Greg Laurie - So Close, Yet So Far (02/03/2018)
- Watch
- Donate
- Become Partner
Pastor Greg Laurie examines Judas Iscariot in Matthew 26, the disciple who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver despite walking with Him for years—showing how even close exposure to Christ can harden a heart when sin is chosen over repentance, while true followers find forgiveness and restoration through turning back to Him.
Judas: A Mysterious and Tragic Figure
All right. Well let's turn in our Bibles to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew 26. We are back in our Matthew series that we are calling Follow Me, Following Jesus in the Modern World. And the title of the message today is So Close Yet So Far.
Here before us now is one of the most paradoxical and mysterious characters in all of the Bible. His very name is synonymous with evil and treachery. I am speaking of course of Judas Iscariot.
Was Judas Misunderstood or a Hero?
But here is a question. Was Judas actually a really good guy that just made a few bad decisions? Was Judas actually somebody who was trying to help out Jesus? That is the very question that an article raises in New Yorker magazine. The title of the article is Betrayal. Should we hate Judas Iscariot?
Here is what the article says and I quote, Did Judas deserve this fate? If Jesus informs you that you will betray Him and tells you to hurry up and do it, are you really responsible for your act? Furthermore, if your act sets in motion the process, that is the passion of Christ, whereby humankind is saved, shouldn't someone thank you? No, the church says. If you betray your friend you are a sinner, no matter how foreordained or collaterally beneficial. And if the friend should happen to be the Son of God, so much the worse for you. End quote.
Yeah. Maybe Judas was just misunderstood. Or maybe in reality he was a hero. We know he is one to the great theologian Lady Gaga because she wrote a song about Judas. And in the song she sings, Oh, oh, oh, oh, I am in love with Judas, Judas, Judas, Gaga. She gave him a new last name. She says, I am just a holy fool. Oh baby he is so cruel. But I am still in love with Judas, baby. Really?
Was Judas Iscariot an unsung hero? Or was he a pathetic zero? Let's think about that for a moment. As a writer of the New Yorker magazine article says, Was Jesus really, or was Judas actually assisting Christ when the Lord told Judas to hurry up and do what he was about to do? Does that mean that Judas was simply a pawn? Actually what he did brought about the death of Jesus which resulted in salvation for all of humanity. Right?
Yes, it is true. But let's consider this. Just because good came despite Judas' betrayal does not justify it. At the cross two forces were at work, if you will. God the Father and Satan moving toward the same event. What was the event? The death of Christ.
Two Forces at the Cross
Why did Satan want Christ dead? Because he wanted him silenced and stopped. He wanted Jesus to cease and desist. Why did God the Father want Jesus dead? Because Christ was going to absorb the wrath of the Almighty in our place and atone for our sins.
So their objectives were completely different. But in a sense they moved toward the same actual event. But here is what we need to consider. Judas was doing the work of the devil. What came about there was used for the glory of God. But it certainly was not Satan's intention.
Judas was not the victim of circumstances or the passive tool of Providence. He made this choice all on his own. Sure the devil came along and inserted that thought into Judas' brain to betray Christ. We read in John 13:2. The devil enticed Judas to carry out his plan to betray Jesus. But Judas could have resisted that temptation. Just as we all can resist temptation. Right.
But it is not the bait that constitutes temptation. It is the bite. And Judas took the bait and ran with it and betrayed the Lord. And the fact is Satan found a willing tool in Judas. And it is important to note also that Judas himself initiated the betrayal of Christ.
Judas Initiates the Betrayal
We read in Matthew 26. That is our text. Let's look at a verse now. Verse 14. Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priest and asked him, How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you? And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. And from that time on Judas began looking for the right time and place to betray Jesus.
So Judas initiated it. Judas set it into motion. No one forced him to do this. Why did he do it? Well you know he was a greedy guy. We already looked at that incident where Christ was gathered in the house of Simon there in Bethany. And Mary, the sister of Martha, wanted to show her deep love for Jesus. And so she took that very expensive perfume, remember, with a street value of somewhere between twenty five and thirty five thousand dollars and anointed his head with it. And the fragrance filled the room.
And Judas Iscariot protested and said, This is wrong. This could have been sold and the money given to the poor. And the other disciples echoed his statements. But then John gives us that insight in chapter 12 verse 6 when he says, Judas did not say this because he cared for the poor but because he was a thief.
