Untitled Sermon (5)

Judas – Mistaken Expectation and Missed Opportunity”

Intro:

Welcome back to our Easter Series “Easter Upside Down.” We have been looking at Easter

through the eyes of different people that experienced Jesus firsthand and how their lives were

turned upside down by the presence of Jesus. One of our characters was real and the other was a

fictional depiction, but both were powerful portrayals from some amazing talent that we have

been blessed with here at Grace Fellowship. I’m looking forward to the next two portrayals

starting this morning with a little more well-known Easter character, Judas. Judas is a name that

everyone knows. Even if you aren’t a Christian. Even if you didn’t grow up in church. You

know what Judas did. You know that Judas was responsible for turning over Jesus to the Jewish

leaders. His name is synonymous with betrayal and disloyalty. His name rings in infamy in the

books of history and certainly in scripture. A man that was so close in his relationship with

Jesus, and yet apparently so far away from understanding who Jesus was. And he ends up

betraying his friend in the most horrific of way imaginable.

If you are a follower of Jesus. Whether you are a new believer or you have been studying

scripture for many years, the story of Judas tends to evoke a lot of theological questions. Like…

1. Was there ever any hope for Judas or was he pre-destined by God for this mission

of betrayal?

2. 3. Was Judas ever a true believer in Jesus Christ?

Did Judas believe and if so, did he receive salvation and then somewhere along

the line lose it?

4. How could Judas be so close to Jesus and yet betray him in such a horrific way?

John 13:18-30

There are four accounts of this Passover meal in all four gospels, and I would encourage you to

read them all this week, because they all offer different details that are important to the whole

story of Judas. They are in the Pastor’s Notes for this week and on our handout this morning.

I’m going to be reading from John’s account this morning in the NLT.

(Read Scripture)

That is a powerful account. No doubt about it. Luke’s account adds that Jesus told his disciples,

“but here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray us.” One thing

that all four gospels are clear about is that they had no idea that Judas would betray Jesus. They

had no idea what Judas was capable of. He was their friend. He was their companion. He was

one of the original 12 disciples that Jesus chose to follow him. How could this happen? Let’s

get a little glimpse of that in our portray of Judas by Pastor Mark ….

(Judas Scene- Pastor Mark)

I think we can look at this scene through a lot of different eyes. The disciples – how could they

not have known. And yet all four accounts give us clues that the disciples were deeply hurt and

were caught off guard. They didn’t learn until afterwards that Judas was taking some of the

money from the treasury for himself. We could look at this story through the eyes of Jesus and

simply ask why? Why would you choose a man that you knew would ultimately betray you.

You are omniscient God that knows all things. Why would you pick him? Why would you

allow this awful thing to happen to yourself and to Judas?But this morning, we are going to look at this betrayal story through the eyes of Judas to learn

how his world was turned upside down by Jesus. Judas should have known exactly who Jesus

was. After all he lived with him for 3 years. He was Jesus’s student. He was there when Jesus

feed the 5,000 with a mere five barley loaves and two fish. He was there when Jesus healed the

lame and sick that no medical treatment here on earth could heal. He was there when Lazarus

was brought back from the dead. How did he not get it? How could he miss the greatest

opportunity ever given to anyone. To live with, learn from, and teach others about the living son

of God, Jesus Christ?

To answer these questions, we have to study Judas a little bit in the gospels. Let’s stay in the

book of John, but go back a few chapters to John chapter 6:14-15.

Immediately after Judas and the other disciples and over 5,000 men and many more women and

children witnessed this miracle of providing food amongst this enormous crowd with a few loafs

of bread and a couple fish, look what happened…

Read John 6:14-15.

Judas Iscariot certainly was one who desired to see the freedom of Israel restored along with

many of his fellow countrymen. Israel was a nation oppressed by the Romans. Judas came from

a lineage of freedom fighters that valued the Jewish Heritage in zealous ways as he was raised in

Judah in a place called Kerioth. Scripture tells that one of the other disciples, Simon, was

referred to as a Zealot. That was who he was before he met Jesus, but it’s also highly likely that

Judas had zealous tendencies, or many have participated in zealous acts in the past based on

where he lived in Judah. Judas like many Jews was expecting a Messiah that restore the

Kingdom of Israel and free them from of oppression of the Roman Empire. Judas’ desire was for

Jesus to be a ruling King and restore the Kingdom of Israel.

