Handling Judas (Part B)

He did not say you know when Judas is born.

I'm going to make him a devil. That's why Christ is giving him these chances calling him a friend of 2 PM and it is a misguided theology that suggested he was powerless. Judas was lost for the same reason.

Millions lost today and countless multitudes count was to us of been lost over the centuries on belief, refusing to receive Christ without faith it isn't possible to believe God will faith in what in Jesus Christ Vincent's cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the gospel of Mark. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching is faster Rick with part two of this message called handling Judas in Mark chapter 14 we miss that today we miss that. I how I've missed it over the years you get upset with someone whom the devil has tripped up, but if we remember that God loves them and that it is the devil tripping them up and were not so ready to be resentful and bitter it takes, it shaves off the carnality of what's going on in this world because we're supposed to live not as though we figured it out but that week. It has been revealed to us what is going on.

So, the Lamb of God reminded them of the blood that would be on the doorpost there when they were in Egypt and this is what this Passover was all about. Here is this great servant that loves his people is saying God loves you so much. He is going to be the his son is going to be the Lamb of God. It is in this atmosphere of love that he taught servant hood and gave us the communion table it came from this room at this very time he washes their feet and then he will institute what we call communion in there while dining together.

Judas Iscariot would be released to betray him. He's going to wash the feet of Judas to the greatest teachings on the Holy Spirit took place in the supper of John chapter 14 through 17 as well.

17 is the Lord's prayer which took place in this room also. But the teachings on the Holy Spirit are just unmatched in the Scripture, the details given by Christ himself to us all. Not leave you often and in this room. He did sing his last song while on earth will get that few sessions later in verse 14 it says so that his disciples went out and came into the city and found it just as he said to them, and they prepared the Passover, which was a process again that would be into the next evening's directions incidentally are similar to those given in Mark 11, when he sent them to find the to get the donkey that he was going to ride into Jerusalem on but back to this Passover, the Jewish Passover. At this time. It consisted of the roasted lamb.

The flatbread bread without 11 and bitter herbs. The Lamb was to remind the people in every generation about the blood applied to the doorpost while they lived in Egypt as slaves that God was delivering them and that blood would be the indication to the angel of death that these were God's people, and this is still the way it is.

It is the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all sins and judgment is removed from us as sinners because of our faith. God says listen I know you are sinners by nature in this life you going to send your born in iniquity as cute as you might be when you're born, you are born a sinner when you can be born again so that when you carry out those sins of the judgment will be passed over. You because of the Lamb of God, the bread reminded the people of the haste made to get out of slavery to get out of Egypt and it is to remind the believer of the haste to turn away from the old life to turn to Christ, but they didn't have time for the bread to rise.

They had to get out of there. This was an urgent matter to God.

Salvation is an bloodied matter. It is an urgent matter, and there is bitterness connected with the whole affair, and so the bitter herbs which spoke of the sufferings that they endured while slaves in Egypt reminder for us. It speaks about our bitterness experience when we were slaves of Satan and this is what God has delivered us to. So Jesus talks about joy which we have to fight for in this life. He says and he'll say it in the supper room, we won't get it here in Mark but it's in John in the world you going to have tribulation you going to have hard times but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world, but be of good cheer part. I maybe it comes easy to want to view.

I doubt it.

It may at times but overall it's a long hard hall and if you're serving the Lord there going to be things that are going to attack that cheer and that is Satan.

And we learn this and we learn not to give it up to him. But the fight to retain it and this is one reason why Christians love singing to the Lord. It gives you a pit stop sort sort of thing to get, you know, sort of shut out everything else and sing to the one whom you believe in a century later, centuries later, the Jews loaded this simple ceremony from God. Lamb the bread your herbs.

But they've added to it. Napkins and eggs and jobs going outside. This is not from God. This is something the Jews put into it and in fact there were not even napkins, and though they didn't use napkins a wipe their hands on their bread or they lick their fingers then they wiped Angela member and then they ate the bread sometimes so, but that this is what I you know and I know Christians mean well when they have these rabbis come and teach on the cedar, it means nothing to us. They missed the dissent, the Messiah, we have the Christ.

We don't need to find out what the egg means in the lie just down the block or something looking for him. I know I don't want to be too hard because I know some of you probably attended churches were they did these things and you were so impressed, but they really have nothing to do with us at all, and of the Jews are just retain the simplicity of it.

Maybe they would see the Messiah fulfilling these emblems that are given to us well no hate mail on that please all read it and then all to God. Can you get them because I'm special to you.

They are not really doesn't work that way anyway. Verse 17 a, let me just pauses to add little bit more that we don't need to sensationalize our faith.

It is sensational. Just the blood of Jesus Christ. It is big deal and it is nowhere on earth like the Church of God when you are no place like home. Sure that's true in there believers there and God were but when he brings a bunch of believers together and says get along in love, there's no place like and it is a tragedy that so many Christians have a low opinion of the church. They think the churches in their social club that they can go in and do this in and it's not. It's God's house and he is appointed overseers of this house and they will enforce the policies and this is a good thing, something to embrace. I think when you come to this church, everything is pretty much done for you except you know is eating well. Sometimes you even assisted dissent you come and you worship your fellowship. You go home if you want will eventually gonna send you home or degrees out here but it it, we would not come here with come to worship God, and it is very powerful and if it wasn't Satan wouldn't hate it so much and worked so hard to leaven the church to corrupt the pastors to weaken them so that the pastors began to be led by you instead of you being led by the pastor that is perversion and there's nothing to boast to that you got your will done with the pastor. The pastor should be saying God will that your will be done. My father in heaven and you know the drill. So back to this verse 17 in the evening he came with the 12 maze going only leave 11 of them. But between verses 17 and the next verse 18. That's when Jesus will wash their feet. It appears that way sometimes hard to figure these things out to the apostles as funerals, like if you ever come to church and say no. The pastor doesn't stay on point. Sometimes he goes on his little rabbit trails well look at the Gospels. I did it all the time and don't stop there.

Go back to Genesis and work your way to Revelation and find Revelation doesn't even stay on cue. This is so much to say about God. How can you now can you just be an outline you can try but you'll find out the outline. Paul is notorious notorious for doing what I just did. Talking about one thing and then goes down. This whole two or three chapters. More on something else and then comes back to it and the reader is not careful you say I lost the point. Well, verse 18.

Now, as they sat and ate. Jesus said wash foot washing is over. Surely, I say to you one of you who eats with me will betray me was a bombshell to them and it should not of been. This is not the first time he's brought this up earlier. He warned them on this very thing.

He preached a sermon that people didn't like we don't have that problem today. John chapter 6 this is after you know unless you eat of my flesh and drink of my blood and they of course took a little in it which soaked all because if it was literal he would hold his mouse here, take a bite.

It was spiritualizing his points that they would never forget what he was saying because it's pretty intense to say to someone you have will first of all he was saying it. Who is qualified to say no angel could say this must be God the son and and so of course the says this and that this is a hard saying, which is another way of saying we don't like your sermon nor you anymore verse 70 of John six Jesus answered them, did I not choose you. The 12 and one of you is a devil. He spoke of Judas Iscariot. So why are they so shocked now because of course, whenever Christ spoke of hard things they kinda like tuned him out. He's going to release Judas to do his wicked work and it will be at the hour of his choosing.

We talked about this last session. There the of the Pharisees did not want Jesus to be betrayed while the multitudes were in Jerusalem for the Passover feast. They wanted the crowds to die down.

In fact, when the crowds are asleep. That's when the going to arrest him anyway. Mark chapter 14, which wherein verse two, but they said, not during the feast lest there be an uproar of the people.

What Jesus is saying he's going to betray me in the going to find out is going to be that Jewish day when he is betrayed.

Hell was not allowed to arrange the hour of his cross in his sovereignty is all over this, but by this time Judas had sailed beyond the point of repentance, he was gone throughout the whole thing. Christ is giving him an opportunity when he fails, the location of the upper room is saying I don't want Judas to know he's going to you know jump the gun and have me arrested there but I want to give them time to repent, and a he's going to continue to give he's going to give him an opportunity to repent right up until Judas hangs himself when he is arrested Jesus refers to Judas as a friend is correct because him a friend giving him a chance but he doesn't take days earlier. He tried to reach Judas when he rebuked him for his greed.

This oil could of the spikenard could've been given a no soul given to the poor, and Jesus rebuked him and he didn't like that we talked about that last session.

Clumsy humanistic people have tried to save the reputation of Judas. It is a vein thing to do. They say some of them that Judas betrayed Jesus in order to force Jesus into revealing his power and establishing his messianic kingdom in Israel, others say that he was nothing but a servant who obediently fulfilled God's prophecy.

These are attempts to take Judas off the hook will get to in a moment what God says about Judas. He was not a robot.

He was a willing pawn of darkness. He was a responsible human being who made his own choices. Just like when a pastor stands up and reads from Isaiah your sins have separated you. God is not deaf or blind. He sees what's going on. He is available only as a participant, but you don't want to come to. It's your choice. Don't go and are blaming God when you find yourselves in hell because you chose to not believe in him you got what you wanted and so this is the case with Judas none who betrayed Jesus do it normally. Regardless of whatever human credentials they may hold who they think they are impressing. There is no such thing as a helpless victim of merciless predestination. In other words, God didn't say listen, you're going to hell and is nothing you can do about he did not say no when Judas is born.

I'm going to make him a devil. That's why Christ is giving him these chances and calling him a friend up to the end and it is a misguided theology that suggested he was powerless all this Judas was lost for the same reason. Millions are lost today and countless multitudes countless to us have been lost over the centuries, unbelief, refusing to receive Christ without faith it is impossible to believe God will faith in what in Jesus Christ. Now back to John chapter 6, where they didn't care for that sermon, but there are some of you who do not believe for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were, who did not believe, and who would betray him as two different groups that there's that one. That said, was a hard saying we no longer want you then there's Judas. He continues in John six and verse 66 from that time many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more. They were disciples, and now they're not.

