The Betrayal That Disguises Itself as Affection: Lessons from Judas and Their Consequences

Intro:

(Fulfilling the Promise) The topic of my sermon today is the following: "Why did Jesus choose Judas?"

(Today is the day of the Lord's Supper, start by reading the text from Luke 22)

Luke 22:1–6 NIV

1 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. 3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.

After some time, Judas saw an opportunity, let's read the sequence of the text...

Luke 22:7–8 NIV

7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”

Now verse 13

Luke 22:13–23 NIV

13 They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. 14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” 17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. 21 But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. 22 The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” 23 They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.

Right after supper, the text says

Luke 22:39 NIV

39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him.

… Jesus went out to pray and see what he said to his disciples:

Luke 22:40 NIV

40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”

Then Jesus prayed…

Luke 22:42–44 NIV

42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Then…

Luke 22:45–48 NIV

45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” 47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

"The Kiss of Betrayal: When Betrayal Disguised as Affection"

ill. The consequences of Judas' decision.

The name

JUDAS (Jūʹ dȧs) is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew personal name Judah, meaning "Praise be to Yahweh."

The given name Judas was very common at the time of Christ because it was not only the Greek form of one of the 12 patriarchs, but it was also popularized by the Jewish hero Judas Maccabeus, who led the nation in its fight for independence from Syria in 166 B.C.

You see, 2,000 years ago the name Judas was an honored name in Israel, a very special name. Even

Jesus had a brother named Judas. Brother of the Lord (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3).

But not today. Mothers do not name their sons Judas; They call them Peter, James, Paul, Matthew, Timothy, Zechariah, and Amos. But I have never heard of a boy named Judas. I have heard of a dog named Judas and a goat named Judas, but never of a boy named Judas. Why? It was Judas who betrayed the Lord Jesus. Judas kissed the door of heaven and then went to hell.

Now, There are many lessons we can learn from the life of Judas. And I want to examine some of them with you today.

I. The Lesson About Salvation

The first thing I want you to notice is the lesson about salvation, which we will call "the tragedy of a lost church member."

Judas was one of the twelve apostles.

He was a member of the church, and yet he died and went to hell.

Jesus said: John 6:70

John 6:70 (NIV)

70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”

… //

Yet one of you is a devil!”

And as we will see later, Judas was never saved; he was never born again.

Some people have the idea that Judas was saved and then lost his salvation.

Oh, no—he was never saved.

But he was a member of the church, and on the outside, everything seemed fine.

A. He had the right association

I mean, he hung out with the right people.

“Tell me who you hang out with and I’ll tell you who you are.”

He was one of the twelve apostles.

There was no better association than that.

He had the right association.

B. He had the right education

I mean, he was educated by the Lord Jesus Christ.

You’re talking a seminary education!

He spent three years with the Son of God!

He saw Jesus heal the sick and raise the dead.

He heard the Sermon on the Mount.

He heard the parables of Matthew 13. (Tales vs. Wheat) He had heard all of this—he had the best education.

C. He Had a Good Reputation

Did you know that Judas was the treasurer of the twelve?

And the Bible says that it was Judas who was “keeper of the money bag”

John 12:6 NIV

6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Why was he in charge of the money bag?

Because he had a good reputation.

In fact, when Jesus Christ said, “One of you will betray me” (Matthew 26:21; Mark 14:18; John 13:21), none of them said, “Well, I bet it’s Judas.”

They asked, “Could it be me?” No one suspected Judas. That tells me that he had an impeccable reputation.

D. He was a good participant

He worked, served, and hung out with others when they were sent out to preach or teach. (busy in the work!)

Jesus warned in Matthew chapter 7, verse 22:

Matthew 7:22–23 NIV

22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

He preached sermons. (He was one of the 70 sent out.)

People called him "Brother Judas."

He ministered, he worked, but he was never saved.

My friend, listen to me. It breaks my heart to say this, and I feel like crying when I say it - but I truly believe that there are some sitting in this auditorium this morning who are members of this church who, if they are not converted, will die and go to hell.

