John Ch13v18-30 - Victory In Betrayal

So a couple of things. First, if you're using the notes this morning, you'll notice they're

! a little bit in the wrong order, but the page is numbered one, two, three, three, three, three,

four. So just follow page one to four, and then you'll be able to keep up and follow along.

Last week, we started into chapter 13, which is really the beginning of one whole section that

ends at the end of chapter 17, covers roughly 24 hours just before the arrest and crucifixion of

Jesus. And Jesus is spending time with his disciples, teaching them and preparing them for his going back

to be with the Father. And today, we're going to read from chapter 13, verse 18, down to verse 30.

John's Gospel, chapter 13, verse 18, down to verse 30.

Jesus is speaking. I am not referring to all of you. I know those I have chosen. But this is to

fulfill this passage of scripture. He who shared my bread has turned against me. I am telling you now

before it happens so that when it does happen, you will believe that I am who I am. Very truly, I tell you,

whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me. And whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.

After he said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, very truly, I tell you, one of you

is going to betray me. His disciples stared at one another at a loss to know which of them he meant.

One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this

disciple and said, ask him which one he means. Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, Lord, who is it?

Jesus answered, it is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.

Then dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, what you are about to do,

do quickly. But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of

the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival or to give

something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out and it was night.

Well, let's keep our Bibles open there at that section and we'll pray and ask for the Lord's help.

Father, we are weak and we are helpless. And therefore, we come and ask that you would pour out your spirit

upon each one of us, that we may focus our minds upon you and your word,

and that it may change our hearts and cause us to wonder and worship

at our victorious champion, Jesus Christ.

Help us now, we pray. Amen.

So two words can sum up what we're going to be looking at this morning. Warning and worship.

Warning and worship. Warning, Satan's opposition to Jesus and his church. And worship, Jesus' defeat of

Satan for the church. So first, warning, Satan's opposition to Jesus and his church.

As Jesus loved and served his disciples, so the sinister forces of darkness were at work. Go back to verse 2.

The evening meal was in progress. The devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.

And then it gets even darker. The disciples want to know, who could it possibly be? Who would betray Jesus?

Jesus. Verse 26.

Jesus answered,

It's the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.

Then dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

You see, Satan is opposed to Jesus.

He wants rid of Jesus.

He wants the mission of Jesus to fail.

And it seems to be working.

Verse 30.

As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out.

And it was night.

The dark night reflected Satan's dark schemes.

And Judas' dark soul.

Within a few hours, Jesus would be arrested, betrayed, beaten, mocked, crucified.

The forces of darkness are real.

Now there's two things that we can learn from this warning.

The first one is this.

The reality of Satan.

The reality of Satan.

Satan or the devil is not make-believe.

He's not a cartoon character dressed in a red cape with two horns and a pitchfork.

He's real.

Jesus spoke about him in chapter 8, verse 44.

Where he describes Satan as the father of lies.

That when he speaks lies, he's speaking the language of lies.

There's no truth in him.

He is the father of lies.

In chapter 12, verse 31.

Satan is described as the prince of this world.

Or the ruler of this world.

From the beginning of time, he has sought to oppose Jesus and his church.

And one of the ways he does this is by working through betrayal.

We expect most of the time for opposition to come from the outside, but never from the inside.

Friends don't betray friends.

Well, it seems sometimes they do.

Sadly, this sinister work of Satan is all too common.

Almost on a weekly basis now, I hear or read about influential church leaders across the world

who have betrayed Jesus and his church.

It might be an affair.

It could be stealing funds.

It could be telling lies.

It could be false teaching.

But it's not just confined to leaders.

It's there in the whole church.

People can slander one another.

Spread lies and stir up trouble.

Betrayal can come in many forms.

And when it does, it's devastating.

It brings disorder, division and disruption.

You see, Satan is not a joke.

He is in opposition to Jesus.

And he is in opposition to the church.

So first, we learn there's the reality of Satan.

But second, we can learn the responsibility of man.

You see, as we read this text, we might be feeling a little bit of sympathy for Judas.

It seems he didn't have a chance.

Satan had prompted Judas in verse 2.

And then Satan entered Judas, verse 27.

We can think that, well, poor Judas didn't have a chance.

The devil made me do it.

Oh, no, he didn't.

Judas is responsible for his actions and his choices.

You see, when it says in verse 27 that Satan entered Judas,

it's not like he was put into a spellbound trance or that he's under some kind of robotic control.

No, the phrase means he was influenced by Satan.

Through his life, one step at a time, he began to listen to the father of lies

and began to follow the prince of this world.

Look back with me to chapter 12, verse 4.

Chapter 12, verse 4.

Here we're introduced to a woman called Mary

who had poured a very expensive bottle of perfume on Jesus' feet.

We're told in the text that it cost a year's wage.

So, well, whatever your wage is, let's say 30,000 euro on a bottle of perfume.

That's a lot, isn't it?

It was an act of devotion and love towards Jesus.

But not everyone was happy, verse 4.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot,

who was later to betray Jesus, objected.

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

It was worth a year's wages.

He did not say this because he cared about the poor,

but because he was a thief.

