Grace For The Journey

We are in the last three chapters of Luke.  There is a certain order in the last three chapters of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) that makes it easy to remember where to locate a few things.  Chapters 22, 23, 24 of the Gospel of Luke are, respectively: the Lord’s Supper, the Lord’s crucifixion, and His resurrection.  It is the same in Mark 14, 15, 16 and Matthew 26, 27, 28.  These last three chapters of Luke’s Gospel focus primarily upon Christ’s death.  Only two Gospels give us details of Christ’s birth, but all four Gospels give us many and careful details about Christ’s death because Christ’s death and resurrection is the integral part of God’s crowning work of redemption.  Today’s study takes us to the first six verses of chapter 22.

Judas is something of a scary character in the Gospel narrative.  He is a striking illustration of what we mean when we speak of the doctrine of the “perseverance of the saints.”  This doctrine teaches that all true believers persevere in their faith to the end. A simple definition of this truth is, “All who are chosen by God, redeemed by Christ, and given faith by the Spirit are eternally saved.  They are kept in faith by the power of Almighty God and thus persevere to the end.”

Some of you are familiar with the classic Christian allegory Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.  Dads, get a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress and read it to your family, a chapter an evening.  It is a great story that illustrates what it means to live the Christian life.  Bunyan tells of a dream he had of a man named Christian and he perseveres in his faith along with his friend Hopeful.  And when the two reach the gate of the celestial city at the end of their lives, the symbolism continues as they present “certificates” which stand for the saving grace they had received when they trusted Christ indicating that they belonged to God.  Christian and Hopeful are then escorted through the gate into heaven.  Then Bunyan says in his dream he then saw that there was someone else trying to make it through the gate of heaven.  His name was Ignorance.  He writes: “Now while I was gazing upon all these things, I turned my head to look back, and I saw Ignorance come up to the river” . . . “When he arrived at the gate” . . . “he began to knock, assuming that he would quickly gain entrance.  But the men who looked over the top of the gate asked, “’Where did you come from?’ and ‘What do you want?’ He answered, ‘I have eaten and have drunk in the presence of the King, and He has taught in our streets.’  Then they asked him for his certificate, so that they might show it to the King; so he fumbled in his coat for one, and found none.  Then they said, ‘Have you none?’  And the man answered not a word.  So they told the King, but He would not come down to see the man. Instead, He commanded the two Shining Ones, who had conducted Christian and Hopeful to the city, to go out and bind Ignorance hand and foot and take him away.”  Then Bunyan adds, “Then I realized that there was a way to hell even from the gates of heaven.”

Now that is an extraordinary statement, isn’t it?  Bunyan warns that not all those who refer to themselves as Christians are truly Christians.  Not everyone who uses religious language or does Christian work is necessarily a true believer.  In the words of Jesus, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:21).  Such was the case of Judas Iscariot.  If we can learn anything from Judas, we had better learn to examine ourselves as to whether we are truly in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).

We may also learn from Judas how we too may be guilty of betraying Christ in a number of different ways.  Let’s consider that possibility as we study these verses a little more closely and then I will leave you with three cautionary considerations. 

Verse 1 tells us, “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.”  The very fact that Luke tells is that the Feast of Unleavened Bread “is called Passover” is another reason we know Luke, himself a Gentile, was writing primarily to Gentiles – non-Jews.  If he were writing to Jews – like Matthew was in his Gospel – then he would not have explained that this was called Passover, because his audience would be familiar with it.  You might not be that familiar with it.  What is the Passover?  The Passover was the “opening-day feast” beginning the seven-day “Feast of Unleavened Bread.”  The Passover was a Jewish festival to be observed just once a year, a special time when the Jews would recall their miraculous deliverance from Egypt.  You will remember from reading through Exodus that the final plague sent by God to Pharaoh was the death of the firstborn.  The Jews protected themselves from the plague by smearing the blood of a sacrificial lamb upon their doorposts so that the Angel of Death would “pass over” their homes.  Unleavened bread was eaten to remind the people of their haste in fleeing Egypt, the bread did not have time to rise.  By the New Testament times thousands upon thousands of people would enter into Jerusalem for this annual feast. 

Verse 2 says, “And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.”  This is not the first time we have read of the envy and anger of the religious leaders towards Jesus (Luke 19:47, Luke 20:19).  They have now made their minds up that Jesus must go.  He must be killed.  The chief priests and the scribes, however, “feared the people.”  Remember this is Passover and there are a lot of people in town.  The Jewish historian Josephus estimates there may have been as many as 1-2 million people in Jerusalem.  And Jesus has grown in popularity.  They are looking for some way to kill Him without creating a riot (Mark 14:2).  Matthew and Mark, in their Gospels, underscore the conniving nature of these religious leaders, both of them writing about it (Matthew 26:4; Mark 14:1).  Who could have guessed that the answer to their dilemma would come from the very inner circle of Jesus’ followers? 

