I. SERMON NOTES​

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Facilitator's Note: Introduce the message naturally in your own words. A brief recap, a thoughtful question, or an everyday situation can help. The aim is to help the group engage the passage afresh, rather than simply repeat the sermon.

 

Introduction

 

The passage is set during the Last Supper, where Jesus predicted Judas's betrayal. From this account, two distinct models of faith emerge: a negative example seen in Judas and a positive, confident faith demonstrated by Jesus.

 

• Definitions of Faith: General definitions describe faith as great trust or confidence in someone or something, as well as belief, trust in, and loyalty to God.

• Jesus's Humanity and Faith: As both divine and human, Jesus possessed faith. Hebrews 12:2 calls Jesus the "pioneer and perfecter of faith," signifying that He lived out a trajectory of absolute trust and submission to the Father's plan through His obedience, prayer life, and passion.

• Judas Iscariot: Judas was one of the twelve disciples and served as the group's treasurer. He betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and later died by suicide. Beyond human motives like greed, Scripture notes a spiritual dimension to his actions, stating that Satan entered Judas.

 

In biblical Greek, the word for faith is pistis, which encompasses both "faith" (trust/belief) and "faithfulness" (fidelity/loyalty). In the ancient mind, these were two sides of the same coin; genuine inward belief required outward action and loyalty. 

 

New Testament scholar N. T. Wright notes: "Faith and obedience are not antithetical. They belong exactly together. Indeed, very often the word 'faith' itself could properly be translated as 'faithfulness', which makes the point just as well."

 

Just as a coin with only one embossed side is counterfeit, true faith must include both internal belief and faithfulness as the external expression of genuine inward faith. 

 

1.     Type of Faith (Shallow vs. Deep)

John Wesley, in his sermon Salvation by Faith, described saving Christian faith not merely as an assent to the gospel, but as a full reliance on Christ's blood; a trust in the merits of his life, death, and resurrection.

 

Judas: Shallow & Prosperity-Centred Faith

• Self-Serving Focus: Judas was happy to follow Jesus while the ministry thrived and money was in the treasury. His primary concern was personal prosperity.

• Shaken by Suffering: When Jesus began revealing that He must suffer, die, and be raised, and called His followers to deny themselves and take up their cross daily, Judas's allegiance faltered.

• Parable of the Sower: Judas's heart reflects the shallow or thorny soil in Matthew 13:5–7, where seeds spring up quickly but wither under heat or are choked by worldly desires.

• Warning Against the Prosperity Gospel: Modern teachings claiming that faith guarantees health and material wealth misrepresent Scripture. They lead to psychological harm by blaming illness or poverty on a lack of faith. Scripture records that many faithful figures suffered—including Job, Paul the Apostle, and Jesus Himself, who taught against storing up earthly treasures (Matthew 6:19–21). Following Christ takes place in a fallen world and may involve suffering (John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12).

 

Jesus: Deep & God-Centred Faith

• Rooted in Identity: Jesus was fully God-centred, anchoring His identity in knowing He was the beloved Son of God sent to accomplish the redemptive plan for humanity.

• Embracing the Cross: Though "troubled in spirit" at the Last Supper (John 13:21), Jesus did not evade suffering or use divine power to escape.

• Sovereign Trust: When Jesus told Judas, "What you are about to do, do quickly" (John 13:27), He actively submitted to the chain of events leading to His execution, trusting that His death was the means through which God would glorify Him and save humanity. He did not measure God's faithfulness by the absence of suffering.

 

2.    Expression of Faith (Faithless vs. Faithful)

 

Judas: Faithless

• Betrayal of a Friend: Despite spending three years with Jesus, Judas secretly conferred with the chief priests to betray Him for thirty pieces of silver.

• The Value of Thirty Silver Coins: Equivalent to roughly four months' wages of a skilled labourer, this amount purchased only a plot of barren land ("Potter's Field") for foreign burial (Matthew 26:14–15; 27:3). In Exodus 21:32, thirty shekels was the compensation for a slave accidentally killed. The chief priests symbolically valued Jesus as a common servant, and Judas agreed to this small sum.

• Breaking the Commandments:

  • 8th Commandment ("You shall not steal"): Stole from the common money bag (John 12:4–6) and traded Jesus's life for profit.

  • 9th Commandment ("You shall not bear false witness"): Served as a corrupt paid informant, using a kiss of affection as a sign for arrest.

  • 10th Commandment ("You shall not covet"): Driven by unchecked greed, asking, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"

 

Jesus: Faithful

• Faithful to Judas: Jesus did not retaliate or act in violence. In Gethsemane, when Judas approached with an armed crowd, Jesus responded, "Friend, do what you came for" (Matthew 26:47–50). He continued to show love without hatred, illustrating that Christian love seeks the good of others even when wronged.

• Faithful to God: Jesus obeyed all of God's commandments without sin, maintaining complete obedience under intense pressure.​​​