Jesus, Betrayed For Us "“ Part 1 of 2

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. When Judas gave Jesus that fateful kiss, he was helping those who wanted to kill the Son of God. The enemies of Christ unwittingly made our redemption possible.

Today we continue a series simply called, For Us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win, with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, to be willing to betray the Son of God must mean that the heart of Judas was as cold as stone. And you know Dave, I've often thought of Judas of course and he was not the kind of person who came in late to his service, sat in the back and then left before the benediction. He was with the disciples for three years. He served along with them, possibly even doing miracles, which is really chilling to think about. And there he was, yet within his heart, his love of money and his love of self caused him to betray the Son of God.

These are the kinds of things that we should always be thinking about, the possibility of error, the possibility of denying Christ. Let me ask you a question. Are you blessed as a result of the ministry of Running to Win? Did you know that if you answer that question, yes, it's because other people just like you have invested in this ministry. So the ministry of Running to Win is not the ministry of a man or a church or an organization, it is your ministry. Would you consider partnering with us on a regular basis? Here's what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com.

That's rtwoffer.com and when you're there you click on the endurance partner button or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. Our desire is to help people to avoid error, to accept Christ and be loyal to him, all the way to the end. It was God's will that Jesus live a very painful life and die an agonizing death. Almost everything that happened to Jesus was predicted in the Old Testament. For example, in the book of Psalms it says that Jesus would be rejected by evil people and Jesus affirmed that when he said that the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. It was also predicted that Jesus would be hated and Jesus quotes that Psalm and says it is necessary that the scriptures be fulfilled that they hated me without a cause. And it was also predicted in Psalm 35 that Jesus would experience the pain of betrayal from a very close friend. Indeed, the very man with whom I eat and the one who has eaten bread with me has lifted up his heel against me and that was fulfilled in the life of Jesus just as predicted. And the person who did the betrayal is known throughout history and his name is Judas. I'm going to give you a theological statement that I want you to think about.

It's one that you could remember and chew on even on your way home today. I want to say that theologically God chose Judas to volunteer to do the ghastly deed. God was involved and Judas was involved. God chose Judas to volunteer to be the man to do it. Who was this man Judas? Number of years ago there was the special that was put on by National Geographic and Judas was portrayed in very wonderful colors that he was really a hero according to the Judas document. And the media of course played it up and said that the Judas document is authentic. What they didn't explain was that by authentic they meant that it was indeed an ancient document.

It was known far back in history as the year 185. But authentic did not mean that its contents were true. Indeed the Gnostics made up these stories and from that standpoint it is very clear that the story of Judas as portrayed there is fraudulent. Judas cannot be made into a hero. In the Bible he is spoken of as a traitor and the one who betrayed Jesus. Judas became guilty of what John Piper calls the most spectacular sin that has ever been committed in contributing to the murder of the Holy Son of God.

Judas's last name Judas Iscariot means that he came from a place probably Kiroth which is in southern Judah. And I've often thought of the mother of Judas as she held that little baby boy in her arms. She had no idea whom she was holding, did she? As a matter of fact you don't know who you are holding in your arms either.

You don't know whether you are holding someone who is going to turn out to be an evil person or a good person. But this dear mother as she held that baby boy and wished for him the best did not know that she held a boy who had become famous around the world for 2,000 years famous for betrayal, intrigue, greed, and the most horrific of all sins. We don't know where Jesus and Judas met. It's possible that they met when Jesus was in the southern part of the land. And I can imagine Judas being invited to be a part of Christ's disciples. Remember Jesus prayed all night and chose 12 and among them was Judas Iscariot.

It was an honor in those days to be considered to be invited by a rabbi as an itinerant evangelist if you please and to learn from him and to watch with him and to be able to eat with him and the groups would sleep together out in the out in the beautiful starlit countrysides. It was an honor and I can imagine that when Judas was chosen he thought to himself what a great opportunity for me to advance myself. Think of the story that I'm going to be able to tell the kids back home the ones that I went to school with that at last Jesus of Nazareth chooses Judas to be one of his disciples and so Judas was chosen. You can take your Bibles today and turn to the 14th chapter of the book of Mark, Mark chapter 14. As you know this is a series of messages titled for us and today Jesus betrayed for us. And so even though your Bible is open we will be looking at this passage a little later on. What I need to do is to go to other passages of scripture to build the total story of who Judas really was and the story of his betrayal.

