Incarnation 42 - Gospel of John - John 13:21-38

[00:00:20] Well, we are back in John. Last week we came back to John, the Gospel of John. We've been going through it for some time now.

[00:00:28] And we are in John 13, so if you have your Bibles, please open to John 13.

[00:00:33] This is an interesting transition in the Gospel of John.

[00:00:38] Jesus just got through ministering publicly for about three and a half years,

[00:00:44] and now He's transferring into His private ministry, we call it,

[00:00:47] focusing on the people who are closest to Him as disciples and close associates.

[00:00:53] Last week we saw Jesus Himself give a beautiful example of the Gospel message

[00:00:57] played out in an act of service to those He loves, His disciples.

[00:01:03] He was washing their feet. And it's also interesting how our Lord works.

[00:01:09] He goes from that amazing and beautiful picture of the Gospel, washing someone's feet,

[00:01:16] to where we are today, in doom.

[00:01:21] If you don't have the Gospel, what happens?

[00:01:25] It's the other side of the coin. In verse 18 from last week,

[00:01:28] Jesus hints about one of the disciples not being a true follower.

[00:01:33] And He hints that one of them would betray Him, and He hinted earlier in John 6 as well.

[00:01:38] But He wants His disciples not to be surprised at this, because they're shaky in their faith,

[00:01:42] they're young people. You know, these disciples are probably in their 20s.

[00:01:47] They're not seasoned vets like some of us are, some of you are.

[00:01:54] But these are younger people in the faith.

[00:01:57] And so He wants them to be steadfast.

[00:02:01] And He doesn't want them to be too shaken when Judas soon betrays Him.

[00:02:04] He wants His disciples to know, I know what's coming.

[00:02:08] This needs to happen. Don't be shaken.

[00:02:10] He's giving them something to hold on to.

[00:02:12] Because I think that if they were surprised by Judas betraying Christ,

[00:02:16] and they hadn't had kind of a heads up, they may be shaken.

[00:02:20] So He gives them a heads up.

[00:02:22] Because He knows that Judas betraying Christ is part of God's plan for redemption.

[00:02:27] It was part of God's plan from the beginning.

[00:02:29] And today we'll see that the disciples in some ways are like us,

[00:02:33] or we're like them in some ways.

[00:02:36] We're more ignorant than we think we are.

[00:02:39] And the disciples were more ignorant than they thought they were.

[00:02:42] But Jesus loves them to the end, and He loves us to the end,

[00:02:46] as we read in the first verse of John 13.

[00:02:50] And we'll also see that nothing else matters except whether you have faith in Christ.

[00:02:56] And nothing you ever do or say, good or bad, will ever matter

[00:03:00] except whether Christ dwells in your heart.

[00:03:04] That's what matters.

[00:03:05] And so we pick up in John 13.

[00:03:06] We'll begin reading at verse 21.

[00:03:11] And John writes,

[00:03:12] After saying these things,

[00:03:15] Jesus was troubled in His spirit and testified,

[00:03:18] Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.

[00:03:22] The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom He spoke.

[00:03:26] One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side.

[00:03:31] So Simon Peter motioned to Him to ask Jesus of whom He was speaking.

[00:03:37] So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to Him,

[00:03:40] Lord, who is it?

[00:03:42] Jesus answered,

[00:03:44] It is He to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.

[00:03:47] So when He had dipped the morsel, He gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

[00:03:52] Then after He had taken the morsel, Satan entered into Him.

[00:03:57] Jesus said to him,

[00:03:59] What you are going to do, do quickly.

[00:04:02] No one at that table knew why He had said this to him.

[00:04:05] Some thought that because Judas had the money bag,

[00:04:08] Jesus was telling him, buy what we need for the feast,

[00:04:10] or that He should give something to the poor.

[00:04:13] So after receiving the morsel of bread,

[00:04:16] He immediately went out, and it was night.

[00:04:20] When He had gone out, Jesus said,

[00:04:21] Now is the Son of Man glorified.

[00:04:24] And God is glorified in Him.

[00:04:26] If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself,

[00:04:30] and glorify Him at once.

[00:04:33] Little children, yet a little while I am with you.

[00:04:37] You will seek Me, and just as I said to the Jews,

[00:04:40] so now I also say to you,

[00:04:41] where I am going, you cannot come.

[00:04:44] A new commandment I give to you,

[00:04:46] that you love one another.

[00:04:48] Just as I have loved you,

[00:04:50] you are also to love one another.

[00:04:53] By this all people will know that you are my disciples,

[00:04:56] if you have love for one another.

[00:04:59] Simon said to him, Peter said to Him,

[00:05:02] Lord, where are you going?

[00:05:04] Jesus answered him, where I am going,

[00:05:05] you cannot follow Me.

[00:05:07] Now, but you will follow Me afterward.

[00:05:10] Peter said to Him, Lord, why can I not follow you now?

[00:05:13] I will lay down my life for you.

[00:05:16] Jesus answered, will you lay down your life for Me?

[00:05:19] Truly, truly, I say to you,

[00:05:21] the rooster will not crow till you have denied Me.

[00:05:25] Three times.

[00:05:28] Let's pray.

[00:05:30] Dear Lord Jesus,

[00:05:33] this passage gives us a look into an intimate part of your life,

[00:05:39] the last night of your life.

[00:05:42] You're speaking with those you love.

[00:05:44] I pray that you show us too,

[00:05:47] who you are,

[00:05:48] what you're like.

[00:05:49] Every day we want to know more about you.

[00:05:52] Through this little window here in John 13,

[00:05:54] let us see more of that, more of who you are,

[00:05:56] more of what you did for us through these words.

[00:05:58] I pray that you lead me this morning as I present your word to your people.

[00:06:04] I pray in Jesus' name.

[00:06:05] Amen.

[00:06:08] Well, the scripture has us talking today about Judas.

[00:06:14] Judas is the one who betrayed Christ.

[00:06:14] And we preach expositionally, and so we go right through.

