High Treason

Acts 1: 16-26
He said: My friends, long ago by the power of the Holy Spirit, David said something about Judas, and what he said has now happened. Judas was one of us and had worked with us, but he brought the mob to arrest Jesus. Then Judas bought some land with the money he was given for doing that evil thing. He fell headfirst into the field. His body burst open, and all his insides came out. When the people of Jerusalem found out about this, they called the place Akeldama, which in the local language means "Field of Blood."
In the book of Psalms it says, "Leave his house empty, and don't let anyone live there."It also says,"Let someone else have his job."
...Two men were suggested: One of them was Joseph Barsabbas, known as Justus, and the other was Matthias. Then they all prayed, "Lord, you know what everyone is like! Show us the one you have chosen to be an apostle and to serve in place of Judas, who got what he deserved." They drew names, and Matthias was chosen to join the group of the eleven apostles.

Judas is a easy person to dislike, he was the traitor, the one who betrayed the Savior of the world. Truth is, we have despised people for less. I recognize that Judas is the villian, but have you ever wondered "but for the grace of God...that might be me?" It is hard to imagine being lumped in with a guy like Judas, but look at all the opportunities Judas had and compare them with the choices he made. We have accepted, by faith, Jesus as our Lord and Savior, despite the world's indifference toward and blatant rejection of the "historical" Jesus. Yet, Judas got the see and touch and hear the one who made all things, yet clothed Himself in humanity. He got to see the miracles of those whose sight was restored, whose ears were unstopped, whose bodies were revived, and then he was given the privilege to perform these same miracles.

But then look at the choice he makes, "Judas went to talk with the chief priests and the officers of the temple police about how he could help them arrest Jesus." (Luke 22:4). How do you go from casting out demons and performing bona fide miracle healings, to selling out the Messiah?
But Luke 22:3 gives us the answer "Then Satan entered the heart of Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve apostles"

Satan entered his heart! You may want to believe that for somebody who was doing the miracles Judas was doing, Satan must have broken in; maybe through the back door, or the side window. But I think that Revelation 3:20 lets us know that the only way into our hearts, is through the front door, which we must open. Judas' reputation for stealing from the treasury left the door wide open for Satan to enter his heart. Choices he made along the way prepared him to make this great and foolish choice to betray the Savior.

However, the sad thing is that this was not his worst decision. Satan will have us to believe that when we have made bad choices and done things that we are not proud of, that we must forever define our life by that choice. Judas chose to believe Satan's lie that he could not be for given for "High Treason" and without hope he took his life and all that was left of him became food for the dogs.

Some may not agree with me, but I believe that the love of God is big enough and able to forgive even those who commit High Treason. Judas' access to the Calvary's Cross is the same like yours and mine, but he chose to believe the lie that His sin was too great to be forgiven.

Sadly, many of us are carrying the burden of condemnation that Jesus died to take from us. Being forgiven does not mean we will ever forget, nor does it not mean that we would not want to change things if we could, but what it does mean is that the condemnation that makes us destroy our lives with self-loathing, with debilitating guilt that prevents us from contributing to life, and leaves us unable to see that we can be used by God despite... OURSELF.

This condemnation is GONE. We are free! Free to go and sin no more, free to help somebody who IS where we WERE. Free to become a new creation, a new person.

Matthew 11:28 (The Message)
28-30"Are you tired? Worn out?...Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Strange Fire

Leviticus 10: 1-3

1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them.
2 And there came forth fire from before Jehovah, and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah.
3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that Jehovah spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

It appears that Nadab and Abihu had intoxicated themselves before going into the temple to officiate, losing their clarity of thought and judgment they chose to offer incense using “strange fire” instead of the fire God Himself had kindled as a show of his favor and pleasure with the sacrifice offered on behalf of the Nation of Israel. This strange fire displeased God and the sons of the high priest were consumed by fire.

Every time I read this brief narrative I am again reminded of the responsibility that rests upon us as believers. The priceless gift of Christ's sacrifice is being desecrated by the unconverted and rebellious. The blood of Jesus Christ was the only means of satisfying the ransom demand of sin and death that kept us hostage, and now that we are freed from that condemnation, the invitation in extended to us as freedmen and women to walk after the Spirit, for it the Spirit that navigates the path which leads to eternal life.

Yet, even while Christ has done all the work and allows us to freely drink from this fountain of Grace, many have chosen to drink from the well of popular culture, determining right from wrong on the grounds of what is acceptable and what is not, measured only by popular opinion. The ability to discern the will of God is lost somewhere between the view, “that this was written so long ago and does not apply today” and the false teachings being attributed to the Bible but is only found in the gospel of “Nowhere 3:16”. Intoxicated by pop culture, many are still trying to make spiritual decisions, but with very little clarity of thought and poor judgment and we are seeing the results reflected in our relationships, lifestyles habits, moral values and they are being passed on to our children.

God is still as particular today as he was when this story was recorded; He has done the work so that we might experience life victorious over sin, and that we may glorify Him through our lives so others might find for themselves the free gift of salvation, that we have found in Christ Jesus.

In choosing their own fire, strange fire, they presumed that their way was a good as God’s way, however the end result was their consummation by fire. Aaron unable to mourn his sons, recognized that their act of disobedience caused them to become their own sin offering (verse 10). There was no need for their death because God had already accepted the sacrifice that would take their place, but it was their own choosing led to their demise.

I pray that we will turn to the Word of God, the Bible, to find direction for our lives, because “There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12), but His Word is "a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)