The sermon 'Delivered by the Determined Purpose of God' by Jason Dohm focuses on the arrest of Jesus in Matthew 26:47-56, highlighting the divine purpose behind what seems like a betrayal and unjust arrest. The sermon references Peter's speech in Acts 2:23 to emphasize that Jesus' crucifixion was part of God's predetermined plan, despite being carried out by lawless men. It underscores that the arrest is not about Judas or the chief priests, but about God's plan for redemption. The sermon examines Judas' betrayal with a kiss, noting its significance as an act of deceit and contrasting it with Jesus' friendship with his disciples. Dohm also discusses Peter's attempt to defend Jesus with a sword, illustrating a misunderstanding of how God's kingdom advances. Jesus' restraint of Peter and his healing of Malchus' ear is presented as a lesson in relying on God's plan rather than human strength. The sermon concludes by affirming that God's ways are higher than human ways, encouraging believers to trust in God's sovereignty during dark times, as these moments often precede the advancement of God's kingdom.

The sermon text for this morning is found in the gospel according to Matthew chapter 26 verses 47 to 56 Here now God's holy word and While he was still speaking behold Judas one of the twelve with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now his betrayer had given them a sign saying, whomever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him. Immediately, he went up to Jesus and said, greetings, Rabbi, and kissed him. But Jesus said to him, friend, why have you come?

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him and suddenly one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear but Jesus said to him put your sword in its place For all who take the sword will perish by the sword Or do you or or do you think that I cannot now pray to my father and he will provide me with more than 12 legions of angels how then could the scriptures be fulfilled that it must happen thus. In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple and you did not seize me. But all this was done that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled Then all the disciples forsook him and fled May the Lord now knit our hearts together in prayer. Oh Heavenly Father Lord, I thank you for your word pure and undefiled word For this is truth what we just read in your scripture.

I pray now for Jason as he comes And gives a sermon based on this text Lord. I pray he would be faithful to the text and that we would all place ourselves under the authority of the word of God, under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. And may we leave here today changed by the words that are said today. We ask all this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The title of the sermon this morning is Delivered by the Determined Purpose of God. Not a phrase I made up, it's a phrase I'm taking out of Acts chapter 2 verse 23. In Acts chapter 2, Peter is preaching on the day of Pentecost And he's probably preaching to some of Jesus' murders. It's in Jerusalem and it's 50 days after the crucifixion. And he's preaching to people who have gathered for this strange site.

These disciples are speaking about the greatness of God in every language that is represented in Jerusalem during one of the great feasts. And Peter in Acts 2 verse 23 says, Him, being Christ, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death. And so Peter's talking on the day of Pentecost about what's happening here, about the delivering up of Jesus Christ. It was done by lawless hands. It really was lawless men who did it.

But really, That is only the ground level view. The top level view, the real view, is that God is just accomplishing His own purposes. And so everything that we see in this text is what God has determined beforehand. And He's ordained it. And Jesus is going to be delivered up.

So the text will talk about Judas, but this is not a text about Judas. And the text will talk about the chief priests and the elders of the people, but it's not a text about what the chief priests and the elders of the people, but it's not a text about what the chief priests and the elders of the people are doing. It's about what God is doing in order to accomplish a great redemption for his people. It's simply the fulfillment of Zechariah 13 verse 7 where God says, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. And that's exactly what Jesus quoted in verse 31 of our chapter.

And that's what's happening here. It's the innocent being put in the place of the guilty. It's a switching of places where Jesus Christ, completely undefiled, completely sinless, completely perfect, will stand in the place of people who are without hope and without God in the world and will take their sins upon himself. And he'll be treated like a malefactor, like one who's done wrong, even though he's never done wrong. He'll be treated like a common thief, which is exactly what we'll see in the text today.

So let's get right to the text. I'll begin with some comments on verses 47-50. So let's read those words again. Matthew 26, verse 47. And while Jesus was still speaking, behold Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the elders of the people.

