April 1, 2018 NOTES NOT EDITED
Easter Fools Parade
Easter Fools Parade
John 20:1-29
April Fools! We’ve all heard these fateful words after
being the butt of a Spring Prank. April
1st brings out the practical jokers in force. You know how it goes. Some unexpecting person becomes the target of
a practical joke, and then, just as the joke reaches its climax, someone yells,
“April Fools.” The joke may be as simple
as dipping onions in caramel and serving them to an office associate. When the hapless “friend” bites into the
onion to an eye-watering surprise, those in on the joke yell, “April
Fools.” Everybody gets a great laugh . .
. and one lucky associate has onion-breath all day long.
One of the most successful April Fools Prank [Show Video]
Some April Fools pranks may be more elaborate like the infamous “spaghetti harvest” which was the subject of a 1957, three minute BBC Television spot, as you saw in the short clip a moment ago. According to Wikipedia, “Pasta was not an everyday food in 1950s Britain, and it was known mainly from tinned spaghetti in tomato sauce and considered by many to be an exotic delicacy.[4] An estimated eight million people watched the program on 1 April, and hundreds phoned in the following day to question the authenticity of the story or ask for more information about spaghetti cultivation and how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. The BBC reportedly told them to "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best".
I dislike practical jokes immensely. I don’t like seeing people have fun at the expense of others. I also know that practical jokes can go terribly wrong and have horrible unintended consequences.
Nobody likes to be “taken for a fool.” The word, “fool,” or some form of it occurs hundreds of times in the Bible. Perhaps the most well-known use is in Psalm 14:1:
1 The fool says in his heart, “God does not exist.” There are various meanings for the original Hebrew and Greek words for, “fool,” but almost all of them involve some “moral or ethical failure,” and not just a lack of intellectual acuity, such as our word, “stupid,” implies. A fool has a moral problem, much more than an intellectual one. We see this in the words following what I just quoted in Ps. 14:1:
One of the most successful April Fools Prank [Show Video]
Some April Fools pranks may be more elaborate like the infamous “spaghetti harvest” which was the subject of a 1957, three minute BBC Television spot, as you saw in the short clip a moment ago. According to Wikipedia, “Pasta was not an everyday food in 1950s Britain, and it was known mainly from tinned spaghetti in tomato sauce and considered by many to be an exotic delicacy.[4] An estimated eight million people watched the program on 1 April, and hundreds phoned in the following day to question the authenticity of the story or ask for more information about spaghetti cultivation and how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. The BBC reportedly told them to "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best".
I dislike practical jokes immensely. I don’t like seeing people have fun at the expense of others. I also know that practical jokes can go terribly wrong and have horrible unintended consequences.
Nobody likes to be “taken for a fool.” The word, “fool,” or some form of it occurs hundreds of times in the Bible. Perhaps the most well-known use is in Psalm 14:1:
1 The fool says in his heart, “God does not exist.” There are various meanings for the original Hebrew and Greek words for, “fool,” but almost all of them involve some “moral or ethical failure,” and not just a lack of intellectual acuity, such as our word, “stupid,” implies. A fool has a moral problem, much more than an intellectual one. We see this in the words following what I just quoted in Ps. 14:1:
They [fools] are corrupt;
they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good.
In many ways, the Bible can be seen as a “Parade of Fools.” When I was 15 years old, Hollywood came to my little town of Moundsville, W.Va. to film a major motion picture starring, Jimmy Stewart, George Kennedy, Kurt Russell, Oscar-winning actress, Anne Baxter, and our fully functioning pre-Civil War maximum security prison. It was a big deal for our little town. The movie is titled, “Fool’s Parade,” the words coming from Jimmy Stewart in one scene when he and his two recently released convict friends are corned by a crooked prison guard in the boxcar of a train. Jimmy Stewart declares, “This is a fool’s parade to nowhere.”
I am setting my Easter sermon
against the backdrop of the foolishness of failing to surrender to the Lord
Jesus Christ who was raised from the dead on that first Easter. It is always
wrong to be a fool, but it is eternally wrong to be an Easter Fool!
As we read our text today, see if you can spot some of the people who heard Jesus declare He would rise out of the tomb on the third day, but the people—even His own disciples—all surrendered to the fact that Jesus was dead and their hope was gone. The watched Jesus die on the cross, be laid in the tomb which had the entrance sealed with a two-ton stone.
Then, on the third day, just as He said He would, Jesus appeared alive again and said, “April Fools!” So often we act foolishly in regard to Christ as the Risen Lord. Let’s read about a “Easter Fools Parade.”
JOHN 20:1-10
As we read our text today, see if you can spot some of the people who heard Jesus declare He would rise out of the tomb on the third day, but the people—even His own disciples—all surrendered to the fact that Jesus was dead and their hope was gone. The watched Jesus die on the cross, be laid in the tomb which had the entrance sealed with a two-ton stone.
Then, on the third day, just as He said He would, Jesus appeared alive again and said, “April Fools!” So often we act foolishly in regard to Christ as the Risen Lord. Let’s read about a “Easter Fools Parade.”
JOHN 20:1-10
The Easter Story is indeed a
“Parade of Fools.” Think of how
foolishly so many acted, some in ignorance, some in denial, and some in
outright rebellion.
Think back to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. Even knowing that Jesus was not guilty of any crime, he gave in to the bloodthirsty crowd and allowed Jesus to be crucified any way. Pilate washed his hands of the whole deal, and after a brief time of upheaval, Pilates problem was put away for good. Until Easter Sunday. Jesus arose. Sorry Pilate—April Fools!
Think about the very disciples of Jesus. They walked with Jesus for three years. They saw His miracles. They heard His teaching. They felt His love. But, on that fateful night when Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss and the Roman soldiers took Jesus away, the disciples switched their lives into the “fear mode.” Most the disciples ran and hid. Peter watched Jesus die on the cross from a distance—denying Him three times. The disciples gave up all hope. And, then came Easter morning. Jesus had risen. April Fools! disciples.
The list of people in the Easter Fools Parade goes on and on. The Jews thought they had rid themselves of their religious competition. April Fools, Jewish Leaders. Jesus is alive. The Roman soldiers stood guard assuring that nobody was getting into the tomb, and certainly, nobody was getting out. April Fools, soldiers. Thomas, who would not even take the word of his fellow disciples demanded that he would only believe it if he could see it for himself. Well, Jesus soon stood before Thomas and Thomas fell at Jesus’ feet in shameful remorse and glorious devotion. April Fools, Thomas.
And, then there’s the biggest fool of all. The Devil. He and his minions had already popped the cork on their celebratory shamepaign. He had done it. He killed the Son of God. And, then came Sunday. April Fools, Devil.
We all bear the human weakness of being fools when it comes to holding back our absolute devotion to the Living Lord. All of us can find ourselves in that “Parade of Fools” that under estimate and under appreciate Jesus the Lord. I want to examine three ways in which so many people join the Easter Fools Parade living terribly unfulfilled lives, even for some, to the point of entering a completely dark and disastrous eternity in hell. People join that parade by
1. seeking fulfillment in the WRONG PLACE (v1)
1On the first day of the week •Mary Magdalene came to the tomb.
Think back to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. Even knowing that Jesus was not guilty of any crime, he gave in to the bloodthirsty crowd and allowed Jesus to be crucified any way. Pilate washed his hands of the whole deal, and after a brief time of upheaval, Pilates problem was put away for good. Until Easter Sunday. Jesus arose. Sorry Pilate—April Fools!
Think about the very disciples of Jesus. They walked with Jesus for three years. They saw His miracles. They heard His teaching. They felt His love. But, on that fateful night when Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss and the Roman soldiers took Jesus away, the disciples switched their lives into the “fear mode.” Most the disciples ran and hid. Peter watched Jesus die on the cross from a distance—denying Him three times. The disciples gave up all hope. And, then came Easter morning. Jesus had risen. April Fools! disciples.
The list of people in the Easter Fools Parade goes on and on. The Jews thought they had rid themselves of their religious competition. April Fools, Jewish Leaders. Jesus is alive. The Roman soldiers stood guard assuring that nobody was getting into the tomb, and certainly, nobody was getting out. April Fools, soldiers. Thomas, who would not even take the word of his fellow disciples demanded that he would only believe it if he could see it for himself. Well, Jesus soon stood before Thomas and Thomas fell at Jesus’ feet in shameful remorse and glorious devotion. April Fools, Thomas.
And, then there’s the biggest fool of all. The Devil. He and his minions had already popped the cork on their celebratory shamepaign. He had done it. He killed the Son of God. And, then came Sunday. April Fools, Devil.
We all bear the human weakness of being fools when it comes to holding back our absolute devotion to the Living Lord. All of us can find ourselves in that “Parade of Fools” that under estimate and under appreciate Jesus the Lord. I want to examine three ways in which so many people join the Easter Fools Parade living terribly unfulfilled lives, even for some, to the point of entering a completely dark and disastrous eternity in hell. People join that parade by
1. seeking fulfillment in the WRONG PLACE (v1)
1On the first day of the week •Mary Magdalene came to the tomb.
One of the early, popular
alternative explanations for the empty tomb by resurrection deniers was the
“Wrong Tomb Theory.” The women were
simply mistaken. Now, remember, one of the women was Mary, the mother of Jesus. Is it likely she would have forgotten the way
to her son’s tomb in three days? Also,
remember that this was “borrowed” tomb of a very wealthy and prominent Jewish
leader, Joseph of Arimathea. A finally,
make note of the fact that if the Jewish leaders wanted to kill the Christian
movement by proving that the women simply went to the wrong, yet-to-be occupied
tomb, all they had to do was to direct people to the “right” tomb in which the
still dead body of Jesus lay.
The women did NOT, in fact go to the wrong tomb, but they DID in fact, look for Jesus in the wrong PLACE! You will not find Jesus in a place of the dead. Yet, so many people look for enlightenment or for a path to heaven in the wrong PLACES.
Hindus seek enlightenment and “release from this world,” by following gurus and worshipping millions of false gods. They seek enlightenment and release from this sinful world through meditation which “empties” their minds. This is the wrong PLACE to find meaning, purpose, fulfilment, and release from the shackles of sin. Hinduism is a dead end at the end of a string of dead gurus. Buddhists likewise venerate and seek to emulate the teachings of a man whose bones have long since decayed to dust in the place where they were laid. Muslims follow the teachings of Mohammed in the Quran, hoping to someday have appeased the fickle god, Allah, enough to be granted a place in Paradise. Some, even hasten the process by strapping dynamite to their bodies and blowing up infidels.
Jews, seek meaning and fulfilment in a parade of dead animal carcasses and even deader ceremonies and festivals. Catholics foolishly join the parade of hundreds of popes and pages upon pages of rituals and church dogma. Catholics even collect the dead bones of departed saints, from the mummified head of St. Catherine, to the complete mummified body of St. Cecilia. The Catholic church has a gruesome collections of body parts, including the supposed finger of St. Thomas which they hope will still point them toward heaven. Protestants of any and every ilk fare no better. They all fall in line in the parade of empty traditions and dead doctrines, which they worship nearly as much as Catholics worship their relics.
Of all the “fools” in the Easter Fools Parade, perhaps the largest group of all are those who look for meaning, purpose, or a solution to sin through good works and dead religion, following dead prophets. There is no religious ladder one can climb to reach the heavens. They first tried this at the Tower of Babel and it ended in disappointment and chaos.
The women DID GO to the right tomb, but it was the WRONG PLACE to find the Living Lord. The Lord is “Alive” and only a relationship with him will bring salvation and peace. This is why the angel of at the tomb said, ““Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen!” (Lk 24:5)
There is another way that people seek fulfilment or salvation that also puts them into the Easter Fools Parade. It is closely related to seeking in the wrong place and that is that many people seek in the
2. WRONG WAY (vv 3-8)
The women did NOT, in fact go to the wrong tomb, but they DID in fact, look for Jesus in the wrong PLACE! You will not find Jesus in a place of the dead. Yet, so many people look for enlightenment or for a path to heaven in the wrong PLACES.
Hindus seek enlightenment and “release from this world,” by following gurus and worshipping millions of false gods. They seek enlightenment and release from this sinful world through meditation which “empties” their minds. This is the wrong PLACE to find meaning, purpose, fulfilment, and release from the shackles of sin. Hinduism is a dead end at the end of a string of dead gurus. Buddhists likewise venerate and seek to emulate the teachings of a man whose bones have long since decayed to dust in the place where they were laid. Muslims follow the teachings of Mohammed in the Quran, hoping to someday have appeased the fickle god, Allah, enough to be granted a place in Paradise. Some, even hasten the process by strapping dynamite to their bodies and blowing up infidels.
Jews, seek meaning and fulfilment in a parade of dead animal carcasses and even deader ceremonies and festivals. Catholics foolishly join the parade of hundreds of popes and pages upon pages of rituals and church dogma. Catholics even collect the dead bones of departed saints, from the mummified head of St. Catherine, to the complete mummified body of St. Cecilia. The Catholic church has a gruesome collections of body parts, including the supposed finger of St. Thomas which they hope will still point them toward heaven. Protestants of any and every ilk fare no better. They all fall in line in the parade of empty traditions and dead doctrines, which they worship nearly as much as Catholics worship their relics.
Of all the “fools” in the Easter Fools Parade, perhaps the largest group of all are those who look for meaning, purpose, or a solution to sin through good works and dead religion, following dead prophets. There is no religious ladder one can climb to reach the heavens. They first tried this at the Tower of Babel and it ended in disappointment and chaos.
The women DID GO to the right tomb, but it was the WRONG PLACE to find the Living Lord. The Lord is “Alive” and only a relationship with him will bring salvation and peace. This is why the angel of at the tomb said, ““Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen!” (Lk 24:5)
There is another way that people seek fulfilment or salvation that also puts them into the Easter Fools Parade. It is closely related to seeking in the wrong place and that is that many people seek in the
2. WRONG WAY (vv 3-8)
3 At that, Peter and the
other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. 4 The two were
running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb
first. 5 Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there,
yet he did not go in. 6 Then, following him, Simon Peter came
also. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7 The
wrapping that had been on His head was not lying with the linen cloths but was
folded up in a separate place by itself. 8 The other disciple,
who had reached the tomb first, then entered the tomb, saw, and believed.
Notice that all the evidence for
the resurrection was there. The two-ton
doorstop was rolled away. The tomb was empty.
The body wrappings lacked a body.
The cloths they put upon the face were neatly folded lying by the empty
grave clothes. The evidence was all
there for both the disciples to see.
Both Peter and John viewed the same evidence but they did not SEE the
same thing.
Notice in verse 6 it says “Peter SAW” the evidence. In verse 8, it says the “Other disciple (John)” also “SAW” the same evidence, “and believed!” Two people view the same evidence but one sees something the other one doesn’t. The evidence is the same. What’s the difference?
The words translated, “saw,” in verses 5 and 6 in regard to Peter, and in verse 8 in regard to John, are not the same word in the original. It is hard to show the difference in English. In regard to Peter’s initial glance into the tomb, verse 5, the word refers to “the basic faculty of sight” as in perceiving physically the items in the tomb. Peter, “took a quick glance. (blepō, blepw). In verse 6, Peter investigates a little further. Peter began to “develop a theory” (intellectually) about what all this might mean, but had not come to any conclusion (theōrei, qewrei). Once again in verse 8, John in reference to himself (“the other disciple”), he “saw and believed”. The word for “saw” means, “to know.” (eiden, eiden). This means to see, “spiritually.” It is a revelation to John, indicating a spiritual interaction. As a result, John had faith (pisteuō, pisteuw). One only truly sees when he or she sees completely—physically, intellectually, and spiritually.
The varied uses of technical terms in Greek expose a major problem many people have when engaging God through His Word. They seek spiritual truth in the WRONG WAY. They have a narrow view of truth that excludes anything they cannot experience with their senses, especially their sight. For many people, “seeing is believing,” but since so much of what is true extends behind and beyond our senses we cannot see, and we do not believe. Philosophers call this view of gaining truth, empiricism. Layman know it as science. It is an inadequate way to approach truth. Seeing is not believing—believing is seeing!
Later in this passage, Thomas, before seeing the resurrected Jesus (he was not present when Jesus first appeared to the disciples), declared:
“If I don’t see the mark of the nails in His hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe!” (v. 25). Very soon after that, Thomas got his chance. Jesus appeared before this “intellectual snobbish disciple.” Jesus presented His hands and side to John. John in shameful reverence fell at the feet of Jesus and cried, “My Lord and my God!” (v28)
Both Peter and Thomas initially made the same mistake. They approached the truth of the resurrection in the WRONG WAY. They both tried to rely on what they could examine physically and contemplate with bare reason, apart from faith. In both cases, following this path, they joined the Easter Fools Parade.
Thomas declared, “I will believe when I see, or when I understand I will believe.” The early Church Father, Anselm, (11th century) declared, “I do not seek to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order to understand.” In Latin Anselm’s dictum says, “Credo Ut Intelligam” or I believe in order to understand.
C.S. Lewis once wrote, “I do not believe in the sun because I see the sun, but I believe in the sun because by it I see everything else. Likewise, I do not believe in the Light of Christ because I see Christ, but I believe in the Light of Christ because by it I see every thing else.” (paraphrase).
People fall in line in the Easter Fools Parade of resurrection doubters because they seek truth, meaning, and fulfillment in the WRONG WAY through bare intellect alone apart from faith in God through Christ.
Notice in verse 6 it says “Peter SAW” the evidence. In verse 8, it says the “Other disciple (John)” also “SAW” the same evidence, “and believed!” Two people view the same evidence but one sees something the other one doesn’t. The evidence is the same. What’s the difference?
The words translated, “saw,” in verses 5 and 6 in regard to Peter, and in verse 8 in regard to John, are not the same word in the original. It is hard to show the difference in English. In regard to Peter’s initial glance into the tomb, verse 5, the word refers to “the basic faculty of sight” as in perceiving physically the items in the tomb. Peter, “took a quick glance. (blepō, blepw). In verse 6, Peter investigates a little further. Peter began to “develop a theory” (intellectually) about what all this might mean, but had not come to any conclusion (theōrei, qewrei). Once again in verse 8, John in reference to himself (“the other disciple”), he “saw and believed”. The word for “saw” means, “to know.” (eiden, eiden). This means to see, “spiritually.” It is a revelation to John, indicating a spiritual interaction. As a result, John had faith (pisteuō, pisteuw). One only truly sees when he or she sees completely—physically, intellectually, and spiritually.
The varied uses of technical terms in Greek expose a major problem many people have when engaging God through His Word. They seek spiritual truth in the WRONG WAY. They have a narrow view of truth that excludes anything they cannot experience with their senses, especially their sight. For many people, “seeing is believing,” but since so much of what is true extends behind and beyond our senses we cannot see, and we do not believe. Philosophers call this view of gaining truth, empiricism. Layman know it as science. It is an inadequate way to approach truth. Seeing is not believing—believing is seeing!
Later in this passage, Thomas, before seeing the resurrected Jesus (he was not present when Jesus first appeared to the disciples), declared:
“If I don’t see the mark of the nails in His hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe!” (v. 25). Very soon after that, Thomas got his chance. Jesus appeared before this “intellectual snobbish disciple.” Jesus presented His hands and side to John. John in shameful reverence fell at the feet of Jesus and cried, “My Lord and my God!” (v28)
Both Peter and Thomas initially made the same mistake. They approached the truth of the resurrection in the WRONG WAY. They both tried to rely on what they could examine physically and contemplate with bare reason, apart from faith. In both cases, following this path, they joined the Easter Fools Parade.
Thomas declared, “I will believe when I see, or when I understand I will believe.” The early Church Father, Anselm, (11th century) declared, “I do not seek to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order to understand.” In Latin Anselm’s dictum says, “Credo Ut Intelligam” or I believe in order to understand.
C.S. Lewis once wrote, “I do not believe in the sun because I see the sun, but I believe in the sun because by it I see everything else. Likewise, I do not believe in the Light of Christ because I see Christ, but I believe in the Light of Christ because by it I see every thing else.” (paraphrase).
People fall in line in the Easter Fools Parade of resurrection doubters because they seek truth, meaning, and fulfillment in the WRONG WAY through bare intellect alone apart from faith in God through Christ.
Persons also fall in line into the Easter Fools Parade because they
3. Fear the WRONG THINGS
19 In the evening of that
first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors
locked because of their fear of the Jews. Then Jesus came, stood among them,
and said to them, “Peace to you!”
In my flesh, I perfectly understand
how the disciples could be afraid. They
had just experienced the torture and agonizing death of their beloved
leader—and He was a miracle worker! They
knew the Jews would become for them next, and they had no leader to defend
them. They were afraid. Following Jesus will often give on many
occasions to express fear. Fearing the
WRONG THINGS will draw us into the Easter Fools Parade.
Fear is a real thing. In fact, a popular idea propagated by over-enthusiastic preachers, is that the term “fear not” (or something similar) appears 365 times in the Bible—enough for one “fear not” every day of the year. This is a comforting thought, but not altogether true. Jesus does use the term often to comfort His disciples. It is used in other contexts in the Bible, but probably closer to over 100, not 365. But, that is still a lot of “Fear Nots.”
As I said, following Jesus, if you are truly devoted and sold out, will likely put you into some “fearful” situations. I remember two just off the top of my head. One night about 2:30 p,m. I got a call from a lady who was desperate (I pastored Alameda Baptist Church, ABC, so I had first billing in the phone book). This lady had just been released from the hospital and was at the Oakland Airport. She had been stabbed by her pimp and was trying to get out of town. A stabbed prostitute, an angry pimp, downtown Oakland, in the dead of night—and a young Baptist preacher. Off I went, with more than a little anxiety.
Another time I was enjoying a motorcycle run with my buddy Jerry and our wives in Hollister, California. It was a big event. There were more than a few outlaw biker gangs in town—they hated each other. Just outside the Hell’s Angels tent, a fight broke out between a Hell’s Angel and a Vandal. Feeling compelled to be the peacemaker God called me, I stepped in between these two, tattooed giants. I’m not sure exactly what I was going to do, but I sure was glad that in just a few seconds the police showed up and I didn’t have to be a hero—especially, a dead hero!
Fear is a real thing. Fear is a good thing. If you fear the right things. It is good to fear the Hell’s Angels. It is good to fear standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon with your young son, with on railings or barriers. (And, I’m not saying I did that). But, one of the quickest ways to get enlisted into the Easter Fools Parade is to fear the WRONG THINGS.
The disciples feared the Jews, and in the flesh they were right to do so. But, in our walk with Christ we will become paralyzed if we fear the WRONG THINGS. Let me share what I mean from God’s Word:
Mat. 10:28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Your greatest fear should not be other people, circumstances, or even death itself. Your greatest fear should be that when you stand before Jesus on Judgment Day, you will stand before Him as someone who marched all your life in the Easter Fools Parade, without giving Jesus your full, passionate, unreserved, self-sacrificing devotiong!
For the last few years I’ve realized acutely, “I am dying.” We all are. Death is universal. Death to some degree is fearful for all. It is not the RIGHT thing to fear, however. I fear disappointing my King far more than I fear departing this earth. It’s all about the King. Will I join His parade, or will I, like fools in the Easter Story, join the “Easter Fools Parade”—looking for salvation in the wrong PLACE, in the wrong WAY, and fearing the wrong THINGS. Yes, I am dying. We all are. The question then becomes, “am I really, truly, faithfully, passionately, and without any reserve, living for the King.
Can you say as Thomas did, and millions since Thomas:
Fear is a real thing. In fact, a popular idea propagated by over-enthusiastic preachers, is that the term “fear not” (or something similar) appears 365 times in the Bible—enough for one “fear not” every day of the year. This is a comforting thought, but not altogether true. Jesus does use the term often to comfort His disciples. It is used in other contexts in the Bible, but probably closer to over 100, not 365. But, that is still a lot of “Fear Nots.”
As I said, following Jesus, if you are truly devoted and sold out, will likely put you into some “fearful” situations. I remember two just off the top of my head. One night about 2:30 p,m. I got a call from a lady who was desperate (I pastored Alameda Baptist Church, ABC, so I had first billing in the phone book). This lady had just been released from the hospital and was at the Oakland Airport. She had been stabbed by her pimp and was trying to get out of town. A stabbed prostitute, an angry pimp, downtown Oakland, in the dead of night—and a young Baptist preacher. Off I went, with more than a little anxiety.
Another time I was enjoying a motorcycle run with my buddy Jerry and our wives in Hollister, California. It was a big event. There were more than a few outlaw biker gangs in town—they hated each other. Just outside the Hell’s Angels tent, a fight broke out between a Hell’s Angel and a Vandal. Feeling compelled to be the peacemaker God called me, I stepped in between these two, tattooed giants. I’m not sure exactly what I was going to do, but I sure was glad that in just a few seconds the police showed up and I didn’t have to be a hero—especially, a dead hero!
Fear is a real thing. Fear is a good thing. If you fear the right things. It is good to fear the Hell’s Angels. It is good to fear standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon with your young son, with on railings or barriers. (And, I’m not saying I did that). But, one of the quickest ways to get enlisted into the Easter Fools Parade is to fear the WRONG THINGS.
The disciples feared the Jews, and in the flesh they were right to do so. But, in our walk with Christ we will become paralyzed if we fear the WRONG THINGS. Let me share what I mean from God’s Word:
Mat. 10:28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Your greatest fear should not be other people, circumstances, or even death itself. Your greatest fear should be that when you stand before Jesus on Judgment Day, you will stand before Him as someone who marched all your life in the Easter Fools Parade, without giving Jesus your full, passionate, unreserved, self-sacrificing devotiong!
For the last few years I’ve realized acutely, “I am dying.” We all are. Death is universal. Death to some degree is fearful for all. It is not the RIGHT thing to fear, however. I fear disappointing my King far more than I fear departing this earth. It’s all about the King. Will I join His parade, or will I, like fools in the Easter Story, join the “Easter Fools Parade”—looking for salvation in the wrong PLACE, in the wrong WAY, and fearing the wrong THINGS. Yes, I am dying. We all are. The question then becomes, “am I really, truly, faithfully, passionately, and without any reserve, living for the King.
Can you say as Thomas did, and millions since Thomas:
THAT’S MY KING! [Show Video]
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