I pray that the patriotism in America will never die. We may not always agree with all the politics that go on but this is still the best country in all the world. I want to speak a message this morning that I believe will minister to your life and help to encourage many in this room entitled "Beyond Betrayal". If you were here on Wednesday night, Pastor Rocky didn't know what I was preaching on today and he started preaching half my message. You know you're in the will of the Lord when that happens.
Mark 14:10-11 says, "Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. When they heard it they were glad and promised to give him money so he sought how he might conveniently betray him".
Father, this morning we thank you for your faithfulness here and for your love for us. Lord, I thank you for your anointing upon your word and for your life in this place. I pray right now in the name of Jesus that you would anoint my words as I speak, that it would not be in the voice of men but that the heart of your spirit would flow through me. Lord, may we decrease and may you increase, in Jesus name. Amen.
I think it would come as a surprise to most people how much the subject of betrayal is actually covered throughout the word of God. As I began to study this I found it interesting that the Lord would have me preach it now instead of near Easter but I thought how many of us actually deal with the issue of betrayal. The word of God is covered with this subject from the very beginning to the end. As a matter of fact it is prominent in most of the major stories that God gives us from Cain killing his brother Abel; to Jacob fooling his father Isaac and his brother Esau so he could gain the inheritance; to Bathsheba betraying her husband to have an affair with David, and David betraying a loyal faithful servant in his army and having him killed to cover up the affair that he had with his wife. Tamar was raped and betrayed by a brother; Job's friends when he was sick, blamed him for all of his sickness. Absalom tried to overthrow his father David to become King and of course the list goes on and on all the way up to Judas betraying Jesus.
The Bible says that in the last days we would be betrayed. Betrayal may not always be on the level of a benedict arnold but those who have known the pain of betrayal know the unique hurt, unstableness and problems that this ultimate slap in the face brings to a life. The word "Betrayal" means a violation of trust, a loyalty, a violation of commitment in a relationship. It is the revelation of a secret that someone once promised to keep secure. It involves lies, deception and deep emotional letdown. At some point in our lives we've all been touched by betrayal at some level. It catches you by surprise and it always leaves you reeling. It may be by someone whom you loved and trusted, a wife or a husband, a friend or a child, or even a business partner whom you thought you could trust with everything and they let you down. Kids can turn against us; a spouse could be caught in adultery; broken promises, business promises and deals that are never followed through. Today we certainly understand how those who trusted Bernie Madoff are still reeling from the betrayal.
When we think of the life of Jesus, we think of the cross but we often forget the betrayal that he experienced. We know about the crown of thorns and the nails in his hands but we forget how the week before his crucifixion there was no one greater than he was. He would walk into the city and the same people that yelled, "Crucify him" were the same people whom the week before hailed him as the King. We forget how one of his twelve closest friends betrayed him to death and we forget how one of his three closest friends denied him three times.
Mark 14 describes some of Christ's darkest moments in life. When God had laid this message on my heart and I began to read through Mark 14 I realized how much Jesus went through in such a short amount of time. Not only was he preparing to go to the cross but those whom he had trusted the most had completely forsaken him. Mark 14:40-43 says, "Immediately while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve with a great multitude with swords and clubs came from the chief priests, scribes and elders". Now his betrayer had given them a signal. So all these guys were hiding. "Whoever I kiss, he's the one. Seize him and lead him away safely". As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to him and said, "Rabbi" and gave him a kiss. Then they laid their hands on him and took him.
Mark 14:66-72 describes what happened with Peter. "As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. When she saw Peter warming himself she looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus of Nazareth". But he denied it saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are saying". He went out on the porch and the rooster crowed. The servant girl saw him again and said to those who stood by, "This is one of them". But he denied it again and a little later those who stood by said to Peter, Surely you are one of them for you are a Galilean and your speech shows it". Then he began to curse and swear and began to deny him and the 2nd time a rooster crowed. Peter recalled the word that Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice you will deny me three times". When he thought about it he wept. One of the other gospels says that as soon as the rooster crowed Jesus was standing right there and looked over at Peter. Peter realized exactly what had happened and began to weep.
