Gleans from Monday Bible Study with Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
DLBC Old Festac, Lagos HQ
12th March 2018
Study 45 – THE EXPOSURE AND THE PERDITION OF THE BETRAYER
John 13:18-30,10,11,17,18; Matthew 7:17-23; Luke 6:46-49; John 15:14; James 4:17;
Revelations 22:14,15
Last week we looked at John Chapter 13 verse 1 to 17. That was the time Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. Peter at first resisted but later he asked that not only his feet but his head be washed, then – “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean” (John 13:10,11). The last part of the sentence “but not all” is going to be the concentration of the study tonight. He knew from the very beginning who will betray Him, hence He said, “ye are not all clean”. Again, “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me” (John 13:18). The disciples had been washed by the Word, they were born again, children of God, redeemed, and different from the world. Yet Jesus said, I speak not of you all; He was talking about Judas Iscariot. The subject of Judas Iscariot, which is revealed very clearly, deeply and extensively is serious and solemn. Almost all churchgoers and non-churchgoers know something about Judas Iscariot, and it is recorded for us in Scriptures. It is such a passage that we may not even want to study but are compelled to because it is part of Scriptures. Why?
- To remind us that hearing and taking heed are two different things. Judas Iscariot heard all the messages, doctrines, exhortations of Christ and saw all He did, yet hearing alone did not solve his problem. Therefore, you can come to the Bible Study, listen to everything that is being said, yet that doesn’t guarantee salvation; you still have to take a step.
- Privilege and Saving Grace are not the same. He had the privilege of being among the Disciples of Christ, recognized workers and leaders. He was even the treasurer, and yet he lacked the Saving Grace.
- Closeness to the Saviour and Cleansing from Sin are wide apart. He was cleansed before but had gone back to sin, evil and defilement. Therefore, that you are very close to your local pastor doesn’t mean that you are alright in the Spirit.
- Preaching is not a proof of Purity. Judas was a preacher; the Lord sent them out two by two, and he did it well, he even healed the sick: yet purity of heart was far from him. This tells us then that though we are commissioned to preach, but preaching alone does not mean you are ready for heaven. You must still repent of your sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, and have a definite witness of the Spirit within you that you are born again.
- Being good enough before your fellow men and members of the church is not an evidence of grace, salvation or God’s acceptance. Judas Iscariot was good enough to be a disciple and their treasurer, that when Jesus said that one of them will betray Him, the other disciples never looked his way nor suspected him. Maybe you are good enough before your pastor, members of your family; that does not necessarily mean that you have a good relationship with Christ.
- Relationship with Christ is personal. He wants and invites everyone to come, just as He invited all these disciples including Judas Iscariot. He however did not follow through on that personal contact with the Lord, and became a betrayer.
- Recognition on earth is not necessarily an open door to Heaven. Judas was recognized by the people around him, and even the other disciples approved of him, but that did not open the door of heaven for him. So as you come to church and the Bible Study, you must have that personal link and connection with the Lord so that your life will be what it ought to be. I pray that this personal connection and conversion, you will manifest in Jesus Name.
“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (John 13:17). Judas Iscariot knew and heard all these messages of Christ, the Sermon on the Mount, repentance and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation; he heard about the love of God, he heard that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20), he heard it all, but, happy are ye if you do them. The most important thing in the sight of God is to DO. Have you heard about repentance, salvation, restitution, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, do them (Matthew 7:17-23). It is the doing that is the mark that we truly belong to the Lord. It is not enough to say that you are a member of the Church; we shall know you by your fruits. I pray that God will make you a doer. That you prophesy, see vision, speak in tongues, work miracles, and can heal the sick, all these are not enough, you must do what He says. “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). If you do not have the grace for Salvation, sanctification, and being builded upon the Rock, to do the word of God, you might just be a junior brother to Judas Iscariot. “But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 6:49). The secret of actually belonging to the Lord, as disciples and members of His Church and Body, is to be obedient to the totality of the word of God, everything He has commanded and put in place for us, not picking and choosing (John 15:14). If you live in obedience to the word, that is the evidence that you are children of God. But if you are just haphazard, omitting the word of God, that is the sin of omission. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). We are talking about Judas Iscariot; he knew the good to do, not to kill, slay nor betray Christ, but to protect, love and be obedient unto Him. He knew the right thing to do but didn’t do it. “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelations 22:14). The blessing of getting to heaven and keeping the relationship with the Lord, is to do the Will of God and obey His Word. Pray that you will not be outside the kingdom (Revelations 22:15). Judas Iscariot went into the dark; you will not go into the dark (John 13:30).
