Sunday Service
Picture of a small congregation in southern Missouri. I lived in the basement of the church. They had in in the olden days in churches what was called the Evangelistic quarters and it was a room that they would have visiting a guess, and stay in the church. And so that was my home and I was I was wondering Lord is is it is a said I'm not going to be single the rest of my life. It was something that really bothered me. And as I pray that I just I just wondered if if Lord did you forget about me going to receive a phone call from a lady by the name of Sherry Walsh? A friend of mine and she said I met someone her name is Angela Williams and I think you guys need to get together and the rest is history. Just one of the things that really attracted me to Angela was up was the fact that she was already in Ministry. She was at the time working at the national headquarters as a Ministry consultant to churches shortly after that she transition as associate pastor of a church in Paola, Kansas. She has been a minister just about as long as I have been and she presently serves as Pastor overseeing Connections in discipleship, and we're really going to be ramping that Ministry up in the coming months and and Angela. I'll tell you what you are a value not only to me into the family but to this church and all that you A lot of things are behind the scenes, but she doesn't ignore most amount of work and I've invited her to preach this morning and told what you come.
Almost gets me emotional. I didn't know he was going to stay all that I get situated here. I brought some things this morning. I brought this chart you've heard a lot about it. And I just the jar is real folks. It is real it's here and it might get you to life today Janice. I'm not sure where you're at. It's still empty but might get filled up today. I came prepared. salt we'll see what we'll see what happens. Put my jaw right there, and I'm going to move this over. So if in case I get excited, I don't.
I don't knock it over or anything. I am just honored to be able to be here this morning and to share a word that the lord has laid on my heart and he certainly has personalized this message this word for my heart and my life and so I pray that you will have an open heart with morning to receive what God wants to speak to your heart concerning this message and allow the Lord to do the work in your life that he wants to do today. Would you stand with me? We're going to read scripture together.
Do you have your Bible? I want to invite you to turn to the Book of Luke. Matthew Mark Luke chapter 22
And we are going to begin at verse 47 and today. I'm going to be reading from the the New Living Translation today. So your verse and maybe just a little bit differently. But even as Jesus said this a crowd approached led by Judas one of the 12 disciples Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss, but Jesus said Judas. Would you betray the son of man with a kiss? Lord I Thank you this morning that you have graced us with your presence Lord. I Thank you that you desire such cement relationship with us that you have set a Divine appointment to meet with us today Lord. I pray that your Holy Spirit would just fall Upon Us in this place this morning that you would Open the Eyes of our hearts that we would see what you are trying to speak into our hearts and lives touch. Our ears Lord God that we would hear your exact words and then Lord I pray that you would help us to put legs to your words to not simply hear your word this morning that we would actually put your word into the practice and action. We thank you for the work that you have begun this morning. We thank you Lord God that your word tells us that you will bring it to fruition. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. You may be seated.
Won't last Sunday for those of you that were here. You will remember that John preached to us about Jesus praying In The Garden of Gethsemane.
And so that's where we're going to begin today. So I would like to invite you to Journey with me back to the Garden of Gethsemane Kay imagine that you are there in the garden while Jesus and his disciples are praying. When the praying was done Jesus knew he was about to be arrested he knew he was about to suffer and he knew he was about to die on the cross. No, there's something interesting that occurs when Jesus is arrested.
Luke tells us that that a crowd approach and this crowd was led by a man named Judas now if we look back at the gospel of Matthew Matthew tells us that this crowd came with clubs and and other weapons swords when they approached Jesus and I find that odd because as you read through the Gospels, We never see that Jesus was ever violent. We don't see that he was ever resistant to any Authority political Authority or governing Authority. He was never resistant or violent in any of those occasions where he was speaking publicly. He was just the opposite and yet Judas came with a crowd that carried these weapons to arrest Jesus and then something else happens. As we read through that passage all of the disciples ran away everyone and Jesus was left there alone to face this crowd and everything that transpired afterwards because all of the disciples abandoned him and ran away. Now there's two of these disciples that I want you to know today. And the first one is Judas. He was one of the 12 and usually when we think of Judas we think of a money bag, right? And we have the tendency to buy can get the the band off of here.
