Judas Iscariot

 Acts 1:15-26

Throughout time there has been a number of people that have been scorned and hated by just about everyone.  We might think of cruel dictators over the last hundred years.  Various mass-murderers come to mind.  There is one person who seems to be universally condemned, denounced and hated, and that is Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus the Savior to those who wanted to destroy Him.  No parent ever chooses to name their son Judas, as his name has come to be synonymous with that of the worst of traitors.  As our Scripture passage today mentions Judas Iscariot, the last time he is mentioned in the Bible, let us take a closer look at him and his character.

As our passage opens, the disciples have gathered together in Jerusalem after the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, there to await the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Peter speaks, saying that they must pick another man to take the place of the one who betrayed Jesus, to bring the number back up to twelve.  This brings to our memory that Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve men that Jesus had specifically chosen to be His special disciples and apostles.  What happened in his heart to have him turn on Jesus, and in a way on the other eleven, to betray Him to the High Priest?  Judas may have been chosen to be an apostle, but he was never truly saved.  Like all of the twelve, Judas sat and heard the teachings of Jesus, but unlike the others, in Judas’ case God’s Word fell upon a heart that was hard and closed.  His seeming religiosity was an illusion and sham.  Though he had the same opportunity to accept Jesus as the Messiah and Savior, he never did, and opened the door for Satan to work in and through him.  Jesus knew this and called His betrayer the “son of perdition” (John 17:12), one doomed to damnation and destruction.

Some have falsely believed and taught that Judas had no choice in what happened, but that is not the case.  Judas chose to reject Jesus’ warnings as well as His offers of mercy.  He chose his own fate of hell by rejecting Jesus, just as anyone else who rejects the Savior does.  Judas hardened his heart and joined in the plot with Jesus’ enemies to put him to death.  His reasons may not have been exactly the same as the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin and High Priest’s, as perhaps he wanted to spur Jesus on to be the “political Messiah” many of the Jews wanted, one who would kick the Romans out.  And perhaps he was just greedy for the money they gave him, as the Apostle John recorded that he would help himself to money the twelve had (John 12:5-6).

Judas Iscariot remained unrepentant to the end.  When he saw what his actions led to, he went out and hung himself (Matthew 27:5).  Apparently the tree he chose to hang himself on overlooked a cliff, and the rope or the branch broke, or perhaps the knot slipped, and Judas’ bloated dead body crashed to the rocks below and burst (vs. 18).  Afterwards the Jewish leaders used the money that they had given Judas, and which he had thrown back to them, to purchase that field, which later became known as the Field of Blood, and also the Potter’s Field as the soil had clay in it and was good for making pottery (vs. 19).

Peter wanted to choose another man to replace Judas in the twelve.  He quoted two verses from the Book of Psalms as he felt led to do this, Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8.  When God gives prophecies, they come to pass.  For the successor of the betrayer, Peter said there must be a couple of requirements that needed to be filled in order to be an apostle.  The first requirement for the replacement was that the man had to have followed Jesus throughout His earthly ministry (vs. 21).  The second requirement was that he had to have seen the resurrected Christ (vs. 22).  Of two names that were put forth, Matthias was chosen.

Judas was numbered among the other apostles (vs. 16-17, 25).  He was one of them, not a stranger who did what he did.  That is the sad thing about Judas.  He was so close to Jesus, but never accepted Him as his own personal Savior.  Not everyone who regularly attends church, or even calls themselves a Christian, are really saved.  To look at Judas, one would have thought he was just as much a true disciple as anyone else, yet he committed one of the worst acts of treachery in human history.  When one is exposed to the Gospel, especially as much as Judas was, and yet refuses to believe, one leaves themselves open to Satan in the worst possible way.

