Between the Donkey and the Cross

 

On this the sixth Sunday of Lent we celebrate Palm Sunday – the day we remember the Lord's entry into Jerusalem to the boisterous cheers of the crowds. St Matthew describes the tumultuous scene this way: “Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” (Mathew 21:8-9)

 

But we know the rest of the story, don’t we? It’s only days before who-knows-how-many in that same crowd will clamor for His crucifixion. And despite the crowd’s boisterous acclamation on Palm Sunday, Jesus knew He was headed toward a gruesome death before the end of the week. He knew this was the time planned by the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – the time to bring salvation’s plan to its culmination. Jesus knew all this as He rode into the city.

 

The question many of us have often considered – and which I want to spend some time in this message considering again, is “What happened to the crowd between Palm Sunday and Good Friday?”

 

I want to add one more question to that first one: Does what happened to the crowd between those two dates matter ­– does it matter to me and you.

 

We will come back to those questions in a few minutes

Palm Sunday and its subsequent Good Friday did not happen in a vacuum. The sin-drenched history of humanity poured out on the Altars of Self since the Garden of Eden –brought Jesus to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Those sins would shortly lead Him from the donkey to the cross where He would fight a battle of immense and utterly inconceivable proportions – a battle to determine the eternal destinies of every man and woman in Jerusalem on that fateful day – and every man and woman in this building today.

 

Most of us have heard this story of Jesus entry into Jerusalem dozens and dozens of times. Many of you grew up with the story told and retold in children’s picture books, Sunday School lessons and from pulpits year after year.

 

There is a danger in all that, by the way. The danger being that the all-so-familiar story becomes an inconsequential ho-hum tale of long, long ago. There is a danger that the story on which salvation history itself hangs becomes diluted of its power to transform us from a “been there-heard it already” attitude to one of life-altering revelation – even if we’ve been walking with Christ for half a century or longer.

 

Many of you remember the old spiritual, “Where You There?”

 

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?/Oh, were you there when they crucified my Lord?/(Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble) tremble

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?/Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?(Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble) tremble./Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?

 

Does the story of our redemption at the cost of the Son of God's life cause us to tremble? Does it cause us to at least pause to reflect on such love, such wondrous loves as this, that God would love a sinner such as I – how wonderful is love like this?

 

Actually, and in a very literal sense, I think, ‘yes.’ You and I WERE there when they crucified our Lord. In the eyes of the eternal God, did our Father not see us through the lens of eternity when Jesus took His last breath and shouted, “It is finished!”?

 

As we have seen in the last few weeks, what was finished was YOUR redemption, and mine. Two thousand years after Jesus shouted those last words. And hear this again, please, if Jesus had NOT permitted Himself to be nailed to that tree, if He had NOT permitted those men – whose very DNA His hand wound together at their conception – If He had not permitted them to murder Him, then you and I would still be dead in our trespasses and sins and on our way inevitably and inexorably to an eternity in the Lake of Fire.

 

Only days after the Lord rode that donkey into Jerusalem, He sat with His disciples for His last Passover meal. We know it best, perhaps, as the Last Supper. On the night of His betrayal, Jesus took the bread and the cup and instituted what we know as the celebration of the Eucharist, or Holy Communion. It was during that supper that Jesus said this also to His disciples: “You are those who have stood by me in my trials.” (Luke 22:28)

 

But to those here who have stuck with Christ through the struggles and disappointments and trials of your own lives – I think Jesus also says to us: “You are those who have stood by me in all YOUR trials.”

 

What happened to those in the crowds on Palm Sunday who also were part of the crowd on Good Friday? Well, we don’t know what happened to them, because Scripture is silent about that question – and therefore we also should be silent. But knowing human nature as well as we know it – because we here are all human – I think it is safe to make some speculative assumptions.

 

In the 50 years I’ve followed Jesus, I’ve seen many one-time followers of Christ turn away from Him. And while their reasons for turning back to the world might be varied, I think there is most often only of two fundamental reasons a person leaves Christ: Either they tire of doing what Jesus wants them to do, or they grow angry, or annoyed, or disillusioned when Jesus doesn’t do what they want Him to do.