[00:06:18] And we're not skipping anything.

[00:06:20] You know, some people might think it's not a really happy topic to talk about Judas,

[00:06:25] the one who betrayed Christ.

[00:06:26] But it's in scripture for a reason.

[00:06:29] And it's in scripture so that we can learn something.

[00:06:35] And so, we all know, we should all know probably by now who Judas Iscariot is.

[00:06:41] He's the one who betrayed Christ in the most despicable way,

[00:06:45] with a kiss.

[00:06:48] Matthew 26, he tells, Judas tells the guards who will go arrest him how he will do it.

[00:06:55] He said, the one I'll kiss, that's the one, sees him.

[00:06:59] Can you imagine your friend who's been with you for three and a half years,

[00:07:04] stabbing you in the back,

[00:07:06] with a kiss?

[00:07:09] The worst kind of man.

[00:07:11] Worse than Brutus, who betrayed Julius Caesar.

[00:07:14] Maybe you remember that story.

[00:07:16] Worse than Benedict Arnold.

[00:07:18] We're only familiar really with him in this country, I think, mostly.

[00:07:20] The American traitor.

[00:07:23] And to this day, no one names their child Judas, do they?

[00:07:27] Do you know any Judases?

[00:07:28] Like we talked about Jezebel, do you know any Jezebels?

[00:07:32] I looked at the Social Security Administration's website.

[00:07:36] We have about 330 million people in America today.

[00:07:39] And they estimate that there's about, and they gave me this number,

[00:07:43] 329 Judases that are alive today in this country.

[00:07:47] So I'm assuming that the people maybe don't know the story

[00:07:50] and name their child Judas.

[00:07:52] But if you think of that, it's about one in 10 million.

[00:07:55] So it's a very small number.

[00:07:57] 300 people out of the entire country named Judas.

[00:08:00] By contrast, the number one name in the country is John,

[00:08:04] and that's about one in 100.

[00:08:05] I thought it would actually be a little less than that, maybe one in 50.

[00:08:11] But one in 10 million, Judas, one in 100 John.

[00:08:16] Not a popular name, and for good reason.

[00:08:18] He's got, Judas has this reputation now, 2,000 years later, for being a traitor.

[00:08:24] Not a person you want to name your child after.

[00:08:27] Yet he played a role in God's plan of redemption.

[00:08:29] Though it was to his doom, it was part of the plan.

[00:08:33] And I wonder, when I was putting the message together,

[00:08:37] what would God have us learn about Judas or from Judas?

[00:08:42] And so let's look in verse 21.

[00:08:45] John writes,

[00:08:51] And you think about him saying these words now.

[00:08:56] This group of people have been hanging out for three and a half years.

[00:08:59] And Jesus finally says,

[00:09:04] Your first note today says,

[00:09:07] Jesus is fully man and fully God.

[00:09:11] This is how he knew this.

[00:09:13] He didn't just suspect it.

[00:09:15] He didn't just do his homework and figure out,

[00:09:17] there's a great probability that one of you will betray me.

[00:09:20] He knew one of them would betray him because he's God.

[00:09:23] He knew the plan.

[00:09:24] At this point in his life, he knew the plan.

[00:09:28] He knows what's going to happen.

[00:09:29] And that gives his disciples a sense of encouragement to know,

[00:09:33] Hey, our leader knows what's going to happen.

[00:09:35] He knows what's happening.

[00:09:36] We can't be shaken now.

[00:09:39] Where else?

[00:09:40] They may have been shaken.

[00:09:42] They probably would have been shaken if it just happened.

[00:09:45] But Jesus here feels the weight of his betrayal.

[00:09:49] He's got that divine nature.

[00:09:52] And he feels the weight there too because of the injustice that's about to happen.

[00:09:56] Christ is just and his trials are unjust.

[00:10:01] And he feels that weight also in his human spirit because he loves these guys.

[00:10:07] If any of you have ever been on a team in high school or college,

[00:10:10] you're with your team for your three or four years in high school or college

[00:10:14] and then you go your separate ways.

[00:10:15] By the end of that three or four years, you're close.

[00:10:20] You're like, I'm going to run through a brick wall for this guy or this gal.

[00:10:23] I know them. They're my brothers and sisters.

[00:10:26] They've been together for about that long.

[00:10:29] About as long as a team is in high school or college.

[00:10:34] Very close personal connections.

[00:10:36] So Jesus feels this weight.

[00:10:37] It says he was troubled.

[00:10:40] But he's also showing us that he is God.

[00:10:42] He's got supernatural knowledge about what is happening.

[00:10:45] In the next verse 22,

[00:11:17] John, the author of the gospel, doesn't refer to himself by name.

[00:11:27] He says,

[00:11:31] John never refers to himself in his gospel.

[00:11:35] He just says, the disciple that Jesus loved or the other disciple.

[00:11:39] And I think it's a way to be humble.

[00:11:42] He doesn't want to draw attention to himself, always to Jesus.

[00:11:44] So he just sprinkles in these ways to refer to himself.

[00:11:49] The one Jesus loved, the other disciple.

[00:11:51] Here he does the same thing.

[00:11:53] Humble apostle John.

[00:11:57] And so, these guys, I don't know how, maybe they were even late teenagers.

[00:12:02] Early 20s, mid 20s maybe.

[00:12:04] They're sitting around eating with Jesus and he says,

[00:12:06] one of you will betray me.

[00:12:07] And Peter doesn't want to ask Jesus.

[00:12:09] He says, John, you ask him.

[00:12:11] I don't want to ask him.

[00:12:12] I want to know but I want you to ask him because I don't want to ask him.

[00:12:14] John, ask him.

[00:12:15] You're next to him, ask him.

[00:12:16] So John asked him.

[00:12:17] You know, they're kind of acting like kids.

[00:12:20] Can you imagine?

[00:12:22] In verse 26, Jesus answers.

[00:12:25] He answered,

[00:12:26] It is he who I give this marshal of bread when I have dipped it.

