A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: Would you say, "I'm never going to a restaurant again because I had a bad meal in a restaurant one time"? Or, "I'm never going to drive my car again because I saw one reckless driver"? But yet we'll say, "I'll never go to church again because there's too many hypocrites in the church." Really?

Guest (Male): Coming up today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie addresses one of the common criticisms we often hear about the church.

Greg Laurie: The church is full of hypocrites! And to that, I say, "Well, come and join us because there's always room for one more."

Guest (Male): We've all heard the phrase "wolf in sheep's clothing"—someone who seems harmless and pleasant, maybe even trustworthy, but who really is a hidden danger. These kind of people can be anywhere: classmates, coworkers, church members.

Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us understand these people and be on our guard. We'll consider one such individual who wound up in the Lord's inner circle. He was a fake, a fraud, but also an apostle.

Greg Laurie: Grab your Bibles now and turn to Matthew 26. The title of my message is "Jesus and the Pretender." I read the story of an elderly man who went on a cruise ship, which is no surprise because, as they say, cruises are for the newly married and the nearly buried, right?

A lot of older people go on cruises. I've been on a few cruises, and I can attest to this fact. So, the elderly man's on the cruise ship, and a really big storm came. As it turns out, a woman was standing near the railing and she fell over the side. Immediately, someone splashed into the ocean, grabbed hold of her, and they were both rescued.

Everyone was shocked to find that the person who rescued her was that elderly man. They decided to throw a party that night in his honor. Everyone was gathered and he was there, and they said, "Why don't you come up and say a few words?" The old dude got up there and looked out over the crowd and he says, "I have one question." There was sort of an embarrassed silence. And then he said, "Who pushed me?" And I was that man. No, not really.

Okay, so Judas Iscariot. I want to talk about him a little bit. Some would say he was pushed into doing what he did. But as we look at him in scripture, we find he was complicit. In fact, he even in effect initiated the betrayal of Jesus Christ. It's so amazing because he was handpicked by Christ Himself.

He spent over three years walking and talking with Jesus, having breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Jesus, seeing with his own eyes the miracles of our Lord: the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus walking on the water, Christ raising Lazarus from the dead. He heard with his own ears the teachings of Jesus: the Sermon on the Mount, the Olivet Discourse (which we looked at last time briefly).

He saw so much, and yet his heart grew irreparably hard and the Bible actually says Satan entered his heart. His very name is synonymous with evil and treachery. But some would suggest that he's actually misunderstood. He wasn't a zero; he was more of a hero who really was trying to help Christ accomplish His objective.

Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Fact of the matter is, Judas was probably the most wicked man who ever lived. Now, he actually ended up helping to fulfill the purpose of God, but that does not vindicate him, nor does it justify what he did. But in a curious, unusual moment in history, two forces were working together at the same time: evil and good, God and Satan.

Satan wanted Jesus dead. Satan wanted to stop the ministry of Christ. Satan entered the heart of Judas Iscariot. Satan was involved in the authorities bringing about the death of Jesus. But God was involved as well because all of those Old Testament passages from Genesis on were pointing to the Messiah.

They were pointing to a suffering Savior, describing in graphic detail how He would suffer. Psalm 22 says they would pierce His hands and His feet. Isaiah 53 said He'd be so beaten and disfigured you wouldn't even be able to tell He was a man. It was all pointing to Christ, so the Bible says that it pleased the Father to bruise Him.

That does not mean that the Father in heaven took pleasure in the death of His Son, but what it does mean is the Father took pleasure in what the death of the Son accomplished. That is your salvation and mine as well. But all of these things that Judas saw... yet he turned against the Lord.

It's a fascinating passage, Matthew 26, verse 14. And by the way, before I dive into a few passages, I'm going to quote a bunch of scripture today, and I'm going to read a bunch of scripture today. And I hope you read along with me. Why? Because you'll retain more when you read.

The authority in all of our messages at Harvest is the scripture. We always come back to the Bible. What does the Bible say? So if you don't have a Bible, get a Bible, buy a Bible—one of the best investments you'll ever make. And mark your Bible up. It's been said a Bible that's falling apart is usually an indication of a life that isn't.

I like to see beat-up Bibles anyway. Coming back to the scripture I was going to quote, Matthew 26, verse 14 says, "Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples, went to the leading priests and said, 'How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?' They gave him 30 pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for the right time and place to betray Jesus."

So, he's not a hapless victim. It's his idea! "Hey, I think I'll betray Jesus. How much can I make off of it?" And he spent the rest of his time looking for the right time and place to betray Christ. But here's a weird thing about Judas: you would have never suspected him. In fact, later we'll see that Christ says, "One of you is going to betray me."

If Judas was as obvious as people think he was, everyone would have stood up and in unison pointed and said, "It's him, isn't it?" You see paintings of the disciples, and you can always pick Judas out. He's the creepy-looking guy, he's the sinister-looking one. It was the very opposite. He was the one that actually appeared more virtuous than the others by design.

That was what he wanted. He wanted you to think he was the most godly guy when in reality he was the most ungodly man who ever walked this planet. One occasion Jesus was with some friends at a dinner—Lazarus had been resurrected. What a dinner that must have been, hanging out with a risen guy and Jesus!

And there's Mary who is there, Mary the sister of Lazarus. Somehow God gave to her insight that nobody else had. It was lost on all of the apostles, but Mary got it: Jesus was going to suffer and die on the cross for our sins. And so she thought, "I've got to do something for Him. I could give Him a cake, but I'd probably drop it. So what could I do to show Jesus how appreciative I am of what He is about to do?"

So she takes this very expensive perfume, worth a lot of money (it was probably a family heirloom), and she pours it on Jesus. The beautiful fragrance fills the room. Judas Iscariot stands up and says, "This is a waste of money! This could have been sold and the money given to the poor."

Jesus corrects Judas and commends Mary and says, "Wherever the gospel is preached, they'll be telling this story." And here we are 2,000 years later, telling the story. But the point is, Judas says this was wrong. Maybe a few agreed with him, "Yeah, he's got a point. That's bad." But Judas only did that to appear virtuous when he in fact was very unvirtuous.

But here's the question we ask: Was Judas Iscariot actually French? My computer thinks so because whenever I write a message and mention Judas Iscariot and I do spell check, it always comes to the word Iscariot and translates it to "escargot." Somehow Word cannot accept the fact that this name is Iscariot, not escargot. That has nothing to do with anything.

Okay, so here's Judas. He's getting ready to betray the Lord. Judas was really what I would call the textbook case of a hypocrite. Now we throw the word "hypocrite" around a lot. I think we misunderstand it, frankly. If you mess up a little bit, someone says, "You're a hypocrite." Well, realistically, all of us have moments of hypocrisy, right?

But I think people use that as an excuse. "Well, I don't want to go to church. The church is full of hypocrites." Really? Would you say, "I'm never going to a restaurant again because I had a bad meal in a restaurant one time"? Or would you say, "I'm never going to a doctor again because I had one bad doctor"?

Or, "I'm never going to drive my car again because I saw one reckless driver"? But yet you'll say, "I'll never go to church again because there's too many hypocrites in the church." And to that, I say, "Well, come and join us because there's always room for one more." "Oh, well I'm looking for a hypocrite-free church, and when I find it, I'll join it." Please don't, because you'll ruin it.

The church is made up of flawed people like you and flawed people like me. But let me define "hypocrite." A hypocrite is not someone who professes to believe something and then occasionally contradicts it. That's called humanity, and we all do it. A hypocrite is a person who's actually playing a part.

The technical definition of the word "hypocrite" is actually not negative; it just means "actor," a stage actor. So that's who Judas was. He was playing the part of an apostle. He was playing the part of a believer, but in reality, he was the very opposite of that. In fact, Jesus said of Judas, "It would have been better if he had never been born."

And Jesus was the perfect example. Jesus never lost His temper. Jesus never was inconsistent. Jesus never told a lie. Jesus never had a single thought out of harmony with His Father, and yet Judas turns against Him. Now we find the disciples gathered in the upper room for what we call the Last Supper.

But they didn't know it was the Last Supper. They just thought it was another dinner with Jesus. But He was acting differently than He normally did. He was very serious and He was about to say some very important things to all of them, including the fact that one of them was going to betray Him.

Before He did that, He got down on His knees and He washed their feet. Isn't that amazing? That's what a servant would normally do. He even washed the feet of Judas Iscariot. I would not have washed Judas's feet; I would have broken Judas's feet. "I know what you're going to do." No, Jesus washed his feet, showing the love that Christ was extending to Judas to the very end.

So we pick the story up in Matthew 26, verse 21. "Now as they were eating, He said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.' And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each one of them began to say to Him, 'Lord, is it I?' He answered, 'He who dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.'"

So Judas was actually sitting at the place of honor. He was sitting at the left hand of Jesus; John was at His right. And Jesus gives to Judas a piece of the bread. That's a very generous act. It's an act of friendship. And by the way, guys don't really like to share their food. Do you know this, ladies? I want to tell you.

Now, I can't speak on behalf of all men, but I will. And in general, we don't like to share our food. You go, "No, Greg, you're wrong. My husband lets me take food from his plate all the time." I didn't say we won't allow you to take our food; I said we don't like it. We're tolerating it.

Okay, so we'll go into a restaurant and girls will share. "Let's share! You want to split that? Let's split that and then split that and split it again!" We're just going to share, and forks are going to be going everywhere. Guys, we're more like a dog with a food in the dish. "This is our food. Don't eat my food. You can eat your food. I'll get food for you. I'll get anything you want for you. Just don't eat my food."

