“High Visibility”
by Pastor Steve Purdy
[Preached February 5, 2012; Based on Psalm 147 and Mark 1:29-39]
Jesus burst on the scene… casting out demons, healing the diseased, and preaching everywhere he possibly could. He was getting major attention – he was highly visible. It may not have been the 1st Century equivalent of Super Bowl Week, but then again, it may have. To maintain his spiritual balance, he made sure he took time for prayer. 35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Was this just because he was God’s Son and knew people would be watching him? If that were the case, would he have slipped away very early in the morning while it was still dark? Wouldn’t it have been more effective to beam himself out of a crowd onto the top of a mountain in plain sight? Jesus realized how much he needed time with his Heavenly Father. Even Jesus needed this time apart for spiritual renewal. He knew for sure that it was important to focus on his Heavenly Father and not upon those around him. If we don’t look to God, it is very easy to get distracted.
I just love the next two verses: 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Please note that Jesus did not reply, “Oh really? Where are they? Let’s go where they are, because I want my numbers to climb in the polls!” No, 38Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
It doesn’t seem that I have such wisdom and composure very often, but Jesus resisted the peer pressure and said, “No… I’m not going back. Let’s go forward!” All too often in the church, we continue to look back, if not go back to former discussions and decisions instead of moving forward.
Jesus was definitely good at focusing on his Father rather than on those around him and he was good at focusing on the future rather than the past... and finally, Jesus knew that his real strength was in the Lord and not in himself! The psalmist also expressed this in Psalm 147: 10-11: His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
If we want to become more like Jesus, we must be willing to carve out time somewhere in our schedules to spend time alone with God… early in the morning, late at night, at noon… whenever… so we can focus on God’s will and God’s strength! You see, the bottom line is that we must:
- Rely upon the Lord to do the Lord’s part – A traveling pastor wrote the following prayer on the back of an in-flight beverage list from American Airlines and it was found:
“Lord Jesus, I would like to be able to do myself the things I help others to do. I can give them confidence that I myself do not have, and I can quiet their anxiety but not my own. What do I lack? Or is it the way I am made? I want to be free to move from place to place without fear, and I want to face the things to be done without panic…. You met each as it came. I would like to do the same, but by myself I can’t. I’d like to think that you can be with me and in me and with your help I can do better. Amen.”
This is honest! Pastors are not guaranteed anything more than other Christians. Pastors have doubts, anxieties, and fears! This pastor turned to Jesus. He relied on God to do his part. We must rely on God to do his part! And secondly, and this is where we really struggle…
- We must have discipline to do our part! Progressing through the stages of spiritual growth is never easy. Consider this story that comes out of Native American culture.
It concerns a young Indian brave who goes to the tribal chief, his grandfather, and says “In your great wisdom, grandfather, can you tell me the most important steps one must take in order to become a chief?” “Well,” the old chief replied,
- “First, he must pluck the fur from the tail of the sacred bobcat.
- He must bring down the great white buffalo with his bare hands.
- He must wrestle the brown bear two falls out of three.
- And, of course, there are the customary trials by fire and water.”
The young brave thought for a moment, and then responded, “Whatever happened to wholesome good looks and a nice personality?”
Do you aspire to be more like Jesus – to be all God created you to be? Some of us may have never thought that high and others of us may have long ago given up such aspirations, but it is possible. It doesn’t come easily, but it is possible. We turn to God to do his part and we do our part!
Don’t lose heart, let’s receive the comfort of Jesus, let’s pray regularly and earnestly and search God’s Word [that’s our part], and let’s expect a great response from our Heavenly Father [that’s his part]. Just think, if God has already given his only Son for us, what won’t he do to help us become more like his son?
In 1974, a former major league baseball player named Fred Snodgrass died. Upon his death, the New York Times printed the news with this headline: Fred Snodgrass, 86, Dead, Ball Player Muffed Fly in 1912. Can you imagine? 62 years earlier, Fred dropped a fly ball. The next batter hit a single and the other team won the World Series. His mistake was remembered.
After his baseball career, Fred was a banker, rancher, and he raised his children in the city where he became the mayor. He was a leader in the community and people loved and respected him. But, were any of these headline worthy – apparently not!
Do you have someone who constantly reminds you of a time in your life that you failed, or maybe you do this yourself? Do you recall your worst moments and attach meaning to them, as though they exemplify who you are? I’d hate to die and have the paper in 2056 say, “Steve Purdy, 100, dead: As a boy, pastor stole from neighbor in 1968.” I really did steal some money from my friend’s house when I was 12. I figured out how to use a knife to open their back door. Now, you should know this hounded me for years until I sent them a letter confessing my crime and sending them five times the amount I stole. They hadn’t caught me but the Lord wouldn’t let me go. What might your headline read?
Even King David, the man after God’s heart, wrote the following in Psalm 25: “Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love, remember me, for you are good, O Lord.” (Psalm 25:7) Only God is good! God does not remind us of forgiven actions. I have that on the authority of God’s Word.
Hebrews 1:3 says, “The Son (Jesus) is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…” (Hebrews 1:3) Do you want to know what God is like? Get to know Jesus.
Did you know that Jesus only sent the self-righteous away. Sinners who came to him and knew they were sinners were given another chance… the woman caught in adultery… the rich young ruler. No one is beyond Jesus’ reach! Jesus will forgive just about everyone… except the one who thinks he/she needs no forgiveness.
The writer of Hebrews then wrote, Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
What is our standing with God? It depends on our approach! If we come trusting in our own righteousness, we will be turned away. However, if we come with confidence that God is good and will give mercy when we confess who we really are, then our standing is much stronger. Our standing is stronger when we are willing to kneel before God recognizing his Lordship and our need for forgiveness. We are not to cower in God’s presence; rather we are to come confidently knowing that mercy and grace await us.
During the early days of the Civil War a Union soldier was arrested on charges of desertion. Unable to prove his innocence, he was condemned and sentenced to die a deserter’s death. His appeal found its way to the desk of Abraham Lincoln. The president felt mercy for the soldier and signed a pardon. The soldier returned to service, fought the entirety of the war, and was killed in the last battle. Found within his breast pocket was the letter of pardon letter by the president.
Each of us who has turned to Jesus Christ carries a signed letter, as well. Some of us may carry a filing cabinet of pardons, but such forgiveness only comes through Christ.
On this Super Bowl Sunday, a day of “high visibility,” do you fear that the whole world is watching and will catch you in a mistake? Or, are you certain to get some time away with your Heavenly Father every day as Jesus did… to confess your sins and then to focus on God rather than the crowd… to focus on God’s strength rather than your weakness… and focus on God’s future rather than on your past?
I urge all of us – let’s do our part and trust God to do God’s part!