It is a sobering thought. But there are many people today who, like Judas - have the right association, the right reputation, the right education, the right participation, but are unregenerate.

They have never been born again. And there are thousands - and perhaps millions - who will die and go to hell surrounded by baptismal certificates, church offering receipts, Sunday School attendance pins and all the rest of it, but they have never been saved.

You say, "Well, pastor, are you trying to make me doubt my salvation?" No, I'm trying to make you examine yourself.

The Bible says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Are you sure you are saved?

Do not base your salvation on membership in a church. Whether it is this church or any other church.

No denomination can save you.

You must have faith in Jesus Christ.

That is, repent of your sins and confess Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.

So there is a great lesson about salvation in this passage of Scripture.

The lesson is about Unsaved church members who somehow have their names registered in the church hall, but do not have their names registered in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

They are religious, but lost.

Judas was religious, but lost.

But there is also another great lesson…

II. A Lesson on the Fulfillment of Scripture

There is a tremendous blessing in this particular passage of Scripture, because, you see, there is a problem that comes to mind.

Jesus said in John 6:70 and 71

John 6:70–71 NIV

70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

(We can also look at John 6:64)

The point is: Jesus chose Judas with His eyes wide open, knowing that Judas was a traitor.

Now, this is interesting. Why would Jesus want a traitorous crook in the ministry?

Why would Jesus choose a hypocrite to be one of the twelve apostles?

What is the reason for all this?

Here you learn a wonderful lesson about the Scriptures.

I want you to look at John chapter 13:18-19

Jesus is talking about His disciples and says,

John 13:18–19 NIV

18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’ 19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am.

In other words, Jesus is saying, "I'm going to tell you before it happens that I'm going to be betrayed. I'm going to tell you before it happens that someone is going to betray me. And when that happens, this fulfillment of prophecy will be one of the clear proofs that I am the Messiah."

See, here Jesus is quoting a scripture in Psalms, chapter 41, verse 9:

Psalm 41:9 NIV

9 Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.

And this psalm is what we call a “messianic psalm.” Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ, it was prophesied that He would be betrayed. And so Jesus, in order to fulfill the scripture, chose this man, Judas. This was written in the heart and mind of God and in the great plan of God before Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit.

This tells me something dear friend – that one of the great, great, great proofs of the deity of Christ is the fulfillment of scripture.

This is just one of the fulfilled scriptures concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are over 333 precise details prophesied about the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ – where He would be born, where He would live.

There are so many things that I can’t even go into them all. But let me tell you, precious friend, that one of the ways I know that I know that I know that Jesus is the Son of God is by the fulfillment of prophecy.

Oh, how I thank God that Jesus allowed Judas to be one of the twelve, if for no other reason than that prophecy might be fulfilled!

The more I study this book, friends, the more I love it.

You know, some people today are questioning the Bible. We have some preachers today who think they need to reexamine the Bible.

I think we need to reexamine these preachers.

Will they reexamine the Bible with a critical eye?

I would rather trust a bunch of blind men with a jar full of fireflies to examine the noonday sun.

Thank God for fulfilled prophecies that show us clearly and clearly that this book is the Word of God.

III. A lesson about loyalty

Now, there is a third lesson I want you to learn: Judas’ life teaches us a lesson about loyalty.

People were leaving because of Jesus’ hard message,

Now, notice

John 6:67–68 NIV

67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

Pay let's attention to Simon Peter’s response:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”.

“I will not leave You, Lord. If they are leaving You, that is their problem. Where else could I go? There is no other place, Lord. I am committed to You for the rest of my life.”

Now, I want you to learn a lesson about loyalty.

Judas was a hypocrite, a disloyal person.

Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ, but the other eleven remained loyal to Jesus Christ.

They did not give up; they remained faithful and served Him to the end!

Some of you may turn back and stop serving the Lord Jesus (John 6:66), and some of you may never want to start serving the Lord Jesus because of a Judas.

But listen, there have always been hypocrites in the Church; there will always be hypocrites in the Church.

