The Passion of the Christ

The Passion of the Christ
The next week in Antigua is probably the biggest celebration week of the entire year. Semana Santa as it is called here will bring thousands do people to the city to watch the processionals. For many people it will just be a spectator event, for others a religious duty or fulfillment of tradition but for followers of Christ it has a very profound influence in our lives.
Many of us have seen the movie, “The Passion of the Christ” produced by Mel Gibson. The reality of the suffering of Christ was made clearer to me than I had ever known after watching the movie. The word “Passion” denotes the suffering of Christ after the Last Supper. The word “passion” also is used to describe an intense desire or love for another person. The Passion of the Christ was motivated by his passion for us. It was his intense love for each one of us that enabled him to endure the tremendous suffering he experienced after the Last Supper.
A suffering Savior was predicted by the prophets and none was more poignant than the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 53 describes in detail what would happen to Christ.
53 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
It is difficult to not understand that the Messiah would suffer because of our sin after reading Isaiah 53. This was his purpose in coming to the earth. The sacrifices of the blood of bulls and goats that the Jews practiced for centuries, would not take away the sins of mankind, God required the blood of His Son, Jesus, the perfect sacrifice without sin to be the ransom for our sins. The blood of the sacrifices was only a covering until the blood of Christ would be shed to bring forgiveness and cleansing.
The Passion of the Christ was a result of our sins. The penalty for sin was extreme. God did not take the sin of mankind lightly; his full wrath against sin was poured out on Christ. The intense suffering was part of his wrath against sin. Unfortunately today many people make light of sin because they do not understand the holiness of God nor do they appreciate the suffering of Christ that came as a result of our sin. Look again at the words Isaiah uses to describe what would happen to the Messiah:
Despised, rejected, sorrow, grief, wounded, bruised, oppressed, afflicted, stricken, stripes..These are very powerful words that remind us how Christ suffered physically, emotionally and spiritually. Tonight I want to look at these three aspects of his suffering as we follow Christ during his final hours on earth.
The Physical Suffering of Christ
His physical suffering was brutal. As we track through the journey to the cross we can identify the physical suffering Jesus encountered.
When he was before Annas he was blindfolded and struck on the face (Luke 22:63)
Jesus was then sent to Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin where he was struck with the palms of their hands Matthew 26:67.
His next physical suffering was when he was before Pilate who ordered the Roman soldiers to whip him (John 19:1). If Jesus was given the maximum by Jewish law it was 39 lashes but there was no limit according to Roman law. His back was shredded by the whip that was embedded with metal and bones.
If Mel Gibson’s portrayal is at all similar to Christ’s suffering it was incredible that Jesus had the physical stamina to take all the punishment. He had to have been in tremendous physical condition to be able to endure what he went through. I am sure I would not have lasted through the 39 lashes on the back. After 3 or 4 I am sure I would have passed out. But Jesus withstood them all, he took the full punishment physically for us.
After the scourging the soldiers placed a twisted crown of thorns on his head John 19:2. The slamming of the crown of thorns on his head had to produce excruciating pain and blood flowed freely because of the numerous blood vessels in the head.
Placing the crown of thorns on his head was not enough abuse for the soldiers who then struck him on the head with their hands (John 19:2) The beating Jesus took on his head and face was such that he was not recognized.
After he was beaten, he was forced to carry his cross. It was not a finely sanded cross but rustic, full of splinters that dug into his shoulders. It weighed between 75-125 pounds. It was physically taxing for him to carry it the 675 yards of the Via De La Rosa, “The way of pain”, to the point that he fell under its weight and Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry it for him. .
When he reached Golgatha, the Romans were ready to nail him to the cross. The crucifixion was the cruelest form of punishment the Romans used. It was meant to be so gruesome and painful that no one would want this to happen to them, it was a deterrent to crime. The 6 inch dull nails driven through the hands and feet caused intense pain. His feet were placed on top of each other and a nail was driven through each arch putting pressure and causing fiery pain as it tore through the median nerve.
“In this position it is impossible to support your weight for long with your legs (especially in his weakened state). Therefore he mostly had to suspend himself by his arms. At first the arms were nearly horizontal, and so when he was lifted up into the vertical position a massive load was put upon the arms (like a terrible torture rack). This force would be many times a man’s weight. This would have dislocated his arms at his elbow and shoulder. His arms would have lengthened by six inches allowing him to sink down. In the final position his arms would have been about thirty degrees to the horizontal, making the load on his arms more bearable (about two hundred pounds, the weight of a man)… Therefore we see that crucifixion stretches the body out so that it is under intense strain and immense pain. The word ‘excruciating’ means ‘out of the cross’. It describes the pain suffered by on crucified. It was extreme public torture developed by the Romans for maximum deterrence.”
In order to breathe Christ had to lift himself up to catch his breath, this alone caused more pain in his hands and feet as well as his back that had been shredded by the whipping he suffered. Crucifixion was designed to produce a slow death to increase the amount of suffering the person would experience. Suffocation was usually the cause of death but in the case of Christ he cried out with a loud voice and then yielded up his spirit (Matt. 27:50). The physical cause of his death was most likely from his heart bursting or rupturing because of the tremendous emotional and spiritual stress. This was verified when his side was pierced and water and blood poured out (John 19:4).
It was my sin that caused all this physical suffering. I can never look at sin and take it lightly when I remember the intense physically suffering Christ endured.
Emotional suffering of Christ
Christ suffered emotionally as well.