What A Friend We Have In Jesus

 John 15:9-17

Most people want to have good friends in their life.  I’m not talking about the so-called “friends” one accrues on Facebook, many of whom we may not even really know, and many of whom don’t really care one way or another about us.  Our heart is seeking a real, true friend to whom we can turn to in both the good and bad times, someone we can share our deepest dreams and secrets with.  Many people are fortunate to find a good friend like this, perhaps more than one, however some are not so blessed.  In our Scripture reading for today from the Gospel of John we read of the best Friend one could ever have.  No one needs to ever go through life all alone, without a friend, if we know this Friend.  Let’s take a look at our passage and meet this Friend.

As we look into this Scripture passage we read that Jesus is calling His followers His friends (vs. 13-15).  Imagine, the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, is calling us His friends!  How many of us can say we have a good friend who is someone of importance politically or in the business world?  Some might, but many don’t.  Jesus is God.  He is Lord and Master, and would have every right to call us servants.  Yet He chooses to call His followers friends.

One thing that many find about some friends is that they can frequently be very fickle.  One day they are your best friend, and then for some reason, the next day they have dropped you like a hot potato and want nothing more to do with you.  Perhaps they betray a confidence you shared with them.  Maybe you trusted them with something, or went into a business partnership with them, and now they have stabbed you in the back.  Whatever the reason they are now no longer your friend, your heart is saddened, and perhaps you feel you can no longer trust anyone again.

Jesus is the best friend we could ever have.  As our eternal Friend, Jesus accepts us.  We know that certainly isn’t the case with so many people.  He knows everything about us and accepts us completely.  Jesus laid down His life on the cross so we could become acceptable.  Sometimes we find that those who say they are our friends are just too busy for us when we have a need.  That is never the case with Jesus.  He is always available, and will always listen to us.  We can always approach Him with any situation.  Jesus will walk through all of our trials with us.  He promises to never leave or forsake His children (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5).

It is painful when a friend we’ve had for many years turns away from us.  That will never happen with Jesus.  He has committed Himself to us as a Friend for life.  This lasts more than a lifetime.  His friendship will last throughout eternity.  He is such a friend that He gave His life for us.  Not many friends will do that for each other, yet Jesus actually did this while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).  One would hope that members of one’s own family would be friends, but again that isn’t always the case, as siblings often turn against one another.  Jesus, though, sticks closer than a brother, and will walk by our side through everything (Proverbs 18:24).

Knowing that the God of all creation wants to be our friend should bring us joy (vs. 11). True joy is not dependent upon our circumstances.  It comes from a consistent relationship with Jesus.  He will help us through all adversities.  God’s Word growing in us will produce increasing and lasting joy.  A lack of joy in a believer’s life can usually be traced to either a lack of studying God’s Word or to disobedience.  When we are close to Jesus, when we have built a relationship together as His friends, we can have His joy.

In closing, I give a few lines from one of my favorite old-time hymns.  If you have the chance, read through the whole hymn to help see what a true Friend we have. 

        “What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!

        What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

        Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear,

        All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!”

The Importance Of Ascension Day

 Acts 1:1-11

When we think of Christian holidays, what’s the first thing that pops into your mind?  Most probably it will be Christmas, and then Easter.  Some might think of Ash Wednesday, maybe Good Friday, or even Pentecost.  But how many people think of Ascension Day?  Some Christians, particularly newer ones, might not know what that day is, and others might go, “Oh yeah, that day when Jesus went back into heaven.  Yeah, I think I’ve heard of that day.”  Many don’t remember that day because they don’t think it’s all that important, which is a mistake.  Ascension Day, which is today, 40 days after Jesus’ resurrection, is important.  Our Scripture reading for today is from the opening verses of the Book of Acts, and describes this momentous event.

Some people might think that the Ascension of Jesus back into heaven was no big deal.  They feel that Jesus rose from the dead, spent a little time with His friends, and then went on back to His home in heaven, no big deal.  Yet it was a big deal.  It was an important event.  In former days, when a king was triumphant in battle against the enemy, an important and symbolic event was that the king would triumphantly return to his capital, to his throne.  That signified that he was victorious.  He was not defeated.  The throne and the power were still his.  For a while Satan might have thought that he had the upper hand when Jesus’ enemies had finally captured Him, and they had Him crucified.  His enemies and Satan thought that He was finished, defeated.  But they were wrong.  Three days later Jesus triumphantly rose from the dead!  They were the ones defeated!  When Jesus ascended up through the sky and into heaven, He went right through where Satan, as prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), and his demons still work and operate.  Jesus returned to His throne in triumph.

