1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:05,680 Well, we come today to the last of our series, Deck Chairs on the Titanic, and I want us to 2 00:00:05,680 –> 00:00:10,960 look at the story of a man in the Bible who really took the ultimate plunge to disaster. 3 00:00:11,680 –> 00:00:18,000 I’m referring, of course, to Judas, the disciple who betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 00:00:18,000 –> 00:00:23,200 and I want to suggest to you a little later on that that was not the worst thing that he did. 5 00:00:23,760 –> 00:00:30,240 It’s easy for us to picture Judas as some kind of a dark-eyed villain, 6 00:00:31,040 –> 00:00:34,160 but the truth is that actually he was a man very much like us. 7 00:00:35,439 –> 00:00:40,880 If you had been asked to guess at the time which of the disciples would betray Jesus, 8 00:00:40,880 –> 00:00:41,919 you would never have known. 9 00:00:42,720 –> 00:00:46,400 And when Jesus said to his disciples in a group around the table 10 00:00:46,400 –> 00:00:49,919 that one of you will betray me, they all said Lord, is it? 11 00:00:49,919 –> 00:00:52,160 I? None of them said Lord, is it Judas? 12 00:00:52,880 –> 00:00:54,400 They would never have guessed. 13 00:00:55,200 –> 00:00:58,480 There was something desperately wrong in Judas’ heart, 14 00:00:58,480 –> 00:01:00,160 but there were only two people who knew. 15 00:01:00,160 –> 00:01:03,279 One was Judas and the other was Jesus. 16 00:01:04,080 –> 00:01:08,160 So I want to tell Judas’ story in three very simple snapshots, 17 00:01:08,160 –> 00:01:12,879 and then to move from there to the reason that we can have hope today. 18 00:01:14,480 –> 00:01:17,360 Number one, I want you to notice that Judas was a man 19 00:01:17,360 –> 00:01:20,800 who was given incredible, incredible privileges. 20 00:01:21,680 –> 00:01:27,519 Think about this, he actually physically walked with Jesus Christ. 21 00:01:28,239 –> 00:01:32,559 He was invited by Jesus to be one of the twelve most intimate, 22 00:01:32,559 –> 00:01:39,599 close associates, his personal companions, or the word that Jesus used, his friends. 23 00:01:40,480 –> 00:01:44,239 Remember that the first reason that Jesus called the twelve to follow him, 24 00:01:44,239 –> 00:01:47,440 according to Mark’s gospel, was not to do ministry, 25 00:01:47,440 –> 00:01:52,160 the first reason he called them was that they should be with him. 26 00:01:52,879 –> 00:01:59,040 He was looking for friendship, he sought companionship, and he chose Judas. 27 00:01:59,919 –> 00:02:08,240 Jesus liked this man, Jesus loved this man, Jesus enjoyed this man’s company. 28 00:02:09,039 –> 00:02:19,600 Jesus would have smiled and shared many stories, many special moments with Judas. 29 00:02:21,199 –> 00:02:29,279 Not only was he one who walked with Jesus, but he was one who was trusted with responsibility. 30 00:02:30,080 –> 00:02:36,080 Judas was the one who managed the money for the group of disciples. Donations were given 31 00:02:36,080 –> 00:02:40,960 to sustain Jesus and the disciples in their ministry, and they were handled by Judas. 32 00:02:41,759 –> 00:02:47,199 And we can assume that Jesus gave this important job to Judas for the simple reason that he was 33 00:02:47,199 –> 00:02:52,880 the person best equipped to do it. I mean, if you think about it, if you had made Peter the treasurer, 34 00:02:52,880 –> 00:02:56,720 he would have been so impulsive. He would have blown the whole fund on one impulsive project, 35 00:02:56,720 –> 00:03:02,559 wouldn’t he? And John was so compassionate that he would have given it all away 36 00:03:02,559 –> 00:03:09,279 when seeing one immediate need! But Judas had the gifts and the temperament to do this very 37 00:03:09,279 –> 00:03:16,639 important job, and Jesus trusted it to him. Thirdly, he had spiritual gifts for ministry. 38 00:03:17,520 –> 00:03:23,199 Matthew tells us – Matthew chapter 10 and verse 1 – that Jesus called the twelve disciples to 39 00:03:23,199 –> 00:03:30,479 him – so the twelve, that includes Judas – and then he says he gave them authority to drive out 40 00:03:30,479 –> 00:03:37,119 evil spirits and to heal disease and sickness of every kind. And then just so that we’re absolutely 41 00:03:37,119 –> 00:03:41,199 clear about who the twelve are, they’re all listed by name in Matthew 10 and verse 4, 42 00:03:41,199 –> 00:03:47,440 and the last name to be listed there is Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. So here is a man, 43 00:03:47,440 –> 00:03:53,279 as we Build a Picture of Him, who walked with Jesus Christ, who was trusted with responsibility 44 00:03:53,279 –> 00:04:00,160 in the community of believers and was given spiritual gifts for ministry. God used Judas 45 00:04:00,160 –> 00:04:05,839 to release other people from the power of Satan. I have no doubt that there will be people in 46 00:04:05,839 –> 00:04:12,880 heaven who you may talk to one day who would be able to say to you, I came to faith through 47 00:04:13,759 –> 00:04:19,920 the ministry of Judas Iscariot. I have no doubt that there will be such people. 48 00:04:21,679 –> 00:04:22,799 And that should make us think. 