WHAT JUDAS MISSED(discarded/threw away)-XIV—John 14:1–11(John 13:18--17:26)
OR--‘WHILE YOU WERE OUT/AWAY’
Attention:
The church Social Committee was getting our small Fellowship Hall decorated with a Valentine’s theme.
There are two heavy pasteboard pillars, which the church uses for different projects. On Thursday morning, he committee wrapped the pillars with white foam material. And then various shaded & shaped foam hearts were attached all over the foam wrapping, so that the pillars were covered in hearts. They attached the hearts with that ‘gummy stuff’ used to seal some mailings. They did a great job & the room looked inviting & fun.
Late Saturday afternoon, when I left the church to go home, I went thru the Fellowship Hall. No one from the Social Committee had been there that day. In their absence, all but six or eight of the hearts had become detached & fallen to the floor around the base of the pillars!...
•I guess you could say the Social Committee experienced a very ‘dis-heartening’ situation! They had ‘missed’ the failure of their attachment medium.
•On a vastly more serious note...
•A person who absences him/herself from Jesus—in heart &/or physically—will ‘miss’ the significance of their ‘attachment medium’ to Jesus.
Judas was consumed with self. That is, what he unwisely ‘supposed’ was coupled with his own solution to what he had ‘supposed.’ That attitude caused him to miss vital conversation with the Teacher, Savior, & Lord.
Judas showed by his decisions, that he was not a fan of Jesus...
Judas Iscariot was not a fan of God’s design, as it involved a personal momentous decision-based relationship with Christ Jesus as Savior & Lord.
Judas Missed vital life lessons because of his unbelieving heart attitude AND as a result, Judas Missed his life’s focus due to his physical absence from Jesus...
Judas missed the entirety of Jesus’ example & teaching which took place from the time of his prematurely leaving their gathering in the upper room(13:30; Mk. 14:15) until he arrived in the Garden of Gethsemane, with a detachment of soldiers, chief priests & Pharisees to arrest Jesus!(18:3; Mat. 27:27)—[Roman cohort(speira—the tenth part of a legion=600 soldiers)]
Need:
God’s People Practice...
*Gathering with the Church!
*Allowing God to use them despite their faults!
*Following God’s plain direction for them!
*Being an encouragement to others!
*Fulfilling their God-appointments!
...In doing so, they will never miss out on something vital & life-changing for themselves, their spouses, their children, & others!
JUDAS MISSED(discarded/threw away)...
13:18-27—
•The PRIVILEGE Of BEING CHOSEN.
•EVIDENCE Of MESSIANIC FULFILLMENT.
•His ANCIENT WARNING.
•A MEMORABLE MISSION.
•His REPRESENTATIVE CALLING.
•The TRUE GOD.
•The WARNING Of BEING A HINDERANCE TO GOD.
•The WARNING Of DENYING PERSONAL SIN.
•The EASE & BLESSING Of SEEKING The LORD’s WISDOM.
•The CONFIDENCE Of ALTHOUGH LIMITED Yet TRUE KNOWLEDGE.
•The WARNING Of BEING OUT For YOURSELF.
•The WARNING Of GAINING ‘PERMISSION’ RATHER THAN FOLLOWING GOD’s ‘DIRECTION.’
13:28-30—
•The WARNING ABOUT The DAMNING VOICE Of AVARICE
•The WARNING That SIN TAKES SELFISH ADVANTAGE Of OTHER PEOPLE’s STRUGGLES
•The DANGER of PREYING Upon OTHERS
•The WARNING That SIN PROMOTES The DIFFICULTIES Of OTHERS In ORDER To PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY For SELF
•The WARNING SIGNS Of HIS OWN RUSE(Cf.-:22)
•The WARNING Of The INSATIABLE LUST/DESIRE Of The FLESH
•The WARNING Of the CONSTANT COMPULSION Of FLESH
•The PHYSICAL REPRESENTATION(Darkness) Of HIS SPIRITUAL REALITY
•The WARNING In DARKNESS L
13:31-32—
•His PERVERSE ROLE In GLORIFYING GOD
•The FACT That GOD’s GLORY IS IN JESUS & VICE-VERSA.