So as we move through this know that I'll be referencing other verses to give you the fuller picture. If we were to describe Judas one of the characteristics would be is that he had a covetous heart. To put it clearly Judas loved money. There's an interesting story in John chapter 12 Jesus is there with Mary, Martha and Lazarus and Mary because of her overwhelming love for Jesus she takes costly ointment. Perhaps several years of wages in fact that was kind of the way in which people kept something that was a treasure as a hedge against inflation and she took this box of ointment.

Pure nard the Bible says and she broke it open and she poured it on the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. And Judas the Bible says said could not this have been sold in the money given to the poor? And then John adds very interestingly but this Judas said not because he cared for the poor but because he was a thief and he had the money bag and he pilfered from it.

Isn't that amazing? The treasurer for the disciples is a thief and when he was sent to buy something he said that it cost in our money we might say $35 and actually it only cost 20 and he pocketed the rest. He was a lover of money and he was such a skillful hypocrite that for three years all of this is happening and nobody is suspecting that there is anything that is seriously wrong. In what Judas was able to do. In Acts chapter 1 Peter said that Judas had a ministry with us.

You know what that means? That means when the disciples cast out demons Judas was able to do it too. Very probably the demons cooperating. When the disciples preached a sermon Judas stood up there and he preached a sermon too. And when they performed miracles he was able to do it the same miracles in the name of Jesus he did the very same thing. He was a part of Jesus Christ's disciples and he functioned like that and was never put off by Jesus never ashamed of Jesus so far as we know and he played the game with such skill. Judas was one who outwardly for three years for the most part had the behavior of a saint but inwardly had the heart of a devil. You see what makes this so scary is that Judas was not the kind of person who comes into a service late, sits in the back row and I'm looking at those of you who are there now by the way.

He was not the kind of person who did that and then leaves before the benediction. No no no no he's the Sunday school teacher. He's the deacon.

He's the elder. Maybe he's even the pastor and nobody knows what is in his heart. Judas was covetous. He was a lover of money. Now a second characteristic of his heart was he had a very deceitful mind.

Let me speak to you very candidly today. Most of us think that we are rational people. We think you know I go by reason.

Well that's not true. Most of us are desire driven and whatever the heart desires the mind is recruited to bring it about. You desire something like sexual gratification. The mind is commissioned to somehow arrange circumstances to fulfill that whether honorably or dishonorably. The heart wants what it wants and when it comes to money the mind is recruited to figure out a way how to make it and whether it can be made honorably that's good but dishonorably if necessary but it all means get it and Judas had a heart for money. Now you remember in the life of Jesus the chief priests were looking for someone to betray Jesus and they were looking for someone who probably was part of the inner circle because they didn't want to arrest Jesus in the day. They wanted to arrest him at nighttime after dark and so they thought to themselves that if we could find someone who knows Jesus well and knows where he would be and can identify him for us in the twilight then we can catch him. Judas in his heart knew that they were looking for someone and he volunteered for the job but before he did he went up to the upper room with Jesus. What an amazing story and Jesus had all the disciples sitting there and said to them one of you is going to betray me and to the everlasting credit of these disciples they all went around the table and said is it I? And that's the question I should be asking today and that's the question you should be asking is it I?

Amazing to me. Peter didn't nudge James and say oh I've always been worried about Judas. Now he said is it I? Very interesting Judas changes the question just a little bit and says it isn't I is it? Judas is sitting next to Jesus the place of honor. Jesus said after I've dipped the morsel which is the beginning of the meal the person to whom I give it he's the one who will betray me and Jesus takes the morsel and he dips it in the sauce and he gives it to Judas and the Bible says in John 13 that immediately Satan entered into him.

I was just thinking about this yesterday and preparing the message had never thought of this before. Just imagine Satan entered the upper room because it says that when Jesus gave Judas the morsel Satan entered into him immediately and Jesus speaks to Judas and says what you think you need to do go ahead and do and so Judas leaves and the Bible says it was night. No matter how dark that night was there is something else that was even darker and that was the soul of Judas and he leaves. Now the moment we introduce Satan into this equation we have to ask a couple of questions don't we because one of the questions you might want to ask is was Judas just a harmless victim I mean he just was going along and one day Satan says I'm recruiting you to do this terrible deed and therefore I'm going to enter you and now do it. No no no Judas wasn't an innocent bystander in this drama. You see because he loved money because he was covetous there was a doorway an entry point if you please into his life. Whenever we give into our passions and whenever we exploit our passions and whenever we choose to live by our passions no matter the cost what we discover is that there is ground there is entry point and what Satan was really doing is he was coming along to help Judas do what Judas had already thought of doing and planned to do. The devil in effect said I'll help you do what you've decided to do.

