The King is Coming. Are You Ready?

Palm Sunday 2021                    NOTES NOT EDITEDf
The King Is Coming: Are You Ready
Matthew 21:1-11

SIS: The King of Kings is coming again and we must be ready to receive Him.

The King of Kings entered Jerusalem over 2020 years ago through the Eastern Gate on what we now call, Palm Sunday.   Let’s read together about that glorious, triumphant day.  MAT 21:1-11 

The Lord arrived that day to a mixed reception.  Some were ready to receive Him and shouted: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”  The religious leaders on the other hand, according to Luke 19:39 complained of all the shouting and praise for Jesus. His disciples were too “emotional.

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” ⁴⁰ “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

The word, "hosanna" sums up what it means to receive Jesus as the Lord of one's life so He becomes your Savior.  “Hosanna” comes from the Hebrew OT, particularly the Psalms.  Hosanna is the Aramaic and/or Greek equivalent of "hoshi^eah na" which combines the word for "save us" with "now" (Ps. 118:25-27). Many of the people recognized that Jesus was the Messiah who had come to save them now!  However, they mistook a political idea of salvation for the spiritual salvation Jesus would secure for them on the cross.

The word, “na, or now,” associated with salvation is extremely important.  The Bible reminds us that “Today is the day of salvation” (2Cor. 6:2). There’s no other time to surrender to and to love and serve the Lord than “now.”  You can’t eat yesterday’s manna for it has worms in it, and you aren’t guaranteed a tomorrow so all talk of salvation and devotion must be connected to “now.”  

The Triumphal Entry passages highlight the two primary responses people had then, and still have today, when Jesus rides into their lives:  some are elated -- even ecstatic to receive Jesus as the Lord and Savior.  Others, are skeptical or apathetic on one level or the other, or even openly rebellious toward Jesus. Some have hearts prepared to receive Christ, others have hearts hardened against His love and grace and unprepared to receive Him as Lord. 

Now, here's the point I really want to make today.  There were hundreds of prophecies fulfilled when Jesus came the first time, such as Zechariah 9:9: 

⁹Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

What many Christians do not know is something a pastor pointed out a few years ago: “Prophecies of the Second Coming of Christ outnumber the prophecies of the First Coming eight to one (8:1). Scholars have identified 1,845 Biblical references to the Second Coming” (Dr. David Jeremiah). The Second Coming is mentioned in 17 of the 39 O.T. Books.  It is noted in 23 out of 27 N.T. books.  Seven out of ten chapters in the N.T. deal with the Second Coming.  It is noted in 1 out of every 30 verses in the N.T.

A major consideration in examining the Triumphal Entry of Jesus is to realize that God has always had a plan, and it will always play out EXACTLY AS PLANNED.  The question is:  will YOU be prepared to receive Him as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings when He comes the next time? Most the people were not ready to receive Christ the first time He came, and even more are unprepared for His Second Coming.

I want to take the remainder of our time together this morning, after this long but important introduction to give you three ways you can be ready to receive the King of Kings when He comes again.  I call it, “being on the Hosanna side of the street.”

❶ We must view Our SAVIOR
as more important than our SELVES (v3) 

³ If anyone says anything to you, you should say that the Lord needs them, and immediately
he will send them.” 

The key to the success of our mission in this life and the key to our rewards in the next is to comprehend the question, “Who is Jesus Christ?”  I doubt very seriously if the man with a highly valued donkey and colt would have given them up because two rough looking itinerant preachers asked.  But, when they dropped the name of Jesus, the man gave up his possessions without so much as a question.  God had prepared this man to be who he was, where he was, with a donkey since before the beginning of time.

Notice the wording in verse 4:  “This took place SO . . . ,” or as the as the NIV translates it, “This took place to fulfill.”  Like so many texts referring to Jesus in the N.T. our text today ties His Identity to the Promise Messiah (Savior) of the O.T.  In this case, the promise of Zech. 9:9.

The most important doctrine in the Bible is the doctrine of the Deity of Christ.  What Jesus did would have had no eternal value whatsoever if it were not for Who Jesus is.  If Jesus Christ was not the prophesied Messiah, His death on the cross was no different than the death of the many thousands of other such deaths—except that he would have been a man of sterling character, unlike many who were common criminals.

But, the death of a man—even the most virtuous man who ever lived—would not have been enough to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind.  It had to be God.  Only the Messiah—the promised, prophesied God-Man, could do that.  We must recognize Who Jesus is, and we must understand that our SAVIOR is more important than our SELVES. 

