 |
| Rev. Brent Russett |
By Rev. Brent
Russett
Pastor of
Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:
http://www.sunnysidechurchottawa.com/
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PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, March 24th, 2013:
http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/12041/good_news_045_mar24.mp3
PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, March 24th, 2013:
http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/12041/good_news_045_mar24.mp3
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‘Palm Sunday’
Good
morning. And welcome to good news in the morning. My name is Brent Russett. I
am the Senior Pastor at Sunnyside Wesleyan Church. It is my pleasure to look at
some of life’s challenges, and then bring you some good news in the morning.
This
program is sponsored by Good News Christian Ministries, Box 184 Rideau Ferry,
ON K0G1W0. Or you can find us on the web @ Goodnewsinthemorning.ca
What
a great morning to celebrate. It is Palm Sunday. It is the Sunday before
Easter. It is the Sunday where Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and crowds
worshipped. We are going to unpack that story in a moment, but before we get
there let’s listen to:
Song: Bob Fitts –
This is the day – from Millennium Worship –He is excited about who God is.
(Track 3 3:57)
Have you ever waked up in the
morning, and got that sinking feeling? You know it is going to be a long day at
the beginning of a long week. There is much to do. The situation in front of
you is stress filled. The outcome is uncertain. I am sure that when Jesus woke up that first Palm Sunday morning he
felt that way.
By the end of the week, he would
have cleared out the temple, celebrated the last supper with his disciples;
Sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane; Been betrayed by a friend;
Been arrested by the Sanhedrin; Lied about, spit upon and condemned to death.
He would be beaten bloody and then crucified and killed. He was going to bear
the sins of the world. His Heavenly father was going to hide his face from him.—To
say it was going to be a bad week is like saying an atomic explosion is
somewhat noisy.
But as the sun peaked over the hill
at the town of Bethany, and Jesus rose from sleep, he knew it was going to be a
long week. Although--- the circumstances were pleasant for the moment. He was
at the house of friends. Mary and Martha and Lazarus. Lazarus had become
somewhat of a celebrity. He had been dead for four days until Jesus called him
out of the grave and back to life as easily as you might call your family for
supper.
Everyone in the village of Bethany
had been at the funeral. Everyone had seen the 4 days of mourning. But now
Lazarus was sitting a the breakfast table.
His very existence was causing a stir.
Now as you know, Jesus was nobodies
fool. Some people don’t seem to understand that if they do certain actions
those actions will cause a predictable reaction. Jesus was not like that. He
knew exactly what he was doing.
As he approached Bethany, he knew he
was the hero. He had raised Lazarus from the dead. He also knew that the people
in Bethany would follow him into Jerusalem. He also knew that if he rode into
Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey that is would cause a stir. It would make the
Romans edgy. It would make the Sanhedrin angry. It would bring things to head.
If self preservation was Jesus’
goal, this was not the way to do it. If staying alive was Jesus objective he
was going about it the wrong way – and he knew it. But self preservation was
not his objective. His heart was as big as the world. For God so loved the
world. His objective was to die for the sin of the world.
Let’s take a break from the story
for a moment. When I look at my own heart, and I often see this draw towards
self preservation, towards playing things safe, towards comfort. But as soon as
I give into those kind of things my world starts to shrink. I start to be
concerned with only the me and my. Life starts to revolve around me. And when
that happens my soul starts to shrink. I start to be less like Jesus.
The gospel has never been about
playing it safe. Look at the apostle Paul,
I have
worked much harder been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely,
and been exposed to death again and again 24 Five times I
received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three
times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was
shipwrecked,
The gospel has always been about a
full life, a real life, it doesn’t promise a safe life. It calls us to really
live.
I am thankful to be part of
Christian community that calls me beyond self preservation and playing things
safe. Let me tell you about a couple of people.
Let me tell you about Al and Joanne
Brown. Al owned his own computer company. At the time when God called Al and
Joanne they had four kids. They sold the company moved to Thailand. Now they
have set up and organization called Compassio. It works along the Thai Burmese
border with Burmese refugees and children of prisoners and orphans
You look at that – and say this is
not the way towards self preservation. That is not the way to accumulate a
pension plan . But I want to tell you, as I talk to Al, you can tell he is
excited to be where he is. His world has grown large as he has followed God’s
call. It’s not easy, but he would tell you, it is good, very good.
