Betraying Jesus
"When they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed and handed over to men [who are His enemies]; and they will kill Him, and He will be raised [from death to life] on the third day.” And they were deeply grieved and distressed." (Matthew 17:22-23, AMP)Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, the disciples fled from His presence, and Peter denied Jesus three times. The truth of the matter is that they all engaged in different levels of betrayal. Today, many Christians betray Jesus in one way or the other. There are times when we refuse to reveal to the public that we are believers. At other times, we are so engrossed in our personal businesses that our primary responsibility (making disciples) is relegated to the background. If our ultimate goal each day is not soul-winning and discipleship, then we have lost the plot.
"For whoever is ashamed [here and now] of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the [heavenly] Father and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:26, AMP)
When we pass opportunities to witness for Jesus, don't we thereby demonstrate that we are ashamed of Him? If our focus is on the repercussions of sharing our faith and preaching the Gospel, then we are more interested in ourselves than in God. If we hear people near us using the name of God in vain, and say nothing then we would have entered into self-preservation mode. Interestingly, such a mindset really exposes a lack of understanding because no one can preserve himself or herself. No one can reverse the day of death, whenever that will be. No one can live forever on this earth irrespective of technological breakthroughs in cosmetology. No one except God has the world in his or her hands. In other words, God has the final say.
The word, 'betray' is defined as follows: (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/betray)
- to deliver or expose to an enemy by treachery or disloyalty:
- to be unfaithful in guarding, maintaining, or fulfilling:
- to disappoint the hopes or expectations of; be disloyal to:
God expects His people to tell the world about Jesus, to be ambassadors for Christ, to make disciples for Jesus and to boldly declare that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. An ambassador of a country does not hide his or her identity; in fact an ambassador is glad to tell anyone who wants to listen that his or her country is worth visiting. The ambassador promotes the interest of the country he or she is representing. Similarly as ambassadors for Christ, we should be telling people of Heaven, the Kingdom of God and God's rule and reign. We should be quick to give an answer to any question asked about the hope we have in Jesus (1 Peter 3:15). We should not be ashamed of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16)
God is depending on us to broadcast the Good News of salvation. Failure to do that means failure to identify with Jesus which ultimately results in betrayal. Peter did not hand over Jesus to the Jewish authorities was equally betraying. Thank God for His love and mercy, Peter was restored and went on to be an important leader in the early Church. Will you tell someone today about Jesus? Will you stand your ground when people are ridiculing the Christian faith and mocking Jesus or will you turn away unconcerned?
A dear brother shared with us recently how someone came to him while he was witnessing in the City Centre and looked at him in disgust, questioning his sanity because of what he was doing. Standing up for Jesus may attract mockery, insults, disdain, contempt and a host of other things but we should never give up or back down. We should never betray Jesus; we should always do what He tells us to do in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The lyrics of the hymn 'Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus' by Bart Millard
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high his royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory
His army shall he lead,
Till every foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Stand in his strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armor,
Each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger,
Be never wanting there.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor's song.
To those who vanquish evil
A crown of life shall be;
They with the King of Glory
Shall reign eternally.
We will not betray Jesus, we will stand up for Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. I have highlighted the second verse because we are on duty for Jesus and we must not fail Him. Jesus is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is the Lamb of God and the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the only Way to God; He is the truth and the Life. The Bible says, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:15-18, NKJV)
Jesus is God the Son and the Son of God. To be ashamed of Him is to betray Him. When our lives are not aligned to His in real terms, we betray Him. When the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts are at variance with God's Word, we betray Him. When our plans do not match God's plans for our lives, we betray Jesus. When our focus is on things that may seem good but which God has not ordained for us, we betray Jesus. In other words, a deliberate engagement in anything that is outside God's will for our lives is an act of betrayal. It is important to note that just because God allows something for someone does not mean it is right for you.
Will you serve Him today? Will you bow at His feet and surrender your life to Him totally today? One day, everyone will stand before Jesus. That day is unavoidable. There is no mountain so high that can keep anyone away from the reach of Jesus. There is no depth so low that can hide anyone from Jesus. Fighting against the will of God for your life is an act of futility. There are many people who think that it is God's will for them to become something, or have something when it really is not but they refuse to accept God's will because it is not the fashionable thing to do. I will end this short article with a quote from Jeremiah 17:
TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND YOU WILL NOT BETRAY HIM. May the Lord God Almighty give you the grace to be an instrument of blessing in His hands. Choose to obey God in all areas of your life and you will never betray Jesus. God bless you.
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