OPEN: The philosophy final at U.C.L.A had many blank pages for the answer to one question:
“What is courage?”
Most of the students wrote frantically, giving examples, expounding on theories. But one of the classmates turned in his essay with just two words on it to describe what courage was. He wrote: THIS IS.
And he received an A.
APPLY: What is courage?
With all due respect to that student from UCLA… courage is far more than a clever response on a college exam. That student “took a chance”; he took a risk. He gambled that his cute answer would get him the teacher’s attention and approval. And he was right.
But true courage goes far deeper than merely taking a chance that we can get by on witty statements and creative behavior.
The “Saturday” magazine had a quote once that said: “Courage does not consist in feeling no fear, but in conquering fear. He is the hero who seeing the lions on either side goes straight on, because there his duty lies.”
Plutarch said that:
"Courage consists not in hazarding without fear, but being resolutely minded in a just cause."
And one poet wrote
“Courage is an independent spark from heaven’s bright throne
By which the soul stands raised, triumphant, high, alone.” George Farquhar
In other words: true courage is the result of faith.
It’s a faith in a just cause, or in an ideal, or in the Will of God.
But this kind of faith - a faith that is the basis of true courage - is often the type of faith that requires us to stand… alone.
Throughout the Bible we’re told stories of people who did just that.
ILLUS: One poet noted
“Noah built the ark and voyaged alone. His neighbors laughed at his strangeness and perished in style.
Abraham wandered and worshipped alone. Sodomites smiled at the simple shepherd, followed the fashion, and fed the flames.
Daniel dined and prayed alone.
Elijah sacrificed and witnessed alone.
Jeremiah prophesied and wept alone.
Jesus loved and died alone."
Why did their faith require them to go it alone?
Because the general rule of most people in this world is that they’d rather not. Most folks would rather not stand alone. In fact, they’d just as soon “leave well enough… alone”
They’d rather not rock the boat.
They’d rather not be seen as judgmental.
They’d rather just “live and let live.”
But belonging to Christ sometimes requires us to go against the grain.
It sometimes calls us to call sin, sin.
It sometimes requires us to stand up for God’s truth even when others tell us to sit down and shut up.
ILLUS: A year ago Brittany McComb was the valedictorian at Henderson, Nevada Foothill H.S.
She graduated with a 4.7 GPA. and thus, she earned the right to address the other graduates. So, she wrote up her speech and then gave a copy to the school administrators. Because she was a Christian, it contained some Biblical references and even mentioned (one time) the name “Christ.”
The school administrators censored some of the Biblical references. And they also censored the single reference to Christ. Then the school officials handed the speech over to the ACLU for approval and for more censoring. After getting the OK from the ACLU, Brittany’s speech (minus the censored references to the Bible and Christ) was approved. Brittany was warned that if she deviated from the ACLU approved language, her mike would be cut off.
Then came the moment for the big decision. She would not bow down, she decided. She would go with her original version. She stepped to the mike and began her speech. But just before she could utter the name “Christ,” her mike went dead. School officials silenced her. The crowd of 400 jeered for several minutes, angry at the action of the school officials.
Something similar happened at the Lewis-Palmer High School in Denver, where another valedictorian, Erica Corder, also talked about her faith… and she was escorted to the assistant principal’s office following the ceremony and told that she could not be given her diploma because of her speech. The principal, Mark Brewer, then required that she not only apologize, but have a specific statement in an email which he sent to the entire high school community -- stating that if she had asked for permission, she would not have received it. Only after making those steps of apology was she permitted to receive her diploma.
Now… you might say: That’s not right!
And it’s not right.
But as one man once said: “If you want to follow Jesus, you had better look good on wood.”
Or as Adrian Rogers once said:
“Faith is not believing God in spite of the evidence.
Faith is obeying God in spite of the consequences.”
If you take a stand for Jesus Christ, you’ve got to realize that there will be times when you’ll be standing all alone. You’ll be challenged and rebuked and even punished. But that’s the nature of a faith that underlies true Godly courage.
Now that brings us to our story about John the Baptist
What happened to John wasn’t right…
· John stood up for God’s righteousness
· He stood against hypocrisy and sinfulness
· He called people to repentance and baptized
· But he pushed one couple a little too far… and they pushed back
We’re told that Herod Antipas – the ruler of Palestine at the time - married Herodias - his brother’ wife.
Of course the 1st question people might ask is: what’s wrong with that?
Well, Herod was the ruler of God’s people and therefore was under the Law of God. And God had told His people: “If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.” Leviticus 20:21
Now, there was an exception to that command in the Law. If a man died childless his brother was required to marry his dead brother’s wife and take care of her. But in this case, Herod’s brother was still alive.
In the eyes of God, what Herod did was like that old Jeff Foxworthy joke about “Rednecks”:
“You know you’re a redneck if you go to a family reunion… to look for dates”
We laugh at that, but the reason we laugh is because we know that no intelligent man would do that. We know that there’s something wrong with a guy who’d date his own relatives.
And likewise, there was something wrong with Herod.
He was disobeying a direct command of God
His marriage to Herodias was an abomination… it was sin… it would condemn them to childlessness and, eventually, to hell.
And so – John the Baptist (being a good prophet) confronts Herod and Herodias.
And as you might expect… they weren’t too happy about this.
We’re told in Matthew that “Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her." Matthew 14:3-4
In fact, Matthew tells us Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet. Matthew 14:5
The Gospel of Mark tell us
“Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.” Mk 6:19-20
So – obviously – we’ve a got a couple of pretty angry people here. And eventually all their anger and hatred builds up… and John dies at their command.
