At The Heart of Betrayal

Our Men's group moved into Chapter Nine of “Bond of Brother's,” Sunday. I wasn't really ready for it. 

One of the things I've learned over the years as a teacher of men, is that they will only get as much as I've prepared for. I'm not just talking about study preparation, but also prayer combined with abstinence from things I know contaminate my spirit. This Sunday's Men's Group confirmed that once more. My work schedule over the last two days before Sunday, had put me in a negative sleep situation. Add a little bit of watching the wrong TV shows, and a dose of laziness, and you have the perfect recipe for failure to get the point across. I admit it, I have become a man of routines. My spiritual life depends upon that machine working according to a set routine.  I broke that routine in a major way this weekend, and needless to say, I don't think we made it to where we needed to be. Thankfully, the Pastor took it on out into the morning's service, and put it all together.

The subject of Chapter Nine, was betrayal. Live on this planet for more than a year or two, and you will experience betrayal. If suffering is inevitable, betrayal will probably be the source. Those who hold to a utopian idea of walking through this earth in utter bliss, unaffected by greed, power, or lust, have never met a human being. Those secular humanists who believe you can 'educate' mankind into a wonderful state of happy godhood, ascend into a state of perfection, and live above man's petty vices, forget that not all men want to be educated.  What do you do with them, kill them?  There goes your utopia if you know what I mean. 

Those who hold this life dear to their heart, will eventually come face to face with the reality that someone they love, love's this life more than they do. In this fertile ground, is the seed of betrayal. The truth is, the only one who can betray you, is the one you love. We reserve our worst punishment for traitors. Why? Because at the heart of it all is relationship. At some point, you trusted someone, loved them, and hoped for the best from them. Betrayal destroys all three. You expected better of them. You feel betrayed, because you believed in them. One of the saddest commentaries on this modern age, is that we put our trust, faith, and hope into people we don't even know. PROOF of that was the huge flap over the young movie actress who was caught having an affair with her director. Twitter and Facebook came alive with thousands of posts expressing the sorrow these people felt at being betrayed by the actress.

THEY DIDN'T KNOW HER!!!!!!!

They'd fallen in love with her romantic movie persona. They thought the person she was pretending to be was really her. Auuuuugggghhhhh!! We elect Presidents based upon what we think they are, and then become outraged when we discover they aren't. We call them liars. As Christians, we lift up ordinary men, and women until they assume messianic levels, and then hang them on a cross when they reveal their weakness. In every country, in every government, tribe, or family, is the desire to lift to greatness those of exceptional ability, heart, or spirit. At the heart of it, is the assumption that surely there is someone better than us. Surely on this planet, there is a human being worthy of the love and adulation we mortals can lavish on those we deem greater than ourselves. We want to believe this until we are ultimately betrayed.

There is only one who has withstood the temptations of power, lust, and greed. There is only one who is worthy of all praise. The problem is; He's not standing right in front of us. Hollywood, books, schools, and even false teachers, have tarnished his image. Jesus alone is what we are looking for. Even then, when we find him, we find ourselves looking for more, something better, something . . . .real Then we find betrayal.

At the heart of all of this, is another word that puts everything into perspective: forgiveness. You can say all the right things, do all the right things, profess Jesus till your blue in the face, but if you don't forgive, you won't be forgiven. Forgiveness overcomes the sorrow of betrayal. Forgiveness is the healing balm of Gilead. Forgiveness is the divine nature at work within us. Forgiveness is the one gift that gives both ways. Forgiveness has one amazing power that elevates us to being Christlike more than any other gift. If you forgive, you absolve God of having to do anything about the betrayal. While Vengeance is the Lord's, FORGIVENESS is yours. You have the power to change God's mind by simply refusing to let the wound fester and become infected. When you forgive someone of their sins against you, you remove retribution out of the picture. You wipe their slate clean. HOWEVER, if the idea of holding your grudge appeals to you, un-forgiveness is like a double edged razor, it cuts both ways. The cup of vengeance is full for the one who offended you, but your own hatred is a full cup already.

When we began Chapter Eight, there were those who wondered how sorrow could be good. In chapter nine, there were those who wondered how betrayal could bring about anything worthwhile. Let God be your answer. WE say that God loves unconditionally, but without conditions, he would not be capable of that kind of love. He loved us while we were yet enemies. To be His enemy we had to have been against him. It is in this deep mystery of life, that we discover the truth I've been trying to share with all of you for the last four weeks. Everything we've experienced, the Creator has experienced in measures beyond our understanding. Imagine his great sorrow as each successive generation denies him, refuses to do what he expects, and fails to trust that he will do what he says he will do. These feelings are at the heart of betrayal. HE knows what it feels like, because he's been betrayed. Now imagine his great joy at forgiving us of those sins. Joy's heights can only be measured against sorrow's depth. Faith is measured against those things which task it, and hope can only be measured against the hopelessness that calls it forth. These are the source of our power in Christ Jesus. At the moment of our worst betrayal, hope can rise up. To protect ourselves and those we love, we forgive. To move away from the sorrow, we can trust that God will work it all for our good.

For those who weren't there Sunday, read chapter ten.