Verse 3 tells us, “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.”  Judas was numbered among the 12!  He was one of the 12.  It is not by accident that he is always listed last in order when you read the lists of the 12 disciples in the Gospels.  In fact, in their references to Judas the Gospel writers often append the statement, “Judas – who was to betray Christ.”

Judas had never really believed that Jesus was the Christ and Jesus knew this ahead of time.  John is led by the Holy Spirit to write, “There are some of you who do not believe.” John adds, “For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.”  He also tells us in John 6:70-71 that Jesus answered a question of the disciples by saying, “… ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?’  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.”  Of course, the other disciples did not know this about Judas. 

Verse 3 begins with the words, “Then Satan entered Judas.”  Remember Satan had left Jesus back in Luke 4, the time of the temptations in the wilderness.  Remember Luke had written, “When the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).”  Now is that opportune time.  He is back.  Satan entered Judas, finding a comfortable place there as Judas’ sinful heart made him welcome.  Satan influences Judas to go to the religious leaders and agree to betray Jesus.  John tells us that Satan will “enter Judas” again at the time of the Last Supper (John 13:27). 

Verse 4 says, “So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.”  Judas “went his way.”  It is not as though Judas is an unwilling pawn in a chess game played by God, a robot with no decision in the matter.  Judas welcomed Satan’s entering into his heart.  We never once read anywhere in the Scriptures that Judas had no control over his actions.  He made a willful choice.

Yes, there is a mystery here.  God has a plan and is working it out.  He is sovereign. Jesus Christ had to die, but Judas did not have to be the one to make it happen.  He did not have to be the traitor.  Because he willingly chose to be the traitor, he opened the door and Satan came in.  His sinful heart made a welcome invitation for Satan to enter in.  Judas had already been under the influence of Satan.  Now he would be under an even greater influence of Satan.

Verse 5 tells us, “And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.”  Judas and the religious leaders negotiated a sum of money for Judas’ betraying Christ into their hands.  Matthew puts it this way in Matthew 26:14-15, “Then Judas” … “went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?’  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.”  And, incidentally, this account fulfills the Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 11:12 as noted by Matthew. 

Verse 6 says, “So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.”  We will read, of course, that the “opportunity” will come in the cover of darkness (Luke 22:53).  It is nearly always easier to sin in the dark.  So Judas seeks an opportunity to betray Christ and we can imagine Jesus quoting from Psalm 41:9, “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”

What are we to make of these six verses?  Are they preserved by God in Scripture only to serve as introductory remarks about the imminent death of Christ, or is there more here for our profit?  One of the benefits of going verse-by-verse through books of the Bible is that by doing so God provides for us not only easy sayings, but hard sayings, good and bad, fun and not-so fun.  Sometimes God’s Word comforts us, other times it convicts us.  Sometimes it challenges us and other times it cautions us.  We have here in this passage some cautionary principles that surface from this passage.   

Three Cautions for Christ-Followers:

1)  Beware Of The Danger Of Religion.

Look at all the characters in these six verses.  You have the chief priests and the scribes on the one hand and Judas on the other.  All of them are religious.  None of them is a true believer.  Do not you find that remarkable?  Is that not a caution to us today?  You can be really close to Christ and be lost.  The chief priests and scribes new a lot of Scripture, they knew religious language, but were lost.  Judas was one of the 12 disciples and sat under Christ’s teaching and was involved in His ministry, but he was lost.

We often say that Christianity is not a “religion,” but a “relationship.” 

Christianity is about receiving Jesus Christ into our lives,

Believing He died on the cross for our sins,

Bearing the punishment we deserved,

Rising the third day so we may be declared

Righteous, justified by faith and therefore at peace with God.

Christian faith is not so much a religion, but a relationship – a living, vibrant, day-by-day relationship with God through faith in Christ.

Beware of the danger of religion.  Second caution for Christ-followers . . .

2)  Beware Of The Danger Of Satan.

Never underestimate the influence of the one who “entered Judas.”  I am afraid we are often guilty of too quickly dismissing what happened to Judas as “demon possession,” something that can come only to an unbeliever and that is the end of our discussion.  But whether Judas was “demon possessed” in the technical sense of that term misses a greater point and blinds us to the very real possibility that when your heart is bent toward evil, evil will find you.

The Bible says in Proverbs 11:27, “Evil comes to him who searches for it.”  This is the way we ought to think of Judas.  It is not, “Poor, old Judas,” as though Judas had no choice in the matter and Satan came along and entered in and took him over against his will.  No, Judas’ heart was bent toward evil.

It is not unlike what we read in Genesis 4 with Cain killing Abel.  How many of you think Cain made a choice when he killed his brother Abel?  Me, too.  In fact, the warning from God in Genesis 4:7 is, “Sin is crouching at your door (lying at your door).  Sin desires to rule over you, Cain, but you must rule over it.”  Sin was crouching at the door and Cain opened the door.  He sinned.  He sinned willingly.

