Will you take your Bibles and turn to Mark's gospel, chapter 14, we're going to examine verses one through 16 this morning, under the heading "The Invincible Force of Divine Sovereignty." Having just recorded Jesus Olivet Discourse where he revealed the events leading up to his second coming, Mark now shifts his focus to the events surrounding the culmination of his first coming. And that's what we have here in these first 16 verses of Mark 14. Follow along as I read the text.

Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth, and kill Him;

for they were saying, 'Not during the festival, otherwise, there might be a riot of the people.'

While He was in Bethany at the home with Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial, a very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.

But some were indignantly remarking to one another, 'Why has this perfume been wasted?

For this perfume might have been sold for over 300 denarii, and the money given to the poor.'

And they were scolding her.

But Jesus said, 'Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me.'

'For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but ​you do not always have Me.'

'She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.'

'Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.'

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the 12, went off to the chief priests in order tobetray Him to them.

They were glad when they heard this and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.

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."

Before we look at this closely, and examine the magnificent truths that lie within this historical narrative, may I share some thoughts with you that will help put this in perspective? You will recall that after Satan led Adam and Eve into sin in the garden, God made a promise to them and ultimately to all of us. And this is recorded in Genesis three and verse 15. There he said, "'I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.'" In other words, Satan would strike at the heel of the woman's offspring, referring to the Messiah, inflicting harm but not defeat. But the woman's offspring, the Messiah, would do something far greater to the serpent, he would crush him on his head. And then we have a record of a promise of perpetual conflict between two opposing kingdoms. But also there, we have the promise of a future deliver, that would gain the victory one day over sin, over Satan, and over death itself. That is why that text is often called the "protoevangelium"; that is, the first gospel. The first announcement of the good news. And herein marks historical narrative. We see this battle raging all throughout the events described. Satan and his minions, both human and demonic, are tried to kill Jesus, trying to prevent him from going to the cross to make atonement for sinners, which would also spell defeat for Satan. But that was not God's timing. It was not God's plan for Jesus, although it was the plan to defeat Satan. And it's for this reason, Jesus said in John 12, beginning of verse 31, "'Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.' But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die."

And there in that text, Jesus predicted three victories that would be accomplished at the cross. First, the world would be judged because of its rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, that Satan would be cast out and thirdly, that he would draw all men to Himself. It's interesting, the phrase, "now the ruler of this world will be cast out," grammatically iis a future passive indicative in the original language, and it means that the casting out will be a gradual process. And to be sure, Satan's power over men, and his hold upon this world, was broken at the cross, but he continues to inflict harm. Like the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 2:14, "...through His death, Jesus rendered powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil." But we all know he continues to inflict great harm upon the world. According to Second Corinthians four four, is described as "the god," small g, "the god of this world that blinds the minds of the unbelieving..." And Paul warns in Ephesians 6:12, that we are to "Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."

Moreover, Peter warns, in First Peter five, eight, to, "Be sober of spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." And in First John five and verse 19, John tells us that, "...the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." So while Satan still exercises some measure of authority, and some measure of influence in his domain, in this world system in which we currently live, he is, shall we say, a toothless tiger because of Christ's death and exultation. In fact, John tells us in Revelation 12, and verse 11, that believers quote, "...overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb..." Moreover, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, are we not? Therefore "greater is He that is within you, then he that is within the world."

So, Satan is ultimately defeated, but he is still a very dangerous foe. And Scripture tells us that at the end of the tribulation, he will be cast into the bottomless pit during the millennial reign of Christ upon the earth. And at the end of the millennium, he will be cast into the lake of fire. Also, as we think of what Jesus said there in John 12, verse 32, he says, "'If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to Myself.'" And indeed, that he has done and is doing; all that the Father had given him. And this is God's glorious plan of redemption; a plan that was ordained in eternity past, whereby, according to his uninfluenced will, he selected forever, those who would make up a redeemed humanity and promised them to his Son. And he did this according to Jesus words in John 6:24, "...before the foundation of the world."