Jesus Christ fulfilled hundreds of prophecies in the O.T. to establish His identity as the Messiah—God in human flesh Who came to “save mankind from sin.” Christianity is not about us, but it is about Who Jesus is, and what He came to do. We must always keep our focus in church on Jesus, and not our selves.

❷ Our SERVICE as more important than our STATUS.  (6)

{6}The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 

In context, this verse had to do with a specific assignment to two specific (unnamed) disciples at a specific moment in history.  The instructions were simple enough (Mat. 21:1-3): 

¹ When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. ³ “If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

This wasn’t a very impressive assignment. The disciples did not achieve “celebrity status.”  In fact, as I mentioned, they remained nameless.  But, celebrity status aside, they were faithful.  Their actions, though anonymous, have become a part of God’s eternal record.  They opted for “eternal status,” over celebrity status.

We are in one of the most annoying times of the year for me.  No, I'm not talking about “Tax Time.”  I'm talking about American Idol.  Week after tortuous week that we have to endure the pompous ceremony of an "idol in the making."  I could go on and on but my sermon would degenerate into a rant.

Here's my beef:  there is so much glitter and so little substance to the whole idea of the show -- and I could probably make the same argument for nearly any other Hollywood production.  Hollywood is all about shadow and very little about substance.  Tens of thousands of young people give up nearly everything in life for a shot at becoming the next "American Idol."  And, when -- as will be the case -- one finally does win, what have they gained?  Fame? Fortune? The adoration of mind-numbed, soul-less T.V. audiences?

We live in a society that idolizes status and disdains service.  Society talks a lot about climbing the ladder of success to grab the brass ring, but nearly ignores descending the stairs to minister to drug-addicted homeless stung by the silver needle. 

In the crowd that day was a motley mix of common folk prepared to receive Jesus gladly.  Also in the crowd were those with status and standing in the community, like the Pharisees, were not about to take their cloaks off to be used as the red carpet for the Coming King.  Like most people of status, the Pharisees were used to BEING PRAISED NOT GIVING PRAISE.  The Lord must have really pricked their hearts when he said to the self-righteous Pharisees, according to Luke, (19:40) 

"If people don't praise me, the rocks will cry out."

 Wow!  That had to leave a mark.  The Phariseesin God's eyes didn't even rate the status of "rocks!"They were self-righteous and spent a lot of time “evaluating” others, but precious little time evaluating themselves. 

That was then.  This is now. That assignment for those two disciples was completed.  But, what about you and I.  Do we as disciples of Jesus, today, have an important assignment to carry out?  According to Jesus we do have an important assignment.  His last words to his disciples then, and to us by extension today are these:

Mat 28   ¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing  them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

Our assignment is not glamorous.  We will not achieve celebrity status.  In fact, we may be persecuted as we carry out the assignment, but we must realize our service to God is more important than our status in life.  We must tell people about Jesus.

A BARBER had just been gloriously converted in an old-fashioned revival meeting. He was really excited about being saved and was determined to tell as many people as possible. The next morning a customer came in for a cut and shave. The barber was trying to muster up words to say but just couldn't figure out how to start a conversation with the man. Finally the barber stood with his razor poised over the man's throat ready to give him a shave and these words popped into his head:  "Are you prepared to meet God?" 

That’s our assignment.  Tell the world about Jesus.  It may not be a glamorous assignment, but it is our duty to God. Perhaps we should put down any sharp objects first.  Like the barber, though, it is sometimes hard to come up with the right words—but we must try.

To be ready to receive the King of Kings when He returns again we must recognize that the Savior is more important than ourselves, and that our service to Him is more important than our status in life.  We must also understand 

❸ Heaven tomorrow is more significant
than Our sacrifice today. (8) 

Something wonderful takes place in the pageantry of the Triumphal Entry that can be easily overlooked.  Watch this: 

 ⁸ A very large crowd spread their robes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 

Now, because of the palm branches the people cut and laid in the road in honor of Jesus that Sunday.  This is why the Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday in the Christian calendar. 

The palm tree is one of God’s grand designs. I remember the first palm trees I had ever seen. I got off the plane in the Honolulu airport on my way to my submarine assignment.  I felt as if I had arrived in the Garden of Eden.  In the open areas of the terminal were the most spectacular palm trees.  They looked like giant sentries guarding the airport grounds.  I was so impressed. 

Palm trees in the Bible are associated with victory in the Bible—the victory of good over evil; the triumph of God’s people over our enemies. But, I’m even more impressed by another group that day.

In the first part of verse 8 we read, 

“a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road.”  

