John 13:18-30 (God's Purpose in Reprobation)

Thank you for subscribing to the Shepherds Church podcast. This is our Lord's Day Sermon We pray that as we declare the

Word of God that you would be encouraged Strengthened in your faith and that you would catch a greater vision of who

Christ is May you be blessed in the hearing of God's Word and may the Lord be with you one of the most divisive doctrines in the

Christian Church That divides more people along doctrinal lines if I had to guess would probably be the doctrine predestination or election that God in Infinity past has foreordained and chosen a people for himself a people that would

Correspond to him a people that would be his family his church and many find that doctrine difficult

Now you ask yourself the question, why does that doctrine why is that doctrine so controversial and I think the reason is that If God chooses some for salvation and he does not choose all for salvation

Then that provokes within us a sort of primal fear that we will be among the unchosen

That we will be like the child at recess The portly child maybe who didn't get picked for dodgeball.

I've been there before so I'm talking about me That provokes us to pity

We think about that little child in her mind and we say salvation can't be like that Can it and then we think about it?

We say that's not fair and we think about the child who's disappointed Who's not gonna get into the club or it's not gonna be picked or chosen and that stirs up within us this sort of fairness

That how could God operate in such a way? We ask how could salvation be like that?

now for the life of the church We have consistently taught this doctrine not because it makes us feel good.

Although as a Christian I do believe that there's comfort in this doctrine. We have taught this doctrine because it's in the scriptures

Because it's biblical Because it's not about fairness Because if God chose people on the basis of fairness none of us

Would have been chosen because all of us deserve to die for our sin

When you look at every human being that's ever existed. There is one who deserves

God's Grace God's love God's kindness and it's

Christ alone He's the only one who obeyed all the rest of us have disobeyed and therefore deserve his

Wrath when you think about the recess the boy at recess. None of us are like that In our mind we say that poor pitiful little child

Maybe you're imagining me as a little kid not getting picked for dodgeball, whatever, but poor pitiful little child

He did his best. None of us did our best None of us sought God and didn't get chosen

None of us went looking for something and just ended up not finding it all of us were rebels of God Running from God.

None of us were seeking after God. We were haters of God and we all deserve the penalty

Again if it were up to fairness None of us would be saved That means that if anybody is saved it's all grace

One of the coolest things I learned when it comes to this doctrine is that God Longs to reveal himself to us in his nature and who he is

You think about it if God made us incapable of sin We would not get the whole picture of who

God is if you thought about it that way How can God be merciful to people who don't require mercy?

How can God be gracious to people who never were in need of grace God allowed us to fall

So that he could demonstrate the full gamut of his character to us that he is not only

Righteous and full of justice, but he's also gracious and full of mercy. He is the one

Who gets to determine who and you and I simply are not in the position to make those sorts of statements

We're too limited we're too fallen we're too broken if you assemble all of your knowledge

Every bit of it every single Connection in your mind that you know, it amounts to nothing in Comparison to all the things that could be known.

We are simply not in the position to be able to Understand how

God chooses his people You think about Job in the

Old Testament Job? Spoke a lot of things and then there at the end the last thing that Job says as I have spoken about things that are

Far too wonderful for me to understand. I repent God determines who are his and it's his prerogative to do so.

The Bible tells us Jacob. I've loved Esau hated This is a biblical doctrine. It says that Israel.

I have loved and Pharaoh. I have hardened It says that God has chosen some for honorable use and some for dishonorable use

Jesus even says that no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him

Jesus doesn't say that we are the one who seek and and look after him Jesus says that he's the one who comes and seeks and saves the lost

Roman says that we are predestined Before the foundation of the world that's

Ephesians 111 this Bible or this doctrine is all Over the scriptures and it's even talked about in the lens of God's sovereignty

Psalm 115 3 our God is in the heavens He does all that he pleases Pleases him to choose his people

Job 42 2 I know that you can this is God you can do all things.

No purpose of yours can be thwarted Proverbs 1921 many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it's the purpose of the

Lord that will stand Ephesians 111 We just quoted it in him We have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will if you believe that Predestination is not a biblical doctrine.

Well, the word is right there in Ephesians 111 the question is

Not whether it's a hard doctrine or not. The question is will we receive it? from the

Lord Many pastors are afraid to preach about this doctrine because they're afraid that this will afflict our soul

Many men apologize for believing this doctrine, although it is certainly biblical But I out of all the doctrines in Scripture.

This one is one of the most attested Doctrines that God is sovereign over his salvation and again while it's a hard truth to believe for us mortals

It is clearly represented in Scripture. Will we trust God? Do you know one of the?

The very center verses of the Bible is is in the book of Jonah salvation belongs to the Lord.

It's his to give Now I'm not gonna say that that doctrine is not

Controversial in modern -day Christianity it is there's Arminians and Calvinists.

There's there's people who believe in determination people who believe in And undetermined,

I don't know what the other corresponding thing is It's a hard doctrine, but it's not the hardest Today as Derek pastor

Derek was telling us earlier We are going to deal with the scripture as they come to us. This is one of the benefits of preaching expositionally because I Don't get a choice in whether we preach this passage or not.

I have to because it's come up before us It oftentimes if you go to a church where they don't preach verse by verse through the scripture sometimes the flesh of the pastor can get in the way and they can preach messages that are

Uplifting that are encouraging that are this or that and maybe they never get to a passage like this or maybe they preach it in A different way.

I'm thankful to God that we have to deal with passages like this because it is hard Because God not only chooses who are going to be his he also chooses who are not that's the doctrine

It's not just the doctrine of salvation It's the doctrine of reprobation

Which may be even more controversial and even a more difficult doctrine for us to consider this week

Now if you remember last week We talked about who would receive the blessings of God We talked about that his election changes us it it creates new life in us

And if we will believe in Jesus, and if we will obey Jesus Then we will get the blessings that his salvation orients us to him.

He is master We are servant if we obey then we will receive the blessings obedience

We talked about last week does not take from you obedience is a conduit by which

God can pour into you his amazing blessings So that if you want to be more blessed

Don't pray for cars and money and TVs and all of that ridiculous nonsense If you want to be more blessed obey

Jesus Because it will open up his blessings for you in your life

But the hard reality is is that those blessings do not apply to everyone There will be many who come to me on that day and say

Lord Lord didn't we do? This and that for you, and he will say depart from me

I never knew you the question is not whether they knew Jesus the question is whether did

Jesus know them There will be some who do not

Love him in the way that Jesus demands there will be some who are not his slaves, and he is not their master

There will be some who do not inherit his eternal pleasures, and there will be some

Who will be separated from God forever Conceived in iniquity

Formed in sin born a sinner maturing into deeper expressions of rebellion until The final act of rebellion is committed where death occurs without Christ Where they enter into the realm of never -ending?

Curses and torment where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth the Bible talks about this

And we have to too Again we see in the Bible that Christ has chosen his own, and he's also chosen those who are not and we will discover today

One of the passages that talks about this and we will see six different aspects of this doctrine called reprobation

The first thing we'll see is a phenomenon that it really is in Scripture We'll see that it's a prophecy that Jesus alludes to in this passage

We'll see that Jesus uses this doctrine to prepare his disciples We'll acknowledge the fact that this is a perplexed doctrine even perplexes

Jesus and troubles him in his spirit We'll see that there's power underneath this doctrine, and then we'll see that there's purpose underneath this doctrine so today

If I make it through this Today we will look at this doctrine from six different angles and my hope in all of this

My hope is not that we would walk out of here today with a sense of smugness and pride

Saying I'm on the winning team. I got picked May it never be so My prayer is that we would walk away from here loving

God more That he's revealed to us his character and that his character is good and holy and righteous and that it would cause us even this

Doctrine would cause us to worship. That's my prayer So let us pray and let us turn to John 13 18 through 30

Lord Jesus, thank you so much for today Thank you for your kindness that you've demonstrated to your people and Lord, thank you for the fact

That you are so sovereign That your providence knows no bounds such that That there is nothing that escapes your grasp

There is no one who accidentally ends up in hell There's no one who accidentally ends up in heaven.

There's no one who was smart enough to figure it out no one spiritual enough to pray a prayer and No one powerful enough to overturn reprobation

Lord I pray More than anything that that we in our hearts

Would receive this text and that we would rejoice in this text

Lord you are good in every possible and imaginable way We are the ones who struggle to see

Lord, would you would you clean the the windows of our eyes and the windows of our soul to be able to see?

your truth and To rejoice in it. It's in Christ's name. We pray. Amen We're doing 20 no 12 verses still that's a lot for us.