So Judas, greedy for money, initiates the betrayal of Jesus Christ. And ultimately Satan himself entered into the heart of Judas. Now, by the way, that is not said of any other person in the Bible. We read of people being possessed by demons. But this is the only time we read of Satan himself entering into someone's heart. If the devil ever had a son it was Judas. And the only one who will ever equal and perhaps even eclipse him in wickedness will be the Antichrist.
Judas Had No Excuse Despite Christ's Example
So clearly Judas was complicit and responsible for the decisions that he made. And there was no excuse because he had as his example Jesus Christ. And I bring this up because sometimes people will say, Well, you know, the reason I am not a Christian is there are too many hypocrites in the church. And the implication of that is if I could find a Christian who wasn't a hypocrite I too would believe.
Well, here is the problem. We are not going to ever find one. So we all have our moments of hypocrisy, right? But the point is, as I would suggest, even if they actually met a Christian who was never hypocritical, that still would not result in their belief. When people play the hypocrite card it is really an excuse for their non-belief.
Because who is a better example than Christ? He never messed up one single time. Jesus never lost his temper. He never said an unkind thing. He never told a lie. He never had a single thought out of harmony with the Father. Jesus Christ was the perfect example. In fact He said of Himself in John 8:29, I always do the things that please Him. Speaking of His Father.
So Christ was the flawless example. Yet Judas not only did not believe, but He ultimately betrayed Him. And here is the thing. Despite the fact that Judas was about to do what he did, Jesus extended love to him.
Jesus' Love Toward Judas
Now let's just say that you had a group of friends. And you knew that one of your friends was out trying to destroy you. You know they were lying about you. And they were doing everything they could to bring you down. Now would you treat that friend, having that knowledge, differently than your other friends? I think you would. I think you would probably terminate the relationship. At the very least you would be very cold when they walked into a room.
Well that is not the way Jesus treated Judas. Because as they were gathered together there in the upper room Christ did the unexpected. He took off His outer robe. He got down on His hands and knees with a washbasin and began to wash the disciples feet. Every one of them got their feet washed including Judas.
If I knew Judas was going to betray me I wouldn't wash his feet. I would have broken his feet. Lord what are you doing? Breaking your foot. I certainly wouldn't have treated him with this love. But the Lord was giving him opportunity after opportunity to repent.
The Bombshell Revelation in the Upper Room
So now Christ is going to drop the bombshell and reveal to His own that one of them is about to betray Him. And we pick the story up in Matthew 26 verse 21. Now as they were eating He said, Assuredly I say to you, One of you will betray Me. They were exceedingly sorrowful. And each one of them began to say, Lord, is it I?
And He answered, He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been good for that man if He had never been born. Wow. What a powerful statement that is.
So here is Jesus sitting with His disciples. Let's get the scene in our mind. They weren't sitting behind a long table as depicted by Leonardo Da Vinci in his painting in The Last Supper. Like they were posing for a photo. Right. Everybody smile. Here we are. You know. No. It would have been a low slung table. Probably sitting on pillows. Dipping in pieces of bread and so forth.
And when you even go to Israel today. You go to a restaurant. They will serve you in some places hummus. Or as they would say there in Israel. Hummus. And you know I like hummus. Hummus. With pita bread. And you can dip it in some olive oil. And they will have all these things. And you are exchanging the various dishes and so forth.
And that is the picture that is before us. Everyone is having a meal together. And now Jesus reveals that one of them is going to betray Him. And it is Judas. And the Lord says whatever you do do it quickly. Loose paraphrase. Get out of here. Get on with it. Do it.
Jesus' Agony in Gethsemane
And so now we have the scene changing. Now we are in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus and His disciples have moved over there. And Judas is gone. Rallying the troops so to speak. Getting the Roman soldiers and the temple guard to come and arrest Christ.
And then we pick the story up in Matthew 26 verse 39. Here is our Lord in the garden. He went a little further. He fell on His face and He prayed, O my Father if it is possible let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless not as I will but as You will.
Then He came to His disciples and found them asleep and said to Peter, What? You could not watch with Me for one hour? Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.
Again the second time He went away and prayed saying, O my Father if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it Your will be done. And He came and found them asleep again. For their eyes were heavy. So He left them and went away again and prayed the third time saying the same words.
And He came to His disciples and said to them, Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold the hour is at hand. And the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise and let us be going. My betrayer is at hand.
