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good morning everyone welcome back to free Grace Baptist Church special welcome to those who are with us for the first time this morning just a couple of announcements before we get started our evening service of course at 5:00 p.m. join us then and then Wednesday night bible study at 7:30 p.m. those are the only announcements for this morning so we'll go right to worship by turning to Psalm 41 in your Bibles Psalm 41 to the chief musician a Psalm of David blessed is he who considers the poor the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble the Lord will preserve him and keep him alive and he will be blessed on the earth you will not deliver him to the will of his enemies the Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness you will sustain him on his sick bed I said Lord be merciful to me me heal my soul for I have sinned against you my enemies speak e evil of me when will he die and his name perish and if he comes to see me he speaks lies his heart gathers iniquity to itself when he goes out he tells it all who hate me whisper together against me against me they devise my hurt an evil disease they say clings to him and now that he lies down he will rise up no more even my own famili your friend in whom I trusted who ate my bread has lifted up his heel against me but you oh Lord be merciful to me and raise me up that I may repay them by this I know that you are well pleased with me because my enemy does not triumph over me as for me you uphold me in my integrity and set me before your face forever blessed be the Lord God of Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting amen and amen amen for our first hymn this morning turn in your Himel to Psalm Psalm 24b 24b as in bravo and please stand with me as we sing together the world and his Bel to the Lord on the found the the God the of his holy the of your heart his the Lord shall my blessing receive the Sal to all my are seeking your glory to oh is the king GL the Lord the battle is here your glory to Great king of glory glor is let us turn our hearts to the Lord in prayer our gracious Heavenly Father we thank you for your mercy and your kindness we thank thank you that your mercy is new every morning and you have displayed it in so many ways we thank you Lord that you in your Providence clothe us that you provide for our our food our housing everything that we have is a gift from your hand and even more so we thank you that you have provided Redemption thank you that you have called us out of Darkness into marvelous light through the Gospel of Jesus Christ Lord we know that we were not deserving of your your hand of Mercy we know that we were not doing things to please you to earn your favor for this is impossible all of our righteousness is as filthy rags but you in your kindness and in your mercy sought us out when we were not seeking you and you oh Lord have been gracious and kind and merciful in providing Redemption you have provided the blood of your own son to wash us and cleanse us from our guilt and you have clothed us in a righteousness that is not our own a righteousness that is alien to us the righteousness of Christ Our Lord thank you for making us fit to stand before you in your presence and thank you that we can as children adopted into your family know that one day we will sit around that that great supper of the Lamb the the when the lamb takes his bride to be his own forever and ever and we thank you oh father that we all who are redeemed will participate in in that great event one day Lord we thank you for the good that you are doing in your church we pray Lord that you would continue here with us as you have been instructing us and teaching us and uniting us I pray God you would continue to cause this church to grow in maturity maturity and in Fellowship I pray you'd continue to bring Souls Among Us that need to hear the gospel and be saved and Lord we pray for the same all over this nation of ours we know in this very city of chilak there are other churches this day where the gospel is being preached and we pray your blessing would rest upon those ministers that you have appointed to those pulpits and Lord we pray that you would do a good work in the hearts of people throughout this city and throughout this land we thank you for our sister churches and church plants pray for the congregation that meets this morning in Suri bless Pastor Kirkpatrick as he preaches and teaches there continue to cause them to to grow and Lord I pray that you would cause them to be a a lighthouse and an Outreach to that area we pray for the work that's taking place up in the north Okanogan bless Pastor malar in Armstrong and their congregation this morning encourage them we pray and bless those who are have gathered this morning out in Dryden Ontario continue to bring that group together we pray oh Lord that they would be able to uh found a constituted Church in the near future bless them oh God this day and Lord we pray for your church in distant countries that we are in contact with and those that we we we know and have have visited or had ministering pastors come to us we pray Lord that you'd bless them and encourage them this day bless the work in Elder Kenya we pray oh God that you would bless pastor ogallo and his fellow Elders cause that congregation to continue in faithfulness to the to the doctrine of Christ and continue to send out men to other parts of Africa and Lord we pray for your people this day that are being persecuted there are many in Many Nations around the world that do not have the freedoms that we have where the governments are opposed to the Church of Jesus Christ and where false religion has raised its fist against the almighty Lord we pray that you be gracious to your church for when men cannot reach you to bring you off the throne they attack your people and Lord we pray that you'd be gracious to those who are suffering we know according to the scriptures that it is a privilege to suffer for the name of Christ and Lord we pray for those even this day that are languishing in prison in Chains be gracious to your servants oh God I pray give them strength to persevere till the final day Lord we pray that you'd continue with us now as we worship you may you cleanse us from our sins and and cause our worship to be acceptable in your sight Lord we pray for pastor Butler when he comes to the pulpit later that you would give him unction and anointing to preach to us the whole counsel of God and we ask this in Jesus name amen for our next hymn please turn in your Himel to Psalm 67a 67 7A as in Alpha and stand with me again as we singy and bless in your sh brightness of your your on Earth be to every your sing prise be sh oh all praise you Alles of for you the in truth and rightousness and praise you let all the s for Earth to shall the Lord Our God shall bless us our shall bless and all the Earth shall be you may be seated turn with me in your Bibles to our morning scripture reading in Matthew chapter 18 Matthew chapter 18 we will read from the beginning of the chapter to the end of verse 20 Matthew 18 beginning in verse 1 at that time the disciples came to Jesus saying who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven then Jesus called a little child to him set him in the midst of them and said assuredly I say to you unless you are converted and become as Little Children You Will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven whoever receives one little child like this in my name receives me whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea woe to the world because of offenses for offenses must come but woe to that man by whom the