So let us begin John 13 verses 18 through 30 Jesus says

I do not speak of all of you. I Know the ones I have chosen

But it is that the scripture may be fulfilled He who eats my bread has lifted up his heel against me

From now on I'm telling you before it comes to pass so that when it does occur you may believe that I am he truly truly

I say to you he who receives whomever I send receives me and He who receives me receives him who sent me

When Jesus had said this he became troubled in spirit and testified and said truly truly I say to you that one of you will betray me

The disciples began looking at one another at a loss to know of which one he was speaking and There was reclining on Jesus's bosom one of his disciples whom

Jesus loved So Simon Peter gestured to him and said tell us who it is whom he is speaking

He John leaning back on Jesus's bosom said to him Lord. Who is it?

Jesus then answered that it is the one whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him

So when he had dipped the morsel of bread He took it and he gave it to Judas the son of Simon Iscariot and after the morsel

Satan then entered into him Therefore Jesus said to him what you do do it quickly

Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose That he had said this to them

For some were supposing because Judas had the money box that Jesus was saying to him buy the things that we need for the feast

Or else that he should give something to the poor So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately and it was night therefore when he had gone

Jesus said now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him the

Word of the Lord Now this phenomenon is in the scriptures we've said here it is in this passage

It is not a made -up Calvinist trope or a reformed punching bag

This doctrine is here in the scriptures. Jesus says in verse 18. I do not speak to of all of you

I know the ones that I have chosen And if we remember back in verse 17, we know that the ones who are chosen receive the blessings

It says if you know these things you are blessed if you do them Jesus is saying I know the ones that I have chosen and I know the ones that I have not which is a clear statement

Some he has chosen for life Some he has chosen for not

Now we don't need to play word games here because I've seen that happen where some will say Jesus chose some for life and by by consequence of his decision some are

Passively thrown into hell. No, Jesus is saying I know whom I've chosen and it's the

Context of the passage continues. It is clear that he has not only chosen his disciples For life, but he is set apart

Judas for death and this is not just in John by the way

Romans 9 18 says he has mercy on whom he desires and he hardens

It doesn't say that he allows to become hardened it says that he hardens do we believe the words of Scripture First Peter 2 8 for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word and to this doom.

They were also appointed It does not say that to this doom.

They stumbled into to this doom. They were appointed Jude chapter 1 verse 4.

There's only one chapter. So Jude 4 For there are certain men

Who crept in unaware who were before of old? ordained to this condemnation

Ungodly men turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only

Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ It says that they were ordained to condemnation

Proverbs 16 for the Lord has made everything for its purpose even the wicked for the day of trouble

No one Accidentally ends up separated from God even the wicked were created for the day of Trouble now again, this is a hard statement

And I believe as we continue along in John that we're gonna see what the purpose of this is But we can't skip to the end we have to bathe in this a little bit and understand that this is

God's character that he is holy and he is righteous in His election whether it is election.

It's a life or its election unto death. He is righteous in both This has been sort of the uniform View of much of the confessional church the

Westminster Confession chapter 3 article 7 those turn my group Talk about a lesson in God's providence

We just read this this week and here it is that we're talking about this in the sermon.

God is so good Westminster Confession says like this the rest of mankind

God was pleased According to the unsearchable counsel of his own will

Whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth For the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures to pass by and to ordain them to dishonor and Wrath for their sin to the praise of his glorious justice

It's not just in the confessional documents Martin Luther and Calvin talked about it. Here's what Martin Luther said this mightily offends our rational nature

Luther always says it like it is He says that God should of his own mere unbiased will leave some men to themselves

Harden them and condemn them But he gives abundant demonstration and does continually that this is really the case

Namely that the sole cause why some are saved and why others perish?

proceeds from his willing The salvation of the former and the perdition of the latter

According to that of st. Paul, he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and upon whom he will he hardeneth

Thomas Boston, I think says probably the best shortest most concise statement

Thomas Boston was a Puritan in England despite his last name He said

God decreed the future rition of sin That his justice might be illustriously displayed and Glorified in the eternal damnation.

Did you hear that? That his justice might be illustriously displayed and glorified in the eternal damnation of reprobate sinners for their own sins and abominations

Sin being the cause of their damnation though, not the cause of their reprobation

Boston is hitting on a very important theme here That human beings are accountable for their sin.

We're not robots and Yet the cause of their reprobation is the election of God You think about in in the book of Genesis chapter 50 where the

Israelite or the the brothers sell Joseph into slavery and Joseph looks at them later in their life and he says you meant this for evil.

