"The Benefit Of Christian Determination"

Sermon on Luke 19:28-40

Weekend of April 16, 2000

Saint Mark's, Watertown, WI

Pastor Karl Walther

 

            As the Psalms insist: The Lord is my strength and my song!  He has become my salvation!  Amen.

            God's Word for our special consideration this morning is Saint Luke's record of the events of Palm Sunday-- Luke chapter nineteen, verses twenty-eight through forty:

            After Jesus had spoken, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, `Why are you untying it?' tell him, `The Lord needs it.'"

            Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" -- They replied, "The Lord needs it."

            They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

            Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" -- "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."         This is God's Spirit-inspired Word of Jesus Christ.

 

Introduction: We Consider Human Determination Admirable

 

            Dear fellow Christians-- for whom Jesus displayed determination, and who yourselves need to demonstrate determination for him:

            You've got to admire determined people.  You've got to admire people who set their sights on a goal and won't quit until they achieve it.  I'll give you some examples....

     °      Bill Gates.  Besides being the brainy constructor of computer software, the guy is a very determined businessman.  So determined was he to corner his own little market that he developed his computer software in an exclusive manner to forbid the simultaneous use of other software.  So determined was he to corner the market on internet-access software that he put his web browser on all the computers he sold, conquering the competition. 

            Like I said, we admire determined people....

     °      How about Michael Jordan?  Besides his amazing God-given athletic ability, he had a will to win.  When his skill so easily to blow by opponents and dunk left him, he developed a fade-away jumper that was almost unstoppable.  And in big games -- even if he had the flu and the Bulls still needed thirty-some points out of him, he accomplished that -- he refused to lose. 

            Or are Bill Gates and Michael Jordan too modern for your tastes...? 

     °      How about Winston Churchill?  Already in the summer of nineteen forty: with the Nazi Wehrmacht having overrun Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the Low Countries, and France -- with the Luftwaffe conducting nightly bombing raids on London -- he said: "We will never surrender!"  During the rest of the war, even when bombs were raining down on his city at night, he kept up that same attitude of determination-- and was victorious. 

 

Theme: The Benefit Of Christian Determination

 

            As great as any such human determination is, though, so much greater is an attitude of Christian determination.  This morning on the basis of the account of Palm Sunday, we will be examining: * THE BENEFIT OF CHRISTIAN DETERMINATION.  We'll see of course (1) JESUS DISPLAYED CHRISTIAN DETERMINATION FOR US, and we'll become convinced that (2) WE NEED TO DEMONSTRATE IT FOR HIM, too.

 

Part One: Jesus Displayed Determination

 

            It was about nineteen hundred and seventy years ago-- early on a Sunday, early in April.  Jesus had spent the last many months of his life on a death march: from his headquarters in the northern part of the Holy Land, preaching through a lot of pagan territory, on his way to the south.  Jesus had just told his Parable of the Ten Minas-- a spiritual story in which Jesus encouraged service toward him and condemned unfaithfulness toward him. 

            From there we read: After Jesus had spoken, he went on ahead -- see how determined his was? -- going up to Jerusalem, because Jerusalem was built on a hill, some twenty-six hundred feet above sea level.  He approached Bethphage: a tiny little town not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture, near Bethany: only two miles southeast of Jerusalem, at the hill called the Mount of Olives: really a ridge with four summits, east of Jerusalem and parallel to it, towering a hundred more feet above the tall city. 

            Then we read: He sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you -- Bethphage -- and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there -- a young donkey -- which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here."  Further displaying the knowledge of all things which was his as God, Jesus says: "If anyone asks you, `Why are you untying it?' tell him, `The Lord -- Jesus, who is God himself! -- needs it.'"

 

Application One: Jesus Displayed Christian Determination For Us

 

            My friends: there are all sorts of things I could point out there, but what I want to focus in on for a moment is Jesus' attitude of determination. 

            Brothers and sisters: Jesus knew exactly what he was in for, here in Jerusalem.  Remember-- five weeks ago already we noted what Jesus said at the beginning of this death march: The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed.... 

     •      You see, Jesus had studied the Old Testament Scriptures-- Isaiah fifty-three, which testifies: Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.  Jesus marched into Jerusalem, knowing the weight of the sins of the world would crush him in Gethsemane, knowing that the throng of soldiers would beat him up, knowing that the almighty and all-powerful God -- formerly his Father! -- was going to smack him for your every sin.  Yet on he marched: for you. 

     •      Again, Jesus had studied the Old Testament Scriptures-- Psalm one-eighteen, which testifies that Jesus is: the stone the builders will reject.  You see, Jesus marched into Jerusalem, knowing that the teachers of the law would refuse to see in him the fulfillment of the law, knowing that the high priest ordained by God would condemn him as a blasphemer against God, knowing that the Sanhedrin would hand him over to the Gentiles-- demanding his death.  It was all unjust guilt, laid on his shoulders.  Yet on he marched: for you. 

