Acts 1:15-20 – “And in those days Simon Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (there were there a number of men, about a hundred and twenty), and said, ¹⁶ Men and brethren, it was proper that the scripture should be fulfilled, that which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to them that seized Jesus. ¹⁷ For he was numbered with us and had a lot in this ministry. ¹⁸ He is the one who earned for himself a field with the price of sin; and falling headlong, he burst open in the midst and all his bowels gushed out. ¹⁹ And this very thing is known to all who dwell in Jerusalem; so that the field is called in the language of the country, Kha”kal- De”ma which is to say Ko-ri-ath”dem, the field of blood. ²⁰ For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no one dwell in it; and let his duty be taken by another man.”

In the last devotional, we compared Judas to Benedict Arnold in American history and considered the reality that Judas began right but ended wrong.  He had what it takes to succeed but did not follow through on his commitment to Jesus.  The reasons may have been multiple and probably were and his fall did not happen suddenly but over a period of time.

JUDAS ALLOWED SIN TO ENTER INTO HIS LIFE…

When sin is allowed to take root, it controls the life and dominates.  Jesus said in John 8:34, “whosever commits sin is the servant of sin.”  Paul warned in Romans 6:16, “Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey his servants you are…”  Sin never coexists it dominates and controls.

Mortal man lives in one of two camps.  The Camp of the Lord or the Camp of the devil.  Although Judas had fellowship with Jesus for a time, he turned from his calling and commitment and allowed the devil to guide his thinking and his life. 

He Gave Place to the Devil.  There are many today who have the idea that a little bit of neglect is not dangerous, but it is the little foxes that spoil the vine.  If you dropped BBs into a rowboat, nothing would happen with the first few hundred but if you continue to drop them in the boat eventually the weight of the BBs will sink the boat.  Sin is dangerous and its negative effect is cumulative.

Judas apparently failed to deal with one of the deadliest sins known to man – Covetousness.  I suggest that Pride was also a major factor.  Remember his protest when Jesus was anointed with the costly oil and/or perfume?  It was not out of love and compassion for the poor but because he had already become a thief and he had control of the treasury.  He permitted sin to go unchecked in his life and it destroyed him. 

Judas became a faultfinder and that is a sure path to destruction.  The faultfinder often is trying to hide the blackness of their own soul and points the finger at others seeking to tear them down to elevate himself.  He became Jealous and the green-eyed monster of jealousy is incredibly destructive.  Sin always tries to cover itself up, cloak itself in a self-righteous garment, and blame others.  I remind you of the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 6:23, “…the wages of sin is death…”  There is a payday for sin as sure as the sun comes up in the East every morning.

SADLY, JUDAS GOT HIS PAYDAY…

He functioned as an instrument of the devil.  Yes, it was prophesied that it would be, and he fulfilled scripture but that is not a justification or commendation only a reality of what transpired.  God knew and yet loved him.  He had been rebuked by Jesus and it is possible that his wounded pride was a part of his decision to betray our LORD.

His physical or material payment was thirty pieces of silver.  What he got with that payment was guilt that he could not hide or cope with.  His shame drove him to suicide.  He traded his hope for heaven for a few coins.  He lost what he could have had because he did not finish the race set before him.  All because he gave place to the devil.  He allowed sin to enter and take root.

I suggest that he sold out for thirty pieces of silver but got much more than he bargained for.  The devil is a liar and only tells half-truths to entrap the gullible.  Judas sold out for thirty pieces of silver, but some have sold out for much less.  Maybe it was a one-night stand that destroyed a marriage and a testimony and led to a life of corruption.  Maybe it was prestige or promotion that opened the door to destruction because it was never checked, repented of, and rejected.

We need to deal with things in our lives right now!  We need to make things right today.  Do not allow the enemy of your soul to sidetrack and shipwreck you.  Guard against those things which could and would destroy you.  Resist the devil and run to the Cross, Jesus is waiting there. 

God bless you as you enjoy this day in Him!