Betrayal in the Garden: Lessons from Judas and the Power of Jesus' Sacrifice

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(congregation clapping)

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What a setup.

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Now I have to hope that that's true at the end of this.

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So today we're gonna be looking at John 18,

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verses one through 11.

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And Pastor Barbie,

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when I was looking through the scheduling,

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she titled this Judas,

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which I thought was super cruel of her

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to make me focus on that.

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I was like, there's no hope in that story.

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That doesn't end very well,

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not for Judas at least.

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So I just, I felt like, you know,

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she's truly challenging me.

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It started with John 3 16,

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the love of God will start off easy.

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We'll go to John 11,

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resurrection of Lazarus, we'll ramp it up.

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Now we're gonna look at Judas.

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So here's the deal.

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It's like, I know that the focus of John 18 is not Judas,

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but once she put it out there, that's what I carried.

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It's like, if I told you not to think of an elephant

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and that's all you can think of.

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So whatever happens today, it's 100% Pastor Barbie's fault

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in that regard.

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So, my process generally for studying to teach

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these classes has been this.

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I read the scripture that I'm assigned every single day.

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I pray over it.

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I look at the characters.

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I try to study the history.

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I look at the Greek or the Hebrew,

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cross-reference texts.

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Look what other pastors say, commentary, read books.

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And it just expands out from there.

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And when I'm thinking about Judas,

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I'm like, nobody's written on this guy.

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Nobody's even dared.

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So I told my wife one day, I'm gonna go to the library.

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I'm gonna see if there's any books

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that might be able to help me.

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And she was immediately concerned for my wellbeing.

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You know, if you say,

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I'm gonna go try to find out about Judas.

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So I go to the library and I'm scanning the books,

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the spines of the books.

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And I see on the side, big letters, finally, it says Judas.

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So I pull it out and I flip it over.

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And the full title is the Gospel of Judas.

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So I put it back and I thought, not today, Satan, you know?

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And instead I got a book on biblical manhood instead,

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which I thought is a fitting counterbalance

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to the life of Judas.

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But, so it's been challenging,

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but I haven't shied away from it.

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It's offered a new perspective,

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which I'll go into later in terms of some of the other things

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that I've been studying along the way.

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But to start out, we're just gonna go,

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I'm gonna go ahead and read John 18, one through 11,

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if you wanna follow along.

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I am reading out of the, actually I've got the ESV,

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but NIV or whatever translation is fine.

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All right.

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When Jesus had spoken these words,

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he went out with his disciples across the Brook Kidron,

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where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.

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Now Judas who betrayed him also knew the place,

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for Jesus often met there with his disciples.

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So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers

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and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees,

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went there with lanterns, torches and weapons.

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Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him,

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came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?"

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They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth."

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Jesus said to them, "I am he."

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Judas who betrayed him was standing with him.

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When Jesus said to them, "I am he,"

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they drew back and fell to the ground.

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So he asked them again, "Whom do you seek?"

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And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."

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Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he,

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so if you seek me, let these men go."

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This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken,

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"Of those whom you gave me, I have lost not one."

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Then Simon Peter, having a sword,

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drew it and struck the high priest's servant

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and cut off his right ear.

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The servant's name was Malchus.

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So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath.

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Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?"

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Christ Jesus, we thank you for your sacrifice that day.

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We thank you for stepping forward in our place.

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We thank you for your protection over our lives, Father.

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Your mercy is available to us every day, Father.

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We pray for the grace to run after it,

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to run after that opportunity that you have afforded us.

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We give you thanks today in Jesus' name, amen.

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So like I said, Judas, I carried that focus,

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that title this whole time.

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So let's just, I just wanna say this.

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I wanna talk about John 18, okay?

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That is the focus of all this,

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but it's gonna seem like we're going

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on a bit of a journey first.

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So just go with me and we'll come back around to it.

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So who was Judas according to Scripture?

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And also when I was sharing some of this with my wife,

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she said, "There's a lot of Scripture in this."

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So I made another printout for you all

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with all the Scripture references

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so you wouldn't be flipping madly through their Bible

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as I go along.

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According to Mark 3, Judas was one of the 12 disciples

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that Jesus appointed to preach the gospel,

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to heal the sick and to cast out demons.

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And this is one of your, so that's one of your notes

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that he's one of the 12 disciples listed in the book of Mark.

