Would you turn with me in your
Bibles to John Chapter 13? Tonight, we're going to look
at Hebrews Chapter 2, verses 1 through 3, and I'm preaching
on this subject, drifting away. Drifting away. I don't want to do that. And
I want to remind you that next week, We're going to have a church
dinner together and fellowship together after the morning service,
and we won't be having evening services that week. John, Chapter 13. Verse two. And supper being ended. the devil having now put into the heart
of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him. I've entitled this message, Judas
Iscariot. Now, I don't remember ever having
preached on this subject before. Maybe I have, but I can't remember
if I have. Here is the name that will always
be associated with infamy. Now, what comes to your mind
when you think of the name Judas? Betrayal. Deceit. Treachery. greed. That's what comes to our mind
when we even hear his name, Judas Iscariot. He was the one who
betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver. Now, that's not that much money,
but that's how he valued Christ himself. And it was prophesied
in the Old Testament in Zechariah chapter 11 verses 11 through
13, that that is exactly what he'd sell the Lord Jesus Christ
for. Verse two, once again, John chapter
13 and supper being ended, the devil having now put into the
heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him. Now, I've got a question. Was Judas a helpless pawn in
the devil's hand doing what fate had already determined for him
to do? I want to ask you that question
again. I want you to think about it. Was Judas a helpless pawn
in the devil's hand. It says the devil put in his
heart to betray the Lord Jesus. Was Judas a helpless pawn in
the devil's hand doing what fate had already determined to be
done? Now that's a fair question. What
does the Bible teach? Let's pick up reading in verse
18 of John chapter 13. The Lord says, I speak not of
you all. I know whom I have chosen. But that the Scripture may be
fulfilled, he that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel
against me. Now, the Lord quotes Psalm 41
9. This was determined that Judas
would do this. It was determined. And this happened
that the scripture might be fulfilled. Now, he says, verse 19. Now,
I tell you, before it come, before it happens, this treachery, this
betrayal, that when it has come to pass, you may believe that
I am. I'm God that I am. Remember that when he says, I
am who is I am. I am that I am. That's God's
name. He says, you're going to know
that I'm God. I control. I determine. I know. Everything. He says in verse
20, barely, barely, I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever
I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that
sent me. When Jesus had thus said, he
was troubled. In spirit. And testified and
said, barely, barely, I say unto you that one of you. Shall betray
me. Then the disciples looked on
one another, doubting whom he spake. Now there was leaning
on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved, Simon Peter,
therefore, beckoned to him that he should ask who it should be
of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast
saith unto him, Lord, who is it? 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 and after the
soft Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him that
thou doest do quickly. Now, no man at the table knew
for what intent he spake this unto them, for some of them thought
because Judas had the bag, he was the treasurer, that Jesus
had said unto them, buy those things that we have need of against
the feast or that he should give something to the poor. He then,
having received the sop, went immediately out, and it was night. And oh, what a night it was. What darkness at this time. Now, did you notice in verse
27, then said Jesus unto him, unto Judas Iscariot, that thou
doest. That thou doest. Do it quickly. Turn to Acts chapter one, a few
pages over, Peter recounts what took place. Verse 15. This is after the resurrection
of Christ. And in those days, Peter stood up in the midst of
the disciples and said the number of the names together were about
120 men and brethren. This scripture must needs have
been fulfilled which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake
before concerning Judas. Which was guide to them that
took Jesus for he Judas was numbered with us. and had obtained part
of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field
with the reward of his iniquity and falling headlong he burst
asunder in the midst and all of his bowels gushed out and
was known unto all the dwellers of Jerusalem insomuch that the
field was called in the proper tongue at Keldama, that is to
say, the field of blood, for it's written in the book of Psalms,
let his habitation be desolate and let no man dwell therein
in his bishopric or his office. Let another take. You see, everything
that took place was already mapped out in scriptures. Everything.
