Okay, you turn to Mark chapter
14. Mark chapter 14. The title of the message today
is... I maybe have two titles. I thought
about this message from Mark chapter 14 when the Lord observed
that last Passover feast. And then He institutes that new
covenant in His blood. I thought about this, out with
the old and in with the new. Or, as we read from Hebrews 10,
He taketh away the first that He may establish the second. Aren't you thankful He took away
that law, that curse, that was against us and fulfilled it for
us. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law being made a curse for us. And in doing so, established
righteousness, established redemption in His own blood which He freely
gives unto us. Aren't you glad He took away
the first? Aren't you most thankful in your
heart that He established, He established perfected forever
the second. Redemption by His grace. Redemption through His blood. The Lord Jesus Christ in these
verses here comes together with His disciples as it says in Mark
14 verse 17, and in the evening, He cometh with the twelve to
observe The Passover. And then He institutes the New
Covenant. He gives to us what we refer
to as the Lord's Table. He gives it to us as a memorial
of His broken body and His shed blood. The blood of the New Covenant. The blood of the Lamb. The New
Covenant. This is the everlasting covenant
of grace. Now, I want to consider the events
that took place around the Lord meeting with His disciples and
instituting the Lord's table. This is the most crucial time.
This is on the eve of His crucifixion. This is on the eve of the Lord
Jesus Christ laying down His life for us. It is such a crucial,
critical time. All eternity, past and future,
focuses on this one sacrifice for sin. The Lord Jesus Christ. And here we have this before
us, the events that take place around this critical time. Four things I want to talk about
today. Number one is this. Let me give
you the four points. A most astonishing and staggering
and shocking announcement. The Lord says to those twelve
men, and you imagine, one of you shall betray me. Wow. You know, that must have
set them back a little bit. And then secondly, a solemn solemn
examination of the heart, they all begin to ask, Lord, is it
I the one? I don't think they accused one
another. John didn't say, you know, Peter, Peter, he's the
one. They all begin to examine themselves, Lord, is it I? Examination
of the heart. Thirdly, the Lord identifies
Judas as the betrayer, the one that dips with me in the cup.
We'll read in Matthew 26 where the Lord identifies him as the
betrayer. And then fourthly, the Lord institutes
his memorial table in remembrance of his death. It says in Luke
22, this do in remembrance of me. We remember his broken body
and his shed blood. So let's consider those four
things. Are you with me? Number one. A most astonishing,
staggering, shocking announcement the Lord has for these men in
verse 17 and 18. When He comes together to observe
the Passover, Judas is with Him. He comes with the Twelve. The
Lord knew already that Judas had sold Him out. Yet He sits
down to eat with Him. As they did eat, the Lord said
barely, I say unto you, one of you which eateth with Me will
betray Me." Can you imagine what it must have been like in
that room when the Lord of glory said these words unto them? It
says in verse 19, and they began to be sorrowful. It's recorded
in Matthew 26, these words, they were exceeding sorrowful. I don't think Judas was too sorrowful. I believe he was shocked that
he was caught. I believe he was shocked that
he got exposed. The Lord in His infinite knowledge
of all things knew the thoughts and heart of Judas. The Lord
knew what he had already done. He already had sold the Lord
Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver. Thirty pieces of silver,
someone said, was a common price for a slave. Judas sold out his
friendship, his office as an apostle, left his only hope of
salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, the only hope of forgiveness
of his sin, He sold out, deserted the Lord Jesus Christ, turned
his back on Him. Why did he do that? Because he was an unbeliever.
Because he was a thief. Because the Scripture calls him
a covetous man. A covetous man is an idolater.
Judas was an idolater. He loved himself. He loved his
money. He is the one that complained when the woman brought that precious
ointment and anointed his head. He was the one that complained,
well, we should have taken that and sold it and taken the money. The Lord knew from the beginning
that Judas was a reprobate, that Judas was a turncoat, that Judas
was a hypocrite. When Peter confessed, you remember
in John chapter 6, when the multitude of those people turned and walked
away from the Lord, And the Lord turned to His disciples and said,
Will you also go away? Remember what Peter said? Peter, as a spokesman, said,
We believe, and we are sure you are that Christ, the Christ of
God. Remember what the Lord said?
Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? The Lord knew. The Lord knew. Judas was a notoriously wicked
man who committed such awful deed against the Lord. Wicked deeds. This is the case
and state of every man by nature. We all have that same fallen,
ruined, guilty nature that Judas had. We're all by nature children
of wrath, even as others. Now listen to me. Were it not
for God's electing grace, were it not for God's electing love,
were it not for God's sovereign mercy and restraining almighty
grace, we would do the exact same thing or worse. You say, I'd never do that. Never is a pretty big word. There
is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that seeks after
God. If you're a lover of Christ,
it's because God in that eternal counsel set His heart and love
and affection on you, and in time crossed your path with the
gospel. God the Holy Spirit gripped your
heart, broke your heart, and made you a lover of the Lord
Jesus Christ. You see, the carnal mind is enmity
against God. And that's revealed in the betrayal
of Judas. You see, believers, we're all
debtors unto His sovereign grace. We're all debtors to His electing
love and restraining power. It is grace and grace alone who
has made us to differ. Now you ask yourself, what was
the difference between Peter and Judas? Both born of sin, both guilty
before God. Peter's in glory. Judas is in
hell. What made the difference? Grace,
God's purpose, Christ, salvation in Him. You see, it's all of
grace. And that's the lesson we learn
here. in Judas betraying the Lord. We see something of the
deceitfulness of our own wicked heart before God. Here's the
second thing. A solemn examination of the heart. Verse 19, And they began to be
sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? And another said, Is it I, Lord? You know, with a broken heart.
They all asked a question unto the Lord, each wondering, who
is the Lord? Is He talking about me? They all said to Him, as is recorded
in Matthew 26, Lord, they called Him. Lord, is it I? Turn over
there, let's read that. Except Judas. Judas didn't say,
Lord, is it I? You ever notice that? Turn over
here to Matthew 26. Look at verse 22. Matthew 26. They were exceeding sorrowful,
and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? See verse 22? And he answered and said, He
that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray
me. The Son of Man goeth as it is
written of him, but woe unto the man by whom the Son of Man
is betrayed. It had been better for that man
if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him,
answered and said, Master, is it I? And he said, Thou hast
said, you are the one. You're the bird, you're the one,
you're the guilty one. Master is right. Isn't that,
I think that's revealing, isn't it? Remember what Nicodemus called
him that night and what the Pharisees and scribes called him? We know you're a teacher come
from God, master. That's what the Pharisees called
him, master. And that's what Judas referred to him, not my
Lord, my God. As Thomas said, thou art my Lord
and my God. No, no. Master. Teacher. Now there are many. What can
we learn from this? Well, there are many in religious
circles today that only refer to the Lord of glory by His name
of humiliation. by His name of suffering. They
call Him Jesus. It kind of bothers me. I know
our songs are full of that. And I know most of them are good
hymns. And the word, the name Jesus
means Savior. That's the announcement of the
angel unto Mary and Joseph. His name of humanity, His name
of humiliation shall be Jesus, Savior. But personally for me,
as God's servant, as your pastor, let's refrain from using that
name alone. I think it's somewhat demeaning
to His real character. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. You see what I'm saying? Let's
be very careful. that we just don't throw His
name out there. Let's be very careful how we
refer to God in the flesh. This whole religious world, especially
this time of year, is turned upside down, remembering the
baby Jesus. Remembering the manger scene.
Some will even go so far as to try to reenact that thing. I
think it's nothing but idolatry. Nothing but idolatry. And they
talk about that they will have a baby in a manger. And they talk about his birthday. There's something wrong with
that. I think it's irreverent. Believers don't need a special
day set aside and chosen by this pagan religious world to remember
his incarnation. We remember and we preach His
incarnation in all of our worship services. We talk about God,
God who is manifest in the flesh. We don't talk about, we don't
worship a baby, my soul. We're talking about God who inhabits
eternity, inhabits a body prepared by God. We talk about God incarnate in
every message we preach. We don't celebrate His birth.