Now his betrayer had given them a sign saying, Whomever I kiss, he is the one, seize him. Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, Greetings Rabbi, and kissed him. But Jesus said to him, Friend why have you come? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him in this section Jesus is betrayed with a kiss and arrested he is in Gethsemane the olive press the weight of being made sin so that we might become the righteousness of God is being pressed upon Him. And Jesus has been praying on the Mount of Olives with his disciples.

They've actually been doing more sleeping than praying, but they're there in Gethsemane. And Jesus has prayed three times that his Father's will had been done. He's grieved by the thought of this bitter cup. He hates the disapproval of his Father, which he'll have to bear If he's going to be made sin on our behalf, he doesn't like the thought of this bitter cup. But it is his food to do the will of his Father.

And so at the end of the day, at the end of his prayers, he'd rather take the cup in hand and drink it down to the last bitter drag than to let it pass by. It was for the joy before him that he endured the cross, despising the shame. And so he's praying that the will of his father would be done even though he is grieved by the thought of this cup. While he is still speaking about his betrayer, here comes Judas with a throng, a large crowd, a multitude, and they are armed to the teeth. They have swords and clubs.

And the text says that this throng, it reads like a mob, doesn't it? It reads like a mob. They've got swords and clubs and there are torches and this reads like a lynching and it is more lynching than judicial action for sure. And here they come, and the text says that they are from the chief priests and the elders of the people. So from the priesthood class and from the civic leaders, the elders of the people, they've been sent.

And this is the makeup of the Sanhedrin. You've heard of the Sanhedrin. It's actually the highest court of the Jews. And they're who have sent them. Now we have background in this chapter.

So I'm going to read the background from the chapter. You can follow along. It's right here in chapter 26. Look at verses 3-5. Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest who was called Caiaphas and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.

But they said not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people. So early in the chapter, they started the plans. They set the plans in motion to take Jesus by trickery and to kill Him. But they thought it wouldn't be during the Passover because they didn't want the hubbub associated with that. But they're not going to get their way in that matter.

God has a different way and God is presiding over all these things. Now Fast forward to verse 14. Then one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and said, what are you willing to give me if I deliver him to you? And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

So Judas has been looking for an opportunity where Jesus could be arrested quietly away from the crowds who have been attending on Jesus' every word and he's finally found his moment and here comes the mob. It's late at night, it's late at night, It's in the wee hours of the morning. So the question is, how are they going to identify and apprehend Jesus? This is not the days of flashlights or streetlights and People magazine or Facebook. It's not the same as today.

And so Jesus is out praying at night on the Mount of Olives. And it's a real question. How are they going to make sure that they have the right guy because Jesus has had a way of slipping away from people who wanted to lay hands on Him. So how are they going to keep that from happening? They need to identify Him and then they need to be able to get their hands on Him.

And they need a signal. And so Judas, this is what he's getting paid for, is to execute the plan and give them the signal. Give a positive identification that this is Jesus, this is the one. And So they agree on the signal. Judas will come up to Jesus and he'll give him the kiss.

And that will be the signal that Jesus is the one. And they'll have their positive identification. This would be strange today. It wasn't strange at all then. In fact, the point isn't that this is contrived or out of place.

The point is that there's nothing contrived about this. There's nothing out of place about this. It would have been the most natural thing in the world for any of the 12 disciples when they had been away from Jesus, when they came back, to give him a kiss of friendship. In fact, we continue to see this in the New Testament. Paul in several different places talks about greeting each other with a holy kiss.

This is a kiss of friendship. It's very cultural. It's very normal in this time. I want to make two observations about this kiss. One is about our Lord Jesus Christ, and one is about some of his disciples.

So here's the first observation. Jesus befriended his disciples. You have to get that. It's not that this was out of place. Again, I'm going to restate that.

It's not that this was a contrived thing. It's that this was the most normal thing in the world for Judas when he had been away from Jesus or any of the disciples to come and give Jesus the kiss of greeting of friendship. Jesus befriended his disciples. This is not new to the Gospel of Matthew, not at all. Listen, Matthew 9, Jesus is asked about fasting.

Why don't you fast? Why don't your disciples fast? Jesus says, can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? Jesus is the master, he is the rabbi, And yet his disciples are more than just his students. They're his friends.

