Making a Difference in the World
Judas (Not Iscariot)
Using What You’ve Got
John 14:21-26
 
This morning we are going to be studying about a disciple who was known by three different names.  He was called "Judas Lebbaeus Thaddaeus," (that's a mouthful) but for the sake of simplicity and sanity we'll just refer to him this as Judas (not Iscariot).
 
Now, Judas Lebbeus Thaddeus was an obscure disciple.  We know very little about him. We find him in that last group of four that we discussed last week.  Those who are the least noticeable and very little information about them is provided to us.
 
As a matter of fact, all that we really know about him, beyond his names, is that he asked a question.  So this morning, I want to briefly look at those names and  what they tell us about the man, and then we’ll look at this very important question he asked.
 
First of all, he is identified in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13 as “Judas, the son of James or Judas, brother of James” depending on which translation you use.
The Greek phrase can be translated either way. In fact, you probably see the words “the brother” or “the son” italicized in your text.
 
So the phrase literally translates as “Judas of James”.  No doubt there is a close family relationship there.  The early readers probably knew which it was.
 
But we don’t have that privilege and for whatever reason, modern scholarship has decided that the relationship between Judas and James is father and son and I am sure that they have their arguments for their choice. Maybe there has been some support material that surfaced since 1611 when the KJV was put together.
 
In the bigger picture, it’s not that big of a deal, but I wanted to clarify it now rather than after church when someone would be sure to come and ask me why I said he was James’ son when their Bible said brother.  So there you go!
 
Now to me, whether he is son or brother to James, it’s more than a little bit unfortunate that Judas was his name because that name is forever and always linked to Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus.
 
But keep in mind, in those days the name Judas didn’t have the taint that it does today.  In fact, it was a very highly regarded and preferred name rooted back deep into Hebrew history with Judah, one of the original 12 sons of Jacob.
 
Jesus was from the tribe of Judah. And the name actually means "Jehovah leads" of “Jehovah is praised”. What a wonderful name it was to place on a child with the prayer that all of its days, this child would follow God.
 
Unfortunately, one jerk named Judas Iscariot messed it up for everybody else.  But the Judas we study today was a good representative of that name.
 
He had two additional names.  In Matthew 10:3 he's called "Lebbaeus” who was surnamed “Thaddaeus”.
Now we can’t be for sure, but here’s my take on that.  The name "Judas" was most likely his name from birth that his parents gave him. “Jehovah leads” and I'm sure the parents were anticipating and praying that in his life God would lead him and he would follow. It was a great thing for Hebrew parents to give to this little Jewish baby.
 
By the way, there is some speculation that this Judas is actually Jude who wrote the little epistle at the end of the New Testament.  The theory is his name was shortened to avoid confusion with the other Judas. 
 
According to Matthew 10:3, Thaddeus was his surname or last name.  But the other name, Lebbaeus, was most likely a nickname that got tagged on him. There is no indication that Jesus changed his name as with Simon Peter.  I think they are most likely characteristic of the kind of man he was.
 
Here’s why I believe that.  The literal translation of Thaddaeus is “breast child”. That's what it means and the Hebrew root of the name has to do with a female nursing a baby.  And the other name Lebbaeus is a Hebrew word that is very similar in thought meaning "heart child."
 
Now there are a lot of ways to bring that down into everyday language but the first one that came to my mind I’m not sure I can say from the pulpit.  But it appears for all intents and purposes he was what we use to call little cry babies in grade school.  He was a _____ baby (starts with a “t”).  And I think what we discover about Judas Lebbaeus Thaddaeus is that he was a tender-hearted mamma's boy.
 
It’s possible some of those mean grade-school boys knew what his last name meant, so they tagged this nickname on him to poke fun.
 
And the reason I it’s a nickname  is because a parent would have to think long and hard before they named their child “Breast Child” or “Mamma’s Boy” when the last name already meant that.  But it takes no stretch of the imagination at all for that nickname to be pinned on him down at the grade school if he was, in fact, a mamma’s boy and for that moniker to follow him through life.
 
Maybe he was on the small side.  Maybe he liked to cook rather than hunt.  Maybe he was more in touch with his feminine side.  Maybe he was the baby of the family.  Maybe momma was overprotective.
 
But I think we find in him a tender-hearted,
sympathetic, compassionate, gentle servant of God.
And the reason I believe that is, not only because of his name, but because of the question he asked.  It’s found in John 14, and we’ll spend the rest of our time there.
 