In the parables of Matthew chapter 13—go and read them—Jesus talks about the bad soil and the good soil, the wheat and the tares, the bad fish in the net, and all that (Matthew 13:3-53). Read it.

The hypocrites did not take our Lord by surprise.

They should not take You by surprise, and they should not keep You from serving the Lord Jesus.

And I tell you, there may be some bad eggs in the box.

There may be some hypocrites on board the ship, but the ship that goes to New Jerusalem is moving forward, and I am glad to be on board.

And anyone who allows a hypocrite to keep him from being loyal to the Lord Jesus Christ is himself a hypocrite.

I will tell you why: because he is not consistent.

He says, "Well, I don't want to be a member of the church and I don't want to be a Christian because of the hypocrites."

You are not consistent.

Some doctors are quacks, but when you get sick, you call a doctor.

Some lawyers may be crooks, but when you need legal advice, you go to a lawyer.

Some money are counterfeit, but you don't burn the rest of your money, do you? Of course not.

In fact, my dear friend, it is the counterfeit that validates the real.

You see, men only counterfeit what is valuable.

Men don't counterfeit supermarket shopping bags; they counterfeit designer handbags. Why? Because a designer handbag is worth something.

Therefore, they counterfeit designer handbags proves the value and validity of the real handbag.

Anyone who allows a hypocrite to lead him away from Jesus Christ is himself a hypocrite.

Sure, Judas was a hypocrite, but Peter says, “Where else shall we go, Jesus? You alone have the words of life” (John 6:67-68).

I would rather spend a few years with a few hypocrites who have infiltrated the Church than spend eternity with all of them in hell.

Don’t let one Judas turn you away from Jesus Christ. Choose to be loyal!

IV. A Lesson on the Deceptive Power of Sin

I don’t know what led Judas to betray the Lord Jesus.

I honestly don’t believe that Judas became one of the twelve with the intention of betraying Jesus.

I believe that Judas, in the beginning, was a very sincere person—sincere, but lost and never trusted Jesus.

He wanted to serve Jesus. He wanted to be part of this great movement.

But the devil found unbelief in Judas’ heart.

The devil found an opening through which he could enter.

The Bible says that the devil entered Judas and caused him to betray Jesus. (John 13:2)

I'm sure Judas never really thought he would do such a thing.

And later, Judas is overcome with remorse. It's not that he repents. It's not that he was saved. But he says, "I...betrayed...innocent blood." (Matthew 27:4)

In other words, sin deceived him.

Then later, the Bible teaches that he goes out with remorse and hangs himself. (Matthew 27:5)

Sin deceived him and destroyed him.

The devil promises so much, but pays so little.

(Ill. The Suicide of Eleander)

And I see Judas go out with remorse and hang himself. (Matthew 27:5)

But, you see, that is not the end of Judas.

Do you know what Jesus said about Judas?

Jesus said about Judas: "it would have been better... for that man if he had never been born" (Mark 14:21).

His end was not him hanging from a rope. He simply committed suicide and that was it. No!

His greatest folly was committing suicide! (Heb.9:27... "a man dies and then faces judgment")

It would have been a thousand times better if he had repented of his sin!

Judas did not need to commit suicide.

Sometimes people have the tragic idea that there was nothing Judas could have done.

I tell you that Jesus would have saved Judas if he had come to Him and asked Him to save him.

But Judas died unrepentant and went to hell.

Conclusion

Learn a lesson about sin.

I want all the husbands, wives, young people who are listening to me now - listening to me on Facebook, on YouTube...- to learn that.

never forget this:

sin will take you further than you want to go;

second, sin will keep you longer than you want to stay;

third, sin will cost you more than you can afford to pay."

Friend, do you know Jesus? "Well," you say, "I'm not a believer in Jesus Christ, but I'm no Judas either."

Yes, no one here is a Judas, but Romans 3:23 “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 3:10 “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one.”

Jesus said it this way in "Matthew 12:30" “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”

Do you know what that means?

It means that if you are not in Jesus’ crowd, you are in Judas’ crowd.

Now, which crowd are you in?

There are only two. If you are not in Jesus’ crowd, you are in Judas’ crowd.

