March 19, 2014 third Wednesday Lent Service

March 19, 2014 third Wednesday Lent Service
Sermon by Pastor Paul Eckert
Sermon text - Matthew 26:47-56
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    This Wednesday’s sermon has to do with the betrayal of Jesus by
Judas.  But first let’s think of a betrayal hundreds of years earlier, at
the time in history when Israel had judges or leaders, not kings. 
    Samson, as recorded in the Old Testament book of Judges, lived at
that time.  He was known for his great muscle strength.  Regrettably
his brain strength didn’t match his physical strength when it came to a
woman named Delilah.  She is the one who betrayed him.
    It is God who had given Samson his great physical strength, and as
a sign of that had told Samson not to cut his hair.  Here is where
Delilah comes into the picture.  Samson’s enemies used Delilah to try
to get from Samson the secret of his strength.  Two times it didn’t
work.  Then Delilah pouted and said to Samson, “How can you say,
‘I  love you,’ when you won’t confide in me?”  She kept nagging
him until he foolishly told her the secret was his hair.  Then she took
that information and betrayed him to his enemies who came in while
he was deep in sleep, shaved off his hair, took him captive, gouged
out his eyes, and put him into forced labor in prison.
    Let’s go now from Delilah who betrayed Samson to Judas who
betrayed Jesus.  And, thinking also of ourselves, let’s ask:
WHAT SHALL I DO WITH JESUS?
  -  BETRAY HIM?
I    LET’S LOOK AT JUDAS.  (47)
    1. First let’s look at all 12 of the disciples.
        a) Jesus had many disciples.  But He also had prepared a special
            group of 12 to be His eye witnesses to the world after His
            resurrection and His victorious return to His heavenly throne.
        b) Here you might be interested in some trivia facts.  Among the
            12 there were two sets of brothers: Peter and Andrew were
            brothers, as were James and John.  There were 3 pairs who
            shared names: 2 could be referred to as Simon, 2 as James,
            and 2 as Judas.  The Judas mentioned in our text we know
            with the fuller name of Judas Iscariot.
    2. Now let’s look closer at Judas Iscariot.  (47)
While [Jesus] was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve,
arrived.  With him was a large crowd armed with swords and
clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 
        a) This  Judas is referred to with Iscariot, a location in the south,
            in Judah.  He was the only disciple from the south.    The other
            11 disciples came from up north in Galilee.
        b) Among the disciples he was what we could call the treasurer. 
            But in our text he was functioning as a guide to betray Jesus.
    3. Remember what he had  experienced.
        a) He had spent three years with Jesus, knew Jesus’ love.
        b) He had heard Jesus’ sermons, seen Jesus’ many miracles.
        c) What moved him to betrayal, to do what he was now doing?
II  WHY DID HE BETRAY JESUS?  (48-50)
    1. The fact of betrayal is clear. (48-50)
Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I
kiss is the man; arrest him.”  Going at once to Jesus, Judas said,
“Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.  Jesus replied, “Friend, do
what you came for.”  Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus
and arrested him.
        a) We know that Jesus had the power to stop all of this.  We
            also know why He did not.  He did not because He had come
            to fulfill everything God’s Word had said about the promised
            Savior, including being an  innocent sacrifice on a cross.   
        b) But why did Judas do what he did?
    2. What prompted Judas seems clear.
        a) In John 12 we are told of an incident where Judas objected
            when a woman showed her love for Jesus with expensive
            perfume.  Judas said it could have been sold instead and the
            money put into their treasury to give to the poor.
        b) But while that sounds noble, the Bible tells us, “He did not
say this because he  cared about the poor but because he was a
thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what
was put into it.”  (John 12:6) 
    3. The reasons for betrayal seem clear.
            a) Judas was a thief, loved money.  Maybe he had hoped, if
            Jesus would be made an earthly king by the people, that he
            could one day have had a job with more access to money.
        b) But things weren’t going in that direction for Judas.
        c) Now 30 pieces of silver from the church leaders had been
            enough for him to betray Jesus, to turn away from Jesus who
            had come to give what money could never buy.  
III   LET’S LOOK AT OURSELVES.  (51-56)
    1. Don’t look only at Judas. (51-56)
With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew
it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all
who draw the sword will die by the sword.  Do you think I cannot
call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more
than twelve legions of angels?  But how then would the Scriptures
be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”  At that time
Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have
come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat
in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me.  But
this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be
fulfilled.”  Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
        a) How easy it is to see wrong, sin in Judas and other people. 
        b) But listen again to the last verse I just read: Then all the
             disciples deserted him and fled.  Others left Jesus too.
    2. Might we be like Judas and others?
        a) Could we start out with Jesus, learn about Him in our school,
            be connected with Him by making confirmation promises,
            join a Christian congregation like St. Jacobi, say we will
            regularly worship together and serve our Lord  together?
        b) Might we then start letting money or popularity or job
            advancement and what the world offers become more
            important, so that like Judas we leave Jesus behind and think
            the world’s 30 pieces of silver will take care of our future?
    3.    We don’t want the future that Judas chose. 
        a) Judas knew he had made a terrible mistake.  But, looking only
            to himself and not to Jesus, we are told: “Judas threw the
money into the temple and left.  Then he went away and hanged
himself.”  (Matthew 27:5)
        b) Do we sin, at times feel there is no hope for us?
        c) Yes, acknowledge sin.  But then look where Judas did not.
IV  LET’S LOOK AT JESUS!  (50)
    1. Jesus had come for us too.   
        a) He didn’t come only for the people of His day.
        b) Remember that God so loved the world that He gave His
            Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but be
            saved, have eternal life.
    2. Jesus went all of the way for us. (50)
Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came for.”  Then the men
stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.
        a) He permitted His betrayal, His arrest.  He was crucified.
        b) He brought the perfect sacrifice that paid the wages of our
            sins, every one of them, something that thirty million billion
            trillion pieces of silver could never do.  Then He arose from
            death to guarantee all of this.       
    3. Jesus is our Savior!
        a) There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
        b) Betray Him?  Leave Him?
        c) No!  Love Him.  Worship Him.  Praise Him.  Serve Him. 
            And one day, at His right time, be with Him where there is
            fullness of joy forever.