Matthew chapter 26, and we'll
pick up where we left off last time in verse 14, and we'll look
down, study down through verse 25, and bring out a few nuggets
here as the Lord is pleased to teach us. I'm taking the title
from what is said in verse 18, when the Lord instructed His
apostles to go prepare a place for the Passover, going to the
city, to such a man, and saying to him, the Master saith, My
time is at hand. I underscore those words. My
time is at hand. I will keep the Passover. Thank
God He is our Passover. He kept the Passover for us.
I will keep the Passover at thy house with my disciples. My time is at hand. David said, the king of Israel,
and the greater David said this as well in Psalm 31, but I trusted
in thee, O Lord. I said, thou art my God. My times
are in thy hand. My times are in thy hand. And every believer can say that.
My time, what time I have, is in the hand of the Lord. Some
songwriter years later said, my God, I want them there. I
want my time in His hands. I want my life in His hands.
We're safe in His hands. No one can pluck them out of
my Father's hands. I am my Father alone. The Lord
Jesus Christ, as our mighty God and Savior, knows all things
that are about to take place. Now remember these concluding
chapters here on the eve of His crucifixion. the next day he
is crucified. That evening he's arrested after
he prays in the garden. And Judas brings those soldiers
there and identifies the Lord and betrays the Lord Jesus Christ. So, we know the Lord will be
arrested that evening and the next day he's going to die for
our sin according to the scripture. Known unto God are all of his
works from the beginning. He knows that Judas would betray
him. He knew this. He knew this when
he chose him. He knew this all along that Judas
would betray him. Look what it says down in verse
45. Matthew 26. This is after the
Lord had prayed. He cometh to his disciples and
saith unto them, sleep on now and take your rest. Behold, the
hour is at hand. The Son of Man is betrayed into
the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. Behold,
he's at hand that doth betray me. And there you read on, Judas
betrayed him with a kiss. The Lord Jesus Christ, as God
Almighty, knows all things that must come to pass, because they've
been decreed of God from all eternity that the Scripture might
be fulfilled. If you look at the same chapter,
verse 56, when all this was done, that the Scriptures of the prophets
might be fulfilled. Everything that happened to the
Lord Jesus Christ was prophesied in the Old Testament, and everything
that happened must come to pass because it's decreed of Almighty
God. The Lord knows all things from
eternity, being decreed of God. Of Him and through Him or to
Him are all things to whom be glory, both now and forever.
Our blessed Savior knows that He's going to be the Passover
Lamb, and He knows that He's going
to make Himself to be the sacrifice for our sin, yet He turns not
away from Jerusalem. You remember He said to His disciples,
not once, but more than once, I must go to Jerusalem, I must
be betrayed, I must be Beaten, I must be crucified and the third
day be raised again. The Lord knew these things. How
does He know them? How does He foresee these things? I can't foresee tomorrow or next
week. But the Lord foresees all things. His foreknowledge of all things
is based upon His eternal decrees. That's why He knows all things.
It's because He has decreed all things. The Lord Jesus Christ
has known from all eternity that He's the Lamb to be sacrificed,
and He knows that from the foundation of the world when He got here.
He knew why he came, and he knew what happened. And yet, having
loved his own, he loved them unto the end. We read in John
chapter 13. Now we saw in our last message
how a great act of kindness was performed upon the Lord. Look
back at verse 6. Matthew 26 at verse 6. Now when Jesus was in Bethany
in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having
an alabaster box of very precious ointment and poured it on his
head as he sat at meat. But when the disciples saw it,
they had indignation saying to what purpose is this waste? You can't waste anything upon
the Lord Jesus Christ. But we saw in that message the
great act of kindness was performed upon the Lord. Now in these verses
today we're going to see a great act of unkindness, a malicious
act of betrayal by one of the apostles His name is Judas. His name is forever remembered
as the traitor. Do you know of anybody in the
community that has named their son Judas? Maybe John, maybe
James, maybe Peter. But that name is forever known
as the betrayer of the Lord Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot. He's
a traitor, a traitor to the Lord. What a contrast between the anointing
oil of the beloved disciple and the satanic deed of one of the apostles. Don't
turn. Let me just read this to you
again. In John 13, having loved his own which were in the world,
he loved them to the end. And supper being ended, and the
devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's
son, to betray him. The Lord said, I've chosen you
twelve, and one of you is the devil. One of you is a reprobate
from the beginning. Always remember that all scripture
is given to us to teach us the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We read in Romans 15, for whatsoever things were written aforetime
were written for our learning, that we through patience and
comfort of the scriptures might have hope. We have hope because
God has promised us salvation in our blessed Savior. All scripture
is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in the way of
righteousness. Now, you're not talking about
morality there. You're talking about the way of righteousness
revealed in the gospel. As Paul said, I'm not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ for it's the power of God and the salvation
to everyone that believe it, to the Jew and also to the Gentile.
