God Has Given Me A Portion In This Life, I Must Not Lose It As Judah Did

From: July 1-7, 2008

Pastor: Edith Cruz

Study: #548

TOPIC: “God Has Given Me A Portion In This Life, I Must Not Lose It As Judah Did” Acts 1: 17 - 22 Judah guided those who apprehended Jesus. There will be many who will do the same as Judah and will not receive anything good or beneficial for their lives. Judah could never be happy and instead of living in the grace he lived in disgrace. And it was all because he decided to take the wrong path for his future. Matthew 26:24 Judah became the guide to lead those who wanted to crucify and ridicule Jesus. With Jesus we have everything to gain because He is always willing to do. He liberates, He established all the knowledge in Heaven on Earth and passed it on to twelve men who surrounded Him, including Judah. Psalm 109:8 David, the prophet, knew that there was someone who was going to betray the Master and would be the instrument of those who wanted to kill the Lord Jesus. Referring to Christ, many people enjoy mockery. What happens is that we have not learned to value what God has given us. Judah was unaware that David knew of him. It so happens that God revealed Himself to King David who prophesied that another apostle would substitute Judah and would take his place. There was nothing funny about what Judah did and not much is said about him, but he didn’t get away with it. When the devil deceives there is the thought that this is tremendous and that no one will find out. But, here we see that nothing can be hidden to the eyes of the Almighty God. The Holy Spirit spoke through David. He knew that someone else would take his place. If the enemy succeeds in knocking our head there will be an empty space and he will find a way to infiltrate. Careful! Luke was writing what Peter was speaking without losing any details; he spoke clearly of how Judah was counted among them and had a part with them. No one can do any good inside the church if he is not a part of the church. We forget that if we have been given something to do for God, it is a gift of grace. When we are men and women who have been called to be counted among God’s people, this means that we have been given a special gift. Judah’s portion was to be an apostle because this is what God had for him. In many occasions God has given us a portion in life, but if we lose it and we don't fulfill it things will not go easy for us. What Judah received on behalf of the divine providence was like a special gift of God. What we have is because God provided us according to what He has to distribute and according to our capacity. Let us see if we make use of it or we lose it. If something is vile it is hated. We have to see how great God is and how He does justice in everything. Judah wanted deliberately to sell the Master. He had the insolence of showing up as the head of that group in charge of taking the Master prisoner. Matthew 26:50 Jesus did not treat Judah with indifference even when he came to sell Him. Judah gave the countersign so that they would capture the one whom he kissed and wouldn’t be mistaken. If anyone wants to destroy the work of God it would be best never to have been born. Judah frequently met with the teachers, the Pharisees and the priests of the Jews. The leader of the traitors is the worse sinners. We should never assume the position of being in charge of a betrayal. When there is treason it is because there is infidelity and a very evil spirit. We will always find traitors. There are many who go after Jesus for what Jesus can give them. With the salary Judah earned he bought a field. Jesus handed him an economy. He wanted a field to retire from the one who had been his Master.

Jesus was God on Earth and with the sale of his body Judah was going to purchase a field. The fruit of his iniquity, his evil thoughts, hatred, envy, zeal, sin and lack of commitment was clearly evident. Matthew 27:3-5 Judah returned the money. With the filthy money he obtained the field. Judah was already tired of walking with Jesus. He clearly saw the Master’s ways. He purchased the field with the salary of his iniquity. He had already given a price for Jesus' body and his payment was that he hung himself thinking that he was going to rest. When the fighting spirit leaves and one has no desire to struggle any longer everything is abandoned. In life we obtain when we struggle. A church that struggles and battles for the lives is the one that obtains a lot. Where Judah thought that he would have rest what he found was disgrace; he went to Hell. We have walked together with Jesus, watching him work as Judah did at the side of the other disciples. But in that road, where we find ourselves receiving blessings and seeing miracles, can also become dangerous, because if we neglect ourselves we can end up in treason like Judah. Later, Judah then had to speak to all of the Master’s innocence. The priests knew about the field because Judah must have spoken to them on more than one occasion, when Jesus went to Jerusalem. We are not inferior or superior to the disciples and Jesus has entrusted us just as He has entrusted them. Behind the gospel many seek positions, for that reason some live wanting what others possess, but no one will have anything if it does not come from God. Judah wasted the gift that God had given him. Psalm 69:25 The life of a righteous is not a life of loneliness. What God has proclaimed, His promises, He will fulfill them. What He has ordered will be done. Jehovah will always find someone to substitute the one that left. Judah failed in what God wanted, but did not seize the position. Nobody seizes the position that God has created. Christ's cause will not be lost because of lack of witnesses. But there are requirements which are needed when God gives a position. Together at all times, those twelve had to give testimony of Jesus' resurrection. There are many things that the devil has wanted to waste, but he has not been able to. No one will ever stop God’s work, regardless of how much damage may have been done to the Lord. No one has ever been able to waste the work of the Holy Spirit. There are men who have wasted the portion that God has given them in His divine providence. It happened with Judah. He became a loser for turning into a contemptuous traitor. God replaced him immediately with another and the work of the apostles did not stop. Let us be faithful to what we are, to what we have been called for and let us walk rightly without leaving the road. Amen.