In the sermon 'Judas and the Last Supper' by Steve Hopkins, the focus is on the events that transpired on the night before Good Friday, particularly the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. The sermon examines John 13:18-31, where Jesus predicts his betrayal and washes the feet of his disciples, including Judas. This act of washing feet serves as both a symbol of spiritual cleansing required by all sinners and an example of humble service to be emulated by true disciples. Despite Judas's outward appearance as a disciple, his heart harbors betrayal, a fact known only to Jesus. Judas's hypocrisy is highlighted by his actions, contrasting sharply with the humility and servitude demonstrated by Jesus. The sermon warns against the dangers of hypocrisy and the growth of bitterness, urging the congregation to self-examine their hearts. Ultimately, the sermon emphasizes the power of the cross, Jesus' glorification through his sacrifice, and the importance of repentance and true belief in Jesus as the path to eternal salvation.

Friday's coming, but what we're going to be looking at this afternoon is the night before. The night before Good Friday. So if you would turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 13, beginning with verse 18 and reading through verse 31. So let's stand for the reading of the word of the Lord. John chapter 13 beginning with verse 18.

Let's read together the word of the Lord. Against me. Now I tell you before it come that when it is come to pass you may believe that I am He. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him that he should ask who it should be of whom he spoke. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it.

And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him then said Jesus unto him that thou doest do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him for some of them thought because Judas had the bag that Jesus had said unto him Buy those things that we have need of against the feast, or that he should give something to the poor. He then, having received the sop, went immediately out, and it was night. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him.

Let's pray. Father, Please bring glory to your name and the preaching of your word. And please give the Spirit, oh God, to do a work in every heart. And we pray that you would open our understanding once again as we open your word, for we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. Let's be seated.

So, it is Thursday evening in our text. It's the Thursday before Passover, the Thursday before Christ Our Passover will be sacrificed for us, and He'll be sacrificed for us even as the Passover lambs are being slain. In a few hours, Jesus will be in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating great drops of blood. Judas will betray him, his disciples will abandon him, and the judge of all the earth will be judged by men and condemned to die. Jesus has loved his own which are in the world with a perfect love, with an unchangeable and everlasting love and that love continues towards his own this day and will continue forever.

Jesus and his disciples have been celebrating Passover in the upper room. The Galileans, you know, they celebrated the Passover meal on Thursday, and the Jews at Jerusalem on Friday. So this is what's taking place. It's Thursday, and they're celebrating Passover, And Jesus has just washed the feet of His disciples, disciples who have been arguing that very night in the upper room about which one of them was the greatest. The greatest, Jesus tells them, is the one who serves all the rest.

And so he had taken off his outer garment and girded himself with a towel, and this was the attire of a household servant. And he not only took on the attire of a household servant but also the posture of a servant even the lowest rank of a servant it was the lowest rank of a servant that would wash the feet of guests something you would hire someone to do, someone that was, you know, couldn't get a better job, so to speak. So Jesus has been on the floor on his knees and he's been performing the lowest act of servitude anyone could have done in that room, the most menial task. He's just performed the thing no one else had stooped to do that night for any of the others, washing feet, washing dirty feet. The traitor is in the room.

Judas is in the room and Judas' feet were also washed by the Lord of glory. Back in verse 2 of the text here, we read that the devil has already put it into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus. But think about this for a moment the last thing that we heard of Judas before that what's the last thing we hear of Judas before he's there in the upper room and the devil has put it into his heart to betray Jesus or back in verse 2 he's put it in his heart to betray Jesus. What's the last thing that we heard about Judas before that? Where does he appear in the scriptures and the text?

Well, six days earlier when he was chastising Mary, remember that's the last thing we heard of Judas. He's chastening Mary, the sister of Martha, for pouring this expensive ointment on Jesus' feet. And Judas protested, you'll remember. That ointment could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor. The scripture tells us back in chapter 12 that Jesus didn't care about the poor.

He was the holder of the bag. He was the treasurer for Jesus and his disciples. He didn't care about the poor. He was a thief. And he had been stealing from the bag, helping himself to the money that was put into the bag.

Of course he wants that ointment to be sold. Of course he wants that ointment to be sold and the money put into the bag that he is drawing from for his own use from time to time. But Jesus, you'll remember, rebuked him, publicly rebuked him back in verse seven of chapter 12, he said, leave her alone. Let her be. Let her alone.

I mean, imagine that. Jesus has just done this. He's so noble. That could have been sold and given to the poor. And Jesus says, leave her alone.

Let her alone. Against the day of my burying has she kept this. That is, she saved this ointment all the way until now in preparation for my burial." In other words, she believed what I said that you others maybe didn't take to heart that I was going to be crucified. And she kept this, she believed it, she kept this ointment in preparation for my burial. The poor you always have with you, me you do not always have with you.

It's a stiff rebuke of Judas. How does Judas respond? Matthew tells us that it was at that very moment that Judas left that place. The very next thing he did after Jesus rebukes him is he goes to the chief priest and he says, what will you give me? What will you give me for him to deliver him to you?

And I'll just stop for a second. Brothers and sisters bitterness of heart is a monster and then unless it is repented of it will grow it's destined to grow bitterness is a monster don't let it grow But here we are at the Last Supper and Jesus is just washing the disciples feet and Peter, we read, is trying to understand why. He doesn't understand it all now, but he will later after Jesus has gone to the cross. The washing of his disciples feet has a dual meaning. It has two meanings.

First, the symbol of spiritual washing, which every sinner needs. And the second, an example of humble service to be imitated by every disciple of Christ. So that first one, everyone who has been cleansed by Christ's blood and thereby justified in God's sight will never need to be justified again. Once you're saved, you're always saved. You've been saved by Him.

You're not gonna have to be saved again. You're not gonna have to be justified again. You've been washed, okay? But he still needs cleansing from daily sins. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us, right, from all unrighteousness.

John Gill says, he, quote, who is washed in the blood of Christ and justified by his righteousness is holy and entirely clean in the sight of God. Yet the feet of his life, which are continually gathering dirt, need daily washing. I thought that was a good quote. So Jesus is telling them in verse 10 that the person who's being completely washed doesn't need a second bath, but they will need to have their feet washed, you know, daily or from time to time. And so he says, look at the text here, he goes on, John chapter 13 here, he says, so you are clean, But look what he says next, but not all.

So you're clean, you've been justified by Christ, but not all, and he means not all of you. Not all of you. Why? Goes on to say Jesus said that because he knew who would betray him. Everyone in that room had been washed, but not everyone had been cleansed.

Twelve sets of feet were washed, but only eleven souls were clean. Twelve were washed, but only eleven were justified by faith in the sight of God. Judas is still in his sins. And as I said, the washing of the disciples' feet has a dual meaning. The first is spiritual washing, which every sinner needs.

The second is this. It's an example of humble service. It's to be imitated by every disciple of Christ. Jesus washed the disciples' feet and if their Lord and Master washed their feet, then they should also wash one another's feet. In other words, they should not think themselves too good to do the lowest service for their brothers and sisters in the Lord.

And you know, we should stop there again. Is there anything that is below you? Is there anything that's below you that's too low? Okay, I know there's Christians who do that for others, but I'm not doing that. We should not think ourselves too good to do the lowest service for our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

They shouldn't, and neither should we. But Judas, of course, is the exact opposite. See, everything we're seeing here, Judas is the exact opposite of. He isn't gonna wash anyone's feet but his own and he isn't gonna lie in anyone's pocket but his own. Even if it means that the feet of his master, that he didn't wash, will be nailed to a cross.

Jesus knows whom he's chosen. Twelve have been called outwardly, only eleven inwardly. All of them have eaten bread with him, but one who has eaten bread with him has lifted up his heel against him. Think about that kind of a, you know, lifted up the heel, like to kick him. What a picture, what a picture.

Judas, the betrayer, Judas the hypocrite, Judas the traitor. Jesus is quoting when he quotes this passage about eating bread and lifting up the heel. He's quoting from David in Psalm 41, 9. Yea, my own familiar friend. Think of the sadness of these words here.

My own familiar friend, think of your friends, brothers and sisters out here, your closest friends. Jesus says, Yea, my own friend in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, a fetum at my own table, my own house, has lifted up his heel against me." We see this in homes. Children, you grow up, they ate their father and their mother's bread and nurtured by them, nurtured their mother's breast and live in their household and they're nurtured and they're cared for and they're given everything, their whole life, everything is just given to them and given to them and they're fed and nurtured and everything, and then they grow up and they kick at their parents. They lift up the heel against mother or father. This is the picture.

Judas had been trusted with the money bag of the disciples. He'd been trusted with close fellowship with Jesus in her circle, but his heart has never been with Jesus Judas has never been Changed and up until now He has been What they call incognito Everybody know what that means? In disguise, okay? His true identity has been cleverly concealed from even his closest associates. Think about that.

Have you ever known a person that they say they were a Christian, that you knew them closely, you grew up with them, maybe you're around them all the time. And then one day all of a sudden it turns out this person wasn't a believer at all. They were just a fake. They were just a fake. Undercover.

Undercover. Scary. Judas was able to operate incognito and conceal his identity, his true heart from even his closest associates, but Jesus knew all along. Judas was able to fool the 11 all of the time, but Jesus none of the time. He knows whom he has chosen.

He knows those whom the Father has given him. And up until now, he's walked among the 12 Judas has in a clever disguise, but the mask of the traitor is about to be pulled off by Jesus. Jesus will shortly reveal Judas' hypocrisy and unmask him before his true identity is known by anyone else. So that when it comes to pass, look at the text, verse 19, they will have yet another proof of Jesus' divinity. Why does he do this?

He says, I tell you before it comes, so that when it comes to pass, you will believe that I am he. He really says the words that you will believe I am. And then the interpreters, translators put in he. You will believe that I am, I am. It's another evidence, okay, before it happens.

I'm telling you what's going to happen before it happens so that when it does happen, you'll know I am. I am, the words God spoke to identify himself to Moses in the burning bush, and words only one equal with God can utter. So Jesus has washed their feet, and now he's returned to reclining at the table. These were tables that were, I don't know if you've seen the pictures of like the paintings or whatever, the Last Supper and they're sitting in these big chairs where they were reclining, they were really low to the ground and then they would recline to one side of the pillow. That's the way that they did it.

Somebody said that's better for digestion, I don't know. So families and guests would recline around the tables on pillows and so Jesus and his disciples are reclining. And think about this, conviction is probably weighing heavy on their consciences because Jesus has just washed their feet. So here they are, they're reclining, and no one is talking from what we can see. No one's talking.

Until our Lord breaks the silence. Listen to what he says. Verily I say unto you, he that receives, whomsoever I send, receives me, and he that receives me receives him that sent me." What's he saying? These are going to be the true ministers of the gospel, and those that receive them will receive them because they received Jesus and the Father who sent him. And then we read that when Jesus had said these words, he became troubled in spirit.

So after these words, When Jesus had said these words, he became troubled in spirit. After he had said those words, he became troubled in spirit. The words he's about to speak are going to be deeply troubling words. The words he's about to speak will deeply trouble the eleven as well. They are about to get the shock of their lives.

Verily, I say unto you, verse 21, that one of you is going to betray me. Think of the shock. You've heard of shock and awe, this is shock. It's a jarring revelation. One of us is going to betray Jesus.

Verse 22 tells us, then the disciples looked one on another. They don't know who it is. And they don't even trust themselves. Who among us could possibly do this thing? Jesus isn't gonna say something that isn't true.

We've already seen that. In Matthew 26 20, Jesus says in the parallel text, they were exceeding sorrowful and one by one began to to say to Jesus, Lord is it I? Lord is it I? Doubting of whom he spake. Imagine the horror of being told by Jesus that there was a one in 12 possibility that you were a false disciple who was about to betray him to death.

That's where they're at. Verse 23, now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved. So John is on one side of him and Judas is sitting on the other side and John is reclining in towards Jesus' chest and Peter beckons to John. By the way, Peter goes through John here to ask something of Jesus. If Peter's the lead guy, as some in the world believe, then why would he need John to intercede for him with Jesus?

Anyways, another message. But he beckons to John in probably whispering, ask him. Ask him who he's talking about. None of them have the slightest idea who it is. It says in verse 24, Simon Peter beckoned to him that he should ask who it should be of whom he spanked.

I don't know if he gave him sign signals or what, or whispered or what. And then John, he then lying on, that is leaning in towards Jesus' breast says, unto him, Lord, who is it? And Jesus answered, apparently whispering to John, because he's the only one that knows at this time when he speaks this, he answers, And he says, it is the one to whom I will give the sop after I've dipped it. In other words, I'm about to take a piece of the bread, I'm going to put it in this dip, okay, and then whoever I hand this to, he's the guy, he's the one. Now something you have to understand about this, this is the kind of thing that the Jews would do when they honored a guest.

So they would take a piece of the bread and break it, and I'm gonna dip this for you. It's a servant thing, it's like washing your feet. And I'm going to dip this and then I'm going to hand it to you. It's yet another opportunity for Judas to repent. Jesus has washed his filthy feet.

Wow. Now he's about to honor Judas above everyone else at the Last Supper by dipping his bread for him and serving it to him like a hired servant. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. But even this doesn't humble Judas. Here he was being treated as the guest of honor, like a guest of honor by the Son of the Living God, and treason was in his heart, and betrayal.

Here again, let me stop for just a second. Please listen to me. Because we've got to get some, something personal here along the way. When someone descends further and further into sin, after repeated mercies have been shown them by God, that's asking for it. That's asking for it.

When someone has shown repeated mercies from God, they keep going on in their sin, and They keep going on in their sin, and they keep going on in their sin, and God keeps showing them repeated mercies are shown to them by God. That's asking for it. That's like inviting Satan to take full possession. Judas. And after the sop, Satan entered into him.

Verse 27. Satan entered into him. Can you imagine? It's over for Judas. Satan has taken full possession.

MacArthur comments here, Judas will never see another sunrise. Jesus will later refer to Judas as the son of perdition. Perdition according to Webster means a son of entire loss or ruin, utter destruction, the utter loss of the soul to future misery and eternal death. There's Judas. Before the son comes up, Judas will have cut a deal with the chief priest to sell Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave, and then under horrific, repentless, true repentance, repentless guilt, he will throw the coins down in the temple and hang himself off of a cliff and his body will be crushed against the rocks.

And I want to just stop again and ask a question to everyone this morning. How many times do you think Judas heard the gospel when he was with Jesus and then went on to harden his heart against Jesus. I've preached it so many times on the streets. I preached it this last week on the streets. Every presentation of the gospel either softens or hardens the heart of the hearer.

Every single presentation of the gospel. This very moment every one of us is either softening more or we are hardening more. The believers are softened more and more. We've already been softened, our hearts have already been melted, our hearts have been shattered into a thousand pieces that only Jesus could put back together again when we saw ourselves as sinners undone and in need of a Savior and that Jesus was the only one. But Jesus said you know comparing himself to a rock, whoever falls on that rock is broken, praise God, but whosoever it falls upon, it will crush him to dust.

And that's an eternal crushing. I've wondered how many times a person can sit stone-faced and unmoved under the preaching of the gospel before God gives them over to a reprobate mind. Everyone is either softening or hardening, or either melting before God or hardening into a block of ice. That is the Gospel. Judas was the block of ice.

He was the secret sinner. He had a master's degree in hypocrisy. Nobody knew it but Jesus. Again, Judas was able to fool all the others all the time, but Jesus none of the time. So Here we are, still at the table, the rest of the disciples are all looking around, who is it?

And Judas is still playing the part of a Christian. Think about it, he's still playing the part of a Christian. Huh? Who is it? You know like what?

He knows full well who it is. He knows full well. And Matthew, when he records this, he says that every one of them, one by one, began to say, Lord, is it I? Lord, is it I? Lord, is it me?

Remember I talked about that? It's like self-examination before the Lord's Supper. Lord, is it me? Is it I? Is it I?

But when it comes around to Judas, Judas doesn't say Lord. Judas says, Master, is it I? And the passage comes to mind that no one can call Jesus Lord from the heart except by the Holy Spirit. Lord, is it I? Master, is it I?

Judas knows, and he's playing the part of a Christian so well that the other 11 disciples can't pick him out of the crowd. You know, someone once said, there's a Judas in every crowd. I hope that's not true. Think of the kindness and forbearance of God so many have experienced to hear the gospel on a regular basis at their church, while multitudes have gone their whole lives and never heard the gospel even once. Many have heard the gospel a thousand times.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus didn't come into the world to judge, but when he returns, he will come as judge. Think about it. Judas has been in hell now for over 2000 years and every fake Christian will one day join him. He's been in hell for a thousand years and it's only the first five seconds of eternity. It's frightening to think of souls inviting the devil to take full possession by repeatedly spurning the outward call of the gospel to repent and believe on Jesus' name.

I pray that that will not be the case with any person in this meeting house today. We're coming close to the close. Judas has has now been unmasked and now John is the only one besides Jesus who knows it. And you know Peter gestures to John. John evidently whispered to Jesus.

Jesus says, the one I give the sop of bread after I dipped it, Jesus hands the sop to Judas. Judas is unmasked before John. And then Jesus turns to Judas and says, remember the words, That thou doest do quickly. What you have in your heart to do, go and do it fast. Get it over with.

Jesus is finished with Judas. And he sends him out of the room immediately. MacArthur says he dismissed Judas. But no man, that it's no other man at the table except for John at this time, knows the intent from which he spoke. Verse 29, some people thought, oh, he has the bag.

Jesus wants him to go out and buy things that we need for the feast. Maybe he wants him to go out and give something to the poor. They don't know. Verse 30, he then, having received the sop, went out, went immediately out, and it was night. Was it ever night?

The darkest night the world has ever known. Within hours Jesus will be sweating as it were great drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing that he will be made sin in the sight of God, knowing that he will deal with the justice of God in the place of sinners. Jesus will be sweating great drops of blood. Judas will arrive with 600 men armed with the teeth, whom Jesus will blow backwards onto the ground with two words, I am. Jesus will be willingly captured, he will be willingly abused, willingly spat upon, willingly beaten, willingly whipped, and on Friday willingly crucified as he bears our sins in his own body on the tree.

But now it's night, Thursday night, Whatever you have to do, that thou doest do quickly, Jesus says, sending him out of the upper room. Judas goes out and Satan with him and in him, driving him like the swine into which legion was sent to do his bidding, after which Judas also will go over a cliff. His lifeless body crushed against the rocks and his soul's experiencing the first seconds of torment, of eternal torment. But look at verse 31 as we close and notice the dramatic change of tone. Oh, I wish I had an hour to talk about this.

Maybe we will next week on Good Friday if we have some time at the Good Friday service. But look at verse 31. Notice the dramatic change of tone. When Judas is gone out, we read, now is the Son of Man glorified. Amen.

Now is the Son of Man glorified. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, now is the Son of Man glorified. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. What's going on here? Judas is exited, filled with the devil, to do exactly what was determined before the foundations of the world that he would do.

God leaving him to himself, and to his own wicked heart, and to his own covetousness. He's gone out and Jesus says, now is the Son of Man glorified. The cross is now in view. The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. The cross is the way to Jesus exaltation.

The cross is the way to Jesus exaltation. Alexander McLaren, the very lowest depth of Christ's humiliation will be the very highest culminating point of his glory, close quote. The cross that the world despises as weakness and seizes defeat will achieve the ultimate victory that the world has ever known. By the cross, every enemy will be conquered. Sin, death, and hell, and eternal salvation obtained for the people of God.

On the cross, Jesus performed the greatest work which the whole history of the entire universe ever witnessed. A.W. Pink, close quote. The power of God, the justice of God, The holiness of God, the faithfulness of God, the love of God will all be glorified at the cross in Christ and God the Father will be glorified in him through the obedience of the cross. Let's pray.

Father, O Lord, how we praise and thank you God when we consider that you did not leave a number in their sins, but set us apart even from before the foundations of the world, and in time called us to such a great salvation, so great a salvation. And in time sent your Son that while we were yet sinners, He should make atonement for our sins. For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. To thank God that there are any who were included in your plan is magnificent. To think that we personally, to really search our hearts, and to know God has drawn me to His Son.

God has turned me from my sins to Him and drawn me to trust in His Son. God's done something in me that He hasn't done in every one of the world. It's such an amazing thing. Oh God, will we think about it, that you would save any sinners, that you would save someone like me, that you would save anyone in this room. Oh, help us, God, as we approach Good Friday And as we consider the things that happened on that Thursday night before in the upper room and what took place at Gethsemane, help us, O God.

Fill our hearts with praise and thanksgiving for the great mercy that you've shown us, for the amazing grace that has saved wretches like us. Thank you, God. Help us to thank you, God. And I pray, God, if there are any, Lord, I pray there's not a Judas in every crowd, but if there is Lord, one who has never known you and has played the part of a Christian and has played the part of a Christian successfully enough to satisfy the believers around Him or her, and to make friendships with them, and to conceal His or her identity. I pray, God, that You would work a work in the heart of that person this very day.

That you would not let anyone in this room or in this church, O God, or who will hear this message maybe later by recording, Lord, none, O God, who hear this word preached, O God, go on to eternal destruction, the utter ruin of the soul, eternal wrath under the wrath, eternal of God Almighty for all eternity, O God. We pray that would not be the case with any. Break hearts, O God. Melt hearts, O God, by the love of the gospel, by the mercies of the gospel, by the truth of your holy word, O God, break hearts, save souls, O God, for the glory of the name of your son Jesus, I pray it amen and amen.