Okay, this morning we're going
back to Matthew chapter 26. And I'm taking the title for
the message from these words found in verse 54. Matthew 26
at verse 54. But how then shall the Scripture
be fulfilled that thus it must be? Remember our Lord told his
disciples before, I must go to Jerusalem, I must be betrayed,
I must be crucified, I must be raised again the third day. These things are not an option. For the Lord Jesus Christ, this
was an absolute must. This must come to pass. If it
doesn't, we don't have forgiveness of sin. If it doesn't, we don't
have salvation, do we? These tremendous events of this
monumental day all come to pass at this hour, this time, this
place, because of the eternal sovereign decrees of Almighty
God. that are given to us throughout
the Word of God. Everything the Lord, you notice
how many times it said this was done and that was done, that
the Scripture might be fulfilled, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. We read in Acts chapter 2, him
being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God. They could not arrest him that
day without determinate counsel of God. You see him in absolute
control of all things when they came to arrest him. And he said,
well, who are you after? Well, Jesus, I am. They hit the
ground. They hit the ground. They all
fell backward to the ground. When the Apostle Paul writes
in 1 Corinthians 15, when he talks about the gospel that he
received, how that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to
the scripture. That's so key, so important.
How Christ died for our sins according to the scripture. How
he was buried, how he was raised again the third day according
to the scriptures. These things must be Of him and
through him and to him are all things to whom be glory both
now and forever. I want you to think about this
for a minute. I'll give you something to chew
on this week. The things that come to pass in our life as believers,
these things that come to pass in our life day to day, day to
day, these things must be. They must be, because God sends
these things our way. Now we see the eternal purpose
of God. unfold before our eyes as we
read these last chapters. You understand here that this
evening the Lord is arrested, and he's tried before the high
priest, and then the next morning he's delivered under Pilate,
and that day he's crucified. So we're just not within 24-hour
window of the Lord Jesus Christ as we read this, laying down
His life for our sin. We see the Lord Jesus Christ
begin to drink that cup of wrath for our sins. He prayed, Father,
if it Thy will, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not
my will, Thy will be done. Here we see the Lord begin to
drink the cup of God's wrath of our sin and judgment because
of our sin. One old writer said this, may
we never forget that our sins are the cause of all his sorrows
and griefs. Our sins are the cause of his
sorrows and grief. Isaiah 53 where it talks about
he was smitten and afflicted of God. Why? Because he was wounded
for our transgression. He was bruised for our iniquity.
The chastisement of our peace is laid upon him. And thank God
with his stripes, we're healed. We are healed in Christ Jesus. Now, several things I want us
to look at. First of all, in verse 47, down
through verse 49, We see here the deed of Judas, who betrayed
the Lord Jesus Christ with a kiss. While he yet spake, lo, Judas,
one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with
swords and staves from the chief priests and the elders of the
people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying,
Whomsoever I shall kiss, the same is he. Hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus. that is Judas, the betrayer,
came to the Lord Jesus Christ. And he doesn't call him, you
remember before I pointed out, the other said, Lord, is it I?
Is it I? When the Lord said, one of you
will betray me. Remember what Judas said? Master,
is it I? But he says the same thing here.