We worship a glorious Person. And there's the difference. See
where I'm getting at? Let me give you an example of
this. Here's a Scripture on this. Turn to Isaiah 9. Isaiah 9. I appreciate the benefits that
come to us at the Christmas season. I'm glad people get time off
from work. And I'm glad that people get
bonuses at work at Christmas time, and then we give gifts
to one another. And that's good and fine. But
let's be very careful that we don't get taken up with the rest
of this religious ungodly world about a baby in a manger. It's the person of God that we
worship. Look what he says here. And here,
Isaiah 9, verse 6, For unto us a child is born, And to us a
son is given. The government shall be upon
his shoulder. His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. And of the increase of his government
and peace, there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David,
upon his kingdom, to order it, to establish it with judgment
and justice, From henceforth, even forever, the zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this." Now listen, from everlasting
to everlasting, He is God. Our Savior is the eternal God
without beginning or end of days. He did not have His beginning
at Bethlehem. He is the eternal God. We see
Him manifest in the flesh, but He never stopped being God. The
Word was made flesh, and He dwelt among us. I would much rather
us be in a good habit of using His full title, The Lord Jesus
Christ. or the Christ of God, or the
Lord Jesus, or Christ the Lord. Let us be very careful to honor
and worship Him in His full deity as God our Savior, not sweet
little Jesus. God help us. In 1950, when a preacher from West Texas
hit Ashland He was rude in speech. He dared to tell the truth. When
Roth Barnard came to Ashland in the spring of 1950, to that
southern Baptist church there in Ashland, Kentucky, where Pastor
Mahan was just a young lad, 29 years old, an old brother Barnard
got up in the pulpit and he made this statement, Jesus can't save
a flea. And the folks about fell over.
They've never heard such statement. And then he followed that statement
by saying this, It's the Lord Jesus Christ that saves. Don't
tell me who your Savior is until you tell me who your Lord is. It's the Lord Jesus Christ that
saves. He got their attention. You know, we're still reaping
the benefits from that meeting in the spring of 1950. God raised up one Henry Mahan. The Lord used that man to teach
him the gospel. Pastor Mahan stood firm for the
gospel for 50-some years and still preaching, still preaching
the gospel. And the Lord has blessed so many,
many people including this preacher, including this congregation.
This congregation started as a mission work from Pastor Mahan's
ministry. Well, did I make my point? It's the Lord Jesus Christ. Judas just said, Master, let's
be very careful to honor and worship the true Christ of God. Thirdly, the Lord identified
Judas as a betrayer. back in our text. And he answered, verse 20, and
said unto them, It is one of the twelve that dippeth with
me in the dish. The Son of Man indeed goeth as
it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of
Man is betrayed. Good were it for that man if
he had never been born. Never been born. In Matthew 26 we read just a
moment ago in verse 25, Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered
and said, Master, is it I? And he said unto him, Thou hast
said. In Luke 22 the words are recorded, Truly the Son of Man
goeth as it was determined, but woe unto that man by whom he
is betrayed. Now it is certain and sure, and
it's true that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according
to the Scriptures, according to the decree and purpose of
God. He works all things after the counsel of His own will.
We know the eternal purpose of God can never be changed by the
deeds of wicked man. Christ died according to God's
purpose, according to God's decree. We know that. He dies according
to the fulfillment of all Scripture. Does that mean that Judas and
those that crucified the Lord are not accountable? Are not
responsible for their wicked deeds and their sinful actions? Not at all. Turn to Acts chapter
2. Acts chapter 2. Peter there preaching at Pentecost
declared this. Verse 23. Him being delivered,
Acts 2, 23. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain the Lord of glory. He was delivered
by the determinate counsel of God. They did what their wicked
heart desired to do, what their wicked will determined to do.
Whom God raised from the dead, having loosed the pains of death,
because it was not possible that he should be holding of it. Turn
over here to Acts chapter 4. Verse 26, Acts 4. 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 has anointed, both erred." Pontius Pilate. Gentiles, those Romans, and the
people of Israel, the Pharisees, they cried out, away with him,
crucify, we have no king but Caesar, were gathered together
for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before
to be done. We see the sovereignty of God
and the decree of God involved, but we also see the wickedness
of men and the malicious sinful desires of wicked men, and they
are responsible for their wicked deeds before God Almighty. We
know that men are fully accountable. All sinners are fully accountable
and answerable and responsible unto Almighty God for all their
doings. And we'll answer for them in
that great day. But let no man say, James recorded,
let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. For God
cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempt ye any man. But
listen, but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his
own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived
it brings forth sin, and when sin is finished it brings forth
death. Judas is fully accountable for
his own wicked deeds before God. So we conclude that our God is
absolute sovereign and sinners are indeed accountable unto God
Almighty. Our Lord said in one place, every
word that you speak, I'll hold you accountable for that word.