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John 6 says he's the son of Simon Iscariot.

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Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the 12,

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"yet one of you is a devil?"

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He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot,

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who though one of the 12 was later to betray him.

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John 12, six refers to him as the keeper of the money bag

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or the treasurer for Jesus and the disciples

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as well as a thief.

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He did not say this because he cared about the poor,

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but because he was the thief and keeper of the money bag,

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he used to help himself to what was put in it.

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So we know from that that Judas was with Jesus

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very early on, from virtually the beginning of his ministry,

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if it's going back to Mark three.

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So we don't know exactly the circumstances

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of when he was called or how he was called,

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like some of the other disciples,

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but we know that he was rocking with Jesus

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for almost the whole time he was teaching

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or doing these miracles in public.

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So,

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the reason that affects me is because at the beginning,

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I told you it kind of shaped my reading.

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At the beginning of the year,

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Pastor Kevin asked us to be in a New Testament reading plan

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as a church over there.

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And as the past couple of months have gone by,

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as I've been kind of carrying this story,

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but also reading along in the New Testament,

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we've been in the book of Matthew.

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So it was instructed to me a while ago,

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when you're reading through the gospel

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or really anything in scripture,

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look at who Jesus is actually talking to.

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'Cause there are moments where he's talking

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to just the disciples or just a big group of believers

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or whatever, but this time, as I'm reading through,

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I'm actually picturing specifically Judas

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is sitting right there with Jesus

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and all these critical things,

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all these words and teachings and wisdom of Jesus

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that we treasure and also all these miracles

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he saw with his own eyes, he heard it with his own ears,

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all these things.

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So you really have this picture of somebody

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who is in close proximity to Jesus.

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He's as close as you can come,

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but also at the same time, you see through his life

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that in terms of being aligned with the heart of Christ,

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he's as far away as you could possibly be.

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So Pastor Wayne has a great teaching

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on the difference of proximity versus intimacy.

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So there's kind of this balance there.

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So Judas was there in Mark 4 in the parable of the sower,

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when Jesus shared about the farmer

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that sows seeds of the word and some receive it

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and produce crops, some receive it for a while,

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but it doesn't take root.

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And he says in verses 18 and 19,

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"Still others like seed sown among thorns hear the word,

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but the worries of this life,

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the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things

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come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful."

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Judas was there in Matthew 19,

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when Jesus counseled the rich young ruler

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and said to sell all his possessions and give to the poor.

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Judas was with Jesus and the disciples

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when they were on the run in John 10 from the Pharisees

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and the chief priests, the people that were out to get them.

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Judas was there in Matthew 6, 24,

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when Jesus taught no one can serve two masters,

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either you will hate the one and love the other,

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or you'll be devoted to one and despise the other.

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You cannot serve both God and money.

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Judas was there in Mark 8, 34,

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when Jesus taught, "Whoever wants to be my disciple

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must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

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So this has really helped to direct

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my personal prayers lately,

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that I don't want to be so comfortable in my appearance

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of just being close to Christ.

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I don't want to lose sight of the fact that I,

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Father Ray Cash actually mentioned this a few weeks ago

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in his message, that there have been times in his life

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where he was just barely hanging on,

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and when he really thought about it,

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he realized that really it was Christ

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that was hanging on to him.

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So sometimes we put ourselves in that seat of power,

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but we really have to understand without him,

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without his intercession in our lives, we're toast.

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So Luke 4, 13, this is the story

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of the devil tempting Jesus in the wilderness.

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It says, "When the devil had finished all this tempting,

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he left him until an opportune time."

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So when I read that, that lets me know that the enemy,

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in his pursuit of stilling and killing and destroying,

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he's watchful and he's persistent.

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He's waiting for that time where we start to lean

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on our own abilities or trust in what we can do

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to let our guard down.

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He's waiting for those moments.

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So just be aware of that.

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We don't want to fail to walk in the wisdom

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that Christ offers us.

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So as I was studying Judas, there's a wide range of opinions

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about whether or not he's like the worst sinner of all time

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that committed the gravest sin of all time.

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And I was studying this in October

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when I was sharing on communion.

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One of the things that grieves me the most

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about Judas' life are the little things

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along the way that you see.

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You see, when communion was being instituted,

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he was around, he was there.

