So, we mock and despise Jesus. What else do we do? We betray him.
Judas, is a biblical figure that you've probably scratched your head over and wondered, How can anyone so close to Jesus, do such a thing? How could Judas be part of Jesus' inner circle and fall so low?
If Judas hadn’t been one of the 12, his betrayal wouldn’t have been much of a betrayal. You can only really betray those who have put their trust in you.
God has entrusted us with so much and we betray him whenever we’re not faithful stewards over what he’s given us. Whenever we misuse the gifts that he’s placed within us, using them for personal gain instead of furthering his kingdom. When we abuse the position that he has placed us in, using our power to manipulate and mislead people. When we mistreat our brothers and sisters in the Lord. When we speak negatively about his church and his people, especially to non-believers. How are we to expect those in the world to want to be part of the body of Christ when we don't seem to want to be a part of it ourselves.
The main issue with Judas, and many Christians is a heart one, Jeremiah 17:9. To the public eye, Judas said and did everything right, but in his heart, he wasn’t truly committed.
In John 12:1-6, Mary, anoints Jesus using expensive oil. Judas rebukes her for wasting the oil insead of using the money for the poor. His words sounded so humble and altruistic, but in reality, he was thinking of what he could have done with all that money.
Many Christians pretend to be followers, there are some who don’t realise that they’re just going through the motions, their hearts are hardened to God's word and it woouldn't take a lot for them to turn away from the Lord, as Judas did.
We can pretend to love God by fellowshipping with other believers each week, but our church attendance is only for the purpose of box ticking.
We say we’re grateful for the blessings that God gives, but we betray him with our finances when we refuse to give back to him. Excuses or our perceptions of what the pastor is going to do with our offering, make us hold on tighter to what we have.
Our own selfish desires cause us to betray the Lord. All he asks is for our faithfulness, our trust and our devotion to him. He has done all this for us already, it's not too much for the creator of the universe to ask that his children return that love.
(The continuation of a message taught on 24th September 2023)
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