As a keeper of the money bag, the treasurer,

he used to help himself to what was in it.

Go back to chapter 13.

You see, it implies that Judas had been tempted.

Judas, you work so hard.

And you get so little for it.

Why don't you just take some cash?

You deserve it.

And so it can be with us.

We stop listening to the word of God

and we begin to listen to the lies of Satan.

We engage with his prompts.

We come under his influence.

You see, we need to be very careful

that we don't end up like a Judas.

As one writer put it like this,

Judas had spent three years with Jesus.

Judas saw the clearest evidence.

Judas heard the finest teaching.

Judas followed the greatest example.

But Judas still betrayed Jesus.

Well, we can come to church.

We can hear the word being taught.

It mightn't be the finest,

but it's still God's word.

We can serve in ministries.

But at the same time,

we can ignore those sinful habits and patterns.

No one else knows what they are deep inside.

But you do.

And I know what's in my heart.

And we need to be so very careful

because we have an enemy who opposes Jesus

and will use people to cause division

and disorder and upset.

You see, we can never say,

the devil made me do it.

I choose to do it.

So first, let's hear the warning of this message.

Satan is opposed to Jesus and his church.

And he will use people to bring destruction to the church.

So warning.

Second,

worship.

Jesus' defeat of Satan for the church.

You see, despite Satan's opposition to Jesus,

Jesus is the one who defeats Satan.

You see, Jesus and Satan are not equal and opposite forces.

This is not yin and yang.

No, God's word is telling us that Jesus has absolute power

and supreme authority over Satan

and all his schemes.

Again, there's two things we can learn from this.

First, Jesus' sovereignty over Satan.

His sovereignty over Satan.

Satan's attack was not a surprise.

Go back to verse 10.

Jesus had been washing the disciples' feet,

a sign of a deeper spiritual cleansing that he would do.

Look at the middle of verse 10.

And Jesus says,

And you are clean,

though not every one of you.

For Jesus knew who was going to betray him,

and that was why he said not everyone was clean.

You see, it wasn't a surprise.

Jesus knew.

In fact, it was all part of God's bigger and wider plan.

Look at verse 18.

Jesus says,

I am not referring to all of you,

to all of those who I said were clean.

I know those who I have chosen.

But this is to fulfill,

this betrayal is to fulfill this passage of Scripture.

He who shared my bread has turned against me.

Now, the quote Jesus has here from Psalm 41

is a psalm from David lamenting how in his struggle

people turned against him.

And here's the full quote.

You can read it there on the screen.

Even my close friend,

someone who I trusted,

one who shared my bread,

has turned against me.

You see, Jesus is taking this psalm

and he's showing us this was my experience.

A close friend,

someone who I trusted,

someone who I shared my meals with,

has turned against me.

But it's not just showing us Jesus' experience.

He's also showing us that what David had written

a thousand years before

was ultimately about Jesus

and his betrayal to come.

Verse 18,

this is to fulfill the passage of Scripture.

He who shared my bread

has turned against me.

You see, the betrayal is not just known by Jesus.

It was all part of God's bigger and wider plan.

He knew what was going to take place.

He planned it.

In fact, it's all under the control of Jesus.

Verse 21,

After he had said this,

Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified,

Very truly, I tell you,

one of you is going to betray me.

Verse 27,

As soon as Judas took the bread,

Satan entered into him.

So Jesus told him,

What you are about to do,

do quickly.

You see, Jesus is the one who

actually sends Judas out

and tells Judas,

Go and do what you're meant to do.

He gives him permission

to carry out the betrayal.

You see, Jesus uses

the schemes of Satan

to achieve his ultimate purpose.

Satan wanted rid of Jesus.

His plan was to use Jesus

to have him arrested

and ultimately killed.

And Jesus was crucified.

But it was no defeat.

The death of Jesus

was the defeat of Satan.

Jesus shows us this

if you go back to chapter 12,

verse 31.

Again, he knew what was going to happen.

Chapter 12, verse 31.

He'd been speaking about his coming death.

He says,

Now is the time for judgment on this world.

Now the prince of this world,

that is Satan,

will be driven out.

And when I am lifted up from the earth,

will draw all people to myself.

He said this

to show the kind of death

he was going to die.

Jesus' death

would secure

the defeat of Satan.

He would drive the prince

of this world out.

Jesus is sovereign

over Satan

and all his schemes.

But there's something else we can learn.

And that is

Jesus' victory

over Satan.

Not just his sovereignty,

ruling over everything,

but his victory.

Listen to what he says,

verse 19.

I am telling you now

before it happens

so that when it does happen,

you will believe

that I am

who I am.

He's making it clear

that he's in control

of all that's going to happen.

Even though the disciples

don't understand now,

he says,

when it does happen,

when the betrayal

does take place,

when my death

takes place,

then you will understand.

He puts it like this,

verse 19.

When it does happen,

you will believe

that I am

who I am.

Now,

doesn't that seem

a very strange way

to refer to himself?

I am

who I am.

Who are you?

I am

who I am.

But Jesus' words

are intentional.

And they're full

of victorious power.

Keep your finger

in John chapter 13

John 13 · chapter mention

and go all the way

back to Exodus

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3.

Exodus chapter 3.

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

Here God appears

to Moses

from the burning bush

and he speaks

to Moses.

And he's calling

Moses to go

and to save

God's people

who are

in slavery

under the cruel

tyrant

Pharaoh.

We're going to

pick it up

in verse 7.

The Lord said,

I have indeed

seen the misery

of my people

in Egypt.

I have heard

them crying out

because of their

slave drivers

and I am concerned

for their suffering.

So I have come

down

to rescue.

Verse 10.

So now go,

I am sending you

to Pharaoh

to bring my people,

the Israelites,

out of Egypt.

Verse 13.

Moses said to God,

Suppose I go

to the Israelites

and say to them,

The God

of your fathers

has sent me

to you

and they ask me,

What is his name?

Then what shall

I tell them?

God said to Moses,

I am

who I am.

That is what

you are to say

to the Israelites.

I am

has sent me

to you.

Let's go back

to John 13.

The self-existing,

self-sustaining God,

the one who has

no beginning

and no end,

the one who is

eternal,

I am

who I am,

will release

and free

God's people

from slavery.

Now Jesus

comes on the scene

and he declares

to be,

I am

who I am.

Jesus

is the eternal,

self-existing God

who has come

to free people

from a greater

slavery,

slavery to sin

and to death

and to Satan.

through my death,

Jesus is saying,

I will break

the chains

that enslave you

to the prince

of this world.

I will drive

him out

and I will

free all those

who come to me.

As Jesus

said in John 8,

so if the son

sets you free,

you will be free

indeed.

You see,

on the cross,

Jesus died

for our sins.

He took the judgment

that we deserve.

He suffered

hell for us.

He went into

that battle

and died

on our place.

He is the

victorious

champion.

Here is how

the Bible

puts it.

you can follow

on the screen

there.

Jesus has

rescued us

from the

dominion

of darkness

and brought

us into

the kingdom

of the son

he loves

in whom

we have

redemption,

the forgiveness

of sins.

Or here

in Colossians,

Jesus

cancelled

the charge

of our

indebtedness

which stood

against us

and condemned

us.

He has

taken it

away,

nailing it

to the

cross

and having

disarmed

the powers

and authorities

that is Satan

and his

demons,

he made

a public

spectacle

of them

triumphing

over them

by the

cross.

Or

Hebrews,

Jesus

by his

death

breaks

the power

of him

who holds

the power

of death,

that is

the devil,

and frees

those who

all their

lives

were held

in slavery

by their

fear

of death.

Rescued

from darkness

to light,

cancelling

the charge

that stood

against us,

setting us

free from

our slavery

to death,

Satan,

the ancient

serpent,

has been

crushed

and defeated

through the

death and

resurrection

of Jesus.

Now this

has massive

implications

for us

because

Jesus'

victory

directs

and shapes

the purpose

of the

church today.

Look at

verse 20,

chapter 13,

verse 20.

Very truly

I tell you,

whoever

accepts

anyone

I send

accepts

me,

and whoever

accepts me

accepts the

one who

sent me.

You see,

Jesus comes

as the

victorious

champion,

and he is

sending his

church with

a triumphant

message,

the good

news of a

decisive

victory.

You see,

if you are a

Christian today,

if you are

in the

church,

you are

a true

freedom

fighter.

Our weapons

are not

guns and

bullets,

but the

gospel

and prayer.

As we

declare

Jesus,

as we

call people

to repent

of their

sins and

to trust

Jesus,

as we

pray for

that message

to take

effect,

so people

by God's

power are

setting people

free to

live a new

way,

a life

not of

lies and

darkness,

but a

life full

of truth

and light.

Jesus is

the great

I am who

has won

an eternal

victory for

us,

and he

sends us

now with

the power

of the

Holy Spirit

as new

people,

a new

creation,

where we

can now

say no

to sin

and yes

to Christ,

and we

go into

a world

that is

opposed to

him,

and we

bring this

liberating

free message

of Jesus

and show

how people

can be

delivered

from the

prince of

this world

and from

the father

of lies.

We have

a glorious

truth,

a truth

that sets

people free

and changes

their life

now and

for all

eternity.

So what

do we

learn?

well, I

hope we

hear the

warning.

Don't be

like a

Judas.

Don't be

sitting here

today knowing

what's going

in your

heart and

never ever

dealing with

it.

Run to

the victorious

king who

has defeated

your sin and

offers forgiveness

today.

instead, may

we all come

and worship

that we

would bow

before Jesus

the great

I am, our

victorious

champion who

has secured a

victory for us

and sends us

out with a

triumphant

message.

worship him

who has

rescued us

for life

eternal.

Let's pray

together.

Father, help

us to

take the

warning of

your words

seriously.

Help us

to run to

the Savior,

to experience

light and

life.

the truth

and the

hope of

eternal life

to come.

Help us

that we

would bow

in worship

and live

lives of

worship this

week as we

declare the

victory of

Christ to

those who

remain enslaved

in sin and

death.

May they

come to

know the

hope of

Christ and

the glory to

come.

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.

Let's

stand together

as we

sing.

Come

behold