Now, that’s impressive.  That is a little more of a sacrifice.  God grew the palm branches so that required no personal sacrifice, but the cloaks were provided by the peoples’ own hard work.  The cloaks cost them something; the palm branches did not.  I think it is more apt to call this Sunday, “Cloak Sunday,” rather than Palm Sunday.  But, nobody on the “Calendar Committee” asked me.  “Cloak Sunday” is more in line with the sacrificial nature of Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem.  Within a week, Jesus would die on a cruel cross for the sins of humanity. The people gave their cloaks for the One who would soon give His life. 

When God made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, he gave nothing less than His Only Beloved Son.  This reminds me of the hen and the pig.  This is one of my favorite stories and I tell it often because it really makes a good point about sacrifice.   Both were asked by the farmer to make a contribution to the morning’s breakfast table.  The hen without reservation gave two eggs.  The pig hesitated and balked.  The hen reprimanded the pig.  “The master is quite good to us.  Is it too much to ask a little in return.”  The pig very quickly replied, “Providing a couple eggs is little enough sacrifice for you, but providing the bacon will cost me everything!” 

How true.  Discipleship takes on a whole new meaning depending how much we have invested in it.  Church is a lot like that barnyard—some are hens and some are pigs.  Too many Christians, people in general, are like the hen, not the pig. They make a small contribution, perhaps, but no great sacrifice.

One of my scripture memory verses a few years ago was Rom. 8:18.  It is a penetrating verse that really makes us stop and assess our readiness to meet Jesus:

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.

So often, in life, we focus on our struggles or our sacrifice. This can cause despair.  Struggles are real—no doubt about that.  However, for the follower of Jesus, struggles are not permanent—heaven is! To truly live as a follower of Jesus Christ in our world today requires great sacrifice.

It doesn't require much sacrifice to attend church every now and then.  It doesn't require much sacrifice to have a pot luck every now and again.  It doesn't take much sacrifice to drop a twenty in the plate every once in a while. But living day by day to serve Jesus in this world—that’s a sacrifice!

Over and over in the N.T. there are references reminding believers of the unbelievable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, inexplicable glories that await us.  We must understand that HEAVEN tomorrow is much more significant than any SACRIFICES we face today.

 Jesus entered Jerusalem that Sunday over 2020 years ago and people literally gave Him the coats off their backs.  Since that day millions of people have watched with expectation waiting for the Lord to return again.  Are you prepared to meet the Lord when He comes again? Do you live as if the SAVIOR is more important than yourSELF? Do you live as if your SERVICE to God is more important than your STATUS in life? Do you live as if Heaven TOMORROW is more important than your Sacrifice TODAY?

It has been over 2020 years since Jesus entered the Temple Mount the first time through the Eastern Gate.  Ezekiel prophesied nearly 2600 years ago that Jesus would enter that gate a second time: Ezk 44:1–3

¹ Then He brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces the east; and it was shut. ² The Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. ³ “As for the prince, he shall sit in it as prince to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the porch of the gate and shall go out by the same way.” 

Note that this gate “shall be shut.” Today, that very same gate is sealed. The gate in its present form was sealed by the Muslim Sultan, Suleiman, 480 years or so ago (1541). The exterior face of the gate is a sealed double entrance that leads into two vaulted halls (copied). According to one source we learn this:  “Historians disagree as to why [Suleiman] did this, but legends abound that, learning of the prophecies which predicted the Messiah's entrance through the Eastern Gate, Suleiman tried his best to make sure it wouldn't happen during his reign. And just in case a sealed entrance didn't thwart the Messiah's coming, Muslims built a cemetery directly in front of the gate - conventional wisdom being that a Jewish Holy man would never defile himself by walking through a Muslim cemetery (copied).

Ezekiel prophesied accurately of both the first and second comings of Christ in this one passage.  He predicted the closing of the Eastern Gate, as well as a time it would be reopened.  To be fore-told is to be forewarned.  Jesus, the King of Kings, is coming again—Are you ready?

 

 

  

The Law of Holes

 

March 21, 2021            NOTES NOT EDITED

The Law of Holes
Genesis 16

 

SIS-When you find yourself in a hole in life throw away four common shovels that only make things worse.

