Okay, we'll be in Mark 14. This is stemmed from Matthew 26, parallel accounts. Mark 14 elaborates a little more on the situation, so that's why I landed at Mark 14. So any of you have asked me or I've mentioned that I'm gonna be in Matthew 26, I'm not lying, but that's how I got there. So Mark 14 verses 12 through 18. And then I will reference Matthew 26 some. Again, they're parallel. And I will also have several references to the Upper Room Discourse this morning. So here we are, an earshot of God's word again. And we need to have hearts that are eager and ready to hear with freshness. So to the best of your ability, seek to engage and hear what God might have to say. It's God's word from heaven preserved for us, a means of grace coming down from heaven. So pray with me and we'll get into the text. Father, we know without a doubt that it is your will that you will help your people and that your word is the means by which you help. Lord, so I pray that you would help me to put your son before your people and to help your people. So, Lord, I ask you for an unction, a power, Lord, that you would do the work that only you can do. Bring clarity, bring attention and eagerness. So Lord help your people, I pray in the name of our dear Savior. Amen. So Mark 14 verses 12 through 18. On the first day of unleavened bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, his disciples said to him, where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover? And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, go into the city and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, the teacher says, where is my guest room in which I may eat the Passover with my disciples? And he himself will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Prepare for us there. The disciples went out and came to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. When it was evening, he came to the twelve as they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, Truly, I say to you that one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me. So I want to look at two things in the text. One, the steadfast resolve of the Savior, and two, what I would call a double deliverance. steadfast resolve of the Savior, and a double deliverance. So for any of you that are younger, maybe inexperienced in the Word, I'll make many references to the Upper Room Discourse, which that would be John 13 through 17. So if you're not familiar with that, the Upper Room Discourse, if you had a red letter Bible, you're going to see more red letters in those chapters than anywhere in the entire scripture. These are the words of the Savior just basically coming like a flood. John 13 through 17. I'll make reference to that. So just know that when I say the upper room discourse, it's the biggest section of scripture where the Savior is speaking directly to his people. So Keep that in mind. Mark 14, 13, we just read. He said, go into the city and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water. The parallel text, Matthew 26, 18 says, go into the city to a certain man and say to him, the teacher says, my time is near. I am to keep the Passover at your house with my disciples. And then Mark 14, 15 says, and he himself will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. of this where the Savior says, my time is near. I'm to keep the Passover at your house. Jesus says, I'm going to keep the Passover at your house. And Matthew Henry says this was an instance of his authority. He did not beg, but commanded the use of his house for this purpose. The Savior said, I will have the Passover at your house with my disciples. Sometimes we need the Savior to deal with us like this. Consider also Luke 19, one through five, the story of Zacchaeus. It says, when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house. The Savior says, I'm coming to your house. Do you think Zacchaeus was offended by the Savior's assertiveness? I doubt it. As Ryle would say, I doubt it. We ought to be more frequent in praying this way, that the Lord would come to our house. Consider how many tax collectors Zacchaeus knew that the Savior did not come to their house. Of all the houses and upper rooms that were in the city, this was the one. All other houses were passed by, but the Savior said, I'm coming to your house. Oh, that God would come to our house today. Oh, that God would act this way with us, that he would tell us I'm coming to your house. Back in 2002, when the Lord saved us, I remember we were at a church, a larger congregation. The seating capacity was maybe 2,500. Big, big congregation. I remember where we were sitting. We were off on the lower level. The preacher was to the right. And I remember there was a Sunday that I thought the Lord had a hidden camera in my house. It's like the preacher knew exactly what was going on. Here I am 22 years later because the Lord came to my house. He came to my house. He said, Brian, I'm coming to your house. When the Savior comes to your house, things change. And the Savior comes to this man's house to be with his disciples. Oh, that God would come to our house. Come, blessed Savior, and come to our house. Do you have enough of him? Are you tapped out? I don't think so. The heart of the Christian would say, come to my house, Lord, I need more of this. Consider the coupled and