Matthew 5:41 -- “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.”
Psalm 92:12_13 -- “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” “Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.”
l. INTRODUCTION -- TWO RUNNERS, TWO DIFFERENT RESULTS
The picture series are frozen both in time and in memory. The scene unfolds from the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Two runners, one American, the other from South Africa, although of British descent. The starter’s pistol fires and around the track the runners race for the finishing line. The constituents of the race were eight in number, but the world was watching only two. One Mary Decker Tabb, an American, and Zola Budd, a bare-footed runner, from South Africa. They had developed one of the most intense rivalries of any two runners since the days of the Grecians. Each wanted to defeat the other, because this time it was for the Gold Medal.
Shoulder to shoulder they ran the first one thousand meters, apparently sizing up the one another, preparing for the strategic moment that they would send a burst of speed toward the finishing mark. Over half way around the track, Tabb and Budd bumped just enough to disturb the balance of Tabb. In the jumble of runners, Tabb stumbled and fell to the infield grass, clutching a pulled hamstring. The close-up picture of her face was a myriad of emotions. There was pain, anguish, rage, and defeat all summed up in that single instant. She never got up until the trainers reached her. From that point on in her career, there was that seemingly defeatist psychological tainting that never allowed her to rise above her circumstances.
Back in time further, a little over sixty-five years ago, we meet another runner. The world has been warily watching the Germans, who are beginning to push their political ideas in the European regions. But it is during this historical time that we find a second runner. A man named Eric Liddell. He too, was involved in a race. He too, was the focal point of the world. He too, began to break for the lead. He too, was thrown off balance. He too, crashed to the infield grass. He too, looked up at the pack of disappearing runners. He too, felt the defeat, the pain, the anguish of having gone down. But the picture totally changes from that moment. He got up!!! He leaned into the wind and assuming his awkward running style, tore after the distant pack of runners. The results were far different. He caught up and won the race. (Adapted from Rebuilding Your Broken World – Gordon MacDonald)
-Those two runners are visual and mental symbols of what happens in the race of life when men and women fall to the infield because of terrible choices or because that someone or a set of circumstances seemed to jostle them enough to fall.
-After years of dreaming, preparing, conditioning, and fighting their way to a particular point, they fall. But there is something that separates some runners from discouragement, apathy, distress, defeat, bitterness, jealousy, and all the other elements that Satan would attempt to destroy men with.
-I am preaching about A Two-Mile Man in a One-Mile World.
ll. THE TEXT IN MATTHEW
Matthew 5:41 -- “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.”
-The first reading in the Gospel of Matthew is taken from the Sermon on the Mount. It was the first public teaching and preaching that Jesus ministered before the multitudes. Inside of this single sermon, are forty-two principles to help us in our walk with God.
-The emphasis of what Jesus was placing in this particular setting (Matt. 5:38-42) of Scripture is concerning the retaliation of men toward each other. The Law stated that an injustice to the eye deserved another eye in exchange. The Law predetermined that a tooth would cost a tooth.
-Yet Jesus Christ came along and was the fulfillment of the Law. One who did not come to destroy the Law but rather to propel it into a greater spiritual sense. With this enlightenment, he began to unravel the Law, only to weave a greater binding by those who would walk in the Spirit.
-When Jesus came to the response of going the second mile, He was painting a picture in the mind of those who were hearing Him.
-In those days, the Romans had a public access system and set of roads. At any time, the Romans could summon any able-bodied man to come and help them with the transport of goods through the regions of Israel.
-The demand of such services are best illustrated with the Lord on His way to Golgotha. It was at the point of His own sheer exhaustion that Simon the Cyrene was called from the crowd to shoulder the Cross. (Another thought: Life’s Unexpected Crosses -- Simon had two sons: Alexander and Rufus. Both of these men are saluted at the end of the Roman Letter by Paul. Could it be that this unexpected cross in the life of Simon was the thing that saved his boys?)
-The call to go the second mile was not a popular call for the Jews. It was an inconvenient demand, often a laborious demand, and generally was associated with a reluctant and complaining spirit by the recruitment of the captors.
-The command of Jesus here comes in an exhortation that such a call should not be performed by a sullen, wilted spirit. In every life there are unwelcome circumstances that will force themselves upon the saint of God, there will be injustices, there will be omissions of credit, there will be hurts along the way, there will be tasks that have to be taken merely out of necessity and not of choice.
-But those who are willing to go the second mile. . . . . . . . place themselves in a category of two-milers. On the whole this world has a one-mile concept. Do just enough to get by. It affects the nation, it affects the workplace, and it affects the classroom.
-Sadly enough, the one-mile concept affects the Church also. Lives sterile of the power of God because there is just enough prayer to get by. Just enough church attendance to get by. Give just enough time and just enough of finances to squeak through a relationship with God. There are tones of sacrifice that will never be heard in your life with a one-mile concept. Even in the ministry, the call of God has become so subjective that the requirements of Scripture are ignored.
-But to those faithful few who are willing to put forth that extra portion, the Psalmist illustrates best what would happen to those few who were willing to go the extra-mile that Jesus encouraged.
-There were some enemies in the life of David that he did not retaliate against. He merely went the second mile. It was his response that brought strength to his life.
• The Process of the Pasture -- The disappointment involved with knowing there was an anointing but no throne.
• The Rejection of King Saul -- He went from hero of the nation to goat of the nation in just a matter of days. The time when he could have killed Saul from his covert place, he refused to lay a hand on the man whom God had anointed prior.
• The Great Sin with Bathsheba -- A great man who made a great mistake. But his repentance was proper. Instead of trying to cover his sin, he tried to make restitution.
• The Revolt of Absalom -- This would cause him to flee his home in fear of his life and then he would weep over the death of Absalom.
-When the difficulties of life come, when you fall in the race, the choice is yours: You can stay down and out, or you can get to your feet and strive for the second mile.
lll. THE TEXT FROM THE PSALMS
Psalm 92:12_13 -- “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” “Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.”
-The word of God has particular pictures used by many of it’s authors. One finds the eagle to be a symbol of strength and courage and ability. The mule is pictured as a stubborn, unyielding animal who resists the reins and bit of the rider. The sheep is portrayed as an animal that is quiet, yields to the call of the shepherd, requiring gentle hands to guide it, and finding the guarding of it’s welfare a necessity to be given by the shepherd.
-The word of God also has particular symbols used by divine inspiration. There is the comparison of great quality and value to the gold of Ophir. There is the evidence that fire is a symbol of both the power and anointing of God. The cedar has it’s place also. Particularly, the cedars of Lebanon.
-The cedar is a divine favorite. King Hiram, leader of the nation of Tyre, contributed the cedars that went into Solomon’s temple. They came from the mountains of Lebanon. These huge, strong cedars were what provided the underpinnings, framing, and rafters of the great temple.
-These strong cedars were not seen by the eyes once the Temple was completed, yet they existed just the same. They served as the inward bracings for the outward pressures. There must be that same contribution in the lives of men of God. Something on the inside that is strong enough to bear the pressure from the outside.
-The cedars are spoken of by: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Zephaniah, and Zechariah. Multiple times are cedars mentioned in the Psalms. Perhaps they are mentioned so much because it’s characteristics are to be desired and esteemed by righteous men. Wide-branched, heaven-aspiring, and tempest-grappling are these huge trees.
-It was a promise of God: The righteous shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
A. Characteristics of Cedars
1. They grow in unlikely conditions.
-The cedars of Lebanon grew in the most unlikely of conditions. Coming from the mountains of Lebanon made them bear the most extreme of weather conditions. Tyre is a coastal city on the Meditteranean Sea. Therefore, the summer brought it’s humidity and it’s storms. Not just the occasional thunderstorm but the gales that have their tendencies to spin off vast destruction in the Meditteranean Sea.
-When winter began to set in, the cedar had to forge it=s way through the heavy snows that came to rest on it=s wide branches. In addition to the storms and the snow, it was at six thousand feet above sea level which is the highest level that vegetation can be found.
