January 26, 2025
Morning Service

Jesus’ time is running short during this “Passion Week,” but He continues to teach His disciples right up until the last moment.  At the beginning of this chapter, we saw Him demonstrate His teaching through action by washing the feet of the disciples.  He was showing them (and us) that to truly follow Him, and imitate Him, we must be have a heart to serve one another.  Jesus emphasized that to know this is one thing, but if you DO IT you will be blessed (v-17).  That is the key to our study of the scriptures.  Knowledge of God’s Word is important, but we must be able to, through the Holy Spirit’s guidance, understand how Jesus’ teaching applies to me.  Then we must go the next step and find ways to apply what we learn to our lives; to change us from the inside out to be more like Jesus; again with the aid of the Holy Spirit.  We must be hearers and doers of God’s Word.  This lesson is fairly easy to understand and apply.  We need to be willing to serve others in any fashion in which we recognize a need to do so.  I hope this past week you looked for ways to do just that with the people God has put around you.  As we continue our study today, the lessons and application are a little less clear, but are there for us to grab on to.  These events today are something we all know, have knowledge of, but we must ask “what is God teaching me through this?”  Keep that in mind as we continue.

Joh 13:21-30 When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  (22)  Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke.  (23)  Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.  (24)  Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke.  (25)  Then, leaning back on Jesus' breast, he said to Him, "Lord, who is it?"  (26)  Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it." And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.  (27)  Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly."  (28)  But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him.  (29)  For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, "Buy those things we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor.  (30)  Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.

            In the previous verses Jesus had just told them in a roundabout way that the prophecy of Psalms 41 was going to happen; that He would be betrayed.  Notice this greatly troubles Jesus enough that He comes right out and tells them openly; “One of you will betray Me.”  Here is where I asked myself a question this week, “why did God place in His perfect plan of salvation that one of the inner circle of twelve would betray Him?”  What is He trying to teach me through this fulfillment of prophecy?  With God, nothing happens without purpose.  So let’s dig a little deeper.  We see Judas, one of the chosen 12, and think of all the miracles that he saw with his own eyes, we assume his faith would be extremely strong.  However, we now see him yield to the lies/temptations of our enemy to the point of betraying Him.  God is calling us to open our eyes and see just how vulnerable we are as well.  To hear Jesus say it is possible to fall away is one thing, but to see it happen to one of the twelve is another entirely.  The lesson then is don’t take your faith for granted thinking you are strong enough to withstand any attack our enemy would bring against you.  None of us are bulletproof to our enemy’s ways.  Paul told us to always keep this in mind as he gave the Corinthian church some example of those in the scriptures who yielded to temptation and then gave them this command:

 

 1Co 10:11-13 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.  (12)  Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.  (13)  No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

            Temptations will come and we must be ready for them.  Don’t ever begin to relax and take your eyes off of Jesus thinking you are above falling because it is in that instant you will sink just like Peter did when he was walking on the water.  He then reveals comfort in this as he reveals to us that we all face the same temptations, “BUT GOD” is faithful and makes an avenue for us to be an overcomer.  Know this, that it greatly troubled Jesus as He saw Judas giving into his temptations and it does the same to Him when we give in as well.

 

 We must be walking with our spiritual eyes open at all times.  Satan is as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (I Pet. 5:8), but we must also be aware and ready for his subtle attacks on our faith moving us away from our Lord a little at a time as he did with Judas 

  Back in John, Jesus now speaks openly what the night and days ahead hold for Him.  He will be leaving them making them even more vulnerable.  He also reveals to them (and us) a guard rail He is setting up for us to keep us from yielding to the attacks of our enemy after Judas leaves the room.

 

John 13:31-35 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.  (32)  If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.  (33)  Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you.  (34)  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  (35)  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

          This command Jesus gives us here is one of the two greatest commands that summarize all the OT laws.  In Mark 12:30-31 Jesus commands us to love God and love one another.  Here He gives us again a standard to compare ourselves to; love one another “as I have loved you.”  Jesus gave His all for us, holding nothing back.  We are called to do the same and in doing also notice; “by this all will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”  It is our love, for God and our brothers, that proves we are true followers of Jesus.  Love defines us for God is love (I Jn. 4:8).  In loving one another, we walk this journey of life together being there in good times and bad.  We are our brother’s guardrail stepping in when we see him taking a detour from the narrow path.  That is what love is and love does.  We are better together.  Now John continues with another lesson we all know pointing out to us to be careful to avoid temptation with Jesus’ prophecy of Peter’s fall.

 

 Joh 13:36-38 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  (37)  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake."  (38)  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.

            Here the lesson is easier to see as Peter is so confident in himself that he proclaims he will never leave Jesus.  His overconfidence is something we must avoid as Proverbs tells us “Pride comes before a fall.” (13:10) We again must never think we are so strong in our faith that we cannot fall.  Again Peter’s fall illustrates that clearly for us.  If it happened to him, it can happen to me.  We must not become overconfident in our faith or become complacent in our pursuit of following Jesus faithfully.  “Let him who thinks he stands take heed unless he falls.”   In closing, Solomon gives us a very relevant challenge that can sum this up for us well:

 

 Pro 4:20-27 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.  (21)  Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; (22) For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.  (23)  Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.  (24)  Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you.  (25)  Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.  (26)  Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.  (27)  Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

          None of us are immune from drifting away from God, but Solomon gives us a way to prevent that from happening.  Keep your eyes on Jesus, guard your heart with diligence, stay on the path that leads you to a closer walk not farther away, and let your ways be established.

 

Heavenly Father we confess to You this morning that we are weak and You are strong.  Grant us discernment in our lives to follow Solomon’s wise advice to keep our eyes fixed on You.