Pastor Mark Mikels – August 17, 2008<\/p>\n
“BECOMING SPIRITUAL DECATHLETES – Part Eight”<\/p>\n
(“Connecting With Christ” Series –
\nPart 47)<\/p>\n
Mark 14:55-61; 15:1-5<\/p>\n
Intro … This morning we come to the seventh of the ten great
\nspiritual challenges Jesus faced the last eight days of his earthly
\nlife.
\n<\/p>\n
In this seventh challenge, just like in the first six, Jesus laid down
\na pattern for his followers to follow.<\/p>\n
It’s a pattern that some of us might find to be the most difficult of
\nall …<\/p>\n
a challenge that requires an extremely high level of self-control.<\/p>\n
It’s the challenge called …<\/p>\n
Christ’s Seventh Great Challenge …<\/p>\n
“SILENCE MAINTAINING” … Specifically,<\/p>\n
“Maintaining silence in the face of UNJUST ATTACK.”<\/p>\n
Two key phrases form the focus for this incredibly difficult spiritual
\nevent …<\/p>\n
“Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.” (Mark 14:61)<\/p>\n
“But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.” (Mark 15:5)<\/p>\n
Here’s the fuller account in which those phrases are found …<\/p>\n
MK 14:55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for
\nevidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they
\ndid not find any. Many testified falsely against him, but their
\nstatements did not agree.<\/p>\n
Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: “We heard
\nhim say, `I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will
\nbuild another, not made by man.’ ” Yet even then their testimony did
\nnot agree.<\/p>\n
Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you
\nnot going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing
\nagainst you?” But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.<\/p>\n
MK 15:1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders,
\nthe teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision.
\nThey bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. (skip
\nverse two)<\/p>\n
The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked
\nhim, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing
\nyou of.”<\/p>\n
But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.<\/p>\n
As I read that account from Mark’s Gospel, I’m reminded of the words of
\nIsaiah the prophet who wrote these words more than 400 years before
\nChrist was born … (Isaiah 53:7)<\/p>\n
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;<\/p>\n
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
\nshearers is silent,<\/p>\n
so he did not open his mouth.<\/p>\n
In the face of great pressure – with his life (as it seemed) on the
\nline, Jesus maintained complete silence. He did not respond to the
\nbogus charges that were brought against him. He did not defend himself
\nin any way. He did not utter a single word on his own behalf.<\/p>\n
His silence frustrated the High Priest (who was trying to condemn him)
\nand amazed Pilate (who was trying to free him)!<\/p>\n
How many of us would have been able to keep our mouths shut in such an
\nenvironment and yet how many times have we been in situations where
\n(afterwards) we wished we had?<\/p>\n
Maintaining silence in the midst of attack is by no means an easy thing
\nto do and yet sometimes maintaining silence in the midst of an attack
\nis the most impressive and effective thing that we can do.<\/p>\n
And that combination observation leads me to share with you (what I’m
\ncalling) …<\/p>\n
Today’s Silence Principle #1 …<\/p>\n
It’s always BEST to maintain SILENCE when<\/p>\n
SPEAKING will do you no GOOD!<\/p>\n
That sounds so sensible doesn’t it … Why would any of us speak if we
\nknew that speaking was not going to do us any good – if we knew that
\nspeaking was not going to help achieve our ultimate purpose?<\/p>\n
Oh … sometimes we just “speak before we think”, don’t we?<\/p>\n
We don’t take the time to analyze the situation and ask ourselves<\/p>\n
“Is this one of those times when it would be<\/p>\n
better for me to just keep my mouth shut?”<\/p>\n
And other times … we speak simply because we let that “competitive
\nurge”<\/p>\n
we talked about several weeks ago take control of us.<\/p>\n
That happened to me several years ago when I was called for Jury Duty.<\/p>\n
I didn’t have time to serve on a jury (who does really?).<\/p>\n
I had no desire to serve on a jury but I had no hardship cause for
\neveryone knows that preachers only work on Sundays and that they get
\npaid whether they work or not. I had no compelling reason to ask to be
\ndismissed.<\/p>\n
However, I had been told that no attorney wants a preacher on his\/her
\njury.<\/p>\n
I had been told (by friends who know these types of things) that if I
\nwere called into the box, as soon as I revealed that I was a preacher,
\nespecially a Baptist preacher, I would be dismissed for cause.<\/p>\n
Generally speaking preachers (just like the host of religious nuts that
\nmake up their congregations) are notoriously recognized as “loose
\ncannons” – who knows what kind of bizarre thought process they might
\nget mired down in?<\/p>\n
I felt pretty comfortable with that “rejection scenario” … until I
\nwas actually called into the box!<\/p>\n
And then a funny thing happened … I got motivated to change the
\nattorney’s mind about preachers and about me in particular.<\/p>\n
I should have just told them what I did for living and allow their
\nnatural prejudices to play themselves out but I didn’t …<\/p>\n
I answered their questions with a bit of wit and humor. It was even a
\ndrunk driving case and I had to admit to them that I had never taken a
\ndrink of alcohol in my life. But on I pressed seeking to convince them
\nthat I could be sympathetic and fair-minded. Surely preachers all over
\nthe world were going to be in my debt.<\/p>\n
And lo and behold, before I fully realized what was going on, before
\nthe adrenaline had stopped pumping through my veins, I answered the
\nlast question and heard both attorneys declare “We find this juror
\nacceptable”.<\/p>\n
What had I done? I was going to be stuck on that jury for the better
\npart of two weeks. Why hadn’t I just maintained my silence?<\/p>\n
Well, it’s not such an easy thing to do in the face of actual (or
\nperceived attack). Sometimes competitive urges open mouths that should
\nhave remained shut.<\/p>\n
It’s like the politician who says, “I won’t even dignify that remark
\nwith an answer.” Guess what … You just did!<\/p>\n
Jesus recognized and applied the truth of Silence Principle #1 …<\/p>\n
It’s always BEST to maintain SILENCE when<\/p>\n
SPEAKING will do you no GOOD!<\/p>\n
But how do I know when “speaking will do me no good”?<\/p>\n
Well, if we take Jesus’ situation as our pattern …<\/p>\n
Speaking will do you no good when:<\/p>\n
* You are being addressed\/accused by someone<\/p>\n
with A CLOSED MIND.<\/p>\n
No minds have ever been more closed than the minds of this group that
\nbadgered Jesus all night and ultimately hauled him into Pilate’s Court.<\/p>\n
At the very beginning of his ministry in what has come to be known as
\n“The Sermon on the Mount” (recorded most extensively in Matthew’s
\nGospel)<\/p>\n
Jesus had said to his disciples … (Matthew 7:6)<\/p>\n
“Do not cast your pearls before swine” – in other words,<\/p>\n
don’t waste your breath on them; their minds are already made up!<\/p>\n
And when he sent out the twelve two by two through the towns and
\nvillages of Galilee he gave these instructions … (Mark 6:11)<\/p>\n
“If any place will not welcome you or listen to you,<\/p>\n
shake the dust off your feet …” and move on.<\/p>\n
Sometimes it takes a response or two before you can make the
\ndetermination that your accuser does in fact have a closed mind. But
\nonce you determine that, there is no sense speaking any longer.<\/p>\n
Now here’s another thing …<\/p>\n
Speaking will do you no good when:<\/p>\n
* You are being addressed\/accused by someone<\/p>\n
with A PRE-DETERMINED AGENDA.<\/p>\n
Mark reveals that agenda in chapter 14 verse 55 …<\/p>\n
The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence<\/p>\n
against Jesus so that they could put him to death …<\/p>\n
Finding a reason to condemn was the agenda that night and they kept
\nhammering away until it was discovered.<\/p>\n
I believe that Pilate had an agenda as well … He was looking for some
\npolitically satisfying outcome. How could he both appease these<\/p>\n
wrought-up Jewish leaders and uphold Roman Justice at the same time?<\/p>\n
There was nothing that Jesus had to say that would do him any real good
\nwith either of them so he maintained his silence even as the
\naccusations grew in intensity.<\/p>\n
Pilate was amazed that he could so control himself.<\/p>\n
Pilate knew that Jesus was being accused unjustly. Mark tells us in
\nchapter 15 verse 10 that Pilate knew that the chief priests were
\nenvious of Jesus’ popularity with the people and that was why they were
\ntrying to get rid of him. That fact made Jesus’ silence all the more
\namazing.<\/p>\n
How could he just stand there and not say anything?<\/p>\n
Well, I believe that Jesus could just stand there and maintain silence
\nbecause he was experiencing the reality of …<\/p>\n
Today’s Silence Principle #2 …<\/p>\n
It’s actually EASY to maintain SILENCE when<\/p>\n
you stay FOCUSED on what the real TRUTH IS!<\/p>\n
Stay focused upon:<\/p>\n
* The truth of the specific CIRCUMSTANCE<\/p>\n
Here’s the relevant truth of Jesus’ specific circumstance:<\/p>\n
He was being accused falsely and unjustly.<\/p>\n
His accusers were way off base.<\/p>\n
They were motivated by the basest of motives – what we<\/p>\n
called last week – unenlightened self-interest.<\/p>\n
He knew that their words were less than meaningless when it came<\/p>\n
to commending or condemning the actions of his life.<\/p>\n
He surely was focused upon that …<\/p>\n
They were doing to him what Jesus said (in the Beatitude Section of his
\nSermon on the Mount) people might some day do to us … (Matthew 5:11)<\/p>\n
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and<\/p>\n
falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”<\/p>\n
The truth is there might come a day in any of our lives when
\nclosed-minded, agenda-driven people will seek to destroy us because of
\nthe way we live out our faith in Christ.<\/p>\n
See it for what it is … Don’t descend to their level. Don’t fight
\nfire with fire – don’t return tit for tat. Bow your head under their
\nonslaught and let those around you marvel at your self-control.<\/p>\n
Let the truth of the circumstance invigorate you (you are standing in
\nChrist’s place, being attacked because of Him).<\/p>\n
Also at such a time, stay focused upon …<\/p>\n
* The truth of the eventual OUTCOME<\/p>\n
Jesus had shared his personal outcome earlier with his disciples when
\nhe had said,<\/p>\n
“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders,
\nchiefs priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and
\nafter three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31)<\/p>\n
In that Beatitude we considered a few moments ago, Jesus had said …
\n“Blessed are you” when such things happen. “Rejoice and be glad” at
\nsuch times, he said, for “great is your reward in heaven”.<\/p>\n
Here’s something that Peter added to the discussion … (1 Peter 4:16)<\/p>\n
“If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed,<\/p>\n
but praise God that you bear that name.”<\/p>\n
Stay focused upon what the real truth is … it will make it a lot
\neasier to maintain silence when silence is called for!<\/p>\n
Final Thot …<\/p>\n
Sometimes SILENCE can be absolutely DEAFENING!<\/p>\n
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Pastor Mark Mikels – August 17, 2008 “BECOMING SPIRITUAL DECATHLETES – Part Eight” (“Connecting With Christ” Series – Part 47) Mark 14:55-61; 15:1-5 Intro … This morning we come to the seventh of the ten great spiritual challenges Jesus faced the last eight days of his earthly life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[10,3],"archive_item":"http:\/\/archive.org\/details\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com--becoming-spiritual-decathletes--becoming-spiritual-decathletes-part-8","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermons\/168"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermons"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sp_sermon"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}