49 00:04:22,799 –> 00:04:29,839 See, Judas warns us, about becoming complacent in our privileges. 50 00:04:31,519 –> 00:04:34,079 Are you known to be a follower of Christ? 51 00:04:35,920 –> 00:04:39,600 Let’s have some response on this one. You can just say, yes, okay? 52 00:04:40,720 –> 00:04:43,600 Are you known to be a follower of Jesus Christ? 53 00:04:44,880 –> 00:04:48,959 Okay. Have you been trusted with responsibility in the Church? 54 00:04:49,640 –> 00:04:51,519 Yes. 55 00:04:51,519 –> 00:04:55,760 Has God given you spiritual gifts? 56 00:04:55,760 –> 00:04:58,559 Have you seen evidence of God using your ministry? 57 00:05:01,200 –> 00:05:06,959 We say yes to all of these things, and every one of them were true of Judas. 58 00:05:08,320 –> 00:05:12,160 And yet he took a plunge to disaster. Now, that makes me stop and think. 59 00:05:13,760 –> 00:05:17,359 It makes me ask the question, okay Colin, if that’s true, 60 00:05:18,959 –> 00:05:24,480 and you could say yes to all of these questions, but Judas could say yes to all of these questions 61 00:05:24,480 –> 00:05:30,880 too. And he took a plunge to disaster, but be careful, how could that be? How could that be? 62 00:05:34,239 –> 00:05:39,839 So, let’s come secondly to his choice, a man greatly privileged, a man who made a series of 63 00:05:39,839 –> 00:05:46,720 choices that very clearly took him to the edge of disaster. Now, it’s important for us to grasp 64 00:05:46,720 –> 00:05:52,320 this because there are some people who get themselves all confused as soon as they come 65 00:05:52,320 –> 00:05:58,480 to the character of Judas. They have this idea, oh well, but poor Judas, he couldn’t help himself. 66 00:05:59,279 –> 00:06:03,600 They noticed that the Old Testament prophesied that someone would betray Jesus, 67 00:06:03,600 –> 00:06:07,839 and they draw the conclusion that somehow Judas, uniquely in all human history, 68 00:06:07,839 –> 00:06:12,720 must have been operating under some kind of compulsion that he didn’t have any choice, 69 00:06:12,720 –> 00:06:18,399 that he was kind of born pre-programmed to betray Jesus like a robot, and that his actions were 70 00:06:18,399 –> 00:06:24,079 somehow beyond his control. If you’ve ever thought that, that is a complete misunderstanding of the 71 00:06:24,079 –> 00:06:30,320 Bible story. You need to put that right out of your mind. The story of Judas is not the story 72 00:06:30,320 –> 00:06:36,320 of an unfortunate man who was pre-programmed to betray Jesus. It is the story of a man who was 73 00:06:36,320 –> 00:06:45,040 greatly used by God but lost his way through a series of disastrous choices. A great deal has 74 00:06:45,040 –> 00:06:49,760 been written about why Judas betrayed Jesus. Perhaps he was disillusioned. Perhaps he was 75 00:06:49,760 –> 00:06:53,679 a zealot. Perhaps he wanted Jesus to revolt against Rome and so forth. And all of that 76 00:06:53,679 –> 00:07:01,040 may very well be true, but none of it is stated clearly in the Bible. The Bible only identifies 77 00:07:01,040 –> 00:07:12,959 one issue at the core of Judas betrayal, and that’s money. He was gripped by the power of 78 00:07:12,959 –> 00:07:20,959 money. Turn to John chapter 12, six days before the Passover. We read in John chapter 12 that 79 00:07:20,959 –> 00:07:26,480 Jesus arrived at Bethany, and there was a great dinner that was given in honor of Jesus, and Judas 80 00:07:26,480 –> 00:07:32,320 was there, of course, along with the other disciples. We’re told a beautiful story of how 81 00:07:32,320 –> 00:07:41,760 Mary poured a pint of pure nard, a very expensive perfume, over Jesus. This was a lavish, 82 00:07:42,480 –> 00:07:46,959 beautiful, and wonderful gift. But it was incredibly expensive. 83 00:07:47,679 –> 00:07:52,640 And if you look at verse four of John chapter 12, you’ll see there that Judas became very 84 00:07:52,640 –> 00:07:55,119 frustrated by this. He immediately said, 85 00:07:55,119 –> 00:08:01,440 why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? This was worth a year’s wages, 86 00:08:01,440 –> 00:08:06,559 he says. And then John records he did not say this because he cared about the poor 87 00:08:07,359 –> 00:08:10,959 but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, 88 00:08:11,519 –> 00:08:14,799 he used to help himself to what was put into it. 89 00:08:16,000 –> 00:08:21,440 Jesus and the disciples received gifts of money, and they were managed by Judas. 90 00:08:22,079 –> 00:08:28,160 This money was used for two purposes, to sustain Jesus and the disciples in their ministry and at 91 00:08:28,160 –> 00:08:34,479 times to give to the poor. And John is telling us, though he would not have known this at the time, 92 00:08:34,479 –> 00:08:44,799 that Judas was stealing from the fund that he managed. Not entirely something we’ve never 93 00:08:44,880 –> 00:08:51,520 heard of before. And, of course, if you’re stealing from the fund that you manage, 94 00:08:51,520 –> 00:08:55,200 you want the fund that you manage to be as big as possible, isn’t that right? 95 00:08:56,479 –> 00:09:00,239 More money in the fund, more that I have access to. 96 00:09:02,239 –> 00:09:09,200 So, Judas was interested in maximizing the fund he managed. 