offense comes if your hand or foot causes you to sin cut it off and cast it from you it is better for you to enter into life ma lame or maimed rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the Everlasting fire and if your eye causes you to sin pluck it out and cast it from you it is better for you to enter into life with one eye rather than having two eyes to be cast into Hellfire take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones for I say to you that in heaven their Angels always see the face of my father who is in heaven for the son of man has has come to save that which was lost what do you think if a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray does he not leave the 99 and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying and if he should find it assuredly I say to you he rejoices more over that sheep than over the 99 that did not go astray even so it is not the will of your father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish moreover if your brother sins against you go and tell him his fault between you and him alone if he hears you you have gained your brother but if he will not hear take with you one or two more that by the mouth of two or three Witnesses every word may be established and if he refuses to hear them tell it to the church but if he refuses even to hear the church let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector assuredly I say to you whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in heaven again I say to you that if two of you agree on Earth concerning anything that they ask it will be done for them by my Father in heaven for where two or three are gathered together in my name I am there in the midst of them amen gracious Heavenly Father we thank you for the teaching of Christ thank you that he points us to himself over and over and over again because he is all of our righteousness Lord continue with us as we worship open our hearts to receive the word of God and I pray it would bring forth fruit in our lives and in this congregation we ask this in Jesus name amen for our final hymn tur in your hym to number 470 470 when this passing world is done and again stand with me as we sing CHR all his story more shall I ho my tri when I see them star on the part then more shall I holy know the beuty my when I see the with the S heart shall I Mery s shall I know to theor me Lord our Earth [Music] will you can turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of John as we return to our studies in this fourth gospel it's been a few weeks weeks we're starting a new section in John's gospel remember a basic overview or outline of the book is a prologue in chapter 1 veres 1 to 18 where the Apostle gives us a sort of behindth scenes view of the word the word who became flesh and dwelt Among Us and he tells us or he begins with a discussion of theology proper God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit and then we have What's called the book of the signs or the public Ministry of Jesus which begins in chapter 1 at verse 19 and continues to chap 12 and verse 50 and here we come thirdly to what has been called The Book of the passion and basically what we have here to the end of chapter 20 is Christ's preparation for and ultimately his death and resurrection and so it's a very instructive portion of John's gospel the book then ends with an epilogue in chapter 21 so our Focus this morning will be on chapter 13 just the first three verses because I think in the first three verses what we find is an introduction to the rest of what we find in chapters 13 to 16 so I just want to read from verse one we'll read to verse 17 and then I'll pray so John 13:1 now before the Feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour had come that he should depart from this world to the father having loved his own who are in the world he loved them to the end and supper being ended the devil having already put it into the heart of judas's scariot Simon's son to betray him Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God Rose from supper and laid aside his garments took a towel and girded himself after that he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded then he came to Simon Peter and Peter said to him Lord are you washing my feet Jesus answered and said to him what I am doing you do not understand now but you will know this know after this Peter said to him you shall never wash my feet Jesus answered him if I do not wash you you have no part with me Simon Peter said to him Lord not my feet only but also my hands and my head Jesus said to him he is bathed needs only to wash his feet but is completely clean and you are clean but not all of you for he knew who would betray him therefore he said you are not all clean so when he had washed their feet taken his garments and sat down again he said to them do you know what I have done to you you call me teacher and Lord and you say well for so I am if I then your lord and teacher have washed your feet you also ought to wash one another's feet for I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you most assuredly I say to you a servant is not greater than his master nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him if you know these things blessed are you if you do them amen well let us pray our gracious God and Holy Father we thank you so very much for the Lord's day we thank you for the the great privilege that is ours to gather together with the people of God on the day of God in the house of God we pray that you would be glorified we pray that you would increase our love for you and our love for one another bless our fellowship The Fellowship of the Saints is so wonderful to be able to spend time with the people of God and to get that refreshment and that encouragement as well God we pray for the ministry and the power of the Holy Spirit as we consider the scripture now we pray that we would bask in and see and Marvel in the the glory of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world we thank you for that love that he displays we thank thank you for that that Gospel of our Salvation namely his life death and resurrection and we pray that all over the Earth today this gospel would be proclaimed that it would run swiftly that it would be glorified that it would accomplish the purpose for which you send it and God may it be the case that from every tribe and tongue and people and Nation Sinners would come to the father through the son by the spirit and we pray in Jesus name amen well as we come to chapters 13 to 16 we have what's been historically called The Upper Room discourse some today call it the farewell discourse I don't want to argue about which is preferable but we'll proceed under the opes of the upper room discourse and I think there's two reasons why Jesus does what he does in this particular discourse in the first place he continues to teach and instruct his disciples concerning not only himself but the father and the Holy Spirit In other words trinitarian theology looms large in the instruction of Our Lord in this upper room and that shouldn't surprise us again the prologue in John 1 verse one in the beginning was the word the word was with God and the Word was God and then in verse 14 the word became flesh and dwelt among us and then the constant emphasis by our Lord in his Teaching Ministry on the fact that he was sent by the father that he was sent by God that he came on a particular mission to save his people from their sins so it shouldn't surprise us that when we come to the upper room Jesus is giving his disciples more instruction concerning the Triune God but I suspect also he continues to prepare the apostles for