We tend to think of 30 pieces. of silver Oftentimes that's what comes to our mind when we hear the name, Judas and yes, there's 30 pieces of silver in here are silver and in today's currency, right and we tend to think of that. But I want you to know about Judas today. He was one of the 12 he was with Jesus for 3 years K. He was with him morning noon and night. So let that sink in he's with Jesus for 3 years morning noon and night. He heard Jesus teach. He heard him teach about the Beatitudes on the Mountainside. He heard him teach of God's love for each one of them. He heard the words that Jesus spoke that would change lives by just the words that he said. He saw Jesus perform amazing Miracles. He saw leprous hands that were restored to Purity. He saw the shriveled hand of the man in the crowd that Jesus healed and he saw that hand restored back to health. He saw the blind given site. He saw the lame walk the gospels. Tell us that when Jesus was in a house ministering to people and there was such a crowd that for men lowered their friend who needed to be healed because he couldn't walk they lowered him through the roof of the house the Bible tells us that the disciples were there Judas was there he witness this man receive healing from Jesus and his legs were made strong. They were made whole and he was able to walk Judith witness this Judith even witnessed the dead rise. He was there when Jesus commanded Lazarus come forth from that grave from that tomb Judith was there and he witnessed all of these Miracles that Jesus. Had performed not only that. But Jesus appointed Judas along with all the other disciples to go out and do exactly what he did. If you will recall through the gospels, Jesus paired the disciples up the 12 he paired them up and he sent them out in twos to go and do exactly what he did. So what does that mean? that means that Judas when he prayed people were healed.
People were set free from whatever was holding them captive whether it was a physical illness whether it was a spiritual. The spiritual people were set free because Judas was ministering and praying and yet. It was Judas. That betrayed Jesus.
for 30 pieces of silver It was the price set for a Slave. Now if that is not a slap-in-the-face, right? God himself sold for 30 pieces of silver. the price up for a Slave they might be wondering. So what is the point in all of this talking about Judas and who he was? What is the point? Well, here's the point that I want to make this morning. You can give the appearance of being close with Jesus, but actually be far from him.
Judas gave the appearance that he was close to Jesus. He was there right morning-noon-and-night right there in the very presence of Jesus. And yet he was far from him. We can see earlier in his life that there were things that came between him and Jesus say he allowed greed to come in and what happens when we allow things to come into our our life When We Begin to Fall Away from Jesus in any area of our life, what begins to happen for Judith grade came in? And he got a little farther away from Jesus and then self-gratification came in and he got a little farther away from Jesus. Those things were coming in between Judas and Jesus.
k we can give the appearance of being close but actually be far from him. Now to put that in 2018, I have a little story.
I went into the grocery store.
Janice there's not a price on here for the pastor, but I'm going to assume it's the same price for me.
We walked into the store together. We were side-by-side now. He got the cart and somehow I ended up with it and we were walking side-by-side and I am just relaxing eloquently about the health benefit of this fruit and this vegetable here and we need to get these seeds to put in the salad because this is what it does in your body and I am waxing and I am feeling closer and closer to my husband because I know he is hearing my heart as I'm pouring it out. And so I reach over to take his arm. You can imagine the look on my face and the man that I did not know from The Man in the Moon.
Yeah. Yeah, that happened. And then I turn around to see my husband is back here. Now. He had given the appearance that he was right beside me. And then I find out he's back there.
What is easy? Do that. It's easy to give that appearance. A closeness when really were far away. Do you know you can give the perception? That you are close to Jesus.
even convince yourself
That's the scary part even convince yourself that you are close to Jesus. You're not following him.
For Judas the real betrayal. Did not unfold. When he was when he sold Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver when he went to the religious leaders and ask them. What will you pay me if I betray him that is not where the real betrayal took place. The real betrayal didn't even take place in the garden. When Jesus was arrested.
Didn't even take place when he sealed the deal with a kiss. the real betrayal began in the heart That's where their betrayal really took place. It was in the heart and that happened early on as I said, when when we read about Judas through the gospels. We see serious character flaws developing and him that revealed that he was Far From The Lord. He would steal from the disciples moneybagg. We see the disciples would call him a thief. Judas was a thief. He was stealing from the money bag. They noticed that that that the money bag began to get a little bit lighter. And it wasn't because they were spending it Judas was stealing from them. He became critical of people that Jesus honored there's an indicator that someone is not as close to the Lord as they may be thinking that they are when we become critical of people that Jesus honors. his heart became hard and it became selfish.
