Matthew 26, this Bible study came about from
something in verse 31 that caused me to really think and ponder
for a while. Our Lord here has just given
the ordinance of His table. We've been going through this
chapter and you remember what we've been
looking at here. He said, one of you will betray
me and Judas has gone out and he gave the ordinance of his
table and afterward they sang a hymn together and went into
the Mount of Olives. Verse 31 says, then saith Jesus
unto them, all ye shall be offended because of me this night. All ye shall be offended
because of me this night. I didn't really ponder this until
I looked up the translation of the word offended. You know,
I read that and we all know what the word offended means. There
was no real alarm in that. All of us have been offended
by something. Everybody knows what it is to
be offended. The regular dictionary says the word offended means
upset, hurt, insulted, angered, or aggravated by something. And
we know that feeling well, unfortunately. But while that is the dictionary
definition of the word offended, that's not what the word here
means. That's not what was originally
written here. The translation of this word
means trapped, tripped up, enticed to sin, caused to distrust. Caused to distrust. Caused to
fall away. Think about that. Caused to fall
away. That's what I had to ponder for
a while. Caused to fall away. Our Lord told them, this is what
is about to happen to you. We've seen so many times throughout
this chapter that our God sovereignly controlled every bit of this. Our God sovereignly controlled
every component of this, every moment of this. Everything that
happened in this entire transaction was predetermined for to be done,
right? Everything concerning the Lord
Jesus Christ, everything concerning Judas, we went back into the
Old Testament and we saw it was all prophesied. Everything concerning
Pilate, everything concerning the soldiers, everything, all
of it was foreordained to be done. And the Lord told the other 11
disciples right here, this is what was foreordained concerning
you. This is what was predetermined
concerning you, your heart, your will, your desire, your actions. All of them did exactly what
they wanted to do. And that's what everybody does.
Everybody does what they want to do. And he said, all of you are going
to be caused to fall away. You are going to be tripped up. You're going to be caused to
distrust. Enticed to sin. All of you are
going to fall away. When I read that, I honestly
asked the question, why? Honestly, why? Could he have made it so that
they didn't have to do that? Could he have kept them and spared
them from that? Sure he could have. Absolutely
he could have. Then why? From the scripture,
I believe we have the answer to that. And I believe we can
take that scriptural answer all the way back to the beginning,
all the way back to the beginning of man, all the way back to the
beginning of everything. He said, all ye shall be offended
because of me this night. Why? Turn over to first Corinthians
chapter one. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 29. It says that no flesh should
glory in his presence. That no flesh should glory in
his presence. That's why. That's why he chose,
as verse 27 says, the foolish things of the world to confound
the wise. And God hath chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the things which are mighty,
and base things of the world, and things which are despised
hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring to nothing
things that are. Why? Verse 29 says that no flesh
should glory in his presence. Our Lord accomplished redemption
alone for his people. Alone. He had no help from anyone. He had no help from anyone. And that's why all the glory
goes to him. All of it. Why was he forsaken
by all and left standing there alone? Here's the reason why.
That no flesh should glory in his presence. No flesh. No one is gonna say he and I
did this thing together. Nobody's gonna say that. No one
is gonna say me and Jesus had a good thing going. Nobody. Could God have ordained things
so that man never even had to fall in the first place? All
right, you think about God, eternity, heaven, a people, the way He
made things to be in the beginning, the way that things are now.
Could God have made it so that man never even had to fall in
the first place? Ultimately, we're going to be
reinstated to the condition Adam was in. When God said, very good,
that's very good. Perfect, I'm finished. Could he have made it so that
man never even had to fall in the first place? Here's the answer.
Sure he could have. Then why didn't he? Why didn't
he? Number one, who are we to reply
against God? But number two, that no flesh
should glory in His presence. There is not a soul on this earth
who can boast of anything in the presence of God Almighty
just because of that fall. Just that fall alone makes it
so that every mouth has to be stopped. All the world has to
become guilty before God. And no one can glory in His presence. Nobody. Think about this. Could God have stopped Lucifer
and a third of the angels of heaven from rebelling and sinning
against him? Turn over to Isaiah 14. Isaiah 14, verse 12. How art thou fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the
ground which did weaken the nations? Our Lord said, I beheld him fall
as a bolt of lightning to this earth. He beheld that because
he's the one who did that. Verse 13, for thou hast said
in thine heart, this is what the adversary said in his heart,
I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount
of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high
God. Yet thou shalt be brought down
to hell to the sides of the pit. Those are dangerous words. I
will. Those are dangerous words. Could God have stopped that rebellion
in heaven? Think about that. That took place
in heaven. Could God have stopped that rebellion
from ever even happening? Sure he could have. Then why
didn't he? According to his own word, that
no flesh should glory in his presence. The angels in heaven
can't even glory in his presence. Not even the angels in heaven. Look at John 11. John chapter
11. John 11 verse 1, it says, Now
a certain man was sick named Lazarus of Bethany, the town
of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed
the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose
brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore his sister sent unto
him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. And we know this story. We know
that he ended up dying. Could the Lord have stopped him
from getting sick in the first place? Absolutely. Could the Lord have stopped him
from dying? Absolutely. The Lord stayed where
he was for four days to ensure that he did die. The Lord stayed,
he said, we're going to stay right here. He stayed where he
was to cause him to die. Why? Why would the Lord do that?