Therein is the righteousness of God revealed. In that gospel,
Christ is all our righteousness. Now, let's read again verse 14,
15, and 16. Then one of the 12 called Judas
Iscariot went into the chief priests the chief priests who
were plotting and planning to kill the Lord Jesus Christ. And
Judas said unto them, what will you give me? And I'll deliver
him unto you. And they coveted with him for
30 pieces of silver. And from that time, he sought
opportunity to betray the Lord Jesus Christ. How wicked. The purpose of God. We see the
purpose of God. And he works all things after
the counsel of his eternal decrees to his glory. He worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will. We read in Isaiah,
he said, I've spoken it. I bring it to pass. My counsel
shall stand. I'll do all my pleasure. I've
spoken it. I'll bring it to pass. I've purposed
it. I will also do it. Judas was not a surprise. to the Lord Jesus Christ. This
event didn't catch him unawares. It didn't catch him off guard.
He knew he would be betrayed, and he knew who would betray
him. Now, hold your place there. You
can turn with me if you want to, but if not, let me read it
to you. In John chapter 17, verse 9, our Lord prays for them. I pray for them, for His elect,
His flock, His sheep. I pray not for the world, but
for them which Thou hast given Me. For they are Thine, all mine
are Thine, and Thine are mine, and I'm glorified in them. And
now I'm no more in the world, but these are in the world. I
come to Thee, Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those
whom Thou hast given Me. that they may be one as we are
one. While I was with them in the
world, I kept them in thy name. Those thou gavest me, I've kept,
and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, the son
of condemnation. that the Scripture might be fulfilled. Our Lord knew all things because
all things have been decreed. And the reference there is to
Psalm 41 verse 9, which says, My, yea, my own familiar friend,
in whom I trusted, which did eat bread, hath lifted up his
soul, he's lifted up his heel against me. And then the other
reference that's given there in Psalm 109, Verse 6 through
10, speaking of Judas, let his prayer become sin, let his days
be few, let another take his office, and the Apostle Paul
did, let his children be fatherless, his wife a widow. Those were
prophesied thousand years before Judas actually committed this
deed. Look at verse 15, and saith unto
them, when he went to the chief priests, what will you give me?
What will you give me? It's all about me, isn't it?
What will you give me? Judas was the one who complained
about the woman spending that expensive ointment upon the Lord.
We could have sold that and given money to the poor. He was worried
about me. What will you give me? me, myself,
and I. And I'll deliver him unto you,
and they coveted with him for thirty pieces of silver, a price
of a common slave, according to the law of God. And from that
time He sought opportunity to betray the Lord. Thirty pieces
of silver were given that the Scripture might be fulfilled
in Zechariah 11 verse 12. So they weighed for my price
thirty pieces of silver. Now you think about it. Judas
had in the Lord Jesus Christ everything. He had everything
in him. And yet he sold out the Lord,
denied the Lord, and betrayed the Lord 30 pieces of silver. 30 pieces of silver. He thought the Lord Jesus Christ,
in essence, to be worthless. Worthless. He valued the 30 pieces
of silver to be worth more than the Lord, the glory. Our God uses all means to bring
his determined end to a glorious purpose. Now listen carefully. Even the devil serves the Lord's
purpose. Is that right? Is the devil out
of control? Was the devil out of control
in this day? Oh no. Oh no. Even the devil
serves the Lord's eternal purpose. Even the devil is doing his will.
When Job was so tempted And Satan said
to the Lord, well, I can't get to him because you put a fence
around him. Just take that fence down and
let me have him. And the Lord took the fence down.
You see, even the devil couldn't touch Job without God's permission. That leads me to say this, and
I'm not the first person who has said this or the first preacher
who has said this. Many of the past have said this. And remember this, the devil
is God's devil. That's so. The devil is God's
devil. He's not some rogue out here
out of control. The devil is God's devil doing
His will. That's right. Now look at verse
16. Judas saw the opportunity to
betray the Lord, and he did so with a kiss. But all this happens
according to the sovereign divine will of Almighty God. Now let's turn to two scriptures. Find the book of Acts, right
past the book of John. The book of Acts chapter 2, verse
22. Acts 2, 22. Acts 2, 22. You may in Israel hear these
words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by
miracles and wonders, signs, which God did by him in the midst
of you, as you yourselves know, him being delivered by the determinant
counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain, whom God raised up, having loosed
the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should
be holding of it. Death had no claim on Him once
He put our sin away. Turn to Acts chapter 4. Why do
the heathen rage? Verse 25. This is from Psalm
2. Why do the heathen rage? And
the people imagined vain things. The kings of the earth stood
up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and
against His Christ. The rulers. were gathered together
against the truth, for the truth against thy holy child Jesus,
whom thou has anointed both Herod, Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles,
the Romans, and the people of Israel, the Jews, they were gathered
together, look at verse 28 carefully, for to do whatsoever thy hand,
thy counsel determined before to be done. Christ crucified
is not an accident. Don't ever think about the Lord
Jesus causing him crucified as a terrible accident or tragedy. He dies according to the eternal
purpose of God to accomplish our salvation. That's our hope,
is it not? Now here's the second part of
this. Verse 17 down to verse 25. We see the Lord Jesus Christ
honoring the law of God for us. Now, the first day of the Feast
of Unleavened Bread, that is the beginning of the Passover,
the disciples came to the Lord Jesus saying to him, where wilt
thou that we prepare for to eat the Passover? Those Jews, according
to the law of God, had to keep that Passover day in remembrance
of how God delivered them from 400 years of Egyptian bondage. You remember how God delivered
them? Through the death of the firstborn, those who did not
have the blood on the door, both in the lentil, they died, the
firstborn. Those who were behind the blood,
the bloody door, God said, when I see the blood, I'll pass over
you. And they were observing that
Passover. And He said, go into the city to such a man and say
unto him, the master saith, my time is at hand, I will keep
the Passover. That's a key statement. My time
is at hand. I will keep the Passover. He
fulfilled the Passover by being our Passover lamb, being sacrificed
for us with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus
had appointed, and they made ready the Passover. Verse 20,
And when evening was come, he sat down with the twelve. We see the Lord Jesus Christ,
and this is very important, honoring the law of God for us in every
aspect of His perfect obedience to the holy law of God. Remember
the Passover in Egypt when Israel was delivered from 400 years
of captivity by the blood of the Passover lamb upon the door. God said, when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. That's still true today. When
God sees the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ applied to our heart
by His sovereign will, purpose, mercy, and grace, and love, He
passes over us. Christ took our judgment. The
Lord Jesus Christ crucified is our Passover lamb. The last Old
Testament prophet, John the Baptist, he's known. When the Lord Jesus
Christ came unto him, he said, there he is. There he is! Behold the Lamb of God that taketh
away the sin of the world. That doesn't mean he died for
all the sins of all men in the world. That means he died for
the sins of God's people in this world. Behold the Lamb of God.
As Paul said, I'm determined to know nothing among you but
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Our blessed Savior not only perfectly
obeyed every precept of the law of God, Now how many precepts
in that law of God? People think about the Big Ten.
I'm not talking about the basketball conference. I'm talking about
the Big Ten. The Ten Commandments. People talk about the Big Ten.
They're going to do the Big Ten. Well, did you know there's 800
of those precepts in the law of God? You better get busy. If you're going to seek salvation
by doing the law, you better get busy. You better get into
the livestock business and get some bullocks. And some egos. Our blessed Savior not only obeyed
every precept of that law, all 800 precepts of the law perfectly. Word, mind, deed, and thought. It's prophesied of Him in Isaiah
42, the Lord is well pleased for His righteousness sake. He
will magnify the law and make it honorable. Turn back to Matthew
chapter 5. The Lord honored every precept
of that law, magnified every precept of God's holy law. Had to. Look at Matthew 5, 17. Think not that I have come to
destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy, but
to fulfill. Verily I say unto you, till heaven
and earth pass away, One jot or one tittle and no wise shall
pass from the law till it's all fulfilled. My friend, you can't
fulfill the law of God, but the good news to the sinner, trusting
and looking to the Lord Jesus Christ, is He fulfilled every
precept of that law for us. Now, why is that important? In
doing so, he worked out for us a perfect, justifying righteousness,
which he freely imputes to us by his obedience. His faithful
obedience unto every precept of the law is my personal righteousness
before God. That's good news, isn't it? I'm
no longer going about to establish a righteousness by my own doing,
but rather submitting unto the Lord Jesus Christ who is the
end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. He
is the end of that law, the goal of it, the consummation of it,
the end of it, the magnification of the law of God. He honored
every precept of God's law for us. You see, his faithful obedience
is our righteousness before God. Listen to this Scripture. I've
quoted this so many times, but I'm going to turn and read it
so I don't misquote it. Let me just read it to you. Don't
turn. You know it well. Galatians 2 verse 16, Knowing
that a man, a sinner, is not justified by the works of the
law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed
in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of
Christ, not by the works of the law, for by the works of the
law shall no flesh be justified. How are we justified? By the
faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ, honoring every precept
of that law of God for us. I'll read another one to you,
you're familiar with. You can turn and read this if
you want to. You can find Romans chapter three, Romans chapter
three, he said, now we know that what things whoever the law saith,
it saith to them that are under the law that every mouth may
be stopped and all the world become guilty before God. Therefore,
by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in
his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now
the righteousness of God without the law is manifest, being witnessed
by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God,
which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe. There's no difference. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. Verse 24, being justified freely
by His grace. Being justified freely by His
grace. Don't you just love that? Being
justified freely by His grace to the redemption that is in
the Lord Jesus Christ. He's set forth to be our propitiation
for us that God might be just and the justifier of them that
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now there's two aspects of that
law. The precept of the law had to be honored, right? What's
the other part of that? The penalty of that law had to
be honored as well. What was the penalty of that
law? The guilty must die. That's what the law of God demands.
