Judas Iscariot

 Temple Baptist Church - 1-31-2024

John 13:10-11; 18-30

 

Introduction:  What a sad story!  I know that Judas was a traitor and led the religious crowd to the Garden where He was.  But the world has been and continues to have multitudes of “spiritual traitors” as well as Christ rejectors who die out of the will of the Lord and spend an eternity in a place called hell!

 

A.  Who was this man, Judas Iscariot?  There are theories about who Judas Iscariot is and who he might be during the Tribulation Period floating around.  Was Judas the incarnate devil?  Will Judas be resurrected during the Tribulation Period as Antichrist?  They use such verses as these to substantiate their theories.

 

John 6:70-71  Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?  (71)  He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

 

John 17:12  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.

 

Acts 1:25  That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.

 

B.  I will not take the time to dispel these theories but will say that I do not believe that Judas was either the devil, as many wicked people are referred to in that manner.  I believe that the Bible teaches that Judas was just a man. 

 

C.  Judas Iscariot.  The only disciple who was non-Galilean but was born of the same Tribe as Christ Jesus: The Lion of the Tribe of Judah. 

 

Genesis 49:8-12  Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.  (9)  Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?  (10)  The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.  (11)  Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:  (12)  His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

 

Judas – The Greek spelling of the Hebrew word Judah: of the posterity of Judah and its region.

 

Iscariot - inhabitants of Keri-oth.  A city in southern Judah in the Negev.

 

D.  Why was the Lord “troubled in spirit?”  John 13:21  When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.), we find that Jesus was “troubled in spirit” because “one of you shall betray me.”  

 

1.  Because Judas Iscariot was a friend of Jesus Christ.

 

a)  Prophesied in one of the Davidic Psalms:  Psalms 41:9  Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

 

b)  Performed in the betrayal of Judas Iscariot: Matthew 26:48-50  Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.  (49)  And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.  (50)  And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

 

c)  For those who teach that Judas Iscariot and Antichrist are the same, Jesus Christ would have never called the devil “friend.”

 

2.  Because Jesus Christ died for the sin of the whole world which included Judas Iscariot!

 

John 3:16-17  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  (17)  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

 

1 Timothy 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

 

1 John 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

 

In John Gill’s Commentary, a 17^th century “theologian” and pastor (who was also a Calvinist) explained “the whole world” as 1) the Old Testament Saints who believed on the Messiah plus all the New Testament Saints who would believe on Christ Jesus, both Jew and Gentile.  The “whole world” is the entirety of all who ever lived or would ever live!  Typical Calvinistic “stretching” the Word of God to prove their damnable heresies.

 

E.  Judas Iscariot was prophesied in Psalm 55.

 

Psalms 55:12-15  For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:  (13)  But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.  (14)  We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.  (15)  Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.

 

1.  The interpretation of the Psalm was about Ahithophel, David’s counselor and Bathsheba’s grandfather, who betrayed David.  

 

2.  The prophesy of the Psalm, which is Messianic, was about Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ. 

 

F.  Judas Iscariot.

 

1.  Judas Iscariot was a Disciple.  “one of you”  John 13:21  When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

 

a.  Judas Iscariot’s Calling.  The Lord chose Judas as He did the other disciples.

 

b.  Judas Iscariot’s Circumstances.  He saw, lived with, and heard Christ.  He shared the same conditions as the other disciples.  His accountability was great.

 

c.  Judas Iscariot’s Communion.  He spent a lot of personal time with Christ, a personal friend to Judas as He was to the other disciples. 

 

d.  Judas Iscariot’s Choice.  He had the same right to choose as the other disciples.

 

2.  Judas Iscariot was a Deceiver.  “Lord, who is it?” John 13:24-25  Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.  (25)  He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?

 

a.  Judas Iscariot Deceived others.  The other disciples could not believe that it was Judas.

 

John 13:26-29  Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.  (27)  And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.  (28)  Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.  (29)  For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.

 

b.  Judas Iscariot Deceived himself.  Matthew 26:25  Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.

 

c.  Judas Iscariot never Deceived the Lord!  John 13:26-27  Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.  (27)  And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

 

3.  Judas Iscariot was a Damned Man.  Matthew 26:23-24  And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.  (24)  The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

 

a.  Judas Iscariot’s Discovery.  Matthew 27:3  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,

 

b.  Judas Iscariot’s Discourse.  Matthew 27:4  Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

 

c.  Judas Iscariot’s Despair.  Matthew 27:5  And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

 

4.  Judas Iscariot’s Decision.  I believe that the Bible teaches that Judas Iscariot could have been saved up to the point that he received the sop.  When John asked the Lord who would betray Him, Jesus said, “To whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it.”  Judas did not have to take the sop from the hand of our Lord but could have said, “Forgive me, Lord.  I do not want the sop.”

 

John 13:26-27  Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.  (27)  And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

 

Conclusion:  Here we find the sad end of a life that could have been saved but chose to reject the Saviour.  Not the Devil, not the future Antichrist, just a man for whom Christ died.

 

The Word of God and Spiritual Growth

 Temple Baptist Church - 1-28-2024

Psalm 119:33-40

 

Introduction. 