God meant this for good Joseph is acknowledging to us that that one Action one reality can have human culpability.

You meant it for evil You're responsible and yet God had a plan in the midst of that evil and it was nothing about it deviated from his plan

Peter says this in Acts chapter 2 This Jesus whom you crucified By the will of God You're guilty

For what you did, but it could not have been any other way because God willed it to be.

So it's an unsettling doctrine It's unsettling if you've grown up in a church culture where sin is not preached hell is not preached holiness and wrath are never mentioned and everything is a

A Joel Osteen esque positive go make yourself a better person Mantra, I remember when

I saw Joel Osteen came out with a new book and it said the power of I am

I thought he had repented I Thought he was talking about Yahweh and the book is about the power of you saying

I am special. I am beautiful I am this I am that If you grew up in that sort of toxic

Christianity, there's no wonder you struggle with doctrines like this Because people have poisoned your mind to think that God has to only give you what you want

It's always meaningful when the door opens every time it's happened. It's been powerful But dear brothers and sisters,

I want to encourage you that just because something is unsettling to us doesn't make it untrue Just because something afflicts our sin nature doesn't mean that it's not

God's truth. There's many things that afflict our nature, right? When I'm afraid fear not afflicts my nature because that's not what

I want to hear When I'm angry repent and sin no more No, no that he didn't mean it that way.

I get to continue to be angry it afflicts my soul When I desire things that are not mine and God says thou shalt not covet you think that doesn't afflict my soul and your soul

There are many truths that are true and yet are hard to swallow

Because we are the problem not God Being unsettled is a good thing in the

Christian life. A friend of mine said it to me the other day He said if I come into church and I walk away feeling like a worm

Then you've done your job because my flesh needs to repent and I said well brother while that is not my aim

Praise God that he uses all things for his glory Growth happens when we're shaken does it not?

You think about an analogy here? Where does growth happen? Does growth happen in the valleys or does growth happen on the mountaintops?

You climb a mountain eventually I lived in the Rocky Mountain area for a couple years you climb a mountain eventually you get to a point called the death line

Where nothing can grow no trees. No moss. No grass. It's just death The mountaintop experiences do not make you grow growth and life and vibrancy happens in the valleys

As much as we hate them this doctrine of election and reprobation are hard But I believe good and I believe that they will cause us to worship

Jesus all the more if we understand them and We can't run from them because they're in Scripture as we've pointed out

It's a phenomenon in the Bible. That's the first thing I'd like us to understand is that it's there and we have to deal with it

The second thing is Jesus also alludes to a prophecy in this passage that condemns

Judas necessarily Jesus says but it is that Scripture may be fulfilled

That he who eats my bread has lifted up his hill Against me

Jesus is saying and this is Psalm 41 that we read from earlier, by the way Jesus is saying that five

Hundred seven hundred years however many years it was before Christ came and Judas was sitting in that moment

That is when that passage Sealed Judas's fate and if you understand

God's character, you know that it was even before that in the eternity past Judas didn't have a choice in this moment.

Jesus says that the one Who eats his bread has lifted up his heel against me.

I'll give you a homework assignment We can't do it now read Psalm 41 again and read it in light of its primary meaning is not

David Its primary meaning is Jesus and Judas read it again It's unbelievable

The resurrections in that passage the betrayal is in that passage Even though it was written by a different author at a different time

It includes all of these truths, I'll read it again for you verses 4 through 13, I believe my enemies speak evil against me.

It's Jesus speaking about Judas When when will he die in his name perish?

And when he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood. His heart gathers wickedness to itself when he goes outside He tells it all

Who hate me whisper together against me against me. They devise my hurt saying a wicked thing is poured out upon him

That when he lies down he will not rise up again Even my close friend in whom

I trusted who ate my bread has lifted up his heel against me

Jesus is saying that the one I hand the bread to is the one who's lifted up his heel against me And is the one who's betrayed me the one who spoke evil against me the one who's responsible for my death and yet he's not

Responsible ultimately because this was already ordained This Jesus whom you betrayed by the will of Almighty God this was determined beforehand so that when

Judas grabs the bread and he partakes Satan enters into him and he leaves the room to go do his murderous deed

Psalm 41 Confirms the reprobation that God had planned before Judas was even a thought

You can say that his communion caused him destruction Which we will pick up on in a moment

Now one of the things I find so fascinating here is is the way that Judas is described in Psalm 41

It doesn't say that the scoundrel is the one who betrayed him. It says that his best friend Have you ever thought about Judas in that way that he was the best friend of Christ I'd be honest.

