During the campaign season we watch the polls of these candidates go up and down from week to week like a yo-yo. The Presidents popularity can be 70 to 80% one day and a week later it might be below 50%.
WHY DO THE POLLS GO UP AND DOWN?
It has everything to do with the candidates doing something that is POPULAR or UNPOPULAR!
If he does something popular everybody likes him and if he does something unpopular many will turn against him. The politicians know this, and that is why many of them never make a move unless they test their views on some focus groups.
Illus: The Statesman, Henry Kissinger, said this about politicians today; “Our age finds it difficult to come to grips with figures like Winston Churchill. The political leaders with whom we are familiar generally aspire to be superstars rather than heroes. The distinction is crucial.
• Superstars strive for popularity; heroes walk alone.
• Superstars crave consensus; heroes define themselves by the judgment of a future they see it as their task to bring about.
The modern political leader rarely ventures to comment in public without having tested his views on focus groups...to a man like Churchill, the very concept of focus groups would have been unimaginable…” (Henry Kissinger in the New York Times Book Review, from his review of Churchill, by Norman Rose (July 16, 1995). Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 11.)
Illus: Erma Bombeck said, “Don't confuse fame with success. Madonna is one, and Helen Keller is the other.” (Erma Bombeck. Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 1.)
We have a lot of folks today who are popular, like Madonna, but the reason they are in the public view is because they will SAY and DO anything to be there.
• If it means getting on national television and using garbage language that a lady would never use, SO BE IT!
• If it means getting on national television and taking their clothes off like a lady would never do, SO BE IT!
• If it means getting on national television and kissing Britney Spears on the lips like Madonna did, which a lady would never do, SO BE IT!
There is a crowd out there who will fill their mouths with cockroaches and eat them if it takes that to be popular.
But let me also say that there are people who are in the public view because they did the right thing.
Illus: In March 31, 2004, OPEC decided they would cut back on the oil supply to drive up the price of gas for Americans. The President sent a message to Saudi Arabia, the nation leading this campaign, about how dissatisfied he was with their decision.
One brave Governor decided he would put his political career on the line to do some thing about it.
Governor Frank H. Murkowski of Alaska took it upon himself to go against the environmentalist in this country who for years have made us dependent upon foreign oil.
• He knew that onshore drilling required permission from the congress
• But offshore drilling three miles from shore was a state’s decision
Because OPEC continues to hold this country dependent upon them, he made the unpopular decision to do what is best for America, even if the environmentalists attacked him viciously for this decision.
The state of Alaska is honored to have such a governor.
Some get their popularity by doing evil, but there are some who have the courage to do what is right and that is why many admire them greatly.
This Sunday is Palm Sunday. We call it Palm Sunday because it reminds us of the day when the Lord Jesus’ popularity was at an all time high.
• He did not gain this popularity through indecency
• He did not gain this popularity through evil
• He did not gain this popularity by looking out for Himself
He was the most popular individual of that day because the Bible says, HE WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD!
On this very special day, as He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, the crowd was cheering him and waving palm branches at Him. The Lord Jesus at this time in His ministry was very popular.
His popularity was so great that the political leaders and religious leaders of that day felt threatened by Him. Many people spread their garments in the way as Jesus rode into the city. It was a day of great joy.
But listen, when it comes to popularity, you can be on the mountain top one day and in the valley the next.
Illus: After the “Persian Gulf” war, George Herbert Bush’s popularity was so high among the Americans that it had reached almost 90%.
• He was so popular that no one in his party would run against him.
• He was so popular that many of the popular democrats who wanted to run would not run that year because they thought it would be a waste of time, money and energy to run against him.
So some of the unknown democrats like Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton chose to run against him, and in less than a year, the ever-so-popular George Herbert Bush lost the election.
On Palm Sunday, the Lord’s popularity was high, but it was only a short time later that he stood before this same crowd and they were crying out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” And that is exactly what they did!
Illus: The movie Mel Gibson produced called, “The Passion Of The Christ” shocked a lot of folks to see:
• How quickly the crowds turned against Him
• How He was brutally beaten and nailed to a cross
Listen, you do not need to go see a movie to see that, the Word of God tells us how He was beaten beyond recognition.
Today we want to take a look at Him and see how He who knew no sin became sin for you and I.
Up to this moment, through all the beatings and torture, Jesus was silent, even as the Bible said He would be.
Isa. 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”
Jesus remains silent ...
• As He is accused
• As He is mocked
• As He is whipped
• As His hands and feet are nailed to a roughly cut cross
• As the cross is lifted into place
• As His body is torn in pain
• Never did He cry out for vengeance
• Never did He demand justice
• Never did He fight back at all the injustice being done to Him
But, during the last 6 hours of His life, Jesus will speak, very briefly seven times.
• Four of His utterances were prayers to His Father in Heaven
• Three of His utterances were to friends and loved ones
Let’s briefly list the seven final times Jesus spoke!
• Luke 23:34 “...Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
• John 19:26,27 “Woman, behold thy son!… Behold thy mother!”
• Luke 23:43 “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
• Matt. 27:46 “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
• John 19:28 “….I thirst…”
• Luke 23:46 “....Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit:....”
• John 19:30 “...It is finished....”
Notice that His first utterance was a prayer. What a powerful prayer it was! This is the most important prayer ever prayed.
Let’s look at this first prayer, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” There are some interesting things about this prayer. Such as:
I. WHY JESUS PRAYED
• This was a very angry crowd. When they were given a chance to choose between the Lord Jesus and Barabbas they said, “Give us Barabbas!”
• This was a crowd that, when Pilate said, “I find no fault in this man”, they said, “Crucify Him!”
• This was a crowd that had hate all over their faces and their hands were raised in anger.
WHY DID HE PRAY THIS PRAYER, “Father, forgive them…”?
The Lord had been preaching to His disciples that they should forgive AND PRAY FOR THEIR ENEMIES. And now the Lord was practicing what He had been preaching.
Look at Luke 23:33-34, we read, “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary ... then said Jesus, Father forgive them…”
I must confess today:
• I must confess that I hear politicians get up before the American people and makes speeches filled with lies, and I wish I was there and I could kick them in the seat of their pants.
• I must confess that I can be watching a good cowboy movie on television, and all of a sudden some Hollywood producer has filled this movie with cursing, and I wish I could go to Hollywood and wash his filthy mouth out with soap.
But when the Lord looked at these people, the Bible says He prayed, “Father forgive them…”
But notice why he prayed that prayer. He tells us, “Father, forgive them; FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.”
Listen, that is a nice way of saying, “Father, forgive these DUMB people, they do not have any idea what they are doing!”
Illus: Suppose you were standing in a crowd and -
• Someone behind you gave you a big push. Without knowing who did this, your first thought would be to turn around and give them a push. But as you look around you see a retarded person, then all of a sudden you feel sorry for them.
• Suppose you are standing in a crowd and someone pushes you and you turn around and see someone that is blind that has bumped into you. Again, our first thought would be to look at who did this and give them a push, but when we see it was a blind person, we would feel sorry for them.
When the Lord saw that angry crowd, He saw their condition and he prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
Why did the Lord Jesus pray this prayer? Because he saw people who had BEEN BLINDED BY SIN.
We have looked at WHY JESUS PRAYED, now look at-
II. WHO JESUS PRAYED TO
This was one of the most difficult times of the Lord Jesus life here on earth. During this difficult time, notice He did not pray to His mother Mary as some today ignorantly do.
There was nothing Mary could do for Him. When Jesus prayed, it was to His Father only!
• He didn’t ask Mary to pray FOR Him
• He didn’t ask Mary to pray WITH Him
From the time Jesus was a grown man and left home, He refers to Mary simply as “Woman.”
Notice how He speaks to her at His first miracle, turning the water into wine. Look at John 2:4, we read, “Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.”
