THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PALM SUNDAY

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PALM SUNDAY

Matthew 21:1-11

           Pope Benedict in his homily in St Peter’s Square once said this about Palm Sunday: "But what are we really doing when we join this procession as part of the throng which went up with Jesus to Jerusalem and hailed him as King of Israel?  Is this anything more than a ritual, a quaint custom? Does it have anything to do with the reality of our life and our world? To answer this, we must first be clear about what Jesus himself wished to do and actually did.”

            Palm Sunday is an important day in the Christian calendar and marks the beginning of Holy Week, immediately preceding the week of events leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection. Every year Christians celebrate this special day decorating their homes, churches with Palms, and reenact the triumphal entry of Jesus on a donkey into Jerusalem. But do we know why did Jesus enter Jerusalem on a donkey, why not on a horse? Why not in a chariot? And why did the crowds greet him with palm branches? What is the significance of Palm Sunday and what are its implications for us today? Let’s explore these questions.

            Last week we learned that from Perea, via Jericho, Jesus along with his twelve disciples and other pilgrims were on the road going up to Jerusalem. On his way, Jesus performed a miracle by giving sight to a blind man. In Matthew we read about two blind men. Jesus was traveling ahead of this crowd. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethpage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples to a nearby village with clear instructions.

            We will pick our story from here. Jesus said, Vs 2-3“Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This passage raises several questions, what is the symbolism of a donkey? why did Jesus need a donkey and what significance does it have for us today?

            We find some answers to these questions in Vs 4, “This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet.” Let’s see how this story is connected to an ancient prophecy. In 536 B.C two prophets named Zechariah and Haggai both were preaching to the first generation of Jews after the return to Judah from the Babylonian exile. They were talking to them about repentance, and how God was going to judge their enemies and restore the nation of Israel.        Zechariah 9:9-10, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  Jesus choosing a donkey was to fulfil the prophecy of Zechariah, but why a donkey, why not a horse?

I. WHY A DONKEY, WHY NOT A HORSE?

            In the scriptures the donkeys were used for many purposes. In Palestine the donkey has always played a much more important role than in the western world. It was the universal saddle of the east. Rich people often owned and used donkeys as mode of transportation. For example, Abraham loaded up his donkey when he went to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Genesis 22:3. In Judges 12:13-14, we find that riding a donkey is mentioned as actually a mark of high rank. “Pirathon, led Israel. He had 40 sons, and 30 grandsons, they rode on seventy donkeys.”

            God used a donkey to address a rebellious nation, Isaiah 1:3, “The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” He opened the mouth of a donkey to speak to an un yielding prophet Balaam. Coming back to our story Jesus used a young colt, the Gospel writer Mark makes this distinction, “no one has ever ridden.” What is the significance of choosing a young colt that no one has ever ridden on it?

            The young colt that no one has ridden on it represents sinlessness or purity, how the sacrifice of a young cow in the OT was used in the ritual of purification of the sins of Israel.

Thus, Jesus riding on a young colt declares to the world that he was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Just imagine, on the day of the inauguration of the president of the USA, the newly elected president and the first lady suddenly decides not to be driven in the presidential car the “Cadillac One” or fondly called as “the Beast.” Instead they come riding on a donkey along with the entourage, what kind of message would that send to the world?

            By choosing to ride on a donkey, Jesus sent a message of brokenness and humility. He was different than the kings and the rulers of that time. He came to establish a Kingdom of righteousness and Peace. Historically, horses and chariots were proudly used by victorious Kings and Princes. They rode horses when they went to war, but donkeys if they came in peace.  The mention of a donkey in Zechariah 9:9-10 fits the description of a king who would be “righteous having salvation, and gentle.” Rather than riding to conquer, this king would enter in peace. 

            Zechariah 9:10 highlights this peace: “I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” What does this mean to us? In following Christ's example, when serving the Lord, our focus should be on obeying Him with lowliness and humility. Not to seek for the glitter, the glamour and the glory for ourselves. We are called to bring and promote peace instead of violence and war.

                Jesus couldn’t have picked any other moment to make this spectacular entry. The city of Jerusalem was bustling with crowds because of the Passover feast. Families from all over came to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. Let’s continue our story from here. Vs 7-8, “They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut (palm) branches from the trees and spread them on the road.” What is the significance of “cloaks” and palm branches here in this passage?