Peter does not underestimate the danger of Satan.  He writes in 1 Peter 5:8, “The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”  Sin crouches at your door.  If your heart is inclined to sin, Satan will do his level best to come to you and pave for you a lovely road for you to walk down.  Beware.

Sin crouches at our door all the time.  Sin crouches at our door, men, in the form of lust and internet pornography.  You make a decision whether to open the door when you decide whether to click that link.  Ladies, sin crouches at your door when you look at that man who is not your husband and you are looking for the wrong reason.  Sin crouches at your door, young people, when you are tempted to cheat on that exam.  Sin crouches at your door when you envy another person’s stuff, another person’s position, another person’s popularity – this can happen in ministry and often does – seeking the approval of others, forever expecting others to applaud your efforts.  Just in case you feel you would never stoop as low as Judas, the Bible warns us in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

 Beware of the danger of religion, beware of the danger of Satan, thirdly . . .

3)  Beware Of The Danger Of Money.

How frequently we have read in Luke’s Gospel the warnings about money and the lure of riches.  Most recently we read the Parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21), the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), and  the Parable of the Rich Young Ruler (Luke 18:18-25).  Judas seems obsessed with money.  In John’s Gospel we have the account where Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with costly oil.  Judas complains, “Why wasn’t this oil sold and the money given to the poor?”  That sounds real spiritual, but remember John adds, “He said this not because he was concerned for the poor, but because he was a thief and kept the money box and stole from it as he had need.” (John 12:4-6).

The 30 pieces of silver he agreed to receive in order to betray Christ was worth only about 4 months wages.  That is not really much when you consider who Christ is.  But it is an awful lot to a person who is greedy and counts every penny.  Judas loved money.  The love for money ensnared him, proving true the Bible’s warning in 1 Timothy 6:9-10: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Judas is one such example, an example of a person who “strayed from the faith in his greediness and pierced himself through with many sorrows.”  Yes, it is possible to have money without loving it, but it is equally possible to love money without having it.  Both rich and poor alike may be ensnared by money.

The problem is love placed on the wrong thing.  Being a true Christ-follower means we love Him more than anyone or anything.  He must be number one, the love of our lives!  The desires of your heart are to be like pieces of metal drawn like a magnet to the Lord Jesus.  Anything less is idolatry.  Beware Christ-followers, beware of the danger of money.

Those are the warnings.  And how fitting that they should come in this passage in the context of the Passover, the annual event where a lamb was sacrificed as a reminder of God’s salvation.  Each lamb sacrificed at the Passover pointed forward to another Lamb, the one John the Baptist called, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), the Lamb of God slain for the nations, the One the Bible refers to in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “Christ our Passover (who) was sacrificed for us.”

Christ’s death was the ultimate fulfillment of the Passover.  Like the blood of the lamb which saved God’s people from death in Egypt, Jesus Christ shed His blood to save us from spiritual death.  Have you received Him by faith into your life?  Is He your “Number One Love?”

This is God’s Word …

This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

I remember in the 70s hearing a song from the 50s that was sung by Doris Day entitled, “Que Sera, Sera,” which means “Whatever will be, will be.”  It was a song about the future . . .

When I was just a little boy

I asked my mother, what will I be

Will I be handsome, will I be rich

Here’s what she said to me:

Que Sera, Sera,

Whatever will be, will be

The future’s not ours, to see

Que Sera, Sera

What will be, will be.

We have in our study today a passage of Scripture that is often referred to as the “Olivet Discourse,” a passage that takes place while Jesus and His disciples are on the Mount of Olives, a mountain rising some 150 feet above Jerusalem, affording a breathtaking view of the Jewish Temple.  It is at this moment some of the disciples speak of the splendor and grandeur of the temple.  As they admire the scene before them, the disciples ask questions about the future and Jesus’ answer is quite different than “the future’s not ours to see,” but quite the contrary . . .

He tells them of two events that will

Most certainly occur in the future.

Since the time Jesus spoke those words one of the events has taken place just as Jesus said it would.  The other event awaits fulfillment and may take place during our lifetime.  Jesus speaks here in chapter 21 of the future.

Let’s take a walk together through this passage and then I will leave you with a few actions to take from it in response to the teaching of Jesus.

Verse 5 tells us that some of the disciples were simply awestruck by the beauty of the Jewish temple.  The temple was impressive; 46 years in the making (John 2:20), it would not be completed until AD 63, just three years before the future Emperor Titus and the Roman legions began surrounding it before ultimately destroying it in AD 70.  It was double the size of the Acropolis in Athens and the perimeter of the temple was a mile long and took up a space equivalent to one-sixth of the city of Jerusalem.  It was impressive.