conjoined characteristics of God that we see here in this account. Consider, if we're to have any mercy at all, it can only come from Him. If we're to have any abounding grace at all, it can only come from Him. The Savior must come to our house. Do we honestly have an instinct that embraces the reality that you need to be told what to do by the Savior? Are you okay with the Savior saying, no, I'm coming to your house? Is our heart in such a posture that says, just come to my house, Lord. I want you to come. Is this the heart posture? This is the heart posture of a healthy Christian. It would be one thing if the Savior were an untrustworthy and needy guest. What is not true of the Savior is what we hear of in Proverbs 25, 17 that says, let your foot rarely be in your neighbor's house or he will become weary of you and hate you. Not so with the Savior. He comes with no need. He comes to meet needs. He always is a welcomed guest. We need the Savior to come. Last week, Michelle and I were, you know, we're, you know, just me being in the line of work, I mean, you know, always kind of scanning and seeing what type of, you know, property might be available. And we saw a property that came up. And it looked like a real good opportunity. So we jumped on it quickly. with just a confidence and trust that, Lord, we're trusting you. We're trusting you. Made an offer on it. Rob Bond did all the work on it. But I didn't know for sure. Michelle didn't know for sure. We don't know for sure what to do. So we're stepping forward, not with a presumptuous heart, but we're saying, Lord, this seems right. We want to take a step on it. But our hearts were instinctively saying, Lord, We need you to give clarity. We need you to give clarity." Well, Rob, you know, a few days later, you know, flags me down over there. I'm right next to his house. He said, hey, and I could tell there were, you know, possibly a little disappointment on his side. He said, well, hey, you know, there's another offer that came in. cash deal and they accepted it and my heart was like amen amen the savior told me what i needed to do and i was okay with it and and and we need to be okay with that what we need more than anything is for the savior to bring clarity and the savior to come and visit john 13 through 17 like i said is the upper room discourse This is what's transpiring in this scene in Matthew 26 and Mark 14. This is what's coming. All of the red letters that you would see in a red letter edition, this is what's transpiring in the upper room. This is the mercy packed in this visitation. What's all in the visitation of this Savior? This isn't only about the Passover. I'm not diminishing the Passover, not just about the Lord's table. I'm not diminishing that. There's so much more of our Christianity bound up in this one visitation. So let's consider the steadfast resolve of the Savior. Mark 14, 18 again says, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray me, Jesus says. So here in the upper room is one who will betray the Savior. And it also translated, deliver me over. Judas is gonna deliver him over, is what that word betray me. And then also keep in mind John 6, John chapter six, verse 70 says, Jesus answered them, did I myself not choose you, the 12, and yet one of you is a devil. Jesus knew his betrayer was in the room. Consider this, as he sits in the room with one, the one who will betray him, He still has the heart and presence of mind in the moment to express unmatched love and comfort to the others. As it says, I am to keep the Passover with my disciples. The Savior has something to say to his disciples. Before he leaves, he's setting his house in order. He's saying, I've got something to say to my disciples. Consider the holy resolve in this man. Let that be a mirror in how we deal with trial and betrayal. How do we hold up under it? We need this substitute. We need this savior. We need this righteousness that's imputed to us because we can't do this. We can't do what the savior did. We can't sit in this room with our betrayer and act like he did. So let's look at that. In this same evening and same upper room that he exposes his betrayer Listen to some of what comes out of him in this upper room discourse. And I'm going to bullet point some things in John 13 and 14. And time would fail me to get through all of it. John 13, 14. As Jesus sits there in the presence of the one who's going to betray him, going to hand him over, going to deliver him over. John 13, 14, he laid aside his outer garments and taking a towel, tied it around his waist and began to wash the disciples' feet. John 13, 16, truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. John 13, 34, and 35, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 14, one through three, in my father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, you may be also. John 14, six, think about how much of this discourse is mixed in our day-to-day Christian life, how much we lean on these realities. Consider the mercy that's in this upper room. Jesus said to them, said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. 14, nine, he who has seen me has seen the father. 14, 12, the works that I do he will do also, and greater works than these he will do. 14, 13, and 14, if you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 14, 16, the helper will abide with you forever. 