And while He was still speaking, Behold Judas, one of the twelve with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now His betrayer had given them a sign saying, Whomever I kiss, He is the one. Seize Him.
Immediately He went up to Jesus and said, Greetings Rabbi. And kissed Him. Verse 50. And Jesus said to him, Friend, why have you come? Underline that last statement. Friend, why have you come? Wow.
The Betrayal Kiss and Jesus' Response
Here is our Lord in the garden of Gethsemane. He is contemplating the horrors of what is ahead. The disciples have never seen Jesus behave in this manner. He is sweating blood. That is what Dr. Luke tells us. He sweat as it were. Great drops of blood. Some medical experts think this might be hematidrosis where when under intense pressure a person can actually sweat and have blood mixed in with their perspiration. Maybe that is what Jesus was experiencing.
But it is like He was in a vice that was being tightened. He was in Gethsemane. And Gethsemane is covered with olive trees. And the very word Gethsemane is a word that means olive press. And Christ was being pressed from all sides that He might bring life to us. He was experiencing intense loneliness.
That is why He asked Peter, James, and John to just stay up with Him. He didn't ask for a sermon. He didn't ask for an explanation. He asked for a friend. Guys, could you just be with me right now? And he goes to pray and He comes back and they are sleeping. This happened three times.
And it reminds us though Jesus was fully God. He also was fully man. And at this moment Jesus Christ was experiencing intense loneliness. And He is looking into the abyss. He has seen what is ahead. All of the horrific things that He is about to take upon Himself. The sin of the world.
In verse 39, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. What was this cup? This cup was the wrath of God. Isaiah calls it the cup of God's fury. You drank the dregs of the cup of trembling and drained it out.
Have you ever drunk something and it turned your stomach? Maybe you took a gulp of milk and your gulp, gulp, and it dawned on you, milk is spoiled. Or, I don't know about you, but I don't like fat on my meat. So if I am eating a piece of steak and I get fat, gulp, fat. No. My wife is like, I love fat. All the flavors are in the fat. And she married me too. So that says it all. But I hate fat. It actually turns my stomach.
And so here is the dilemma. When you have a piece of meat with fat on it and you need to get rid of it, how do you do it? You don't want to just spit it on the plate unless you are, you know, a baby. So what you do is you, you know, you, hey look, is that Healy's comment? People look and, you know, put it in your napkin. I actually read that the proper way to do it in etiquette is you take your fork, put it in your mouth, pull it out, and put it back in your plate. That is gross. No way, you know. I think the Healy's comment thing works better, right?
But I remember years ago I was in the Philippines and I was in a home with a bunch of Christians there. And they said, Greg, we want to serve you a local delicacy. And they bring out this egg. It is actually a duck egg. So it is bigger than a normal chicken egg. And they say, this is a balut and we love to eat this in the Philippines. And they crack this thing open.
Now let me ask you. How many of you have ever eaten a balut? Raise your hand up. You have eaten one? Okay. Good. All right. How many of you like to eat baluts? Raise them. Was it good? Does anyone like them? You like them? Was it good? You like the balut? All right. I didn't really get it. I mean it is, you know, because here is what a balut is. I think you have to be raised eating these or something. But you take the shell off and it is a partially formed duck. I mean the head is there. There is little feathers. A beak. And then there is this brown fluid.
So they say, Greg, first you drink the fluid. And then you eat the duck. And I watched them. It is very interesting. And they said, Now you must eat one. I said, I don't really think I can do that. And someone whispered in my ear, If you don't eat it they will be culturally offended. I whispered back, If I eat it and throw up they will be more offended. I can't even handle beef with fat. You think I can eat this thing? I never ate it. But, thank you.
But Jesus took this cup and he drank it all. There was no other way. He didn't want to. In fact in verse 42 he says, Oh my Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me unless I drink it your will be done. Jesus has given to us here a model of what to do in times of uncertainty.
Jesus' Model Prayer in Crisis
Because there are times in life when we don't get what has come our way. Something happens when we say, Lord I don't understand this. And quite frankly I don't like this. And I don't want this. And I will take it a step further. I don't even agree with this. But you are God and I am not. And I am asking for two things. Either take this thing away or give me the strength to get through it.
That is effectively what our Lord was saying. Father if it is possible let this cup pass from me. If there is another way Lord take this cup away. But he knew he had to drink that cup and bear the sin of humanity. Thus he says, Nevertheless not my will but yours be done.
