Hindsight and Holy Ground

Secular -

"Have you ever tried to assemble something without reading the instructions? Men, don't leave me hanging up here. You open the box, look at the 47 pages of instructions, and think, 'I got this.' Three hours later you've got extra screws, a crooked shelf, and somehow you've convinced yourself the manufacturer made a mistake. The truth is, most of us don't like following directions—until we realize the person who wrote them actually knew what they were doing."

"Today we're going to look at some disciples who simply followed Jesus' instructions, even when they didn't understand the whole plan."

Historical/Cultural Context -

This Gospel is written by Matthew, also known as Levi who was a former tax collector. It was most likely written between AD 50-60. Matthew left everything behind to follow Jesus. Matthew wrote primarily to Jewish believers—people who knew the Old Testament well. Matthew had one goal: to prove that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, the King of Kings, and the fulfillment of God’s promises. Connecting the Old Testament prophecies to the life of Christ, proving that every word God spoke was coming true in Jesus. The key themes of the Gospel include Jesus as King, The Kingdom of Heaven, Fulfillment of Prophecy and discipleship.

Biblical Text -

Matthew 26:17–29 NKJV

Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ’ ” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover. When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?” He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?” He said to him, “You have said it.” And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - Trust God's guidance, own your actions, and rely on Jesus’ grace.

Life Point- Trust God Through The Steps

Exegetical -

Matthew 26:17–19 BSB

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” He answered, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him that the Teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will keep the Passover with My disciples at your house.’ ” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

Homiletical -

We talk about the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Which is for the celebration of the passover.

The passover for Jews is a Holy time. It is when the angel of death passed over the houses of the children of Israel while they were captive in Egypt. The first born son of a family would die that night without the blood of the lamb that was slaughtered being put on the door frames.

It is this section of scripture where Jesus recenters the entire event on himself showing that He is the lamb that was slain once and for all time to redeem us from our sin.

So the disciples come and ask Jesus “Where do you want the feast to take place?”

Matthew recounts this vaguely. As in not making known whose house they will celebrate in. This reminds me of the triumphal entry. Where they come to colt of a man and say the master has use of it and the man just gives it to them.

This man upon whose house they will feast in has been prepared by God for this very moment. He says “My time is near. I will keep the Passover with My disciples at your house.”

He does not give a name for this man.

I believe that is because he didn’t want Judas Iscariot to know where they were going to celebrate to soon before the feast. Remember Judas is looking for an opportunity to betray Him and this will give Jesus time to complete the meal before He is betrayed.

The disciples do as they were told and that mission was completed successfully.

If we would just do as God directs us then His mission would be completed successfully.

Jesus hear knew His time was near and the disciples heard Him say this. Now did they fully understand? I don’t think so. Ever hear hindsight is 20/20. I don’t believe they truly understood until after all had been completed.

God will often tell us Go and do something and we don’t know who we are to go and tell, how to get it accomplished or who will help. But God will send the provision and the people for His purposes. He will raise up someone for such a time as this.

God never shows the complete steps to get to the ending. The disciples didn’t know who would be raised up for this provision for the feast but they knew the outcome was going to be that they have a feast.

Now when they got where they were going, that still wasn’t the end. They had to do the work. They had to prepare the passover for the event.

So too should we be prepared when God starts sending people to work. They are not the end of the story, they are but the next step. The ending is the spread of the Gospel through the ministry that God has called them to in the church. So when God sends the workers, let the workers work.

Just because you have tried to do the same ministry in times past and it didn’t work, doesn’t mean that God won’t anoint or empower them to do that work.

Often times I hear from other pastors that they spend years or decades tilling the soil in a church and nothing grows and then they leave and another man comes in and the church shoots up.

This isn’t because the first minister was bad, it is because he was called to till the ground, plant the seed. The next guy was called to water and watch it grow.

For some churches this happens after years of preparation with one minister and he gets to see the growth too. For some it doesn’t. Neither one is wrong.

1 Corinthians 3:6–7 BSB

I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

It is God who builds the church, not us.

Illustration -

I am reminded of a man named Dr. Mark Rutland. In the 70s there was no email just what we now call snail mail. He kept getting the unction from the Holy Spirit to go to Africa. He had no idea where to go, but he knew he had to go. Then he received a letter of someone asking him to come so he tried to get a letter back to the man, but he never heard anything back. But God kept bugging him to go to Africa. So he booked a flight and he went

When he got there, a man was waiting for him. It was the man who had written to him. So he went with him. Then the work began, the preaching of the Gospel started.

