Overview: Most people have experienced betrayal at one time or another within their lives. If you have, you know betrayal is no easy thing to overcome. I would even go as far to say that forgiving someone who has compromised your trust is a God thing and can only be accomplished through His power and grace.

Directions: Today, we will examine four key points that will help us choose hope and healing when faced with the crossroad of “betrayal”. In other words, when we are betrayed by someone we trust, we are faced with a decision. In our text, not only will we see how Jesus responded to betrayal, but we will also discover how to place our trust in Him, even when all else fails us.

Like Judas:

1. Many people view Jesus as a medal to be worn, not a reason to lay down their lives.
2. Many people would rather live for themselves, instead of living for Jesus.
3. Many people expect Jesus to make time for them, but they refuse to make time for Him.
4. Many people know the truth, but they fail to live the truth.
5. Many people choose to remain chained to their sins even though the key is right in front of them.

The kiss in question was...

1. A kiss of intimacy.
2. A kiss of loyalty.
3. A kiss of vulnerability.

The downfall of deception:

1. We deceive ourselves.
2. We cover the guilt.
3. We ignore the consequences.
4. We reject the truth.

The point of the betrayal:

1. The people intentionally rejected Christ as Lord.
2. God intentionally allowed Christ to be taken to fulfill the promises of Scripture.

Destination: It is obvious by our text that Jesus surrendered Himself over to the religious leaders so that we could be set free from our bondage. At that moment, He chose us. The question we must now answer is this: Will we choose Him?

Reflection: Use the private notes section below or your personal journal to put the message of these verses into your own words so you can communicate them with others.

Your voice matters! (see Mark 16:15)