3 points:
POINT 1: THE PORTRAIT OF A HARD-HEARTED BETRAYER
John 13:18-20; Psalms 41:9; 55:12-15; Mark 14:10,11; 1 Chronicles 12:17; Luke 22:47,48; 2 Timothy 3:1-4; Luke 10:16; 1 Thessalonians 4:8
He made himself a betrayer, it wasn’t forced on him; this was the calamity and tragedy in his life. With open eyes, he walked straight into hell. “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me” (John 13:18). It had been prophesied in the Old Testament that somebody will betray the Lord Jesus Christ but no name was attached. I pray your name will not be attached to negative prophecies. “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me” (Psalms 41:9). This was exactly what happened; they were at the meal, and Jesus said that one of them would betray Him: a so-called friend, and follower, not a Pharisees or Sadducee, not an outside sinner, but an insider – Judas Iscariot. He knew all the places Jesus went, and that knowledge he turned into a dagger to kill and destroy (Psalms 55:12-14). Let us look at what he did, which you will not do. “And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him” (Mark 14:10,11). They didn’t look for him, neither were they aware of what he wanted to do; he voluntarily went to the chief priests to betray Christ. They were glad and asked if he was sure he was going to be faithful to them more than Christ. Pray that you will not be faithful to Satan and the enemies of Christ. You will be faithful to Christ and the word of God in Jesus Name.
Why are we studying this seeing Judas Iscariot is gone and no more here to betray anyone? It is because that spirit of betrayal is still around; it was there even in the Old Testament (1 Chronicles 12:17). This spirit of Judas Iscariot, may the Lord cast out from everyone in Jesus Name. You will be a friend and not an enemy, a helper and not a hindrance to the work of God in Jesus Name. If you have come to help and assist to expand the work and the kingdom of God, take us further to where we have not gone and move the work of God forward, welcome. But if you have come to betray us to our enemies, the Lord rebuke it. Amen. Luke 22:47 – Judas Iscariot kissed Jesus. What a kiss. “But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48). There are people like that today, they smile, but they are secretly hurting a man; they kill and destroy with their smile. A smile is reserved for love and friendship, for help, togetherness, unity, and concord, but some use it to betray and destroy. In these last days you find that betrayal still continues. Judas Iscariot was called a Traitor in the Gospels, one who betrays another person. That will not be your portion in Jesus Name. “Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he” (John 13:19). Everything Jesus said about Judas Iscariot was fulfilled. Although it appeared unbelievable it eventually happened. You will not fulfill negative prophesy in Jesus name.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me” (John 13:20). There are some people in the church today who pick and choose preachers they want to listen to, like in the Corinthian Church – one says I am of Paul and another, I am of Apollos. Such are still following in the line of Judas Iscariot. The church is not a tribal or sectional church. The GS and the pastors have the liberty to talk to any section of the church. This Church will be a Bible Church. We are not to disregard nor reject the pastor that God has sent (Luke 10:16): If you do that, you are rejecting Christ, and consequently salvation and the Will of God. If you die in that condition, that is hell fire. Any kind of attitude that despises the man of God that is sent from God in your local church, you are despising God. The Betrayer hardened his heart against Christ, His love, appeal, warning, goodness, Messiahship, Deity, Grace and Truth of God; against his own salvation and security, blessing and benefits, privilege of partnership with the Lord and to his own destruction, doom and eternal damnation. Beware, think and wake up, so that what happened to Judas Iscariot will not happen to you in Jesus Name.
POINT 2: THE PERVERSION OF A HEEDLESS BACKSLIDER
John 13:21-26; 12:4-6; 1 Timothy 6:9,10; Ecclesiastes 5:10; Psalms 52:7; Jeremiah 17:9-11
“When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me” (John 13:21). Unbelievable, unthinkable, and unimaginable but it happened: one of the twelve, the closest to the Lord Jesus Christ would betray Him. Judas was a disciple, an apostle, a leader, one of the twelve, and a worker, but a thief (John 12:4-6). Jesus knew: yet what he was stealing was not enough for him. What was his problem?
- Love of money, covetousness was his problem – 1 Timothy 6:9,10, Ecclesiastes 5:12; Psalms 52:7; Jeremiah 17:9-11; Ezekiel 33:31,32.
He loved money more than he loved Christ. Love of money is the root of all evil, dishonesty, fraud, betrayal, fighting, conflict, separation from the church, division between husband and wife, and can divide a family. “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:12). Stealing from the bag, and that was not enough, that he must sell the Lord Jesus Christ, the Master, Saviour, King of kings and Lord of lords, to have more money. If you are like that, you will not be satisfied. Judas Iscariot did not make Christ, the Source of his strength, and Object of Worship, he wanted money at all cost. Think about it, he got the thirty pieces of silver, and at the end of his life, he became like a fool, left everything to go to the other side. “And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness” (Ezekiel 33:31). Whatever you love more Christ will distract your attention, that the word of God will not take effect in your life. You need to ask yourself why you have come and what you are doing in the house of God. This man was a backslider (Proverbs 14:14). Are you allowing money and whatever you are looking for fill your heart even after hearing the word of God? Money was the peculiar problem of Judas Iscariot; he loved it more than Christ, his own eternal destiny, eternal life and heaven. This made him deaf to Christ’s warnings, blind to Christ’s sorrows and agony; made him thoughtless of his own eternal future. He was a heedless backslider, and whatever anyone loves more than Christ will blindfold him, deaden his conscience, dim and distort his vision of reality of eternity, and his soul will be doomed and damned at last.
