 The title of our sermon this morning is dragging Judas into the light, dragging Judas into the light. And we have come to John chapter 13 verses 18 through 30 and this account in the Gospel of John regarding Judas. So as we come back together, this Lord's day and reversed by verse study through the Gospel of John. We're again in the upper room with the Lord and with his disciples. It's Thursday evening, the eve of the Lord's death, the last week in the life of the Lord in his earthly ministry. They're eating the Passover meal together. The Lord has just taught a powerful lesson on what it means to love one another. And we had the blessing and the privilege to go through that text last week. The lesson itself is striking. It's memorable. Jesus humbles himself. He removes his garments. He girds himself with a bond servant's towel and he washes the feet of his disciples. It's a beautiful, very simple example of the kind of love that will be far more gloriously displayed at the cross just a short time from now when he will lay down his life for his own. Having loved his own who are in the world, he loves them to the end. That simple act of love is even more striking, even more astonishing, more staggering when you consider who it is that is sitting at the table with them. As the Lord held that heel that had already been lifted up against him, as he washed the feet of him who had been swift to shed his innocent blood, the 30 pieces of silver were already jangling around in the pocket of Judas Iscariot. And the name alone says a lot, doesn't it? It communicates something similar to when you hear the name Hitler or you hear the name Benedict Arnold or Stalin or Vlad the Impaler, right? Name carries a contemptible reputation with it. Not many kids running around with the name Judas today or Vlad the Impaler for that matter. Judas is the Greek form of the common Hebrew name Judah. Iscariot refers to a location and is a transliteration of the Hebrew meaning man of Karioth. To us the name is synonymous with betrayal. We use it in that way, don't we? He's a Judas. She's a Judas. He's a traitor. Synonymous with the worst kind of treason, the worst kind of hypocrisy. He sold the Lord out for money and betrayed the Son of God with a kiss. The history has not been kind to Judas and well it shouldn't be. Matthew 26 verse 24 says, 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. It could be said that Judas Iscariot goes also just as it has been written of him. Jesus is closing in on the cross, but Judas sitting at the table on this night will be the first one to die. At the end of our text in verse 30, both literally, figuratively, and spiritually, Judas plunges into darkness where evil likes to lurk. After having done quickly what he came to do, as the Son is coming up on Friday morning, Judas overwhelmed with his guilt, overwhelmed with his sin, is hanging himself in the potter's field in the valley of Hinnom. Acts one explains that he falls in the process. He hits the ground, he splits open in the middle, and all his guts come gushing out. And worse yet, Judas, that very day, is suffering in torment and hell. And the 2,000 years that he's been suffering there since that time are not even one drop in an ocean when compared with eternity. There will never be any comfort for Judas. That's a many over the centuries. This account of Judas in the Bible has been a source of astonishment. How in the world did this man end up among the 12? Scripture says over and over again, doesn't it? Judas, one of the 12. Judas, one of the 12 disciples. One of the 12 called Judas. He walks with the Lord Jesus Christ for three years. He's a witness to his miracles. He's a witness to his teaching. Such glorious words, right? That proceeded from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ. He enjoys close fellowship with the Lord, but as do many traders, as many betrayers. Judas operates in the dark, so to speak, only to be exposed here at the end as the worst kind of brazen hypocrite. So what is going on here? At the end of our text in verse 30, Judas slinks off into the night, slinks off into the dark. Now this morning, we want to begin to drag him back into the light. There's much here that we are to learn from the life of Judas. And there are lessons and warnings here that we need to consider together. We'll be considering these over the next two weeks. We'll begin with two this morning. We'll finish up next week. As I was studying the Texas Week in John 13, there's so many lessons here, and the lessons tend to just follow the course or the flow of the passage. So rather than just sort of the customary outline of an intro three points and a close, I thought it would be better or more beneficial to us to simply walk through the text and consider some of those lessons as we come to them. If you think of it like this, it's like you're hanging sheets or pinning sheets to a closed line. The closed line is the account of Judas' betrayal in John chapter 13 verses 18 through 30. And we're going to walk along that line. We're going to take a sheet one at a time out of the basket and we're going to pin it to the closed line. We'll cover two of those sheets this morning and you can write these down if you're taking notes. Let me give you the setting. In verses three through 17, we have the lesson that the Lord Jesus Christ is teaching of the foot washing of his disciples. The Lord has his conversation with Peter where he says in verse 10, he who is bathed needs only to wash his feet but is completely clean. And you are clean, but the Lord says, not all of you. For he knew who would betray him. Therefore he said, you are not all clean. Now he knew at this point in time in verse 10, knew that Judas was under the sway of the wicked one. He knew that Judas was going to betray him, that that betrayal was already in progress. Judas had already taken the money. He's just waiting for the right opportunity to betray him. The other disciples, according to verse 10, were clean with the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, truly one of his own for whom he would die. But Jesus says, not all of them. Jesus then commands them to love one another as he has shown love to them. He says to follow my example. A slave is not greater than his master. The Lord is saying, do as I have done to you. Follow my lead. Follow my example. And then he promises them in verse 17, if you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. And he says this to them then beginning our text in verse 18. The Lord says, I do not speak concerning all of you. In other words, I can't make this promise to all of you. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. That promise doesn't apply to all 12. It applies to 11. Not all of you. He says in verse 18, I know whom I have chosen, but so that the scripture may be fulfilled, he who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me. And he quotes there, Psalm 41 verse 9, verse 19. Now I tell you before it comes, so that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am. That go away me. Now the first sheet that I want you to take out of your basket and clip to your line is this. God is in control in spite of everything that goes on and everything that you see that may be devastating or insurmountable. God is in control. Nothing, not even Judas and his wicked betrayal lie outside the ordained plans and purposes of Almighty God. God is completely in control in our most difficult circumstances, in the most difficult of times and the most difficult of trials. God is in control and it bids us well to examine that this morning. The Lord says in verse 18, he begins with this, I know it's present active. I know whom I have chosen. I have their heiress's middle. What Jesus is saying is I know at a point in time for myself. I chose these men and I know them. Now he's not referring here to the 11 that God has elected to salvation. This is not referring to an election to salvation. He's referring to knowing everything, everything about the 12 that he has chosen as his disciples, including Judas. He knows them all and in his omniscience, Jesus Christ knows who and what Judas is. Flip with me four or five pages to the left to John chapter six, John chapter six and look at verse 60. The Lord Jesus Christ knows Judas. This is not going to take him by surprise. This is not with, with apart from or outside the scope of God's sovereignty. God is in control. Now in John chapter six, the Lord feeds the 5,000. He walks on water. He graciously offers them the bread of eternal life and then he gives them, think about it, he gives them one sermon on what it really means to follow Christ. One sermon on the real commitment, what it's really going to take to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and they say to themselves, well that preaching is really unbalanced. That preaching, that saying is really hard. I'm not hearing enough grace and then most of them in John chapter six leave. Look at verse 60. Therefore, the Bible says, many of his disciples when they heard this said, this is a hard saying. Who can understand it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples complained about this, he said to them, does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where he was before? It is the spirit who gives a life. The flesh prophets, nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life. But there are some of you, listen, who do not believe. For Jesus knew, when did he know? From the beginning. Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe did not believe and who would betray him, right? Verse 65. And he said, therefore I've said to you that no one can come to me. No one is able to come to me unless it has been given to him, granted to him by my father. From that time, verse 66, many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, do you also want to go away? The Simon Peter answered him in verse 68, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also, we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. So Jesus answered them, did I not choose you? Now, who did he choose here? He chose the twelve, okay? And that's the distinction I want to make. Not speaking of the eleven who were elected to salvation, but he chose the twelve. He chose the twelve disciples and he chose them knowing. He knows those whom he chose, okay? He knows them. He says, I chose you, the twelve, and one of you, one of you whom I have chosen is a devil. He's a devil. Verse 71. He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray him being one of the twelve. Jesus knew everything about Judas. Jesus knew everything about Judas all the way back to John chapter six. He knew who he was. He was a devil. He was a betrayer. He knew what he would do. He would betray him. He knew why he would do it because he's a devil, because he's a betrayer. He's an unbeliever. However, you consider John chapter six. When is it that John chapter six says that Jesus knew these things from the beginning? John chapter six, verse 64, Jesus knew from the beginning. That means, again, listen, that means that the Lord Jesus Christ chose Judas to be numbered among the twelve while knowing all these things about him. It's a fairly clear, fairly obvious point, right? In fact, we understand the Bible, the Lord knew all of these things about Judas from before the foundation of the world. The Lord is no helpless victim here. You see? He didn't make a mistake. This is not outside the plans of God. This is not undermining or thwarting the plans of God. This is all according to the plans of God. This was no accident. This is not God being forced to react to the crazed actions of a wicked betrayer. God ordained that which Judas did by his own will. Think about that for a moment. God ordained what Judas did by his own will. God ordained that which Judas did by his own choice, what was in his own heart and mind. God ordained that which Judas is completely responsible for and guilty for. Judas did what he did because he was a devil and the Lord Jesus Christ chose Judas knowing that he would do it. All of this