Stretching
Matthew 21:7-9, 12; 25:34-36, 40 John 13:14-15;19:38-40 April 13, 2003
Begin with a stretch exercise.
The news from Iraq this past week, has moved so quickly, that most of us gave up trying to stay current sometime Tuesday. On Monday night, just before I went to bed, I turned on the news to try to catch up on the day and ended up tearing myself away around 2:30 Tuesday morning. It was almost humorous watching the reporters trying to decide what they would report on. There was the possible find of chemical weapons, there was a live tank battle on a bridge being broadcast; there was a bomb that went off between this tank battle and the camera man that sent the camera to the floor; there was the attack on Sadaam’s bunker that may have killed him; there was a tank that fired on the hotel were the reporters were staying, there was uncontrolled looting in Basra, and there were the pictures from the palace that the coalition forces had just taken. So much news, so little time, you almost felt sorry for the poor reporters who had the story of their lives, yet there was no one to hear, because there was too much tell.
As I have read the passion week narratives in the gospels this week, I have caught that same spirit. There was so much happening that you could not keep up. Almost 1 of every 6 verses in the New Testament relate to the events of this week. So much happening, so little time.
With all that happened in Bagdad this week our soldiers were stretched with every encounter. New skills were learned, the mission was refocused, relationships were changed and roles refined. As the dream of a liberated country began to become a reality, soldiers were stretched beyond their comfort zone. Today there are men and women who are definitely working outside their comfort zone. And I think the same thing happened in Jerusalem during the week that led up to the crucifixion. Jesus was dreaming God’s dream. He was leading the way to a new future. He was being stretched and He was stretching the people around him as he pursued God’s dream of redemption.
When we dream God’s dreams, our comfort zone will always be too confining. This morning, I want us to think about that week in Jerusalem and the way God stretched his people into a whole new world.
It was Sunday, the first day of the week of Passover, the biggest week in Jerusalem. Businesses were opening, visitors were arriving. That is when we read these words in Matt 21
“They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. [8] A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. [9] The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"
There was a parade, a parade that looked like the welcome of the liberating soldiers in Kut. When Jesus came into Jerusalem, he came as a victor, he was welcomed as a king. This was new! The Jewish leaders had just been talking about getting rid of him, but now he was being welcomed. Jesus, who had spoken of his impending death, was now being welcomed as king. Talk about a stretch! Imagine the temptation! Jesus could have simply called on the people to rise up! That day they could have removed Rome from power at least in Jerusalem. To some in the crowd is seemed the logical thing to do.
But when God stretches us beyond our comfort zone, when His dreams begin to unfold before us, it is essential that we keep our eyes focused on Him.
We, too, can be tempted to fall into success comfort. We live obediently, we serve the people around us, we follow God’s call, and we find ourselves beginning to reap the benefits of working hard in our society. And with success comes a level of prosperity, and we get settled and we let ourselves be carried along by our success and slowly success clouds our view of God’s dream. And so we see the first lesson on being stretched by God is to keep our eyes on His dream. It is time to dream God’s dreams.
Next, in Matt 21:12 we read, “When Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.”
Talk about a stretch! The temple was beginning it’s biggest week of the year. People were purchasing their sacrifices for the Passover, for the businessmen it was like the week before Christmas! Jesus, who now has the crowd following his every footstep, goes into the temple and throws the businessmen out on their ears. He drives the merchandise out of the shopping center and he breaks up the markets. The scene was probably reminiscent of Bagdad on Wednesday.
You see, the temple grounds had become a place were only certain people were welcomed. You had to have just the right sacrifice and the right kind of currency if you wanted to worship in the temple. Many of the poorest people were shut out, people whose ancestry was questionable, were shut out, women were shut out, and Jesus stretched the reality of the temple in this act of cleaning. God’s dream was that the temple was to be a place for all people to gather to pray and worship. When Jesus started to dream that dream, nothing could get in his way. The gospels tell us that this act was the catalyst for the crucifixion. This is when the authorities decided something had to be done.
And so we must understand that when we choose to dream God’s dreams and live those dreams, there is a very significant risk. Henry Blackaby, in Experiencing God, declares to when we encounter God, or choose to follow his dreams, we will face a crisis of faith. We must ask, “Can God carry us through what is to come? Will God be faithful and provide the resources to fulfill his dream?” These are questions we face as individuals and as a church. Many times I have heard these words, “Oh, that would be great, Pastor, but you must understand we. . .” and then I hear the problems that would make fulfilling the dream impossible. Friends, if we claim to be dreaming God’s dreams, then what possible barriers can keep those dreams from being fulfilled? Only one, and that is unbelief. It is time to dream God’s dreams.