II. CLOAKS & PALM BRANCHES

            In the OT, when people took their cloaks or outer garments and lay them down in front of someone meant that they, respected the one who has the power and authority over them. We see this kind of gesture playing out when God sent a prophet to anoint Jehu as the king of Israel.

            2 Kings 9: 12-13, “When Jehu said, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.” They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!” When the disciples took their cloaks and laid them on the donkey where Jesus sat and rode tells us that one-way the disciples were recognizing Jesus as their King and their Lord. How about the Palm branches?

            Most people living in the west may not know the value of Palm trees. I grew up in a place where they were in abundance, especially the date palm trees. In the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean world, the palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life. The palm was sacred in Mesopotamian religions, and in ancient Egypt represented immortality.       In the scriptures we see a beautiful symbolism of the righteous being compared to the palm trees in the house of the LORD. Psalm 92:12-13, “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.” For a weary traveler during the summer heat in a desert, finding a palm tree meant lifesaving, because, where the palm trees are there will also be water.

            Remember, when the Israelites were wondering in the desert “they came to Elim where they were twelve springs and seventy palm trees and they camped there near the water.” Exodus 15:27. A palm branch was awarded to victorious athletes in ancient Greece.  Historically, using palm branches on Palm Sunday originates with a Jewish festival Sukkoth, also called the Festival of the Tabernacles or Booths.

            As the worshippers processed through Jerusalem and in the Temple, waving in their right hands something called a lulab, which was a bunch of leafy branches made of willow, myrtle and palm. As they waved these branches they recited Psalm 118:25-26, “O Lord save us, Lord grant us success.…blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord.”

            As Jesus approached the temple in Jerusalem riding on a donkey the crowds began to shout, Vs 9, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” In Hebrew the word Hosanna means, “Save” which became an exclamation of praise. Let’s look at the significance of this praise proclamation.

III THE ROYAL ENTRY.

            We see some parallels between Solomon’s riding on a donkey and Jesus’ riding on a donkey into Jerusalem. Though these two incidents are separated by centuries they are very significant. This how the transfer of the Kingdom from David to Solomon took place. I Kings 1:33-35“Take your lord’s servants with you and have Solomon my son mount my own mule and take him down to Gihon. There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!... he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”

            History tells us that though Solomon’s kingdom did not last forever, God granted peace to Judah from all their enemies as long as Solomon lived. Thousands of years later we are noticing another kind of transfer of power into the hands of Jesus who was greater than Solomon.  Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem ushered in a new Kingdom, it was the Kingdom of God on earth. He was going to lay its foundation later through his death on the cross. In that kingdom there will be no more sin, no more death but there will only be righteousness peace and joy everlasting life.

            At the time of this supposedly Royal Entry, only a few people seemed to have understood its significance. Whereas as for the religious leaders and the onlookers Jesus remained as yet another prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. Jesus’s ride on a donkey into Jerusalem did not go entirely unnoticed, the whole city of Jerusalem was stirred, which in return triggered a series of events that lead Jesus to be crucified on a mountain called Golgotha.

            On this Palm Sunday a few questions for us to ponder. Even today, many seem to be missing it when it comes to seeing who Jesus really is. How do you see Jesus today? Do you see him as a good moral teacher, a prophet a healer? Or do you see him as the king of kings and the lord of lords? That perception will change everything. When we believe in this truth, that Jesus came into this world to establish God’s Kingdom, for which he laid a foundation 2000 years ago, and one day he will come back to rule this earth as King forever, we will be saved.

            There will come a day where all those who believe in Jesus now will hold Palm branches in their hands as a sign of victory over sin and death in front of the throne of God. Are you going to be in that crowd? I want to conclude with this futuristic vision of Palm Sunday. Rev 7:9-11 “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

            They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.    And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God. Amen!

           

WHEN BLIND EYES WERE OPENED

WHEN BLIND EYES WERE OPENED

Mark 10:46-52

           D.L. Moody, the famed evangelist, told this story at one of his meetings: One evening just before Christmas, a man was walking through the streets of an Eastern city. The store windows were all beautifully decorated, and he observed three little girls intensely interested in one of them. He discovered that the girl in the center was blind, and the others were trying to describe the beautiful things in the window. “Why,” they said, “can’t you see that Teddy bear and that doll? Just look at that pretty pink bow!”

