The Twelve Jesus Chose (part 7)

All right.

Well, I was talking to Brother Randy on the phone this week, and you know there was a lot going on.

I don't know, Brother George.

I don't know if it was while I was in the middle of your floor picking tax that the Lord laid it on my heart.

I I don't know, maybe.

I know he'd begin working on me then, but I really question on preaching this message today on the 12 Jesus chose because I also felt the leading of another way.

But after praying, I feel like that sermon has a purpose that he was leaning on my heart.

But I want to go in and keep with our series here in week seven, you know?

This this idea of the 12 that Jesus chose.

You know, week one, we talked about uh the disciple overview of the ones that Jesus chose.

Week two, we talked about Andrew.

Week three, we talked about James, week four, we hit on Peter, week five, Matthew, week six, Thomas.

Not that Thomas, but the disciple Thomas.

We hit on him.

And this week we're gonna hit on a disciple that a lot of you probably get a little curious about, but we don't really like to talk much about in the church sometimes, and that's Judas.

Today we're gonna talk about Judas.

And I think in our own minds, you know, we have this hard time with Judas.

But I think Judas tells us a lot.

In fact, Judas speaks to us in a lot of different ways that sometimes maybe we don't understand until we really start to examine.

See, see, Judas walked with Jesus.

He heard sermons, he saw miracles, he carried the money back, he sat at the table, and his name is still on the list of the 12.

I want you to understand that.

Judas was still one of the 12 disciples.

And you know, for scriptures to be written and for things to be put historically, I think this is what makes the story so heavy.

Judas is not a warning about people far from church.

He is a warning about people close to Jesus who never actually surrendered to him.

You understand that this morning?

Judas is not about the people that we look outside in our community and world and we go, I can't believe they they live like that or they do that or this or that.

Judas is a story about people, you and I, that come every Sunday morning and we are in proximity to Jesus.

But the question remains have we actually surrendered our heart to Jesus?

There's a difference.

The other disciples felled and were restored.

I want to hit on this in our introduction today of we talked about Peter.

We know Peter.

We know he was a moron at times, like you and I can be, right?

There were these moments where Jesus asked him to do something and he didn't.

There are these moments where Peter tried to take it in his own hands and he cut a guy's ear off, so to speak.

There's all these different moments with Peter.

And then the one that he says, I won't deny you, I won't betray you, and then Peter does it.

But also with where Peter's failures were, there was reconciliation with Jesus.

Judas felled though and would not come back.

The difference was not how near he stood to Jesus, the difference was what he loved.

What he loved.

And for you and I, it's not going to be because of our failures.

It's going to be because of what we love.

My first point this morning and speaking to you is that of the proximity to Jesus is not the same as love for Jesus.

I think that's something we need to understand from Judas this morning, starting out, is that just because we come on a Sunday morning does not mean that we have love for Jesus.

I want us to dig into this this morning on a personal level.

It was like in Sunday school that I spoke.

You have to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

So when I'm here on a Sunday morning preaching to you, know that it's been preached to me first and in my heart and in prayer of knowing that if it convicts you, don't worry, it's already convicted me.

This is personal.

This isn't about your neighbor, it's not about your husband or your wife.

This is about you.

And the thing that we have to answer this morning is is this statement true in our own life?

Proximity to Jesus is not the same as the love for Jesus.

I have known a lot of people that have lived in the church.

I have known a lot of people who attended faithfully, but their life was never actually surrendered to the King of King and Lord of Lords.

And at some point, when we look into the story of Judas, we have to examine and see, are we like this?

Ask yourself that question.

Am I here for any other reason except that of which I love Jesus?

Gotta ask yourself that.

That's a hard question.

Because here's what we see in scripture.

The six days before the Passover in John 12, 1 through 6.

This is what we see.

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

You guys remember that story?

Um actually, this chronologically was happening before raising of the dead.

Anyways.

Two, here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor.

Martha served while Lazarus was among reclining at the table with him.

And then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume, and she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair.

Somebody say Mary loved him.

Mary loved Jesus.

It was expensive, it was a gift.

She poured it on his feet.

She wiped his feet with her hair.

She loved Jesus.

It's evident.

And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

And so now we have this woman who has committed this incredible act out of love and generosity unto Jesus Christ.

But one of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected.

There's always that one person in the room, ain't there?

Like, don't be that one, guys.

Don't be that.