 

And I think the shorter the time grows before the Lord Jesus’ return the more urgent Satan grows in his seduction of humanity – and especially of churchgoers.

 

Why especially churchgoers? Because if he can seduce you and me away from Christ, we don’t usually go away alone. We bring with us those who looked up to us, who trusted us, who thought we have the answers to questions like, “Are the Scriptures TRUE? Are they TRUE about forgiveness and eternal life? Are they TRUE when they tell me that God loves me, despite all that I have done?” 

 

As I prepared today’s message, the names two modern and well-known Christians came to mind because of what they did. The first is Joshua Harris. He was a megachurch pastor and author the then-popular Christian book titled, “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”  

A few years ago, Harris told his church that he’d found freedom from Christianity. He divorced his wife and shortly thereafter marched in a Gay Pride parade.

 

Around the same time Harris fell into apostacy, another big-name Christian also turned away from the One he used to call his Lord. Marty Sampson was a worship leader and song writer for the Hillsong megachurch. Like Harris, Sampson also boasted of having escaped from Christ.

 

Those are only two of many, many other modern examples of those who at one time shouted like the crowd on Palm Sunday, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ but ended up crucifying to themselves the Son of God and putting Him to open shame.” (see Hebrews 6:6)

 

Such treason against the King of kings is nothing short of disastrous for them, their families, and for those who looked up to them. Why disastrous? Because Satan can now do a victory dance at their fall.

 

What comes over a person who once proclaimed Christ as their savior and then denounce Him as some in that same crowd did on Good Friday?

 

Scripture gives us some insight – of course. Listen to what Jesus said in that third chapter of John’s gospel: “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (John 3:19-20)

 

What happens to some people between Palm Sunday and Good Friday? Well, some, as we have seen briefly, go back to their old ways. I think now of the Lord’s comments in that sixth chapter of John’s gospel when the Lord told the crowds:

 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me . . . .” (John 6:53-57)

At that point, many of His followers said, essentially, “This is insane talk.” (verse 60). And they walked away from Him (verse 66), I suspect many never returned.

 

By the way, the story does not end there. We pick it up at verse 67: “So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.” (John 6:53-68)

 

I asked at the beginning of this message is what happened to those in the crowds between Palm Sunday and Good Friday – does it have any meaning for us today? Was it – IS it – important?

 

The answer to both questions is an unqualified, ‘Yes.’ Those who today want to stay with Jesus – EVEN WHEN THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND everything He says, or does, or does not say, or does not do – those who want to stay with Jesus do so because – where shall we go? He alone has the words of eternal life.

 

Just look at yourselves. How many heartaches have YOU experienced in your Christian life? How many shattered dreams? How many disappointments? How many unanswered questions – especially the questions beginning with, ‘Why?’

 

How many of you suffer physical or emotional trials, and you know you might not get better in this life? And yet, here you sit. Week after week. Around the calendar. Year after year. And you plan to be following Jesus until you take your last breath.

 

Why? Your answers will all be individualized; And of course, the Holy Spirit continues to hold onto you. But you also have an important role to play in that ‘holding-on.’  What is that?

 

You do not WANT to go. Surely you know that because of your sin nature and under the right circumstance, you COULD make that disastrous decision to go your own way, to leave the love of your life. But you ALSO know, after all these years and all of your life-experiences, you know there’s nowhere else to go. Jesus alone has the words of eternal life, and Jesus alone can take you to eternal life.

 

And so, my point to all that I’ve said this far? Keep at it! The Palm Sunday crowd didn’t know Good Friday was around the corner. And no one on Good Friday knew that Sunday was a’coming.

 

Keep at it. The devil is a most seductive, flirtatious, magnetic, and beguiling liar. And he is not done with us until we are actually with the Lord Jesus in our new bodies after our death.

