Intro to PT-2 “The Popularity and Power of Jesus” (Luke 6:17-19)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/9/2026 9:52 AM

My Worship Time                               Focus: Intro to PT-2 “The Popularity and Power of Jesus”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:17-19

            Message of the verses: “Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the costal region of Tyer and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were begin cured.  And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.”

            I continue to look at the introduction to Luke 6:17-19 from John MacArthur’s commentary, and I am mostly quoting the many verses that he references in this introduction and so it will take some time to get through this introduction.

            “In the New Testament God also spoke through angels (Matt. 1:20; 28:5; Luke 1:11-20, 26-38; 2:9-12; Acts 5:19-20; 8:26; 10:3-7; 27:23-24; Rev. 1:1).”

(Matt. 1:20; 28:5; Luke 1:11-20, 26-38; 2:9-12; Acts 5:19-20; 8:26; 10:3-7; 27:23-24; Rev. 1:1)

“20  But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

5  But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.”

“11  And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12  And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13  But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14  And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15  for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16  And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17  and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." 18  And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19  And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20  And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.’”

“26    In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin s name was Mary. 28  And he came to her and said,  Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!  29  But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30  And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34  And Mary said to the angel,  How will this be, since I am a virgin?  35  And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy the Son of God. 36  And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37  For nothing will be impossible with God." 38  And Mary said,  Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.  And the angel departed from her.”

“9  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10  And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’’

“19  But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20  “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.’’

“26 ¶  Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.”

“3  About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4  And he stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5  And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6  He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea." 7  When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him,”

“23  So he invited them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24  And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.”

“1 ¶  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”

“signs, wonders, and miracles (Heb. 2:3-4)”

(Heb. 2:3-4)

“3  how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4  while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

“visions (Acts 9:10-16;18:9; 26:12-19),”

(Acts 9:10-16;18:9; 26:12-19)

“10 ¶  Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11  And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12  and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." 13  But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14  And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name." 15  But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16  For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’’

“9  And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, "Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent,”

“12 ¶  "In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13  At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14  And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15  And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16  But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17  delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18  to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ 19  "Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,”

“the words of apostles (Acts 2:42; Eph. 3:4-5)”

(Acts 2:42; Eph. 3:4-5)

“42 ¶  And they devoted themselves to the apostles ’teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

“4  When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5  which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.”

“and prophets (Acts 11:27-28; 21:10-11).  But supremely, God has spoken in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:2).”

(Acts 11:27-28; 21:10-11)

“27 ¶  Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28  And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).”

“10  While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11  And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’’’

(Heb. 1:2)

“2  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  Being a believer in Jesus Christ should mean that you study His Word each and every day, and the way you do this is to continue to study His Word, each and every day.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust always the things I learn from studying the Scriptures.

7/9/2026 10:28 AM

 

 

 

PT-1 “The Popularity and Power of Jesus” (Luke 6:17-19)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/8/2026 8:47 PM

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Intro to PT-1 “The Popularity and Power of Jesus”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:17-19

            Message of the verses: “Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the costal region of Tyer and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were begin cured.  And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.”

            Today was a very long day for my wife, daughter, and me along with her sister who is visiting her, and her brother-in law.  My wife had a procedure to drain fluid from her body in order to cause her to breathe better, so that is the reason for only one SD for today.  I will now quote a portion of the introduction to these verses from John MacArthur’s commentary.

            “The Bible is a priceless gem with many facets.  Scripture is the law of the Lord, which is perfect, the testimony of the Lord, which is sure, the precepts of the Lord, which are right, the commandments of the Lord, which are pure, and the judgments of the Lord, which are true.  The Word of God restores the soul, gives wisdom, produces joy, is the source of spiritual truth, instructs in worship, and warns against sin (Ps. 19:7-11).”  (Ps. 19:7-11) “7 ¶  The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8  the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9  the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 10  More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11  Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” 

            “The Bible’s many-faceted divine truth reflects one unifying theme—the plan of redemption.  God has chosen for His own glory to elect and redeem a people to be the objects of His love, subjects of His eternal kingdom, and the everlasting worshipers who offer perfect praise, honor, and service to Him forever.  The Bible details that plan of redemption from its inception in eternity past to its consummation in eternity future.  From predestination to justification through sanctification to glorification the Bible is the story of the outworking of God’s gracious plan of salvation.

            “As that saving purpose unfolds through redemptive history, several recurring themes are revealed throughout both the Old and New Testaments.

            “First and foremost, Scripture is God’s self-revelation of His character and deeds.  He is the sovereign, creator, and ruler of the universe, who chose to make the human race and to reveal Himself to mankind.  The Old Testament records that God unveiled Himself through the created universe (Ps. 19:1; especially man, who was created in His image [Gen. 1:26-27; cf. Ps. 139: 13-14]), the work of angels (Heb. 2:2), signs, supernatural wonders (Deut. 6:22; Neh. 9:10), and visions (Gen. 15:1; 46:2; Isa. 1:1; Ezekiel 1:1; Hos. 12:10), as well as through the prophets (2 Kings 17:13; Jer. 7:25; Dan. 9:6; cf. Heb. 1:1).”  Now I will quote the verses mentioned above in the order they are found, beginning with Psalm 19:1.

(Ps. 19:1)

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

(Gen. 1:26-27; cf. Ps. 139: 13-14)

“26 ¶  Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

“13  For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

(Heb. 2:2)

“2  For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,”

(Deut. 6:22; Neh. 9:10)

“22  And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes.”

“10  and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day.”

(Gen. 15:1; 46:2; Isa. 1:1; Ezekiel 1:1; Hos. 12:10)

“  1 ¶  After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’”

“2  And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here I am.’’

“1 ¶  The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”

“1 ¶  In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.”

“10  I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets gave parables.”

(2 Kings 17:13; Jer. 7:25; Dan. 9:6; cf. Heb. 1:1)

13  Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.’’

“25  From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day.”

“6  We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.”

“1 ¶  Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,”

            As I look at MacArthur’s commentary on his introduction to these verses I see many verse references, and I think it is important to look at all of them in his introduction in order to get a good idea of what this chapter in his commentary will give to us as we study it.

7/8/2026 9:37 PM

 

 

 

 

 

“His (Judas) Betrayal”

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/7/2026 7:49 PM

My Worship Time                                                                           Focus:  “His (Judas) Betrayal”

            I will attempt to finish our look at these twelve apostles in  my SD for this evening.

            “After leaving the upper room, Judas evidently went straight to the Sanhedrin to set his evil plans in motion.  He informed them of the final, irreparable breach between himself and Jesus.  More significantly, he told them that Jesus would be in Gethsemane later that evening (cf. Luke 22:39; John 18:2)—a secluded place where they could seize Jesus without fear of provoking a riot (cf. Matt. 26:3-5; Luke 22:6).

            “Judas did not betray Jesus in a moment of passion; he could not have pleaded temporary insanity.  How long he had plotted in his wretched heart to betray the Savior is not revealed.  But he had made his bargain with the Jewish leaders almost a week earlier, and had been looking for an opportunity to deliver Him into their hands ever since (Luke 22:6).  His evil act was thus fully premediated.

            “Judas next appears in John’s narrative at the head of the large contingent of Roman soldiers and Jewish officials that arrived at Gethsemane to arrest Jesus.  The Lord did not attempt to hide or escape, nor did He wait for Judas to single Him out.  Completely in control of the situation, He went to meet the arresting party and calmly asked them who they were seeking (John 18:4).  After they replied, ‘Jesus the Nazarene’ (v. 5), Jesus identified Himself using the divine name ‘I am’ (cf. Ex. 3:14).  In response the entire detachment—including Judas—was slammed to the ground (vv. 5-6).”  “5  They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6  When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”  “Incredibly, despite that stunning display of Christ’s divine power, Judas proceeded with his diabolical plan.  Using the prearranged signal (Matt. 26:48), Judas brazenly ‘went to Jesus and said ‘Hail, Rabbi!’ and kissed Him’ (v. 49.  To betray the Son of Man with a kiss of affection was the act of Judas’s devious hypocrisy; it was a cynical attempt to feign innocence and conceal his treachery.  Judas used the symbol of love, respect, and homage to attempt to mask the evil in his heart.  He profaned the Passover, Gethsemane, where Jesus had poured out His heart to the Father and been ministered to by and angel (Luke 22:41-44), and most of all the sinless Son of God.