13:33—
•A FOUNDATIONAL LEARNING CURVE
•.JESUS’ FINAL WORDS.
•The IMPORTANCE Of GOD’s TIMING.
•The IMPORTANCE Of PERSONAL PATIENCE.
•The IMPORTANCE Of JESUS’ PHYSICAL ABSENCE.
•The IMPORTANCE Of PREPAREDNESS BASED On PRESENT KNOWLEDGE.
JUDAS also MISSED(discarded/threw away)...
13:34-35—
•A ‘NEW’ COMMANDMENT Of GOD.
•LOVE For The FAMILY OF GOD....
•The TELLING EXAMPLE & APPLICATION Of GOD’S LOVE.
•his OPPORTUNITY For LIFESTYLE WITNESS.
•The WITNESSING POWER Of LIVING OUT GOD’s LOVE.
13:36-37—
•TRUST In JESUS’ WORDS.
•CONTENTMENT With JESUS’ WORDS.
•The SATISFACTION In JESUS’ PROMISE.
•The WARNING Of SPIRITUAL IGNORANCE.
•The WARNING Of PIOUS PRIDE.
13:38—
•The WARNING Of MISINFORMED Or POORLY THOUGHT-OUT INTENTIONS.
•The WARNING Of DENYING/MISJUDGING ONE’s PERSONAL POTENTIAL For FAILURE.
*********************
14:1—
•REAL FREEDOM From ANXIETY(14:1a).
•JESUS/Christ/Messiah CENTERED BELIEF(14:1b)
14:2—
•ETERNALLY GRACIOUS HOUSING(14:2a_1)
•his SOURCE For TRUTH/Reality(14:2a_2)
•The NECESSITY For JESUS’ PREPARATION(14:2b_1)
•HIS PLACE(14:2b_2)
14:3—
•The IMPLICATIONS In JESUS’ PROMISE(14:3a).
•GOD’s PLAN & INTENT(14:3b).
•The ENTIRETY Of GOD’s PLAN HINGES UPON, OR TURNS UPON JESUS(14:3b).
•The ENTIRETY Of GOD’s PLAN TURNS UPON JESUS’ LEAVING & SUBSEQUENT RETURN(14:3b).
•BELONGING(14:3c).
•COMPANIONSHIP(14:3c).
•FAMILY(14:3c).
We encourage you today to put the godly knowledge you receive into practice for the sake of yourself, your family, your community, your country, & for the sake of & betterment of the world.
Furthermore you must know that Judas also Missed.....
14:4
:4—"And where I go you know, & the way you know.”
Judas missed...An INTERNAL AWARENESS.
Judas missed...A RELATIONAL KNOWLEDGE HE ALREADY POSSESSED.
Judas missed...BELIEVING WHAT HE HAD HEARD & EXPERIENCED.
Jesus’ statement is directed to His 11(minus Judas Iscariot) disciples.
*See 13:31-35, 36
Jn. 13:33-35—Jesus revealed:—“Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; & as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.””...
•Jesus told his disciples of the utter importance of His people “loving one another” mutually...in His ‘physical’(flesh) absence.
...Then, :36—“Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.””
We must mesh head-knowledge with heart knowledge!
Acts 1:8—“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; & you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, & in all Judea & Samaria, & to the end of the earth.””
Acts 4:13—“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter & John, and perceived that they were uneducated & untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
Illustration:
Suppose you live below a dam. It holds back a tremendous amount of water that used to flow uninterruptedly & unhurredly by your home. Now suppose you get word to leave immediately because the dam has been compromised & you hime will be utterly destroyed! Immediately you remember all the years of joy lived out surrounding that home—Newlyweds-School-Landscaping-Career-Children-Son & daughter-in-laws-Remodeling-Grandchildren, etc. The ‘cost’ of losing that place, may be prohibitive for you...You may decide to stay, but you will definitely lose your life & thus those you love & who love you! OR you may decide to flee, losing the house & belongings & memory triggers, etc., but you will be there for the ones you love & who love you.