Hail, Master. And he kissed him. He kissed
him. Judas, what do you see in this? several things, Judas is a prime
example of just how sinful and how wicked our flesh truly is. That's a picture of humanity
selling out on the Lord Jesus Christ. Jeremiah writes about
our wickedness and he says, the heart is deceitful above all
things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? We don't even
know how desperately wicked we are. One old writer, I believe
it was John Newton, said, if I fully understood just how totally
depraved I am, I'd go crazy. Desperately wicked, who can know
it? That includes you, that includes me, that includes every son of
Adam born of a woman. including my dear little grandson
that's here today for the first time. He's a depraved sinner
just like his grandpa, a depraved sinner. He proved it yesterday. He proved it yesterday. But we're thankful the Lord has
been pleased to give us children. But we've all sinned. You mothers
know this and you grandmothers know this. These little ones,
they get all wound up and they double up their fist and they
turn red and they cry. If they had a knife, they'd stab
you. Why do they do that? It's that
nature of Adam's sin that we all have. We all have. Because
in Adam, we've all sinned. In Adam, we've all come short
of the glory of God. In Adam, all died. In Adam, all
have sinned. Don't tell me your children are
not sinners. They prove it, don't they? You parents don't teach
your children to lie, do you? No? But do they lie? Yeah? That's their nature. That's their nature. It's not
their nature to tell the truth. Not their nature. Not only did
Judas betray the Lord Jesus Christ, you remember he sold him for
30 pieces of silver. Turn over to Matthew 26, look
back at verse 14. Then one of the 12 called Judas
Iscariot went to the chief priest. Now one of the 12, he was one
of the 12 apostles. Said to them, what will you give
me and I'll deliver him unto you. And they coveted with him
for 30 pieces of silver. And from that time, he sought
opportunity to betray the Lord Jesus Christ. 30 pieces of silver. In that day, it was a common
price for a slave. Judas sold the Lord out for 30
pieces of silver. Judas betrayed the Lord with
a kiss. We find just in our last message
that Peter, James, and John, the Lord said, pray with me. What? Could you pray with me
for one hour when the Lord came back and found them, what? Sleeping
on the job. Sleeping on the job. And then
when we read in verse 56, we see all these disciples who said,
we'll never leave you. We'll never deny you. We'll never
be ashamed of you. We find all of them. Now they're
not sleeping on the job, they're running away from the job. My point is this. This flesh
is failing, sinful, weak flesh. Don't put your confidence in
the flesh. We are the true Israel which
worship God in the spirit, that rejoice in Christ Jesus, and
we have no confidence, no confidence in the flesh. There is no sin
that we're not capable of committing apart from the restraining grace
of God. Now don't ever boast and say,
like Peter. Don't ever boast like Peter.
I'll never, I'll never. You just might, apart from God's
grace. We are to beware of our own sinful
and deceitful heart. We are to make our calling and
election sure. We're gonna study that in 1 Peter,
or 2 Peter chapter one, verse 10. We're to examine our heart,
whether we be in the faith, examine ourselves whether to be in the
faith. Judas was one of the 12 apostles. Now he's numbered and
identified with this bloodthirsty, godless crowd seeking the Lord's
death. Judas knew. Judas knew what they
wanted to do with him. They went out and plotted how
they might take him and kill him. Judas sells out the Lord
for money and then betrays him with a kiss. He calls him Master, not Lord,
and then with a kiss of hypocrisy and wickedness, he betrays the
Lord Jesus Christ. He betrayed the Lord. Now, hold
on your seat. As the old preacher said, grab
ahold of your pew, we're gonna jump a creek. Now listen, there
are many fine religious folks, just like Judas, one of the 12,
who call themselves Christian, Yet in reality, they have forsaken
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and denied the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the power of God unto
salvation. They have forsaken the gospel
of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, and they have rather,
as Paul described it, embraced another gospel, which is not
another. They've sold out the Lord Jesus
Christ and portrayed the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm talking about
mainstream Christianity. They've sold out on the Lord
Jesus Christ for another gospel, portraying the Lord Jesus Christ
with false doctrine in the lives of men. We studied in Matthew
7, verse 15, beware of false prophets who come unto you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. In 2 Corinthians 11, the Apostle
Paul gives this warning. He said, Satan parades as an
angel of light, and his ministers are ministers of righteousness,
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no
marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of
light. Dober thinks Satan's going to
come with with pointed horns and a tail and a pitchfork dressed
up in a red suit. That's fairy tales. He comes
in subtlety. He comes as an angel of light. And his ministers, they're transformed
as ministers of righteousness. They preach morality. What's
wrong with that? When you preach morality for
salvation, you have condemnation. That's what you've got. In reality,
they're totally denying the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They
deny the work of the Father choosing and electing sinners unto salvation. You read Ephesians chapter one
where it says, God had chosen us according as he has blessed
us. with all spiritual blessing according as he chose us in him
before the foundation of the world. What does that mean? That
means the father chose the people to salvation. But this religious
world, they deny the electing love and electing grace of God.
