Matthew 26, the last time that
we were here, we looked at the first 13 verses where Mary anointed
our Lord's body with very costly oil for his sacrifice. And Judas got mad about it and
said that she wasted the oil. Can you just think about that
statement? She poured it on Jesus Christ and he got mad and said
that she wasted the oil. Verse 14 says, then one of the
12 called Judas Iscariot went unto the chief priests 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. And from that time, he sought
opportunity to betray him. Now, what I want us to see in
this Bible study is God's sovereignty, God's purpose, God's control
God's predestination, God's will, God's work, and God's glory in
everything, especially this, especially this. Again, verse
14, then one of the 12 called Judas Iscariot, went unto the
chief priests 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. And from that time, he sought
opportunity to betray the Lord. From that moment right there,
Judas tried to figure out how he could betray the Lord. I'm sure he ran scenarios in
his mind and tried to figure out where and when the Lord would
be and how he could make it happen, you know. And what I want us
to realize from this study is while Judas was trying to figure
out how he could make it happen, our Lord was not trying to figure
out how he could make it happen. Everything that Judas did was
according to God's sovereignty, God's purpose, God's control,
God's predestination, God's will, God's work, and God's glory. Everything that he did. And we're
going to prove that by the word. And we're going to start with
this. Turn with me to Acts chapter two. Acts chapter 2 verse 22, it says, ye men of Israel, hear these
words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved
of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which
God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain." The Apostle Peter said everything
that was done in carrying out the crucifixion and the death
of the Lord, all of it, happened according to the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. It all went according to
God's sovereign will and his predestinated purpose in the
matter, all of it. God ordered this to take place
in the world before he ever even created a world for it to take
place in. Look at Acts chapter four. The church right here is praying
to the Lord God. They're calling on the Lord in
prayer, verse 24. And when they heard that, they
lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord,
thou art God which has made heaven and earth and the sea and all
that in them is, who by the mouth of thy servant David has said,
why did the heathen rage and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood
up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and
against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy
child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate
with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together,
verse 28 says, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined
before to be done. They said, the control of your
sovereign hand was over every bit of it. That's what they prayed
to the Lord. What a good thing to pray to
the Lord. Everything that has fallen out, the absolute control
of your sovereign hand was over every bit of it. Your eternal
will and purpose was carried out in everything that was done
concerning the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything
that was done, starting with Judas. Everything that was done,
starting with Judas. Now, let's see that in the scripture,
okay? Turn with me to Psalm 41. Psalm
41. This is Christ speaking, and
I know that it's a Psalm of David, but this is Christ speaking.
That'll be proven to us here in just a minute. Verse five
says, mine enemies speak evil of me. When shall he die and
his name perish? That was those religious leaders
and Pharisees, but that was Judas too. This is Christ prophesying of
Judas specifically. Verse five, my enemy speak evil
of me, when shall he die and his name perish? And if he come
to see me, he speaketh vanity, he pretends, he puts on a good
show. His heart gathereth iniquity
to itself when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. All that hate
me whisper together against me. What will you give me if I betray
him to you? Verse seven goes on to say, they
devise my hurt. Against me do they devise my
hurt. An evil disease, say they, cleave
fast unto him. He needs to be put away. And now that he lieth, he shall
rise up no more. Yea, mine own familiar friend,
in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, he that dips
the sop with me. Yea, mine own familiar friend,
in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted
up his heel. That's the prophecy that God
gave concerning Judas. Turn over to Zechariah 11, page
1178 in my Bible, second to the last book in the Old Testament, Zechariah 11. Zechariah 11, verse 12. And I said unto them, if you
think good, give me my price, and if not, forbear. So they
weighed for my price 30 pieces of silver. And the Lord said
unto me, cast it unto the potter, a goodly price that I was prized
at of them. And I took the 30 pieces of silver
and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. Then I
cut asunder mine other staff, even bands, that I might break
the brotherhood between Judah and Israel." That's exactly what
happened to Judas. We haven't read it yet in Matthew,
but I believe we all know that those 30 pieces of silver were
used to buy the potter's field. to bury the dead. They gave Judas
30 pieces of silver, and we know the end of Judas, and they took
that money and they bought the potter's field to bury strangers
in. That was prophesied. God Almighty
said, this is how it's going to be. This is how it's going
to go. The hand of Judas in this was
no surprise to the Lord God. It didn't hinder the business
of the Lord God. I was listening to a man not
long ago and it just, it, I just, cringe is about the kindest word
I can use right now. But a guy was talking about how
everything is constantly hindering God's work in your life. You hinder it, Satan hinders
it, and you know, circumstance hinders it. Nothing hinders the
hand of the Lord. Not even in this. This was not
Judas trying to hinder the hand of the Lord. This was the hand
of the Lord. This was the business of the
Lord. Our Lord said, I must be about
my father's business. And this was his sovereign way
of carrying that business out. Our Lord can use an angel to
carry out his business, or he can use a devil to carry out
his business. That's his business. Use whatever he wants. Turn over
to John six. John 6, verse 60. Many, therefore, of His disciples,
when they had heard this, said, This is a hard saying. Who can
hear it? When Jesus knew in Himself that
His disciples murmured at it, He said unto them, Does this
offend you? What and if you shall see the
son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit
that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak
unto you, they are spirit and they are life. Verse 64, but
there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the
beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray
him. He knew. When he chose them specifically
and called them specifically to follow him, he knew. Look
at verse 70 right here. Jesus answered them, have not
I chosen you 12 and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas
Iscariot, the son of Simon, for he it was that should betray
him, being one of the 12. In his sovereign purpose, Control,
predestination, will, work, and glory, he knew. He knew. Look at John 13. Our Lord washed the disciples'
feet right here. And verse nine says, Simon Peter
saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands
and my head. Jesus said unto him, he that
is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every
wit. And you are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray
him. Therefore said he, you are not
all clean. He knew who should betray him.