He even wrote their names in the book of life, before the world began, according to Revelation 13 Eight and Revelation 17 and verse eight. A magnificent congregation of unworthy sinners who would render praise and serve him throughout about eternity. And the Son made this promise in John six and verse 37, "'All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me, I will never cast out.'"  Moreover, the Son promised to not only redeem, but also eternally secure all that the Father had given him. John six, beginning of verse 38, Jesus said, "'For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given me I lose nothing but raise it up on the last day. This is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.'"

Folks, these are absolutely astounding promises of the gospel. And it's all anchored in God's very word. And herein we see the invincible force of divine sovereignty. In fact, in Isaiah, chapter 14, in verse 27, the Prophet says this, "'For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?'" And of course, the answer is no one; neither man, nor devil. This is why Arminianism is so deadly to biblical Christianity. It is such a hideous error, to say that God's sovereignty is limited by the freedom of the human will. Folks that is not only unbiblical, frankly, that's blasphemous. How tragic to hear people say, "You know, God can only save as many people as he possibly can; people have to want to be saved before he can save them. I mean, after all, he wants to save everybody, but he can't, unless people allow him to save them. You must let him save you." And then to add, insult to injury, to say that Jesus potentially paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world on the cross. Not actually, not definitely, but potentially. But it is up to you to cash in on what Jesus did.

I'm convinced that this whole Arminian, free will theology has done more to damage the church than perhaps any other heresy. Because it opens the door to false professions. It fills churches with people that have accepted Jesus into their heart, but in so many cases, they've never truly been born again. Because, dear friends, when you deny the sovereignty of God, you deny the authority of Scripture, and you impugn the character of the living God, and you exalt man to a level that He does not deserve. And frankly, what you will see is Arminianism will inevitably lead to liberalism, which will lead to antinomianism, which will lead to ecumenism which will lead to universalism, which will lead to agnosticism and ultimately to atheism. But in truth, God is sovereign. He is the one that rules over all things, and he will accomplish his purposes. And whatever he does, is perfectly just.

Therefore, as we look at Scripture, we see that God has promised eternal life to those that he chose in eternity past. We see that he has promised to build his church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it; in other words, death itself. Satan’s most powerful weapon could not prevent him from doing what he has set out to do. He has promised to restore his kingdom on earth. He has promised to fulfill his unilateral, irreversible, unconditional covenants to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to David, the New Covenant; and he's promised that nothing can separate us from his love. He's promised to never leave us or forsake us, and he's promised to return in power and great glory. And folks, we can take all of that to the bank because of the invincible force of his divine sovereignty. I pray that you will be greatly encouraged by this.

Charles Spurgeon once said, "There is no attribute of God more comforting to his children than the doctrine of divine sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances and the most severe troubles, they believe that sovereignty hath ordained their afflictions; that sovereignty overrules them and that sovereignty will sanctify them all." He went on to say, "When you go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head."

Now, I wish to examine the passage before us under three headings. We're going to see the precision, the plot to thwart, and the preparations pertaining to God's plan of redemption. So I want you to notice first, the precision of God's redemptive plan.  I'm always fascinated to see how the providence of God orchestrates all things to accomplish what he has ordained in eternity past, which is a miracle of miracles.

Notice verse one, "Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away." Now bear in mind, the Passover meal commemorated the night in Egypt when the Israelites sprinkled the blood of the innocent lamb on their doorposts and on their lentils, and that protected them from the angel of death that was sent to slay the firstborn of Egypt. And the Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorated Israel's exodus from Egypt. Because leaven permeates other ingredients as it expands and as it ferments; it was used to symbolize the germ of sin in a person; the influence of sin, the way sin can permeate, and eventually overtake an individual. So God required his people to eat unleavened bread for eight days to remind them they were to leave all of the wickedness of Egypt behind and be separated from the world.