John’s death was a shock to everyone who heard about it.
His disciples were filled with grief and took his body away to be buried.
Jesus was so shaken that we’re told: “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.”
Now the question came to my mind… why did John the Baptist push them so hard?
Why not just leave well enough alone?
Why rock the boat?
Why would he be so judgmental?
Why not just live and let live?
But John didn’t do that.
The Greek in Matthew and Mark seems to indicate John REPEATEDLY confronted Herod.
Literally: “John KEPT ON SAYING to him: ’It is not lawful for you to have her.’" Matthew 14:4
It kind of reminds me of those guys on “Animal Planet” who pick up rattlesnakes and hold them up their faces explaining the obvious… these are poisonous snakes. Don’t do this at home!
John KEEPS ON picking up these poisonous snakes called Herod and Herodias and keeps on telling them that what they’ve done is sinful. It’s little wonder he got bit.
(PAUSE…)
But John always seems to have done that with snake-like people. In the Gospel of Luke, we’re told that the crowds came to him to be baptized and he tells them,
"You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance... The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." Luke 3:7-9
That was John’s message to EVERYBODY:
Repent!
Change!
Flee from the wrath of God!
Be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins!
It’s a repeated message in Scripture.
Not just for John in his day… but for the church of our day.
Paul said that he “preached that (Jews & Gentiles) should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” Acts 26:20
And in the 1st Gospel sermon preached on the day of Pentecost - Peter declared:
"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
Men may seek to change that message.
They may be offended because that’s not their theology.
But John didn’t care. He preached the same message to the prostitutes and tax collectors that he preached to the religious leaders like the Pharisees and to kings and queens like Herod and Herodias.
And he did so fully aware he was going to tick some people off.
But why? Why would John do this? Why is deliberately confronting people with their sin?
Well, 1st - that was his job.
This was what God had sent him to do. This is what he was born to do. John the Baptist’s responsibility was to prepare the way for the Lord.
For Jesus.
How do you prepare the way for Jesus?
How can people be prepared to belong to our Savior?
Well, they have to change their way of thinking. Their way of life.
And that’s called repentance.
But the only way they can repent… the only way they can change their lifestyle… is to realize that what they’ve been doing and what they’ve been thinking is wrong and what they’ve been exposing their lives and minds and hearts to – all of that is wrong.
And, as Christians, we don’t do God or anybody else any favors by backing off on what God calls sin. For, there are preachers, and there are Elders, and there are Sunday School Teachers, and there are regular Sunday go-to-meeting Christians who will try to back peddle when it comes to calling sin, sin. When push comes to shove, they’ll avoid standing up and saying that certain things like homosexuality, living together, abortion and taking drugs and getting drunk are wrong.
But the Bible tells us that these things (and other activities) are sin. And if the Bible calls something sin – so should we!!!
ILLUS: The story is told of an old-time preacher who often spoke on the subject of sin. He didn’t mince any words – he described it in the most direct and colorful ways he could. But, a leader in his congregation came to him on one time and asked him to cease using that word.
Said he: "Preacher, we wish you would not speak so plainly about sin. Our young people, hearing you, might be more likely to indulge in sin. Call it something else, as ’inhibition,’ or ’error’ or a ’mistake,’ or even ’a twist in our nature – but stop calling it SIN!”
The preacher tho’t about that minute and then said: "Oh, I think I know what you mean. Come with me."
And taking the church member to the kitchen, he reached under the sink and drew out a bottle of cleaning liquid. The bottle had a skull and cross bones on it and the description of the liquid as a poison.
"What you would have me do is put another label on this bottle. You wouldn’t want me to call it poison, but maybe something more pleasant... like wintergreen.” Then the preacher laughed and said “Sir, when God calls something sin, when he calls something evil, depraved or an abomination…I will call it by no other name."
That’s the 1st reason John never gave up confronting the sin of Herod and others. His job was to put the label on the bottle. To let people know in no uncertain terms that their sins were an evil that would poison them and ruin their lives.
The 2nd reason John never quit pestering Herod was… I really think he liked the man.
ILLUS: Back when I served my first congregation, one of the Elders there was a harsh domineering man who never took his Bible to church. He didn’t need it. He figured he knew all he needed to know. And he believed that since he was an Elder - if he wanted something done a certain way - that’s the way it was going to be. He didn’t want nor need the Bible to tell him any different. And he was the principle reason I got fired from there.
But I really liked the guy.
In fact, at both of my last two churches, there were honery, difficult individuals who were not at all Godly kind of folks. But, believe it or not – I liked them. And I didn’t want them to live like they were living and I didn’t want them to face the potential judgment that God might hand down.
So I can identify with John liking Herod.
And it really does makes sense to believe that. Think about it… everybody else had to go to John to get baptized. John didn’t go to the crowds… they came to him
But John didn’t wait for Herod to come to him… John went to Herod.
When he rebuked Herod I don’t think John did it because he was in a bad mood. I don’t believe he confronted Herod because he wanted the man to go to hell.
John was looking for repentance.
For a change of life.
He was looking for this Jewish leader to actually become a Godly man.
John had faith in the power of God to change people’s lives. And because he believed in God’s power… he had courage that was necessary to confront a wicked king in the hopes of God reaching down into the very heart of that king and turning him around.
That’s why Peter wrote that “The Lord is… patient (KJV – “longsuffering”) with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