97 00:09:09,440 –> 00:09:13,679 And when you see that, you’ll also see that he must have become very frustrated 98 00:09:13,679 –> 00:09:17,840 indeed at what he would have regarded as Jesus’ missed opportunities. 99 00:09:19,200 –> 00:09:24,559 Like, for example, the rich young ruler. Remember He came? And Jesus said to him, 100 00:09:25,119 –> 00:09:30,640 well, sell all that you have to give to the poor and then come and follow me. 101 00:09:32,159 –> 00:09:36,159 And Judas must have been positively salivating at that moment, don’t you think? 102 00:09:37,039 –> 00:09:40,559 Oh, boy, if he sells all his money and it’s to be given to the poor, 103 00:09:40,559 –> 00:09:44,159 we’ll manage that as part of our fund. That’s one of the things we do here. 104 00:09:46,400 –> 00:09:49,919 But the man goes off and Jesus didn’t even go after him. 105 00:09:49,919 –> 00:09:54,159 What a missed opportunity! What a donor he would have been! 106 00:09:57,760 –> 00:10:03,760 Then you remember Zacchaeus, a taxman, who had been creaming off extra money 107 00:10:03,760 –> 00:10:08,960 into his own pocket by adding a little surcharge that was his personal little thing? 108 00:10:10,960 –> 00:10:14,400 And he’s convicted by the presence of Jesus in his home and he says, 109 00:10:14,400 –> 00:10:18,400 I’ll tell you right now, Lord, I’m going to repay back everything I’ve taken fourfold. 110 00:10:18,400 –> 00:10:22,080 And he said, I’m going to give half of everything that I own 111 00:10:23,440 –> 00:10:28,320 to the poor. Judas thinks, hey, that’s what our fund can be used for. 112 00:10:28,320 –> 00:10:32,960 This could be marvelous. This is more money we can manage here. Let’s bring it in. 113 00:10:34,640 –> 00:10:36,400 Jesus makes no attempt to do so. 114 00:10:38,880 –> 00:10:44,080 Now, we have perfume that is worth a year’s wages. Think, what is a year’s wages to you? 115 00:10:45,200 –> 00:10:52,880 A year’s wages, that’s a big donation! Think of how that would swell the fund. 116 00:10:52,880 –> 00:11:00,479 And Jesus allows it to be poured over him, running down him onto the floor. 117 00:11:03,200 –> 00:11:05,679 And this is the last straw for Judas. 118 00:11:10,640 –> 00:11:16,960 He had seen that there was tremendous potential in this ministry to bring in money 119 00:11:16,960 –> 00:11:22,320 and Jesus made nothing of it. 120 00:11:24,400 –> 00:11:29,280 See what happened to this man was he started out pursuing ministry 121 00:11:31,760 –> 00:11:34,479 but he ended up pursuing money! 122 00:11:36,400 –> 00:11:42,719 Somewhere in the recesses of his mind and his heart, there was a fundamental movement 123 00:11:42,719 –> 00:11:47,440 from his early life where he said, Lord, Jesus, my life is about serving you! 124 00:11:47,440 –> 00:11:51,039 And he got to the place somewhere where he said, Lord, Jesus, 125 00:11:52,239 –> 00:11:56,000 my life is about walking with you and making money. 126 00:12:00,880 –> 00:12:04,880 And so of course when he found that walking with Jesus wasn’t making the money he 127 00:12:06,000 –> 00:12:09,039 looked to see another way that he could make the money without Jesus. 128 00:12:09,039 –> 00:12:15,840 And so it is very significant that Matthew tells us that it was immediately after this 129 00:12:15,840 –> 00:12:21,760 incident with the pouring of the expensive perfume over Jesus, immediately after that incident that 130 00:12:21,760 –> 00:12:26,559 Judas went to the chief priest, and to the elders in the temple, and he said, 131 00:12:26,559 –> 00:12:30,479 what will you give me if I hand Jesus over to you? 132 00:12:30,479 –> 00:12:42,840 As money became more to him, Christ became less to him. Because as Jesus put it so clearly, 133 00:12:42,840 –> 00:12:51,539 you cannot serve God and money. He didn’t say you cannot have got money. He said you cannot serve God 134 00:12:51,539 –> 00:12:57,400 in money. You will find that both of them make great claims upon you. You have to decide which 135 00:12:57,400 –> 00:13:07,239 one you are going to serve. If Jesus wasn’t going to make money for Judas, then Judas was 136 00:13:07,239 –> 00:13:18,599 going to make some money from Jesus. And you know, the decision to make some money from Jesus has 137 00:13:18,599 –> 00:13:24,440 been the cause of one of the greatest plunges to disaster in Christian ministries throughout the 138 00:13:24,520 –> 00:13:38,919 centuries and it still is. And that was Judas’ choice. I want to make money from Jesus. 139 00:13:42,119 –> 00:13:45,559 Now, it’s very interesting that it’s immediately after he makes this choice, 140 00:13:45,559 –> 00:13:50,039 that we’re told that Satan enters into his soul. We find that in Luke’s Gospel chapter 22. 141 00:13:50,840 –> 00:13:55,400 You see, Satan comes in when a door is opened. He can’t come through closed doors, 142 00:13:56,520 –> 00:13:58,679 but he’s very eager to come through open doors. 143 00:14:00,280 –> 00:14:04,359 And when a man sells his soul to the pursuit of money, Satan enters in. 144 00:14:06,599 –> 00:14:13,960 And it was Judas’ first great step, on a plunge to disaster. He’s great by the power of money. 