All the signs pointed to Jesus. He witnessed the miracles. He saw the healings. Jesus was the

Messiah. Judas also knew the Covenant of David really well. And now the people wanted him

to be their King. And Judas thought that Jesus should be a powerful ruler that Israel so

desperately needed. Defeating all other kingdoms by force like King David did. So when the

people wanted to anoint Jesus and force him to be their King, Judas probably thought that was a

good idea. Why are you fleeing, Jesus? This is your chance! How could Jesus miss such an

amazing opportunity to be King. Judas didn’t get it. This was upside down to him and maybe

this was where things began to go so wrong for Judas.

Jesus turned Easter upside down for Judas because Judas had the wrong expectations of Jesus.

His expectations of why Jesus came were not right. They were selfish in nature. They weren’t

of God’s will, but of his own desires. I think if we’re honest, we can relate to Judas here.

Because maybe your sitting here this morning and you’re crying out to the Lord please fix this

world around us. Fix this messed up place that is fun of sin and evil desires. Please provide

peace around the world. Lord, please remove this hardship from my life. Take away this disease

from my body. Restore this relationship, Lord. Take away the evil from our communities.

Maybe if you’re a follower of Jesus this morning, you’re prayers are just come back already,

Lord. Enough is enough. I’m tired of living in this world. I want to go home and be in your

presence.

Maybe you’re expectations of Jesus this morning are just wrong! Maybe the only real

expectation that we should have of Jesus can be found in Isaiah 55:8-9.“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond

anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are

higher than your thoughts.”

What if Judas would have accepted the truth of that passage. What if, this morning, we lived out

the truth of that passage. And didn’t allow ourselves to have false expectations of a loving God

that knows and desires infinitely more than we could ever imagine. Judas’ world was turned

upside down, because his expectations of Jesus were wrong. And because of Judas’ expectations

of Jesus, he allowed Satan have a foothold into his life.

Once you allow Satan to have a foothold into your life. And many of us know this to be true, he

knows exactly how to tempt you. He knew that Judas’ desires were of earthly things, not eternal

things. And specifically for Judas those earthly things were things of monetary value. He valued

money more than he desired to be faithful to God.

Two weeks ago we watched Mary anoint Jesus with expensive perfume, and we also learned how

Judas responded to this devoted act of worship. Let’s go back to John 12:4-6. John recalling

later that Judas didn’t care for the poor, he was a thief, and he often stole some money for

himself. A fact that the disciples later learned after the crucifixion of Jesus. Satan knew exactly

how to tempt Judas once he had the foothold in. Once he realized that Judas’ expectations of

Jesus were inaccurate, he tempted him with the very thing that Jesus put him in charge of, the

money.

Directly after this anointing takes place in the book of Matthew, we learn of Judas’ plot to turn

Jesus over to the Jewish leaders. Matthew 26:14-16.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How

much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From

that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Judas didn’t just accept a bribe. He pursued a bounty. It was him that went to the Jewish

leaders. Why? Because he had an incorrect expectation of Jesus, and he allowed Satan to have a

foothold into his life. And Satan knew exactly how to tempt him. He knows exactly how to

tempt you this morning. What is in your life that you need to remove to close the door on Satan

once and for all? Is he tempting you with alcohol? Greed? Anger? Pornography? Some other

addiction? Close that door. Get help. Lean on the one true God that can help you close that

door on Satan.

Why was Judas’ world turned upside down by Jesus? Because he had the wrong expectations of

Jesus. He allowed Satan to have a foothold into his life and as a result of those two things we

know with great confidence that Judas never accepted Jesus as his savior. Judas rejected

salvation from Jesus. Judas spent 3 years in close relation with Jesus. He lived with him as a

friend; he studied him. He witnessed all the miracles. He had a front row seat at so many things,

but he never accepted the free gift that Jesus was offering, the gift of salvation. He offered it

many times to Judas, but he was unwilling to accept it. Judas was a follower of Jesus, but never

saved by Jesus.

Read John 6:64-71.

Judas never accepted Christ. He knew the truth, but rejected it. Because his expectations of

Jesus were wrong and he allowed Satan to have a foothold into his life.And yet according to this passage, Jesus still chose him to be one of his disciples. Knowing full

well what Judas was going to do, he still offered out his hand and offered him salvation knowing

that Judas would betray him.

Jesus knew he would betray him, but still chose him. Judas’ actions fulfilled prophecy, but Judas

still had a choice. He still had free will. Jesus offered him an amazing gift, to the very end and

he rejected.

In his last interactions with Judas, the man whom he called friend. The man who turned him

over to be murdered, Jesus shared a meal with Judas. Jesus washed Judas’ feet. He participated

in communion with him. He protected him as the traitor from the rest of the disciples.

Remember what happened in the garden, when the men showed up to take Jesus away. One of

the disciples pulled out a sword and cut off one of the servants’ ears. So we can assume that had

the disciples known about Judas in that upper room, the other 11 disciples would have attacked

Judas, but Jesus protected him and sent him away quietly. And in one last offering of Grace

before he did, he offered him a love offering. This is probably the most important part of our

story this morning. Let’s go back and reread our story in John starting in verse 21 this time.

(Read John 13:21-30)

Jesus was deeply troubled. Imagine knowing all that he knew. Your best friend about to turn

you over for certain death. Yet Jesus in his troubles, didn’t lash out at Judas. Instead, he kept his

friend safe and he offered him salvation one last time in a morsel of bread that symbolized both

his body and his blood that would be shed for him. When Jesus gave the bread to Judas, it was

interpreted as an act of love and honor. In fact, Judas was eating at the place of honor to the left

of Jesus. And despite all the spiritual privileges that Judas shared with all the other disciples.

Despite all the Lord’s warnings about unbelief, Judas persisted in his rejection of Jesus a final

time. Even despite Jesus holding out one last attempt to say Judas, I’ll forgive you. Just ask and

all will be forgiven. Ask and it will be given to you. Instead, scripture says that Satan entered

into Judas and he left his friends for the last time.

The warning here from Judas that we can all learn this morning is that Jesus is so patient, so

loving, so full of grace to the very end. If we still have breathe in our lungs there is still hope

this morning, because Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, came down to this earth to die a

brutal death, to bore the payment of your sin, so that he could hold out his hand one last time and

offer you Grace this morning!

It’s not too late. Why is the Lord so patient with us? Why does it seem like he is everything we

don’t want him to be. Why is he turning our worlds upside down? Because he eagerly desires to

have you sitting next to him in the seat of honor, so he can offer his gift one more time. He

hasn’t returned for us because he wants that last wondering sheep to return home. His desire is

for none of us to be eternally separated from him. Jesus said, For I have come to seek and to

save what is lost. So, if you’re lost this morning, don’t run away from the one who has come to

save you like Judas did. Jesus has come to turn your world right side up for the first time in your

life. Then enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus has come so that you may have

life and have in abundantly. He is the good shepherd. And the good shepherd lays down his life

for his sheep.

Do you believe that this morning? Judas didn’t. Juda walked away from that truth, but you

don’t have to this morning.Judas’ story is tragic. He had an incorrect expectation of Jesus, which allowed Satan to have a

foothold in his life, and because of that he never accepted Jesus as his savior. Even though Jesus

chose him. Even though Jesus gave him every opportunity as a firsthand witness to the living

son of God. And the result, Jesus said. It would have been better if this man, Judas, would never

have been born at all.

Not being born at all is better than eternal damnation, eternal separation from God. Judas went

out and hanged himself from the guilt of what he had done, but what awaited him in eternity was

far worse.

Closing:

Judas did have a choice. He was chosen by God as a disciple, as a student of Christ, but He

rejected the truth that he was witness to. He rejected salvation from Jesus. And even in one last

offering of grace from Jesus as he was holding out his hand and offering him a final morsel of

grace, Judas allowed Satan to overcome him. He got up and walked out the door on a path to

destruction.

Can you relate to that this morning? Is that you? Is Jesus holding out his gift one last time to

you this morning. Maybe this is the last chance you have and if you walk out that door this

morning without accepting that Jesus Christ is the living son of God. That he is the savior of

your soul. That she paid the price and shed the blood for your sins. Then you too, like Judas,

will walk out that door and lead directly down a path to your own destruction.

Philippians 2:10-11 tells us that every knee will bow and every tongue will declare that Jesus

Christ is Lord. We will all do it! The only question is will we do it redeemed. Will we enter

into God’s presence afterwards or will be condemned to eternity in Hell? If you need redemption

this morning, your in the right place. You can talk to the almighty God as we close in prayer and

ask for that salvation this morning. You can come up to the front and one of our Pastors will

guide you in walking to Jesus this morning. You don’t have to walk away with a world upside

down like Judas did.

And here’s my challenge for those us that have accepted Christ. That do sit here redeemed. Are

you complaining that Jesus hasn’t returned yet. Are you frustrated of all the sin and suffering in

our world? What are you doing to be a living example of the perfect Messiah here on this earth?

Do you have wrong expectations of Jesus or are you living a Jesus centered life? People know

that you are different. People can see the light in you and they can taste the salt. You respond

differently to the trials and tribulations of this life. Because you know know this isn’t where you

hope lies. Your hope lies in an awesome, loving God that has loved you so much that he offered

the ultimate sacrifice, his son. Don’t allow what Jesus did for you to become old news. Live it

new everyday, so that Jesus can find his wondering sheep through you.