Seizing the Moments

Moments of Confidence

Matthew 27:20-26

 

Opening Words: We believe in an omnipresent God. In other words, we believe God is universal. He has the ability to be in all places all the time. He is not limited to the sanctuary of this church, He is everywhere. There has never been a time when you were orphaned by God, He has always been with you. That divine truth is part of the Good News. I am in the middle of a seven part sermon series that celebrates God’s omnipresence. I have called this sermon series Seizing the Moments.

 

We find ourselves instructed from the twenty-seventh chapter of Matthew. It is an odd time of year to read this passage. Liturgically speaking, we usually hear it during the season of Lent, Holy Week in Particular. However, that does not mean it doesn’t have something for us today, it is a powerful passage all the time. You may remember the scene. Jesus is on his way to the cross. He is standing with Pilate before the crowd. The crowd chooses Barabbas over Jesus. It is safe to say that Jesus and Pilate made an strange pair. Pilate has everything this world has to offer, fame, power and influence. Jesus has nothing this world has to offer. However, the man with nothing is filled with self confidence. The man with everything is rattled with self doubt. This morning I want to talk about why Jesus was filled with self confidence. What were the sources of Jesus’ self confidence. Those sources were not isolated to Jesus, they are available to us today! May God give you ears to hear. Let me call this message Moments of Confidence.

 

Matthew 27:20-26 20But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

21"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor.
"Barabbas," they answered.

22"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked.
They all answered, "Crucify him!"

23"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

24When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"

25All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"

26Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

 

History tells us Abraham Lincoln was shoot at Ford’s Theater of April 14, 1865. Much has been written about the shooting and the political climate of America on that day. Very little has been written about the contents found inside of the pockets of our sixteenth president. I have told you in the past what they were. Do you remember them? In President Lincoln’s pockets were found:

1. A handkerchief, embroidered "A. Lincoln"
2. A country boy's pen knife
3. A spectacles case repaired with string
4. A purse containing a $5 Confederate20bill
5. Some old and worn newspaper clippings

 

One of the clippings was an article of a speech written by John Bright. In the speech he called Abraham Lincoln, "one of the greatest minds of all times." Today that's common knowledge but that wasn‘t the case in Lincoln time. In 1865 millions shared quite a contrary opinion. The President's critics were fierce. His was a lonely agony that reflected the suffering and turmoil of his country ripped to shreds by hatred and a cruel, costly war. Lincoln kept those words because he couldn’t believe anyone would say he had a great mind. Today we would say Lincoln suffered from depression, crippled with self doubt and haunted by a poor self image. Is there anyone here today who is crippled with self doubt?

 

I have called this sermon Moments of Confidence. I could have called this sermon Moments of Self Doubt. Maybe that title would have been better. I know of more people who are filled with self doubt then I have met people who are filled with confidence. Can I sate the obvious. Your self doubts are influential. They influence the way you look at your past, evaluate your presence and alter your future. Every good parent praises their children at every corn er to build a good self esteem but life has a way of eroding that solid foundation. Doubt has a way of creeping into your life and affecting the way you live your life. I know that is true because it is part of my story.

 

When I was in the third, fourth and fifth grades I had some wonderful teachers. They laid the foundation for my future education and wanted me to learn the basics. One of the basics in education is having the ability to read. So every morning we would have reading class. You know the drill. Every students would take a turn reading a paragraph out of the reader. To the best of my recollection every student read their paragraph flawlessly, except me. When it was my turn to read I butchered my paragraph. The words didn’t flow out of my mouth because I butchered every word. My fellow students laughed at me, which only made the situation worse. Years later, after graduate school, I discover I had an eye disorder. They call it a binary condition, my two eyes that work fine independently can’t focus on the same line. To this day, I struggle reading the scripture in worship, I can‘t read off the big screen at T.O.G.G.L.E., I have memorized wedding, funeral and baptisms rituals. I don’t read my sermons to you for one reason, I can’t. My eyes just won’t focus on that common line. I have compensated my entire life from my poor eyesight. I know I have a binary condition now but in the third, fourth and fifth grade I just felt dumb. And because I was dumb I nearly dropped out of college after the first semester and delayed going to seminary for three years. If you hand me a book and tell me to read a paragraph I won’t do it because I am afraid you will laugh at me. Self doubt has a way of creeping into our lives and eroding away our self confidence. What self doubts do you hold that are effecting the way that you live daily?

