How to Handle Betrayal

Pastor Mike will be speaking on How to Handle Betrayal. He will be in John 18:1-11.

When you’re betrayed, you easily withdraw. You quit trusting. You quit loving. You quit helping. You quit ministering because you don’t want to be hurt again. And I’m saying Jesus, though being betrayed, did not stop caring and loving.

Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders from The Open Door Church, and we want to welcome you to our radio broadcast, Hope Worth Having. We are so delighted that you have taken time today to tune in, and we’re looking forward to as we study God’s Word.

We’re going to be in the Gospel of John, chapter 18. We’re going to be covering verses 1 through 11. That’s John 18, verses 1 through 11. We’re going to be teaching on how to handle betrayal. I want you to join me.

Grab your Bible, grab your pen, paper, and let’s study together as we learn in John 18, verse 1 through 11. Jesus led his disciples out of the city after having this great momentous and meaningful prayer time into a garden called Garden of Gethsemane.

Judas knows that this is a special place of prayer. He acknowledges that this is a place of solitude for our Savior in that he frequently visited this garden of Gethsemane. So Judas comes, and he comes with his soldiers, the Roman soldiers, to betray Jesus.

The Apostle Paul put it like this in describing to the church at Corinth, I have received of the Lord that which I have delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread.

Judas arrives with the soldiers to take Jesus into custody. This would be the time. This would be the moment they had to get this done before the large crowds. would gather into the city of Jerusalem.

John would tell us earlier in John 6, verse 64, that Jesus even acknowledged and knew that this betrayal was on its way, in that Jesus said, but there are some of you that believe not, for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray Him.

Unfortunately, Judas was looking for a political king, not a personal king. It is a warning that comes to all of us this morning. Make sure that you’re not looking for a political king, but you are looking for a personal king to save you from your sins.

The Bible goes on to say in John 13 2, that the supper being ended and the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him. You see, Judas is a prime example of a professing believer.

who was a false disciple. It causes all of us to be sober and to make sure that we are examining where we are at in our faith. There are many people that profess Christ but do not possess Christ in that He lives in them.

The Spirit of God has filled their heart and they are truly born again. They have truly trusted in Christ. My friends, you say I said the words but see the Bible says with the heart, man believes unto righteousness.

And God is more concerned with our hearts than He is on the outside. And you and I may say all the right things and we may do all the right things but if our heart is not in tune with Jesus Christ then we are very much like the Pharisees and Sadducees in which Jesus said their heart is far from God.

May it not be true of us that we know that our faith is real. We come to this text this morning, we learn that injustices in this world are inevitable because we live in a flawed world. We live in a sinful world.

We live in a fallen world. And sooner or later, every one of us is going to be misunderstood, misquoted. Every one of us is gonna be betrayed. It’s an experience that all of us share but that does not make it easier for us to endure.

And when we think about betrayal, we come and we look and we see our Savior who was betrayed. This morning I wanna teach you four principles on how Jesus handled betrayal. And I want you to learn how to handle betrayal.

I wanna learn how to handle betrayal. and I want us to let these principles soak into our hearts and be embedded into our minds into which when we encounter these circumstances that we can respond like Jesus.

The first principle on how to handle betrayal is simply the word courage. I want you to look at verse 1 of chapter 18. We’re gonna read through verse 14. The Bible says when Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook of Kidron, where was a garden into which he entered and his disciples.

And Judas also which betrayed him knew the place for Jesus oftentimes resorted thither with his disciples. Judas then having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees comes thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.

Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth and said unto them, whom seek ye? It was across the Kidron Valley into the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus would lead his disciples, and they would come to this special place that Jesus so often came to seek out God, to bring his disciples in special prayer.

You recall in the other gospels that we are told that the disciples were praying, and Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to go with him just a little bit farther and to pray, and then Jesus went a little bit farther than Peter, James, and John, and he looked back, and Peter, James, and John, after being requested by our Savior to pray, they were sleeping.

Jesus Christ understood the magnitude of what was about to come upon him in relating to him bearing the sins of mankind, but it is certainly not overlooked that Jesus understood in the process of him going to the cross he would have to encounter betrayal by one of his disciples, and it is not overlooked that he crossed the Kidron Valley because that is the place where King David was betrayed by his own son,

Absalon, where Absalon rebelled against him, and the Bible says in 2 Samuel chapter 15 and verse 23, that all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over, the king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over towards the way of the wilderness, and they were there in this valley in deep despair because of the betrayal of Absalon.

towards the King. And now the King of Kings, Lord Jesus Christ, who will one day rule and reign from the seat of David in Jerusalem, not just spiritually, but physically, he will return, church, amen?