the ministry they will undertake after his death resurrection and Ascension to his father's right hand in other words these men are going to be the men that we see in the book of Acts that basically turn the world upside down and so Christ is preparing them Christ is is fitting them Christ is giving them information to assist them in that task and it won't be the case that they'll go out and everybody will pre uh be saved under their preaching and everything's just going to be wonderful it's going to usher in a Latter-Day Glory right there in Judea no there would be converts there would be churches planted but there would be great opposition there would be great persecution there would be great enmity the sort of enmity that the people had toward the lord Jesus Christ they then spend on the church and the apostles so Christ wants to instruct them concerning these things for their fittness for gospel Ministry in fact Sinclair Ferguson made this observation he says I've often reflected on the rather obvious thought that when his disciples were about to have the world collapse in on them which they are they don't know it here at this particular point but that's exactly what's going to happen he says I've often reflected on the rather OB obvious thought that when his disciples were about to have the world collapse in on them our Lord spent so much time in the upper room speaking to them about the mystery of the Trinity huh you think that's the kind of stuff we need in the midst of Chaos in the midst of flocks in the midst of opposition in the midst of persecution absolutely positively a great big dose of the knowledge of God goes a long way to steadying the people people of God and that seems to be one of our Lord's tactics with reference to these men Ferguson concludes if anything could underline the necessity of trinitarianism for practical Christianity that must surely be it in other words a knowledge of who God is empowers and enables the apostles in the first century and the church in the 21st century to engage in exploits for the most high if we don't know our God we don't understand God we don't have have an appreciation for the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit what is it that we're about what is our function in this world certainly we're to shine as lights in a crooked and perverse generation but we're supposed to hold forth the word we're supposed to be a people of the book we're supposed to be a people of understanding we're supposed to be a people marked by second Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and in the what in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we to love the Lord Our God with all our heart soul mind and strength we're not to be conformed to this present evil age but rather we're to be transformed by what by the renewing of our minds in other words brethren we need doctrine and that's precisely what Christ gives to these disciples in the upper room to prepare them for the eventuality of church planting discipl making and opposition from both unbelieving Israel and then the Civil state in the Roman Empire so let us now look specifically at verses 1 to3 as I said I think it functions as an introduction to the entirety of the discourse the discourse goes from 13 to 16 it does function to introduce this foot washing episode God willing we'll look at that next Sunday morning but I think verses 1 to three basically modify control or are over the entirety of this Upper Room discourse so there are three things to consider here first the arrival of the hour in verse one second the opposition of the devil in verse two and then thirdly the resolution of Jesus in verse three or we might say his commitment his resolve his willingness to go to the very end on behalf of his people but note the arrival of the hour verse one tells us now before the uh Feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour had come that he should depart from this world to the father so the setting of the context his uh the setting of the context historically is the Feast of Passover we've noted this in our studies in John's gospel it's basically as if John's gospel is structured around the Passover you've got several mentioned and here specifically we see the events connected to Passover that are that are affecting our Lord Jesus Christ so his death at the cross coincides with what you find in Exodus 12 remember that Passover feast where God tells the children of Israel that you need to take a an animal out of your flock you need to kill it and you need to take some of that blood and you need to Splash it above the doorposts on your house and when you do that by faith understand that the angel of God most high will pass over and it's not based on the faith of the particular individual it is rather based on the blood that is sprinkled on the doorpost it's not the strength of the Israelites Faith but it's the power of the blood of the lamb and so what we find in the Book of John is a new Exodus not out of Egyptian bondage but out of the the slave market of sin we find the true Lamb of God which is Jesus Christ Our Lord John 1:29 Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and then we see in connection to all of this the celebration of the Passover which yields itself to the to the institution of the Lord's Supper so Jesus Christ is the anti-tip the Old Testament Point points forward and Promises one to come and he is the Fulfillment as Paul tells us he is the yay and amen of all of God's promises so the particular historical context is the Feast of Passover but then notice specifically the theological context now before the Feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour had come this hour has been referred to in several places in John's gospel most closely here in chapter 12 you can turn back chapter 12 specifically at verse 23 but Jesus answered them saying the hour has come that the son of man should be glorified and then dropping down into verse 27 now my soul is troubled and what shall I say father save me from this hour but for this purpose I came to this hour so this hour has sort of been in the backdrop of John's gospel all throughout but now the hour has come and the hour is not left up for grabs in terms of what does it mean it's associated with his glorification It's associated with his soul Sorrows there in 12 23 and 27 and it's Associated specifically here in 131 with his departure from this world back to the father so in John 1:14 the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory we see that Jesus came to his own according to John 1:9 and10 but his own received him not so now the hour has come that he returns to the father so what does that mean it means it's through the death on the cross and Resurrection from the dead that he ascends back on high to lead captivity captive and to give gifts to men so Christ understands this Christ knows this and Christ uses or seizes the opportunity to prepare his disciples so the identification of the hour and then the description of the hour it's right there when Jesus knew that his hour had come that this is explanatory that he should depart from this world to the father this is what John has been alluding to in this mention of the hour up until this particular point it's arrived it's associated with his glory It's associated with soul trouble according to his humanity and it's ultimately associated with those events of his death and Resurrection the hour had come and then notice this last statement in verse one having loved his own who were in the world he loved them to the end this is why I suggest that what we find here in verses 1 to3 basically control the entirety of ver of chapters 