So he satisfied the precept of the law, but he also satisfied
the penalty of that law for us. The Lord Jesus Christ bear our
sin in his own body on the tree. That's why he suffered the wrath
of God for us. Our sin being laid upon him,
all the sin of God's elect, all the sins of God's people were
laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and the wrath of God was poured
out on him without a mixture of mercy, and he satisfied the
penalty of that law. The law says the guilty must
die. He died. Christ also once suffered for
our sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us unto God.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for us. God made him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in the gospel. Now this is the core element. Elements of the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. How He satisfied the law of God
for us by His faithful obedience, honoring every precept of that
law, and satisfying the penalty of that law, that God might be
a just God and Savior, that He might save us, not at the expense
of His justice. Mercy and truth are met together.
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm 85,
10. We're at the cross. at the cross. Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed
for us. He appeared once in the end of
the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Look at
verse 18. He said, Go into such a city,
and say unto him, The Master saith, And here's what I want
to camp on here for a moment. My time is at hand. You see that
statement? My time is at hand. We're reading
Galatians chapter 4. In the fullness of the time,
God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law
to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive
the adoption of sons. And being made sons, He sent
forth the Spirit of His that sent forth His Spirit into our
heart, that we might cry, Abba, Father. In the fullness of the
time, God sent forth His Son. Many times we read in the Gospels,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, many times the Lord said, My
hour has not yet come. Remember? He said in John chapter
7, He said, My time has not yet come. But your time's always.
He said, My time has not yet come. I want you to turn to the
book of John again. And chapter 17 again, but I want
you to see this. John 17 at verse 1. Turn there. John 17 at verse 1. Many times
the Lord said, my hour has not yet come. Look what he says here. John 17 verse 1. These words
speak Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father,
The hour has come. My time is at hand. Glorify thy
son, that thy son also may glorify thee, as thou has given him power
over all flesh, and he should give eternal life to as many
as thou has given him. And this is life eternal, that
they might know thee the only true God, Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the
earth. I finished the work you gave me to do. The hour has come. So I must lay down my life for
my sheep. Now look at verse 19 and following. And the disciples did as the
Lord had appointed them. They made ready the Passover.
And when they were assembled in that upper room, and when
evening was come, He sat down with the twelve. And as they
did eat, He said, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray
me. They were exceeding sorrowful,
and began every one of them to say, Lord, is it I? The Lord
said, he that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same
shall betray. excuse me, betray me. The son
of man goeth as it is written of him. But woe unto that man
whom the son of man is betrayed. It had been better for that man
had he not been born. And then Judas, which betrayed
him, answered and said, Master, is it I? And he said to him,
thou hast said. Now, shocking, sad, but true
words from our Savior. Verily, truly, one of you shall
betray me. Now, you just can imagine what's
going through their mind. Now, Judas knows that the Lord
knows. How does he know that? God looked
right into his heart. There's nothing you can hide
from the omniscient Lord. The other men didn't know what
Judith was thinking, but he knew. And he knew that the Lord knew.