The Jewish historian Josephus writes, “The exterior of the building lacked nothing that could astound either mind or eye” … “Covered on all sides with massive plates of gold, the sun was no sooner up than it radiated so fiery a flash that persons straining to look at it were compelled to avert their eyes…it appeared from a distance like a snow-clad mountain; for all that was not overlaid with gold was of purest white.”

But Jesus says in verse 6 that the whole thing will be destroyed, “The days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another,” a general way of saying one day the whole thing will come toppling down.  This leads the disciples to ask a question in verse 7, “So they asked Him, saying, ‘Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?’”  The disciples had heard before about future events and they ask Jesus about the specifics of the future.  The disciples seem to think the destruction of the temple will coincide with another future event, the end of time when God comes and fixes everything that is wrong.

I just want to note parenthetically that Jesus, while answering this question, does not give them specific dates, unlike the prophecy guys with their color-coded maps, charts, and diagrams.  Why?  Probably because He wants us to be ready and watching.

The disciples seem to think the destruction of the temple will occur at the same time as the Messiah’s second coming.  Jesus, in answering their question, teaches that these are two events occurring at different times.  Jesus teaches here about two future events: 1) the destruction of the Jewish Temple; and, 2) the Second Coming of Christ.   There are two future events . . .

An “immediate future”

And

A “distant future.”

The destruction of the temple serves as a type or foreshadow of the future coming judgment at the Second Coming of Christ.  The nearer event – the destruction of the temple – serves as a preview of the more distant event, the Second Coming.

Verses 8-19 tell what will happen before the destruction of the Jewish temple and verses 20-24 tell about the destruction itself.

Verse 8 tells us, “And He said: ‘Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them.’”  Jesus warns that there will be future pretenders, but they are not the Christ.  You may recall Luke 17:23 that Jesus said, “And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’  Do not go after them or follow them.”  There will always be future false Messiahs. 

In verse 9 Jesus says,“But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.”  These things will happen until Christ returns to redeem all of creation.

In verses 10-11 the Bible tells us, “Then He said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.”  History tells us that the first century saw a number of wars, earthquakes, and famines throughout the Roman Empire.  The historian Will Durant, writing in the 1960s in his book, The Lessons of History, observes that “in the last 3,421 years of recorded history only 268 have seen no war.”  He goes to state that there have “only been 268 years of peace out of over 3,000 years.”

Jesus goes on to say in verses 12 and 13, “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake.  But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.”  While the disciples would face persecution in the next few decades, it would give them an opportunity to bear witness to Jesus Christ.

In verses 14 through 18 Jesus says, “Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.  You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death (cf Luke 12:53, Luke 14:26, Luke 18:29).  And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.  But not a hair of your head shall be lost.”

This means that while some of God’s children will suffer physical death, none of God’s children will suffer eternal death.

In verse 19 Jesus concludes this section by saying, “By your patience possess your souls.”  Put another way: Jesus is telling His disciples, and us, “to persevere, endure suffering, stay committed to Him.”

Verses 8-19 describe what will occur before the destruction of Jerusalem, now we look at the destruction itself in verses 20-24.

In verse 21 Jesus says, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near” (cf Luke 19:43-44).  This happened in AD 70 when Titus, acting under his father, Roman Emperor Vespasian, surrounded the city of Jerusalem and destroyed the temple and ultimately the city.  Jesus predicted this event and said what to do when it happens in verses 21-23, “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.  For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.”

A time of joy becomes a time of sorrow.  Josephus says that a million people died, and 100,000 prisoners taken.  The fact that Josephus, who was not a Christian, underscores the horror of the destruction.

This is confirmed in verse 24 where Jesus also says,“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”  Jerusalem’s being “trampled by the Gentiles” is a way of saying that non-Jews will conquer and dominate Jerusalem and the Jewish people until a future time when God puts an end to it.  This “trampling of the Gentiles” continues beyond AD 70.  The Romans, Persians, Franks, Turks, and the British have all “trampled” on Jerusalem.  Even today, where Jesus had been teaching (earlier in chapter 21) on that very spot is yet another fulfillment of verse 24.  Today the temple has been replaced by the huge mosque known as “The Dome of the Rock.”

The time of the Gentiles seems to suggest a time during which the Jewish people face persecution, a time that will not end until Christ returns (cf Romans 11:11-32).

Beginning in verse 25 and following, Jesus foretells the coming of the Son of Man, the Second Coming, the future event coinciding with the end of time.  By the way, if Jesus predicted the first event – the destruction of the temple in AD 70, and the first event occurred as prophesied, then you and I can be equally certain that what Jesus says will happen in verses 25 and following will happen exactly as prophesied.  It is a guarantee!

In verses 25 through 28 Jesus says, “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”  Note the two different reactions in verses 26-28. 

• Some men’s hearts will “fail them.”
• And others will “look up and lift up their heads” because their “redemption draws near” (is coming to completion). 

At Christ’s second coming, will you be fearful or grateful? 

Verses 29 through 33 tell us, “Then He spoke to them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.  When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.  So you also, when you see these things happening (these signs in the sun and moon, etc.), know that the kingdom of God is near.  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place(this generation of people living on earth when the signs occur in the sky).  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

Jesus says these events will happen!  We have already on record that which He prophesied would take place in AD 70.  If Jesus got that one right, we can rest assured He will get this one right, too. 

In verse Jesus says,“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.”  Jesus is telling us to be ready.  Do not let that day catch us in self-indulgence or allow ourselves to be swept away by the things of this present, fallen world, including the daily pressures caused by worry and anxiety.

He goes on to say in verses 35-36, “For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”  Then Luke tells us, “And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.”

In light of these truths, here is the question . . .

How shall we face the future?

Because the Bible does not give us information about the future just to fill our heads or so that we will pull out the maps, and charts, and diagrams to be able to plot various points of interest and sell our books. 

The Bible gives us information

About the future to teach us

How to live in the present.

Note these practical guidelines . . .  

1) BE WITNESSING – Verses 12-15.

Remember verse 13?  Jesus told the disciples that the future difficulties they faced would give them an opportunity to bear witness to Christ.  He said in verse 13, “But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.”  This takes us back to what Jesus had said earlier in Luke 12:11-12: “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

We are to live our lives as witnesses to Christ.  Luke records this truth again in his second volume, the Book of Acts.  He records what Jesus says in Acts 1:8, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses …”  In the context here of Luke 21, Jesus tells us that we are to witness to Christ when facing future difficulties. 

What a powerful witness to not

Fall away because of persecution,

But to draw nearer to Christ.

People are watching you when you face persecution.  How will you respond when the going gets tough?  Adrian Rogers used to say, “If you want to see what a man is made of shake him up really good and see what comes out.”  When you are shaken what comes out?  Dads, what do your children see when you face fire?  Moms, how do you handle adversity?  Young people, who will you witness to for Christ this week at school?

Jesus reminds us not to worry about what we will say. 

If we will live for Christ,

He will guide our words.

Verse 15 says, “I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.”  Trust in the Lord and you will witness for His glory.

How do we face the future?  How do we live this week?  Be witnessing.  Secondly . . .

2) BE WARNED!  Verses 34-35.

Remember the two different reactions to Christ’s Second Coming back in verses 26-28?  Jesus says some men’s hearts will “fail them” and others will “lift up their heads because their redemption” is coming to completion.  That idea is repeated in verses 34 and 35 – Jesus says, do not allow yourselves to be “weighed down with carousing, drunkness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.”  Take heed how you live!

Here is a question: To whom is Jesus speaking here?  He is not speaking to religious, closed hearted Pharisees or Sadducees or a special group of Christians who will avoid all this by being whisked away to some vacation spot in the sky.  He is talking to His disciples.  “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.”

On that day, there will be those who greet Jesus as Savior and those who meet Jesus as Judge.”  Which will it be for you?  At Christ’s Second Coming, will you be fearful or grateful?

How do we face the future?  How do we live this week?  Be witnessing.  Be warned.  Thirdly . . .

3) BE WATCHING!  Verse 36.

Jesus says in verse 36, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”  Don’t miss what Jesus is saying here – We are to watch and pray “that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things,” all what things?  What Jesus has said in the preceding verses – verses 34 and 35 – that Christ’s coming not catch us by surprise because our hearts were weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the worries of this life, living for this world only.

It is not always easy living the Christian life.  Sometimes we face persecution and great difficulties.  But remember that Jesus says, “Not a hair of our head will be lost” (verse 18).  I like that!  Remember what the Bible says in Romans 8:38-39, “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

When you face difficulties and trials and tribulation, watch and pray.  Look up to Jesus and ask for help:

Live by the truth of Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Maybe this causes you to think about the words of the song,  

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Most of you have heard of Chuck Colson.  He was the founder of Prison Fellowship and the former so-called political “Hatchet Man” for Richard Nixon and one of the major players in the Watergate scandal.  A friend of his, Tom Phillips, shortly after Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign in 1972, said Chuck had accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior.  He described how it happened.  Church called Tom and said he wanted to talk to him.  During their meeting Phillips read the section on pride from CS Lewis’ Mere Christianity.  Colson left despite Tom’s wanting him to stay and talk more.  It was his pride that made him leave, but God was breaking-through the pride.

Colson wrote about it later in his autobiographical book, Born Again: “As I drove out of Tom’s driveway, the tears were flowing uncontrollably.  There were no street lights, no moonlight. The car headlights were flooding illumination before my eyes, but I was crying so hard it was like trying to swim underwater.  I pulled to the side of the road not more than a hundred yards from the entrance to Tom’s driveway … I remember hoping that Tom and (his wife) wouldn’t hear my sobbing, the only sound other than the chirping of crickets penetrating the still of the night.  With my face cupped in my hands, head leaning forward against the wheel, I forgot about machismo, about pretenses, about fears of being weak.  And as I did, I began to experience a wonderful feeling of being released … And then I prayed my first real prayer. ‘God, I don’t know how to find you, but I’m going to try! I’m not much the way I am now, but somehow I want to give myself to You.’ I didn’t know how to say more, so I repeated over and over the words: Take me.

I had not ‘accepted’ Christ – I still didn’t know who he was. My mind told me it was important to find that out first, to be sure that I knew what I was doing, that I meant it and would stay with it. Only, that night, something inside me was urging me to surrender – to what or to whom I did not know.

I stayed there in the car, wet-eyed, praying, thinking, for perhaps half an hour, perhaps longer, alone in the quiet of the dark night.  Yet for the first time in my life I was not alone at all.”  (p.116-117)

When Christ returns, will you greet Him as Savior or meet Him as Judge?  Tell Him today, “Take me.”

This is God’s Word …

This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

We are coming to the last three chapters of Luke.  There is a certain order in these chapters of the synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke – that makes it easy to remember where to locate a few things.  In chapters 22, 23, 24 Luke deals with the Lord’s Supper, the crucifixion, and resurrection (the same is true for Mark 14-16, 14 is the Lord’s Supper, 15 is the crucifixion, and 16 is the resurrection; and Matthew 26, 27, 28; the Lord’s Supper, the crucifixion, and the resurrection.

As we enter these last three chapters of Luke’s Gospel one of the truths we will be focusing primarily upon will be Christ’s death.  Only two Gospels give us details of Christ’s birth, but all four Gospels give us many details about Christ’s death, because Christ’s death is the integral part of God’s crowning work of redemption.  Today’s study takes us through the first six verses of Luke 22.

Judas is something of a scary character in the Gospel narrative.  He is a striking illustration of what we mean when we speak of the doctrine of perseverance, or “perseverance of the saints.”  This doctrine teaches that all true believers persevere in their faith to the end.  Or to put it another way . . .

All who are

Chosen by God,

Redeemed by Christ,

And given faith

By the Holy Spirit

Are eternally saved. 

They are kept

In faith by the

Power of Almighty God

And thus persevere

To the end.

Some of you are familiar with the classic Christian allegory Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.  Dads, get a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress and read it to your family, a chapter an evening.  It is a great story that illustrates what it means to live the Christian life.  Bunyan tells of a dream he had of a man named Christian and he perseveres in his faith along with his friend Hopeful.  When the two reach the gate of the celestial city at the end of their lives, the symbolism continues as they present “certificates” which stand for the saving grace they had received when they trusted Christ indicating that they belonged to God.  Christian and Hopeful are then escorted through the gate into heaven by two angels Bunyan calls “Shining Ones.”  Bunyan says in his dream he then saw that there was someone else trying to make it through the gate of heaven.  His name was Ignorance.  He writes: “Now while I was gazing upon all these things, I turned my head to look back, and I saw Ignorance come up to the river” … “When he arrived at the gate” … ‘he began to knock, assuming that he would quickly gain entrance.  But the men who looked over the top of the gate asked, ‘Where did you come from?’ and ‘What do you want?’ He answered, ‘I have eaten and have drunk in the presence of the King, and He has taught in our streets.’  Then they asked him for his certificate, so that they might show it to the King; so he fumbled in his coat for one, and found none.  Then they said, ‘Have you none?’ And the man answered not a word.  So they told the King, but He would not come down to see the man. Instead, He commanded the two Shining Ones, who had conducted Christian and Hopeful to the city, to go out and bind Ignorance hand and foot and take him away” … Then Bunyan adds, “Then I realized that there was a way to hell even from the gates of heaven…”

Now that is an extraordinary statement, isn’t it?  Bunyan warns that not all those who refer to themselves as Christians are truly Christians.  Not everyone who uses religious language or does Christian work is necessarily a true believer.  In the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:12, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven.”  And such was the case of Judas Iscariot.  If we can learn anything from Judas we had better learn to examine ourselves as to whether we are truly in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).  We may also learn from Judas how we, too, may be guilty of betraying Christ in a number of different ways.  Let’s consider that possibility as we study these verses a little more closely and then I will leave with three cautionary considerations. 

Verse1 says, “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.”  The very fact that Luke tells us that the Feast of Unleavened Bread “is called Passover” is another reason we know Luke, himself a Gentile, was writing primarily to Gentiles.  If he were writing to Jews – like Matthew was in his Gospel – then he would not have explained that this was called Passover, because his audience would be like, “Well, duh!”  It would be like telling you Kentucky is part of a larger country, which is called America. 

The question that we do need to answer is, “What is the Passover?” The Passover was the “opening-day feast” beginning the seven-day “Feast of Unleavened Bread.”  The Passover was a Jewish festival to be observed just once a year, a special time when the Jews would recall their miraculous deliverance from Egypt.  You will remember from reading through Exodus that the final plague sent by God to Pharaoh was the death of the firstborn.  The Jews protected themselves from the plague by smearing the blood of a sacrificial lamb upon their doorposts so that the Angel of Death would “pass over” their homes.  Unleavened bread was eaten to remind the people of their haste in fleeing Egypt, the bread did not have time to rise.  By the New Testament times thousands upon thousands of people would enter into Jerusalem for this annual feast. 

Verse 2 tells us, “And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.”  This is not the first time we have read of the envy and anger of the religious leaders towards Jesus (See Luke 19:47, Luke 20:19).  They have now made their mind up that Jesus must go.  He must be killed.  The chief priests and the scribes, however, “feared the people.”  Remember this is Passover and there are a lot of people in town.  The Jewish historian Josephus estimates there may have been as many as 1-2 million people in Jerusalem during this observance.  Jesus has grown in popularity.  The religious leaders are looking for some way to kill Him without creating a riot (Mark 14:2).

Matthew and Mark, in their Gospels, underscore the conniving nature of these religious leaders, both of them writing, “… (plotted) sought how they might take Him by deception and (kill Him) put Him to death” (Matthew 26:4; Mark 14:1).  Who could have guessed that the answer to their dilemma would come from the very inner circle of Jesus’ followers? 

Verse 3 says, “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.”  Numbered among the 12, was Judas!  One of the 12.  It is not by accident that he is always listed last in order when you read the lists of the 12 disciples in the Gospels.  In fact, in their references to Judas the Gospel writers often append the statement, “Judas – who was to betray Christ.”  Judas had never really believed that Jesus was the Christ and Jesus knew this ahead of time.  The Bible says in John 6:64, “But there are some of you who do not believe.  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.”  The Bible also tells us in John 6:70-71, “Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?’  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.”

Of course, the other disciples did not know this about Judas.  Later in Luke 22:23, when Jesus announces one of them will betray Him, the Bible tells us, “Then they began to question among themselves. Which of them it was who would do this thing.”

Verse 3 begins with the words, “Then Satan entered Judas.”  As we learned in Luke 4:13, “Now when he (Satan) had ended every temptation, he departed from Him (Jesus) until an opportune time.”  Now is that opportune time.  Satan is back.  Satan entered Judas, finding a comfortable place there as Judas’ sinful heart made him welcome.   Satan influences Judas to go to the religious leaders and agree to betray Jesus.  The Bible tells us in John 13:27 that Satan will “enter Judas” again at the time of the Last Supper. 

Verse 4 then says, “So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.”  Judas “went his way.”  It is not as though Judas is an unwilling pawn in a chess game played by God, a robot with no decision in the matter.  It is disturbing to hear that Judas welcomed Satan’s entering into his heart.  But that is the power of our sinful nature.  It is never turned to go God’s way.  We never read anywhere in the Bible that Judas had no control over his actions.  He made a willful choice.  Yes, there is a mystery here.  God has a plan and is working it out.  He is sovereign.  Jesus Christ had to die, but Judas did not have to be the one to make it happen.  He did not have to be the traitor.  But because he willingly chose to be the traitor, he opened the door and Satan came in.  His sinful heart made a welcome invitation for Satan to enter in.  Judas had already been under the influence of Satan.  Now he would be under an even greater influence of Satan.

Verse 5 says, “And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.”  Judas and the religious leaders negotiated a sum of money for Judas’ betraying Christ into their hands.  Matthew puts it this way in chapter 26, and verses 14-15, “Then Judas” … “went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?’   And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.”  And, incidentally, this amount fulfills the Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 11:12 as noted by Matthew. 

Verse 6 tells us, “So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.”  We will read, of course, that the “opportunity” will come in the cover of darkness (Luke 22:53).  It is nearly always easier to sin in the dark.  So Judas seeks an opportunity to betray Christ and we can imagine Jesus quoting from Psalm 41:9, “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” 

What are to make of these six verses?  Are they preserved by God in Scripture only to serve as introductory remarks about the imminent death of Christ, or is there more here for our profit?  One of the benefits of going verse-by-verse through books of the Bible is that by doing so God provides for us not only easy sayings, but hard sayings, good and bad, pleasant and not-so pleasant. 

Sometimes God’s Word comforts us,

At other times it convicts us. 

Sometimes it challenges us

And

Other times it cautions us.

We have here some cautionary principles that surface from this passage.  The are three cautions for Christ-followers.  How many of you would say, “I’m a Christ-follower?” Three cautions for us . . . 

1)  Beware Of The Danger Of Religion.

Look at all the characters in these six verses.  You have the chief priests and the scribes on the one hand and Judas on the other.  All of them are religious.  But not one of them is a true believer.  Do not you find that remarkable?  Is that not a caution to us today?  You can be really close to Christ and be lost.  This could happen in our own household, in our own family.  The chief priests and scribes new a lot of Scripture, they knew religious language, but they were lost.  Judas was one of the 12 disciples, but he was lost.

We often say that . . .

Christianity is not a “religion,” but a “relationship.”

Christianity is about receiving Jesus Christ into our lives,

Believing He died on the cross for our sins,

Bearing the punishment we deserved,

Rising the third day so we may be declared

Righteous, justified by faith and therefore

At peace with God. 

Christian faith is not so much a religion, but a relationship – a living, vibrant, day-by-day relationship with God through faith in Christ.  Beware of the danger of religion – man’s attempts to please God and get right with Him.

2)  Beware Of The Danger Of Satan.

Never underestimate the influence of the one who “entered Judas.”  I am afraid we are often guilty of too quickly dismissing what happened to Judas as “demon possession,” something that can come only to an unbeliever and that is the end of our discussion.  But whether Judas was “demon possessed” in the technical sense of that term misses a greater point and blinds us to the very real possibility that when your heart is bent toward evil, evil will find you.

The Bible says in Proverbs 11:27, “Evil comes to him who searches for it.”  This is the way we ought to think of Judas.  It is not, “poor, old Judas,” as though Judas had no choice in the matter and Satan came along and entered in and took him over against his will.  No, Judas’ heart was bent toward evil.  It is not unlike what we read in Genesis 4 with Cain killing Abel.  How many of you think Cain made a choice when he killed his brother Abel?  Me, too.  In fact, the warning from God in Genesis 4:7 is, “Sin is crouching at your door (lying at your door).”  The truth Cain needed to understand was, “Sin desires to rule over you, Cain, but you must rule over it.”  Sin was crouching at the door and Cain opened the door.  He sinned.  He sinned willingly.

Peter does not underestimate the danger of Satan.  He writes in 1 Peter 5:8, “The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”  Sin crouches at your door.  If your heart is inclined to sin, Satan will do his level best to come to you and pave for you a lovely road for you to walk down.  Beware.

Sin crouches at your door all the time.  Sin crouches at your door, men, in the form of lust and internet pornography.  And you make a decision whether to open the door when you decide whether to click that link.  Ladies, sin crouches at your door when you look at that man who is not your husband and you are looking for the wrong reason.  Sin crouches at your door, young people, when you are tempted to cheat on that exam.  Sin crouches at your door when you envy another person’s stuff, another person’s position, another person’s popularity – this can happen in ministry and often does – seeking the approval of others, forever expecting others to applaud your efforts.  And just in case you feel you would never stoop as low as Judas, the Bible warns in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Beware of the danger of religion, beware of the danger of Satan, thirdly . . .

3)  Beware Of The Danger Of Money.

How frequently we have read in Luke’s Gospel the warnings about money and the lure of riches. 

• We read the Parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21),
• The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31),
• And the Parable of the Rich Young Ruler (Luke 18:18-25).

Judas seems obsessed with money.  In John’s Gospel we have that story where Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with costly oil.  Judas complains, “Why wasn’t this oil sold and the money given to the poor?”  That sounds real spiritual, but remember John adds, “He said this not because he was concerned for the poor, but because he was a thief and kept the money box and stole from it as he had need” (John 12:4-6).

He agreed to receive 30 pieces of silver in order to betray Christ.  This was an amount worth only about 4 months wages.  That is not really much when you consider who Christ is.  But it is an awful lot to a person who is greedy and whose god is money.     Judas loved money.  The love for money ensnared him, proving true the Bible’s warning in 1 Timothy 6:9-10, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Judas is one such example, an example of a person who “strayed from the faith in his greediness and pierced himself through with many sorrows.”

Yes . . .

It is possible to have money without loving it,

But

It is equally possible to love money without having it. 

Both rich and poor alike may be ensnared by money.

The problem is love placed on the wrong thing.  Being a true Christ-follower means we love Him more than anyone or anything.  He must be number one, the love of our lives!  The desires of your heart are to be like pieces of metal drawn like a magnet to the Lord Jesus.  Anything less is idolatry.  Beware, Christ-followers, beware of the danger of money.

Those are the warnings.  And how fitting that they should come in this passage in the context of the Passover, the annual event where a lamb was sacrificed as a reminder of God’s salvation.  Each lamb sacrificed at the Passover pointed forward to another Lamb, the one John the Baptist called, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), the One Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “Christ our Passover (who) was sacrificed for us.”

Christ’s death was the ultimate fulfillment of the Passover.  Like the blood of the lamb which saved God’s people from death in Egypt, Jesus Christ shed His blood to save us from spiritual death.  Have you received Him by faith into your life?  Is He your “Number One Love?”

This is God’s Word …

This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.“