I've often thought about Judas as if he was Some kind of sort of tyrant or vile wretch.

Maybe he's the goth kid He was dressed in all black and everybody was afraid of If you wear goth clothing, that's great.

I'm not saying anything about that. I'm just We've all thought about Judas as though he's the weird one.

He's the misunderstood one He's the Unabomber in the room and like of course Judas is the one who did it like when someone betrays

Jesus you got to imagine the disciples are like We knew it. We knew we had our eye on him It says that no one knew who

Jesus was talking about Jesus says my best friend is the one

I hand the morsel to This doesn't affect our salvation, but what a interesting

Thing to consider that Judas was dear A friend to Christ.

This is a phenomenon that's in the scripture It's a prophecy that was fulfilled in Holy Scripture that Judas would experience destruction

It's confirmed by these two things the third thing that we'll look at is that Jesus prepares them for This reprobation verse 19.

Jesus says from now on I'm telling you before it comes to pass So that when it does occur you may believe that I am he's telling them before Judas does it

Because it's determined Because it's not open for debate.

Can you imagine? Jesus saying I'm telling you about it before it happens and Judas had a change of heart

It couldn't have happened because it was already determined Judas couldn't have the excuse the devil made me do it

It was already pre ordained by God That his best friend would betray him

Now that would be shocking To all of his disciples and it was shocking to all of his disciples.

It caused them to scratch their heads It would cause us to scratch our heads, but Jesus used this doctrine the phenomenon of it being in Scripture the prophecy that he alludes to to prepare them for what was going to happen because as we remember

John's point in writing this gospel is that they would believe and that They would have life in his name and Jesus is so loving and so kind and so gracious.

He announces to them I'm preparing you for this so that when it happens it will lead to your belief and your faith and your confidence and not your

Discouragement Because I have everything under control Even Judas's betrayal is in my will and in my hands.

Trust me. That's what he's saying fourth thing that we see in this scripture

Is that it's a perplexing thing for human beings to understand such things

When Jesus has said this he became troubled in spirit and he testified truly truly

I say to you That one of you will Betray me the disciples began looking at one another at a loss to know which one that he was speaking of Jesus was perplexed by this

It's only the third time in the gospel and the last time in the gospel. This word is used this Perplexed and it's a it's a much richer term than just confusion.

It means that he was stirred up like a hurricane inside of his body This is the word that is used when the

Sea of Galilee comes into Massive torrent when when a windstorm comes upon it

Just like when Jesus was asleep on the boat and the sea was being whipped up into a frenzy That's the emotional makeup of what

Jesus is going through right now This is the word that's used in John chapter 5 of the pool of Siloam You remember the the weak and the sick would lay there and they would say that when the water is stirred up if one of us would just jump in then the the

Myth the old wives tale is that will be healed The only other time it's used other than John 13 is

John 12 when Jesus becomes angry Furiously angry that his brother

Lazarus has died and his soul is whipped up within him and he Screams at the top of his lungs

Lazarus come out So a third time that this powerful emotion has come upon Jesus it's the last time in the

Gospel of John and We have to understand that even Christ in all his divinity was still fully man

Fully God and fully man. This is the man who who wept and sweat tears of blood

This is the man who cried out on the cross. It's the man who was thirsty. This is the man who was tired

This is the man who had all of the creaturely faculties that you and I have but and also being fully God so in his human

Mental capacity this was difficult for him And I think in that We can give ourself a lot of grace here that if it's difficult for us

It's also difficult for Christ It perplexed him Now it perplexed

Jesus for a different reason than it is disciples It perplexed Jesus and stirred up Jesus because he didn't know

What was entailed? the disciple the disciples are Stirred up for a different reason.

They're stirred up because they don't know What is going on? They're looking around at each other and they're saying

None of them Understood who it was and this is a fascinating thing

Because it leads us to our next point They were left in a place of utter confusion But they were getting ready to see that there's power in this doctrine and it's not what they were thinking

There's power in reprobation What do I mean look at verse 23

There was reclining on Jesus's bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved now We got to do a little bit of scene work here

We got to look at what's going on in order to understand what I mean by there's power underneath this doctrine This they are at the

Passover meal they're at a table and unlike us. They're not chairs that are lining the table

There are sofas or couches not like what we would think of a sofa or couch today But enough like a bench almost that was put around the tables and this was the most formal way that you could do

Dining in ancient Israel. This was a this was a snazzy high -class fancy meal

Now there's 12 of them and typically you would have three men per couch, so that means there's four couches

There's one on all four sides of the table and there was one couch that was designated as the head of the table

So that if you sat on that couch, then you were a part of the head of the group

If you're in the middle of that couch, then you were the leader if you're on the left or on the right

Then you were the second and third in command Why do you think James and John are arguing over who's gonna be second and third in the kingdom?

