John chapter 18, the title of the message, the betrayal
of Christ. We go from Boaz, such a beautiful
story of Ruth and Boaz to this betrayal. of our Lord by a familiar
friend. He calls him over in the Psalms. The hour that our Lord spoke
of in chapter 17 is now beginning to unfold. It is the hour of
our redemption, the hour of his suffering. He calls it the hour
of darkness. In Luke 22, 53, when I was daily
with you in the temple, you stretched forth no hands against me, but
this is your hour and the power of darkness. It's the beginning of the end
for which purpose he came. He came to die. And in just a
little bit, he's going to die. He's going to give death its
death blow. He's going to go back to heaven.
As he's told his disciples, I go to the father. And there he sits right now,
victorious. The captain of our salvation
has won the war. He has won the battle and the
war, and he did it by himself. He did it by himself. No captain
ever did that. No general ever did that. But
our Lord did. The battle's not yours, he said,
it's mine. And he did it. He won it. In verse 1, when Jesus had spoken
these words, all these words, chapter 13, 14, 15, 16, He went forth with His disciples
over the brook Sidron, where was a garden, into the which
He entered in His disciples. This brook of Sidron is spoken
of in 2 Samuel chapter 15. It's the same brook that David
when he was fleeing from Absalom, his son, went across this brook. You can see that in 2 Samuel
15 verse 23, they go across this brook. Someone said this, David
crossed this brook when he fled from the wrath of his son. Christ
crossed this brook to meet the wrath of his father. David fled
from it. Christ went to meet it. He went forth. That's what he
says there. He went forth to meet them. And
in meeting them, he ends up in the judgment hall. And from there
he ends up on Calvary's tree. And there he met his father's
wrath that was against us. Let us never lose the real sense
of that. Sometimes I feel like myself,
sometimes I feel like I lose the reality of it. You know,
we read it and we read it and we hear it and we hear it preached
every week. And sometimes I think we lose the reality of what has
happened. Our Lord actually doing this
for us, actually taking the wrath of God in our stead. I don't
want to lose the reality of that. I want that to ever be before
me. I want Christ and him crucified
to ever be before me. That's my hope of glory. And
now it's interesting that the greatest events that has ever
happened, happened in a garden. Happened in a garden. In the
Garden of Eden, the first Adam was placed. God created him perfect. No sin in Adam when God created
him and put him in a perfect garden, a perfect environment.
At one time, all this was perfect. It's hard to imagine, but it
was. And there in that garden, he was given power over all creation. Adam at one time was king over
the earth. He lost that position by the
fall, but he had it one time. And in this same garden, Adam
fell and brought sin and death into the world. You know, I was watching my mother
in the hospital here just a couple of days ago and barely able to
talk and just barely communicate. I'm not looking at the effects
of old age. I'm looking at the effects of
sin. This is what sin has done to us. All the heartaches, all
the pain, all the aging and what comes with it is the effect of
sin. That's what it is. And when Adam
fell, he brought all that in to this world. All of it. But now here in the second Adam,
he's in a garden, the Garden of Gethsemane, and he's being
made SIN. The sin that was brought in,
the sin that I am, he's being made. He was made to be sin for
us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. And he's preparing himself as
a sacrifice. THE LORD HATH LAID ON HIM THE
INIQUITY OF US ALL. Like you go back in Leviticus
and you'll see where they laid their hands on the high priest
and laid hands on that bullock and the sins were typically laid
on that goat and it was killed, on that bullock and it was killed.
This is our sacrifice right now. This is what's going on. It's
not just a mob that hates him, though they do. But it's the
sacrifice, being prepared for the slaughter, being prepared
to be sacrificed. And then we see that it was in
a garden where Christ was buried and rose again. In a garden,
the first Adam fell. In a garden, the second Adam
was made to be sent forth. In a garden, he was buried and
rose again without sin. without sin. He said he's coming
back the second time without sin. The sin issue has been dealt
with, it's over with as far as he's concerned. And in a little
while it'll be completely over with for us. I can't imagine what it'd be
like not to have a thought go through your mind that should
not go through your mind. I can't imagine what it'd be
like never to have a temptation, never to be tempted, not even
know what that's like anymore. In a little while, that'll be
over with because he had put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. And then we have this Judas which
betrayed him. He betrayed him. What a title
to be tagged with. Judas which betrayed him. You
know, when someone is tagged with being a Judas, Everyone
knows what that means. It means you are a betrayer.
If you're called a Judas, you're called a betrayer. What a title to be tagged with.
And Judas knew the place where our Lord was at. He knew this
place well because he'd been there many times with the Lord.
He sat and listened to Him talk many times in that garden. He listened to Him pray many
times in that garden. Judas did. You know it's interesting that
whenever the Lord said, One of you is going to betray Me, that
none of them suspected Him. They never suspected Him. We
see in Judas, and this is sobering, it's a sobering. We see in Judas
how close one can walk with the Lord like he did, and
I don't mean walk in a spiritual sense, but in a profession, in
a profession, and to walk with his people and not know the Lord
at all. He knew the Lord, but he didn't
know Him. HE COULD TELL YOU MANY THINGS ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE WAS
WITH HIM FOR THREE YEARS. BUT HE DIDN'T KNOW HIM. HE DID
NOT KNOW HIM. DEPART FROM ME, I NEVER KNEW
YOU, THE LORD SAID, TO A MULTITUDE. THAT'S VERY SOBERING TO ME. LORD,
DON'T LET ME BE A JUDAS. Don't let me walk a profession
and not have a possession of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Judas,
having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests
and Pharisees, they came there with lanterns and torches and
weapons, weapons. They never needed a weapon before. I thought of the scripture, I
jotted it down before coming out here. No weapon that is formed
against thee shall prosper. They come out with those weapons.
This is God. You know what His weapon is?
You know what the Lord's weapon is? Not was, but is? His Word. You'll see what happens when
He just opened His mouth and He says, I am. You see, the weapon
that we have is God's Word. And that's all we need is God's
Word. That's all we need. Now Judas received this band
of men and he led the assault against Christ. Christ, the one
who called him a familiar friend has lifted up his heel against
me. And he's the one who leads the assault. I've seen this so
many times. I've seen this Many times over the years, some
of the men or people who were your closest, your biggest supporters
become your worst enemies. I know of a situation where two
men became, they were staunch supporters of a pastor, and they
became his enemies, and God killed both those men. God killed both
of them, but not until they had seasoned that pastor. God used
them to season that pastor. I can see it now looking back,
made him stronger, but they paid the price for it. And they were
his staunch supporters and they became his worst enemies. Judas led that, he led that group
against the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you'll notice, it says
here, having received a band of men and officers from the
chief priests and Pharisees, organized religion was his greatest
enemy. It's his greatest enemy. It was
the chief priest and the Pharisees. And organized religion will always
be the chief enemies of Christ and the gospel. It always will
be. The greatest enemies of the gospel
is not drunks and harlots and people like that. That's just
them being who they are. It's false religion. It's this
false Christianity. They've hijacked the name of
Christianity is what they've done. But Christianity, what's so-called
Christianity in this country is the worst enemy of the gospel. But our Lord knew this, listen,
our Lord knew this. Nothing takes Him by surprise.
There in verse 4, the Lord Jesus Christ, He knows all things that
should come on Him. He KNEW this was coming. He KNEW
this was coming. I like the way it says this.
Knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth. What did Adam do? He hid. When
God came into the garden, Adam hid. What does our Lord do? He
goes to meet it. He literally goes to meet this
band of men with their weapons and their torches and he goes
out to meet them. He is as calm. He's as calm as
he was when he was asleep on that boat when it was in the
storm. He's just as calm. He greets them. He greets them. HE DOESN'T TRY TO RUN AND HIDE,
BUT HE WILLINGLY GOES FORTH AND MEETS THEM. HE SAID, WHO YOU
LOOKING FOR? WHOM SEEK YOU? OUR LORD WAS A WILLING SACRIFICE.
