Episode Transcript
Jesus said in Matthew 28, verse 19, go therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. You welcome to go teach all nations, bringing you Christ's teachings through australian and international speakers. And here is today's presenter, Henk Viljoen.
Brothers and sisters, I have a sermon titled Betrayed and denied by the chosen. Today we are going to contrast two individuals chosen by the Lord, the first and the last of the disciples mentioned in the Bible. Now, before we start, let's just have a quick prayer together.
Dear Lord Jesus, may this message through this sermon bring inspiration and encouragement where it's required. Dear Lord. Bring comfort where there is concern, dear Lord.
But may it also inspire a desire for repentance where it is needed. This is my prayer in your holy name. Amen.
Now for today we're going to read from Luke chapter six our first verses. To start us off, we'll start with verse twelve. And it came to pass in those days that Jesus went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.
And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples. And of his disciples he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles. And then verse 14 tells us, Simon, whom he also named Peter, was the first apostle he chose.
And verse 16 tells us Judas Iscariot, which was the traitor. He was the last of the apostles that Jesus chose. Now let us consider this passage more carefully.
Jesus prays for the entire night. Jesus knew it was an important decision to make the selection of his twelve apostles. Jesus knew he needed godly wisdom.
He respected the gravity of the decision. He persevered in prayer. Now I want to emphasise this point when the nominating committee is scheduled to meet next, consider that Jesus prayed the entire night.
Imagine a church where the members spent the whole night praying before selecting the church leadership. One immediately apparent benefit would be that the meeting itself would not take as long as it usually does. But yes, imagine, because such a church, I don't know if it has been experienced yet, but I do encourage you, please, in your churches, pray for your leadership.
Pray for the selection of your leadership. But we go back to verse 13. When it was day, Jesus called unto him his disciples, and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.
So Jesus calls unto him his disciples. Here we find that Jesus had many disciples, more than twelve. But from among the disciples he chooses twelve, whom he names apostles.
This is extremely important to note. Just because you are not an apostle does not mean that you are not a disciple. Jesus called his disciples, Jesus chose his apostles.
Are we appreciating this point? Just because you are not, for example, head elder, does not mean that you are not a disciple. You may perhaps not yet have been chosen for a particular role, but that does not exclude you from being a disciple. Now, among those chosen by Jesus were Peter and Judas.
We saw this in verse 14, Simon Peter. And in verse 16, Judas Iscariot. Now, these two persons, they will become the subject matter for our study today.
Peter and Judas. But I also want to emphasise this point. Jesus spent the whole night in prayer and ultimately chose Judas, who verse 16 already tells us was the traitor.
Jesus chose him. Sometimes, despite the best counsel and wisdom, prayer and effort, a Judas is chosen. And that is why we want to focus on Judas today.
Why would Jesus choose him now? We read in John, chapter 13, verse 18, that Jesus says, I know whom I have chosen, but that the scripture may be fulfilled. He that eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me. Wait.
What? What is Jesus saying here? He says he knows who he has chosen. He says that he has made this choice, that scripture might be fulfilled. Hang on.
Was Judas chosen to fulfil prophecy? And the relevant prophecy here is psalm 41, verse nine. Yea, mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, he hath lifted up his heel against me. This seems unfair, doesn't it? Jesus chose Judas so that this prophecy could be fulfilled.
We further read in John, chapter 17, verse twelve. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me I have kept.
And none of them is lost but the son of perdition. That the scripture might be fulfilled. This sounds ominous.
Jesus chose Judas. Jesus knew that Judas would betray him. Jesus chose Judas so that scripture might be fulfilled.
Jesus also knew that Judas would become the son of perdition. Did Judas have any choice in this matter? Was this outcome decided for him? Was it predetermined? Next we read that, sadly, Judas indeed fulfils the prophecy. Matthew 27, verse three.
Then Judas, which had betrayed Jesus when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself and borrowed again the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, what is that to us? See thou to that. And Judas cast down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed and went and hanged himself.
Judas, the chosen of the Lord. Judas fulfils the prophecy. Judas takes his own life and seals his fate as the son of perdition.
Are there perhaps any of you who feel a tinge of sympathy for Judas. Shall I say it? Poor Judas. To help us better assess this matter, we must consider the other person chosen by Jesus, which is Peter.
Now, who is Peter? John, chapter 13, verses 36 and 37 provides us a glimp of who Peter is. John, chapter 1336 says, simon Peter said unto him, lord, where goes thou? Jesus answered him, where I go, you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow me afterwards. And verse 37, Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
This is Peter. Peter's mouth is so quick to speak, his body is so swift to act, but sadly, his wits are often lagging by a step. And Jesus says to this same Peter in verse 38, Jesus answered him, wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, the cock shall not crow till thou hast denied me thrice.
Here we read that Jesus pronounces a prophecy on an apostle yet again to Judas. Jesus said, you will betray me. To Peter.
Jesus said, you will deny me. Jesus chose both the betrayer and the denier as apostles. And we see the fulfilment of Jesus prophecy regarding Peter in John, chapter 18, verse 25.
And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. And they said, therefore unto him, art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it and said, I am not. Verse 26.
One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman, whose ear Peter had cut off, he saith, did not I see thee in the garden with him? Peter then denied again, and immediately the cock crew. The prophecy is fulfilled. The chosen fulfilled the prophecy.
But why do I bring Peter into this discussion of Judas? Judas betrayed Jesus, and Judas is lost. Peter denied Jesus, but is Peter lost? Oh, let's read from Luke, chapter 22, verse 31. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, this is Peter.
Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
And Peter said unto Jesus, Lord, I am ready to go with thee both into prison and to death. And Jesus said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. Now I read the full paragraph to convey the timing of when Jesus said this to Peter, at the very time when Peter claims that he is ready to die for Jesus, then Jesus says that Peter will deny him.
And at this point, Jesus says to Peter, when thou art converted, beloved, now is the time to pay attention, for I will first deal with Peter, and perhaps there are many more Peters listening here today. What do I mean? Who was Peter? Peter was a chosen apostle, and yet he needed to be converted. Peter's mother in law is healed by Jesus, and yet he needed to be converted.
Peter experienced the miraculous catch of fish after toiling the whole night, and yet he needed to be converted. Peter walked on water. He was saved from drowning by Jesus, and yet he needed to be converted.
Peter was the first to confess Jesus as the Christ, and yet he needed to be converted. Peter walked with Jesus for three and a half years, yet he needed to be converted. Brothers and sisters, it is time for those who claim to have walked with Jesus to sincerely consider, to meditate upon, to wrestle with this question, am I converted? And perhaps you should consider whether you need to be converted again.
The reality is, listen now. If you are unwilling to know whether you are converted, then you aren't. Acts 28, verse 27 says, for the heart of this people is waxed gross and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
If you don't want to know, it is because your heart has waxed gross. It is full of self contentment and pride, and that is why you are unwilling to repent, so that you may know, brothers and sisters, if you don't know whether you are converted, then you aren't. Acts three, verse 19, says, repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.
If you truly repented, you would know. If you unsuccessfully repented, you would know. Repentance is how you know.
Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. Brothers and sisters, if you think you know that you are converted, you still possibly may not be one. Corinthians ten, verse twelve cautions, wherefore let him that thinks he stands, take heed, lest he fall.
Do not presume. Make certain of your salvation. And lastly, brothers and sisters, if you think you know that you are converted, you may also cease to be.
Here we have the example of Peter himself. Peter at the footwashing was deemed clean. We read Jesus own testimony in John, chapter 13, verse ten, where he says to Peter, he that is washed need not to be washed again, save to wash his feet.
But he is clean, and ye are clean. But then Peter who was clean, he was in need of conversion again after denying Jesus. Which is why Jesus said in Luke, chapter 22, verse 32.
But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Brothers and sisters, Peter is your caution.
Don't feel close to Jesus as a source of comfort. You must be one with Jesus at all times, continually. Yes, Peter is your caution.
But today I want to tell you that Peter is also your hope. If you feel that you have been close to Jesus, but faltered at a step, so too did Peter. The question is, would you be willing to repent after denying Christ, like Peter? Would you be able to deal with a sense of guilt and still come out on the other side converted? Why wait? Why invite such a test of faith? Convert now.
Repent. Brothers and sisters, if you are unbaptized, repent and be baptised. If you are baptised but you don't know whether you are converted, then repent and be converted.
Listen to your conscience. Do not presume, do not procrastinate. But that was Peter.
Now let us shift the focus back to Judas. Was Judas chosen for destruction? No. The answer is plainly no.
We have the similarities of Peter and Judas and their respective experiences to demonstrate to us the following. Jesus did not decide for Peter to be converted. Rather, Jesus knew that Peter would choose to be converted after denying Christ.
So too, Jesus did not decide for Judas to be lost. Rather, Jesus knew that Judas would choose to be lost, despite all Jesus did to try and prevent it. Yes, Judas, he may have regretted what he did, but Judas, in remorse, ended his own life in despair.
Judas did not choose to repent and be converted. This is a message not preached. But it should be.
Judas could have fulfilled the prophecy to betray Jesus, and then he could have chosen to repent and be saved. And then Jesus would not have called him the son of perdition. But sadly, Judas chose not to repent and be converted.
And Jesus knew that Judas would choose not to repent. So what was the difference between Judas and Peter? What was the difference? Their personal choice to be converted. But some may ask, did Jesus not choose them to these outcomes? Brothers and sisters, this concept of choice is a source of confusion in the Bible and throughout the history of Christianity.
But the Lord has blessed me with an understanding, after careful Bible study, on this concept of choice. And here is the outcome of that study. The correct understanding is as follows.
