Welcome to the preaching ministry of Tri-City Baptist Church in Chandler, Arizona. Our desire is that God would be magnified through the preaching of His Word, and that Christians would be challenged, strengthened, and edified in their personal walk with Christ. I invite you to take your Bibles this evening and turn to the Gospel of John, the 13th chapter. John chapter 13. So we are concluding our study of the apostles and looking at their lives, looking at the influence that the Lord had upon them. On January 14th of 1741, a baby boy was born in Norwich, Connecticut. His name was Arnold. He and his sister Hannah were the only two of his parents' six children that lived to adulthood. Arnold was an adventurous boy. He was good-looking, physically strong, and he was noted for bravery. He was also proud and sensitive. He often made decisions based on impulse, not by principle. As a 14-year-old, he became a druggist's apprentice, but he wanted to be a soldier. So he ran away and joined the Connecticut Army to serve in the colonial militia during the French and Indian War. In April of 1775, when news of the Battle of Lexington reached New Haven, Connecticut, where he was working, Arnold assembled the governor's guard and marched to Cambridge, Massachusetts. He suggested the capturing of Fort Ticonderoga. He was commissioned then as a colonel, raised more troops, and joined his forces to Ethan Allen's Green Mountain Boys, and together they captured that fort. He then led a force of 1,100 men through Maine in the dead of winter to invade Canada. His march remains a military classic. He was wounded during an unsuccessful attack on Quebec, and for his courage, he was promoted to brigadier general in January of 1776. He had a brilliant career in the Continental Army. In October of 1776, his forces fought a series of naval battles on Lake Champlain that delayed the British invasion from Canada. And when the British raided Danbury, Connecticut in April of 1777, he drove them off. But with these successes, there were a number of disappointments in his life. His mother died when he was 18 years old, and his dad died two years later. He had several run-ins with other military leaders, and although he was promoted to Major General, he felt that other, less deserving men were promoted before him. Another commander received credit for a victory in which he had been involved. And at one point, he was accused of overstepping his authority and charged with insubordination. He also raised suspicions by marrying the daughter of a British loyalist. He felt he was mistreated by the government officials. And on top of that, he enjoyed a rather extravagant lifestyle which he couldn't always afford. These things gave rise to bitterness, along with his heavy debts, led him to negotiate with the British. He conceived of a way that he could betray West Point, a post that he commanded. The goal was to get money and a position in the British Army, but when a British major was captured that was carrying this message, the plot was uncovered. He escaped with his family and went to London, where he was really rewarded well, but he was not trusted. Later, he moved to St. John's, New Brunswick, and then back to London again. And in spite of repeated attempts, his military career was finished, and his business ventures failed. He died in 1801, virtually unknown. But we know him. His name is associated with treason. It's really a byword of betrayal. Arnold. Benedict Arnold. He's arguably the most famous or infamous traitor of the American Revolution. And there's strong stigma attached to his name because of what he did. But the most famous traitor in history is the man from Kiriath, Judas of Kiriath, Judas Iscariot. And he's the one that we want to consider this evening. We've looked at the other apostles. This man's name always comes last. I've had you turn with me to the Gospel of John, chapter 13, because in this passage, our Lord identifies the betrayer. The context is that he has washed the feet of his disciples. He's shown them the humility and then called them to do the same. He's told them, if you know these things, you're blessed if you follow through. But then he points out that there is a traitor in their midst. Look with me, beginning in verse 21. John 13, beginning in verse 21. When Jesus had said these things, he was troubled in his spirit, and he testified and said, Most assuredly I say to you, one of you will betray me. Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom he spoke. Now, there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom he spoke. Then, leaning back on Jesus' breast, he said to him, Lord, who is it? And 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. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. And when Jesus said to him, what you do, do quickly. But no one at the table knew for what reason he said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus said to him, buy those things we need for the feast, or that he should give something to the poor. And having received the piece of bread, he went out immediately, and it was night." In this passage, we have an introduction again to Judas, the one who betrayed. There are several things that we learn about him and we've seen. He was one of the twelve. In Acts 1, verse 17, it says, For he, Judas, was numbered with us, and obtained part of this ministry. He was one of the apostles. This is after his death, and they're looking to replace him, but they remember him as being one of them. He was part of that. He was always listed with the apostles, though he was always listed last. In every list we find in Scripture, Judas' name is given last. He was commissioned. He was sent out on missionary trips. In fact, in Matthew 10, verses 2-4 list the apostles, and then verse 5 it says, in these 12, Jesus sent out. One of those who was sent was Judas. Judas went out with the power to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to cast out demons. He was involved in ministry. He was one of the taught. In fact, there is more said about Judas in Scripture than any other disciple except for Peter. And so we find out quite a bit about him. And we'll look at a little bit more on this as we consider him this evening and look at his characteristics and his crime. But understand, Judas had the best training of anybody. I mean, we could say he went to the best Christian school there ever was. He had the best teacher there ever was. I mean, and he was focused for special attention. I mean, he listened to the instruction of Jesus. And he was in that elite group of all the disciples, all those following, Jesus chose twelve. I mean, Judas was in the honors class because he was one of those twelve. And his name was not always repugnant. His name is actually a form of the name Judah, which means praise the Lord. There were many men in the first century named Judas. Judas of James, or Judas Thaddaeus, another one of the apostles. Judas, the half-brother of Jesus. And the hero for Israel, Judas Maccabees. after whom many of these would have been named. His father's name was Simon. We know nothing about this man other than his name. But he chose a name for his son that showed an honor for the Lord. And his son followed Jesus. He was one of those who was a follower. I wonder if Simon was alive when Judas committed this vile deed. We have no details, but you can't help... What was his father thinking? If his dad was alive, I'm sure he was thrilled that his son was following in one of those twelve. But how his heart must have broken if he knew what his son did. His home was in Kiriath. He's actually the only disciple that is identified by a geographical identification. When he speaks of Simon the Canaanian, of Canaan, we talked about how the Canaanian was actually the Aramaic word for zealot. He was known as the zealot. But Judas was known as being from Kiriath. The man of Kiriath, or Ishkiriath, would be the Aramaic, or Iscariot is where that comes from. So Judas of Kiriath, the man of Kiriath. And we don't know the exact location of that town. There are several possibilities, but all of them are located in the tribe of Judah. Judah would have been in the southern part of Israel. Most of the other apostles were from the Galilean area. Judah would be just south of Jerusalem, it would include Bethlehem, it would go south along the coast of the Dead Sea. We know of Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Well, Judean Jews often felt that they were superior to the Galilean Jews, and maybe in some way Judas felt disconnected. We don't know, but we know he was from a different area. We also know that he was trusted. And in verse 18 of this 13th chapter, it says, I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen, but that the scripture may be fulfilled. He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me. That's actually a quote Jesus is quoting from Psalm 41 verse 9. One of my familiar friends, those who I trusted, one of those who ate with me, has lifted up his heel against me. We find out a little bit, but why was he chosen? When we know what we do about Judas, the question comes up, why did the Lord choose him? And there's a veil that hangs over that first meeting. We don't know of the first time that Judas encountered Jesus. We do with some of the other disciples, but not with him. On one hand, he chose to follow Jesus, so he continued there. He was with him even when things got difficult and other people departed. But the choice of Judas does raise a question. And I think it's interesting, and I've emphasized through our study that this took place, this selection of the twelve took place after a night of prayer. That Jesus had spent that night in prayer and then chose these twelve. So again, why this man? Well, he was not chosen because Jesus didn't know what would happen. Jesus knew what would happen. And it wasn't simply to fulfill prophecy. He was not merely a pawn on the stage of history. No, he acted freely. There was not this external compulsion. He was responsible for his own actions. And we're going to see he was a man who had ambition, he was greedy, and there were wicked desires that motivated him to betray the Lord. But he was chosen, and it was not with a treacherous intent. The Bible is clear that Jesus extended to Judas the same opportunity for salvation that was extended to everyone else. And his unbelief was his own fault. His disobedience is his own responsibility. Judas chose to reject the Lord. He's not a victim of some sovereign decree. He is responsible. In fact, he's referred to as doing the work of the devil. And Satan was involved. He is a devil. the false accuser, the slander. But what he did, he did knowingly. And it was not because God made him do it. But Satan did enter his heart. And it's one of those challenges between sovereignty and human responsibility. But understand that with this choice came God's grace. It was the grace of God that Judas was placed in this place of responsibility and leadership. It was a very real offer. and a very great opportunity. It was not a hypocritical offer that anytime God places a person in a position of authority, it's because of His grace and His favor. I think an excellent Old Testament example of this is seen in Saul. In 1 Samuel 13, verse 13, it says, And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. God's offer to Saul was a legitimate offer, and if Saul had obeyed, Samuel told him, God would have established you. But because of your disobedience, the kingdom is taken from him. And understand, we see this in Scripture, again in the Old Testament with another brother of David, Eliab, that when Samuel was looking for the next king, he saw Eliab and said, surely this is the man. And he was the older brother. But God did not choose him. Samuel thought, this must be God's choice. And God said, I reject him because you're looking on the outward appearance, I see the heart. Eliab had a heart issue. As did Judas. But he was chosen because there was really no reason not to. He was chosen to be an apostle. not a traitor. From all outward appearances there was no reason that Judas shouldn't be one of the apostles. So the better question rather than why did God, why did Jesus choose Judas would be, you know, why does Jesus choose me? Why does he choose us? Are we not prone to a weak and treacherous heart as well? And recognizing this, now there are several things we can pick up from the details we do have about this man. Judas was a detail person. He apparently had a business ability because he was keeping the finances. In this passage we read here in chapter 13 of the Gospel of John, the other disciples thought, well maybe Jesus is sending him on an errand to buy things because he has the credit card. You know, he's keeping the money and this must be why he's going. He had to be a detail person. Matthew had experience with finance. I mean, he had been a tax collector. He knew bookkeeping. But Judas was the treasurer. And again, I have questions the Bible doesn't answer. You know, I wonder if Matthew didn't want anything to do with it because he knew his weakness toward material things. He didn't want to be placed in a position of temptation. Or maybe when he left that tax booth, he said, that's it, I'm not turning back to that at all. We don't know, but we do know that Judas was in that position, so he was able to be a detailed person. He was also a trusted person. He was capable, and from outward appearances, honest. He never gave others the slightest hint that he would be pilfering the funds, and even in the context here when Jesus said, one of you is going to betray me, and Peter is sitting down a ways, and he motions to John, that disciple whom Jesus loved, who's leaning up against the Lord and says, ask him, who is it? And then Jesus said, it's the one who I dip this bread and give it to him. And he dips it and gives it to Judas, and they still don't get it. He was clearly a trusted man. And I emphasize this because we don't think of Judas that way. We know what he did. There is such a stigma with his name, as a traitor, that we don't think of him as trusted, but by common consent the others allowed him to keep the finances. He could handle the purse, but he was a greedy person. If you look back at chapter 12, here in the Gospel of John, We have another situation that occurs. This is six days before Passover. This is the final week before the crucifixion. In chapter 11, Lazarus has been raised from the dead. And Jesus is in Bethany with Lazarus and with his sisters, Martha and Mary. And if you look at chapter 12, look at verse 3. It says, Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray him, said, Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? 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 into it. Now understanding what's taking place, and I've given you a little bit of the background, but Mary has just had her brother raised from the dead. They talk about the joy, the excitement, and the adoration for the Lord that she must have had at that time. And so she brings this very expensive perfume and anoints the feet of Jesus. This was expensive stuff. This is not something you're going to buy at Walmart. If you're looking for a Christmas gift, 300 denarii was about a year's wages. And the anger of Judas just boils up, because in his financial calculations, he figures out, we could have sold this for about a year's salary of the common working man. I mean, that's expensive stuff. I'm not familiar with these types of things, but I did a little research. There are a few perfumes out there that are very expensive. There's one that was created in 1921. And this sells for $4,200 an ounce. You know, Christmas is coming. There's still some options out there. You say, well, you're looking for something a little better than that. Well, there's also this one that goes for $6,800 an ounce. Now, this one's a little more limited. There were only three bottles of this ever released. And part of it's the handcrafted bottle, the gold, there's an amethyst on the cap. There's a couple that are even more than this, but it's the containers that make a lot of it. So I don't know how much the perfume is versus the container, because then they tell you how many diamonds and the gold, and it's like, okay, that's adding to the price. But what is taking place here was something that was very valuable. And Judas viewed this act of worship as a waste. Why wasn't this sold and we could give it to the poor? And what the Bible tells us was he wasn't concerned about the poor. But he wants to look like he's a caring individual. He's a pious complainer. I mean, talk about virtue signaling. When he's expressing his anger that he can't get his hands on this money, but he wants to look like he's a very caring individual. And it appears that he plants the same mindset in the minds of the other disciples. He sows the seeds of discord and doubt among them, because Matthew 26, verse 8 says, all the disciples were indignant, saying, why was this not sold? Why this waste, is what they say. Well, verse 6 tells us he wasn't concerned about the poor, he was a thief. He's a pious complainer. He's one who's condemning others and trying to look like he's the one who's really caring. And notice how he does it. It's with a question. How often are questions used to undercut and undermine and to put doubt and cast dispersion? Well, do you really agree with? Well, don't you think? and trying to look like we're pious. But what we really see is that he prioritized the physical above the spiritual. You know, he had heard the Lord's teaching on materialism and hypocrisy. He knew where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. But he couldn't help himself because his heart was in the world. We also see that he was a cowardly person. You know, thieves are cowards. They hide behind anonymity. They take something and hide and they want to appear like they're honest individuals. And they're also hypocrites. So he wants to appear like he's honest when he has no intention of being so. And he's a liar. They lie to cover and hide. And so when John chapter 13 verse 35, the last verse we said, that last phrase it said, and he went out and it was night. I think that's a telling statement. The darkness of the night matched the darkness of his soul. He used the night as a cover for his betrayal. He came by night to betray the Lord when nobody else was around. And he used a kiss to betray the Lord. And the Lord calls out to him. He says, Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? That's Luke 22 verse 48. And then we find when he sought to make things right, he didn't go to the Lord, he went to his partners in crime. Not the person he wronged. He was a cowardly person. He was an unconvinced person. An unconverted person, really. In John 13, verse 17, just before what we read, Jesus says to his disciples, He says, If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Just before he mentions the betrayer, he says, if you know this and obey it, you are blessed. But Judas hadn't bought into it. He knew it, but he didn't do it. And I think that's a warning for all of us. We can know things, do we do them? Judas never bought into the teaching of Jesus. Yes, he gave mental approval to that which was good, but he didn't commit to it. In his mind he had a desire for the noble, but in his heart he was a slave to selfishness. An unsaved person cannot will themselves free from sin. Sin is their master. And it's going to take them further than they want to go. We see as well he was a selfish person. He put himself first. He allowed the little sins in his life. The Old Testament tells us it's the little foxes that spoil the vines. Those seemingly small sins, they don't really matter. It's not that big a deal. I mean, he's just taking a little money off the top, out of the box. But it's fraying the fabric of his character. And it's marring the splendor of the Lord's glory. Someone has said a thought becomes an act. An act becomes a habit. The habit becomes your character. And your character becomes your eternity. And we see that with Judas because of his crime. This was a premeditated crime. We don't know when the idea first came to him to betray the Lord, but this was not a sudden occurrence. Matthew chapter 26 verse 14 says that Judas goes to the chief priests and asks them What they would give him to betray the Lord and then verse 16 says from that time He sought opportunity to betray him This came on the heels of that rebuke concerning, you know, the waste of resources, the not selling the fragrant oil and giving the money to the poor. And Jesus responds by saying, you have the poor with you always, but me you do not have always. He said, if you're concerned about the poor, there's plenty of opportunity for that, but I'm here for a limited time. And I think that must have stung Judas. I wonder if he felt like his ulterior motives had been exposed even though nobody else knew that. But the Bible says the wicked flee when no one pursues. And I wonder if that pricked that hypocritical heart of his. But Judas was an opportunist. He waited quietly, patiently. He's looking for a convenient time to betray the Lord. To get him out of his life. No, people do that today. They wait for a convenient time to get the Lord out of their life, to throw off his claims. For some, it's when they get out of a Christian school. Okay, they've put up with it. They know how to go through the motions, but when they're out, that's gone. Or maybe a Christian college, or maybe they move out of their Christian home. Say, now I'm on my own. I can do what I want. For some it's more a slow slipping away. The cares of the world, the interests of this world pull them away. And you read books and they write, how does this happen? Books like Already Gone. How is it that young people leave the church? Maybe they never truly were committed. 