In the garden he took his three most beloved and trusted disciples with him to have them pray with him. He needed their prayers and support because he knew what was coming. His trusted companions were overwhelmed by sleep and were of no emotional support to Jesus. They slept through the most intense hour of prayer in the life of Christ. The agony Christ suffered was such that he sweat drops of blood as he prayed that the cup of suffering he would face would be taken away if possible. The agony he felt in prayer was because of the separation he would face when he bore our sins.
Additional emotional pain came when he was betrayed by one of the men whom he had invested three years of his life. Judas was a man who was entrusted with the money so he was someone whom Jesus had confidence in and was willing to let him handle the finances. Most of us are pretty careful about entrusting money, especially our own money to another person. Judas’ betrayal had to have been like a knife being struck into the heart of Jesus. Some of you have experienced betrayal of a marriage partner. You know the pain that is felt when you learn of the betrayal of your marriage vows. One pastor said it was like being run over by a Mack truck. It is crushing and emotionally draining. All of us have read of the reaction of Tiger Woods’ spouse when she learned of his infidelity. As horrible as this was it could not compare to the betrayal of Judas. When Judas led the Roman cohort and Jewish leaders to the garden he had to properly identify Christ to them. His method of identification was through a kiss and salutation. A kiss was a common way to greet your friend. So Judas takes this common greeting of a friend and uses it to mark the man they should arrest. Judas also addressed Jesus as “Rabbi” which also helped the soldiers identify the Christ.
As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him (Mark 14:45)
Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Matthew 26:49
This caused Jesus to remark to Judas, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”(Luke 22:48) Jesus knew what was happening, he was not ignorant, yet it pained him to see Judas betraying him. It broke his heart to see a friend betray him.
His disciples after his arrest abandoned him. His total support group turned away and ran for their own safety. Peter who boasted he would die with him denied he knew him just as Christ predicted. When the rooster crowed it pierced the heart of Jesus as much as it did the heart of Peter.
Christ was despised and rejected by the Jewish leaders, the Roman soldiers and the people. No one enjoys being despised, misunderstood or falsely accused. People said blasphemous things to him, mocked him, ridiculed and scorned him. The humiliation he experienced was constant. He was spit upon by the people which is one of the most demonstrative ways of scorning and showing contempt for another person. I have never been spit on but I have seen it happen to someone else during a college baseball game. The coach of the opposing team disputed the call of the umpire and when he was not making any progress on changing the umpire’s mind he spit on his clean shirt with his chewing tobacco. The coach was not only ejected from the game but was told to leave the baseball park or his team would forfeit the game.
Christ was human like you and I. He was an emotional person. All these things that happened to him were not taken lightly. They wounded him emotionally just like you and I would have been wounded. He grieved over what was happening and what was being said to him. He was acquainted with sorrow, he was not immune to it. It affected him; he was not Mr. Teflon where nothing would stick to him.
The cry of the people, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!”must have cut deep into his soul. Imagine that you are in Christ’s place, completely innocent of any and all charges against you. Yet the people whom you healed and helped in many ways have turned against you and want you dead. They did not esteem Christ for who he was or what he did. This also had to have affected Christ emotionally. The injustice of the trial and the condemnation to death added to the emotional suffering Christ endured for us.
When he was placed on the cross his was stripped of his clothing. He was naked before everyone, how much more humiliating can it get.
Christ on the cross is placed between two people who were guilty and deserved their death sentence. He is placed in the same category as they are, numbered with the transgressors as Isaiah wrote. One of the thieves had the audacity to mock Christ in his final moments of life. The abuse of the chief priests, scribes and elders continued until his death as they taunted him to save himself to prove he really was the Son of God (Matt. 27:42) The emotional stress of all these things caused great pain for Jesus. He truly was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. All of this emotional pain came as a consequence of our sin.
Spiritual Suffering of Christ
The final suffering of Christ involved the spiritual suffering he experienced when he as forsaken by His Father. The Trinity had always been together. Their love for each other was a love that you and I could never experience or understand. There was always unity between them, never a time of disagreement but always harmony and peace. Their love bound them together and was such that they created man to be able to extend their love to him and be loved in return. Sin had never come between them. The fullness of God’s wrath against sin was placed on Christ. But now Christ on the cross took the full extent of the sin of all of mankind for all of time upon himself. When this happened the Father had to separate himself from Christ for sin cannot dwell in God’s presence. Christ cried out with a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The spiritual separation caused by sin was the greatest pain Christ felt. Christ died shortly after taking on our sins. He paid the price that his Holy Father demanded and tonight I pray that we will understand with greater clarity what it meant for Christ to suffer for our sins. It should affect our attitude toward sin and hopefully keep us from falling.
The wrath of God was satisfied when Christ died for us and took our sins upon himself. All of the suffering he endured was with us in mind. He wanted us to be reconciled to the Father, to be forgiven of our sin and be set free from its penalty. His passion for us caused him to endure the Passion. How can we respond to this love? We can never do anything to repay Christ, what he did for us was a gift that we can only accept with a heart of gratitude. Our salvation is free but it also comes with a promise that if we truly follow Christ we will suffer.
The early church understood that following Christ was not going to be easy. They would suffer for His Name and be abused physically and emotionally. Compared to what Christ suffered for us, any suffering we will encounter will seem as nothing. Many believers today are being persecuted for their faith and are experiencing tremendous suffering. The enemy believes he can drive people away from their faith through suffering but for the true believers it only draws them closer to Christ as they too experience some of the sufferings He endured for us.