[00:12:31] So when he had dipped the marshal, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

[00:12:35] Then after he had taken the marshal, Satan entered into him.

[00:12:39] Jesus said to him, what you're going to do, do it quickly.

[00:12:45] The disciples, again, they didn't know who would betray Jesus.

[00:12:47] But Jesus knew.

[00:12:50] And what may have been or could have been a historical account of the worst day of Jesus' life up to that point when he was betrayed,

[00:12:58] it could have been a devastating story, depressing story.

[00:13:01] This is the story of how Jesus was sold out.

[00:13:05] Jesus shows that he is God in all of this.

[00:13:09] He's not being defeated.

[00:13:10] He's in charge of what's happening.

[00:13:12] He's in charge of who's going to do it, what he's going to do and when he's going to do it.

[00:13:16] Judas, he'll betray him.

[00:13:17] He knows that.

[00:13:18] He says, what are you going to do?

[00:13:20] Go do it and make sure you're quick about it.

[00:13:22] He's the one in control here.

[00:13:26] Your next note says, even in the worst possible circumstances,

[00:13:29] God is still in control.

[00:13:34] Jesus wasn't surprised by this.

[00:13:37] He commands his betrayer to do it quickly.

[00:13:40] When Judas took the bread, John reports that Satan entered him.

[00:13:47] We don't see that very often in Scripture.

[00:13:50] Satan entered him.

[00:13:52] What can we learn about that?

[00:13:54] Well, we can learn that Judas was not a believer.

[00:14:00] He never was.

[00:14:03] He never tasted salvation.

[00:14:05] Satan never could have entered him if he was in Christ.

[00:14:10] That would go against Scripture.

[00:14:13] Because all who are in Christ are indwelled with the Spirit.

[00:14:17] Right?

[00:14:19] And sealed by that Spirit, we're told in Ephesians 4, until the day of redemption.

[00:14:23] Who seals you?

[00:14:24] Do you seal you?

[00:14:25] No, you don't seal you.

[00:14:26] You couldn't keep the seal.

[00:14:27] You'd break the seal in five minutes.

[00:14:29] And so would I.

[00:14:30] Anyway, we are sealed by the Spirit until the day of redemption.

[00:14:34] Ephesians 4 tells us that.

[00:14:36] And if Judas was sealed by the Spirit before Satan entered him,

[00:14:39] Satan couldn't have entered him.

[00:14:41] The Spirit would never have allowed that.

[00:14:45] In fact, regarding Judas, we know from Scripture that he remained lost.

[00:14:49] In John 6, Jesus says,

[00:14:51] Did I not choose you, the twelve?

[00:14:54] He doesn't say the eleven.

[00:14:56] And yet one of you is a devil.

[00:15:00] By the words of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane,

[00:15:02] the night before he's arrested,

[00:15:06] he says of the disciples,

[00:15:08] I've guarded them.

[00:15:08] He's talking to the Father.

[00:15:10] And not one of them had been lost,

[00:15:12] except for the son of destruction,

[00:15:14] that the Scripture may be fulfilled.

[00:15:16] He says none of them are lost, except one.

[00:15:19] One's lost.

[00:15:22] And he's lost so that the Scripture may be fulfilled.

[00:15:26] I wondered what Scripture that was, by the way.

[00:15:28] And it's Psalm 109,

[00:15:30] a prophetic psalm about Judas mentions betrayal.

[00:15:35] It says,

[00:15:36] May his days be few.

[00:15:37] May another take his office.

[00:15:39] And if you read Psalm 109, you'll see it's a psalm,

[00:15:42] and it reflects about Jesus' betrayal

[00:15:45] and his wrongful judgment.

[00:15:47] And another apostle did take Judas' place, Matthias.

[00:15:51] We read about in Acts chapter 1.

[00:15:54] Psalm 41 also foreshadows Judas' betrayal of Jesus,

[00:15:58] where it says,

[00:15:59] Even my close friend,

[00:16:01] in whom I trusted,

[00:16:02] who ate bread,

[00:16:04] who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.

[00:16:06] My close friend.

[00:16:08] My close friend.

[00:16:10] We know that Judas remained lost by Jesus' words again in Matthew 26.

[00:16:16] He says,

[00:16:17] Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.

[00:16:20] It would have been better for that man if he had never been born.

[00:16:28] I've heard people say,

[00:16:29] or I've seen things online that says,

[00:16:32] Jesus washed Judas' feet.

[00:16:36] And that's all it says.

[00:16:37] And I wondered what message they're trying to convey with that.

[00:16:41] Jesus washed Judas' feet.

[00:16:46] I think some people who may remind others of this

[00:16:48] might use that statement to convey an idea that

[00:16:52] you can sin grievously and wretchedly,

[00:16:56] and Jesus still has to love you.

[00:16:58] He'll still wash your feet.

[00:17:00] You can do whatever you want.

[00:17:01] He'll affirm your sin.

[00:17:03] He'll accept you right into the glorious gates of heaven just as you are.

[00:17:07] You don't have to make any changes to your life

[00:17:09] because he just loves you so much.

[00:17:11] That is not true.

[00:17:14] What do you do with Psalms like this?

[00:17:16] Passages like this, Psalm 5.

[00:17:19] The boastful, David's writing,

[00:17:21] The boastful shall not stand before your eyes.

[00:17:23] You hate all evildoers.

[00:17:25] You destroy those who speak lies.

[00:17:27] The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

[00:17:31] What is another word for abhor?

[00:17:34] Hate.

[00:17:37] Psalm 11.

[00:17:38] The Lord tests the righteous,

[00:17:40] but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

[00:17:48] Your next note on this topic says,

[00:17:50] Be careful.

[00:17:51] Don't take God's grace for granted.

[00:17:55] God extends perfect love,

[00:17:57] but also extends perfect justice.

[00:18:05] Are there different ways that the Lord could love people?

[00:18:08] Are there different ways that you love different people?

