Mark 14:3-4. And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply. …10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.

Here in the book of Mark, the author tells a well known story of Mary coming to anoint Jesus’ body while at the house of Simon the leper.  That statement is significant in itself, the fact they were eating at the home of a former leper speaks of Jesus healing power (the book of John tells this same story and we find out a risen Lazarus was also present).  Yet it is here where the rubber seemed to meet the road for Judas.  I call it his breaking point, because it was here when Mary broke open the alabaster box of perfume smelling oil (alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard), that she would unknowingly be preparing Jesus’s body for burial.  

However, this breaking of the alabaster box, sent Judas spiraling.  He couldn’t fathom how something so expensive could be wasted on Jesus and not given to the ministry that he was working so hard to finance.  We later in John’s gospel find out it was Judas making the comment, and we see here that he had others also angry as it said  some who were indignant (moved with indignation or resentment, to be very displeased).

So much so that Judas, Evan after Jesus pleas for them to understand that what Mary was doing held special value, he immediately got up and went to the chief priests to betray Him (Jesus) to them (the high priests).  Wow resentment (bitterness) will make you quickly loose the big picture, fracture relationships, make permanent decisions based on temporary circumstances

That’s where I want to park today, Judas could not obviously determine from this ladies one action, that Jesus, who they knew to be the Son of God, needed to be betrayed.  I beg you to consider that these feelings had been building up.  We having hindsight know that his betrayal was a part of the divine plan, but his humanity still had to get him to this decision point.  What was it.  Was it that fact that when he came aboard to follow this rabbi, Judas had different expectations?  Could it be that because Judas was in charge of the money, all of the denarii he watch pass through their coffers, he realized how lucrative this could be or maybe how much he could have?  Maybe Judas was thinking about the life he left and what he loss to follow this guy who maybe didn’t seem to the King Judas hoped he would be.  Maybe his relationship had soured with Jesus and this was the last straw, the last difference of opinion, the straw that broke the camel’s back.  

Judas would then make a decision that changed everything.  It destroyed his walk with Jesus; his faith in God; his relationship with his brothers and filled him with embarrassment and shame. It cost Jesus his life; it destroyed the ministry they had built (as he knew it) and it ultimately cost him his own life as well.  If only he could have waited until the circumstances around him changed.  How different would life had been for him. 

What resentment are you holding on to, I mean gripping to for dear life.  Who hurt you that bad, that your blinders are up and all you see is read.  You have completely cut off the relationship (at least the way it was and could still be); you have isolated your feelings to the point where your heart is rock solid.  

Stop!!! Let Judas help you.  The circumstances are about to change, hold on I know it hurts but open your heart again.  Let Jesus do what He was about to do for Judas, Change Everything.  Jesus revealed the truth of who He was (in his persecution and execution on the cross) to the disciples, yes even Judas and while it was too late to stop his rash decision, it was not too late to save his life.  Jesus died for all of our sins including that decision Judas made.  And also for you and that person you currently resent.  But resentment will cloud your judgement; open you up to irrational decisions and ultimately lead to guilt and shame.  If Judas was here I guarantee he would have many sermons to offer on this topic, but for now let his life do the speaking.

James 1:13-15 NKJV

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

I was drawn (get it) to this verse today, and could not hep but wonder about a couple of words and their Greek meanings.  It was pretty interesting, walk with me.

We know the author and creator of temptation.  He showed his seductive face in the early chapters of Genesis, when he painted a deceptive picture of the Tree God told Adam and Eve not to eat from.  Yes satan, the devil, Beelzebub, or just the enemy, whatever you call him, he is the villain of all our stories.  So with this as the foundation of our journey let’s look at the text.

Let no one say when he is tempted (g3985; in the Greek; peirazō, meaning-to try whether a thing can be done; or to attempt, or to endeavour; lastly to try, make trial of, test), “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

I think that we can all agree or should all agree that God does not do either of those things to us.  He does not need to try or test to see if something can be done; He can do all things.  He doesn’t attempt anything, He does it.  Therefore, temptation is not aligned with His character.  So if you did not before let’s all agree now.  TEMPTATION CANNOT COME FROM GOD.  

Next, But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  There is a point when we are all tempted.  Let’s cancel another thought, the devil is not bringing temptation and throwing it at us.  The text clearly states that temptation happens when he is drawn away (g1828, the Greek word exelkō, meaning-to draw out or draw away. To lure forth as in hunting and fishing as game is lured from its hiding place, so man by lure is allured from the safety of self-restraint to sin).  I find this to be fascinating.  If you’ve ever been fishing, (I’ve only ever hunted as a kid if you consider going after black bird with a BB gun near the canal by my childhood home) you have a unique strategy.  You bait the hook, putting something on the hook that the fish wants.  Something that will make the fish come to your bait which is really covering the trap (the hook).  And that is just what the enemy does.  He sees what you desire, what you want and cleverly places it where it can be seen but away from your hiding place or the safety of self-restraint.  You see when the fish is in its hiding place it’s safe.  It has to come out from the protection.  If we stay in our safe place; (Psalm 91:1 NKJV. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty), we cannot be lead astray, we have to come out from the protection.  