But there's always that one.

Who was later to betray him objected.

Why wasn't this perfume sold and money given to the poor?

It was worth a year's wages.

I love people.

Ah, we're just gonna shut up.

Alright.

We're gonna go to verse 6.

Verse 6.

He did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief.

How would you like that to be written around here in history books?

Oh man.

And as the keeper of the money bag, he used it to help himself to what was put into it.

Wow.

Wow.

Judas, we have a woman who is here here giving Jesus everything she had.

He she had a gift.

And now we've got someone objecting and trying to act spiritual for their own benefit.

Have you ever been there?

Just curious.

I think sometimes our intentions, we've done it, if we're if we're honest in some capacities.

But here's what we know Judas had a spiritual sounding concern and a hidden hidden motive.

Okay?

This is a true thing.

Judas, in the midst of the room, did not care about the love that the woman had for Jesus, and nor did he care about Jesus' response to this woman.

All he cared about was himself.

And he sounded spiritual, but behind the spiritual concern, there was a hidden motive.

And what we found is that a spiritual sentence can still hide a selfish heart.

And there's something we need to do within ourselves this morning in checking us when we talk about the church and we talk about his kingdom and we talk about what's happening and we talk about the youth ministry and we talk about all these different things.

Check yourself to make sure that what's coming out of your mouth is coming from a spiritual standpoint and not from a selfish heart.

Because oftentimes our heart deceives us.

And this is what we find with Judas.

This is what we find with Judas.

The most dangerous place in the church is not the back row.

It is the place where you look committed but remain unconverted.

This is a really big deal for the church.

I preach this this morning to someone because I don't want that to be you.

I don't want you to come into the house of God and have been around Jesus and felt the presence of Jesus and seen Jesus through miracles, signs, and wonders.

But yet every week you come in with your family, and every week you sit on the back pew, and every week you're here faithful and you look committed, but you remain unconverted.

Jesus Christ has never actually changed your life.

He's never actually moved you into a way in which you fully surrendered.

You have been committed on the outside, but on the inside you have been remained unconverted and changed.

And this is hard because a lot of us are good with walking like we're for Jesus, but we're never really walking with Jesus to the point in which we fully surrender so that he can do in our hearts what he wants to do.

And we have an idea about Jesus, but we don't love Jesus.

And we want to walk with Jesus, but only to the point at which we can benefit from Jesus.

And at some point in our lives, we have to look and examine and say, God, why am I still here on the outside?

But on the inside, I've never been bought in.

I think we got to ask some questions internally this morning.

See, Judas could talk about the poor while stealing from the bag.

Isn't that crazy?

He could talk about the poor while stealing from the bag.

He could stay in ministry while feeding the private sin.

And I think a lot of times, if we're not careful, we can act and look the part on the outside.

But on the inside, man, we are betraying Jesus.

Left and right.

That kind of double life does not start in the garden with a kiss.

It starts in small compromises that no one else sees.

And for you and I, we have to start examining why do I do the things that I know I shouldn't do?

And why is it the things that I should do?

I don't.

See, see, Judas was no different from you and I.

He was no different than you.

He he had something in his heart that was pulling on him.

And he gave it the attention, and he chose to love that more than the one that he walked with.

And that's where you and I get to choose this morning.

We get to choose.

You can be useful in the work of Jesus and still be owned by something else.

Isn't that crazy?

Isn't it crazy that Judas walked with Jesus, but yet he was never actually for the kingdom.

It's scary, honestly.

It's terrifying.

Here's what we know.

Then one of the twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priest.

This is something that we find.

Scripture says it like this.

And asks, what are you willing to give me?

If I deliver him over to you.

Man.

I don't know, guys.

I have a hard time with this.

You know Jesus, he's your friend.

You sit at the table with him.

You're supposed to know his heart.

You should know his heart.

And he goes, and it's like so easy.

So easy.

Like, where's loyalty gone?

Like, this was 2,000 plus years ago, but man, nothing's changed in 2026.

Loyalty is so hard to find.

Just people.

It's something I want to be better at every day and everything that I do.

Like the change that God is continually doing in my heart.

I pray never to be a Judas.

What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?

So they counted out for him 30 pieces of silver.

And from then on, Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Listen, from then on, from then on, Judas was constantly looking for the time to betray Jesus.

I'm sorry, you are not a child of God if you were constantly looking for the time to betray those you say you love.

