The World Will Leave You Hanging

The World Will Leave You Hanging

Scripture Reference: Matthew 27:1-8

Preached at Mount Zion Baptist Church on July 12, 2020

Delivered by Rev. John Daniel Johnson

If I had to make an estimated guess, I would guess that 100% of you have a television in your house. Our family tries to watch a TV movie at least once a week together, however, there is always a terrible down-side to watching these television movies. About every 5-7 minutes, there will be a commercial to interrupt the movie; right when it is getting good.

In the mid-1980’s through the 90’s, there was a commercial aired by the Department of Transportation. It was more like a public safety announcement, but this commercial will forever be seared into my memory. This commercial had two main characters, Vince and Larry. We see these two guys involved in numerous vehicle crashes, and then the narrator of the commercial would always end by saying, “You can learn a lot from a dummy. Buckle your safety belt.”

This morning, our Scripture passage found in Matthew 27; so let us open our Bible there today. Just like those old Crash Test Dummy commercial always taught us a valuable lesson about safety, this morning we’re are going to look at a man in Scripture an learn a spiritual lesson that will keep us safely in the will of God.

Scripture:

“When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 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, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it! Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.”

~ Matthew 27:1-8

This morning I want to share with you the Word that the LORD laid on my heart from this text this morning, and the title came from the reading of verse 5. So we’ll read it again this morning. Scripture declares…

“Then [Judas] threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed,

and went and hanged himself.”

~ Matthew 27:5

With that thought in mind, I want to look to your neighbor and tell them, “The World Will Leave You Hanging…The World Will Leave You Hanging.”

I know you believe like I do in reference to God’s Word. I believe it is infallible. I believe every word of it from the front cover to the back cover. I believe it was written by the very inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Man penned it, but the Spirit guided their hand over it. Nothing is placed in this Living Book by accident, coincidence or mistake. The Bible teaches us in 2 Timothy…

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Since we know every Word of God is beneficial for us, the LORD began showing me how the life and death of Judas can also help us in this Christian walk. I began asking myself, what can this man possibly teach us today? What can this man…

A. Whom in Luke 6:16 is called a "traitor;"

B. Whom in Matthew 17:22 is called a "betrayer;"

C. Whom John 12:6 states was a "thief;"

D. or, Whom in John 17:12 is called the “son of perdition;”

…what lesson can the life and death of Judas possibly teach us today?

The Bible doesn’t tell us a whole lot about Judas Iscariot. All we know is that his father was named Simon (John 6:71). The last part of his name, Iscariot, is possibly a reference to the town of Karioth in Judea. Some things that we do know is this, however.

A. Luke 6 tells us that at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, He had a huge following of people. Out of this mass following, Jesus chose 12 men and named them as His apostles.

B. We know that for three years, Judas sat under the ministry of Jesus. He saw the miracles, the signs, the dead raised, and heard the message of the cross preached to him.