14, 18, I will not leave you as orphans. 14, 21, He who loves me will be loved by my father and I will disclose myself to him. 1425 through 26, the helper will teach you all things and bring to remembrance all that I said to you. The helper today is bringing to remembrance what happened in the upper room. Promise fulfilled. 1427, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Some of those passages I abbreviated. So if you're watching me like a hawk, I know it. It's okay. For the purpose of bullet pointing the context, I did that. There's some other, probably some other errors you can pin me on, but not that one. Shall I continue with John 15, John 16, John 17? All I did is bullet point a few in 13 and 14. Here's what takes place in the upper room. How can any man knowingly be in a room with his betrayer and have this type of resolute, unmatched love, comfort, and care? Here's the man who fulfilled Psalm 112, six and seven. For he will never be shaken. The righteous will be remembered forever. The Savior will be remembered forever. He's the righteous one. He will not fear evil tidings. Judah's had evil tidings, and the Savior said, I'll not fear it. He's pressing on. This is what it looks like for the Savior to set his face like a flint towards Jerusalem right here. He says, I gotta have a Passover with my disciples, and I gotta tell them some things. Says he will not fear evil tidings. His heart is steadfast, trusting the Lord. Isaiah 50 verse 7. But the Lord God helps me. Therefore, I have not been disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a flint. And I know that I shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. His father was in the room with him, sustaining him. The Savior, with his face set like a flint, consider also the perfection of his holiness at Golgotha, staring death and wrath in the face. He said to his beloved disciple, he said, behold your mother. Consider the holy heart and presence of mind to walk in obedience to the command to honor his mother. Wrath and death bearing down on him. In his heart, we're not talking about mechanical obedience. We're not talking about, oh, here's what I do in this situation. I have to check this box. But out of the heart of this savior says, take care of my mom. The very mom whose wrath he's about to bear, the sin that he's about to, the wrath that he's about to absorb is part of hers. She's included. He's about to bear her wrath and he has presence of mind to say, John, take care of her. He honors his mother all the way to the end. Her sins and her wrath about to be poured out on him, yet he possesses himself in such a way as this. What manner of man is this? Consider him as your example. Behold the God-man. Behold your substitute. This is your righteousness. Let's look at the double deliverance taking place. It's a double, but Jesus is betraying or delivering the Savior, but that's not the only deliverance that's taking place in this upper room. There's a greater deliverance taking place and unfolding. Judas was intentionally setting out to deliver him over. All the while, God was working a greater deliverance. Matthew 26, 16 says of Judas, from then on, he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus. Mark 14, 18. Truly, I say to you that one of you will betray me or deliver me over. But let's keep in mind John 10, 18. Jesus says. No one takes it from me. But I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down. and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my father. And remember to Pilate he said, you would have no authority over me unless it had been given you from above. The Savior is in complete control. The deliverance of the Savior is working to accomplish the deliverance of the sinner. Charnock said, and listen to me on this, he who restrains the roaring lion of hell restrains also his whelps on earth. He and they must have a commission before they can put forth a finger to hurt however malicious their nature and will be. His Christ's empire reaches over the malignity of devils as well as the nature of beasts. The lions out of the den as well as those in the den are bridled by him in favor of his Daniels. His dominion is above that of principalities and powers Their decrees are at His mercy, whether they shall stand or fall. He has a vote above their stiffest resolves. His single word, I will, I will, I will. or I forbid, outweighs the most resolute purposes of all the mighty Nimrods on the earth in their associations and councils. It's all subject to the Savior saying, I will or I forbid. It's as simple as that. Isaiah 59, 19, when the enemy shall come in like a flood with a violent and irresistible force, intending nothing but ravage and desolation, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against them and shall give a sudden check and a damp and damp their spirits and put them to a stand. Though Christ is in a sense silent toward his betrayer, not totally, he exposes him in the upper room and in the days following the voice of God raises a standard. Here are the days leading up to the most pivotal time ever in the history of the world. There's no greater event than Christ crucified. Christ on the cross, God speaking. Sometimes the thunder of his voice has little to no sound, but its effect is undeniable. Christ, the