Well, let's take our Bibles and open now to the book of John, chapter number 13. And I'm going to preach on Judas the traitor. And there's so much in this chapter and these verses that we may make two parts out of this sermon. We may start it at the 10 o'clock service and then do the rest at the 11 o'clock service, weather permitting, I must say that. Judas is known in the Bible as the traitor, the one who betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ for only 30 pieces of silver, which is only the price of a common slave. That's about what Judas thought about Christ. Judas was also a hypocrite, a liar, and a thief. Many Bible scholars believe that Judas was the devil incarnate because of what Jesus said in John chapter 6. If you would turn to John 6 verse 64. John chapter 6 and verse 64. Listen to it now. John 6, 64. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray Him. Now look down to verse 70. Jesus answered them, Have I not chosen you twelve? And that means to be an apostle, not unto salvation, but to be an apostle. Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is," here it is, is a devil. Look at John 17. Turn over to John chapter 17 and verse 12. John 17, 12. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition," or the son of destruction, that the scriptures might be fulfilled. In other words, the son of hell is what that means. Others believe that Judas will be the ANTICHRIST, because of 2 Thessalonians 2, 3. So let's turn there in your Bible to 2 Thessalonians 2, 3. 2 Thessalonians chapter number 2 and look with me at verse number 3. 2 Thessalonians 2, 3. This is what it says, "...let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed," here it is, "...the son of perdition." The son of perdition is what it says there, and it is indicated that this could be the Antichrist. could be. The story of Judas is a warning to all church members, and it's a message of examination, to examine yourself. You know, Judas was the first lost church member, but not the last church member that'll be lost. He was chosen by the Lord to be an apostle, that's in a position, He was even the treasurer of the first church, traveled with the Lord, heard all of His sermons, seen all of His miracles, but He was not saved. It's amazing how close a person can come to the Lord and not be saved. He had never believed in Jesus according to John 6, 44. He had not been bathed all over. according to what we preached the other day in John chapter 13. Let's look, go back, you're right here in John. Let's look at John 6, 64 again. John 6, 64. John chapter 6 and verse 64. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray Him." And so He's the all-knowing, omniscient God. He knew all about Judas before Judas knew it. Look in John 13. I said 13. Look at John chapter 13. We preached on this, I believe, last Sunday, and it was on the radio this morning. about Jesus washing the disciples' feet as an illustration about being humble. It wasn't a church ordinance, and so here's what it said here. Beginning in John 13, 10, Jesus said unto them, He that is washed, with E-D, washed, that is once for all. That means completely washed, and He's talking about salvation. He's using the illustration of being washed in water, bathed completely, but He's using that to illustrate to the disciples, especially Peter, that you need to be washed once and for all by the blood of Jesus, not by water of baptism. He said, He that is washed needeth not SAVE WASHES FEET. In other words, you don't need to be washed again. If you've been saved, washed in the blood of Jesus, you don't have to have that repeated. And that's another evidence of eternal security of the blood-bought believer. Once you're saved, you're saved for eternity. You don't need to get saved again. You don't need the washing of blood again. But he says, but is clean ever withhold. That means you're completely clean. So all you need to do is have your hands and feet washed by the defilements of sin through the Word of God. And ye are clean, but watch, but not all, not all. For he knew who should betray him. Therefore said he, ye are not all clean. And I've got into my, right there in my Bible, I wrote the word spiritually. He's talking about spiritually cleaning. You're not all clean, saved. Look at John 13, you're right there. Look at verse 18, verse 18. I speak not to you all, I KNOW WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN, BUT THAT THE SCRIPTURES MAY BE FULFILLED. HE THAT EDITH BRED WITH ME HATH LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME." See that in verse 18? He said that the scriptures might be fulfilled, and they will. Every scripture will be fulfilled in prophecy. Now, this is all introduction now. And again, it's possible to be a church member and not saved. It's possible to have your name on the church roll, but not in the Lamb's Book of Life. You can be among the things of God, but not saved. Religious, but lost. You can