They want to be on Jesus's couch rolling with him Now we know one of the disciples that's on the couch, it's

John John has this funny way of Sort of sticking it to Peter John's the one who outran

Peter and got there first John's the one who is the disciple Jesus loved and Peter's the one who's the

Disciple who puts his foot in his mouth John says that the disciple that Jesus loved leaned back on to his chest

John's saying in a humble way. He's not saying I John and the disciple Jesus loved.

He's being humble He said I was sitting there beside of Jesus now. We don't know if John was on his right or his left

There are paintings that make choices in that I guess you have to if you're gonna paint the scene, but we don't know if John was on his left or his right

But we know that there was one empty spot at that couch Now who was in it?

I? Think the natural Choice would be Peter Peter's the one who shows up in every single leadership

Listing in the Gospels Peter's the one who is the adult in the room There's a fascinating study that has shown that Peter might have been the only adult in the disciples

Because when Jesus pays taxes at the temple, he pays taxes only for him and Peter not for him

Peter John James Bartholomew and the rest because you had to be over 18 to pay the taxes So maybe

John and James Bartholomew Simon were teenagers What we look at these movies and we see these middle -aged men with beards maybe it wasn't so But Peter would have been a natural choice he is the leader

He's the one who steps up onto the water and says I'll walk with Jesus just before crashing down He's the one who say

I'll die with you Jesus just before Saying I don't even know him if you were thinking

Peter it would be a logical choice. He chops off a the ear of The high priest he's ready to go to war for Christ.

He's a go -getter and yet he's not here at the head table Why He's gonna be a leader in the

Jerusalem Church He's gonna be the guy that when Paul becomes converted he's gonna go talk to Peter because Peter's the guy

Why is Peter not at the table with Jesus? Well, we don't really know why we just know that he wasn't

Why because Peter had to gesture to John? You imagine Peter over on the other side of the room saying

I'm in the doghouse with Jesus again, I'm not at the head table I said something dumb

John doing this and John apparently understood those gestures. Maybe they were doing air

No, not Arabic They were there make thank you. Maybe they were doing Aramaic sign language.

I don't know But John picks up on it Peter couldn't just say it out loud without screaming so he's gesturing to John and John's Leans back on Jesus and He that's

John leaning back on Jesus's bosom said to him Lord, who is it? Jesus answered that is the one for whom

I shall dip the morsel and give it to him So if it's not

Peter who is it Is it Matthew Matthew the tax collector that seems like an obvious choice tax collectors are kind of wicked still so today is

It Simon the zealot Zealots are pretty angry people. They have a lot of zeal if you don't believe the same way they believes about the faith.

I'll kill you Was it the zealot? We see here

That Jesus performs this wonderful act of hospitality Not across the room he doesn't dip the morsel into the bread and get up from the table and Walk over to the lowest seat in the room

He dips it and he hands it to Judas who's sitting right beside of him Judas was at the table with Christ and John at the head table

Have we thought about Judas in that way before? The best friend of Christ the one who's at the head table with Christ Have you ever heard the phrase the wounds of a friend

The betrayal was really thick at this point Because his best friend his second or third in command has received the bread from him

And now Satan enters Judas Jesus identified his betrayer

Benedict Arnold was sitting on his own Sofa, and yet we would be wrong if we believe that Judas was lost

Because of spoiled bread It's not physical We would be wrong if Jesus or if Judas was lost because Satan was already in him beforehand.

It's not spiritual It says that Jesus Handed him the bread already prophesied beforehand and then

Judas betrays him Judas betrays Jesus after Jesus chooses him

He predicted it beforehand prophesied about it beforehand prepared his disciples about it beforehand

So that Satan is not the power here Judas denies

Christ because Christ willed it to be so Now this is really practical if you can grab hold of this

Remember in the book of Job where Satan comes up and what does he do? He doesn't say I Have been afflicting

Job your servant. He asked permission Satan doesn't have any power unless he gets permission from God Satan could not enter

Judas without Christ's approval Christ chose this Because it was a part of his will

There's nothing outside of the sovereign command of God. And when you really understand that dear sister and brother

It helps you sleep at night There's nothing outside of his will there's nothing outside of his plan.