Right down to the most minute detail. Look at verse 24, and
they pray. This is when they're trying to
find somebody to take Judas' place. And they prayed and said,
Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether
of these two thous chosen, that he may take part of this ministry
and apostleship from which Judas, by transgression, by his own
wicked act, fell, that he might go to his own place. And that
You know that phrase that he might go to his own place. We
only read that one at a time in the Bible. And it was said
regarding Balaam that he went to his own place. Judas went
to his own place. Balaam went to his own place.
But wasn't this determined for Judas to do? Wasn't it determined
by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God for this
to happen? Yes, it was. Look in Luke 22. I'm going to
ask you to look at several scriptures to set this up. Luke 22. Verse 21. But behold. Luke 22, 21, but
behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on this
table and truly The Son of Man goeth as it was what? What? Determined. But woe unto that
man by whom he is betrayed. And they began to inquire among
themselves which of them it was that should do this thing. You see, it was determined by
God for Judas to do this. It happened that the Scriptures
might be fulfilled. There's no way it would not happen. But what Judas did, he did freely. And uncoerced. He did what he
wanted to do. He wasn't forced to do this. He did what he wanted to do. Now listen to me real carefully.
All God has to do is take his hand off me or you and let us
do what we want to do and we will do exactly what Judas did. Everybody in this room. Judas did what he wanted to do. Uncoerced. It's not like God
shoved him into this. He did what he wanted to do And
he did what God determined before for him to do. Both those things
are true, aren't they? God's absolute sovereignty. He
did neither more or less than the will of God. It was God's
purpose for him to do this. And he did exactly what he wanted
to do and was completely responsible for his actions. Now, look in
Luke. Let me let me show you this from
the scripture. Look, look in Luke chapter twenty three regarding
the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Luke chapter twenty three. Beginning in verse. Twenty. Pilate, therefore, willing to
release Jesus, spake again to them, but they cried, saying,
Crucify him! Crucify him! And he said unto them the third
time, Why, what evil hath he done? I found no cause of death
in him. I will therefore chastise him
and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring
that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of
the chief priests prevailed, and Pilate gave sentence that
it should be as they required, and he released unto them Him
that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, talking
about Barabbas, whom they had desired, but he delivered Jesus
to what? To their will. That is exactly what they wanted
to be done. Now turn to Acts chapter 4. Acts
chapter 4. Verse 27. for of a truth against
thy holy child Jesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod and
Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were
gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined
before to be done. Now here we have, regarding the
same action, the crucifixion of Christ, God's absolute sovereignty. Everything they did was determined
by God before to be done. Every wicked act, when that soldier
took the spear and thrust it into his side, it was done because
God said his side would be pierced in Psalm 22. Everything that
happened, happened according to his determined counsel. And
what these men did, it was what they wanted to do. Uncoerced, freely, they hated
me without a cause. Now both of these statements
are equally true. Men do what God ordained for
them to do. There's not even a blink of my
eye that is outside of the control of God. God do what men ordain
for them to do, and men do exactly what they want to do. What do you do? You do what you
want to do. That's true regarding every one of your actions. Every
one of my actions, we do what we want to do. Can I reconcile
God's sovereignty and man's responsibility? I don't have to reconcile them.
They're not at odds. They're not at odds. But I know
this. I don't understand God's sovereignty
if I don't believe in human responsibility, that I am responsible for my
own actions. You see, as a matter of fact,
if I don't believe I'm responsible for my own actions, I'm never
going to confess my sin before God. I'll be just like what we
read about in Genesis chapter 3, which either, I guess is back
in Adam. He said, the woman that you gave
me, she gave me the fruit and I did eat. The implication being,
if you wouldn't have given me this woman, it wouldn't have
taken place. Therefore, ultimately, this is
your fault. It's your fault this took place. If you wouldn't have
given me this woman, I would have been okay. It is only when
I own my own responsibility for my sin, it's all my fault. It's
all my fault. I can't blame anybody else. It's
only then when I truly confess my sin. Listen to this. If I end up in hell, if I am
not saved, It's all my fault. I can't say it's because God
wouldn't save me or because Christ. If I go to hell, it's because
of my sin. And if I'm saved, it's all God's
fault. If I'm damned, it's all my fault.