He could see their hearts. That is so amazing to me. It's
so amazing to me. In all of the Lord's dealings
with everybody he dealt with, he could see all of their hearts. And here's the thing about it.
Judas did what was in his heart to do. You can say, well, that's
not fair for Judas. Oh, Judas did exactly what Judas
wanted to do. And but for the grace of God,
that's what would be in our hearts to do. But for the grace of God,
we'd be the same way. Man by nature is enmity against
God. That means the enemy of God. That's what it means. But God even uses man's enmity
to accomplish his sovereign will and purpose. Like Joseph told
his brothers, he said, you meant it for evil. Everything you did,
you meant it for evil. God meant it for good. Thank
God. And our Lord is telling his disciples
that right here. He's telling them when you see
this happen, you know that it is I. You know that I'm the one
who is sovereignly controlling this, all of this. Look at verse 18 right here,
John 13 verse 18. He said, I speak not of you all. I know whom I have chosen. But
that the scripture may be fulfilled, he that eateth bread with me
hath lifted up his heel against me. That's Psalm 41 verse nine.
That's how we know that that was speaking of Christ. Christ
speaking. He said, because of that scripture,
now I tell you before it come, that when it is come to pass,
you may believe that I am. He is in italics. You may believe
that I am. He said, I'm telling you about
this before it happens so that you will know I am. I am who
I say I am. I am what I say I am. Turn to
John 17. This is our Lord praying to his
father. Verse 1, these words spake Jesus
and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is
come. Glorify thy son that thy son
also may glorify thee. As thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him, as many as you have chosen to save, as
many as you have elected to redeem. Verse 9, he said, I pray for
them. I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me. For they are thine, and all
mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. 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 me, I
have kept and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition
that the scripture might be fulfilled. Perdition means damnation, it
means utter destruction. The son of perdition, the one
who was left in his sin. The one who was left in his sin.
That just, oh, what a fearful thought. The one who was left
in his sin. If that does not show God's sovereignty
in salvation and his sovereignty in redeeming who he will. You
know, Peter denied him too. You think about this. Peter denied
him too. Peter cursed him. He said, I don't know that man.
I don't want to know that man. I don't want to have anything
to do with that man. Y'all do whatever you want to with him.
I don't care. But God had mercy on Peter. How
many of the very ones who were with Judas in that mob and literally
laid hands on him and took him to Pilate and said, crucify him. We hate him. How many of the
very souls that did that on the day of Pentecost did God save
to Himself? How many of those very same souls,
they were just as evil as Judas was, just as evil-hearted as
Judas was. And I'm going to tell you this.
So are me and you. We look at Judas and we say,
I'm telling you, so are we. So are we. In this, we see that
God has mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will,
he hardens. And that makes me want to cry,
God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Be merciful to me. What shall
we say to these things? Is there unrighteousness with
God? The first thing God's people will say is, God forbid. And the second thing God's people
will say is, who are we to reply against God? Who are we to reply
against God? If we're gonna speak of and if
we're gonna see and if we're gonna learn about and look to
entrust in God's sovereignty and his purpose and his control
and his predestination and his will and his work and his glory,
then we need to bow to it. We need to bow to it. If he said
it, if he did it, if he predestinated it, even so, amen. This is God. When we get to the end of all
this, that's all we can say. This is God. It is the Lord. Let him do what seemeth him good. And that's what he did start
to finish in the carrying out of his own death. He did what
seemed him good. And if it seemed him good, it
was good and it is good. All of his sovereign ways concerning
his people are good. Our Lord told his disciples,
he said, I'm telling you all of this before it happens. So
when it does happen, you will know that I am. And when it happened. He proved that to them, he proved
to them when it happened, he proved. that he was. Matthew and Mark's account both
tell us that after our Lord prayed this prayer to the Father, it
says that he said to the disciples, he went back to his disciples
and he said, rise, let us be going. Behold, he is at hand
that doth betray me. He went and told them, Judas,
wake up, get up, Judas is about to walk up. All right, he's coming
right now. And here is that moment And this
is what our Lord did to prove to his disciples that he was
sovereignly in control of this moment. This has always been
one of my favorite accounts. I just absolutely, you know,
this is one of those times when I just wish I could have been
standing right there. John 18 verse one. When Jesus had spoken
these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook
Cedron, where was a garden into the which he entered and his
disciples. And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place,
for Jesus oft times resorted thither with his disciples. Judas
then, having received a band of men and officers from the
chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns
and torches and weapons. Jesus, therefore, knowing all
things that should come upon him, went forth and said unto
them, whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am. He is in italics. And Judas also,
which betrayed him, stood with them. That's an important line.
He now stood with them. Verse six, as soon then as he
had said unto them, I am, they went backward and fell to the
ground like trees, all of them just fell over backwards. Verse
seven, then asked he them again, whom seek ye? And they said,
Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you
that I am. If therefore you seek me, let
these go their way, that the saying might be fulfilled, which
he spake of them, which thou gavest me, I have lost none. And that's exactly what happened
when he sacrificed himself for his people. He lost none. He
lost none. He sovereignly, purposefully,
victoriously lost none. To Him be all the sovereign glory
for all of His sovereign will and purpose in all things. Amen.