be a member of the church, have a position in the church, pay your tithes and offerings to God, and on and on and on and not be lost. I want to show you what Jesus says about this. Now look over in the book of Matthew chapter number seven. Matthew chapter seven. And here's why it's important for every church member As far as that goes, every person that professed to be saved, to examine themselves. It says in John chapter 7 verse 21, Jesus speaking, said, Not everyone that saith, that means confessing with the mouth, not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." In other words, not everyone professing Christ is genuinely saved. You see, those that are saved, show it, a genuine saved person will do the will of the Father. And the Greek tense of that verse suggests that a person that is really saved will CONTINUALLY, CONTINUALLY live in obedience to the will of God. So look at verse 22, Many will say to me that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? There are going to be preachers, preachers that will be at this judgment seat of Christ. And in thy name cast out demons, AND IN THINE NAME HAVE DONE MANY WONDERFUL WORKS." THESE PEOPLE HAVE WORKED FOR THE LORD. THEY HAVE BEEN TEACHERS AND PREACHERS AND WORKERS OF THE LORD, AND THEY HAVE DONE MANY WONDERFUL WORKS BECAUSE THEY ARE DEPENDING ON THEIR WORKS TO BE SAVED. AND THEY SAY LORD, LORD. YOU KNOW THE BIBLE SAYS NO MAN CAN SAY THAT JESUS IS LORD BUT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. But these people are not saved, and yet they're calling Jesus Lord. Oh, they still talk about Jesus. They still sing about Jesus. Oh, yes. You know, I'm a great Southern Gospel fan, like some of you in the Gatewoods, but we know that a lot of them don't know the Lord they sing about. Matter of fact, Johnny Parrott, who sang tenor for the Kingsman Quartet back in the early 70s, He is now a Baptist preacher, evangelist. And he said, I sang about Jesus for many, many years and did not know him. And one day I got saved and Johnny Parrott is out preaching the gospel. Not only did he get saved, but his son, Jay Parrott, who sang with the Ghost City for many years and probably one of the best tenors in gospel music today, today he sings with the Lefebvre Quartet, he has the same testimony. He gives this testimony before he sings one of my favorite songs. And he said, I sang, People would see me sing high tenor and my face would turn red and purple. He said I could sing high. I traveled with quartets all over the nation singing about Jesus and did not know him. He said one day I was in my home and I knelt down by my easy chair and asked the Lord to come into my heart and save me. And so we know many preachers and singers and as a matter of fact we see a lot of, as I was getting ready to say about some gospel singers that turn out to be very ungodly, morally ungodly, wicked. And yet they sing about Jesus. So you see what I'm saying is you can sing about the Lord, know about the Lord, talk about the Lord, do all kinds of good deeds and works and not be saved according to what Jesus says, not according to what Brother Morton's saying. I'm just reading what Jesus said. He said in verse 23, here's the worst part, then and then will I profess unto you, I never KNEW YOU. HE DIDN'T SAY, I KNEW YOU AS ONE OF MY OWN UNTIL YOU SINNED AND LOST YOUR SALVATION. HE SAID, I NEVER KNEW YOU, AND THAT MEANS HE DIDN'T KNOW, IT'S NOT TALKING ABOUT KNOWING HIM BY ACQUAINTANCE, HE KNOWS EVERYBODY BY ACQUAINTANCE, BUT IT MEANS TO KNOW HIM INTIMATELY FOR SALVATION. I NEVER KNEW YOU, DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT DO WHAT? WORK INIQUITY. THAT MEANS LAWLESSNESS. Now, in these other verses, he talks about them preaching, casting out demons, doing many wonderful works, and how does the Lord look on that? As works of iniquity, because they were not saved. Well, the story of Judas is a warning to us all to examine ourselves. I'd like to say it like this. It'd be better to examine yourself and find that you're not really saved than to believe you're saved and not examine yourself. Now let's turn to the book of 2 Corinthians as we think on this subject, how a Christian or to examine themselves. About what? Well, I'm gonna read it to you. If you will look in 2 Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 5. And here's another scripture in my Bible. I've got it highlighted in yellow. Examine yourselves. He's talking to members of the church at Corinth. Whether you be in the faith or if you're saved. PROVE YOUR OWN SELVES. KNOW YE NOT YOUR OWN SELVES, HOW THAT JESUS CHRIST IS IN YOU, EXCEPT YOU BE REPROBATES. What does that mean? Counterfeits, not real. So the Bible says we are to examine ourselves. How many people do that? How many people really examine themselves to make sure they're saved. Again, I'd rather have an examination and make sure I'm saved than just go through life saying, oh, well, I know I'm saved and never examine yourself. Now, don't