 

A.  Tonight, we will look at the 5^th stanza of Psalm 119: HE is the 5^th letter in the Hebrew Alphabet.  It carries the meaning of Lo or Behold.  The best Biblical definition of the word “Lo” is found in the New Testament.

 

Matthew 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.  (“lo” – you need to get a firm grip on what I am about to say.)

 

B.  The first 4 stanzas of Psalm 119 dealt with undefiled or purity, holiness and meditation, unhappiness, depression and discouragement which are often a by-product of spiritual growth or the lack thereof. 

 

C.  Physical growth is something that God does with which we can help.  Spiritual  growth is something that we do that God helps with!  Two of the things that will stunt both physical and spiritual growth:

 

1.  A lack of appetite. Healthy children and adults will have a healthy appetite.  When a person becomes sick or old, they will often lose their appetites and it is vitually impossible to get them to eat.  They do not eat because they do not feel like eating.  How often, in the end of life of a loved one, tell them that they have to eat for strength, but they refuse food.  Thus the physical man and the spiritual man will lose strength.

 

2.  An appetite for the wrong things.  I love buying cakes at Walmart.  You know, the ones with an inch of icing and all the flowers and designs add to the icing MADE OF PURE SUGAR.  I love ice cream which, I am sure, is not the healthiest of foods.  Meat, bread, and vegetables grow strong bones and muscles.  Cake and ice cream grow big bellies and fat.  Physically and spiritually, we must eat a proper diet.

 

D.  The Apostle Paul spoke of this in one of the Warning Sections of the Book of Hebrews: “Dull of Hearing.”

 

Hebrews 5:11-13  Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.  (12)  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  (13)  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

 

This is an age-old problem as all believers tend to get “a little out of sorts” at times.  This is because, though saved, we are still human.  The problem is not the condition; it is remaining in that condition.

 

E.  Peter addressed spiritual growth in 1 Peter 2:2: “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”

 

F.  In our stanza for tonight, HE (Lo or Behold), the verses show us essentials of spiritual growth.

 

1.  Verse 33 – Teach me.  The importance of the teaching of God’s Word.  Taught by the Spirit of God; taught by personal reading and study; taught by being faithful to the house of God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 

 

A believer will never spiritually grow as they should until they become learners. A person can go to college, spend a fortune, goof off and party, and never get an education.  One must apply themselves to learn properly.

 

Isaiah 54:13  And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

 

John 6:45  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

 

2.  Verse 34 – Enlighten me.  Help me to understand God’s Word.  Learning can be a set of facts memorized, but enlightenment gives the learner the wisdom and knowledge it takes to excel.  The Enlightener is the precious Holy Spirit

 

Proverbs 4:7  Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

 

Psalms 36:9  For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

 

3.  Verse 35 – Lead me.  In order to follow God’s lead, we need to learn to trust the Lord in His leading.  “Make me to go!”  Asking the Lord to remove all our ways and force us to do His will. 

 

Psalms 23:2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 

Give me no options! Believers are free moral agents.  God has given to each of us the right of choice, but the serious child of God does not want to unknowingly make the wrong choice. 

 

I often ask God to close all other doors so that I have only the right door to choose.  I personally wanted out of the Bible Belt.  My desire was to go to New Hampshire and start a church but each night I would say, “Dear Lord, if New Hampshire is not your will for my life, close the door.”  He did and I am here!

 

 

James 1:22-25  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  (23)  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  (24)  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  (25)  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

 

4.  Verse 36 – Draw me.  Draw us near in heart through the Scriptures.  That we may spend quality time with the Lord.  Relationships are established with conversion.  You speak to God in prayer and allow God to speak to you through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.  One of the greatest enemies of the believer in these days of plenty is the sin of covetousness.  Can’t hep its and gotta have its.  Through the lure of the world, so many believers have lost their excitement and desire for God’s Word. 

 

Romans 8:6-8  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  (7)  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  (8)  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

1 John 2:15-17  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  (16)  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  (17)  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

 

5.  Verse 37 – Turn me.  One of the three areas of sin concerns the eyes.  Eve saw and took; Lot vexed his righteous soul by hearing and seeing.  In today’s society, we see more by accident than people in years gone by saw on purpose. 

 

Turn my eyes from: Things that are not good, things that are temporal instead of eternal, things that tear down instead of build up, things that are ungodly or worthless.

 

We cannot help what we see but we need the help of the Lord to turn our eyes from the sinful sights.  Ask God for “spiritual blinders.”

 

Proverbs 4:25  Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

 

Genesis 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

 

2 Peter 2:8  (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

 

6.  Verse 38 – Establish me.  Stabilize us.  Establishment in the unshakable Word.  Help us to be stable minded instead of doubleminded.    The world and churches are full of unstable people.

 

One of the most important aspects of spiritual growth, stability, having a firm foundation found in the Word of God. 

 

James 1:8  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

 

1 Peter 2:2  As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

 

John 8:31-32  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  (32)  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

 

7.  Verse 39 – Encourage me.  In the Word, in the Lord, and in the church.  Every child of God needs encouragement.  This is why the Bible commands us to faithfully assemble.  Faithfulness and communion bring about encouragement. 

 

Hebrews 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

Verse 40 – Quicken me.  Biblical spiritual growth makes the child alive in righteousness. 

 

Psalms 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.