•Likewise, What are you willing to ‘hold on to’ or ‘let go of’ regarding eternal matters?
•With Jesus, the ‘cost’ consists of a life-integrating faith in Him.
•It is your decision alone.
•Your decision results in either your salvation, victory, & joy, OR...Your complete undoing!
Argumentation:
Jn. 3:35-36—“The Father loves the Son, & has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; & he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Jn. 6:37-40—“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, & the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son & believes in Him may have everlasting life; & I will raise him up at the last day.”
:4 And where I go you know, & the way you know.”
Judas missed...GOD’s MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION To HEAVEN.
God’s “Where” & “Way” were already known to them—thru Jesus alone!(cf.- :6)
Keep in mind, Jesus’ statement is in answer to a continuing conversation.....
Simon Peter had already asked Jesus once “where” He was going(13:36).
Jesus told Peter that he couldn’t follow Jesus now, but that he would indeed follow Him at a later time.
•Jesus is going to God, His Heavenly Father.(cf.- 14:1, 6, 2).
•Jesus is going by means of His Father!(cf.-14:1, 6).
14:5
:5—"Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, & how can we know the way?”"
Judas missed...A TRUSTING INQUIRY.
•There are many who ask themselves this question...“How can I know the way?” There are so many religions in the world. Which one can I trust?
Both “where”, & “the way” to “where”, depends upon whom you “know” Jesus to be!
IF Jesus is merely “going” to his earthly father(Joseph), then He has no more to offer the believer, than what he/she does already has.
However, IF Jesus is “going” to His heavenly Father—& more that that, returning to His heavenly Father—then that changes the “where”, & “way” equation tremendously!
Argumentation:
Jn. 3:3-12—“Jesus answered[Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews] & said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb & be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water & the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, & that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ “The wind blows where it wishes, & you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from & where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered & said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered & said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, & do not know these things? “Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know & testify what We have seen, & you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things & you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
?Do you sincerely ask of God thru Jesus?...Or merely hope against hope that God is real?
If there is no certainty in your prayer time(Heb. 11:6), then you do not know God!
Heb. 11:6—“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
?Is your god a god of your own devising, rather than the God Who has openly revealed Himself thru Scripture, the Jews, & His Church?
?Does your god make you feel pretty good about yourself, so that there is a graying or lightening of what, in reality, is ‘sin’?
If so, then your god is a little ‘g’ god, & NOT the Creator God!
14:6a-d
:6— "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
14:6a
“I am the way.”
Judas missed...GOD’s EXCLUSIVE WAY.
Prov. 14:12; 16:25—“There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”
Jn. 10:7-18—“Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. “All who ever came before Me are thieves & robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, & will go in & out & find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, & to kill, & to destroy. I have come that they may have life, & that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming & leaves the sheep & flees; & the wolf catches the sheep & scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling & does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; & I know My sheep, & am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; & I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, & they will hear My voice; & there will be one flock & one shepherd. Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, & I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
Mat. 7:13-14—“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate & broad is the way that leads to destruction, & there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate & difficult is the way which leads to life, & there are few who find it.”
The Way:
Acts 9:1-2—“Then Saul, still breathing threats & murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest & asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”
Acts 23:1—Paul to the Sanhedrin—“Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men & brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”
Acts 24:14—Paul before Felix the governor—““But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law & in the Prophets.”
Eph. 2:11-22—“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-- that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel & strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope & without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, & has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, & that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came & preached peace to you who were afar off & to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers & foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints & members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles & prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
14:6b
“I am...the truth”
Judas missed...GOD’s EXCLUSIVE TRUTH.
This is a shocking/stunning truth especially for those who may have heard, but have somehow missed it’s awesome reality!
Jn. 1:17—“For the law was given through Moses, but grace & truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Jn. 8:31-32—“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, & the truth shall make you free.”
Mat. 11:27—“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, & no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, & the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
Jn. 15:1-5—“I am the true vine, & My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; & every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, & I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, & I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
•Consider the profound message in Jesus’ statements...
