Matthew 26, the last time that we were here, we looked at the first 13 verses where Mary anointed our Lord's body with very costly oil for his sacrifice. And Judas got mad about it and said that she wasted the oil. Can you just think about that statement? She poured it on Jesus Christ and he got mad and said that she wasted the oil. Verse 14 says, then one of the 12 called Judas Iscariot went unto the chief priests and said unto them, what will you give me? and I will deliver him unto you. And they covenanted with him for 30 pieces of silver. And from that time, he sought opportunity to betray him. Now, what I want us to see in this Bible study is God's sovereignty, God's purpose, God's control God's predestination, God's will, God's work, and God's glory in everything, especially this, especially this. Again, verse 14, then one of the 12 called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests and said unto them, what will you give me? and I will deliver him unto you. And they covenanted with him for 30 pieces of silver. And from that time, he sought opportunity to betray the Lord. From that moment right there, Judas tried to figure out how he could betray the Lord. I'm sure he ran scenarios in his mind and tried to figure out where and when the Lord would be and how he could make it happen, you know. And what I want us to realize from this study is while Judas was trying to figure out how he could make it happen, our Lord was not trying to figure out how he could make it happen. Everything that Judas did was according to God's sovereignty, God's purpose, God's control, God's predestination, God's will, God's work, and God's glory. Everything that he did. And we're going to prove that by the word. And we're going to start with this. Turn with me to Acts chapter two. Acts chapter 2 verse 22, it says, ye men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." The Apostle Peter said everything that was done in carrying out the crucifixion and the death of the Lord, all of it, happened according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. It all went according to God's sovereign will and his predestinated purpose in the matter, all of it. God ordered this to take place in the world before he ever even created a world for it to take place in. Look at Acts chapter four. The church right here is praying to the Lord God. They're calling on the Lord in prayer, verse 24. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord, thou art God which has made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is, who by the mouth of thy servant David has said, why did the heathen rage and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together, verse 28 says, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. They said, the control of your sovereign hand was over every bit of it. That's what they prayed to the Lord. What a good thing to pray to the Lord. Everything that has fallen out, the absolute control of your sovereign hand was over every bit of it. Your eternal will and purpose was carried out in everything that was done concerning the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything that was done, starting with Judas. Everything that was done, starting with Judas. Now, let's see that in the scripture, okay? Turn with me to Psalm 41. Psalm 41. This is Christ speaking, and I know that it's a Psalm of David, but this is Christ speaking. That'll be proven to us here in just a minute. Verse five says, mine enemies speak evil of me. When shall he die and his name perish? That was those religious leaders and Pharisees, but that was Judas too. This is Christ prophesying of Judas specifically. Verse five, my enemy speak evil of me, when shall he die and his name perish? And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity, he pretends, he puts on a good show. His heart gathereth iniquity to itself when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. All that hate me whisper together against me. What will you give me if I betray him to you? Verse seven goes on to say, they devise my hurt. Against me do they devise my hurt. An evil disease, say they, cleave fast unto him. He needs to be put away. And now that he lieth, he shall rise up no more. Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, he that dips the sop with me. Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel. That's the prophecy that God gave concerning Judas. Turn over to Zechariah 11, page 1178 in my Bible, second to the last book in the Old Testament, Zechariah 11. Zechariah 11, verse 12. And I said unto them, if you think good, give me my price, and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price 30 pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, cast it unto the potter, a goodly price that I was prized at of them. And I took the 30 pieces of silver and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel." That's exactly what happened to Judas. We haven't read it yet in Matthew, but I believe we all know that those 30 pieces of silver were used to buy the potter's field. to bury the dead. They gave Judas 30 pieces of silver, and we know the end of Judas, and they took that money and they bought the potter's field to bury strangers in. That was prophesied. God Almighty said, this is how it's going to be. This is how it's going to go. The hand of Judas in this was no surprise to the Lord God. It didn't hinder the business of the Lord God. I was listening to a man not long ago and it just, it, I just, cringe is about the kindest word I can use right now. But a guy was talking about how everything is constantly hindering God's work in your life. You hinder it, Satan hinders it, and you know, circumstance hinders it. Nothing hinders the hand of the Lord. Not even in this. This was not Judas trying to hinder the hand of the Lord. This was the hand of the Lord. This was the business of the Lord. Our Lord said, I must be about my father's business. And this was his sovereign way of carrying that business out. Our Lord can use an angel to carry out his business, or he can use a devil to carry out his business. That's his business. Use whatever he wants. Turn over to John six. John 6, verse 60. Many, therefore, of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is a hard saying. Who can hear it? When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples murmured at it, He said unto them, Does this offend you? What and if you shall see the son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. Verse 64, but there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him. He knew. When he chose them specifically and called them specifically to follow him, he knew. Look at verse 70 right here. Jesus answered them, have not I chosen you 12 