And, you see, if you are not saved, you are in the same crowd as Judas and will spend eternity with Judas in hell.

“But,” you say, “I have never sinned as Judas did.”

Whoever keeps the whole law and yet sins in one point is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

No one here has sinned like Judas, but, you see, it is not a type of sin; it is the fact that we are sinners. (Rom. 3:23, 10)

Did you know that more people drown in shallow water than in deep water? Did you know that?

It is not the amount of sin; it is the fact that we are sinners.

The only antidote for sin is Jesus.

Illustration:

- Imagine you get sick. You go to the doctor and you say, "Doctor, I feel very bad. Would you please examine me?" The doctor examines you and he has a pale expression on his face. And you say, "Doctor, you look so serious. Doctor, I think there must be something very serious with me. Please, Doctor, tell me the truth."

He says, "Do you want me to tell you the absolute truth?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"You have a very serious illness and you are going to die in a matter of weeks."

"Well," you say, "Doctor, I don't want to die. I have so many plans. There are so many things I want to do, Doctor. Doctor, is there no medicine? Is there no cure?"

And the doctor says, "There is a cure, but it is very rare and very expensive. There is a serum—there is a medicine—that can save your life, but it would cost a king's ransom. Do you have any insurance?"

"No, sir."

"Do you have any savings?"

"No, sir. But, doctor, you can't let me die. Doctor, if there is a remedy, if there is a remedy, there must be a way; there must be something that can be done. I don't want to die. Please, doctor, do something."

The doctor said, "Very well, let me see what I can do." And he leaves and stays for several days. And then he comes back to his bedside and when you look at him, you can hardly recognize him. He doesn't look like the man who left. His eyes are sunken and . with dark circles around them. His hair is disheveled. His beard has grown for several days. And on top of that, his clothes are torn and stained with a lot of blood. His hands are shaking. But in his hand he has a little bottle of medicine, an IV.

You look at him and say, "Doctor, is that you? Doctor, where have you been? What happened to you, doctor? Tell me." He said, "I went to all the foundations, all the councils. I didn't have enough money, so I took my own money out of the bank. And that money wasn't enough, so I mortgaged my own house to get this medicine for you.

"Have you ever met a doctor who would do that?"

And on the way here, I was in such a hurry to get to your bedside that I crashed my car. And my only son was in the car with me. I just came from the morgue. My precious son has died and is in the morgue. The blood you see on my shirt is my son's blood. But here is the medicine that I bought at a very high price. Take it. You will live. Take it."

Now suppose you took this medicine. You held it for a while, looked at it, and then threw it on the floor. The bottle broke and the contents spilled out onto the floor as the horrified doctor stared in disbelief at what you had done. And then suppose you pointed your finger in the doctor's face and said, "Doctor, if I die, it will be your fault."

No—ten thousand times no! If this man dies, it will be his fault, right?

And I want to tell you that if you die and go to hell, you will never be able to point your finger in God's face and say, "God, it was your fault."

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

I want to tell you that the Great Physician, God Almighty, gave His only begotten Son so that you could be saved.

And I, as the messenger of good news, am here to offer you salvation.

And I say: Believe in Jesus and you will live; refuse Jesus and you will die.

But if you die, it will not be my fault; and indeed, it will not be God's.

Judas kissed the gate of heaven and went to hell.

He was so close, but he never received Jesus Christ.

Let us pray. Father, I pray at this hour that many in this building will say “yes” to Jesus Christ.

I pray, O God, with all my heart, that You will save the lost in this building.

Don’t let anyone leave without Jesus.

Lord, I know You will not force them to come, but, O Spirit of the living God, open their hearts and minds to believe the gospel.

Draw them, Holy Spirit. Bring them, I pray.

I pray that You will save all the members of this church, people who may be like Judas, who have no idea how much the devil can deceive them if they are not saved.

Lord, I pray that You will save those who, to this day, have never been members of anyone’s church.

Lord, save and bless those who have been saved and who have other decisions to make. Please, Lord, bless the invitation for the sake of Jesus. Amen.