145 00:14:14,520 –> 00:14:20,280 Secondly, he resisted the love of Christ. 146 00:14:21,640 –> 00:14:26,440 You see, after he had made this decision and after the chief priests had agreed to pay 147 00:14:26,440 –> 00:14:33,479 him and had given him thirty pieces of silver to hand Jesus over, he then came to what we 148 00:14:33,479 –> 00:14:38,520 call The Last Supper. We read about that in John chapter 13 and chapter 14. 149 00:14:39,239 –> 00:14:43,880 And all the way through The Last Supper you find Jesus reaching out to Judas 150 00:14:43,880 –> 00:14:51,559 in love. And all the way through you find Judas pushing back the Jesus who reaches out to him. 151 00:14:53,159 –> 00:14:56,919 Judas, having taken the money, could not have looked forward to The Last Supper. 152 00:14:56,919 –> 00:15:01,559 Can you imagine what that must have felt like? Okay, I’ve got to go for an evening with Jesus 153 00:15:01,559 –> 00:15:05,239 now. Better keep a straight face. Better not let him know anything’s going on here. 154 00:15:05,760 –> 00:15:10,840 It should be easier—not easy—to come into the presence of God when you’re hiding a big guilty 155 00:15:10,840 –> 00:15:22,679 secret. But he comes, he’s got a show face, and when he gets there Jesus comes and kneels at 156 00:15:22,679 –> 00:15:31,080 his feet and begins washing this man’s feet. And there’s love that’s being extended to him from 157 00:15:31,080 –> 00:15:35,559 Jesus. What did he think, what did he feel, did he say to himself, oh my goodness Jesus 158 00:15:35,559 –> 00:15:41,640 mustn’t know, he wouldn’t love me like this if he knew? What Jesus knew. 159 00:15:44,840 –> 00:15:50,039 Then they gathered at the table and Jesus again begins to reach out to Judas. He says 160 00:15:50,039 –> 00:15:51,799 one of you is going to betray me. 161 00:15:53,799 –> 00:15:58,119 And the disciples all began to look at each other. John tells us they didn’t know what 162 00:15:58,119 –> 00:16:01,719 Jesus meant. There was only one person in the room who knew what Jesus meant and that 163 00:16:01,719 –> 00:16:07,080 was Judas. And that’s why Jesus said it. He was reaching out to Judas even at this moment. 164 00:16:09,400 –> 00:16:13,000 Grace was being offered, an invitation back into the circle. 165 00:16:16,760 –> 00:16:20,760 Matthew tells us in his account that Judas then spoke up and said, 166 00:16:22,119 –> 00:16:23,640 surely it’s not me, Lord? 167 00:16:24,599 –> 00:16:27,559 Quick, he said, let’s pretend it’s not you, Lord. 168 00:16:30,039 –> 00:16:36,760 Now here he’s taking another step towards disaster, isn’t he? He’s now lying to Jesus. He knows, fine, 169 00:16:36,760 –> 00:16:43,559 it’s him. But he’s gone so far down this path that he’s beginning to lie to cover his tracks 170 00:16:43,559 –> 00:16:47,159 and he thinks he can come into the presence of God and lie there, too. 171 00:16:47,159 –> 00:16:50,760 Jesus takes the bread that’s been dipped in the gravy. And the bread is going to be 172 00:16:50,760 –> 00:16:57,719 passed around, the community of disciples. And Jesus says that the one to whom he gives 173 00:16:57,719 –> 00:17:01,799 the bread will be the one who will betray, and he holds out the bread. And 174 00:17:03,239 –> 00:17:10,199 think of the poignancy of this moment—Judas lifts his hand and he takes it. You see, it’s 175 00:17:10,199 –> 00:17:16,040 another moment of decision. And again, John tells us that at that moment, Satan entered 176 00:17:16,040 –> 00:17:22,040 to him. You see what’s happening? He’s made a choice to give himself up to the pursuit 177 00:17:22,040 –> 00:17:30,040 of money. I want to make money out of Jesus. And Satan enters in. He then experiences the 178 00:17:30,040 –> 00:17:34,680 love of Christ, reaching out to him to draw him back in. But he’s pushing Christ away. 179 00:17:34,680 –> 00:17:39,479 He’s pushing Christ away. And he makes his final decision, he takes this piece of bread. 180 00:17:39,560 –> 00:17:46,280 Again, as he makes that choice Satan enters in. Satan comes in through doors that are open. 181 00:17:49,000 –> 00:17:54,119 That is why the New Testament gives such strong warnings to folks like us. 182 00:17:56,599 –> 00:18:03,160 Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. Why? Because you’re not to give the devil a foothold. 183 00:18:03,160 –> 00:18:13,880 Do not open the door of your life to him. Do not give opportunities to him. Do not go down tracks 184 00:18:13,880 –> 00:18:23,359 in which you are going to meet him. Be very careful. I know whenever we come to this issue, 185 00:18:23,359 –> 00:18:30,479 folks begin to ask this question so quickly. You know, what does all this do to eternal security? 