Good Lessons from a Bad Example

“Good Lessons from a Bad Example”

.

Have you ever learned any good lessons from a bad example? You see someone do something and it hurts them and the people around them, and you say to yourself, I will NEVER do that. You have just learned a good lesson from a bad example!

Maybe you have a mother or father, brother or sister, who is constantly making bad decisions, and there life is far from God and they are unsatisfied; as you watch them you have two choices, you can follow in their footsteps, or you can learn from them what NOT to do.

We are surrounded with Bad examples, every day we see and hear about people doing things that destroy their lives, marriages, families and others.

What should we do when we see a bad example? Ask God and ask yourself, what can I learn from this situation, or this person?

Jared was NOT a good driver in High school; he wrecked EVERY car he drove! So I told Jordan every time Jared called me to come get him, because he had wrecked the truck, blazer, car, other car. Jordan please learn from your brother, how NOT to drive.

Good lessons from a bad example.

It is easier to learn good lessons from good examples, but we can also learn good lessons from bad examples.

Today I want us to learn some good lessons from the life of Judas Iscariot, the most wicked, infamous man in the bible. Judas the man who betrayed the Son of God! Just thinking about it gives you chill bumps and causes sadness in your heart. I really believe his story is the saddest story in the Bible. His name is the most despised name in the bible. Do you know anyone named Judas? I have met a Matthew, Mark, Luke and a John, but I have never met a Judas. We don’t name our sons Judas; we don’t even name our dogs Judas. I did hear of a goat called the Judas goat; it is a goat that is trained to lead sheep to the slaughter.

When Judas mother gave him that name it was a special name it means- Confessor of Jehovah, Praise. She named her little boy- Praise. His parents named him praise in hopes that he would grow up to love, honor, and praise God, but sadly he did not. Instead of praising God, Judas sold out the son of God for 30 pieces of silver and betrays Jesus with a Kiss. It was the kiss of betrayal; Judas kiss Jesus- Jesus is the door of salvation, Judas kissed the door to heaven and went to Hell.

What good lessons can we learn from a bad example? The first Lesson we learn is:

1. You Can be a Lost Church Member.

V:3-“being of the number of the twelve”.

We’re told several times in this chapter that Judas was one of the 12. When Jesus set down that evening to eat the Passover meal with his disciples, Judas is right there at the table with him. He is one of Jesus chosen apostles. As they are eating the Passover meal Jesus looks around the table at them and says, one of you sitting right here is going to sell me out, reject me and turn your back on me. One of you is lost, you’ve never trusted me, you’ve never been saved, and I want you to know, that I know it!

Those words fell like a bomb shell, V:23-“and they began to inquire among themselves, which of them it was that would do this thing”.

Matthew says they were exceedingly sorrowful, and every one of them said to Jesus, Lord is that I?

Notice not one of the disciples said, well we all know who that would be- Judas, NO, NO! No one there suspected Judas.

If you had of been there that night you would not have been able to pick out the traitor any more than the disciples who had spent 3 years with him.

WHY Not? Because you can fake you salvation for others! Outwardly Judas looked like he was saved; he looked as good as the other 11 disciples.

All the gospel writers refer to Judas as “One of the twelve” to emphasize how shocked, how stunned, how surprised they all were that Judas turned out to be the traitor.

Jesus called Judas to follow Him, and Judas did; according to Judas was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, that means he made an outward profession of faith. For 3 years Judas did everything the other disciples did, He heard the messages of Jesus. He heard the greatest preaching this world has ever had; he heard the Sermon on the Mount, the parables of , including the wheat and the tares. He heard the Olivet discourse, the parable of the prodigal son, the Good Samaritan, he heard it all!

Listen to me, it is frightening that someone could hear this much truth, from the son of God himself and yet remain unsaved! You must not only hear the truth, learn the truth in your head, you must believe the truth and receive the truth into your heart! Judas not only heard the messages, he saw the miracles of Jesus. He saw blind eyes opened, he saw the lame get up and walk, he saw the dead raised!

He was on the boat when Jesus calmed the storm, he saw Jesus walk on water. He saw men saved; he saw Zacchaeus climb down out of a tree and get saved, He met Nicodemus.

He saw people trust Jesus as their savior, but he never trusted Christ as His savior!

Judas had Christian friends; he hung out with Peter, James and John, having Christian friends does not make you a Christian!

Judas was well respected; they choose Judas to be the treasure, because the thought he was trustworthy and honest.

Judas was involved in ministry- he went out with the twelve to preach and perform miracles in Jesus name, he help pass out the fish and bread when Jesus feed 5,000.

Don’t get the idea he was saved and lost it. NO! Judas was never saved,

-“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

Suppose we could interview Judas this morning:

Mr. Judas, are you saved? He would say, I am one of the 12 apostles. Well that is not what I asked you, are you saved? Don’t you know I was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, yes but are you saved? Judas have you been born again? Son, I am the treasure!

Judas teaches us, you can fake you salvation to others! You can be a deacon, preacher, teacher, choir member and work your fingers to the bone for God and yet not be saved. Jesus said:

-“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Many people will say, Lord I preached in your name, I was baptized, I served in the church… but they never meet Jesus in repentance and faith.