There's another question and this is brought up in the little booklet by John Piper entitled the most spectacular sin where he talks about Judas. Why did Satan change his technique? All throughout the life of Jesus Satan is trying desperately to keep Jesus Christ from the cross.

He's even using Peter to say no you will not die. Jesus said get thee behind me Satan and he's speaking to Peter because that was the will of the devil. Now the devil changes his mind and begins to help the process.

Why? Well I think it's true as Piper says it's because Satan knew by now there is no way to prevent Jesus from going to the cross. The plan had been laid. The will of God had been done. Jesus was resolute in his decision to go to the cross and so as a result Satan decided since I can't stop it I'm going to do all the damage I can in the process. I'm going to make it as hard as possible for Jesus. I'm going to use Judas so that I get the satisfaction of seeing this betrayal. I'm just going to make this as messy as I can to make sure that Jesus has as hard a time as possible and so Satan enters into Judas to do this ghastly deed the most spectacular sin in the whole universe. Well I've mentioned to you that Judas had a very covetous heart. He had a deceitful mind and then he decided to go through with the deed and had a very resolute strong will and now we do pick up the passage here in Mark chapter 14 verse 43.

Please follow along as I read. And immediately while he was still speaking Judas one of the twelve and with him a crowd with swords and clubs from the chief priests and scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign saying the one I kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard and when he came he went to him at once and said rabbi and kissed him. Matthew records in chapter 26 that Jesus Christ's response was friend. Why did you come here?

Do what you have decided to do. Jesus the gentleman friend why did you come here? Here's a kiss of betrayal. Judas as smooth as silk. Do you know anyone like that who can kill with kindness?

Do you know anyone who may do a good deed of kindness to simply deceive you? Jesus is here and Judas is betraying him with a kiss no less. And so you know the rest of the story. The chief priests and the scribes and the elders and they came and they laid hands on Jesus and they carry him away and now six trials are going to begin.

Three Jewish trials and three Roman trials and that will be the subject of the message the next message in the series when I speak about Jesus on trial for us. Judas goes to the chief priests and says I betrayed him to you give me the money. So they give him 30 pieces of silver. Oh silver. I don't know how much silver was worth on the common market in those days. I don't know what it was on the Middle East Dow Jones industrial average but thank God for some silver. Hedge against inflation. Times are tough.

It's a little more than you need but it's always good to have some for a rainy day. He gets his silver and the heart of Judas is glad I've got my money. But then he hears that Jesus has been condemned and he begins to think back over what he had done. And he's full of remorse. He knows right well he has betrayed innocent blood.

He knows right well that he's stepped over a line here to be in a man's inner circle for three years. This man for three full years working with him, praying with him, doing miracles with him and now betraying him. The Bible says that somehow money loses its luster doesn't it? When you're filled with remorse and guilt. And so the scripture says that Judas takes the money and he goes back to the people who gave it to them and he throws it into the treasury and they say why are you doing that? We don't care what's happened to you.

Isn't that interesting? They were his friends as long as the agreement was being reached but when the agreement was over the people didn't care at all for Judas. And then in desperation not knowing where to turn because his remorse was so great he did what 30,000 Americans do every year.

He committed suicide. Why Judas? Why does God put a person like Judas in the Bible? Judas actually is a prototype of every human being.

He's a picture of you and me. Forget the impression that Judas somehow wasn't human. He was us.

Not sure if that's right grammar but he was one of us. The fact is that none of us is as good inside as we purport to others to be outside. We're all hypocritical. We all have the potential for great evil within our hearts so let's not point our finger at Judas but let us learn from him. My friend today what a lesson regarding our consciences. Now all of us have a conscience but interestingly our conscience does not convict us before we sin. It only convicts us after we sin.

Apparently the conscience of Judas was not working at all when he betrayed Jesus but after he betrayed Jesus he began to realize what he had done and his conscience smote him and his remorse led him to suicide. Tremendous lessons here. Let me ask you a question. Are you willing to help us as we get the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world? As a matter of fact right now running to win is in 50 different countries in seven different languages. Why can we do this?

Well it's because of people just like you. Would you take out time to investigate what it means to become an endurance partner? Here's what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com and when you're there you click on the endurance partner button and you'll get the info or you can call us right now at 1-888-218-9337. I encourage you right now go to rtwoffer.com click on the endurance partner button.

You can write to us at running to win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard Chicago Illinois 60614. Erwin Lutzer introducing Jesus Betrayed for Us. The second message in a series called For Us. Next time more on how the Jews plotted with the Romans to snatch Jesus and put him on the cross. This is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.