What's in Your Wallet?

Praise the Lord everyone, why don’t we take a moment and begin to worship and praise the almighty king. Jesus We worship your name, we glorify you. What a privilege it is to be here, I am so thankful for this church. Thank you pastor for this opportunity to be here before you. and to bring the word to you. I want to thank my very beautiful wife. Let open up our bibles, were gonna be reading from 2 passages. Luke 22:1-6 and Matthew 27:1-5 . We will be reading from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Again thank you for this opportunity.

Luke 22:1-6

The New King James Version Chapter 22

22 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.

3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. 4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.

Matthew 27:1-5

The New King James Version Chapter 27

27 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. 2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

Judas Repents

Acts 1:18, 19

3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”

5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

This I would consider to be one of the most important and most well known portions of scripture. The events leading up to Jesus Christ’s crucifixion were the most crucial. Judas was reading to betray Jesus. He had it all lined up, but the thing he wasn’t prepared for was the events after, So i’ve come to ask you. WHATS IN YOUR WALLET?

Let’s put our bibles down and pray for this service. God we just come before you tonight and we just ask that you will begin to move in this place. Lord I pray that you will anoint my lips and that you will use me. God were believing that you will open up ears and open up hearts tonight God. We’re believing that you are going to do miracles signs and wonders. In jesus name we pray, Amen. Let’s give the lord one more hand clap of praise. You may be seated.

Ever since humanity was formed, man always needed a way to carry things around. For so long coin purses were just fine for everyone to use. In 1690 paper currency was invented. Here is where the wallet was born. The Wallet has now become one of the most popular everyday carry ideas. How many of you has a wallet on you right now? The wallet has become a necessity. From a small coin pouch, now you can find bi-fold, tri-fold, you have money clips, long wallets, And if you into tech these days many people carry around their digital wallet.

If I were to ask you the things that are in your wallet i could almost guarantee I would get the same answers. Things like money, debit cards, credit cards, your drivers licenses, pictures or maybe business cards.

In a time in this world were money is everything. It is impossible to live without some sort of money. We become consumed with the thing that is in our wallet. The world teaches us that money can buy you anything. it can buy you nice care, houses, boat, etc. They will tell you that it can buy happiness. But it wont get us everything.

Benjamin Franklin once said “Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has, the more one wants.”

I want to ask someone tonight, What is in your wallet? Judas was very interested in money. You see that throughout the scripture.

John 12:3-6

The New King James Version Chapter 12

3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

Judas wanted the money., He was not wanting to worry about anything else. It was just the money. And when it came time he was willing to sell out everything just to get it. He was willing to give up his friend to make a profit.

So what are the things your are willing to sell out for. Maybe its sports, maybe its social media, fame, whatever it may be, what is drawing you away from God. I believe that Judas didn't even know that he was fading away from Jesus. until he got that money in his hand. We try to hide that thing that is drawing us away so no one knows about it. it takes our prayer time, it takes our devotion with God. We do not want anyone to see it and know about it so we put it in our wallet. But without thought and without knowing it begin to cause us to slip away. It cost us our walk with God, is causes us to slip out of the church.

Going back to the 3-4 verse of Matthew 27

The New King James Version Chapter 27

3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”

The bible says that when Judas realized what he had done he was remorseful. I can imagine that when Judas found out that Jesus Christ was sentenced to death, everything stopped. The happiness that he had gotten from that money. What would have been a lot of money for Judas (about $600) in todays world, now looked like nothing. I imagine that Judas began to look at that bag, he would let that silver run through his hand and all he could see was the face of Jesus. It began to it him up inside and he could not control himself.

That sin that we keep hidden and tuck away. It is fun and alright to begin with, it doesn't effect us that bad so we keep playing with it.

Romans 6:23

The New King James Version Chapter 6

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Satan is letting us believe that we can keep playing with it . That its okay if we keep it hidden away from everyone, We don’t have to tell anyone. We’re just gonna dabble with it for a little while longer. But all along it is feeding us. And when we think were through with it, it grabs us back in, and begins to eat away at us.

We know and understand that it is wrong, We want to stop and we want to see it go away, but it has consumed so much of us that we cannot get out. We don’t think that we can continue on but I’ve come to tell someone that you can keep fighting, it doesnt matter what is inside of your wallet, it doesn’t matter what is dragging you down. You have a God in heave who loves you and all you have to do is reach out to him. I wonder if we can take just a minute to call out his name. Jesus, there are some who are hurting, there are some who are struggling with addictions in this place but they don’t know where to go, God i pray that you will begin to move in this place and let them know that you are here waiting so that they can respond to you.

Judas thought is was over, he thought that there was not hope left, there was no salvation left, so as the Gospel of Matthew tells us, Judas when out found and tree and hanged himself. Judas’s sin was too much for him to bare, The weight was to heavy. he couldn't take it anymore so he finished it the only way he he thought was possible.

If we can all stand in this place tonight,

Judas thought it was over, I know I have but have you ever come to a point where you just feel like the weight of your bondage and the weight of your sin was too heavy to keep ahold of, That because of things you’ve done Jesus cant forgive you.

The one thing that Judas forgot and the one thing that he failed to remember was Jesus Christ and who he was,

Christ tell us in John 14:6

The New King James Version Chapter 14

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Judas had forgotten who he was following for the past three years. That same night the rest of the apostles would also in a way betray Jesus, when the solider came to take jesus they all ran away. Peter went out and denied knowing of Jesus Christ 3 times. I don’t think that Judas and Peter were any different in the things they did leading up to the crucifixion. But Where the differenced lies is how they responded. Peter could have gone out ashamed and killed himself as well. But he remembered that he had Jesus who he could run back.

Ive come to tell someone tonight that it doesn't matter how big your trial is, it doesn't matter how big the problems you are facing are, it doesn’t matter how big the addiction is, It doesn't matter the things that are hidden in your wallet, Jesus Christ is here to rescue us. He will bring us out theres nothing he cant do.