If you would return in that portion we looked at earlier in Matthew's gospel, chapter 26, tonight we'll be looking at verse 17 through to verse 25. We read in verse 18, our Lord's instruction to his disciples, go into the city to such a man and say unto him, the master saith, my time is at hand. Now by these words, our Savior is speaking here about the hour of his sacrifice, of when he will offer unto God that once for all sacrifice for the sin of God's elect. And all of the Old Testament scriptures pointed forward to this hour. They foretold of this time that was at hand. And all the Gospels pointed to this very hour from our Lord's birth as he marched his way with his face set like a flint to go to Jerusalem to the cross of Calvary. All the Gospels tell us of how he was looking to this time, to this very hour. And all the epistles tell us of what the Savior accomplished in this very hour. And this hour speaks of where you and I will spend eternity. You see, upon this time hinges the eternal destiny of our souls. And the Savior spoke of this hour often. Remember while the Lord was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and the disciples fell asleep and he came back to them, he told them in verse 46, sleep on now and take your rest. Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hand of sinners. And several times after the Lord preached, he made the people so mad that they sought to kill him. But John records how that no man laid hands on him because his hour was not yet come. And this is the hour that the Savior says is now come. The time of his once for all sacrifice for sin is at hand. You see, this is the whole reason God came into the world. God with us, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that body of flesh was prepared for this purpose. so he could die for the sins of his people at this appointed hour. And he says, my time is at hand. In John's gospel, chapter 12, he tells us in verse 27, John 12, verse 27, he said, now is my soul troubled. At this hour, his soul is troubled as he contemplates what he would suffer both without and within, suffering the equivalent of hell for all his elect. And he said, and what shall I say, Father? Save me from this hour? As if to say, in no wise, Father, for this cause I came unto this hour. This is the whole reason I came to the earth, for this very hour. Now there's four things I want us to see here about how the Lord's time had come, and I pray the Lord will make these things to be a blessing for our souls. First of all, this time, the Lord's time, was a sovereignly appointed time. My friend, this was no accident. This time was the exact time that was purposed and planned by God from all eternity. We read in verse 21, back in our portion, And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. Now remember, the Lord knew exactly who it was that would betray him. The Lord's betrayal was no accident. And not only did he know he would be betrayed, but so too he knew who it was that would betray him. We read in John's Gospel, chapter 6, how that our Lord always knew who should betray him. And he knew that because he's the sovereign Lord of lords and King of kings. We read in John 6, Verse 64, and these are our Lord's words. He's speaking here. And there are some of you that believe not. And then the Evangelist John continues. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him. And he said, therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my father. Now the Lord knew exactly who it was that would betray him. You see, we're not speaking here about some fortune teller that could predict the future, no. The Lord knew what was going to happen in the future because he's sovereign over the future. Indeed, he's the very one who sovereignly ordains all things. And the things of his betrayal and everything that was to happen at this hour, he sovereignly ordained those things to happen, and that from eternity. My friend, did you know that Judas betraying the Savior was according to God's eternal purpose? And as horrible as that was, Judas betraying the Lord was God's will being carried out. We read in Acts chapter 2, verse 23, him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, he have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Last week we read in Psalm 41, David writing of his own betrayal by his own familiar friend, and David was prophesying there of the betrayal of our Lord by Judas Iscariot, saying, yea, mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. You see, this was God's eternal purpose from the beginning. And He made sure we knew it because of this prophecy. How that Judas was to betray the Lord. This was God's will from all eternity. And you think, nothing could be more evil than Judas betraying the Lord. But out of that greatest evil, beloved, came the greatest good. For our heavenly Father hath made His only begotten Son to be sent for us by that betrayal. betrayal of His only begotten Son, God made Him to be our sin-atoning sacrifice, Him who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." Now, the second thing we see here is how that this didn't happen against God's will. This once-for-all sacrifice for sin was God's will being carried out. And since our God is sovereign, He can bring the greatest good out of the greatest evil. You see, God Almighty brought this greatest good out of this greatest evil. Out of this great wicked act of Judas, of betraying the Lord, came the crucifixion of Christ, the greatest good, of Him offering His once-for-all sacrifice to the Father for the sins of His people. And remember, God ordained that from all of eternity, so that by His once-for-all sacrifice, the sins of God's people would be put away to be remembered no more. And that greatest good happened as a direct result of this great evil on the part of Judas Iscariot. Now to be sure, the sovereignty of God is sound doctrine, in that no one can preach the gospel of God without preaching the God who is sovereign. But more than sound doctrine, God's sovereignty