A WILLING SACRIFICE. BEING GOD, HE KNEW WHAT WAS COMING,
HE ORDAINED WHAT'S COMING. YOU KNOW THAT? HE ORDAINED WHAT'S
COMING. He knows that every step was
divinely ordered before creation in Revelation 13 8 and all that
dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are written Whose
names let me read it and all that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him Whose names are not written in the book of life of
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world Slain from the foundation
of the world he knew this was coming He knew it was coming And when he goes out to meet
them and he asks them, he stops them. He stops them. He
said, who are you looking for? Who are you looking for? And
they said, Jesus of Nazareth. And the Lord said to them, I
am. He makes this bowl. POWERFUL
STATEMENT, I AM. This is the same I AM speaking
to Moses in Exodus 3 verse 14 in that burning bush. Who shall
I say sent me? I AM that I AM. That's the same
one standing there in front of them. You know, people have their
imagination of what God is like. Well, right here He is. We don't have to wonder. Just
open His Word. He's revealed Himself in His
Word and He says, I AM. Jesus Christ is the I AM. They
nailed the I AM to the cross. The I AM died for me. The I AM
redeemed me. The I AM put away my sins. I'm
going to be saved. If the I AM did that for you,
you're going to be saved. I mean there's nothing that can
break that salvation if I AM took your sins and died on Calvary's
tree to put them away. I AM. Here our Lord lets all know with
certainty that He is the I AM of the Old Testament. Here he is. And as soon as he had said unto
them, I am, they went backwards and fell to the ground. I wish that God would speak this
morning like that. I wish the power of God would speak this morning like
that. and melt my heart, your heart, and make us to fall right
on the ground, spiritually speaking. I thought of the verse in Ecclesiastes
8, 4, where the word of a king is, there's power. You see his
weapon, his weapon is his word. It's his word. If he speaks,
sinners are slain. If that scared them when he said,
I am, and they fell backwards to the ground, if that scared
them, if that made them so weak-kneed, they couldn't even stand up.
What's it going to be like in judgment? Let me read you some verses.
Let me read over here, I've got these marked in Revelation chapter 6. Listen
to this. In verse 12. And I beheld when he had opened
the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake, and the
sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became
as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as
a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a
mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a
scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island
were moved, out of their places, and the kings of the earth, and
the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the
mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves
in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to
the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face
of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
For the great day of his wrath is come, who shall be able to
stand? Now if he just, if they fell
to the ground out of fear when he said, I am, what is that day
going to be like? You know, there is a fear coming
on the whole human race of unbelievers that is, they've never experienced,
never experienced, but it's coming. It's coming. And then he said, ask them again
as they are laying on the ground. Here they are, this whole band
with their weapons, with their weapons, laying on the ground
with their weapons and their torches. And the Lord of glory, the omnipotent
God is going to have to enable them to get up and finish the
job. He's going to have to enable them to do what they came to
do. If there ever was an opportunity for him to escape, here it is.
But he doesn't. He doesn't. He asked them again,
whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
It's interesting, they identified him as Jesus of Nazareth. Can
any good thing come out of Nazareth? You see how we justify ourselves
and what we do? they by saying this they're saying
jesus of nazareth that nobody nothing good comes out of that
place they were saying this in human in trying to humiliate
him jesus of nazareth and he answered and i've told
he said i've told you i am i am now if you seek me If that's
who you're after, if you're really after me, then let these go their
way. You notice here in this verse
8 how our Lord put his disciples out of harm's way. You see the
battle is his. It says in Hebrews 1 that he
by himself purged us from our sins. This is his, this is his
work. This is the work the Father gave
him to come into this world and finish. HE PUSHED THEM OUT OF
THE WAY, JUST AS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HAS TAKEN US OUT OF THE
WAY, SET US OUT OF HARMS WAY, SET US OUT OF JUDGEMENT, AND
TOOK OUR JUDGEMENT HIMSELF. I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT THE WRATH
OF GOD IS LIKE AGAINST SIN. I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE IT. WE CAN
HAVE SOME REAL UNDERSTANDING OF IT WHEN WE LOOK AT CHRIST
ON CALVARY'S TREE. AND WE SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM
BECAUSE OF OUR SINS. SINS OF ALL GOD'S ELECT WERE
LAID ON HIM. AND HE PUT THESE OUT OF THE WAY.
HE SAID LET THESE GO THEIR WAY. YOU'RE AFTER ME. YOU LEAVE THEM
ALONE. AND THEY DID. THEY DID. they left him alone
but they left him alone that this that the scripture might
be fulfilled which the lord said of them which thou gavest me
have i lost none full victory our lord has full victory he
will have full count for redemption i lose none of them None of them's
gonna be lost. And Simon Peter, having a sword,
drew it, and he spoke to a high priest's servant, and he cut
off his right ear. You know, in one place, it says the Lord
healed him. The Lord healed that man's ear.
It says here he cut it off. And the Lord put it back on.
And his name was Malchus. You know, rarely do we know the
servant's name, but this one's name, this one is named. Peter meant to kill him. Peter
didn't mean to cut his ear off. He meant to kill him. The battle, listen, the battle
we are in is not carnal and it's not fought with carnal weapons. I thought of this in Titus. Let me read this to you in Titus.