 

In general, I really like Tom Hanks as an actor. His portrayal of the goofy, misfit Forrest Gump memorialized Forrest Gump as an American icon. There are very few people who do not know why “Life is like a box of chocolates.”  My favorite Tom Hanks movie is Cast Away.  Hanks plays a Fed Ex employee, Chuck Noland, who survives an airplane crash and is marooned on a deserted island for four years. Chuck Noland’s only companion for those four years was a Wilson brand volleyball he named appropriately and affectionately, Wilson.  The volleyball floated ashore with other assorted wreckage and Fed Ex packages. As a matter of survival Hank’s character tries to start a fire with two sticks. In this process, he punctures his hand and begins bleeding.  In anger he picks up the Wilson volleyball nearby and slams it against a tree. His bloody handprint and fingers make what appears to be a face with spiked hair making the volleyball look like a head.  Hanks fashions a face in the blood with his finger and his new friend, Wilson, is born. Wilson should have received an Oscar for best supporting volleyball in a major motion picture as Chuck Noland’s constant friend and confidant.  Throughout the movie Hank’s character speaks to, and sort of with, Wilson. He seeks help and advice from Wilson.  Yet, not once in this entire movie does Hank’s character ever pray to God or seek to communicate with God—just Wilson, the volleyball. I don’t think I am the only person enjoying that movie that asks, “Why did Chuck Noland have more faith in a volleyball than God?” But isn’t that the basic perennial problem of humankind? When we face challenges, we talk to others, or even practice “self-talk” instead of listening for God’s instructions made abundantly clear through His communication to us, particularly the Bible?  This is exactly what Abram and Sarai did, and what we all do—we trust in our “self-help” and make matters worse.

I call this, “The Law of Holes.”  When we find ourselves deep in a hole of challenge, instead of throwing away the shovel and seeking God’s help, we just keep digging making matters worse.

Let’s read about the Law of Holes in the Bible.  Gen. 16:1-4.     

There are four foolish shovels we should throw away, that only make matters worse.

#1:  We let DESPERATION drown out God’s INSPIRATION

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V1a: ¹ Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children.

It is easy for us separated in time by over two millennia to read this passage and think: “OK. That’s sad but it is not the end of the world.”  The inability to conceive IS a big deal, and if it is not the end of the world, couples experiencing this trouble often feel it is the end of the world. In Abram and Sarai’s day, childlessness was even more of a “hole in life” than it is today. It was a matter of utter desperation. Barrenness was viewed as a “curse” and in some cases it actually was a curse (Hos. 9:11,14). The Covenant with Noah focused on bearing children:  “God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1). Nothing in this sermon intends to minimize the tragedies of life that we often find ourselves oppressed by. Abram’s and Sarai’s desperation was deep, and it was real.  But, they only made it worse by letting their DESPERATION drown out God’s INSPIRATION.

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V1b: Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.

Polygamy was a common practice in the ancient Near East.  Abram, the great patriarch of the faith, practiced it, even though God never commanded it, never supported it because it clearly, without equivocation violates the eternal principle of marriage between one man and one woman for a lifetime (Gen. 2:24).  The Bible, however, presents the history of man as it is, and not as God designed it to be.  The Bible makes no attempt to rehabilitate the heroes of faith but presents them, warts and all.  Sarai instigated the idea of using Hagar as a legal surrogate and Abram went along.  Remember, they were desperate.

But, they let their DESPERATION drown out the voice of God’s INSPIRATION. God had promised Abram that he would have an heir with Sarai.  Only a few years before, less than 10, God renewed for a second time His promise to Abram about an heir. The Bible mentions Abram’s response in Gen. 15:6, “Then he (Abram) believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Abram’s faith was real and it was deep. Yet, as often happens, DESPERATION drowns out God’s INSPIRATION and we keeping digging our hole making matters worse.  Throw that shovel away.

#2:  We listen to BAD ADVICE from fleshly people

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vv2-4: ² So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. ³ After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. ⁴ He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.

By all human metrics, the plan of Abram and Sarai was a “success.” The house was filled with the laughter of a precious new life. All life is precious because all life is part of God’s plan. Success!  Sarai’s scorn was removed and Abram had an heir. The problem, however, quickly becomes evident.  Success is a matter of how one defines it.  What appears to success in the flesh brings ultimate failure.  The euphoria in the Abram, Sarai household was short-lived.  Heartache quickly substituted for short-term happiness.  Sarai scorn was NOT removed but simply transferred to her handmaid, Hagar.  Verse 4 says, “[Sarai] was despised in [Hagar’s] sight.”  

Sarai, according to legal customs described in writings discovered during this period, had the right to reduce Hagar to the position of a slave, which Sarai obviously did. Hagar was no longer a concubine but again a common slave—and Hagar was not pleased.  There’s an old saying that goes, “Hell knows no fury greater than a woman scorned.”

All this trouble comes because Abram listened to the advice of someone acting in the flesh, not in the spirit. 