They say things like, well, God voted for you and the devil voted
against you. Now you cast a deciding vote.
That's their idea of election. That's Tommy Rot. God chose a
people unto salvation. But this religious world, I'm
talking about mainstream Christianity. They not only deny the work of
the Father, choosing and electing, they deny the glorious work and
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. They deny his deity.
Who he is? Who is the Lord Jesus Christ?
Well, he's a nice guy from Nazareth. He's God Almighty. Manifest in
the flesh. Without controversy, great is
the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh.
Many people in religious circles deny the deity of Christ. They
do not think that he is God, manifest in the flesh. Under
the guise of religious hypocrisy, they deny not only the glorious
person of Christ, but they deny the effectual atonement of Christ.
What did the Lord Jesus Christ accomplish when he died at Calvary?
Well, he made salvation a possibility if you'll meet certain conditions.
That's not the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ actually
secured the everlasting salvation of his covenant people. And he
said, all that the Father gives me, they'll come to me and I'll
never cast them out. He gives them eternal life. He
saves them with an everlasting salvation because Christ obtained
for them eternal redemption with his own blood. This religious
world hates definite atonement, particular redemption. The word
of God teaches us, teaches this, in whom we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches
of his grace. You say, preacher, why bring
these things up if they're controversial? They're not controversial. This
is gospel 101. God chose a people. Christ died
affectionately for those people. And God the Holy Spirit, Here's
the third thing they deny. You read Ephesians chapter one.
They deny the effectual, irresistible, powerful, quickening work of
God the Holy Spirit. They've reduced salvation to
walk an aisle and make a decision. rather than God the Holy Spirit
quickening dead sinners to life. But they deny these things. They
deny these things. They deny quickening, regeneration
by the Spirit of God, and God reconciling sinners to the Lord
Jesus Christ. These things are denied. Now
if you think I'm making this up, try it on some of your religious
friends and see what happens. this church, this ministry was
established almost 40 years ago. This building was built in 1985.
I was here the first meeting that ever was held in this building.
A gospel preacher came by the name of Mahan, Pastor Henry Mahan,
and he came here in the spring of 1986. And this whole ministry
was started, and from the get-go, the gospel's been preached from
this pulpit. And the reason it was established
here is because nobody else in this county that we know of was
preaching the gospel. There was religion everywhere,
but nobody preaching the gospel of the grace of God in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Believers do kiss the Lord Jesus
Christ with a kiss of love, gratitude, and adoration. They do kiss the
Son, don't they? They do kiss Him. They do lay
hold upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, here's the second point. Verse 50. Verse 49, verse 50. Judas comes to the Lord Jesus
and said, hail, master, and kissed him. And the Lord said to him,
friend, and notice this is a question, wherefore art thou come? Then
came they and laid hands on Jesus and took him. Now we know that
Judas was not a friend in the sense that God said, Abraham
is my friend. The Lord could have called him
by many true names to describe the character of Judas, because
the scripture calls him a traitor. The scripture calls him a betrayer.
And then the Lord said, I've chosen you 12, and one of you
is a devil. The Lord could have called him
a villain, but instead, the Lord calls him a friend. I've looked
at this and I've thought about this a long time. I know it says
in Matthew 11, the Lord Jesus Christ is called the friend of
publicans and sinners. But I think mainly the reason
that he addresses Judas here as the friend is to fulfill all
scripture. Because if you go back to Psalm
41 verse 9, don't turn, let me just read it to you. It says
there, yea, my own familiar friend in whom I trusted which did eat
of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. Wherefore, art
thou come to me as a friend or a foe, a friend or an enemy? Judas, are you coming to me as
an enemy or as a friend? Now, if you turn, hold your place
there and turn to Luke 22 where this is given. And I think this
is more in line of a question rather than making a statement.