13 to 16 in other words why is he teaching his disciples yes he wants effective Ministry he wants effective discip making he wants effective church planting he wants effective resistance to tyranny he wants effective Christianity in that first century all that's true but why does he instruct them in chapters 13 to 16 it's because he loves them having loved his own who were in the world he loves them to the end so I would suggest that the love that Christ has is the motivating factor to the words that he speaks in other words he's not chastening them he's not chiding them he's not reproving them he's not rebuking them he's using truth calculated to promote Health in them to promote earnestness in them to to promote Mighty exploits for the glory of God by them but he is doing it because he loves them in fact if you look back throughout Redemptive history we call it the 11th Hour when a man comes to die what does he do what would you do in your 11th hour if you knew that today you were going to die what would you do well I've I've always wanted to climb Mount Shem so I'm going to schedule that in at 1 p.m. I'd like to have a good meal at 5:00 p.m. and then and then I'll breathe my last well when you look at the 11th Hour of men in scripture you know what they often do they gather their family about them they gather them round about and what do they do in the context of love for their family they instruct them they encourage them they teach them they try to pass on nuggets of wisdom to that Paul in second Timothy CH 4 I would argue is his 11th Hour Gathering Together the people of God and what is large in the mind and heart of the apostle preach the word be ready in season and out of season convince rebuke exhort with all longsuffering and teaching why because the time will come when they'll no longer endure sound Doctrine but they'll gather up teachers that'll scratch their itching ears the other reason he gives us for my departure is at hand he knows that he has fought the good fight he has uh uh finished the faith and he or finished the race and he has kept the faith this is what was important to Paul was to pass on the T of the necessity of gospel preaching to advance the kingdom of God on Earth throughout this age and when we come to Jesus it's it's love that brings him to this place where he encourages his people and several things that he does he exhorts them that they humbly serve others I'm going to argue next week that foot washing is not to be a Sacrament in the church I don't think he means that we need to always wash each other's feet or have a day of the year where we wash each other's feet I think the idea is humble service be willing to wash the feet of a brother or a sister in Jesus Christ in other words give yourselves to others service that's the emphasis born out of his love for them the exhortation that they love one another other words he doesn't just say don't do what I or he says do basically what I've done I love you I've loved you to the end go ahead and love one another he does that in 1334 and 35 the exhortation that they be not troubled 14 1-6 that's pretty appropriate right he loves us so what does he do he calms us he loves us so he says essentially Psalm 46:10 be be still and and know that I am God I I will be exalted among the Nations I will be exalted in the earth don't don't lose your mind don't don't freak out don't end up in a in a state where you're ineffective but but be not troubled hope in God believe in me as well the emphasis on his Unity of essence with the father he does this because he loves us he wants us to understand the beauty of the the Triune God he gives us instruction on the role of the Holy Spirit chapters 14 and 15 and 16 he gives instruction on the relationship of the vine and the branches again because he loves us that's the emphasis and then as well the emphasis on his love for his people again in chapter 15 9-17 and then the warning that the world is going to rise up in opposition against them Somebody Prayed in the last hour and it was so appropriate and so fitting isn't it amazing when we read you know voice of the martyrs or these accounts of martyrdom or persecution what's the crime of the Christian well you know they strap on C4 and they go down to the city square and they blow everybody up no that's not what they do they you know Menace Society they promote all kinds of lawlessness and sexual perversion and the murder of babies and the murder no that's that's not them either well you know they don't pay t yeah they do Paul tells them to according to Romans chapter 13 what's their crime We Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you got to really hate God to want to hate somebody and hurt them because they believe in him and this is precisely what the Lord does exhort them with if the world hates the master they're going to hate the servants I'm not telling you this because I hate you I'm telling this because I love you and you should know this and and then the encouragement ultimately at the end of the discourse that he has overcome the world he says I've i' I've told you these things so so that you might have peace in this world you will have tribulation you love the truthfulness of our savior he doesn't say well you know everything's going to be hunky dory you you're going to just go unaffected by this hor horrible world you're you're going to just live perfectly you're always going to get the raises you're always going to get the promotions your wife's always going to have a smile your children will always be obedient they'll be the D beautiful little ones that just say yes mommy yes daddy no no no that's not what he says in this world you will have tribulation the master because he Li loves us doesn't lie to us but he says but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world so it's love that is the motivating fact behind his words to these disciples look again at verse one and notice the emphasis on this it says uh when Jesus knew that his hour had come that he should depart from this world to the father having loved his own who are in the world he loved them to the end so the objects of his love are his own not just his own in that upper room but his own all those that the father gives me John 6:37 will come to me and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out turn over to John 17 after the upper room discourse Jesus as the high priest prays and in 179 and he says I pray for them I do not pray for the world but For Those whom you have given me for they are yours and then notice in verse 20 I do not pray for these alone but also for those who will believe in me through their word so back to John 13 verse1 this is calculated specifically to be an encouragement for the TW Apostles but it's also for us having loved his own what is it behind the Lord Jesus Christ Christ in terms of his mission certainly the Triune God the Father the Son and the spirit covenants to save a people from their sins Christ is the mediator Christ is the one that takes on our Humanity with all of its essential properties and common infirmities thereof and he comes to save us there's love back there too I wonder at times if we forget that God so what loved the world that he gave his only begotten son this idea or this caricature of Christianity is as as an unloving sort of a system it couldn't be farther from the truth God commends his own love toward us Romans 5'8 and that while we were still sinners Christ died for us it's love that is the the the the the the the perfection in our Lord Jesus Christ he he had loved them but then it goes on to say that he loved them to the end and the his own there those given him by the father