Another reason that the Ascension is important is that it was essential that Jesus return to heaven in order for the Holy Spirit to be sent (John 16:7).  If Jesus had stayed on earth, His physical presence would have limited the spread of the Gospel, because physically Jesus could only be in one place at a time.  After Jesus was taken up into heaven, He would be spiritually present everywhere through the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit was sent so that God would be with and within His followers after Jesus returned to heaven.

Jesus promised numerous times that He would send the Holy Spirit, and it was also one of His last words given to the disciples (vs. 4).  The disciples had to wait until the Day of Pentecost before the Holy Spirit did come, but ever since then all believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit at the time of their salvation.  Every believer, from the moment they are saved, are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 3:16), and sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).  Now as Jesus repeats this promise, He tells them that a major reason for the Holy Spirit’s empowerment is to spread the Gospel message around the world (vs. 8).  That is still our commission to this day!

As Luke, who wrote the Book of Acts, tells us at the opening of this passage, prior to the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, He gave “many infallible proofs” that He had indeed risen from the dead (vs. 3).  Many people have tried to discount the historical authenticity of the resurrection.  They have said that the disciples stole His body away from the grave and then presented an empty grave as fake evidence.  Or they say that Jesus’ good message lives on, even though He is still dead.  Some said that it was hallucinations the disciples saw.  However Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples and other believers numerous times.  He ate and drank with them, which no ghost could do.  At one time Jesus was seen by over 500 believers at one time (I Corinthians 15:6).  They all saw the wounds which He had received at the crucifixion.

Now, in full view of many of His followers, Jesus was bodily taken up into heaven (vs. 9).  He was physically taken up into heaven to His rightful place at the right hand of the Father.  Jesus Christ one day will return to earth in the same way He ascended in the clouds (vs. 11).  The next time Jesus will be physically seen, His next appearance on earth, will be at His Second Coming.  We should be ready for Jesus’ sudden return (I Thessalonians 5:2), not standing around, but working diligently to share the Gospel so that others will be saved.

God Loves Us. We Should Love Others.

 I John 4:7-16

We hear a lot about love in the world today, but lately we see a lot more hate.  Unfortunately this is sometimes also true in the church and among Christians. And the so-called love that we see is one that falls under the world’s faulty and skewed definition of love, not the kind of love that is described in the Bible.  The Apostle John spoke often of true, godly Christian love in his epistles.  In our New Testament reading for this week we will take another look at the kind of love that God has for us, and which we should have both for Him in return, and for our Christian brothers and sisters.

When we think of God, one of the first characteristics that should come to mind is that God is love, and how that love is shown forth to us each and every day.  God is the essence of love.  Love is inherent in all He is and all He does.  Some people might first think of God as an angry and wrathful deity.  However even His judgment and wrath are perfectly harmonized with His love.

Those who are truly born again should exhibit the characteristic habit of love for others, especially to their fellow Christians (vs. 7-8).  When we are saved we receive God’s nature.  Love is a major characteristic of that nature.  Because of that, we should always be reflecting that love.  We need to reflect Jesus’ loving character in our behavior and attitude.  Someone who professes to be a Christian, but who is filled with hate for others, especially if they are exhibiting hate towards a fellow believer, does not truly know God.  Scripture clearly says here that if someone does not have love for others he does not know God.

The Bible says “God is love”.  It does not say “Love is God”.  The world has turned this around.  It has a shallow and selfish view of love.  The world believes it is alright to sacrifice moral principles and other’s rights to obtain its view of love.  Real love, though, patterns itself after God.