Let me tell you about another couple
in our community. Chris was an
electrical engineer making good money. Then God called him back into ministry
with the Navigators. Moving from a very
good salary to having to raise one’s own support is not exactly a move towards
security. But they followed the path that God put before them rather than move
towards self preservation.
But because of their move, people
have come to know Jesus. Lives have been changed.
I know a lot of people have chosen
to follow Christ’s call rather than the path of self preservation. It may limit
your opportunities, but it enlarges your world.
Some of you may be sitting there and
saying, following Christ hasn’t cost me all that much, should I feel guilty. I
would say this to you. Other people’s path, is not your path. You are
responsible for following God’s call on your life. But you don’t know what the
future may hold. Life with Jesus is often an adventure.
Music –How deep the father’s love for
us. By Stuart Townsend on the Worship
together live album (track 6 --- 2:56)
Mark 11:1
1 ¶ As they approached Jerusalem and came to
Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples,
2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead
of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no-one
has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
3 If anyone asks you, `Why are you doing this?'
tell him, `The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'"
4 They went and found a colt outside in the
street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it,
5 some people standing there asked, "What
are you doing, untying that colt?"
6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and
the people let them go.
7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw
their cloaks over it, he sat on it.
We don’t know if Jesus pre arranged
this colt. I think the real miracle here is that he sits on a colt that has
never been ridden and he isn’t bucked off. I must say, that would wreck the
story. But if Jesus could speak to the wind and the waves and calm them,
speaking to a colt and calming it would be nothing.
Everyone who first read the gospel
of Mark would understand is that this is a political story.
Kings rode into the city after
conquering the enemy. Jesus was imitating the kings of his time. The symbolism
of a Kingship would be unmistakeable to the people. That and 200 years before ,
as recorded by the Roman Historian Josephus, and the book of Maccabaeus - Simon
Maccabaeus rode into Jerusalem like a Messiah. That would not be lost on this
Jewish crowd either.
8 Many
people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had
cut in the fields.
9 Those who went ahead and those who followed
shouted, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord!"
10 "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our
father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!"
Even the worship was a political
statement. Jesus is a King. Hosanna was a form of praise, but it was also a
prayer that said, “Lord, save us.” So you have the crowd chanting “Hosanna.
Lord, save us. Lord, save us.”
Then they acknowledge that Jesus
comes in the God’s name. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Jesus is sent from God. He is sent to rescue us. He is God’s anointed one.”
10
"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna
in the highest!"
Then the crowd chants, David’s
kingdom is about to be restored. Praise God in the highest. We are getting our
land, our country back for here is our king.
It is interesting that when the
gospel of Luke tells this story, it becomes instructive on worship. It also has
Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. But there is none of this is Mark. It is what it
is.
It is a statement of truth of who
Jesus was. He is the king. He is the messiah. He is ushering in a kingdom. It
could be construed as a political statement. But it was not meant in the way
the crowd took it. The crowd was looking for the over throw of Romans. Jesus
was looking for the overthrow of the dominion of sin. He wasn’t looking to
conquer Pontius Pilate, he was looking to defeat Lucifer. He wasn’t looking to
overthrow the Roman army, he was looking vanquish the power of sin.
Jesus was often misunderstood. That
happened to him a lot. Here is the thing. He didn’t seem to be all that worried
about it, except when it came to the people who were his disciples. He wanted
them to understand who he was. He wanted them to know what he was doing. But he
knew most people looking on would not get who he was or what he was about.
I must say that I don’t like being
misunderstood. I really hate it when people misinterpret my words or my
actions. I think that is one of the reasons that God, with his sense of humour
called me a highly introverted person, and gave him the task of expressing his
truth understanding that on a lot of days I will be misunderstood. I think
either he wanted a good laugh or he was just trying to make me more like Jesus.
Most days I believe the latter.
My guess is that many of you don’t
like to be misunderstood either. But the people of God were often
misunderstood.
Noah was misunderstood when for
decade after decade he built a boat, that wasn’t near any water.
Moses was misunderstood, when he
tried to intervene on behalf of his people, and ended up killing and Egyptian.
He was misunderstood again when he went back to Pharaoh and said, let my people
go.
