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The Surprising Story of Judas Iscariot – Greg Laurie

by | Thu, Mar 21 2019

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Are you facing some stress today? Are doubts or worries or fears at the forefront of your mind?  This message from Pastor Greg Laurie's 'A New Beginning' program helps us see it’s never a mistake to trust an unknown future to a known God. Get help for your situation!

One of the most misunderstood people of the Bible was Jesus’ disciple Judas Iscariot.  Some would even say he was pushed into doing what he did and his betrayal of Christ.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth.  Judas acted on his own will and motives.  Despite the fact that he was personally hand picked by Jesus Christ, Judas went out of his way to betray Him.

“I would suggest to you that Judas Iscariot may be the most wicked man that ever lived,” Greg Laurie states in the sermon video above.

Jesus gave Judas every chance to change from his wicked ways, but knew ultimately that Judas would prioritise the greed of his own personal desires.

So, if Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him, sending Him to be crucified on the cross, why did Jesus come to earth then?

1. Jesus Came to give us life in all its fullest measure. (John 10:10)
2. Jesus came to see us, save us, and bring us into a right relationship with the Father. (1 Timothy 1:15 and Matthew 18:11)
3. Jesus came to die for us. (Hebrews 9:26 and Matthew 20:28)
4. Jesus came to break Satan’s power in people’s lives. (1 John 3:8)

Was Judas actually an un-sung hero or was he a ‘pathetic zero’?

If Judas betraying Jesus and sending Him to the cross to die for our sins, and that it was all ‘pre-ordained’ from the beginning, should we actually be thanking Judas for the role he played?

The Bible is very clear on the answer to this question.  It tells us he was a wicked man and perhaps the most wicked man who ever lived.  Judas wanted to betray Jesus.  Judas did it for money.  Judas initiated it and couldn’t wait to betray his Lord.  So, no he was not a good guy gone wrong, he was an evil man.

Watch the video sermon above or the two part audio podcast of the message below to hear Judas’ full story and how at one point in time, both God and Satan were moving in the same direction – towards the death of Jesus.  However, their motives were very different.

Listen to Greg Laurie's 'A New Beginning' weekdays on Vision Christian Radio. Find your local times here.

 

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