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We don't really have a clear picture

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of whether he received it or not,

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but the opportunity was there.

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So we have this seat at the table

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and Judas just doesn't seem to take it.

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He never seems to fully get to a place

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where he's denying himself and following the Lord.

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So it's the little missed opportunities

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that lead to this great betrayal.

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So scripture tells us that Judas betrayed Jesus

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for 30 pieces of silver.

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And I thought this was fascinating.

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Exodus 21, 32, "If the bull gores a male or female slave,

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the owner must pay 30 shekels of silver

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to the master of the slave,

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and the bull is to be stoned to death."

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So I love that, you know, that tells us

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that the Pharisees and the chief priests

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didn't put a whole lot of value on Jesus.

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The value of his life to them was nothing but a slave.

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But I think that that's a great detail

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that confirms us that he's the servant of all.

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Even on the value placed on his life,

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it's confirmed right there.

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And I've shared before in one of my previous teachings

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that I love treasure hunting, I love metal detecting.

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So anytime silver or gold gets mentioned,

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I'm like, let's find out about this.

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I wanna know everything about the coins

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and yada, yada, yada.

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There doesn't seem to be,

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there's not a consensus one way or another

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on exactly which coins it is.

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There's some, like they kind of look at the date

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and what would be appropriate for the chief priests to have

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based on temple tax or whatever.

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So I couldn't really come to a place where I went,

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well, what is the value of 30 pieces of silver today?

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It's not as easy as going, well, that's $5,000 today.

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But what we do know from scripture in Matthew 27

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is that it carried enough value to purchase a field

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that Judas would eventually die in.

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So one of the things that I did,

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'cause any way that I can kind of carry

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and put myself in this place, I'll do it.

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So I actually gathered 30 pieces of silver

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based on what the rough weight of that was.

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And I just kind of carried it.

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It's not much weight.

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If you wanna carry this afterwards, you can.

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And the first thing that hits me is

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this is such a small thing to betray somebody over.

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It's, there's hardly any weight to it,

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but you know what?

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The thing about silver and gold

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that I think is so innately valuable

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is you can take it anywhere in the world

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and spend it pretty much.

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You don't have to go through currency transaction

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or anything like that.

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So the first inclination is to go, Judas,

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how dare you betray the one that I love

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and treasure above all things just for this?

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And the more I thought about it,

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the more I realized I betray Christ every day

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for far less than this.

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Whether it's pride, lustful thoughts, fits of rage,

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whatever it is, I can't take that to any marketplace

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in the world and purchase anything.

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So the point is that doesn't carry very much value.

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In fact, scripture tells us that the wages of sin is death.

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That's the value of it.

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So I'm not trying to convince you one way or another

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if Judas was like the worst of all time.

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But what I'm trying to say is maybe if you humor me

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in that, maybe the better way to think about it is,

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okay, maybe I wasn't physically the one in the garden

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that betrayed Christ, but I know what I'm capable of

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without Him in my life.

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That's what I want you to kind of trek along with me on.

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So when we, and I think when we look at the disciples

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in general, we just see, we see this

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in their own conversations, whether they're arguing

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about who's the best out of all of them

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or lack of faith during the storm, we see that.

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And I found this story in the gospel

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that I think illustrates this point in a fun way.

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This is the story of Jesus being anointed.

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So I have these verses on your paper,

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but I'm gonna read through them,

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starting with John 12, three through five.

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It says, "Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard

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and expensive perfume.

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She poured on Jesus's feet and wiped His feet with her hair.

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And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

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But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot,

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who was later to betray Him, objected.

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Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given

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to the poor?

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It was worth about a year's wages.

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He did not say this because He cared about the poor,

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but because He was a thief.

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As keeper of the money bag, He used to help Himself

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to what was put in it.

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Matthew 26, seven through nine says it this way.

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A woman came to Him with an alabaster jar,

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a very expensive perfume, which she poured on His head

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as He was reclining at the table.

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When the disciples saw this, they were indignant.

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Why this waste, they asked.

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This perfume could have been sold at a high price

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and the money given to the poor.

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And Mark 14, she broke the jar and poured the perfume

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on His head.

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Some of those present were saying indignantly

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to one another, why this waste of perfume?

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It could have been sold for more than a year's wages.

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And the money given to the poor,

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and they rebuked her harshly."