is a comforting truth to the hearts of God's people. Knowing how that our sovereign God always works his will among the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and that none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? Now, I said all that from Daniel 4, verse 35, to say this. Nothing that ever happens on this earth is an accident, nothing. For the God that ordains all things is sovereignly ruling and reigning over all, and that includes every event that ever happens. So that irrespective of whether we think it's good or whether we think it's bad, we know God's will is being carried out for the good of his people. And so when we see Judas betraying the Savior, we see God carrying out the eternal redemption of his people. And since our God is sovereign, absolutely nothing in heaven, earth, or in hell could ever stop God from doing his will. And when God makes that known to us, Well, that comforts our hearts and enables us to rest and to wait and to endure the trials and tribulations of this time state patiently. When things happen to us that we think are bad or when things happen to us that are painful, we know that God is sovereign over all and that he's going to bring good out of all things. And even though I may not see it right now, I know that he's going to bring good out of it. That's what we know by God's grace, beloved. We know God's working all things together to accomplish the eternal redemption of his people. Now this appointed hour of our Lord's time, this happening at a sovereignly appointed place, we see that clearly here in Matthew's gospel, chapter 26, verse 17. how the disappointed hour of our Lord's time is happening at a sovereignly appointed place. Matthew 26, verse 17. Now the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passover? And he said, Go into the city to such a man and say unto him, The master saith, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at thy house with my disciples. Verse 19. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them, and they made ready the Passover. Now, if you would look with me at Mark's Gospel, chapter 14. Mark gives us a little more detail about what happened here. It appears the disciples went to the city where the Lord appointed them to go, and they met a man. Mark 14, verse 12. And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover, his disciples said unto him, where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the Passover? And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water. Follow him. And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the good man of the house, The master saith, Where is the guest chamber where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared. There make ready for us. Now that's pretty bold, is it not? To invite yourself to somebody's house, and to not merely invite yourself, but to say, I know where your guest room is, where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples. Not maybe or perhaps, but where I shall. And that large upper room furnished and prepared. What does that tell us? Beloved, God sovereignly arranged the place where this last Passover and the Lord's first memorial supper would be observed. Beloved, every event, every detail pertaining to our Lord's time around this very hour was sovereignly appointed. This house where they would eat this last Passover was divinely appointed by God. And beloved, that's true of all things. The Savior died at the appointed time, at the appointed place there on Calvary's hill and with the appointed method upon the cross. And that appointed method of crucifixion was no accident. This was not happenstance. It was no accident that the Lord died at Calvary because that was the mount he was to be crucified upon. You see, God appointed that place from all of eternity. Why didn't they use the Jewish form of capital punishment? Why didn't our Lord, experience what Stephen experienced. I mean, why wasn't he stoned to death like Stephen? Because that wouldn't be according to the scriptures. We read in Zechariah, and one shall say unto him, what are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. And I will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, I will hear them, I will say, it is my people, and they shall say, the Lord is my God. We read in Psalms, dogs have compassed me. The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones. They look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O Lord. O my strength, haste thee to help me. What a privilege we have tonight to hear in to this exchange between the son and the father, prophesied there in Psalm 22. And so they didn't stone him. They didn't stone him like Stephen. Rather, the form of capital punishment that Rome used was crucifixion. And even when Pilate didn't want to do anything regarding the Lord's death, I mean, he didn't want to have anything to do with this putting Jesus to death, and they crucified him. And why didn't Pilate just tell the Jews to go off and do it according to your custom? You stone him. I'm not going to have anything to do with this. If you want him, you stone him yourselves. But he didn't say that. He didn't say that. So why did they ultimately decide on crucifying the Savior? Because that was the purpose of God. God ordained that from all of eternity. Everything they did in this time, in that hour, everything they did fulfilled the Scriptures. In a manner of speaking, they were doing everything according to God's playbook, according as God's word decreed, as though they were reading the Old Testament to do as they were supposed to do. I mean, it seemed like they went back to the Old Testament scriptures and asked, well, what are we supposed to say and what are we supposed to do? What's the next thing we're to do according to God's decree? You see, everything they did fulfilled the scriptures, including crucifying the Savior upon Calvary's cross. In the Law of Moses, Deuteronomy 21, verse 23, it says, whosoever is crucified on a tree is cursed of God. And in fact, that's what it says. It says, if a man have committed a sin worthy of death and he be to be put to death, thou hang him on a tree and he that is hanged is accursed of God. And so the Lord Jesus Christ died in this sovereignly appointed way at the sovereignly appointed place upon the cross. You see, this was God's purpose to show us that the Lord Jesus Christ bore in his body on the tree the curse of sin for his people, so that they themselves will never bear the effects of that curse. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? No one, for it is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? No one. For it is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. And the Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 3 verse 13, how that Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. And that wouldn't have happened if he was stunned. But it happened as it is written, that he was crucified according to the scriptures. You see, all of this happened because God's sovereign over time. He's sovereign over the place and the method of our Lord's death. And our Lord said, now that his time had come, everything's going to happen exactly the way that it's supposed to happen, so that God's elect should be saved from their many sins. You see, that God is sovereign is more than just sound doctrine. This is more than just sound doctrine. This is something that we need to be taught. How that this happened precisely the way that God intended it to happen. And when we understand the truth of God's sovereign purpose in this, well that brings comfort to our heart, does it not? How that all this happened exactly the way it had to happen so that your sins could be put away by the blood of Christ to be remembered no more. That's good doctrine. That's sound doctrine. And that truth of the gospel, blessed of God, causes your heart to be comforted to trust Christ as your Savior, that He accomplished your salvation by the decree and command of Almighty God. Now, the third thing we see here is how the Savior said, my time has come. And this time was the time of God's greatest glory. This is the time of the redemption of God's elect that had been purposed from all eternity and now it's going to happen in time. How that now it's going to be accomplished by the death of Christ and His once for all sacrifice for the sins of His people. You see, this was the will and purpose of God from all eternity. This is the purpose that God elected the Savior and He elected a people to be saved by Him. And to know that this was the will and purpose of God Well, that gives us assurance that this had to happen. And now, to know that something has already happened. You see, what God purposed in eternity past is sure to happen in time. For yesterday, today, and forever are the same to God. This is why the Lord Jesus Christ is set forth in Revelation as the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. You see, God's will is going to happen. And in time, we see God's will and purpose being carried out. So know this, how that when God decrees something, mark it down as already taking place. That's how sovereign our God is. Again, this is why scripture says Christ is the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. You see, the Father has always seen his people in Christ, always. Indeed, he's never seen them outside of Christ. For he's always seen them washed in the blood of the Lamb. He's always seen their sin paid for by the precious blood of Christ. I mean, how else can you explain? just after John the Baptist declares, behold the Lamb of God. The very Lamb of God beholds one of his precious sheep, cleansed in his blood. May the very righteousness of God in himself. And he says of Nathaniel, a sinner like you and me, behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no God. How can that be? Only by the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's always seen that purpose accomplished in Christ in eternity. That's the way the Father has always beheld his people, saved to the uttermost in Christ there in eternity. But this transaction, this great exchange had to take place in time. And now the Savior says the time has come for that transaction to take place, where my people's sin shall be made mine, and my righteousness shall be made theirs. And while the gospel fact that this transaction is going to take place is very important to you and me, but there's something more important going on here at Calvary's Tree than just you and me. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ is doing something greater than taking care of my need. Now, he is taking care of my need. Yes, he's taking care of the need of his people, but further, he's doing something more important than dying for you and me. in that he's dying here to satisfy the character and the nature of his father. You see, he's satisfying the justice of his father so that his father might be just and the justifier of them which believeth in Jesus. You see, he's enabling his father to remain a just God and savior and still justify ungodly believing sinners like you and me there on Calvary's tree. God's greatest glory was put on full display for all of creation to see. Look there with me in John's Gospel, if you would. John's Gospel, chapter 17. Beloved, our Heavenly Father put on full display His greatest glory at the cross of Calvary. And we read in John 17, there in verse 1, These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come. Glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. This is the reason Christ was going to the cross, to glorify his Father. He says in verse two, as thou has given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent. I have glorified Thee on the earth. I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou me with Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was." You see, the Father's greatest glory is His sovereign mercy to sinners. And the only way the Father can remain holy and still show mercy to sinners is by putting