I read a book this last week about the life of Romulo Saune and his family who were descendents of the Incas and were from the Quecha Indians in Peru. His family came to Christ and held firm to their commitment to Him during a great time of political turmoil and violence in Peru when the “Shining Path” communist movement tried to take control of the country. Romulo’s father, Justiniano, became a pastor after he became a believer and never gave in to the demands of the Shining Path. At one point when he was 83 years old the rebels warned him to stop preaching to the young people or he would lose his life. He told them he could not and would not do it because he wanted to remain faithful to Christ and his word. The rebels returned later and took him away from his home and began to beat him with clubs. He pleaded with them to stop and said to them “you can attack my body but you can’t touch my soul.” This made them even madder and they continued to beat him with clubs. He raised his hand to deflect a blow when he was slashed with a knife and blood began to spurt out of his hand. One of the commanders said to him, “We’ll show you, old man, what we think about your preaching.” He gripped the blade of his knife and reached for Justiniano, grabbing him by his hair and forcing his head back with a snap. Justiniano’s mouth hung open. With a swift move, the commander yanked out Justiniano’s tongue and slashed it off. He held the tongue high for everyone to see. Justiniano moaned. Then another terrorist roughly pushed him onto his back. Handful by handful, he plucked out Justianiano’s flowing white beard. Loud moans escaped the old man’s bleeding mouth. Then with a final stroke of indignity, the terrorist took his blood drenched knife and scalped off Justiniano’s hair. Pinning the old man to the ground, another rebel reached for his knife, and, like the Inca priests of ancient days, he plunged it savagely into Justiniano’s chest. With a broad stroke he ripped open the chest, shouting wildly, he reached in and tore out Justiniano’s still beating heart. The blood fanned out in a spray of red, shocking the Senderistasts into silence…. The assassin flung the heart onto the ground and screamed at the villagers, “If anyone buries this body, he’ll; suffer the same fate! Let the sun rot his body for everyone to see.” (One Bright and Shining Path, P. 150-151)
To be a Christ follower requires that we also will be willing to suffer for the sake of His Name. The sufferings of Christ were motivation for the early church as it went through periods of persecution and pain. We too must be ready and willing to suffer for him and count it an honor as the early church did. Peter wrote that we must have the same attitude toward suffering in the flesh that Christ had. When our flesh suffers we have made a decision to not allow it to control us, we in essence die to its demands so that we can focus on doing the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1-2). Jesus suffered in the flesh to be able to accomplish God’s will for his life. Because he was faithful we have received forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life. We no longer have to suffer the penalty of sin but we will still suffer the consequences of sin that surrounds us each day. As we prepare for the Passion Week, let us be mindful of what Christ endured for us to enable us to suffer for Him as we live holy and righteous lives in a world that is reeling in sin and in need of the message of salvation that we have been entrusted with.

Living on the Edge

Someone once said if you are not living on edge you are taking up too much room. I am not sure if I fully subscribe to this but in principle our lives as believers are often lived on the edge. Many of you have lived on the financial edge where you were down to zero in the bank and days to come before the next donation would arrive. Some of you have waited on the edge of your seat to see God fulfill a promise he has given you that has seemingly been delayed. Some of you have ventured into new areas that have been totally foreign to you, not knowing anyone before you arrived but simply striking out in faith and obedience to God’s call on your life. Living on the edge is living in complete faith and confidence in God. It is taking steps of faith when you really don’t know what will happen or how it will happen, you just know that you have to do it. Our lives as believers are meant to be adventurous, faith filled challenges where we see God show up and do the miraculous.
Tonight I want to look at one of the greatest stories of living on the edge that involves the example of the Apostle Peter. Peter was considered to be a little impulsive in his behavior. He did not necessarily think things through before he acted and that is not always a bad thing because we can talk ourselves out of doing things if we don’t respond quickly in obedience to the Lord. Peter as well as the other disciples found themselves in a dangerous life threatening situation in which they were living on the edge. The story is one that is familiar to all of us and it is found in Matthew 14:22-34.
Matthew 14:22-34
22Immediately after this, Jesus told his disciples to get into their boat and cross to the other side of the lake while he stayed to get the people started home.23-24Then afterwards he went up into the hills to pray. Night fell, and out on the lake the disciples were in trouble. For the wind had risen and they were fighting heavy seas.25About four o’clock in the morning Jesus came to them, walking on the water!26They screamed in terror, for they thought he was a ghost.27But Jesus immediately spoke to them, reassuring them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said.28Then Peter called to him: “Sir, if it is really you, tell me to come over to you, walking on the water.”29“All right,” the Lord said, “come along!”So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.31Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and rescued him. “O man of little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” 32And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.33The others sat there, awestruck. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.34They landed at Gennesaret. 35The news of their arrival spread quickly throughout the city, and soon people were rushing around, telling everyone to bring in their sick to be healed. 36The sick begged him to let them touch even the tassel of his robe, and all who did were healed.
There are several things we can learn about living on the edge from this story that we can apply to our personal walk of faith with the Lord.
Jesus and the disciples had a full day of ministry. They had just fed over 5, 000 people and it was getting late in the day and was time to move on to the next destination. Jesus decided to stay back with the people for awhile and then went up to the mountain to find some quiet time to pray. He sent the disciples ahead of him. They were to travel by boat across the lake and he would meet up with them. The disciples did not say anything to Jesus about how he would get across the lake or when he would show up. Perhaps after seeing the miracle of the multiplication of the bread and fish they were confident that he could get where he needed to be by himself. Some of the disciples where experienced fishermen so crossing the lake was not a big deal to them. Everything seemed normal until the wind began to blow creating huge waves. The disciples were in trouble and it was 4 a.m. It was dark, windy, dangerous and there was no help available. They found themselves living on the edge of disaster. I am sure they were doing everything they knew to do to try to stay afloat and get to the shore. In spite all their efforts they were not making much progress. They were in a very difficult situation that was not of their doing. They found themselves in circumstances that they did not create but had to deal with them as best they could. They left under the orders of Jesus and probably did not expect something like this to happen.