Jesus shook up the crowds when he entered Jerusalem as King, he shook up the authorities when he entered the Temple as a radical reformer, and he shook up his disciples when he redefined leadership in the kingdom of God.
Hear God’s word from Matt 25 and 26
"On the last day, the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. [35] For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, [36] I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then on Passover night, Jesus said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. [15] I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
Service, Jesus talked about it, and then he demonstrated it. His dream for his disciples was that they would passionately seek opportunities to serve the people around them. “I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was lonely, I was in need, my feet were dirty and you served me. You are blessed for ever.”
The disciples believed that their role in Jesus kingdom was to be rulers. They expected the respect of the subjects of the kingdom. They expected a throne and a robe and a crown. Instead, Jesus stretched their concept of the kingdom with a dream that called for service to the crown, and love to the throne and compassion to the robe. That was not comfortable. In fact, when Jesus came to wash Peter’s feet, he refused to permit it. He did not want to see Jesus subjected to such humiliation and he did not want to receive the gift of service. But God’s dream cut through his fears and his pride and moved him out of his comfort zone.
We know the proper order. And keeping that order straight makes us comfortable. Leaders make decisions, everyone else carries them out. Those at the top of the ladder are served by those at the bottom. The world works well that way. And then Jesus comes along and says, “when you did to one of the least of these, you did it to me. Since I have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example.”
That does not fit! But God’s dream is that we would level the playing field! Social standing is part of our comfort zone, but God’s dream eliminates social standing. Bosses and employees make sense in business, but in the kingdom of God, bosses and employees stand on equal footing, they are called to serve one another.
To dream God’s dreams, we must be willing to let go of those things that make us comfortable. It may be our prejudices, it may be our bank accounts, it may be our goals, it may be our friends, it may be our positions. Whatever it is, if it stands in the way of God dream of his people serving those around them, then it must go. It is costly, but is there any cost too great to hear our Lord say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you, for whenever you did it to the least of these, you did it to me.” These are the words dreams are made of. It is time to dream God’s dreams.
And when we do we will see others stretched as well. In John 20, immediately after the crucifixion we read these words, “Later that afternoon, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. [39] He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. [40] Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.
Do you see what happened here? When Jesus obediently followed the Father’s dreams, it immediately made an impact on others. Joseph, an apparently wealthy man who had admired Jesus for a long time, and Nicodemus who had visited Jesus near the beginning of his ministry, both came out of the closet of discipleship and chose to identify with Jesus. The disciples were still cowering somewhere afraid to show their faces, but these, who had been afraid to reveal their allegiance, now stepped forward, left their comfort zones and boldly declared that they were His followers.
I would suggest that if you will risk dreaming God’s dream, you will see results beyond your wildest imagination. Ten years ago, a young couple in this community believed that God had given them a dream, it was a dream to reach teenagers in this area through music and evangelistic programs with a difference. And so they started a radio station in their home. Personal investments of time and savings were extraordinary. People came to tell them they would not be able to do it. Others were convinced it was a wrong thing to do all. But they went for it. They stretched their comfort zone and on an enclosed porch began broadcasting to Bay, Midland, Saginaw and Arenac counties. They held events that drew as many as 500 youth. They saw teenagers by the score accept Jesus as their savior.
Then they grew beyond their porch and God gave them a church building and a house at no cost. The zoning commission gave them a waver for a radio station in the neighborhood and they grew. More and more young people came to faith through their ministry, still there were those who said it could not be done. But today, ten years later they continue to touch lives daily.
As a result of seeing them step forward, others with similar dreams have stepped forward and left their comfort zone to serve God through radio. Volunteers have been stretched as they have learned computer skills and radio skills. God has used WTRK to transform lives throughout this city.
What is your dream? What are the obstacles? What fears do you carry with your dream? Now let me ask you, is God big enough to overcome those obstacles? It is time to dream God’s dreams. It won’t be easy, God’s dream for Jesus led to the cross. It will not come with a lot of glory, God’s dream for the disciples was that they wash one another’s feet. It may not lead to popularity, when Jesus cleansed the temple, they hated him. But it will lead to the words we long to hear “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you.”
If you have been living in comfort zone too long, then take a risk, stretch a bit. Christian brother and sister it is time to dream God’s dream. I believe it is time for God’s people at New Hope Baptist Church to dream again and to let God stretch us beyond our comfort zone.
LET US PRAY