Do you KNOW you’re saved? Does the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God?

, says examine yourself to make sure you’re in the faith”

You can fake your salvation to others; but there is someone you cannot fake, and that is Jesus!

Jesus knew that Judas was not saved, and Jesus knows if you’re saved or not this morning, and He is the only one that matters! If you’re not saved, please I beg you get saved today!

The second Lesson we learn is:

2. There Will be Hypocrites in the Ministry.

V:21-“The hand of him that betrays me is with me on the table”.

We’re told in, V:4-5, that Judas has already agreed to betrayed Jesus. He’s already promised to the chief priest that at the right time, in the right place he will turn Jesus over to them. And yet Judas goes and sits down with Jesus and the other apostles at the Passover meal. Judas is a hypocrite, he is putting on a big show in front of Jesus and the other disciples.

When Judas led the soldiers of the high priest to the garden to arrest Jesus he told them the one that I kiss that is Jesus, take him. He kissed Jesus and said, V:47-“Judas one of the 12 went before them, and drew near to Jesus to kiss him”.

John 13:49-“he came to Jesus and said, greetings Rabbi and kissed Him”

Judas was a first class hypocrite, he was pretending to be something that he was not; he had a kiss on his lips, but sin in his heart. Judas hurt the heart of Jesus, and he disappointed the other apostles.

When John wrote his gospel, he called Judas a Thief; they were all surprised, shook up by what Judas did. But the other disciples continued to serve Jesus! Just because Judas was a thief, liar, crook and a hypocrite didn’t give them an excuse to quit on Jesus! Today be sure you’re not a hypocrite, make sure what you say with your lips is real in your heart. Let’s learn this, if Jesus had a hypocrite in ministry with Him, so we will.

There have always been hypocrites in church, and there always will be, Jesus told us that; he preached whole sermons to the hypocrites. Someone says, hypocrites prove that the bible, Jesus and the church are all false. NO! Hypocrites prove just the opposite, if there were no hypocrites then Jesus and the bible is mistaken, because the Bible tells us that there will be hypocrites until the very end of time.

Don’t let some hypocrite keep you from coming to Jesus; don’t let some hypocrite cause you to quit church, don’t let a hypocrite keep you from serving Jesus!

Sooner or later you will run into a hypocrite in church, don’t let that surprise you.

I have had people say to me, I am not going to that church there are hypocrites in that church, what I want to do is say, REALLY I didn’t know that!!

There are hypocrites everywhere and yet it is only hypocrites at church that stop people from going:

There are doctors that are quacks- but when you get sick you go to the doctor.

There are lawyers who are shysters, but when you need a lawyer, you go get one.

There is even some money that is counterfeit, but you didn’t burn the rest of your money because some is counterfeit did you? Of Course not!!

The fact is the counterfeit validates the real!

Men only counterfeit what is real and valuable, men don’t counterfeit gum-wrappers, no there counterfeit 20 dollar bills because they are worth something. The counterfeit proves the real; and Satan counterfeits Christians because there are some real, genuine, true-blue born again Christian in this church and every church.

I had rather spend a few years with some hypocrites in the church, than die and go to hell with all the hypocrites.

Don’t let some Judas, hypocrite keep you from knowing and serving the Lord Jesus!

We learn from Judas that there will be hypocrites in the ministry, don’t let that surprise you are stop you from serving Jesus!

The third Lesson we learn is:

3. God’s Word Can be Trusted.

V:22-“truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined…

-“the son of God goes as it is written of him…

The betrayal by Judas is foretold in the O.T.

Jesus knew what Judas was going to do when He choice him to be a disciple; and He chose him that the scripture might be fulfilled.

-“But there are some of you that believe not, for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

Jesus chose Judas with His eyes wide open, he knew that Judas would betray him and He choice him.

The O.T. scripture tell us that the messiah would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver by someone who would be close to Him.

Listen to these verses:

-“And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

The Bible had already prophesied that Jesus would be sold out for 30 pieces of Silver; Jesus knew all of this was going to happen, it didn’t surprise Him.

This book you hold in your hand is an amazing book, the bible is filled with prophesy, things that no one could know was going to happen before they happen except God. God knows the future; and Jesus knew the future, because Jesus is God!

I learn from Judas betray of Jesus that the Word of God can be trusted.

One of the reasons you should have 100% confidence in the bible is fulfilled prophesy. How do I know the Bible was written by God and not man? One reason is fulfilled prophesy!

-“I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eats bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, you may believe that I am he.

Jesus is quoting from:

-“mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

Jesus said everything is going to happen just like is written in the bible, V:22.

Jesus said in -“I am telling you this before it happens so you might believe, I am He”

Jesus said I am the messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world and fulfilled prophesies prove that!

I am telling you what is going to happen before it happens that you might believe that I am the savior of the world!

Cory Ten Boom said "there's no panic in heaven, only plans."

