John 13 begins with a declaration
of God the Holy Spirit by which he describes the everlasting
love of the Lord Jesus for his elect. Having loved his own which were
in the world, he loved them unto the end. Our Savior's love for
his people is here described as an everlasting love, having
loved. That's something that God did
from eternity and continues into everlasting, having loved. It is described as a special,
sovereign, distinguishing love, having loved his own. God's love
is always set before us in scripture as the special love of God for
his own, for his own elect. God loves his people from everlasting
and loves his people unto everlasting with no variation, with no change,
because God, our God, is immutable and his love for his own is immutable. And then the Spirit of God speaks
of our Savior's love as a steadfast, immutable, saving love. Having loved his own which were
in the world, he loved them unto the end. Now, do you remember
what our Lord Jesus said about the reason why the wicked of
this world hate him? that hundred and night Psalm
that we read earlier. Did you catch what he said? Listen
to verse 3 of Psalm 109. They compassed me about also
with words of hatred. They found against me, they fought
against me without a cause. Now listen to this. For my love
they are My adversaries. What an astounding statement.
Mark, the whole religious world, every religious person you know
in Danville, Kentucky, loves to talk about God's love. But
if you dare to describe God's love as I have just spoken to
you of it in this book, folks are enraged by it. They're enraged
by it. Our Savior says, for my love,
that is, in return or because of my love, they're my adversaries. Is he telling us here that the
reason for man's hatred of God The reason men set themselves
in opposition to Jesus Christ and his people in every age of
this world's history is his love for his people. That's exactly
what he says. Yes, he declares that men and
women everywhere hate God because God loves his people. That's
the reason Cain hated his brother Abel and murdered him. The Lord
God had respect to Abel and his offering, but to Cain and his
offering, he had no respect. Therefore, Cain arose in hatred
and murdered his brother because he couldn't get his hands on
God. Ishmael persecuted Isaac because God loved Isaac and not
Ishmael. That's why Esau despised Jacob,
because God loved Jacob and not Esau. Men and women everywhere
hate God because he loves his people. In fact, nothing so enrages
ungodly rebels like the fact of God's free, sovereign, saving
love bestowed upon chosen sinners in Christ Jesus the Lord. Before
we look at John 13 turn if you will over here to Romans chapter
9 Romans chapter 9 We're gonna begin at verse 24
Men and women everywhere hate God because God loves his people
Because God loves his people As men and women think about
God's love, his love is insignificant. His love makes no difference.
His love changes nothing. God loves folks who go to hell,
we're told, just like he loves folks he takes to glory. God
loves people who are saved, just like he loves people who are
damned. God loves the wicked, just like he loves the righteous.
But the word of God never speaks that way. Never. Not ever does
it speak that way. I recall reading some years ago,
a fellow Talking about God's love in a sermon and he actually
made this statement now This is this is not some wild fellow
who who can't think there's a well-educated Brilliant highly respected theologian.
He said God loves all men Until he sends them to hell and Then
his love is turned to wrath That was a W toeser Rather than bow to what God reveals
about himself, we will make God mutable, changeable, and useless
like a man. Is that not what the Declaration
is? God loves all men and until he
sends them to hell. And since he loves them and can't
help their ruin, and can't help but their perishing, can't help
to save them, then in anger he turns against their sin and sends
them to hell. What kind of worthless God is
that? That's not how the book speaks.
Romans chapter 9, Romans chapter 9. Y'all get on the phone and start
calling preachers and find out when one in town is going to
be preaching from Romans chapter 9. We'll dismiss services and
go hear it. Find out when anybody in
this town is going to be preaching from it. We'll dismiss services
and go hear it. Romans 9 verse 4. Who are Israelites? Who are they really? To whom
pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants,
and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises?
Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh,
Christ came? Christ, who is over all God,
blessed forever. Amen. Not as though the word
of God hath taken none effect. That is, don't ever imagine the
word of God is meaningless. Don't ever imagine the purpose
of God falls to the ground. For they are not all Israel,
which are of Israel. Neither because they are the
seed of Abraham, Abraham's physical seed. Are they all children? But in Isaac shall thy seed be
called. That is the children of promise.
That is they which are the children of the flesh. These are not the
children of God, but the children of promise are counted for the
seed. For this is the word of promise, God's word that never
is of none effect. This is the word of promise.
At this time will I come and Sarah also shall have a son.
And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived, even by one,
even by our father Isaac, for the children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil. Ron, reckon why he put
that in there. Reckon why he put that in there.
Maybe he intended for us to understand that the purpose of God, according
to election, is not according to your works, but his grace.
Now, I'm just guessing. Maybe that's what he meant for
us to understand. Let's see. For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil. Well, look at that. Astonished I am 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. Oh, well, we can't stand that.
But we just can't, we can't have that. 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. 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. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy. But that's not all the text says.
And whom he will he hearten. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why
doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Nay, but, O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Who
do you think you are to challenge God's right to do what he will
with you and with me? Who are you to reply against
God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the
potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel
unto honor and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show
his wrath and make his power known, endured with much longsuffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? and that he might
make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy
which he had aforeprepared unto glory. The fact is there are
among the fallen sons of Adam just two groups of people. This congregation right here
in this building just as surely as there's one group on this
side and another on this side, this congregation Your sons and
daughters and husbands and wives, moms and dads and mine, is divided
into two groups of people. Two groups which will never swap
places. Never change. They are called
elect and reprobate. The seed of Christ and the seed
of the serpent. Vessels of mercy aforeprepared
to glory in whom and by whom God makes known the riches of
his glory and vessels of wrath fitted to destruction by whom
and in whom God makes his power known. Wheat and tares, sheep and goats. And never do the tares become
wheat or the wheat tares. And never do the sheep become
goats or the goat sheep. And never do the reprobate become
elect nor the elect reprobate. There is a great gulf fixed over
which none shall shall cross. And that gulf is the purpose
of God almighty. Everything, everything. The greatest,
most glaring example of those vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. is the betrayer of our Lord Jesus,
Judas Iscariot. The title of my message this
morning is Judas and the Glory of God. Judas and the Glory of
God. John 13, verse 18. Our Lord Jesus had just told
his disciples, you're all clean through the word that I've spoken
unto you. Then he says, I speak not of you all. You're not all
clean. You're not all clean. He told
him earlier, one of you is a devil. You're not all clean. I know
whom I've chosen. Those whom I've chosen, they're
all clean, but you're not all clean. But that the scripture
may be fulfilled. That is, this has come to pass
according to the prophecy given in the scripture. Psalm 41 verse
9 is where the prophecy is. And now the scripture must be
fulfilled. He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel
against me. The scripture must be fulfilled
and our Lord Jesus here gives this bent to the scripture that
was quoted that is referring to in Psalm 41 9 He says the
one who eats bread with me Hath already lifted up his heel against
me verse 19 Now I tell you before it come to pass I'm telling you
this before it happens. I so that when it is come to
pass, ye may believe that I am." What a statement. I'm telling
you ahead of time, When this has actually come to pass, you're
not going to understand it as it transpires. You're not going
to understand it as the event itself unfolds. But when you
look back on this, you'll remember these words and you will know
that I am. I am he who spoke to Moses out
of the bush. I am the eternal Jehovah. I am God incarnate. I am he the
Christ of God. Verse 20, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me, and he that
receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. When Jesus had thus
said, he was troubled in spirit and testified and said, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one
on another, doubting of whom he spake, not wondering, is he
talking about John? Is he talking about James? Is
he talking about Judas? But rather each of them, except
for Judas, asking, is he talking about me? One of you shall betray me, Lord. Are you telling me something
about myself? Verse 23, now there was leaning
on Jesus bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved. Our English translation given
as it stands is an excellent translation, but it's difficult
for us to understand this language because it's so unfamiliar to
us in practice. When they sat at a table, they
didn't commonly sit at a table with chairs like we do. You remember
when our Lord Jesus was at the feast and the woman came in behind
him and knelt at his feet and anointed his head and washed
his feet with her tears and wiped the hairs off her head and picked
up his feet and began to kiss them? All the time, he's sitting at
the table. They kindly laid at the table with their feet folded
behind them, gently, a very low sitting table, so that folks
sitting closely together, one would lean on another, and there's
nothing more or less implied in this statement. Now, there
was leaning on Jesus' bosom, nothing unmanly about this at
all in that day, one of his disciples whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter
therefore beckoned unto 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? And Jesus answered, he it
is to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop,
he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now, pause
and consider this. How hard, how hard it is for
us to understand anything until he gives us understanding. He
said to John, he said, now John, you see this nice homemade biscuit
I've got right here? When I dip it in this bowl of
gravy and hand it to somebody, that's the man. And he dipped
the bread in the sop and gave it to Judas. And nobody had a
clue who he was talking about. Nobody had a clue because the
Lord hid it from them. Read on. And after the sop, Satan,
I'm sorry, he it is to whom I shall give a sop. And when I've dipped
it, and when he had dipped the sock, he gave it to Judas Iscariot,
the son of Simon. Now verse 27. And after the sock,
Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, that
thou doest do quickly. Now no man at the table knew
for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them, thought
because Judas had the bag that he had said unto him, buy those
things that we have need of against the feast, or that he should
give something to the poor. He then, having received the
sop, went out immediately, and it was night. Therefore, when
he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified
and God is glorified in him. Our text begins with a word of
assurance. The Lord is about to tell his
disciples alarming news. One of you shall betray me. One
of you is a devil. So he begins his word of instruction
with a word of assurance concerning election and predestination. The master says in verses 18
and 19, I know whom I have chosen. The purpose of God, according
to election, stands sure. The Lord knoweth them that are
his. God's elect shall not fail at last to attain into everlasting
glory. God's elect, all of them shall,
after all, persevere in the faith. God's elect, all of them shall
be delivered from every fall. But there's one of you who is
a devil. That the scriptures must be fulfilled,
our Savior says, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up
his heel against me. Our Lord Jesus says now, understand
I know whom I've chosen and understand that every word of God stands
firm. Every prophecy given of God is
a prophecy given according to God's purpose of grace and divine
predestination. And the purpose of God stands
fast. No matter what you see happening
before your eyes, no matter what you see and experience in this
world, don't ever question this. God's word and God's purpose
and God's grace are sure to God's elect. Don't ever question it.
Our Lord's reason for telling us or telling his disciples exactly
what God's purpose for Judas was is made very clear. He says, when it's done, I want
you to believe that I am Jehovah. When it's done, I'm going to
this is this day coming to pass exactly as the scriptures have
said, so that when it's done, you whom I have chosen, you who
are the objects of my grace shall believe that I am. You shall trust me as God, your
Savior. Now with those sweet assurances
stated, in the second place, I want us to look carefully at
what God the Holy Spirit here reveals about Judas Iscariot,
the betrayer. There are three men in the New
Testament who wear the name Judas. Judas, whose surname was Thaddeus,
the brother of James. He was that man who said to the
Lord Jesus, Lord, how is it that that will manifest thyself unto
us and not into the world? This is Jude. That is Judas. Same name. This is Jude who wrote
the epistle of Jude. Then in acts 15, there's a man
named Judas, Judas Barthas, who was sent by the apostles to the
church at Antioch. But when we think of the name
Judas, we almost always think exclusively of this man, Judas
Iscariot. Providentially, he is well-named.
His name means, Bill, Judas the murderer. Judas the murderer. Judas the betrayer. To the everlasting
torment of his soul, He bears His name. The lessons before
us are alarming, and yet at the same time, these things are written,
we're told in Romans 15 verse 4, for our consolation. These alarming lessons about
Judas are written in the book of God for the consolation and
edification of God's elect. Let's look at two or three things
with regard to Judas and what we'll learn from him. I've stated
this before, but it will bear repetition. Lost people. Often enjoy great advantages. By which their guilt is aggravated
and their condemnation is increased. He who has greater light shall
have greater damnation. He who sins against greater knowledge
shall have the greater condemnation in hell. And never was there
a man who sinned against such light and such knowledge as this
man Judas. Certainly, Judas teaches us that
lost men and women may enjoy great, great privileges. Judas
was given advantages, tremendous advantages, countless advantages
over all the men of his age who didn't know God. He was found
among the 12 original apostles. I don't really know how he got
there. I've been trying to work this
thing over in my mind, and I won't say with any measure of certainty,
but as our Lord called his apostles, Judah seems to have just slipped
in with one who was called. He just came along. He crept in to the early church.
and was seated with the apostles. And the Lord Jesus said nothing. But when he sent the apostles
out, he sent out Judas with them. And Judas was named among them.
And Judas had the privilege of being in the constant, almost
24 hour a day company of the son of God for nearly three and
a half years. He heard every sermon the master
preached. He not only heard the public
sermons, he heard the private discourses. When our Lord spoke
to the people in parables, and then he turned around and told
his disciples, this is what the parable means, Judas heard both. Judas had seen all the Lord's
miracles. Not only that, he performed miracles
himself. Matthew chapter 10 tells us plainly
that he was sent out with the 12 and the Lord gave them power. to cleanse lepers and to heal
the sick. He gave him power to do so. You
mean a devil can have such powers? Oh, there are lots of them who
do today. Lots of them who do today. Read 2 Thessalonians 2. Judas was daily in the habit
of conversing with the Son of God. That one of whom the scripture
says, never a man spake like this man. Judas conversed with
him daily. Those were great advantages indeed,
but Judas enjoyed even greater privileges, even greater advantages. If we consider nothing except
what's set before us right here in John chapter 13. Oh, what
countless tokens of kindness and goodness and mercy and grace
Judas observed. The Lord Jesus washed his feet. Imagine that. Imagine that. The Son of God washed his feet
when the betrayer again took his seat at the table The Lamb
of God spoke so gently in declaring that one of those sitting at
the table with him would betray him, that the Savior's words
would melt any heart, break any heart, sting any conscience to
the quick, except the hard, obdurate heart of a man set to murder
him. One of you shall betray me. One
of you. One of you whose feet I had just
washed. And Judas sat there with all
the unmoved steel expression of a heart full of hail. Judas
Iscariot, his heart no arrow of conviction would prick. The
words of the Redeemer in this chapter and the deeds he performed
never pierced the thickness of his hard heart. But there he
sat, unmoved by the most tender words and actions imaginable. I'm not a terribly emotional
man, but there are times when I read this chapter And my heart
just melts as I hear the Savior speak and watch him bow and wash
the feet of these men. God the Son, God the Son takes
this towel, this bowl of water and washes their feet. All the
other apostles heard these words and they trembled. They were
fearful. I know we're taught these days Don't ever doubt. Don't ever
doubt. Don't ever question anything. And I... Would to God we might
walk before him always with confident, full assurance. But Merle, I
just have a real serious problem with... Listen, fellas, I never
have a doubt about anything. I have lots. I have lots. I shouldn't have, but... Can
you imagine what must have gone through the minds of these men?
