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[ Silence ] [ Music ] Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to the King of Kings. Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to the King of Kings.

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You are worthy, worthy to be praised. You are worthy, worthy to be praised. Hosanna, Hosanna! Hosanna to the King of Kings!

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Hosanna, Hosanna! Hosanna to the King of Kings! You are worthy, worthy to be praised! You are worthy, worthy to be praised!

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♪ Life to be in grace ♪ ♪ Cometh in the hand ♪ ♪ Christ is risen ♪ ♪ Who comes in the name of the Lord ♪

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♪ Christ is risen ♪ ♪ Who comes in the hand ♪ ♪ Cometh in the hand ♪ ♪ Christ is risen ♪

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♪ Who comes in the name of the Lord ♪ ♪ Hosanna, Hosanna ♪ ♪ Hosanna to the King of Kings ♪ ♪ Hosanna, Hosanna ♪

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♪ Hosanna to the King of Kings ♪ ♪ You are worthy ♪ ♪ Worthy to be praised ♪ ♪ Hosanna, Hosanna ♪

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♪ Hosanna to the King of Kings ♪ ♪ Hosanna, Hosanna ♪ ♪ Hosanna to the King of kings ♪ ♪ You are worthy ♪

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♪ Worthy to be praised ♪ ♪ You are worthy ♪ ♪ Worthy to be praised ♪ ♪ Every knee shall ♪

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♪ Bow to the Lord God Almighty ♪ ♪ Every tongue shall confess that he is Lord ♪ ♪ Every knee shall bow to the Lord God Almighty ♪ ♪ Every tongue shall confess that he is Lord ♪

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♪ Every knee shall bow to the Lord God Almighty ♪ ♪ Every tongue shall confess that he is God ♪ ♪ Every knee shall bow to the Lord God Almighty ♪ ♪ Every tongue shall confess that he is God ♪

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♪ Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest ♪ ♪ Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna, hosanna ♪ ♪ Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna, hosanna ♪ ♪ Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna, hosanna ♪

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We have been engaged in a Lenten sermon series. We have considered some of the articles involved in the passion of our Lord around the cross. the towel, the nails. Today we come to consider the dice. The gospel according to St. Matthew, the 28th chapter and the 35th

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verse are these words, "After the crucifixion, the soldiers threw dice to divide up his clothes among themselves." When soldiers had crucified Jesus, they put his garments into four piles, one for each one of them. But they said, "Let's not tear

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his robe, for it was seamless. Let's throw dice to see who gets it." This fulfilled the scripture that says, "They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my robe. So that is what they did.

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Around the cross, there were Roman soldiers shooting dice to see who would get Jesus' clothing. The death penalty was carried out by Roman soldiers. Jesus was accused of treason

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and to further profane the scene, soldiers are shooting dice at the foot of the cross to determine who will get the discarded clothing. I'm not very well acquainted with dice, so I had to depend upon one of the dear ladies

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about church to provide me with dice. These small cubes that are made of bone. I think you can see them from where you are. These dice, small cubes made of bone, ivory, wood, are synthetic materials and they're used in playing games of chance. The

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shaken, shaken in something like this. And of course, rolled out. And the outcome determines what one receives or what one I never learned the rules. So I had to read the encyclopedia this week to see what are the rules because I never learned

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the rules. These cubes have little dots on them, the numbering from one to six on various sides. One is opposite six, and two is opposite five, and three is opposite four.

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I see one deacon shaking his head. Oh, miss. So these dice are shaken up many times many times and rolled off on some flat surface.

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And the dice, after having been shaken and rolled out on a flat surface, we can determine what the outcome is. If you're fortunate enough to roll seven, count seven, beginning you have won, I understand. Lucky seven.

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That is what I used to hear the fellas shout. And the most popular form, this is used in other games. We use them in very harmless games. but the most popular form of dice is called craps, shooting craps.

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It's shooting craps around the cross. And if a player throws a sum of 2, 3, or 12, he's out. He's crapped out. And so, particularly if he does this on the first roll, and if he throws a 7 or 11, he has won.

