LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #232 | THE LIFE OF MOSES #213
Pastor Christopher Choo
Lesson 3918
LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #232
THE LIFE OF MOSES #213
MOSES AT MT.SINAI#112
THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES ( Part 71)
THE TABLE OF SHOWBREAD IN THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES #25
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF KOINONIA FELLOWSHIP THAT INCLUDES THE BREAKING OF BREAD?( Part 5)
The Betrayal of Judas #2
Judas walked with Jesus for three years. He saw the greatest life ever lived up close and personal.
You can’t have a better model of faith than Jesus or a better environment for forming faith than Judas had in walking with the Savior.
He directly witnessed the miracles. When Jesus fed the 5,000, Judas was there. He took the bread and distributed it along with the other disciples. When Jesus calmed the storm, Judas was there. And he was there when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
Judas heard all the teaching of Jesus, too. He heard the Sermon on the Mount, so he knew there is a narrow road that leads to life and a broad road that leads to destruction. He heard the warnings Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, so he knew there is a hell to shun and a heaven to gain. He heard the parable of the prodigal son, so he knew God is ready to welcome and forgive those who have wasted themselves in many sins.
With Judas’s own eyes, he saw the clearest evidence. With his own ears, he heard the finest teaching. With his own feet, he followed the greatest example. And yet this man still betrayed Jesus.
Among those who hate Christ the most, some once professed to trust Him. His claims are so exclusive, and His demands so pervasive that, in the end, you must either give yourself to Him completely or give Him up altogether. There is no middle ground.
The story of Judas reminds us that nothing good can come from giving up on Jesus Christ.
The human heart is beyond understanding (Jer. 17:9), and there is something incomprehensible about a person who abandons the faith they once once professed.
It’s hard to understand how a young person raised by godly parents in the context of a healthy church, taught the truths of Scripture from an early age, and grounded in apologetics can give up on Jesus.
Judas’s story contains an important lesson for parents, leaders, and friends who grieve over someone they love who has abandoned the faith. They worry:
Where did we go wrong?
What more could we have done?
Did we fail in our teaching?
Did we fail in our example?
Should we have immersed our son or daughter or friend in a different environment?
But Judas teaches us that even the the best example, the most compelling evidence, and the finest teaching—the ultimate environment for incubating faith—cannot, in and of themselves, change the human heart.
Satan made a relentless assault on Judas’s soul, as he makes a relentless assault on everyone who chooses to follow Christ. We read about Satan’s attacks on Judas:
Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot. (Luke 22:3–4)
The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him. (John 13:2)
Satan entered into him. (John 13:27)
The Bible’s clear statements about Satan’s activity have led some to say, “Well, poor Judas, he didn’t have a chance. Satan entered into him. What could he do about that?”
But this evaluation overlooks the fact that Judas opened the door to Satan.
Judas had been stealing from the collective money bag, and when he kept this sin secret, Satan entered into him. He made a deal with the chief priests and then sat down at our Lord’s table with known sins he would not confess, and Satan entered even further into his life.
Unconfessed sin always opens the door to Satan’s power.
Satan doesn’t gain a foothold in the lives of people who are walking in the light with Jesus. He only gains access when we open the door.
Judas went out into the darkness he had chosen. When you get close to Jesus, one of two things will happen: either you will become wholly his, or you will end up more alienated from him.
In an age when many are abandoning the faith they once professed, the story of Judas warns us to guard our hearts, lest we drift away.
The story of Judas also equips us to reach out to those who may be close to walking away from the faith. Christ calls us to “be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire” (Jude 22–23).
Finally, the story of Judas reminds us that nothing good can come from giving up on Jesus Christ. He is of supreme value, and following Him is worth any cost.