            But the poor little girl stood with a blank expression on her face and could not appreciate the beautiful things before her. “Now,” said Moody, “this is an illustration of the effort we Christians are making to arouse the unconverted to an interest and delight in spiritual things. The reason we can’t do so is because the sinner is spiritually blind.” Moody had scarcely concluded when a reporter was on the platform asking him where he had heard that story. “Oh,” said Moody, “I read it in one of those daily papers. I have forgotten which one.” Then the reporter said, “I’m the one who wrote the story because I was there and saw the whole thing. I see now that I’m just like that little girl, spiritually blind.” That man was converted then and there.

            Hellen Keller an author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree once said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” Wouldn’t that be wonderful if God were to open the eyes of the spiritually blind so that they might see the Light of the world? I invite you to come along with me on Jesus ‘Journey to Jerusalem where we will be exploring what Christ has done on his way to Jerusalem I title this message, “WHEN BLIND EYES WERE OPENED.” Mark 10:46-52.   Let me set the background to Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. In Vs1 we read, “And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan and crowds gathered to him again.”

            What do we know about the region of Judea?  This region was known as Perea just east of the Jordan river. It was not technically part of Judea, but the territory by Herod the great. Christ’s ministry in Perea lasted only a few months. It was from here that he would make his final journey to Jerusalem just prior to the Passion Week. From Perea, via Jericho, they (Jesus, his twelve disciples and other pilgrims) were on the road going up to Jerusalem.

            Jesus was walking ahead of the crowd. The mood among the travelers was one of amazement and fear, because Jesus predicted what was going to happen to him when they would reach Jerusalem. Let’s pick our story from here, Vs 33, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.”

            In NASB it reads, “Behold we are going up to Jerusalem.” What is the significance of the word, “Behold”? The Greek word used here has a deeper meaning than just to simply see. It means, "to know, observe. It literally means, "Be sure to see "Don't miss this! It is an observable, objective fact!" Why did Jesus bring this subject again, for a third time? Was it because according to Hellen Keller, they were only having sight but no vision?

            When Jesus said about the manner in which he was going to be tortured, killed and rise again on the third day he was not thinking aloud, but was seeing the near fulfilment of a prophecy spoken by the prophet Isaiah (Ch. 50), around 700BC. Throughout his life Jesus knew that his mission on the earth was not just to do miracles but offer his life as ransom for many.

        On his final Journey to Jerusalem Jesus saw what was coming at him but his own disciples and the fellow pilgrims did not perceive it. We will talk more about it in the coming days, but for now let’s behold a miracle that Jesus performs outside of Jericho as he heads towards Jerusalem.

I JESUS GIVES SIGHT TO THE PHYSICALLY BLIND: (46-52)

            Vs 46, “Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus, was sitting by the roadside begging.”  Why was he begging? In ancient times, congenital blindness sentenced a person to begging as the only means of support. They often found prominent places like the temple or on the main road leading up to the temple. The Bible talks quite a bit about blindness and how God uses it at times to teach us valuable lessons of trust and obedience. Coming back to our story.

            When Bartimaeus heard that it was “Jesus of Nazareth,” he couldn’t keep quiet, as if he had realized that this might be his only and perhaps the last chance, he began to cry out loud, saying, “Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me! What can we learn from the way the crowds addressed Jesus and the way Bartimaeus addressed Jesus? Although Bethlehem was his birth place, Nazareth was where he had lived, therefore the crowds could see Jesus as one among them, a man from Nazareth whose father was Joseph a carpenter.

            On the other hand, the blind Bartimaeus saw in Jesus something what others who had eyes to see but had failed to see. He cried out, “Son of David have mercy on me.” The crowds rebuked him, but he couldn’t care less, he cried out all the more, “Son of David have mercy on me.” Primarily, the title “Son of David” is more than a statement of physical genealogy. It is a Messianic title. Jesus was addressed as “Lord, the son of David” several times by people who, by faith, were seeking mercy or healing. For them Jesus was powerful like king David was.

            Ironically, though the Pharisees understood exactly what the people meant when they called Jesus “Son of David.” But, they were so blinded by their own pride they couldn’t see what Bartimaeus saw, that he was the Messiah indeed, whose appearance they had been waiting for.

