Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the gospel according to John. John 13. John 13. I'd like to deal with verses
21 to 30. John 13. Today we truly consider
an amazing passage of scripture that sets forth the sorrow, the
pain, the suffering of our Lord that led to His crucifixion. It just instructed His disciples
concerning receiving Him, back in verse 20. We looked at that
last week. And this is what our Lord reveals,
that it is to receive Christ. He that receiveth whomsoever
I send, receiveth me. That's what He said. People,
they talk about receiving Christ. I've received Christ. What do
you mean? This is what the Lord says it
means to receive Him. To believe the gospel of God's
grace. To believe the message, the report
of the Lord Jesus Christ. To believe by God's grace, by
faith, what the scripture sets forth. concerning God's electing,
redeeming, regenerating, preserving grace. All of grace. No works on man's part. That's
what it is to receive Christ. You receive or you believe the
report that our Lord has given. Now after He had said those things,
Verse 21 says, When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in
spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
that one of you shall betray me. Troubled. Troubled in spirit. One from
his own. One of whom he had chosen to
be one of the twelve. One that he knew from before
the foundation of the world would be the betrayer. One of you is
going to betray me. And the Scripture says that he
was troubled. Troubled in spirit. Now, this
is one thing I know. Those are not insignificant words. When the Scripture says that
the Lord Jesus Christ, after He had spoken about receiving
Him by receiving those that He sends, when He had said that, He was troubled inside. And He said truly, truly, Trustworthy,
trustworthy. Amen, amen. One of you is going
to betray me. Here he keenly felt with true
sorrow that which was contrary to Almighty God. Now listen. Remember this. This is I think
about that scripture that says, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh.
He was made flesh. He was in all points tempted
like we are, yet without sin. And the scripture sets forth
that He was truly grieved and troubled in his spirit. He clothed himself in flesh. He also clothed himself with
our feelings, except he had no sin. He absolutely, as man, the
man of sorrows, He who is acquainted with grief, whatever you have
ever felt as a believer, the grieving, the hurt, the pain,
the sorrow, I know this. I know that the Lord is going
to save His people. I know that, Neal. I know that.
I know that. He's going to save His people. And especially when I hear of
one that I know that has left this world and left without obviously
a substitute, no interest, but coming right up to that time
before they die to behold, to see the insincerity, the lack
of care, It grieves you. Gosh, people are not stoics. They're not robots. They're not
insensitive. And here's the man of sorrows
in the Scripture. It said he was troubled in spirit
and revealed. One of you is going to betray
me. You say, well, he's always known that. And he did not reveal
that with insincerity. or laxness of care. It grieved Him. It grieved Him. He knew that this was the fulfillment
of this Scripture. Psalm 41.9, Yea, mine own familiar
friend. That is to say, He had no differences
with Him. The Lord had never given Judas
one reason to not trust Him. My familiar friend. No differences. That's what it means. All the
animosity was on Judas' part toward the Lord. Not the Lord's
part. My own familiar friend in whom
I trusted. Now, I looked it up. It doesn't
mean that he had confidence in him. That's not the word trust. That's not what the word trusted
means. In whom I trusted, it means entrusted with the bag. An old familiar friend. Treasurer. Treasurer. A man that held the money. A
man that holds the money, you trust him. You trust Him. Or you don't have any confidence
in Him. My own familiar friend whom I trusted, which did eat
of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. Psalm 41.9. And the Lord knew. Here's the
fulfillment of it. Right here. Very soon he was
going to be betrayed. He was going to be falsely accused.
He was going to be mocked. Sentenced to death. All according
to God's eternal purpose all according to His heart. He set
His face like a flint to the cross. And He came to this point
right here. He was truly grieved. Grieved. Troubled in spirit. Because of
that evil nature, the betrayal and the darkness of the crime
of Judas, and what it would do to the others when they realized. Here we see our Lord revealing
by the Spirit of God's record in this Scripture how He truly
felt acquainted with us. He felt without
sin what I feel My feelings, because of the rebellion
of my old heart, rush upon me without restraint. The first thing I'll do, I might
as well be honest about it, I'm going to blame somebody else.
You disappointed me. You disappointed me. He was troubled in perfect obedience. Perfect obedience. Grieved. I can't even enter into that.