It was their choice.

Then Jesus said to the 12. Do you also want to go away. He did not say please stay. He gave them the choice, and he was going to honor their choice. If they said yeah were done he would've just went on about his ministry, he would not have given them a call the next day and said we haven't seen you in church. Are you planning to come back. We need of you know anyway. He just up honor their decision treated them like adults given them a choice, thereby destroying the silly notion of this on alterable predestination. As I mentioned man-made guests. But God declares men can say well you know Judas he was, you know he really was no. He was a devil and he chose to be and he was born that way. John chapter 13 hears what God says now after the piece of bread. Satan entered him. Matthew John 1712.

Those whom you gave me. I have, and none of them is lost except the son of hell. That's the son of perdition. Why is that because he did with the devil wanted not God. Matthew 25 and he wasn't in the flesh.

This was his will.

When we sin, as Christians it's the flesh is that sinful nature, getting the upper hand. But when a person willfully rejects God is not there flesh. It is them is who they are, they'll have will not have this man rule over us. Matthew 25 verse 46 and these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. There's a consequence for your decision concerning the Christ because Christ knew that Judas and others would reject him in no way means that he caused.

He simply knew what they were going to do, and he's not going to force them into heaven. No one in heaven will have lash marks on them from being driven in. He is a shepherd. He leads and is not a cattle driver. However, God still controlled his enemies as he does to this day that's what sovereignty does John 1311 for he knew who would betray him. Therefore he said you are not all clean. This is when he washed their feet.

He knew he would he wash their feet is that your clean because I pronounce to plaintiff, but Judas would have none of it just went through the ritual. He didn't mean it in the end there's a contrast given to us.

There's Peter who failed because of his flesh and went out and wept and repented and was restored and is Judas who regretted his decision didn't work out right.

Anyone killed himself.

He did not repent and and these lessons are there for us to consider and understand since the church is been born miraculously. Satan has filled many hearts of churchgoers. Some churchgoers who really don't care about Christ but about themselves in the book of acts in the fifth chapter.

There was a man and woman who pledged a large donation to the church. It could've been $0.30 would not matter. What mattered was, as they lied about. They really weren't interesting and interested in serving the Lord. They wanted people to applaud them.

They wanted to be recognized as these devout believers and givers. Peter said Ananias why is Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and there is one indication of the Holy Spirit is not and it buddy him. He can be lied to. He is a person. If you have never been born again and you go to your death. You will wish you've never been born at all and this is what God is saying it would be better if he was not born when he was born. Listen, he could not stand before God and say why I was so confused about things because God will see what the other 11 were not, and you Judas you The moneybox feet and others trusted you because you are so intelligent, so are we to believe that the intelligent people of the world cannot believe what the not so intelligent are the ones that get saved know it comes down to the individual intelligence has nothing to do with it comes down to the will and gotta use your brains to some degree and reason but you do not have to be one of those high IQ types you can be of a lower IQ verse 19 and they began to be sorrowful and said to him, one by one, is it I and another said is that I you gotta love this part about these men startled by his word and one of you will betray me. That was the bombshell again. They should've had it. They did not, but they trusted his words more than their own hearts. If he said one was a betrayer they believed it so much they felt it could be them instead of saying no way will maybe know Peter did not say well, John might betray you, but I'm not at this moment. The Greek is actually this. It's not me.

Is it that's the Greek phrase is not me as it Lord.

And so when they say, is that I they're very concerned. They have skin in the game. They were suspicious of them, their own selves. They were cocky at this point will get to Judas in a moment about this. 11 men were afraid and sorrowful. The 12th was not each man, no matter how much she hated this fact, he realized that he had the capacity to be a traitor. Paul says this in Romans about this thing about we people, he says, for I know that in me, that is, in my flesh. Nothing good dwells for to will is present with me. But how to perform what is good.

I do not find some commentators try to say Paul to know he was talking about that the believing commentators those liberal center mean politically little theologically liberal, theologically liberal person is one that does not believe the Bible, but they use it. Nonetheless, to criticize again. I don't understand when people say will have no more, the Bible wanted. Why do they still call themselves a church.

One of the girls called himself somebody else.

The people would happy hats or something, but they insist on corrupting Christianity that they don't even believe and not consider that a mean thing to do anyway. The apostles were not above self examination and hopefully we are not either. They questioned their loyalty to God.

Second Corinthians, and you see this is the thing about second about the Corinthian letters. So I say well Lord would be coming to an end. In Mark's gospel where we going next. I would like to do the book of acts because it's exciting, but a church needs correction. That whether they want it or not and where you get that from you. Don't get it so much from the Old Testament because we cannot hide behind levels of the Jews to get it from the letters in the New Testament they get up in your face Paul says what you don't have houses to eat, and you gotta come to the church and burden everybody what you keep getting drunk at the communion table you think what is wrong with you. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry.

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