they're not morally Superior I don't want anybody here that perhaps isn't a Christian to somehow think well to be considered his own you got to wear suits and go to church twice on Sunday you got to be familiar with the hymns you got to have some sort of knowledge of Sunday school you he just assumes all this stuff and and you know this is a class of people that sort of satisfy those requirements and so so they've become his own no that that's that's not it at all ask anybody sitting here that has faith in Jesus are you in Jesus because of you no not even a little bit I'm in Jesus because of Jesus election doesn't find men in Christ Gil said election puts men in Christ we're here because God first loved us the his ownness is not the morally Superior lot the churchgoing folk they've got a confession under their arm they've got their Bible under their arm and they're ready no no no we're dead in our trespasses and sins we are deceitful our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked we're vile helpless guilty we are at odds with the living and the true God so his own are not the ones that are somehow morally Superior his own are those whom the father gave to the son before the foundation of the world his own are those who have benefited from the glory of God most high who has chosen for himself a great multitude that no man can number and I would suggest as well that that argues there is hope to be had in Jesus if Sinners are in Christ that's an encouragement to other Sinners to look unto Christ isn't it when Paul says this is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save Sinners that right there is good but Paul UPS the anti Paul wants to make sure that you understand the gravity of the statement that Christ Jesus came into the world to save Sinners Paul then goes on to say of whom I am chief so there is not a sinner on the face of the Earth that can say well you know I'm just too Wicked to be saved no you're so wicked you must be saved and it's only by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ Paul the Apostle chief of Sinners we hear him and we see him and we read his letters we forget that road to Damascus we forget the extra uh uh uh what's the word I'm looking for extradition papers that he has in his hand as he moves to Damascus to arrest Believers men and women to bring them back to Jerusalem so that they could be punished so they could be sentenced up to including death so all of Tarsus was a wretch he was a bad guy he was not the sort of guy that you'd want to hang out with and you're certainly not the sort of guy or girl he'd want to hang out with unless he was putting the handcuffs on you and taking you back to the tribunal so that you could uh get your your sentence what happens Christ saves the chief of Sinners for Inc encouragement to other Sinners there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from what from all sin Ephesians 1:7 in him we have Redemption through his blood the Forgiveness of sins according to what the riches of his grace not just the little meager amounts of his grace but the riches of his grace so the objects of divine love here are not a morally Superior class of people but miserable guilty s Sinners that God in his free mercy and Grace set his affection upon but as well consider the love of Jesus as it comes to us in verse one having loved his own who are in the world he loved them to the end I think this does reflect at least three things here when we consider the love of God it's a different sort of a consideration than the love of man we love you probably have somebody sitting next to you or somebody in your life somewhere that that you love you can say that of a certainty I I love this person I love my children I love my grandchildren I love the the bones of my wife that's a liverpol sort of an expression I love the bones of this person expresses just how much you love that so we have the capacity to love we can increase in love we can diminish in love as well people cross us and we don't love them so much anymore you see it cannot be said of us as it is of god in first John 48 and6 that we are love we can love we can grow in love we have the ability to love but with God his Perfections are God all that is in God is God and so when it says God is love it doesn't mean he has the capacity to love it doesn't mean he increases or diminishes in love God is love God is righteousness God is Holiness God is Justice he's not so many parts making up God God is his attributes all that is in God is God so when Jesus says that he had loved them or when the narrator tells us having loved his own who were in the world he loved them to the end we learn first of the unchanging Love Of Christ for us the unchanging Love Of Christ for us that's a mindblowing concept but Brethren Let It Blow your minds once in a while because it's glorious the Lord God most high is immutable he is impassible there is no shadow of turning there is no variation with thee the Lord God most high loves his people in an unchanging way now we ask the question well how could that be I mean I'm kind of a ratch on Tuesdays I miss coffee I got a few bad meetings and by Tuesday afternoon I'm not only not loving myself I quite despise myself and yet you're telling me that God's love is unchanging I'm not telling you that Moses the prophets the apostles our lord Jesus they're telling you that God's love is unchanging in a second thing is that God's love Christ's love for his own is constant that's good news isn't it again we don't have to worry on Tuesday afternoon are you know is the lightning bolt going to come and get me it it might but that's not an expression of his hatred for you you might need a lightning bolt to exit you from this this present evil age and take you into the glory of his kingdom but the love of Jesus is constant it's not FL fluctuating it's not chaotic it's not so many visites in a in a world of flux so for whatever issues and challenges and problems and trials that we face in the creaturely realm we don't have that problem with our great God we don't have that problem with our blessed savior and then I would suggest that the love of Christ is infinite this kind of flows together not a lot of difference in unchangeable and in uh constant and in infinite but it is good to think through it it is good to ponder it in fact turn to the book of Ephesians where the Apostle wants the church in Ephesus to consider this very thing he wants them to consider not their love for Jesus which can be a bit depressing from time to time but Jesus love for them that's a good exercise Brethren to be a scholar in Christ's School of Love is a good Endeavor notice in 34 the Apostle tells them how he prays for them for this reason I bow my knees to the father of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom the whole family in Heaven and Earth is named and now he has three specific petitions three things that he asks of God relative to the people in the church in Ephesus and the first is verse 16 that he would Grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might through his spirit in the inner man that Christ May dwell in your heart through faith I want you to be strong I mean Brethren again we struggle there's a lack of Courage a lack of fortitude a lack of those sorts of things but all things being equal we ought to pray Paul's prayer with him say fill us such with the holy spirit that we're strengthened with all might in the Inner Man so that we may Endeavor to glorify you in this present evil age and then notice that second petition focusing upon the love of Jesus that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the wit and and length and height uh depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge again Brethren that's not our love for Christ that doesn't pass knowledge if we do love him we should love him that he does love us is absolutely amazing it's absolutely glorious it's wondrous and that's Paul's point to know the love of Christ that passes knowledge in other words it's it's infinite you can ponder it as it's revealed to you in scripture you can stand in awe and amazement as it's revealed to you in scripture as you understand the doctrine of justification by faith the presence and power of the Holy Spirit but can you get to the point where you have it all tied up in a Nifty little package well there's the love of Christ for me no it passes knowledge see when we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ we're not offering just a a few meager benefits to the weary Soul there is everything in Jesus everything that the desperate Soul needs is to be found found in our Lord Jesus that's why we say come to Jesus you're a sinner you need Jesus you need stability and peace in Jesus come to Jesus you need this understanding or we you want this kind of love come to Jesus the third petition is quite curious as well that you may be filled with all the fullness of God I think the context indicates that what we have there is something of Temple you remember that shakina Glory came down and filled the temple of God most high Paul says I want you to be strong I want you to know that love and I want you as the people of God to be filled with all the fullness of God most high I want the shakina glory to obtain when you gather together in your worship services and as you conduct yourself in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ but back to our passage we have a love here that is very specific it is unchangeable it is constant it is infinite it is glorious it is wondrous and it is worthy of us celebrating and praising and rejoicing and delighting now notice secondly according to verse two the opposition of the devil the opposition of the Devil he's never far away in terms of the the the goings on in this present world now verse one or I'm sorry verse two says and supper being ended or during supper as the other sort of translations translate it's tough to know which exactly supper is in view I thought I was a Sho in understanding that and then I read Gil and I thought I'm not sure what supper is going on here but we know it's close to Passover it's close to the institution of the supper the Lord's Supper so I tell you to read Gil and maybe get confused as I am but but uh I don't know that that's good counsel he connects it to the two days prior to Passover when Jesus has supper at the house of Simon the leper and at that point we see that the devil has come to uh Judas in in terms specifically of uh pilfering money from the money box again whether that's the case P suggests that there were a couple coup of different meals on the Passover and this wasn't the specific Passover meal here but that was coming so again tough to nail it down but we have the general proximity in terms of Passover we're there theologically in terms of the hour and we see specifically here the the the minations of the devil this close to the Cross so notice with reference to the opposition of the devil we read the devil having already put it into the heart of judas's scariot Simon's son to betray him now the meaning of the phrase is not that he has omnipotence he's not God right the the devil is not like God the devil is creature there's only one Creator one infinite the devil is creature creature or finite so he's not got omnipotent Powers he can't make you do something so if you ever say well the devil made me do it no theologically that's incorrect he could tempt you to do it but he didn't make you do it so I think that's what's in view here in verse two he's tempting Judas to this particular Act of treachery he's tempting Judas to betray the master for 30 pieces of silver he's tempting Judas to get in sort of Swing this plan and purpose to to execute the Lord Jesus Christ now as you read this and as you consider the minoni that's a good old Puritan word uh of the devil you know what's going to happen right you know it's the purpose and plan of God that that Jesus must be betrayed that Jesus must be delivered up to Godless hands that Jesus must be crucified and that Jesus must be raised from the dead so so the devil here is playing on the the harder affections of a Godless wretch Under The Sovereign power and control of God most high doesn't mitigate the responsibility of of the devil as that Arch fiend and it certainly doesn't mitigate the responsibility of Judas but it demonstrates the absolute Sovereign power of God most high Peter does the same thing in the book of Acts on the day of Pentecost in chapter 2:23 he talks about you nailing Godless hands nailing Jesus Christ to the Cross but it was done so according to the predetermined plan and purpose of God the apostles praying in Acts 4:28 and 29 they they praise God because of what he put in the hearts of Pontius Pilate and and and Herod to accomplish his purposes see Brethren I think we have this delusion that God's like a doctor or a surgeon thankfully he's not but uh we can use the analogy so far as it works but like like he has all these you know sterilized instruments that that's what happens if you've had a surgery right you don't see the doctor you know wiping it off on his pants an or blowing it I've often joked when you have your first child they drop their Binky and you go and boil it to get all the the hairs off it and all the spots by the second third fourth child yeah you're just rubbing it on your pants or blowing it six seven8 you probably don't even do that just shove it hair and you know blemishes right back in their in their mouth so so we have this idea that God just works with these sterilized instruments see the problem is in this world there's no sterilized instruments everything's a mess so God works with the mess that he has and as the scripture testifies he overrules it for his glory and for our good Joseph saw this you meant this for evil but but God overruled it for good Genesis 1520 the same passages in Acts 2 and acts 4 when we see the horror of the crucifixion Jesus according to Hebrews 7:26 is wholly harmless and undefiled so when's the cross why did they execute him because it was the purpose and plan of God God because without the shedding of blood there is no remission and that shed blood had to come from the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world so in order for that to happen there had to be the minations at the lower level overruled overseen and ultimately decreed by God most high for the Salvation of his people from their sins so the Devil comes along he presents this temptation to the to to to Judas and we see specifically this is what happens it's already been announced Chapter 6: 70 and 71 Jesus already referred to to to Judas as a devil as well he makes this uh reference or he's going to make further explanation in Chapter 13 here at verses 18 to30 but also in chapter 12: 4 to 6 so this isn't the first announcement this isn't the first sort of wow this is this is going to happen it's coming to fruition it's coming to pass in fact look at a parallel in Luke's gospel Luke chap 22 Luke chap 22 it's it's an interesting situation that we find here Luke 22 specifically at verses 3-6 this is representative of what you find in in Matthew and in Mark as well what we call the synoptic gospels but notice in 221 now the Feast of unleavened bread Drew near which is called Passover and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill him for