And he will come back and he will sit in that seat and that’s why Israel means so much to us and that’s why we believe the land was given to them by God and that Jesus Christ from the lineage of David will sit in this kingdom and he will rule and he will reign.

The thing that I want you to note is that he will right every wrong in this world and he will make all the injustices to be brought to bear to accountability. We live in a flawed world, we live in a world that is sinful and there are going to be injustices in this world and just like our savior was betrayed.

And just like King David was betrayed, you and I will encounter betrayal. But it’s gonna take courage. Jesus did not overreact, did you see that? Look at again, verse four. He said, whom seek ye? They came, they had all the weapons.

We see in verse three, they brought the torches, they brought the weapons, they’re all geared up, they’re all gonna attack, and they’re all ready for a big battle, and there is just Jesus Christ. But he shows great courage, he does not run, he does not hide from the conflict, he does not blame other people, but he simply confronts the situation, he does not shrink from the moment, and he shows incredible courage in the midst of being betrayed by Judas.

How would the soldiers know who Jesus is? Judas would walk up and give the kiss of the disciple to Jesus. For when the disciples had been on a journey and they gathered back together, they would greet one another with a kiss, and there was a sign of affection and a sign of commitment and loyalty, and Judas would take that sign of a kiss and he would invert it and make it into the kiss of betrayal towards Jesus Christ,

and Jesus shows courage. He does not walk it back, but why and how? Go back to verse four. Jesus, therefore knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth and said unto them. You see, obviously Jesus is God, he knows all things, but more specifically, Jesus knew the plan of God.

He knew the purpose of God. He knew what God was up to, and his confidence and his trust was totally in the Father. that the timing was right and that the timing was according to God’s perfect plan and that God would sink all this together to bring about the salvation of the souls of people like you and I.

When we face betrayal it’s going to require courage in our hearts and in order for us to have courage we’re going to have to trust the Father. We’re going to have to trust that even when we don’t understand and even though we cannot see all things and even though we don’t see everything unfolding in our life that we trust the Father, that He’s got this world, He’s got it in His hands and He’s in charge,

He’s the King of Kings, He’s the Lord of Lords and He is running this world and even though the devil would like to destroy the world and the work of God and the purpose of God, God is bringing about His great purpose in every heart and in every life and He is orchestrating the events in our life that we.

might bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Courage can only be rooted in faith in a God who is sovereign. The second thing I want you to note is power. How to handle betrayal? Like Jesus, with courage, with power.

We look at verse five and six, the Bible says they answered him, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus saith unto them, I am. Now the word he, if it’s in italics in your translation, it’s not even in the Greek language, Jesus just simply said, I am.

And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am, they went backwards and fell to the ground. I did some research. What does it mean to go backwards? What does it mean to fall to the ground?

And scholars kind of vary on this, but either way, it doesn’t deny the power of God. Did they step back so overwhelmed with God himself? Jesus Christ revealing that he is God, he said, I am. Nothing that would shock his disciples, for they had already heard him declare that he is the I am.

The Jewish readers, the Jewish minds would know that I am was the one who sent Moses to deliver them. They would acknowledge this, did this bring them to back up and fall down and worship Jesus? We don’t know specifically, did it cause them to stumble and fumble and fall down because of his great power?

Jesus said, I am. There was an awareness among everyone that was there of the great power of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was doing everything according to the plan of God. His death would not be some accident.

He would not be… taken by Roman soldiers unless he willingly surrender himself to those soldiers. In this moment Jesus when he said I am and they fell back or they stepped back and bowed down and worship whatever it is there was an acknowledgement of his power.

There was a message to all who would read this that Jesus is God which is the sole purpose of the gospel of John in that John is trying to teach us from chapter to chapter verse to verse that Jesus who has come to this world he is equal with the Father he is sent by the Father and he is on mission from the Father and he is on an assignment from the Father to bring about the salvation of people like you and I and so in this moment of great power we are reminded of the words of Jesus in John 10 verse 18 in which Jesus said no man taketh it from me talking about his life I lay it down of myself I have power to lay it down I have power to take it again this commandment have I received of my father Jesus at any moment could have called legions thousands of angels to wipe out those soldiers but he didn’t because he voluntarily gave his life for you and I according to the plan of God acts 2 23 Christ being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain yes power Jesus demonstrated his power in the midst of betrayal for you and I as we face betrayal in our own lives we are going to need the power of God we are going to need the power of God sometimes to just resist the temptation to respond in the flesh we’re going to need the power of God to be able to have a sense of God’s plan and God’s purpose in this betrayal we’re going to need the power of God to continue to move forward the apostle Paul said I can do all things through Christ who what you see listen it doesn’t mean you can jump out of an airplane without a parachute and be okay but what it does mean is that when you walk through the hardships and the challenges of life when you walk through the valleys of life that there is a savior who can empower you and strengthen you and help you to fulfill God’s perfect plan for your life to accomplish all that God has purposed in your life and that even in the moment of anxiety and the moment of conflict and the moment of stress in your heart that there is a savior who is enabling you so that you can fulfill what God has called you to do,

and that you can be willing to step into the opposition, step into the struggle, step into the pain, step into the problem, step into the people who are creating so much difficulty for you. You remember that Paul was a man of prayer, and he prayed that God would deliver him from the thorn of the flesh.

And Jesus’ response was simply this, my grace is what? Be sufficient. Don’t you wish God sometimes would just get us out of a mess? But so many times God says, step into the mess, because my grace is enough.

My grace is more than enough for you. Don’t you wish that sometimes God would get rid of the difficult people in your life? Don’t you wish that he would just… Take care of those sandpaper people in your life that rub you the wrong way.

But God says step in, step in. My grace is sufficient. When we face betrayal in our life, we need the power of God. We need the power of the great I am. We need the power of God that caused the soldiers in whatever sense to step back or to fall down.

We need that kind of power being manifested in our lives in small ways and big ways in our hearts. We need God to help us as we face opposition. Listen to me, church, that many times as believers, we think that when there is opposition, that somehow we are out of the will of God.

But I am here to say to you this morning that if there is no opposition, you might be out of the will of God. But when you are facing opposition, you very much are most likely doing what God has called you to do and that it is the devil who desires to bring you down.

I remind you this morning that the soldiers, they brought weapons, they brought lanterns, they brought all this stuff that they were gonna take Jesus out with. But listen, we do not, we do not wrestle with flesh and blood this morning.

Our weapons are not of this warfare in this world. Our weapons are of God. They are spiritual and our power is sinked into our hearts. It is poured into our lives through the power of the Spirit of God and the power of the Word of God and the power of the fellowship of God’s people, the power of walking with Jesus Christ every day in our life.

This is what helps us to step into the opposition. The third thing I want you to learn is love. How do I handle betrayal like Jesus? How did Jesus handle betrayal, courage, power, and love? Would you look at verse eight again?

Jesus answered, I have told you that I am. If therefore you seek me, let these go their way. Now listen to me, when you’re betrayed, it’s hard to love those who betrayed you, right? But that’s not what I’m saying, and I’m not saying that you shouldn’t love those who betrayed you, but what I’m saying is don’t stop loving.

Because even though Jesus was betrayed by Judas, he did not stop loving the people that he cared so much about the disciples. And he told the soldiers, who are you seeking? And they said, we want Jesus.

He said, this is me, I am he, I am, I am. Let these guys go. He knew that their young faith would be stunted and struggle if they had to endure what he was getting ready to endure. He did not stop loving the disciples.

He did not stop loving people. Jesus prevented the disciples from being arrested, and Jesus chose that he would be captive so his disciples could be set free. And listen to me, Jesus chose to be captive for you and me so that you and I could be freed from sin.

Jesus chose to become sin so that you and I might be freed from sin. Jesus chose to bear the anger and the wrath of God upon the sinfulness of mankind so that you and I would bear the grace and the mercy and the love of Jesus Christ.

Jesus chose to take on the unrighteousness of you and me so that the righteousness of Christ would be upon you. Why did he do that? Because he loves you. Friends, he was willing to be betrayed and taken captive, beaten and abused and eventually put to death so that you and I could have eternal life.

And so it is in our life that when we face betrayal, we have to understand that sometimes we gain victory through pain. We gain victory through pain. And what I’m trying to challenge you this morning is difficult it is.

When you’re betrayed, you easily withdraw, you easily seclude, you easily build walls, you quit trusting, you quit loving, you quit helping, you quit reaching, you quit ministering because you don’t wanna be hurt again.

Are you with me? And I’m saying Jesus though being betrayed by a disciple did not stop caring and loving for the other disciples. What I’m saying to you is being misunderstood, being slandered, being gossiped about, being misquoted, being falsely accused, it’s a part of this world.

But don’t stop loving people. Don’t stop ministering to people because one day Jesus is gonna. right, every wrong. On Sunday nights, I took the church through Psalm 23, and the Bible says the shepherd would prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

It is the table of validation. It is the table of vindication. It is the table of victory that the psalmist remembered, and there is coming a day that our savior will vindicate you. There is a savior who validates you, though others have mischaracterized you, and said things that are not accurate or true about you.

There is a savior who has already obtained the victory for you at the cross. There is a savior who has already taken care of your sins. There is a savior who loves you, and he has not given up on you, and though others may oppose you, and though others may walk out of your life, and others may mistreat you after you have given so much to them, there is a savior who will never walk out of your life.

He’ll never leave you. He’ll never forsake you. And the Hebrew writer says he will not forget your labor in ministering on his behalf. Jesus is keeping record. He understands what you sacrifice for him.

He understands the lives you’re pouring into. He understands the early mornings and the late nights. He understands it all. And he is keeping record. And one day he will right every wrong in your heart.

And I’m here to say to you that we are gonna get knocked down but we can gain the victory by getting back up and trusting in Jesus Christ. My last and final principle, and I know God’s people are very happy today, obedience.

In verses 10 through 11, Jesus overcame betrayal through obedience. The Bible says in verse 10 that Simon Peter having a sword drew it, he smote the high priest servant, he cut off his right ear and the servant’s name was Malchus.

Then said Jesus unto Peter, put up thy sword unto the sheath, the cup which my father has given me, shall I not drink it? And I want you to know that Peter was going for the head but he’s such a bad shot he got the ear.

But Peter was impetuous in his behavior and response to the betrayal. He was gonna prove his faith by his sword. He was going to resist the soldiers violently and physically but Jesus said, put it up.

This is not how we operate. Reminding us of the truth that the apostle taught us in Romans 12, 21, be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good. Do not let the flesh overcome you. Do not let the ways of the world overcome you and do not let the things that are happening in this world interfere with God’s plan for your life.

Because God. has a plan, you may not always agree with it, and it may involve pain and suffering, but God wants us to restrain our reckless zeal in an effort to try to prove our faith. Jesus said to Peter, am I not called to drink this cup?

Am I not called, you know the scriptures? We are called to drink this cup. Jesus, our Lord, looked deeply into the cup of human sin, and he groaned as he smelled the foul odor of our own sinfulness, and he viewed the risen, poisonous fumes that came out of this cup, and he was appalled by it, and he said to the Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me, but not my will.

Your will, Jesus, obeyed the will of God. The Psalmist said, what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. This cup was a cup that Christ drank and he drank it without mercy because he drank this cup on the cross as he bore your sins and my sins.

He drank the cup knowing it was the will of God, the cup of suffering. And he drank this cup of suffering so that you and I could drink the cup of salvation. And I’m so glad that Jesus obeyed. I’m so glad that he followed the will.

That’s why the scripture says in Hebrews 5 .8, though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered because Christ was obedient unto death. He is able to save all who come to him by faith.

Now listen to me. How do I handle betrayal just like Jesus? Be obedient, drink the cup. I don’t like the cup, Mike, drink it. It is the will of God. It is the plan of God. It is the purpose of God. Because as you drink the cup of suffering, it’ll bring about the salvation of others.

How? Because again, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians that he reminds the Corinthians in chapter one of the God of all comfort. And he reminds them that as he goes through adversity, as he goes through the struggles and pains of life, that it would bring about the salvation and the encouragement of others.

When you walk through pain, when you walk through problems, when you walk through suffering in your life, there is a watching world. There is a family that’s watching you. There are children that are watching you.

There are people that are close. There are people that are distanced. There are coworkers that are watching you. And they are watching your life. And they are seeing if your faith is real. They’re seeing if there’s something to this faith.

Do you just simply collapse? Do you simply run from God’s word? Do you simply give up on Jesus because you suffer? Or do you suffer? submit your heart in obedience and say, God, I don’t like it. It’s a foul odor, but I drink the cup.

Your faith is truly manifested as you walk in the valley and people see something different about you. And they say, tell me about the hope that lives in your heart because anybody can love Jesus when the bank accounts full and anybody can love Jesus when the job is going well and anybody can love Jesus when everything is coming together perfect in your life.

But how many of us will love and obey Jesus when everything is falling apart in your life? Now, I want to remind all of our listeners, make sure you check out our website, HopeWorthHaving .com. On that website, there are wonderful things, resources that you can use to help you to grow in your faith.

Hopeworthhaving .com. This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ, there is hope worth having.