-Two mile men grow in some of the most adverse conditions. The pits, the accusations, and the prisons that Joseph came out of seemed only to heighten his commitment and his abilities. Never once in the account in Genesis, will one find Joseph complaining about his lot in life. That was because he had an understanding and trust in his God.
Proverbs 3:5_6 -- “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
2. The Cedar Has Deep Roots.
-The cedar rises to it’s greatest height at 60-80 feet tall. Because of it’s great height, it’s roots have to probe the depths of the earth. They reach and stretch to find the rivers under the earth. Roots reaching down through the caverns of the mountains and tapping into the very foundation of the earth.
-Yet it is the difference between superificial character and one that has clutched it’s roots deep around the Rock of Ages.
-One cedar had an approximated age of 3500 years old and it was still standing. There is something awe-inspiring about a man who has everlasting strength and staunch character in the face of tribulation. Some men, in their relationship with God, find that time and eternity will not demoralize nor demolish them, but time will be their opportunity.
-Daniel, a proclaimation has been set forth into law. Sealed by the king’s signet that no one will pray. But inside of Daniel’s heart is a strong cedar that understands the importance of being a two-miler in a one-mile world. Daniel had developed a relationship with God.
-If Daniel only prayed 5 minutes each time (I believe he prayed more), three times a day, for seventy years, the approximate time spent in prayer, after seventy years would have been 6,387 2 hours. When he heard of the decree. . . . .
Daniel 6:10 -- “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
-As he did aforetime. Deep roots in the face of adversity. But Daniel know his God. He remembered something about what the Psalmist had declared about man in earlier times.
Psalm 8:4_6 -- “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.” “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:”
-Daniel brought to his memory the fact that his existence on the earth was not some mere happen chance. He had been placed by God at this particular juncture in history and he would live up to his calling. Man was made to have dominion over the works of God. What was the threat of the lion’s den, when they had been put under his feet?
-But there was something more than that in the understanding of the mind and heart of Daniel, although almost 600 hundred years before the time of Paul, not having seen Messiah but would later prophecy of Him, Daniel had this tucked away in his heart:
Philippians 1:20_21 -- “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.” “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
-Cedars do not grow in mild climates, in soft-air, nor in well-watered gardens. Cedars grow in the adversities of life. Midnight storms, cold winters, and dry summers only cause the cedar to flourish.
-In this hour, the cry of revival is looking for two-milers, for cedars, but too many are like:
• The Willow -- Easily bent this way or that way.
• The Aspen -- Tremble under every storm of assault.
• The Bramble -- Sharp points only wound and sting those around.
-The roll call of the apostles, of the martyrs, of the prophets, are full of those men who were willing to pay the price.
B. An Old Testament Parable -- Judges 9:7-15
Judges 9:7_15 -- “And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.” “The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.” “But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?” “And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.” “But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?” “Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.” “And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?” “Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.” “And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.”
-This parable issues forth from a time when the one with the strength did not have the mental toughness to rule. Abimilech, an interloper, had been made king over the men of Shechem. When Jotham heard about it he came and told the preceding parable.
-Here was a “bramble” ruling over the entire forest. The bramble ruled the olive tree, the fig tree, the vineyards, and the cedars. It was a time that the “trees” of the region were living beneath their privileges. How many times do men allow “brambles” to come into their lives and rule over them with fear?
-The bramble had insinuated that he would flame with fire and destroy the entire forest. Fear is an awful and harsh taskmaster. It is what Satan wants men to thrive on. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. Fear caused by doubt. Fear of missing the Rapture. On and on one could go.
-But I proclaim to you right now that the time of the bramble’s reign has been long enough. It is time for some two-mile men to assert their rights and privileges over the devil’s brambles in their lives.
-It is all in how a man looks at the situation.
C. The Destiny of Two-Milers
-The cedars of medicine, business, and merchandise were those men who struggled with opposition until they posted the colours. They were two mile men in a one mile world.
John Milton on his way to becoming one of the world’s most recognized poets had to sell his copyright of “Paradise Lost” for $72.00.
