Judas Iscariot

In Christ I can:

Overcome spiritual battles

Love my enemy

Have assurance

Luke 22:1-6

v.2

The chief priests want Jesus out of the way.

They are seeking a time and a way to get rid of Him.

Luke 19:47-48 we see that they want Jesus gone.

Luke 19:47–48 ESV

47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

Waiting for him to slip up isn’t working. He isn’t saying anything that they can drag him away for.

Mark 14:1 shows that now they are beginning to try stealth.

Mark 14:1 ESV

1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him,

They don’t want a great uprising from the people, so now they are looking for a way to snatch Him in secret.

They knew the people would rise up if they did it out in the open.

The perfect opportunity arises.

Judas who Satan has entered into at this point confers with them to find a time in which they can destroy Jesus.

Now Judas is looking for an opportunity away from the crowd.

Warfare

If you are making an impact for the kingdom, the enemy wants you out of the way.

Make no mistake, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces in heavenly places. (Eph 6:12)

Satan is also prowling about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Satan had tried at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry to get Him to fall.

Then the leaders were against Jesus. Whether that was by the influence of Satan or their own flesh I don’t know.

I’m guessing both

Satan sees a perfect opportunity with Judas.

When you are making a difference in the war, the devil wants you out of the way.

First he tries the carrot, then he goes for the stick.

I tell you that not to put you on guard, not to make it so you don’t let anyone close.

But so that you stay close to your source of strength.

The enemy might try to tempt you. Stay close to Jesus so you don’t fall for temptation.

The enemy might have people betray you, stay close to Jesus so He is your foundation and your whole world isn’t rocked if it happens.

We must armor up, and press on.

In Christ, we can overcome spiritual battles.

Loving Your Enemy

This is something that I struggle with.

My mentality is you start the fight, I’ll finish it.

We can choose to react in the flesh, or in the Spirit.

If we want to live for Jesus, we are called to be different than the rest of this world.

Luke 6:27-28

Luke 6:27–28 ESV

27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Love, and pray for those who abuse you.

Romans 5:6-10

Romans 5:6–10 ESV

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

We were His active enemies.

Haters of God

Jesus loved us.

If we want to glorify God in this world. Live like He did!!

John 13:1-11

Jesus, knowing that Judas was about to betray Him, served Judas. Washed His feet.

If you had one of your closest friends, that you knew was about to commit the most heinous act of betrayal against you. How would you treat them leading up till that point?

Jesus knew from the beginning what Judas would do.

That never changed the way that Jesus treated Him.

He always demonstrated love towards Him.

John 13:15

Jesus has given us an example. Not just in servant leadership…but also in what it looks like to love your enemies.

Us who are not omniscient have no excuse.

Our acts of love. The way we conduct ourselves in an unbelieving would can be the thing that leads others to Jesus.

Why?

Loving our enemies is so counter cultural. So opposite of what our flesh calls us to do that it shows the glory of God in unimaginable ways.

I’m reminded of Richard Wurmbrant, while in prison for His faith was praying for the salvation of those who were torturing Him.

There are so many things tearing us apart in this world.

Race, gender, vaccines, masks.

We are called to love!

What would Jesus say if He physically appeared in our churches.

More than who is right on any social issue, the question He would have is “how are you loving those who oppose you?”

In Christ, we can love our enemies.

Not All Who Call Jesus Lord

When we look at the life of Judas Iscariot. This is someone who saw Jesus feed five thousand. He witnessed Lazarus raise from the dead. The lame leaping, the blind seeing were all firsthand experiences for Him.

Even more amazing.

By the records of Jesus sending out the 12 in Luke 9, we know that Judas himself healed disease and cast out demons.

Sometimes we tend to cheapen salvation and state out of Romans 10:9 that if you confess and believe, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

Judas referred to Jesus as Lord, he saw the power of God so he believed, yet we know that by John 17:12 that Judas was not one of God’s chosen.

John 17:12

Judas is a stark reminder of Matthew 7:21-23 where Jesus states that not all who call me Lord, not all who have done miraculous works in the name of Jesus will enter the kingdom.

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Matthew 7:21-23

For here they are coming to Jesus stating all the works, all the things that they have done in His name…yet Jesus states that He never knew them.

Here’s the sticky, we know according to Phil 1:6 that we can know our salvation is sure. That since God has started the good work, He will complete it.

Philippians 1:6

Notice the it isn’t us, it’s God that takes responsibility.

With that being said, I know some ask the question “how do I know I’m not like Judas?”

John 15:5

John 15:5 ESV

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

When we abide in Jesus, we will bear fruit.

Are we abiding in Him. Are we in the bible, are we spending time in prayer.

The fruit is the fruit of the Spirit. It is the result of the Holy Spirit working in you.

John 15:8

John 15:8 ESV

8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

v.8 tells us that God is glorified when we bear fruit.

When we have fruit, it shows that we are disciples, that God has begun a good work in us, and therefore will be faithful to complete it.

In Christ I can:

Overcome temptation

Love my enemy

Have assurance