If I'm saved, it's all God's fault. When the devil put that
in Judas' heart, Judas merely did what he wanted to do. And I repeat, all the Lord has
to do is leave your eye alone and we'll act just like Judas. And if you don't see this about
yourself, you're blind to who you really are. You're just blind.
I'm sure of that. Now Judas looked like the other
disciples. He held the office. of a treasure. He's the one who held the bag.
He preached. He performed miracles. Peter
said he was numbered with us and obtained a part of this ministry. You know, when the Lord Jesus
Christ washed the feet of his disciples, you know, Judas was
one of the people whose feet was being washed. And none of
the disciples suspected It was Judas, obviously, as a matter
of fact, you'd think they would have all known when the Lord
gave him that saw, but they had such a high opinion of Judas,
they just automatically assumed he was going out to give something
to the poor or maybe get something for the feast. They had no clue
that Judas was the man. Now, in our text in John, chapter
13, would you turn back there? When Jesus had thus said he was
troubled in spirit, Now, he knew Judas was going
to do this, and yet he was troubled in spirit. This was the betrayal
of a friend. Now, I don't understand this.
You'd think the Lord would... As a man, how troubled would
you be if your best friend betrayed you? Someone who was truly a
friend and they dealt treacherously with you and turned you over?
Our Lord was troubled by this. It was ordained that it should
have happened. You can read about it in Psalm 41, 9. Yet, our Lord
was troubled. He was troubled in spirit and
testified and said, Barely I say unto you that one of you shall
betray me. Now, Judas appeared to be a disciple. But there are several things
in his life that give us some intimation that there's problems
with this man. I want us to consider those. You know, the little things
point to the big things. And he that's not faithful in
that which is least, he's not going to be faithful in the big
things either. And he that's faithful in the little things,
he will be faithful in the big things also. Now, the Lord said
in no uncertain terms that Judas was a devil. Turn back to John
chapter 6, verse 70. Jesus answered, then have not
I chosen you twelve? And one of you is a devil. He spake of Judas Iscariot, the
son of Simon, for he it was that should betray him, being one
of the twelve. Now, the Lord says in no uncertain
terms regarding Judas, he's a devil. And this statement was made two
years before the crucifixion. This happened around the Passover,
exactly two years before the crucifixion. Now, as I said,
there are things about Judas that expose this character. Look
in John chapter 12. Judas was a critic. Verse three. Then took Mary a
pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly. and anointed the
feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house
was filled with the odor of the ointment. Then saith one of his
disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,
why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and
given to the poor?" What a waste of money! Think how many people
could have been served if they would have just taken this money
and given it to the poor. And she's wasted this. Wasted
it, breaking it. on the Lord's feet. What a waste
of money for a smell. He was a critic. He judged this
woman's actions in a very negative way. He was a critic. Look what
he said in verse 6. This he said, not that he cared
for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag and bare what
was put therein. Then said Jesus, and he was talking
to Judas, let her alone. Against the day of my burying.
Has she kept this? For the poor always you have
with me, but me you have not always. Now both Matthew and
Luke tell us that this is what precipitated Judas's betrayal.
Turn with me to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew 26. Verse 9, For this ointment might have
been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood
it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought
a good work. upon me, for you have the poor
always with you, but me you have not always. For when that she
hath poured this ointment on my body, she hath done it for
my burial, verily I say unto you, wheresoever the gospel shall
be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this
woman hath done, be told for her, for a memorial of her, then
one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, He went to the chief
priests and said to them, what will you give me? I'll deliver
him unto you. I've had it. This is the straw that breaks
the camel's back. You see, Judas just didn't get
it as to how something can be done solely for the glory of
Christ. He just didn't get it. He saw
no purpose in this. And you know, John tells us plainly
that he was a thief. Obviously, he stole money that
didn't belong to him. He embezzled funds. He was a
covetous, greedy, grasping man. And Judas was an insincere man.
