Power Point - August 5, 2005

August 5, 2005

 

And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.”

 

As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.

--Mark 14:43-46

 

I’ll never forget the first time I visited the place called Calvary outside the city of Jerusalem. As I viewed it for the first time, I was overwhelmed. I had expected a holy, sacred place, but instead I discovered a place that was congested and overpopulated. At one time, this had been a place where common criminals were executed by the Romans outside the city. But I was a bit incensed from the traffic, noise, bus station, and crowds who were yelling.

 

But then I realized that Jesus wasn’t crucified in a church, cathedral, or sanctuary of worship, but on the street at this place called Calvary. And there, where the traffic flowed and people shouted, He suffered and died. Many of them never even realized what was taking place there between heaven and earth. People are still there today, just as they were so long ago. The people at the cross were just like us.

 

Rembrandt, the famous artist, once painted a portrait of the crucifixion of Christ. As he painted scenes of the crowd, soldiers, and religious leaders, he painted his own face on one of those in the crowd. Rembrandt knew that he was there when Jesus was crucified. We were all there!

 

People want to know: who crucified Jesus? Some battle between whether or not it was the Jews or Romans. However, we shouldn’t ask who crucified Jesus, but what? Hypocrisy! Judas executed bitter betrayal upon the Lord, and kissed Life goodbye. Because of his greed and hypocrisy, Judas sold the Lord out for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).

 

Judas walked with the Lord for three years as His disciple, but proved to be a phony. Judas wasn’t a man who had salvation, then lost it. He was a man who never had salvation. There are many who sit in churches and religious groups today who claim to know God, but they don’t possess an intimate relationship with Jesus. They are phony and hypocritical.

 

We are to be sold out to the Lord each and every day—no exceptions. Examine your own heart and determine whether or not you need to remove the hypocrisy and phoniness. Pray that God would daily cleanse your heart, so that you can be pure, holy, and completely loyal to Him.

 

HYPOCRISY AND GREED NAILED JESUS TO THE CROSS. ARE YOU

STILL GUILTY OR HAVE YOU BEEN REDEEMED BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB?