He Wants Us to Know Ourselves

INTRODUCTION

As we move to this next passage of Scripture, we see two men sitting around the table here in the Upper Room. One will be forever known as a traitor to the Lord…the other is still used as an object lesson as the disciple who betrayed Christ. And as we look at these two passages of Scripture this morning, I want us to look a little deeper into the lives of these men…not so that we can critique them, but so that we can see that each of us has the same potential.

Now, we don’t like to hear that. Each of us likes to think that had we been a disciple of Christ during this time that we would have been the most faithful example of what it means to follow Christ. But what we have to understand is that Satan watched both of these men...

· He saw weakness in one

· He was pride in the other

And Satan used both of these sinful tendencies to his advantage in these days and hours just prior to the Crucifixion of Christ. And what Christ wants us to see in this passage is just how important it is that we know ourselves. The Bible says in

Romans 12:3...

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

So, we look at the lives of these two men this morning, we need to pray and ask ourselves…Do I struggle with one of these sins as well, and is Satan using it to hinder my spiritual walk with Him? Is there another sin that Satan is using as a foothold in my life that is preventing me from following Him or being a witness for Him?

Let’s look first of all, at

I. The Lesson of Judas (vs 21-30)

For most, Luke 6:16 summarizes the life of Judas about as thoroughly as possible…and it is a term of deception

16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

In John 17:12, during Christ’s High Priestly prayer for the Apostles and the Church, we read another term used of Judas, and it is a term of destruction…

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

The only other place in Scripture that the term, son of perdition, is used is in a description of the Antichrist in II Thessalonians 2:3…

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition…

The term perdition, according to one language tool means…

…the state after death wherein exclusion from salvation is a realized fact, wherein man, instead of becoming what he might have been, is lost and ruined.[1]

And Christ said in John 6:70-71…

Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

To study the life of Judas actually leaves you with a lot of questions. According to Scripture

· Judas is the Greek form of the name Judah

· His father’s name was Simon

· It appears he is the only one of the 12 not from the area of Galilee. The term Iscariot basically means “from Kerioth”, and Joshua 15:25 mentions a Kerioth not far from Hebron in Judea.

· Even though Matthew was a tax collector and would have had great experience dealing with and handling money, it was Judas who was put in charge of the financial resources of the group. We know this, because John identifies him as a thief in John 12:6…

5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, 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 bag, and bare what was put therein.

Given that he sold Christ for 30 pieces of silver, it would appear that Judas had a weakness for money and prestige. Jesus told them several times that He was going to die, and Judas may have realized that his aspirations and source of money were about to disappear. That may have been the reason for going to the religious leaders and saying, “What will YOU give me for Jesus?” It was that weakness of greed and self-preservation.

But we then also see in Scripture that he was one of the original 12 as I said. He had a blessed privilege to sit at the feet of Jesus for nearly 3 years, and literally learn the Word of God from the Word of God. And I think for many that is why Judas’ story seems so hard to understand. How could you be with Jesus every day and still betray Him? I love what one Christian leader said about Judas…

The life of Judas Iscariot is an enormous tragedy. It shows what happens when one exposes himself to the truth day-after-day, but does not embrace it, use it, obey it! By application, we cannot go to church Sunday after Sunday, and even attend Bible classes during the week, thinking that our mere presence there will keep God pleased with us.

Nearly every day for three plus years Judas listened to the best Bible teacher who ever walked this planet. He heard the truth not only preached, but also saw it perfectly lived-out in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Yet, the more Judas heard, the more he possessed to reject, and the more he rejected the more his heart became hardened. His conscience became seared so that he no longer felt the critiquing ministry of the written Word and the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit. His inner man gradually hardened to the point that it became a convenient habitation for the devil himself, leading to betrayal and finally suicide.[2]

The lesson is clear…

· Being with Jesus is not enough…

· Simply being exposed to Jesus does not change who we are…

· we can put on a good show, sometimes for a long time…

· but in the end, the truth will be revealed

· we must know Jesus as Savior…not as the one we simply hear about each week…but as Savior and Lord.

But then we also see…

II. The Lesson of Peter (vs 36-38)

In many respects, most of us know much more about Peter than we do Judas or any other of the disciples really. Part of that is because Peter is mentioned more often than virtually all of the other disciples combined. But part of it is because I think most people relate to Peter more easily. Peter had great zeal and desire, but he was hindered by pride and a high sense of himself.