But here is what Dr. Rutland didn’t know. First the man never received the letter and he kept hearing the Holy Spirit tell him to go to the airport and when the day arrived The Holy Spirit really bugged him, he thought he was going nuts, but he got in his car and went. Then Dr. Rutland showed up on that day at that time for the Gospel to be preached.

It is God who sets up times and places, not us. It is God who gets the increase. It is God who makes things grow.

Life Point - The Choices You Make Have Consequences

Exegetical -

Matthew 26:20–25 BSB

When evening came, Jesus was reclining with the twelve disciples. And while they were eating, He said to them, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.” They were deeply grieved and began to ask Him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” Jesus answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born.” Then Judas, who would betray Him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said it yourself.”

Homiletical -

It says Jesus was reclining, this is important. In this culture, at the time, to recline at a table showed their freedom with no schedule to keep. Jesus brings true freedom.

They are eating and He says someone is going to betray him.

Now this I could imagine caused quite the stir. These disciples were committed to Him and yet they are hearing one will betray them.

Notice how they answered. Surely Not I, Lord? In a questioning manner. Not “No, never me!” in a declarative manner.

They knew something that we have forgotten today. Man is inherently sinful. We are born in sin and because of it we are capable of great evil.

At that moment I am sure there were those who were indignant as a knee jerk reaction saying to themselves “Not I” but you see Jesus had proved that when He says these things, it will come to pass. So they knew it would happen.

Just because it was His will that He go to the cross to die for the sins of many, does not mean that Judas holds no responsibility in his free-will decision to betray Christ.

In the ancient world when one dips the bread as they have done it symbolized an unbreakable bond between the two individuals. That neither will betray the other, but Judas breaks this bond by betraying Him.

Jesus says that it would have been better for him had he not existed. Not been born. I don’t know what awaited Judas when he passed into eternity, but I can tell you that it aint good.

I also want to bring out one last things in this section.

Who do you say Jesus is?

Is He Lord of all things, including your life?

You see the other disciples answered and called him Lord, God.

Judas trying to distance himself answers and calls him Rabbi which means teacher. Try to assuage his own guilt. Not that he was betraying the Son of God, but just a good teacher. You see, he is trying to justify to himself what he is about to do.

When we make choices the choice we make leads us to another choice and another and another. The further down a rabbit hole we go, the easier it is to betray our Christian values and morals. At some point a Christian has to stop and say “no more! I may have made some stupid decisions, but I won’t do it anymore.” We must repent of our poor choices and choose to serve the Living God of the Universe.

Maybe you are caught in the consequences of poor choices, maybe not. But if you have been there then you know what I am talking about, and everyone here has been there as sin is always at the door.

If you are there then turning back to Jesus is just one step back. Surrender again to Him.

Life Point - Jesus Paid The Price For Our Reconciliation To God

Exegetical -

Matthew 26:26–29 BSB

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

Homiletical -

Now Jesus turns the feast, which is a type and shadow of His coming anyway, on it’s head.

He takes the bread, breaks it and speaks a blessing. He tells them to eat of it as it is His body.

This symbolizes His body which will soon be beaten and broken. Showing that He is now the sacrifice once and for all.

He then takes the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

This symbolizes that He is a drink offering being poured out. Showing that without the blood being poured out there is no remission of sins.

Folks, there are those today who do not understand that Jesus was established a new covenant. One born of Himself. One that has the body and blood being broken and spilled. That he took the place for you and for me.

There are those today that say we shouldn’t preach about the blood of Christ as it is offensive. You are right it is offensive. The Gospel will offend people because they love the darkness more than the light. They would rather stay in sin than have to be held to account for it. But the funny thing is, is that Jesus took your sin on that you may be seen clean before God the Father. But they don’t want to surrender to Jesus because that would mean change and they love their sin.

But for those who will surrender then there is a price that has already been paid for sins. This is it. It is the body and blood of Jesus that paid for my place in the kingdom of Heaven.

Romans 5:8 BSB

But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Life Principle– Trust God's guidance, own your actions, and rely on Jesus’ grace.

Call to Action – altar call….