I want to take just a moment and say that is that betrayal took place in his heart?
the scripture indicates that Judas became disappointed with Jesus He fought Jesus was going to come and set up an Earthly Kingdom and overthrow the tyranny of Rome and make everything right again in the Physical Realm. And when Jesus didn't do that, it didn't happen the way Judith wanted it to happen or the way. He thought it should happen. He became disappointed and disillusioned with Jesus. And that was a little secret place. In his heart that was happening and nobody knew about that. But as I said, when we began to fall away from Jesus and even one area of our life, we begin to go farther and farther away from him. So then that little secret of disappointment and disillusionment in his heart that nobody saw. Began to manifest itself in the Physical Realm. He began to steal. They knew he was stealing now people are seeing off. He's not as close to Jesus as he claims to be or as close as he thinks that he is. And then what happened? He began to speak criticisms his mouth began to give him away. So to speak it became obvious by those around Judas that he was not where he thought he was or claimed to be. With us. So when Judas got to went up to Jesus in The Garden of Gethsemane were still in the garden. He walked up to Jesus to give him a kiss. He had told the religious leaders. Okay, I got my silver you gave me that now. Here's the deal. Here's how it's going to go down. I know where he's going to be to pray with with the other disciples because it's always where he went to pray and we're going to go to the garden and I'm going to walk up and I'm going to kiss the one that called Jesus. So that's what he did. He walked up to Jesus and he kissed him now. In that time that time. And in that culture, it was not a big deal to kiss as a sign of greeting. It was a courtesy they would kiss one another to greet one another and it was just a courtesy a courtesy call so to speak. but when we look at the original language of this that moment that Judas kissed Jesus there is a word for that in the original Greek language and that word is Kata the lay on And that means that that kiss was not a courtesy kiss. Not your normal greeting kiss. It was a kiss of intensity and it could be comprable to the kiss that Mary gave Jesus when she was washing his feet. It could be comprable to the kiss that The Prodigal Son father gave his son when he returned home and even the intensity that the Ephesians kissed Paul. Goodbye for the last time. It was a kiss of intensity. It was filled with intensity and deliberate action. He knew what he was doing. Judas was making a deliberate choice to reject Jesus and his message.
Was making a deliberate choice in his heart. The weather Judas was fully aware of what he was doing the reality. Is he a wind himself? With Satan's agenda to destroy the work of Christ and to stand against God's agenda to save people from their sins.
There have been those that argue the fact that he probably didn't know what he was doing.
There was a double ever attacked when he gave Jesus that kiss of betrayal a deliberate Choice. He had already made in his heart to reject Jesus and he at that point align himself with the Enemy. To keep God's work from happening the work on the cross and a stand against God's agenda to save people from their sins. I don't want you to think about this.
This story is given to us in the scripture by four different writers. Four different witnesses that established this story as a fact for reason. The story is for each one of us. Everyone of us all of us have the potential of betraying Jesus.
We all have the potential of opposing God's plan for our lives.
We are susceptible to a hard heart. A selfish heart because of the challenges of life. We can become easily disillusioned. Because of the challenges that we face in life.
We can question whether God is able We can justify our actions can justify our interests. We can justify our desires as they lead us away from the presents the power and the plan of God.
and when the going gets tough and it will we run away.
as an act of betrayal to God and his plan Remember Judas wasn't the only betrayer all of the disciples ran away. When Jesus was arrested member that and to suggest that we would never ever abandon Christ that we would never betray him through actions or words. We would never deny them. Let sounds just a little bit arrogant. Don't you think? For us to say we would never do that.
which leads me to another point and it's found in Galatians chapter 6 verses 7 & 8
the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write this letter to the Church of galatia. And this is what he said. Don't be misled. You cannot mock. The justice of God. You will always Harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest Decay and death from the sinful nature. But those who live to please the spirit will harvest everlasting life from the spirit. And here's the point that we got from from Galatians. We need to earnestly guard ourselves from backsliding.
In the generation that we live in where we want to blame others for our problems. The kids have a problem whose fault. Is it the parents fault somehow? Write want to blame others for our sins, but from God's point of view. We bear the responsibility.
We have to own our actions. We have to own our choices from God's perspective. We we are responsible. There's another tragic point in this whole story of tragedy about Judas that we need to make once Jesus was arrested. Once he was brutalized. And he has suffered.
Judas was sorry.
Judas was sorry for what he had done. And he tried to undo what he had done. He tried to give the money back to the religious leaders. He tried to undo it and he was so disgusted with himself when he realized what he had done to the Son of God. God himself God In the Flesh. He was so disgusted with himself and so filled with hopelessness that he took his own life.
What Judas did was He gave up on God.
Jesus did not give up on Judas, but Judas gave up on him. If only he had waited three more days.