So we're eating our food and my wife will say, "Can I have a bite?" "Oh, sure." And in comes this invading fork into my space and she'll take a little thing and cut it and dip it in the sauce and dip it again. I'm waiting, waiting. "Come on, go! I want to finish!" And then when I'm almost done, say with a burger, she'll say, "Can I have a bite?" "Sure." And she takes the last bite.

But you see, enough about my self-sacrifice. But here's the thing: we don't generally like it. Jesus, in an act of generosity, in an act of friendship, gives the bread to Judas, and Judas takes the bread. And then Jesus drops the bombshell: "One of you is going to betray me." He identifies Judas Iscariot.

Now the Lord makes His way to Gethsemane. Matthew 26, verse 39: "He went a little further and fell on His face and prayed, saying, 'O my Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.' Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep and He said to Peter, 'What, could you not watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation, for the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.'

Again a second time He went away and prayed, saying, 'O my Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me unless I drink it, Your will be done.' And He came and found them asleep again for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, prayed the third time, saying the same words.

And He came to His disciples and said to them, 'Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.' And while He was yet speaking, behold, Judas, one of the 12, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders.

Now his betrayer had given them a sign, saying, 'Whomever I kiss, He is the one, seize Him.' Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, 'Greetings, Rabbi!' and kissed Him. But Jesus said to him, 'Friend, why have you come?'"

Wow. So here's Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. We can't even begin to fathom what He was going through at this point. He's a stone's throw from Peter, James, and John. They watch Him fall on the ground, crying out with anguish, with tears, and literally with blood because Dr. Luke, a physician who also is the author of a gospel, said He sweat, as it were, great drops of blood.

I told you before this may have been a reference to what we now call hematidrosis, when a person is under intense pressure they have sweat combined with blood. Jesus was sweating why? Because Jesus knew the future. I'm glad I don't know the future. But Jesus did. He knew what was coming.

He knew he was going to be beaten beyond human recognition. He knew they would rip His beard from His face. He knew they would take a crown of thorns and press it on His forehead, causing lacerations. He knew that they would take a Roman whip, most likely the cat-of-nine-tails, and rip into His back 39 times.

He knew they would pound spikes in His hands and feet. But I think the thing He recoiled from even more than all of that was the knowledge that He who was sinless and holy and perfect was about to take upon Himself everything that was sinful and unholy and imperfect. He was about to bear the sin of the world.

Listen, your sin's bad enough. Then you add mine, then you add ours, then you add our generation, then you add all generations. You add all the stinking rotten sin of humanity—it's going to be poured on the holy Son of God. And yes, from that He recoiled. He didn't want to do it, but He knew there was no other way. Thus, sweating blood, He prays, "Father, if there's any other way; nevertheless, not my will, but Yours be done."

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie pointing to the price Jesus paid for our sins today on A New Beginning, a study of the betrayal by Judas in a message called "Jesus and the Pretender." The sacrifice of Christ, as Pastor Greg just mentioned, was for all of us—for me, for you. Pastor Greg, maybe there's somebody listening who isn't sure that they've ever accepted the Lord's sacrifice on their behalf. What would you say to them?

Greg Laurie: I would say that God is just a prayer away. You know, it doesn't take years to become a Christian. It doesn't take months. Frankly, it doesn't even take hours. It can happen so quickly. It just starts with you saying to God, "I know I'm a sinner. I know that You love me. I know that You sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sin and pay for those sins and then to rise again from the dead, and I want Him to come into my life."

So here's my question to you: Have you done that yet? Because Jesus, who did die on that cross and rose again from the dead three days later, is alive and standing at the door of your life right now, and He's knocking. And He's saying, "If you'll hear my voice and open the door, I will come in."

Would you like your sin forgiven? Would you like to know that when you die you will go to heaven? Do you want Christ to come into your life right now? If so, why don't you just stop whatever it is you're doing and pray this prayer with me? You could pray it out loud, you can pray it in the quietness of your own heart. But pray this prayer to God:

Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. But I know that You are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I'm sorry for my sin and I turn from it now, and I choose to follow You from this moment forward. I ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Listen, if you just prayed that prayer, the Bible promises that God has heard your prayer and has answered that prayer. The Bible says that if we confess our sin, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So, God bless you. You've made the right decision: the decision to follow Jesus Christ.

Guest (Male): Yeah, that's right. And listen, as you begin to live this new life, we want to send you something to help you get started off right. It's Pastor Greg's New Believer's Bible. It's in an easy-to-understand translation, plus hundreds and hundreds of study helps especially for those who are new to the faith.

Millions of people have been helped by this resource. So get in touch for your own New Believer's Bible. We'll send it free of charge. Just call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click on "Know God."

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And if you have yet to partner with us, well, I hope you'll get in touch today and let us know that you're standing with us. Even a small investment would help. It's actually an investment in changing lives. Thank you for partnering with us. You can donate securely online at harvest.org or call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300.

Well, next time, more insight on Judas's betrayal and the price Jesus paid for our sins at Calvary. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.