You're still there in Matthew 26. I want you to see this passage
of Scripture, Matthew chapter 26. Judas was a very insincere
man. Let's begin reading in verse
20. Now, when the evening was come,
he sat down with the twelve, Judas included, and as they did
eat, he said, Verily, I say unto you that one of you shall betray
me. And they were exceeding sorrowful and began every one of them to
say unto him, Lord. Is it I? I wonder how many of
us would have this attitude. If I looked at this congregation
or if the Lord looked at this congregation, me too, just the
whole bunch of us and said one person in here is going to betray
me. Who's the first person you would
suspect? I betcha you'd think, is it so-and-so? I always thought it. Or would you think? Me? Who would you suspect? Let's
go on reading. And he answered and said, He
that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray
me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him, but woe unto
the man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. It had been better
for that man if he had not been mourned. Then Judas, which betrayed
him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He had already determined
he was going to do it. But he knew exactly what to say.
He heard all the other disciples say, Is it I? And he started
aping them. He knew what to say. Master,
is it I? But I want you to notice a very
critical difference between what the rest of the disciples said
and what Judas said. The rest of the disciples said,
Lord, Lord, is it I? Judas said, Master. That means teacher. Teacher,
one to inform me. Teacher, is it I? Do you know
something? Judas never called Christ Jesus.
He never once called him Lord. You know why? Jesus Christ wasn't
his Lord. He knew nothing of the Lordship
of Jesus Christ. He knew nothing of what it is
to bow before the Lord Jesus Christ as the sovereign Lord
of the universe and as His Lord. Now, I can tell who your Savior
is by who your Lord is. And that's really the only way
I can tell who your Savior is. Who's your Lord? Yes, He is Teacher. You know, he said in John chapter
13, you call me master and Lord and you say, well, for so I am.
He is our teacher to be believed, but he's our Lord to be obeyed. And Judas Iscariot not one time
ever called him Lord. Judas Iscariot was not a humble
man. He could play the part. Is it I? He could play the part. But I think it's very interesting.
Do you remember how the scripture points out that he betrayed the
Lord Jesus Christ? He betrayed Him with a kiss.
Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss? Where did he kiss
Him? On the cheek. Now, we read of our Lord Jesus
Christ being kissed. But where did everybody else
kiss Him? Kissed His feet. Judas felt like he could kiss
him on the cheek. Unequal. But all the true disciples
kissed his feet. And Judas knew nothing of repentance
toward God. Back to Matthew chapter 27. Verse three. Then Judas, which had betrayed
him, When he saw that he was condemned, he saw he was condemned. He saw that what he did was wrong.
What's it say? He repented. What's the next
word? He repented himself. He changed his mind about his
actions, about himself. This was not repentance toward
God. He repented Himself. His repentance.
You know everybody in the world has repented. Have you ever done
something? Been caught? Been exposed? And
you wish you didn't do it. Oh, I wish I hadn't have done
that. Look at all the trouble I've brought on myself. I've
ruined my reputation. Everybody's going to look down on me because,
oh, I wish I hadn't done it. I've betrayed the innocent blood.
I mean, I'm going to be looked upon in infamy. And He went out
and hanged Himself in despair. His repentance was not toward
God. We read in Acts 20, 21 of repentance toward God. Not just
sorrow over getting exposed and getting caught in all the trouble
you bring on yourself, but a true repentance toward God. And what is the evidence of repentance
toward God? Faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. And Judas didn't have any of
that. He just went and hanged himself
in despair. Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot. Now, this is a hard thing to
say, but everything I have said regarding
Judas Iscariot, I have seen in myself. Every one of these descriptions,
a critic Covetous, insincerity, false repentance. While I despise Judas, I cannot
look down my nose at him, and I know that I am worse than him,
apart from the grace of God. Do you believe that about yourself? Like I said before, it's one
thing to believe in the doctrine of total depravity. It's another
thing to believe that you yourself are totally depraved. When you see Judas, what do you
think of yourself? Now let's take Judas and Peter. Judas was the one who betrayed
him, the child of perdition, wicked, evil, ungodly man. No question about that, is there?