If only he had waited three more days. Do you know what Judas would have experienced he would have felt the trembling Earth as the earthquake began to happen. He would have to see and know that the stone has been rolled away and that Jesus had conquered death and the grave he would have experienced this if you had waited three more days, he could have heard the life-giving words. He is alive he is no longer dad. He is no longer in the grave, but he is alive and because he is alive because he has risen then you can have life today and him a life of freedom and a life of victory.
What Judas didn't wait for 3 more days
He gave up on Jesus.
And I want you to know something that is so important to this whole message. And that is this.
God does not give up. on betrayers
Maybe you're here this morning. And as you have heard the story of Judas. Seeming to be close to God but not as close as he thought he was or appear to be maybe you're sitting here today and say man. I am at church every week. I raise my hands I sing the songs. I'm not as close to God as I am giving the perception of her as close as I think I am cuz I'm not following him. And I betrayed God in that way. Maybe you find yourself here today in like Judas. Maybe you found yourself criticizing others that Jesus honors. And you're not following Jesus in that area and you've betrayed him. In that area you find yourself the betrayer.
God does not give up on the betrayer. He does not give up on you.
Judas as I said at the beginning was not the only one who betrayed Jesus that day. All of the disciples abandoned him that day Judas just gave up on Jesus. There was another disciple by the name of Peter. Who denied Jesus three times that day insisting he didn't even know Jesus. He had never even met the man. That's a form of betrayal, but the difference between Peter and Judas was this Peter didn't give up on Jesus. He needed for 3 more days. And he got to see for himself that stone that was rolled away. He got to hear the message. He's alive and after the resurrection. She got to experience Jesus himself seeking him out. You see Jesus seeks everyone of us out and he invites us to come and join his team to be a member of his family and he sought out Peter.
So let's be real.
It does not take much. to allow doubt and fear to influence our lives. Judas began to doubt Jesus's message because Jesus was not acting in the way Judas wanted him to or thought he should. He began to doubt and that doubt influenced his choices and his actions Peter allowed fear and to his heart when he was questioned about being one of Jesus's followers. He allowed the fear to come in and to influence his choice and his behavior. The message we see in the gospels is a message not just of the horror of a hard and selfish heart. But we also see the love and the Forgiveness of a gracious God.
all of us have the potential of betraying God. Paul said if not for the grace of God there go. I we all have the potential all of us have the potential of giving an appearance of being close to God, but in fact we are far from him. There was another disciple that day. Who at first ran away like everyone else? But then later on in scripture we find that disciple. Right beside Jesus's mother to comfort her as she saw her son being led away to the cross. And this disciple would write years later. What we should do when we find ourselves with a hard and selfish heart. This disciple by the name of John wrote in his first epistle his first letter these words. They can be found in 1st John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful. And just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us. From all unrighteousness. He makes it as though we had never got it. That is a god of love. So I want to encourage you today. I want to encourage you today if you find yourself.
More distant from God then you actually thought you were or the perception that you're giving others. If you find that somewhere along the line you've gotten disillusioned with Jesus and disappointed in him. And you're beginning to get a little bit farther away little more distance in between you and Jesus. And you betrayed him in some way shape or form? I want to encourage you today. Don't give up on Jesus.
Wait, three more days, right? So to speak wait on Jesus, but don't give up on him because he does not give up on you. Let's pray.
Lord Jesus thank you. Once again that you have graced us with your presence and such a special and precious weigh this morning. Lord I Thank You Jesus that you love us so much that just as you looked at Peter when he denied you and that rooster crowed the Bible says that you walked eyes with Peter at that moment you saw deep within him who he would be and who he could be and I thank you Lord God that you look past all of our stuff. And you choose to believe in us and you see the potential. That we have to serve you and to further your kingdom Lord. I thank you for that so much and now Lord Jesus. I pray guard my heart.
guard my life and may I choose not to send small? Unless I become capable of sinning greatly. guard My Heart Lord, Jesus and draw me close to you.
Lord I say thank you for the work once again that you have begun not only in my life, but the work that you have begun in every life that is here this morning Lord, Jesus and Lord. I Thank you.
Passed all of our failures in our store coming for Jesus and you see who we can be in you and all the potential that we have Lord Jesus because of your work in our lot as you look past all of that other stuff and you see those things Lord Jesus. I thank you that your word promises. You will be faithful to bring the work to completion that you have begun because you see who we can be in you. Thank you in Jesus name amen.