[00:18:12] Could he love one who will eventually be lost

[00:18:17] and extend some common grace to them,

[00:18:21] still love them somehow, some way?

[00:18:24] He gives them the person that will be lost.

[00:18:27] He still gives them the enjoyment of his creation.

[00:18:29] They still may go on fishing trips and enjoy friendships

[00:18:32] and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment in life.

[00:18:36] Those are things that we call common grace.

[00:18:39] We enjoy being here.

[00:18:40] We have good days, we have bad days.

[00:18:41] Well, the good days,

[00:18:43] everyone gets the good days.

[00:18:44] The rain falls on the just and the unjust.

[00:18:47] That's common grace we call that.

[00:18:50] Though they may never believe.

[00:18:53] But also, can he extend his saving love,

[00:18:56] his saving grace to others?

[00:18:59] It's true, Jesus washed Judas' feet.

[00:19:02] But when the time came to explain

[00:19:04] what he had done to them,

[00:19:05] remember what he said in John 13, 10 from last week?

[00:19:09] Jesus said,

[00:19:10] the one who has bathed, remember this,

[00:19:11] does not need to wash,

[00:19:13] except for his feet, but is completely clean.

[00:19:16] And you, my disciples, are clean.

[00:19:19] But not every one of you.

[00:19:23] Not every one of you are clean.

[00:19:27] He knew.

[00:19:28] He still washed his feet,

[00:19:29] and he knew he wasn't saved.

[00:19:31] We may experience the blessings of God on earth

[00:19:35] and not believe in him.

[00:19:37] And ultimately, we'll be lost.

[00:19:40] Like Judas was lost.

[00:19:42] If things in your life are going pretty well,

[00:19:44] you might think, God loves me.

[00:19:45] He must because I got enough money in the bank

[00:19:47] and I just got a promotion

[00:19:49] and all these great things are happening to me.

[00:19:51] Don't equate that with salvation.

[00:19:54] You're being blessed

[00:19:55] and the rain falls on the just and the unjust.

[00:19:57] It might be raining on you in a good way,

[00:20:00] but you're not saved.

[00:20:02] Good things happen to good people and bad people.

[00:20:06] It's not about the amount of blessings you're getting.

[00:20:09] It's who's in your heart.

[00:20:12] And we know lost people always make excuses.

[00:20:15] We used to be lost at one point.

[00:20:16] We would make excuses for our sin

[00:20:19] when we're confronted with the holiness of God.

[00:20:23] But Jesus knew what was in their hearts

[00:20:25] and he knows what's in our hearts today.

[00:20:27] And yes, Jesus did wash Judas' feet.

[00:20:30] But that's what we might call common grace.

[00:20:33] But you know what? He didn't wash his heart.

[00:20:37] Judas didn't receive the saving grace of God

[00:20:39] and Judas somehow did not believe.

[00:20:44] And don't be tempted to say,

[00:20:46] boy, if I was in Judas' feet,

[00:20:47] I for sure would have believed.

[00:20:48] I would have believed for sure

[00:20:49] because I know that Jesus is the Son of God

[00:20:52] and he's the only way.

[00:20:53] Well, I don't know.

[00:20:54] He was human. We're human.

[00:20:56] He was that close.

[00:20:57] You say, how could he not believe?

[00:20:58] He saw miracles done.

[00:21:00] He saw Jesus prophesying things that came through.

[00:21:03] But all those things were a judgment unto Judas

[00:21:06] because he did not believe.

[00:21:08] And it drove him further and further from Christ.

[00:21:11] Your next note says,

[00:21:13] you can be so close in proximity to Christ

[00:21:16] and to his people and not be in Christ.

[00:21:20] Look at Judas.

[00:21:22] How much closer can you get?

[00:21:27] He walked with them.

[00:21:28] He talked with them.

[00:21:30] Don't ever confuse,

[00:21:32] I said this last year sometime,

[00:21:34] don't ever confuse your proximity to Christ

[00:21:35] with your salvation in Christ.

[00:21:38] Just because you go to church every week,

[00:21:39] just because you know the Lord's Prayer by heart

[00:21:42] or the Ten Commandments and you give in the offering

[00:21:44] and you do all the Christian things,

[00:21:46] don't equate that with salvation.

[00:21:47] You're really close.

[00:21:48] You know all the people in church.

[00:21:50] You know the pastor.

[00:21:51] Don't equate that with salvation.

[00:21:53] Judas was right there in the thick of it.

[00:21:57] It's not the same thing.

[00:22:00] We can learn this from Judas today.

[00:22:02] Judas was close.

[00:22:04] Judas was very close.

[00:22:07] But he wasn't in Christ.

[00:22:12] I've mentioned over the past couple of weeks

[00:22:13] that we can be like Peter.

[00:22:15] And I think we kind of understand that.

[00:22:17] We can let our emotions take over.

[00:22:19] We can speak out of turn.

[00:22:20] Speak before we think

[00:22:21] and all those types of things.

[00:22:23] We can be like Peter.

[00:22:24] I think we would all agree.

[00:22:25] But don't be like Judas.

[00:22:30] Don't be so close but not really in Christ.

[00:22:36] Because it happens.

[00:22:39] Verse 28.

[00:22:42] Now, no one at the table knew why he said this to him.

[00:22:46] Some thought that because Judas had the money bagged,

[00:22:48] Jesus was telling him,

[00:22:49] buy what we need for the feast.

[00:22:51] Or that he should give something to the poor.

[00:22:53] So after receiving the morsel of bread,

[00:22:55] he immediately went out and it was night.

[00:23:00] All the disciples didn't hear what Jesus said.

[00:23:03] He must have said it under his breath

[00:23:04] or maybe the room was loud with voices and laughter,

[00:23:08] whatever, after a meal.

[00:23:10] People were relaxing.

[00:23:11] All the disciples didn't hear what he said to Judas.

[00:23:13] And so they kind of caught half of that.

[00:23:15] And they thought, what was that?

[00:23:16] Oh, he must be going to get some food for the Passover.

