Well, it's good to see everybody
tonight. I'm thankful that we can be here. To be able to enjoy the fellowship
of God's people, it's family. And you're thankful that you
can be with your family. I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Matthew, chapter
26. I'd like to read one verse of Scripture. I was reading the other day, and I came across
this passage of Scripture, and it just arrested my heart. And I thought to myself, I'm
going to stop right there. I'm going to just stop there.
Matthew 26, verse 20. Now when the even was come, He
sat down with the twelve. Let's pray. Our Father, this evening we thank
You that we can assemble ourselves together In the name of the Lord
Jesus, we ask that you'd bless the Word to our hearts, give
us some understanding. Lord, help us, help us to worship,
and forgive us for Christ's sake. Amen. Our Lord, in this passage of
Scripture, is getting ready to institute His Supper, the Lord's
Supper. And I know that this event took
place over 2,000 years ago, but if it's only history, as I've
said before, if it's only history that we're considering, then
we've missed it. We've missed the message. Never
forget the words of our Lord in Luke 24. when he was talking
to the two on the road to Emmaus. Beginning with Moses and the
prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures those things
concerning himself. Whenever we read a passage of
Scripture, immediately look for Christ Look for the Lord. Look for God's mercy to His people
in that passage of Scripture. And you look aright. Now this passage of Scripture
declares three things. It declares, number one, the
glorious Lord Jesus Christ who has finished the Father's work. Number two, it declares the union
that God's people have with the Lord Jesus Christ. And then number
three, it declares the communion that God's people have with each
other. Now I want us to just look for
just a second, before we look at those three points, at the
setting. of this passage of scripture,
and I pray that the Spirit of God give us truly some understanding. Now here's the setting. Here's
what was going on. The scripture says, now when
the even was come. When the night fall, it was evening. Now, the sun has set. It's night. It's night time. The days come to an end and very
soon our Lord is going to be betrayed. He's going to be ill-treated. He's going to be given over as
He gives Himself into the hands of wicked men. And He does so
for the accomplishment of God's purpose, God's will. The Lord
has given Him, the Father has given Him work. And now is His
time. You know those passages that
we would read, His time was not yet come. His time was not yet
come. My time is not yet. But now,
His time has come. He's going to be crucified. He's with His disciples. They've
been with Him now for about three and a half years. And pretty
soon, He's going to lay down His life for the sheep. is going
to actually be made sin. We talk about that much here,
but we don't understand it. I cannot enter into the depth
of how, though I believe it, I know it's so, that all of what
God's people are, as being born in Adam. Now I'm talking about
those that have yet to be born. When the Lord died, all of us
were yet to be born. But that which we were going
to be born as, sin. You know, we're sinners. But
you know why we sin? Because of what we are. Sin is
just the evidence of what I am. Christ was made sin, hanging upon that cross as the
substitute of his people. The holy, harmless, I always
qualify this, I'm so afraid not to, because of the depth of what
we're saying. He who knew no sin was made sin
and God Almighty dealt with him as such. That's why he died. If God killed him and there wasn't
a just cause to kill him, God's not just. And soon, very soon,
the Lord is going to be made sin, crucified. Three days later,
He's going to rise from the dead, and not many days hence, He's
going to be ascended into heaven, and these disciples right here
are going to stand on the Mount of Olives, and they're going
to watch Him ascend up into heaven. And He's coming back, and He's
coming back to that same spot. Three and a half years has gone
by. Where has the time gone? The
even was come. The day is over. And I'll tell
you how quickly our day is slipping. 1 Corinthians 7.29, but this
I say, brethren, the time is short. It's just a vapor. Now again,
I realize that this verse of Scripture is talking about Him
having His Last Supper with His disciples, but just like it was
even for Him, His time was come and it was even for the Twelve,
pretty soon our evening is going to be here. So, as we're continually
reminded in this passage of Scripture, Let's be taught by the Spirit
of God to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto
wisdom. Teach us to number our days.
Paul the Apostle said, I die daily. You just don't know. You just don't know. Now, numbering our days cause
us to realize that time is not going to be forever. There's
coming a time when A day is going to approach and be here. The
trump of God is going to sound. And before we know it, we're
going to be in eternity. The scripture says it's going
to be in the twinkling of an eye. This is when our even is
going to come. The even was now come. And I'm
telling you, we're right on the verge of it. You say, well, I've
got, you know, I'm not even going to say it.
