The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a traitor as "one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty." On this Palm Sunday, I've chosen to consider in contrast the two traitors seen side by side in the New Testament accounts of the Passion of Christ. Though we may see some similarities in Judas and Peter, they are separated by one giant factor—the cross of Jesus Christ, the one thing that still offends most people.
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3/29/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Traitors Matthew 26 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a traitor as "one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty." On this Palm Sunday, I've chosen to consider in contrast the two traitors seen side by side in the New Testament accounts of the Passion of Christ. Though we may see some similarities in Judas and Peter, they are separated by one giant factor—the cross of Jesus Christ, the one thing that still offends most people. |
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Jesus loves people—all people: prostitutes, drug addicts, abusers—and you. This profound truth is at the very heart of the gospel. Jesus loves the unlovable and touches the untouchable, and during His time on earth, He was compassionate and merciful toward people from all walks of life. What would it be like if you personally encountered Him? Join Pastor Skip Heitzig in this series to learn more about God's radical love for you and fall more in love with the living Savior.
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Matthew 26 shows us two men who were close to Jesus for years, eyewitnesses of His power, and firsthand hearers of His truth. Both men benefitted greatly from Jesus’ life and power. Yet both of them aligned with Satan against Jesus and became His betrayers. One responded by killing himself and the other by repenting in anguish, eventually to be used again by God. The first was Judas, and the second was Peter. Matthew 26 is a contrast of two traitors: Judas, who didn’t live up to his name (which means praise), and Peter, whose name is still loved.
First, we consider Judas. Francis Bacon said, “A bad man is worse when he pretends to be a saint.” In Matthew 26:6-9, we are immediately struck by Judas’ hypocrisy; John 12 reveals that Judas didn’t actually care about the poor but was stealing money from their funds (see vv. 4-6). His hypocrisy was accentuated by his commitment to betray Jesus to the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver (see Matthew 26:14-15). According to Exodus 21, thirty pieces of silver was the price for a slave that had been gored by an ox. This shows us how Judas viewed Jesus, and his treason revealed his intentions: Judas did not serve Jesus; rather, he wanted Jesus to serve his desires and expectations. Judas had long desired and expected a political messiah. Undoubtedly, as one of Jesus’ inner circle and the group’s treasurer, he anticipated that he would have a high position if Jesus established an earthly kingdom. However, Judas’ antipathy for the cross, which Jesus had promised was in His near future, caused him to betray Jesus. At the Last Supper, on the night of Judas’ betrayal, Judas was positioned to Jesus’ immediate left, a place of honor granted only by invitation. Jesus most likely gave Judas that place of honor even though He knew he would betray Him. Not one of the disciples suspected Judas to be the betrayer; each of them asked Jesus in turn if he himself would be the one to betray Him. Read John 16:33. Are betrayers part of the tribulation that you will have in this world? If so, how do you prepare for these folks and recover from the effect they can have on you?
Now we come to Peter. He demonstrated his embarrassing overconfidence by declaring that he would never betray Jesus, even if all the other disciples did (see Matthew 26:33). At one point, Peter had answered correctly when Jesus had asked who the disciples said He was: “the Son of God” (see Matthew 16:16). Jesus publicly commended him for getting the answer right. But this time, Jesus told Peter that before that very night ended, he would betray Jesus three times. Peter’s jaw must have dropped in disbelief, and the other disciples must have been dumbstruck. But we see Peter’s greatest catastrophe come to pass as he fulfilled Jesus’ prediction and denied Him three times (see Matthew 26:69-75). Have you ever denied Jesus publicly? Maybe you stayed quiet when you could have mentioned Him or took credit for a change in your life that you know He accomplished. Did you realize what you had done at the time? Do you realize it now? Jesus stands ready to forgive you and restore you.
So, what happened to these two traitors after their betrayal? We discover that, in great remorse, Judas hung himself (see Matthew 27:5). In contrast, we find Peter weeping bitterly and repenting (see Matthew 26:75). Later, Jesus found Peter in Galilee, restored him, and made him a leader in the church (see John 21). What was the difference between the two betrayals? Perhaps it was the conversion of Peter’s heart, as detailed in Luke’s gospel. After Peter denied Jesus the third time, Luke recorded that the Lord turned and looked at Peter (see Luke 22:61); it was then that Peter remembered Jesus’ promise that he would betray Him. Jesus’ look was most likely not a scowl of derision, but rather a look of love and compassion. Jesus’ love for Peter drove him to repentance. Even though Judas was destined to betray Jesus so that the work of the cross might be accomplished, Jesus would have forgiven him; perhaps that was the reason He seated Judas so close to Himself at the Last Supper, in the hope that Judas might later have a change of heart. Judas’ heart was set on preventing the cross, however, and his betrayal led him to take his own life; Peter’s heart turned back to his Savior, and his betrayal led him to receive new life from Jesus. Peter allowed the cross to stand between himself and his sin; Judas did not. What does this mean? How do you do it? How do you let the cross move you toward forgiving those who have betrayed you?
Adapted from Pastor Skip’s teaching
The BIG Idea
The cross of Jesus Christ, the one thing that still offends most people, is the one thing that can repair the damage of treason.