- Love of the world – 1 John 2:15; James 4:4; 2 Timothy 4:10
There are people that love the world and its politics more that they love Christ. If you find that some celebration of the world is holding you away from the church, then you are like Judas Iscariot.
- Love of self – 2 Timothy 3:2
Love of self, pet themselves, love self more than they love God. This hinders some people that they cannot go all the way through, because of the love of self.
- Love of pleasure – 2 Timothy 3:4,5
They abandon the worship of God because of pleasures – nightclub, theatre, appearing like the Jezebel. Such must not be given any responsibility in the Church.
- Love of Praise – John 12:43
They want praise at all cost from sinners, backsliders and religious people, more than the praise of God.
- Love of Relations – Matthew 10:37; John 21:15-17
If you love anything on earth more than Christ, you are not worthy of Him. You can’t take a decision, repent, do what is right until your parents will approve. If you love anyone on earth more than Christ, you are just like Judas Iscariot. You have to love Christ above all (John 21:15-17). Pray that you will not exalt anything in this life above Christ.
POINT 3: THE PERDITION OF A HELL-BOUND BEAST
John 13:27-30; Luke 22:21-22; Mark 4:15; Psalms 109:6-8; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; Daniel 5:20,21
It’s like he was hell-bent, and heel bound, and instead of having the heart of a man, he had the heart of a beast. This Judas Iscariot played his card and game so well that the disciples could not correct or counsel him. Even though he was in the midst of others, he isolated himself. There are some people like that; they carry themselves in a way that nobody can talk or get to them. If you are like that you are sealing your own doom and damnation. Are you like that, over protective of yourself that nobody can talk to you even when they know the things you are going through? Where is the place for fellowship, being open to and helping each other, being our brothers’ keepers? I pray that things will change. If you put up that kind of attitude, and build a wall around yourself that you are unapproachable, I pray that God will help you. Judas did not change his mind (John 13:30), and if you are like that, it could spell hell for you, it may mean that you are irredeemable, and it could mean that your conscience is so hardened. Satan had taken over that man; the enemy will not take over your life. “And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts” (Mark 4:15). This is what happens to people bound, bundled and bagged by Satan. This is what happened to Judas: all this while he was following, hearing the words of Jesus, immediately he heard, Satan came and took them away, that the word had no effect on him. There are some people like who hear the word of God but Satan is by their side wanting to take the word they have heard away. But he will not get you. The word of God will bear fruits in your life, and you are not going to sell nor surrender your soul and destiny into the hands of Satan. You came to the Bible Study to repent and learn, but if you forget this, then you leave room for Satan to come and take away the word of God you are hearing so it will not have any effect in your life. If Satan is taking the word of God away from you, that you cannot remember nor pray through on what you are learning and hearing, be careful, because Satan does that to those who are going to perish. Your life will change. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).
In the case of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:20,21), God granted him a heart of repentance. Judas Iscariot, after so many warnings, and things that Jesus said to him, he did not repent unto God, but regretted and had remorse, confessed his sin to the chief priests and not to God (Matthew 27:3-5). If the joy of restoration, salvation, and peace with God was there, he will not go and hang himself. The grace and forgiveness of God is yours today, but you must tell Satan, get thee behind, and you will serve the Lord.
Ponder on this! The secret of actually belonging to the Lord, as His disciples and members of His Church and Body, is that we do His commandments and be obedient to His Word. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Reflection – The Betrayer hardened his heart against Christ’s love, appeal, warning, goodness, Messiahship, Deity, Grace and Truth of God. Betrayers harden their hearts against their own salvation and security, blessing and benefits, privilege of partnership with the Lord; and to their own destruction, doom and eternal damnation. Beware, think and wake up, so that what happened to Judas Iscariot will not happen to you in Jesus Name. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Reflection – Money was the peculiar problem of Judas Iscariot. He loved money more than Christ, his own eternal destiny and heaven. This controlling love of money made him deaf to Christ’s warnings; blind to Christ’s sorrows and agony; made him thoughtless of his own eternal future; he was a heedless backslider, and whatever anyone loves more than Christ will blindfold them, deaden their conscience, dim and distort their vision of reality of eternity, and their soul will be doomed and damned at last. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
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