186 00:18:30,839 –> 00:18:40,400 What does all this do to, once saved, always saved? Listen, the Bible has no promise of 187 00:18:40,400 –> 00:18:48,680 eternal security for those who live according to the sinful nature. The doctrine of eternal 188 00:18:48,680 –> 00:18:58,920 security is for those who have declared war on the sinful nature. Such people Christ keeps, 189 00:18:58,920 –> 00:19:08,920 and brings through the battle. And I need to hear that. So one of the problems amongst 190 00:19:08,920 –> 00:19:14,640 the community of folks like us, is that we hear so often that we are not saved by our 191 00:19:14,640 –> 00:19:22,040 moral choices. That’s true. But we therefore draw the wrong conclusion that therefore, 192 00:19:22,900 –> 00:19:31,640 our moral choices don’t matter, and that’s not true. Your moral choices do matter. If 193 00:19:31,640 –> 00:19:40,000 you live according to the sinful nature you will die. And that was the word that God gave 194 00:19:40,000 –> 00:19:48,079 to the church at Rome, because it’s too easy, you see, to say, well I’ve made a decision, 195 00:19:48,079 –> 00:19:52,160 and I believe these certain things. And then to live this kind of a double life in the 196 00:19:52,160 –> 00:19:59,640 insurance that all things are well, and that’s the route to a plunge to disaster. 197 00:19:59,640 –> 00:20:08,040 He was gripped by the power of money, and he resisted the love of Christ reaching out 198 00:20:08,040 –> 00:20:19,199 to him—a man so privileged, made such desperate choices. 199 00:20:19,199 –> 00:20:24,199 Now, I want to come to the third snapshot of Judah’s life, and I’ve entitled it 200 00:20:24,199 –> 00:20:29,520 simply Despair. And here I want to come to the point that I alluded to earlier, that 201 00:20:29,520 –> 00:20:35,959 Judah’s greatest plunge to disaster was not betraying Jesus. You know, you may say, 202 00:20:35,959 –> 00:20:41,040 well, that was the greatest sin that was ever committed. How could anything be worse than 203 00:20:41,040 –> 00:20:47,239 that? Here’s what was worse than that. That after committing this great and awful and 204 00:20:47,239 –> 00:20:55,400 terrible sin, Judas gave up hope. 205 00:20:55,400 –> 00:21:01,760 Now I want to suggest to you from the Bible today that that was his greatest plunge to 206 00:21:02,239 –> 00:21:09,839 Now if you have your Bibles open at Matthew 27 we’ll follow the story. Early in the morning this 207 00:21:09,839 –> 00:21:14,160 is the morning of the day that Jesus was crucified, the chief priests and the elders of the people 208 00:21:14,160 –> 00:21:19,680 came to the decision that they would put Jesus to death. They bound him and they led him 209 00:21:19,680 –> 00:21:26,339 away and they handed him over to Pilate the governor. Then in Matthew 27 we’re told this, 210 00:21:26,339 –> 00:21:33,560 when Judas who had betrayed him saw that Jesus was condemned he was seized with remorse 211 00:21:33,560 –> 00:21:41,719 and returned the thirty pieces of silver. Now he does some very good things. Notice 212 00:21:41,719 –> 00:21:49,280 verse four, he makes a remarkable confession of his own responsibility, unqualified he 213 00:21:49,459 –> 00:21:57,920 comes to the chief priest and he says verse four, I have sinned. That’s an extraordinary 214 00:21:57,920 –> 00:22:04,319 straight up I’ll take the ownership kind of a confession. There’s no dodging no weaving 215 00:22:04,319 –> 00:22:13,260 here, there are no excuses here, it can’t be straighter than this. I have sinned. 216 00:22:13,300 –> 00:22:20,819 I have betrayed innocent blood. This is a full and frank confession, you 217 00:22:20,819 –> 00:22:31,199 could not ask more at this point, he says I’m plain guilty. Notice that he says 218 00:22:31,199 –> 00:22:35,619 that Jesus is innocent, he wants to save Jesus. His idea at this point is that if 219 00:22:35,619 –> 00:22:40,040 he returns the money maybe the legal process can be thrown into reverse, maybe 220 00:22:40,160 –> 00:22:43,479 if he will testify as the one who betrayed that Jesus is actually 221 00:22:43,479 –> 00:22:47,160 innocent and that the other witnesses who’ve come forward are false, maybe 222 00:22:47,160 –> 00:22:54,339 there will be a stay of execution on this day. I’ve sinned, maybe now there’s 223 00:22:54,339 –> 00:23:00,060 something that I can do to put it right. And, of course, the chief priest aren’t 224 00:23:00,060 –> 00:23:05,079 interested. What is that to us, they reply? It’s your responsibility. Too late now 225 00:23:05,380 –> 00:23:09,699 Judas, they say, the deed is done. You may wish you could turn the clock back but 226 00:23:09,699 –> 00:23:16,680 you can’t. What will be will be, you’ve made your choice, you have to live with 227 00:23:16,680 –> 00:23:21,500 it, there’s nothing you can do about it now. You can almost hear the echoes of 228 00:23:21,500 –> 00:23:30,640 the devil himself in these kinds of words. So now despair comes sweeping over 229 00:23:31,260 –> 00:23:38,359 this desperate man. He knows that he’s committed a terrible crime. He cannot now 230 00:23:38,359 –> 00:23:44,079 do anything about it. It cannot be undone. And he feels that he cannot live with 231 00:23:44,079 –> 00:23:49,900 himself any longer. And so we’re told, verse 5, he threw the money into the 232 00:23:49,900 –> 00:23:56,780 temple and he left, and he went away and he hanged himself. Now, there is the 233 00:23:56,780 –> 00:24:00,219 greatest tragedy of his life. Now, I want you to hear me very carefully at this 234 00:24:00,300 –> 00:24:09,199 moment. It was not that he betrayed Jesus. It was not even that he