But here's Him. That everyone that harshly speaks
of Him, who is the author and finisher of the faith of His
people, consider His troubled spirit. Here is the just God. This is the judge that's going
to do right. God Almighty, in human flesh,
troubled in His Spirit. And men are going to stand before
Him who have done just exactly what Judas has done, and He's
going to say, depart from me. I never knew you. The judge of
all this earth is going to do right. He knew. He knew. I'm going to meet you
real soon, Judas, in the garden. And you're going to come up to
me and you're going to kiss me on the cheek and prophesy. You're going to betray me. Innocent
hands into these heathens according to the Scriptures. But I'm going to meet you again.
You're going to stand before me in judgment. You're going to stand before
me at that great white throne, and all things are going to be
settled." And he was troubled in spirit. Grieved. I think to myself, oh, how insensitive
I am to those that I preach to that don't know Him. Lord, have mercy. Verse 22, Then the disciples
looked one on another, doubting of whom He spake. When the Lord
revealed that one would betray Him, the disciples started looking
around Starting to doubt who in the world could he possibly
be talking about. Stunned. Amazed. Looking with astonishment. This was the last thing that
they could have even imagined that he was going to say. We've
all been together. We've all fellowshiped together.
We've all been out preaching together. Ministering to the
poor and trying to be encouraged. One of us is going to betray
Him? They were doubting, puzzled. That's what they were, puzzled,
perplexed. at a loss to understand. They were taken back by that
statement. They didn't suspect, not one
of them of the eleven, not one of the eleven even suspected
that it would be any other than themselves. In fact, it's recorded
in Matthew 26. Lord, is it I? Am I the one? I mean, to hear those words right
there, and the Lord says, one of you is going to betray me.
And an honest believer, which believers are honest, they're
made honest. They know something of themselves.
And to think, though it grieves, though it would hurt, You think,
I've seen enough in me to know. Yeah, am I the one? No believer will ever stand up
and say, I am so sure of myself, there is no possible way that
I would ever, ever betray Him. You that know Him, you know that's
not true. That's not true. Am I the one? Verse 23-25, Now
there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of the disciples whom Jesus
loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned
to him that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
He then, lying on Jesus' breast, saith unto him, Lord, who is
it? Lord, I know of what you've said
so. Lord, I realize, I know it. We
looked around and really, we can't suspect any one of us except
ourselves. Lord, who is it? Now that was
probably John that wrote that, referring to himself as the one
that the Lord Jesus Christ loved. You know, it was John that wrote
concerning Lazarus, married Martha, beckoned, sent for the Lord,
and said, Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick. Not who loves
you. Well, God's people do. But Lord,
the one that you love. And there was one that the Lord
loved. He loved his people. But that
was the hope of this one, I truly believe, of John. This is his
hope. Lord, that you love me. I love
you because you love me. I love you because you love me
first. Lord, had you not loved me, I would have never loved
you. The Scripture says that Peter
looked over at the one Leaning upon the Lord's breast, beckon
to Him. Beckon to Him. Ask Him. Ask Him. Ask Him who it is. And the one leaning upon his
breast said, Lord, who is it? When these doubts
and fears arise, when we truly want to know, of His revelation. Ask Him. Ask Him. Matthew 7, 7. Ask, and it shall
be given you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, it shall be opened unto
you for everyone that asketh, receive it. And he that seeketh,
findeth. And to him that knocketh, it
shall be opened. And you know this. If we ask
anything according to His will, God's people, they're going to
preface their request with that, Lord, if it please You. Lord, would You teach. Lord, would You help. Lord, according to Your mercy,
have mercy on me. Lord, according to Your mercy
and grace, thank You, thank You that You don't mark iniquity
in this sinner who could stand. Who is it, Lord? Verse 26, Jesus answered, He
it is to whom I shall give a sop, a morsel. when I have dipped
it." And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot,
the son of Simon. Now, the answer of our Lord,
and this is according to the verses that I plan to read in
just a moment, the last of these verses, it seems to indicate
that he spoke only to the one that leaned on his breast. Peter beckoned to him. Ask him
who it is. Ask him. And just from the wording
that follows in a moment, it seems as though that the one
that leaned upon his breast spoke to him privately. Lord, who is
it? And then the Lord told him, it's the one that I give a sop
to, give a morsel to. I'm going to dip it, and the
one that I give the sop to, that's the one. After verse 27, and after the
sop, Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That
thou doest, do quickly. Now the phrase leading up to
the proof of what I said, that it appears as though that the
Lord spoke to the one that was upon his breast privately. The
scripture says, After the Lord gave the sop to Judas, Satan
entered into him. It doesn't mean that that was
the first influence upon Judas. But that Satan now abundantly,
or far more exceedingly, had full control. He was left to
himself. The Lord left him alone. And if you want to know what
a man will do, what a woman will do, if Almighty God leaves them
to themselves. Now here is the reaction. It doesn't matter what anyone
says contrary to these Scriptures. Well, it matters, but it doesn't
matter. There's no proof in it is what I'm getting at. There's
no proof. Someone says, I'd never do that.