We’re drawn away from safety by his own desires (g1939, the Greek word epithymia, meaning-to desire, to lust after, to crave, have a longing desire for what is forbidden) and enticed.  Lusting what is forbidden.  Going back to Satan’s first deception, isn’t that exactly what he did make what was forbidden seem desirable.  Our lust and desires draw us away from the Safety we’ve been given, have set up for ourselves, even provided by others.  

If only it stopped there we could have a chance.  Because it is here that our desire shifts gears and goes full throttle.  You see when we stray away going after desire, that’s when desire has conceived (g4815, the Greek word syllambanō, meaning-to clasp, to seize (arrest or capture); to catch, or take one as prisoner; and while ot also means to conceive, as of a woman, those other meanings are terrifying because they seem to work together.  Physically capturing taking you prisoner then forcing conception somewhat like rape), it gives birth (g5088, the Greek word tiktō, meaning-to produce (from seed) producing sin) to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.  Like the woman in the book of Proverbs, chapter 7 she gives the perfect example of this process.  

However, God loves us too much to allow even our weaknesses to doom us.  He gave us all a way to escape when our own desires get us into a harmful situation.  

1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

The Lord came to protect us from ourselves and as if dying on the cross to cover all of our sins was not enough.  He has also given us outlets to save us from ourselves and our waywardness that can keep us from living the life freedom He also came to provide for us.

God cannot tempt us it is not in His character.  The devil cannot attack us in our safe places, we have to leave and open ourselves up to him.   When we leave ourselves open, the enemy wants to imprison us but God has given each of us a way of escape.  

Matthew 27:3-6 NKJV

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” 5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

There is a recent story about Kyren Lacy, who was a star football player at LSU. Many projected him to be a no-brainer first-round draft pick. That means generational wealth for him and his family. Why do I bring this up??

Lacy was being charged with vehicular homicide for an accident that he had nothing to do with. However, he was pointed out as the culprit by the lady who actually hit the car that killed the gentleman in the passing vehicle. The sad part is that once the video was released, it was plain to see that Lacey’s car was nearly 80 yards behind the accident. It was apparent, but two people pinned the blame on Lacy, and he was criminally charged. 

Why do I share this story with you, and what does it have to do with this scripture?

Judas was a disciple of Jesus; he spent approximately three years with this Messiah. Day after day, he saw miracles, healings, and people changed. And even as close as he was to Holiness, he betrayed Jesus because he thought he knew better than Jesus. 

However, after making the worst decision of his life, he was extremely remorseful. Here, however, is where the condemnation kicks in. Condemnation means to give judgment against, to judge worthy of punishment. And in that is where Judas found himself. After realizing his mistake, he then wanted to punish himself. He then went and hanged himself. 

Judas spent all that time with the living Savior, yet he never truly knew his love. 

Unfortunately, this is why I brought this up. Kyren Lacy knew he was innocent, but charged, and even worse, he was made to believe that he was indeed complicit in the death of the other driver. The condemnation drove him to a similar fate; he felt that he deserved punishment for a crime he never committed. 

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

We need to be clear; for those who are in Christ, there is no condemnation. This means that when we feel condemned, it is the flesh, not the Spirit. 

We all live in the flesh, which means some days we will feel condemned, unworthy, or even unloved. Yet the truth is, God does not give us those feelings, and that is all they are. He gave us His Son, Jesus, who died for all of our sins. Because He did God said in Heb 8:12 “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Had Judas or Kyren Lacy understood this, perhaps they would not have punished themselves and allowed themselves to be loved and forgiven. 

Have you ever seen a quote, and thought for sure it came from a famous person or a particular type of individual, only to be stunned when you see the person who spoke such impactful or incredibly ignorant words?  Yes, that was a mouthful.  But it was exactly what I thought when reading Matthew Chapter 8.  If I told you that Jesus said of this person:

Matt 8:10

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

Then later in this same chapter Jesus would say of this group:

Matt 8:26

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”

Of course you, like me would say that the first verse shared had to be one of those disciples closest to him, maybe Peter, James or even John.  They were with Jesus in the most incredible of situations and clearly had been able to see Miracles and heard the most faith filled sermons ever spoken.  That had to be them right?