get me wrong. If you're saved, you're saved for eternity. But the Bible says we ought to do a checkup from the neck up. We need a spiritual EKG with the KJV. Look at 2nd Peter, go back in the Bible to 2nd Peter, chapter number 1, verse 10, 2nd Peter chapter 1 and verse 10, Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure. Now He's talking to Christians. He's talking to people that have been elected. UNDER SALVATION. HE IS TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN CALLED EFFECTIVELY BY THE HOLY SPIRIT THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD. AND WHAT DOES HE SAY TO THESE PEOPLE? EXAMINE YOURSELF, MAKE YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE, FOR IF YOU DO THESE THINGS, YE SHALL NEVER FALL OR STUMBLE. HE IS NOT TALKING ABOUT FALLING FROM SALVATION, BUT TO FAILURE IN YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE. So the Bible takes us over and over to examine ourselves. Let me give you three steps that led to the betrayal of Christ. We may not get through this message at this service, but if it permits, we'll go on to the 11 o'clock service. If you're taking notes, and I trust you do, because you'll get much more out of the message. First of all, Judas was expected by the Lord. Judas was expected by the Lord. Now, let's go back to John. Let's go back to the book of John. and chapter number 13, and look at verse number 18. John chapter 13 and verse 18. I speak not to you all. I know whom I have chosen, but that the scriptures may be fulfilled. He that eateth bread with me HE HATH LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME." Now listen to this now. Here we have the prediction of the scripture. You know Psalms 41 9 says that His deceitfulness, His treachery, His being a traitor was foreknown and foretold of the Lord. The Lord knew it. He said, Now I tell you before it comes to pass, that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. Verse 20 says, Verily I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. when Jesus had thus said He was troubled in spirit and testified and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me. Then the disciples looked one to another, doubting of whom He spake. I want you to take time. In other words, we're going to see in a minute that the disciples are going to say, Lord, is it me? That shows you how deceptive Satan is. That shows you the depravity of the human heart. Here were men that were chosen by God unto salvation. They were saved, except for Judas. They were chosen to be his apostles to carry the message of God, and to serve God, hear His sermons, watch His miracles, and when He said, one of you is going to betray Me, they did not do like some Baptists say, uh-huh, I bet it's him, uh-huh, I bet it's her, I knew she wasn't right with God, I knew he wasn't right with God, no, you know what they say, Lord, is it I? Lord, is it me? They're saying, although I've been chosen before the world, called by the Holy Spirit, saved by grace, serving with the Lord, called to be an apostle, yet, Lord, could that be me? Could that be me? Look with me at Psalms 41. I wasn't gonna read this, but I'm gonna take time to read this. Psalms chapter 41. I wanna show you that This was all predicted, prophesied by the Lord, by the scriptures, thousands of years, at least 800 years before it happened. Look at Psalms 41 and verse number 9. Psalms 41, 9. MY OWN FAMILIAR FRIEND IN WHOM I TRUSTED, WHEN DID EIGHT OF MY BREAD HATH LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME? Now that was predicted hundreds and thousands, maybe thousands of years before it happened. Isn't that exactly what Jesus said in verse 18? He said, I speak not to you all, of you all, I know whom I have chosen, but that the scripture may be fulfilled. What's that? That's Psalms 41, 9. He that eateth bread with me, that's talking about the Lord's Supper, first the Passover and then the Lord's Supper, hath lifted up his heel against me. Look at this. Would you look in Mark chapter 14, go back to Mark chapter 14 and verse 41, Mark's gospel chapter 14 verse 41, listen, And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on, this is Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane just before His crucifixion. SLEEP ON NOW, AND TAKE YOUR REST. IT IS ENOUGH. THE HOUR HAS COME. BEHOLD, THE SON OF MAN IS BETRAYED INTO THE HANDS OF SINNERS. RISE UP, LET US GO. LO, HE THAT BETRAYETH ME IS AT HAND. AND IMMEDIATELY, WHILE HE YET SPAKE, COMETH JUDAS, ONE OF THE TWELVE. SEE THERE? HE'S ONE OF THE TWELVE. and with him a great multitude with swords and staves from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. And he that betrayeth him hath given them a token, or a sign, so that they know which one is Jesus." Why would he have to do that if Jesus is like the pictures you see of long hair and all? He would say, hey, it's the one that's got the long hair. He didn't say that, did he? Because in Biblical days, all Jews looked alike, you know. They didn't wear long hair. They looked just like you see a lot of them today. He said, I'll give you a sign which one you want to rest. so you don't get the wrong one. I mean, they might have grabbed Peter or John or one of the apostles. He said, I'll give you a sign saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same as he, take him and lead him away safely. Verse 45, as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him and saith, master, master, still calling him Lord, master, master, and kissed him. Judas kissed the door of heaven and went to hell. How sad. How close, can I say it again? How close to the Lord you can become, be a part of, how close. and not be saved. So in verse 18 we have the prediction of the scriptures. In verse 19 through 22 we have the prediction of the Savior. Back in my text, back in John chapter number 13, verse 19, And now I tell you before it come, that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth whosoever I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. In other words, I and the Father are one. That's what he said. So the Lord joins Himself to His Father and the followers in one union. We're with Him. He and God are one and we are with Him. We are one with Him. Notice here, the Lord talks about receiving Him, but now He talks about rejecting Him. Look at verse 21, When Jesus had thus said he was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one to another, doubting of whom he spoke, or spake. Three times in the Bible, in the book of John, we are told that Jesus was troubled. This is a MENTAL suffering. This is SORROW, HEARTBREAK, and PAIN. PAIN in his SOUL and SPIRIT, a WOUNDED LOVE. I said while ago in verse 22, note the reaction of the disciples. They said, Is it I? Is it I, Lord? That was said in the other Gospels. Again, this shows the depths of depravity of the human heart. Jeremiah 17, 9 says, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Nobody. You don't know how sinful your life is. You don't. Hey, our hearts are so depraved that there's no limit to what a person can do. That's right. No limit. And who can know it? People say, well, if I know my heart. You ever heard that expression? Well, if I know my heart, Brother Moore, you don't know your heart. You don't know what you could do. This morning Peggy and I was talking about a famous preacher who had a gifted voice and had A big church held meetings all over the world in big stadiums and auditoriums, but he fell into sin, fell into sin. And there's been several that have done that we've known, that were well known on TV. Every time you turn a TV on, every channel, just about every channel would have him on there, and yet they fell into sin. And some people may say, well, I would never do that. I don't believe I could ever do what Pastor so-and-so did. Oh, yes, you can. Oh, yes, you could. Because you see, you've still got the old nature. You've got the new nature, thank God, but you've got the old dynamic nature that came from Adam. So point number one, Judas was expected by the Lord. Judas was expected by the Lord, verses 18 through 22. I'm gonna stop right here, and we'll continue if the Lord willing, and the weather doesn't hinder us, we'll preach the last part of the message at 11 o'clock service, which is about 20 minutes. But for right now, let me say this. If you've never been saved, and I'm talking to Christians, Make your calling and election sure. Examine yourself to see if you're in the faith. If you come to realize, by the Holy Spirit, that you're not really saved, then you know what you ought to do. Make sure now. Right now, make sure. Don't go through life doubting, was I really saved or not? You battle that back and forth. Did I really get saved back in 19-whenever? or 20-something, make sure now, that's the main. Hey, don't die and go to hell thinking you're all right because you made a profession and followed the Lord in baptism, joined the church and served God. Don't take that for granted because God said what? Examine yourself. If you find yourself lost without Christ, you watching me by the internet right now, accept Him. Right now repent, which means what? See yourself lost and on your way to hell. And be willing to turn from that life of sin and Satan and turn your life to Christ. That's called repentance. And then believe in your heart and soul that Christ died, was buried, and rose again for you. And that moment, trust Him as your Savior. For the Bible says, WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHALL NOT BE ASHAMED TO CONFESS HIM. BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED. COULD YOU DO THAT? AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN INVITATION TO HIM IN A MOMENT. I'LL BE HERE IN THE FRONT TO RECEIVE YOU. AND YOU COME AND LET US KNOW THAT YOU'VE HAD A LORD SPOKEN TO YOUR HEART ABOUT SALVATION. MAYBE REDEDICATE IT TO YOUR LIFE. MAYBE COME AND JOIN THE CHURCH. BUT WHATEVER GOD WANTS YOU TO DO,