            “The monumental sin of betraying Jesus produced unbearable guilt, Judas’s conscience immediately came alive and began tormenting him.  He was overwhelmed with remorse (but not genuine repentance).  In a desperate but faithless and futile bid to gain relief from his tormenting conscience, he attempted to return to the Jewish leaders the paltry sum (thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave [Ex. 12:32]) he had received from them (Matt. 27:3).  Judas had been a useful tool to them, but now that they had Jesus in custody, the Jewish authorities had no further use for him.  They contemptuously dismissed him, callously responding to his plaintive cry, “ I have sinned by betraying innocent blood’ by telling him, ‘What is that to us?  See to that yourself!’ (v. 4).

            “This was the end of the line for Judas.  After throwing the thirty pieces of silver into the temple  sanctuary, he went out and hanged himself (v. 5).  In a fitting end to the tragic story of his life, he could not even do that successfully.  Either the knot came undone, or the rope or the branch to which it was tied broke, and Judas plunged to his death in a gory fashion (Acts 1:18). Acts 1:25 records the chilling epitaph to the life of Judas, noting that that son of perdition (John 17:12), went to his own place—hell (Acts 1:25).  In that place of unspeakable torment, his guilt-ridden conscience will refuse to be silenced for all eternity. Truly, as Jesus declared of him, ‘It would have been good for that man if he hand not been born’ (Mark 14:21)

            “Several compelling lessons may be drawn from the life of Judas:

            “First, Judas is history’s greatest example of lost opportunity and wasted privilege.  He heard Jesus teach day in and day out, and he personally interacted with Him.  He saw firsthand the miracles Jesus performed, which proved that He was God in human flesh.  But Judas refused Christ’s invitation to exchange the oppressive burden of sin for the easy yoke of submission to Him (Matt. 11:28-30).

            “Second, Judas is the foremost illustration of the danger of loving money (1 Tim. 6:10).  Riches meant more to him than the salvation of his soul (cf. Mark 8:36).

            “Third, Judas exemplifies the vileness and danger of spiritual betrayal.  In every age there have been Judases, who professed to follow Christ but turned against Him.  Judas’s life is also a sobering reminder of the need for self-exemption (2 Cor. 13:5).

            “Fourth, Judas was living proof of Christ’s patience, mercy, and loving-kindness.  Even when he arrived with the detachment to arrest Him, Jesus still courteously addressed Judas as ‘friend’ (Matt. 26:50).

            “Fifth, the example of Judas is a sobering reminder that the devil will always be at work in the midst of God’s people.  Jesus illustrated that truth in the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43).

            “Sixth, Judas proves the deadliness of hypocrisy.  He was a fruitless branch, cut off and cast into the eternal fire of hell (John 15:6).

            “Finally, Judas demonstrated that there is nothing sinful men can do to thwart the sovereign will of God.  Out of the seeming tragedy of the cross came the triumph of redemption; Satan’s apparent victory was in reality his ultimate defeat (Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8; cf. Gen. 3:15).  God used Judas’s treachery for His own glory (cf. Gen. 50:20).

            “When Judas sold Jesus to His enemies, he was in effect selling his own soul to the devil.  In the words of the nineteenth-century poet Hester H. Cholmondeley,

“Still as of old

Men by themselves are priced—

For thirty pieces Judas sold

Himself, not Christ.”

 

Now I am going to post a song by Michael Card entitled “Traitor’s Look” which came out in 1984, and he tells his story about Judas.  If you want to listen to the song you can search for it on Youtube.

Verse 1]
How did it feel to take the place
Of honor at the meal
To take the sup from His own hand
A prophecy to seal
Was it because He washed your feet
That you sold Him as a slave?
The Son of Man, the Lamb of God
Who'd only come to save

[Verse 2]
The silver that they paid to you
From out their precious till
Was meant to buy a spotless lamb
A sacrifice to kill
How heavy was the money bag
That couldn't set you free?
It became a heavy millstone
As you fell into the sea

[Verse 3]
Now, Judas, don't you come too close
I fear that I might see
That traitor's look upon your face
Might look too much like me
Cause just like you I've sold the Lord
And often for much less
And like a retched traitor
I betrayed Him with a kiss.

7/7/2026 9:29 PM

 

His (Judas) Disillusionment

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/7/2026 12:00 PM

My Worship Time                                                                 Focus:  His (Judas) Disillusionment

            I will have to see how far I can get in this section this morning, actually early afternoon, as there has been much to do with taking care of my wife and her struggle with cancer.

            “Judas’s initial excitement over begin chosen as one of Christ’s twelve most intimate followers did not last.  At first, as noted all of the Twelve had shared the common Jewish belief and hope that the Messiah would be a political and military deliverer.  The other eleven apostles eventually learned that Jesus had not come as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5), but as the suffering servant of Isaiah 53.  But as that became evident, Judas grew disillusioned; his disillusionment turned to hatred; and that hatred motivated Judas’s treachery.  John’s gospel records Judas’s downward spiral to ultimate disaster.

            “John 12 opens with Jesus and the Twelve in Bethany on the Saturday before Passover (v. 1). While they were at a supper in the home of Simon the leper (Matt. 26:6), ‘Mary [the sister of Martha] then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume’ (v. 3).  This was an extravagant act of unrestrained love on the part of Mary since the perfume was extremely expensive, and must have shocked those present.

            “Sputtering in outrage over what he considered a colossal waste of money, Judas demanded, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii [a year’s wages for an average laborer] and given to the poor people?’ (v. 5).  But Judas’s philanthropic concerns were merely a mask for his greed.  ‘Now he said this, ‘ John explained, ‘not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it’ (v. 6). To see such a large sum of money elude his grasp after years of disappointed hope infuriated Judas, and he lashed out at Mary.  So convincing was his pious display of concern for the needy that others present echoed his protest (Matt. 26:8-9; Mark 14:4-5).  But the Lord came to Mary’s defense.  ‘Let her alone,’ He commanded Judas (the verb translated ‘let alone’ is in the second person singular) ‘so that she may keep it for the day of My burial’ (v. 7).  In verse 8 the Lord reminded them all (the verbs and pronouns in this verse are plurals) that if they wanted to help the poor they would not lack opportunity since, He told them, ‘You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.’  But Mary had chosen to save the perfume for this special occasion instead of selling it and giving the proceeds to the poor.

            “Judas was now at the crossroads.  His avarice and greed had been unmasked by Jesus, and he could have humbly repented, confessed his sin, and sought forgiveness.  But the pride, greed, and disillusionment that controlled his heart won out.  Desperate to salvage something financially for the wasted years he had spent following Jesus, ‘Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them.  They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money.  And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time’ (Mark 14:10-11).

            “That ‘opportune time’ came on the following Thursday evening.  Jesus and the Twelve had gathered in the upper room for their final Passover meal together.  After giving the disciples a remarkable example of humility by washing their feet, the Lord affirmed to them that by faith in Him they had been made spiritually clean—except for the one who would betray Him (John 13:10-11, 18).  The prophecy of Psalm 41:9 would be fulfilled that very evening.  ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, ‘ Jesus solemnly told them, ‘that one of you will betray Me’ (v. 21).  Appalled, ‘the disciples began looking at one another at a loss to know of which one He was speaking’ (v. 22). As noted earlier Judas, the consummate hypocrite, had so completely fooled the other apostles that no one suspected him.  Jesus designated Judas as the betrayer by dipping the morsel (a piece of unleavened bread) into the common mixture of bitter herbs, water, salt, crushed dates, figs, and raisins, and handing it to him (v. 26).  To be given the morsel by the host was a special honor; thus, the Lord showed kindness and compassion toward Judas to the very end.

            “But Judas spurned this final gesture of love from Jesus, as he had all the previous ones over the previous three years.  With this ultimate rejection, the day of salvation closed for him (cf. 2 Cor. 6:2) and divine mercy faded and was replaced with divine judgment.”  “(cf. 2 Cor. 6:2)  “2  For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” “Judas was in essence handed over to Satan (cf. 1 Tim. 1:20), who entered into him (v. 27).” (cf. 1 Tim. 1:20) “20  among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” (John 13:27 ) “Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Let me just try and say what is going on in my mind at this time after reading and studying this SD.  A truly born again person can never loose their salvation, as that is impossible because they were chosen from eternity past.  However as we look at what happened to Judas we can learn from this situation that one can go over a line when they will never be saved, and that is what happened to Judas, and remember Judas did this on his own accord.  My plead is that if you are reading this SD and do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord then do so this very moment as you don’t want to follow the example of Judas as many, many have.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am trust the Lord to have the procedure that my wife will have tomorrow morning to be very successful, and that the Lord will make it possible for her to get the full treatment and not just part of it.  This is a prayer request, and I know the only way this can be done is if the Lord allows it to happen.

7/7/2026 2:12 PM

 

 

                       

“His Call”

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/6/2026 8:12 PM

My Worship Time                                                                                      Focus “PT-1 “His Call”

            This evening I begin the section on Judas Iscariot “His Call” and it comes from the commentary of John MacArthur.

            “The Bible does not record when and where Judas first encountered Jesus. He may have been among those who went to the Judean wilderness to hear John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1-5), or he may have met the Lord at the outset of His ministry when ‘Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing’ (John 3:22).  When the Lord first called Judas to follow Him is also not recorded in Scripture.  With the other eleven, he was chosen to be and apostle (Luke 6:12-13).  At that point (if he had not already done so), Judas left his former occupation and became a full-time follower of Christ.  He even stayed with Him when many other false disciples abandoned Him (John 6:66-71).  But though Judas was skilled as a hypocrite, appearing outwardly loyal to Jesus, he never gave Him his trust as Messiah and Lord.  He was crass to the core, indifferent toward godly, spiritual matters.

            “Judas was probably young (perhaps in his early twenties), zealous and patriotic.  Like most of his fellow countrymen, he hated the Roman occupation of Israel, and longed for the Messiah (whom he thought of in political and military terms) to drive out the Romans and restore Israel’s sovereignty.  In that regard, he was no different from the rest of the apostles, who also hoped Jesus would establish an earthly kingdom (Acts 1:6).”  “6 ¶  So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’”  But unlike Judas, they also believed that Jesus was the Son of God (Matt. 16:16), who alone was the source of eternal life (John6:68).

            “It was precisely that spiritual dimension that was absent in Judas.  He saw Christ’s miraculous power and fervently hoped that He would use it to throw off the yoke of Rome and establish His kingdom.  Judas’s motives, however, were not merely patrotic; he was also driven greed and personal ambition.  He hoped to reap the benefits—power, prestige, and wealth—that would be his in the kingdom as a member of Christ’s inner circle.  It was materialism, not spiritual realities, that fueled Judas’s ambition.

            “It must be clearly understood that although Jesus chose Judas, Judas chose to follow Him of his own volition.  He was not forced to become an apostle, nor was he compelled against his will to betray Jesus.  The biblical tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility is evident in the calling of Judas, as it is with the rest of the Twelve.  They chose to leave everything and follow Jesus (Matt. 19:27), but He chose them first (John 15:16.” “16  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

            “That the Lord Jesus Christ would be betrayed and die for the sins of the world was foreordained in the eternal counsel of God.  Centuries before it happened, the Old Testament prophesied Judas’s role in the betrayal of Jesus.  Psalm 41:9 says, ‘Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.’  Jesus told the apostles in the upper room that that prophecy would be fulfilled in His own betrayal. (John 13:18). Psalm 55:12-14 also refers to Judas’s betrayal:

“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 equal, my companion and my familiar friend; we who had sweet fellowship together walked in the house of God in the throng.

“Zechariah 11:12-13 predicted the exact amount Judas would receive for betraying Jesus:

“I said to them, ‘If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!’  So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages.  Then the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.’ So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord.”

“Matthew’s gospel cites that passage as a prophecy of Judas’s betrayal of Christ (27:9-10). “9  Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10  and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.’’ Thus long before judas was born, his treachery was foreseen and designed into God’s eternal plan. Jesus knew exactly the kind of man Judas was from the outset.  But He chose him so that the divine plan revealed in the Old Testament prophecies would be fulfilled.

            “But on the other hand Judas freely chose to do what he did, and was fully accountable for his actions. That his betrayal was predetermined in no way contradicts the truth that he acted on his own volition.  Jesus affirmed both realities when he said in Luke 22:22, ‘For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined [God’s sovereignty]; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed [Judas’s responsibility]!’  Peter expressed the tension between God’s plan and human choice as they relate to Christ’s death in the sermon on the Day of Pentecost:  ‘This Man [Jesus], delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death’ (Acts 2:23).  As He did with the others involved in Christ’s death, the sovereign God, ‘who works all things after the counsel of His will’ (Eph. 1:11), used the evil plans of Judas’s wicked heart to bring about the good of redemption (cf. Gen. 50:20) “20  As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

            “Judas had every opportunity to turn from his sin.  Much of Christ’s teaching applied directly to him, such as the parables of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-13) and the wedding garment (Matt. 22:11-14), and Jesus’ warnings against the love of money (Matt. 22:11-14), and Jesus’ warnings against the love of money (Matt. 23:1-12).  Judas was present when the Lord said to the Twelve, ‘Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?’ (John 6:70).  Just hours before his betrayal, Judas heard Jesus Declare that not all the disciples were spiritually cleansed (John 13:18).  But all of that left Judas unmoved.  He determinedly hardened his heart and refused to repent, and went to that eternal hell where he belonged. (Acts 1:25 calls it ‘his own place.’  There is an instructive parallel to this combination of divine decree and human will in Isaiah 10:5ff., where God prophecies that He will use Assyria as His rod of judgment on Israel, though Assyria has no intention of serving Jehovah.  When Assyria has worked that decreed judgment, He will turn on her and destroy her for the very pride that motivated her to assault Israel.”

7/6/2026 9:10 PM

“His Name”

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/6/2026 9:18 AM

My Worship Time                                                                                            Focus:  “His Name”

            I begin this very last section on John MacArthur’s comments on the twelve apostles by looking at the very last apostle, Judas Iscariot.

            He writes “Judas was a common Jewish name (the New Testament records at least eight men with that name), and had no evil connotation before Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of the Lord.  It is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name ‘Judah’ (‘praised’).  His father was Simon Iscariot (John 6:71; 13:2, 26); their surname is most likely the Greek translation of a Hebrew phrase that means ‘man of Kerioth.’  The Old Testament lists two villages named Kerioth, one in Moab (Jer. 48:24, 41; Amos 2:2), and another in the extreme southern part of Judah, about fifteen miles south of Hebron (Josh. 15:25).  Judas Iscariot was almost certainly from the latter village, making him the only one of the Twelve who was not a Galilean.  While there is no evidence that the other eleven ostracized him, Judas may have viewed himself as an outsider, which might have helped him to rationalize his detachment and treachery.  That the other eleven knew little of Judas’s background helps explain how he managed to become the group’s treasurer (John 13:29)—a position he took advantage of to embezzle money (John 12:6).

            “By all outward appearances, Judas looked no different from the rest of the apostles.  He did not appear sinister.  The evil that would eventually manifest itself in his betrayal of the Savior lay hidden in the dark recesses of his heart.  Thus when Jesus, on the very night that Judas betrayed Him, told the disciples, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, that one of you will betray Me’ (John 13:21), no one pointed an accusing finger at Judas. On the contrary, ‘the disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking’ (v. 22).  Only Jesus knew Judas’s evil heart from the beginning (John 6:64, 70).

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today:  I have read that those who are in hell will receive different degrees of punishment, depending how they lived their sinful life while on earth.  I have also read that Judas Iscariot will receive the greatest punishment in hell, and I am beginning to understand just how horrible his sin was as after living with Jesus and the other apostles he then would betray the only one who could have saved him.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to pray that my wife will receive great grace from the Lord as she suffers from the cancer she has.

7/6/2026 9:46 AM

                                                           

PT-2 “Common Men, Uncommon Calling—PT-7: Judas Iscariot” (Luke 6:16b)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/5/2026 9:06 PM

My Worship Time       Focus: PT-2 “Common Men, Uncommon Calling—PT-7: Judas Iscariot”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                  Reference: “Luke 6:16b”

            Message of the verse:  “Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.”

            “The Bible also records numerous traitors, including Absalom, who tried to usurp the throne of his father, David (2 Sam. 15:10-13); Ahithophel, David’s counselor who joined Absalom’s rebellion (2 Sam. 15:31); Sheba, who led a revolt of the northern tribes soon after Absalom’s rebellion was defeated (2 Sam. 10:1-2); Jeroboam, whose revolt against Solomon resulted in the nation being split into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah (1 Kings 11:26ff.); Baasha, who murdered Jeroboam’s son Nadad and seized his throne (1 Kings 15:25-28); Zimri, who killed Baasha’s son Elah and took his place (1 Kings 16; 8-20); Athaliah, Israel’s only queen, who seized power after the death of her son, King Ahaziah (2 Kings 11:1-16); the servants of Joash, who conspired against him and killed him (2 Kings 14:18-20); Shallum, whose conspiracy ended the brief reign of King Zecariah (2 Kings 15:8-10); Menahem, who murdered and replaced Shallum (2 Kings 15:14); Pekah, who overthrew and murdered Menahem’s son Pekahiah (2 Kings 15:23-25); Hoshea, who killed Pekah and became the last king of the northern kingdom (2 Kings 15:30); Amon’s servants, who conspired against him and murdered him (2 Kings 21:23); and the Persian officials Bigthan and Teresh, whose plot against King Ahasuerus was uncovered by Mordecai (Ester 2:21-23).

            “But the most notorious traitor of all time was Judas Iscariot.  Judas had the unmatched privilege of being one of the twelve intimate followers of the Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry.  Yet inconceivably, after more than three years living constantly with the incomparably perfect Son of God, observing the miracles He performed, and hearing His unparalleled teaching, Judas betrayed Him to His death by selling Him to His enemies.  The dark, tragic story of Judas reveals him to have been the most profoundly wicked man in all of human history.  It graphically illustrated the depts of evil of which the human heart is capable, even in the very best of circumstances.

            “Because of his heinous treachery, the early church universally detested and scorned Judas.  His name appears last in every New Testament list of the apostles, except for the one in Acts 1—where it does not appear at all, since Judas had already committed suicide.  In addition, whenever the gospel writers mention Judas they always identify him as the traitor who betrayed Jesus (Matt. 10:4; 26A:25, 48; 27:3; Mark 3:19; 14:44; John 6:71; 12:4; 18:2), as Luke does here.

            “The story of Judas also demonstrates that Satan uses people to accomplish his evil purposes.  He moved David to take a census of Israel that displeased God and resulted in His chastening of His people (1 Chron 21:1-7).  Satan also used demon-possessed false prophets to deceive King Ahab of Israel (1 Kings 22:19-23).  The future Antichrist will be ‘the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan’ (2 Thess. 2:9).  With full complicity on the part of the apostate disciple, Satan entered Judas to manipulate him (John 13:2).

            “The melodrama that was Judas’s life may be discussed under four headings: his name, call, disillusionment, and betrayal.”

            Lord willing I will begin to look at these different headings in tomorrow mornings SD.

7/5/2026 9:33 PM