[00:23:18] Maybe he's going to give to the poor.

[00:23:20] They didn't catch it.

[00:23:21] They didn't really know what was happening.

[00:23:23] We're not clear about it for sure.

[00:23:26] But Jesus knew what was happening.

[00:23:28] And when Judas left, we read in verse 30 that he went out and it was night.

[00:23:35] And it made me wonder why John, inspired by the Holy Spirit,

[00:23:40] wrote that last phrase, and it was night.

[00:23:44] And I wondered, was that necessary?

[00:23:46] It seemed like kind of an add-on to the end of the sentence there.

[00:23:49] Why does it matter if it's night or not?

[00:23:50] I don't know.

[00:23:52] So many times in the scripture, those who are eternally lost

[00:23:57] are sent out into outer darkness.

[00:24:02] And I wondered if there was a parallel here.

[00:24:06] Because I wondered, was it really necessary for John to write?

[00:24:09] And it was night.

[00:24:10] And by the way, it was nighttime.

[00:24:12] But he didn't just go out into the night.

[00:24:16] In truth, Judas was ultimately sent into outer darkness,

[00:24:23] which is where we would all go if left to our own devices

[00:24:26] and our own sinful natures.

[00:24:27] We'd all be in outer darkness without Christ.

[00:24:31] And so at that point, after Judas is sent out to betray Jesus,

[00:24:35] the plan is now set in motion.

[00:24:38] That's kind of a catalyst.

[00:24:39] He's going to go now and tell the guards where they're staying.

[00:24:42] And they're going to come and then it's going to all be over.

[00:24:46] At that moment, there was no going back.

[00:24:48] Jesus had lived his life to this point,

[00:24:50] had his ministry to this point,

[00:24:52] had a nice meal with his disciples,

[00:24:55] and now he's sending off the messenger to begin the final act.

[00:25:01] And there's no going back now.

[00:25:03] And finally, what does Jesus say?

[00:25:04] What's his perspective here?

[00:25:06] Is he discouraged?

[00:25:08] Does he call the apostles together and say,

[00:25:10] now let's pray against Judas because he's going to go out and betray me?

[00:25:14] Is he discouraged?

[00:25:16] Does he say, oh no?

[00:25:17] Now what?

[00:25:18] What have I done?

[00:25:20] How does Jesus respond once the final phase is set in motion now?

[00:25:23] And you can't stop it.

[00:25:26] Verse 31.

[00:25:28] When he had gone out,

[00:25:29] Jesus said,

[00:25:31] Now is the Son of Man glorified,

[00:25:33] and God is glorified in him.

[00:25:35] If God is glorified in him,

[00:25:37] God will also glorify him in himself

[00:25:40] and glorify him at once.

[00:25:44] Judas is sent away to be quick about betraying Jesus.

[00:25:48] And what does Jesus immediately say?

[00:25:51] Now I'm glorified.

[00:25:53] It's like he's saying, finally,

[00:25:55] and God is glorified in me.

[00:25:57] He basically sends away the man

[00:25:58] who will be the catalyst to start Jesus' unjust arrest,

[00:26:03] his sham trials, his convictions,

[00:26:05] his crucifixion and murder.

[00:26:07] And what does Jesus say?

[00:26:08] Nobody can stop me now.

[00:26:13] He knows he's victorious.

[00:26:16] He always knew he would be.

[00:26:18] But how would we react in those situations?

[00:26:21] Are we going to say,

[00:26:22] Ain't no one going to stop me now?

[00:26:24] Everything's perfectly set up.

[00:26:26] If anyone looked at my life,

[00:26:27] they'd say, your life is a mess.

[00:26:29] Someone's going to arrest you.

[00:26:30] They're going to kill you tomorrow.

[00:26:31] He says, finally,

[00:26:33] Ain't no one stopping me now.

[00:26:35] It's a different perspective than we have.

[00:26:37] Your next note says,

[00:26:39] The Lord does his best work.

[00:26:42] When we are in our darkest places.

[00:26:47] You could probably attest to that

[00:26:48] if I went around the room.

[00:26:51] When was God most apparent in your life?

[00:26:53] You'd say, at the worst of times.

[00:26:55] That was the worst day of my life.

[00:26:57] And you know how somehow he gave me joy and peace.

[00:26:59] I don't understand it.

[00:27:00] It's the peace that passes all understanding.

[00:27:03] That's God.

[00:27:05] That's when he's glorified most,

[00:27:07] when all seems lost.

[00:27:08] Well, to the disciples,

[00:27:09] if he hadn't told them what was going to happen,

[00:27:12] in their minds, all would have been lost.

[00:27:16] That's when he shines brightest in our lives.

[00:27:18] Is that how you responded in your last hardship?

[00:27:21] And I know we've had hardships.

[00:27:23] I think all of us could say no.

[00:27:25] That is not how I responded.

[00:27:27] In fact, I'm ashamed of how I responded.

[00:27:31] Of course not. We're not Christ.

[00:27:33] But we are in Christ.

[00:27:36] If you're a believer, you're in Christ.

[00:27:37] Paul uses that term, that phrase about 80 times

[00:27:40] in the New Testament.

[00:27:40] He loves using that phrase, you're in Christ.

[00:27:43] And in Colossians 3, we're told that not only are we in Christ,

[00:27:46] but our lives are hidden in Christ, in God.

[00:27:49] So we are like double, triple, wrapped up in God and in Christ,

[00:27:53] and we are good to go.

[00:27:56] Ultimately, we will be saved.

[00:27:57] We will see glory.

[00:27:58] And just like in a song we sang today,

[00:28:01] even if I lose it all, I'll still never lose hope.

[00:28:06] I'll never lose hope.

[00:28:09] So we would do well to see how Jesus would react in a way.

[00:28:11] Remember the old bracelets, what would Jesus do?

[00:28:14] What would Jesus do here?

[00:28:17] And then do likewise with the help of the Spirit.