Because it says here in Luke 22, verse 47, where this is given. Luke 22, 47. While he yet spake,
behold, a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the
twelve went before them and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. And the Lord said to him, Judas,
betrayeth thou the Son of Man with a kiss? Question. That's a question. Judas, are
you a friend or are you a betrayer? Are you going to betray me with
a kiss? So we can look at it at that point. But the thing
that I think that we can take home with us and think of, the
Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners. I take my place there
as a sinner. This is a faithful saying, worthy
of all acceptation, the Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners. came to save sinners. The second
part of verse 50, they laid hands, now you think about this, they
laid hands on Jesus and took him. Now, consider who this man
is. He's no ordinary man. This is the one who said that
I do according to my will in the army of heaven and among
the habitants of this earth and no one can stay my hand or say
to me, what are you doing? This is almighty God submitting
himself willingly to die as our substitute. They laid hands on
him and took him. In John 18, 12, it says they
took him and bound him. They were only able to do this
according to the decree and will and purpose of Almighty God.
For we read in the book of Acts chapter 4 that Herod and Pontius
Pilate and the Jews and the Gentiles were all gathered together for
to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before
to be done. As our surety of that eternal
covenant, he was arrested for our sin. He bare our sin in his
own body on the tree. As a sacrificial lamb of God,
he was arrested by the holy justice of God as the lamb of God. He said in John 10, I lay down
my life for the sheep. He said, no man takes my life
from me. I have power to lay it down. I have power to take
it again. This commandment have I received of my father. We read
in John 18 verse 8, don't turn there, let me just read this
to you again. When the Lord said, I've told
you that I am, if therefore you seek me, let these go. The holy justice of God laid
hold upon him and his people are set free. Set free. He took our punishment and set
us free. Stand fast in the liberty where
with Christ has set us free. God who spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Hallelujah, what a savior. Man
of sorrows, acquainted with grief, we hid as it were our face from
him. smitten stricken of God and afflicted
Hallelujah, what a Savior what a Savior we have to willingly
submit himself and you can read the rest of the record in Matthew
26 and 27 how they abused him so much Here's the next thing
I want us to look at verse 51 down to verse 54 behold one of
them we know it was Peter and which were with Jesus, stretched
out his hand and drew his sword and struck a servant of the high
priest and smote off his ear. Then said the Lord unto him,
Peter, put up your sword, put up your sword into its place
for all they that take the sword are going to perish with the
sword. Thinkest thou not that I cannot now pray to my father,
and he shall presently give me more than 12 legions of angels? But how then shall the scripture
be fulfilled? Thus it must be." It must be. Peter, did the Lord really need
Peter to defend him? We learn here that the spiritual
kingdom of Christ is not established by carnal means, physical means,
but rather the means of the gospel of Christ, His blood, and His
righteousness. We know it was Peter who drew
the sword, and we know it was Peter who cut off the servant's
ear, and we know the Lord Jesus Christ healed that man on the
spot. That must have impressed those soldiers somewhat, don't
you think? Who is this man? He picked up
that ear that had just been lopped off and stuck it back on that
man's ear. What did those servants think?
They had to be impressed, no doubt. Once again, the Lord rebukes
Peter. Peter, put up your sword. I don't
need your help. And the apostle writes in 2 Corinthians
10, though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh.
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through
God to the pulling down of stronghold. The Lord does send out his apostles
and others to preach the gospel. In just a few weeks, Peter's
going to stand at the Feast of Pentecost and preach the gospel
with the sword of the spirit, the word of God, and many will
be converted. The Lord does send his apostles
and others out to preach the gospel with the sword of the
spirit, and the word of God was as quick and powerful and sharper
than any two-edged sword. But notice the Lord doesn't need
Peter's vain attempt of rescue, does he? Look what he says in
verse 53. Thinkest thou not that I can
now pray to my father, and he shall presently give me more
than 12 legions of angels? That's a bunch. That's a bunch. If I got my math right, 72,000,
he could send me 72,000 angels. 72,000 angels. Remember what
one angel did that was sent from heaven? In 2 Kings chapter 19,
verse 35, the Lord sent one angel and killed 85,000 Assyrians.