David was misunderstood when he
played for Saul – and had a spear thrown at him for his trouble.
Then came the prophets. Jeremiah,
Hosea, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, they were all misunderstood. The people of God
through the ages have been misunderstood. There is a pretty good chance that
you will be too. But that is alright, in that you will be like Jesus.
Now the people of God through the
ages did not go out of their ways to be misunderstood. They just were. Some
people are misunderstood because they are just plain weird. That has nothing to
do with being like Jesus.
But by faith what is invisible
becomes visible to us. So it is no wonder that we are misunderstood.
We love one another. Not because of
the hobbies we hold in common, but because of the Lord whom we serve. When we
walk in the light as Jesus is in the light, we have fellowship with each other.
No wonder we are misunderstood.
We serve a God who we can’t see, but
know to be real. But others around us don’t believe, and have a suspicion that
he is not real. No wonder were misunderstood.
You are a people belonging to God.
And as the KJV puts it, “you are a
peculiar people”. Not because you dress weird, well some of you do
but that’s not the point. You are a peculiar people, not because you talk
weird. You are peculiar people because you see by faith what is invisible.
It was the same for Jesus. The
battle was not against flesh and blood, but principalities and powers, the
spiritual powers of darkness. The battle was for the kingdom of God, it was
against the kingdom of darkness. The battle was for righteousness against sin.
The battle was for spiritual life, it was against spiritual death. The battle
was for heaven, it was against hell.
And he was misunderstood by the
crowds who want to make him a King to conquer the Romans. He was misunderstood,
by Judas who somehow he had disappointed. He was misunderstood by Peter when he
tried to wash his feet. He was misunderstood by the Jewish Leaders when they
tried to examine him. He was misunderstood by Pontius Pilate as he tried to
examine him. He was misunderstood by the thief on the cross who insulted him.
He was misunderstood by Satan who wanted
him dead. He was misunderstood by the disciples when they knew he was dead.
But there came a time when he
started to be understood. When the Roman centurion saw how he died, he started
to understand, truly this man was the son of God. When the veil of temple was
torn in two they started to understand. When Jesus descended into the depth
Satan started to understand, he hadn’t captured Jesus, he had unleashed him.
For he rattled the bars of hell and
set the prisoners free. He grabbed death by the throat and conquered him. He
took on the demonic legions and disarmed them. And now they understood. They
understood that this was God’s plan from all eternity. They understand that
where they thought they had won they had in fact lost. They understood that sin
had be conquered. Death had been defeated and Life had been gained. And from
that time on they would be subject to the power of the risen Lord.
I want to tell you that you may be
misunderstood, by your family, by your friends, by your employers, by your
teachers. They may not understand what you value. Self preservation which is at
the top of their list, isn’t at the top of yours. They may not understand how
you think. That your trust is in the one who you cannot see, but you know lives
within you. They may not understand why you do what you do. You choose to live
with integrity even when it cost you. You choose to live with truth, even when
lying is easier.
But I want you to know, you are
understood by God. You are understood by the one who knows all and sees all and
understands all. He takes a look at you, and your faith and your values, and he
say, my child. And what you find is your identity is not found in either the
cheers or jeers of the crowd. It is found in the one who gave his life for you.
And that is enough.
So it was Palm Sunday morning and
Jesus was getting out of bed. He knew it was going to be a long day at the
beginning of a very long week. But he also knew God would come through. He knew
next week at this time He would meet Mary in the Garden and the two men on the
road to Emmaus. He knew that God would smile.
For those of you who feel like you
are not understood. Hang on – you will see the smile of God.
Prayer:
Lord, Thank you that you understand us. Amen.
Thank you, Listeners for your words of encouragement,
and for keeping us in your prayers.
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1W0. Or you can give online by going to goodnewsinthemorning.ca
Alan Churchill,
the founding pastor of this ministry is writing a monthly devotional. Alan is
well known for his spiritual insight and ability to communicate the truth of
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May you know
Jesus Christ personally and profoundly.
May the Holy Spirit reside deep within your heart . And may the heavenly Father surround you with
His constant and abiding and accompanying love
Music Guy Penrod –(From his Album
Hymns) The Solid Rock (Track 9
3:07)
- Rev. Brent Russett