took his own 235 00:24:09,199 –> 00:24:26,800 life. It was that he gave up hope. He gave up hope. And there is no greater tragedy 236 00:24:26,959 –> 00:24:34,459 for a man or for a woman than that. This is the ultimate plunge 237 00:24:34,459 –> 00:24:41,780 to disaster for a man or for a woman who feels despair threatening against them to give up 238 00:24:41,780 –> 00:24:53,420 hope. Don’t ever go there. Now, let me tell you another story. Because 239 00:24:53,420 –> 00:25:01,859 Judas was not the only man in the darkness of despair that day. You see, the previous 240 00:25:01,859 –> 00:25:06,979 night, as we read earlier, Peter had been standing by the house of the high priest, 241 00:25:06,979 –> 00:25:15,699 where Jesus had been taken, and inside, Jesus was being mocked, interrogated and tortured. 242 00:25:15,699 –> 00:25:20,280 And Peter is standing outside, and he’s dead scared that if he is identified as one 243 00:25:20,280 –> 00:25:28,219 of Jesus’ followers, he might be taken inside and get the same. And so he’s asked on 244 00:25:28,219 –> 00:25:32,520 three different occasions if he’s a follower of Jesus, and on each of these occasions, 245 00:25:32,520 –> 00:25:37,520 he says no, and with ever-increasing strength, until in the end we’re told he called down 246 00:25:37,520 –> 00:25:45,040 curses on himself, and he swore to them, I don’t know the man. At that moment, Luke 247 00:25:45,079 –> 00:25:52,719 tells us Jesus, having been bruised and punched by fists when he was blindfolded there in 248 00:25:52,719 –> 00:26:02,020 the house of the high priest, Jesus is dragged out across the courtyard, and Jesus looks 249 00:26:02,020 –> 00:26:12,079 at Peter and the cockcrows. That Luke in the eyes of Jesus must have drilled depths of 250 00:26:12,079 –> 00:26:25,140 sadness into Peter. And we read that he went outside and he wept bitterly, wept bitterly. 251 00:26:25,140 –> 00:26:34,160 And so on the day that Jesus died the following morning there were two men surrounded by darkness, 252 00:26:34,160 –> 00:26:43,000 Judas who betrayed him and Peter who denied him – two men who’d taken a plunge to 253 00:26:43,000 –> 00:26:53,959 disaster. But there was a great difference between them. Judas was filled with remorse. 254 00:26:53,959 –> 00:27:02,520 Peter found repentance. You say, what’s the difference? Big difference. Remorse looks 255 00:27:02,800 –> 00:27:12,439 inside and it simply says, I’ve wasted my life. Repentance looks to Christ and it says, 256 00:27:12,439 –> 00:27:18,780 I’ll give you my life. Judas was sorry but he was not repentant. 257 00:27:18,780 –> 00:27:24,359 You see, repentance is more than being sorry. Repentance is more than saying I’m guilty, 258 00:27:24,359 –> 00:27:31,060 I did it. It’s more than wishing as Judas did that you could go back and undo what you 259 00:27:31,060 –> 00:27:38,959 did. Repentance is in your great sorrow turning to Jesus Christ, and that’s where hope is 260 00:27:38,959 –> 00:27:45,160 found. And the tragedy of Judas’ life, the greatest tragedy, is that he did not find 261 00:27:45,160 –> 00:27:53,540 that hope. Paul speaks about the distinction between remorse and repentance in 2 Corinthians 262 00:27:53,540 –> 00:28:00,479 chapter 7 and verse 10. 2 Corinthians 7, 10, He describes it this way, he says, godly 263 00:28:00,479 –> 00:28:07,800 sorrow that brings repentance and leads to salvation leaves no regret, but then he speaks 264 00:28:07,800 –> 00:28:13,459 about remorse and describes it in this way. He speaks about a worldly sorrow, that’s 265 00:28:13,459 –> 00:28:20,599 what remorse is, that leads only to death. You know, when you have done something that 266 00:28:21,339 –> 00:28:33,540 I have done wrong, don’t wallow in despair, don’t allow yourself to be overcome by self-condemnation, 267 00:28:33,540 –> 00:28:41,579 that’s the ultimate plunge to disaster to give up on hope. No, repentance means taking 268 00:28:41,579 –> 00:28:49,020 ownership of what I have done, but then turning to Jesus Christ in whom I find hope for the 269 00:28:49,400 –> 00:28:55,520 future. And that’s the difference between Peter and Judas—that’s the tragedy of Judas’ 270 00:28:55,520 –> 00:29:02,520 life. Peter repented, Judas despaired. And the incredible thing is, of course, that two 271 00:29:05,300 –> 00:29:12,300 days later, Jesus rose from the dead, and a repentant Peter was able to see Him, and 272 00:29:12,660 –> 00:29:18,199 to hear His Word, and to be recommissioned into a whole new kind of life that was a ministry 273 00:29:18,239 –> 00:29:24,880 way beyond anything that he had ever imagined to be possible. But Judas took His life two 274 00:29:24,880 –> 00:29:31,880 days before that could have happened for him. And he never lived to see it. 275 00:29:33,900 –> 00:29:39,160 So here’s the principle that I want us to draw out in this last message in our series 276 00:29:39,160 –> 00:29:46,060 today. If you want to avoid a plunge to disaster, never give up hope. 277 00:29:49,199 –> 00:29:55,640 And maybe that’s the battle for some among us right now. In ways that only you and the 278 00:29:55,660 –> 00:30:02,680 Lord perhaps know, you feel