author of Psalm 29, speaks volumes. He's not done speaking in the upper room. He's got to finish his work, but he's speaking volumes. Psalm 29, the voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory thunders, the Lord over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. The Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness. The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and strips the forest bare, and in his temple all cry glory. If you ever watch a documentary on a tsunami, or you think about what happens, what causes this, that can wipe out hundreds of thousands. Under the surface of the water, there's a fracture. Nobody sees it, maybe scientists can somewhat predict it, but it's unseen, it's unheard. But the results of it are undeniable. There's a massive wall of water that we've seen these reports over history, hundreds of thousands being swept away in a tsunami. Consider the effects of his purposes. Consider what's transpiring here. Look beyond the betrayal of Judas to the God who is working a grander deliverance, a greater deliverance, a greater handing over. Romans 8, 32, he did not spare his son, but what happened? He delivered him up. Judas is doing a much lesser delivering up. God is in the process of delivering up his son and saying, here he is. Here's my son. Here's the glory right here. Is this not what we need to do in our circumstances? To see beyond the immediate. to see beyond the temporal betrayals, the temporal obstacles, and look ahead at what God is doing, and look ahead at what He's promised to do in His Son. Let's also take notice, the disciples went out and came to the city, as it says, and found it just as he had told them. What they found was exactly what the Savior said, here's what you're going to find. And they went out there, sure enough, exactly, exactly what the Savior said. My brother, my sister, on the last day, you will find things just as he has told you. When you reach the last day, it will be just as he told you. John 14, one through three, let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. that I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and I will take you to myself, that where I am, you may be also. There will be zero variance in the end. Who can stay his hand? Who can thwart His purposes? In the end, it will be exactly the way the Savior said. He will come again. If it were not so, He would have told you. Says it right here. Sometimes in my work, I'll I'll have a delivery that needs to be, needs to take place. And sometimes if you're doing a, it's a brand new job site, you know, sometimes you don't have an address established yet. You know, you're kind of just in a, it's just a field sometimes. And sometimes the signs get knocked over. So a lot of times I'll send a picture. to whoever I'm requesting a delivery for something, and I'll mark it up. And I'll say, okay, here's a picture from way back, here's a picture up close. I try to do what I call dummy proof it. So if I'm tied up and they call me, they can look at the picture and say, okay, that's clear, I got it. I had a driver a few weeks ago, it was kind of funny, he said, He said, that's the best help I've ever had, or something to that effect. That's the clearest instructions I've ever had. In essence, what he said is, when I got there, it was exactly how you put it in the picture. There were no questions. In the end, things will be exactly the way Christ has said they will be. There'll be no variance. It says, they found it just as he had told them. And the scriptures were promised many things. It's no harder for God to orchestrate a man with a pitcher of water or in Gideon's case, a man to have a dream about a barley cake, a cake of barley than it is for Christ to come again and take you to himself. That's hard for men to do. I can't make anybody dream about a barley cake. I can't tell you to go down the road and find a man with a pitcher of water. I don't know if he'll be there. And I surely can't come again and take you unto myself because I'm not worthy to be taking anybody to myself. But the Savior does this. Jesus often said, in the order that the scripture might be fulfilled. I don't know how many times he said that. I should have Googled it. Matthew 24, 35 says, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Heaven and earth will pass away. My words will not. You know, sometimes you go through the delivery, you go, or you go through the drive-through and get, you know, Chick-fil-A or whatever. Or you get a package delivered and, you know, you drive off or you open it up and it's like, man, they forgot this. They forgot that. They didn't put any ketchup in there, no salt and pepper. And there's disappointment because what you expected and what you had asked for was not in there. Not so with the Savior. He forgets nothing. He forgets nothing. John 17, 12, while I was with them, I was speaking, or while I was with them, I was keeping them in your name, which you have given me, and I guarded them. And not one of them perished, but the son of perdition, the one who's betraying him. Not one of them perished, but the son of perdition. So that what the scripture might be fulfilled. Or consider Abraham's sending his servant to find a wife for Isaac, Genesis 24, 14 through 15. He had a specific burden to pray. And