The Twelve Apostles: Sovereignly Selected

The Bible tells us that Judas Iscariot was destined for destruction. How good God ordained that such a one would betray the innocent blood of Jesus and then be held accountable for such treachery, could not Judas on the day of judgment say what else can I do. I was simply doing your will.

Judas was doing for destruction so that prophecy would be fulfilled. Does that mean that the Jews had no choice in the matter was a force to betray Jesus.

Today I'm Renewing Your Mind, Dr. RC Sproul preaches from Luke's gospel, and among other things, explains how God's sovereignty squares with man's will. The last four apostles the poem wave not mentioned except in the reading included James the son of Alpheus, also known as James the less Simon the zealot, Judas, the son of James and then finally Judas Iscariot of the first three of these men whose names I just mentioned, there is precious little information given to us in the New Testament of the last was mentioned, much as been written and much as been spoken of sense his betrayal of our Lord so most of the time this morning. I will be given to Judas. But before we turn our attention to him. Let's look briefly at these first three James the son of Alpheus was also known as James the less that way here as I say almost nothing about him in the New Testament. What is perhaps most significant in the New Testament record of James is what was performed by his mother on two different occasions see as mentioned, presumably his mother as she is known others.

A woman by the name of Mary, who was said to be the mother of James and of Josie and that presumably is this Jane and what is great.

I think about James's mother was that she was one of the Mary's, who was present at the foot of the cross on the day of crucifixion and also one of the Mary's that got up before the break of dawn and want to the tomb of Jesus for the purpose of anointing his body with spices and of course it was James's mother, along with Mary Madeleine and the other Mary, to whom the Angels announced the resurrection, tradition tells us that he was also a missionary as well as many of the others he went to Syria, but in the year 63 is recalled to Jerusalem and he was tried by the leaders of Jerusalem as a heretic he was taken to the pinnacle of the temple and was told there publicly to renounce Jesus instead, he reaffirmed his conviction that Christ was the Messiah and the son of God, whereupon he was thrown to the ground from the pinnacle of the temple, but that did not kill him.

It merely broke his leg and so to finish the job. The executioners came and hit him in the head with a large stone and killed him. Simon the zealot is interesting course because of the nickname that he was numbered among that party or group of first century Jews who were known as zealots and the zealots were not zealous simply about spiritual matters, but the object of their zeal was political. These were the men who came together and were passionately committed to the overthrow of the Roman government and the hope of driving them from the land.

By the way, it was the zealots for the most part, who made up that mass of Jews who retreated to Masada and under the Roman attack were finally driven to throwing themselves off the mountaintop to commit suicide. Some have described the zealots as ancient terrorists similar to the Al Qaeda that we deal with. Even today, but in any case, it's one of the strange acts of Providence that Jesus would select for his inner core of apostles. On the one hand, a man, it was a tax collector raising tribute to support the Roman cause and as zealots on the other hand to work side-by-side with this former tax collector. You talk about a miracle of public relations. This was accomplished by Jesus getting these two men on his team and getting them to work together. Tradition tells us that Simon also was a missionary want the North Africa to Spain and then went to Britain and there in the year 74 A.D. he suffered martyrdom as he was sawn in half apart from Judas. 10 of the 11 were killed for their faith and their blood as it is been said again and again became the seed of the church and their lives represent a testimony for us that there be a Christian. At this time in history was to put your life on the line and there is no generation of Christians in all of church history in which that should not be something that every believer would be prepared to do, namely to give his or her life in martyrdom for the Lord. Finally, we have June, who's also named Thaddeus in the New Testament and again next to nothing is known about him except that through tradition we read that in 70 A.D. he was martyred by being shot with arrows and killed in that manner so that brings us to the last one mention the man whose name is identified with treachery and betrayal. Judas Iscariot's of home much is written in the New Testament in D and I want to consider this morning. His role in the plan of God for redemption. Here we see that he was selected by Jesus to be an apostle. I mentioned in the first week that I just that when Jesus was praying all night before he engaged in the selection process of those who would be his closest ambassadors that he prayed expecting with the knowledge that one and probably Judas would be the betrayer. I speculated that that point, but because we don't know for sure that Jesus knew that early that it was Judas who would betray him. My guess is that he did, but we certainly know from the Scriptures that he knew before the fact, as he announced to Judas at the Last Supper, as well as to the other disciples again. He betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and led the soldiers into the garden that night which Jesus was arrested and indicated in the darkness to the soldiers which one was Jesus by walking up to Jesus and kissing him there by coining the phrase for all future history with the expression the kiss of death's kiss of death occurs when somebody does something that seems on the surface to be affectionate, loving or complementary, when in reality it is an act of destruction and of the trail and I'd like to just take a moment to look at a passage that we find in the book of acts and acts very early in Peter's speech at Pentecost. We find in chapter 2 of acts, verse 22 we read these words, men of Israel here. These were Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands have crucified and put to death, whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be held by what I want us to focus on briefly this morning is this here. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus was delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, that Jesus betrayal was not an accident of history. It was not a mistake that took place when somebody was disillusioned and in his frustration sought worldly gain for the blood of our Savior know this act of treachery was ordained by Almighty God from the foundation of the world and that causes us no small amount of consternation. How could God ordained and that Herman is eternally that such a one would betray the innocent blood of Jesus and then be held accountable for such treachery, could not Judas on the day of judgment say what else can I do. I was merely fulfilling your purpose.

I was simply doing your will. It was you who ordained that the Satan would enter into me and then Satan made me do this diabolical act so that Judas would have as his trump card. On the day of judgment. The excuse either. The devil made me do it or even worse, you Almighty God by your pre-– donating sovereignty made me do it. We deal with that alternative well only begin by saying that this is certainly not the first time in biblical history where we see wickedness perpetrated by people where they are working out the Council of all mighty God. Consider, for example, the role that was played in the greatest Old Testament drama of redemption, namely the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. When God heard the cries of his people and determined to redeem them from their slavery and from their bondage that school are the instrument that God used in his hand to affect the great exodus of the Old Testament was the most powerful man on the face of the earth. Even Pharaoh the king as it were of the Egyptians and the Scriptures tell us that in the confrontation between Pharaoh and Moses. When Moses delivered the word of God to Pharaoh and said the Lord God said that your to let these people go, that they may come and worship me on my mountain and Pharaoh been inclined to grant the request and then we read and God hardened Pharaoh's heart and so Pharaoh obstinately refused to let the people of God go and so the series of plagues came and were visited upon the people of Egypt and on Pharaoh and after each play he would see Pharaoh beginning to relent. Until then we would raid and God hardened Pharaoh's heart and so he remained obstinate in his resistance to the mandate of God and finally were told that the reason why God hardened Pharaoh's heart was that the people might know and may clearly understand that it was God in his grace that delivered them and not Moses or the will of the people or the benevolence of Pharaoh, but that salvation was on the Lord.

But again we hear this idea that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. While the question we have ears to fold.

Why did God hardened Pharaoh's heart and secondly how did God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Why make the Scriptures very clear as to why he hardened Pharaoh's heart. As I said a moment ago, so it would be manifest plane for anybody to see there was the Lord God Almighty and his mercy and grace, who was redeeming his people. That was one of the purposes. The other purpose is that God's hardening Pharaoh's heart, and you have to get this now was an act of divine judgment. It wasn't like Pharaoh was an innocent righteous bystander who had only good intentions to do whatever he could to help these poor oppressed Jewish people know Pharaoh was all together wicked and one of the things that God does again and again in church history, and something that we should beware of is that he exercises judgment of a poetic manner where he will give people over to their own wicked desire. One of the things by which God exercises mercy, and ministry to us is by restraint. He keeps us from living out the fullness of our sinful inclinations and if it weren't for the restraint of God. I can imagine the degree of sin that I would've committed on top of what we have committed, nor can you imagine the degree of your sinfulness were not for the restraining hand of God's grace upon your life and if we go when we try to create a list of the most wicked people in the history of the world people whose names will frequently appear on such lists will be people like Hitler and Stalin and Nero and Pharaoh and people of this ilk. One of these men all have in common. What they all had in common was the virtual absence of restraint upon their lives. They had that absolute power that corrupts absolutely nothing to hold them in check except the sovereign restraint of God. So all God had to do to have a Hitler become a Hitler even more was to remove his restraints and let Hitler do what Hitler wanted to do to remove his hands from Stalin and a lot stalwart in his wickedness do what Stalin wanted to do to take away the restraint from the road that Nero would live out the kind of life he was inclined to live.

That's what it means to be abandoned by God to be given over to Satan by God. Martin Luther put it this way when God hardened Pharaoh's heart. He didn't create fresh evil in that art.

There was plenty of evil already there and so again the way in which God hardens the heart is by removing the restraints and giving one over to their own wickedness.

Pharaoh's heart was already recalcitrant.

It already was a heart of stone before God had any of the plagues afflict him. That's how God works in and through even wicked agents. Even through the treachery of human beings, but it's not as though God forced the brothers of Joseph to act in that manner. The brothers of Joseph did exactly what they wanted to do.

They were jealous and they want to get rid of their brother and God used their wickedness to use their sin. They use their jealousy to prepare for the people of God to be redeem you meant it for evil God meant it for good. God is never intended anything that has ever come to pass on this planet except for good. You asked me does God ordained sin. The answer is easy of course he does. If he didn't. It couldn't possibly come to pass will that is it wicked for God to ordained sin no sin is sin and we don't call good, evil, or evil good, but God's involvement in it is perfectly holy and perfectly righteous. One more example consider Job and the drama. There when Satan came and was boasting about he is going to and fro across the earth and everybody there was that his pocket and got several of you considered my servant Job Satan laugh that God is a Job.

Of course he worships you, of course, he falls in which you've given him everything American ever asked for wealth and riches and everything human happiness and health and family put I had around the turn and head your way here that heads down, let me and he will curse you to your face and you know the drama that goes on first thing that happens is the Sabeans commonly seal Job's donkeys and his auctions.

The next thing the Chaldeans, and they still his camels now the devil stirs up the Sabeans against Job. The devil stirs up the Chaldeans against Job and its God posters up Satan to stir up the sapiens and the Chaldeans for how does God get vindicated in all of this will again, it wasn't like the Sabeans were these righteous, innocent cowboys that love nothing but goodness and the truth known an they had been coveting Job's oxen and donkeys for years. They were All rustlers from the beginning. The only problem was there was a wall there. I heads that prevented them from stealing Job's get all God had to do was tear down the wall here come the Sabeans here come the Chaldeans, they didn't need any fresh evil in their hearts and planted there by God in all of these things I'm trying to tell you what happened with Judas Judas was a devil from the beginning, Judas was very unregenerate corrupts treacherous lying thieving crook before he ever met Jesus and God worked through his corruption to bring about the greatest work of salvation in all of human history. Again, as was the case with the brothers of Joseph, Judas meant it for evil but God meant it for good.

Oh that the Lord God would use us for his good purposes for his kingdom and when he finds us that he works through our good intentions rather than our evil one. But again, if the world were left to me. We would all end up in the trail. Were it not for the grace and mercy of the God who redeemed me and who redeems it really stretches the limits of our understanding of God is in it he allows evil even works on his will through the evil acts of men, but is not the author of evil reverting helpful explanation of that today is Dr. RC Sproul examine the life of Judas Iscariot you're listening to Renewing Your Mind on this Lord's day. Thank you for being with us. The gospel of Luke is our focus each Sunday here in the program. It's allowing us to really dig deeply into each passage of this book. As you continue your own study of Luke, let me recommend today's resource offer it's RC's commentary on Luke in nearly 600 pages. You'll find helpful insight into every verse to receive the digital download simply contact us with a donation of any amount when you go to Renewing Your Mind.work and I think it's important to mention that our purpose here of locator ministries is to help you gain a deeper understanding of God and his holiness is never been or never will be our intention to replace the local church. So while were thankful that you can enjoy doctors post teaching on this Lord's day.

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