John 13:27 – John 13:27 – And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

Hello readers, today I would like to talk about when Satan entered into Judas Iscariot. It’s a pretty simple blog today, basically we need to ask ourselves, does Satan have an entrance into my life? Yeah you might go pretty well, you might have everyone else fooled, you look the part, you do the right things… but Satan enters into your life as he pleases. Often we think of Judas Iscariot, and that couldn’t possibly be us. But if the disciples said “Is it I?” when Jesus said one of them would betray him… so we should ask ourselves, is it I? Am I the traitor? Am I the betrayer? Am I the fake? Am I the phony? So often we have no trouble applying the Bible to everyone else’s lives and boy we hold others a high standard… while we never read it for how it applies to me, myself and I. If you judged yourself by the standard you hold others too… how would you fare?

Paul was writing his second letter to Timothy, a young preacher, a man of God, his son in the faith… and in 2 Timothy 3 he said that in the last days perilous times would come, and he goes on to describe the manner of men that would be in those days. Go and read for yourself because the verses describe what people are like today. Vipers and serpents, that’s what out there in this world. And in verse 4 of that chapter, the Bible says that there would be traitors in the last days. And not just traitors, but traitors that have a form of godliness.

Judas Iscariot was a traitor. What is a traitor? It’s someone who is claiming or pretending to be on one side, but they’re really on the other. They’re working for the enemy. This world is full of traitors, people claiming to be on one side, but they’re really the enemy. Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’ disciples, he was in the inner circle and in the upper room. But he was a traitor. He had a form of godliness, he sure looked Christian, and in fact he had such a standing that he was never suspected for being anything to the contrary. Noone would’ve guessed it was he who was the traitor. Maybe you’re the same, nobody would ever guess it’s you… but Jesus knew and Jesus knows. The disciples were oblivious to what was going on, but Jesus wasn’t.

This land is full of traitors. They’re everywhere. They’re full of Satan, Satan’s filled their hearts and entered in and that’s why we see the corruption and wickedness going on. So many people that claim one thing, but are another. Friends who are not. People who are not true. People who make grand claims about who and what they are, but their lives are a lie. People that claim to be Christians, but are not. People that claim to love God, but don’t. People that profess to be saved, but have no salvation. Our land has betrayed marriage, our land has betrayed the unborn. Honest, hard working citizens are betrayed by corrupt governments. Parents betray their children by not teaching them God’s word, by throwing them in the Nile river of this world’s education and way of living. Children betray their parents by not honoring the heritage given to them. Respect, honor, trust, loyalty is constantly betrayed… this land has betrayed God. All the good God has given our nation, the word he committed to our trust, the godly heritage and legacy… we’ve betrayed it.

A traitor is someone who betrays trust. Judas Iscariot was a trusted member of team Jesus. He had the money bag, they trusted him with the finances, not knowing he was stealing it all. A traitor is someone who aids the enemy, betraying his allegiance to his country and his people. To be a traitor is a terrible thing. The Bible says in Proverbs this… Proverbs 20:6 – Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? Judas Iscariot said the right things, did the right things… but he wasn’t a faithful man. He was the first to espouse his goodness, and we see it when he claimed to care for the poor and to act in their interests… but he didn’t care for them. Watch who says they care for you, Judas Iscariots don’t care for others, they care for how they can use others to meet their own selfish needs.

Well with the theme of traitors and betrayal in mind, we arrive at what we’re talking about today. The Bible says that after the sop, Satan entered into him. That’s quite a statement isn’t it? Satan entered into him. It’s scary how easily Satan can gain entrance to our lives. In the upper room of all places… and there Satan entered into him. How does Satan gain entrance to your life? See, you can do quite well most of the time. Judas Iscariot sure did pretty well most of the time. He was one of the twelve, he followed Jesus Christ, he heard everything, he was an integral member of the disciple’s group, and he went around preaching and ministering to others… yet he had a devil. It’s scary. Because after all the good things we can do, and all the progress we think we are making, and the life we’re living, Satan has an entrance into our life… and next minute he’s taken our life completely over and we are up to our necks in wickedness and sin.

In Acts 5 there were a couple guys called Ananias and Saphira, and they lied to Peter and to God about what they had sold one of their possessions for. They got the money from their sale and gave it to Peter like everyone else was doing… except they kept back some of the money for themselves and lied about it. You see, others were selling stuff and giving it to the ministry and spread of the gospel. So they felt a bit of pressure to do their bit to keep up with what others were doing. THis is the problem when you’re not the real deal, when your life is just copying other people rather than having your own honest walk with God by faith. They felt pressured to give, pressure that they placed on themselves mind you, and devised a plan to look the part while getting to keep some of the money. Winner winner they thought. See, just like Judas Iscariot, they’d look like everyone else and fit in. Their lives show no trace of spiritual enlightenment that the Holy Spirit gives to a believer.

This is the problem with churches and money and just in doing things in the ministry, so often people do things because they feel pressured to, or obliged, or whatever… rather than what God is really interested in… your heart, your motives. See, many Christians don’t care about someone’s heart condition, and it’s interesting that Peter had the ability to spot what was going on… something had changed from the time of Judas Iscariot to Ananias and Saphira hadn’t it. But many Christians are more concerned with doing what you’re supposed to do rather than letting God work in people’s lives and produce an outworking of the Holy Spirit if he’s there. Peter wasn’t driving people to give, they were giving as they were moved by God too. Interesting also that once again money was a stumblingblock… love of money is the root of all evil. They could’ve just kept their money but they were trying to fit in, and keep up with and do what others were doing… and Satan got an entrance and literally was the death of them.

It was through money that Satan gained an entrance, and that’s why the Bible says we are not to be ignorant of the devil’s devices, it’s why we aren’t meant to give place to the devil… because he can use things in our lives to gain entrance into our life. We all have weaknesses, we all have the flesh nature… we have to recognize how Satan is getting an entrance into our thinking, our actions, our heart. Our heart belongs to God, to Jesus Christ… not to the devil. Satan wants your heart, but God says in Proverbs… my son, give me thine heart. It’s a war for your heart people, Satan wants to be in there. Remember how Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel… read about it back in the Old Testament… it’s a picture of how Satan will steal your heart… yes even if you call yourself a Christian and you think you’re following the right guy… when you’re not. We need to stop letting Satan have an entrance into our life. He doesn’t belong there if you’re saved, your heart belongs to Jesus Christ.

The problem is Judas Iscariot wasn’t saved. He looked like a Christian, he did Christian things, he hung around Christians, but he had a devil. I’ve often wondered about the meaning of the sop that Jesus gave him. And it struck me, he was there to feed his face. So he loves his money and he’s there to feed himself. Once he got his food, he’d go out. You know, the real food at that table was Jesus Christ. In the upper room, a place of fellowship and communion and revelation… he wasn’t interested in the bread of heaven… he was interested in feeding his fleshly appetite. If you’re run by fleshly desires to the point that you’re incontinent, you have no control anymore, you just go where your flesh leads you… you’re a Judas Iscariot. As soon as that flesh comes calling, you’re going out the upper room.

It’s possible to live like a Christian and have everyone else fooled… and yet Satan has an entrance to your life. He comes and goes as he pleases in your life. He’s really running your life. He’s moving you around. Oh yes you’ve got everyone fooled, oh yes you do pretty well 95% of the time… but Satan has an entry point. There’s an open door, and he goes right on in as he pleases.

Judas Iscariot was above suspicion to the others, but he was a rotten egg. He was with them, but he wasn’t truly one of them. I was thinking about the word “us” in the Bible… are you one of “us”? See, in the epistles there’s a lot of us… am I, are you… one of the “us”. The “us” is the true believers, the true followers of Jesus Christ. Judas Iscariot was one of us… but he wasn’t of us.  1 John 1:3 – That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:19 – They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. The us is those who have truly repented and believed in Jesus Christ, and while many pretend to be of us… they aren’t really of us. Judas Iscariot wasn’t in that upper room for the same reasons the others were, he was there to feed himself. Then he left. He wasn’t there to feed on Jesus Christ, on his word, on his promises, on his light, on his life, on his mercy, grace and truth.

The thing with traitor is that they make themselves appear anything but. Judas Iscariot was the one who had been so morally indignant about money being wasted when Mary took very costly ointment and anointed Jesus’ feet with it and wiped his feet with her hair. Judas Iscariot objected saying what a waste it was and that the money that it cost could’ve been given to the poor! Oh he cared so much for the poor right. But the Bible says he didn’t care for the poor, but that he was a thief. See, this is why you can’t be a sucker for what things look like. People can talk a big game, they can go to great lengths to look that part, just like Ananias and Saphira. This world, and Christianity, they put on a moral front, but they’ve got a devil instead. On the surface he looked like he cared about the poor, but he didn’t care about the poor at all, he was a robber, he wanted the money for himself. There’s a lot of his kind around today. They’re the moral, righteous, holy ones… but it’s a veneer hiding the ugly truth. It’s devoid of reality and truth. Judas Iscariot ended up selling Jesus out for money. Plenty of others have as well. What do you sell Jesus Christ out for? What’s his price?

So how does Satan get an entrance to your life? What is your weakness? Money? Money is a biggy, Satan can enter your life just because you love money so much. But there are other ways also. Satan can use our pride, our lust, our ambitions, that area of disobedience and rebellion, that area where we know better than God’s word, whatever it is… he can use that to gain an entrance and soon we are leaving the upper room where we could be and should be and we’re selling out. Instead of standing with Christ, we are standing with the enemy just as he did. Oh yes you plant the kiss on Jesus’ cheek, but it’s a kiss of betrayal. Maybe you kiss Jesus with your words, oh you sound good, you talk a good game, and you’re so convincing… but you’re a traitor. Satan is really running your life. Oh yes, you look the part, and you do right, and you’ve got people fooled, but Satan has a clear entrance into your life, and you do his bidding.

Maybe nobody will ever know, but Jesus knows. See you can live right and do right and really look the part but Satan’s got an entrance, and if you’re honest with yourself, you know it. He enters your life and that’s the way it is. And you’re a traitor. People trust you, people think you’re following Jesus Christ, and you betray that trust all the time. That doesn’t have to be your lot. You see, Satan entered Judas Iscariot, but then after the betrayal, he came to his senses. Satan took over and then left him. And after that Judas Iscariot was like… what have I done? How many Christians have had their life and ministry and witness ruined by moments of what have I done. As Jesus Christ said to those that came to get him… this is your hour and the power of darkness. Judas Iscariot did pretty well most of the time, but he ruined his life in an hour of darkness.

See, your life isn’t defined by all the right you did, it’s the part where Satan enters in. How many Christians, they’ve been going so well, and Satan got them, and then they’re like … oh no, what have I done. It drove Judas Iscariot to suicide. And that’s the ironic part, your enemy who you buddy buddy with, those who don’t truly care for you… they won’t be there when it matters. Once they got what they wanted out of Judas Iscariot, they didn’t care for him one little bit. So you can have Jesus Christ or you can choose Satan… Jesus will give you eternal life, and Satan will be the death of you. Jesus Christ gave himself for you, Satan will use you and take from you and at the end of it… you’ll want it back, but you can’t take it back. Stop that entrance he has in your life. The book of Nehemiah is a book of rebuilding, of fixing breaches in the walls… and we need to build those walls back up by God’s grace. Ask Jesus Christ to help you, to deliver you, to save you from your sins. Trust him, and he will save you, he’ll deliver you from the power of Satan, put the blood of Christ our Passover on the doorposts of that doorway that you’ve been letting Satan through your whole life, and you can choose the path of the traitor no more.

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