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So if there's any other number thrown after that, if you don't throw a 7 or 11 to begin with him you throw some other number other than 2, 3 or 12, those numbers you lose again and that's the way it goes. It's a game of chance because when you shake this up and roll it out you don't know what

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is going to end up on, game of chance. I never learned the rules because mother said that this was associated with the devil. I think our forefathers expressed this idea in the

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language of one of the spirituals. Dunto you once, dunto you twice, there are sinners in in hell for shooting dice. (audience laughing)

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So she, that was a golf course not too far, maybe four miles from where we lived, and boys, teenage boys, would go and hire themselves out as caddies and make a little extra money.

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Mother would never let me go, even though we were poor and we needed all the money we could get. She said, "No, Marvin, you can't go there." Bad company, you have to watch the company you keep.

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They gamble around when they aren't doing the work they're supposed to be doing or they went to do so you can't go. So I never learned. There were boys around the park who'd gather around and shoot dice, but I was never one

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to stay around. Now sometimes I would get just close enough to pass by and see what was happening, but I did not tarry because sometimes the police would come and pick up everybody who was around the game.

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And I knew that, so I never learned. I never learned. Then I guess again my uncle, my uncle was an alcoholic and he was a good man when he was sober.

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He'd work hard all the week. Then when he got paid, he never quite made it home. He stopped at the gambling place. And when they brought him home, he was both drunk and broke.

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And I made up in my mind, even though we slept together and all of that, that I would never be drunk and I would never be a gambler. So that accounts for my lack of knowledge

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to share with you today regarding the dice. But the thing that attracted my attention and I read and reread and read again over the years, the story of the passion of our Lord,

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that there were soldiers, Roman soldiers at the foot of the cross. gambling, shooting dice. The Bible doesn't use the word dice as we know it.

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They talk about casting lots. That's the Bible way of putting it, but it really means dice, casting lots. They've had, from the earliest times, they had what is called Urim Thummim.

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an ephod in which they put in different colors of rocks. And when they wanted to know the outcome of a decision, they would shake it out. And whatever color fell out represented a certain decision.

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When Jonah was on the ship and the ship was caught in the storm and the crew wanted to know who on here ship is responsible for this storm. And so what did they do? They cast lots and it fell on Jonah and they cast him

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overboard. They cast lots when they were selecting the first king of Israel, Saul. They cast lots. They were shooting dice, shooting dice, so to speak, to determine who had been. And it fell on Saul.

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When they were selecting a person to succeed Judas, when Judas committed suicide, they needed to replace him, and it fell on Matthias. And this has been from the earliest times

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a game of chance. Don't know how it's gonna come out. Chance. We're talking about supporting our school system

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with a game of chance. Having some casinos in Austin. So that, a game of chance. Game of chance.

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I said to a friend of mine who lives in Shreveport, I said, now that you have the casinos, how are things going? And yet, he said, "Well, we had one sister in the church "who lost her house in this game of chance."

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That's one of the dangers. The people who need it most are the people who get rid of it quickest in this game of chance. And yet, so many people are caught up in it.

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One dear sister said, "Oh, I just wish I could get to Las Vegas one more time before I pass on. Well, she passed on and didn't quite make it on that game of chance.

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But the soldiers shooting dice at the foot of the cross, They had to determine how they would dispose of the clothes of Jesus. What would they do?

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Now his garments were a headdress, sandals, outer cloak, and a girdle. These were the garments of Jesus. Let me call the names again. The headdress, the sandals, the outer cloak, and a girdle.

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And they left the tunic, what was called the undergarment, which could not be divided because it was a one piece without seam, woven together from top to bottom. And the soldiers decide not to tear it in four pieces.

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There were four soldiers. They'd all had one garment, and they had one garment left over, and they didn't want to tear that one. And so they were going to gamble to see which one in the four

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would get that particular garment. So they were shooting dice to make that decision. I wonder what the Roman soldiers did with the clothes of our master.

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They put themselves, the scripture here, in four piles at the foot of the cross, but they did not leave them there. Each soldier took his pile

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and I guess some of them, if not all of them, took them home. Did they put them in the clothes closet? Did they wear them?

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They're at the foot of the cross as we see them now, shooting dice for the clothes of Jesus. What did they do with Jesus' clothes? A Jewish person in those days had clothing

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that consisted of those articles that I've named, but what did they do with them? What did they do with the headdress? What about the outer garment?

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What about his shoes? What about his girdle? Jesus does not need them any longer. They're at the cross. We may take them and

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wear them. What about his garments? One suffering Pilgrim had said during his ministry, "If I can just touch the hem of his garment, I shall be made whole." And one preacher interpreted this by saying that there was more medicine

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in the hem of his garment than in all of the drugstores in town. Dice are important. They are used to determine what will happen with the particular decision that we may face. It's a matter of whether or not we are concerned with the fact that we are going to be in the victim of what may be the outcome and whatever decision we may seek. What

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happens is determined by the roll of the dice. But God is not playing a dice game with the world. He's not doing that. We depend upon the roll of the dice as to whether we win or whether we lose in this world, but God is not playing a dice game with the world. We take chances. We often fight wars that we cannot win.

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We get into various activities and say, "Well, we'll consult the dice. Whatever chance that may come my way will be determined by the roll of the dice, but not with God." God is not playing a dice game with the world. Judas thought that he had made the right decision when he took the 30 pieces of silver,

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but he found that he was in more difficulty after having received those pieces of silver than he was before. He had a chance to change his life. He had a chance to repent, to go back, and he did go back to the priests. And they said, "No, we don't want it." He took the wrong course of action,

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but God is not playing a dice game with the world. God has ordained a certain program for his world. He has made us according to a particular design And God has a point that he will achieve

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no matter what happens. He's not playing a dice game with the world. So they gambled and they took his clothes and they are removed from the cross.

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But we have clothes that God has prepared through Jesus Christ for every pilgrim of the upward way. In other words, what did they do with his shoes? Well, we are privileged to wear shoes

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that he has provided for us. Our fathers, our ancestors said, "You got shoes?" They were barefoot, but they had shoes. "You got shoes, I got shoes, all God's children got shoes."

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And when I get to heaven, go put on my shoes and go shout all over God's heaven. Well, what about his robe? Well, he has prepared a royal robe of righteousness

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for every pilgrim of the upward way. You got a robe? I got a robe? All God's children got a robe.

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And when I get to heaven, go put on my robe, go shout all over God's heaven. And we put those on at the cross.

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We put on the shoes, the robe, the headdress, the girdle, the outer garment, all of those are provided for us. We're really dressed up by the Lord God himself

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through Jesus Christ when we come to the cross. So it's at the cross. Don't misunderstand it, it's at the cross. where I crossed the crowded ways of life.

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- At the cross! - At the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight

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and now I'm happy all the day. So take a chance with God. Well, you really don't have to take a chance with God Because with God, there is a guarantee.

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Not a chance, but a guarantee with God. It's not a maybe, it's a let there be with God. As we come now to the hymn of invitation, the old rugged cross, we ask those who would come

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to the cross accepting Jesus as the Lord of your life, uniting with the family of God here at Ebenezer, we ask you to come. By letter, by Christian experience

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on professional faith. The door of the church is open, invite you to come. [ Music ] On a hill far away, stood an old knight in blossom,

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the emblem of suffering and shame. And our love, that old cross, where the dearest and best, for a world of lost sinners was slain. So I'll cherish the old rocket for all day long,

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till my trophy's at last my leg long. I will cling to the old rugged, old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown. ♪ O that old rugged cross ♪

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♪ So despised by the world ♪ ♪ Has a wondrous attraction for me ♪ ♪ For the dear Lamb of God ♪ ♪ Left his glory above ♪

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♪ To marry to dark Calvary ♪ ♪ So I'll cherish thee, O God ♪ ♪ A for all that grows ♪ ♪ Till my trough is at last I lay down ♪

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♪ I will cling to the old rugged ♪ ♪ Old rugged cross ♪ ♪ And exchange it someday for a crown ♪ ♪ Tomorrow bright ♪

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♪ In the old building halls ♪ ♪ Stained with cracks of divine ♪ ♪ A wondrous beauty I see ♪ ♪ For 'twas on that old cross ♪

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♪ Jesus suffered and died ♪ ♪ To pardon and sanctify me ♪ ♪ So I'll cherish the aura ♪ ♪ In old Rock-N-Cross ♪

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♪ Till my trophies at last I lay down ♪ ♪ I will cling to the altar ♪ ♪ In old Rock-N-Cross ♪ ♪ And exchange it someday for a crown ♪

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♪ For the proud ♪ ♪ Of ground ♪ [MUSIC] [BLANK_AUDIO]