 

He’s not done with you or me because he hates us with a most malicious hatred – and if he can take us down, as he did with Harris and Sampson, he can often take others with us.

BUT! – And this is a most important ‘But” – Because of your faithfulness to Christ in it all and through it all – because of your faithfulness to Christ, our God and Father uses your faithfulness to bring others also along with you to that Celestial city.

 

You NEED to know that in your heart of hearts. You Must believe that because the whole of Scripture tells us that is true.

 

As I bring this message to a close, I want to cite only one example of what I mean about how God WILL use our faithfulness to draw others to Himself. This story comes from the 6^th chapter of the historical book of 2 Maccabees, written a few hundred years before Jesus was born. While not considered part of the canon of Scripture by many Christians, the book contains a record of Israel’s history in the few centuries before Jesus was born. I refer to that history because of how it helps illustrate the point about how God uses our faithfulness.

 

During this time, the Jews lived under Greek domination. The Athenian king decreed that all Jews were to forsake their faith, make sacrifice to the Greek gods, and eat pork – something God forbade all Jews to eat. To refuse meant a torturous death. We pick up the story at verse 21, after 90-year-old Eleazar refused the non-kosher meat:

“The officials in charge of this sacrilegious meal took [Eleazar] aside privately because of their long acquaintance with him and urged him to bring meat of his own . . . and to pretend that he was eating the sacrificial meat that had been commanded by the king. ²² In this way he would be saved from death.”

 

But Eleazar answered: ²⁴ “At this stage of my life it would be terribly wrong to be a party to such a pretense,” he said, “for many young people would be led to believe that at the age of ninety Eleazar had conformed to a foreign practice. ²⁵ If I should engage in deceit for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they would be led astray by me, while I would bring defilement and disgrace on my old age. ²⁶ For the moment I would avoid the punishment of mortals, but alive or dead I shall never escape the hands of the Almighty. ²⁷ Therefore, by bravely forfeiting my life now, I shall prove myself worthy of my old age, ²⁸ and I shall leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for our revered and holy laws.” With these words he went immediately to the torture rack . . [and] in this way he died, and by his death he left an example of courage and a model of virtue not only for the young but for the entire nation. (2 Maccabees 6:21-31)

 

Did you catch that? “I shall prove myself worthy of my old age, and I shall leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for our revered and holy laws.”

 

What happened to Eleazar between his initial commitment to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the threat of death in his old age unless he gave in to such treason to save his life?

 

What happened? He WANTED to be faithful to His God. And the Holy Spirit enabled him to do so, even on the rack of torture.

 

What about us? Do we WANT to remain faithful to our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, we do. But we should never be ignorant of Satan’s tricks and lies and sweet temptations. That is why we every day put on that armor of God St Paul spoke of in his letter to the Christians at Ephesus. You can find it in chapter six of that letter.

 

We WANT to remain faithful because – well – how could we commit such grievous spiritual adultery against the one who loves us so, so very much. How could we devastate Him? How could we break His heart by doing such a thing as some in that crowd on Palm Sunday did only days later on Good Friday?

 

Please, my brothers and sister, hear this one more time today: It is ONLY, ONLY, ONLY the Holy Spirit’s power that keeps you and me faithful. That is why we seek Him in prayer again and again to keep us humble, penitent, and obedient. Where else can we go? Jesus alone has the words of eternal life.

 

Keep at it. Keep walking with Christ. And know this: Sunday is coming!

Tares and Wheat

 

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Tares and Wheat

 

Today is the fifth Sunday of Lent. We are nearing the end of this season, and rapidly approaching the focus of Lent -- indeed, the focus of our Christian faith, which is the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, whom many call ‘The Christ.”

 

As I have said during the last several weeks, Lent is that period of time offered to us by the Christian church, a time to reflect more closely on our sin nature and on the mercy and grace of God who not only offers us redemption and the remission of sins, but who declares us righteous by our baptismal faith, who has adopted us into His family, and who has saved us through Christ from His wrath.