they feared the people then Satan entered Judas surnamed es scariot who was numbered among the 12 so he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains how he might betray him to them and they were glad and agreed to give him money so he promised and sought opportunity to betray him and to them in the absence of the multitude now I know this is going to sound like an argument from silence and it is but it seems like a pretty loud argument from Silence notice in chapter 22 same chapter verses 31 to 34 and the Lord said Simon Simon and indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail again it's a bit of a different context it's not as if Judas and Jesus are talking and Jesus says you're going to betray me but I've prayed for you there's no mention there of prayer and again different but I think what we're supposed to glean from this is that the people of God have their challenges The Blood Bought children of God do at times some pretty horrible things but they've always got the love of the master on their side Simon Simon indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail and when you have returned to me strengthen your brethren so you see there's this resolve there's this announcement that Peter you're going to do some things that are unsavory I've prayed for you you're going to return to me and when you return to me I want you to strengthen the Brethren so he loved them and he loves them to the end and that loving to the end includes the cross to be sure but it transcends the cross its Resurrection its Ascension its current session it's his intercession for his people from the right hand of the father it's his advocacy on their behalf according to First John 2 he loves them to the end he grants the spirit he grants The Graces of Faith or of perseverance he grants us that ability by his grace to enter in finally to his presence so that love to the end doesn't have a Terminus it doesn't have a termination Point that's more calculated for us there's no end in the Divine there's no beginning and end relative to God Almighty that's language for us that's in the manner of men so when it says he loved them to the end don't think well in 15 ,000 years it's going to be all spent up no the HW writer was closer when we've been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun we've no last days to sing God's praise than when we first beg eternity is what awaits the people of God and love on behalf of God to them back to our text we've got the the identity of the betrayer he's called Judas a scaria he is called or identified as a devil in 670 and 71 and he was a Thief according to 12: 4-6 you know what's a bit scary here he was an apostle right what does that mean it means that whatever your office or your place in the Christian church you're not off limits to the attack of the devil he he goes after Apostles too Simon Simon Satan has has requested to sift you like weak see just because you might be a pastor or a deacon or a really good guy doesn't mean you're immune from the onslaught of the devil now I don't say that to make you unhappy or sad I say that so that you'll be on guard according to Peter in 1 Peter 5'8 the Devil roams about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour thankfully Christ is our intercessor that prays for us so the prominence of a particular office doesn't mean you're immune from The Assault of the devil but as well the prominence of a particular office doesn't argue that you have Grace in your heart so in other words you're a pastor you're a deacon you're a really good guy that's not ultimately the issue the ultimate issue is what think you of Christ do you look to him in faith do you believe on him have you received his righteousness have you been been forgiven of your sins doesn't matter your office if you're a graceless soul and so Judas stands as a warning beacon on the pages of scripture wagging his devilish finger at us to be on guard To Be watchful the devil does roam about but the main uh the the safest place for the the believer to be is believing in Jesus Christ and then of course the nature of the Betrayal the father determined it acts 2 Jesus Christ willingly underw underwent it the book of the passion but Judas is responsible John Gil says this was an affair determined by God known by Christ and which he foretold to his disciples yet all this did not in the least excuse the malice of Satan and the wickedness of Judas it just does end again there's a lot that could be said here we're not going to say it but just suffice to to know that this does not remove the the liability for punishment from Judas es scariot we see that he goes to his own place according to acts 1:25 the viciousness of his crimes against the Majesty of Christ meant he went to his own place the apostles there are preach praying for his replacement and they say incidentally that he went to his own place and that brings us finally to the resolution or commitment of the Savior notice in verse three so we've got this sort of dark statement in verse two right I mean the devil's there Judas is there with the devil having sort of entered him and you know play uh applied his Wares and gotten him to agree that that casts a bit of a shadow over everything but see verse three is calculated to dissipate that shadow it's calculated to bring us back to reality greater is he that is in you than than he that is in the world the devil will ply the devil will Engage The Devil will try but Jesus is always Jesus he's always got power he's always got author Authority he's always got what we need so notice in verse three he highlights the knowledge of his authority and then he highlights the knowledge of his mission so verse three Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hands it's kind of a contrast isn't it Satan gave Judas a particular enticement and Judas succumbs you see that doesn't Rock the divine order it doesn't Rock the Messianic agenda Jesus was given all authority by the father and we remember from John's gospel he has the authority to save he has the authority to condemn he has the authority according to John 5 to execute judgment so Christ going into this Upper Room discourse going into that high Priestly prayer going into Gethsemane going ultimately to the cross knows of a truth that God has furnished him for this hour that is an encouragement so whatever problems verse two may cause for us and cast a shadow on the narrative verse three says but wait a minute it's Jesus after all it's Jesus who has all authority it's Jesus whose father has given him all authority but it's not only that Jesus is conscious of his Miss look at verse three again Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hands that's the authority but then the mission is stipulated at the end of verse three and that he had come from God and was going to God we might just say that the hour was the purpose for which the Son of God came that does not relinquish the importance of the 33 years of absolute perfect obedience to the law of the father but it is to suggest that that hour sort of culminates everything in that Messianic Mission he came from the father why he came for from the father to take on our flesh to live in perfect obedience to the lost something that you and I could never do then he went to the cross in our flesh and was crucified something that we could do but it wouldn't atone for our sin and then he was raised again with that self-same body now in that he accomplished everything that we need we need righteousness because we're unrighteous well that's the glory of the work of Jesus it's imputed to us or given to us and receed by faith alone but we also need all those sins