1 John 2.19 says they went out from us because they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us, but they went out that it might be made manifest that none of them were of us." Judas went out because he was not one of them. Yes, he was chosen, but he never bought into it. This was a premeditated act. It was a treacherous act. Judas went to the high priest. He sought them out and he wanted to know, what will you give me if I deliver him to you? Matthew 26.15 and they gave him 30 pieces of silver. The price of a slave. I mean, this clearly, the betrayal was not motivated simply by greed, because he would have been better off continuing to skim off the top. I mean, this was not a lot of money. He could have held out for a better He could have negotiated a better price and someone said, never was so little paid for so much. And then Mark 14.44 tells us that the symbol of betrayal, the kiss, that was Judas' idea. He betrays the Lord with the symbol of friendship. The token of fidelity. of greeting somebody with that kiss and that culture, and it's referred to as a Judas kiss. The treacherous betrayal by a friend. You say, well, why would he do that? Well, understand again, this betrayal is taking place at night, and this is in a day before photography. And so a person could be well-known, but not easily recognized. that you may have heard of Jesus, and these soldiers may have heard of Him, but they may not be able to recognize Him, and certainly not in the shadows of night and without lights, whether it be by torches, the shadows that are being cast. So Judas comes up with this treacherous way of betraying Him. It was a calloused act. The scene of betrayal takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane. The place where Jesus goes to pray. And Jesus actually tries to spare Judas. The hypocrisy of the traitor's kiss. In fact, in John chapter 18, if you turn over just a couple of pages. In John chapter 18, look with me at verse 4. It says, Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that would come upon him, went forward and said to them, this is when they've come to the garden, whom are you seeking? And they answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. And he said to them, I am he. And Judas, who betrayed him, also stood with them. And then he said to them, when he said, I am he, they drew back and fell to the ground. Then Jesus asked them again, whom are you seeking? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. And he answered, I have told you that I am he. Therefore, if you seek me, let these go their way. Jesus is actually giving Judas that out. And in doing this, he's establishing his authority and limiting theirs. They'd only come for him, not the disciples. And then Judas draws near. And in Luke 22, verse 48, Jesus says, Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? And with that, Judas disappears. We don't find him until the next morning. But we also have to understand this was a satanic act. We cannot miss Satan's involvement. In John chapter 13 verse 2, a verse we didn't read, but it says, when supper has ended, the disciple having put into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simon's son to betray him. In Luke 22 verse 3 it says, then Satan entered Judas. It's interesting to note how Satan's sin, and when we read in Isaiah 14 of Lucifer being cast down, his sin was he wanted to exalt himself. What we find at the opening of John chapter 13 is Christ humbling himself, washing the feet of his disciples. And it's very unusual for Satan to show himself like this in human history. There are only a few occurrences of that taking place. But what we see is that for three years, Satan's kingdom has been in retreat. He's being overthrown by Christ. Demons are being cast out. It says in 1 John 3.8, for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. Satan's works are being destroyed. The veil has been pulled back and people, if they're looking, can see there is a spiritual battle that is taking place. And it's being played out right before them with Jesus on earth. He came offering the kingdom. The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel. But they didn't want the king. They wanted the kingdom. And the king and the kingdom are inseparable. And they reject the king. But Satan has been looking for somebody. And it would appear that he probably thought maybe he could get an inroad with Peter. In fact, in Matthew chapter 16, Peter rebukes the Lord when Jesus talks about his death and resurrection. And Jesus says to Peter, get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to me. And Jesus calls Peter by the name of the one that was influencing him. Luke 22 verse 31 the Lord said Simon Simon indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you like wheat He wants to shake you But see Peter was a genuine believer True believers