Lent Devotions
Lent Week Two for catch up.
Lent Week Three – next week.

We have created a facebook group to follow and discuss, please join! – 40 days of Lent!

Lent Day Fifteen
Judas exposed

John 13:21-28 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Judas’s Betrayal Predicted
21 When Jesus had said this, He was troubled in His spirit and testified, “I assure you: One of you will betray Me!”

22 The disciples started looking at one another—uncertain which one He was speaking about. 23 One of His disciples, the one Jesus loved, was reclining close beside Jesus.[a] 24 Simon Peter motioned to him to find out who it was He was talking about. 25 So he leaned back against Jesus and asked Him, “Lord, who is it?”

26 Jesus replied, “He’s the one I give the piece of bread to after I have dipped it.” When He had dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son.[b] 27 After Judas ate the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Therefore Jesus told him, “What you’re doing, do quickly.”

28 None of those reclining at the table knew why He told him this.

Matthew 26:20-25 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
20 When evening came, He was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 While they were eating, He said, “I assure you: One of you will betray Me.”

22 Deeply distressed, each one began to say to Him, “Surely not I, Lord?”

23 He replied, “The one who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl—he will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

25 Then Judas, His betrayer, replied, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”

“You have said it,” He told him.

Mark 14:17-20 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Betrayal at the Passover
17 When evening came, He arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “I assure you: One of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me!”

19 They began to be distressed and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?”

20 He said to them, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping bread with Me in the bowl.

Crosswalk provides a nice discussion on the deeper meaning of the thirty coins.

I shared in Lent day Nine that I felt that Judas may not have realized that the enemy had entered him.

There is a progression.

• he gets upset about the woman using the anointing oil, rather than selling it. Matthew 26
• John says it’s because he’s a thief and concerned about money. John 12
• He goes to the leaders – asks how much will you give me? Matthew 26
• HE CONTINUES TO WALK WITH JESUS! is he decieved?
• HE PARTICIPATES IN THE LORD’S SUPPER – THE BREAD AND THE CUP – THE FOOT WASHING. does he know?
• Jesus confronts him, politely, discretely, but Judas KNOWS that Jesus KNOWS! the above Scriptures
• and he betrays Jesus with kiss.
• In his distress and dispair Judas hangs himself – Matthew 27:3-10

Matthew 27:3-10 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Judas Hangs Himself
3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. 4 “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said.

“What’s that to us?” they said. “See to it yourself!”

5 So he threw the silver into the sanctuary and departed. Then he went and hanged himself.

6 The chief priests took the silver and said, “It’s not lawful to put it into the temple treasury,[a] since it is blood money.”[b] 7 So they conferred together and bought the potter’s field with it as a burial place for foreigners. 8 Therefore that field has been called “Blood Field” to this day. 9 Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

They took the 30 pieces of silver, the price of Him whose price was set by the Israelites, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.[c]

Tomorrow, we’re looking at Peter. What is the difference between Judas and Peter? Why did Judas commit suicide and Peter did not?

I believe it is the heart issue.
We’ve talked a lot about how works are the evidence of our salvation. The outward sign of our inner work is how the Episcopalians describe sacraments. Neither the sacraments, nor the disciplines of faith, nor even the fruits gain us salvation, but they are evidences of our salvation. Jesus said that we can know them by their fruit.

• • Judas was willing to betray this man – but Peter was not willing to have him wash his feet!
  • Judas was known to be a thief – but Peter was willing to step out on water, and was declaring his dying loyalty!
  • Judas did not understand the concept of forgiveness – Peter had been taught over and over, and was alive to experience Christ’s forgiveness.

Denying Christ comes with heavy penalty –

1 John 2:20-23 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge.[a] 21 I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Messiah? This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son can have the Father; he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.

There’s not much difference between denying and betraying…except that Peter knew of the forgiveness of God.

Esau despised his birthright – Genesis 25, and when he lost his inheritance, he cried out for forgiveness. Genesis 27:38.
He rejected God’s grace upon his life.

Hebrews 12:14-17 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Warning against Rejecting God’s Grace
14 Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord. 15 Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many. 16 And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for one meal. 17 For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance, though he sought it with tears.

We are given warnings that time could run out!

Hebrews 6:4-8 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
4 For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit,
5 tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age,
6 and who have fallen away, because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt.
7 For ground that has drunk the rain that has often fallen on it and that produces vegetation useful to those it is cultivated for receives a blessing from God.
8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and will be burned at the end.

Psalms 2:12 Holman Christian Standard Bible
Pay homage to the Son or He will be angry and you will perish in your rebellion, for His anger may ignite at any moment. All those who take refuge in Him are happy.

Isaiah 55:6-7 King James Version (KJV)
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Psalm 55 is a prayer in response to betrayal by a friend.

As Jesus said over and over, one who was chosen became a devil.
For me, this answers the question of free will.
Judas was chosen.
He chose to betray Christ.
He chose to take his own life, rather than seek forgiveness as far as we know.

Peter was chosen.
He chose to deny Christ.
He chose to re-evaluate his life, and Jesus called him to feed His sheep.

You and I are chosen.
I choose to follow Jesus.
What will you choose?

Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation

Prayer and Worship

You Love me Still – Sidewalk Prophets
Just AS I am – Mercy Me
Your Grace Finds me – Matt Redmon

I have a very special place in my heart for those that are struggling with suicide.

~~~~~~~

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links:

• Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
• Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

M. Christine Wildman

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

• Naomi’s Heart Ministries
• Obed’s House Ministries
• The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.