Like Judas, Peter was one of the original 12 disciples, and he too was able to sit at the feet of Christ and learn the truths of God. Like Judas, he witnessed many miracles and even did miracles in the name of Christ when out on their short mission trips. But one thing stood out about Peter…he always made it abundantly clear that he loved Christ and would do anything for him. He meant it but it was also a sign of pride.

· He asked Christ to let him walk on the water in Matthew 16:22

· He argued with Christ about Christ’s statement that He would suffer and die in Matthew 26:34

· He told Christ here in John 13 that he would follow Christ anywhere, but then he fell asleep when Christ asked him to pray.

And, of course, we all know about the denials as he stood outside the rigged trial of Christ by the High Priest, the Sanhedrin and the Pharisees. Unfortunately, that is the one thing that everyone seems to remember about Peter. But unlike Judas, Peter’s story does not end with failure and death. Instead, we see the blessing of restoration. Like Judas, some of the lessons from Peter’s life are clear…

· Being with Jesus is not enough…

· Simply being exposed to Jesus does not change who we are…

· we can have the best of intentions, but Satan can even use our well-intentioned desires against us

· we must know Jesus as Savior…realizing that we cannot rely on our own strength and wisdom as we follow Him.

But unlike Judas, we see Peter experience the forgiveness of the one that He betrayed. Both men were sorry for what they had done…The Bible says in Matthew 27:3 about Judas…

3 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, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.

The word repented here means that he had a regretful desire that what had happened could be undone, but there was no real change of heart on the inside.

When Peter heard the rooster crow the third time, we read in Matthew 26:75…

75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

How do we know that Peter had not only repented of the betrayal but that it led to a change of heart? First, after the resurrection Christ told the women to tell Peter and the disciples. Why? Because I believe Peter would have said, “I can’t be considered a disciple after what I have done. He wasn’t talking about me.” Christ’s direct words prevented him from believing that.

Then at the Sea of Galilee, Christ asked Peter three times if he loved Him. We have talked about that conversation before, so I won’t go into all the details. But in that conversation, you can see that Peter is no longer the prideful and boastful disciple. He still loved Christ dearly, but at that moment Peter no longer trusted Peter to do things in his own strength.

One man was sorry for his betrayal, hung himself and died…the other man repented of his betrayal, died to himself and lived. Each one learned the lesson of who they really were…

APPLICATION

And that is what Christ wants for us as well…to understand and know ourselves.

· First, am I truly a Christian…Do I truly know Christ as Savior…are my sins forgiven? If the answer to that question is “No”, or “I’m not sure”, or “I think I am because I have been raised in Church”, or anything but an unqualified “I know I am saved because my sins have been forgiven!” then you need to be saved today. The Bible says in II Corinthians 6:2…

2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Don’t die like Judas…having been with Christ…but not knowing Him. You need to know yourself and know that Jesus wants you to be saved.

· But then, if you know you are saved, you need to also know that you cannot live the Christian life in your own strength and in your own way. First of all, Satan knows our weaknesses, and He will do all He can to cause us to betray Christ by our actions and our words. If Satan cannot have your soul, then he will settle for your testimony. And he knows just how to maximize the damage

But if you have fallen and you are sitting there this morning, whether in a pew or on your couch at home, know this as well…Just like Christ forgave Peter, He will forgive you and draw you to Him. The Bible says in Matthew 12:20…

20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

You need to know yourself…and know that if you are saved that Jesus longs for you to come back to Him.

· You may be here, and you know that you are saved, but like Peter in his early days, you think you are doing a pretty good job of just living the life. But can I tell you that Satan is waiting for you just like he was for Peter. I Peter 10:12 says…

12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

And Paul talks about the real struggle that goes on in the heart of a believer who is truly trying to serve God in Romans 7…

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

You need to know yourself and that you need to rely on the power of Christ every day so that you too can say as Paul did in Galatians 2:20…

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

CONCLUSION

Do you need to come?

[1] Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.

[2] Meisinger, G. E. (1997). Judas: Chafer Theological Seminary. Chafer Theological Seminary Journal Volume 3, 3(1), 7.