Love is a choice and an action.  God is the source of our love.  He sent His Son to die for us.  Jesus is our example of what it means to love.  Everything that He did in life and in death was supremely loving.  It is through the work of the Holy Spirit in our life that we have the power to truly love others in the manner that God does.  God showed sacrificial love for us in sending His Son to die for our sins (vs. 9).  We should show sacrificial love for others, as well.  Usually we are not called upon to give up our lives for others, though sometimes some may do that.  However, we need to be willing to give up our comforts for others if and when needed.  We, as believers and followers of Jesus, need to follow God’s pattern of sacrificial love for others (vs. 11).

We didn’t love God first.  That is often very obvious, as many believers first had anger, or at the least a great indifference towards God.  God loved us first by giving His Son as a propitiation (an appeasement or satisfaction) for our sins (vs. 10).  Jesus Christ’s shed Blood satisfied the demands of God’s holy justice and wrath against sin.

Jesus is the complete expression of God in human form, and He has revealed God to us.  When we love one another, God reveals Himself to others through us (vs. 12).  Since Jesus is no longer bodily here, the only demonstration of God’s love in this age is through the Church.  Love originated in God, was manifested in His Son, and is demonstrated through His people when they allow the Holy Spirit to work through them.

As stated earlier, God’s very nature is love.  That love is the reason He provided our salvation at His own great expense, at the life of His Son Jesus (vs. 16).  For this reason people need to know that God loves us.  Just as the father forgave his prodigal son when he returned in repentance (Luke 15:11-32), God is always ready to forgive us, no matter what we’ve done, if we turn to Him.  God loves us!

Victorious King Jesus

 Psalm 47

In past eras of history, when there were wars between countries, the king would ride out to battle with his armies.  We usually don’t see that today.  The head of state might make a visit to their troops, but with rare exceptions, he does not take part in any battles.  However, that was almost always done in the past.  If the king stayed at home, safe and secure in his palace, he might have been branded a coward.  Seeing their king right there with them gave the troops courage to fight bravely for their leader and country.  When the battle was over, the victorious king would return home, riding into the capitol at the head of his troops, and receive a rousing welcome from all of his citizens.  Our psalm today is one that speaks of Yahweh as a victorious king, and king of not only Israel, but of the whole world.  Let’s take a quick look into this psalm, appropriate for the week celebrating the Ascension.

As our psalm opens, we see the people singing forth their praises to God with all their voices.  It pictures that king, returning in triumph to his people, and the crowds cheer and clap their hands for him (vs. 1, 5-7).   There have been some very large empires throughout history, the Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire, the British Empire to name some prominent ones.  However none of them ever ruled over the whole earth.  As we read in verse 2 we see that Yahweh is the great King over all of the earth.  There isn’t a corner of this world, not a single country or place that He isn’t the ultimate ruler.  Though we don’t see this expressed, God is the King of this world.  It all belongs to Him, whether the people acknowledge His lordship or not.  There is coming a day when Jesus will return, and He will enforce His rule over the whole world.  He will reign over all nations, seated upon His throne (vs. 8).

Throughout history this world has seen many cruel rulers, many despots.  They are cruel to their own people, and if given an opportunity, will expand their rule to other countries where they show cruelty to other people, as well.  No one willingly sings praises to these rulers.  This will not be the case with the Lord God.   As we read throughout this psalm, the people are rejoicing in the rule of the Lord God.  The tyrants of the past are not loved, but Yahweh is loved by His children.

Soldiers throughout history would frequently carry shields for protection, in addition to any armor they wore.  One man would be assigned to carry the flag of the country and king, but often the country and king’s colors or symbols would also be painted on the shields.  This would make it plain exactly who had their allegiance.  The victorious king would not only seek to gain the enemy’s flag, but also gain control over all the soldiers, over their shields, so to speak.  When a soldier lost his shield, he was in great danger, so the enemy would often try to knock the shields down, or take out the shield bearer.  In verse 9 we read that the shields of the earth belong to God.  Those of us who belong to Him, who are His children, have His ensign upon our shields.  Yahweh will get the victory over each of His enemies.  He will get their shields, and bring them into submission.