lies within the scope of the sovereign will of Almighty God. Judas thought in all this that he was accomplishing his own will, his own purposes. He was going to sell the Lord out for 30 pieces of silver. Within reality, in fact, Judas all along is accomplishing the will of God. Reminds us of Genesis chapter 50 verse 20. What men mean for evil, God means for good. Now it doesn't say there what men mean for evil. God uses for good. What men mean for evil, God means in his sovereignty means it for good. So back in John chapter 13, Jesus says in verse 18 here, I know whom I've chosen. You might ask if Jesus knew all of this about Judas, then why in the world is Judas still with them? Why is Judas sitting at the table with them right here in the upper room on the eve of the Lord's death? And we can observe it. We look at our text in John chapter 13, two basic reasons. Two basic reasons, all right? And we're talking about the sovereignty of God, God's control over all things. God is in control. Two basic reasons that Judas is still among them. In God's own purposes and plans, one reason is to magnify the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're going to see that in a moment. The second reason is to build our faith in him. God in his purposes and plans allows Judas here specifically for the purpose of magnifying the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and building or bolstering our faith in him. Jesus always knew the hypocrisy and the treachery, treachery of Judas, but here the Lord employs it to reveal his own glory and to build our faith in him. Now, how does he do that? How does he do that from the text? How does God magnify the person of Christ and then build our faith in him? Well, he does it here specifically by displaying his sovereignty, his control over all things. And we see specifically three ways in which God's sovereignty is displayed in the text. Here's the first. God magnifies the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and builds our faith in him by showing that one, he is sovereign over time. He is sovereign over time. You can make application to yourselves as we walk through this. God is sovereign over time, right? Judas is still there at the table with him because it's not time for Judas to go yet. Time has not come. There's still prophecy that must be fulfilled. We're going to see that in this text. There's still much that the Lord needs to teach the disciples before he's betrayed. If you think about it, if you think about this text, there's good reason to believe that when the Lord sends Peter and John alone into Jerusalem to get to reserve the upper room, he sends them alone and not with the other disciples for the sake that Judas wouldn't have been tipped off as to the location of the upper room and send the Pharisees in and ruin supper, right? Timing here. The Lord is sovereign over time. The soldiers would have shown up at the wrong time. In verse 27, it's time, right? It's time in verse 27. Jesus says to him there, now's the time. Do it quickly. What you're going to do, do quickly. In verse 18, we're at now, the Lord is exposing the traitor. In verse 27, the Lord finally expels the traitor, but all in his perfect timing. We see that throughout the Bible, right? Lord's timing is perfect. It's perfect throughout the Gospel of John. His hour's not yet come. His hour's not yet come. The Greeks show up. Now the hour's come. Things are set in motion now again with Judas. The time's not yet for Judas to go out and to betray him. The time is coming soon. Time is coming soon. God is sovereign over time. Secondly, God magnifies the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and builds our faith in him by showing that God is sovereign over history. God is sovereign over all history. Verse 18, the Lord says, I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen, but so that the Scripture may be fulfilled, he who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me. Jesus here eats bread with Judas at this Passover in perfect fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Flip with me four to five pages to the right and look at Acts chapter one. In Acts chapter one, the disciples are in Jerusalem in an upper room just before Pentecost and drop down to verse 15. In Acts chapter one, verse 15, with those disciples in the upper room, Peter stands up to speak. Verse 15 says this, and in those days, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, altogether the number of names was about 120, and Peter said this, men in brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled. We've seen this multiple times walking through the Gospel of John, right? This Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning who? Concerning Judas, right? Who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus, for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry. Now, think about this text for a moment. Make some observations. Look at verse 16. This Scripture had to be fulfilled. Which Scripture specifically are we talking about? Here specifically Psalm 41 verse 9, all right? This is a fulfillment, is seen as a fulfillment of Psalm 41 verse 9 spoken by David, all right? Who spoke that Scripture in Acts chapter one, verse 16? God, the Holy Spirit spoke it through the mouth of David. That's a good text for inspiration, isn't it? It gives us a good indication about how inspiration works. God, the Holy Spirit spoke by the mouth of David. Who was Psalm 41 9? In Acts chapter one, verse 16, who was Psalm 41 9, ultimately concerning Judas? That interesting, that interesting. This was written about a thousand years, Psalm 41 9 written about a thousand years before Judas, and yet God, the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David spoke Psalm 41 9, ultimately concerning Judas. Now with Bible interpretation, those texts have an immediate meaning, an immediate interpretation, but also here we see that there is an ultimate fulfillment fulfilled here with Judas in the upper room, with Jesus and the other 11 disciples. David said this in Psalm 41 9. Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. Psalm 41 9, David speaking in Psalm 41 9 of his friend Hithafel here applied to Judas. Back in John chapter 13, all right? The third reason, God is sovereign over time, he is sovereign over history. Third reason that Judas is still there, still eating with them is a big black spot in their love feast is because third he is sovereign, God is sovereign even over evil. God is sovereign even over evil. Now God is not the author of evil, God is not tempt anyone to evil, but God in perfect infinite power is crushingly sovereign even over evil. And he's displaying that in verse 19, he is sovereign even over the actions of Judas. And what Judas intends himself for evil in his own heart and mind, God intends himself in his own heart and mind. And according to the counsels of his eternal will, God intends for good. Verse 19, look at verse 19, the Lord says, Now I tell you before it comes, and what is he telling them? He's telling them that he's going to be betrayed. Lord is going to be betrayed. When is he telling them this in verse 19? He's telling them before it happens, before it comes. And then why is he telling them? Look at verse 19, so that when it does come to past, you may believe that I am. That's another clear claim of deity, referring to God's name in Exodus 3 14. The Lord uses it here of himself in verse 19. Now think about verse 19 for a moment. Jesus always knew the hypocrisy and the treachery of Judas. And yet the Lord employs it all for his own glory. Okay, God is sovereign even over evil. Judas isn't a defeat. He's not a defeat. Judas is just another component, another piece of the victory. This is tough for some to come to terms with. But this is clearly what the Bible teaches. And think about other examples in scripture, notable examples, right? In Job one, if you remember Job one, Satan comes before God and asks God permission to afflict Job. God is sovereign over the affairs even of Satan. In First Kings chapter 22, God gave permission for Satan to be a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets. God is sovereign. Luke 22, Satan asks permission to sift Peter as wheat. Satan has to ask permission to sift Peter. These are just a few of many examples. Here again in John chapter 13, Satan again in operation by the agency of Judas. Now think about that, displaying his sovereignty in these three ways. He's sovereign over time. He's sovereign over history. He's sovereign even over evil. God magnifies the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He glorifies the Son. The Lord Jesus Christ is glorious. The Lord Jesus Christ is powerful and he is omniscient. Lord Jesus Christ will not fail to accomplish the plans for which God the Father sent him. This is not a wreck. This is not a disaster. This is not a mistake. This is not an accident. This is not something outside the purview of God's sovereignty. This is all according to God's plan. To what end does he magnify the Son in that way? Where to see the Lord Jesus Christ that way? He is sovereign. He's sovereign over time, sovereign over history. He's sovereign over the fulfillment of Scripture. He's sovereign over redemptive history and the redemptive plans of God. He's sovereign even over his own betrayal. Sovereign even over his own death. He doesn't have his life taken from him. He lays it down voluntarily. Why do we need to see the Lord Jesus Christ in this way? To what end was to build our faith in him? To build our faith in him? He reveals his sovereignty over time, over history, even over evil so that when these things come to pass they will be revealed to the praise and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in us. He is sovereign. He controls history. He controls time. He does all things according to his plans and his purposes. Now think about that for a moment. The one who is powerful to do those things is the one who having loved his own, who are in the world, loved them to the end. It's with that love with which he loved us that God orchestrates in his Son our redemption, our forgiveness, our justification, our glorification. He ordains it all for our good and his glory. It's that Lord Jesus Christ that we worship. Then he reassures them again with this. Listen to this in verse 20. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me after caring for them providentially in this wondrous, glorious sovereignty over time and over history and over Judas. After having reassured their hearts and comforted them, preparing them for all that they were about to face, the Lord then reassures them again with verse 20. I say to you, truly, truly I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. In other words, listen, you're connected to me. You are sure with me. You are secure in me. Your life, your ministry, despite this wicked betrayal, your life, your ministry is wrapped up in mine. To receive you is to receive me, the Lord Jesus Christ says, and behind it all God the Father stands. To receive me is to receive God the Father. He's saying to them, you're sending this cause that we've been laboring in for the glory of God, for the salvation of souls with the gospel. This cause that you've been commissioned in stands. Judas is going to betray me. I'm going to hang on a cross. I'm going to die. But in all of that, God is in control. God is sovereign. And this commission, this gospel, this resurrection, this life will remain in effect. It's not going away. It's not undermined. It's not destroyed. It's not subverted. It's not corrupted. It's not perverted. It's not done away with. Your sending, your commissioning from me is going to remain in effect. Our cause in the gospel is not ending with this betrayal. Remember that because you've got work to do, right? They have work to do. The Lord is saying here, verse 20, I don't want you to doubt. I don't want you to doubt. The Lord tells them. He gives them reason. The Lord tells them these things beforehand so that they would not doubt. He tells them these things ahead of time