            The loud cries of Bartimaeus have applied breaks to Jesus’ ongoing Journey. So, Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” They come to him and said, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.” Here are a few principles that would help us in receiving a miracle from Jesus.

            First, in your desperation don’t be ashamed to cry out loud to God, because “crying’ is a sure way to get his attention. Secondly, don’t lose faith, and don’t let anyone stop you from crying out to God for his intervention. Third, Jesus invites you into his presence and asks you what you would want him to do for you and waits before he acts. By faith when you ask Jesus what you want him to do for you and obey his instructions you will receive a miracle.

            Finally, when you receive your miracle, don’t go on your way as nothing has happened, instead like how Bartimaeus how immediately followed Jesus, you too follow him. This story explains how Jesus restored sight to a man who was physically blind, but that was not the main purpose why Jesus came into this world. He came to open the eyes of those who were spiritually blind, to unveil the message of the Kingdom of God to those who were blinded by Satan.

Just like the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and law teachers of Jesus’ time, today many are spiritually blind. How can we know whether we are spiritually blind or not, if so what is the cure for our spiritual blindness? What would a life that has been cured of spiritual blindness look like?

II JESUS GIVES SIGHT TO THE SPIRITUALLY BLIND

            In the New Testament Jesus often made comparisons between those who are physically blind and those who were spiritually blind. The Pharisees gave preference to external purity and religiosity but failed to see God’s plan for the poor, the foreigner, the orphan and the widow.

            Hence, Jesus called them “blind guides.” The Pharisees saw all the miracles like the healing of the blind, the lame etc., yet they failed to recognize that Jesus was indeed the coming Messiah. Isaiah 42:1-9, Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations…to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” Remember in the beginning we talked about, what the word, “Behold” meant? Let’s not come too hard on the Pharisees, we too at times can be spiritually blind. Spiritual blindness is the failure to realize that God is performing miracles for you every single moment.

            Here is a simple check list that might be helpful to diagnose our spiritual blindness. We are spiritually blind, when we fail to see God’s finger prints in small, and big, literally in all aspects of our lives. Are you a skeptic, denying the very existence of God while admiring the wonders of the nature? The scriptures tell us that the heavens declare the glory of God.

            Do you attribute your success and achievements to your intelligence and sheer brilliance without giving glory to God?   Do you move in fear, anxiety and unbelief? Are you having the vision of God and see all people as valuable, made in the image of God and give them due respect?   How answer these questions determines the extent of our spiritual blindness. What causes this spiritual blindness and is there any cure for it? Mostly, it is caused by our refusal to believe that God is all what he says he is, in his Son Jesus Christ and in His word.

            But there is another insidious force at work in the lives of millions of unbelievers in this world so that they might not come to know the truth of the gospel. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  

            Satan has been a liar from the beginning, he has been deceiving so many people. Many, though they think they are seeing yet are spiritually blind because they are living believing the lies of the enemy. But the good news is, Jesus the light of the world came into this world to give sight to the blind and to set the prisoners free. He came to destroy the works of the devil. The same Jesus who healed the blind Bartimaeus, is here today moving towards you by His Holy Spirit, with healing in his hands, to heal you of your spiritual blindness and set you free.

            When we are healed of our spiritual blindness, then we will be quick to give glory to God for all that he has done, is doing and will continue to do in and through our lives. When we are healed of our spiritual blindness we will have the vision of the Lord, we will be concerned with the things that he is concerned of, then we will begin to love all people as he has loved us.

            My prayer for all of us during this lent season is that, “Come Lord Jesus, open the eyes of our hearts so that we might see you high and lifted up, in your glory. Then may we all sing, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now am found T'was blind but now I see. Amen

GROWING IN LOVE & KINDNESS: (Seven Supplements to Your Faith-Part VI)

GROWING IN LOVE & KINDNESS

(Seven Supplements to your faith Part VI) II Peter 1:1-11

            If you don’t think the world is hungry for kindness, consider this. In 1982 Berkeley writer and activist Anne Herbert coined a simple phrase: Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK). The idea took root, then took off. In 1992, a book by that title was published promoting this thought: “Imagine what would happen if there were an outbreak of kindness in the world, if everybody did one kind thing on a daily basis.” The book became an instant best-seller, spawning such things as:  An annual RAOK Week- Participants are encouraged to do things like shovel their neighbor’s drive way, adopt a stray animal, treat your local police officer to coffee, write an encouraging note to your teacher and to your pastor etc. In 1997 more than 500 communities in five countries celebrated Random Acts of Kindness Week. Why stop there?