 

But we have a mortal, powerful, and most malicious enemy who tirelessly attacks God's sons and daughters – including you and me here – who live for Christ each day.

 

As many of you know, St Paul referred to this spiritual warfare in several of his letters. One in particular comes to my mind. If you have not memorized what he wrote in that sixth chapter of his letter to the Christians at Ephesus, you will do yourself a great benefit to set yourself to do so. I have preached on the armor of God in the past, and I expect to do it again at some point because this warfare is such an important subject. I believe we must be reminded of the supernatural battle from time to time, as well as the supernatural weapons given us by our God for that DAILY battle.

 

And so we come to the topic for today’s message on this fifth Sunday of Lent. That subject is the Lord’s parable of the tares – the weeds that look like wheat, but are sown by the devil. Jesus describes them as children of the devil, those who follow him wittingly and those who follow him unwittingly.

 

I am reading from Matthew 13: “Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” . . . .  

"Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”  And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-42).

Tares might be called in modern parlance, A Fifth Column. For those of you who do not know about ‘Fifth Columns,’ It is a group of people within a larger group who undermine the larger group from within. Their activities are secretive and often involve sabotage and disinformation with the ultimate goal of destroying the larger group.

 

Satan’s Fifth Columns date back to long before the first century. The Old Testament is replete with examples of traitors and destructive clandestine operatives among the Jewish people. But for our purposes, we look only now at the Fifth Columns of the first century.

 

The apostle Paul talked about them in his second letter to the church at Corinth: For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

 

And again in his letter to Titus: “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” (1:15-16)

One of the roles of tares is infiltrate the fields of wheat, choke out their spiritual maturity – even their life. It is because of the tares that many Christians have even left the Church because of the godless lives, lifestyles, of the tares, and their subtle twisting of Biblical doctrines.

THAT is why I feel led to preach about this subject today during Lent because God wants us to remain ALERT to Satan’s tricks.

 

Only the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent to guide us into all truth and lead us away from error, only He can keep us from falling prey to the Fifth Columns in our political and educational structures – and even in some of our churches where pastors and other church leaders tell people what they want to hear and not what they NEED to hear. These witting or unwitting children of Satan walk arm in arm with those who persist in living in sin and calling it normal, who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and bitter for sweet.

 

Listen, please. A doctorate degree in theology or philosophy does not guarantee the person is a man of God. All that degree means is that he or she passed some tests and got passing grades on some papers. Again, the title ‘doctor’ does not guarantee that he is a man of God.

And neither does a white collar mean the person is a man of God. All the collar means is that somebody laid hands on him and said a few words of prayer. Such things do not guarantee, godliness, or faithfulness to Christ. Look at Judas. Or Arias. Or any of the other leaders of heretical movements in the early centuries or later centuries.

 

Here are some examples of modern-day tares: A very popular and well-known bishop from California has opined in recent years that we can reasonably hope that hell is empty. And he is not alone in that error. He has a number of Protestant counterparts who also spread that devilish lie.

And there are other members of the clergy – Protestant and Catholic – who tell their biblically illiterate congregations that God doesn’t care if you’re gay or straight. Other false shepherds tell their people that Christianity is NOT the only religion that will take us to heaven. These tares will tell you that Muslims and Hindus and Jews can all get to heaven without Jesus to cover their sins.

 

If those things are true, then the historic Christian faith dating to the apostles of the Lord is false. The New Testament writers were wrong when they warned about a holy lifestyle as necessary for eternal life, and Jesus is a liar who said of Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.” (John 14:6)

 

Let me be as clear as I can be: Catholics cannot be saved without obedience to Jesus. Baptists cannot be saved without obedience to Jesus. Pentecostals cannot be saved without obedience to Jesus. Neither can Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists or any other church group.

 

The list of false teaching spewed from pulpits and publishing houses goes on and on. THAT is why God tells us to enter the spiritual battle armed with the weapons of His design. If you don’t know the word of God, if you are not wielding that word and wearing the spiritual armor He has provided us, then you are waging the deadly battle naked and armed only with a butter knife.

