BETRAYAL AT THE DOOR

 

BETRAYAL AT THE DOOR

Matt. 26: 14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”

Betrayal. The very thought of it makes one cringe. No one likes to be on the receiving end of a betrayal. No one wants to be left alone to face whatever adversity faces them. No one likes a Benedict Arnold for a friend. It’s so easy to point fingers at Judas and judge him for betraying Christ. Yet, there are some very important lessons we can learn from what Judas did to Christ.

Beware: Satan is lurking at the door. Matt. 26:1-2 The opportunity to betray Christ is always near. Few people like confrontation and challenges to their faith. Yet, we are constantly being harassed by those who have no faith. The world does not like us and will do everything it can to silence people living in Christ. The Gospel message is offensive to those who don’t accept it or believe it. Instead of standing strong in defense of the faith, we find ourselves apologizing to those offended or opposed to it. We often we soften the Gospel message by compromising its truths in order to not ruffle feathers.

We must ask ourselves, “Why would anyone betray Christ?” Lukewarmness towards Christ comes to mind. We are to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul. Lukewarmness about our faith comes to mind. We are not sold out to our faith. We treat it as an accessory to our lives instead of our life. Lukewarmness about our need to grow in Christ comes to mind. If we are not on a steady path of growth in Christ, we become complacent and lack the power to stand up for Jesus when faced with opposition to our faith. We become lukewarm towards our personal devotions and attending church regularly. We become lukewarm about serving the Lord and being a witness for Him.

The opportunity to betray Christ is everywhere. Matt. 26: 3-5. If you give Jesus the leftovers of your life, the chances are good that just like Judas, you will someday betray Him. We live in very troublesome times and things will only get worse until Jesus comes to take us out of this world. Keep your relationship with the Lord strong, and you will not waver when the opportunities to betray Him come your way.