             In a world where there is so much of hatred, self-centeredness and selfishness one-person personified kindness, that was a humble catholic nun named Mother Theresa. Can you imagine what would happen if each of the members of Hope Church did one kind thing in our community on a daily basis and encourage others to do so? Let’s practice kindness.

            For the past several weeks we have been following a series titled, “Seven Supplements to Your Faith,” based on the second letter of the Apostle Peter. 2 Peter 1: 5-7 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to, Self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” We have looked with great interest at the following supplements such as goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance and godliness. Today we will wrap up our series by looking into the final two supplements, Brotherly kindness and Love and see how they impact the way we live and relate to one another.

I. GROWING IN KINDNESS:

            The dictionary definition of kindness: It is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. In the OT the word Kindness was defined as an attitude of love which contains acts of mercy. In King James Version we see the word, “lovingkindness” which captures the full meaning of the word. Keeping these definitions in mind let’s look at what Peter meant when he urged the believers to supplement “brotherly kindness to godliness.” The Greek word Philadelphia used here comes from two words, philos (friend) adolphos (brother). In NIV it is translated as, “mutual affection” In ESV, “brotherly affection.” In NASB, “brotherly kindness.”

            In the NT it was used to describe the love of Christians to one to another, brotherly love out of a common spiritual life. Why was this a big deal for the Christians of Peter’s time? Just to give you the context in which this was written: The believers were persecuted for their faith, they were exiled, and scattered among several provinces in that region. Christians must have been a minority group, fellowship must have been sparse and scarce. It was tough to be a Christian.

            Let’s say a group of Americans Christians were exiled to Iraq. How would they feel in that strange country, among people of strange food and customs? What if they found a few Americans, how about if they came across American Christians, even more so some Baptist Christians, would they not be ecstatic, affectionate and loving towards each other?  

           

            You get the picture, of what was it like then for the persecuted, perhaps a minority Christians who were dominated by people of other customs and religious ideologies. Under such circumstances Peter was urging believers to supplement brotherly kindness to their godliness.          They were not only to love their fellow believers, fellow countrymen but all people in general. Which is very much the heart of God, who loves all people and wants all people to be saved. In our passage in II Peter 1:5-8, we won’t find the scope and specifics of how to let this brotherly kindness be expressed however by reading, other passages in 1st and 2nd Peter we can find a path way to grow in kindness in general. A few scriptural examples of brotherly kindness. I Peter 1:22, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” I Peter 4:7-8, “The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

            These two scriptures tell us that, all those who are born again Christians must be sincere in their love for their fellow Christians, they are not to love superficially but from the depths of their heart. The end of all things is nearer now than when the Apostle Peter wrote these letters, therefore we got to be alert, be mindful, be committed to pray but above all we are to love our fellow brothers and sisters in the family of God deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. What an encouragement for us to be kind and loving to one another.

            How is brotherly kindness manifested? Remember Kindness is love in action, therefore it has to be reflected more in actions than in words. If you go to the foundation of Random Acts of Kindness you can find a whole range of activities to show kindness to people. I would like to show you what biblical kindness looks like.  There is a beautiful story of kindness in II Samuel chapters 9 and 10. It was that time when the kingdom of Saul became the kingdom of David.

            All the household of Saul was killed including David’s best friend Jonathan. Now David was a sovereign king over the entire kingdom, but he had not forgotten the promise he made to his friend Jonathan.  So, he asked his officials, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake? 

            Through further inquiry he found out that there was still a son of Jonathan; he was lame in both feet. David sends Ziba the servant who was taking care of Jonathan’s son and had Mephibosheth brought to the palace. It was interesting to observe the dialogue between the King David, and Mephibosheth who considered himself a dead dog of which has of no value whatsoever to its master, due to his lameness in his feet. Yet David decided to show kindness to both Mephibosheth, and the servant Ziba, they were given all that belonged to Saul and his family, and Mephibosheth was granted access to the King’s dining table as long as he lived.

            This is a great example of showing kindness not merely in words but through actions especially to those who feel rejected and undeserving. David’s acts of kindness in a small way resembles God’s kindness to us. While we were dead in our transgression God sent His son, and his name is Jesus. He offered himself on the cross of Calvary, paving the way into His presence. Though we were undeserving, out of the kindness of his heart Jesus is inviting all of us to gain access into His Everlasting Kingdom. Our kindness to others is the outflow of God’s love in us.

II. GROWING IN LOVE

            After encouraging the believers to supply six supplements to their faith he tops it with the seventh one called love. This supplement of love is in essence the most important of all because out of which everything else flows. You and I will never know how to love others unless and until we receive and continue to grow in God’s love, his everlasting and unconditional love. Much can be said about God’s love, for want of time I will look at how God manifested his love and how are we to display our father’s love in His world. Our God is extravagant! When it comes to pouring out his love over sinners like us, he will not hold back anything.

            The believed disciple John, who once basked in God’s love, has something to tell us about the depth of God’s love and the enormous responsibility that comes with it.

            I John 3:1, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” Let’s pause on this for a moment. Is it beginning to sink into you, that when you gave your heart to Jesus you became a child of God? John emphatically reminds you, that’s what you are! You are God’s son and daughter. In a broken world that is starving for love, we the children of God are called to display our fathers love.

            How are we to do it? Both in words and deeds. I John 3:16-18, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” God is displeased when people religiously worship him merely by their words, while forgetting to love people through their deeds.

            The OT prophet Micah has a profound message for all of us today. Micah 6: 8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Love God and man are inextricably connected.

            It has been my joy in exploring this series with you. As we wrap this up let me remind you of the seven Supplements again. They are there for a reason. Knowing about them alone won’t help us. But when we supply them in abundance and in increasing manner to our faith, I guarantee that by the power of the Holy Spirit we will become productive and successful.

            Here is the list again: 2 Peter 1: 5-7 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to, Self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” My prayer is that as we leave this place we will make a resolve to apply this teaching in our daily lives, so that we become healthy disciples and a healthy Church. Amen

             

Seven Supplements to Your Faith V Godliness

SEVEN SUPPLEMENTS TO YOUR FAITH- PART V

GROWING IN GODLINESS! II Peter 1:1-7, 

           There was once a godless seaman who was in a boat fishing with his godless companions when a storm came up which threatened to sink the ship. His companions begged him to offer a prayer; but he hesitated, saying it was years since he had prayed or even gone to church. Finally, upon their insistence, he offered this prayer: O Lord, I have not asked You for anything for fifteen years, and if You deliver us out of this storm and bring us safe to land again, I promise that I will not bother You again for another fifteen years.

            That’s not sincerity. Many people only call on God in times of difficulty and then when the difficulty has passed, they tend to forget God. As it’s been said: Danger past. God forgotten. Danger present. God remembered. One great example was 9/11 attacks. Many soon after those attacks were in church seeking God for answers, but today many are too busy to attend a church service on Sundays. We have been following a series titled, “Seven Supplements to Your Faith,” based on the second letter of the Apostle Peter. 2 Peter 1: 5-7 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to, Self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”

            The Apostle Peter encouraged the persecuted Christians, if they want to be productive they were to supply in abundance to their faith, goodness, to goodness, knowledge and to knowledge self-control, and to self-control, perseverance. We looked at these four supplements more in depth in the past weeks. Today we will look at another supplement which is often misunderstood and not emphasized much these days, that is the supplement of godliness.

            We heard this word, but when it comes to giving a quick and easy answer what godliness is, we have hard time defining it. Before we look into what godliness is, how it manifests in the life of a believer, how we can cultivate and grow in it, it would be helpful to look at godlessness for a moment and its devastating effects on individuals and in our broader society. 

I. GODLESSNESS IN OUR SOCIETY:

            When pastors and Christian leaders get together we often lament over the state of the world and especially the state of the USA, that is becoming more and more godless. I grieve in my spirit when I watch ads like the one that Ron Reagan put out for freedom from religion foundation, that starts like this, Hi I’m Ron Reagan, an unabashed atheist,” and signs of saying, "Lifelong atheist, not afraid of burning in hell." Are you sure! What is coming of our country, that supposedly have been founded on biblical principles? Why this godlessness in our times?

            Godlessness doesn’t mean that God has abandoned the earth, or He is not interested or uninvolved in the matters of our lives. It means that we have moved away from God, thinking that we don’t need God, we can do it ourselves and do whatever we like. Godlessness is not a new thing, since the time of the garden of Eden, the devil has been trying hard to discredit God His plan and claims on humanity. The devil has been cleverly deceiving so many people.

            The words godlessness, ungodly, and pagan appear throughout the Bible in various forms.  To name a few scriptures: Psalm 53:1-3 “The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God," They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good. Proverbs 11:9, “With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape.” Job 15:34, “For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.”  

            Job 8:11-13, “Can reeds thrive without water? While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass. Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so, perishes the hope of the godless.” Israel’s history tells us that there was a time where both the prophet and the priest have become polluted. Jeremiah 23:11, “Both prophet and priest are godless; even in my temple I find their wickedness,” declares the Lord.” When a nation forgets God, wickedness will thrive, the poor will be oppressed, and people will be deprived of justice. How God has dealt with Godlessness in the past and how will he deal with today and forever in the future?

            In Genesis 6 we read about the universal flood that wiped out the entire godless society, including the animals, only sparing a righteous man named Noah and his family. In Exodus we read about God wiping out an entire nation of Egypt while he preserved His own people, Israel.  Later on, when Israel forgot God, he dealt with them severely by sending them into captivity in Babylon. In Romans 1: 18, we read, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

            The scriptures tell us that once again the wrath of God is going to come upon all the ungodly. Jude 14-15, “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

            One day all those who are ranting against God now, will have to give an account. It is very sobering to hear and read about godlessness in our society. It is frightening to even think about what the outcome of our nation would be if we let this godlessness continue without addressing it. Is there a remedy? Can we turn our nation back to God? I believe it is possible, when believers learn how to grow in godliness and teach others to do the same.

II. WHAT IS GODLINESS?

            The dictionary defines godliness as, “conforming to the laws and wishes of God; devout; pious.” In the Bible the Greek word translated “godliness” means “holiness,” without which no one will see God (Hebrews 12:14). But it is a holiness not obtained by keeping the Law, which is impossible, according to Galatians 2:16, “know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.” We are not only justified by our faith in Christ, but also according to 2 Corinthians 5:17, we become a new creation, the old is gone and the new is here.

            What does this all mean?  It means that, at the moment of salvation we are made completely clean and righteous before God. Our old self with all its uncleanness has been washed away and we have been given a new nature so that we might share in His godliness. and only then can we share in His godliness. We don’t do things so that we become godly, but we are already godly, holy and set apart, because Christ’s work at the time of salvation.

III. GROWING IN GODLINESS:

            How do we grow in this grace called godliness? As with everything else there are no shortcuts. We don’t automatically become godly overnight with a simple decision to be godly. We must work at it, we must train ourselves to be godly. Timothy, compares it to the physical training of an athlete. I Timothy 4:7-9, “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

           

            This scripture encourages us to train ourselves physically which is helpful for this present age, but even more so to train ourselves unto godliness which will be beneficial both for this life and also for the life to come. What are the tools we use in our training towards godliness, and where do we get them? The Apostle Peter deals with it in I Peter 1:3.

            “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” Christ’s power is the source of the believer’s sufficiency in all things that pertain to life. In other words, we have been empowered by Christ with all the necessary tools to live godly lives, all we need to do now is to start living godly. What does it mean to live godly, in a godless society? To live godly means to live reverently, loyally, and obediently toward God. Living godly means through our worship we revere and honor him. Through our faithfulness and loyalty, we serve God and others. We are obedient to His word. We love our spouses, children, and others as Christ has loved us.

            Living godly lives also mean, that we take care of the poor and the needy and we stand up and fight for justice. In the beginning of the sermon I lamented quite a bit about godlessness in our society. It is one thing to be vexed about all that is not going right in our society and it is another thing to pray to God to be merciful and to tenderly deal with our nation, so that it will turn back to Him. One of the ways we grow in godliness is by heading Timothy’s advice to pray.

            I Timothy 2:1-3, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior,” My prayer for our each of us and for our country is that, “O Lord, we have sinned against you by neglecting you. Please forgive us. Fill us with grace so that we will continue to grow in the grace of godliness and love people as you have loved us. We pray for our president, that he might be saved and have your wisdom and strength as he deals with critical issues in our nation.  We pray for those who do not know you, so that they might come to know you. Pray against all unrest, crime and violence so that we might live in peace and harmony with one another. Amen