Sin Is A Trash Talker
“I have sinned,” Judas declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”
~Matthew 27:4 NLT
“Satan has no mercy for the wounded, no compassion for the fallen, and no forgiveness for the guilty. He delights in the very misery that Christ came to relieve.”
~Ya’akov
I know we all agree that Judas made a bad mistake. What folks do not agree on is his motive. Some think he betrayed Jesus for the money; that he was motivated by greed. We know that the Apostle John viewed him as a thief and a traitor. According to Matthew’s account, Judas was shocked when he learned that Jesus would be executed. When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” “What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.” Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself. Evidently, Judas did not think betraying Jesus would lead to His death. I believe that Judas was trying to force Jesus to use His divine power and make Himself an earthly king. Judas knew that Jesus had the power to calm a storm and I think he was convinced that Jesus could handle the Romans one at a time or all at the same time. When Jesus did not resist; Judas realized that his plan had failed. Had he been motivated by greed, he would never have returned the money. I have seen greedy people die and they die thinking about money. Judas was not thinking money. His greater lust may have been for power. One thing is certain: he did not listen to Jesus teachings because Jesus made it clear that He was to die for our sins.
My point today is that when he confessed his sin, he confessed it to the devil. The priest to whom he confessed were the devil’s servants. Can you imagine going to your pastor with a confession and he answers with a smirk on his face, “Here is a quarter, go call someone who cares.” As I was reading Matthew’s account and thinking about how cold the priest were to Judas, it dawned on me that the devil is a trash talker. One of the things that football has become, that I despise, is a trash talking competition; There is gloating on almost every play. It is not just the black athletes that do it. I don’t think it is as natural to the whites but they are just as guilty. Some kids makes a bone jarring tackle and he stands over the victim on the ground shouting insults. We are seeing these kids celebrate one successful play when they are behind on the scoreboard. What happened to celebrating when the game is over and doing it without taunting the loser. Sportsmanship is nonexistent these days. It is so bad that I sometimes doubt that Bear Bryant and Wayne Bowling could coach these days. I can promise you this; neither of them allowed such childish behavior. You might do it once, but that is the only time you would do it. They would be sending you to the parking lot in a heart beat.
Have you ever make a mistake. Perhaps you did something that you didn’t even think you were capable of doing and while you were down, the devil, the flesh [indwelling sin] stands over you and says, “What about that Mr. Believer, you so called follower of Christ. You just failed and failed miserably. Guess what, I am here to see that it happens again and again, because you can’t beat me. I am going to win every time so you may as well get use to it LOSER!” I have news for Satan, I am not getting use to it; I am getting sick of it and it is coming to an end.
- Sorry folks, I have been punching the wrong buttons and I cannot recover the blogs I thought I was posting. Tuesday I posted the same blog from Monday, but the blog I wrote was heart felt thanks to the folks at GRACE POINT for the Pastor appreciation day and feeding the folks at the Annual Meeting on Monday. I have tried to recover it but for some reason, it disappeared. I made a simular mistake last week. I am almost positive today’s blog is new. I have been writing them, just not hitting the right buttons when I post.
- Joe is checking on Bill today. I am going to try to stay in an rest. I didn’t get any kind of Sabbath last week and I am too old to burn the candle on both ends.
- This Sunday night at 5:00 pm…The Bill Smith Jambalaya Supper with hushpuppies.
- Wednesday November 4, Mid-week day service at 10:30. Terri’s team is serving lunch and it is KFC and the trimmings.
- November 8 is our CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE. Granny T and the grandchildren are decorating this week. It will be from 2:00-4:00. Eat a light lunch that day because we are going to have a ton of Christmas goodies. No gifts: we just want you to see our humble abode and to share a little Christmas with you. It is also an acknowledgment and appreciation of the unbelievable help you gave us in getting into our new home.
- Wednesday November 11, Veterans Day service at 10:30 followed by lunch {Stew}.
- Menu for November Wednesday day services: Nov. 4 KFC, Nov. 11 Stew, Nov. 18 Pizza, Nov. 25 BBQ THERE IS NO PM SERVICE November 25 {Thanksgiving Eve}
- December 4…49er Christmas Party at 11:30. Christmas finger foods. Bring your favorite Christmas candy or cookie. We will play BINGO and old Santa has done it again. You will be playing for Gift Cards.
- I remember years ago in a Baccalaureate Service one of the senior sang a solo. Bless her heart, she had no musical talent but evidently she thought differently. I heard someone behind me say, “She must not have any friends.” A true friend will tell you the truth whether you want to hear it or not. Michael is the one who told me about the blogs. I would not have caught the mistake had he not pointed it out. I appreciate him telling me and I will try a little harder.