding what God is saying in this passage? I'm wondering.

I'm trying my best to convey it. If even the insults serve as proof that Jesus is the Christ, then that means God is completely sovereign in all of us. You got that? That means that God has completely planned all of us. That means that God in eternity past, within the Godhead, purposed and covenanted within the Trinity for this to be the way that humanity and all the world would be redeemed.

If Jesus is fulfilling all messianic prophecy in this passage, which he is, that means that all that's happening in this chapter, all the agony, all the abuse, all the insults, are exactly what God purposed so that the Christ would accomplish salvation. None of this surprises God one bit. Not just didn't surprise God, it's been purposed by God. None of this crucifixion, none of the suffering of the God-man, none of it was anything but perfectly ordained and planned by the thrice holy triune God. It was promised by God, none of it caught God by surprise.

This was exactly who and what the Christ was sent to do, to suffer and to die. Acts 2-23. This man, the God-man Jesus, was delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God. Acts 2, 23. Acts 3, 18 and 19.

All of these things that God had announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets that his Christ should suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore, repent. Trust Christ that your sins may be wiped away, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. That's what Peter said in Acts chapter 2 and Acts chapter 3. That all of this was planned and predetermined from God and God kept his promise down to the very last detail.

Even the little detail of lots. You just think about it. Those random...there it is! Multiple times in the gospels. Even the detail about casting lots.

Boom. He's on a hill called the place of the skull. Oh, even Genesis 3. I mean it's all over the place. Every last detail, God has kept His promise.

Which means that there is a promise then for you. Friends, in the same way that God promises, that In the same way that God promised the Christ and that in Christ all of God's promises are yes and amen. The promise that your sins may be wiped away in Acts chapter 3 I just read to you that God predetermined the plan that Christ would suffer. So therefore repent and have your sins wiped away. That promise, that promise to have your sins wiped away is yes and amen too.

If you both repent and believe on the Christ who died to break the power of canceled sin to set prisoners free, that promise is yes and amen for you in Christ Jesus. If you turn, lay down your rebellion and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Almighty God in Jesus Christ kept all of His promises, So do you think he's going to bail on that one? The one he made in Acts chapter 3? The promise to set you free?

It isn't as if it was a step too far for God. The God who turns mockery into airtight proof? Come on. Not in a million years and then some will God break a promise and He holds out a promise for you this morning. The God who keeps His promises, He sent the Christ, will He not then keep His promise to save those who trusted the one whom He sent?

You need to mark Mark's words this morning. His promises are true even for you. Even for you. He loved you. He gave Himself for you.

Even you. So again I ask you, who do you say that Jesus is? Is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God? Is He? If He is, and He is, Then this day is the day of salvation for you.

Turn right now. This day. Turn. Children, turn. This day.

The promise is for you too. Turn this day from your sins, believe upon Him, and be saved. This day there are only two possibilities presented before you. Today you will either leave here hardened in your heart, opposed to the King of Kings and the Lord of Hosts, and be headed to eternal damnation in hell. You will be more hard after this sermon.

That's one possibility. Or you will leave here softened, with hearts born new, no longer an enemy of God but a friend, a child of God. You will either leave here hardened under condemnation, or you will live here eternally softened by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom there is no condemnation. Trust Him. I plead with you.

Trust this Savior who died in your place and bore the wrath that you deserve at the cross. We're going to get into that bore the wrath that you deserve at the cross next Lord's Day. Trust Him. You know, I'm encouraging you, I'm exhorting you, I'm pleading with you to trust Christ. That happened.

That happened to one of the characters in this narrative. Did you know that? It happened to the very one who was hurling abuse at Jesus in verse 32. Look there at the end of verse 32. Who's hurling abuse at Jesus?

Even those who were crucified with him were insulting Jesus. Well, it's not mentioned in Mark's gospel. I think he has a different emphasis. But in Luke's gospel, we're told that even on the cross, the triumph of what Christ was doing was so great that even one of these mockers, even one of these robbers hanging next to him on the cross was given eyes to see that Jesus did not deserve to die, but he sure did. And that robber, that mocker.

I mean just a moment before mocking the son of God, in a moment, he cried out to Jesus for mercy. And what did Jesus do? You remember Luke's gospel? It's Luke chapter 23. Was he turned away?

Did Jesus say something like, you just mocked me You just abused me you're far too gone man There's not a person to work on to say someone like you Is that what Jesus said oh Praise God he didn't In Luke chapter 23 verse 43 Jesus declared that that very day, that very day, they would be together in paradise. That very moment Jesus saved that sinner and that sinner made saying, you know what he stopped doing? Stop mocking. He was a new man and that day went to glory for Jesus. That same invitation, that same hope is for you.

It's even for you, sinner. It is. For you, man or woman who just gave yourself over to sin last night. It's for you. You just returned to the vomit this week, and you're broken over it.

The same hope is for you, sinner, who wonder if the depth of God's mercy can really reach all the way down into the deep trench of iniquity that you've dug over the years over this week. The answer to the question is the hope is the depth of God's mercy. Can it really go that deep? The answer is an almighty all-caste, double-underlined, double-boldened, yes! The arm of God is not short.

The hand of God is not weak. In fact, the grace and mercies of God in Christ Jesus have never lost. Even on the hill, He's redeeming. They have always triumphed. The mercies of God have always triumphed, even here at the cross, even here where abuse is hurled at Jesus, the triumph of Jesus is so great that even the mockery serves the purpose and glory of God.

Even the abuse is proclaiming truth, that mercy will triumph, that God keeps His promises, that sinners will be saved, that You, wonder of wonders, are redeemed forever by the blood of this land, that this Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, if you but trust him and obey. The triumph of Christ is all over this place, even in the midst of abuse and mockery and the inscription. You see in the midst of all of this what appears on the outside to be, Oh, Jesus is losing. Far from that we realize Jesus is plundering Satan's kingdom even here. He's plundering his kingdom even here as he's stepping on his skull.

That's good news. That's good news this morning for everyone young and old. God keeps his promises and his promises are true. And the promise this morning is this, come, come to the one who has crushed Satan's head, all who are weary, all who are heavy laden, and he will give you rest. He will forgive, he will cleanse, He will wipe away your sins, for they have been placed on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

And next week, Lord Willen, we're gonna see that more clearly. We're gonna see the judgment of God upon sin poured out on the Son, as we continue to consider the crucifixion of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. But for now let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this your word. We thank you that in Christ Jesus All of the promises that you have made are true.

And Lord, the truth, the truth, that even in this moment, even in the moment that seems the darkest, and indeed everything becomes dark, even in the darkness, there is Jesus, our Savior, plundering Satan's kingdom. He rescues a man and he's doing that today in our midst. He's rescuing our children. He's rescuing us. Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters here this morning that while wrestling with sin and they're wrestling with condemnation and they want to believe Romans 8.1 that there's no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

Remind them of the triumphs of your grace. Remind them. And in this moment, at Golgotha, Genesis 3 is fulfilled. The one who failed, the true and better Adam has come and he has not failed. He has triumphed where the first Adam failed.

He has won where the first Adam lost. And so as far as the curse is found, even in the lives of my brothers and sisters, even in my life, Christ wins. Christ wins. As far as the curse is found, there is newness and joy and redemption in the Lord Jesus Christ. Remind us all that there is more mercy in Christ, there is more righteousness in our Savior than there is sin in us.

We pray these things in the Savior's Amen. Amen.