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So some people might read that and see inconsistency

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in scripture.

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I read it and see humanity.

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So have you ever been in a situation

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where you really wanted to say something,

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but somebody else said it first and you're like,

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praise the Lord, they put their neck out there like that

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'cause I didn't wanna look stupid.

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So that's how I take that.

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So Judas might've been ultimately the one to say it

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the loudest or whatever, but all of the disciples

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in that moment were at least thinking it,

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tracking in that same way.

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One of my favorite comedians, Nate Bar-Gutsy,

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does anybody know him?

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Clean comedian, he's a good one.

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He has a really great bit about them going

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to a mechanic shop and the line is just out the door.

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Everybody's hot and frustrated.

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And they're just like, I wish something would get done.

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And this guy gets out of line and goes up

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and he starts berating the employees there.

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And Nate's like, yes, this is our hero.

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This is our champion.

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Finally, somebody's getting something done.

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And they literally pick that guy up

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and throw him outside on the curb.

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And Nate says what everybody's response is

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just to move up in line and shut their mouth.

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So praise the Lord, that guy put his neck out there.

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I won't be doing that.

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So again, my point is not to say I tried to convince you

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one way or another, but maybe you can humor me in going,

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I don't know that I'm any better here.

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So just follow that.

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So the next part of that, well, you could say,

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well, Satan only entered one of them.

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So that kind of makes him the worst, right?

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But Luke 22, 31 through 34,

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this is Jesus speaking to Simon Peter.

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Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat,

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but I have prayed for you, Simon,

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that your faith may not fail.

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And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.

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But he replied, Lord, I'm ready to go with you

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to prison and to death.

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And Jesus answered, I tell you, Peter,

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before the rooster roars today,

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you will deny me three times.

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So if it were not for Jesus interceding on our behalf,

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we'd all be done for.

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That's just the truth of it all.

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1 John 1, 8 through 9.

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If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves

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and the truth is not in us.

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If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just

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and will forgive us our sins.

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And purify us from all unrighteousness.

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So what I love about this passage is the scripture tells us

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that none of us have to wonder

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if we've got this whole sin thing figured out.

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So if somebody appears to be walking in a sinless life,

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sin free life, it's an illusion.

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And if they claim to be walking in it, it's a deception.

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So, really?

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I will.

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If they appear to be walking,

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if they appear that they're not walking, I'm sorry.

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I can't say it again.

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Are you with me?

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No. (laughs)

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It only happens once, I don't know.

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If there appears to be no sin in someone's life,

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it's an illusion.

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If there's a claim to be no sin, it's a deception.

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So when I read this, I see that one marker

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of a mature Christian life is not the claim

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to be without sin,

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it's the lifestyle of applying repentance in our life.

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It's going, I need to confess my sins every single day,

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whatever I'm going through,

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'cause there is freedom in that, that Christ offers us.

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So the ongoing application of repentance.

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Matthew 3.8 teaches us to produce fruit

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in keeping with repentance.

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Produce fruit in the Greek is poeo karpas,

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which means to exhibit good deeds

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that agree with a heart change.

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So you have an action that's brought about

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by something that changes here in your heart.

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Keeping with comes from the Greek word axios,

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which means corresponding to,

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and repentance from the Greek word metanoia,

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meaning the change of mind of those who have begun

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to abhor their errors and misdeeds

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and have determined to enter upon a better course of life.

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This part I love.

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So that it embraces both a recognition of sin

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and a sorrow for it and hearty amendment,

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the tokens and effects of which are good deeds.

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So in other words, my heart and my mind come into alignment

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under the authority of God's word and go,

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I'm gonna pursue His righteousness instead of unrighteousness

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and then through that alignment,

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we actually, there's an action through that or good deeds.

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So when I was processing that, I was like thinking,

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are there any times where our heart and mind

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is out of alignment?

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And I think, absolutely.

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When I read this, I know that this is the word of God.

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I know that this is the truth of God and I treasure it.

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But sometimes, so you can know something's sin,

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but be connected to somebody through relationship

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or friendship and it's just,

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oh, I don't know if I can apply that to them

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that it gets really twisted.

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So the point is, if you can't bring your mind there,

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the way it should change your prayer life is to go,

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give me a new way of thinking about this, Lord.