Now, here's where it really gets interesting. Passover was celebrated each year on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan, which is in late March, early April. And the Feast of Unleavened Bread began the next day and lasted a full week from the 15th to the 21st. And since the the two celebrations were so intimately connected with respect to their symbolism, and their dates, eventually, they were terms that were used interchangeably. And together, they accounted for one of Israel's three major feasts, along with Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles. So when we come to this verse, notice again, "Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away." So this means it is still Wednesday. And Jesus had to die on Passover, according to the precise predetermined plan of redemption, ordained by God. In fact, we see in the parallel account of Matthew 26, two, Jesus says, "'You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion.'"

So on the very same day, 1000s of Passover lambs were to be killed in the temple, the spotless Lamb of God would be slain, and he would become the perfect and the final sacrifice for sin. Now, this was not some random occasion. That's what I want you to understand. In fact, it was prophesied over 500 years before it occurred to the date. We read this in Daniel nine beginning in verse 25, "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem [which was in 445 BC], until Messiah the Prince [which would be 32 AD] there will be seven weeks; [that's 49 years, weeks of years, the period of restoration under Nehemiah, and Ezra] and 62 weeks." So 62 sevens is another 434 years. So you have 49 plus 434, or in other words, 483 years. And then in verse 26, we read, "Then after the 62 weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing."

And we know that this is exactly what happened to the date. Jesus entered Jerusalem on Monday, the 10th of Nissan, the precise day when according to the Mosaic Law, sacrificial lambs for Passover were to be selected. You read about this in Exodus 12, verses two through six. And he was, quote, "cut off." In other words, he was crucified on Friday, the 14th. Perfect precision. In Luke 22, verse 22, Jesus said, "'The Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!'" So in other words, everything is on schedule here. In fact, a couple of months after our Lord's crucifixion, you will recall how Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, reminding his predominantly Jewish listeners that Jesus was, quote, "...delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God." Acts 2:23.

So none of these things are just kind of happening; everything is going according to God's predetermined plan. Later, Peter said this in first Peter one, beginning of verse 20, "He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God."

So first, we see the precision of God's redemptive plan. Secondly, I want you to notice the plot to thwart God's redemptive plan. And the plot that we are going to see unveiled here is consistent with all of the plots that are continuing to unfold in the world in which we live, but they will all fail. Then end of verse one we read that, "...the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him; for they were saying, 'Not during the festival, otherwise, there might be a riot of the people.'" Now, of course, this is what politicians do when they see their power, and their pocketbook, being threatened. Remember, these leaders, Jesus said, are of their father, the devil. They're ruled by what John says in First John 2:16, "...the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life." And we know that Jesus constantly humiliated them. He exposed their hypocrisy, and their pride, their willful unbelief. And on two occasions, he physically shut down their money-making enterprise on the temple precincts. So he was not very popular with these politicians. Yet massive crowds are following him, right?  To witness his miracles, to hear him preach, so he was a huge threat to them. And you might say the icing on the cake was when Jesus, right before he comes to Jerusalem at his final journey, raises Lazarus from the dead, in front of many witnesses. So his popularity exploded, causing many hundreds of 1000s to anticipate his entrance into Jerusalem.

And in light of that situation we read in John 11, beginning of verse 47, "Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, 'What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let him go in like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.' But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year said to them, 'You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people and that the whole nation not perish.'" I love this next statement. "'Now, he did not say this on his own initiative...'" He thought he did, but God was orchestrating all of this even in this evil heart. "He did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that he might also gather together into one the children of God who were scattered abroad. So from that day on, they planned together to kill Him."

So you see the sovereignty of God working even in the hearts of evil men. And by the way, thesame is happening today, in the evil men and women that are in authority over us. None of this is catching God by surprise. By the way, remember, the invisible force of divine sovereignty is still at work today. Even as we watch the precipitous moral decline, I should say, freefall, of our country, increased hostility towards Biblical Christianity, which is something frankly, that is quite rare in evangelicalism today. Like the ancient Jewish and Roman leaders, we see for example, in the progressive Democrats; people that are that are corrupt, and they will do anything they possibly can to stay in power, and they have certainly mastered gaslighting as an art form. They legislate unrighteousness, they criminalize righteousness. I think I read that today is the first day of LGBTQ plus pride month, isn't that sad? As they continue to try to force those vile perversions upon all of us.