Verse four, when Jesus heard that, he said, this sickness
is not unto death. but for the glory of God, that
the Son of God might be glorified thereby." That's the reason for
it all. He said, that's the reason why
all of this will fall out the way it will, that the Son of
God might be glorified in it. That's the reason everything
falls out the way it will. We're always saying, why, why?
Here's the answer. that the Son of God might be
glorified, that none of us will glory in His presence, that He
alone will receive all the glory. Everything that is, is for His
glory. Everything that is. Turn with
me to Romans 9. Romans 9 verse 9, it says, for
this is the word of promise, at this time will I come and
Sarah shall have a son. And not only this, but when Rebecca
also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, for the
children being not yet born, neither having done any good
or evil that the purpose of God, according to election might stand,
not of works, but of him that calleth, It was said unto her,
the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
Verse 17 says, for the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for
this same purpose have I raised thee up." The whole situation
with Pharaoh and Egypt, that all started with Joseph. Could God have stopped Joseph
from being sold into slavery by his brothers? And you know
the story, ending up in prison. ultimately ending up controlling
all the storehouses throughout that famine, causing Jacob, his
father and his brothers, his family, Israel, all the children
of Israel to move to Egypt, causing all of them to be bound in captivity. for 430 years by Egypt. Causing Pharaoh, because he was
building cities and using all that slave labor, causing Pharaoh
to not be willing to let the children of Israel go. Causing all of those plagues
to come on Egypt. Causing all of those first born
males in all of Pharaoh's army to end up dead. Could God have stopped all that
from happening? Absolutely he could have. Why didn't he? Verse 17, for the scripture saith
unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up
that I might show my power in thee and that my name might be
declared throughout all the earth. He said that's the reason for
it all, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. That was
the reason for the whole thing. That is the reason why everything
that has been ordained to happen happens the way it happens. That's
the reason why, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Look at verse 22 right here in Romans 9. It says, what if God,
willing to show His wrath, And to make his power known, endured
with much long suffering or patience, the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction. What if he puts up with men and
women who are condemned in sin, not redeemed, fitted for destruction,
just to show his power and to show his wrath? Verse 23, and
that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels
of mercy, which he had aforeprepared unto glory. Even us whom he hath
called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles, as
he said in OC, or Hosea. Don't you love the story of Hosea
and Gomer? I will call them my people which
were not my people. And I'll call her beloved which
was not beloved. She was not beloved. She was
a harlot. And that great righteous man,
Jesus Christ, married her. Why would a man like him marry
a harlot like us? The answer is that the Son of
God might be glorified thereby. For His kindness, His forgiveness,
His mercy. Verse 26, And it shall come to
pass that in the place where it was said unto them, You are
not my people, there shall they be called the children of the
living God. Why? That the Son of God might be
glorified thereby for His great redeeming ability. He is able
to say to the uttermost. Verse 27, Isaiah also crieth
concerning Israel, though the number of the children of Israel
be as the sand of the sea, a remnant is going to be saved. Why? That his sovereign will should
be made known, that no flesh should glory in his presence,
that the Son of God alone should be glorified. Go with me to Luke
22. Luke 22, this is Luke's account
of our text where we started in Matthew. Judas has gone out
to betray the Lord. The Lord has given the ordinance
of his table and a detail is added right here. Verse 31, the
Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you
that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee that
thy faith fail not, and when thou art converted, strengthen
thy brethren. Could the Lord have stopped that
from ever even happening? He said, I prayed for you. Does
that mean he didn't have the ability to stop it? No, it doesn't
mean that at all. The adversary couldn't touch
Job until he received permission. And the adversary couldn't touch
Peter until he received permission. Our Lord could have easily stopped
that. Why didn't he? That the Son of
God might be glorified from this, from what Peter did, this denial
of the Lord before Pilate, in the judgment of the Lord. From
this, the Lord told Peter, he said, if you love me, go feed
my sheep. The Lord Peter said, I don't
know the man. I don't know the man. I'm telling you with every
cuss word I can think of, I don't know that man. I hate that man.
I don't want anything to do with that man. Three times, the Lord
asked him three times, do you love me? Do you love me? Do you
love me? If you do, go feed my sheep. You go out and preach me. You go preach the glorious news
of my cross. And Peter did. He did. Go with
me to 1 Peter 5. We'll end with this. 1 Peter 5. Verse 6, He said, Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God. Boy, that's the answer
to everything. Why? Why? We don't need to know
why. If He wants us to know why, He
will tell us why. Other than that, humble yourselves
before the mighty hand of God, under the mighty hand of God.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon
Him, for He careth for you." What he was saying was, don't
glory in yourself. What Peter did in our text, it's
coming up. They'll all deny you, but not
me. I'll die with you. Peter said, trust me. Don't glory
in yourself, glory in the Lord. humble yourself, He will glorify
you with Him. Let all the glory be unto Him.
Those who are forgiven much, love much. And they glorify much and they
praise much, they do. And that's the reason why every
sinful and fallen thing that has happened was allowed to happen.
That's the reason why. And knowing that causes all of
God's people to say amen. If he receives glory from it,
amen, whatever it is. All right, you're dismissed.