Judas among us.
When some one does something that is important they usually have more then one reason for doing it. When Judas betrayed Jesus he didn’t do it just for the money. We know that money was very important to him because he couldn’t get enough.
John 12:6 (NKJV) This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
Two other prevalent thoughts are, that Jesus betrayed him because he realized that Jesus was not going to bring about the overthrow of Rome. In this one JESUS DISAPPOINTED HIM. Have you ever thought that Jesus disappointed you??
2nd: He saw the public opinion turning and was becoming afraid for his own well being.
What I find so fascinating about Judas is that the disciples did not catch on that Judas was a tare among them. None of them suspected him. They let him be the treasurer and at the last supper they still did not realize he was not one of them.
Mark 14:18 - 20 (KJV) 18And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. 19And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? 20And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.
The fact that these twelve spent more time together then any of us church goers spend with each other, tells me its easy for there to be Judas’s among us today.
This is what we’re going to look at today, tares among the wheat and wolves with the sheep.
Jesus knew that people would come into the church pretending to be Christ like but would not be truly saved. Our job as leaders is two fold.
1. We are to love them and try to help them find true salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.
2. To protect the sheep and pastor from them. They should not be aloud to dictate how the church is to be run, nor work in a leadership roll. A wolf should not be put in charge of the sheep.
Matthew 13:28 - 30 (NKJV) 28He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
He knows that they are with us and wants us to know who they are.
Jesus has taught us how to know the difference between them that are not truly born of Christ and those that are. We can know who has truly been transfigured in spirit and who is pretending, by their fruit, or lack of it.
And yes you can know if you are one of those that Jesus is going to say “depart from me I never knew you”!
I want us all to take a serious look into our selves as we look to see who is, and who is not a true convert of Christ.
God has told us that a true convert will have the fruit of the Spirit springing up in their lives.
Galatians 5:22 - 26 (KJV) 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
First there is a true repentance, A 180 degree turn around from the sinful life style and a determined walk towards a godly life style. You truly no longer desire the nightclubs, the alcohol, cigarettes. There is no longer a love for the drugs, these things must release their hold on any one who lets go of their love for it and truly lets Christ reign in their life.
I want to make something clear, any one who lets go of their LOVE for the thing. God will not rip something from you that you aren’t willing to let go of.
James 4:4 (NKJV) Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Next we see a thankful grateful heart for what God has done for them.
Ephesians 5:20 (NKJV) giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Good works will start to appear, they will be other centered not self centered.
John 15:8 (NKJV) By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
They will start bearing fruit for God. This will be fruit of words and deeds.
James 2:24, 26 (NKJV) You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
This dramatic change of behavior will help to attract others.
Matthew 5:41 - 42 (NKJV) 41And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
Matthew 5:44 (KJV) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
A true Christ like person will be hungry for God’s Word. They will ask questions and the Word will start to become clear to them.
Psalms 119:140 (NKJV) Your word is very pure; Therefore Your servant loves it.
Psalms 119:162 (NKJV) I rejoice at Your word, As one who finds great treasure.
They will desire to be with people of like mind. When in the world they wanted to fellowship with those of the world, now they should have a heart for other Christ like people. Church and church functions should not be a bore or bother to them.
Hebrews 10:24 - 25 (NKJV) 24And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
The goal of a true convert will be to strive toward that mark of righteousness, because they long to please God, the one that saved them.
Philippians 3:13 - 14 (NKJV) 13Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV) 1Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Our spirit is made new in Christ Jesus not our flesh. We will fight the flesh and some times we will willingly give in. Since I have become an adult in the Lord I can not remember a time that I “accidently sinned”. A true Christ like person will fill guilt and remorse for what they did and strive to stop doing it. A false convert will make excuses and find reasons to keep sinning.
Jesus is not talking about the world in the parable of the sower. He is speaking of those that have come to church for a time and heard the Word of God even to the extent of having joy for a short time.
Jesus tells us what to expect. There are some that will hear his word and immediately scoff at it and walk away.
There are a great many that raise their right hand and do the repeat after me thing, but never believe in their heart and never allow the Spirit of God to renew them.
Romans 10:9 (KJV) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
James 2:19 (NKJV) 19You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
There are some that believe just as the demons do but still refuse to allow the Spirit of God to renew their heart.
Then there are those that will receive it with gladness but only endure for a short time. When tribulation, persecution and temptation, which is the desire for the things of this world, grow, they fall away because they were never truly changed.
It is these that receive the word of God for a time that end up causing the most trouble for the church.
Now lets see what we are to look for in a false convert.
Romans 1:29 - 32 (NASB) 29being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
Here God tells us that these know the ordinances of God but do not live by them.
2 Timothy gives us more to look for in a false convert.
2 Timothy 3:2 - 5 (NKJV) 2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
Here is where God’s wisdom comes in, we need to discern between those that are truly seeking God and those that are putting on a form of godliness but dening true life changing repentance. Those that are working for satan and his demons. From such turn away.