Or Matthew 11 verse 19. Where Jesus himself is speaking of his public reputation. And he says the son of man came eating and drinking and they say, look a glutton and a wine-bibber, can you finish it? A friend of tax collectors and sinners. This was Jesus' public reputation.

A friend of tax collectors and sinners. This was Jesus' public reputation. A friend of tax collectors and sinners. So not just a friend to his disciples, but a friend to people who don't have their act together. He was in trouble for eating with IRS agents.

Listen to John 15 verse 15. Jesus is addressing his disciples, John 15 verse 15. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, For all things that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you." So Jesus, addressing His disciples, looks them in the eye and says, I'm not calling you servants anymore. I'm calling you friends.

An ordinary servant, a plain old servant, doesn't know the business of his master, but I'm telling you men everything. I'm telling you what. The same can be said of us. Jesus isn't teaching his disciples a secret handshake and making them the inner circle and there's going to be secret knowledge you have to get to the inner ring to get. No, He's left a witness.

He's left us his words so that we might know what the Master's doing. That's because we're not just servants of the Master. We're friends of the Master. And that's why it's not out of place at all. That's why the most normal, natural, appropriate signal for Judas to give is not something that's out of place, but something that's completely in place.

Completely to be expected. Jesus befriends His disciples. They're not just His servants. They are His servants, but they're not just his servants. He's called them friend.

And you know that because he's explained the master's business to them. We live in the days of Jesus is your buddy theology. Makes me sick to my stomach. And it probably makes you sick to your stomach too. There's such a loss of the fear of the Lord and of a holy reverence of God that we should bemoan.

It's not right and it's not good and it's not helped the church. It's harmed the church. But there's a reaction against that that makes Jesus Christ unapproachable. No! A thousand times no!

Jesus is our sympathetic high priest. The one who has not just servants, but servants who are also friends. He's not ashamed to call them his brethren. And So there should be a reaction against Jesus is your buddy theology. But it can't take us beyond the point of truth to a place where Jesus then becomes unapproachable.

Where in our desire to recover the fear of the Lord and a holy reverence for Jesus as a co-equal member of the Trinity would make Jesus Christ unapproachable. No. Judas' kiss does show us one thing about our Lord, and it's that he's not just our master, he has called us friend. We can commune with him. Secondly, so that's what it says about Jesus and his relationship to and with his disciples.

He befriends them. Secondly, some who claim to follow Jesus aren't really his disciples. This is the da moment of the sermon. It's just the total stating of the obvious. But in Judas we have a man who says he follows Jesus, but he's not really a disciple at all.

But Jesus isn't surprised by this. Jesus isn't caught by surprise here. He's never caught by surprise when someone who says they follow him eventually proves that they're not really his disciples. How many times have we been back to the parable of the soils. A bunch of times, I don't know, it's many times.

Matthew 13, the parable of the soils. Listen to Matthew 13 verse 22, because this is the kind of soil that Judas is. Matthew 13, 22, Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. Judas was a lover of money, and he loved the world, and it choked out the Word.

He was living with the Word of God. He wasn't just hearing the Word of God. The Word was made flesh, right? John 1. And He dwelt among us.

And yet, though He's hearing the purest form of the words of God that anyone has ever heard, day after day after day after day, this is choked out because he loves the world. And the deceitfulness of riches has worked its way all through him so that now not only is he deceived, he is a deceiver. Brothers and sisters, you are going to see this with your own two eyes. You are going to. You are going to see people who you would have sworn were disciples of Jesus Christ.

Walk away from the faith. You're going to see it. If you live long enough, and you're truly regenerate, and you live life in the church, you're going to see it with your own two eyes. Jesus, when He saw it, wasn't surprised. Would you be surprised?

Would you be disillusioned? Would you be disheartened? Will it cost you a year? Will it cost you two years? Will it cost you five years?

When you see what God has said we'll see. When you see, play out in your own acquaintances, what Jesus saw played out among his own disciples. Our faith, our faith teaches us not to trust in man. Not even Our closest, closest, closest family members, pastors, friends, we love them. And we trust them, but we don't trust in them.