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If you can't bring your heart there,

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then give me a new way of feeling about this

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'cause we really wanna be walking in alignment there.

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And how long you have to do that,

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it's for all, as long as it takes until Jesus comes back.

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I am a huge fan of UFC Ultimate Fighting Makes Martial Arts.

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When they're preparing for a fight,

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they'll start like an eight to 12 week training camp.

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And one of the ways they prepare is they look

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at their opponent and things that he naturally does

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and they get a sparring partner to come in

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and mimic those things so that when they're reacting,

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it's muscle memory by the time it gets

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to the actual time to use it.

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So when I look at scripture and it says something

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like training and righteousness, I go,

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when I see a concept like confession or repentance,

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this is something I need to actually practice

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so it's a natural response.

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So the other thing is, is every mixed martial artist

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is a specialist in something.

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They might be a really good boxer,

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a really good jujitsu guy.

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So in that same training camp,

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it's not like they don't train the fundamentals

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of what they know very well.

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So the reason I'm saying that is because in a room like this

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with a topic like this, some of you might just now

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be starting to handle this and some of you might've been

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handling this for a long time.

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I was probably somewhere in the middle where it went,

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okay, repentance, let me look at how I'm processing this.

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And then also I don't want it to be muscle memory

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to the point where it's a fallback, where I just go,

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oh, I can sin because grace and mercy is there.

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That's cheap grace.

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We don't wanna trend down that road.

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So we always wanna be aware of that possibility.

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So during my studies on repentance,

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there were two places in scripture I came across

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that just blew my mind.

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Both of these scriptures were actually in our reading plan,

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the New Testament reading plan.

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Starting with Hebrews 12, 15 through 17.

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See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God,

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that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble

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and by it many become defiled,

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that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau

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who sold his birthright for a single meal.

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For you know that afterward when he desired

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to inherit the blessing, he was rejected.

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This part will rock you.

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For he found no chance to repent,

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though he sought it with tears.

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Matthew 27, three through five.

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When Judas had betrayed him and saw that Jesus was condemned,

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he was seized with remorse and returned the 30 pieces

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of silver to the chief priest and the elders.

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I have sinned, he said, for I have betrayed innocent blood.

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What is that to us?

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They replied, that's your responsibility.

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So Judas threw the money into the temple and left,

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then he went away and hanged himself.

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So you have two passages of scripture there

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that seem to suggest that repentance was sought after,

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but it wasn't found.

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So I really had to spend some time with that.

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Looking at Hebrews 12, it says he found no chance to repent.

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The word chance is actually translated as place.

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So he found no place to repent.

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And how I broke that down practically was based

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on something Pastor Barbie shared,

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I think on a Thursday night a few weeks ago,

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is that if we come to a place where we're redefining sin

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in our life as simply a struggle or an issue,

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then we come, we're riding that line

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of no longer seeing places that we need repentance

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in our life.

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So if we don't actually call it what it is,

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then we're not gonna be brought to that place.

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In Matthew 27, it says Judas was seized with remorse

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and that is translated as he changed his mind.

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So the actual Greek word is metamalami,

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which means repentance.

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So he sought repentance there.

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But the definition breakdown of it was that he was trying,

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he was seeking repentance for himself

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or from himself actually.

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So it was kinda, I need to clear my conscience

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and so I'm gonna do what I can to do it.

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But you see him physically go to the people

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that cannot offer him the forgiveness that he needs.

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He should have went to Christ in that moment,

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not the chief priests.

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So it's a missed opportunity, a missed application of this.

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So how I've applied that in my prayer life

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is just realizing, okay, I know his mercy

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is new every morning.

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I'm gonna pursue that every morning,

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but also ask God to reveal and lead you

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to places of repentance in your life.

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So I'm not meaning to sound Baptist this morning

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with all this sin talk.

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And I hope you don't feel too bad about yourself right now.

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I told you we were gonna go on a little journey,

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but I'm gonna try to bring it back around right now.

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I told you at the beginning

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that when I saw the title of Judas,

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I was like, there's no hope in that.

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But that's not the focus of John 18.

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Jesus is the focus of John 18.

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All of our hope is in Jesus and Jesus alone.

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So we have the unique privilege in the book of John

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to know exactly why he wrote the book of John.

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The purpose of John's gospel is found in John 20, 30 through 31.

