CPAC sermon Palm Sunday 5 April 2009
Scriptures: Matthew 21:1-17 (dvd); Mark 11:1-10; Matthew 5:33-48
There are very few places in the gospels where Jesus allows people to make a public fuss of Him.
The Palm procession into Jerusalem is one of them, where the focus is on Jesus.
By His actions of riding into town on a donkey He is boldly declaring Himself King.
He was also fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah (9:9) which says,
“Rejoice greatly O Daughter of Zion… see your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey…”
This was also the way that Jesus was affirming His Messianic royalty.
He was the Messiah, the One who the Prophets of old foretold would come to save God’s people.
And in addition, by riding on a donkey in the manner that He did, Jesus was revealing something of His character ie. His great humility.
By this very public appearance and demonstration Jesus was declaring exactly who He was.
In what ways do we “reveal” publically, who we are?
What things can we do to reveal something of our Godly character?
How are we, or can we be, clearly recognisable as children of God?
This morning, let’s think a little more about these things.
When people see my daughters with me they are clearly recognisable as my children.
No doubt about it… peas out of the same pod!
Why? Because they look very much like me in appearance and sometimes in mannerisms.
This illustration is a good one for our earthly family, but what about our church (heavenly) family?
How do people know that God is our heavenly Father and that we are His children?
Well, the best way to reveal that we are children of the Most High God is through Godly character.
Jesus helps us out big time in this department by explaining what Godly character looks like when He addresses the crowd sitting on the mountainside on the shore of the Sea of Galilee….known as the Sermon on the Mount.
So let’s look at Matthew 5:33-48
33 - "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'
34 - But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne
35 - or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.
36 - And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.
37 - Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
38 - "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'
39 - But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 - And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
41 - If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
42 - Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
43 - "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44 - But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 - that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 - If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
47 - And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
48 - Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
This text is full of God-like traits that we can demonstrate in our daily lives.
As verse 45 puts it, when we embrace these Godly characteristics,
then in the same way that my children are clearly recognizable as my daughters, you and I become clearly recognizable as "sons of our Father in Heaven."
Now ladies please don’t get upset when you are referred to as “a son of our Heavenly Father.”
There’s good reason you are referred to as a “son” in the context of the bible.
It is because we all have our identity IN CHRIST.
And because Christ is the Son of the Father (Son spelt with a capital “S”), then we are also “sons” (spelt with small “s”) of the Father.
And note that the apostle Paul went to great lengths in his epistles to
stress that we all have our identity and existence IN CHRIST.
Now, verse 48 emphasizes that when we live life according to Godly principles, we then are "perfect, as our Heavenly Father is perfect."
The word we translate as "perfect" is the Greek word teleios.
It is a word that refers to functional perfection.
In New Testament times a thing was considered teleios or perfect, when it fully realized the purpose for which it was planned, and designed, and made.
A very simple illustration is in these two screw drivers I am holding – a small one and a large one.
Each one is designed and made to fit a certain type of screw and when they are used to turn that screw then they are screw drivers that are teleios.
That is, they are "perfect" for turning those tiny screws or those large screws.
They are being fully utilised in the best way when they are used for their proper purpose. If I tried to turn a large screw with the small screwdriver then that screwdriver would not be teleios.
So as followers of Jesus we will be teleios, we will be perfect, when we fulfil the purpose for which we were created.
Now what exactly is our purpose as human beings?
We could look at it this way - in Genesis 1:26 God says humankind was "made after Our image and after Our likeness."
In other words we were created to be like God, to act like God,
and to look at people and treat people and respond to people in a Godly way.
As Jesus puts it later in the gospel narrative, people are to see our good works and to praise our Father who is in Heaven.
Of course, none of us succeed in doing good works all the time.
Many times in life we "screw up" (use screw driver to illustrate) but nevertheless this is to be our goal, our target.
As 1 Timothy 6:11 says, we are to "pursue Godliness."
So, "what does a Godly person look like?"
(1) First, Jesus says in His sermon, that they are known for their commitment to the truth.
Look back at verses 35-37.
Our Lord says, "…simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
The point Jesus is making is that our word ought to stand on its own.