John 14:22-31
 
Now we are familiar with the first section of John 14 more than the last.  It is in John 14 where Jesus is announcing He is going away.  He gives them the promise that He will prepare a place for them and return to take them to it.
 
And that sparks all kinds of questions.  First Thomas asks, “”How are we going to get there if we don’t know where you are going?”  So Jesus answers that.
 
Then in verse 8, Philip jumps in with a comment that shows they aren’t nearly as far along in understanding what Jesus is up to as they should have been. So Jesus deals with that.
 
And throughout all these questions and answers and dialogue, Jesus keeps driving home the point that He is leaving and how they as His followers are going to know Him and see Him and He will be manifested to them.
 
And that’s where Judas jumps into the discussion and asks this question about why they get to know Jesus and the world doesn’t.  And there is where we find our support for the kind of man Judas was.  He’s not popping off in ignorance or being bold or brash.  He’s not challenging the Lord and what His plans are.  He’s asking a profound question that comes from a heart that is burdened for the world.  There's a gentleness and meekness and a kind of tenderness in the question.
 
He’s just startled and wondering what happened that we get to know You, but the rest of the world doesn't know You.  After all, they had been following Jesus with great expectations.  He is the Savior of the world, the holy One of God.  He came down to set up a Kingdom and they’ve been preaching the good news of forgiveness and salvation and this is good news for the world.  And they know that, but there are so many that don’t know that.  So what's happened that You're going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?"
 
I think Judas is on board with Jesus.  He’s seen the vision.  He understands the mandate.  He’s ready to charge hell with a water pistol.
There is a passion driven by love for the lost and he understands the power of salvation.  And now Jesus says, it is those who love me who get to see me.  And this tender-hearted mamma's-boy just says, “I don’t get it.  You're the King of the world but the world doesn't know that. You're the Savior of the world, the world doesn't know that. Why can we understand and see but nobody else can see?”
 
And the real crux of his question is this:  How are You going to save the world if they don't know You?
 
And notice how Jesus answers.
 
Verses 23-24
 
In so many words, He says, “JTL, the Kingdom can't be known to anybody who doesn't love Me. But when
somebody loves Me and keeps My Word, My Father will love him and We will come to him and the Kingdom will come to the heart of that person also."
 
And this must have been one of those light bulbs moments for the disciples as Jesus explained that He’s not going to take over the world externally.  His kingdom is all about taking over hearts, one at a time. And if anybody loves Me, he'll keep My Word. And if he keeps My Word, My Father will come to him and together we'll set up the Kingdom in his heart."
 
And verse 24 gives the other side. "He who doesn't love Me doesn't keep My Words and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me."
 
It's just a question of loving and following and serving Jesus.  He will only reveal Himself to anyone who has a loving, obedient, believing heart.
But that’s only part of the answer.  Judas was asking why they got to know Jesus and others didn’t.  Jesus says, “They can know me if they chose to love me.”
 
Then He goes on to explain how they will be given the opportunity to choose to love Him and how the believers would be taken care of.
 
Now keep in mind all these question and comments are in the context of Jesus announcing that He is going away and will no longer be with them.  And Judas must have thought that would end the impact and influence of His life and ministry.
 
But Jesus has more information to share that will absolutely rock their world.  Judas wanted to know how they would know Jesus and the world would find out about Jesus and Jesus says, “Someone’s coming to help you with that.”  And that Someone was the Holy Spirit.
 
Now, Jesus had already told him about the Holy Spirit, but evidently he didn't understand.  Look back up in
 
verses 15-17
 
Jesus had answered Judas' question before he even asked it.  How is the Lord going to manifest Himself to the Christian?  By the Holy Spirit of God that lives in his heart.  Judas missed that and there are a lot of people today who are just like Judas.  They don't know.  They want reality of that relationship, but they're looking for it in all the wrong places.
 
 
 
Some people look to intellectualism and education; others look for it in emotionalism.  They want some big experience on Sunday, but then the next day all they have is the memory of an experience.  Others think if they just get busy serving the Lord, then the Lord will be real to them.  So they immerse themselves in religious activity and get critical of anybody else who’s not as involved as they are.
 
But none of those are the ultimate solution to developing a vital relationship with the Lord
 
So what is the answer?  How am I going to know that God is real in my life?  Well, the answer is by the presence of the Holy Spirit.  God is going to come into your heart, into your life by His Holy Spirit, and his Holy Spirit is going to manifest the life of God in you and you're going to know that its real and you're going to rejoice in it because you have inside information.
 
So, with that said, let's see what Judas learned about the Holy Spirit.  Here's the first thing.  Judas learned, first of all about
 
1. The Person of the Holy Spirit
 
More specifically, he learned the Holy Spirit has
 
- personality
 
Who is the Holy Spirit?  Well, He is the third person of the Trinity.  And when I say He's third, I don't mean that He is less important or significant.  He is co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Son.
 
In fact, the word that I really want to emphasize from the statement is not “third” but “person”.  And I mean by that, not that He has eyes and ears and a physical body, but that He has “personhood” and personality.   Maybe an easier way to say what I’m talking about is to say the Holy Spirit is a person, not an “it”.
 
How would you like it if people referred to you that way?  I wouldn’t like it at all.  I can just hear it now:  “Well, it preached too long again!  I didn’t think it would ever shut up!”  Listen:  You can say those things if you want to, but at least have the common sense and courtesy to call me a person and not an “it”.  The Holy Spirit isn't an “it," He's a person.
 
Now, as I said, He's the third person of the trinity.  You say, "Pastor, I can't understand the Trinity."  Me neither.  But that’s OK.  I’m kind of glad there are some things about God and theology and life that I don’t understand.  That just magnifies the power and majesty and magnificence of God.
 
So even if I don’t understand the Trinity, I know the Bible teaches that God exists in three persons and One of them is the Holy Spirit. God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit; Co-existent, co-equal and co-eternal.  I like what an old country preacher said, "If you try to define the Trinity and you'll lose your mind.  If you deny the Trinity you'll lose your soul."  He is a person just as much as Jesus.
 
The Bible says that you can blaspheme the Holy Ghost.  You can't blaspheme an influence.  You can't blaspheme a force.  You can only blaspheme a divine person.  By the way, that one will send you to hell.  That's the unpardonable sin.
The Bible says in Ephesians 4:30 that you can grieve the Holy Spirit.  Now, you can't grieve a thing.  You can't grieve an influence.  You can't grieve a force.  Only a person can be grieved.
 
So first of all, the Holy Spirit has personality. Let me give you a couple of other things that come with his personality.
 
- He has intelligence
 
Romans 8:27 says, "Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is. . ."  Only a person has a mind.
 
- He has emotions
 
I just quoted that verse from Ephesians 4:30 that says that He can be grieved.   Romans 5:5 the Bible says that "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
 
- He has a will
 
In Acts chapter 13:2, the Bible says that "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."  It was the Holy Spirit that commissioned the church's mission movement.
 
So the first thing that Judas learned is that the Holy Spirit is a person.  He has personality.  He is an intelligent, emotional, decision-making person who empowers us to live as Christ.
 
 
Judas learned, not only about the person of the Holy Spirit, but also about
 
2. The Purpose of the Holy Spirit
 
The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to take Jesus' place here on this earth.  Listen to what Jesus said in
 
John 14:17-18
 
Now catch what we read there.  These verses tell us that the Holy Spirit was going to come, but then in that last verse Jesus said that He was going to come.  That's exactly right.  Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the same and yet they are different.  That is the mystery of the trinity.  Jesus said, "I'll send Him and it will be Me Who comes.
 
Maybe the simplest definition of the Holy Spirit is simply Christ living in a Christian through the person of the Holy Spirit.  Now that helps us understand the purpose of the Holy Spirit.  So what’s He doing in there?  What is the work of the Holy Spirit within you?  What will He do as Christ in the Christian?
 
- He Is the Substance of Life
 
The new life that you have when you receive Christ is really the life of the Spirit.  The Bible says in 2 Peter 1:4 that we are "partakers of the divine nature."  When do we become partakers of the divine nature?  When the Holy Spirit comes into us.
 
The Bible says in Romans 8:9 "Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" and later in verse 16 we read that "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."  You see, the Holy Spirit is the substance of our lives.  Down deep in my heart, when I received Jesus, I got new life and that new life was the life of the Holy Spirit entering my life.
 
- He Is the Seal of Your Security
 
The Bible says in Ephesians 1:13 that after you believe you are "sealed" with the Holy Spirit.  And the Bible says in Ephesians 4:30 that we are "sealed until the day of redemption."  That means when God saved me that He put His seal upon me.
 
Now, when I talk about a seal I'm not talking about sealing up canned goods like your granny used to do (even though that is a real good description of what the Holy Spirit does.)  Nor am I talking about the kind of seal that's in a car engine that keeps the oil from leaking out.  And I'm not talking about the animal down at the zoo that balances a ball on his nose.
 
The seal that the Bible is talking about here is the kind of seal that a king would use to guarantee that a document remained unopened until he said otherwise.  It has to do with authority and power.  So, what the Bible is saying is that the great King of Heaven has taken the Holy Spirit and by His authority and power guaranteed, with the presence of the Holy Spirit, our salvation.     
 
What that means to the average Christian is this.  Once I am saved, I am always saved.  Some folks say, "Well, I can't believe that.  That's why I could never be a Baptist.  I could never believe that "once saved always saved stuff."
 
Well whether you choose to believe it or not doesn’t mean the Bible doesn’t teach it.  You would be wise to believe it because you will never understand the nature of your salvation until you do.
 
Anyone who denies the eternal security of the believer is simply admitting their lack of understanding of the grace of God.    You don't stay saved because you’re holding on to God but rather because God has set in place from the foundations of the world a plan that will ultimately climax with every person He has ever saved being changed to be like Jesus and gathered safely into His presence.
 
That's why Jesus said in John 10, ""My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28  "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.29  "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."
 
- He Is the Secret of Your Victory
 
How are you going to live the victorious Christian life?  How are you going to live victoriously over sin?  Romans  8:2 tells us. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."
 
- He Is the Strength of Your Service
 
The Bible says in Acts 1:8, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. . . "
 
 
 
I thank God that every time that I stand up here with my heart clean and clear and prayed up that God's sweet Holy Spirit is in me preaching.  I can say like the apostles said, "And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."
 
Do you want to know why so many preachers and teachers are “used-to-be’s” rather than finishing strong in the faith?  It’s because they labored in their own strength rather than the strength of the Lord.  They never learned the secret of serving in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit.  Thank God He gives us supernatural power to live for Him and preach for Him and witness for Him and serve Him.
 
- He Is the Supplier of Your Joy
 
How many really happy people do you know today?  My Bible tells me “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy. . ."  He's the source of the Christian's joy.
 
That's the reason why at Pentecost those believers were filled with the Holy Ghost and everybody looked at them and thought they were drunk.  Peter said, "these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day."   They were simply displaying what Paul would later describe in Ephesians 5:18 when he wrote, "And do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit."
 
Listen:  If you are dependent on the preacher or the folks down at the church to keep you full of joy, you are in for a rude awakening.  That is not where we are to look.  They won’t do it on purpose.  It won’t be intentional.  But folks are always going to disappoint you and let you down.
You look to God for your joy and through the never-ending supply of the Holy Spirit, you will find joy unspeakable and full of glory.
 
- He Is the Source of Your Knowledge
 
Listen to John 15:26
"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me."
 
Remember what we read in John 14:26?
 
When you get saved, you get your own, personal tutor that comes to live inside of you. He teaches you all things. Some people never open the Bible because they are afraid they can’t understand it and yet it they are a child of God they have everything they need resident within them to understand what it says.
 
I think the problem is not they can’t understand it.  They’re just too lazy to work at it.  We are spoiled brats who expect everything to be spoon fed to us.  My Bible tells me I am to “study to show myself approved; a workman that doesn’t have to be ashamed.”  It is my responsibility to “hide the Word of God in my heart so I don’t sin against Him.”
 
How can you read and understand and get out of this book what God wants you to get out of it?  1st Corinthians 2:14, says that ". . .the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit.”
 
God has done everything necessary to help us in that endeavor.  He’s not only given us the Book; He’s made it possible for the author to live with us 24/7 so we can understand what it says and it’s a slap in the face of God for a Christian to say, “Well I’ve tried to understand the Bible and I just don’t get anything out of it.”
 
Let's suppose that a very wealthy relative were to die and name you in his will and you stand to inherit 50 million dollars.  But the only problem is the will is a 600 page document written in deep legal language and phrases that you couldn't understand.  Wouldn't that be frustrating?
 
So I guess the logical thing to do would just be to say, “I guess I’ll just have to forfeit my inheritance because I tried to read that will but I just can’t understand it.”   No what you’d do is as quickly as you could, you’d seek out the best lawyer you could find to help you determine what the document says and how it affects you.
 
Do you realize the Bible says in Hebrews that the Lord has done just that?  He has named us in His last will and testament.  It's the New Testament.  And the Holy Spirit is the Executor of that will.  He's the one who is to interpret that will. The Holy Spirit is the one who makes real to you what Christ purchased for you on the Cross.
 
And if you don’t know it and understand it and can’t figure out what it’s all about, it’s your own fault because the Holy Spirit stands ready to teach you.
 
- He Is the Sustainer of Your Faith
 
I don't have time to go into depth on this, but who do you think is going to be the One who picks you up when you're down, comforts you when you are in the depths and gives you the strength to go on?  It's the Holy Spirit.  That's why Jesus calls Him "the comforter."
 
Now, real quickly, let me show you the third thing that Judas learned about the Holy Spirit.  He learned about the person, the purpose and
 
3.  The Power of the Holy Spirit
 
How are you going to have this wonderful Holy Spirit working freely in your heart and in your life? Why is it that there is a difference even among those who are saved and know Jesus?  Why is it that some Christians seem to know the Lord more than others?  Do you want to know the answer to that question?  Well, go back to John 14 and I want you to see what Jesus had to say to Judas when he asked this question.
 
John 14:22-23
 
The way to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to love Jesus enough to obey Him.  The Bible says that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him.  Now, there is a sense in which the Holy Spirit is resident in every Believer, but He's not President in every Believer's life.
 
It's one thing for Him to be there just to abide; it's another thing for Him to be there to preside.  If you want Him to make God real to you, let me suggest that you must yield to God at every point
 
Over and over and over again in the 14th and 15th chapters of John Jesus is saying, "If you want it to be real, obey me, obey me, obey me."
 
We like to repeat the promises of God, but we don't like to obey the commands.  But they are tied up together. 
 
Lord, how will you manifest yourself to us and not to the world?  Jesus said, “Through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
 
But there’s a companion thought I want to insert before we leave today.  Judas wanted to know how they would see Jesus after He left the earth.  Jesus said, “The Holy Spirit living in you is how”.
 
But it occurs to me that not only is that how we see Jesus, but it’s also how a lost world sees Jesus and that call to evangelism is interspersed throughout this answer that Jesus gives to Judas’ question.
 
Notice verse 23.
 
Judas asks about how they and not the world will see God.  Jesus says, “It’s open to anyone. Love and serve God, and you’ll see God.”  Later in verse 31, He talks about how the world will know about the special relationship between God and Him.
 
Listen:  It has never been God’s desire to veil the message and play keep away with the lost.  In fact, just the opposite is true.  His plan is to reveal Himself to every believer through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit so that spirit-filled believer will then show Christ to the world. 
 
Did Judas get it?  Traditional history says he spent his life preaching the gospel and became known for God using him to heal many people of their diseases.
 
In fact, church historian Eusebius records that he healed a man named Adgar, who was a king of Syria. This man who was healed by Judas became such a devout Christian that his apostate nephew captured Judas and murdered him for the gospel.
 
In fact, throughout history there is a symbol associated with his name and it is a club and the reason is because that was what they used to kill him.   This compassionate momma’s boy with the world on his heart was clubbed to death for loving the world that killed him.
 
If you’ve ever worked in the oil fields, you’ve probably heard of a famous oil field in west Texas called the Yates Oil Field.
 
Ira and Ann Yates purchased the land above that field in the early 1920’s.  They were having difficulty making sufficient profit to pay the mortgage and taxes, so on a hunch, Ira invited Transcontinental Oil Company to explore his land for oil.
 
In 1926 an exploratory well was drilled on the Yates ranch and at around 1,000 feet below ground surface they hit a "gusher". Other wells were soon drilled and they hit unbelievable quantities of oil as well.  It seemed to be everywhere.
 
In fact, the first five wells, by spring 1927, together produced an average of 9,009 barrels per day.  It was more than could be stored or moved because of the limited resources available in the area. 
By 1929, production peaked with a total of 41 million barrels of oil and that year also saw the spudding of well Yates 30-A, which blew out with the spectacular flow of 8,528 barrels per hour, and over 200,000 in a day, setting the world record.
 
On January 11, 1985, the 1 billionth barrel of oil was produced.   By 1992 there were 1,100 active production wells, along with 57 injection wells and the field is still operating 360 productive oil wells today.
 
You know I can’t help but think that Ira Yates was a lot like many Christians and churches today.  Hardly able to make ends meet and worried about what to do, much like Judas, we ask, “Lord how is it that this is going to work out?”
 
And yet everything that was the solution to Ira Yates problem, he already owned.  In reality, he was a multi-millionaire living in poverty.  And he didn’t even know what he owned.
 
I would suggest it is time to take advantage of what is already ours, so that not only will we know God, but those around us will as well.
 
Let’s pray