Understand me.

And while they were eating, he said, Matthew 26, 21 through 25.

He says it this way.

He says, and while they were eating, he said, Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.

I bet you could hear a pin drop in that room.

Because now Judas is about to become aware that Jesus already knows.

And they were very sad and began to say to him, one after the other, surely you don't mean me, Lord.

I mean, that'd be awkward because you can imagine the conviction in the room.

Like, I don't think I'm betraying him.

Like, did I what I did?

I think I'm good.

And Jesus replied, The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.

And at that point, I bet it was interesting.

And the Son of Man will go just as it is written about him, but woe to the man who would betray, who betrays the Son of Man.

It would be better for him if he had not been born.

My goodness.

Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, Surely you don't mean me, Rabbi.

And Jesus answered, You have said so.

Can you imagine that moment of conviction, guys?

Can you imagine that moment?

John 13 and 30 says, As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out and it was night.

And this is the problem with Judas.

This is what we find.

The question is, what can I get and what will it cost me?

It did not begin with violence, it began with a calculation.

When Judas went to those religious leaders, he said, What will you give me?

What will you give me to betray him?

What will you give me to bring Jesus to you?

What will you give me?

And I think a lot of times in our world we're so cut off because you know we were talking about it in study school and I and I mentioned it.

But everything physical is a test from the spiritual.

And the spiritual realm is constantly trying to ask you, what will it take for you to betray Jesus?

And the question we ask is, What can I get and what will it cost me?

We don't want to live a life like that, church.

We don't want to live a life where we say, How close can I get to sin without it costing me everything?

We don't want to live a life where it says, How can I betray Jesus and get what I want?

And a lot of the times the world does this.

They're willing to betray their faith, their morals, everything that they have if they think they can get what they want.

Significance and importance and money and fame.

But what they find out is that they traded their whole soul for the weight of the world, and the weight of the world is too heavy.

You can't make it in this life without Jesus.

You can't figure it out in this life without Jesus.

So why would you even want to know what else you could get in betrayal for Jesus?

Because you can't handle it.

You can't handle it.

You don't want it, you don't need it.

All you need is Him.

All you need is Jesus.

Brother Randy, I can't figure it out sometimes with Jesus.

I need Jesus.

But the enemy gets us into believing that what the world can offer us is worth the cost of Jesus.

And so we betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, not realizing that that 30 piece of silver wasn't anywhere, nor is anything worth the cost of our friendship with Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

This is what happens.

The heart starts asking, What can I get?

and will eventually stop asking, What does Jesus deserve?

I want you to take that in.

Is he your friend?

Is he the friend that sticks closer than a brother?

Or is he just someone that you walk with because it's cool to say you're a Christian or society, sociology, it's it's something that I should say, it's something I should do.

Is it because you're scared of hell?

Is that it?

This idea that you don't want to go to hell, so you so you look committed on Sunday?

What is it?

Because the question is not what you can get, the question is what does Jesus deserve?

I want to stop right here for a moment because you need to understand church is not about you.

I need you to get that through your head.

Sunday mornings are not about you.

They're not about you.

Sunday nights are not about me.

It's what does Jesus deserve?

What does he deserve?

He bled for you, he suffocated for you, and we have the audacity of saying, I have to go to church, I have to serve, I have to do this.

What does he deserve for his kingdom?

That's the difference in the mindset.

You think Peter, John, and all of them wanted to do everything all the time?

No, but the question came back what does Jesus deserve?

Because if you are in the church and you keep asking the question, what can I get?

It won't be long before you're gone because you quit asking, What does he deserve?

We are not here for our own, we are here for his kingdom and for his glory and for his church.

And yes, when I come in here on a Sunday, I need his spiritual blessings, I need his fulfillment, I need him, but I'm here not because I deserve it, I'm here because he deserves it.

We have to get that.

We have to get that.

Judas didn't get that, Judas didn't understand that.

See, in Matthew 26, 49 through 50, we see this.

Jesus came with a crowd, went straight to Jesus and said, Greetings, Ray, Rabbi, and kissed him.

And Jesus said, Do what you came for, friend.

You know, I didn't mention to you previously, but my point too would be betrayal often looks like a deal before it looks like a disaster.

You know?

When we're talking about betraying Jesus, that's what happens, right?

You make a deal with the devil, it often looks like a deal, but it always becomes a disaster.

That's all Satan does, and that's all that will that's all he'll ever do.

But in this third point here this morning, I want you to understand that the betrayal often looks like not just a deal, not just destruction, but remorse without repentance, we need to hear this, cannot save you.

I need you to hear this.

Remorse without true repentance cannot save you.

I'm gonna say it again.

Remorse without true repentance cannot save you.

We have a lot of people who do not preach on repentance anymore, but you need to hear me.

You and I need repentance.

We do dumb things, we make mistakes, we say idiotic things, we do things we shouldn't do.

You need repentance.

I need repentance, and it should hurt, and you should feel it, and you should hate your sin so much that you never want to do it again.

That kind of repentance, it should change you in the way you think, it should change your mind.

You should grieve and wrestle with the Holy Spirit over it.

Repentance, not remorse.

Judas came with a crowd.

This is what happens He comes with a crowd, he comes with a crowd.

And Jesus says, do what you came for, friend.

Then the man stepped forward and seized Jesus and arrested him.

Okay?

This is it.

And this is what I love about Jesus.

Listen to me this morning.

This is what I love about Jesus.

Even in the moment of betrayal, Jesus still spoke down.

Isn't that crazy?

Even in the moment of betrayal, Jesus still calls him a friend.

Do you know how much that had to have hurt?

And this is what we see in Matthew 27.

3 through 5.

It says, when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned.

He was seized with remorse.

He regretted it.

He hated it.

This is it, guys.

This is the sermon.

When he when he saw that Jesus Christ was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priest and the elders.

Remorse.

And he said, I have sinned.

I've sinned.

Sorry, Judas.

I know you've sinned, but you're trying to be remorseful to the wrong ones.

I know you've sinned, but you're trying to be remorseful to the wrong ones.

He said, I have betrayed innocent blood.

And they said, what is that to us?

See, that that's something that we have to get through our head.

The world doesn't care about your remorse.

You understand that, right?

The world doesn't care about your remorse.

In fact, I hate to break it to you.

The children of Satan, the world does not care about you, your feelings, your thoughts, your ideas.

The only thing the world wants to do is benefit off of you.

And that's why when you're a part of the world, all you care about is what's in it for me.

You don't care about the kingdom.

The world doesn't care about the kingdom.

They care about its own greed.

And he's trying to go back and he's trying to negotiate with the ones that were okay with him betraying Jesus in the first place.

Are you kidding me?

It doesn't work that way, Judas.

You're talking to the wrong one.

The one you need to talk to is the one that you betrayed in the first place.

He said, I've sinned.

And he said, For I have betrayed innocent blood.

And what is that to us?

And they replied, It is your responsibility.

That's your responsibility.

That's your responsibility.

Your responsibility.

So what do you do, Judas?

So Judas threw the money into the temple and left.

And then he went away and he hanged himself.

This is Judas's story.

This is Judas' story.

See, Judas felt the weight of what he had done, and he admitted sin.

He admitted it.

And he tried to give the money back.

But there's something we have to understand.

And that's repentance says, I will come back to Jesus.

Do you know?

The tragedy is not only that Judas betrayed Jesus, it is that he would not let Jesus redeem him after he did.

Listen, this is a hard story, but I'm about to preach it to you for just five more minutes.

Because there are some of us that have done things that we're not proud of and we've sinned.

And maybe, maybe we've we we've gone astray, and maybe we've we we wish we would have done things a little different.

And maybe there was a price in which we betrayed Jesus for.

I don't know what you're dealing with, and I don't know what the situation is.

But can I tell you that if your heart is hardened because of your past, if your heart is hardened because of what someone's done to you, if your heart is hardened because of the situation or the nightmares or what you have to relive every single day of your life, can I tell you that remorse is not the same as repentance?

That you need to go spend time one-on-one with Jesus.

With Jesus! He's the only one that can satisfy your soul, he's the only one that can take your heart that's broken and mend it and make it whole.

He's the only one that can do it.

Not your husband, not your wife, not your mama, not your daddy, not the world.

Jesus! It's him, it's the only hope you have.

And what happens is men, especially men, is that we try to bear the weight of the world.

And what do we try to do?

We try to carry it and we try to go back to the world, and we try to become fixers, and we try to fix it, and you can't fix it, and when you can't fix it, you feel hopeless, and you get depressed, and you get felt with anxiety, and you don't know how to do it, so you just say forget it, and you let go because you never went back to Jesus.

And at some point, you have to go to Jesus, at some point you gotta make a puddle in your floor full of tears, and you have to look at Jesus and say, I know I did wrong, I know I betrayed you, I know I turned against you, but I will not let this be my story.

I will let it be my story, Judas.

Let it become his story.

Because remorse might be good, but you gotta have repentance.

Repentance is harder than remorse.

Because repentance means I gotta get on the saddle again.

Repentance means I gotta have courage.

Repentance means I have to look him in the eyes and acknowledge who I am and what I've done and who I believe he is again, even though I betrayed him.

The difference between Peter and Judas was not who failed.

Both failed.

The difference is who came back.

Peter, after he denied Christ, went and fished because that's all he knew.

Jesus is dead.

I betrayed him.

I told him I never would.

And Jesus and Peter have another encounter.

Judas never gave Jesus that opportunity.

He chose for himself.

And there's a lot of people, including you and I, that oftentimes we never give Jesus the opportunity.

We're just constantly choosing for ourselves.

The warning is this.

Here's the warning.

Here's the warning.

Here's the warning.

Don't get close enough to touch Jesus and experience Jesus, but refuse to be changed by him.

Because this is where it leads.

This is where it leads.

Judas forces an honest question.

The other disciples' stories do not.

It is possible to be around Jesus, work near Jesus, talk like a disciple, walk like a disciple, and still belong to your own appetite.

That's the truth.

This message is not for those people out there.

It's a message for anyone who has learned how to look faithful while keeping a secret allegiance, money, image, bitterness, control, hidden sin to yourself.

Jesus already knew Judas' heart and he still washed his feet.

What more do you believe he would want to do for you if you would just come back to him?

If you would just talk to him, if you would quit negotiating with the world, because what the world has to offer will do you no good.

Taste and see that he is good.

Worship team, you can come back this morning.

You know?

Do not ask whether you are close to the things of Jesus.

You know, do not only ask.

Do not only ask whether you are close to the things of Jesus.

Ask whether Jesus has your heart.

That's what you need to ask yourself today.

Does Jesus have my heart?

Does he have my heart?

Am I in love with him?

Look, man, left or right, the world will fade away.

People always, you're always gonna face the world, you're always gonna face accusation, you're always going to face haters, you're always gonna face things, you're always gonna go through trials, you're always gonna go through tribulations.

I'm sorry, you're human, you're gonna face it.

You're not always gonna please people, you're not always gonna, but the question is not about the world.

The question is, does Jesus have your heart?

Does he have your heart?

I'm gonna end with one last story real quick.

2011.

I can pull the article for you if anyone's interested.

2011.

I had a friend.

He's actually my best friend.

I hadn't seen him in a couple years, but we talked every day.

I was living with Brooks' family, and he was from my hometown.

His name was Jesse Carter.

His mom and dad were missionaries, good people, man.

Loved the Lord with everything they had.

Jesse was a good kid.

And uh man, I didn't know I I had no idea what Jesse was involved in.

I'll be honest.

We were supposed to be going to college, we were supposed to leave the next week.

He was going to college, I was going to college at UA4 Smith.

And it was like three o'clock in the morning.

Jesse and I are texting.

And I I think everything's good.

Four o'clock comes, we're still texting, talking, and he starts.

Something kind of fell off, but I wasn't sure.

And you some of you are probably wondering why I was up at that at late.

I was in high school.

But here's the thing.

Teenage kid, mom and dad's missionaries.

He's faithful every week.

Good guy.

I didn't know what he was involved with.

And we were texting at 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock in the morning.

Summer night.

We're teenagers.

His mama calls me at 8 o'clock in the morning, just several hours after that.

And she's screaming in the phone because Jesse's dead.

The story is Jesse snuck in his girlfriend's house, tried to shoot her, and then took his own life.

Teenager.

My friend.

Never saw it coming.

Never saw it coming.

I think there's more to that story, but we'll never know.

But never saw it coming.

You know when you see things that hit on the news, you see pastors that fall, you see all this other stuff.

Media putting it out there.

Man, the world just loves the hate on the church, doesn't it?

Division and everything else.

You hear things happen in the community, the small town stuff, coaches and teachers, and anyone that has some type of a platform, right?

You see it.

Lawsuits, people, you name it.

You see it.

And you go and you sit at your table and you're like, man, I can't believe that.

I can't believe that.

And then we say something really stupid.

You ready?

I would never do that.

I'd never make that mistake.

I'd never go.

We think we're always above it.

And here comes Satan with his little crowbar.

And he's saying, We'll find out what your cost is soon.

Because when you stop doing it for Jesus, you got a cost.

You got something.

And here's what I'm telling you.

Here's what I'm telling you.

And I'm ending with this.

You ready?

This is it.

I'm not shocked about what people do.

I'm shocked that we believe that we can go through this life week in and week out and not stay close to Jesus and be shocked when we find out that there was actually a price.

Listen to me.

I'm not shocked that Judas betrayed Jesus.

Jesus wasn't shocked that Judas betrayed him.

I'm not shocked that Peter betrayed him, and I'm not going to be shocked when you do something stupid.

I'm not.

I'm going to be shocked when you don't allow Jesus to have the space back in your life so that he can restore you and heal you and help you and build you.

That's what the gospel's all about.

That's what it's about.

And for us to have the audacity to look at other people and say, I can't believe they did that.

I can! Because the very ones that walked with Jesus did it.

I can believe it.

And I stand up here and I laugh.

Because I was talking to someone and we were talking about movies.

And like, look, guys, I like comedy.

You'll probably think I'm the worst pastor when I tell you Adam Sandler is one of my faves.

And now you're like, oh my goodness, that pastor.

I need you to understand something.

We're all human in this thing.

We're all human in this thing.

And the sooner that we realize, the sooner that we realize that if we don't stay close to Jesus and we don't keep doing this for Jesus, the sooner we realize if we don't keep doing that, we too are gonna betray him.

You're gonna betray him.

And I'm giving you the warning because Judas gave us the warning.

Do what he's called us to do.

Make sure that we've got brothers and sisters that you can call on, hold each other accountable, do what God's calling you to do, but do not make the mistake of being one of the people that look committed but unconverted.

Make sure, make sure that you keep in the fight.

Will you stand with me?

God, I say a lot of dumb things.

Lord, I'm not perfect, I don't have it figured out.

God, I've done a lot of things.

I'm not perfect, I don't have it figured out.

But Lord, let me be real.

Let me be authentic.

Lord, let us be real.

Let us be authentic.

Lord, let us not be shocked by people's shortcomings and sins and failures, God.

But let us be reminded that you are the one that calls us to be restored.

You said you left the 99 to go find the one, but we're not lost, Father.

We're not lost.

You're we're the prodigals, God.

You're the one that's always standing there, waiting for us to come home, saying, Yeah, yeah, you did it again, didn't you?

God, help us.

Help us be real.

Help us lose the religious identities that say we're better than we actually are.

Lord, help us to see that you're everything and that we must decrease so you that it can increase.

Lord, help us see that.

Lord, help us see Judas' warning in life as an example, God, that we can do a lot of Christian things, but it doesn't make us about you.

Help us see that doing ministry for you is not the same as doing ministry with you.

Help us see that we can be in the world, but not of the world, God, that we need renewings of our mind, Lord.

Help us see that.

Help us understand that we are going to mess up bad sometimes.

Oh, Father, but that's not the end.

That's the opportunity to not fall from grace, but to fall inside of grace.

Help us.

Help us to forgive others the way that you have forgiven us.

Help us to be the people you've called us to be.

And help us, Lord, help us bring as many people to you as we can.

Lord, I pray today for those that have been trying to carry the load on their own, their own sin, their own betrayal, their own struggles.

God, I pray for those people right now, whoever they are.

Lord, I pray that they would come to you.

I pray that they would not keep trying to do life on their own.

I pray they would not keep trying to, you know, work on their marriage alone.

Lord, I pray their families that they wouldn't keep trying to do it alone.

Lord, I pray that bitterness would be released, God.

Release, God.

I pray that bitterness would be released.

I pray that hearts would be softened, Lord, that you would give people a heart of flesh again and not a heart of stone.

Lord, I pray that we could put down our judgmental glasses and look at ourselves in the mirror and realize that we're no better.

We're no better.

We like to think we are, we're not.

We're no better.

Because God, I have betrayed you just as Judas has betrayed you.

But thanks be to God that you loved me, you restored me, you renewed me, and that you're doing the same for all of humanity.

God, we praise you and we glorify you.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.