That had to have been something for him to experience that. Here
again, we see another amazing display of the Lord's sovereign
knowledge and control of all things. He's omnipotent, but
He's also omniscient. He knows all things. Psalm 139,
the psalmist says this, O Lord, thou hast searched me and known
me. Thou knowest my down-sitting, my uprising. Thou understandest
my thought afar off. Thou compass my path and my lying
down, and are acquainted with all my ways. There is not a word
in my tongue, but O Lord, thou knowest it all together. This is a God with whom we have
to do. Verse 22, they were exceeding
sorrowful, and began every one of them to say, Lord, am I the one? They all expressed
some outward sign of sorrow. I think even Judas did as well,
because the others didn't expect him to be the traitor. But I want us to notice something,
as I pointed out in the reading, what Judas said. that different
from what the other 11 men said. They said, Lord, is it I? Am
I the one to forsake you and leave me? They were all pointing
their fingers at themselves, and they addressed him as Lord,
Sovereign. It's a good thing to examine
ourselves, whether we be in the faith, is it not? Paul writes
in 2 Corinthians 13, examine yourself whether you be in the
faith. Prove your own selves. Know you're not your own selves.
How that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be a castaway, a reprobate. But notice what Judas says here
in verse 25. He said, Master, is it I? Master, is it I? You remember
what Nicodemus, the Pharisee, who came to the Lord by night,
you remember how he addressed the Lord? He said, Master, Master,
not Lord, Master, Master, Rabbi, Teacher. Now, here's some closing thoughts. True saving faith is looking
unto the Lord Jesus Christ for all of salvation, not just some
part of salvation. True saving faith submits and
bows to the Lordship of Christ. We don't just acknowledge Him
as a good man, we acknowledge Him as the God-man mediator. True saving faith always crowns
the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord of all salvation. True saving
faith acknowledges that the Lord Jesus Christ put away our sin
by the sacrifice of Himself. True saving faith is always looking
unto the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the author and finisher of
our faith. Our Lord answers and says in
verse 23, He that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, the
same shall betray Me. The Son of Man goeth as it is
written of Him. He dies for our sin according
to the Scripture. But woe unto that man by whom
the Son of Man is betrayed! It had been better, it had been
good for that man if he had not been born, then Judas, which
betrayed him, answered and said, Master, Master, is it I? Now,
our Lord Jesus Christ dies for our sins according to the Scriptures. It says that plainly in 1 Corinthians
15, how that Christ died for our sin, how He's buried, how
He's raised again according to the Scripture. The Lord Jesus
Christ does not die as a helpless victim of violent, malicious
men. but rather the Lord Jesus Christ
dies as the appointed, anointed sacrifice of a thrice holy God
to accomplish our salvation, to satisfy his own holy justice,
to enable God to be just, and the justifier of them which believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ. As I've told you over the years,
three things about the cross of Christ. God planned the cross. God planned the cross from all
eternity. God presided over the cross, didn't he? Who was in
charge that day? Pilate thought he was. He said,
don't you know I have power over you to crucify you or to let
you go? The Lord said, he don't have any power over me except
it's given to you of God. God planned the cross, him being
delivered by the determinant counsel for knowledge of God.
God presided over the cross. God participated in the afflictions
of the cross. Wicked men did wicked things,
didn't they? They beat Him. They mocked Him. They nailed Him. They thrust
a spear in His side. But it was not what wicked men
did to Him that day. That is not the hope of our salvation.
It's what God was doing at the cross. You see the difference?
It wasn't what men did. It's what God was doing. Read
Isaiah 53, it pleased the Lord to bruise Him to make His soul
an offering for sin. No man can do that. He bare our
sin in His own body on the tree. He planned the cross, presided
over the cross, participated in the cross. the absolute controller of all
things by the decree of God. I ran into this hymn the other
day, let me read it to you in closing. Sovereign ruler of the
skies, ever gracious, ever wise, all my times are in your hand,
all events at your command. His decree who formed the earth,
fixed my first and second birth, Parents, native place, and time
were all appointed by him. He who formed me in the womb
shall guide me unto the tomb. All my time shall ever be ordered
by his wise decree. How about a copy of this out
there on the table? Times of sickness, times of health,
times of poverty and wealth, times of trial and grief, times
of triumph and relief. Time to temper's power to prove,
time to taste the Savior's love. All must come and last and end,
as shall please my heavenly friend. Plagues and death around me fly,
until he bids I cannot die. Not a single shaft can hit until
the love of God sees fit. John Ryland, born 1753, died
1825. Better to never have been born
than to live without Christ and die without Christ. God, help
us to count all things lost that we might win Christ and be found
in him. God, help us that we might set
our affection on things above. Seek ye first the kingdom of
God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added
unto you.