Speaker: 00:26:44

Jesus performed many other signs

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in the presence of his disciples,

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which are not recorded in this book.

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But these are written that you may believe

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that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,

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and that by believing you may have life in his name.

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So he put this story of betrayal

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and this story in the garden in his gospel for a reason.

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And it serves the purpose of helping us believe

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that Jesus is our savior, that Jesus is our Messiah,

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that he is the Son of God.

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So in order for us to truly come to that place

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of accepting Jesus as a savior,

Speaker: 00:27:20

we have to get to the end of ourselves

Speaker: 00:27:22

and realize that we desperately need a savior.

Speaker: 00:27:25

The scene for John 18, one through 11,

Speaker: 00:27:29

takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane.

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According to scripture, it's a bit of a home place

Speaker: 00:27:36

for Jesus and the disciples.

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He comes there often to pray.

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It was so familiar that Judas knew exactly

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where to bring the soldiers this night.

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And as I was carrying these, just thinking through the scene

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in the garden and also thinking about sinful nature,

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I was immediately transported back to where it all started,

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the other garden in Genesis,

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the place where God walked with man

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and the first act of disobedience

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or the first act of betrayal happened,

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which actually started the timeline of that sinful nature.

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And it carried all throughout history

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and all of these decisions in all biblical history

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and outside of it up to this moment in the garden

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where the disobedience of man comes face-to-face

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with the obedience of Christ.

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Romans 5, 18 through 21,

Speaker: 00:28:30

consequently, just as one trespass resulted

Speaker: 00:28:33

in condemnation for all people,

Speaker: 00:28:35

so also one righteous act resulted in justification

Speaker: 00:28:39

and life for all people.

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For just as through their disobedience of one man,

Speaker: 00:28:43

the many were made sinners,

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so also through the obedience of one man,

Speaker: 00:28:47

the many will be made righteous.

Speaker: 00:28:50

So the language of John 1,

Speaker: 00:28:53

going back to the beginning of our class,

Speaker: 00:28:56

in the beginning was the word and the word was with God

Speaker: 00:28:59

and the word was God.

Speaker: 00:29:01

He was with God in the beginning.

Speaker: 00:29:03

Through him, all things were made.

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Without him, nothing was made that has been made.

Speaker: 00:29:07

So you have these two gardens,

Speaker: 00:29:10

this act of disobedience and obedience

Speaker: 00:29:12

and John starting his story within the beginning,

Speaker: 00:29:15

it's as if he's telling a new creation story right here.

Speaker: 00:29:19

The good news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ,

Speaker: 00:29:23

God's only son, died for our sins and rose again

Speaker: 00:29:26

so that there is no condemnation for those who believe,

Speaker: 00:29:29

but only everlasting joy.

Speaker: 00:29:31

Thank you, Jesus.

Speaker: 00:29:35

2 Corinthians 5, 17,

Speaker: 00:29:37

therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation,

Speaker: 00:29:40

the oldest passed away.

Speaker: 00:29:42

Behold, the new has come.

Speaker: 00:29:43

So just a couple of notes as we kind of trim

Speaker: 00:29:47

through the rest of the scripture here.

Speaker: 00:29:49

Jesus is not surprised or caught off guard

Speaker: 00:29:54

by what's happening in the garden.

Speaker: 00:29:57

He is not a captive in the moment.

Speaker: 00:29:59

It says he knew all that was going to happen to him.

Speaker: 00:30:02

He came to this familiar place,

Speaker: 00:30:04

knowing all that was going to happen to him.

Speaker: 00:30:07

So he steps forward willingly,

Speaker: 00:30:11

confirmed in John 10, 18, regarding his life.

Speaker: 00:30:15

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.

Speaker: 00:30:19

I have authority to lay it down

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and authority to take it up again.

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This command I received from my father.

Speaker: 00:30:25

Jesus stepped forward with authority.

Speaker: 00:30:30

Throughout this book of John,

Speaker: 00:30:33

there have been seven I am statements

Speaker: 00:30:35

that we've talked about.

Speaker: 00:30:36

And I have this on your sheet.

Speaker: 00:30:40

I am the bread of life.

Speaker: 00:30:42

I am the light of the world.

Speaker: 00:30:44

I am the gate of the sheep.

Speaker: 00:30:46

I am the resurrection and the life.