And of course the second verse had to be some rebellious Jewish Pharisee or even a non Jewish outlaw who could care nothing about the word’s of Jesus.  Of course…..

We would be both wrong.  

Matthew 8:5 NKJV

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,

A centurion: an officer in the Roman army received one of the greatest honors by hearing these words from Jesus: “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

From a Roman solder!!!

Then who was he speaking of in the second verse: 

Matt 8:10 8:25 NKJV

Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

Come on that, cannot be right.  The disciples are the ones with little faith?  Well if they didn’t have faith, what hope do we have??  Don’t be discouraged, Paul exhorts us by reminding us:

Romans 5:5 NKJV

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

So why did I write this?  Just to remind us that Jesus is worth our Faith and He is always looking for Faith to reward.  Even in those times where we are scared and it seems like our ship is going down, we can have faith in Jesus.  Because regardless of what storm we might be going through, there is a second part of that scripture we can put our faith in: 

Matthew 8:26 NKJV

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 

HE WILL CALM YOUR STORM

The 14 chapter of John’s Gospel is rich with Jesus’ teachings/prayers/declarations.  He is speaking a lot in this chapter.  So much so that I counted only 3 of the 31 verses are not in red (red lettering in certain bibles denote Jesus actually speaking; therefor the white wording is typically words of that chapter’s author or someone else other than Jesus speaking).  Therefore, to me this chapter is significant; just read through it and you will see.  Jesus tell us about the mansions that await us in heaven, how He is going prepare a place for us (Believers), He’s the only way to the Father, those that believe in Him will do greater works than Him, if we ask anything in His name…He will do it, He will send the Holy Spirit to help us……Do you understand the major things Jesus tells us in this chapter it is unbelievable.  

Yet in all of these gems being shared, Jesus tells us twice to not let our hearts be troubled.

John 14:1 NKJV

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 

John 14:27 NKJV

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 Why!!!

Jesus knows everything, so He knows that regardless of all that He is assuring us of; our hearts will still be affected.  We will definitely have times of fear.  

Why will our hearts be troubled as believers of Jesus?  Because Life happens and we are human.  We cannot go through this life, in this temporary body and not be afraid.  So Jesus gives us an anchor to hold on to in this 14th chapter.  Believe in God and in Jesus.  If we believe in God, that He sent Jesus His son to this earth to die for us in the divine exchange where His righteousness was exchanged for our sinfulness; then we will become the righteousness of God through Christ.  That is what we must believe.  However, Jesus did not stop there (yet the truth of the Gospel is more than enough), He also left us His Peace.  His Peace is not like ours or anyone in this world, a fading peace a disrupted peace a finicky peace.  But His Peace is Shalom Peace which in Hebrew means: 

completeness, safety, soundness (in body), welfare, health, prosperity, peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment, peace used of human relationships, and peace with God especially in our covenant relationship with Jesus. 

Sound familiar; it should.  

Regardless of all of the unknown that lies ahead; for that matter all that we do know which lies ahead…Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled!!!  Because HIS PEACE is in us, with us and for us

Luke 5:2-3 NKJV and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.  3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

Peter was tired, smelly and most likely frustrated.  It was after a tough night on the job, they had toiled all night and caught nothing.  Have you ever worked hard, going at it hard, the right way with the right heart and yet caught nothing?  Imagine how disappointing that is, what kind of mood would you be in?  So how do you think Peter felt when this young guy hops in his boat and starts telling him what to do?  

Honestly, it was the perfect scenario for Peter to miss out on destiny.  It was at Peter’s lowest that God got in his business.  Jesus asked Peter to get back to work so that others would be blessed.  Can Jesus use your business like that, to be a blessing to others while not benefiting you. Others can be helped, healed and h, but you seemingly are not impacted.  Now obviously, Perer had been a part of one of the greatest sermons, he’d ever heard, becausehe went from not knowing who this young priest was to believing in the very words that came out of his mouth.   

Jesus however did not even give Peter time to sulk.  The word said, When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.  The minute Jesus stopped speaking to the crowd, he directed Peter to go work another shift.  

This could have gone off the rails after all Peter was a notorious “cusser” (yeah i spelled it like that).  What would you have said (with all of your attitude, all of your expertise in the business)?  Peter, I’m sure felt that way because he told Jesus they were tired and had already tried for the night (Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing).  But Peter has just sat and listened to this man, something clicked because with all of Peter’s fishing know how, understand of fishing trends and market strategy, Peter laid it all aside and said; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.  I will listen to You and do what You said.  

Will I listen?  Will you listen…then do what He said.

