The Lord had just, in these passages
that we're talking about in Matthew, Matthew 25, Matthew 26, he'd
been talking about his second coming. And what a great thought
that is. He talked about the end of the
world. He talked about the day of judgment, that last parable
where he separates the sheep from the goats. And we know who
his sheep are. That's the elect of God given
to him before the foundation of the world, chosen by God and
given to Christ. All our sins imputed to him as
our surety. And his sheep are known by the
fact that he sends the spirit to bring us under the gospel
message. And we'll talk about that a little
bit in the next message at 11 o'clock hour. But he sends the
Spirit to find his sheep lost in our sins, fallen in Adam,
in a natural state of depravity and death and unbelief, darkness,
and he finds us. We don't find him until he finds
us. And he brings us under the communication
of the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation, and brings
us out of the world, that is, that relationship with the world
naturally, and brings us into the fold, the sheepfold, the
family of God. And what a day that is. We don't
necessarily have to know the exact day or month or anything
like that, but we know it's happened to us because we, like the Apostle
Paul, have come to see that All those things that we used to
think recommended us unto God are nothing but dead works. Dung, even, Paul said, that we
might win Christ. And He is our whole life. Christ
had talked about the eternal states of the righteous and the
wicked. Our state before God, our standing
before God, which has never changed because we're washed in His blood
and clothed in His righteousness, it cannot change. And then our
state in this world, which has changed from death to life, from
darkness to light, from unbelief to faith, from stubbornness and
rebellion to repentance. And that's the work of God. And we understand that. But now
what he's going back to now in the first verses of chapter 26,
after having talked about the second coming, he goes back to
the fact that he had to obey unto death, even the death of
the cross. So he goes back to talking about
his crucifixion and he reminds him that before he reigns as
king, He's got to die as a surety and a substitute and a redeemer
for his sheep. Now, one thing, you know, over
in the book of Acts, when Peter was talking about, when he was
preaching at Pentecost, one of the things, and this is not really
that much of an issue, but some people have gone awry on it and
some people argue and divide over it. But one thing we need
to remember is that the position that Christ has presently seated
at the right hand of the Father on high, ever living to make
intercession for us, is a position that He earned. And the reason
I say that, you know, somebody says, well, you know, He was
made Lord. Well, He's always been Lord.
Well, in his deity he's always been sovereign, equal with the
Father and the Spirit in every attribute of deity. But this
is talking about, Peter said this, he says in verse 36 of
Acts chapter 2, he says, therefore let all the house of Israel know
assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, that one who
died on the cross, who was buried and arose again the third day,
God hath made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both
Lord and Christ." So what he's talking about is that position
that he earned as our mediator, as God-man. And so back here
in our text, what we're seeing is before, I've gotten your lesson,
before Christ takes the crown of universal rule, He has to
endure and satisfy the wrath of God as our sin offering, our
sin bearer, for our sins imputed to him. He had to do that work
to earn the position that he got. Some people say that's blasphemy.
It's not. That's why he ascended on high
and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. And he said
over in John chapter 17, he spoke the same kind of language there
in his high priestly prayer. Listen to this in John 17. can get to it. It says verse
one, these words spoke Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven
and said, father the hour has come glorify thy son that thy
son also may glorify thee as thou has given him power over
all flesh. Remember he said when he the
great commission all power has been given to me well as God
he already had all power but as God man See, who did the work? All power was given to him that
he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
And then he's talked about, this is life eternal, that they might
know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou sent.
And here's the basis of it, verse four of John 17. I have glorified
thee on earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me
to do. So his lordship, as the mediator
between God and his people is based upon the work that he completed
and the victory that he won in defeating Satan and sin and the
grave, doing all of that, establishing righteousness, the very righteousness
of God. He had to establish that in time
by his obedience unto death on the cross. And as a result, He
earned his position to sit down on the right hand of the majesty
on high because he put away the sins of his people by the sacrifice
of himself. He established righteousness
and enabled God to be both a just God and a savior, justifier of
the ungodly. And I put in here, the focal
point of the whole Bible is the glorious person and finished
work of Jesus Christ. To do what? To make us savable? No. To give us a chance if we
would cooperate? Oh no, that's a false Christ,
that's a false gospel. But his complete work to secure
the complete salvation of all whom the father had given him,
all for whom he lived and died and was buried and arose again,
and all for whom he now is in heaven as our advocate, our mediator,
our intercessor. And they shall be saved. That's
what the gospel is all about. It's the security of salvation
based upon the glorious person and the finished work of Christ.
And that's, you can read about all, I try to put down reference,
scriptural reference, that kind of summarize that. And one passage
that I quote often is in John 6, verses 37 through 45, where
he says, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, him
that cometh to me, I will no wise cast out. This is the will
of him that sent me, that of all whom he hath given me, I
should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day.
That's the gospel, see. There's no gospel in the work
of Christ just simply making us savable. And the reason is,
is because if that's the case, none of us would be saved. Because
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.
You realize that if you're a believer today, that didn't come out of
you. That didn't come from you. That
wasn't any spark of goodness. or idea of cooperation in you,
that's something God gave you. And that's an amazing thing.
All the blessings of salvation are gifts from God. Now, what
we're gonna see here though, again, is not only did God determine
the salvation of his people based upon the blood and righteousness
of Christ, as I put it here, he sovereignly designed all the
events in Providence And you know what providence is, that's
God's governance of this world. Everything that Christ went through
in his ministry here on earth, God designed all those events
to bring about the salvation of his people through the blood
and righteousness of Christ. And the way he would do this,
one of the ways, one of the necessary ways that God would do this was
by Christ being betrayed by a man named Judas Iscariot. So let's
look at verses one and two here. He says, and it came to pass
when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
you know that after two days in the feast of the Passover
and the son of man is betrayed to be crucified. He's telling
them, yeah, I'm gonna be betrayed. And you know, when, when they came together, you
know, they were all wondering, who is this that's gonna betray?
Up to a point, they had no inkling of an idea that it was gonna
be Judas. And that's a really serious thing to think about.
You know, you'd say, you know, you'd think some, you know, as
they were going along in their ministry for three and a half
years there, that from his baptism to the cross, you'd think somebody'd
say, you know, that Judas, I'm kind of suspicious of him. What's
wrong with that guy, you know? They didn't do that. In fact,
Judas was the treasurer. They trusted him. And he'd been
raised up from the beginning to do this. Now, that's what
the Bible teaches. You say, well, that's mean and
cruel. No, it's not. It's God working his sovereign
will and his ways and his will is high above us now. I mean,
don't get into a debate with God, because you're going to
lose every time. Who art thou? that replies against
God. It's what we were talking about,
Leon, Nebuchadnezzar and how he said, who can stay your hand
or even say unto you, what doest thou? That's kind of like, you
catch your kids maybe, or your grandkids doing something they
shouldn't be doing, and you come up to them and you say, what
do you think you're doing? Well, you can't do that with God. He's
all knowing, all wisdom. all righteous and all mercy. So understand that. So the way
that God would bring about this point of Christ going to the
cross, suffering and dying as our surety, our substitute, our
sin bearer, all of that was other things too. But by Judas Iscariot,
though he claimed to be a disciple of Christ, he was a betrayer
of Jesus. And I want you to turn over to
John chapter six. And it wasn't because Judas was
necessarily a worse person naturally than, you know, Peter denied
him. Peter actually betrayed him.
Remember the rooster would crow three times. And you know, when
Christ brought that out to Peter, he said, He told him, he said,
but listen, when you turn, when you are turned by God, that's
what that means, he says, then you comfort the brethren. You're
going through this and you're gonna feel terrible. Oh, Peter
did, didn't he? He said, but I prayed for you,
Peter. You know, what does that mean? You know, when he says
I prayed for you, that's just as much as saying I died, I'm
dying for you. I was buried for you. I'm risen
for you. I'm gonna mediate for you, all
of that. So Peter did the same thing,
you know, when he cursed God and denied Christ three times. He heard that cock crow thrice,
and you remember how he just melted. But he says, now you've
experienced in reality what you are and what you need. And you gotta think about this
for us, you know. We got, as I told Leon, I said
an old preacher years ago said, we gotta make our headquarters
in the dust. because we're totally dependent
upon the grace and the power and the goodness of God. But
when Judas was exposed, what did Christ tell him? He said,
go and do what you gotta do quickly. That's what he said. But look
at John chapter six, look at verse 64. Here he's talking about,
well, look at verse 63, he says, It is the spirit that quickeneth,
the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit, they are life, but there are some of you that
believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning
who they were that believe not and who should betray him. And
then look down at verse seven. He said, Jesus answered them.
