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.
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
and go all the way
back to Exodus
chapter 3.
Exodus chapter 3.
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