cannot be demon-possessed because greater is he who is in you than he who's in the world 1st John 4 4 But Judas was a different story His heart was prepared by the deceitfulness of his life, the call toward riches, the cares of this world, and the solicitation then to do evil. It required personal consent. Judas now goes where he never imagined he would ever go. Oh, I would never do that. And the Lord will not allow this to happen without showing Judas that he knows what's taking place. And so we've read that in chapter 13. The Lord let him know that he knew full well what was coming. And the sad thing is, Judas sought relief, but he did it without repentance. After this dreadful deed was done, Satan abandons him. He casts his pawn aside. The conscience that had been dulled now becomes more awakened. It now bothers Judas. Someone has said that to be a happy person in one way, he either had to be a better man or a worse man. Because if he was a better man, he never would have done this. And if he were a worse man, his conscience wouldn't have bothered him. But he could not bear the burden of his own crime. Matthew 27.3 tells us that he was remorseful. But he was not repentant. It says, then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that he had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. But they didn't care. There's a difference between regret, remorse, and repentance. Regret is when a person is sorry that they got caught. Remorse is there's an emotional change, and that's really what this word means that that he felt bad But not a change of his choice He didn't like the way it had turned out He regretted the particulars of his crime, but not the consequences of his life direction True repentance is a change of my mind my will and my emotions toward my sin myself and the Savior I And so rather than going to the one he betrayed, Judas goes back to his partners in crime. And they laugh at him. And Judas goes out and takes his own life. What can we learn from this man from Kiriath? I think one thing we learn is that godly training does not guarantee a godly life. Outwardly, he was a disciple. Inwardly, he was demonic. Good company doesn't guarantee wise choices. Now, we ought to have good company. Evil companions corrupt good morals. But just because somebody has good friends doesn't mean they're going to go the right direction. It's still a heart issue. Religious knowledge and service do not guarantee genuine salvation. He was in the best Christian school, the best teacher ever, and he rejected the truth. And rejecting the truth does not necessarily indicate that others have failed. You know, sometimes that's our concern. It's like, well, what did we do wrong? And it's fair to examine how can we do better. But understand, this was a heart choice of Judas. Judas is the greatest illustration of wasted opportunity. He had tremendous privilege before him. He understood the grace of God in a unique way, walking with the Lord, and he rejected Him. He displays the ungodly life that hides behind Christ while serving the devil. It's a caution that we must take. But I think it's interesting to consider the difference between the sorrow of Peter and the sorrow of Judas. Both of them betrayed the Lord. Both of them denied Him. One out of weakness, the other really out of anger. Both were sorry, but Peter went to the Lord. In fact, he jumped out of a boat to swim to the shore to be with the Lord. Judas went to his accomplices. One found repentance and peace. The other found ridicule and scorn. And one went on to live a life of sacrifice. The other ended his life by suicide. And Peter is in heaven today. And Judas is in hell. That is a sober reminder for us. The caution that we not betray the Lord. That we be like the other apostles. being willing to examine, Lord, is it I? Lockyer in his book, All the Apostles, has this poem. He says, it may not be for silver, it may not be for gold, but by tens of thousands, the Prince of Life is sold. Sold for a godless friendship, sold for a selfish aim, sold for a fleeting trifle, sold for an empty name. Sold in the mart of science, sold in pleasure's hour, sold for your awful bargain, none but God's eye can see. Ponder, my soul, the question, will he be sold by thee? When Jesus said, one of you will betray me, they didn't say, I think it's Judas. But every one of the disciples said, Lord, is it I? They understood the weakness of their heart. Even Judas said that. And I think that's a question that's good for all of us to ask. Lord, is it I? Not in a morbid introspection. Please, that's not where I want us to go with this. But more of a Proverbs 4.23. Keep your heart with all diligence. For out of it spring the issues of life. That we never allow those little sins to gain a foothold. So that if we do fall, that rather than simply regret or remorse, there's a genuine repentance that takes us back to the Lord. Not just sorry for the consequences, but sorry for the sin. And that we truly would walk faithfully with the Lord. Judas is a tremendous illustration of lost opportunity. And scripture records a great deal about his life, so that we will learn. and be edified and say Lord is it I and walk daily close to the Lord that we truly would be molded by the master and not be a Judas who's cast off a man who had great opportunity and squandered it all. Let's pray together.