text:
By Dominic Di-Natale, FOX News
A quick swipe here, a swipe there, 'tis the season for procrastinators to get it all done.
It's a super weekend for shopping. Millions of Americans coast to coast are flooding stores to check off every name on their lists and looking for the best possible deals.
Shipping deadlines have passed, so web sites are now pushing for in-store pick-ups, plus there's the ever-popular gift card.
"Gift cards are actually much more acceptable than they were in the past. I think it's because consumers are on tight budgets and having a hard time shopping for themselves, so a gift card gives them permission to do that," said RetailMeNot.com Senior Editor Trae Bodge.
The National Retail Federation says more than 80 percent of shoppers will buy at least one gift card this year. E-gift cards, in particular, are a popular option for eleventh hour consumers.
Bodge says, "You can order something from Gap or iTunes and send an e-mail notification. That can be done same day. So even if you're cutting it as close as the 23rd or 24th, you can still get a gift there in time."
Many stores, like Macy's, Target and Nordstrom, are extending their hours to cash in. Toys-r-Us has its doors open 24 hours, but it may not be the best shopping season on record.
Some analysts have slashed their forecasts for a host of reasons, ranging from Super storm Sandy to the looming fiscal cliff.
KSAZ-TV & KUTP511 W. Adams St.Phoenix, AZ 85003Phone: (602) 257-1234Fax: (602) 262-0177


text:
The Sudbury Department of Public Works operates a secure, safe and environmentally friendly Transfer Facility for the residents of Sudbury to properly dispose of and/or recycle common household items and non-hazardous waste.
The station provides excellent recycling opportunities in which residents can exercise environmental stewardship of resources and help reduce the bulk amount of trash.
Items that can be recycled include newspapers, mixed paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum cans, plastic, automobile batteries, used motor oil and scrap metal. Careful recycling is the best way to keep the price of your sticker at the current rate.
Per the vote of the Board of Selectmen, the costs of operating the Transfer Station are covered through a Pay-As-You-Throw pricing mechanism.
Other materials that you may have (such as carpeting, furniture, building debris, tires, and refrigerators) require a special fee payable at the Transfer Station (Transfer Station Fees chart). Payment can be made at the shed located at the Entrance to the Transfer Station/Recycle Center. No contractors or businesses allowed. This service is for residents only.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ask me anythingSubmitNext pageArchive
Last Friday my friend was hit by a car while riding her bike around Brooklyn. She wasn't seriously injured, just a scraped chin, but what happened next is outrageous: The driver rolled down his window and called her a, "Stupid bitch!" My friend, who was understandably angry, responded by…
(Source: sleidi)
I am the founding editor of a new queer arts magazine called Posture that will launch online in a little over a week. The magazine functions as a platform for queer creatives in the areas of visual art, performance, drag, fashion, music, and journalism. We are about to launch an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for our first print edition! Please stay tuned for more information and in the mean time 'like' us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date.
Gunter Brus - Self Painting, 1965
(Source: likeafieldmouse, via undare)


text:
Thought I'd help you guys find who to cheer for and who to boo with this bye week poast. I've been a bit inactive lately with work, although I'm still browsing the site daily. Iphone commenting is a bit slow.
Anyway after the jump we shall look for teams to applaud while we sit on our couches awaiting next week's Browns game.
So its the bye week. We're still a little sore from last week of course. But its time to move on and think forward. And with that, there are a slew of games this week that affect us indirectly. Take note.
I hate em and they stank the most!
Obviously I dont need to remind you that I hate the Purple Browns, the Runny Browns, and the Inmates. But they all play this week. So lets look at their games briefly.
The Broncos travel to the Purple Browns stadium this week. Broncos have a big home field advantage, its a shame they have to play on the east coast. They've had a rejuvenated passing attack but the ground game has faltered. Apparently we are in opposite world because this is far from normal. The Purple Browns have likewise gone flip-flop and are playing stout against the pass yet meager against the run. With any luck, the Broncos get both games on track and upset the Purple Browns. Ride em Broncos!
The Scurvy Pirates of Tampon Bay go to the murky mires of Cincinatti Ohio. The Tampon Bay team is coming off of a bye week, so hopefully they have corrected some issues after we exposed them as a fraud. However Cincy is coming off a loss to the Browns. They probably win this one and right the ship and quiet the naysayers for a week. Yay Tampon Bay.
The Atlanta Falcons go to Cleveland this week as Ohio hoasts two Confederate Slavery loving teams this week. Atlanta has played epicly since their loss to us in week 1. I see them putting together their 4 game win streak agains the Browns without a big hiccup. Go Falcons.
I hate em both and they both stank, but help us out anyway.
My hatred for the Cowgirls and the Ten'Teeth Titans combined would be enough to block James Harrison without holding. However, the Ten'Teeth Titans are AFC and for that I ask the Cowboys to please return them to their cousin-loving hick infested slack-jawed roots. Cheer for the Cowgirls.
I hate Brett Favre and his Penis, and they stank. but good luck!
While Brett's alleged dong is upright with joy due to his new teammate Randell Mossworth, I think the Jets will put up a good fight at home. Lets hope Purple Jesus runs over them like William Gay. Blow your horn for the norsemen!
I hate the undead and they stank, but win one for Al Davis.
As Al Davis prepares his undead army to attack all of civilization, thereby distracting him from football management, the Raiders have been a piss poor team. But they almost covered their spread last week against a superior opponent in Houston. Perhaps they can defeat Whale's Vagina and help even the AFC standings in our favor. Put it in the Black Hole!
I hate FetusHead Manning and he stanks!
Few things make me happier than watching Manning lose, and then reading the commentary the next week about how all his teammates let HIM down and that Manning would have been perfect if blah blah blah. Just make us stop talking about the Colts. Go chiefs!
I feel bad for them and they stank!
Having lived in Detroit, lets gvie an honorary huzzah to the Lions as they seek to win a game. They dont do it very often. And Detroits a pretty sad depressing city. Besides, their fine stadium was hoast to a beautiful moment in our history. Rawwwr Lions.
Cheer these teams with all your might and may the spirit of the Terrible Towel lend its magic to other teams while we rest our souls for a Week 6 Spanking of the most hated and stanky Cleveland Browns.


text:
Note: Rick Nash Impressed Jack Edwards Recently
You blow through Chara & Bergeron to get that kind of shot off, you deserve a goal. Nash doing what he does best. One of strongest on stick.—
Jack Edwards (@RealJackEdwards) November 29, 2013
This is not the first time that Nash has impressed Edwards
5 comments
Exactly Marc.
Who is Jack Edwards and why do we care if he's impressed?
Jack Edwards is one of the worst broadcasters in hockey. Completely unprofessional and totally biased. It's like they let an 8 year old boy bruins fan into the booth to call games.
Nash has been doing great since he's been back - achieving very nicely- after that injury!! wheewww glad hes' on!!1
@sithlord He's the Hawk Harrelson of hockey.


text:
But it's not just natural allergens like mold and pollen that can trigger asthma attacks. Some of the biggest problems are caused by choices we make.
"Pet dander and cigarette smoke are probably two of the most dangerous triggers there are," said Dr. Rabinovitch. "I always tell my patients that if there are smokers in the house or pets that are causing problems, those have to be addressed before anything else."
Rabinovitch also offers some simple advice to anyone who will listen. "The best way to control indoor air pollution is to look outdoors," he said. "Simply opening your windows more often will ventilate your house and will help dry out and clear out many of the things that could be making you sick."
It's a concept that raises a lot of eyebrows in this era of super energy-efficient homes.
"Homes were built 50 years ago in a way where there was ventilation, so I don't think it's difficult to go back to that," said Dr. Rabinovitch. "But the question is: How do we do that and at the same time keep our energy efficiency? We don't want to solve one problem and then end up with another."
|Contact: Adam Dormuth


text:
Imagine 2040 : Part 2
You spoke. Thousands weighed in on Imagine 2040: Part 1. This vision will guide the 2040 Transportation Plan and Comprehensive Plans for Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City, and Hillsborough County. Now tell us how to get there in Part 2.
Request a presentationRoadshow calendarPart 1 resultsPlan 2040 overviewStay in touch
Thank you to our planning and promotional partners


text:
Videos > Maya Hills > Blonde babe Maya Hills eats a big hard cock
Peter North Brought to you by PeterNorth.com the home of the CUMSHOT KING! The legend himself Peter North and his official site! Peter North fans get $5.00 off their first month at his official site and unlimited downloading with the following promo code: petertube
Featured Pornstars:
- Maya Hills


text:
Men's Soccer Drops Conference USA Match On The Road
The 15th-ranked Saint Louis Billikens proved to be too much for the DePaul Blue Demons as they won, 4-0, Wednesday night at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. The Blue Demons allowed three first-half goals and were outshot 10-4 in the match by the Billikens.
Saint Louis got on the board in the ninth minute when Jack Jewsbury took a header to the back of the net from five yards out. The Billikens scored their second goal of the match at 16:08 on a shot by Vedad Alagic that got by DePaul goalkeeper Jash Chavero. The Billikens added scores in the 31st and 83rd minutes for the final 4-0 decision.
For the Blue Demons, Chavero finished the match with three saves while freshman Travis Brown tallied three of the four DePaul shots. Chavero leads Conference USA with 53 saves on the season.
With the loss, the Blue Demons stand at 0-8 overall and 0-3 in league play. Their next match will be Monday, October 2, against local rival Loyola-Chicago. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Wish Field.


text:
Varjola Guest Housewww.varjola.com
Varjola is a traditional Finnish farm which nowadays is a house full of old-time hospitality. It is situated in the village of Kuusa, near Laukaa, 27 km from Jyväskylä.
On the premises there is accommodation, restaurant, meeting facilities and six different types of sauna from the traditional smoke sauna to a tent sauna.
The nearby Kuusaankoski rapids form a perfect background for fishing. The following species of fish can be caught in the waters of Kuusaankoski by spinning or fly fishing: grayling, trout, perch, pike, ide, frehwater salmon and whitefish.
The new Riihihuvilat villas near the foaming rapids, a stone throuw from the main building of Varjola, offer high quality accommodation. Four separate villas, each with room for 8-16 persons.


text:
Lori Ferraro
I was introduced to his antmusic during the dawn of MTV – I specifically
remember seeing the video for "Stand and Deliver" and being instantly
intrigued and of course, instantly smitten.
The music was so cool, so different; I loved the drums, the harmonies and
the dramatic lyrics about "dandy highwaymen" and "prince charmings."
Adam Ant was dreamy with his new wave/colonial/military inspired look. He
could rock a three-point-hat like nobody's business.
And what sealed the deal? That white stripe across his face.
Oh, and that shiny, shiny lip gloss.
Here is what you'll need to become a dandy highwayman/highwaywoman
As far as make up goes, heavy on the black eyeliner and as stated before,
the lip gloss. Once you slap that white stripe across your face
everybody will know who you are.
I continued to love Adam Ant and his music throughout his solo career
(minus his Ants) I mean, who changes the station when "Goody Two Shoes"
comes on the radio? Or "Strip"? Or the wonderful "Wonderful"?
But I will always have a special place in my heart for that Adam with his
Ants. With that white stripe and that shiny pout.
80's . 80s music . 80s movies . 80s culture . 80s fashion . 80s party planning . site map . contact LT 80s
© Copyright 2014. Like Totally 80s LLC. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Notice. Site by denning e-solutions, LLC


text:
Clean The Gulf --- Message From My Twitter Friends
Courtesy of @ShellyKramer, @JoyceCherrier, @piastrom, and countless others. Please watch and share. I am so proud to know these three women, and what they have helped put together is nothing short of amazing.
Posted by Erin Margolin at 7:26 AM 19 comments
Labels: oil spill, Shelly Kramer, video
Tickled Pink Today With Holly of 504 Main
I'm Tickled Pink with Holly over at 504 Main because she's the genius behind this whole idea and it's a good way to help me appreciate the little things and take special note of everything around me. It's also a great way to meet new bloggers, share ideas, and have fun! Holly was one of my first few followers and has remained loyal despite her incredibly busy schedule, her new book deal, and her popular blog.
Today I am telling you about bloggers who have me Tickled Pink. It's about everyone else today, readers. It's about highlighting those who have made me pause, think, cry, swoon, and tweet from the mountaintops.
I am Tickled Pink with Mindy over at The Inquisitive Mom, who featured a touching and very real series about her father's battle with cancer. I'm linking to her post on it, but her sisters and her mom posted their memories as well. It was interesting to read the different perspectives, and my heart aches for their loss. I thought it was very brave of Mindy to share their stories in this type of forum and I hope you'll take the time to go and read them.
I am Tickled Pink with Cathy over at Antsy Pants who wrote this incredible post about Real Beauty. And she won Salt's Hootie giveaway this week, but I guess I can forgive her...
I am Tickled Pink with Tracie over at From Tracie, who wrote a very honest, important post about sexual abuse. It's also about parenting and protecting your children by teaching them what they need to know. Read it here.
I'm Tickled Pink with Tami of Hearts Make Family and Lee of Headaches, Hormones, & Hotflashes for starting up their amazing new gig, Raising Awareness Thursdays. These wonderful women are taking the time to bring us out of the Blogosphere and educate us. They're reminding us to think about things going on outside of our little blog bubble. Particularly poignant was last week's post on Multiple Sclerosis, which affects another bloggy friend of ours, MiMi over at Living in France. MiMi graciously shared her personal thoughts on the disease and I really learned a lot. Read her perspective here.
I'm Tickled Pink with Sunday over at Adventures in Extreme Parenthood. Not only did she bare her boobs and deal with that scare very well, but she wrote a lovely tribute to her best friend that made me cry. Because I wish I had a friend nearby like that...Sunday, I'm Tickled Pink for you!
I'm Tickled Pink with Naomi over at Organic Motherhood with Cool Whip. She wrote a phenomenal post this week entitled, "How To Train Your Dragon, which you can read here. It's all about parenthood and the frustrations that go along with it. Being worrried you're not doing it right, setting limits, setting boundaries....go visit Naomi NOW. Also, she's scraping together her Mom Prom Post today, so stay tuned!
Speaking of Mom Prom, I'm Tickled Pink with The Mommyologist for finding her niche and initiating this whole Bringing Mom Sexy Back thing. My Mom Prom was such a fun experience and I'm looking forward to whatever else Mary has up her sleeve. She's helping us prove that we are more than "just moms" and perhaps we've let our "selves" slip away gradually. But we can shimmy into a dress and some heels and instantly feel better. Be sure to watch her audition & vote for her video on the Oprah site!
I'm Tickled Pink with Traci over at 38 and Growing. She's an avid supporter of Heifer International, an organization devoted to fighting hunger and poverty. But it's not as simple as handing out food. Traci is accepting donations and matching many of them herself to buy a cow for Heifer International. Read about her plan here and make sure to leave a comment, because she'll donate $1 for every comment you leave. But hurry, because we only have a few days left!
I'm Tickled Pink with Stephanie over at The Blue Zoo. She's an amazing mom to her FOUR boys and in this groundbreaking and brutally honest post she was brave enough to show her mommy tummy. Stephanie had a tummy tuck last week and is recovering well. I'm thrilled for her, and I'm so impressed that she had the courage to show everyone how a woman's body changes during pregnancy. Get well soon, Stephanie!
Finally, I am Tickled Pink with my new owlette necklace on its way from Heidi. Make sure to visit her darling Etsy shop, Lizziboo Felt Creations. Heidi is so nice, works really fast, and sells darling things. I love animals, critters, and creatures of all kinds, so this is right up my alley, especially since I didn't win Hootie from Salt. But I'm not bitter because I've got my own Hootie coming! Isn't he sweet? So go check out Heidi's shop!
What are you Tickled Pink about? Write your own post and go link up at Holly's place!
Posted by Erin Margolin at 5:10 AM 32 comments
Labels: 38 and Growing, from tracie, Holly at 504 Main, lee the hotflash queen, mimi at living in france, Salt Says, tami of hearts make family, the blue zoo, Tickled Pink
I'm Sharing a Spoon today with Think Tank Momma: Banana Cake
Think Tank Momma. I have a terrible sweet tooth and banana bread has always been one of my favorites, especially lightly toasted and slathered with butter. I generally use Martha Stewart's recipe for that, which you can find here. Her secret is the sour cream. However, my mom gave me this killer recipe for banana cake. I was skeptical at first, but lo and behold it is actually BETTER than plain ole' banana bread. Try it and see for yourself! And be sure to go visit Brandee for her awesome cobbler recipe! Better yet, post your own recipe and link up at her place!
Cake ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. sour cream
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
Filling/topping ingredients:
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
12 oz. chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.
Blend sugar, butter, and eggs in a large bowl. Add mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix well. Sift dry ingredients (I actually forgot to sift them and it turned out fine) together, add to batter, and blend. Pour 1/2 the batter into the greased pan.
In a small bowl mix together the topping ingredients and spread 1/2 of this over the batter. Cover with remaining batter and spread the remaining topping over the top. Bake for 45-60 minutes. Cool before cutting. YUM-O!
(I never claimed to be a photographer, let alone a food photographer)
Posted by Erin Margolin at 1:00 AM 31 comments
Labels: banana cake, recipe, share a spoon, think tank momma
Mom Sexy Prom 2010 with Mary Mommyologist!
Mary The Mommyologist has come up with the amazing concept of Bringing Mom Sexy Back. I've posted about bringing my own mom sexy back here. It's really struck a chord with me, which is why I jumped right on the bandwagon when she initiated the idea of Mom Sexy Prom. As mothers, many of us lose our mojo and get so wrapped up in the daily grind that we forget who we are, and who we were before we had kids. We're working with Mary Mommyologist to prove that we've still got "IT," and so here's my Mom Sexy Prom post...with a twist!
But don't forget The Mother Load is green.
Every Sunday evening she hoists her blue bin
And carries it to the curb
Because not recycling is the biggest sin!
photo courtesy of Amazon.com
I sat there with Mary,
We sat there, we two,
And I said, "Why, can I
go to Mom Sexy Prom with you?"
So I took off my dirty t-shirt and jeans
And found a darling dress to don.
Added some makeup, jewelry, high heels--
It's time to get my Mom Sexy on!
"Have no fear!" said The Mother Load.
"I can wear this dainty dress.
And at the same time I can vacuum
And clean up this mess!"
"I can juggle phone calls
While I shine countertops.
I can cook a delicious dinner
Without wearing my flip-flops!"
"I can juggle phone calls
While I shine countertops.
I can cook a delicious dinner
Without wearing my flip-flops!"
"But that is not all I can do!"
Said The Mother Load...
"Look at me!
Look at me now!" said the broad.
"I can bathe Thing One & Thing Two,
Scrub them head to feet.
I'll do it all in my Prom dress and pearls
While missing nery a beat!"
"I can do even more!"
Said the Mother Load then.
"I can stand tall in my heels
And carry two things, or ten!"
"I am the Mom in the Prom," she said with a smile.
"I schlep their hula hoops, their books and their ball.
I put away the milk, the rake and the clean clothes.
In my dress I try to do it all and walk tall!"
Said the Mother Load then.
"I can stand tall in my heels
And carry two things, or ten!"
"I am the Mom in the Prom," she said with a smile.
"I schlep their hula hoops, their books and their ball.
I put away the milk, the rake and the clean clothes.
In my dress I try to do it all and walk tall!"
But don't forget The Mother Load is green.
Every Sunday evening she hoists her blue bin
And carries it to the curb
Because not recycling is the biggest sin!
Posted by Erin Margolin at 5:22 AM 100 comments
Labels: Being Green, Bringing Mom Sexy Back, dress up, Favorite Posts, kids, prom, recycling, the mommyologist
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Backpacker's Pantry
Latest Reviews
Pad See You with Chicken
For a dehydrated meal, this is one of the best ones I have had. I took my girlfriend backpacking for the first time and warned her about dehydrated food. The Pad See You with Chicken was the first meal we ate, and she was very pleasantly surprised by how good it was. She was a little disappointed by the rest of the meals after we ate the best one first. This meal is also gluten free, which is good for us, because she is on a gluten free diet. The Pad See You with Chicken was by far the best… Full review
Organic Peanut Butter & Raisin Oatmeal
This is a great backpacking meal that is quick to prepare, high in essential calories, and tastes great! I bought this for a recent backpacking/canoe trip that I was going on. It was very easy to prepare and tasted great. I especially like that you don't need another bowl to prepare this meal. Just heat up water to a boil and then add it to the pouch. It filled me up and gave me plenty of energy to finish my canoe trip (10+ miles). It comes with a pouch of peanuts that you are supposed to crush… Full review
Huevos Rancheros
A good idea for a "change of pace" kind of backpack breakfast but rather poorly executed by Backpacker's Pantry. I would have trouble recommending this to anyone unless they really wanted some kind of alternative to plain dried eggs. Saw this at a Menard's for $4 per pouch. How bad could it be? I tested it at home in a 11" non-stick skillet so I could see what it looked like while rehydrating and cooking. The instructions say to add 1 and 1/4 cup of water, doesn't say what temperature the water… Full review
Creme Brulee
Sweet, creamy and tasty dessert that is a lot like the real thing. Easy to prepare and fun to share. My son and I have always enjoyed the Mountain House Raspberry Cobbler for desserts while out camping. We are big fans of the cobbler. ;-) On our most recent trip we brought a new dessert along with us as well as the cobbler. We brought BP Crème Brulee. Crème Brulee is one of my favorite desserts to begin with so I was excited about trying this one. Well, I can definitely say it didn't disappoint. … Full review
Huevos Rancheros
Freeze dried vomit. I tried this out when I camping recently. So glad I had a little extra food hanging around after trying to eat this. It was way too salty, it was grainy. Usually with Backcountry Pantry I find that you need to avoid putting the recommended amount of water or they end up too soupy. So I put not quite enough it. It tasted awful. Extremely salty, horrendously grainy and sweet. It tasted much like bile. It was dreadful. More water didn't help. With gorillas I can imagine this being… Full review
Backpacker's Pantry Coverage in the Trailspace Blog
Instant Camp Eggs Cook-Off
Dehydrated and freeze-dried instant eggs can inspire strong reactions among outdoor enthusiasts. We wondered which, if any, were worth packing along on the trail and put a batch to the backcountry taste test. Read more
September 20, 2011
Backpacker's Pantry
American Outdoor Products, Inc
6350 Gunpark Drive
Boulder, CO 80301
(800) 641-0500
fax: (303) 581-9288
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Michael Jackson & Justin Timberlake – Love Never Felt So Good : Official CollaborationPosted in Chill by nick | Tags: Collaboration, Justin Timberlake, michael jackson, Xscape
Today we might have one of the biggest tracks featuring pop-culture artists released in recent years, a collaboration between Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake. This is the latest track off the very exciting new EXCLUSIVE LP from Michael Jackson's team full of unreleased MJ vocals that never saw the light of day, until now. This track "Love Never Felt So Good" captures the 80's vibe of MJ's originals, yet packs a modern spin that will have you moving uncontrollably. This track is so hot I could see it even making it's way to radio. Hopefully more modern pop artists can take a few pointers on how to make feel-good hits. Listen in full below and you can pre-order your copy before the album release on May 13th. Enjoy!
Michael Jackson & Justin Timberlake – Love Never Felt So Good | Pre-Order
RAC – "Tear You Down" ft. Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes : Must Hear Indie CollaborationPosted in Bangin by nick | Tags: Alex Ebert, Collaboration, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, indie, RAC
LA based artist RAC is back with his latest original single "Tear You Down" featuring Alex Ebert, lead singer of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes. The result fuses RAC's smooth electronic dance style with Alex Ebert's indie / folk signature sound for a refreshing fusion of genres. The song is guaranteed to have you moving and singing along by the end. This song is available in the Part 1 release of the RAC debut album Strangers Part 1, which you can pick up a copy of today. Enjoy!
RAC – Tear You Down (ft. Alex Ebert) | iTunes
Follow RAC through Twitter and Facebook
Follow Thissongissick through Twitter and Facebook
Watch: Skrillex Debuts Must Hear Chance the Rapper CollaborationPosted in Bangin, Chill by nick | Tags: Chance the Rapper, Collaboration, Electronic, Hip-Hop, Rap, Skrillex, Video
The buzz surrounding producer / DJ extraordinaire Skrillex and rapper Chance the Rapper unexpected time in the studio is the talk of the music world currently with the potential for future collaborations at stake (see above in studio alongside Mike Will Made It). Skrillex unleashed the first of their sessions at his intimate Brooklyn show apart of his Takeover tour last night. The production doesn't sound like your typical Skrillex track and is more of a hip-hop song as opposed to a dubstep banger with Chance's charismatic vocals abundant throughout the length of it. Regardless of this being a very rough quality camera video, it gives us the first sample of what sounds like some serious chemistry between the artists. Enjoy
Skrillex & Chance the Rapper – ID (Unreleased) Played Live By Skrillex
Ellie Goulding and Skrillex to Release New CollaborationPosted in Bangin, News by nick | Tags: Collaboration, Ellie Goulding, Skrillex
Ellie Goulding recently let loose the much anticipated news that she would be releasing a brand new collaboration with Skrillex in the near future, following up their very successful previous collab 'Summit'. At the MTV EMA (European Music Awards) she spoke to Dutch publication 3FM Serious Radio letting the hot news out. She also revealed most of her effort would be dedicated to the official song for the BBC Children in Need charity. Enjoy.
Listen: Break Science team up with Redman for "Who Got It" : Hip-Hop / Trap / Soul [Free Download]Posted in Bangin by nick | Tags: Break Science, Collaboration, Download, Electro Soul, Hip-Hop, Pretty Lights Music, Rap, Redman
The two-piece live electronic duo Break Science apart of the Pretty Lights Music family just teamed up with Redman to create the collaboration "Who Got It". It's a trap styled hip-hop song injected full of their soulful energy making the song very unique. The song also features some epic artwork that looks like a comic book illustration. They have been nice enough to include a free download. Enjoy!
Break Science – Who Got It (Ft. Redman) | Direct Download
Follow Break Science through Twitter and Facebook
Rockie Fresh – Kush Do (Ft. Wiz Khalifa) : Hip-Hop Collaboration [Free Download]Posted in Chill by nick | Tags: Collaboration, Hip-Hop, Maybach Music Group, Rap, Rockie Fresh, Taylor Gang Or die, Wiz Khalifa
Chicago's Rockie Fresh continues his rise by collaborating with Wiz Khalifa on the smoke induced "Kush Do". Both artists deliver some kush filled care free verses with both their unique mellow styles. Rockie has been nice enough to pass this one out for free download in return for a facebook like. Taylor Gang and Maybach Music Group unite. Enjoy!
Rockie Fresh – Kush Do (Ft. Wiz Khalifa) | Download | Alternate
Follow Rockie Fresh through Twitter
Follow Wiz Khalifa through Twitter
Action Bronson – "The Rockers" (Ft. Wiz Khalifa) off new SAAAB STORIES EP available nowPosted in Chill by nick | Tags: Action Bronson, Chill, Collaboration, Hip-Hop, Rap, SAAB STORIES EP, Wiz Khalifa
Listen to Action Bronson's cut "The Rockers" featuring Wiz Khalifa from his newest EP SAAAB STORIES entirely produced by Harry Fraud which just released today June 11th (artwork below). We got to first preview this new EP comical yet hard hitting song and music video "Strictly 4 My Jeeps". Both these smoke inspired rappers lay down some mellow flow that collides together so well. You can now pre-order the EP and grab this song. Enjoy!
Action Bronson – "The Rockers" (Ft. Wiz Khalifa) | Purchase EP
Follow Action Bronson through Twitter
Follow Wiz Khalifa through Twitter
Snails & Apashe – Staxx : Must Hear Heavy Trap / Dubstep [Thissongissick.com Premiere]Posted in Bangin, Premieres by nick | Tags: Apashe, BANGER, Bass Music, Brutal, Collaboration, Dubstep, Heavy, SNAILS, Trap, Trap Music
The mysterious Snails follows up his previous collosal Bubble Gun (VIP Remix) with another collaboration with Apashe on the song "Staxx" off the Magnet EP. This song follows the bass heavy trap style with his own unique gritty twist to create a brutal anthem that is sure to get played out by everyone. Watch what you are doing as this track will hit you in the face. It is now available through Beatport. Enjoy!
Snails & Apashe – Staxx | Beatport
Follow Snails through Twitter and Facebook
Follow Apashe through Twitter and Facebook
Flinch – You Don't Know (Ft. Ellie Goulding) : Indie / Dubstep Collaboration [Exclusive Download]Posted in Bangin by nick | Tags: BANGER, Bass Music, Collaboration, Drumstep, Dubstep, Ellie Goulding, Flinch, indie, Melodic
LA based bass fiend Flinch linked up with UK star Ellie Goulding for a collaboration track "You Don't Know". We have been waiting for it ever since hearing a preview last year, and now we get the full version of the melodic dubstep track. Ellie's beautiful voice really propels the track as it contrasts so perfectly with the bass. The release of this song kept getting pushed back until we just today got sent the full version from an official undidentified source to spread to you all. Don't miss the free download. Enjoy!
Flinch – You Don't Know (Ft. Ellie Goulding) | Exclusive Download
Follow Flinch through Twitter and Facebook
Kanye West brings out Daft Punk, Skrillex and Odd Future for upcoming new albumPosted in Bangin, News by nick | Tags: Chief Keef, Collaboration, Daft Punk, kanye west, New Album, Odd Future, Skrillex
Kanye West dropped a two word tweet "June Eighteen" signifying the upcoming release date for his 6th studio album. Daft Punk, Skrillex, Odd Future, Chief Keef, 2 Chainz, John Legend and more are set to be collaborators on the huge record. Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk said "Kanye doesn't give a fuck" while Daft Punk counter part Guy-Manuel added "He's a good friend". They have two tracks that sprang from working together. "One of them, I told him it sounded solid and powerful – I envisioned a cube when I heard it" is what Michal Gondry (Director and longtime Daft Punk friend) had to say about hearing the tracks. Stating a music video is already in the works. The album is said to be "even darker and more twisted" then Kanye's previous LP release. Daft Punk also added that "It was very raw, He was rapping– kind of screaming primally."
June 18th looks to be a huge release with quite the cast. We will keep you posted on more details as they roll in.
Check out more info on Daft Punk's upcoming long awaited new album Random Access Memories
Source: Rolling Stone
Vicetone vs Nico Vega – Beast (Original Mix) : Incredible Live Band / Progressive House Anthem [Free Download] [TSIS PREMIERE]Posted in Bangin by nick | Tags: Collaboration, House, Live Band, Nico Vega, progressive house, rock, Vicetone
Netherlands based house duo Vicetone are back teaming up with LA band Nico Vega for a unique mixture of live rock instruments and house sounds for an unreal collaboration "Beast". The live guitar, drums and vocals from Nico Vegas collide seamlessly with the infectious Vectone synth work for serious progressive house anthem. This is guaranteed to be a summer anthem. You can now grab an exclusive free download of the song below, and purchase through iTunes on Nico Vega's brand new EP. Enjoy!
Vicetone vs Nico Vega – Beast (Original Mix) | Free Download
Follow Vicetone through Twitter
Follow Nico Vega through Twitter
Nicky Romero & Krewella – Legacy (Original Mix) [Full Coachella Preview] : Huge House Anthem CollaborationPosted in Bangin by nick | Tags: Anthem, BANGER, Coachella, Collaboration, Electro House, Electronic, Heavy, House, Krewella, Nicky Romero, progressive house
Nicky Romero teamed up with the lovely Krewella for the latest certified house anthem "Legacy". It has Nicky's catchy upbeat gritty synths with Krewella's agressive fire including their smooth and seductive vocals. This full preview was taken from Nicky Romero's huge Coachella live from last weekend. This is going to be the best thing we get until a full official preview. We can expect this song sometime in the next few weeks / months getting released on Nicky's record label, Protcool Recordings. This also got debuted during Krewella's Ultra Music Festival Live Set. Enjoy!
Nicky Romero & Krewella – Legacy (Original Mix) [Coachella Preview]
Follow Nicky Romero through Twitter
Follow Krewella though Twitter
My story has changed quite a lot since moving to Boulder, Colorado and starting Thissongissick back in 2010. My name is Nick Guarino and this is Thissongissick.com. We have grown a lot since, but the original goal has stayed the same, making it easier for you to discover sick new music you have never heard before. In high school I would make mix cd's for my friends to show them all the new music I was discovering. Now through Thissongissick, we work with musicians and record labels from all over the world to showcase a variety of freshest electronic, hip-hop, indie, and other fresh genres to a worldwide following that now reaches millions of music lovers over 110+ countries, every single month. Make yourself at home, enjoy countless amazing musicians from a variety of genres and let the sick sounds fill your ears. Enjoy!


text:
Getting to know Louisville's Earl Clark
A bit old, but still worth a look if you haven't seen it. If you have seen it, well, then not worth a look. On the biggest trash-talkers in college… Eric Devendorf of Syracuse. He has a filthy, filthy mouth. Edgar Sosa (for Louisville)… he'll talk a lot, too. Those two will get into it for an entire half. On Louisville's fans… The greatest fans in America. And the craziest. They'll walk up to you in the bathroom — no matter what you're doing — and talk about the next game coming up. They don't care if you're sitting at a table with the president, they want to talk about Louisville basketball.


text:
Hey guys, I just want to know if anyone has ever played at the playboy mansion. I'm not from US, so I asked a few guys and got onto Kandyland.com, where you can buy a ticket fro $1K to go and party the night away.
Most will say fark that... too much but for me its once in a life time, cause who knows how long I'll be in the states... so money not an issue.
I want to know want what's the experience like. I did some youtube, and just seeing tonnes of gorgeous women. So what's to be expected inside the mansion?


text:
I am fully aware that Alfonso Soriano is an important part of this team, specifially the offense. Why he is penciled into the lineup every day, though, is beyond my understanding. Let's take a look at some numbers, and perhaps you will see why this slump doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.
Since May 17th, he has hit 2 HR's, and his batting average has dropped from .280 to .226. 42 games is quite a long "slump", especially when there are other competent players sitting on the bench. All this being said, I do want Soriano as my everyday left fielder, so here's what I'd do:
Put Soriano on the DL effective Monday, when Reed, Aramis, and Guzman are all scheduled to be activated. That would allow the club the ability to option 1 less position player. Send him down to extended Spring Training (or anywhere, really) where he can work on his swing next week and then he'd obviously have the all star break off as well. Once those 15 days are up (only 10 games by my calcuations, though feel free to double check that) we should have a better idea of who the other casualty will be, and Soriano could once again man left field, hopefully refreshed and rejuvenated.
In the meantime, I'd like to see this lineup:
As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. But I feel very strongly about not wanting to see Soriano in the lineup tomorrow. At this point, he's a liability both at the plate and in the field. Let's hope he gets straightened out really soon!


text:
NBC Right Now-- Family of Washington State Supreme Court Justice, Tom Chambers, says he died Wednesday night from mouth and throat cancer at the age of 70.
Chambers lived a very accomplished life. He was born in Wapato and went to Yakima Valley College before heading to Washington State University and University of Washington School of Law.
Voters elected Chambers to the state's highest court in 2000, then again in 2006.
Before joining the high court, he had an impressive legal career, earning a reputation as a pre-eminent trial lawyer,
He was also named Trial Lawyer of the Year in 1989 by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association and in 1996 by the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Chambers retired last year in Issaquah. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, his three children and six grandchildren. There will be a public memorial to honor chambers will begin at four on January ninth at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.


text:
On Mars Hill's fifteenth birthday, we examine a sobering text of Scripture and lessons from the life of Judas. Judas was no victim. Judas' desire was to betray Jesus, and Satan came and empowered that desire. The Bible doesn't tell us why Judas did what he did; it leaves the question hanging in the air, "Could I do the same?" Each of us must humbly, soberly pray for God's grace to not be a Judas.
47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Quotation information.
Luke 22:47–53
47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."
Pastor Jamie:
How are we doing, Mars Hill? Good, good, good. I am Pastor Jamie. This is Pastor Dave Bruskas, Pastor Scott Thomas, and today is a big day. It's a wonderful day. Today, we celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of Mars Hill Church. [Congregation applauding] We're so thankful to Jesus for all the work that he's done up to this point, and we're looking forward to the next fifteen years and all that God's going to do through Mars Hill.
We have some very special guests today, so if we could have Pastor Mark and Grace and what they lovingly call the Fab Five come join us onstage here. [Congregation applauding] This is Pastor Mark and Grace and his awesome family: Ashley, Zac, Calvin, Alexie, and Gideon. So, welcome.
A lot goes into the building of a church. A ton goes into the building of a church, and we have seen God move over these last fifteen years. Nothing, though, is more important than the preaching of God's Word. That's what we do. If we could do one thing at Mars Hill, we would stand up, and we would preach the Word, and Pastor Mark has poured his life into that. He has been faithful for the last fifteen years, preaching week in and week out. I want to read you one quick verse. First Timothy 5:17 says, "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching." And this is Pastor Mark's life calling. It's his passion. It's what he loves. And we want to honor him today for his faithfulness in preaching the Word for fifteen years, and we just want to say thank you. [Congregation applauding]
Thank you, buddy.
Being part of Mars Hill, you come to a service every Sunday, hopefully. Some of you have been around a long time. Some of you are new. I want to give you a little bit of scope. Over the last number of years, since we've been putting Mark's sermons online, thirty million sermons have been downloaded. Thirty million sermons. So, God has used you to speak and preach to thirty million people that have listened. That's a lot of preaching, and that's a lot of teaching, and we're just overwhelmed and thankful for that.
As a church, we get to enjoy that every week. We get to grow in Jesus. We get to be challenged. We get to be yelled at sometimes. We get lots of jokes. It's fun. But God has just shaped us. And I want to say thank you personally. Without your preaching, I probably don't know Jesus. I moved out from Montana. I came to Mars Hill. You were preaching through the book of Romans, and that's where I met Jesus. I saw his grace and my sin for the first time. And so on behalf of the world, the thirty million people, on behalf of our church, and on behalf of my family, I just want to say thank you personally. [Congregation applauding] Hand it over to you, Pastor Dave.
Pastor Dave:
We wanted to acknowledge today Pastor Mark and his family's service to Mars Hill, both the Executive Elders and Board of Directors. Pastor Mark, Paul says to the Corinthians that they are his letter of recommendation, that their transformed lives are evidence that God's grace is working in him and through him. And so we wanted to take a picture of all of us together, and we couldn't quite pull that off, but the closest thing we could do is this, so I'm going to ask Pastor Scott to hold this up for you to see from Qwest.
That's awesome.
We wanted to give you a photo there. [Congregation applauding] We love you so much and Jesus has profoundly used you and the preaching of the Word to change our lives.
We also wanted to just thank Grace and the kids today for your sacrifice and service to Mars Hill Church. We love you. [Congregation applauding] Also, fifteen years of a lot of sacrifice and service, a lot of it behind the scenes that you may not know about, but it's transformed lives. We love you. We appreciate you. You may have heard that we are planting a church in southern California, and it's going to require that Pastor Mark travel there some, and we want you to go with him. And not only do we want you to go with him, we want you to go to Disneyland while you're there. So, we got the family an annual pass to Disneyland, so that you guys can enjoy that together. [Congregation applauding]
What do you think, Lexie? Cool. Do you know that means? Do you guys know what annual pass means? You can go to Disneyland anytime you want. [Congregation laughing]
Like right now. Why not, huh? Great. We love you so much, and I'm going to ask Pastor Scott just to thank the Lord for your ministry and to pray a blessing upon the future. Thank you.
Pastor Scott:
Father, we are so blessed by this family, every one of them, every single one of them, by Pastor Mark, by Grace, and their dedication and their vision to plant this church, and then these children, all the Fab Five. They are, in fact, very fabulous, and we just want to give you praise for them and their family, for each one of them and their lives, their sacrifice that they poured into. But their sacrifice still is bowed before the one who gave the greatest sacrifice of all, Jesus Christ, the one who loved us greater than we loved ourselves. "And greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." And we give you praise for Jesus Christ and him being the one on the cross, that they follow. So, we ask for a special blessing on this family. We give you praise for them. We pray that you will honor them, sustain them, strengthen them, keep them safe, and keep the joy of Jesus Christ in their hearts and their lives for the glory of God. We just pray you a special blessing now on this great family. In Jesus' name, amen. [Congregation applauding]
Pastor Mark:
Thanks, guys. Thank you, bro. Thanks, Pastor Dave. All right, love you, too. Thanks, bro. It is a great time at Mars Hill Church. For those of you who are new, you may have heard this story. We started as a little Bible study fifteen years ago, and God has been really, really gracious to us, and things are moving very quickly. It's actually the most aggressive, fast-paced, forward-moving season we've had in the history of the church.
We have outgrown our Bellevue church building, so they're in the process of moving. We've outgrown our Albuquerque church building, so they're in the process of moving. We had outgrown our Shoreline church building, so they were recently moved into a larger space and also then planted Everett. As well, we are now preparing to launch with the Real Marriage campaign in early January, on one Sunday, churches in three states, so Rainier Valley in Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Orange County, California.
God keeps bringing us people, keeps bringing us favor, keeps bringing us opportunity. And to be honest with you, it's very humbling, it's very sobering, it's very exciting, it's very encouraging, and sometimes it's very exhausting. So, be in prayer for us and our future, and that leads me to a really strange birthday text, if I might say that, but at Mars Hill, we've always done strange things.
We have a text today, as we're in the Gospel of Luke, in the providence of God— We've been in Luke for a long time. It feels like much of our fifteen-year history, we've been in the Gospel of Luke. Today, we hit Luke #94, in Luke 22:47–53, and it's about Jesus and Judas, and it's a sobering text of Scripture, and it's an examination of a life of a man who's not famous, but he's infamous. It is for us, I think, a timely word, because it shows we need to avail ourselves of Jesus' grace. As he gives, you need to receive and walk with him. Jesus has given so much to you, and me, and to us, that we want to use this as an opportunity to examine ourselves and say, "Thank you, Jesus, for all that you've given. Let me be a good steward of that for the rest of my life."
So we're going to talk today about Judas. And as we examine the Scriptures, there are actually eight different men in the New Testament named Judas, and the other seven are pretty bummed that they're named Judas. I mean, it's like, "So what's your name?" "Judas." "Oh, I heard about—" "No, I'm the other Judas." All right, like, there's one Judas that is the most noteworthy of the eight, and that is Judas Iscariot. He's mentioned twenty times in the four gospels. He's also mentioned twice in the book of Acts.
The truth is we don't know a whole lot about him. It seems like all the other disciples, out of the twelve, they come out of the region of Galilee where there are fishermen and farmers, and it's a rural area where Jesus is from. But Judas, he's seemingly, so far as we can tell, from another area. We don't know a lot about him. We know that his dad's name is Simon.
We do know that his whole life changed when, after a full night in prayer, the Lord Jesus Christ chose twelve disciples, twelve people to be personally mentored by him. In that day, oftentimes, you didn't generally go to a school. You would pick a teacher, and you would sit under the teaching of that teacher, but you could only sit under the teaching of that teacher if they invited you. And so to get chosen by Jesus—you think about this. Of all the people on the earth, Jesus decided to pick twelve, and one was a man named Judas Iscariot. He became one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ.
As the list of names of the twelve is mentioned throughout the New Testament on multiple occasions, his name is always listed last because he's the one who ended poorly, and so he is given a place of dishonor at the bottom of the list. Peter is always listed first, as he was their human leader.
Well, what's interesting is he spent roughly three years with Jesus. And so as we have spent now a few years in the Gospel of Luke, for those of you that have been here or caught up online, imagine being there for everything we've been talking about, as an eyewitness. So, when people were raised from death, Judas was there. When Jesus was preaching and teaching, Judas was there. When demons were cast out, and people were healed, Judas was there. Judas ate his meals with Jesus for three years. Judas could approach Jesus at any time, because they were always traveling together, and ask him any question he wanted. Could you even fathom that?
In addition, if Judas wanted to be prayed for, he would just ask Jesus, and Jesus would stop and pray for him. It's remarkable the access and the opportunity that he had in the grace of God. And Jesus loved him, and Jesus served him, and Jesus trained him, and Jesus taught him, and on one occasion, we read that Jesus even washed his feet, humbly, in the position of a slave, got down and served Judas. This man was given a remarkable opportunity.
We read in the gospels, as well, that his position on the team was financial. He was, essentially, the treasurer. He was the CFO. He was the CPA. He was the bookkeeper. He oversaw the resources of the ministry. Just like our church takes in resources, money, facilities, capital, so in that day they brought in resources. There were financial contributions. There was money generated. And the Bible says that Judas was the one who kept the money. He was the one who did all the accounting and stewarded the resources.
So, he was the business guy, and he was also a thief. The Bible tells us around John 12 that he had a pattern of stealing from the money that belonged to the ministry of Jesus. See, he was a taker, not a giver. He didn't care about generosity for the sake of the gospel, the good news of Jesus going out. Instead, he only wanted gain for himself.
It's an amazing opportunity for us to ask, "Am I a giver or a taker? Do I approach the ministry of Jesus, which would include churches like Mars Hill, as an opportunity for me to take and to take care of myself, or as an opportunity to give, that others might come to know Jesus?" Judas was a taker, not a giver, and he was secretly stealing money that ultimately belonged to the ministry of Jesus.
This would be like a church CPA, or a church CFO, or a lead pastor stealing money, putting expenses on the church credit card that are personal, trying to take advantage of their position, altering the books so as to skim off the top, or stealing. I mean, this would be today like church theft, people stealing things from the church, which tragically happens. Judas was that guy.
But what's interesting is he appeared to be very generous, and he appeared to care about the poor, because in John 12, there's an occasion where a woman comes in, and she's sinful, and she's repentant of her sin, and so in an effort to apologize to Jesus and to demonstrate the depth of her repentance, she anoints his feet with a very expensive perfume. And Judas stands back, and he says, "Oh, that's worth a great deal of money. We should give that, instead, to the poor. We should take those resources and reallocate." "Ooh, Judas, you are—you're so civically minded." The Bible says, actually, he wanted that perfume sold so that he could take the money and, rather than give it to the poor, put it in his pocket. He was a thief.
Nonetheless, Jesus loved him. Nonetheless, Jesus served him. And the Bible actually predicted, at least on two occasions in the Old Testament, events surrounding Judas' life and demise. Psalm 41:9, written roughly a thousand years before Jesus was born, we read, "Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me." Jesus quotes this very verse in John 13:18, when he's with his disciples. And he looks at them, and he says, "That prophecy in Psalm 41:9 is going to be fulfilled in one of you. You're going to lift your heel against me." In that culture, that was an act of dishonor. Today it's like giving somebody the finger. And Jesus looks at his disciples and says, "One of you is going to do that to me."
Also predicting Judas' demise is a prophecy in Zechariah, uttered about seven hundred years before Jesus was born, because God knows the future. Zechariah 11:13, it says that Jesus ultimately would be betrayed for how many pieces of silver? Thirty, not twenty-nine, not thirty-one. All Scripture is God-breathed and perfect, and the prophecy was given seven hundred years in advance that Jesus would come, that the second member of the Trinity would enter into human history, and that he would be betrayed by a close friend, and the exact bounty on his head would be thirty pieces of silver, the equivalent of a couple of hundred bucks. And Judas did betray Jesus, and he did hand him off to the authorities to be murdered and put to death by crucifixion and execution, and he was paid thirty pieces of silver. That's what the Scriptures record, historically.
Today we're going to see Judas for the last time in the Gospel of Luke. We've been in Luke now for more than two years. This is the ninety-fourth sermon. We will finish at one hundred. We're getting near the end, and all along the way Judas has been in the plotline of the life of Jesus. Sometimes he's been up in the forefront, and he's named and mentioned; other times he's hanging in the background, just part of the crowd and following Jesus, but he's been there the whole time, and this is the last occasion that we will see Judas in the entirety of the Gospel of Luke.
So here we find him, beginning in Luke 22:47. "While he was still speaking," that is Jesus, "there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, 'Judas, would you betray the Son of Man,'" God became a man, "'with a kiss?' And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, 'Lord, shall we strike with the sword?' And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear." The other gospels say this was, in fact, Peter the Impetuous. Peter is always ready, even when he doesn't know what he's doing. That's Peter. "But Jesus said, 'No more of this!' And he touched his ear and healed him." Now, you've got to see this. This man comes to arrest and murder Jesus. Peter cuts his ear off, and Jesus heals his murderer. That tells you a lot about Jesus. "Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and the elders," all the religious leaders, "who had come out against him, 'Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?'" He's saying, "When have I ever carried a weapon?" "'When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.'"
Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane. It's a place that the Bible told us previously he would go to for prayer. It was his place for silence and solitude and prayer, and Christians, in general, and pastors, in particular, oftentimes have a place for silence, and solitude, and prayer, and journaling, and Bible-reading, and to get alone with the Lord. Jesus here is meeting with the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, as was his custom.
Judas knew where he would be, because Judas was part of the inner twelve. This is like a pastor is getting prayer time, and one of his associates decides to betray him, and knows exactly where he'll be praying, and so he takes his enemies there. I mean, it's treasonous, it's treacherous, it's tragic.
And it's nighttime. Jesus says, "Oh, you came at night, when it's dark. I've been out at the temple courts. I've been preaching and teaching in open public forums during the daylight. If you wanted to arrest me, why didn't you do it then? Oh, I'm not guilty of anything." But, see, this isn't an arrest. This is a murder. They do it at night when everybody's at home in bed, so that no one can see. And he says, "Now is the hour of darkness." What he's saying is, the darkness that surrounds us is not as dark as the darkness that's in you. It's all darkness.
Judas comes up and betrays him with a kiss. In that culture, this was a common form of greeting. So Judas, with the soldiers, is coming in the darkness of night to a dark garden, where Jesus would have been with his other eleven disciples, twelve men total. And the soldiers would have asked Judas, "How will we know which one is Jesus? It's going to be dark and hard to tell." Judas says, "Just wait. I'll approach him like a friend, a pretend friend, and I'll kiss him, and the one that I kiss, that's the one who is Jesus, to be arrested and put to death."
In that culture, again, they did greet with one another with a kiss. It was common. The Bible says, elsewhere, that Christians are to greet one another with a kiss. The principle is an affectionate greeting among the people of God, like a family. In our day, that would be a handshake or a firm hug, but in that day, it was a kiss.
In some cultures, it's still this way, correct? I remember the first time I met a family like that, I think it was a Spanish family, early on in Mars Hill. I think one of their kids, it was, became a Christian. The family was really excited, showed up for a service. "Oh, thank you, Pastor." And the grandma comes up, comes to kiss me. I'm trying to get certain, you know, maybe get her a cheek, trying to defend myself. And then Mom comes to give me a kiss, and then Dad and Grandpa are in line, and I'm freaking out, like, I'm not making out with the whole family. I'm Irish. We have intimacy issues. I don't like people touching me, you know, like, but the whole family had to give you a kiss, you know, and the whole time you're like, "Okay, I'm going to be a moving target and keep my lips out of the way." And some families are still like that, and some cultures are still like that, and some Eastern cultures are still like that, and that's how it was in that day, and that's how Judas comes to betray Jesus.
Can you imagine what that felt like for Jesus? "Here comes my friend. I have fed him, housed him, loved him, cared for him, taught him, invested in him, endured with him for three years." Have you had that moment where somebody you trusted in and loved, they just betrayed you? "You did what?"
Can you imagine how the disciples felt in that moment? You're a team. You're together. Right? Have you been on a competitive sports team, or have you been in a military fighting unit, or have you been part of a small class in a school that was together for very many years? Have you been part of a work team or a ministry team, that you had intense life experiences, lots of time together over the course of multiple years, and then one of you absolutely does the unthinkable?
I'm sure the disciples were just stunned. "Judas? You're the one who's going to murder Jesus? You're one of us. We thought we were all friends. We thought we all belonged to God. You're an enemy of God and us." And, again, this is the last time we see Judas Iscariot in the Gospel of Luke.
Jesus is arrested. Jesus is run through a series of false trials, because this is a murder. All of this happens at night. You're going to see it in the coming days and weeks as we study together, Jesus is ultimately beaten beyond recognition. He is crucified and put to death. He is buried, and three days later he rises.
How does Judas feel about what he has done to betray Jesus? Well, what is tragic is he has remorse, but not repentance. He feels bad, but he doesn't change. See, there's another man around this same section of Luke, who also betrayed Jesus. What was his name? Peter. He denied Jesus Christ three times. And then it says that he wept bitterly, that he was devastated, that he felt horrific about what he had done!
As soon as he heard Jesus was alive, after the resurrection, Peter ran, the Bible says, to the empty tomb, looking for Jesus. He was the first one to walk into the empty tomb. He wanted to see Jesus. He wanted to look Jesus in the eye. He wanted to tell Jesus that he was sorry, and he wanted to ask for forgiveness. That's repentance. And Peter did change. He was not a perfect man, but he was a changed man.
Judas had remorse, but not repentance. He felt bad, but he never changed. So, the Bible says that he had remorse, but rather than repenting—and repenting is where you tell people you're sorry, and you own what you've done, and you tell God you're sorry, and you own what you've done—he just had remorse.
All right, this is some of you. You cry, and you feel bad, and you grieve the consequences, but you don't hate your sin, and you don't bring it to God and the people you've offended, and that leads to discouragement, and depression, and despair. It can ultimately culminate in suicide and, tragically, that's exactly what happened with Judas Iscariot.
Matthew records and Acts 1 picks up the fact that then Judas, rather than going to Jesus, he went to a tree. And rather than saying he was sorry, he made a noose. And rather than making it right, he made it end. And he put a noose around his neck, and he jumped off a tree branch, and he hung himself. Acts records that, in some way, his body then fell off, and his intestines burst out, and his guts came out of his body, and that's the end of Judas Iscariot. That's remorse, not repentance. It's not enough to just feel bad. You've got to bring it to God, and you need to change by the grace of God. Judas never got there. Peter did; Judas didn't.
And then the question is asked, and I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Why did this happen? Why did this happen?" And the Bible tells us in John 6, that Jesus looked at his disciples, this is at the end of John 6, and he says, "One of you is a devil." Jesus knew early on what was in the heart of Judas.
Also, in Luke 22:3–6, just prior to this, the disciples are together having a meal, and it says that Judas opened his heart to Satan. So, he's an unbeliever who opens himself up to Satan. See, we're to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And if we're not filled with the Holy Spirit, we could leave ourselves open, if non-Christians, to be open to unholy spirits.
See, we live in a world where we sort of discount, or dismiss, or disregard Satan and demons, that which is evil, but the Bible doesn't. The Bible is exceedingly clear. There is a Satan, there are demons. There is not just evil in the world; there is personal evil behind the evil in the world. It doesn't matter how many wars we fight, how many dollars we spend, how many elections we hold, how many prisons we make, how many locks we put on our home, how many bullets we put in the chamber, sin and death continue. Why? Because Satan and demons empower the fallen, wicked, deadly desires of unrepentant sinners, and that's exactly what happened to Judas.
Judas was no victim. Judas' desire was to betray Jesus, and Satan came and empowered that desire. This is like a man who is in a boat and wants to proceed toward a destination, and he's in the boat, and he has the map, and he has the compass, and he is determined to row hard and strong toward his destination. And it's as if Satan then sends a stiff breeze into the sail to help him get there more quickly, but it doesn't mean that that man is a victim being taken in a direction that he does not want to go. Rather, his desires are being empowered by the enemy of God.
This is exactly what Acts 1:25 says. It says, quote, "Judas turned aside to go to his own place," that Judas knew exactly what he wanted to do, and Satan wanted to help him do it. And let me say this. Satan doesn't make us do things we don't want to do, but he empowers us to do things that God doesn't want us to do. If those are the things that we want to do, we are opening ourselves up to our enemy.
I'm not saying you're going to lose your salvation if you're a Christian. I'm not saying that you're going to be demon-possessed. I'm not saying that at all, but I'm saying that our sin nature has foolish, wicked, deadly desires. The world in which we live provides evil opportunities, and Satan and demons will like to empower those evil desires to do deadly things in the world that God made.
If you're a non-Christian, you are exceedingly susceptible, not just to being influenced, but completely overtaken, because you have no authority over Satan and demons, apart from Jesus Christ. This is why, friends, some people do horrific things, not just in the days of Jesus, but in our day, as well. And people ask, "How could they do that? What happened?" Well, they had an evil desire in them, an opportunity in the world, and an enemy who empowered that evil desire toward destruction and death. And that's the story of Judas. He's no victim. He's no victim, but Satan is involved.
And then the Bible gives him three names. See, his title was "Disciple of Jesus Christ," "Apostle of Jesus Christ." What a title. He went from disciple and apostle, to traitor, betrayer, and son of destruction. Those are the three titles that the Bible gives him. Traitor! He was loved by Jesus. He was friends with Jesus. Or I should say, at least Jesus was friends with him. And he was a traitor! He sold Jesus for a couple of hundred bucks to his enemies.
And he was a betrayer. Those disciples had walked away from their businesses. They had given their life to follow Jesus, and he was a betrayer. He betrayed Jesus and he betrayed the other disciples.
And lastly, John 17:12, Jesus says that he is the son of destruction. Some of your translations will say, "The one doomed to destruction." In the providential understanding of God, this is fully known by God, who Judas would be and what he would do. And Satan empowered those evil desires, and God knew that it would all happen.
I want to be clear on this. God didn't make it happen, because God is good, not evil. But God uses even evil for good. And he uses the most horrific evil, the betrayal and murder of the second member of the Trinity, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He uses the greatest evil for the greatest good, the glory of God and the salvation of sinners, and that's how God uses even the evil of Judas for his glory and our good, because God works out all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose, because what is meant for evil is used for good and the saving of many lives.
"Why?" Isn't that the question you have? So many do. "Why?" And here's the truth. The Bible does not tell us. Some say, "Well, maybe he was a zealot, and that was a political party, and they wanted Jesus to be a political ruler to overthrow the government. He kept talking about the kingdom, and when they realized he didn't actually want to be a political king, as part of their political party, Judas got disappointed and murdered him." I don't know. It doesn't say.
Others say, "Well, Jesus became very powerful, and Judas became very jealous." Others say Jesus had disciples that were closest to him, and Judas was not one of them, and so he became bitter at the position he had on the team. Others say he was in it for the money. He was a con man, and as soon as he could tell that Jesus' life was about over, and the money was about to run out, and there was nobody else to rip off, he just cashed in his final investment and betrayed Jesus for the last few bucks, 'cause he was a lover of money.
I don't know. I appreciate the fact that the Bible doesn't exactly tell us why Judas did what he did. The Bible tells us who did it, where he did it, when he did it, how he did it. Doesn't tell us why he did it, and so it leaves the question hanging in the air for us to ask, "Could I do the same?" I may not understand what was in the heart of Judas, but I know what is in my heart, and you know what is in your heart, and we need to ask, "How am I capable of betraying Jesus and his people, as Judas was?"
We cannot look at the story and say, "He's a bad guy, I'm a good guy; I'm so glad I'm not like Judas," because that's how we get into serious trouble. We lack humility and sober-mindedness, and instead we have pride and arrogance. In the grace of God, we should avoid that as much as possible. I believe sometimes the most deadly examples are some of the most powerful examples, and sometimes those are negative examples, and Judas serves as a negative example. It's God's way of saying, "You are in danger; stay close to my Son."
How's it going for you and Jesus? It's a sober sermon. It's a sober Scripture. One of the most infamous, arguably the most infamous man in the history of the world. So, I want to close with eight reflections, lessons from Judas.
Number one: Sometimes you bear no responsibility for a person you love who betrays you and/or wrecks their life and shipwrecks their faith. How many of you know someone, they have wrecked their life and shipwrecked their faith? And some of you feel a sense of guilt or responsibility.
Now, perhaps you should. "I didn't love them well. I didn't pursue them. I didn't help them. In fact, I contributed to the circumstances that led to their devastating conclusion." And if so, own it to God. Own it with them. Apologize. Try and make right and make amends in the grace of God.
But sometimes it's not your fault. There's nothing else you could've done. They were determined to self-destruct. In this occasion, Judas wrecks his life and shipwrecks his faith, and none of us can stand back and try and pin any modicum of responsibility on Jesus. You can't say, "Well, if Jesus was a better friend." He's God, the perfect friend. "Well, if Judas just had better community." Look at his community group! It's God and eleven disciples! Right? "You have a problem? Well, you could talk to Peter or John. Hey, pick your favorite New Testament author and chat with him in your Community Group." He's not lacking in opportunity for counsel and care! You can't look at his situation.
But, see, here's the truth. We live in a culture where it is profitable to be a victim. If you can prove you're a victim, then you can take your life and you can push the responsibility for whatever failures, and flaws, and faults you have on someone else, and it's their fault, and you're abdicated of responsibility, and you may even get some money for it. So, we blame our parents. We blame our genetics. We blame the culture. We blame the enemy. I mean, it's the blame game.
I mean, even today, you know, you never see protests where people stand up with a sign saying, "It's my fault. I'm sorry." It's always somebody else's fault. You're responsible for your own life. There may be people and circumstances that have contributed to making your life more difficult, and I don't want to dismiss those or diminish those, but Judas has nobody to blame but Judas, and perhaps you have nobody to blame but you. And if you've done it to yourself, you're not a victim. You're a fool. And I tell you that in love. But Judas is not a victim. He's a fool.
Number two: Sitting under good Bible teaching is not enough; you have to believe it. See, sometimes what happens is a person who seems to be a Christian, or maybe they even seem to be a ministry leader, they wreck their life and shipwreck their faith, and everybody wants to blame the senior leader. "Oh, well, obviously, that church doesn't do a good job." And I hear this about other churches, and I'm sure they say it about ours. "Oh, so-and-so did this, or so-and-so did that. Well, that's because they go to that church. You know that church." "No, actually, I know that pastor, and they love Jesus, and they're really nice, and they do teach the Bible. And we don't agree with them on everything, but it's not the teaching. It's the believing on the part of the hearer, not the proclamation on the part of the instructor."
Sometimes people like to blame the teacher. Oh, yeah. And the truth is people are products of their instruction, but in this instance, we can't look at it and say, "Poor Judas. You know, he just didn't have a lot of theological formation and education. He didn't get a lot of Bible teaching. He sat under, you know, not the best instruction." Right? Three years, he went to the seminary of Jesus Christ. There are only twelve in the class! [Congregation laughing] Right? He's walking around with the breathing, breakfast-eating Word of God, right?
I mean, there are days when Jesus is like, "All right, turn to Daniel, and we'll talk about the day I showed up in a furnace." I mean, that's a really amazing Bible study! Right? "Tell you boys about Daniel, because I was there." Judas has complete access to all the biblical teaching that he needs to live a life of godliness.
And you know what? So do we. I mean, right now, you could log on to the Internet and download amazing world-class Bible teachers for free, more than you could possibly ever listen to. You can go online. You can find Bible study tools and resources for free, the kinds of opportunities that the world has never had. You could buy books and commentaries and concordances and software. You can go to conferences and seminars. Even if you can't afford the Internet, you can turn on the radio, and it's there for free. You can come to church. It costs nothing. We go through books of the Bible. You could take classes. You can go to Community Group. You can be in a Redemption Group. You can understand counseling in community. If you want, we've got a master's level program called "Re:Train." It's all there! It's like somebody starving to death at the grocery store. That's a decision you made.
Sitting under good Bible teaching isn't enough. And my hope, my prayer is to increasingly be a better Bible teacher. Okay? I really love teaching the Bible. I've been doing this for fifteen years. I love Mars Hill Church. I want to die a long time from now as a pastor at Mars Hill Church. Okay? I love teaching the Bible here. This is a great church. I have so much freedom to teach the Bible. They don't put time restrictions on me. I don't know if you've noticed that. [Congregation laughing] I mean, like, it's amazing. I want to thank you for hanging in there.
I did a conference recently in Atlanta called, "Catalyst," and it was great. I loved it, and they were awesome. And before I got up, they were, like, "You've got thirty-five minutes." It's like, "All right, great, thank you. I appreciate one minute, but at Mars Hill we call that an introduction, thirty-five minutes." Right? Like, it was great, but I know pastors, and they'll tell me, "How do you get people to stay there?" I say, "What do you mean?" They say, "Well, if I talk over twenty-five or thirty minutes, people literally get up and start leaving." I say, "People start getting up and leaving, but it's not because of the time, it's because of the content, when I'm preaching. They don't like what they heard. But most people hang in there, and they'll hang in there for an hour plus."
I want to thank you for that. I want to thank you for being a church that says, "We love the Bible. Help us learn the Bible. Teach the Bible." I mean, we're at Luke #94. We've grown by a few thousand people in Luke. All right, no gimmicks, no tricks, Bible teaching, and the people of God in Community Groups.
But sitting under Bible teaching can give the impression that you are a Christian and are growing spiritually. Jesus' brother, James, says it this way in the book bearing his name. "Do not merely listen to the Word and," what? "Deceive yourselves. Do what it says." See, you need to hear the Word of God and obey the Word of God; otherwise, you're prone to deception. "I'm very knowledgeable. I'm very spiritually mature." Are you obeying? Are you believing what you're told?
So, you know, I tell you all the time, "This is the Word of God. Jesus is the Son of God. He is God among us. He lived without sin. He died on a cross, in our place, for our sins. He was buried. Three days later he rose from death. He is ascended on high. He is coming again to judge the living and the dead. He is Lord. He is King. He is God. He is Christ. He is friend. He is Savior. He is all!" But you have to believe that. Do you believe that? I really want you to believe that.
See, Judas heard that, but he didn't believe that. Jesus gave him all the information, and Judas didn't respond with faith. He didn't trust a word of it. Sitting under the best Bible teaching has the potential of merely increasing your self-deception. It also increases the opportunity of experiencing sanctification, growing in grace. And whether it becomes self-deception or sanctification is contingent upon you believing and obeying what the Bible actually teaches.
I'm not saying that I'm always right, and that I never get it wrong. And I want to do my best. So, even take what I say, like the Bereans did, take it to the Bible. Check it and make sure it's what the Bible teaches. And if I'm wrong, help me to repent and do a better job, because at the end of the day, we want the truth to be told, we want Jesus to be loved, and we want people to be served.
Number three: Being in community with Jesus' people is not enough; you have to be one of them. We're glad you're here. We hope you get in a Community Group. We hope you get connected to God's people. You need to be connected to God's people, but first you've got to be connected to God, or at least, at some point, you need to be connected to God.
Again, look at Judas' Community Group! I mean, what an amazing—that's a Community Group, right? This is the first Community Group in the early church. Here's Judas with John: 1, 2, 3 John; the Gospel of John; Revelation; pretty impressive resume; he wrote books of the Bible. He's in that Community Group. Peter: leader of the disciples; 1 and 2 Peter; he wrote books of the Bible. That's who's in his Community Group! That's amazing, but that's not enough.
You can be in community. You can have Christian family, amazing! You could go to Christian school, maybe amazing, maybe not. You could be in a dynamic youth ministry. You could go on an amazing retreat, or a missions trip, or a conference. You could go to a great church like Mars Hill. You could be part of what God is doing. You could know the people of God. You could see the presence of God. You could experience the work of God, and not be a child of God, because you don't believe in Jesus.
And sometimes people think, "Well, I'm fine because my family loves the Lord," or "I'm fine because my church loves the Lord," or "I'm fine because my school loves the Lord," or "I'm fine because my friends love the Lord." Do you love the Lord? Do you love Jesus? Judas didn't. You say, "I know Jesus." Do you love him? See, Judas knew Jesus, didn't love him. You can know Jesus and not love him. Knowledge is information, but love is what leads to the transformation.
Number four: Leading a ministry is not enough; you have to love Jesus. Judas is in full-time ministry for three years. He's part of the staff. He's with Jesus! It's like Jesus is the senior pastor, and here are all his associate pastors, and this is his top twelve, and there are others beyond that. You can be in ministry and go to hell. You can be in ministry and be an enemy of God.
For me, this is like a kick to the soul. When I was a brand-new Christian, I had this strange experience at a conference. It was a mainline denomination, and they brought me in to their national convention to teach a seminar on how to reach young people. This was when I was in my twenties. I had no right to be there. I had no idea what I was doing, but I got up to teach, and they wanted me to talk about how to reach young people, and so I started with Romans 1, that, "The gospel, this good news about Jesus, it's the power of God to the salvation of all who believe!" And I said, "You know, young people don't really get excited about religion and tradition and rules, but they'll get pretty fired up about Jesus. So, people need to preach Jesus, and believe in Jesus."
And I had a pastor raise his hand. And he was an honest guy. It was a room of maybe a couple of hundred people, and he said, "What if you don't believe that?" I was like, "Believe what?" He said, "Well, that Jesus died and rose." "What?" [Congregation laughing] I was a brand-new Christian. I was a brand-new pastor. I didn't know there was a possibility of a pastor who didn't believe in the resurrection. I said—and I'm not the best at filtering my own thoughts, you know, and I said, "Well, you're not a Christian, man. You're probably going to hell and stuff, so—" [Congregation laughing]
I was like, "Ah, I can't get that toothpaste back in the tube. Like, that's—that's out." [Congregation laughing] And then I looked at the people. I was like, "Do some of you guys not believe Jesus is alive?" And some of them didn't. "Oh, well, then I'm not going to tell you how to get young people, because I don't want them to go where you're going. Instead, let's—" And I started doing evangelism with the pastors. [Congregation laughing] Because leading a ministry is not enough; you have to love Jesus.
And some of you say, "Well, I've had bad experiences at church and crazy stuff." Do you know what? I don't know, I don't judge, Jesus does, but maybe some of the leaders weren't Christians, and that was the problem. I had this early on with a leader in Mars Hill. He came from another church, and he'd led there, and he'd done well, and he showed up, and he had habitual sexual sin in his life, and I finally met with him.
I'm like, "Buddy, look, we love you, man. I don't understand. What's going on?" I said, "Are you a Christian?" He said, "Yeah, I'm a Christian." He was kind of offended that I asked. I said, "Well, how do you know you're a Christian?" He said, "Well, I've been serving the Lord for years, and I did this, and I did that, and I have been on the stage at this conference, and I worked at this church."
I said, "No, you're talking about you, not Jesus; what you've done, not what he's done. That's not how you know you're a Christian." And, in the grace of God, he was humble, and he said, "Oh." And so we talked. He really didn't know Jesus as God and Savior. And he did give his life to the Lord, and he has had a radical life change, and his whole life course has changed. He's doing great, and I'm really proud of him, and he is serving the Lord, but you can be in ministry and be an enemy of God. Judas was.
Number five: An enemy of Jesus parading as a minister can lead people astray for thousands of years. Can you imagine how confusing it was for the people who were following the ministry of Jesus, but they had a particular affinity toward Judas? Because, see, that's what happens, right? Like, we've got Mars Hill Church, and we've got all of our churches, and we've got various leaders, and then imagine we're all going together, and then one person really gets off track, and the people who are with us, but they have a particular affinity for that leader, all of a sudden, they're confused, like, "Where's he going? What's he doing? Who's right, who's wrong?" There's a conflict, and tension, and drama, and, "Oh, no, which side are we on, and who's responsible for him?" And they get defensive.
I mean, this is a very divisive moment for the ministry of Jesus. And I'm sure there were some people who were confused. Like, "Wait, we've been following Judas, and he's been following Jesus, and now we're following Judas. We don't know if he's following Jesus. Do we keep following Judas or not?"
And some people, even to this day, have. It's been a few thousand years, and you can look it up on Amazon. Just put in "Judas," and there are all of these books about Judas. "Oh, he's misunderstood. Let's psychoanalyze him. Maybe he was onto something, and Jesus was the bad guy, and Judas was the good guy." Wow. We even have something that was kind of a lost gospel. It's called the Gospel of Judas, and it's not in the Bible. It was written long after Judas was dead, something called pseudepigrapha, which means "pen name." And now "scholars," educated beyond their intelligence, you know, are sort of looking at it, saying, "Well, maybe there's something here." And the story there is that Jesus and Judas had a deal, and Jesus told Judas to murder him, and Judas obeyed Jesus and murdered him, and then Jesus was going to promote Judas to heaven in a primary position of leadership. [Congregation laughing] That's an interesting hypothesis . . . for some people. It's crazy. Some people are still following Judas, trying to make him into the good guy.
Number six: Sometimes false teachers appear to be credible, loving, and generous to the poor. Did Judas appear to be credible? "So, where did you go to seminary?" "Jesus Christ Seminary." "Really? Who was your professor?" "For Old Testament, I had Jesus Christ. For Prophecy, I had Jesus Christ. For Preaching, I had Jesus Christ. For Leadership, I had Jesus Christ. For Evangelism, I had Jesus Christ." "Well, have you ever worked in ministry?" "Yeah, I did an internship for three years." "Oh, really? With who?" "Jesus Christ." "Really?" "Yeah, it was pretty fantastic. I saw him raise people from the dead. One day, a few guys went water skiing, no boat, no skis." [Congregation laughing] "You should read the resume. It's pretty interesting, that resume I've got."
He looked credible, and sometimes false teachers, false leaders, they come out of good seminaries, good Bible colleges, good churches, good denominations, good traditions, and they go a bad trajectory. Also, he appeared loving. If you had asked, "Well, Judas, is he a mean guy? Is he a bad—?" "No, he's a loving guy. The last time I saw him, he walked up, and he gave Jesus a big kiss, and they're best friends. To me, it looks like he's a very loving guy. It looks like he loves Jesus, and he's generous. Oh, he's so generous, this one day, people were wasting money, and he said, 'No, let's give it all to the poor!'" False teachers appear to be credible, loving, and generous to the poor, and sometimes it's just another Judas.
Number seven: You cannot lose your salvation, but you can fake it. Judas never lost his salvation. He's the one doomed for destruction. Jesus tells them all the way back early in the ministry in John 6, "One of you is a devil." Judas was stealing money from Jesus the whole time! And see, what sometimes happens is we think, "Oh, that person was walking with the Lord, and then they just disappeared, or they fell away." No, you know what? In their heart, they had been drifting for a long time, and then you just see externally who they are internally. Judas' betrayal of Jesus was not a change in his character; it was a revelation of his character. He hadn't changed; he had simply been exposed.
You cannot lose your salvation, but you can fake it, and Judas faked it. Some of you are faking it. You've learned the Christian language, you've been around the church, you know a few believers, your parents love the Lord. You can fake it. You can fake it, and the way you know you're faking it is you present yourself as one person in public, and you're not that person in private. In public, Judas was associate pastor to Jesus Christ; privately, he was stealing money.
Who are you privately? Who are you really? Who are you truly? Are you a Christian who loves Jesus and hates your sin, or are you just a Judas who's faking it? Are you faking it so that your parents will be happy, your friends will be happy, your school will be happy, because it benefits you in some way?
And number eight: How your life concludes is far more important than how your life begins. Amen? It's not the first day of your wedding and marriage that's the most important; it's the last day of your marriage. It's not the first day you get saved and baptized; it's the last day of your life. See, we tend to make a big deal of the start, and we should, and we should celebrate and rejoice. People are getting married. People are making professions of faith. People are being baptized. Praise be to God. But the most important day: the last day.
Some of you come in here, and you say, "You know what? It's not been great 'til now." Praise God you're still alive. He loves you. This is a word of encouragement and exhortation and invitation to say, "You know what? Judas ran away from Jesus, and it killed him. I'm going to run to Jesus, so I can live with him." And that's God's invitation to you today. Some of you would say, "Man, it started good, but it's not gone well." Then do like Peter did: get brokenhearted, run to Jesus and his people, receive the grace of God, and finish well.
I believe this is a prophetic word at a significant time in the history of Mars Hill Church. It's like the early years with Jesus and Judas for us right now. I mean, God is with us. God is with us, Mars Hill. We are a miracle. We're one of the largest, fastest-growing churches. We're planting in other states. People are getting saved. Marriages are coming together. Babies are getting born. People are being transformed. We can't even keep up with all the grace that God has given us. And it's wonderful and it's amazing and it's sobering, because it's about the last day.
Had you looked at Judas early on, you would've said, "That guy, what a life, what an amazing life." We're there. A guy like Peter, through humility and repentance, his last day's a great day. "Crucify me upside down! I still love Jesus! I'll tell him you said hi." That's Peter. Judas hangs himself, and his guts come spilling out, and the last day is a tragic day. And I want you, and I want me, and I want us to be able to say like Paul, "I've run my race! I've kept my faith! And now I'm ready for my reward."
Please pray that for me. Please pray that for your elders, and your deacons, and your Community Group leaders, and your Redemption Group leaders. Please pray that for yourself. Please pray that for your family. And it all starts with each of us making a decision in the grace of God, humbly, prayerfully, soberly saying, "God, give me the grace to not be a Judas. Save me from myself."
And so, Father, we ask that right now. Lord Jesus, we see how you received Peter, and we see what happened to Judas when he ran from you, rather than to you. Holy Spirit, I pray that, right now, those who have been faking it, that they would come to a real saving knowledge of Jesus. And God, on this, our birthday, I thank you for the opportunity to preach what is an awkward birthday sermon, but fifteen years in, it feels like the early days of Jesus and Judas, where it's exciting, and there's a lot of grace, and it's amazing, and we're so richly blessed. And God, for myself and for our leaders, and for our people, we want to humbly, soberly, aggressively, confidently, continually repent of sin, and stay close to Jesus, and finish well, by the grace of God. So, Lord Jesus, please allow our run to continue for fifteen more years, and fifteen more years after that, and fifteen more years after that. And, Lord God, I thank you that I get to teach the Bible to the people of Mars Hill Church. I thank you that I've gotten to do that for fifteen years. I thank you that you love these people, and I pray that none of them would end like Judas, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Note: This sermon transcript has been edited for readability.


text:
Expired Property Listing
This property is disabled.
4-5BR "Coral Kai" Luxury oceanfront w/pool in Cayman Islands
- bedrooms 5
- baths 5
- sleeps 1
- pool yes
- hot tub no
- pets allowed no
- type Villa
- community
rates (USD)
/ week
vacation rental description
5BR & Den/5BA Luxury "Coral Kai" Villa is directly oceanfront in Rum Point on the north coast. This very large one story villa offers excellent snorkeling directly behind the oceanfront pool and a very sandy beach that offers long walks in either direction. Pool shoes/fins are required for swimming or snorkeling anywhere there is a marine environment.
Many oceanfront windows and French glass doors to the sea flood the villa with Caribbean sunshine year round.Full width shaded veranda offers guests a respite from the sun with sectional sofas, tables and chairs and sun loungers. Superb wedding venue. (2) King Suites; (2) Queen Suites; (1) Twin bedroom with bathrorom just outside bedroom door. Separate TV room in den to keep the noise of TV viewing from interfering with the sounds of the ocean and tradewind breezes.
Large oceanfront freshwater pool with lounge chairs and dining tables. Very sandy beach. Charcoal BBQ near pool. Modern kitchen, indoor and outdoor dining areas, central A/C, WiFi Internet access included. Plasma TV and stereo in den. Circular driveway with plenty of off-street parking.
Accommodates up to 10 people (10 adults max.); Excellent large family or 2-5couple villa and twins can be made up as a king bed for a 5th couple; All rates INCLUDE 10% Government Occupancy tax.
$3,000 damage deposit waived with purchase of $39 CSA Damage Deposit Insurance.
villa rental amenities
WIFI; Central A/C; Fixed large charcoal grill, TV room, covered verandah with loungers, sofas and chairs.