And he said, have I not chosen you 12? And one of you is a devil. And he spoke of Judas Iscariot,
the son of Simon, for he it was that should betray him, being
one of the 12. And of course, we're told in the Bible that
Judas was marked out for this very purpose. This is one of
God's ways of bringing his son to suffer unto death for the
sins of his people. So what a prime example of Romans
8.28, all things work together for good. to them that love God
who are the called according to his purpose. All right, go
back to our text, look at verse three. Now, after he reminded
them again, that I'm gonna be betrayed to be crucified, verse
three, then it goes to the chief priest and the scribes and the
elders. Now, this is the religious leadership,
the religious majority. It says in verse three, then
assembled together the chief priest, and the scribes and the
elders of the people under the palace of the high priest who
was called Caiaphas. You remember Caiaphas? And it
says, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety
and kill him. You know what that's called,
don't you? Premeditated murder. And in their eyes, that's what
it was. They wanted to kill him. Now we know As Peter said over
in Acts chapter two, and this is amazing to me, and I'll never
forget when I was first confronted with these issues of God's sovereignty
and man's responsibility, you know how people go on and on
about that. But it says in verse 23 of Acts
chapter two, Peter said, him being delivered by the determinant
counsel and foreknowledge of God. Well, now wait a minute. Now, wasn't he delivered by the
chief priest and the scribes and the elders who plotted? That's
what they're doing here. They're consulting. They're sitting
down and talking about how we're gonna subtly, that is in an inclandestine
way, kill Jesus of Nazareth. And Peter said, him being delivered
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have
taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. whom God
hath raised up having loosed the pains of death because it
was not possible that he should be holding of it. He didn't stay
in the grave. So you think about, now, you
know, that issue is really settled back in the Old Testament, Genesis
chapter 50, Joseph, you remember the story of Joseph, how his
brothers wickedly wanted to kill him and they sold him into slavery
and Joseph, by the revelation of God to him and all that he
went through and his suffering, being in prison, all of that,
being separated from his father and his brothers, what did he
say? He says, you meant it for evil,
God meant it for good. And where do we see that in prime
technicolor? Right here, in the death of Christ. Here they are, taking their counsel
Just subtly. But look at verse five. But now
they were religious now. Look at it. But they were religious
and political. Excuse me. But they said, not
on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
So they knew that if they did it on the feast day, that the
people would turn against them. So here they are, and I wanna
emphasize, who's doing this now? The religious leaders who should
have been leading them to believe in Jesus of Nazareth, pointing
out from the scripture that he is the Messiah. He is the only
way of salvation. But instead of that, they turned
against him, they believe not. Now understand, understand they're
doing what all of us by nature would do. So we don't have any
right to look at those guys and say, oh boy, I'm glad I'm not
a part of that bunch as far as me being better. Just like that
old idiot preacher from Toledo who said, if I'd have been there,
I'd have stopped it. Left to ourselves, we'd be right
with them. And somebody says, well, I can't
experience the hatred. Well, think about it. What was
that quote you read to me this morning said if everybody in
the world's headed toward the cliff and You're running the
opposite way. They think you're crazy and that's
what this gospel is about everybody by nature is headed toward a
cliff and If God doesn't intervene and calls us to run the other
way the way of his grace the way of his righteousness What
we'd be running off the cliff with them I mean, we would merrily
go to hell until we find out it was hell we're going to. And
that's why people hate the gospel and they hate, they literally
hate Christ, the true Christ, who stands and says, I'm separating
the sheep from the goats. So none of us would receive and
believe in Christ if left to our own ways and wills. We'd
be right here with the chief priest and the scribes and the
elders. And so being full and you know,
it's like Peter said, all this is accomplishing the providential
will of God, the eternal sovereign will of God. But you know, nobody,
you can't say, well, you know, I'm going to go rob that bank
because God willed me to do it. You know, you mean it for evil,
but God, whatever happens, it's going to be for the good of his
glory and the good of his people. So being full of self-righteousness
but religious, they realize that if they did this on the Passover,
it would cause rebellion. And so even their stopping to
do it and waiting was selfishness. All right, look at verse six.
He says, now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon
the leper, and this is probably one that he healed from leprosy,
but that's the way he was known. You get a nickname, it's hard
to get rid of it. But he healed this man. So here
he is in Bethany, the house of Simon the leper. There came unto
him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment,
expensive ointment. Some people say it was spikenard,
I don't know. You know me, I don't get involved
in arguments over stuff like that. I know it was precious
ointment. It was an ointment that they
used for healing, for soothing, for cleansing. And she poured
it on his head. As he said at meat, at a meal,
he said in there, and this woman, now who was this woman? I don't
know, some people say it was Mary, some people, I don't know.
Don't get bogged down in it, it was a woman. And that's all
it says here. Now you might, some of the other
gospels may give you more light on that, but I looked at them,
but it doesn't matter. Verse eight, it says, but when
his disciples saw it, they had indignation. They were angry. Who does this woman think she
is, coming in here and pouring that ointment on her hand? And
then here's what they said, to what purpose is this waste? That's an expensive ointment
in an alabaster box, you see? So here they are showing their indignation. But one of the things I put in
your lesson the significance of this event was this shows
a great contrast between the chief priest and the elders and
the scribes who hated Christ to one who has been saved by
grace, which I believe this woman was who loved Christ, faith in
Christ, this woman. And what made the difference?
The grace of God. That's it, by grace I am what
I am. By grace, I will be what I will
be. And so she had the gifts of spiritual
life and faith in Christ. And God's sovereign, free grace
and power made the difference. But look at verse eight again.
