I can’t accept that.
John 17:11 – 19
Aug 14 2011
What a book, this book called the Bible. It is filled with something that can intrigue anybody’s feelings; Romance, Mystery, History, Thrills, Chills, Laughter. But there is not two that play out more against each other than Hope and Sadness.
America is becoming more jaded as time goes on with the God and His word the Bible. As I see this happening I have to ask what went wrong. Why have so many people in such a prosperous country taken God for granted?
Some people over the past fifty years or so have tried to say that America is part of the lost tribes of Israel. “If”, that is the case, than as you read through the Old Testament you can see what is going on, we have just gotten too big for our own good and whenever the nation of Israel got too big for their own good, God allowed the surrounding world to take them captive.
During these various time periods of captivity, the nation of Israel suffered deeply. They suffered financially, physically and emotionally, all because they had stopped trusting in God and on themselves.
This lack of trust plays out in two very distinct ways, yet end up with very similar results, separation from God.
In our scripture reading earlier, Jesus said these words in his one of His final prayers on earth.
John 17:12
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
“None lost, except the son of perdition.” What does this word Perdition mean?
In simple definition it is the opposing view of Salvation. Salvation expresses the idea of eternal life with God; Perdition carries the designation of a hopeless eternity without God.
Perdition; Used 8 times in the King James Version New Testament NT to express the eternal aspect of the destruction of life and self.
Philippians 1:28, “perdition” is the opposite of “salvation.”
Hebrews 10:39 contrasts it with “preserving one’s soul.”
Second Peter 3:7 links perdition with the day of judgment.
1 Timothy 6:9 has both present and future in view. “Son of perdition” is a label affirming the destiny of the betrayer Judas (Jn 17:12) and of the antichrist (2 Thes 2:3).
Revelation 17:8, 11 perdition designates the final abode of the beast.
Revelation 19:20 and 20:10 identify this abode as the “lake of fire,” a place of everlasting torment.
What leads a person to this avenue of life?
There will be many people that will end up as a son of perdition simply out of ignorance. Not the ignorance of lack of knowledge but ignorance of willingness to not want believe.
2 Peter 3:5-7
5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
There are two men in the Bible that have gone this route, the route of willfully disregarding how God operates, One under the Law and one under Grace.
Cain – Perdition by Works
Genesis 4:2 – 5
Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
What is the difference between these two brothers other than one being a shepherd and the other a tiller of the ground?
Answer; What they brought to God.
You may be saying that both men brought to God the best of what they did for a career and you are right about that, but is that what God requires us to bring, the best of what WE ARE?
Isaiah 64:6
6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness’s are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
God says that our best is not good enough, besides where did Cain’s best or our best come from?
Gen 3:17 b “Cursed is the ground for your sake;
How could our best be best if the source in which our best comes from is cursed by the one in which we are to be giving our best to?
You may say that Abel’s best ate off the land that was cursed and you would be right, but the difference between what Cain and Abel brought is Abel’s best did not come directly come from him but from God. You see Abel in essence brought back to God what God had given and that was life. Abel brought back to God what was already God’s in the first place, life.
What was God’s response to Cain when he brought the fruit of his works?
Gen 4:6 - 7
6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
In short, all God was asking Cain was to bring to Him what He asked Cain to bring and that would make things right between the two of them.
What was Cain’s response? “I can’t accept that.”
Judas – Perdition by Pride
Just like in the Old Testament the one individual that stands out for striking out against God other than Satan is Judas.
Judas’s failure is not one caused by works, but one that was caused by Pride.
If Abel was Cain’s counterpart on understanding God’s ways, then none other than Peter can be Judas’s counterpart in understanding God’s reaction to Pride or arrogance.
Peter and Judas both denied Jesus, albeit in different forms. Peter denied knowing who Jesus was, while Judas denied the power and authority that was given Jesus.
Matthew 26:33 - 35
33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.
At this of the evening, all the disciples was actually only eleven, for you see Judas had already set his plan into motion.
Judas’s plan was to force Jesus into a worldly lime light. Force His hand to become the next earthly king of the nation of Israel so they could be rid of the oppression of the Roma rule.
Too often as humans we tend to want to lead God or direct Him on what needs to be done based on our view point of worldly activities. We try to tell Him what is fair and what is not. When things don’t go our way, because God did not respond to how we thought He should have done it, we have a tendency to scatter, much like the disciples did after they said that they would all be willing to die with Him.
Matthew 26:55 - 56
55 At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a criminal? I used to sit teaching in the temple courtyard every day. But you didn’t arrest me then. 56 All of this has happened so that what the prophets have written would come true.” Then all the disciples abandoned him and ran away.
For us to deny Jesus is not something that surprises Him, but what we do in response to our denying can have a profound effect on us and set us down the wrong path.
What is the difference between Judas’s denial and Peter’s? Judas in his heart of hearts felt that there is no way that Jesus could ever forgive him so he did the only thing a truly prideful person could do, take matters into his own hands.
What was Judas’s response when he betrayed Jesus? I can’t accept that.
Matthew 27:3 - 5
3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” 5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Judas despite his remorse did not, nor did he give Jesus, the one he betrayed, the opportunity to approach him as in the case of when Peter betrayed Jesus.
Pride along with the idea of having to work for our forgiveness flies in the face God’s grace
Ephesian 1:3 – 10
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. 4 That is, in Christ, he chose us before the world was made so that we would be his holy people—people without blame before him. 5 Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him, 6 and it brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in Christ, the One he loves. 7 In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God’s grace, 8 which he has given to us so fully and freely. God, with full wisdom and understanding, 9 let us know his secret purpose. This was what God wanted, and he planned to do it through Christ. 10 His goal was to carry out his plan, when the right time came, that all things in heaven and on earth would be joined together in Christ as the head.
11 In Christ we were chosen to be God’s people, because from the very beginning God had decided this in keeping with his plan. And he is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants.
Read that last verse again!
Heaven; God’s home, God’s entrance plan
Today, the grace of God is available for all. He is not asking you to do anything, but simply accept His love. To understand that He knows your every fault, your every sin and despite that knowledge, He still loves you and wants to give you the best He has to offer.
I urge you that if you have not accepted God’s forgiveness today that you do so now. Don’t play the part of another Cain or Judas and reject God by saying, I can’t accept that. By saying that you enter the avenue of perdition, an eternity of separation from the God that loves you more than you will ever know.
Salvation or Perdition, the choice is yours, which will you accept.