In verse 4 we read that God has chosen our inheritance.  When the descendants of Jacob finally came into the Promised Land, after being in the wilderness for forty years, the land was divided up by tribes, and each family was given a portion of land which became their inheritance.  This was an inheritance that had been promised to them since the time of Abraham.  This was a good inheritance, not a plot of land in the desert or in a swamp.  God has promised to each of His children, to those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, an even better inheritance.  We can trust Him to choose for us something wonderful.  As Paul said, what God has prepared for us will be beyond what we’ve ever seen or heard about (I Corinthians 2:9).

In closing, this is a good psalm to proclaim the Kingship of Jesus with Ascension Day this Thursday.  On Ascension Day Jesus returned back into heaven to be seated upon His throne at the right hand of God the Father.  He was bodily taken up into the sky, into the clouds, in the sight of His disciples.  In verse 5 we read that God is gone up with a shout and the sound of trumpets.  Shouts and trumpets signify the victory a king has over his enemies.  The Ascension was a victorious moment for Jesus.  He has the victory over Satan.  Let us sing God’s praises as we celebrate His victory!

We Need A Helper

 John 14:15-21

You’ve just been given a big assignment at work or in one of your classes at school, and you find that it’s beyond your level.  You just don’t have the capability to complete the task properly.  Maybe you are brand new on the job or in the class, and you need someone to help you.  Not feeling qualified for a task can give someone a rather sinking feeling, especially when that job needs to be done.  You need someone to come alongside you to help and teach you what you need to know to accomplish what you need to in order to complete that task.  Followers of Jesus have an important assignment to bring the Gospel to the whole world, yet knowing that He would no longer be physically present with us, Jesus promised us just such a Helper as we would need.  In our Gospel reading for today we read the promise Jesus made to us for the Helper we need.

Just hours before His crucifixion, Jesus spent some time with the Apostles, teaching and instructing them, preparing them for the task that would face them after He returned to heaven.  One promise that Jesus made was that after His ascension back to heaven, He would send them the Holy Spirit. Jesus prayed that God would send “another”, someone of the same kind, someone like Himself who would take His place and do His work (vs. 16).  The Holy Spirit is the 3rd Person of the Trinity, having the same deity as Jesus and God the Father.  The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God within all believers, helping us live as God wants, and building Christ’s church on earth.

The Greek word used in verse 16, that Jesus uses to describe the Holy Spirit is “parakletos”, which means an advocate, an intercessor, someone called to be a helper, an assistant, a consoler and comforter.  He is an advocate, called alongside for aid in times of trouble.  The Holy Spirit is our helper, our counselor, our comforter.  He is on our side, working for and with us.  The Holy Spirit is there to encourage, exhort, and help us.

Jesus promised this Helper to come to His followers, those who have accepted Him as their personal Savior.  He will take up permanent residence in all believers, all Christians.  The Holy Spirit will be with us forever (vs. 16).  The world at large cannot accept Him, but He lives with and in us (vs. 17).  When we feel that the task we have at hand for the Lord seems insurmountable, when we feel inadequate for the job, when we are opposed on every side, we do not need to fear.  The Holy Spirit is right there with us and is in us.  He is our Teacher, our Intercessor, our Helper.

The Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of Truth (vs. 17).  He is the source of truth, and communicates truth to believers.  Today we wonder who we can believe any more.  The news media can’t be relied upon to give us the truth, neither newspapers, magazines, or television news.  We all know that we cannot trust that the truth will come from any politicians.  So where can we find the truth?  The truth comes from God alone, and through His Word, the Bible.  Apart from the Holy Spirit one cannot know God’s truth.

We may feel deserted or opposed by family or others.  We may feel all alone, and not know where or to whom we can turn to.  If we are believers and God’s children, we can know that we are never alone.  God has sent us His Spirit to be with us and in us.  Knowing God’s intimate presence gives us confidence in the middle of trouble.  Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the power that Jesus demonstrated while on earth prevails in those who now call upon Him for aid.  The believer is secure in Christ, and Christ is in God (vs. 20).