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v2c:  . . .  And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Abram was the spiritual leader of the home. He should have recognized that Sarai was not a strong believer, and on top of that, Sarai was in a desperate place in life—a deep hole.  But, Abram was desperate, too, so he was more than willing to take advice from someone who was willing to tell him what he wanted to hear.  A wise pastor describes this all to common mistake we make as believers:  “It’s almost a proverb to say that people in desperate situations seek advice from those who will tell them what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. The surest way to make an enemy is to tell someone intent on stepping outside of God’s will what the Bible says.”

This even happened to the Apostle Paul. Gal. 4:14-16 says, “¹⁴ but [at first] you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. ¹⁵ Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?”

There is nothing wrong with seeking advice when you find yourself in a hole—but make sure it is Godly advice from someone solid in the faith and wise according to the Word of God.  When you find yourself in a hole, don’t keep digging by seeking bad advice from fleshly people.  Throw that shovel away.

#3:  Take Responsibility for your own mistakes

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vv5-6: ⁵ And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me.” ⁶ But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.

The oldest game in the world is the “Blame Game.”  Remember the incident in the Garden of Eden?  When caught in sin, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent (Gen. 3:12-13).

Here, both Abram and Sarai “shirk their responsibility” for the sin they committed.

#4: Don’t Over-react emotionally

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vv6b-8:  ⁶ But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence. ⁷ Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. ⁸ He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?”

At first glance, it may seem Hagar was acting rationally and fleeing from an abusive situation.  She was returning to her native Egypt. We often seek the “familiar” when we are faced with difficult situations. Matthew Henry, the venerable Welch preacher and scholar points out:  “It were well if our afflictions would make us think of our home, the better country. But Hagar was now out of her place, and out of the way of her duty, and going further astray, when the angel found her.”

God’s response to Hagar in verses 7-9 show us that Hagar was acting “emotionally,” not rationally and sin was leading her in the wrong direction.  While the situation in the Abram, Sarai household might have been difficult, there is more to Hagar’s action than meets the eye.  To understand it, you have to know something of the geography where Hagar ended up.  She was on a route called the “Way of Shur” through the “wilderness.”  This is the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula. This can be a bleak and treacherous area to traverse.  The Israelites entered this area at the time of the Exodus about six centuries after the time of Hagar.  Moses described this “wilderness” saying, (Deu. 8:15):

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¹⁵ “He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint.

This was no place for a pregnant woman to be.  One preacher points out, “This was not a trip Hagar would likely survive on her own without companions, animals, or supplies.”  This was a harsh stretch of desert.  Hagar reacted with her heart instead of her head.  Hagar let her emotions get the best of her and she ended up in a dangerous place.  Reacting emotionally to challenging situations is a shovel that only puts us into a deeper hole. God finds Hagar exhausted by a spring.  The Lord gently and graciously guides Hagar to think about her emotional reaction and remedy it by humbly returning to her home with Abram and Sarai.

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vv7-9: ⁷ Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. ⁸ He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” ⁹ Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return [Think: Turnaround; Repent”] to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.”

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Verse 9 gives us a very important principle in life that we neglect to our own hurt.  Circle that word, “submit.”  There is no authority in our life that God has not directly assigned or permitted. Christians must do our very best to follow all the legitimate authority in our lives. We may at times need to be “radicals,” but we should never seek to be “rebels.” Any authority in our lives that does not coerce us to disobey the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God, we should obey.  Ultimately, submitting to natural authorities is submission to God.  God sees whatever state we might find ourselves and He moves to bless us therein. 

This story ends when Hagar throws away her shovel of disobedience and returns to her household.  In short, Hagar stops digging.  In vs 13 she comes to realize something we all need to realize when we are in a desperate, challenging situation.

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Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees” [El-roi].

When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging and start trusting God.  He is El Roi, the God Who Sees.  Don’t make matters worse by allowing DESPERATION to drown out God’s INSPIRATION.  Throw that shovel away.  Don’t make matters worse by taking BAD ADVICE by flesh-driven people.  Throw that shovel away.  Don’t make matters worse by BLAMING others instead of taking responsibility for your own bad choices.  Finally, don’t make matters worse by REACTING EMOTIONALLY instead of RESPONDING RATIONALLY.  Throw that shovel away.

If, when you find yourself in some challenging hole in life, you throw the shovel of rebellion away and trust God, what God promised to Hagar He promises to you:

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v10:  Moreover, the angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.”

Say, “multiply.”  Circle that word.  Yahweh is a “multiplier.”  Trusting God instead or our own “self-help” plan always leads to “multiplied blessings.” 

[CLOSE]  So, my question to you today is this:  when you find yourself in a deep hole in life—and I say when, not if, because you most certainly are, or will be in such a hole at some point—are you going to throw away the shovel and listen to God, or keep digging with your “self-help shovels,” and make matters worse?