Listen. Never be afraid to place an uncertain future into the hands of a certain God. God knows what he is doing. D. L. Moody said, Spread out your petition before God and then say, Thy will not mine be done. The sweetest lesson I have learned in God's school is to let the Lord choose for me.
So here is the Lord now contemplating the horrors of the cross. And there is a commotion. There is noise. And here comes a small army marching toward Christ. Swords and Spears and shields and torches moving toward Him to apprehend Him. To arrest Him. They are in a frenzy. Sort of like mob mentality. Other people probably joined in, Yeah let's get them. Who are we getting again? You know how mobs are. You know they just kind of play off each other and they get, you know you see people like turning cars over and setting them on fire. They don't even know what they are protesting. They get caught up in the emotion of the moment.
That is probably what is happening here is this mob closes in on Jesus of Nazareth. A man who had never broken any of their laws. And now just to show that Jesus was not a helpless victim, but a powerful Victor, he stands up. He says, Who are you seeking? They said, Jesus of Nazareth. And he said, I am.
Have you ever played dominoes? Well actually what I mean is have you ever stacked them up and knocked them over? I don't really play dominoes. But I knock them over. I am a very good domino knockover guy. Okay. So I was showing my granddaughter Stella the other day how that works. And I lined a whole bunch of them up and had them do little twists and turns. And that first one goes. I let her hit it. I said, Just tap it lightly. And all they went down. And we did it again.
That is probably what it was like here. All these people pressing in close to each other. And Jesus says, I am. And they go crashing on top of each other. Spears, swords flying, torches flying. And they are just flattened out. That would have been a good moment for Judas to reconsider. Is this a good idea? A man who with two words can put us on our backs. And I want to betray this guy.
But it just shows that Jesus with just a word could have gotten out of this situation he was in. But Judas apparently could not wait to do what he was about to do. He would blindly follow his course to hell.
The Betrayal Kiss and Jesus' Response
Look at verse 49. Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, Greetings Rabbi. And kissed Him. Notice the word immediately. He couldn't wait. Crazy. Sin is crazy. I have seen rational people who know better under the power of sin do the most insane things imaginable. You have seen it too.
Think of Solomon. Known for his wisdom. People came from around the world to sit at his feet and glean his pearls of wisdom. And yet Solomon did the most stupid things you could do. Sinning against God openly and blatantly. And wrote about it very honestly in the book of Ecclesiastes. That is why we need to be careful. Because you start tasting of sin. It is like having that drink. You know. Oh I can handle it. I have one little drink. And then your second little drink. And pretty soon you are under the influence of alcohol. And the same way with sin. Oh I can handle this. This won't be a problem for me. I am very strong you know.
We will find out more about that in our next message as we look at what happened to Peter. Kind of the anatomy of a backslide if you will. But here is now Judas so intoxicated by the power of sin. And Satan himself has entered into him. He can't wait to do this.
It is not. If it is not bad enough that he betrayed Jesus the way he did it is even worse. Verse 49. Judas kissed Him. Now back in this culture there were different ways that a person would kiss another person. First of all a slave for instance would kiss the feet of his master. Or a noble person. Or maybe an enemy seeking mercy from a king. It was a sign of submission to kiss the feet of someone.
Ordinary people would perhaps kiss the back of the hand of the one they greeted. But to kiss on the cheek in a embrace was a sign of close affection and love reserved only for those with whom you had a close intimate relationship.
So in our culture today it would be more like a handshake. You know you meet someone for the first time. Well nice to meet you. And you shake their hand. Right. And then maybe you see them again, and you shake their hand, and then you go to the next level and kind of grab their arm. Good to see you. Then you have known them for a little while and now we are kind of getting into the quasi hug. It is not a full hug. It is not a commitment hug. It is just kind of like, good to see you man. You know. And do you ever have those awkward moments where Or you want to shake hands and the person wants to hug and it turns into a, I don't know, a smug. Whatever it is. It's like you are shaking their hand and kind of, good. Okay. Awkward. Good.
Then you really get to know a person. You hug them. And then when you are really friends you start punching them in the arm. That's guys, not girls. Girls don't do that. But, hey man how are you doing? You know. So it's intimacy. You don't treat everyone that way.
