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Blue Mountain Academy

The Crisis of Character

Eric Walsh

Father God, we thank you for this opportunity to study your word.

We thank you, Lord, for your truth, and for your grace, and for your mercy, for your kindness, and your love towards us.

As we dive into your word tonight, we ask, Lord, that your Holy Spirit would lead us, that he would lead us into all truth.

This is our prayer in Jesus's name, amen.

So our text for tonight come from Philippians chapter 2, in verse 5 it says, "'Let this mind be in you, "'which was also in Christ Jesus.'" And our message tonight is entitled, The Crisis of Character.

So we're going to go from here to John chapter 13, and let me give you a little bit of background into John 13.

John chapter 13 is the story of the Last Supper according to the Apostle John.

What is interesting if you read the whole chapter is that 1 of the shocking events that happens is that Jesus, if you read all 4 Gospels, gives you the full picture, takes off his outer coat, he is dressed like a servant, and begins to wash the feet of the disciples.

Now you would think that this would be received well, but it is not.

In fact, Peter has a major problem with it.

He cannot understand how Jesus, who was to 1 day be a king, would appear as a servant and do the most menial task of washing someone's foot.

But there was someone else who was not happy with what was going on.

You see Judas had hedged the bet that by being close to Christ, by carrying the money bag, by being the most, watch this, the most polished and sophisticated of all the disciples, that he would help to usher in Christ into his kingship and Judas was sure he would be the vice president when Jesus was King.

And so Jesus begins now to tell the disciples, all 12 of them, Judas in attendance at the Last Supper, telling them that Jesus would be betrayed.

And as he's telling them this, we'll jump in at verse 18, Jesus says, I speak not of you all.

I know whom I have chosen, but that the scripture may be fulfilled, he that eats bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.

This was a shocking statement, can you imagine?

These 12 men have been with Jesus for over 3 years.

They've been going around with Him everywhere.

Now Jesus makes the statement that in fact, 1 of them is going to betray Him.

And that's that word, that phrase there, has lifted up His heel against me.

The other thing that's interesting is that in the book The Desire of Ages, Ellen White speaks, in the chapter where she talks about how Jesus chose the disciples, she speaks about the fact that Judas was not chosen by Christ but pushed on him by the other disciples.

This verse actually corroborates that where it says, I know whom I have chosen.

Verse 19, now I tell you before it come that when it is come to pass you may believe that I am he so he says listen I'm gonna tell you what's going to happen I want you to see what's gonna happen so that when it comes to pass you know that I am who I said I am verse 20 verily verily I say unto you he that receives whomsoever I send receives me, and he that receives me receives him that sent me.

Speaking to his disciples, verse 21, when Jesus had thus said he was troubled in his spirit, watch this, and he testified and said, verily, verily, I say unto you that 1 of you shall what?

Verse 22, then the disciples looked 1 on another, doubting of whom he spake.

And all of them, can you imagine, they start looking at each other side I like I bet you is that brother James over there I bet you is that guy I bet you this and they all start with you know who probably his name came up least Judas verse 23 now there was leaning on Jesus's bosom 1 of his disciples whom Jesus loved.

John was, and the way that this table was set up, they sat, they were like laying on their side, reclined on an elbow, all the way around, and so John would have been the 1 in this area of Christ.

Verse 24 says, Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him that he should ask who it should be of him whom he spake.

Peter couldn't resist, because Peter wants to be the vice president.

Verse 25, he then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?

Jesus in verse 26 says this, Jesus answered, he it is to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it.

And when he had dipped the sop he gave it to Judas Iscariot the son of Simon." Can you imagine?

He says in front of all of them, it's the 1 who I dip the bread with into the, basically into like the gravy, an American way, I dip it in, the 1 I give it to is the 1 that's gonna betray me.

Verse 27, and after the sop, Satan did what?

Jesus then says, that thou doest, do quickly.

What you're going to do Judas, hurry up and do it.

Here's why, because Christ was on a timeline.

On that Friday, it was a very precise hour for the death of Christ.

Jesus was like, if you're gonna do it, brother, go on and do it.

Verse 28, now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him here's how I don't want to call the disciples dense But they're slow to pick up with the hints Jesus is throwing down.

Now, no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.

For some of them thought because Judas had the bag, the money bag, that Jesus had said unto him, buy those things that we have need of against the feast, or that he should give something to the poor.

What we know if you read the Desire of Ages and kind of from picking up what he did when the woman used the expensive perfume on Jesus' feet, Judas was actually stealing money from the money bag.

Judas was such a crook that when he did a good deed for the disciples or Jesus or someone else, he would pay himself out of the money bag.

Judas would be like, you know what, I help feed all them 5, 000 people, I'm worth at least $20 an hour.

Let me just take that much money out of the bag.

So the disciples, the other 11 thought, he was just doing something for Jesus.

He then having received the sop, went immediately out, and look at what the Bible says, and it was night.

When Satan goes into you and you go out from God, you always go out into darkness.

Darkness is the result of turning your back on God.

Verse 31, therefore when he was gone out Jesus said, now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him." What an interesting statement, isn't it?

Listen, 1 of the 12 has just been possessed by Satan.

He has actually encouraged him to do it quickly.

1 of the 12 is now going to do what he said he's going to do.

Jesus says because of this thing the Son of Man is glorified.

The tale of Judas and Christ at the Last Supper is the tale of 2 characters.

And I don't mean characters like parts, I mean like the character of a person.

Christ's character, Christ has the kind of character where he would wash the feet of those who really should be serving him.

Christ's character is such that he wants to make sure that they're taken care of.

He's willing to be the lowest and the last, but there's another character.

Judas's character is a different character.

And 1 of the big challenges, young people, that you will face in these last days is the character, is the crisis of developing a character like Christ's character.

Because Judas sold Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver.

I want to submit to you that the world is going to try and convince you that 30 pieces of the world's silver is more valuable than Christ.

And if you don't have the right character, that 30 pieces of silver is gonna seem like all you need.

So you gotta deal with character development.

You've got to deal with character development.

Now, let's jump and show you that the world is in a state of Judas.

That is arguably, they would argue, people argue the greatest rapper of all time, the name is Jay-Z.

Notice that on his shirt, I've shown you guys this before, it says, do what thou wilt.

Do what thou wilt is part of the occult law of Aleister Crowley.

Character Under Fire

We are going to worship God here today and get into his word.

And we're going to kind of continue on from last night, and then we'll have our last session at 4 o'clock.

Our scripture for this session, Matthew 16, 24 and 25 says this, then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." So our message this Sabbath is character under fire.

Character under fire, part 2 of our crisis of character.

I thank you Lord for your goodness and for your grace.

Make me once again Lord just a nail on the wall and I ask that you hang a portrait of Jesus Christ upon that nail.

Let me not be seen or heard Lord, it's not for me to even impress on this message.

So Lord have him speak and have us hear is our prayer in Jesus's name.

All right so we're gonna go Matthew 16 And Jesus is with his disciples here.

And the Bible says in Matthew 16, 13, when Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples saying, whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?

Jesus asked them this question, who are people saying I am?

And the disciples give this interesting answer because the disciples have their ear to the ground as it were and they can hear what's going on.

In verse 14 says, and they said, some say you are John the Baptist, some Elias, and other Jeremiah, or 1 of the prophets.

Some of them are saying you're all these people that are trying to figure out who you might be.

Jesus, you can almost see him lean into his disciples and ask this question.

He said unto them, but who do you say that I am?

Young people, it does not matter what everyone else thinks about Jesus.

In the final analysis, what matters most is how do you see Jesus.

Even the relationship of those who have passed the torch to us, the relationship they have with Jesus, of those who have passed the torch to us, the relationship they have with Jesus, of those who have patched the torch to us, our parents, our grandparents, church members and pastors, what they think about Jesus is trumped by what you think about Jesus.

On Judgment Day when you stand before God, the question is going to be asked of you, what did you do with my son?

Jesus says to his disciples, but whom say ye that I am?

Verse 16, Simon Peter answered and said, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

I tell a sermon story sometimes of when I was working in addiction medicine at the Veterans Hospital in Noma Linda, California, at our VA hospital there, and about a 42-year-old drug addict, he had not recovered yet.

And he told me all of his sins, and he told me all of his mistakes in his life.

He was suicidal and told me he wanted to die.

And God told me to ask him the question, do you know who Jesus is?

To this day, I'm still shocked at the man's answer.

He looked at me and he said, he is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

I said, sir, if you know that, why do you want to die?

He said, because I've done too much wrong for Jesus to ever forgive me you got him do more than just know who Jesus is in an intellectual sense There is a Holy Spirit component that must tie you and connect you relationally to Christ.

You know there are folk even, I talked last night to you guys about how people are trying to belittle the role of the Holy Spirit, you'd be shocked that there are folk now even in our own ranks who are saying that Christ is not divine.

Even though the Bible in John 1 says, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word what?

And verse 14 says, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Jesus says, if you have seen me, Philip, you see me, Thomas, you've seen the Father.

When you understand that it is God himself who came and suffered and died for you.

When you understand that when you go through something you have to compare your suffering to the suffering of the perfect Son of God, the perfect Lamb of God.

Peter said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Verse 17, and Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Peter gets kind of an attaboy, that blessed are you Peter, because flesh and blood didn't reveal this.

God revealed this to you for you to understand who I am.

Jesus was working diligently to move his disciples to a place where they truly understand not only who he was but what his mission is.

Verse 18, and I say also unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock will I build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Now some folk get this wrong and they make Peter now the first Pope and they say he is the rock upon which the church is built.

I don't have time to get into it today but if you actually go back to the original language what Jesus says you what Jesus really says is you are Peter you're like a small stone like a pebble but upon this rock this boulder Christ is the rock he is the boulder upon which the church is built and I like the last part of this verse it tells you your stance in spiritual warfare.

He says, Christ says, the church is going to be built on me the rock and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Let me ask you something, are gates offensive positions or are gates defensive positions?

Nobody put up a gate to go and knock somebody out.

That means that our walk with Christ ought to be 1 that the gates of hell cannot withstand our Christianity.

Verse 19, and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.

Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

I can tell you that when Peter heard this he was thrilled.

I told you last night that not only Judas wanted to be the vice president when Jesus came into his kingdom, Peter wanted to be vice president as well.

Peter was thrilled and so Jesus says in verse 20 he charged them, his disciples, that they should tell no man that he was Jesus to Christ.

He said, all right, now it's out that this is who I am.

Why didn't Jesus want them to go and begin to tell people this?

And he knew that if the disciples started to tell everyone this at this point in his ministry, it would agitate the Pharisees and the Sadducees and it would speed up the process by which they wanted to take him out.

So Jesus says hold on, don't say anything yet.

And here now Jesus begins to position, now that they know who I am, let me tell them what I'm here for, and that's what verse 21 does.

From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples how that he must go into Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day." Jesus now says, alright, here's what it looks like.

I am the Christ, the Son of the Living God, but here's what's gonna happen.

They're gonna beat me, belittle me, they're going to mock me, they're gonna place a crown of thorns on my head, I'm gonna be put to death, and on the third day I'm gonna rise up again.

Didn't sit well with the disciples because in their mind Christ was coming to take the role of David.

He was going to vanquish the Romans from out of the promised land.

He was going to reestablish a great kingdom like David and Solomon had.

This idea that he was going to be killed and he was gonna be belittled did not sit well with them and so Peter, verse 22, then Peter took him to rebuke him saying, Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee.

He says, not what you're saying cannot come to pass.

Verse 23, Jesus, the Bible says, but he turned and said unto Peter, what does he say here?

Thou art an offense unto me, for thou savest not the things that be of God but those that be of men.

Last night we saw the example that when Judas was betraying Christ, when he had taken the sop, the Bible says that Satan entered into Judas.

Now notice in that story, in that situation we discussed last night, Jesus does not say get thee behind me.

In fact, he says whatsoever you are gonna do, go and do it quickly.

Peter and Judas were in 2 different spiritual places.

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The Crisis of Character

The Crisis of Character

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The Crisis of Character

46m

Character Under Fire

49m

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