yourself surrounded by darkness today. You feel loaded with a 279 00:30:02,680 –> 00:30:11,520 sense of personal failure and guilt, and you cannot see any way out of the situation that 280 00:30:11,560 –> 00:30:21,119 got yourself in by choices you have made. And here’s my question. Are you then going to 281 00:30:21,119 –> 00:30:33,439 be like Peter? Or like Judas? Because that’s your choice today. To turn in on yourself 282 00:30:33,439 –> 00:30:41,160 and say, I wasted my life, and to be enclosed in the darkness of despair, or to look up 283 00:30:41,160 –> 00:30:49,979 to Christ, to find hope, and to say, with all my sin and with all my sorrow and with 284 00:30:49,979 –> 00:31:00,199 all my stupid mistake and failure, I give my life to You. Take it. Take it like the 285 00:31:00,199 –> 00:31:08,199 potter would take a spoilt piece of clay and shape it now into something that could be 286 00:31:08,199 –> 00:31:24,079 useful for you. No matter how great the darkness, there is always hope in Jesus Christ. 287 00:31:24,079 –> 00:31:36,199 Let me make it specific in two ways. Number one, you’re never too bad. Se, some of us 288 00:31:36,339 –> 00:31:45,319 be thinking right now, now, is Colin suggesting that, you know, Judas could have been forgiven? 289 00:31:45,319 –> 00:31:58,380 Of course! Of course! Christ died for sinners. Now what we do, is we take a few sins, and 290 00:31:58,380 –> 00:32:02,800 we put them in a special category, and we mark them un-forgivable. That’s what we do 291 00:32:02,859 –> 00:32:06,199 with Judas’ sin, in the back of our minds somewhere, we think oh, well, of course, what 292 00:32:06,199 –> 00:32:13,339 he did would be beyond, beyond, and then by the same logic, we take a few things in our 293 00:32:13,339 –> 00:32:19,140 lives, and we say, well, we know, we hear about forgiveness every Sunday from the pulpit, 294 00:32:19,140 –> 00:32:25,939 and that’s a marvellous thing, but of course, if it was known what I had done, well not 295 00:32:25,939 –> 00:32:31,819 even Christ could forgive that. That’s what you think, you don’t know the Jesus of the 296 00:32:31,839 –> 00:32:44,479 Bible, and oh, that you would meet him. If only Judas, instead of going out to that field, 297 00:32:44,479 –> 00:32:53,640 could have come somewhere near the cross, and in an agony he would have seen Jesus nailed, 298 00:32:53,640 –> 00:33:00,579 and I don’t know how he would have been able to stand there and watch that cross being 299 00:33:00,699 –> 00:33:12,400 raised. But if he had, he would have heard Jesus say, Father, forgive them. They do not 300 00:33:12,400 –> 00:33:27,099 know what they do. He was ready to forgive brutal thugs, who nailed him. He was ready 301 00:33:27,099 –> 00:33:37,959 to forgive a blaspheming pastor who denied him. That’s how I’m describing Peter. 302 00:33:37,959 –> 00:33:47,300 He would have been ready to forgive Judas for betraying him. And he is ready to forgive 303 00:33:47,300 –> 00:33:53,800 you for whatever you have done if you will come to him. And that’s the tragedy of a 304 00:33:53,800 –> 00:33:59,520 Judas you see. That he just curls up in despair and says, well, there’s no hope even in Jesus 305 00:33:59,520 –> 00:34:07,619 for me. You never too bad. 306 00:34:07,619 –> 00:34:11,500 You know one of the reasons that we have so much talk about false guilt today, one of 307 00:34:11,500 –> 00:34:15,459 the reasons that we’re never done hearing about denial today, is that in our culture 308 00:34:15,479 –> 00:34:22,260 we have no idea how to deal with real guilt because we’ve lost touch with the gospel of 309 00:34:22,260 –> 00:34:32,699 Jesus Christ. Christ is ready to forgive all who will come to him in repentance and put 310 00:34:32,699 –> 00:34:38,899 their hope in him. 311 00:34:38,899 –> 00:34:44,179 If you want to avoid a plunge to disaster, never give up hope. The cross is big enough 312 00:34:44,260 –> 00:34:49,739 to cover your sin, the blood of Jesus is rich enough to cleanse your guilt, the love of 313 00:34:49,739 –> 00:34:57,139 Jesus is strong enough to reach you no matter how far you have gone from him. Believe in 314 00:34:57,139 –> 00:35:01,899 him. Come to him. And put your hope in him. 315 00:35:01,899 –> 00:35:06,719 There’s not a reason in the world for one person to go out of these doors in despair 316 00:35:06,719 –> 00:35:09,479 today. 317 00:35:09,600 –> 00:35:17,159 And the very last thing is this. It’s never too late. You see, the enemy of our soul spins 318 00:35:17,159 –> 00:35:22,800 two powerful lies that must have been running in the mind of Judas. One is, what you’ve 319 00:35:22,800 –> 00:35:27,959 done is too bad to be forgiven, and the other is, now you have gone to a point where it’s 320 00:35:27,959 –> 00:35:34,780 too late to turn to Christ. Jesus will be crucified, Judas must have thought. There’s 321 00:35:34,979 –> 00:35:40,100 nothing I can do about it now. My opportunity is gone. 322 00:35:40,100 –> 00:35:47,100 Now let me say this specific word of application in these last moments to older people, and 323 00:35:47,699 –> 00:35:54,699 perhaps to some who may have a terminal illness. For some who may know that