the answer came precisely as he asked. Why? Because this had to do with the son of promise. I'm not talking about Abraham's son. I'm talking about the son of promise. We can rest assured that God's going to hold true to his word. History and scripture testifies to providence, desires, actions of both sinners and saints. betrayers, and followers, all culminating together to accomplish the glorious redemptive work of God. That's where everything is going. All of creation pulsates to see the triumph of the Savior. Luke 19, 14, but Jesus answered, I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out. I believe that. He says, if, if these become silent, the stones will cry out. Revelation 22, 17, the spirit and the bride say, calm. and let the one who hears say come. Does the heart of the Christian not always say come, come Lord, come? Romans 8, 19, the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. Everything pulsating to see the Savior triumph. The Savior will receive the reward, the due reward for his suffering. Matthew 26, 46, the Savior says, the one who betrays me is at hand. And then notice immediately. It says, while he was still speaking, behold, Judas came up. Jesus said, the one who betrays me is at hand, he's coming. And then immediately he says, it says while he was speaking, behold, here he comes. Just as sure as Jesus said it. He's coming, oh, there he is. Just like I said it. What providential details did God order in your life? What pitcher of water might you be holding? Is the hound of heaven tracking you down? Let's not let the mystery of God's purposes stump us and hinder us from believing the certainty of his promises. When life issues a death sentence, even a sure and certain one, know that more than Judas's desires and intentions led to the Savior's deliverance, More than that, we must cling to the reality that God's work of our deliverance was birthed out of the kind intentions of our God. What caused Judas to betray the Savior? Wicked intentions. What caused God to redeem and deliver a people? Ephesians says it's in accordance with the kind intentions of his will. That's why God has chosen to save a people, because his intentions are kind. When life, as the hymn says, we're familiar with this hymn, God moves in a mysterious way, deep and unfathomable minds of never failing skill. He treasures up his bright designs and works his sovereign will. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take. The clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy and shall break, and blessing on your head. The same Passover meal that the betrayer is revealed is the same Passover meal of all the promises and comforts that are given in the upper room. all enveloped in the promise of John 1633, where the Savior says, notice a lot of these references are from the upper room. 1633 is, these things I have spoken to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage. I have overcome the world the Savior says I've overcome it on the cross he said it's finished that's when it was finished he's overcome the world it's a matter of time before the consummation it's not a matter of if it's a matter of when he says I've overcome the world is what the Savior says the upper room that was, as it says, furnished and ready, was equipped with answers for trial, answers for life's betrayals, equipped with promises and comforts, furnished and ready with a table to dine at, furnished and ready with innumerable promises, furnished and ready As the psalmist says, when the cares of our hearts are many, his consolations cheer our soul. The upper room, no big deal. This is where they were going. You have a room ready for me? It's furnished and ready. When the cares of our heart are many, the Savior's consolations A lot of which are here in John 13 through 17. Cheer our soul. At Psalm 103 says. Let's forget not. All of his benefits. Amidst the trials of life. Amen. All glory to our Savior. the God-man. All glory to Christ. He's worthy. He's done it all. He's worthy of everything. And he's given us one more day here to hear his word. and have heart to say, Lord, tell me something. Come to my house. Teach me some things. Teach me your ways, oh God. Teach me to number my days. You may not be able to do much, but you can ask God to help you. You can ask God to teach you some things. God, I don't know that much. You ask him to teach you some things. He can do it. You don't have to do much. You don't have to do anything. He did it all. You can ask him to teach you some some things and you can even ask him to say or to assert your authority and say, I'm coming to your house today like he did Zacchaeus. I'm going to come to your house. And what was Zacchaeus's response? I'll give back four times, you know, a heart that just spills over. With love and devotion. And laying down the life. Amen. Father, we thank you for your word. Oh, the depths. The depths of. Not just your word, but the depths of who you are. Lord, the kindness that you give us. That you show us and giving us your word. Oh, the kindness you show us in giving us your son. Oh Lord, we. We know so little. Lord, we're so, so pathetic in so many ways. Oh God, come. Don't let us waste our days. Come to our house. Let's come down. Tell us that I'm going to your house. Get glory for yourself. All glory to Christ. Amen.