Let me see the verse. The qualification of a bishop,
a pastor, a preacher is given here in Titus. In verse 7, listen,
For a bishop must be blameless as the steward of God. He can't
be self-willed. You see, Peter's going to have
to be molded. The Lord's going to have to work
on him a lot yet. He can't be self-willed. Not soon angry. Well, Peter would
fly off in a heartbeat. But the Lord knows how to bring
us down. You know what he let Peter do? To whittle him down? Deny him three times. The Lord
knows how to whittle us down. Before Peter could be used as
a preacher of the gospel, he had to be whittled down. He had
to be laid in the dust. Had to be. You can't be self-willed. It's Lord thy will, not mine.
You can't be soon angry. You can't be given to anger and
not given to one. You can't be a striker. You can't
be someone that's ready to beat you up all the time. You can't
be a striker, not given to filthy lucre, but a lover of hospitality,
a lover of good men, sober, holy, temperate, and it goes on there.
But what he says you can't be, we see every bit of that in Peter.
And then the Lord lets Peter deny him three times. He needed
it. He needed it. God's going to
use it. We're going to use it because the battle, the battle
we are in is not fought with carnal weapons. It's a spiritual
warfare says in second Corinthians 10, four for the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal. but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strongholds. The gospel is our weapon. The Word of God is our weapon.
It's a two-edged sword. It cuts both ways. Peter meant to kill him, but
the Lord told him to put that sword up. This is not how we
fight this battle. We fight it with truth. Nothing
more powerful than truth, God's truth. And the Lord said to Peter,
put that sword up, Peter, put that sword back in its sheath.
That's the way carnal men fight. The cup which my father has given
me to drink, he's given me, shall I not drink it? If he doesn't,
we will. But he's gonna drink this cup
of wrath. It's a cup of God's wrath against
the sins of all God's elect. He's gonna drink damnation dry,
our damnation. He's gonna drink every drag of
it. And I thought of this. He said, the cup my father has
given me, shall I not drink it? When you drink something, you
take it in. The torment, the real torment,
I mean we see him hanging on a cross, he was mutilated, but
the real torment was in, it was in him, it was in his soul. The
real wrath and fire of God's wrath was burning in him. And he took it. He took it. He satisfied justice. He extinguished that fire, and
now there's no fire to be concerned with. No. I'm thinking now, and I've told
you this before. I've heard Henry tell it several
times. But he's talking about a wagon
train going out west. And he said that there was a
fire, how that brush would catch on fire. And it was burning.
And that wagon master told him to burn a circle out. Then they
got inside that circle. And the little girl was all scared
and telling her father the fire was getting closer. He says,
honey, don't worry. You're standing on burnt ground.
And where the fire burned once, it's not going to burn again.
There's no more fuel for it. There's no more fuel for the
fire. It's out. Our Lord has extinguished the
fire of God's wrath. Jesus Christ is burnt ground. He's burnt ground. And where
the fire of God's wrath is burned, it will not burn again. Then
the band and the captain, I'm going to close. Then the band
and the, in verse 12 and 13, the band and the captain and
officers of the Jews took Jesus and they bound him. And they led him away to Annas
first, and then to the, which, where he was father-in-law to
Caiaphas, which was a high priest that same year. But they did
two things. They bound him and they led him
away. Now we know they did not bind him because he was fighting
them. No one ever willingly went to their death as the Lord did. No one. Here's why they bound
him. Psalm 118.27 God is the Lord
which has showed us light bind the sacrifice with cords even
unto the horns of the altar they were to bind the sacrifice to
the altar isn't that what Abraham did to Isaac he bound him to
the not that Isaac was fighting him we don't read that Isaac
willingly laid down on that altar, I believe. He was young enough
to where he could overpower his old father. He didn't. He laid down, and he let Abraham
bind him to the altar. That's the way the sacrifice
was offered. He was bound to the altar, and
they bound him. Isn't it so beautiful how the
Scriptures come together? And they led him away. They didn't
drag him. They didn't drag him, they didn't drive him. He is
led as a sheep to the slaughter. At this point you can go over
and read Isaiah 53 and it fits right in here. He was oppressed, he was afflicted,
and yet he opened not his mouth. He's brought as a lamb to the
slaughter. He's led, he's brought as a lamb to the slaughter. And
as a sheep before his shearers is done, he opened not his mouth. He didn't try to get out of it.
He didn't complain. He didn't complain. Good night,
we break a fingernail and complain. He didn't complain. They bound him. Boy, it's just
beautiful language because it fits so much in the Word of God.
They bound him and they led him away. He's headed for the cross. And there we are going to see
shortly our redemption, our Redeemer, how God saves sinners.