Yes, you would. Yes, you would. If you want to
know what you would do if God Almighty left you to yourself,
look at the garden. Look at Judas. Look at any rebel
against God. What would you do? The Lord said,
without Me, you can do nothing. You can do nothing. Every man
at his best state. As good as a man can get at his
best state is vanity. Vanity. He gave that sup. Judas was instructed by the Lord,
that thou doest what you are doing in your heart. what you think in your heart.
You've already betrayed Me in your heart. What you're doing,
do it quickly. The Lord knew who was going to betray Him. He told
John who it was going to be. John only. And here's where proof
is. Verse 28-29, Now no man at the
table, and you've heard this before, they didn't sit as we
sit at a table. Usually they would lie in a reclined
position. around and eat, and that was
the manner in which they did. Now listen to this, no man at
the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. He told
the one that leaned upon his breast. When he said, Lord, who
is it? He said to him, obviously, it's
the one that I'm going to give this up to. John saw what happened and did
not perceive the depth of what was going on. He saw it. He witnessed it. It was very
evident. No one knew the intent. No one
saw the depth of what was truly going on. You say, I don't see
how. Let me ask you this. Look around
right now. You that know him and see the
insensitivity of some against him. Do you understand the depth
of it? No one, the Scripture says, at
the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. He did
not see the eternal counsels of Almighty God. He didn't see
the completeness of the fulfillment of God's purpose and God's will. Everything that was revealed
in that sop being handed to him and the Lord saying, what you
do. what you're doing, that thou doest, and continually do in
your heart. Do it quickly. No one knew the
intent for 29, but some of them, all but one, Some of them thought
because Judas had the bag that Jesus had sent unto him, buy
those things that we have need of against the feast, or that
he should give something to the poor. None of them knew the intent. But some of them that didn't
hear what the Lord said, thought in their hearts, he must be going
to buy something that we need, give something to the poor. They
had not heard what the Lord had said. So they assumed, they just
thought that the Lord would send Judas to go pick up what was
needed. He then, verse 30, having received
the sop, immediately went out. And it was night. Let us note in this last verse
for today, the hardness of the carnal heart. He had heard the
Lord say, all of them heard Him say, one of you is going to betray
me. Who is it? It's the one that
I give the sop to. and gave him the sop. And then
he said to Judas, that thou doest, do quickly. And the scripture
says that he got up to do exactly what he wanted to do. Exactly. For 30 pieces of silver, I'm going to turn you over. For
thirty pieces of silver, that conscience, without a doubt,
according to the description in 1 Timothy 4, 2 was seared. Seared. Let me read that. 1 Timothy
4, 2. I'll read 1 Timothy 4, 2. Now
the Spirit speaketh expressly. That in the latter times, some
shall depart from the faith. They will leave from what they
professed to believe. Not that they truly believed
it. From what they professed to believe. Because we know this,
that everyone that Almighty God saves are kept by the power of
God. That's the only reason they're
kept. that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking
lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared, cauterized."
Cauterized. Hot iron. Rendered completely insensitive. What you're doing, do it quickly. Oh, how surely we see, except
a man be born again, he'll not see the kingdom of heaven. Except
God Almighty birth him from above and give him a new heart, new
life, new will, new love. Seared. And the Scripture says
he went out. He went out. Got up. Walked away. left the presence of the Savior
and those that truly loved Him, followed Him. Why? Scripture says it was night.
It was night. Not, which I know it was, probably
because of the hour of the day. But, night in the soul of Judas. No light. He loved the darkness
rather than light. Why? Because his deeds were evil.
John 10, 12. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth because there is
no light in him. Oh, in these verses, how truly
we see that lest God Almighty give us
faith to believe, It's night to us. Darkness. He that believeth and is baptized,
confessing Him, shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be
damned. Lord, to our hearts bless these
words to the comfort and salvation of Your people. Amen.