washed don't we we need to be cleansed well that comes through his Precious Blood and the death on the cross we need the sort of final seal that this is in fact the real deal well the resurrection from the dead in fact the Apostle summarizes gospel truth in 4 uh Romans 4:25 by saying that Christ was delivered up because of our offenses and he was raised for our justification so Christ here introducing the upper room or rather John introducing it to us tells us the problem in terms of the devil and his opposition but gives us the remedy in the authority and in the mission of the Son of God two them that we see in the prologue two them that we see constantly in the book of the signs what does Christ continually invoke when he's dealing with the religious leaders in their opposition his origin from the father Vis his identity and his authority in other words he was a man with a mission and he was resolved and purposed to fulfill it that's the vantage point in which he prepared the disciples now to teach them specific things such that they'll then go out knowing that great Love Of Christ knowing the benefits of his life and death and Resurrection knowing what he has received from the father knowing that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead that's what activated the power of the early church when they went and did what they were called to do and I would bring this to a conclusion by highlighting that reality it wasn't just the first century church that needed good doctrinal theology consider concerning who God is it was them they did need it they needed to understand that when they're in Acts 17 and they're being accused of preaching another King Jesus they're not going to be shaken by that they're not going to well well no we we we submit to the Civil State no we do preach another King Jesus because he is the one sent by the father clothed with authority with a specific mission and he has called us now to go and to Proclaim his gospel to the ends of the Earth those first century Apostles needed it these 21st century disciples today need it what's going to move the church to get outside of her comfort zone to go do the task of of of of discipl making of evangelism of missions is it self-help is it therapy is it guilt manipulation is it pastors who scold you well you better share the gospel with five Souls this week or I'm going to let you have it on Sunday Brethren scolding is you know mothers do that with their children and rightfully so kids need to be scolded but the people of God need God they need the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit they need in this Divine and infinite being there are three persons or subsisten the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit each having the Divine Essence each having that that blessed power and glory and will and then there's those three persons by which we understand God even more fully the father is unbegotten the son is begotten by the Father the spirit proceeds from the father and the son it's that kind of stuff that moves the church off the couch to go Proclaim his glory to go Proclaim his excellencies and his power we're not preaching some feeble weak little God we are preaching the most high from Everlasting to Everlasting we are PR preaching blood atonement through the second person of the Triune God he took on our Humanity so he could suffer in our place Brethren it's that kind of stuff that moves the church to function in the capacity that God has purposed it's not this self-help it's not the encounter group it's not the bird bath theology that that that is that sh uh deep or shallow we need the truth as it is in Jesus to empower Us by the spirit to go do what we're supposed to do this concept and well you know Doctrine just divides let's just love Jesus what Jesus are you loving without Doctrine the Jesus after your own fashioning the Jesus that looks like you the Jesus that functions like you I'm glad it's not that way but we have the Jesus revealed to us from Genesis to Revelation that's the Jesus and the doctrinal understanding of that Jesus along with Father and Son the true and living God who exists eternally in Father Son and Holy SP Spirit we need that to get up to go and to make disciples of all the nations but not just discipl making an outside you know out there but inside corporate worship what get you out of bed on a Sunday morning oh I can't wait to see so and so I'm not saying that's bad I'd hate it if you said I can't stand the thought I'm going to see so and so today that wouldn't be happy but but really what was it that David was commenting on when he says I was glad when they said unto me let us go to the house of the Lord and look at the leadership of David there I was glad when they said to me he kinged theologized and lived and worship in such a way that it was a contagion to others so that they on Lord's Day morning would come and say David it's time to go to the house of the Lord I was glad when they said unto me let us go to the house of the Lord again what causes us to move into corporate worship but the object of that worship the Triune God we have we have an audience with God most high The Book of Revelation chapter 1 where do we find Jesus Christ he's in the midst of the lampstands Brethren well it just doesn't feel like that well you better believe it because that's what scripture tells us Paul's petition that you be filled with all the fullness of God he's using Temple Tabernacle language when Solomon constructed the temple when they offered up sacrifice that Shak of Glory of God filled the temple that's not unique to the old Covenant we have it in the New Covenant when all the fullness of God comes down and is with his people so it's this kind of theology that motivates and moves the church to function as she is supposed to and then the final thought and we close is please don't miss what the passage says about Jesus he loves he loves to the end and he has the authority and he's engaged the mission to express to demonstrate and to Showcase that love you don't have to ask the question well well how does Jesus show that he loves just read from this point on just read as he goes into Gethsemane just read as those Godless hands are placed upon Him taken him before before the San edin then taken him before pontious Pilate pilot himself knows this man is not guilty this is because of the Envy of the mob but he nevertheless capitulates to that mob why so that Jesus could fulfill the mission and save his people from their sins so think about that enjoy that and may it indeed animate us in our lives not just outwardly in terms of evangelism and missions but internally let us come in the public worship of God to God himself Father Son and Holy Spirit Well let us pray our gracious God we thank you for this brief section this introduction to The Upper Room discourse and such a a wonderful statement concerning the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ again we pray that this message would be preached throughout the Earth and we pray that many would come out of Darkness into marvelous light by your power and For Your Glory and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well let's stand and we'll sing the the doxology in praise to our God 568 568 PR in All Creatures here PR praise Father Son and Holy the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all amen thank you Father for this wonderful benediction go with us now help us to glorify you in this day and may you be praised in the life of this local church in the lives of the families here and in each of our hearts God help us we pray in jesus' name amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation