by William Davis
Matthew 7:21 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
Here, we have a sad passage of Scripture. Judas realized that his decision to reject Christ had brought Christ to condemnation. Seeing this, Judas repented, but it was too late. Judas ran out of that office and purposed to find some way to make right the wrongs that he had done. He had turned his back on the very Son of God. What happened? How? Why? When? Outwardly, Judas was not a backslidden person. Judas was not the obvious worldly one who everyone thought would be the betrayer. Judas was a disciple. Judas was just as much of a disciple as Peter, John, James, Matthew, or Luke.
1. Judas Knew the Place (John 18:1-2).
Judas knew where Jesus met with the disciples. He knew where the place of prayer was; He knew where the place of preaching was; He knew where Jesus taught them. He was as those today who have been to church, Sunday school, youth department gatherings, camps, Bible college, youth conferences, youth activities, and Christian school. We know how to get in, how to dress, how to act, how to look, and how to fit in.
2. He Knew the Love (John 12:3-7).
Judas saw the pity, love, compassion, charity, mercy, and care of Jesus. Judas wanted to take this ointment and to sell it to make money; but Jesus wanted to honor this lady’s service. Just as Judas did, we know the love.
3. He Knew the People (John 6:70-71).
Judas was chosen as one of the twelve disciples. He was with these men for three and a half years. He knew the people who were around Jesus. He knew Peter, James, John, Matthew, Bartholomew, Luke, James, and Simon. He knew the blind man who received sight, the lame man who could walk, Nicodemus, and the woman who broke the alabaster box. Just as Judas did, we know the preachers, and we know the people.
4. He Knew the Promise (Luke 22:3-6).
Judas knew how to commit. He knew how to make a promise. He knew what it meant to make a decision. Just as Judas did, we know how to promise and how to give a commitment.
5. He Knew the Preaching (Luke 6:16-20a).
He stood and listened to the “Sermon on the Mount.” He heard every message Jesus preached. He saw every miracle. He heard the Word from the very lips of Jesus. He knew the preaching. Just as Judas did, we know the preaching and know all of the blessings.
6. He Knew the Person (Matt 7:21-23).
Judas knew Jesus. He was with Him every day for all of those years, hearing Him preach and teach. He knew everything about Him, but he was not loyal or committed to Jesus. He sold out Jesus and gave up everything for which he had lived for three and a half years for thirty pieces of silver! Although he had lived the lifestyle, hung around the right crowd, and sat at the feet of the Master for years, his heart was not in it. His head knowledge was right, but his heart was disconnected.
This Christian life is not about the rules, but it is about a RELATIONSHIP.
This Christian life is not about a look, but it is about the Book.
This Christian life is not, “This is what I do.” This life is about, “This is Who I do it for!”
Judas missed the key piece to living a successful life for Christ. His failure resulted in his being one of the most nefarious names in the Bible. He is known for being a traitor and a sellout because he had all of the same opportunities and experiences as the other disciples, but his relationship with Jesus never touched his heart. He had all of the “knowing,” but his relationship ended there.
Powerful message brother! So sad yet so true even today.