Sep 12
8
Betraying Christ with a kiss
Judas betrayed his Master with a KISS! He came to the Lord with evil in his heart, the price of a compromise in his hand, religious devils at his side, and said, “Hail Master”, as he planted a KISS on the Lord’s cheek!
This is how most apostates and compromisers operate: they betray the Son of God and the Gospel of grace WITH A KISS. They talk of love, humility, morality, and sugar and spice while they sell out to the religious world and betray the Sovereign Son of God. Men watch their pretended affection and hear their words, “Hail Master”, spoken so softly, smoothly, humbly, and sweetly, and they say, “Can such devout people be ENEMIES of the Lord?”
Do not be deceived; sometimes the most devout looking, religious people can be the most hypocritical in the world. Do not be deceived by their kisses. LISTEN TO THEIR GOSPEL! Peter, bearing the sword, had more grace than Judas, who came with a kiss. Henry Mahan
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“You will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone.” — John 16:32
Few had fellowship with the sorrows of Gethsemane. The majority of the disciples were not sufficiently advanced in grace to be admitted to behold the mysteries of “the agony.” Occupied with the Passover feast at their own houses, they represent the many who live upon the letter—but are mere babes as to the spirit of the gospel. To twelve, nay, to eleven only, was the privilege given to enter Gethsemane and see “this great sight.” Out of the eleven, eight were left at a distance; they had fellowship—but not of that intimate sort, to which men greatly beloved are admitted. Only three highly favored ones could approach the veil of our Lord’s mysterious sorrow—within that veil even these must not intrude; a stone’s-cast distance must be left between. He must tread the wine-press alone, and of the people there must be none with Him.
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, represent the few eminent, experienced saints, who may be written down as “Fathers.” These having done business on great waters, can in some degree measure the huge Atlantic waves of their Redeemer’s passion. To some selected spirits it is given, for the good of others, and to strengthen them for future, special, and tremendous conflict—to enter the inner circle and hear the pleadings of the suffering High Priest; they have fellowship with Him in his sufferings, and are made conformable unto His death. Yet even these cannot penetrate the secret places of the Savior’s woe. “Your unknown sufferings” is the remarkable expression of the liturgy. There was an inner chamber in our Master’s grief, shut out from human knowledge and fellowship. There Jesus is “left all alone.” Here Jesus was more than ever an “Unspeakable gift!” Is not Watts right when he sings — “And all the unknown joys he gives, Were bought with agonies unknown.” Charles Spurgeon
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Judas and Simon Peter
What was the difference between the sin of Judas and the sin of Simon Peter? What they did to our Lord seemed similar yet Simon was forgiven and converted, while Judas hanged himself and was damned. Every believer has worried at some point that they could turn out to be a Judas. Here is the difference.
Judas betrayed the Lord while Peter denied Him. There is a difference. Judas sold the Lord. Judas turned Him over to others for money. Judas did not care what happened to the Lord but was only interested in his own gain. He betrayed the Lord.
Many have done just as Judas did. They have taken the world, a job, home, family, and any number of things in exchange for Christ. In forsaking the Lord they are telling the world, “I don’t care about Jesus Christ, you can have Him. Just give me the money … give me my family . . . give me the world . .. you can have Jesus.” No less than Judas, they have betrayed Him and will end up like him.
Peter denied the Lord. In a moment of cowardice, in order to save his own skin, he denied that he knew the Lord. His denial was bad enough and brought him bitter sorrow and great shame, but because of his previous pride, the Lord had to show him his weakness, inability and self-righteousness.
Now every believer has denied the Lord many times. There have been times when we have kept silence to avoid a confrontation over the truth. We have sinned and acted foolishly, talking and acting like an unbeliever and not a disciple of Christ. But later, like Simon, we were very sorrowful and bitter, then upon hearing the gospel again, we cast ourselves upon His mercy. All have denied Him, but no true believer would sell out the Lord. No lover of the Lord Jesus Christ would take any amount of money in exchange for their soul, for eternal life, for Christ and His people.
Is it so with you? Would you take anything for Christ?-Paul Mahan
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The flesh
(J. C. Philpot)
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh.” John 3:6
There is no promise made that in this life, we shall be set free from the indwelling and the in-working of sin.
Many think that their flesh is to become “progressively holier and holier”–that sin after sin is to be removed gradually out of the heart–until at last they are almost
made perfect in the flesh. But this is an idle dream, and one which, sooner or later will be crudely and roughly broken to pieces.
The flesh will ever remain the same–and we shall ever find that the flesh will lust against the Spirit. Our fleshly nature is corrupt to the very core. It cannot be mended.