May I remind you, just parenthetically, that the sin of homosexuality is called an abomination repeatedly in Scripture. In Leviticus 18:22, it is sandwiched in between child sacrifice and bestiality. I might also say, as Paul did, that such were some of you, right? I mean, how many of us were saved out of a life of fornication? I know some of you were delivered from homosexuality, from lesbianism. And we could go on and on, we're all a bunch of sinners saved by grace. And these dear people need the gospel, and the gospel will change them. But we certainly don't want to celebrate that which will destroy them eternally. Wicked rulers will stop at nothing to punish those that disagree with them. And in the first century, the Roman emperor was already demanding that he be worshipped as a god. And God will allow Satan to implement these wicked schemes, but only within the bounds of his sovereign decrees.

May I remind you that God ordained to allow the greatest miscarriage of justice that has ever happened in the history of the world, which is the killing of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet God used that appalling wickedness to satisfy the justice of God, and to save sinners like you and me; "...from every tribe and tongue and people and nation" according to Revelation five and verse nine.

So the chief priests and the scribes are seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill him. You know, what else is new? I mean, these guys are Satan's pawns. And like the rulers God has allowed Satan to place over us today, they are the rulers of that day. You will recall how Satan even used King Herod, when Jesus was a baby. Remember, he tried to slaughter all of the innocent babies in the region, to somehow prevent a Messiah from threatening his reign. Sothis has nothing new, and all through the previous three and a half years of Jesus' earthly ministry, we see the scribes and the Pharisees and the Sadducees and even Herodians, plotting to not only discredit Jesus, but to kill him. But God would not allow that.

I might also remind you of what Jesus said in John 10, beginning in verse 17, he said, "'...I lay down my life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.'" Now as we look at the text before us, You'll notice how Mark digresses in his narrative to record a past event that occurred on the previous Saturday, which was six days before the Friday Passover. And we see this in John 12 and verse one. And this scenario really illustrates the subtle way Satan plots to thwart the purposes of God in redemption. But it also contrasts the difference between those that love Christ and those that hate him; even though they may be following him, speaking of Judas. notice verse three, "While he was in Bethany at the home with Simon the leper..." Obviously, this was a man that Jesus had healed and probably a celebration dinner. "...and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume with pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head." In John 12, verse three of the parallel passage, we see that this is Mary, the sister of Martha, and Lazarus. Now, she broke the vial. What you'll still see even in the Middle East today is they will have vials with a long neck, that will allow just a little drop at a time of whatever it is you're pouring out. But rather than standing there trying to get one drop at a time, she breaks off the head of it just pours the whole thing. That's what we see happening here. John 12 three says this, "Mary then took a pound a very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."

As a footnote, this is not the same scenario that is recorded in Luke 7:36 through 50. That's a different woman from Galilee that acted likewise.

And as we might expect, Mary's display of sacrificial love for her savior infuriated those who do not love him. So we read in verse four, "But some were indignantly remarking to one another, 'Why is this perfume been wasted? For this perfume might have been sold for over 300 denarii.'" A denarii was a day's wages. So this is about a year's wages here. I mean, why would you do such a thing, is the point. And he goes on to say, "...and the money given to the poor.'" Oh, how noble. "And they were scolding her."

And we know that Judas Iscariot was the chief antagonist. We read about this in John's account in John 12, beginning in verse four. "But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him..." Boy, isn't that a remarkable statement, "...one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him." Talk about hypocrisy, and there it's exposed. What does he do? Well, he says, "Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii and given to poor people?" And then the text goes on to say, "Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief and as he had the money box, he used to use to pilfer what was put into it." You know, I like to think of Judas as the original purveyor of the prosperity gospel. You know, the only reason he followed Jesus was to cash in on Jesus, to somehow get something out of Jesus. You know, Jesus being kind of genie in the bottle that you learn how to manipulate and if you look at the people in the whole prosperity, gospel movement, I mean, they're told to literally visualize what they want. And then to pray with faith, believing, knowing that it's going to happen and in your prayer, and by your faith, you literally released the power of God to get what you want. What a heresy.