I think we can all relate to the disciples situation. We at times find ourselves in circumstances that are not favorable, perhaps very challenging, maybe life threatening because we are walking in obedience to what the Lord has asked us to do. Sometimes we think that when we walk in obedience everything should work out and we will not face trying times. I wonder if the disciples asked among themselves, “What did we do to deserve this.? Somehow we think we have an exemption clause written into our relationship with the Lord. We think we are exempt from certain difficulties, trials, temptations, hardships, sufferings etc. because we have given our lives to Christ and we are doing what he asked us to do. Some may say, “I did not sign up for this!” The disciples had just experienced a tremendous spiritual high when they witnessed a fantastic miracle of multiplication of food. Suddenly everything changed and the spiritual high fled instantly when the circumstance were against them. The disciples were in a very difficult situation, their lives were on the line.
Many missionaries, ministers and believers have found themselves in similar situations. They have responded to the call of Christ and are obediently following him when disaster, tragedy and trying circumstances confront them. I think of William Carey who felt called of God to go to India yet faced the hardships of losing a son and seeing his wife go crazy and then die. I think of one of the first missionaries to Liberia who was surrounded by cannibalistic headhunters and thrown into a pot to be cooked. I think of a missionary who arrived in Guatemala and on his first day had his moving truck with all of his possessions stolen at gun point. I think of a pastor whose wife has been battling cancer for several years and is not getting any better. I think of believers who have been victims of physical harm and robberies. None of these people had an exemption clause that spared them from calamity and hardships. None of them deliberately put themselves into these situations yet they found themselves facing something that was very difficult. They found themselves living on the edge.
One of the first lessons we must learn is that we are not exempt from trying circumstances. We live in a fallen world where things just go wrong because the system is broken and we have an adversary who wants to rob, destroy and kill us. In spite of all these things, God is still in control, He knows exactly what is happening, He is not caught off guard even though we are often shocked by what is happening. Believers will face trials, tests, temptation and persecution. It is part of the process of our growth in the Lord and learning how to have victory over the enemy. When we are faced with trying circumstances we have to look at them as opportunities to grow in our confidence and trust in the Lord as well as opportunities to learn how to overcome. We can choose how we will respond and react and they may be the only thing we can control.
The second thing we see in this story is Jesus comes to the rescue. In our darkest hour and most trying circumstance Jesus is there with us. The disciples were at first afraid of what they were seeing. It was the first time they had ever witnessed anyone walk on water plus it was still dark so it was difficult to make out who or what was coming. This image terrorized them, they thought it was a ghost coming to add to their troubles. I am sure they were thinking it can’t get any worse than this! Twelve grown men began to scream probably at the top of their lungs! I am sure it was pure panic at this point.
They probably did not expect Jesus to come and even if they did, they certainly did not expect to see him walking on water. We have to expect Jesus to be there with us in our times of trial. He is there and we must look for him and expect him to show up. When we find ourselves living on the edge we have to believe that Jesus is right there with us and he is going to do something to help us. Jesus spoke to them, he spoke to their fear, the fear of death I am sure. His words were very simple and direct, “Don’t be afraid.” Jesus had things under control, he was walking over the circumstances not being pulled under by them. The circumstances were not controlling him! This is where God wants each of us to be. The circumstances are real but they are not more powerful that our God! For awhile there was a teaching that went around that said we have to deny the reality of the existence of sickness, disease etc. A person may be on his death bed but the teaching was that you deny you are sick and confess you are healed and whole. Jesus never asks us to deny reality. The disciples were in a storm, the waves were huge and they were scared for their lives. That was the reality they faced. But the other part of the situation is that God is there with us to help us overcome the crisis. We serve a God who is transcendent over time, space and matter. He can suspend the laws of nature, He can transport you out of the situation, He has the ability to change things instantly or gradually, whatever He desires. He sees us and he responds by bringing us words of encouragement. The disciples could now breathe a sign of relief, the answer to their crisis was there and everything would be okay.
The story now takes a turn because Peter for some reason wants to make sure that the person talking to them and who is walking on the water really is Jesus. The only way Peter can be sure is to ask Jesus to invite him to walk out to him. In his mind if this person really is Jesus then he should be able to take care of him and enable him to walk on water. If it was not Jesus then he would probably drown like the others perhaps were also destined to drown. You have to wonder what the other disciples were thinking about Peter. Why would he want to leave the security of the boat to attempt to walk on water? Is Peter trying to show off? He must be crazy!
I think Peter recognized that his true security was in Jesus not in the boat. He knew that if he could get to Jesus he would be fine. Perhaps he did not trust the boat but you have to give him credit for realizing that his only hope for safety was in Christ and the sooner he could get to him the better it would be. Peter did not impulsively jump out of the boat but he asked Jesus to tell him to come to him. He did not presume that he could do what Jesus was doing. Peter knew it would take a miracle for him to walk on the water and if this was Jesus he would be able to do it. Peter was not presumptuous. Presumption is an attitude or belief dictated by probability. Presumption is doing something without permission or prior approval. Many people have made grave mistakes and made foolish decisions because they presumed that what they were doing had God’s seal of approval but they had not taken the time to ask if they should be doing it in the first place. Jesus could have said, “Peter just wait, chill out, sit down I will be with you in the boat in just a few seconds.” He responded to Peter’s request and said, “All right, come along!” What an invitation! All eyes were now on Peter. The 11 disciples in the boat were probably fixed on Peter wondering what was going to happen. Were they cheering Peter on or sneering at him? The Bible does not say but these two reactions are very common. People of faith will cheer you on when you are taking a huge step of faith. People of cynicism and doubt will sneer at you and expect you to fail. I would much rather have a boat full of cheering saints encouraging me to move forward in faith.