God, which includes Jesus. God, may choose a person or even a group, to a purpose, namely, for Peter and Judas to be apostles. That is, God exercising sovereign choice on purpose.
What is the purpose of this person? Now, here we can spend time on some examples just think of some individuals. Saul. He was chosen to be king.
But at the end of Saul's life, was he chosen unto salvation? Sadly not. He chose to go to the witch of Endor and he died in despair. And sadly, Saul is not amongst the saved.
Samson, even before birth, was chosen to a purpose, to be a judge. And despite all the terrible decisions that Samson made in his life, right at the end, he chose to repent, acknowledge his God before his life ended. We see here God can choose an individual to a purpose.
But God does not choose unto salvation groups, even for groups. Let's think of the tribe of Israel. They were chosen.
They were God's elect. They were chosen to be a light unto other nations. But the Bible says not all Israel is Israel, not all of Israel is saved.
So we have God's choice to purpose as sovereign, and then we have added to God's sovereign choice regarding purpose. We also note that God has foreknowledge. God knows the choices people will make, namely that Peter would choose to deny Jesus and that Judas would choose to betray Jesus.
God knows. And you know what? He may choose you for a purpose based on his foreknowledge of your choice. So foreknowledge does not imply causation.
Let me give you an example. I have four children. If I asked each and every child of mine whether they would prefer a stick of broccoli or a candy bar, sadly, I can tell you now, they will choose the candy bar.
Now, if I called them in here and I presented the option, they would follow through and choose the candy bar. Did my foreknowledge of how I know they will choose in any way cause them to choose that way? No, foreknowledge does not imply causation. The fact that God knows how you will choose does not mean God chose for you.
So those are the first two points. God has sovereignty to choose regarding purpose. God has foreknowledge of how you will choose and may choose you for a purpose based on that foreknowledge.
But ultimately, the third point. Ultimately, each person makes their own choice for salvation. Namely, Peter chose to repent and be converted.
But Judas sadly chose not to repent and be converted. Brothers and sisters, in my morning devotions many years after writing this sermon, I read such a strong confirmation of this conclusion of my personal Bible study in prophets and kings, where Ellen White summarises it perfectly on page 536, paragraph two. The sentence goes as follows.
All are by their own choice deciding their destiny, and God is overruling all for the accomplishment of his purposes. It's very clear Ellen White understood this. We, by our own choice, decide our destiny.
We decide for salvation. But God can overrule all of our choices for purpose, for the accomplishment of his purposes. Now we choose unto salvation.
God chooses unto purpose. And brothers and sisters, hereby with this conclusion, I feel the debate between Calvin and Arminius has been settled. Calvin was a proponent of God's sovereign choice, and he was correct as it relates to purpose.
We can think of the example of the prophet Jonah. God overruled all of Jonah's choices repeatedly for Jonah to serve in God's chosen purpose as a prophet unto Nineveh. But God did not decide for Jonah regarding salvation.
Arminius was a proponent of our sovereign choice and he is correct as it applies to salvation, because God will never force us to repent, since force is not love. For repentance to be a true love response, it must be born of our own free choice. Therefore, the harmony between the two viewpoints is that we have sovereign choice unto salvation and God has sovereign choice unto purpose.
Now, why do I want to emphasise this correct understanding, brothers and sisters? Because today we have so many people choosing to believe a lie, thinking they have an excuse for being eternally lost. Some may say that they were not called or chosen by Jesus. I remind you that Jesus did not choose his disciples.
No, he invited his disciples. Matthew Eleven, verse 28, come unto me. Jesus invites his disciples.
We must choose to be his disciples. Yes. Then there are others who say that they were, as it were, prophesied, to be lost or born in the wrong culture or nation for them to be saved.
Or they were born in a certain way, which makes salvation impossible for them. And they wish to blame some external factor or circumstance beyond their control as an excuse for their own choice to be lost. This simply is not a valid excuse.
The opportunity unto salvation is available to all who hear the message of two Peter three, verse nine. The Lord is long suffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Brothers and sisters, all means all, we all have the opportunity and the ability to choose unto salvation by coming to repentance.
The world today is doing its utmost to convince some that they are hopeless and can't be saved. And the caution from the message from Judas is you may choose to believe the lie and thereby ensure that you aren't saved. Or you may choose to follow the example of Peter, and despite failures, you may still choose to be converted.
Hebrews seven, verse 25 says that Jesus is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him. The uttermost. The encouragement from Peter is, Jesus can save you.
Jesus can save you even when no one else knew you needed saving. Jesus can save you even when you disappointed him. Jesus can save you even when you denied him.
And today I want to add that Jesus can save you even when you betrayed him. But will you allow him to? Please, I urge, please, I beg of you, please pray this prayer. Luke 18, verse 13.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Amen. You've been listening to go teach all nations here on 3ABN Australia radio.