One angel. 72,000, 12 legions of angels do. The Lord
spoke, we read it in John 18, the Lord spoke two words in the
garden, I am, and they all fell flat on their back. They just
fell backward at the power of his word, the majesty of his
person. I am that I am. But then, he says, verse 54,
but how then shall the scripture be fulfilled? Thus it must be. It must be. It must be. Now, you might think I'm just
plum ignorant. But for some reason, unless I'm
just, I can't remember. I have never, we quote this scripture
all the time, and we know, all things work together for good
to them who love God, to them who are called according to His
purpose, right? We always use that scripture,
and we always apply that to believers who are looking to Christ. But
I've never looked at that scripture in the light of it being fulfilled
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we know that this is all
working together for good to God's purpose and to His glory.
Now, you may have seen that before. Somehow I missed it. Somehow
I just never really applied Romans 8.28 to this particular situation
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is happening because
it must be. All things are working together
for good to them who love God. Certainly that includes Him,
the Lord Jesus, according to God's purpose. It must be. Why? There is no other way for
God to be just, a just God and Savior. There's no other way.
that God might be just and the justifier. Because God has ordained
this, the Lord Jesus Christ agreed in an eternal covenant of grace
to be our savior, our surety, our substitute, our sacrifice. It's ordered in all things and
sure. He is the great shepherd of the
sheep that is brought again from the dead through the blood of
the everlasting covenant. Why? There's no other way for
God to justify guilty sinners. There's no other way for God
to justly forgive us but through the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ
for our sin. He suffered once for our sin
to just for the unjust that he might bring us unto God. Why
must this be? Because the Lord Jesus Christ
came to fulfill all scriptures. Every type, every picture, every
shadow. All this was done that the scripture
might be fulfilled. Again it says in verse 56, all
this was done that the scripture might be fulfilled. You remember
Matthew chapter 5. Our Lord said, I didn't come
to destroy the law and the prophets. I came to fulfill the law and
the prophets. If you hold your place there,
and you can turn to Luke chapter 24 if you'd like. If not, I'll
just read it to you. Luke chapter 24, the risen Lord
says to his disciples, apostles after they had fled and after
he assembled them again. He said in Luke 24, 44, these
are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you,
that all things must be fulfilled, which are written in the law
of Moses and in the prophets and in the psalm concerning me.
All things must be fulfilled. Then he opened their understanding
that they might understand the scripture. And he said to them,
thus, It was written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer
and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance
and remission of sin should be preached in his name among all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and you are witnesses of these
things. These things must be. There's no other way. There's
no other way of salvation but in our blessed Savior. Now, I've got a couple minutes.
I want us to close by looking at verse 55. In that same hour,
Jesus said to the multitude, are you come out as against a
thief with swords and staves? to take me, I sat daily with
you, teaching in the temple, and you laid no hand on me."
He said, I was with you in the temple, teaching you. He's saying,
I'm not a thief. I'm a teacher. I'm a teacher. We see here the character of
the Lord Jesus Christ. He wasn't a thief or robber.
Although they called him a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber, but he's
a teacher of the Word of God. His business was teaching the
way God saves sinners. How? In Christ. His business
was healing the sick. He healed all them that had need
of healing. He never turned away a mercy
beggar. He cast out, when he came in the temple, he cast out
the money changers, remember? In the temple. And he healed
the blind and the lame. It says He healed all them that
had need of healing. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
save sinners, didn't He? In Luke 14, the Spirit of the
Lord is written, and this is from Isaiah 61, is upon me because
He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has
sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty
them that are bruised. He came to fulfill all things
for us. He has not changed. The same
one that called folks, healed folks in that day, he's the same
today. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
today, and forever. He said, I'm the Lord, I do not
change. I do not change. All things must
be fulfilled. Thus it must be. It must be.