He is in control He's good we'll end here

With the purpose of the reprobation We know that Jesus has made it so it's a phenomenon in Scripture We know that Jesus has talked about the prophecy of reprobation

We know that Jesus has went through the perplexing nature of it We know that Jesus has prepared them beforehand, but and we all we've also seen that Jesus the power underneath it.

What's the purpose? for Judas Betraying Christ and let's make this macro.

What is the purpose? for unbelievers going to hell

What is the purpose for people dying in their sin? Because it's not capricious

What's the purpose let's keep going After the morsel Satan entered into him

Therefore Jesus said to him what you do do quickly Jesus sovereignly commands the one who betrays him to do it

Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose that he had said this to him

They didn't get the purpose For some they were supposing because Judas had the money box that Jesus was saying to him buy the things that we need

For the feast or else that he should give something to the poor So after receiving the morsel, he went out immediately and it was night.

No one among the disciples understood the purpose John was right there.

He heard every bit of it. He didn't understand it at all Peter watching with bated breath Gestured the whole time through it.

He didn't understand what was going on. None of them got it And here the purpose in verse 31

Jesus tells us why people are Reprobate Why people go to hell why people betray him why people turn from him

Jesus says in verse 31 Therefore when Judas had gone out Jesus said now is the son of man glorified and God is glorified in him

The purpose of this doctrine as hard as it is is the glory of God Because Judas would betray

Jesus Jesus would be arrested Jesus would be beaten

Jesus would be Put on a cross and Jesus would die and not a single nanosecond of that was outside of his control

Every bit of that was in his sovereign hand So that Judas was not thwarting the will of God.

He was supporting it God is going to get the glory

Which is what this passage teaches us that even in the most unspeakable act and you can't think of a single act more evil than Crucifying the

Son of God in the darkest moment of human history God is still in control and he is still getting his glory and it says in John that it was for that moment that his glory shone most brightly

We would be mistaken if we felt like the most important Incident in human history just so happened to be

By sheer chance and if God is the same yesterday and today and forever

We know that nothing is to chance when it comes to the sovereign will of God There will be some

Who will glorify Christ forever in their worship and there will be some who glorify

Christ forever in hell in their shrieking There will be some who glorify

God in their submission And there will be some like Judas who glorify him in their rebellion

Again this is not a happy message, but I want to give you hope now as we close

Because if God is sovereign to that degree God is never a victim

Judas didn't victimize Jesus this nation that we live in that's turned their back on Jesus is not outside of his control

The people who hate God are not outside of his control every Aspect of reality every thought you think every moment you face is under the banner of his control

Which means that you are safe Even though this doctrine is hard and even though it's it it weighs upon our mind like how can this be so it is so And God is good because we know that that is what scripture has taught us and we've seen it in the fact that he raised us from the dead and When we look at it we say why did it why us

I don't know I Don't have a fancy theological answer for why

God chose you other than he's gracious Because he chose you and why didn't he choose others?

Because he's just he's holy And he cares about for some

God has given them what they do not deserve For others God has chosen to give them what they do deserve and in all things

God is glorified That's the point and everything God has got glory

Will we be a people? Who accept God for who he is and praise

God for who he is even if we have to crucify our mind That's my prayer for us.

Let's pray Lord in difficult doctrines, we do not have to understand them in Difficult doctrines where our minds are so small and so Feeble, we do not need to comprehend the depths of them in order to understand and believe them

Lord this is why you say that That in order to come to you. We must be like little children

Lord I pray that you would help us to receive your truth from your word like little children

Lord, let us not be Like Mark Twain who said it's not the parts of the Bible that I understand that bother me

Or don't understand that bother me. It's the parts I do Lord help us as we understand this to run to you and to trust you or let us not be like Thomas Jefferson Who decided that the parts of the

Bible we didn't like he would just cut them out and make his own Bible for his own pleasure Lord, let us not do that either

Lord let us in the moments that we're confused like the disciples Let us in the moments where we don't understand where we're perplexed

Let us hear the comforting words of Christ. I've told you beforehand So that you will know me so that you will believe in me and so that you will have life in my name