Through the Lens of Judas

Have you ever been betrayed before? Betrayal hurts deeply. As we start our new series, Cross Examined, Nate Hilgenkamp teaches us about the worst betrayal of all time as we cross examine the life of Judas.

KEY TAKEAWAY

-Judas was not the one to betray Jesus, we are the one that betrayed Jesus, and there are three lies we are prone to believe.

-Lie #1: We think we can dispose of Jesus.

-Judas’ decision to betray Jesus wasn’t a financial decision, it was a faith decision.

-In Judas’ mind, he didn’t serve Jesus, but Jesus served him. What about you? Do you serve Jesus, or does Jesus serve you?

-How much is Jesus worth to you?

-Do you ask what Jesus can do for you, or do you ask what you can do for Jesus?

-If this world is all you are living for, following and living for Jesus is inconvenient.

-Lie #2: We think we can deceive Jesus.

-A person capable of lying is capable of anything.

-The biggest problem in Waco is cultural Christianity, and at the heart of cultural Christianity is the belief that we can deceive God and simply add Him to our lives for one hour per week.

-At some point, we will all have to own our sin. Some day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

-Lie #3: We believe our sin is our responsibility to fix.

-The beauty of the gospel is that Jesus made our sin His responsibility to fix.

-Despite Judas’ betrayal, Jesus continued to woo him back to Himself.

-The very reason Jesus came to earth was to rescue people like Judas...people like us.

-It does not matter what you’ve done, you are never too far gone for Jesus to rescue you.

-There are a multitude of questions we could cross examine Judas with to understand why he did what he did, but the reality is, he could ask us those very same questions. However, the end of his story doesn’t need to be the end of our story.

MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

-Suggested Scripture Study: Matthew 26; Exodus 21:32; Matthew 27:1-5; Isaiah 53:5