“It Was Always Going to Come to This” (Acts 1:24-25)
“It Was Always Going to Come to This” (Acts 1:24-25)
Some life stories only end in one way: judgment. Have you ever
listened to someone tell you something, maybe a story about someone’s life, and
you just knew that based on what they were telling you, there could be only one
possible outcome.
We are living in a time where people (nice people, kind people, rich
people, poor people, pretty people) openly defy God. While I know that most of
us are only “trying to make it” or “trying to grab a little happiness and peace
where we can” there remains the issue of how we have offended the majesty and
indeed, the sovereignty, of God.
For Judas, it was always going to come to this. I think that each person
who knows his story senses some type of predestination toward destruction. But
did you know that in Judas’ story is contained the story of every person who will
ever go to Hell?
Acts 1:25 indicates that Judas “fed?” due to his transgression and is now
“in his own place.” That place is hell, and an examination of his life, and all of
ours, will show that it was always going to come to this. Consider the following
four points.
1. Life and Death (Heaven and Hell) are known from Eternity Past
a. God revealed, through David, a prophecy concerning Judas
(Psalm 41:9). In Acts 1:16, Peter interpreted this verse as
being about Judas. He said it was the fulfillment of Scripture.
Wherever you are right now in your life (happy, sad, in sin or
righteous), it has been declared, ordained, and decreed from the
foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4; Isaiah 46:9-10).
i. There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
ii. All that will be about each of us, has already been
written (Psalm 139:16).
b.
2. Judas was a deceiver.
a.
All the disciples were cast as having no faith as they dealt with
Christ (Matthew 8:26; 14:31; Mark 9:19).
i. Peter was even ¢
used by Jesus, on one oceasion of
speaking for the Devil (Matthew 16:23).
James and John were full of ambition, spurred on by
their mother (Mark 10:35-37). These were also the
same two who wanted to burn a village down for
rejecting Christ (Luke 9:54-55),
i i ccused them all of being
On various occasions Jesus accused i
selfish (Luke 22:24-27) and of having no compassion for
the crowds (Matthew 15:23-24). =
Sheena that Christ called “a devil” John 6:70).
age his or her true intentions @e
iii,
Judas was the only disciple
The devil can camoufl
b.
i
Corinthians 11:3).
Judas managed to act
with the chief priests
(Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11). =
It was Judas who was trying to get Jesus away from the
crowds so that He could be killed (Mark 14:11; Luke 22:6)
Judas was even the treasurer among Jesus and His
disciples, and he found time to steal from the disciples
as if he were loyal, while meeting
and the elders to betray Jesus
i
iv
(John 12:4-6).
given the chance to repent.
h we may have sinned mightily, Christ gives us a chance to
come clean (Luke 5:32; 15:7).
Judas* chance to repent came at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:21-
24).
i. One by one the disciples ask Christ: “Lord is it 1?” (John
13:21-25) When Judas asks, the Lord says: “You have said
so” (Matthew 26:25).
ii. When Jesus washed their feet, He said openly:
of you is clean” (John 13:11).
iii. When it was time for Judas to leave to betray Jesus, Jesus
told him to “do it quickly” (John 13:27).
iv. When the soldiers showed up looking for Jesus, they didn’t
know who He was. They depended on Judas to identify
Jesus — which he did — with a kiss (Matthew 26:48-49).
4.Death is merely the gateway to Eternity.
a. Judas died in despair (Matthew 27:3-5).
b. For the sinner death is described as the “King of Terrors” (Job
18:14), :
c. Judas ended up in the place that was set aside for him in eternal
damnation (Acts 1:25),
“Christ First, Christ Only, Christ Always”