 

During this Lenten season we all would do well to pay heed to His warning to us in the 10^th chapter of John’s gospel: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice . . . The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:1-4, 10)

Listen, my brothers and sisters do you want to hear the Shepherd’s voice during this Lenten season and around the calendar? And how do we distinguish it from the plethora of voices all around us –social media, the cable networks, and from too many church pulpits and classrooms? How do we know his voice to follow it?

The Lord Jesus promised us: “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. John 16:13-14

The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth AND away from error. So, to whom are we listening when it comes to theological truth or error?  And please hear this:

Satan is very willing to dish out an ounce of error covered in fifty pounds of truth – because it is that ounce of error that will ultimately destroy us. That is why what teachers and clergy like the California Bishop and his Protestant counterparts are such dangerous tares – because so much of what they teach is correct.  But watch out for that ounce of error!

As I bring this message to a close, let me share one more point relevant to this subject of tares among the wheat.

 

I recently perused an article in a couple of Christian online magazines that speak well of a popular personality test called the Enneagram. Somewhat like the Myers-Briggs personality test used by many businesses, the Enneagram claims to reveal a person’s temperament, along with their inner strengths and weaknesses.

 

Businesses use the Enneagram to determine the best mixture of employees to work together on team projects. Some clergy even use the Enneagram in their marriage counseling to suggest if the couple are compatible!

 

In the little research I’ve done into the enneagram, and its possible occult roots, let me give you my take on this tare among the wheat. And I will again be as clear as I know to be:  

 

The Holy Spirit is quite capable of revealing to us our personalities, along with our strengths and weaknesses. But for Him to do that, WE usually have to do the hard work of reading and studying the Bible consistently, humbly, and thoroughly year after year after year.

 

There just ain’t no shortcut to that kind of insight into ourselves.

 

Did you get that? Such inner reflection REQUIRES study – investing the time to understand the culture and the people to whom the Bible books were originally written. And then prayerfully seeking the Holy Spirit’s application of the words of Scripture to 21st century ME.

 

We must be consistent – meaning we keep at it, rain or shine, feeling like it or not feeling like it. We make time to read it and study it. Even if we’d rather watch television or play a board game.

 

We must read it humbly – meaning we let God's word tell US about our lifestyle and plans and goals instead of us imposing on God's word what we want it to say.

 

And we must read it thoroughly – meaning we read it from cover to cover, year after year.

 

But it's been my experience that most Christians are unwilling to do those things. That’s why it’s much easier to take a personality test. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit included these words in His book for all to read and pay heed:

 

“For the word of God's is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:12-13)

 

Wow, did you get that? Nothing we do or think or say is hidden from God. It’s ALL laid bare to Him -- AND TO US -- as we study His word. No wonder so many Christians would rather do a personality test!

Whose voice are we following? Does the person behind the voice acknowledge and teach that the Bible is fully without error in anything it speaks about – whether history, or theology, or math, or science?

Does that person confess publicly that the Bible is infallible, meaning it is not and cannot every be wrong about anything of which it speaks? And does the person believe every chapter, every verse, every line, every word in its original manuscript is fully inspired by the Holy Spirit?

If any person denies any of these three fundamental truths, they are not faithful shepherds of God's flock. And we should avoid such men and women because Satan will use them to instill a poisonous weed into your soul.

Remember Judas. All eleven of the apostles thought he was a faithful follower of Christ – until he betrayed the Lord.

The Church has given us the season of Lent to reflect on God's mercy, grace, and the forgiveness of sins. It is during this season of Lent, as we move forward toward Resurrection Sunday, that we want to become especially aware of the false teachers that abound all around us – Tares among the wheat, as Jesus warned.

Please, we must never follow popular pastors or evangelists simply because they exude charismatic personalities and a pleasant television persona. We follow those ONLY who closely and humbly and obediently follow Christ.

To do anything less is to open ourselves to eternal disaster. St Paul’s instruction to Timothy is instruction we all must heed: “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.” (1 Timothy 4:16)