Jesus honored Peter’s faith by inviting him to come to him. He was willing to let Peter do something radical to prove to him that he was really there and that the circumstances he was facing were under his control. In our times of trial, Jesus wants us to come to him. He wants us to reach out to him and believe him for a miracle. He wants us to depend on him and step out in faith to be given the wisdom or ability to do what needs to be done. Peter was the only one of the 12 who challenged Jesus to prove himself. Peter asked a great thing from Jesus and he was not rejected but honored Jesus by his faith. We need to be like Peter and ask great things of God. “Call to me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”(Jer. 33:3). God invites us to challenge Him to believe Him for great things because He is a great God. God will show himself strong to those whose hearts are fully dedicated to Him. William Carey made this statement, "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God." Great faith honors God while little faith has always brought disappointment to the Lord.
Christ is honored when we seek him first and place our confidence in him. He loves it when we place our faith in him and ask great things of him.
Peter challenged Jesus and when the challenge was accepted and the invitation was given, he got out of the boat. It was time for action on Peter’s part, time to respond to the invitation of Jesus. It was the moment of truth for him. Faith has to have a corresponding action otherwise it is just words. We can confess and say we believe but the reality of our faith is seen in the actions we take. Peter started out fine, he took a few steps on the water but instead of gaining confidence in Jesus’ words to him he looked around and saw the big waves and his faith began to sink. Once his faith began to sink so did he. Perhaps Peter was expecting the waves to calm down and the lake to become like glass. It did not happen, the waves continued to roll and the fear factor took over. When we place our trust in Jesus our circumstances do not always instantly change. In this situation the waves did not calm down until Jesus entered the boat. If we are looking at the circumstances that are not changing it is easy to doubt or become fearful because we have lost our focus on Jesus and the promise he has given us. Jesus is the constant factor, he never changes. He always does what he says he will do and he is always there. We are to fix our eyes on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith.
Peter was going down and he called out for help. Jesus immediately came to rescue Peter. He was disappointed that Peter’s faith in His word to him was small yet he reached out and pulled him out of the water and together they entered the boat. The disciples were in awe of what they had just seen and declared the Jesus was the Son of God.
As the Son of God, Jesus operated in faith in the words his father spoke to him. He was guided by his father and obeyed what his father told him to do. He walked across the water to rescue the disciples in obedience to his father who loved the disciples. We like Jesus have to operate out of obedience to the Father and faith in His word to us. Without faith it is impossible to please God.(Heb. 11:6) Living on the edge requires each one of us to have faith in the Word of God. Whatever He asks us to do will require faith in Him to complete it. If we let our circumstances control us we will always be faced with fear and doubt and we will shrink back. If we face our circumstances, tests and trials with faith that God is with us and is in control we will respond with the proper corresponding action and we will bring pleasure to God. At times we will fail and falter in our walk of faith but God will still be there to rescue us because he loves us. He is for us and not against us. We can always count on Him to come to our rescue.
When we live on the edge with God, we will be placed in situations where our faith will have the opportunity to grow. Many people do not want to be in these situations and avoid putting themselves at risk. They don’t want the boat to rock yet alone get out of it! The reward is always in proportion to the risk. You can live your life with a few risks but the greatest joys and rewards are for those who are willing to step out in faith and obedience to God to take on new challenges. If you want to walk on water you have to get out of the boat! (John Ortberg)
I have had a few situations and circumstances that have happened that I had no control over them happening. I did not ask for them but they came anyway. One situation happened when I was driving a team to Mexico from Minnesota. We had just passed through Des Moines, Iowa, when the bus quit running. It was dead and we were parked on the side of I-35 at about 5 p.m., with 35 passengers. I remember the first thing the group did was begin to pray for God to help us. We opened the engine compartment, laid hands on the bus and prayed for a miracle. The bus did not start so I made a phone call to get advice from a mechanic and the phone went dead, the battery had lost all power and no one else on the bus had a phone that was working. I needed help and a Highway patrol car came to the scene. He let me use his phone to call a towing company to come and get us. The company said it had one wrecker and it was in the state of Wyoming and would not be back for 3 days. I asked them if there was another company I could call and they said no. The Highway patrolman decided to leave so we were stuck again. A truck driver stopped after awhile and he gave me a ride to a fuel station a few miles down the road. I thought maybe we had run out of fuel so I bought some and then noticed there was a highway patrol station next to the station so I went over there to ask for help. When I explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he responded in an entirely different way than the previous patrolman. He said this is an emergency, I will take you back to the bus and get help. So we raced down the freeway with the emergency lights flashing, driving about 95 mph! He let us use his phone, connected us with a church in a city not too far away and they came to get us at about 10 p.m. A tow truck also came at the same time the church came with vans and pickups to haul the group to the church. When we arrived at the church they had hamburgers cooked for us and fed us a wonderful meal. The next morning I picked up another bus that had been driven through the night to replace the one that broke down and we continued on our journey arriving in Mexico at the same time we had planned. Jesus came to our rescue through several people responding to help us. It was a trying time for me yet a faith building time for all of us as we saw our prayers answered and kept our faith in Christ to help us.