Judas inexplicably wants to appear to be close to Jesus. Hey guys check this out. You want to know how close I am to Christ? Watch this. He goes up and kisses Him. And by the way it wasn't a peck on the cheek. It was repeated kisses. That is implied in the language there. So he kissed Him over and over.
If you were Jesus, would you let Judas kiss you over and over again? I would have withdrawn. But yet Christ says to him these words, Friend, why have you come? Friend? How about fiend? Why have you come?
But it's important to see what was happening here. Jesus was giving to Judas one last chance to repent. I believe if Judas had stopped right there and said, Lord, I messed up. I don't know what I was thinking. Forgive me. That Christ would have pardoned him right there.
You know why? Because the Bible says God takes no delight in the death of the wicked. Know this. Jesus loved Judas to the very end. He loved him. And this broke his heart. He was his friend. And his friend betrayed him.
Judas' Tragic End and Remorse
People sometimes ask, Do you think that God would hear the prayer of some wicked person who called upon him even in the very last moments of their life? If a person had done horrible things. Maybe they are on death row. And they are finally going to be put to death. And in those last moments if they call out to God, say, Lord, I repent of my sin. I am sorry. I believe in Jesus. Would God pardon a person like that? Absolutely He would.
And the reason I bring this up is sometimes we have loved ones who die who never made a profession of faith. And we may conclude, Well they are in hell for sure. Well you don't know that. Were you with them in the last moments of their life? Were you with them when they took their last breath? Well no. Then how do you know what happened? How do you know that they did not call on Jesus?
Listen. Here is what you do know. God loves them. And God wants them to be saved. And God would welcome them even in the last moments of their life. I don't want to give false assurance and suggest everyone is in heaven because they are not. But I am saying if they called on the Lord in the last moments of their life Christ would pardon and forgive them.
So just remember that you may not know all the facts right now. But Jesus showed that on the cross when that thief next to him cried out, Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say today you will be with me in paradise.
So Judas kisses Jesus. They arrest him. They take him away on trumped up charges. Ultimately to crucify him. And now we are going to look at the course Judas' life took and see the results of sin in his life. And by the way we are going to come back and revisit the same event from another angle next time. So this isn't the only time we will look at Gethsemane. But in our next message we will sort of change the camera angle if you will and look at it from Peter's perspective.
But now we have seen what Judas has done. Let us see how it turned out for him. Drop down to chapter 27 of Matthew. Look at verse 1. We will read to verse 5. When morning came and all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death, they bound him and led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor.
Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that he had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. They said, What is that to us? You see to it. And he threw down the thirty pieces of silver in the temple and departed and went and hanged himself.
What a tragic waste of life. Judas ends up in suicide. He is so overcome with guilt he ends it all. He knew he had betrayed innocent blood. What did religion do for him? He did go to the religious leaders. After all, Hey man. I messed up. I am remorseful for what I have done. And they said, You know what? What is that to us? That is your problem. You have served your purpose. Get out of here. We do not care about you.
It is so typical of this world. It promises freedom but brings slavery. It promises enjoyment but it brings guilt. Instead of happiness it brings sorrow. Pain instead of pleasure. Judas did not have a friend in the world except Jesus and he had just betrayed Him. And you know what? Christ still would have forgiven his friend Judas if he had turned from his sin.
So Judas turns to religion instead. This is what people think. I need a little religion. Yeah. You know what? You don't need a little religion. You need a lot of Jesus. Because a little religion isn't going to help you. Even a lot of religion won't help you. Religion is like getting a band-aid when you need open heart surgery.
He went to religion and they had nothing to offer him. He needed Christ. He needed to turn to the Lord. And he was remorseful, verse 3 says. Now we might read this and say, Well wasn't Judas really sorry for his sin? Well in a way he was. But there is a difference between repentance and remorse.
Remorse, that is sorry because you got caught. So you go Rob a bank, which I did yesterday. That is a joke if you are a visitor. Did he really? So you go and Rob a bank. And you get away with it for a day. And then you get arrested. You are remorseful. Why? Because you got caught.
Or you drive down the freeway and you get lit up by the CHP. They pull you over. You are remorseful. Why? Because you broke the speed limit. No. Because you didn't have your little radar detector turned on. You are having sex with your boyfriend, your girlfriend. You get pregnant. Well I am talking girls now. So let's keep it right. You are having sex with your boyfriend. You get pregnant. Guys don't get pregnant. See this is a... So that is... I wanted to just throw that out there. Anyway. So... And you are sorry. Why are you sorry? Well we should have taken precautions. See you are not sorry enough to stop because you go and repeat that behavior and do it again and again and again. Oh I will just be more careful next time. Well that is not repentance. That is remorse.
Judas was remorseful. He knew Jesus was innocent. He knew what he did was wrong. But listen to this. If he was repentant he still could have turned to Jesus. But instead of all things he turned to the religious leaders who offered him nothing. And this is the thing that we need to learn about Judas Iscariot. He had no excuse.
He walked and talked with Christ for three and a half years. He was hand chosen by the Lord. The foreknowledge of God does not change the responsibility of man. Let me repeat that the foreknowledge of God does not change the responsibility of man. Even though Jesus knew what would take place. Judas of his own volition deliberately betrayed the Lord.
The Danger of a Hardened Heart in Church
Here is the thing that is kind of scary. You know the easiest place to get a hardened heart? Right here. In church. What? Oh yeah. Because if you come trying to live a double life like Judas was living in the very place where you should be transformed your heart is getting hardened like stone.
As I have said before, the same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay. So as the Word of God goes out some people are impacted by it. Some people are changed by it. Others are hardened by it because they have no intention of believing it. So by continual exposure to it it is actually doing more harm than good.
So you might respond by saying, Are you saying I shouldn't come to church? Yes I am saying that. Dot dot dot. If you have no intention of applying what you are hearing. If you think by going to church and going through a little ritual is going to get you closer to God you are in for a big surprise because in the very place where you could be transformed you are going to be worse off than ever.
So here is the answer. Not stop coming to church. But come with a desire to know God. And know this. If you think you are living some little secret life it is no secret to God. You may be fooling people. You may put on a good performance as Judas did. But the reality is God knows. God will forgive you. But don't persist in that plan and in that lifestyle.
The Pharaoh of Egypt saw miracle after miracle performed by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Yet the Bible says he hardened his heart. And we can see miracles and hear truth. And if we don't have a desire to apply it our heart too can get hardened.
Listen. If you are a Christian you will sin. You are never going to stop sinning as long as you are breathing. But there is a difference between being a sinner and living in a pattern of sin. If you are a true Christian you will not live in a pattern of sin. Here is what the Bible says in 1 John 3. No one who is born of God will continue to sin. Because God's seed remains in him. He cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God.
In fact this is how we know who the children of God are and the children of the devil. Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God. And anyone who does not love his brother. Father. So here is how it works out. If you as a Christian start to move in the wrong direction and you are contemplating a thing that is sinful and you come under the conviction of the Spirit. And by that I mean you are aware that this is wrong and you should not be doing it. That is a good sign.
And then if you end up going through with that thing and doing it and you feel deep guilt. That too is a good sign. You know what it means? It means the alarm is working. The alarm of the conscience. Sort of like fire alarms. Why is it that smoke alarms always go off at three in the morning? And it is usually because they need the battery changed. Is it impossible for them to go off at three in the afternoon? No. Three in the morning you are asleep. Chirp. At least that is what mine does. So I go and I climb up in a chair and you are sleeping. You unscrew the thing and you take it out. Chirp. Chirp. So I take the battery out. And I don't know what it is with mine. It still chirps. I don't know how to stop it. So I take it to a couch and I put it under the pillow. Muffle it down. Chirp. You know it is still chirping. The thing really is powerful. In fact that reminds me I need to put a new battery in it and put it back. Because it is still in the couch. Someone is going to be sitting on it and be traumatized. Chirp. What? I will let you interpret that however you want. I am not really sure where I was going with that and probably shouldn't have said it. But anyway. That was spontaneous.
But the thing is, is the job if you will of the smoke alarm is to alert you to a danger or to the need to change your battery. So our conscience works. And it tells us what we are doing is wrong. Here is the thing you need to be concerned about. It is when you can contemplate a sin and you don't feel any conviction. And you can go through with the sin and you don't feel any guilt. That means your alarm isn't working. Or you don't even have one anymore. Or it has been disabled. That is not a good thing.
It is an indication that you are a child of God when the Lord deals with you when you go astray. In fact we read over in Hebrews 12, have you forgotten the word of encouragement that addresses you as sons? My son, don't make light of the Lord's discipline or lose heart when He rebukes you because the Lord disciplines those He loves and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.