His Son to death. You see, the son must be crucified so that the father could do something for the likes of a sinner like you and a sinner like me, so that our good God may be ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon God in his name. And so Christ first must do something for the father. You see, he has to satisfy the father's holiness. He has to satisfy his father's righteousness and justice, and that's what the death of Christ accomplished. The death of Christ Jesus, our substitute, satisfied God's justice. And God's justice is satisfied because the sin of God's elect was literally and actually made to be Christ's, in that he made him sin for his people. And justice is satisfied because a just man, the Holy One of Israel, was made guilty of all our sins and iniquities so that he could die the just for the unjust. And now that God's justice is satisfied, now that God's righteousness and holiness is satisfied, now that sin has been punished and sin has been put away by the precious blood of that sacrifice he made of by himself, that enables God to rightly and justly show mercy to the likes of a vile sinner like you and a vile sinner like me. You see that there? How that first of all, Christ had to do something for the Father, that enabled the Father to do everything for his people, for to redeem them from their sins. Can you even begin to take that in? Can any of us? How that everything that the Savior accomplished in this time, in this hour, he glorified every attribute of the Father, every holy attribute of God, and because of that, we'll sing that new song of the redeemed in glory for all eternity. John records in Revelation, and they sung a new song saying, thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, and has made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth forever and ever. Now, the fourth thing we see here is how that this time, remarkably, was a joyful time. You see, Christ's sacrifice at Calvary was much more than a legal transaction. Now, it was that that had to take place, and there was a debt that had to be paid. The blood had to be put on the altar. The Lord had to be made sin. Our sins had to be imputed to Christ, the Lamb of God, and the Lamb of God had to die for that sin. And he had to do that because God's justice can only be satisfied by the substitutionary suffering and death of Christ. That had to take place, beloved. That just had to take place. And you and I could never have any confidence whatsoever of the forgiveness of our sins or any confidence of our salvation without that transaction taking place. You see, our sin had to be taken from us and given to the Savior. For without His suffering and dying for our sins there upon the cross, there'd be no confidence of salvation. Indeed, there'd be no hope of eternal life without it. And that legal transaction took place when God turned the sun black and darkness covered the earth as that transaction was taking place between the Father and the Son. But it was a whole lot more than a legal transaction. You see, this was a sacrifice made for sin because of His great love for His people. I love that verse in Hebrews 12, where it says there, beginning in verse two, we've been looking at that verse frequently. That's one of those verses where we ought to look at frequently. It says there, describing his people, how we're looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. What does Scripture say? For the joy that was set before Him. That's talking about the salvation of His people. He had the joy of having in view every one of His precious people, every one of His sheep. You see, He'd been looking forward to this hour with joy. He'd been looking forward to enduring the cross, despising the same, to sit down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Indeed, to sit down at the right hand of the throne of God. And it was his joy to do this for them, because he loves his people with an everlasting love, and he wanted to see his people redeemed. We see here how that he looked forward to his suffering, death, and resurrection with joy. Again, Hebrews 12, verse 2. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, Want to hear that put another way? He's the alpha and the omega of all our salvation, beloved. Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. In John's gospel, chapter 13, there in verse one, we see him looking forward to this hour of eating this last Passover, of observing the Lord's first memorial supper. And our Savior looked forward to doing that with His own, and He did so because He loved them. John 13, verse 1, it says there, Now before the feast of the Passover, when the Lord Jesus knew that His hour was come, that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end. And we read in Luke's Gospel, chapter 22, Luke 22, beginning there in verse 15. It says there, Our Lord said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. You see, this was cause for great personal joy for our Lord to suffer, die, and rise again for us. And this shows us so clearly how the Savior died for a particular people. He died for the people that the Father gave Him to save. And He loves those people. You see, this is not just some impersonal thing that the Father gave Him to do. Oh no, this is a personal matter for Him. how that the Father has given to Him a people to save. And Father, I'm going to pay for their sin because Father, that's what You've commanded me to do. Don't you love our Lord telling us what his Father's will is? He tells us, this is in John's Gospel, chapter six, verse 39, he said, this is the Father's will, he who sent me, that of all that he has given me in the covenant of grace, I shall lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day. And he came to glorify his Father, did he not? And he did so, but further, he did this, as John records, because he loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. Reminds me of what we read at the end there of Matthew's gospel. Lo, I am with you always, our Lord has told