Each of them says, Lord, is it I? Have I been fooled all this
time? Have I been deceived all this
time? But Judas, he sat there like a volcano. with the fire
of hell raging in his heart. Raging in his soul, set and determined
to murder the son of God. Nothing moved him. And when the
Lord reached and gave him that final fatal sop, he just took
it and ate it and enjoyed it. Nothing moved Judas. Then he
withdrew. Still his hardness of heart The
determination with which he pursued his hatred of the Lord Jesus
is made manifest. As soon as he left the table,
though it was night, Judas made his way back to Jerusalem, a
two hour walk in the dark. And the only records we have
are the records of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. No one else has
any record at all of what's going on. And Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John tell us nothing. about any feelings, any emotions,
any convictions, any twinge of conscience, any prickings of
heart this man experienced. Instead, it appears that he,
with steely determination, made his way to Jerusalem at night
and found the chief priest and struck a deal with him for 30
pieces of silver. 30 pieces of silver to betray the
Lord of Glory. Joe, he needed 30 pieces of silver
about as much as you needed a boy's lunch money. He carried the bag. He didn't have any need of anything. But he wanted the blood of the
Son of God. That's all. For my love. They are my adversaries. They hated me without a cause. As he walked by night to perform
this deed, all along that solitary walk, he walked determined to
betray the Lord Jesus. No indication that his heart
was even momentarily softened. On the contrary, The very next
thing we find him doing is taking his place with the Lord Jesus
and the other apostles at the Passover. David, he went out at night,
looked up the chief priest, and struck a deal to betray the Savior
for 30 pieces of silver, and comes back with the Lord Jesus
and his apostles in that large upper room and gathers with them
to keep the feast of the Passover. And the Son of God, whom he betrayed,
took the bread and the wine and handed it to Judas. And Judas
took it from him, whom he had already betrayed, ate the bread
and drank the wine And as they sang the closing hymn, I dare
say you could hear Judas singing over everybody else. As all tenderness was lost upon
that hardened wretch, so the alarms of judgment had no effect
on him. when Judas daringly led that
band of soldiers out to betray the Savior. And the Lord Jesus
raised the question, whom seek ye? And they said, we seek Jesus
of Nazareth. And the master said, I am. You
remember what happened? Remember what happened? They
fell away as dead men. But I'll tell you what I had
never noticed, Lindsay, until preparing this message. John
tells us Judas was among them. Judas, I want to remind you one
more time who I am. And they fall away as dead men.
And the master said again, I am. But nothing pricked his heart.
You see, neither miracles nor acts of kindness nor privileges
nor acts of judgment can ever penetrate the heart of a man,
not Judas and not you. The greatest opportunities and
the greatest privileges and the best of company and the best
preaching the world's ever known will never give a sinner life
and faith. Salvation is of the Lord. God has mercy on whom he will
have mercy. If the Lord God grants you life,
If God grants you faith, if God gives you repentance, if God
causes you now to believe on the Son of God, it is altogether
the goodness of God that leadeth thee to repentance. Nothing else
ever will. Salvation is of the Lord. Second, and I'll be very brief,
understand the only difference between Judas and you. The only difference between Judas
and me is the distinguishing grace of
God. That's all. That's all. Nothing else. Jude. speaks like this, he says,
concerning God's elect, they are chosen, sanctified, and called. Concerning the reprobate, Jude
says, they were before of old ordained to this condemnation. And so they run greedily after
the way of Korah and after the greediness of Balaam. So they run greedily to destruction. The only difference between you
and Judas, the only difference between me and Judas is this. Oh, hear it and worship God. with praise and thanksgiving.
God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation
by our Lord Jesus Christ. That's all. That's all. God hath
not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ. All right, now back in our text,
learn one more thing. Verse 30, and having received
the sop, he that having received the sop
went out immediately, and it was night. When he was gone out, Jesus said,
now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. All this was done that the Lord
Jesus might in due time die for the ungodly as he had come to
die. that the Lord Jesus might now
be put to death, the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to God, that the Lord Jesus might now satisfy the justice
of God with his own sin-atoning blood and glorify God in the
salvation of his people. Understand that Judas caused
no harm. No harm. Judas, in fact, only
served to accomplish God's purpose. Our Lord Jesus gave the bread
and wine to Judas to let us know that the ordinances of God are
not to be fenced by us as though we could be judges of men. He
says that the wheat and tares go together. You don't know the
difference. Leave him alone. He'll separate them. He'll separate
them by his word. He'll separate them by divine
judgment, but he'll do the separating. Judas did no harm in the kingdom
of God, but only served to accomplish God's purpose. And when all said
and done, God was therefore, that is, by Judas' own wicked
hands, glorified. The Lord hath made all things
for himself, Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. God Almighty
rules everywhere absolutely for the saving of his people. And
soon, soon Judas and the devil, the very slime
of the serpent and all devils represented in him, Every wicked
man and wicked deed shall be taken away. They shall be sent
out to bear the gnawing worm of guilt and the torments of
their consciences forever among the damned in hell. And all that
was left when Judas went out was Christ, and his church blessed. And all that shall be left when
God overturns and calls us to redound to his glory, all the
devices of Satan shall be Christ and his church blessed in glory
forever. Amen.