Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.
jmfcst
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« on: April 06, 2011, 11:27:51 PM » |
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this was last Sunday's sermon, no video to go with it (not sure why), but here is the summary:
BETRAYED! What to do when you've been betrayed.
Jesus was betrayed on the last night of His earthly existence. Judas sold Him out for 30 pieces of silver.
That was prophecy. In a way, you might say Judas had no choice. It had been foretold.
But there was another betrayal that same night, and it had to be more personal to Christ than Judas' greedy act. Peter, His close disciple, betrayed Him. Three times he denied knowing who Jesus was as he watched Jesus being slapped and tormented by His accusers.
Peter paints a better picture of the pain of betrayal. In fact, when we study the Bible's great characters we learn that most of them were affected in some way by betrayal.
Moses' wife called him "a bloody man," and went back to her homeland leaving him to go to Egypt and deliver Israel alone.
David was betrayed by Saul, and by his wife, and by Absalom, his son. Then David in turn betrayed the husband of Bathsheba.
Joseph was betrayed by 10 of his brothers who sold him as a slave to a passing caravan.
We can say:
1. Everyone experiences betrayal on some level;
2. It's always from someone we trust;
3. It always hurts;
4. It always has good results, even if they are long-range!
Good results? From betrayal? If we genuinely trust God to be the Designer of our lives, we have to accept the good and the bad as if God has a purpose in it. Remember the verse "all things work together for good?" It doesn't say all things are good, just that all things, good or bad, work together for good.
So it is with betrayal. If you've ever been betrayed, or if you ever are in your future, it will probably have a good result in the long run.
Joseph's example is the purest. His brothers sold him, then lied to their father, telling him a wild beast must have devoured his son. Thirty some odd years later they brothers come begging in Egypt for food and do not realize they are standing before their brother begging. Do you know what he tells these liars who betrayed him all those years ago? "Do not be angry at yourselves that you sold me... it was not you who sent me here, but God!" (Gen. 45:5-8).
So here's what to do when you're betrayed:
1. Forgive those who betray you;
2. Trust that God is ordering your steps, that your life in designed by Him, and His design includes the betrayal your experiencing;
3. When you prosper and are blessed, share your blessing with those who betrayed you.
This must be what Christ meant when He taught us to "turn the other cheek," to "pray for those who despitefully use you," and to "bless those who curse you" (Matt. 5:44).
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