Betrayal and Denial
Two of Jesus's closest followers both failed him on the same night — one betrayed him, the other denied him. From the outside, what they did looks almost the same. But the consequences couldn't have been more different. This Sunday, Pastor Josh unpacked the story of Judas and Peter to ask a confronting question: what's really hidden in your heart, and do you trust God's love enough to come back?
The Bible Puts Betrayal and Denial Side by Side
Pastor Josh opened by pointing out something easy to miss: in John 18, the author deliberately places Judas's betrayal and Peter's denial right next to each other. It's not accidental. The same pattern shows up in John 13 — Jesus predicts Judas's betrayal, and in the very same chapter, he predicts Peter's denial. Two men. Two failures. But completely different endings.
What makes it even more striking is how similar the two situations look from the outside. As Pastor Josh put it, what did Judas actually do? He gave away Jesus's location. And Peter? He denied Jesus three times — cursing and swearing in Matthew's account that he didn't even know the man.
"To me, Peter and Judas — not that much different, to be absolutely honest with you. What did Judas actually do? He just basically told the guys where Jesus was. He did the GPS."
And yet, these two men ended up in completely different places. The question is: why?
Hidden Motive: What You Won't Show God
The first reason Pastor Josh gave for Judas's betrayal was a hidden motive. John 12 reveals that when Judas complained about expensive perfume being "wasted" on Jesus, it wasn't because he cared about the poor — he was a thief, helping himself to the money bag. But Pastor Josh pushed deeper than the theft itself. Judas respected Jesus, but he never truly loved him. He called Jesus "Rabbi" — teacher — but never "Lord." He never came to the place where he was transparent with Jesus about what was really going on inside.
"Judas was not a betrayer from the get-go, but he didn't know how to let Jesus come into his heart to truly reveal what was hidden in his heart."
Pastor Josh got personal here. He admitted that when he first came to church, Jesus wasn't the reason — he wanted to meet girls. He knows plenty of people in the room came to church with their own hidden motives too. And that's okay, as a starting point. The danger is when the hidden heart stays hidden, even after the light of Jesus shines on you.
The contrast with Peter is striking. Peter had absolutely no filter. He'd blurt out bold declarations one minute and fail spectacularly the next. But he was always open, always confessional, always genuine in his love — even when he was goofy and emotional about it.
"If you're really hiding something from God, you never get to hear from God directly because there's a filter. You always have this filter. The word of God comes to you, you change the color, and you hear it — you see it very differently."
Spiritual Attack: You're Not Fighting Alone
The second reason was spiritual attack. Luke 22 says plainly that Satan entered into Judas. Pastor Josh stressed that this wasn't just a human decision — there was a spiritual entity reinforcing the betrayal. And the hidden motive is what opened the door.
He connected this to everyday life in a way that hit home. We are, in his words, "disciples of the algorithm." We spend 40 hours a week consuming whatever the algorithm feeds us, but get restless after 30 minutes of a sermon. No wonder faith feels shaky on Monday morning.
"Most of the people in this world are disciples of the algorithm. Do you agree? We believe what shows up. And me preaching to you for 40 minutes — to compare the 40 hours you spend watching that algorithm, I have absolutely no chance."
His solution wasn't complicated: pray the Lord's Prayer. Every day. "Lord, deliver me from the evil one today, because I don't have the power for this." He pointed back to Peter in John 6, who — when many disciples were leaving — said the one thing that mattered: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." Peter didn't have it all figured out. But he had genuine love, and that made all the difference.
God Knows the Difference Between Weakness and Wickedness
This was the hinge point of the sermon. Pastor Josh addressed the biggest objection people raise: if Jesus knew Judas would betray him, why didn't he stop it? His answer went back to the nature of love itself — true love requires freedom. God doesn't control and manipulate. That's tyranny, not love.
But here's what really landed: God treated Judas's betrayal and Peter's denial differently because he can see the difference between weakness and wickedness.
"Wickedness is a choice that you make. But weakness is a cry of a wounded soul. God knows your cry. God knows your sorrow. God knows your tears."
Wickedness is a hardened heart with a hidden motive, constantly tucked away, never brought to the light. Weakness is a spirit that is willing but flesh that is weak. God is not confused by the difference. He doesn't mistake one for the other.
And this is why confession matters so much. It's why the church does a minute of silence before the sermon. It's the antidote to the hidden heart. You open up, you confess, you say, "God, I'm weak. I sinned last night. I'm not able to handle it." And this merciful God meets you there.
Two Endings: The Real Difference Between Judas and Peter
The climax of the sermon was devastating in its simplicity. Judas, after realising what he'd done, felt terrible. He tried to return the thirty pieces of silver. He said, "I have sinned." From the outside, it looked like genuine remorse. But then he went and hanged himself.
Peter, meanwhile, didn't kill himself. He waited. And after the resurrection, Jesus found him and asked him three times — once for every denial — "Do you love me?" Each time, Peter said yes. And each time, Jesus said, "Feed my sheep... Follow me."
Pastor Josh's reading of the difference was this: Judas's betrayal began with a lack of love for Jesus, and was completed with a lack of faith in God's love for him. He simply didn't believe he could be forgiven. Peter, on the other hand, somehow held on — not because he was stronger, but because he trusted that Jesus loved him more than he could love Jesus back.
"Judas's betrayal began with a lack of love for Jesus and was completed with a lack of faith in God's love for him."
He connected this to the prodigal son — the version of the story where the son never comes home. He stays in the pig pen, too ashamed to return. That's the Judas ending. But the gospel is the version where the son does come home, and the father is already running to meet him.
"The greatest offense you can commit against God is not the wrongdoings, my friends. God can deal with your sin. He's an expert on it. The greatest offense is not trusting his love and not turning back to him for a second chance."
Challenge: Come Back
Pastor Josh closed with an urgent, pastoral plea. He acknowledged the pushback — that preaching grace can feel like enabling sin. His response was direct: every rebuke must come in the context of love. If love isn't established first, correction just feels like condemnation. And that's not the gospel.
He called out the tendency to hide behind theological jargon, to say the right things in house church while keeping the real struggles buried. He named it specifically — people who cried at camp last year but are still stuck in the same patterns, telling themselves they're not good enough for God.
And then he brought it home. The gap between betrayal and denial sounds small, but for eternity, it was everything. One man died in his guilt. The other waited for the resurrected Jesus.
"Don't die in your shame and guilt. Hang in there. Live and see the resurrected Jesus. Don't be your own God, making your own sentence, your own judgment. Come clean. Do not hide any longer. Do not harden your heart any longer."
The message was as simple as it was powerful: no matter how far you've walked away, come back. Be like Peter. Let Jesus hear you say, "I love you." That's all he's asking.