and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for he it was that should betray him, being one of the 12. In his sovereign purpose, Control, predestination, will, work, and glory, he knew. He knew. Look at John 13. Our Lord washed the disciples' feet right here. And verse nine says, Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said unto him, he that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every wit. And you are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him. Therefore said he, you are not all clean. He knew who should betray him. He could see their hearts. That is so amazing to me. It's so amazing to me. In all of the Lord's dealings with everybody he dealt with, he could see all of their hearts. And here's the thing about it. Judas did what was in his heart to do. You can say, well, that's not fair for Judas. Oh, Judas did exactly what Judas wanted to do. And but for the grace of God, that's what would be in our hearts to do. But for the grace of God, we'd be the same way. Man by nature is enmity against God. That means the enemy of God. That's what it means. But God even uses man's enmity to accomplish his sovereign will and purpose. Like Joseph told his brothers, he said, you meant it for evil. Everything you did, you meant it for evil. God meant it for good. Thank God. And our Lord is telling his disciples that right here. He's telling them when you see this happen, you know that it is I. You know that I'm the one who is sovereignly controlling this, all of this. Look at verse 18 right here, John 13 verse 18. He said, I speak not of you all. I know whom I have chosen. But that the scripture may be fulfilled, he that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. That's Psalm 41 verse nine. That's how we know that that was speaking of Christ. Christ speaking. He said, because of that scripture, now I tell you before it come, that when it is come to pass, you may believe that I am. He is in italics. You may believe that I am. He said, I'm telling you about this before it happens so that you will know I am. I am who I say I am. I am what I say I am. Turn to John 17. This is our Lord praying to his father. 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. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him, as many as you have chosen to save, as many as you have elected to redeem. Verse 9, he said, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me. For they are thine, and all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled. Perdition means damnation, it means utter destruction. The son of perdition, the one who was left in his sin. The one who was left in his sin. That just, oh, what a fearful thought. The one who was left in his sin. If that does not show God's sovereignty in salvation and his sovereignty in redeeming who he will. You know, Peter denied him too. You think about this. Peter denied him too. Peter cursed him. He said, I don't know that man. I don't want to know that man. I don't want to have anything to do with that man. Y'all do whatever you want to with him. I don't care. But God had mercy on Peter. How many of the very ones who were with Judas in that mob and literally laid hands on him and took him to Pilate and said, crucify him. We hate him. How many of the very souls that did that on the day of Pentecost did God save to Himself? How many of those very same souls, they were just as evil as Judas was, just as evil-hearted as Judas was. And I'm going to tell you this. So are me and you. We look at Judas and we say, I'm telling you, so are we. So are we. In this, we see that God has mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will, he hardens. And that makes me want to cry, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Be merciful to me. What shall we say to these things? Is there unrighteousness with God? The first thing God's people will say is, God forbid. And the second thing God's people will say is, who are we to reply against God? Who are we to reply against God? If we're gonna speak of and if we're gonna see and if we're gonna learn about and look to entrust in God's sovereignty and his purpose and his control and his predestination and his will and his work and his glory, then we need to bow to it. We need to bow to it. If he said it, if he did it, if he predestinated it, even so, amen. This is God. When we get to the end of all this, that's all we can say. This is God. It is the Lord. Let him do what seemeth him good. And that's what he did start to finish in the carrying out of his own death. He did what seemed him good. And if it seemed him good, it was good and it is good. All of his sovereign ways concerning his people are good. Our Lord told his disciples, he said, I'm telling you all of this before it happens. So when it does happen, you will know that I am. And when it happened. He proved that to them, he proved to them when it happened, he proved. that he was. Matthew and Mark's account both tell us that after our Lord prayed this prayer to the Father, it says that he said to the disciples, he went back to his disciples and he said, rise, let us be going. Behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. He went and told them, Judas, wake up, get up, Judas is about to walk up. All right, he's coming right now. And here is that moment And this is what our Lord did to prove to his disciples that he was sovereignly in control of this moment. This has always been one of my favorite accounts. I just absolutely, you know, this is one of those times when I just wish I could have been standing right there. John 18 verse one. When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden into the which he entered and his disciples. And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place, for Jesus oft times resorted thither with his disciples. Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth and said unto them, whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am. He is in italics. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. That's an important line. He now stood with them. Verse six, as soon then as he had said unto them, I am, they went backward and fell to the ground like trees, all of them just fell over backwards. Verse seven, then asked he them again, whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am. If therefore you seek me, let these go their way, that the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake of them, which thou gavest me, I have lost none. And that's exactly what happened when he sacrificed himself for his people. He lost none. He lost none. He sovereignly, purposefully, victoriously lost none. To Him be all the sovereign glory for all of His sovereign will and purpose in all things. Amen.