Judas was a wicked man. Peter, what about what he did?
Peter, when it came to the pinch, denied that he even knew the
Lord. He said, I know not the man. And he did so with cursing and
swearing to make sure everybody would know he wasn't one of the
disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. One could make a case, one could
make an argument that what Peter did was worse than what Judas
did. Because Peter sinned against
greater love. against greater grace. As a matter
of fact, the sin of a believer is worse than the sin of an unbeliever. It surely is. One could definitely
make the case that what Peter did in denying the Lord the way
he did it was worse than what Judas did. Peter, saved by the
grace of God. a child of perdition. Let's talk about Judas and Peter. I want to ask four questions. If God willed the salvation of
Judas. And. If God willed the salvation
of Peter. What does the will of God have
to do with salvation? The answer is absolutely nothing. If God willed the salvation of
Judas and Peter the same, the will of God doesn't have anything
to do with salvation. The answer must be found in something
in Peter, something Peter did that Judas did not do. Isn't
that so? Second question, if God loved
both of these men, if God loved Judas and if God loved Peter,
what does the love of God have to do with salvation? Peter was
saved. Judas was damned. He's the child
of perdition. Now, if God loved Judas, And
did God love Peter if he loved them both? What does the love
of God have to do with salvation? Absolutely nothing. It's something Peter did that
Judas didn't do. Now, here's the third question. If Jesus Christ died for both
of these men, if the blood of Christ was shed for Judas, who
is in hell, And it was shed for Peter, who's in heaven. What
does the blood of Jesus Christ have to do with salvation? His
blood is meaningless. If he died for both of those
men, and one's saved and one's lost, his blood doesn't have
anything to do with salvation. It's what Peter did. It's Peter's
works. It's what the other fellow, Judas,
didn't do. And if God the Holy Spirit calls
all men the same. If he was calling Judas, if he
was calling Peter, what does the work of the Holy Spirit have
to do with salvation? Absolutely nothing. Now, what I'm saying is the direct
opposite of what this religious world declares. This religious
world declares that God wants everybody to be saved, that God
loves all men, that Jesus Christ died for everybody, and that
God the Holy Spirit is calling upon all men to be saved. Now,
listen to me real carefully. That is nothing more than a bunch
of foolishness, and it makes void the grace of God. Somebody that believes that and
preaches that does not believe or preach the gospel. And that's
so. That's so. Judas and Peter. Now, like I've already said,
I see that in Judas, which I see in myself. I say that to my shame. But it's so. Now, if I'm saved. And Judas is not. Where's the
difference if I say I see in me. That which I say in Judas. There better be a difference
between us somehow. Well, I'm not saying that there's not,
but where's the difference? Well, turn with me to First Corinthians,
Chapter four. First Corinthians, Chapter four. Now, Paul is actually quoting
from Exodus, Chapter 11, When he makes his statement. He says
for who? Not not what? But who? Make it the. To differ. From another. Peter. Who made you to differ
from Judas? I'm sure Peter. is weeping bitterly
over his sin. And I'll guarantee you that Peter
looked at himself to be just as evil as Judas. Maybe more
so. As a matter of fact, I believe
that Peter, after this event, thought he was cut off and reprobated
and there wasn't any hope for him. Because remember when the
Lord rose from the dead, we read in Mark chapter 16 verse 17,
he said, you go tell my disciples and Peter. I guarantee you Peter
didn't believe himself to be a disciple. Not after what he
did. He said, you go tell my disciples, but you make sure
you tell Peter. Who maketh thee to differ from
another, and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? What is the difference between
me and Judas? I want every one of us to ask
ourselves that question. Who is the difference between
me and Jesus? Well, according to this passage
of scripture I just read, who maketh thee to differ from Jesus? I know who made me to differ. God made me to differ. He made the difference. He made the difference
in eternal election when before the foundation of the world He
chose me to be saved. He selected me according as He
hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world that
we should be holy and without blame. God made the difference
in eternal election. Christ made the difference when
He redeemed me on Calvary Street. You don't give me that foolishness
of Christ dying for everybody and wanting to save everybody,
but as to whether or not they're saved, it's up to something they
do with it. That's foolishness. No, when Christ said it is finished,
the salvation of everybody He died for was signed sealed and
delivered. Christ Jesus on Calvary's tree
made the difference. He said in John 17, 9, I pray
for them. I pray not for the world. He didn't pray for everybody,
but for them which thou hast given me. For they are thine. Now let me tell you why I love
this so much. I've got a reason. I've got some selfish intent.
