By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Sermon Text: John 19:31-37
Sermon Theme
The unnamed solider who thrusts the spear into Jesus’ side has no idea of the significance of his action. For him it is a spontaneous move, making sure that the condemned man is dead and that, his job then being over, he can go home. Yet from God’s perspective this is nothing less than the salvation of the world (John 1:29). Jesus is the lamb slain from all eternity (Revelation 13:8). All of our actions and responses serve God’s purpose in some special way. This is even true of our worst decisions (Genesis 50:20). We need to be confident and assured that we are always in God’s hand. And nothing can take us out of his hand (John 10:28-30).
Sermon Outline
- Flight. Moses, in a sudden moment, kills an Egyptian who is beating a Hebrew slave. He thinks no one knows that he has done this (Exodus 2:11-12). However when he realizes he has been seen and that even Pharaoh knows of his action, he becomes frightened and flees from Egypt (Exodus 2:13-15). Moses’ killing of the Egyptian, like that of the soldier at the crucifixion, appears to be spontaneous. There is no suggestion that it was premeditated. Yet in God’s almighty plan this becomes an essential act which will prepare Moses first, for his meeting with God at the burning bush, and second, for his leadership in delivering Israel from slavery. We try to escape from things in our lives. We have all acted spontaneously in ways that we may have regretted later. Yet even from those things we may wish we hadn’t done, God can not only be teaching us a lesson but also preparing us for some later role in his service.
- Fear. Fear is a great motivator. However when we are afraid we seldom make good decisions. The soldier may have thrust his spear into Jesus’ side because, even though Jesus appeared to dead, the soldier had to be certain. He may well have been afraid of the consequences if Jesus somehow had still been alive. Rahab the prostitute is afraid of the God of Israel (Joshua 2:8-11). She makes an arrangement with the spies to protect herself and her family. Her motivations are fear and self survival. Yet the crimson cord she hangs as a signal prefigures the crimson blood of Christ. More than this, she will be his ancestor (Matthew 1:5). None of this was remotely known to her when she was hiding the spies. We have all been afraid at one time or another. We have worried about our own survival, personally, economically or socially. In these situations the Lord may well be preparing us for a mission we could not even begin to imagine.
- Favor. There are those moments in life when we find ourselves in the right place at the right time. At those times we may face severe challenges but the Lord gives us grace not only to prevail but to succeed. We need to remember those times. This soldier, whether he knows it or not, holds the destiny of the world in his hands. It is not until Jesus’ blood is shed that the atonement is complete (Hebrews 9:22). Young David is bringing food to his older brothers who are fighting for Israel. Everyone is terrified of the giant Goliath. Yet David hears the giant’s challenge and responds. He is made fun of and rejected by his brothers. Yet David is in a favored position. He will fight the giant on his terms, not the giant’s, and he will win (I Samuel 17:38-51). Yet David has no idea how favored he is. From this action, under God’s grace, he will go on to become not only the King of Israel but the ancestor of Jesus Christ. God places us at times in favorable situations in which we can serve him in surprising ways. Did the soldier at the cross ever realize what a crucial role he was playing? We don’t know. But we can know that nothing that happens in our lives is ultimately broken or lost. God can take our regrets, our failures, our fears, even our accomplishments, and use them for his purpose. We need to know that he works all things for his own purposes and for our good (Ephesians 1:11, Romans 8:28).
Questions for Us
- Can you think of failures in your own life that God was able to turn to a good purpose?
- What are some of the ways that God can use even our fears and apprehensions to bring us closer to himself?
- How should knowing that God in Jesus Christ works all things for good (Romans 8:28) give us confidence in dealing with the doubts and uncertainties of life?