Even before Jesus experienced the torture of crucifixion he knew the pain of betrayal. Jesus realized that not everybody is clean. John 13:10-11 says, "Jesus said to them, he who is bathed needs only to wash his feet but is completely clean and you are clean but not all of you. For he knew who would betray him. Therefore he said, "You are not all clean". Not everybody who calls Jesus "Lord" is clean. Jesus said most of you here are clean but not all of you. Those who are clean are pure, they are loyal and innocent. But not all are clean and not all are loyal.
When I started to prepare this message I thought I would only really preach to help those who had been betrayed and maybe issue a challenge to those who had something going on in their life. When I began to think about helping people move beyond betrayal what I realized is that one of the key points in all of this is loyalty. The opposite of betrayal is loyalty. How many are thankful to those soldiers who are loyal to our country today and in the past? What a marvelous thing it is to be loyal. In order for betrayal to take place, loyalty must be broken.
Loyalty is the fabric of our society and it is at the very core of our relationships. Without it relationships cannot prosper. When it is lost relationships begin to unravel left and right. Loyalty is the glue that holds relationships together. We need to be loyal to each other, in our marriages, with our children, with our parents, with our church, at our workplaces and with our nation. Everyone of these relationships depend on loyalty. Have you noticed that even disloyal people depend on someone? Crooked politicians cry when their wives wind up having an affair. They've deceived everyone else but they thought their lives would be alright at home. Employees who begin to steal from their employers are shocked that their employer would fire them. They were depending on them to stay loyal forever.
Disloyalty is a sign of a person's character, not just the relationship. We used to understand that if people in authority would have an affair then they could not be trusted to make good decisions in other things. We used to know that if a politician had an affair he would immediately leave office because we couldn't trust him with our money or our national security. But now we try to say that laws are absolutely different than faithfulness at home. How many know the two are completely intertwined? The truth is that our leaders, whether they are in churches, in government or at home must be faithful at all times.
Loyalty and betrayal indicates a willingness to compromise in any situation. If you will be disloyal somewhere in your life you will be willing to betray other things depending on the circumstances that arise and what's going on at the time. Our nation is so based on situational ethics that we decide what is right or wrong based on how things are going at the time instead of an absolute standard of right or wrong. I would never want my kids to marry someone who steals from their parents because if they'll steal from them they won't be faithful to my children. I would never want my children to work for someone who talks behind their employees backs because if you'll do it to others then when my kids go to work for you you'll do the same thing to them.
Disloyalty is a sign of a person's character and it puts all their relationships on a slippery slope. A lack of loyalty has had a profound effect on our society. Loyalty means putting people first. Because of rampant divorce, families have been ripped apart. Our nation has wound up supporting millions on welfare because many fathers will not do their part to care for their kids. It used to be that companies were loyal to their employees and employees were loyal to their companies. You used to find people working for the same people for their whole career. As a matter of fact, so many people are changing jobs like they change their underwear. The truth is that people are looking out for number one.
One of the things that I like so much about the Pittsburgh Steelers is their loyalty to the team and the players to each other. A few years back we had a player named Jerome Bettis. Jerome's contract was coming up, there were other people in the wings and he was going to cost too much money. We loved that guy. He took us to superbowls and he was a champion. But when it came time for him to renew his contract or go to another team, he said , "I'll take a paycut. Instead of making 10 million, I'll make 3 million". It's still in the millions so he's doing well. He said, "I'll even take 2nd place to someone else. I've been a Steeler and they've been good to me all my life. I want to finish my career here". That is so rare but how awesome is that when that happens.
The other day I talked with a lady who came to my driveway and she introduced herself as one of my neighbors. I didn't even know she lived in our neighborhood, she finally came out of her home. She said she was married to her husband for 57 years. What an incredible testimony. We used to understand God, family and country and we were loyal to it. I can go back home and the people I went to church with are still there, they're still family. I love to be at a sports event when the National Anthem is played, it stirs me every time. I love to watch people put their hand over their heart and take their hat off their head. People gave their life for our nation: stand up, take your hat off, put your hand over your heart and thank God that you live in the greatest country in all the world. It's time that you had some loyalty.
My relatives served their country. I have neighbors who died serving in our armed forces. Don't you sit there and show disloyalty and disrespect to our nation.
In order for betrayal not to take place, there are three key things that we need to know about loyalty. Number one is that there must be a priority loyalty above all others. We are to put God above everything; above our spouse, above our children and above our work. The truth is that if we are loyal to Him and his ways we will never betray him, ourselves or those things that should be secondary in our life. When this is settled, when our loyalty to God is locked in our heart, it will affect every decision that we make and every relationship that we have. It will settle all conflicts and choices because they are more easily resolved when we know who we are serving and who we have given our life to, and that we will never be disloyal to him no matter what. I have never found a man or woman who completely has their whole life dedicated to God and has been disloyal to their spouse, their family or to anyone else.
Loyalty in relationships demand a constant building up of one another. In a marriage a husband needs to make sure that he loves his wife and cares for her and shows it. A wife needs to show her husband worthship, that he's valuable and that she is valuable to him as well. Women need love and caring; children need nurture and attention. Wise is the husband who will show his wife love and let her know that she is secure. I truly believe that the grass is greener on my side of the fence. You should believe that your wife is the greatest wife in all the world. I don't care how other people look or what they do, the person you're married to is the greatest one in all the world. Your husband should be the finest man that there is.
God is a God of blessing and if God has blessed you and you are in the will of God then your grass is as green as it could ever be. I believe my kids are the best looking and the smartest in all the world, even when they drive me crazy they are the most awesome kids they could ever be. I believe we have the best church in all of America and I'm proud of Harvest Community Church. I look at all the people who are doing things in this church on a regular basis and I couldn't be prouder to be the pastor of this place. There is no greater church in all of Jupiter.
One of the greatest betrayals that the enemy leads us in is that the grass is greener on the other side. There is supernatural power in loyalty. One preacher said, "The retentive grace of loyalty is so powerful, it can literally influence a situation with healing and blessing". There are few virtues in heaven that are far more honored than loyalty. God told slaves to obey their masters. That will mess with your theology. I don't believe that there should ever be a slave in this world. God told husbands to love their wives and lay down their lives for them. God told women to obey their husbands and told children to honor and respect their parents. God told employees to honor their employers and employers should be a blessing to their employees.
This church is doing well I believe because we have the best, most loyal staff in the whole world. They are the most hard working, they love God and they love people. They can clearly encourage me. I don't have to worry about them at all. Carlos has been sick all week, he didn't sing this morning a whole lot but did you notice how everyone was loyal to each other and working together? Kevin stepped right in and began to sing. Pastor Rick loves those kids to all ends. I look at all the retired ministers that are in this church and I thank the Lord for every one of them. You want to know what can be one of the greatest challenges in all the world? It's to be the pastor and look out knowing you have a lot of retired pastors of a church looking at you. But I thank God for every one of them. Every one of them has encouraged me, supported me and blessed me. They have given me advice and if I take it they pat me on the back, and even if I don't they still love me anyway. They have all been there before. I look at the people who are here week after week, faithful in that nursery teaching our children. Look how many people were involved just in preparing for Veterans Day? We have the most loyal people in all the world.
I thank God for the blessing of each one that cares for each other. Wise is the husband who encourages his wife and wise is the woman who will build up her husband. Families must be loyal to each other, they must believe in each other even when no one else does. I believe that one reason why we have such an insecure society is that we don't build each other up anymore. We have become so competitive it's amazing. Some of you know Ron and Peggy. Two weeks ago Peggy just ran the New York City Marathon and it is absolutely amazing what a good job she did. Peggy started running just a few years ago and her husband cheers her on. He encourages her and builds her up. They are the most competitive people in all the world, everything is a contest with them. Yesterday Ron brought some mulch in his truck over to my house. I was carrying one and Peggy said, "I'd start carrying bags but I'd have to carry two and show you all up". As competitive as they are, Ron put her on a plane and said, "You go run the race. I'll sit home and eat a cheeseburger and watch you on the internet". That's loyalty, cheering one another on.
Bosses, build up those who work for you. Employees, build up those who gracefully gave you a job. Be loyal to them. Disloyalty is a sign of a divided heart. James 1:8 says, "He is a doubleminded man and unstable in all his ways".
A man who is disloyal doesn't know whether he's coming or going.
When you are recovering from betrayal there are several things you must learn to move beyond that betrayal. In this room many of us have been betrayed. I have. Some of you have gone through betrayal that will never touch what I've been through, you've been through so much more. But God wants us to move beyond that if we've ever been betrayed. In two weeks I'm going to preach a message entititled, "Moving on". If you're stuck in something it well help, challenge and encourage you. The first thing you do if you've been betrayed is trust the Lord to heal you, establish you and get you through the situation.
Luke 21:14-19 says, "Therefore settle in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death and you will be hated by all for my name's sake but not a hair on your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls". This is one of the greatest promises in the word of God.
If you have been betrayed let God heal your heart and let him establish you. Don't worry about how you're going to answer those who have hurt you, God will put the words in your mouth. Learn to love and trust again. Refuse to grow hard and cynical. There are far more people for you than against you. I want to encourage you to refuse to be defined by the betrayal. Use it to shape you and make you better.
Number two is to recognize that betrayal can have a purpose in your life. It did for Joseph, it did for David, it did for Peter and it did for Jesus. In Psalms 105 it describes what happened to Joseph in Egypt. Verse 16 says, "Moreover he called for a famine in the land. He destroyed all the provision of bread and sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters; he was laid in irons until the time that his word came to pass. The word of the Lord tested him. The King sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom".
All the men of the Bible moved from betrayal to triumph. Joseph was used to save a nation. Look at verse 19 again that says he was in those chains and fetters until the time that his word came to pass. How many of you have had a word from God? Some of you have been betrayed and it has set your life off course, it knocked you backwards. But God gave Joseph a word and God has a word for you. Some of you have received it, some of you know it, but Joseph was tested until his word came to pass. If you've received a word from God, at some time that word will come to pass. You hold on, you wait, you learn to love again, you trust God with all your heart and in due time that word is going to come and you will be delivered out of whatever has set you back. God has a good plan for you.
In order for other people to be hurt or betrayed there must be someone who has done the betraying. How many are thankful that there is still hope in heaven for those who are betrayed? If you are a betrayer I want you to listen to me. When Joseph betrayed Jesus, he was so devastated by what he did that he went out and hung himself. He couldn't see life ever continuing on. The truth is for those who have betrayed others, at some point become convicted of what they've done. Some have literally hamstrung their own life. They kind of hang themselves and keep living in the betrayal and never move past what they did. If you are the betrayer, if you're the one who had the affair, if you're the one who lied or has stolen from your employer, if you're the one who has denied Christ, you must humble yourself before God and those you have betrayed. The truth is, that is the only way out of the betrayal. But if you will do it, you will find forgiveness.
In order to be restored there must be recognition and contrition before restoration. If you will confess your sins and recognize that you have them, if you will be sorry for them and repent, God will restore your life, whether you are the betrayer or the betrayee. Allow God to restore you.
In John 21:15-20, we know the story of what happened when Peter finally meets Jesus after the resurrection. He's there on the beach, eating breakfast with his savior, and Jesus looks over at Peter and says, "Do you love me?". Peter says "Yes Lord". Jesus says, "Feed my sheep". "Do you love me?" Peter said "Yes Lord". "Tend my Lambs". "Peter, do you love me?" So many times when we read this we think Peter is getting aggravated with Jesus but there is nothing aggravating going on here. What was taking place here was the most deep conversation between savior and child of God that you've ever seen. The third time, "Peter, do you love me?" Peter says, "Yes I do, Lord". Jesus says, "Feed my sheep". He didn't make Peter get down and grovel or leave Peter in a place of hopelessness. He just said, "Peter, let's keep going. Do what I called you to do in the first place. I forgive you, I'm for you and I'm behind you. Feed my sheep".
I want to speak to you this morning, God loves you. What a beautiful restoration of Peter and I believe God wants to do that in this place. Have you been betrayed? Feed his sheep. Have you been let down by others? Allow God to heal the hurt. Allow God to touch your heart and minister so deeply. After the betrayal you thought you'd never be the same again. But the truth is that once you've been healed things will be different and better. If you're the betrayer I want to encourage you, there is hope for you today. You come to the Lord, put your hand in his and he will restore you. You will never have to live in shame. The lives that you hurt are in Jesus' hands. You'll never be able to make it up to them but the good news is you don't have to. Let him change you and heal you then move on from being the betrayer to one who feeds his sheep. Your life will be more beautiful, more productive and more enjoyable than you ever knew in all your life.
