Betrayal

Good morning and welcome in everybody.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to ask you a little question.

Have you ever been betrayed by somebody? Betrayal is a complete rejection of loyalty. Someone who is loyal is faithful, truehearted, steadfast and a devoted friend. They are also dedicated and committed. If you are loyal, you will give firm and constant support and allegiance to a person or an institution.  For example, someone might be hired for a specific job or chosen for a special task but then they betray their duties. Somebody might be hand picked for an office of some sort, but because of their willful disobedience, they betray the trust of those who picked them.  Betrayal is an act of deliberate disloyalty. It’s like when your closest friend betrays you to join up with somebody they hardly know. Or when a wife betrays and departs her husband, joins up with her relatives who hate him, and then proceeds to turn all of his children against him. Just like Judas, Satan enters into the hearts of these people when they are involved with these types of activities.

“Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.” Luke 22:3

Those who preach the gospel to you, are responsible for you. They rebuke, reprove and correct you so that you can walk in the perfect will of God. This is why you must be in complete submission and obey them in everything, as they are the authority that God has placed in your life. 

“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” Hebrews 13:17

Those who have the rule over you have instructed you in matters regarding the Christian Life. They have baptized you or given you Holy Communion, and gone through efforts to educate you in the teachings of scripture. To completely walk off and abandon them is exactly what Judas did to Jesus, or what Titus did to Paul. Paul had placed a lot of trust in Titus that he would fulfill his duties, but he proved by his own actions that he loved the world more than Paul. 

2 Corinthians 2 ¹² Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, ¹³ I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.

A church elder is a preacher who has poured out the riches of God’s wisdom into the hearts of the church. They love you enough to put you on the path of knowledge, but unless you submit to them, you will not be blessed by God. 

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5

“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.” Hebrews 13:7

You must obey them, otherwise you are in direct disobedience to the will of God. But when all is said and done, people are going to make their own choices. Sadly, many of them will reject the commands of Christ by betraying those who have spent their lives helping them to grow in the Christian faith. Perhaps it will be a wife, your children, or other relatives, but remember that when this happens, it’s just a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. 

“And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” Matthew 24:10 

As in the case with Judas, he betrayed Christ for money, but there are all kinds of different reasons why people betray those who are close to them. It simply happens because you love something else more than the brethren. 

“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” 1 John 3:14

This is why John warned the church…

1 John 2 ¹⁵ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Judas was a preacher, but he turned away from his duties. Like Titus, those who do such things are not fit for the kingdom of God. 

Luke 9 ⁵⁹ And he said unto another, Follow me.  But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. ⁶⁰  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. ⁶¹ And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. ⁶² And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Thus, this prophecy is fulfilled in them. 

“He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22

Like Judas, a betrayer will normally pre-plan their departure. This is because they are trying to do it secretly and keep their activities hidden from view. On the face of it, this is guile, an attribute of the devil. Betrayers are very much like a wife who prepares beforehand that she is going to leave her spouse, even making arrangements with others behind her husband’s back. When they finally leave, it takes you completely by surprise. It’s like entering a room and getting hit from behind. But the worst thing of all is that it comes from somebody who you trusted and thought was a loyal friend. The Lord Jesus gave His disciples Holy Communion, but even then, one of them was already prepared to turn on Him, an example of all those who partake of Holy communion unto damnation.

1 Corinthians 11 ²⁷ Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. ²⁹ For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

The devil is very cunning, crafty, and deceitful, making it appear that everything is fine, but then conspires secretly with others behind closed doors. Their conversations are the works of treachery, seeking for a cowardly moment to depart and run into the open arms of the world. Esau would have inherited everything, but he loved something else more, giving it all up for a morsel of meat. Some people will do the same thing, by loving the things of this world more than the brethren and the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul had entrusted Titus with a Divine task and calling, but his love for the world became greater than the Apostle Paul. There’s nothing greater you can do with your life than to guide people into the knowledge of Christ. There’s nothing more loving you can do then the bestow upon others the wisdom of God. But although Paul had educated many people in the truth, some of them loved the world more than their faith, turned away from their responsibilities in Christ, and just like Judas, took part in the ultimate…..

……..Betrayal

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious goups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose q you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤️

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