so that rather than being weakened in the faith, they're strengthened in the faith. You see, rather than questioning and filled with confusion and filled with doubt and filled with temptation to compromise and to turn back, rather than that, the Lord wants to take time, take attention, take care to strengthen them in the faith. To say that this cause, this cause that we are in for the gospel is going to remain. Don't doubt. I told you before so that your faith would be strengthened so that you would believe that I am, the Lord Jesus Christ said. And think about it. This is so important for the disciples to understand, right? So important. How important is it to you and I that we understand God's sovereignty? I don't know how some people who don't believe in the sovereignty of God that way, how they manage the quote unquote Christian life. Apart from this, we serve a loving God who loves us in infinite, immeasurable and matchless ways. And as we face the day to day difficulties and adversities and struggles and trials that we face individually and think about it. Man, the struggles and the trials and the difficulties that we faced as a church, how comforting is it to the people of God to know that God is sovereign over all these things? He says to you, he says to me, listen, I've told you before so that when it happens, you may believe that I am, right? What a joy, what a comfort, what a strengthening, what a bolstering of our faith. Doesn't make it easy, does it? But it's comforting to know this. This is so important for the disciples to understand. The Lord is so gracious, so merciful to prepare them in this way for what's coming. It's important for us to understand, too. You know, we're going to face betrayal. We are going to face betrayal. We have faced betrayal, backstabbing hypocrites, and we will face betrayal and backstabbing hypocrites. Listen, the Lord says, I've told you ahead of time so that when it happens, you may know, let that strengthen your faith, brother, sister, not weaken your faith, not cause doubts and confusion. Know ahead of time, take comfort in knowing that God is in control of all things. Sovereign over time, sovereign over history, sovereign even over evil. You know, wicked acts of wicked men. If you're still hanging sheets on your clothesline, that's the first sheet. It's a big sheet, right? There's a lot to that sheet, a very important sheet. So important to understand, the first sheet because of the obvious second sheet that follows it. The second sheet that you want to pin to your clothesline is this. Betrayal is hard. Betrayal is hard. It's not going to be easy. Think about their context for a moment. One of their own number. They've been traipsing across Judea, the 12 of them with the Lord for three years, and one of their own number, Judas, betrays Jesus and then has him arrested and killed. Peter denies him. The rest of the disciples severely shaken. They all flee. If you're in the shoes of the disciples at this time, think about it for a moment, how can this be? Right, wouldn't it cross your mind? How can this be the plan of God? Is this what it's supposed to be like? Is this what's supposed to happen? Maybe we've been wrong all this time, right? Their faith in these difficulties, these adversities, their faith is challenged. Their faith is tested. They need to know that this betrayal is not a barrier to the plan of God. It is the plan of God. This betrayal doesn't undermine the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. It magnifies the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the fulfillment of Scripture. All of it, a part of the purposes and counsels of God, knowing all of that perfectly, knowing all of that perfectly as the Lord does. Look at the Lord's response in verse 21, as he considers the betrayal of Judas. Verse 21, when Jesus had said these things, he was troubled in spirit, and he testified and said, most assuredly I say to you, one of you will betray me. The word there for troubled is the word terrazzo. It means deeply stirred, shaken up. He's shaken up. He's deeply disturbed in his heart and mind over the betrayal of Judas. It's the same word that John used of his heart and mind when Jesus was considering the cross. In chapter 12, verse 27, my soul, my spirit is troubled. This was so difficult to fathom. So difficult to grasp. Hard to believe. Here the Lord testifies. He gives a solemn witness because it's so difficult to believe, difficult to grasp. He says, truly, truly I say to you, one of you will betray me. The distress over this is evident in the context as well. This isn't just anyone. This isn't just anyone, some unknown figure that has betrayed him, some unknown man. This is one who has eaten bread with me, the Lord says, and that idea of table fellowship, being a display of loyalty and familial connection. This was family. These 12 men around each other for three years. This is one who has eaten bread. He shares bread with Judas at the table. You see that in Psalm 41, verse 9 also, where David says, even my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread. John 13 here becomes a fulfillment of Psalm 41. And one aspect of betrayal that makes it so difficult, right, so heart wrenching is when it comes at the hand of one close to you. So difficult. It turned with me to Psalm 55. This is another passage that's related here to John 13. Look at Psalm 55. David again in Psalm 55, recounting the betrayal we believe here of a hithafel. It's so difficult and so heart wrenching often because it comes at the hand of one close to you, close to you. Look at Psalm 55 and look down at verse 12. David is almost incredulous with this, with this betrayal. David says in verse 12, for it is not an enemy who reproaches me. David says, then I could bear it. If it weren't an enemy, I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me, who has exalted himself against me. Then I could hide from him. In other words, he didn't announce and proclaim his hatred for David. But it was you, verse 13, a man my equal, my companion, and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together. We walked to the house of God in the throng. This is someone that David served with, ministered with, worshiped God with, someone close to him. David in righteous indignation says in verse 15, let death seize them. Let them go down alive into hell. For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them. As for me, the thing about this, where does David turn? When those difficult times come, when you are betrayed, when you face this adversity, where do you turn with David? You turn to God, like in verse 16. As for me, I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon, I will pray and cry aloud. He shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me. For there were many against me and God will hear and afflict them, even he who abides from us, from of old, say, la, because they do not change. Therefore, they do not fear God. He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him. He has broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. Do you see how what a harmful, hurtful, destructive, deceitful, hypocritical thing this betrayal is? Cast your burden on the Lord. Verse 22. He shall sustain you. He shall never permit the righteous to be moved, but you, oh God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. But I, David says, I will trust in you. You know, it's interesting that it's not coincidental, not coincidental. Both of these Psalms, Psalm 41 and Psalm 55, were written by David when he had suffered a harsh betrayal. And these are the Psalms that the Lord here quotes in John chapter 13. To add serious insult to injury, one of David's closest friends, his counselor, Ahithophel, turned against him and began to give traitorous counsel to his son Absalom, who was also betraying David, plotting war against him, his own son. It's also interesting that the connection between these two passages that Ahithophel and Judas, this connection is made even stronger by the fact that Ahithophel also went out and hung himself, just as Judas did. You know, this betrayal, this betrayal of David by Absalom and then by Ahithophel prompted David to write these two Psalms, Psalm 41 and Psalm 55. Both the Psalms and John's account, all of it emphasizes the treachery, right? Emphasizes the deceit. It's very, very personal. It's awful that one so close, so trusted, would display such hatred and such hypocrisy. That's largely what makes the betrayal so difficult. Someone so close to you, someone who professes to love you and then yet uses that relationship to deceive you and to betray you, absolutely trampling over the relationship for their own game. Betrayal is hard. Betrayal is hard. We can think of many examples, can't we, of betrayal that we see as a country or we've seen in history, Benedict Arnold, an American who, the Revolutionary War, an American who went and fought for the British, infamous trader, Rosenberg's, sold nuclear secrets to the Russians during the Cold War, right? Aldrich Ames sold secrets to the Russians in the 80s, caused the death of 10 operatives for the US. You can even feel a tinge of it, can't you? A tinge of the betrayal. Anytime you hear a news report of someone leaving our country to go off and fight for ISIS in Syria and Iraq, right? You get a sense of the betrayal, it makes you righteously indignant, it turns your stomach. Nothing, nothing compares to the betrayal we experience when we're stabbed in the back by a friend. Think about it, if you've ever been betrayed by a spouse, someone who professed to love you, may betrayed you, someone at work, a child who went wayward, how heart-wrenching, right? So painful when that betrayal comes in the hands of those that you've been in service with to the Lord, that you've worshipped with, that you've witnessed with, that you came to church with, that you sang with, that you prayed with. So many examples of this in the Bible. There's so many examples of this betrayal in the Bible. Here's one in John 13 with Judas. Turn with me, let's look at one together. Look at Jeremiah chapter 20. Jeremiah chapter 20. I want to reinforce this. Jeremiah chapter 20. When betrayal is hard, it's comforting to know that God is in control, that God is sovereign over time, sovereign over history, sovereign even over evil. God is in control. Jeremiah chapter 20. Look down at verse 7. Jeremiah here feeling betrayed by the people that he was ministering to, called to preach to. Look at verse 7. Oh, Lord, you induced me and I was persuaded. You are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I am in derision daily. Everyone mocks me for when I spoke, I cried out. I shouted violence and plunder. Because the word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and a derision daily, then I said, I said to myself, I'll not make mention of him. I'll not speak any more in his name. But his word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones. I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. For I heard many mocking, fear on every side, report, they say, and we will report it. All my acquaintances, all my friends watched for my stumbling saying, perhaps he can be induced, then we will prevail against him and we will take our revenge on him. For Jeremiah, serving the Lord as a prophet, he was charged with doing that which God had called him to do, despite the fact that it would appear to Jeremiah as though everyone was against him. But God was the one who called him to the work. You see, where does Jeremiah then turn when it goes just as God had said before that it would go? Where does Jeremiah turn? Look at verse 11. But the Lord, the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome one. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten. But, O Lord of hosts, you who test the righteous and see the mind and heart, let me see your vengeance on them for I have pleaded my cause before you. Sing to the Lord. Praise the Lord, for he has delivered the life of the poor from the hand of the evildoers. Jeremiah turns to God. Jeremiah couldn't hold back the words, so he continued to proclaim them, continued to preach. They were a fire in his bones. He couldn't hold them back. Despite the fact that everyone was against him, his acquaintances were mocking him. In the face of that betrayal by his own people, Jeremiah turns to God and just continues steadfastly. Forehead of Flint continues in the work, right? Back in John 13. It's another example. There are many, many examples in Scripture of this. We have to remember this when we face these things. God has given us a work to do. God has given us his commandments. God has instructed us how we are to live among one another. How we're to conduct ourselves in the household of God. And when this happens, we must turn to the Lord and keep at the work. The betrayal is often so hurtful because it demonstrates such ingratitude, demonstrates hatred, demonstrates contempt, a despising. One who lifted his hand with you in our great cause now lifts his heel against you, leaves you in the battle, leaves you in the trench, walks away. Or worse yet, he becomes a weapon for the enemy against you. Being that they're so close to you, they betray you as it were with a kiss. And Judas and John 13, Judas and John 13 is seen as a betraying friend, betraying friend. But this kind of betrayal can shake your faith. It can shake your faith. It can cause you to question, can cause you to doubt. You get all of those doubts and confusions and all of that twisted around wrangling around in your head. And sometimes it's really difficult just to make sense of it all. And all of that confusion, all that doubt, especially when you're faced with temptation to compromise or temptation to question your convictions, especially when you're outnumbered. The danger here, isn't it? The danger is that in the face of all this you become bitter. Or you begin to look with malice at those who betrayed you when we're called to love our enemies. You drink the poison of bitterness. You swallow that poison down, hoping that it will hurt someone else. How do you avoid that? How do you avoid that? We do as Jeremiah did. We do as David does. We do as the disciples are called to do. You face that difficulty, that adversity. You turn to God who is sovereign over all things. God who holds you in his hands. The one from whom you will never be separated if you're in Christ. He is our example in this and our strength. He is our refuge in this at the same time that he's our rock. Listen to this from Hebrews chapter 12. When you're facing betrayal like this, difficulty, adversity, Hebrews chapter 12 verse 3, consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Am I the only one who's been discouraged by betrayal here? We're to consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself lest we become discouraged in our souls, become weary. He says, you've not resisted the bloodshed striving against sin. You've not resisted the bloodshed as he has. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons. My son, he says, do not despise the chastening of the Lord nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him for whom the Lord loves. These he chastens and he scourges every son whom he receives. Look, brothers and sisters, he told us beforehand, that he tells us this beforehand so that we know when it comes to pass that we may believe in him. He tells us beforehand, listen, the Lord loves those whom he chastens. He scourges every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you. He's dealing with you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you're without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and you're not sons. Furthermore, we've had human fathers who corrected us. We paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us has seen best of them. But he, the Lord Jesus Christ, God, chastens us for our profit that we may be partakers of his holiness. That's the end of our suffering. You see, the end of all this, the end of all this, that we may be partakers of his holiness. No chastening seems joyful for the present, and that is an understatement. But it seems painful. Nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness, those who have been trained by it. The Lord is gracious to us in preparing us for this. Amen. Just as he was gracious to the disciples in John 13, he's gracious to us in this. We're going to face persecution. We're going to face betrayal. We're going to face hardship and difficulty and adversity. If you think for a moment that the Christian life is a life of ease, someone has sold you a bill of goods. You need to get your money back. Count the cost and follow Christ. The Christian life is not a bed of ease. And the Lord is graciously preparing us for this. Betrayal will happen. And it's going to happen from within the church. Inside the church, betrayal will happen. And it will happen with those who appear to be one of us. Someone in this room, possibly right now, those closest to us. And it will be painful. It'll be painful. But just like with the disciples in John 13, 19, he tells us before it comes. Turn with me to Acts chapter 20. Just a few pages to the right. Acts chapter 20. He gives us this understanding so that we can weather it. He gives us this understanding to bolster our faith through it. We might trust him in it. And because he has told us before, the fact that betrayal, which will come, it should strengthen our faith, not weaken it. It should strengthen our resolve, not weaken it. In Acts 20, drop down to verse 25. He tells us beforehand. Paul says in verse 29, And indeed now I know that you all, among whom I've gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. He's departing the meeting with the Ephesians, elders, and myelitists, giving them parting words. And he says in verse 26, Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore, we preach the whole counsel of God here. And we determine with God's help and God's grace to us to preach it all and to preach it faithfully. Therefore, we must take heed to ourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. Why, Paul? Why? For