William Shakespeare on his way to being acknowledged as the greatest dramatist of all ages, held horses at the door for a London theatre for sixpence a day.
Homer struggled with blindness writing the Odyssey before almost reaching immortality among the philosophers and literary giants.
John Bunyan cheered himself in a prison cell by making a flute out of his prison stool, while writing “The Pilgrim’s Progress” and “The Holy War.”
One renowned sculptor, had to toil in an orphanage, modeling a lion in soft butter before his chisel ever tasted the marble.
The great Adlai Stephenson had to watch cows in the field for a few pennies before graduating to being a stoker, then a clock repairer, before he put the locomotive on the track and received medals from kings.
-It’s all a matter of perception. Stand up to the tough old world.
Stand, as the anvil when the stroke of stalwart men falls fierce and fast.
Storms but more deeply root the oak whose brawny arms embrace the burst.
Stand, like the anvil, noise and heat are born of earth and die with time:
The soul, like God, it’s source and seat, is solemn, still, serene, sublime.
-Thirty years from now (should the Lord tarry) the foremost men in all occupations and professions will be those who are this hour locked in an awful struggle with the raging tempest on the mountains of time.
-In spiritual life it takes a course of struggles:
2 Corinthians 4:17_18 -- “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
2 Timothy 4:7_8 -- “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
Philippians 3:14 -- “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
1 Corinthians 9:26 -- “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:”
Matthew 11:12 -- “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”
-In spiritual life it takes a course of bereavements, persecutions, losses, and trials to develop great character. But the violent can take it by force. Revivals are not born on the shoulders of spiritual wimps. Revivals are birthed by two-milers.
-Revivals are borne by men who worship in cold churches. Two mile men are those who press and push even if the attendance is not what they desire it to be. Two milers are those who linger at the altar when it seems like repentance has closed shop. Revivals are birthed by men who ignore the spiritual indifference around them. Two-milers are those who get up after they have fallen on the infield of deception. Two-milers still have God=s plan on their mind, even when they are stressed out beyond belief. The cedars refuse to let slow progress dampen their dreams or their visions. Two-milers are men who hold fast to holiness when everyone else is seemingly tossing things over the side by the truckload. Two-mile men still worship regardless of what is going on with the pressures of the job.
lV. CONCLUSION -- LIFT ME UP ABOVE THE SHADOWS
-The mentality of the two-miler sometimes is that he will never get to the place that God wants him to get to. But, regardless of what the devil may be whispering to you right now, two-milers always come out on top.
Consider:
The widow of Zarephath who gave her last bit of meal and oil to a hungry prophet. . . . . She became a two-miler because God supplied every need.
The anointing of David and then being sent back to the pasture, God hasn’t forgotten you there. The two miler says, “God called me and He will get me to the throne.”
The widow woman who was trying to outrun the creditors, the old prophet asked her to go one more mile, and she started rounding up empty vessels to be filled with oil.
The children of Israel walked across dry ground into the Promised Land and saw Jericho, God asked them to go one more mile and the walls fell.
The widow’s mite made all the difference in the world, Jesus said that she had given more than any of those at the Temple on that day, A Two Miler in a One-mile World.
The cry of Bartimaeus, “Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me” rang out despite the stifling crowd around him who wanted to keep him quiet and in his blindness. A flourishing cedar.
The question asked to Zachaeus, “Why are you climbing that tree?” His reply was that of a two-mile man in a one-mile world, “I must see Jesus!!!”
Lift Me Up Above the Shadows
Lift me up above the shadows, Plant my feet on higher ground, Lift me up above the clouds, Lord, Where the pure sunshine is found, Lift me up above my weakness, Lift me up into Thy strength, Lift me up above the shadows, Till I stand with Thee at length.
Lift me up above the shadows, Lift me up and let me stand, On the mountain tops of glory, Let me dwell in Beulah land.
Lift us up above the shadows, When to earth You come again, Let us be in the assembly, As Thy Bride to ever reign; In Thy kingdom full of glory, with our friends we’ll ever be, Lift us up above the shadows, There to dwell eternally.
Philip Harrelson
barnabas14@yahoo.com