Charles Swindoll writes,
"When a monosyllable will do, why waste your breath on polysyllables.
Keep it simple. Say 'yes' or say 'no' because verbosity is no guarantee
of veracity."
"Teleios" Christians are known as people of their word.
They don't need to talk like children who say things like,
"Cross my heart until I die, stick a needle in my eye, if this isn't true." (unquote)
Teleios" Christians don't have to say things like this because they are committed to the truth.
They understand Proverbs 12:22 which says,
"The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in those who are truthful."
Sadly we live in a world where the truth is growing harder to find.
There was a minister who noticed a group of boys standing around a small stray dog. "What are you doing, boys?" he asked.
"Telling lies." one of them replied. "The one who tells the biggest lie gets to keep this dog."
The minister was shocked and said to them, "When I was your age, I would never have thought of telling a lie."
The boys looked at each other with disappointment on their faces.
Finally one shrugged, pointed at the minister, and said,
"I guess he wins the dog."
Back in the eighteenth century King Frederick II of Prussia visited a Berlin prison. One inmate after another tried to convince the monarch of his innocence with long verbose stories.
In their opinion, they were all being punished unjustly for crimes they never committed, all that is, except one man who sat quietly in a corner while all the rest unfolded their lengthy and complicated stories.
Seeing him sitting there, oblivious to the commotion, the king asked the man why he was in prison.
"Armed robbery, your honour".
The king asked, "Were you guilty?"
"Yes sir" he answered, without attempting to excuse his wrongdoing.
When he said this, King Frederick gave the guard an order,
"Release this guilty man. I don't want him corrupting all these innocent people in here!"
So how are you doing in this area of being truthful?
Do you stand out? Are you recognizable, as a child of the one true God because everyone knows your word as your bond?
Would your creditors say that you stand out to them as someone who always pays your debts on time?
Would your neighbours say you always keep your promise to return things you borrow?
Husbands and wives, would it be accurate to say that you have kept your vow to put your spouse first every day of your marriage?
Parents would your children say that you always keep your word to them, always keep your promise to spend time with them or help them with their homework, or do you end up doing other things?
Jesus says one of the things that identifies you as a child of God is that you are an honest person, a truthful person.
Your yes means yes and your no means no.
(2) A second thing Jesus says is this: Godly people are willing to release their rights to retaliate when wronged by others.
Look at verses 38-42 where Jesus says,
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I
tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the
right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue
you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone
forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who
asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from
you.”
The oldest law in the world is "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."
In the Old Testament, Exodus 21:23-25 says, "If there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."
This tit-for-tat philosophy may sound savage and difficult to understand but its original aim was to limit vengeance. Its purpose was to begin to help ungodly people learn to understand the concept of mercy.
In any case the people who heard Jesus' sermon that day embraced this way of thinking. They had been taught that when attacked or insulted, retribution equalled justice!
But Jesus says people who want to be perfect, people who want to be "teleios", must respond differently.
They must release their rights to hurt those who hurt them.
Jesus gives us four specific examples of this principle. He said to:
turn your other cheek,
walk the second mile,
give away your tunic and your cloak,
give to those who want to borrow from you.
In that first example, Jesus was talking about the way we should respond when people intentionally offend us.
But the fact is, we are very good at giving as good as we get when it comes to our response to the attacks and insults of others.
A good example of this is Winston Churchill, who had an ongoing feud with Lady Ascot. It's reported that on one occasion, she found the great statesman obviously drunk in a hotel elevator.
With disgust she snipped, "Sir Winston, you are drunk!" to which he replied, "M'lady, I may be drunk but you are ugly, and tomorrow I will be sober but you will still be ugly!"
Perhaps we would all like to be as quick-witted as Churchill and give as good as we get!
However, Jesus said we need to think twice about retaliating!
And even if we don’t actually retaliate out loud verbally, there is always the danger that we can retaliate in our hearts by holding a bitter grudge against the person who has offended us!
Jesus says, don't do this.
He says,
"If you want to be like Me, don't respond in kind. Instead go against the flow, stand out by turning the other cheek."
That’s not to say we become a door mat. Jesus doesn’t ever intend for us to become a door mat - stand your ground and stand up for the principles you believe in especially when it comes to our faith.