I'm only in my 60s and I've got a long life ahead of me. Every
time I hear that, you know, I'm thinking, don't say that. You know not
what a day is going to bring. Here's what Scripture says about
the return of the Lord. For as the lightning cometh out
of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also
the coming of the Son of Man be. How is it going to be? It's
going to be fast. It's going to be right now. Lightning
strikes and I'm telling you before you even realize that it was
there, you know it because you saw it, but it's gone. There's going to be no time to
prepare. If preparation is not already made, it's too late.
Revelation 16, 15, Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that
watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked and they see
his shame. It's going to be unexpected.
Luke 12, 40, Be you therefore ready also, for the Son of Man
cometh at an hour when you think not. I heard someone say one
time, you think the Lord's coming back tonight? Do you think that
the Lord is coming back before this service is over? I guarantee
you most of us don't think so. It's going to be a time just
like this. In an hour when you think not. So here's where we
are. Our Lord is at a point that even
has come. It's at a point where His end
on this earth is near. So let's consider just these
three particulars very quickly concerning the even now was come. Let's consider first of all the
glorious Lord Jesus who has finished the Father's work. The scripture
says, now when the even was come, He sat down. He sat down. You know, here He is going about
the Father's business. This is why He came. He came
into this world to minister. To minister. He said, I came
not to be ministered to, but to minister. So here is, right
here, Here's the priest, the high priest, the great high priest
himself, ministering. Now, the high priest, or all
of the priests, high priest, all of them, back in the Old
Testament, when they were ministering in the tabernacle, they never
sat down. No chairs in the tabernacle. They were ministering. He's ministering.
That's what he's doing. He is the high priest, ministering. Why could the priests back in
the Old Testament, why could they never sit down? Because
the blood of bull and goats never put away sin. They were never
done. But here's the Lord. And the
Scripture says, He sat down. You said, yes, but He's not died
yet. He hasn't. He hasn't been crucified
yet. Not in our eyes. But the Scripture
says that the Father beheld the Lamb slain from before the foundation
of the world. God's eternal. His ways, not
our ways. Let me ask you this. When the
Lord Jesus Christ in John 17, John 17, verse 4, listen to the
words of our Lord. Had He been crucified when He
prayed His high priestly prayer? No. Not yet. Listen to His words. I have glorified Thee on the
earth. I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. It
was done. It was over. So here is the great
high priest himself who shall openly, before others, manifest
what Almighty God has eternally seen. And here he is sitting
and has the right to sit. He himself said, I have finished
the work. He sits with his disciples. He
sits as the glorious conqueror over death held in the grave
and no one else has the right to sit in their own merit. Only He. So first thing I see,
I see the great high priest. He sat down. Here's the second
thing I see. I see the union that God's people
share with Him. Here's what it says, now when
the even was come, He sat down with, with, accompanying, associating
with His disciples. Here's God's Lamb, the Savior
of the sheep, the surety of His people, sitting down with the
twelve. There's twelve of them there.
I know there's twelve because scripture says there's twelve.
I know that Judas is there because he's one of the twelve. And here's
the Lord sitting with his twelve and eleven of them are sitting
there with him, thankful to be there, sitting with him in his
merit. Here he is, the one in whom they
were chosen. The Lord told them that. He said,
you've not chosen me, I chose you. Here's the one who is going to
lay down his life, made sin. This is the one in whom the Father
is well pleased. They heard the voice from heaven
say that. This is my beloved Son at His
baptism on the Mount of Transfiguration. This is my beloved Son in whom
I'm well pleased. You said Him. And they're sitting
there with Him. Eleven of them are faithful believers. One of them is the devil. That's
what the Lord said. Let me ask you this. Why was he there? The Lord said
in verse 21, it says, I said, verily I say unto you, one of
you shall betray me. And all of a sudden they started
looking around. Scripture says in verse 22, they
were exceeding sorrowful. and beginning every one of them
to say unto Him, Lord, is it I? Looking around and just thinking,
am I the one? If the Lord has said one of us
is going to betray Him, one of us is going to betray Him. Why was Judas there? Well, the Scripture says, first
of all, let me just read, I'll read John 17. John 17, 11, and
12. Why was He there? Number one.
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and
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. While
I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those
that thou gavest to me I have kept, and none of them is lost
but the son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled."