     •      And Jesus had studied the Old Testament Scriptures-- Deuteronomy twenty-one, which testifies: cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.  Jesus marched into Jerusalem, knowing he was going to be crucified, knowing his hands and feet would be pierced, knowing he'd gasp for breath, knowing he'd suffer unearthly pain, knowing his Father would desert him, knowing he'd go through hell.  Yet on he marched: to take your sin, your guilt, upon himself-- and to take it all away. 

 

Part 2 & Application 2: Jesus' Followers Demonstrated Determination,

& We Demonstrate Christian Determination For Jesus

 

            What determination Jesus displayed!-- not determination to corner a market for himself, not determination to win a championship for himself, not determination even to gain a victory for his country-- but determination to rescue you eternally!  That's the sort of Savior you can surely determine to serve!  At least his original followers thought so...

            ...because we go on to read: Those who were sent ahead went.  Those two disciples, very likely apostles (a form of that word is even used in the original here)-- those two disciples, who were sent, went!  They didn't ask, "Jesus, how do you know there will be a colt?  How do you know we won't get in trouble for taking it?"  No, they were sent, and they went. 

     °      You can obey Jesus' commission to you with just as much confidence.  If right now Jesus has sent you to study in school, go do it-- and don't complain about the homework Jesus himself gives you.  If right now he has sent you to labor at work, go do it-- and don't complain about the many tasks or the tedious tasks that Jesus himself has given you.  If right now Jesus has sent you to parent a child, do it-- unselfishly.  If right now Jesus has sent you to care for an aging parent, instead, do it-- without complaint. 

            So, those two apostles obeyed Christ's commission to enter Bethphage, and we read that they: found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" -- They replied, "The Lord needs it."  And as we read in other accounts: The people let them go. 

     °      You know, you and I can follow the example of the owners of that donkey.  If we've got something the Lord can use, we lend it to him.  If your talent is loving people, you ask, "How can I love them-- for Jesus?"  If your talent is leading people, you ask, "How can I lead them-- to Jesus?"  If your talent parenting kids, you ask, "How can I parent them best-- for Christ?"  If your talent is making money, you ask, "How can I best use this-- for Christ and others, and not myself?" 

            So the owners of the donkey loaned it to Christ, and we read that: The apostles brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt as a sort of a saddle and put Jesus on it.  Furthermore: As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.  Now isn't that fascinating?  It's early springtime, and presumably cold; people need their jackets.  Yet here are these crowds, most of whom are an eighty-mile, four-day walk from home.  They probably didn't bring several jackets along.  The fact is that they probably didn't even own more than a couple jackets.  And yet they put their jackets down: to be trampled by thousands, probably irrevocably and irrecoverably-- for Jesus. 

     °      You know, you and I can follow the example of these disciples.  If they in their relative poverty plunked down the coats they needed, can't we in our incredible wealth plunk down some of the money we so like?  Can't we give a generous portion to the Lord this Sunday-- and every Sunday?  Couldn't we really, probably give a tenth to the Lord-- which he demanded of his Old Testament people?  Isn't even a tenth probably, really sort of miserly-- considering all our homes and cars and computers and t.v.s and radios and radar-ranges and refrigerators and dishwashers-- and salvation? and salvation?!  And a tenth these days, in an average household, isn't that pushing a hundred bucks even...? 

            Finally, it says: When Jesus came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives-- through the Kidron Valley and up to the Temple Mount -- the whole crowd of disciples, mostly from Galilee, began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" they said, quoting Psalm one-eighteen, which speaks of the Messiah.  And then, unconsciously echoing the angels on Christmas night: "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

            Nor was Jesus displeased with all this honor, since we read: Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"  But: "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones themselves will cry out."

     °      And there's a final example for us to follow.  The way the crowds shouted in joy over Jesus, we can surely sing.  Today it's "Hosanna, loud hosanna!" and "All glory, laud, and honor to you, Redeemer, King!"  Next week it will be "Jesus Christ is ris'n today!" and "I know that my Redeemer lives!"  And all our lives -- every day, day and night -- we will sing: "Thanks to you, Lord Jesus Christ: for your life and sacrifice!" 

 

Conclusion: Human Determination Disappears;

Christian Determination Lasts Forever

 

            So then, we do admire determination....  We admire the determination of a Bill Gates, but of course his empire might be broken up.  We admire the determination of a Michael Jordan, but he hasn't sunk a basket all season.  We admire the determination of a Winston Churchill, but of course he died in nineteen sixty-five. 

            That's the greatest thing about Christian determination.  Jesus displayed it for us, and the results last forever.  We demonstrate Christian determination for Jesus, and it brings him glory forever.  Amen.

            As the Psalms insist: Lord, I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.  Amen.