OPEN: When a couple caught an intruder in their bedroom, the thief pulled a gun and announced, "Now that you’ve seen me, I’m going to have to shoot you."
He pointed his gun at the woman and said, "I like to know the names of my victims. What’s your name?"
"Elizabeth," the woman replied.
The intruder looked shocked and then said, "I can’t go through with this. My mother was named Elizabeth."
Then, recovering his composure, the intruder turned his gun on the husband. "What’s your name?’ he asked.
The husband looked at the gun, looked at his wife, looked back at the burglar and then stuttered "Joe," the terrified man said. "But all my friends call me Elizabeth."
APPLY: Your name can have a lot to do with how others view you. It can even influence how you view yourself. For example, before WWII, the New York phone book had 22 Hitlers listed … and none after. The people changed their name because they didn’t want to be associated with the evil of that man.
Similarly, no one I know would deliberately name their children Jezebel or Delilah or Herod or (pause…) Judas.
Actually, there’s nothing wrong with the name itself. Judas is a variant of Judah – one of the great tribes of Israel. It means: “He shall be praised” It’s a great name… but it’s been tainted, it’s been fouled, it’s been dishonored by a man whose faithlessness & cowardess have forever branded the name Judas as the mark of a traitor.
In fact, for many years the term “Judas kiss” was used to describe the disloyalty of so-called friend who would “double-cross you” or who would betray your trust.
The foulness of Judas’s act was so appalling that when Matthew, Mark and Luke 1st introduce the 12 Apostles, they each end their list by saying something like this: “Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. “ (Luke 6:16)
It’s almost like they were saying was – yes there were two Judases in the 12… but Judas Iscariot was the traitor. Don’t confuse him with Judas the son of James. That Judas was a good guy. But that Judas Iscariot – he was a very bad man.
I. Now, not everybody thinks Judas was a bad man
ILLUS: The Musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” depicts Judas as a misunderstood hero who was trying to save Jesus from his self-destructive ways. Judas meant well, but he ended up getting Jesus killed anyway.
Well, this morning, we need to set the record straight - Judas was a not a nice man. John 12:3-6 tells us
“Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ’Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’
He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”
Why would God share this story with us?
I believe He included this insight so that we would not be misled into thinking Judas was trying to do Jesus a favor. Judas was in it for the money, pure and simple. Judas sold Jesus for money… because financial gain was his god.
In fact, there’s reason to believe that Judas had been like this when Jesus chose him. In His prayer recorded in John 17, Jesus prayed:
“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.” (John 17:12 – KJV)
In other words: Judas’s role in betraying Jesus had been prophesied 100’s of years before he was born. That leads me to believe that Judas was chosen as an Apostle because of the kind of man he was:
· He was a thief
· a self-centered individual
· a man who entered relationships for what he could get out of them
· who made friends only to use them and abuse their trust
He was perfect for the role
II Thessalonians 2:9-12 tells us
“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”
Did you catch that?
God sends a powerful delusion to believe who have refused to love truth.
In other words: God is a equal opportunity God.
If you want the truth – He’ll give it to you.
BUT, if you deliberately turns your back on truth and pursues wickedness (like Judas) God will give you what you want as well – delusion and deception. He may even use such an individual to fulfill His will in the lives of others.
That’s a scary thought… and it ought to be
II. Judas’ life should be a cautionary tale to us
You see, Judas was a man many churches would be glad to have sitting in their pews. Back in the 1980’s, Leadership magazine carried this article that I find appropriate:
ILLUS: Among the apostles, the one absolutely stunning success was Judas, and the one thoroughly groveling failure was Peter. Judas was a success in the ways that most impress us: he was successful both financially and politically. He cleverly arranged to control the money of the apostolic band; he skillfully manipulated the political forces of his day to accomplish his goal
Peter was a failure in ways that we most dread: he was impotent in a crisis and socially inept. At the arrest of Jesus he collapsed, a hapless, blustering coward; in the most critical situations of his life with Jesus, the confession on the road to Cesarea Philippi and the vision on the Mount of Transfiguration, he said the most embarrassingly inappropriate things. He was not the companion we would want with us in time of danger, and he was not the kind of person we would feel comfortable with at a social occasion.
Time, of course, has reversed our judgments on the two men. Judas is now a byword for betrayal, and Peter is one of the most honored names in the church and world. Yet the world continues to chase after the successes of Judas, financial wealth and political power, and to defend itself against the failures of Peter, impotence and ineptness.
My point is, Judas looked good.
He got along well with others.
He was adept financially and politically
He was not some slick haired, smooth talking, snake oil salesman that you could easily recognize because he would curl his mustache and laughing fiendishly whenever he had an evil thought.
He would fit right in anywhere…
He would be welcomed in many churches.