Another time I was with a group of 35 people in our bus at the border crossing in Laredo, Texas. We had been praying for favor to cross the border as you never know what will or can happen when you get there. Sometimes it is very easy to get a permit and other times it is a challenge. Well this time it was a big challenge. When I went to get a permit for the bus to cross the border I was told that it was not possible. Mexican law prohibited buses like ours from entering. I appealed to the person who made the decision but he said he was only enforcing a law and he could not make any exceptions. I just continued to pray and ask God for wisdom as it seemed like we were at an impasse. I asked him if I could talk with his supervisor and he said I would have to wait an hour until he came on duty. So I waited and prayed along with the group. When the supervisor came, he said the same thing the other person told me. It did not look good and it would have been easy for me to quit, go back to the bus and tell the group we have to figure out another way to get across the border. I made one more appeal to the official and stated that I had 35 people waiting in the bus who wanted to come to his country. I asked him if there was there anything else I could do to get the bus across the border. We had crossed the border in our buses a month before and had no problem so we were a little confused as to why we were having problems this time. When we told him this he got upset that someone else had given us permission so I thought our chances of getting in were now below zero unless there was a miracle to change his heart. He finally said the only way he would consider giving permission is if I would write a letter on the ministry stationery and include several details regarding our group. We used a photocopy machine to copy our ministry letterhead and I wrote everything he asked for and presented it to him. After reading it, he said he would give me the permit but only for the days we would be in the country and he made it very clear that the next time I was to see only him to get permission. Again Jesus came to our rescue and took control of circumstances as we placed our faith in him. We traveled on to our destination and had an awesome time of ministry.
Living on the edge is an exciting place to be but only if God is with us. As believers we will not be exempt from trials, tests and temptations they are part of our life and they serve God’s purposes. They are tremendous opportunities to grow in our faith in the Lord and learn how to overcome and be victorious. When we are in the situation we must first and always look for Jesus to give us what we need to overcome. We honor God through our faith in His word. God is pleased when we ask great things of Him and when he tells us to move forward we have to respond with the right actions. Our faith can increase and as it increases we will see God do greater things through our lives. Not everyone will have the desire to get out of the boat and attempt great things for God but those who do will experience God at a deeper level and see the greater works of God done through them.
Where are you tonight in your walk of faith? Are you living on the edge or has your faith shrunk back? Are you believing God for great things and walking in faith and obedience? Are you keeping your eyes fixed on him in every situation and circumstance you face? Is your faith growing?

The Calvary Road

Last week yet another powerful earthquake shook the nation of Chile. I have never in my lifetime heard of an earthquake as powerful as this one was, 8.8 is something I hope I never will experience. I am not sure how to interpret what the earthquake signifies but the Scriptures are clear that in the last days there will be earthquakes and famines throughout the earth. Maybe the earthquakes of late are simply warning signs of what it will be like in the last days. These earthquakes have done a tremendous amount of damage and in the case of Haiti it will take many years to rebuild what has been destroyed. I cannot imagine what would happen if there were multiple earthquakes in many parts of the world happening in a short period of time. This could cause a shut down of many economies and would create great chaos throughout the world. I hope that many people are taking note of what is happening and what could happen if this scenario is repeated in many parts of the world. I think about the earthquake that struck Guatemala in 1976 that left almost 28,000 people dead. I think this earthquake was 7.2, if it had been 8.8 the destruction and loss of life would have been much greater. I think God is sending out a warning through the earthquakes. The earth itself is groaning for the return of Christ and the redemption of God’s people to be completed. We are to live our lives as though the return of Christ is imminent. Christ knew his time on earth was limited, the road he walked on would lead to Calvary where he would face death. He knew he would give up his life as a ransom for the souls of mankind. This was his mission and he had to walk the road to Calvary to fulfill his purpose.
The Calvary road is a road we all must walk if we are going to fulfill our mission in this life. The Calvary road is marked by several things that I want to talk about tonight.