[00:28:20] Because we're not able to do what Jesus would do in our flesh.

[00:28:23] We need the Spirit's help with that.

[00:28:24] To be patient when you shouldn't, when you don't feel like being patient.

[00:28:27] Because we all think we're more patient than we are.

[00:28:29] It's true.

[00:28:30] We all think we're, we know more than we know.

[00:28:33] It's true.

[00:28:33] We're more ignorant than we think we are.

[00:28:35] And that's all true.

[00:28:36] We need the Spirit's help.

[00:28:38] And if you don't know how ignorant you are, ask your spouse.

[00:28:41] They'll tell you.

[00:28:42] Okay?

[00:28:45] And so then now, Judas is gone.

[00:28:47] He's doing his thing to betray Christ.

[00:28:49] And Jesus focuses back on his faithful ones.

[00:28:52] In verse 33.

[00:28:54] He says,

[00:29:21] Back in John 7, Jesus refers to, in John 13, back to what he said in John 7,

[00:29:27] when he was talking to the Jews about the same thing.

[00:29:30] He says, I'm going away in John 7, and you'll seek me, and you'll die in your sin.

[00:29:35] He told the Pharisees, you're going to be looking for me, but you're going to die in your sin.

[00:29:40] Here are the disciples.

[00:29:42] He's telling, you'll seek me.

[00:29:44] And later he'll say, you're going to follow me where I'm going.

[00:29:48] He's making a distinction.

[00:29:49] He's drawing a line.

[00:29:50] And he tells the Pharisees back in John 7, where I'm going, you can't come.

[00:29:54] You are from below.

[00:29:56] I'm from above, he says.

[00:29:57] You are of this world.

[00:29:59] I am not of this world.

[00:30:00] You are of your father, the devil.

[00:30:03] You are not of God.

[00:30:05] Jesus makes these distinctions in his ministry.

[00:30:08] All the way up to the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin and whoever the Jewish leaders were,

[00:30:13] he's drawing lines.

[00:30:15] You're in or you're out.

[00:30:16] You're of your father, the devil, or of our father, God.

[00:30:21] And he's calling the Pharisees, these Jewish leaders, sons of their father, the devil.

[00:30:27] And there was a devil in his midst that night among the twelve.

[00:30:34] He's making a distinction.

[00:30:35] You're either of God or you're of the devil.

[00:30:37] There's no third category.

[00:30:42] And since these who remain with Jesus are of God, Judas has left now.

[00:30:46] He instructs them with a new commandment.

[00:30:49] He says, love one another.

[00:30:52] The way I loved you.

[00:30:53] That's how I want you to love each other.

[00:30:56] And how did Jesus love them?

[00:30:57] Remember back to verse 1 in chapter 13.

[00:31:00] How did Jesus love us?

[00:31:01] To the end.

[00:31:03] Jesus loved them all the way.

[00:31:05] To the utmost.

[00:31:07] The most you could love someone.

[00:31:08] He says, love each other like that.

[00:31:12] And that's how the world is going to know who my people are.

[00:31:15] How they love each other.

[00:31:17] Your next note says, God's people, that's us, should love one another the way Jesus loves his people.

[00:31:27] We love each other different ways.

[00:31:29] We love our spouses different than we love our brothers and sisters.

[00:31:35] And the love between a parent and a child is different than the love between a father and a brother and a son.

[00:31:45] There's just different kinds of love, ways to express love.

[00:31:48] But the love between God and his people.

[00:31:51] They call it agape love.

[00:31:53] It's how he wants us to love each other.

[00:31:55] I love you no matter what.

[00:31:59] I love you no matter what.

[00:32:01] That's what Jesus would say to his people.

[00:32:03] No matter what.

[00:32:05] How do we love our brethren in Christ?

[00:32:10] Would anyone suspect that we're Christian by how we're loving our brothers and sisters in Christ?

[00:32:14] If they didn't know already.

[00:32:16] Would they say if they looked at one of us, that must be a Christian.

[00:32:21] I bet you they're a Christian.

[00:32:24] Or would they have no clue?

[00:32:26] Because it should be apparent to the world, Jesus is telling us.

[00:32:29] That's how the world's going to know us.

[00:32:30] How we love each other.

[00:32:32] This is a new commandment for them.

[00:32:36] God's people loves what God loves.

[00:32:38] And God loves the church.

[00:32:41] Because what is the church?

[00:32:42] It's not a building.

[00:32:42] It's the congregation of believers.

[00:32:44] It's you and me.

[00:32:46] God loves his people, his family.

[00:32:50] He loves his church.

[00:32:51] Do you feel a distinct love for God's people?

[00:32:53] You probably feel a difference between if you meet someone over at the hardware store

[00:32:58] and you realize, oh, he's a believer.

[00:33:00] All of a sudden, you got a little connection there.

[00:33:03] I ran into two people yesterday in a parking lot.

[00:33:06] And we figured out that we're all Christians.

[00:33:08] And then the conversation kind of changed.

[00:33:12] And we're like friends all of a sudden.

[00:33:14] There's just that extra thing that you notice between God's people.

[00:33:18] We should have that.

[00:33:18] We should recognize that.

[00:33:20] That's a grace that he's given his people.

[00:33:23] A brotherhood.

[00:33:27] But Judas didn't show that love for God's people.

[00:33:32] We're told that he was selfish and he was greedy and he was self-centered.

[00:33:35] He would take money out of the money bag.

[00:33:36] He was like the treasurer of the group.

[00:33:40] Matthew, we see it in Matthew 26 and John 12.

[00:33:44] He sold Jesus out, his friend, I thought, for 30 pieces of silver, money.

[00:33:51] He was a traitor.

[00:33:52] He betrayed Christ.

[00:33:55] Well, what about Peter?

[00:33:56] Peter shows up here again.

[00:33:57] This is where we can kind of say, well, maybe Peter would have done what I would have done because I feel like we're kind of like Peter.

[00:34:04] And maybe that's just me.