Talking to unbelievers. John Gill wrote on this verse,
the old theologian, he says, as it is written, Notice what
it says there in the text. The Son of Man indeed goeth as
it is written of Him. As it is written of Him in the
book of God's eternal purpose and decree. For Luke says, as
it was determined. Or as it was recorded in the
books of the Old Testament in Psalm 22. Isaiah 53 and Daniel
9, for Christ died for the sins of the people in perfect agreement
with the scriptures which are written of him. This is still
quoting John Gill. But woe unto that man for whom
the Son of Man is betrayed. For God's decrees concerning
this matter and the predictions in the Bible founded on them
did not in the least excuse or exonerate the blackness of his
crime. who did what He did of His own
fallen, sinful will and wicked heart, and voluntarily to satisfy
His own lusts in His own wicked desires. Yes, Judas and all are
accountable unto God Almighty. Here's the last thing. The Lord
institutes His memorial table in remembrance of His death in
verse 22. Mark 14, verse 22, And as they
did eat, Jesus took bread and blessed, and break it, and gave
it to them, and said, Take and eat. Take it. Eat it. Receive
it. Eat it. This is My body. And
He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it
to them, and they all drank of it. And He said unto them, This
is My blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many. This
do. in remembrance of me, recorded
in Luke 22. Now, this is a glorious picture
of redemption through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And I'll give this to you quickly and wind this message up, send
you home with these words. The bread that He takes here
and that He breaks, this bread when we observe the Lord's table
is unleavened bread. The bread represents His holy
humanity. Remember the bread that they
were eating at the Passover was unleavened bread. Leaven being
a type of sin. The Lord Jesus had a special
body prepared for him by God the Holy Spirit in the womb of
the virgin. She never knew a man conceived
of God the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ and His
humanity, when He was born, was not born in sin as we are. He
had not the inherent sin of Adam. He had no guilt. He had no shame. He had no sin. He knew no sin. And the Scriptures say He did
no sin. Such a high priest became us
who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sin. He is
the spotless Lamb of God that came to put away our sin by the
sacrifice of His own body. He bare our sin in His own body
on the tree. A body without sin. That angel said, that holy thing
that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of the Highest.
A body in which He established righteousness for us. He fulfilled
the law of God for us in His humanity as the God-man. A body
in which He put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He appeared
once in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. A real body apart from sin. Broken for us. Bearing our sin
in His own body. And that's what we do when we
observe the Lord's table. We take that bread and break
it. unleavened bread. And that represents His broken
body and shed blood in which we remember Him. The wine represents
His blood shed for His covenant people. Shed for the remission. Notice what it said, This is
my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many, many. Not all, folks. Everywhere. But the many given to Him in
the covenant of grace. It's the blood of the new covenant.
The blood of the new covenant ratified with His own blood,
justly shed as He bears our sin and His own body on the tree.
God made Him sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made
the righteousness of God in Him. This blood has infinite and eternal
value. For we read in Hebrews 10, God
said, their sin and their iniquity will I remember no more. Oh,
the infinite value of His shed blood and His precious blood. We are redeemed with the precious
blood of Christ. And then it is effectual blood. How effectual? Cleanses us from
all our sin. Now, notice what the Lord says
here, very simply. He said, take and eat. And he gave the cup and he said,
drink it. What does that represent? The
eating of the bread and the drinking of the wine is a picture of that
God-given faith by which we receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Now let's
turn and read this. Turn to John chapter 6. John
chapter 6. Take it and eat it. And it's a picture of receiving
Christ by faith. When you take it and eat it,
you receive it. And that's the way we receive
Christ, by faith, God-given faith. John chapter 6. Notice he says
in verse 53, "'Barely, barely, I say unto you, except you eat
the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no
life in you.'" Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath
eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." He's
talking here about receiving Him, His Person, and all that
He is, and all that He did as our substitute, satisfying God. We are told to keep and partake
and observe this feast unto the Lord in remembrance of what He
did for us, who He is and what He did. And remember, it's a
feast, not a funeral. It's a feast, not a funeral.
It's a memorial to His great love for us and His great sacrifice
for us. And when we observe the Lord's
table, we do show forth His death until He comes. We show our need
of Him, our great God and Savior. We show our hope of redemption
through His blood in whom we have redemption, through His
blood the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of His
grace. And we show our only hope of salvation In Christ, crucified. His body broken. His blood shed
for us. That's our hope. That's our hope
of salvation. In Christ Jesus.