God is treating you as a son. For what son is not disciplined by His Father? Listen. If you are not disciplined then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. So the fact that you are disciplined, the fact that the Lord convicts you, the fact that He deals with you when you have gone astray says to you, you are a child of God.
Let me illustrate. If one of my sons does something wrong and I tell him to stop or I even discipline him, I am just doing my job as his dad. That is my responsibility. Now if somebody else's child misbehaves it is really not my job to deal with their child. Though I would like to at times. It would be inappropriate. I could even get in trouble for it. That is not for me to do. That is for their dad to do.
So in the same way God deals with you because He loves you. And maybe as you have come here today you know you have been doing some things you shouldn't be doing. And you have sensed the hand of discipline of God in your life. Or you have been convicted. Or you are feeling guilt. Listen Christian. Rejoice. Your conscience is working. It is saying chirp. It is when you do not hear the chirp anymore. It is when you do not feel the guilt anymore. It is when you can do it and do it again and feel nothing. That is scary. That means you are getting a hardened heart. That means you are going in the way of Judas.
Two Paths: Judas and Peter
The Bible says he went his own way. Don't do that. The Bible says there is a way that seems right into a man, and at the end thereof is the way of death.
Consider two men in closing who walked into the night, Judas and Peter. We will talk more about Peter next time. But Peter, as you know, also sinned against the Lord. Judas betrayed the Lord. Peter denied the Lord. And went out and wept bitterly.
But guess what happened after that? Peter returned to Jesus and found his pardon, forgiveness, and he was recommissioned. That is what Judas should have done. Even after he betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver, he still could have turned to Jesus and said he turned to religion. They had nothing to offer him. And he went out and hung himself.
And that night two men walked out of the doorway. One walked into the light. The other walked into darkness. Where is your guilt going to drive you? If you feel guilt for your sin, here is where you need to go. Go to Christ. He will forgive you. That is why he died on the cross. He absorbed God's wrath in your place. And he will pardon you of your sin. That is the only place to go.
But if you don't go to him, it will drive you to despair. How will God treat me if I come to him and I have sinned this way? He will throw his arms around you and say, I love you. I forgive you. But you must come to him.
Invitation: Turn to Christ Today
And if you haven't done that yet, why don't you do it now as we close in prayer. Let us all pray. Bow your heads with me if you would. Father, I pray for everyone here now. Help them to see their need for Jesus. Help them to come to you and believe and receive your forgiveness we ask.
Now when our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying, how many of you would say today, Greg, I need to get right with God. I am here today with a guilty conscience. I know what I have done is wrong. And I am not even sure if I am a Christian. I have been in the church for years. But I am afraid I am getting a hardened heart. But I want to get right with God today. I want to believe in Jesus. I want to go to heaven when I die.
If that is your desire, if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want to be forgiven of your sin today, wherever you are, I want you to stand to your feet. And I am going to lead you in a prayer. Just stand to your feet wherever you are. And I will pray for you. God bless God bless you. God bless. Just stand up. Don't be embarrassed. Stand to your feet. And I am going to lead you in a prayer of commitment to Jesus Christ. God bless you. You that are watching on the video screen out in the amphitheater, in the court building, at Orange Crest, at Orange County. You stand to your feet as well. And I am going to lead you in this same prayer.
Again just stand up. And we are going to pray together. Anybody else? You want to make this commitment to Jesus. Let me lead you in prayer. Stand to your feet. We are going to pray together. God bless you. God bless you. Maybe there are some of you that have been living a double life. You know what is wrong. You know what is right. And you are ready to come clean to God today and make a recommitment to follow Him as a Christian. I want you to stand up. If the Lord has been speaking to your heart. He has been disciplining you. And you pray with us as well. Just stand up. God bless you. Anybody else in this final moment, if you are going to stand, stand now. Wherever you are. Watching on a video screen. Stand to your feet. Wherever you are we are going to pray this prayer together. One final moment. Anybody else stand now. Anybody else stand now. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. And even if I don't see you it doesn't matter. The Lord sees you. Make that stand.
Alright. All of you that are standing I want you to pray this prayer Pray out loud after me. And this is where you are asking Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sin. Again, as I pray, pray this out loud after me. Okay? Pray this with me now if you would.
Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. But you died on the cross and shed your blood for every sin I have ever committed. I am sorry for my sin. I turn from it today. I choose to follow you from this day forward as Savior and Lord, as God and friend. Thank you for accepting me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.