Abram and Sarah kept digging and dug a hole that the world, particularly the Middle East, still finds itself in.  Self-help helps no one. It makes matters worse.  What we need as individuals, as families, as churches, as communities, and indeed as the entire world, is not “self-help” but God’s help.  We don’t need a better shovel of human ingenuity—we need the tall ladder of God’s grace.

What we need today to get out of the deep holes we find ourselves in is to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ—that is, listen to the Word of God and put it into practice. 

 At a meeting of the American Psychological Association, Jack Lipton, a psychologist at Union College, and R. Scott Builione, a graduate student at Columbia University, presented their findings on how members of the various sections of 11 major symphony orchestra perceived each other. The percussionists were viewed as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard-of-hearing, yet fun-loving. String players were seen as arrogant, stuffy, and unathletic. The orchestra members overwhelmingly chose "loud" as the primary adjective to describe the brass players. Woodwind players seemed to be held in the highest esteem, described as quiet and meticulous, though a bit egotistical. Interesting findings, to say the least! With such widely divergent personalities and perceptions, how could an orchestra ever come together to make such wonderful music? The answer is simple: regardless of how those musicians view each other, they subordinate their feelings and biases to the leadership of the conductor. Under his guidance, they play beautiful music.

It's hard to play beautiful music when you find yourself in a deep hole. But, if you SUBMIT to the instructions of Our Heavenly Conductor, He will keep your life in perfect rhythm according to His perfect timing and guide you into perfect peace.

When you find yourself in a hole, throw away the shovel and trust God.

 

The Reluctant Witness

 

March 14, 2021            NOTES NOT EDITED
A Reluctant Witness
Acts 9:10-25

SIS—We can and must overcome our reluctance to sharing the gospel with a lost and dying world.

VIDEO:  Bold and Daring (and a Bit Crazy) Stunts

1.  God has a mission with your name on it. (10-11)

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. 

God addressed Ananias “personally,” by name.  Let me clear up a misconception many people have about Christianity. I’ve heard people discourage the open sharing of one’s faith by saying, “salvation is a personal matter.”  That statement is absolutely true, depending upon how one defines “personal.”  The problem is that many use the word, ‘personal’, in an equivocal, or ambiguous way.  Yes, Christianity is “personal,” but it is NOT “private.” God’s agents are not “secret agents.”  Just like Ananias (and everyone else ever called by God in the Bible to have a relationship with Him, God has a mission and purpose in life with our name on it.

God called Ananias by name.  Ananias responded immediately and positively, and with great faith, “Here I am, Lord.”  There was zero hesitation or reluctance at first. 

Notice Ananias addresses God as, “Lord.”  The word, “lord, (GK. kurios”) refers to a person who exercises absolute control over another person.  The key word is, “absolute.” Kurios was used of Caesar, or any other powerful ruler who expected absolute obedience.  When used of God in the Hebrew O.T., it refers to Yahweh Who has eternal and absolute authority over all of creation. In fact, Jews would substitute the word, adonai, the Hebrew equivalent for the Greek word, kurios, anytime the Holy Name of God, Yahweh, appeared in the sacred text.  The Biblical use of kurios and adonai, carry the meaning of “Absolute, Eternal Lord God.” As our Lord, God deserves and demands absolute obedience to His commands. Or, as my Dad would say, “obedience with no if, ands, or buts!”

It is hard for most people, in the Western world especially, to grasp the idea of “Absolute Lordship.” A living example of “absolute Lordship” is the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un.  North Korea has been ruled by three men from one family since 1948.  The “Kims” demand absolute obedience and maintain absolute control.  For example, it is against the law to smile or even talk loudly on July 8^th.  This is the anniversary of the death of the first Kim to rule North Korea, Kim Ill-Sung who died on that date in 1994.   In 2015, the country's defense minister was publicly executed an anti-aircraft gun for falling asleep during one of Kim Jong-un's events, which was considered disrespectful. In 2013, the Supreme Leader of North Korea introduced a list of haircuts residents can have. There are reportedly 18 choices for women and ten for men.

In the same way that the Kims represent absolute “lordship” in N. Korea in a depraved, evil way, Jesus represents “absolute Lordship” in a benevolent, holy, righteous way.  But, make no mistake about it, the Lordship of Christ is also reflected in His absolute wrath upon all rebellion and unrighteousness.  When Ananias referred to Jesus as “Lord,” Ananias recognized God’s “absolute” control over every aspect of his life.  Ananias immediately responded in obedience, “Here I am, Lord” (v10). 

In a moment we will see that Ananias will become a bit more reluctant as the details unfold for the mission that God has planned for him, and with good reason.  Ananias, however, will end up on the right side of things, because Jesus is his “Lord.”

God had a mission with Ananias’ name on it.  He has a mission with your name on it also, if you have accepted the gift of salvation and have been filled with the Holy Spirit.  Second, we learn from Ananias

2.  Fear is Normal—Even Expected (13-14)

¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

Now, after Ananias had a moment to think about it, his unwavering faith began to waver a bit.  Verse 1 describes the man, Saul, to whom the Jew, Ananias, was being sent to validate as a spokesman for Christianity.  Saul was a surprising choice to be such a spokesman:

Acts 9:1–2  ¹ Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, ² and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

What God was asking Ananias to do is a bit like God asking you or I to go to Iran and preach on the street corner.  They would snatch you up, put you in jail, beat you mercilessly, and then cut off your head!  Muslim nations don’t take kindly to Christian street preachers. Sharia law declares that making converts to Christianity is a capital offense.

I’m not suggesting in any way that if God calls you to go preach on the street corner in Iran, that you refuse to go.  I’m just suggesting that it would be normal for you to experience a little fear.

Now, our situation of sharing with our neighbors is nothing like that of what Ananias was being asked to do—to go to someone “breathing out threats and murder,” but for most of us the call to the mission of sharing the gospel with our family and friends does conjure up feelings of fear and anxiety.  That is only normal.  Jesus said, “I send you as sheep out among wolves.”  (Mt. 10:16).  Of course a sheep is going to feel fear among wolves. 

There are three sources for our fear that cause us to be reluctant to share the gospel.

a.  There’s an Infernal Source.  Simply stated, “The Devil hates God.”  The word, ‘hate,’ falls far short of how the Devil feels about God, but it’s the best word I have. Every time a follower of Christ shares the gospel and a person gets saved, the Devil loses a soul he once had.  This infuriates him.  He will unleash all the minions of hell to discourage a follower of Christ from seeking to be a soul-winner.  The Devil is an “Infernal Source” of fear in regard to witnessing.

b.  There’s an External Source for our fear.  Most people with whom we speak will reject the message of the gospel. They may reject the gospel with varying degrees of animosity, or perhaps reject it with no animosity at all.  But, the spirit of this world is the spirit of the Infernal Enemy of God, the Devil, and the deck is stacked against any believer who dares to “boldly go where no man has gone before”  and witness to the world.  The cultural animosity to the gospel in the United States increasingly marginalizes anyone who believes Jesus is the “only Way, the only Truth, and the Only Life.”  This external pressure to silence the witnesses of God will only increase as we approach the end times.  These “External Sources” cause fear and anxiety, especially if we spend time dwelling on them.

c.  There’s an Internal Source for our fear.  Pride in our own heart makes us reluctant to share the gospel.  This is a “biggy” when it comes to being a “Reluctant Witness.”  All of us naturally want to be liked. No one—at least no one who is normal—likes rejection.  Many more people will reject our witness than will accept it.  This hurts our ego.  We want to “fit in” to the world around us and this makes us reluctant to share the sometimes hard-hitting message of God’s Truth.

So, many factors contribute to our reluctance, or fear, in regard to sharing our faith with others.  Fear is normal, and even expected.  We can, however, overcome these fears even as Ananias overcame his fears by simply trusting that God is greater than any force or circumstance we may encounter.

This leads me to another lesson in our text showing us how we can overcome any and every reluctance to sharing the gospel:

3.  God has already worked out all the details (11-12; 15-19)

¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, ¹² and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”

……………………………………………….

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; ¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, 

Uncertainty naturally breeds fear and or reluctance, but, with God, nothing is uncertain. One of my favorite Bible verses, actually it is my life verse, comes from Jer. 29:11.  Israel was facing great uncertainty in their future.  The pagan nations were circling Israel like buzzards circling a dying antelope.  Israel was facing a great challenge for the nation.  Fear gripped the nation of Israel.  Jeremiah answered with these words of hope in face of a great challenge:

¹¹ ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 

The same God that spoke to Ananias had already spoken to Saul.  There would be no surprises.  God had a plan and God’s plans always work out—not some of the time, not most of the time, but all of the time.  Job, even as his life was one tangled mess of trouble cried out:

^{Job 42:2}  “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 

There are no “accidental encounters” for God’s children.  Everyone you meet is a “divine appointment.”  The sovereignty of God does not cover “most” things in our lives, but it covers everything in our lives.  Look again at verse 17:

¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 

God works both sides of the aisle.  God prepares those whom He sends and He also prepares those to whom we are sent.  But, wait, “I object,” you might say.  If God prepares every encounter then why do most people reject Him?  This is a very good question and one with a very good answer:  every divine appointment is not an appointment with grace.  Sometimes God sends us to give the Law and the warning of judgment to come.  In several places God declares that He has a different plan for each encounter.  James and Peter both declare (Jam. 4:6; 1Pet. 5:5):

⁶“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Every divine encounter fulfills God’s divine plan, even though the outcomes vary. Ananias was not responsible for what Saul did or did not do.  Ananias was simply responsible to go and do as God directed.  God works out all the details and His plan always succeeds.

Never place our confidence in your ability to speak, or some clever “plan of salvation,” or anything else in this world.  Place all your confidence in God’s Holy Spirit directing and planning the divine encounters of your life. 

When you realize God has already worked out all the details, then your reluctance to share the gospel will melt like a snowball in the desert.

4.  Incredible things happen when we witness (20-22)

Of all the lessons we can glean from the life and witness of Ananias, I think this one is most important in regard to overcoming the reluctance we have when witnessing.  Look what the Bible says happened as a result of Ananias’ faithfulness:

²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” ²¹ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

The transforming power of the gospel is astonishing.  Here we have the testimony of Saul, first “breathing out threats and murders,” against the Christians and now he himself is the target of hatred and murder because of his “astounding and effective” preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  What a glorious transformation!  The gospel can transform lives like nothing else in the world.

The transforming power of the gospel is demonstrated literally millions upon millions of times throughout history. Almost everyone in the world has heard the hymn, “Amazing Grace” with the lyrics, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound // that saved a wretch like me.”  John Newton was that wretch. As the Captain of a slave-trading ship he trafficked in human flesh—the most vile commerce one could ever imagine. But, the grace of the gospel miraculously transformed John Newton from a slave-ship captain, to a slave of Jesus Christ preaching the transforming gospel.

The Book of Acts begins with 120 disciples in the Upper Room praying. Pentecost came and the population grew to 3000 in one day.  In Acts chapter 3 another 2000 were saved.  By chapter 5, “multitudes were being saved” (v 12).  By chapter 9, the most notorious persecutor of the church, Saul, was saved and gloriously transformed from the “arch enemy” of Jesus to his most ardent defender!  There is no—let me repeat it—there is no transforming power in all the world than the gospel. 

In only about 300 years from the birth of the church at Pentecost, the gospel would become so pervasive and so powerful that the Roman Emperor, Constantine, would have to embrace it, just so the Roman Empire could continue.  Today, Christianity is found in every corner of the globe.  There are now over 2 billion Christians world-wide. 

I wish I had kept a written record of all the lives I’ve seen “miraculously transformed” by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Lives are radically changed in ways that cannot even be calculated this side of heaven.  I remember a young boy who got saved. He brought his two sisters to church and they got saved. I then had the privilege of baptizing his alcoholic father. Stories of lives transformed by the gospel abound by the millions in our world.  Incredible things happen when God’s people share the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Oh what a miraculous transformation would take place in our local communities week if “Reluctant Witnesses” would enthusiastically and passionately preach the gospel to family, friends, and neighbors. As I’ve told you before, our nation is not going to experience a great transformation, but, we can see a great harvest of souls if we overcome our reluctance and faithfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

❶ God has a mission with your name on it.  ❷ Fear is normal—even to be expected.  ❸ God has already worked out all the details of our encounters.  And, ❹ incredible things happen when we overcome our reluctance and share the gospel.

Ask God to give you the courage to boldly and enthusiastically share the gospel every chance you get.

FOR UNBELIEVERS:  This morning we looked at the “gospel” from the perspective of the “witness” or speaker.  Everything that applies to the Reluctant Witness also applies to the Reluctant Listener. Perhaps today you realize that you have been resistant, or even openly rebellious to hearing the gospel.  You hear with your ears, but your heart does not surrender.

Everything I said about being a “reluctant speaker of the gospel” applies to being “reluctant hearer of the gospel.”  God has a mission in life with your name on it.  You were planned by God and God has plans for your life.  It is normal to be a little fearful or apprehensive about turning control of your life over to God. It is the biggest decision you will ever make—the only decision that will last for eternity.  “Hearing the gospel with your heart” will set your life on a whole new path, but you can be sure that God has all the details worked out (Psalm 139:16). Finally, Incredible things will happen when you stop being a “Reluctant Listener” and surrender your life to Jesus Christ as the Lord, the Chief Executive Officer, of your life.