Characteristics of a betrayer. Judas Iscariot.

Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Tree of Life
Weekly Review
021620
Characteristics of a betrayer. Judas Iscariot.

This morning we begin with a principle that we should never forget which is the fact that as long as Satan is the god of this world, we must be aware of our true enemy and be prepared, willing, able and ready. Are you aware of your true enemy as Eph 6:12 says?

Are you aware?
Are you prepared?
Are you choosing Willingly;
Are you able?
Are you ready?
Can you obey 1PE 3:15?

1PE 3:15, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

To answer to that question is that we need to study certain passages, especially those Old Testament passages where I like the book of Job all the way to the last book King Solomon wrote which is called the Song of Solomon. In fact, even though I do not believe that this was the intention of God the Holy Spirit…Nor do I believe that this was all the work of Satan. However, I always like to read the book of Job because the book of Job is not just the oldest book in the Bible but it is also the first book that introduced God’s people to us the doctrine of the Angelic Conflict.

Look at the oldest book, the oldest chapter, and the oldest verse, and right before our eyes is the Angelic Conflict and yet the majority of believers do not know a thing about it. And that is not even the real problem, the real problem is not that the average believer does not know a thing about the Angelic Conflict…The real problem is that they don’t even want to know. If they wanted to know, they could know but they don’t really want to know says JOH 7:17, “If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself.” Our Lord said this throughout His ministry.

So, we begin with verse 7, and notice what our Lord says: MAT 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'

This is the first message that our Lord emphasizes for us to become a fruit inspectors when it comes to living the spiritual life. Now, as I was contemplating my message late last evening, my problem wasn’t that I didn’t know what to put in my message but my problem was trying to determine what I should leave out. In fact, when it comes to numerology, which refers to the meaning of numbers in the Bible, there is the number 5 which always points to the grace of God. And it came up in a passage that we may get into this morning. I like that because I coined five manifestations of the letter (S) which are all important and represented the grace privileges of our Lord. Here they are:

1. Salvation (Where it all begins)
   2. Sealing (Divine Protection)
   3. Sanctification (Set apart as Holy ones for God)
   4. Searching (Motivation of PVTD)
   5. Seeking. (The PPOG & PSD.

So, the first so-called dilemma that we face is how to handle people that you love who no longer come here but you are still in touch with them in some way…but there is no true fellowship between the two like there was before. Now, the Sermon on the Mount that we just read from is a collection of the sayings and doctrinal principles that our Lord taught. It is found in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7, which emphasizes His moral teachings not His spiritual ones. It is the longest of the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament, and includes the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, and central tenets of Christian discipleship. There are a few passages that we need to note that deal with this in an obvious way.

The first one was written by the Apostle John, not the Gospels, or the book of Revelation, and it was basically written to the churches at Ephesus. The apostle John was dealing with a similar problem that Timothy also had to deal with it in the home churches Ephesus. Most of all, the apostle Paul had to deal with same problems that the Apostle John had to deal with, but Paul was stuck in Corinth with the same type of problems as John and Timothy. As the greatest apostle of them all was continuing to grow in God’s grace and knowledge, Paul was about to send the one man who he could rely on to handle the problem that all these men were facing.

The apostle Paul was about to send “A man called Titus” to clean up any mess. By the way, even though we do not read or study a lot about Titus, and the only reason is that there’s not a lot to tell as far as his accomplishments are concerned, but…We can tell a lot about Titus by his name, reputation, and responsibility. For example, in 2CO 2:13, Paul said that he had no rest because he couldn’t find Titus who Paul said, worked hard and had no rest because Paul couldn’t find Titus. Look at 2CO 7:5-7, speaking of Titus, the Apostle Paul writes; “For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more.

2CO 8:16, But thanks be to God, who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus.

2CO 8:23, As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ.

Look what a great passage 2CO 12:18 is; I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit and walk in the same steps? Go forward now to 1JO 2:18, Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.

1JO 2:19, They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.

Now, we have noted that Judas Iscariot was a traitor, and the interesting thing is that traitors are always remembered. Judas Iscariot. Benedict Arnold. Judas, like most traitors, was highly ambitious and he didn’t mind who he stole from. When he saw an opportunity for self-promotion he seized it. He was covetous, He was a thief, And he ended up possessed by Satan.

So, after noting Judas Iscariot last evening, we will now pause for a moment and look at the profile of a traitor.

1. The traitor is usually someone close to you that has become so familiar with you that they believe that they're more qualified to do what you are doing, PSA 41:9, 55:12-14, 20-22.

PSA 55:12-14, For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear {it}; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend. We who had sweet fellowship together, Walked in the house of God in the throng.

PSA 55:20-21, He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; He has violated his covenant. His speech was smoother than butter, But, his heart was war; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.

2. The traitor is usually someone who is bitter about their own personal failures; HEB 12:15, See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
3. Many times the traitor can have a good personality and even give the appearance that they are leaders.

JOH 7:24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

They will cater to people. They are power hungry. They are into approbation lust and power lust. And they will complement people and say what the people want to hear for the sake of gaining an advantage.

JUD 1:16 says, These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. 

4. The traitor can also be very sincere, very emotional, but most of all, very arrogant.

They establish compatibility on the basis of personality. For example, notice the policy of Absalom, David's son who would even betray his father, 2SA 15:2-6, And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and it happened that when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” Then Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king.” Moreover, Absalom would say, “Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me, and I would give him justice.” And it happened that when a man came near to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. And in this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel.

Absalom was very sincere, very emotional, but most of all, very arrogant. Every Christian at some time will be attracted to a pleasing personality, whose function is manipulation, undermining of authority and exploitation for evil.

5. The traitor also likes to look for others who have an axe to grind against the one they are betraying. They find people who are jealous, vindictive, bitter or implacable to join them in their betrayal.
6. The traitor is usually jealous, covetous, envious and lustful of what the victim of their betrayal has. And if the traitor is a believer, you will always hear the traitor claiming that the Lord is with him or on his side. And in some cases they will even claim that the Lord told them to do it.
7. The traitor likes to get as many individuals involved in his betrayal as he can so that the betrayal will have some credibility and believability. In other word's, once you get people involved with a betrayal through whatever means possible, like lying,  gossip, judging, defamation of character, etc.

You do four things:
a. You give the betrayal some credibility and believability.
b. You bully people into supporting something that is evil without them even knowing it. However, God the Holy Spirit will reveal to them the truth, through doctrine, if they desire.
c. You put them in a position of supporting the betrayal, which is very difficult for them to get out of, unless, they make some drastic decisions.
d. You cause them to get involved with the evil behind the betrayal which can be used in the future to keep them committed to the traitor as well.

In other word's, when the traitor is exposed and his betrayal begins to crumble, and it will in God's time, but when it begins to crumble, you remind people that they were also involved and therefore they need to help you out of the jam that you're now in.

8. The traitor is usually promised some form of personal promotion and prosperity for his betrayal. And sometimes he will get others to do his dirty work while trying to appear the right and innocent one who is a victim rather than a villain. For example, notice JDG 16:4-19, After this it came about that he [Samuel] loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, “Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” So, Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength is and how you may be bound to afflict you.” And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh cords that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Now she had men lying in wait in an inner room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the cords as a string of tow snaps when it touches fire. So, his strength was not discovered. Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have deceived me and told me lies; now please tell me, how you may be bound.” And he said to her, “If they bind me tightly with new ropes which have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” So, Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!”

For the men were lying in wait in the inner room. But he snapped the ropes from his arms like a thread. Then Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies; tell me how you may be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my hair with the web [and fasten it with a pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” So, while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his hair and wove them into the web]. And she fastened it with the pin, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web. 

Then she said to him, “How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is.” And it came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death. So, he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, “A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”

When Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hands. And she made him sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his hair. Then she began to afflict him, and his strength left him.

Notice that she was a traitor promised some form of personal promotion and prosperity for her betrayal.

9. The traitor leads others in his betrayal with lies and inventions, corruption, distortion, inaccuracy, misrepresentation, perversion, defamation, and slander. They lead others into shifting the blame for their own misfortunes from themselves to the one who is being betrayed.
10. The traitor works behind the scenes for a long period of time and waits for something to reach it's peek, and then it's time to strike.

JER 20:10, For I have heard the whispering of many, “Terror on every side! Denounce {him;} yes, let us denounce him!” All my trusted friends, Watching for my fall, say: “Perhaps he will be deceived, so that we may prevail against him And take our revenge on him.”

11. The traitor looks for individuals who can easily be swayed into joining the betrayal. And the type of people who can easily be swayed are bitter people who are failures and losers in life! They are bitter because they are discontent or malcontent with life itself. And they are failures and losers who look for excuses of why they haven't succeeded. Therefore, whenever people fail in life or they are losers, they are easy targets to become traitors in a conspiracy.
12. There are some traitors who never face the one they have betrayed, they let other's do their dirty work. Usually implacable people. And nothing you do will satisfy them. They will turn against you in every possible way. They will join any conspiracy, believe any lie.
13. The traitor will use you as a stepping stone as they are trying to climb the ladder of success. They will do anything that they can to put you down.
14. Many traitors assume that the victim of their betrayal has overlooked their talent and ability. We noted that with our eulogy of Benedict Arnold last evening.
15. Many traitors bear a grudge from a sense of grievance or frustrated ambition.
16. The traitor makes false accusations and remember that those who make accusations and judge others are usually guilty of the very thing they judge others for. And if they're not they are usually doing things which a far more evil and wicked.
17. The traitor thinks that he should be in a position of authority when in reality he does not have the leadership ability to be there. They are often cowards who backbite, slander, gossip and malign anyone who has any authority over them. And they usually do all of these things behind the back of the leaders. And the interesting, but sad thing, is the fact that betrayals usually start with someone very close to the one who is being betrayed. Lucifer was the Messiah's personal angel. Joseph's brothers sold Joseph into slavery. Korah, the cousin of Moses, betrayed Moses. Absalom was the son of David. Judas was close to TLJC.

So in betrayal, never be shocked at those involved. This is one of the ways that the betrayal has some credibility and believability. In other word's, once you get certain people involved with a betrayal, because they were close to the one in authority, many people think that what they are saying is true. But what they actually do is to simply provide a lot of propaganda. And by propaganda I mean distortion, lies, rumors, and indoctrination or garbage in the soul. This is why the Bible warns us to be very careful with the friendships that we develop in life. Those are the relationships which can sneak up upon you and take you for a ride or take advantage of you.

18. The traitor must be clever, personable, hypocritical, sly and arrogant. Normally he has two personalities, one which he uses to recruit people for his betrayal and then the other which is who he really is. He has to be sly. He has to be arrogant. He has to be filled with his own self-importance. He must take himself very seriously. And, if he is not sly and clever, remember that in the spiritual realm, we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, etc. And therefore the traitor can simply be a puppet for the kingdom of darkness.
19. The traitor is usually dissatisfied with his circumstances and his niche in life and he wants to be promoted beyond his capacity.

ECC 6:1-2, There is an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent among men. A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires, but God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys them. This is vanity and a severe affliction.

20. And then our last principle, in trying to wipe out others, the traitor inevitably wipes out himself. Operation Boomerang!