this is the last 324 00:35:57,620 –> 00:36:04,620 chapter of your life. Perhaps some who may even hear this message by tape, in opportunities 325 00:36:04,780 –> 00:36:11,780 in a hospital bed, and you may know it is the last days of your life. And you feel that 326 00:36:14,219 –> 00:36:21,219 the die is cast. You feel that it’s too late. You feel, well, now what will be will be. 327 00:36:26,659 –> 00:36:33,659 Come with me to the cross. Jesus is dying, can you try and picture this, and beside him 328 00:36:34,020 –> 00:36:41,020 on another cross is a thief. And he’s dying, too. And it’s the 59th minute of the 11th 329 00:36:42,800 –> 00:36:49,800 hour of his life, but he sees his need, and he believes in Jesus, and he asks Christ to 330 00:36:50,459 –> 00:36:57,459 save him. Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom, he says to Jesus, and Jesus 331 00:36:58,060 –> 00:37:05,060 said to him, today you will be with me in paradise. The Lord Jesus Christ died to save 332 00:37:10,780 –> 00:37:17,780 you. He stands ready to welcome you at any point in life. He calls you to believe in 333 00:37:19,939 –> 00:37:26,139 him. He invites you right now to put your trust in his death for you. He offers you 334 00:37:26,159 –> 00:37:33,159 everlasting life. Believe in him, trust him, turn to him, ask him to save you. There is 335 00:37:33,939 –> 00:37:40,939 hope in Jesus Christ. It is never in this life too late. Don’t say to yourself, I’ve 336 00:37:41,939 –> 00:37:48,939 lived 60, 70, 80 years without Christ. It’s too late for me now. Come to him now. Put 337 00:38:01,260 –> 00:38:03,719 your hope in him. 338 00:38:03,719 –> 00:38:10,500 There’s a lovely story with which we end this series. We called it deck chairs on the 339 00:38:10,500 –> 00:38:14,639 Titanic. Well, I haven’t said a whole lot about the Titanic, I just wanted to use that 340 00:38:14,639 –> 00:38:21,639 picture because it’s such a powerful picture of us moving along in our little lives and 341 00:38:21,899 –> 00:38:28,800 not really realizing the awesome things that lie ahead of us. But let me tell you a true 342 00:38:28,800 –> 00:38:33,000 story from the Titanic. 343 00:38:33,000 –> 00:38:40,000 There was a pastor on the Titanic whose name was John Harper—Scottish pastor from Glasgow. 344 00:38:41,320 –> 00:38:46,540 The church where he ministered is now called Harper Memorial Church. I preached there on 345 00:38:46,540 –> 00:38:52,760 several occasions. John Harper was traveling to speak at some meetings here in Chicago 346 00:38:52,760 –> 00:38:58,520 at the Moody Memorial Church and in fact there is a hall in Moody church that to this day 347 00:38:58,520 –> 00:39:05,520 is named Harper Hall in memory of John Harper who died in the tragedy of the Titanic. 348 00:39:06,340 –> 00:39:13,860 When the Titanic went down, John Harper spent his last moments in these icy waters urging 349 00:39:13,860 –> 00:39:20,199 people to put their trust in Jesus Christ. At one point, he foud a man clinging to a 350 00:39:20,199 –> 00:39:26,060 board and he clung to this board alongside him for a few moments and Harper said to this 351 00:39:26,060 –> 00:39:35,959 man, are you saved? And the man said, no. And Harper said to him, believe on the Lord 352 00:39:35,959 –> 00:39:46,360 Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Harper then apparently went and began to swim towards 353 00:39:46,360 –> 00:39:52,399 some others and spoke to them in the same way. And after some time he came back to this 354 00:39:52,399 –> 00:40:00,739 man still clinging to this piece of wood. And he said to him, are you saved? And the 355 00:40:00,739 –> 00:40:09,879 man said, no, why aren’t you trusting Christ? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will 356 00:40:09,879 –> 00:40:19,300 be saved. A few moments later, Harper lost his strength and went down to his death in 357 00:40:19,300 –> 00:40:27,379 these icy waters. You say, how do we know this story? Because a short time later, a 358 00:40:27,379 –> 00:40:39,820 man stood up in a church in Canada and he told it. And he said, I am John Harper’s 359 00:40:39,820 –> 00:40:56,939 last convert. It’s never too late for you to find hope in Jesus. Let’s pray together. 360 00:40:56,939 –> 00:41:06,919 Father, we thank you today that Christ has come to shine hope into the darkest situations. 361 00:41:06,939 –> 00:41:16,060 Some are in great darkness today and we don’t want to be overwhelmed by it, and to plunge 362 00:41:16,060 –> 00:41:25,300 ourselves into the dead end of remorse. We want to look to you, and come in repentance. 363 00:41:25,300 –> 00:41:29,360 Thank you for grace, thank you for forgiveness, thank you for strength, thank you for love 364 00:41:29,360 –> 00:41:36,520 that reaches out to us right now. Thank you that there is nothing that has been done that 365 00:41:36,520 –> 00:41:46,000 is too bad for your grace and no one who has left it long, so long that it’s too late 366 00:41:46,000 –> 00:42:01,600 to come to you now. Lord, take my life, let your grace cover me and lead me in your way 367 00:42:01,600 –> 00:42:08,379 everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.