When He speaks from the cross, in John 19:26-27, we read, “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, WOMAN, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
At this stage in the Lord’s life, he cut the mother and son relationship, and now she was to be treated as John’s mother.
Mary had to get saved the same way we do. Mary has no more access to the throne of God than we do. Jesus did not pray to Mary, nor should we.
If you want to waste time praying like some do, ADDRESS YOUR PRAYERS TO MARY. Those prayers will not get any higher than the ceiling of the room you are praying in.
Look at 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Did you get that, the Bible says:
• There is ONE GOD, not many, but one
• There is ONE MEDIATOR, not many, but one
The Bible makes it clear that when we pray we do not pray to Mary, THERE IS ONE MEDIATOR between God and men, the man CHRIST JESUS!
During this most difficult time on the Cross he did not pray to MARY. So who DOES Jesus direct His prayer to? The One He always looked to - His Heavenly Father!
Jesus referred to His Father as “Father” but also as “Abba” – Daddy!
• Oh let me tell you – God designed this world to need Daddies!
• Good Daddies! Like God the Father!
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger said that as he grew up, his dad was very distant with him and his siblings. His father:
• Seldom took time to talk to him and his siblings
• Never hugged him and told him he loved him
But later in life when his son got married he would watch his sons crawling all over him, hugging him, and kissing him and he was reminded of what he missed as a child.
Many have missed this in life and it is regrettable!
But listen, Christians have a heavenly Father, He is our spiritual daddy, he is a good Father.
Here, on the cross, we see a tender moment between the Father and Son. What a window into the most wonderful of relationships that exists in the Trinity.
And now as Christians, we have that same relationship with the heavenly Father.
We read in Rom 8:15, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby WE cry, Abba, Father.”
We have looked at WHY JESUS PRAYED, and WHO JESUS PRAYED TO, now we also see -
III. WHO JESUS PRAYED FOR
Oh, now it gets really good! His prayer was for “them”:
• Not His friends, but enemies
• Not the innocent but the guilty
• Not those who had received Him but rather those who rejected Him
• Those who had turned on Him and cried “Crucify Him”
• He was praying for those Roman soldiers who had just whipped the flesh of His body to shreds
• Those who drove the nails into His hands and feet
• He was praying for those who had spit in His face
• He was praying for those who had mocked Him
Do you understand that Christ was praying for a bunch of religious zealots called Pharisees and political zealots called Sadducees, praying they would be forgiven as He took their place?
• He was also praying for the disciples who had forsaken Him
• He was praying for Pilate, and Herod
• He was praying for sinners like you and me
What a pattern for our life, to learn how to correctly respond to those who do us wrong.
Illus. A small child was spanked by Mom. On his knees that evening before bed, he prays for everyone in his family, but one. When finished, he looked up at his Mom and proudly said, “I guess you noticed. I did not include you!” It is always easy to pray for friends and loved ones, BUT, Christ was praying for sinners.
Normally, we would expect someone in such a circumstance to pray, “Father, CONSUME them! They know EXACTLY what they are doing, and shouldn’t be able to get away with it!”
But, LISTEN to that word “FORGIVE”. Someone said that one of the sweetest words in the English language is “forgiveness.” Maybe even sweeter than to forgive, is to BE forgiven.
Conclusion:
It is important that we take time to tell our parents and loved ones that we love them.
Illus: A woman was standing at the graveside of her mother and she was weeping. A man that was concerned for her welfare walked over to her and asked if she was going to be alright. She looked at him with tearful eyes and said, “Yes, I am going to be alright. I lost my mother last week and before she died we had a fuss.” She said “I would give anything to be able to hug her, and tell her that I loved her and that silly thing we were fussing about is not a problem.” She was weeping because she never will get that opportunity.
The Lord wanted us to know He loves us. He can not do any more than He has done to show us that love. WE KNOW HE LOVES US, but the question today is, by the way you live your life DOES HE KNOW YOU LOVE HIM?
I. WHY JESUS PRAYED
II. WHO JESUS PRAYED TO
III. WHO JESUS PRAYED FOR
