He was one
of the Twelve apostles of Jesus Christ who were appointed by the Lord Himself
(Mark 3:14). He was ordained to preach the gospel, to heal and to cast out
devils (Mark 3:14-15). He was endued with power (Matthew 10:1-8) and was a
successful preacher and healer (Mark 6:12-13) (Luke 9:6).Judas Iscariot was
also a baptizer in water (John 4:2) and possessed eternal life (John17:12).
His name was
written in the Book of Life (Luke 10:20) and was promised an eternal kingship
(Matthew 19:28). He had a part in the apostolic ministry (Acts 1:17) and was
the first treasurer of the church (John12:6). He was a saved man and an unsaved
man could not have been written in the Book of Life. He was a friend of Jesus
and trusted by Him (Psalm 41:9) (John 13:18).
Later he
became a thief who stole from the funds in his custody (John 12:4-6), and
became an adversary to Christ (John 6:70). He fell by transgression (Acts 1:25)
and his name was blotted out of the book of life (Psalm 69:25-28).
LESSON ONE:
One can come
so close to the Kingdom of God and still lose it. 1 Corinthians 10:12 warns
that he that thinks he is standing should take heed lest he fall. Judas
Iscariot is the sad and tragic story of a man who had impressive and impeccable
credentials in the service of Christ which once secured his name in the Book of
Life and was given eternal life but lost it by transgression when he betrayed
His Master into the hands of His enemies (Mark 14:43-46) for thirty pieces of
silver.
LESSON TWO:
There is a leaven
or work of darkness in the life of every man on earth whether he is Born Again
or not, which must be dealt with else it can derail his destiny or terminate
his ministry and also consign him to eternal Hell. In Judas Iscariot, the
leaven was covetousness by which he fell and is eternally lost.
In the life
of Moses, the leaven was his temper which he lost at the wrong time, which terminated
his ministry and he lost the opportunity to enter into the Promised Land. In
the life of King Saul, the leaven was self-will which brought him into disfavor
with God and the kingship was transferred from his lineage to another.
In the life
of Samson, the leaven was sexual lust that terminated his ministry and cut
short his glorious destiny. In the life of Gehazi, the leaven was also
covetousness that terminated his ministry and destiny and denied him the
opportunity to succeed his master and become one of the greatest prophets if he
also received a double anointing.
LESSON
THREE:
We can fail
God in the point of our greatest strength. Abraham’s greatest strength was his
faith, yet his faith failed him when he got to Egypt and lied to Pharaoh that
Sarah was not his wife (Genesis 12:10- 13:4). Moses strength was his meekness.
The Bible described him as the meekest man on the face of the earth (Numbers
12:3).
Moses was
the only Prophet whom God spoke with face-to-face yet he failed the Lord God
when he lost his temper at the waters of Meribah. Samson was a great warrior
who was powerfully anointed from his mother’s womb but ended his ministry and
destiny on the laps of a prostitute.
What is the leaven
or work of darkness hiding in you which the Devil planted in your life to
derail your destiny and rubbish your salvation? Have you identified it? Is it
pride, lust, unforgiveness, bitterness, malice, arrogance, hatred, drunkenness,
gossip, anger, greed, covetousness or whatever?
Having identified it, you need
to call upon the Lord to root it out of your life (Matthew 15:13). May we not
fall by transgression in Jesus name.
He that thinks he is standing should take
heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).
Ayodele Adegbulugbe
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com
Lagos, Nigeria.
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