Without Truth, there is absolutely NOTHING you can be or do, in order to AVOID living a LIE.
14:6c
“I am...the life.”
Judas missed...GOD’s EXCLUSIVE LIFE.
Jn. 1:4-5—“In Him was life, & the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, & the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Jn. 20:30-31—“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
Heb. 7:25—“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Jn. 10:10—Jesus said,—““The thief does not come except to steal, & to kill, & to destroy. I have come that they may have life, & that they may have it more abundantly.”
Jn. 5:37-40—“And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; & these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
Jn. 8:51—““Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.””
Jn. 11:20-26—“Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went & met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection & the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives & believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
14:6d
“No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Judas missed...
•HEAVEN’s EXCLUSIVITY.
•HEAVENS’s OWNERSHIP.
•HEAVEN’s SOLE AGENT(mediator).
Not even one person can or ever will be able to come to God the Father, apart from complete trust in Jesus Christ as the Father’s Son & man’s Savior. You must be saved by grace thru faith!...Faith in what Christ Jesus took care of thru His taking on the burden of human flesh.
It is a believer’s distinction, that heaven is exclusively their’s, as opposed to all others who place no ‘faith’ in Jesus’ being the way, the truth, & the life”!
Argumentation:
Acts 4:12—“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””
1Jn. 5:9-13—“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, & this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, & that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
Jn. 10:1-15—To the Jews & Pharisees—“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief & a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, & the sheep hear his voice; & he calls his own sheep by name & leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; & the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves & robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, & will go in & out & find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, & to kill, & to destroy. I have come that they may have life, & that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming & leaves the sheep & flees; & the wolf catches the sheep & scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling & does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; & I know My sheep, & am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; & I lay down My life for the sheep.”
1Peter 1:17-21—“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish & without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead & gave Him glory, so that your faith & hope are in God.”
Heb. 12:1-2—“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, & the sin which so easily ensnares us, & let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jn. 3:14-17—“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Jn. 1:12-13—“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
1Tim. 2:3-5—Praying for kings & all who are in authority—“For this is good & acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved & to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God & one Mediator between God & men, the Man Christ Jesus,”
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The Social Committee’s ‘disheartening’ valentine situation.
A disconnected heart misses much!
Action:
Judas was not a fan of God’s design...
Therefore, JUDAS MISSED(discarded/threw away)...
14:4—
•A HIDDEN INTERNAL AWARENESS.
•RELATIONAL KNOWLEDGE HE ALREADY POSSESSED.
•BELIEVING WHAT HE HAD HEARD & EXPERIENCED.
•GOD’s MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION To HEAVEN.
14:5—
•A TRUSTING INQUIRY.
14:6—
•GOD’s EXCLUSIVE WAY.
•GOD’s EXCLUSIVE TRUTH.
•GOD’s EXCLUSIVE LIFE.
•HEAVEN’s EXCLUSIVITY.
•HEAVENS’s OWNER.
•HEAVEN’s SOLE AGENT(mediator).
14:1—
•REAL FREEDOM From ANXIETY.
•JESUS/Christ/Messiah CENTERED BELIEF
14:2—
•ETERNALLY GRACIOUS HOUSING(14:2a_1)
•The SOURCE For TRUTH/Reality(14:2a_2)
•The NECESSITY For JESUS’ PREPARATION(14:2b_1)
•his/HIS PLACE(14:2b_2)
14:3—
•The IMPLICATIONS In JESUS’ PROMISE(14:3a)
•GOD’s PLAN & INTENT.
•That The ENTIRETY Of GOD’s PLAN HINGES UPON, OR TURNS UPON JESUS.
•That The ENTIRETY Of GOD’s PLAN TURNS UPON JESUS’ LEAVING & SUBSEQUENT RETURN.
•BELONGING.
•COMPANIONSHIP.
•FAMILY.
!You must not miss what Judas missed!
Jn. 14:4-6 Presented 02/02/2020am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