Speaker: 00:30:47

I am the good shepherd.

Speaker: 00:30:49

I am the way, the truth and the life.

Speaker: 00:30:51

I am the true vine.

Speaker: 00:30:52

And now making the most definitive statement of I am,

Speaker: 00:30:56

I am he, which some scholars would say, leave off the he.

Speaker: 00:31:00

That's not in there, but I will say this.

Speaker: 00:31:04

It is in most translations, but here's how I take it.

Speaker: 00:31:07

He is legitimately answering the question.

Speaker: 00:31:10

They're saying I'm looking for Jesus and he says, I am he.

Speaker: 00:31:13

But when he says it, you see that divine power go forward

Speaker: 00:31:17

and literally knock them off their feet.

Speaker: 00:31:20

So he's saying so much more than just,

Speaker: 00:31:23

I'm the Jesus you're looking for.

Speaker: 00:31:24

He's saying, I am the word that was with God

Speaker: 00:31:27

in the beginning.

Speaker: 00:31:28

That's the claim that he's making.

Speaker: 00:31:30

And lastly, he steps forward in love.

Speaker: 00:31:37

Jesus answered, I told you that I am he.

Speaker: 00:31:40

If you're looking for me, then let these men go.

Speaker: 00:31:42

This happened so that the words he had spoken

Speaker: 00:31:45

would be fulfilled.

Speaker: 00:31:46

I have not lost one of those you gave me.

Speaker: 00:31:49

Jesus commanded Peter, put your sword away.

Speaker: 00:31:51

Shall I not drink the cup the father has given me?

Speaker: 00:31:54

So in these last words and actions in the garden,

Speaker: 00:31:59

he's saying in love, this is my battle.

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This is my cup.

Speaker: 00:32:05

Let these men go.

Speaker: 00:32:06

He's actually showing the same that he does with us

Speaker: 00:32:10

that he's taking the cross so we don't have to.

Speaker: 00:32:13

It's a perfect picture of love.

Speaker: 00:32:15

A theologian from the early 1600s named Richard Sibbes

Speaker: 00:32:19

wrote famously in his book, "The Bruised Reed."

Speaker: 00:32:22

And this hit me eight or nine months ago

Speaker: 00:32:25

and I've just walked with it ever since.

Speaker: 00:32:27

We have this for a foundation truth

Speaker: 00:32:30

that there is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.

Speaker: 00:32:37

Jesus provides more mercy than we could ever imagine.

Speaker: 00:32:41

He offers us a seat at the table

Speaker: 00:32:44

and part of our response as believers

Speaker: 00:32:48

to Jesus' obedience is this.

Speaker: 00:32:50

Step forward willingly, submit under his authority

Speaker: 00:32:56

and live in the fullness of his love

Speaker: 00:33:00

which includes things like confession and repentance,

Speaker: 00:33:04

living in forgiveness that Christ offers us.

Speaker: 00:33:08

So Father God, I thank you that if we confess our sins,

Speaker: 00:33:12

you are faithful and just to forgive them.

Speaker: 00:33:15

You cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Speaker: 00:33:17

Father, as we pursue you more, Lord,

Speaker: 00:33:22

we thank you for the challenging,

Speaker: 00:33:24

even the challenging stories in scripture, God,

Speaker: 00:33:28

that lead us to this broken place

Speaker: 00:33:29

where we understand you are our savior, you're our Messiah,

Speaker: 00:33:32

you're the son of God, you are everything.

Speaker: 00:33:35

When we declare you are holy,

Speaker: 00:33:38

we are also understanding that we are not.

Speaker: 00:33:40

You alone are holy, Father.

Speaker: 00:33:43

We are made righteous through you, Lord,

Speaker: 00:33:45

through your blood, through your forgiveness,

Speaker: 00:33:48

through your covering of our sins.

Speaker: 00:33:50

Let us not take for granted the mercy

Speaker: 00:33:52

that you offer us on a daily basis.

Speaker: 00:33:55

Father, lead us to new places of repentance in our life.

Speaker: 00:33:59

Lord, on a daily basis,

Speaker: 00:34:02

we give you praise and we bow at your feet this morning,

Speaker: 00:34:06

humbly in Jesus' name, amen.

Speaker: 00:34:08

Well, Wayne stayed awake.

Speaker: 00:34:14

Love you guys.