Galatians 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Whenever I think about pleasing people, I always think of King Saul first. Maybe it is because he told Samuel that he feared the People rather than Obeying God. 

1 Samuel 15:24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

We often pile on Saul because of this and multiple other actions, such as this during his time as king. After all, he disobeyed and had the kingdom stripped from him, was told about his replacement, and spent years attempting to kill him rather than to help train him up. Ultimately, he filed in the role of king and his role as a father. 

Yeah, that sucks, and he was terrible, and I guess as a people pleaser myself, I can relate. I have often feared what people would say and made decisions based on that fear. Usually leading to worse outcomes. Now, I wasn’t in the role of King where my actions impacted hundreds of thousands of people, but enough close to me have been affected enough to do damage. 

Why do I bring this up? I have compassion for Saul while also understanding the root of his people-pleasing. INSECURITY-(uncertainty or anxiety about oneself; lack of confidence)!! Look at what he told Samuel when he told Saul that he was the desire of Israel. 

1 Samuel 9:21 And Saul answered and said, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?”

Saul belittled himself and his family, not out of humility but out of a lack of confidence in himself. We don’t know enough about Saul to understand why he was so insecure, but the Bible tells us he was from a lineage of Benjamites, including one ancestor who was a mighty man of power. Also, for Saul, there was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward, he was taller than any of the people. So he was Tall, Dark, and Handsome (1 Samuel 9:1-2). However, we do know that Saul’s insecurity would lead to poor decision-making that would impact people. 

Maybe Saul did not realize his lineage or how so many other people saw him, but it was very clear that he did not understand how God saw him and had selected Saul to be the anointed King and savior of Israel from the Philistines. Saul had what it took to be a great King, but that was not the case. He is known in the Bible as one of the most insecure kings of all time.

What if Saul knew what we know today, that Jesus Christ the righteous is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1 John 2:1-2)? What if he knew that the Lord would say, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 8:12).”

Well, maybe that is what we should remember. Maybe knowing that regardless of what we have done, God does not remember because of Jesus, and we have a clean slate because of the blood would help our confidence. 

Next, we’ll look at another Saul, who honestly is quite the opposite of this one. 

Nahum 1:3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way In the whirlwind and the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet.

So I noticed this text in Nahum speaking of “The Lord.” It is the name Yahweh (self-existent or Eternal) or JEHOVAH. As I focus on the first part of this text, The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. I wanted to discuss a few quick things. 

1. God is Merciful: The Lord is slow to anger. This is nothing new; we know that God has found ways to protect His creation from the sin that so quickly causes us to fall, whether it was covering Adam & Eve with animal skin and putting them out of the garden after their disobedience, sparing them from the potential of eternal damnation and or putting Noah and his family to work on an Arc that would protect them from the coming flood, or sending Jesus to die for all our sins so that we could live forever with Him in Paradise. God has proven Himself full of Mercy, slowing His anger to give us another chance. 
2. God is Powerful: This goes without saying. God created the Heavens and the Earth. He created Man from the dust of the ground. He created rain and used it to flood out the corrupt world that sin had infiltrated. He repopulated the entire earth that He’d made. He parted the Red Sea to allow Israel to escape through and then used the same sea to drown and kill the most powerful army of its time. He has done miracle upon miracle as documented in the Bible and many not documented. So YES, God is Powerful, and He can do ALL THINGS!!!
3. God is Consistent: God never changes. We know that the Holy Trinity, God (the Father), Jesus Christ (the Son), and the Holy Spirit (the Helper) were created in three different ways. We can relate to His Greatness. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the same: Consistent. He loves Us and hates Sin, which is why He was so creative in making a plan to make both principles executable. God dealt with sin consistently, punishable by death. In the Old Testament, many people died and were punished for sin and disobedience. Yet, God showed His consistency and Love in the New Testament by sending His Son, Jesus, to take on all the Sin that would ever enter the Earth again. 
4. God is Brilliant: God allowed Jesus to be crucified with all Sin on the cross, demonstrating both His love for us by removing our Sin (there is an action we must take) & Hating Sin by destroying it forever on the cross with Jesus’ body. God showed His Mercy, Power, & Consistency in the most Brilliant move of all. He resurrected Jesus from the dead, overcoming death and the grave to annihilate Sin forever. This gives everyone alive after Jesus was crucified and then raised from the dead to take one action to determine their eternity. Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Once this action is taken, God then says: Hebrews 10:16-17 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Do not let anyone tell you that God is punishing you, that God is counting your sin against you, that if you sin, you are going to hell. That if you sin, it will keep you from heaven. When you take action (Romans 10:9), God says (Hebrews 10:16-17). Never forget it or let anyone try and confuse you. God is The Same!!!!