[00:34:06] But I think we can relate.

[00:34:08] What about Peter, what he did?

[00:34:09] Look at verse 36.

[00:34:10] Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you going?

[00:34:14] Jesus answered him, where I'm going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow me afterward.

[00:34:19] Aren't those great words?

[00:34:20] At least I'm going to follow you later.

[00:34:21] Like when he was washing the disciples' feet.

[00:34:24] He said, do you know what I've done to you?

[00:34:26] And he says, he knew they didn't understand.

[00:34:29] But he said, you're going to understand later.

[00:34:32] You'll get it later.

[00:34:34] Here again, he says, you can't follow me now, Peter, but you will later.

[00:34:39] What is that called?

[00:34:39] Hope.

[00:34:41] Okay, later.

[00:34:42] I'll settle for later.

[00:34:47] He says in verse 37, Peter said to him, Lord, why can't I follow you now?

[00:34:53] I'll lay down my life for you.

[00:34:56] Jesus answered, will you lay down your life for me?

[00:35:03] Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

[00:35:14] I feel like I have this connection with Peter.

[00:35:18] God, I'd do anything for you.

[00:35:20] I want to go with you.

[00:35:21] Take me with you.

[00:35:21] Why can't I go now?

[00:35:22] I would die for you.

[00:35:24] Jesus says, will you though?

[00:35:30] Peter would end up dying for his faith in Christ, but not before he denied Christ three times in the next 24 hours.

[00:35:43] We don't think we're as ignorant as we are.

[00:35:48] We think we're smarter than we are.

[00:35:50] We think we're more faithful than we are.

[00:35:53] That's why we need Christ to get us through, to get us there.

[00:35:56] Because if it's left up to us, we're going to be gung ho.

[00:35:59] Yes, I can do it.

[00:36:00] And within 24 hours, we're going to deny Christ three times.

[00:36:04] Because we're weak.

[00:36:05] We're like the disciples.

[00:36:06] We don't understand.

[00:36:06] We don't get it.

[00:36:07] We whine because we can't do it now.

[00:36:09] We can't go now.

[00:36:10] No.

[00:36:11] That's why we rely on Christ to do it for us.

[00:36:13] That's the gospel.

[00:36:17] Peter asked Jesus, where are you going?

[00:36:18] Wouldn't you ask Jesus too?

[00:36:21] What do you mean you're leaving?

[00:36:22] Where are you going?

[00:36:24] He says, you can't go where I'm going.

[00:36:26] And then of course, we would say, well, why can't I go?

[00:36:30] He says, you can come later.

[00:36:32] Can't come now.

[00:36:37] We always want to know.

[00:36:38] We always want it now.

[00:36:40] We always want to go now.

[00:36:42] I don't know if it's our culture or what, or just human nature.

[00:36:45] We want what we want.

[00:36:47] We want it when we want it.

[00:36:48] And if we don't have it, we're going to cry and whine and complain.

[00:36:53] We're not patient.

[00:36:56] And it's because we're more ignorant and less patient than we think we are.

[00:37:01] We all have this great skill of overestimating ourselves, don't we?

[00:37:08] But Jesus comes near to us to give us that knowledge that we need, that we don't have, but we think we do.

[00:37:14] He says, I'm here to give you that knowledge through the word, through his life that the apostles wrote down.

[00:37:19] Here's how you can be informed, more informed.

[00:37:22] He comes close to us to teach us that patience, because we're going to need it.

[00:37:28] And we're so emotional.

[00:37:30] We say, why can't I go?

[00:37:32] Just think of Peter.

[00:37:33] You know, if he's in his mid-20s.

[00:37:34] Why can't I go, Jesus?

[00:37:35] How come?

[00:37:36] It's just like you're whining, like, hey, grow up here.

[00:37:40] Some big stuff's going to happen in about 24 hours.

[00:37:43] I need you to grow up a little bit.

[00:37:46] You can't go, okay?

[00:37:48] You'll come later.

[00:37:49] Got it, Peter?

[00:37:50] You know, I'm going to see him saying, okay, fine, fine.

[00:37:52] He's human like you and me.

[00:37:54] We would do the same thing.

[00:37:55] We're like that.

[00:37:56] I'll do anything for you.

[00:37:57] I'll die for you, Jesus.

[00:37:58] He says, be careful.

[00:38:00] Will you?

[00:38:01] You don't know what you're saying.

[00:38:03] Like when he told the disciples, which one's going to be next to you in the kingdom?

[00:38:06] Is it me?

[00:38:06] Is it my brother?

[00:38:07] Who's it going to be?

[00:38:07] Can I sit on your right hand?

[00:38:08] How about your left hand?

[00:38:10] Jesus says, you don't even know what you're asking.

[00:38:11] You don't even know what you're talking about.

[00:38:19] I've said it again for the last couple of weeks.

[00:38:22] We're like Peter.

[00:38:23] We overestimate ourselves.

[00:38:25] We let our emotions get in the best of us.

[00:38:27] And still, Jesus loves us.

[00:38:28] Because he knows that's just Peter.

[00:38:30] It's just Peter.

[00:38:32] He still loves us.

[00:38:34] Your next note here says, instead of elevating ourselves,

[00:38:38] we should admit to ourselves that we live only by God's grace.

[00:38:43] We take our next breath only because of God's grace.

[00:38:46] Only because he allows it.

[00:38:47] And we're nothing special.

[00:38:52] And so I want to ask you this question.

[00:38:53] What do you think is better?

[00:38:55] What do you think is better out of these two choices?

[00:38:59] Betraying Christ once or denying him three times?

[00:39:09] Is there a right answer?

[00:39:12] But Jesus makes distinctions.

[00:39:14] Jesus draws lines in the sand.

[00:39:18] And the truth is, both Judas and Peter's actions that they deserved eternal punishment.

[00:39:23] But Peter received grace.

[00:39:31] And Judas received justice.

[00:39:37] No one receives injustice with God.

[00:39:41] What's the difference?