There's a big difference. So that when the day comes, when we see this with our own two eyes that it doesn't cost us a year or two years or five years, because we're so disheartened. God has said it would be so. It played out right here in front of Jesus our Lord and you're going to see it too. Jesus wasn't surprised and He's telling us so we won't be surprised and lose years and be disheartened.

We don't trust men, we trust Jesus. We can rely on Jesus. He befriends His disciples. And He will never leave or forsake us. You can't say that with perfect certainty about anyone else.

So Judas earns his 30 pieces of silver. He earns his money. He says, Greetings Rabbi, and he kisses Jesus. Listen to Proverbs 27 verse 6, Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." Could Proverbs 27 verse 6 be written for anything more particular than the moment we are seeing in Matthew 26. Listen to it again.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Be careful how you interpret your wounds. They might be more friendly than you think. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. Be careful how you interpret kisses.

They might be more deceitful than you ever thought. Now I want you to turn to John 18. This is an unusual account in that Matthew has it, Mark has it, Luke has it, John has it. All four of the gospels preserve an account of the arrest of Jesus. Matthew and Mark are almost identical.

Luke includes some nuances that you don't get in Matthew and Mark. And John is coming from different angles almost entirely. John is very different. So we're going to read John 18 verses 1 through 9. When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the brook Kidron, where there was a garden which he and his disciples entered.

And Judas who betrayed him also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon him, went forward and said to them, whom are you seeking? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them, I am he.

So if you're looking at your Bible, when it says I am he, almost certainly, depending on the Bible you have, but almost certainly, he is in italics, which means He's not there in the Greek He's added by the translators because they felt like it's consistent with the meaning and it is consistent with the meaning. But the way, what you're missing with what the translators have added is, it's really just Jesus says, I am. And so, there's the echoes of Exodus 3 here where Moses is standing before the burning bush. He is commissioned by God to go be the liberator of the people of God. And Moses says, who am I going to say has sent me?

And God says, tell them I am sent you. So the echo, the reverberations of Exodus 3 are here. So for the rest of the chapter I'm going to skip the word he because I don't think it helps us. Where was I? Verse 5.

They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus said to them, I am. And Judas who betrayed him also stood with him. Now when he said to them, I am, they drew back and fell to the ground. Then he asked them again, Whom are you seeking? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus answered, I have told you that I am. Therefore if you seek me, let these go their way, that the saying might be fulfilled which he spoke, of those whom you gave me, I have lost none." So in Matthew, Mark, and Luke you have a very earthly moment where it's the apprehension, it's the arrest of a malefactor, someone who does wrong, does badly, a common criminal. But in John, John preserves that this is actually a holy moment. It's a holy moment. And they say, Jesus says, who have you come for?

They say Jesus of Nazareth. He says, I am. And something supernatural happens in that moment that blows them back and causes them to fall down. I can't explain that. Can you explain that?

Anybody got a ready explanation? Other than it's a holy moment. And they came to arrest the Jesus that was fully man you can't just arrest half of him you get fully God also Jesus fully man fully God two distinct natures. And he's not just man, he's also God. And he lays claim to it.

And it's proven to be a holy moment because they fall down. It says here that Judas was given a detachment of troops. And the words that were picked here means it's almost certainly an assortment of Jews and Romans. And this is how security would be handled at the feasts, is that there would be Roman troops in Jerusalem and also Jewish security for lack of a better term. Now let's go to the next section.

Back to Matthew 26. The next section begins in verse 51. I'll be reading through verse 54. And suddenly one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. But Jesus said to him, put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

Or do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father and He will provide me with more than twelve legions of angels. How then could the scriptures be fulfilled that it must happen thus? In this section, Peter is restrained. Matthew, Mark, and Luke don't name Peter. John names Peter.

And he names the servant of the high priest. He's Malchus. John 18 gives us the names. Almost all the scholars agree that John is the latest of the four gospels. It was written last.

And maybe it was to protect Peter that Matthew, Mark, and Luke don't write it. Because a crime was committed here. Peter could be in big trouble for what happened, although that would be an interesting trial, wouldn't it? He cut off my ear. There you stand with two ears.

In verse 35 of our chapter, Peter says, Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you." And so here, Peter is ready to make good on that. And it's a good attempt to die with Jesus. Peter almost dies with Jesus here. It was not God's will that that would happen. Peter is a fisherman.

So you can't think that he is good enough with a sword to be aiming for the ear. Peter's probably trying to cleave this man right down the middle. And He gets enough out of the way that it's only his ear. So Peter was bold early in the chapter, but he is a brave here. He's facing a multitude, however many that is, a crowd, all armed with swords and clubs.

You have 11 men, fishermen, tax collectors, not soldiers, two swords among them. And Peter has a go at the servant of the high priest. This is almost exactly what is happening in Matthew 16. Remember back to Matthew 16. Jesus says I'm going to be delivered into the hands of the chief priests etc.

And I'm going to be crucified and I'm going to rise again on the third day." And Peter rebukes Jesus and says, this will not happen to you. And Jesus says in Matthew 16, 23, get behind me Satan. You are an offense to me for you are not mindful of the things of God but the things of men. This is a replay of Matthew 16. Peter again is not being mindful of the things of God but he's being mindful of the things of man.

In fact, John 18, which is our parallel text to today's passage, in John 18, 11 says this, So Jesus said to Peter, put your sword in the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup my Father has given me? Shall I not drink it? Peter saying with his actions, no, Don't drink that cup. I'll save you from that cup.

And Jesus says, Peter put away your sword. Shall I not drink the cup that my father is giving to me? So Peter is a man again with so much zeal, but it's not zeal according to knowledge. Peter is still thinking wrongly about the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus knows that His death and his burial and his resurrection will represent the greatest advance of the kingdom of heaven that could ever be.

And Peter is trying to stand in the way of just one man with a sword. Trying to stand in the way of the greatest advance of the Kingdom of Heaven. Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verses 3 and 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verses 3 and 4. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. Jesus through His death and His burial and His resurrection, is using spiritual weapons to pull down strongholds. But Peter is ready to war according to the flesh. Ephesians 6 verse 12 says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Peter is ready to wrestle with flesh and blood.

Bring on all comers. Peter has his sword and he is ready, but we don't war like that. Jesus will advance his kingdom, but it's not with disciples with swords. Beware of thinking that the defense or the advance of the church will be accomplished through politics or legislation or law enforcement or military might. That's not the way this kingdom advances.

It's not. Now there's a valid place for the people of God in politics, in legislation, in law enforcement, in the military. I'm not saying there's not a valid place for them. I'm just saying that's not how God advances His kingdom. It's not.

Listen to John 18 verse 36. Jesus is replying to Pilate. John 18, 36. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I should not be delivered to the Jews.

But now my kingdom is not from here. Jesus says as much in John 18. If my kingdom were of this world, I would arm these guys. They would fight. But it's not that kind of kingdom.

My kingdom is not from here. It doesn't advance that way. You don't defend it with swords. Why does Jesus restrain Peter? Why does Jesus restrain Peter?

Because Jesus doesn't stand in need of Peter's help. Jesus says, with a word from me, I could be defended with more than 12 legions of angels. A Roman legion is 6, 000 soldiers. 12 legions is 72, 000 angels. Jesus says more than that.

There are two places in 2 Kings that I want to talk about with respect to angels. The first is 2 Kings chapter 6 where the king of Syria is after Elisha and he's got him surrounded And the servant is panicked. Elisha is as cool as a cucumber. And he prays that his servant would have eyes to see. And around this great army, it says It's a great army of Syrians surrounding the city.

In the mountains above them are chariots and horses of fire. And Elisha says, there are more for us than there are against us. In 2 Kings chapter 19, Sennacherib, the king of the Assyrians, has surrounded Jerusalem and the prophet Isaiah and King Hezekiah one of the very few good kings They're bottled up in Jerusalem and It's not looking good and in one night God promises to deliver them, even though mathematically that's not possible. And in one night, an angel, an angel, one single angel in the middle of the night slays a hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers. One angel.

Jesus says, my father would dispatch 72, 000 angels. What kind of might is that? That's overkill in the extreme. If one can slay a hundred and eighty five thousand. God never has resource problems.

Do you hear me? God never ever ever ever ever ever ever has resource problems. He never lacks strength. He never lacks money. He never lacks money.

We cannot lend to Him. We cannot defend Him. He does not need us. He says, if I were hungry, I would not tell you in the Psalms. So he doesn't need for Abraham and Sarah to figure out how they're going to be offspring and bring a bond woman into the mix.

And he doesn't need Peter and his sword to defend him. And he doesn't need you or me to think up our good ideas about how we're going to accomplish his ends. Did you hear that? He does not need you. He does not need me.

Our job is to trust Him and to obey Him, just to do our duty. Matthew Henry, I don't have the exact quote in front of me, but it's humorous. He says, God doesn't need us less. Less than that does He need our sins. Less than needing us Does he need us to act sinfully to try to do something for him?

Which is what Peter is doing here. So Jesus tells Peter to put away his sword, and he does more than that. Luke 22 records that he touches Malchus' ear and he heals him. These are Jesus' enemies. This is how Jesus treats his enemies.

He actually defends his enemies against an overzealous disciple. This would be a great place to go to Romans 12 and talk about leaving room for the vengeance of God and blessing those who curse you. But I've got even better opportunities to do that in the coming weeks, so I'm going to save it for that. But look at how Jesus treats his enemies. This is a sinful man who deserved to die for his sins.

He's not an innocent man losing his ear. He's here to arrest Jesus. Jesus touches him and heals his ear. In verse 54, Jesus says, If I were to exercise my divine prerogative and be defended by the angels who live to serve me. How would the Scriptures be fulfilled?

How could they ever be fulfilled? If you brought all of humanity against me, how would they be fulfilled? Jesus so often laid aside His divine prerogative and took on the form of a servant. And this is just another moment in the line of moments where it's so clear that Jesus has laid that aside to accomplish redemption for a people. Let's look at verses 55 and 56.

In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to take me. I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and you did not seize me. But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him and fled." In this section, the captors are rebuked. Jesus is just stating the obvious, isn't He?

He's been with them in the temple every day, unarmed, answering every question that they put to him. They could have taken him any day of this week. Luke 22, our parallel text in Luke, says two things that I find interesting. In Luke 22 verse 52, it says that when he was saying these particular words, he was addressing the chief priests, captains of the temple, and elders who had come to him. In other words, it's not just soldiers with swords and clubs.

Representatives of those who are sending are actually there. Chief priests are actually there. And captains of the temple are there. And elders are there in this throng of people who come to get Jesus. It's not just armed men who come.

And then in the very next verse, Luke 22 verse 53, Jesus says, but this is your hour and the power of darkness. This is your hour. It's fitting that you come out at night and take me as if I was a common thief at night. This is your hour and the power of darkness. Wicked men are going to have their hour.

This is another thing brothers and sisters that you're going to see with your own two eyes. Wicked men are going to have their hour. Will you be disillusioned by that? Will you be disheartened by that? Will you lose a year or two or five because wicked men have their hour?

If you do, It's not because God hasn't made allowance to prepare you in advance. He has. He's told us these things. Wicked men will have their hour. This is their hour.

And they have their hour. And yet They are instruments in the hand of God the whole time. None of this, not one second of this happens outside the sovereignty of God. It's all within the sovereignty of God. Wicked men have their hour and they don't realize they're like puppets on a string.

They're accomplishing His purposes. Even though they're raging against those same purposes, they're just playing their part. Again, Jesus cites prophetic fulfillment as the roots of every single detail of what's happening. That's why the things that are happening are happening. Because God said it would be so, and it's so.

So it is that the Son of God begins to be treated like a common criminal. He was despised and rejected by men. Isaiah 53 verse 3. He was numbered with the transgressors. Isaiah 53 verse 12.

It's the Innocent. Changing places with the guilty. You see that? That's why he's being treated like a common criminal. Even though he's not really guilty.

Romans 425. He was delivered up because of our offenses. He was delivered up, that's happening in our passage today, he was delivered up because of our offenses. He was delivered up, that's happening in our passage today, he was delivered up because of our offenses. This is why Jesus is being arrested in Matthew 26 because of your sins if you've trusted in Him.

That's why He's being arrested. Don't blame these Jews. Don't blame these Romans. He was delivered up because of our offenses. Verse 56, then, all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

Half a chapter earlier they say, we'll never deny you. Even if we have to die with you, we won't deny you. Be careful of saying what you'll never do. Had they known themselves better, They probably would have placed their hands over their mouths and they would have been more awake during prayer time. Jesus is telling them exactly why they should be praying.

That you enter not into temptation. That you don't fall to this temptation. A few concluding remarks. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and his ways are higher than our ways. It's Isaiah 55.

And it's not learned over the weekend. Your brain can learn it over the weekend, but it takes a while to sink down and to really have apprehended that truth. And so, when people that we labored alongside, that we prayed with, we shared the joys and sorrows of life with, and we thought they were disciples, walk away from the faith, Say things you never thought you'd ever, ever, ever in a million years hear them say. Do things you never thought they would do. Or when those things happen, Will we be set back?

Or will we know that that's often how God chooses to advance His Kingdom like here in Matthew 26. Often. So often. He's actually advancing His Kingdom, but we're disheartened. We're set back.

We need to come to this text and learn that his ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts and learn to love his ways. Not to be set back by what he's doing in the world. He is a sovereign God. I appreciate what Michael said. We're not here to pity Jesus.

He's advancing his kingdom. With every word of Matthew 26, he's advancing his kingdom. We're not here to pity him. Lastly, Understand how the Kingdom of God advances. Understand it.

So when you see these things and you say, I never would have done that if I was God. You'll realize that He's the wise one. Beware of being discouraged by these things. It's through these things that God is actually pushing forward the boundaries of His Kingdom. Beware of hoping in the wrong things.

Beware of hoping in the wrong things. In persecuted countries, they pray that we would have persecution here. Meanwhile, we look for political solutions, legislative solutions, legislative solutions when we should be on our faces before God, begging Him to deploy His 72, 000 angels. God is teaching us through these dark moments of a gospel that they only look dark to us. These moments precede the making of the earth.

Do you know that? They were in the mind of God before anything was ever made. Jesus Christ is the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world. These are not dark moments. These are glorious moments where Jesus Christ is purchasing a people and making a way for sinners to repent and trust Him and be saved and set free from the penalty of their sins.

I pray that God would give us dark moments like that. I mean if that's the result of dark moments, bring on the dark moments. The more the merrier. Would God fashion us into a people like that who would look for the coming of dark moments in this sense? Oh God, send us hardship that would push forward the borders of your kingdom?

Or would we just desire to be a people who would want to be dispensed comfort by God as if He were Santa Claus. Is that what we're after? Is that what God wants to do? Are those the kind of disciples that Jesus wants to have as His friends? No.

No. He wants to fashion us into a people who when they see these dark clouds, see a God on the far side of the dark clouds who is doing something glorious, who is doing exactly what He wanted to do and accomplishing every one of his objectives, and advancing his own kingdom. Let's pray. Our Father, you're not like us. You're nothing like us.

All of your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. All of your ways are higher than our ways. And I thank you that you bring us to texts like this, to train us, to understand how you defend your kingdom, how you advance your kingdom. Oh God, make us students with hearts that burn within us to see in our own days the things that saints have seen throughout the centuries, you taking hardship and persecution and glorifying your name through it. Oh God, you know I'm a man who loves comfort.

Train me to be a disciple who so much more has an appetite for the advancement of your kingdom that I would forego my comforts and my entertainments gladly to see your name high and lifted up, to see you place your hand upon sinners and set them free from their sins. I thank you that you have purchased a redemption for people through these dark days, or what we call dark days of the Gospel. I pray God that you as we go into chapter 27 and Chapter 28 would show us the glory of your ways and the wisdom of your thoughts. And that we would know more than we've ever known before that you are wise. And we've been so foolish.

Oh God, make us wise, conform us into this precious image of the Lord Jesus Christ. We ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. Thanks for watching!