God is sovereign; Jesus was in complete control of everything that was happening when Judas betrayed Him, and it happened just like the Bible said it would.

Prophecy is not given in the bible to stir our curiosity, excite our emotions, are take over our thinking; but to lead us to believe that Jesus was God in human flesh, the one true God who alone knows the future, to lead us to believe in Him and be saved!

There are over 333 precise prophecies written in the O.T. hundreds of years before Jesus was born, and they are ALL fulfilled by Jesus in the N.T.

· Where He would be born. ()

· He would be born of a virgin.

· What would happen to Him on the Cross.

· He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb.

· He would rise from the grave.

God put all those prophecies in the Bible and told us how Jesus fulfilled them to lead you to believe Jesus is the savior and trust Him as YOUR savior!

And to cause you to trust the Bible as God’s Word.

Jesus said “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will never pass away”

The betrayal of Judas teaches us the Bible is the word of God.

The fourth Lesson we learn is:

4. Sin will Destroy your Life.

V:22-“Truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed”!

People debate over what cause Judas to betray Jesus

Some say that Judas was trying to force the hand of Jesus; he thought Jesus was sort of like a wimp, that Jesus was just not manly enough; he wasn't taking charge, so Judas was going to force a conflict and make Jesus take over the kingdom.

Some people say he betrayed Jesus because he was a thief and was just greedy for thirty pieces of silver. Money meant more to him than Jesus!

Some people say he did it because he was demon possessed. I know that the devil wants you to sell out Jesus, and many people are selling out Jesus for less than 30 pieces of silver.

We don’t know why he did it, we just know he did; he betrayed the precious Son of God for the price of a common slave. But I want you to know that his decision for the flesh, and money and rejection of Jesus did not bring him satisfaction, it ruined his life for eternity!

After Judas got the money in his hand, after Jesus was carried away Judas came back to the high priest with the money in his hand;

-“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, what is that to us? See to that yourself. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”

How sad is this!!

I hear Judas shouting, I have betrayed innocent blood, I hear the wicked high priest saying, that’s you’re problem man, I see Judas throw the money on the floor, and I hear it bouncing on the marble floor. And then he goes out and hangs himself!

Please learn this lesson from Judas; SIN will ruin your life!

Sin deceived him- the money didn’t fulfill him, sin promise freedom, but sin is a liar.

Sin destroyed him- he hung himself, he destroyed his own life because of the quilt and shame of sin!

Sin damned him-

Then later on the Bible teaches that he hanged himself.

Sin damned him- , says that Judas died and went to his own place, he went to hell.

A country preacher told me this a long time ago. Sin will take you further than you want to go, sin will keep you longer than you want to stay, sin will cost you more than you want to pay.

That is exactly what happened to Judas!

, says Judas hung himself.

, says he fell head first and broke apart and his bowels gushed out”

Well, which is true? Did he hang himself or did he fall and burst apart? Both! What happened is this Judas with trembling fingers he fastens the hangman's noose, he puts it around his neck, puts it over a limb and swings out over a cliff or some precipice and dangles there. His neck is pulled up sideways; his circulation is cut off; he cannot breathe; his face turns red, white, and then blue from lack of oxygen; he begins to gasp and to gurgle; he quivers; he dies.

He steps from the hell within him to the hell beneath him and his body still dangles there from that limb. He hanged himself, but then the Bible says he burst asunder and the idea there in the language is like an overripe melon that's dropped on the ground.

As that body dangles from that limb, if it stayed there very long, it would begin to swell and the skin would become checkered as it stretched and split and the tongue would protrude and the flies would gather on the tongue. The birds would come and pick out the eyes and the body would continue to bloat and the stench would be unbearable and finally someone would come along and see that disgusting sight and, shielding their nose from the stench, with a knife would come and cut that body down and it would fall to the jagged rocks below and burst and the entrails would spill out on the ground. You say, "My goodness, preacher, it's almost lunch, and you're talking this way." I want you to see that sin is not a pretty thing.

You know, the devil likes to glamorize sin, and make sin look beautiful, but it is not! Sin brings forth death! You say that’s bad; that’s not even the worse part of what happened to Judas.

Jesus said in -“it had been good for that man if he had not been born” If Judas could have just commit suicide and it'd be all over, that would be one thing, but that was not the end for Judas. Jesus said it had been good for him that he'd never been born. If you're born twice-you die once. If you're born once- you'll die twice and if you die twice, you'll wish you'll never been born at all.

Judas died and he went to hell, what a powerful lesson about how sin will ruin your life!

Jesus called Judas “The Son of Perdition” in

, the word Perdition means “waste, ruin or loss” Sin ruined Judas life, don’t let sin, pride, hypocrisy ruin your life!

Well, you say, preacher I am not saved, but I'm no Judas. Jesus said, "He that is not with me is against me." There is no neutral ground! If you're not saved, you're in the same crowd with Judas and you'll spend eternity with Judas in hell.

It’s too late for Judas, but it’s not too late for you!

You can be saved today!

You can begin to serve God with a pure heart today!

You can confess and forsake sin today!

Let’s learn these good lessons from a bad example.