I know this, verse 29, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Why did Paul know that? We've been told before. Lord has told us before, has told us ahead of time that this would happen. As long as there is Satan, there will be betrayers. As long as Satan continues his work, there will be savage wolves among the people of God. He says in verse 29, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves, men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves. Has that happened in our church? Yes. Probably need to take off my shoes to count the number of times it's happened in our church. The Bible tells us it's going to happen. The Lord is gracious to prepare us for these things, to provide for us, to care for us in this way. He says in verse 31, therefore watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. And then he, in verse 32, as Jeremiah, as the disciples, he turns to God. It's God in his power that keeps us. It's God that preserves us and protects us. So now brother in verse 32, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and it's able to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. It's the power of God that keeps the believer, that protects our church. We have to turn to God. Back in John chapter 13, verse 21, when Jesus had said these things, when he considered these things, considered the betrayal of Judas, he was troubled in his spirit and he testified and said most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will be traimi, troubled by the abject contempt of Judas, troubled by the ingratitude of Judas, the callousness of Judas, the hate that was returned for his love to Judas, the devil who was counted among his closest friends, and the glorious cause of grace and mercy despised by that wicked man. This shocked the disciples. They were stunned, stunned by it. In verse 22, the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom he spoke. The word means at a loss. They were at a loss filled with confusion. Matthew says here at this time, they all began asking, Lord, is it I? Is it I? No one suspected Judas. Judas was a masterful hypocrite. There will always be hypocrites in the church. There will always be hypocrites among us. But the Lord knows this. The Lord knows this. God is in control. Jesus says, I know whom I have chosen and he warns us ahead of time. Just don't let this be said of you. Don't let this be said of you. Don't play the hypocrite. Love one another. As the Lord Jesus Christ loved these men. Think about it. Knowing all of this, knowing all of this, and knowing it ahead of time, being omniscient, the Lord Jesus Christ was still, still, even at this point in the upper room with his disciples, still demonstrating humble love toward Judas. Grace and mercy toward Judas. He didn't have to go through with this plan. From Judas' perspective, from his perspective, he could have repented there on the spot. Still time for mercy. Still time for mercy. The Lord washed his feet. Tremendous act of love. The Lord gave him bread at his table. Included him among the family, so to speak. You would think that as the Lord was giving him the bread, that maybe the thought of that bread of life sermon the Lord taught would have crossed his mind. But by the time we get to verse 27, time is up. It's too late. We'll look at that and hang more sheets on our clothesline next week. Consider this. Judas, the betrayer, as wicked as all of that is, right? Judas the betrayer is just one example among trillions, trillions who have betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ in their own way. Outside of Christ, you are a betrayer. You are a rebel against God. You count the blood shed at Calvary, a common thing in order to live on your own lusts and indulge yourself and live for yourself and reject and spurn and rebel against he who created you and gave himself to save sinners. You're a rebel. You're a betrayer. If you will turn from your betrayal, if you will turn from your sin and trust him who laid down his life to save sinners, you can be forgiven of your betrayal. You can be forgiven of your sin. You can be made right with God and inherit all things with Christ, adopted into the family of God, cleansed and washed and purified and forgiven. It's an amazing thought, isn't it? Our betrayal outside of Christ is part and parcel with the betrayal that we see in Judas. Turn from your sin. Put your faith in Christ. Christ forgives and he holds out that offer of mercy still. Now's the time for repentance. God has overlooked your ignorance, but now commands you to repent. He has appointed a day on which he will judge you and he has given testimony of that, proof of that, evidence of that by raising the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Turn from your sin and worship him. Amen. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we praise you, we worship you, we thank you Lord. God, praise be to you for this indescribable gift of love that you've shown us at the cross of Christ. Thank you that you have laid down your life, a sacrificial lamb, perfect and holy, paying the debt that we could not pay, taking the penalty that we deserve, satisfying the wrath of God against sin. Thank you Lord for this great salvation you've provided for us. Thank you Lord now that in Christ you care for us, you provide for us, you hear graciously and mercifully warn us and tell us ahead of time so that we can be prepared when the time comes to turn to you, to rest in you, take rest in our refuge, to take strength from our rock, to face the trials and difficulties that you say God are coming. We know that we are called to suffer in Christ, but we know that our rest is coming. We look forward to that glorious, promised rest, great anticipation where we will be with you, see you as you are, be glorified without sin, worshiping you forever for a glorious blessing. What a tremendous end to the story so to speak that we know is just the beginning. Thank you Lord for all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.