As the Apostle John closes up this passage of Scripture, Jesus tells us that if we say that we love God, we are to show it by obeying what He says in His Word (vs. 21).  Love for Jesus Christ is inseparable from obedience (vs. 15).  It does not matter how many times we read through the Bible, it does not matter how many Bible verses we memorize, or how many classes of theology we’ve taken, if we aren’t obeying God it won’t matter.  What does matter is obeying and keeping God’s Word.

We can rejoice that if we’ve accepted Jesus as our Savior, we now have the Holy Spirit to come alongside us to help and teach us, indwelling us every minute of every day of our life.  We do not need to fear that we are on our own as orphans.  And if we love Jesus, we need to obey His Word and keep His commandments.

Love In Action

 I John 3:14-23

When most people hear the word “love”, they think of the warm, romantic feeling we get when we think of someone we’re “in love” with.  Holding hands as you walk down the beach, hugs and kisses, candlelit dinners, Valentine’s Day, etc.  These are all associated with that feeling of love.  The Bible speaks a lot about love.  Is it talking about kisses and sweet-talk, romantic cards, and bouquets of flowers?  Our Scripture passage today from one of the Apostle John’s epistles speaks of loving one another.  John spoke more about love in this book of the Bible than anyone else.  Let’s see what he has to say.

As we read through the Bible, we find out that Biblical love is not a sentimental feeling.  It’s not talking about that feeling of being “in love” with the boy or girl next door and blowing kisses across the room.  It is a description of specific actions.  Love is showing action, not just feelings which come and go on a whim.  Many of us might know a man or woman who says they love their spouse and family, but not provide for their needs, spending their paychecks on themselves while there’s no food in the house and the children are outgrowing their clothes.  Then there are ones who might not talk a lot about love, but their hard-working actions truly show they do.  As we see in our Scripture passage, love is action.

As the Apostle John begins this passage, he speaks of death and life (vs. 14).  Death and life symbolize unbelief and saving faith.  One who is truly saved will no longer remain in his old sinful nature, which has died.  When we become a Christian, we turn from death to life, and should also turn from hate to love.  A lack of love would show that one is still spiritually dead.

In verse 15 John echoes the teaching that Jesus gave, that whoever hates another is a murderer at heart (Matthew 5:21-22).  Outward compliance alone is not enough.  Bitterness against another will destroy us (Hebrews 12:15).  How we treat our fellow Christian brothers and sisters says something about whether we are remaining in death or rather are standing in God’s light.

The standard for our love is God’s love in Christ, who died for us (vs. 16-17).  This love is tangible.  God’s love is active, sacrificial, and life-giving.  We must love the same way with selfless, sacrificial giving.  Someone who claims this love, and sees someone in need, particularly a fellow believer, but does nothing to help, does not have the love of God in them at all.  Mature faith is seen in actions.  Genuine Christian love for those in need is demonstrated, not in words, but by one’s actions.

It is questionable if God’s love is present if a believer has no love or caring for his Christian brothers and sisters (vs. 17).   Showing an indifference to another’s needs is a sign of being spiritually dead.  True Christian love is to help those in need.  James says the same thing in his epistle (James 2:14-17).

Claiming to love is not enough (vs. 18).  Love shows itself in deeds.  Jesus did not love just with words.  He loved with His actions and His deeds.  Jesus cared for the people He met.  We should show by our actions that we care for each other, show by acts of kindness, being supportive, helping each other whenever we can.  Christians need to put their faith into action.  A lifestyle of love in action is a demonstrable proof of salvation (vs. 19).  God sees and knows, not only our actions, but also our motives and intentions behind our actions (vs. 20-21).

As John concludes this Scripture passage he assures us that our prayers will be answered if we obey and do what pleases God (vs. 22-23).  This is because when we are obeying His Word, we will then be asking in line with God’s will.  As John has clearly pointed out, it is so important to God that we show our love for our Christian brothers and sisters, and the world in general as well, with action and not just talk.