Yes, it glorifies Christ, but if you tell me that he died for
Judas as much as he died for me, you take away the only hope
that this sinner has. Because the only hope that I
have is that Christ Jesus died for me and put away my sin and
I stand without fault before God. That's who made me to differ. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself
in His redeeming work on Calvary's tree. Who made you to differ
from somebody else? God the Holy Spirit. I'll tell
you what, there was a time when I didn't believe, and I do now.
And I know why. It's not because I decided to
believe. It's because God gave me life. I know that so sure.
It's because He gave me faith. There's a time when I didn't
have faith. I do now. And I know why I have it. God
the Holy Spirit birthed me. He gave me life. God is the one
who makes me to differ. You believe that? This is what is called sovereign
Grace. It's just grace. The only kind of grace there
is. Sovereign, distinguishing grace. And if it were not for
that, I would be Judas Iscariot. Now, I want to sing as a closing
hymn, hymn number 452, but I want you to look at the words to this.
It was so such a blessing to me because when we sing this
hymn, I hope we can sing it from the very depths of our heart. I stand amazed in the presence
of Jesus, the Nazarene, and I wonder how he could love me. A sinner, condemned, unclean
for me, it was in the garden. He prayed, not my will, but thine.
He had no tears for his own griefs, but sweat drops of blood for
mine. You see, that's all meaningless
if he did this for everybody, isn't it? In pity, angels beheld
him and came from the world of light to comfort him in the sorrows
he bore for my soul that night. He took my sins and my sorrows
and made them his very own. Now, if he did that for everybody,
that verse is meaningless. But he took my sins and my sorrows. He made them his very own. He
bore the burden to Calvary and suffered and died alone. When,
with the ransomed in glory, his face I at last shall see, it
will be my joy through the ages to sing of his love for me. How marvelous, how wonderful,
and my song shall ever be. How marvelous, how wonderful
is my Savior's love to me. Let's pray. Lord, I ask in Christ's high
and holy name that you would bless this word for your glory
and our good. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
452 will stand and sing. 452. I stand amazed at the presence
of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me, a sinner
who is unclean. How marvelous, how wonderful,
and my song shall ever be! How marvelous, how wonderful,
is my Savior's love for me! For he is God's in the Garden,
he brings out my filled heart. I had no fears for his glory,
I knew at last the blood for mine. How marvellous, how wonderful
had my song ever been! How marvellous, how wonderful
is my song! It is the angel who hailed him
and came from the world of night to comfort him in the sorrows
he bore for my soul at night. How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be How marvellous, how wonderful
is my Saviour's love for me! He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own. He bore the burden of the cow-bring,
And suffered, died alone. How marvelous, how wonderful
that my song shall ever be! How marvelous, how wonderful
is my Savior's love for me! When dreadful acts of inglory
this day I at last shall see, Will you be my joy through the
ages To sing a lullaby for me? How marvelous, how wonderful
Can Christ's love ever be! How marvelous, how wonderful
Is my Savior's love! so