July 9, 2017
Scripture:
Scripture:
Read Isaiah 40:16. This morning we have gone to Calvary and can hear the words of the Lord: “It is finished.” What He had come to do was done. What a sacrifice He made, and for us!
Hymn 10 - Faith is a very simple thing
Prayer
Last time we saw the sad story of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane. Today we’ll see something else sad: Judas betraying Jesus. Judas was one of the twelve disciples. He is always mentioned last when the disciples are listed, and it’s always stated that he was the one to betray Jesus. Jesus chose him as one of the disciples, and he was there for the miracles, healings, and sermons.
Most of the disciples were from Galilee, but not Judas. He was from a town south of Jerusalem called Kerioth (Iscariot means “man of Kerioth”). He heard and saw all that the other disciples did, but he was just a big pretender. He was a hypocrite, and not saved. Some people pretend to be Christians, but they do wrong things when no one is looking. Judas looked and talked like a disciple, and he was even the treasurer for the group! He took care of their bag of money, but was really just a pretender.
It’s possible for anyone to be like Judas. You may have grown up in a Christian home, gone to meeting all your life, and even heard the gospel preached, but you still might not be saved. It was bad enough that Judas was a pretender like that, but then he went and betrayed the Lord.
Mark 14:10-11 shows that Judas struck a bargain with the chief priests to betray Jesus. He loved money, and thought that he could make some here. He probably thought that Jesus could escape, just as he had done before. V.42-44. Just as Jesus had finished His very difficult prayer time, one of His own disciples came to betray Him. The priests came with swords and staves, and Judas was out front. A kiss is the token of love and friendship, but Judas used it to betray the One whose love was carrying Him to the cross. This showed what type of person Judas was. Vv.45-46. The soldiers arrested Jesus, and took Him off to the first of about six court meetings.
What happened to Judas? As we said, he probably thought that Jesus was going to escape, but when he saw that instead Jesus was yielding Himself (He was obeying the plan formed before the foundation of the world) Judas gave the money back to the priests, tried to hang himself, and ended up falling down a cliff and dying. He was gone, to a lost eternity, with a terrible crime to answer for. In the mean time, the One who could escape, and was worthy to escape, went on to the cross.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-18
We’re coming to the end of the epistle. Paul seems to have covered the topics he had wanted to cover. And it seems like he wanted them to be concerned for them as well. Paul was probably the type who stayed awake at night praying for theses churches, but he still challenged others who had benefited from his ministry to pray for him and the others with him. Prayer should be done privately, but it is also nice to be done collectively. There is always something to pray about. And in general we should always be praying that we will be kept and preserved.
In verse one, Darby has “have free course” as “run”. It was that is wouldn’t be hindered; that nothing would stop them. The government, Satan, the flesh, and the world are all thing that can hindered the Word of God going out. The hindrance can be either in the preacher or the hearer.
Paul doesn’t say that it’s his word, but rather “the word of the Lord”. We get to hold that word in our hands now, and it’s one of our most valuable possessions.
Run and free course makes me think of a river flowing. The full truth is a big flow, and it can be hard to grasp at times.
God’s Word is not glorified by the world today. Leaders of countries don’t value it enough. We can value it and be humbled by it. We are to respect it, obey it, and seek to follow it. According to verse one this is how it was for the Thessalonians. God’s Word flowed into their hearts, and they responded positively.
Paul knew about persecution. He sought to be delivered. Unreasonable and wicked men are those without faith. There are some simple aspects of faith, but not all of it is simple. We show faith day by day by what we do; like sitting down in a chair, and trusting it will hold your weight.
Ephesians 2:5
Faith is trusting in the person and work of Christ.
Romans 10:17
Darby said that faith is confidence in God. It is the pathway for salvation. He also translated “unreasonable and wicked” as “bad and evil”. We need to be a people of faith. It’s trust, belief, confidence that causes something to work. Putting confidence in Jesus is the way of salvation. The Lord is also faithful.
May the Lord establish us. May we not be those who flow with every wind of doctrine, but are rather anchored. It precious to have One as Lord and Master. The Lord does His part faithfully.
Hymn 90 - Praise the Saviour, ye who know Him
Prayer