Jesus Knows

Jesus Knows

Mark 14:10-25

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - Sept. 29, 2013

BACKGROUND:

*This morning we will worship the Lord by sharing the Lord's Supper. Think back to the scene on the night before the cross. Jesus was gathered with His disciples to eat the last Passover of His earthly life.

*That night the Lord gave the Passover much greater meaning than it ever had before. Now it would become the Lord's Supper to symbolize the new covenant and the sacrifice Jesus was about to make. Let's read about the Lord's Supper this morning in Mark 14:10-25. And as we read, think about this truth: Jesus knows.

INTRODUCTION:

*Christian singer Cindy Morgan once went to Sacramento for a concert, and when she got there, her dress was terribly wrinkled. There wasn't an iron at the church where she was getting ready. But a staff member offered to go to a friend's house to borrow an iron.

*She drove to the friend's house and let herself in. But as she walked toward the bedroom to get the iron, she looked across the hall and saw her friend's teenage daughter, holding a gun to her head. That young girl was crushed by her problems, and she was just about to pull the trigger. But she got the help she needed from a lady looking for an iron. God used a wrinkled dress to save a precious life. And I love that story, because it reminds us that God knows and God cares about our lives. (1)

*Jesus knows. In John 18:4, the Apostle John gave this testimony from the Garden of Gethsemane: "Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward. . ." He knew all things. Jesus knew about the suffering He was going to face on the cross, but He went forward for us.

1. Jesus knows. -- And today's Scripture reminds us that Jesus knows His foes.

*He knows His foes. And we see one of the Lord's enemies in vs. 10-11:

10. Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.

11. So when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

*But Jesus knew all about that wicked plot. We see this truth down in vs. 17-21:

17. In the evening He (i.e. Jesus) came with the twelve.

18. Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.''

19. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?'' And another said, "Is it I?''

20. Then He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.

21. 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 never been born.''

*Jesus knows His foes. And there is a great warning here for anyone so foolish to oppose the Lord. Like Judas, they may think that Jesus isn't worth being trusted, worshipped, and obeyed. They may think that they will be better-off on the other side. They may even choose a little money over the Master like Judas did in vs. 11.

*But again, in vs. 21, the Lord said: "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 never been born.'' What could possibly be worse than never being born? The answer is spending all eternity in hell. And this should serve as a strong warning to everyone who rejects the Lord Jesus Christ!

*Many times people don't like warnings, because they tend to be negative, and we don't like negative things. But many times a negative warning can make a positive difference in our lives.

*Years ago, an arrogant young man walked up to an old preacher just after he finished preaching. And the young man mockingly asked, "Can you tell me where hell is?" The old preacher replied, "Yes, young man. It's at the end of a life without Christ." (2)

*That warning was a powerful wake-up call for that young man. And the Lord warns everyone who will listen. But we must remember that Jesus knows His foes.

2. He also knows His friends.

*When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, He knows us as His friends. And this Scripture shows us some of the great blessings of a relationship with Jesus.