But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying,
to what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have
been sold for much and given to the poor. In one passage,
it says something like 300, I don't know, something. But anyway,
verse 10 says, when Jesus understood it, when he understood, heard
what they said, he said unto them, why trouble you the woman? For she hath wrought a good work
upon me. Now he calls it a good work,
what she did. You know, you hear all the time people arguing about
good works, what's a good work? I even heard a preacher say,
we can't even do good works. Well, what is a good work? It's
a work that God does through us. It's a work that's motivated
by, it's a fruit unto God. It's the fruit of his grace and
his power and his goodness. Not our own, but God's. It's fruit unto the glory of
God, not fruit as opposed to fruit unto death. You know people
who are moral and religious and sincere under a false gospel. And they can help in healing
others or giving gifts to others, giving food to the poor, money,
whatever. But it's all a dead work apart
from us being saved by the grace of God in Christ, it's fruit
unto death. But a good work is fruit unto
God aimed at his glory. Let your light shine before men
that they may see your good works and glorify your father which
is in him. that bringing attention to ourselves. This woman wasn't
trying to bring attention to herself. She was expressing her
faith in and her love for Christ. And so it's aimed toward his
glory. I wanna tell you about the true
and living God. I wanna tell you about Christ.
I don't want you to applaud me. I want you to look to him. And
then it's motivated by grace, love, and gratitude. That's a
good word. And he calls it so. It's not
a perfect work. It's not part of the righteousness
by which we are justified or saved. This woman wasn't doing
that in order for salvation to come to her. So salvation comes
by the grace of God through Christ and the merits of his obedience
unto death. But he calls it a good work.
They were indignant towards this woman and her good work. here's
what he says, he says verse 11, for you have the poor always
with you but me you have not always. Now they're going to
have him, you know, he said I'll never leave you or forsake you,
Christ is going to be with us and in us throughout eternity,
but he's talking about his physical presence here. I'm not always
going to be here, I'm going unto the father, I go to prepare a
place for you. And he says The poor will always
be here. Now, what does that tell? The
main mission, the mission of the church on earth is not to
stamp out poverty. Now, that's not to say that we
shouldn't be a generous people, a giving people, that help people
that need help, especially our brethren who are poor or need
help. We're to do that. But the church
is not here to set up soup kitchens or, you know, like the Salvation
Army and all that. The church is here to be a light
in this dark world of the gospel. to preach the gospel, to find
and to edify the sheep. That's what we're here for. Our
mission is not to feed the poor, to heal the sick and physically,
but our mission is to preach the gospel. And that's what,
this is it, see. So he says, He says, the poor
you have with you always, but me you have not. Verse 12, he
says, for in that she hath poured this ointment on my body. Now
listen, she did it for my burial. That's an amazing statement.
Now I've read a lot of commentators, heard some messages on this,
and preachers will say, well that doesn't mean that she knew
that he was gonna die and she was anointing him. I don't know
what she knew, and the Bible doesn't say. I know what he said. You know, that's what they do
with a dead body. They would anoint it with oil. And that's
what she doing. Does she have in mind that I'm
looking at his death? I don't know, but I do know this.
In order to know the gospel, you got to know that he had to
die and be buried and raised again the third day to put away
our sins and to establish perfect righteousness. But one thing
this is bringing forth is this, that It's a testimony of the
necessity of his death. He had to die. There was no option
there. So when the disciples, when they
grieved over that and tried to stop him, all that, they were
doing wrong. So this woman anointed him and said, the ointment of
his body, she did it for my burial. And look at verse 13. It says,
verily I say in you, wherever this gospel shall be preached
in the whole world, There shall also this that this woman hath
done be told for a memorial of her. Now, what does that mean? That's a little difficult. Well,
I don't believe that he's saying that every time you preach the
gospel, you got to bring this particular event up or find out
what this woman's name is and memorialize her. What I believe
is he's saying is this, when you preach the gospel, you're
telling people how God saves sinners like this woman. and
you are a memorial of God's power and grace and goodness if you're
saved. The gospel is a memorial not
to you personally or lifting you up or me up but we're a memorial
of how God saves sinners just like this woman saves us by grace,
mercy, that's what he does. He takes us and he justifies
us which were justified in Christ. Righteous, all of sin put away,
and he gives us life from the dead to bring us to bow at his
feet and to anoint him with praise and all of that. And so let me
read these last verses. Then one of the 12, verse 14,
called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priest and said unto
them, what will you give me? And I will deliver him unto you.
And they covenanted with him for 30 pieces of silver. You
know, that's a prophecy of scripture. I've got Psalm 41 and Zechariah
11 there. And they covenanted with 30 pieces
of silver. And from that time, he sought opportunity to betray
him. Now again, this is all according
to the providence of God, who meant it for good, even though
Judas and these chief priests and all meant it for evil. And
we'll get into that a little bit more in these next verses
coming up. Okay.