• Three Hearts Matthew 26:1-16  Three different hearts. 
• We’re here in the story on Wednesday morning probably. Here’s the next couple days- Thursday will be the last supper, and then we get to Friday which is the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus
• The rest of matthew is going to mostly cover about 5/6 days over the next 3 chapters
• Death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Its going to move fast
• The interesting turn in this story after the “Olivet discourse” as they call it, is that there’s 3 different people in this portion of scripture that I would describe three different hearts. Evil, Self, Generous
• There’s going to be a lot more talk of the hearts of those who sent Jesus to the cross- but today- we’re going to focus on these three hearts (Not in order) WHY? Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.- If your heart isn’t right- you’ll have issues. 

1. The first heart is the one with An evil heart

• 4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.
• At the beginning- Jesus is preparing his disciples- for his crucifixion. He knows he’s going to the cross. He knows what the next few days look like
• It’s a very interesting turn of events. Jesus prophesies to them- before it happens
• And then the elders and the chief priests gather to plan on how to take Jesus and kill 
• But why? They were mad because he claimed to be God and able to forgive sin, That he hung out with sinners, that he wanted to dismantle their religious system, they had power, and Jesus was going to take it from them! And Jesus didn’t follow their traditions!
• Their hearts were filled with arrogance, Hypocrisy and Pride! Evil!
• 4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
• So concerned with how their murderous plot would affect their livelihood. Disgusting. 
• Why didn’t they stone him? That’s OT Law for blasphemy- Instead, they wanted him to die a roman death that was reserved for the lowest- Possibly to ensure that he would be considered ‘cursed’ and not to be revered as messiah- Deut 21 “he who is hanged is accursed of God.”
• Just like Israel was described in Hosea 7:66 They prepare their heart like an oven, While they lie in wait; – These are these guys hearts- Their passionate hatred fueled their evil hearts. 
• Now we read that-  and it upsets us- Why kill my Jesus? It was prophesied and it had to happen, but knowing its going to happen, doesn’t make it happen. God allowing to bring about a plan to serve an end, does not make him the author of evil foreknowledge does not equal him forcing 
• Jesus needed to go to the cross for our sins and the plan needed willing participants
• The intricacies of the centuries old battle between predestination and freewill will not be fully covered in this sermon. It’s impossible to explain or argue in 45 minutes. But it was God’s plan
• Here’s what will be covered-
• Do you have an evil heart, and if so, you need a heart change. Don’t worry about the how or the why- think about the here and the now- Where is your heart? Saved w evil tendencies?
• Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
• If you’re devising evil plans in your heart- the only thing that come out of it is evil. 
• Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.
• There’s no middle ground for an evil heart- the roots of evil produce evil actions and you don’t want to be the author of your own destruction so you must “keep your heart” 
• Pastor Jay had a masterful sermon example about a gummy bear Wednesday- 
• The question is- how much sin is acceptable? How much E coli do you want?
• Because here’s the cycle- Seed, Fantasy, Rumination, Plan, Action, Destruction. 
• This is why keeping what you watch, listen to, hang around with, read, associate with matters
• 1 Cor 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
• And my detractors would say- Why do you talk about this so much?
• Because you go to church with people who claim to be Christians that end up cheating on their spouses, going back to drugs, alcohol and porn. People who destroy their lives and others
• And they don’t wake up and go “I think I’ll be evil today and ruin my life and others” 
• Hebrews 3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
• You must BEWARE of Evil- You must watch you. I cannot be your Holy Ghost and neither can anyone else. I can preach, encourage, give you M, T, W, F, S, S, stuff to do, text you scripture, call you, push you into relationship, but at some point, you got to get involved! You just DO
• Psalm 36:4 He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil.
• Quit devising wickedness, do not set yourself in a way that is not good and HATE EVIL. 
• Faith and her gluten- she has learned to Avoid at all costs. There is no ‘little bit’
• I’d never do that- Would you? Would you plan to make someone look bad and yourself look good? Would you speak gossip about another person to turn someone’s heart against the other person Its not different- Its just a slower death and betrayal. 

2. A Self-pleasing heart

• 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?”
• 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
• The heart of Judas is quite clear in this- “what can I get if I give you this” 
• Now- Judas was a special case- he was the treasurer of the disciples. He kept the money bag
• John 12:6 says “he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.”
• That’s a sacred trust- to be in charge of the money box of the disciples (money for ministry)
• Why did he sell out Jesus? Was what he was stealing not enough? Had he become immune to his greed? Did he have a vendetta against Jesus?
• Here’s what we know from the Bible- Satan got ahold of Judas spiritually and Judas succumbed to his promptings. Satan planted some sort of seeds in his mind and heart and it turned into action. 
• This dude was all about himself. What he could get, what others should be doing, all for him. 
• I don’t know what Judas wanted- Toys? Vacations? Home improvements? Car mods?
• Here’s what I do know- Judas went from one of the 12 chosen to one of the worst of the worst
• Jesus knowingly put a deceiver and betrayer on his team, yet still commissioned him for ministry
• 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
• That scripture aptly describes Judas. Started well. Did not end well. 
• You might say-I would never be that self-serving- Its always about others- 
• Do you only do to be seen? Do you think too much about what’s in it for you? Do you hold back financially in situation where you could be generous? Do you think about how it best serves you
• Whether they were or they weren’t or they will or they wont. I personally know people who outwardly made money more important than their walk with Jesus. 
• I’ve seen tongue talking dedicated worship leaders and pastors turn into indistinguishable from an unregenerate person. I’ve seen people move from death to life and life to death. I’ve seen it. 
• The Bible is clear that there are these people who start one way and end another. 
• Jude 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
• I don’t think Judas set out the day he was chosen and said to himself “I’ll destroy this guy one day”
• What does it mean to you 
• Pretty simple- Don’t be a Judas! Don’t be a guy who gets chosen, goes out with the 12 to do ministry and then succumb to the wiles of Satan and destroy Jesus and his church. Dont
• Yes- God used Judas for his purposes- It was prophesied that ‘someone’ would betray Jesus
• But there’s no prophesy that you’re going to betray Jesus and you don’t have to be a Judas
• There’s two guardrails I want to help you with today (not exhaustive) 
• One- Do not be greedy for gain. 
• Pr 1:19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.
• Greedy isn’t always money. Its influence, pleasures of the flesh, fantasy, stuff, dissatisfaction
• When you always want more, nothing is enough. You want more (drunk on 1 v 10)
• It does take away the life of its owners- It demolishes them. They are never the same. 
• Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
• Jesus should be enough. Which isn’t to say you shouldn’t work for improvement, but you have to watch your heart. Only you know why you’re doing what you’re doing. What’s it for?
• Psalm 32:10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
• Two- Prepare your heart. 
• There was a King named Rehoboam in the OT- The Bible records that he was a strong king. He fortified cities, he found wives for his sons, he had labor disputes. But he also had wars, and his kingdom split during his reign. Reigned for 17 years. And some good happened in it
• At the end of his life tho-2 chron 12:1 Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel along with him 
• 2 chron 12:14 And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.
• I would never betray Jesus- I would never have a plan like that- 
• Rehoboam did not end well because he did not prepare his heart. He apparently took his heart for granted and didn’t keep it with all diligence. 
• How many times does the bible tell us to “take heed” “keep your heart” “Remain steadfast” 
• Many many times- probably because we need to hear it. We need to know to keep ourselves so we wont go and serve other Gods
• Here’s what Judas didn’t have that we should- 

3. A sacrificial heart

• Sandwiched between these two wicked hearts is a loving generous heart. 
• This woman is mentioned in all 4 Gospels. Some of the accounts differ from book to book. Some details are inconsistent, but here’s the main curve- A woman pours expensive perfume on Jesus, someone objects, and Jesus rebukes. 
• The spiritual implications are the anointing to prepare Jesus for burial after his crucifixion
• And much like Judas- Someone had to betray Jesus (could have been anyone) someone had to anoint Jesus (Could have been anyone) but SHE answered the heart call for generosity 
• 10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me
• We don’t know where she got it. We know it was worth at least a whole months wages. 
• Its clear- She was generous towards Jesus- She gave a great gift at a great price!
• Proverbs 11: 25 The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.
• Here’s what’s interesting- We all want God to be generous with us. We want other people to be generous towards us. But do we have that same heart towards God and others? 
• What does it mean to you
• Be Generous. Be generous even when You don’t want to and when you think you cant
• The Bible is littered with scriptures about Generosity- People say “you can’t outgive God” and that’s because he has already given us so much- Just choose to be Generous!. 
• 2 Corinthians 8:3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing,
• Beyond their ability. I’ve seen people who don’t have two nickels to rub together give abundant gifts to God and others. Just because they wanted to be generous and no other reason. 
• 2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
• Here’s a truth- I don’t see stingy People blessed. Or hoarding, reluctant, self preserving
• The way you overcome an evil heart and and a Judas heart is to be generous. 
• The measure that you choose in your generosity is the measure in which it will be brought back to you- that’s the Bible truth. Do things the bible way and get the Bible results. 
• Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
• Often times- People look at blessed people and don’t understand the secret- because its just that- A secret. Giving people don’t herald it. They don’t promote it. They don’t talk about it. They do it. 
• You just see the by-product of it and wonder “how did that happen’ Generosity. They’ve been generous. 
• Ecclesiastes 11:6 In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand;
• For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good.
• Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
• Fight that Judas spirt. Just be generous. 
• Deuteronomy 8:18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may [a]establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
• Matthew 6:19-20 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
• Extravagant sacrificial giving to the benefit of Jesus and him alone- no one else knows or sees it. 
• To Jesus and him alone. And what you do in secret, he will reward you openly. 

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