And so Judas, now, was already scheming to betray Jesus. Because he felt betrayed by Jesus. You say he was following Jesus, as I say, to gain power, because if Jesus sets himself up on the throne, what's he going to do with the other guy? Well, he's going to be one of them to reign with him. Boy, I can't wait. But Jesus is not doing this. Jesus is talking about dying. So poor Judas, he's pulling his hair out; this thing isn't working out the way I planned. Today, many people follow Jesus for personal empowerment, and gain and wealth. They're driven by greed, not by humility, not by repentance, not by love for Christ. And I remind you of First Timothy six, in case you find yourself tempted in this regard. Beginning in verse six, we read, "But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness."

So, as we see here, Mary's priority was one of worship. Judas, his priority was one of personal power and prosperity. Verse six, "Jesus said, 'Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish, you can do good to them, but you do not always have Me. She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.'" Fascinating statement. Obviously, Mary understood that Jesus was about to die. And isn't it interesting that the disciples had not fully accepted that they're still struggling with that. She was driven by love, not by greed.

Verse nine, "'Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.'" My how true that is; here we are some 2000 years later and we're remembering this dear sister in Christ, that we will one day meet. Well, of course, this is the straw now that breaks the camel's back. For Judas, he's just had enough of it. He was certainly offended by what Jesus said. I'm sure he was embarrassed.

Verse 10, "Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the 12, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. They were glad when they heard this and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray him at an opportune time." Folks, here again, we see how Satan's scheme to betray Jesus was actually all within the purview of God's sovereign plan. This didn't catch God by surprise. I think it was Luther that said, "Satan is God's ape." And he will use him, as well as all evil people to ultimately accomplish his purposes.

Let me remind you of some of the prophecies concerning Judas is betrayal. All the way back in Psalm 41 nine we read, "Even my close friend and whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me." And in Psalm 55, beginning of verse 12, "For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend; who had sweet fellowship together, walked in the house of God in the throng." And Zechariah 11, what a powerful text beginning in verse 12, "I said to them, 'If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, nevermind!' So they weighed out 30 shekels of silver as my wages. Then the Lord said to me, 'Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.' So I took the 30 shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord." Again, Judas' betrayal is all part of God's sovereign plan.

So here in Mark's account, we not only see the invincible force of divine sovereignty, but also how Satan loves to use hypocrites to accomplish his purposes. People that claim to love and to follow Christ, when nothing even close to that is true in their heart. We always will have tears amongst the wheat, goats among the sheep. May I remind you, you know that Satan's most effective and deadly strategy is not to attack the church from the outside, but rather to join the church and become part of it from the inside, especially, to fill its pulpits.

So we've seen the precision and the plot to thwart God's redemptive plan. Notice now the preparations. This scenario occurs on Thursday of the Passion Week. And bear in mind, Jesus said, in Luke 22:15, "'I have earnestly desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.'"

As a footnote, I believe this is a reference to the promised Messianic kingdom as indicated later in verses 28 and following. There Jesus said, "'You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.'"

Now, a question, why would Jesus celebrate the Passover on Thursday night before his death rather than on Friday, when the Passover lambs were to be killed? Some of you may have not asked that question, but some of you will. And I thought I would answer it before 13 of you line up and try to prove that I have missed something very significant here in the text, and that may be the Bible is in error. Well, the answer is in first century Israel, the Passover meal was eaten by the Galilean Jews on Thursday evening, while those from Judea in the south celebrated it on Friday evening. The Galileans viewed Passover day as running from sunrise on Thursday, to sunrise on Friday. Whereas the Jewish leaders, and the Judeans, would have viewed it beginning at sunset on Thursday and ending at sunset on Friday. So they would have celebrated Passover on Friday evening. So given this, Jesus could, therefore, legitimately celebrate the Passover meal on Thursday night, and yield himself up as the Passover lamb on Friday afternoon, which he did.

Now back to our text. "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..." By the way, Luke 22, eight tells us that they were Peter, and John. And he said to them, "'Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.'" Now, this is rather significant given that culture; he would have been easy to spot because men did not carry pitchers of water. That's what women did, that was their responsibility.