The first thing I think about regarding the road to Calvary is that it is a journey that is marked by death to yourself. As we become true followers of Christ the decisions that we make in life are decisions in which God asks us to die to our own interests and take up his plan. I must daily die to myself, my interests, my desires, my way of doing things and my comforts. Death to the self life is what being a true follower of Jesus is all about. Jesus said it very clearly to his disciples, “If anyone wants to be my disciple, he must deny himself…”(Mark 8:34) You cannot be a true follower unless you are willing to abandon your own interests and desires and follow after Christ doing what he requires of you. Many people who call themselves Christians have never come to that place of complete abandonment to Christ, total denial of the self life to embrace the Christ life. They are willing to make some changes that would give the appearance of being a follower but if the truth be known they are still clinging to the self life, living their lives as they want to live. To experience the life that Christ wants to give us, we have to be willing to give up everything for him, complete denial of self is what he requires. If we try to hold on to parts of the self life we will never experience the fullness of life that Christ wants us to experience. When we die to ourselves the focus of our life will be Christ. Paul understood this complete abandonment to Christ when he wrote, “To me to live is Christ.”(Phil. 1:21) His life was no longer his own and the only life he saw worth living was a life completely dead to himself and fully alive in Christ. God is gracious toward us and he patiently waits for us to die to ourselves. By the power of the Holy Spirit he shows us areas of our lives in which we have not died and we are holding on to it for a variety of reasons: security, fear, selfishness, control, pleasure etc. We must be willing to die to every desire, even the desires that are good. There is nothing wrong with desiring to have a good job and a comfortable living, there is nothing wrong with desiring to be married or to have children, nothing wrong with desiring an education or training in a specific area, nothing wrong with wanting to live in a secure area or have money in the bank. These are normal things for most people but we have to be willing to die to everything if that is what Christ requires of us. If I hold on tenaciously to anything and am unwilling to die to it, it has more power over me than Christ and places him in a secondary position. Our willingness to die to each of these things demonstrates our surrender to Christ and our willingness to let Christ be the one who determines if and when we will be given any of these things. Death to self means I am willing to lay everything down so that I will only take up the things that Christ wants me to have. If I try to hang on to things that he does not want me to have I am only burdening myself with things that are going to be a hindrance in following him. These things can become a sidetrack to us and cause us to veer off the path of the Calvary road. I have seen people leave the mission field and their calling because they wanted the security of a home and a predictable income that they could in part control. I have seen people leave their post because of immoral relationships that destroyed their testimony. They were unwilling to deny themselves and trust God to be everything they needed. We all need to examine ourselves and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any area of our lives in which we are still in control and have not died to in order to fully surrender it to Christ’s control. The message of many preachers today is you can have it all and that is really what God wants for your life. The message of Christ was that we have to deny ourselves, die to ourselves and allow him to be our life. I believe that God may give you many of these desires that you long for, but it will be according to his will and plan for your life because he knows what is best for you and he knows what will destroy you. The road to Calvary is not an easy road, but it is a road that is marked with joy in serving Christ and learning how he truly is our life.
The Calvary road is also a road that requires sacrifice. The Olympics have just ended and those who have finished the competition and received medals can all testify that it took many hours each day of training and sacrifice in order to gain the prize they had set as their goal. If we truly want to live the Christ life we too will need to make sacrifices of our time, comforts, money, relationships, and other things in order to gain what Christ has for us. There is a price we all must be willing to pay to become everything Christ wants us to be. Those who are studying Spanish or are learning a new skill or starting a new ministry know that it takes dedication, concentration and hard work to be able to learn something new that is a challenge. You have to force yourself at times to make choices to keep yourself focused on what you have been called to do. You cannot be slothful and expect to be able to become excellent at what you are trying to learn. It requires diligence and dedication to push through the hard times of training. But the motivation comes from the goal we have in mind which is given as part of our calling from the Lord. We pay the price of learning Spanish because we may have the goal of one day being able to preach or teach or just carry on a meaningful conversation with someone so we can help them. If God has called you to pursue a specific course of study it will require sacrifices on your part to be able to complete the study. But your motivation will be the end product or your ultimate goal of being able to use the training for the purpose of ministering for Christ and pursue his specific calling on your life. If God has placed you in a new ministry the goal or motivation is to reach people with the gospel and bring them the joy of salvation. You may be called by the Lord to move to another culture that may be very different, primitive or have rustic conditions that will require sacrifices on your part but the sacrifices will never outweigh the joy of fulfilling God’s calling and the ministry he has for you in the specific place he assigns to you. The sacrifices we make only serve to enhance the joy we will experience in fulfilling God’s calling. We may view them as sacrifices but they really are future joy producers. The training may be difficult but unless we are willing to go through it we will never experience the joy that it will produce in the end. I have yet to see someone receive a gold medal that did not have a huge smile on their face. The joy they receive is temporary but our joy will go on through eternity. Discouragement is often part of the process of learning but it should not cause us to quit and give up on our calling. We have to keep our eyes on the prize of the high calling of God on our lives and be willing to continually make sacrifices and choices that will move us toward the goal. The disciplines of the Christian life will form our character and mature our development in the Lord. Prayer, study of the Word, fasting, witnessing, fellowship, service to others, utilizing our gifts, giving of our finances all require sacrifice on our part but each of them has the potential to accomplish great things for the Kingdom of God. Are we truly willing to make the sacrifices required to achieve what God wants to accomplish in and through each one of our lives?
The road to Calvary at times is a lonely road. As Jesus pursued God’s mission he was often misunderstood. His own family thought he was crazy (Mark 3: 21) and even his disciples who he spent 3 years training did not understand what he was doing. The greatest disappointment had to be when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane anguishing over the death he would soon experience and the separation from his Father. He asked his 3 closest disciples, the inner circle, to pray with him and they fell asleep. They did not understand his mission and if they had they would have been praying hard, crying out to God with him. The hour Jesus needed them the most they were present in body but absent in spirit. God is always with us, he will never leave us or abandon us. His presence is with us yet at times we truly desire the physical company of another believer who will stand with us. We long to have someone who understands what we are experiencing but at times there is no one and we find ourselves feeling alone. Some of you have left your family and friends behind to pursue God’s calling and perhaps some of them have not been in agreement with your decision and probably have made it quite clear that they think you are a little crazy. They do not understand the ways of God and interpret what you are doing as strange and unusual. I have met missionaries who are following God’s call yet their families think they are subjecting themselves and especially their children to risks and dangers that are too great. “Why are you doing this to your children? They deserve something better. You are cheating them out of a normal life.” These are comments I have heard people share and if you really believed them to be true you would probably reconsider what you are doing. But in accepting God’s call you are also accepting the fact that not everyone will understand and agree and at times you may feel alone. It is part of the package and will test the strength of our resolve to follow the Lord even though no one else will go with you. One of the great missionary stories I encourage everyone to read is Bruchko. It is the story of Bruce Olson who felt called when he was 19 years old, to go to South America to work among the Motilone Indians. No one understood his calling and few stood with him as he ventured out in faith to fulfill God’s call on his life. He spent 4 years living with the Motilones learning their language and customs. He at times felt very much alone because of the language barrier and because he had no missionary companion with him. He endured the loneliness, rejection, illnesses and in time learned the language and was accepted by this fierce tribe that was feared by other Indians as well as American companies who were exploring their land. Sometimes loneliness can hit us when we are misunderstood by fellow missionaries or falsely accused. We can feel alone when others who have served with us decide to leave because of disagreements or other factors. We at times feel alone when we are away from our families during special times of the year or when we battle against sicknesses or problems we encounter. These things are part of the journey on the Road to Calvary. They are usually only temporary things but nonetheless have an impact on our lives and can cause us to reconsider our calling or perhaps question and doubt our calling. During these times of loneliness God will send us the help we need or give us the endurance to push through. When Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil in ways that we will probably never be tempted and with much greater intensity than we may ever experience, God was faithful to send his angels to minister to him. When Jesus struggled in prayer in the garden God gave him the strength to endure. God sees us and he responds. During these times of loneliness many things get stripped away and we learn to depend fully on the Lord. Our relationship with him can grow stronger and more intimate as we seek after Him.