Why was Judas there? Number one, that the scripture
might be fulfilled. But there was another reason.
The distinguishing grace of God was also set forth. Judas was an apostle, but he
wasn't a believer. He was a devil, and the Lord
chose him. The distinguishing grace of God
is set forth In that scripture right there, he sat down with
the twelve. He was going to eat his supper,
and Judas was too. Judas was going to eat with him. Eleven apostles kept by the power
of God through faith, just like every one of God's sheep are,
and there was one that was a devil. They heard the Lord say, one
of you is going to betray me. And they all began to think,
except one, could I possibly do such a thing? But lastly,
I see the Lord of glory, the great high priest. I see the
union of God's people with him. But then lastly, I see the communion
that God's people have with each other. The scripture says that
he sat down again with the twelve, and that's the last point I'm
going to make. The twelve right there. The twelve
here represent the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The twelve
here represent the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, there
was twelve. One of them was a tare. Eleven
of them were believers. But does not the scripture bear
out that there's tares in every flock? In the midst of every
flock, you know what I mean? And are they not divinely necessary? They've got to be. Judas had
to be there for the fulfillment of scripture. And for this scripture
right here, 1 Corinthians 11, 19, for there must be also heresies
among you. I mean, you think, well, I think
we've got a pure, pure. There must be also heresies among
you. Why? That they which are approved,
may be made manifest among you. The tares are going to manifest
the sheep, the approved. Judas was allowed to do exactly
what he wanted to do. What did he want to do? He wanted
to betray the Lord. 30 pieces of silver. But there were 11 who, by the
grace of God, were permitted to do what they wanted to do.
They wanted fellowship with the Lord and fellowship with each
other. That's what they wanted to do. Why did they want to do
it? Because they were made willing in the day of God's power. The
Lord gave them a new heart to do that. Everybody was doing
exactly what they wanted to do. Their love for one another. There
was the twelve. The Lord sitting with the twelve. They were all there. One devil,
eleven believers. And the eleven that loved each
other, loved the Lord, was a manifestation of their regenerated state. By this shall all men know that
you are my disciples, you have love one to another. This was
the evidence of the church after the day of Pentecost. Listen
to Acts 2, 41-42. Then they that gladly received
his word, were baptized. And the same day there were added
unto them about three thousand souls. What did the believers do? Here's what it says. They continued
steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine. What was the Apostles'
doctrine? Here it is. Peace. Peace with
God. pardon with God by the shed blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ, righteous before God by the imputed righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and salvation totally by the grace
of God apart from any work on man's part. That's the apostles'
doctrine. The apostles preached salvation
by grace through faith, not of works. lest any man should boast. They continued steadfastly in
the Apostles doctrine. And here's what else they did.
And fellowship, partnership and participation in breaking of
bread and prayers. What did they do? They believed
God, they believed the gospel and they loved one another and
had fellowship with one another. Psalm 119.63, I'm a companion
of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy precepts. I tell you the fellowship of
God's people, just that one, He sat down with the twelve. The fellowship of God's people
is a precious thing. I'm telling you, being here tonight
with God's people is a precious, precious thing. I'm looking around
here and here's a group of people that wanted to be here. They
just wanted to be here. I'm glad I wanted to be here.
Listen to this, Malachi 3.16, Then they that feared the Lord
spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened. and heard
it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them
that feared the Lord and that thought upon His name. Willing. Willing to fellowship. Willing
to believe Him. Willing to trust Him. Willing
to love Him. Willing to need Him. And willing
to have fellowship with each other. Now tonight as we prepare
to have the Lord's Supper, we're going to have a little piece
of bread and a little cup of wine and we're going to remember
that our even is nigh. The even was come. And he sat down in association
with his people. The Lord has promised that where
two or three are gathered together In His name, He said, I'm in
the midst of you. These elements right here are
for believers. Those that have cast themselves
upon the mercy of God. Those who trust not in themselves
by anything that they've done. And we remember, what are we
remembering? We're remembering that God Almighty
has shown mercy and has had compassion on whomsoever He will. that He's
chosen a people from the foundation of the world, that Christ redeemed
them, and the Spirit of God called them out of darkness, regenerated
them by grace, and they're kept by the power of God through faith,
ready to be revealed in the last time. I pray that God have mercy
upon us tonight, and cause us to remember. All right, I'll
ask the man, Phil Collins.