It cannot be sanctified. It is the same at the last, as it was at the first–inherently evil, and as such will never cease to be corrupt until we put off mortality–and with
it the body of sin and death.
All we can hope for, long after, expect, and pray for–is that this evil fleshly nature may be subdued, kept down, mortified, crucified, and held in subjection under the power of grace. But as to any such change passing upon the flesh –or taking place in the flesh as to make it holy–it is but a pharisaic delusion, which, promising a holiness in the flesh, leaves us still under the power of sin.
The true sanctification of the new man of grace–which is wrought by a divine power–is utterly distinct from any imagined holiness in the flesh–or any vain dream of its
progressive sanctification.
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The awful sins of Judas
“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priest and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him (Jesus) unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” (Matthew 26:14-15)
Ever since he “betrayed innocent blood” (Matthew 27:3-4), selling the Lord Jesus to the highest bidder, the name Judas has been a byword, symbolic of the worst form of treachery and deceit known to man. However, though he stands out in history as unique and his crime the most sinister, his sin is still among us.
The man who identifies with and/or supports, in any way, preachers, churches, and ministers which, in their preaching, deliver Christ into the hands of His enemies to do with Him as they will: auctioning Him off to the sinful crowd: selling Him out as a price agreeable to fallen man’s sinful will – that man is a Judas!
Any preacher or pastor, who, to get his people to be faithful, frightens them with the hounds of hell, drives them with the whip of the law, or bribes them with promises of exalted positions and great rewards in heaven – that preacher or pastor is a Judas!
Is the Lord Jesus Christ such an ugly, unattractive, undesirable Husband, that His bride will not love nor serve Him unless she is driven or bribed? What a dishonoring thought! What a blasphemous thought! Those who truly know the Lord Jesus, love Him, desire to honor and serve Him, do these things as willing and thankful servants, constrained by he knowledge of His great love for them, and the love which they have for Him (2 Cor. 5:14, I John 4:19).
To all who know Him, Christ is “Altogether lovely” and desired above any other, and all else- Jack Shanks
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“His sweat was as it were—great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” — Luke 22:44
The mental pressure arising from our Lord’s struggle with temptation, so forced his frame to an unnatural excitement, that his pores sent forth great drops of blood which fell down to the ground. This proves how tremendous must have been the weight of sin when it was able to crush the Savior, so that he distilled great drops of blood!
This demonstrates the mighty power of his love. It is a very pretty observation of old Isaac Ambrose that the gum which exudes from the tree without cutting is always the best. This precious camphire-tree yielded most sweet spices when it was wounded under the knotty whips, and when it was pierced by the nails on the cross; but see, it gives forth its best spice when there is no whip, no nail, no wound.
This sets forth the voluntariness of Christ’s sufferings, since without a lance, the blood flowed freely. No need to put on the leech, or apply the knife; it flows spontaneously. No need for the rulers to cry, “Spring up, O well;” of itself it flows in crimson torrents. If men suffer great pain of mind, apparently the blood rushes to the heart. The cheeks are pale; a fainting fit comes on; the blood has gone inward as if to nourish the inner man while passing through its trial. But see our Savior in His agony; He is so utterly oblivious of self, that instead of his agony driving His blood to the heart to nourish himself, it drives it outward to bedew the earth.
The agony of Christ, inasmuch as it pours him out upon the ground, pictures the fullness of the offering which he made for men. Do we not perceive how intense must have been the wrestling through which he passed, and will we not hear its voice to us? “You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” Behold the great Apostle and High Priest of our profession, who sweat even to blood rather than yield to the great tempter of your souls!
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I was a wandering sheep (Horatius Bonar)
I was a wandering sheep,
I did not love the fold.
I did not love my Shepherd’s voice,
I would not be controlled.
I was a wayward child,
I did not love my home.
I did not love the Father’s Word,
I loved afar to roam.
The Shepherd sought His sheep,
The Father sought His child.
They followed me over vale and hill,
Over deserts waste and wild.
They found me near to death,
famished and faint and lone.
They bound me with the bands of love,
They saved the wandering one.
Jesus is my Shepherd,
It was He that loved my soul.
It was He that washed me in His blood,
It was He that made me whole.
It was He that sought the lost,
That found the wandering sheep.
It was He that brought me to the fold,
It is He that still does keep.
I was a wandering sheep,
I would not be controlled.
But now I love my Shepherd’s voice,
I love, I love the fold.
I was a wayward child,
I once preferred to roam.
But now I love my Father’s voice,
I love, I love His home.