Figures referenced: Dale Carnegie, Francis Bacon
Cross references:Exodus 21:32; Matthew 7:22-23; 16:13-17, 21-23; 26; 27:5; Luke 22:3, 61; John 12:4-6; 13:23, 26-27; 21:15-17; 1 Peter 2:24
Date | Title | Watch | Listen | Notes | Share | Save | Buy | |
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6/28/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves People, BUT... Romans 2:1-11 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary In this last message of our series Jesus Loves People, we want to bring equilibrium to the series itself. It’s true that God loves people. It’s equally true that He hates evil and the practice of it. Today we want to show how both the wrath of God and the love of God are integral parts of the nature of God Himself. This is crucial so that we don’t distort Him to the world and mislead people eternally. Let’s consider three requirements for representing the God who loves people. |
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6/7/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Addicts Luke 4; Matthew 11 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary When a person ingests a substance or engages in an activity that provides temporary pleasure and then such acts become compulsive and interfere with ordinary life responsibilities, he or she is said to be an addict. Addictive behavior is widespread and is one of the reasons many addicts turn to Christ for help. Jesus has a special message for them and a special plan to help them. As the body of Christ to our generation, shouldn’t the church be part of that plan? |
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5/17/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Terrorists Acts 9:1-16 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary One magazine noted that "religious terrorism is the communism of the 21st century, the most serious international threat to human rights." I am aware that the title of this sermon is a strange one, and it's even stranger to think we should be told to love terrorists. Today we consider the stark reality of terror in our world and what a proper biblical response to it is, and we see the conversion of a terrorist who became Christianity's most celebrated cleric. |
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5/3/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Criminals Luke 23:33-43 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary A lengthy seventeen-year study in Washington, D.C. by psychiatrist Samuel Yochelson shows that crime cannot be traced to environment, poverty, or oppression but to people making wrong moral choices. Corresponding to that is another report showing that the lack of proper moral training by parents has a direct correlation to crime, especially to children in their formative years. But when parents and their offspring fail, Jesus can step in to rescue. |
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4/26/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Murderers Luke 23:33-34 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary A Jewish proverb reads, "Blood that has been shed does not rest." And yet there is rest that is possible for even the worst murderers of all time—those who killed Jesus Christ—if they would be willing to receive it. In two verses of Scripture, we will examine how Jesus loves murderers, even those who murdered Him. |
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4/19/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Prostitutes Luke 7:36-50 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary It was Blaise Pascal who noted, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus." In our text today, we find a woman, the city prostitute who acutely felt the need to have the vacuum of her heart filled. She discovered that Jesus loved her with a wholesome love—the kind of love every woman is searching for. |
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4/12/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Atheists John 18:28-38 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Yes, Jesus loves people who don't believe in Him or who aren't sure what they think about Him. Pontius Pilate was the cynical Roman governor of the district of Judea. He was unsympathetic to religious Jews and religion itself. He had no room for the superstitious claims of prophets, priests, or would-be messiahs. He was a secular pragmatist concerned about Roman order and personal advancement. Pilate also represents how Jesus loved and handled atheists—and how we should. |
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3/22/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Haters Matthew 5:43-46;Luke 9:51-56 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary One of the worst things to ever hear or say are the words "I hate you." And since Jesus is the One who God sent to show love to the world, how He handled haters is significant. Today we will explore and hopefully apply two important lessons. Hatred can flow in two directions: hatred towards you and hatred from you. Jesus shows us what to do about both. Get ready by turning to two passages: Matthew 5 and Luke 9. |
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3/15/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Homosexuals - Part 2 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Be assured that I didn't select the topics in this series because I am equating homosexuals with murderers; nor am I suggesting that addicts or homeless people are to be seen the same as terrorists. It’s simply that the church has historically been unkind to these groups, and we believe it is time to make the statement that Jesus loves all people. In today’s text, we see it clearly: everyone has some kind of past, and everyone can be freed from sin. |
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3/8/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Homosexuals - Part 1 John 8:1-11 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary There is not a hotter or more controversial subject being discussed today in our country than homosexuality. Voices are loud and tempers run hot whenever this subject is mentioned. Although the text before us doesn’t deal specifically with homosexuality, it does show us how Jesus approached a woman caught in sexual sin and what He had to say to those who were quick to condemn her. |
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2/8/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves the Broken John 5:1-16 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Just about everyone who has ever lived has experienced a broken heart to some degree or another. But then there are others who have been affected so adversely by events in their lives that they can be described as broken people. We can respond by questioning why God allows bad things to happen or by loving the broken in His name and thus being part of the solution. |
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2/1/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves Doubters Matthew 11; John 20 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Jesus never turned away the questions of a sincere searcher. I have personally wrestled with issues of faith and doubt on a number of occasions. Oswald Chambers quipped, "Doubt is not always a sign that a man is wrong; it may be a sign that he is thinking." Today we will see how Jesus loved two doubters—both of whom were friends of His. |
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1/25/2015 completed
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Jesus Loves People Mark 10:21;Philippians 1:8-10 Skip Heitzig |
Info Message Summary Welcome to our new weekend series, Jesus Loves People! For the next many weeks, we will observe how Jesus' love for people was displayed and conveyed to a cross section of society. We will see Him as He loves the most religiously devout folks to the weak and doubting, from the prostitutes to the priests, from the bewildered to the brokenhearted. We will marvel at His love for thieves, murderers, and atheists. In each message, we will consider how we as God's people can show authentic love to people within each group. |
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