That’s why James warns:
“Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here’s a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?” (James 2:1-7)
III. Secondly, we (ourselves) need to be careful to ALWAYS love the truth.
We need to be careful not to fall into the trap that destroyed Judas. We need to constantly examine ourselves to be sure we’re not deceiving ourselves
Jeremiah warns us “The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9
What that means is: our heart covers for us. Whenever we do something bad, we come up with excuses for why we did it. Our natural tendency is to cover ourselves and refuse to accept responsibility for our actions. Our heart is deceitful – it even deceives us on occasion.
Realizing that, David asked God “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting..” Psalms 139:23-24
Paul wrote: Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. II Corinthians 13:5
In fact, every time we take of communion, Paul tells us we “ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.” 1 Corinthians 11:28
This is THE prerequisite for obtaining forgiveness of our sins from God. “If we confess our sins (admit we’ve done wrong – no excuses, no apologies, no ducking responsibility – we DID it), he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
You see: Judas didn’t examine his heart. He figured going to church was enough. Judas walked right beside Jesus every day for 3 whole years.
He watched Jesus do marvelous miracles
preach powerful sermons
heal the sick, the lame and the blind
calm a raging sea by the mere wave of His hand.
Because of all these “religious” activities he was involved with, he felt he was OK.
AND YET… he was a thief
AND YET… he cared nothing for the poor
And – when it came right down to it – Judas even tried to use Jesus to attain his own goals
Judas never examined himself!
ILLUS: I have been in the ministry for over 21 years now… and I’m here to tell you I have seen people do exactly what Judas did 2000 years ago:
They play the game
They know all the rules
They fit right in to any church
But outside the church building
they’ll lie
they’ll cheat
they’ll curse
they’ll scheme & gossip
they’ll grumble and complain and back bite
they’ll go bar hopping
they’ll fool around on their wives/ husbands
they’ll compromise their faith in small and big ways
For all intents and purposes - they’re not all the much different than Judas was. They refuse to EXAMINE themselves to see if there is any WICKED WAY in their lives
IV. But sooner or later, they’ll come to a point where God will confront them with their sin. You cannot walk with Jesus for a long period of time without God exposing your sin.
LOOK AGAIN at Matthew 27:3-4 “When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." "What is that to us?" they replied. "That’s your responsibility."
There came a point where Judas was confronted by his sin. He came face to face with the damage his sinfulness had brought to Jesus. AND AT THAT POINT IN HIS LIFE he had an opportunity to repent.
We’re told: When Judas…saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse” (Matt. 27:1)
He was overwhelmed by grief and sorrow
He admitted that he was guilty of “innocent blood”
And the money he’d taken as a bribe – he couldn’t get rid of it quick enough.
At that point in his life, Judas had the opportunity to repent… but he didn’t take it
2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
Judas had the opportunity to repent… but he didn’t. Judas went out and hung himself. His sorrow was what’s called worldly sorrow. It was a sorrow filled with regret, guilt, and shame. He was sorry… but he wasn’t sorry enough to turn around and ask forgiveness from God. He wasn’t sorry enough to stop making excuses for himself and ducking his role in this drama.
Judas had the opportunity to repent, but he turned it down.
And you can’t be saved if you are unwilling to admit your sin to God
You can’t be saved, if you refuse to examine yourself and admit that it was your sin that
nailed Jesus to the tree.
CLOSE: Rembrandt painted a beautiful work of art of the Crucifixion of Christ. If you were to examine the painting closely, your attention would first be drawn to the Cross and to Christ as He hangs there. Then you might begin looking at the crowd gathered around the Cross, and note the attitudes and actions of these people.
But then, if you knew what you were looking for, as your eyes would drift to the edge of the picture, you’d see another figure - standing in the shadow. And if you knew what you were looking for, you’d realize that this lonely figure in the shadows beneath the cross of Christ was none other than a self portrait of Rembrandt himself.
Why? Why paint himself into this scene? Because Rembrandt examined himself and realized that it was his own sins that had helped to crucify Jesus!
As Isaiah 53:5 tells us "(Jesus) was wounded for our transgressions."
A poet declared:
’Twas I that shed the sacred blood,
I nailed Him to the tree,
I crucified the Christ of God,
I joined the mockery!
If you’re a Christian today, commit yourself to examining yourself – especially everytime you take of communion. God’s promise to you is If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
But if you’re not a Christian today, then you need to hear Peter’s command to you
"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
CLOSE WITH INVITATION HYMN: "Cleanse Me, O God" (otherwise known as "Search Me, O God")
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES
Don’t Take With Broccoli – John 11:33
The Question That Condemned Jesus – Matthew 26:57
The Moment Of Truth – John 18:28
His Blood Be Upon Us – Matthew 27:16
Hail, King of The Jews – Mark 15:15
Guilty Of Innocent Blood – Matthew 27:1
Remember Me – Luke 23:38
Let Him Save Himself – Matthew 27:39
Surely This Was The Son Of God – Mark 15:33