Verse 14, "...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.'"  Isn't it fascinating to think about this; that in the providence of God, he has everything planned, everything is organized, even though many times we can't see it? And we think we're just kind of wandering around in the dark--and at some level we do. But the just shall live by faith, and we will say, "Lord, I trust you, that you are going to orchestrate the events in my life so that I can know what you would have me do given the situation. Right now, I don't know. I think I'm honoring you. And as I look at all of the variables, it would seem like Choice C is the right thing to do. So I'm going to pursue that. And if that's not what you want, then do something to show me." And how often we see the Lord doing just that. But it's not like anything is catching him by surprise. And he's having to come up with a plan B, because we blew it over here, or we did something stupid over there. Isn't it great to know that he even uses our stupidity to sanctify us.

Now Jesus' instructions here were deliberately vague. They’re somewhat cryptic because he knew Judas was preparing to betray him. And so he didn't want to tip Judas off because he'd run and tell other guys where they were going. And then it would mess up the plan. Because they would know where they'd be meeting. So we see in verse 16, "The disciples went out and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover."

Beloved, it was on that night in the upper room, where Jesus transformed the Passover celebration into the Lord's Supper. The original purpose of the Passover was to symbolize the need for a substitutionary atonement--that there can be no remission of sins, no forgiveness of sins, apart from the shedding of blood. And on that night, the Lord's Supper commemorated his death on the cross, all of those lambs that were killed in Egypt, and the bread and the cup would now signify the body and the blood of the Lamb of God. And it's for this reason that Paul would say in First Corinthians 11, beginning in verse 23, "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you..." He's going to tell them now, he's telling all of us what the Lord told him, "...that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same way, He took the cup also after supper saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." Oh, what a wonderful Savior. Oh, the invincible force of divine sovereignty.

May I challenge you in closing this morning. If you claim that you're following Christ, but you're just living for yourself, you're no different than Judas. And you simply must come to a place where you acknowledge that, or you will perish in your sins. And for those of us who recognize what debtors we are to his grace, may I challenge you to expand upon the worship that we even had this morning at the table, to make this the theme of your conversation, especially today, with your family, and with others, because our heart or mind and our soul, simply must feed upon Christ Himself, and all that he has done.

And to this end, I leave you with a quote from Bunyan's the Pilgrim's Progress, where he shares his own testimony through his allegory. And its centers around the Lord's Supper, and a conversation at dinner. Here's what he said, "Now, I saw in my dream that this conversation continued, until supper was ready. When it was ready, they all sat down to eat at the table, which was spread with sumptuous foods and wine. Everyone talked about the Lord of the hill, the things he had done and the reasons he had built the house. I learned that he had been a great warrior and had fought with and killed the one who had the power over death. His victory was not without great sacrifice to himself. And hearing it made me love him all the more. They related to Christian that his victory was accomplished only with the loss of much blood. And the thing that made his gracious sacrifice so beautiful, was that all he did was motivated by pure love for his country. Some of the members of the household told Christian that they had been with the Lord and had even spoken with him since the time he died on the cross. They had heard him say with his own mouth, that no one from east to west could be found who loves needy pilgrims more than he, to demonstrate the truth of their story. They pointed out to Christian how he had stripped himself of his glory, to sacrifice his life for those who needed him. They had heard him say that he would not dwell in Mount Zion alone, and that he had made into princes, many pilgrims, who by nature were born to live as beggars in garbage dumps." End quote. And weren't we all born to live in garbage dumps because of our sin? Were it not for the invincible force of the sovereignty of God in our salvation? Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you for the eternal truths that we have examined here this morning. May they speak to our hearts in a profound way, may they shape us more and more into the likeness of our precious Savior. And certainly, Lord, may they bring conviction to those who may be here without you, that today, you will so overwhelm them with conviction of their sin, with the wretchedness of their condition with the prospect of eternal torment that they would cry out to you, for that undeserved mercy that you will give so rich and so free. To this end, we pray for the glory of Christ. Amen.