[00:39:43] Judas betrayed Christ.

[00:39:46] Peter denied Christ.

[00:39:48] Peter received grace.

[00:39:51] Judas received justice.

[00:39:52] What's the difference?

[00:39:53] Why did one receive eternal life and one received eternal punishment?

[00:39:57] Punishment.

[00:39:58] Because Jesus draws distinctions.

[00:40:00] He draws lines.

[00:40:01] And these two are on different sides of the line.

[00:40:05] What's the dividing line?

[00:40:07] Right down the middle?

[00:40:08] Faith in Christ.

[00:40:10] That's it.

[00:40:12] What side are you on?

[00:40:14] You can deny me three times and have faith and he'll give you grace.

[00:40:19] You can sell me out once.

[00:40:21] Not have faith and receive justice that you're due.

[00:40:27] What side of the line are you on?

[00:40:32] They were both with Jesus for three and a half years.

[00:40:34] They knew him.

[00:40:35] He knew them.

[00:40:36] They knew each other.

[00:40:38] They probably never suspected that anyone would sell him out.

[00:40:42] They both shared meals with him.

[00:40:44] They both laughed and cried with him and saw his miracles and helped him do the good works.

[00:40:49] But one remained lost.

[00:40:54] He was so close to that dividing line of faith.

[00:40:57] Imagine how many times he could have just believed.

[00:41:03] But he never took that final step.

[00:41:06] Matthew records that it would have been better for Judas if he were never born.

[00:41:15] Tragic.

[00:41:20] Paul warns believers in 2 Corinthians 13.

[00:41:24] He says, examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.

[00:41:30] Examine yourselves to make sure you're not just close to the faith.

[00:41:34] That you're not just acting the part of a Christian.

[00:41:36] Examine your hearts to see whether you are in the faith.

[00:41:43] We all do foolish things.

[00:41:46] We've all messed up.

[00:41:50] Made mistakes.

[00:41:50] Big mistakes.

[00:41:51] We don't understand what God's doing all the time.

[00:41:53] We get confused about his plans.

[00:41:55] We all want to know what's happening and we want him to let us know clearly now.

[00:41:58] What?

[00:41:59] Or else?

[00:42:02] We mess up.

[00:42:03] But what's more important than our mistakes is what's in our hearts.

[00:42:10] Because Peter made big mistakes.

[00:42:12] And Judas made big mistakes.

[00:42:15] But the difference was what was in their heart.

[00:42:19] Have you put your faith in Christ?

[00:42:21] If you have, your sins are covered by his grace.

[00:42:25] And if your faith is in yourself or anything else, anything other than Christ,

[00:42:30] your sins remain.

[00:42:33] And they have not been atoned for by the blood of Christ, you'll have to atone for them.

[00:42:39] How long does it take to burn off a sin against an infinitely holy God?

[00:42:45] I'd venture to say eternity.

[00:42:54] But if you are in Christ, then there's nothing that can take you away from God's love.

[00:43:00] Romans 8, 38. Remember that verse?

[00:43:03] There's nothing that can tear us away from God's love for us. Nothing.

[00:43:07] We serve a God who saves wretched sinners like you and me.

[00:43:13] And he deserves all the glory in it.

[00:43:15] And there's nothing you can do.

[00:43:18] Nothing that ever is going to matter.

[00:43:22] Except whether you have your faith in Christ and whether you're in Christ or not.

[00:43:27] That's the dividing line. Faith in Christ.

[00:43:29] You can look the part and not be a Christian.

[00:43:32] You can not be a Christian and not look the part.

[00:43:35] All that stuff doesn't matter. Do good deeds.

[00:43:37] Christ isn't in your heart.

[00:43:38] Well, then you're on this side.

[00:43:41] You're not going to be experiencing salvation, the grace of God.

[00:43:46] You're going to love God and his people with that faith in Christ.

[00:43:49] And that's our blessed hope is that we can mess up,

[00:43:53] and we can mess up big time like Peter did.

[00:43:57] And God's grace is sufficient to cover that.

[00:44:00] So don't think you're ever too far away either from God.

[00:44:04] We have friends that probably feel like,

[00:44:06] God could never save me anymore.

[00:44:08] Be an encouragement to them.

[00:44:10] Tell them about Peter.

[00:44:11] Tell them about all the other big names in Scripture that really messed up.

[00:44:16] But they're saved today.

[00:44:18] We serve a God who saves wretched sinners like you and me.

[00:44:21] And there's hope in that.

[00:44:24] Next week we'll get into John 14, like Mike mentioned.

[00:44:26] And we were talking to David earlier about John 14.

[00:44:29] They call that the upper room discourse.

[00:44:31] It's when Jesus is talking to the ones he knows are in God, in Christ.

[00:44:37] And interesting things there, wouldn't you say?

[00:44:39] So we'll look forward to that.

[00:44:41] In any case, please stand with me as we close in prayer.

[00:44:49] Dear Lord Jesus, once again we come here humbly to learn.

[00:44:53] I hope we can all admit to ourselves that we're not as patient as we think,

[00:44:58] and we're probably more ignorant than we think we are.

[00:45:01] Help us to learn humility.

[00:45:03] Keep us teachable.

[00:45:06] And keep us ever hungry to learn more about who you are and what you promised us.

[00:45:11] Because those are the things that are going to get us through the tough times in life.

[00:45:15] Nothing else.

[00:45:16] Only faith in Christ.

[00:45:17] Lord, bless us this week.

[00:45:19] Continue to minister to the people around us and within our group that really need you.

[00:45:24] With physical healings and with relational things and everything else that this world gives us.

[00:45:28] But keep our hopes up.

[00:45:30] Keep our spirits high.

[00:45:32] So that you'll be glorified even in the midst of our trials.

[00:45:34] So that others can see the joy of the Lord that we have in our hearts.

[00:45:37] And that they would be drawn to you because of our dealings.

[00:45:41] I pray all these things in Jesus' name.

[00:45:43] Amen.