The road to Calvary is God’s way of bringing glory and honor to Himself. Through our willingness to walk the Calvary road we demonstrate to God that He is worthy of everything we may experience as we walk in obedience to His call. The early disciples rejoiced that they were found worthy to suffer for the name of Christ.(Acts 5:41) Suffering for him was an honor because Christ suffered for them. He alone is worthy of all of our honor, worship and praise. God is glorified through our lives of service to him and when we are willing to walk the road to Calvary it blesses his heart. The worship scenes in the book of Revelation all describe the angels, elders and the multitude of believers surrounding the throne and giving glory to the Lamb. Many of these worshippers suffered greatly in their service to the Lamb but are now constantly giving glory to God because of what He has done for them. God is seeking worshippers who will honor him through their willingness to lay down their lives for the sake of His Kingdom. Our lives must be dedicated to bring God glory and honor. Whatever He asks of us is nothing compared to what he has done for us. My life is no longer my own and the only person who is worthy to receive glory and honor through my life is God. The number of years God may grant each one of us to live on this earth is really not important. What really matters is that we live each moment of the time he gives us to follow Him wherever He leads us and do what he asks of us so that he will be glorified among the nations. Jesus followed God’s plan that included great suffering and a cruel death because He knew that the end result would bring glory and honor to his Father. His prayer in John 17:1-5 reflects that his life work was to bring glory to God. “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” John 17:4. Each of us will bring glory to God by completing the work He has given us. Quitting is not an option if our goal is to bring God glory. We each have a responsibility to fulfill in God’s kingdom. It is not about you and I feeling great about what we are doing but it is all about bringing glory and honor to the Lord. He must be our focus, all that we do must flow from a heart of obedience to him and a desire to bring him maximum glory through our lives. Don’t worry about what others are called to do or compare yourself with them. Jesus was pretty direct with Peter when he asked about the future of John. “When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”(John 21:21) Christ calls each one of us to follow Him as he leads us. We will bring God the greatest glory and honor when we follow the Lamb wherever He leads us and do what he calls us to do. Each of us must hear his call and follow him whatever it costs and wherever he leads us and finish what he has given us to do in our mission on earth. The road to Calvary is the road that will bring God the most glory and honor.
I want to close our service tonight with a story of the life of Adoniram Judson. He grew up in a Christian home, the son of a pastor and was very gifted intellectually. While attending college his best friend, Jacob Eames who was a Deist began to lure Adoniram from his faith in Christ. He announced one day that he no longer had faith in Christ and desired to establish himself as a writer for a theater in New York. On his way to NY God intervened and began to get his attention to redirect his life. One night he stayed in a small village in where he had never slept before. The innkeeper apologized that his sleep might be interrupted because there was a man critically ill in the next room. Through the night Judson heard coming and goings and low voices and groans and gasps. It bothered him to think that the man next to him may not be prepared to die. He wondered about himself and had terrible thoughts of his own dying. He felt foolish because good Deists weren’t supposed to have these struggles.
When he was leaving in the morning he asked if the man next door was better. “He is dead,” said the innkeeper. Judson was struck with finality of it all. On his way out he asked, “Do you know who he was?” “Oh yes. Young man from the college in Providence. Name was Jacob Eames.”
The death of his friend bothered him because he knew that there was a real hell that had snatched his friend. Adoniram saw the providence of God in this experience and over time returned to faith in Christ and accepted God call to go to Burma as a missionary. On the day of his acceptance he met his wife Ann. He wrote a letter to Ann’s father to ask for permission to bring her with him to the mission field. He knew what they would face as they followed God’s call and he wanted her parents to understand and agree to let her go with him. Here is part of the letter he wrote.
“I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and suffering of missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of him who left his heavenly home, and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God” Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?”
Ann’s parents let her make the decision and she said yes to the invitation. God mightily used their lives to bring the gospel to India and Burma. They both died in Burma having returned only one time in their 33 years to their native country. They followed the Calvary Road and finished their mission and brought glory and honor to the Lord.
Tonight, God is challenging each one of us to get on the Calvary road, stay on the road and complete the mission he has given us. It is a road that will demand death to self, sacrifice, loneliness at times but its end will bring great glory and honor to God as we fulfill the call of God on our lives.