us, even unto the end of the world. When our Lord went to the cross, He was made sin for His people. And He died for the people that He loves. And that's why our brother penned that well-known hymn, Can It Be. Do you remember that hymn? Brother Charlie. Can any of us begin to take it in? That well-known stanza of Can It Be, it goes like this. Can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood? Died he for me who caused his pain? For me who him to death pursued? Amazing love, how can it be that thou, my God, should die for me? You see, our finite minds can't even begin to fully take that in. Oh, the length and the breadth and the depth of the love of Christ for his people. When you think of the love that caused him to willingly suffer. Willingly now. Remember, everything he suffered, he suffered willingly. You see, they didn't take him against his will. Oh no, he went willingly. They didn't beat his face against his will. Rather, he willingly gave his face to the smiters. He willingly gave his face to those who would pluck his beard out. Can we even begin to appreciate the physical pain he went through, not to mention what is not seen as he suffered the equivalent of hell for his people? And he didn't turn away from any of that suffering, not for a moment, for it was his joy to do that for you and me. They plowed his back with a cat nine of tails. They mocked his name and they all said, hail, king of the Jews, save yourself. crown of thorns they placed on his head. They pierced his side, all the blood he shed. When he did suffer so much pain and woe, he did it all for me. He died alone upon a tree so that now I don't have to face sin's penalty. No, I'll never earn my way. But through his blood and by his grace, I've been set free. You see, he did it all for me. They placed him in a borrowed tomb. They thought that this would surely seal his doom. Pilate said, go make it sure as you can. But on that third and glorious day, my Savior rose up from the grave. Victory was won. He did it all for me. What a solemn thought. Those Roman soldiers never had an easier time nailing somebody to the cross than they did with our Lord and God, Jesus Christ. The God-man As he was laid upon the tree, he placed his hands and feet right where they were supposed to go. You see, he didn't try to get away, for he loves his people. My friend, he didn't die for a nameless mass of people, but rather he knows the name and each and every one of his precious sheep. And he died for them on purpose, and that because he loves them. And remember, he could have ended this hour at any moment. At any moment, he could have called those 12 legions of angels to put a stop to his pain, suffering, and humiliation. But he didn't do that. How come? Because he loves his people. And his sacrifice is the only way they can be redeemed. So he gave himself to be sacrificed. You see, this was personal. He suffered for his joy, for his people, those he knows by name. Just like the Lord knew who would betray him, The Lord knew for whom he was suffering and dying. Amazing love, how can it be that thou, my God, should die for me? This is just beyond comprehension, is it not? When you're made to know that the suffering of Christ is personal, and it's personal to his people just the same. Died he for me, the sinner who caused his pain? For me, such a vile sinner as I, who him to death pursued." My friend, do you know Christ my Savior? Christ Jesus my Lord who died for my sin? Now I know he died for the sin of his elect, but when I look to Christ Jesus, I'm looking to the author and finisher of my faith. and that it was his joy to die for me. And he did so on purpose. And more than anything, I want to know him. I want to trust him. I want to love him. I want to be found, not in my righteousness as touching Allah, I want to be found in his righteousness. I want to be found in him. And my friend, I want you to know him. I want you to trust him. I want you to love him. I want you to be found in him. You see, salvation is not in a building, it's not in a denomination, it's not in a theological position, arguing over this point over that point. Not at all. Salvation is found in a person. That's why the apostle John writes there, I believe that's in 1 John 5, verse 12. He said there, He who has the Son has life. And that's the only issue that matters, beloved, that we are found in Him and no one else. You see, this is why I have this undeserved privilege to preach Christ and Him crucified. That's the only reason why I'm preaching Christ and Him crucified. because I want you to know Him. Him that loved us and washed us of our sins in His own blood. And nothing can be better for you and for me than knowing Him, as Revelation 1 verse 5 sets forth, that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. Oh, that we could say with our brother Paul, with unfeigned faith, for me to live is Christ and to die is what? Gain. Gain. To say, by God's grace, the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." Now, as we conclude, let's look back at our text there, Matthew 26, verse 24. My friend, nothing could be worse than dying without knowing Him, the Savior, the only Savior sent into this world to save sinners. And the Savior said of Judas, indeed he said this of every Judas in this world, the Son of Man goeth as it is written of him. This is being done to fulfill my will. This is being done to fulfill the scriptures. But woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It had been good for that man if he had not been born at all. My friend, nothing could be worse than dying without knowing Christ, nothing. But nothing can be better than living and dying, knowing him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood." You know, the apostle who wrote the book of Hebrews. And I'll conclude with this. He presses this question. My friend, how shall you escape if you neglect so great a salvation? Indeed, how shall you escape if you neglect so great a Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord? Amen.