Instead, this is the way I understand what it means “to turn the other cheek” – it means to catch the person offending you off guard with the element of “surprise”!
What could be more surprising (metaphorically) than “turning the other cheek” when some one “strikes one of your cheeks”?
One of the best forms of surprise is to respond with a gesture of “caring/blessing” when someone offends you. They will not expect such a gesture!
This is how Jesus “surprised” His offenders - Isaiah prophesied about Jesus,
"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He
was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth." (Is 53:7)
Jesus never retaliated but He responded to His offenders with the greatest surprise of all – by rising from the dead!
You couldn’t get a greater surprise than that!
Wise King Solomon said,
"A prudent man overlooks an insult." (Proverbs 12:16)
Even the former short-tempered St Peter learned that we must not, "…repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." (1 Peter 3:9)
When you learn this aspect of Godliness, you usually discover that the conflict ends as quickly as it began, and many times this Christ-like, unworldly response, has a powerful positive impact on those who cause offence.
God has a way of softening hearts.
(3) Thirdly, Jesus says that people who want to be like our Heavenly Father must learn to love all people, even their enemies.
This is another behaviour that makes us stand out such that we are recognisable as children of God.
The Pharisees taught that love should be limited to those who deserve it.
Jesus responded to this teaching by saying,
"No, if you want to be like God, you must act in love toward ALL people, even those who persecute you."
Now please note, Jesus is not condoning the lifestyles and the practices of your “enemies”.
He is talking about loving people who are of value and worth in God’s sight, loving people who may be spiritually blind, who know nothing of Christ's power and love.
This is called agape love.
Agape love is the way God loves - it looks beyond sinful actions.
It sees beyond hateful words so that it is able to see another soul in need of help.
Think of the late Corrie ten Boom and her response to the Nazi guards who had brutalized her sister.
She was able to look beyond what they had done and forgive them.
She refused to live the rest of her life with resentment and bitterness, because she wanted to be like God, and Godly love sees beyond the evil someone does.
It is a love that is unconditional.
This is a poem written by an 8-year-old. It goes like this:
“We have the nicest garbage man,
He empties out our garbage can;
He is just as nice as he can be;
He always stops and talks with me.
My mother doesn't like his smell
But then, she doesn't know him well!”
Godly love is a love that values and cherishes all people in spite of their "smell."
Regardless of their sins, God loves the sinner.
Here’s a quote from C. S. Lewis from his classic book Mere Christianity:
"The rule for all of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbour; just ACT as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him (or her). If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less. The difference between a Christian and a worldly person is not that the worldly person has only affections or 'likings' and the Christian has only 'charity.' The worldly person treats certain people kindly because he 'likes' them; the Christian, trying to treat every one kindly, finds himself liking more and more people as he goes on, including people he could not even have imagined himself liking at the beginning."
Try C. S. Lewis' philosophy.
Try to act lovingly, even toward people who may not give you the time of day, and see what happens.
God will use your Godly actions to change the heart of that person.
Someone once said that God has really given us five gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and YOU.
The gospels are the “good news” about Jesus Christ.
As far as God is concerned, YOU are good news, and YOU HAVE good news to share!
You are a living gospel for Christ!
People will come to know God through each one of YOU who is a follower of Jesus Christ.
So ask yourself, how Godly in my attitudes, behaviour, speech, and thinking am I?
Or better yet, how godly would other people say I am?!
So be known
1 for your commitment to the truth
2 as someone who retaliates when offended with the element of loving surprise
3 as someone who values and cherishes all people in spite of their "smell"
Be a living gospel for Christ, and in that way, be recognised that you are a beloved child of the living God!
Let us pray:
Father God, once again we ask that You would take Your Word,
and use it on us as a double-edged sword to penetrate deep within us, judging our thoughts and attitudes.
Even if it causes us pain and discomfort, show us the ways that we fall short, the ways our thoughts and attitudes are not perfect.
Then as we recommit ourselves to Your Lordship,
empower us to love and act toward others in ways that make us recognisable as your children, the children of God.
Help us to live out the gospel in such a way that it draws lost men, women and children to faith in Your Son Jesus Christ.
In His name we pray. AMEN.