 

This morning I want to talk about restoring your self confidence. Have you ever stopped to consider it is Satan who puts self doubt into your life because he doesn’t want you to maximize your full potential? He wants you to live in a shell, afraid to come out. God, on the other hand, wants you to live up to your full potential. He wants you to have the greatest impact on your little corner of the world because you are His ambassador. You are a disciple of Jesus Christ! I don’t have a single article that calls you one of the greatest minds of our time but I do have three reminders. I want you to remember them the next time you are filled with self doubt. So if you are ready to defeat your self doubts and became more self confident say, “Amen!”

0A

 

He knew who he was.

First, Jesus was self confident because Jesus knew who he was. The Gospel narrative is a little thin when it comes to Jesus’ childhood. We are told that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and lived in Egypt for a short time as an infant. We are told he went to the temple when he was twelve years old and amazed the Elders. We know nothing about his teenage years but we do know he lived near his mother, Mary, until he was thirty. We know very little about Jesus’ life but I am comfortable saying Jesus knew who he was from the very beginning. Jesus knew he was the son of God. Jesus knew being the son of God brought unique opportunities but it also brought unique challenges. Jesus knew who he was. All self confident people know who they are. Each one of us is unique. Each one of us have our own strengths and weaknesses. Only a fool says they know everything.

 

The other night I was at the Trustee’s meeting. One of the main topics on the agenda was the capital funds drive. We talked about the details of the project. People asked questions and people got answers. We examined all the details. Someone asked about the why we need a Charge Conference? Why can’t the Trustees just take out the loan and supervise the work? I said the reason you need a Charge Conference is that the entire church is taking out the loan and repaying the loan. I said I will be running the meeting but I need the Trustees to be present at the meeting to answer questions about the work to be done. I said, “You do not want me to answer building questions. I am much better at destruction, then construction.” Everyone laughed but I was just telling the truth.

 

One of the most liberating words in my life are the words, “I don’t know.” There was a time in my life when I thought I had to know everything. There was a time when I wanted people to think I knew everything. I knew about plumbing, auto repair, foreign policy, sewing, crafts, and the finer details of physics. It is extremely difficult to know everything. Then I learn to use those three little words, “I don’t know,” and I was liberated. Saying, “I don’t know” doesn’t,” mean you don’t know anything. It means only means “I don’t know” about certain things. I don’t know anything about cardiology but I know something about God, preaching, the Bible, church growth and group dynamics. I like being fifty-two20years old because I have had fifty-two years to learn about myself, my strengths and my weaknesses. Does anyone here know everything? Can anyone here today say they are one of the greatest minds in our time? When was the last time you uttered these three little words, “I don’t know?” Jesus knew who he was. All self confident people know who they are. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

He knew whose he was.

Second, Jesus was self confident because Jesus knew whose he was. It has been over two thousand years sense this Biblical scene. You know how the story ends. Pilate permits Jesus to be crucified and the Master is buried in a cave-like tomb. Jesus spent his earthly ministry surrounded by people but when the end came he was alone. The crowds of Palm Sunday had disappeared. Jesus was alone except for God, the creator of the universe. Jesus had confidence because he knew he was loved by God. You can have self confidence because you are loved by God.

 

The great preacher of yesteryear Philip Brooks was extremely confident and optimistic. A close friend asked him who was the source of his attitude about life. He replied, “It is really quite simple. I am a Christian.” When you come to the conclusion in your life that God love you it changes everything. Just think about it for a second. God claims you as a child. In the end God will be victorious and He wants to share the spoils of that victory with you! It really doesn’t matter what the world says about you. The only thing that really matters is that God loves you! Jesus was self confident because he knew whose he was. You can be self confident because God loves you. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

He knew where he was going.

Third, Jesus was self confident because Jesus knew where he was going. You know where Jesus went. You said it this morning in the creed. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. Jesus knew he was going to heaven when it was all over. All he had to do was hang on. The trials and challenges of this world were only temporary. All he had to do was hang on. He had to hang on through the tension of the crowd and the pain of the cross. Those experiences were temporary but heaven was going to last for eternity. It is hard for us to put ourselves in Jesus’ situation. However, has there ever been a time in your life when you felt completely defeated. There doesn’t seem to be any escape and every day is a challenge. If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, if you know him as your Lord and Savior, you can sink your roots into this part of the Good News. Someday the challenges of this world are going to be over and you get to go heaven and be reunited with your loved ones! The only things that really matter are the things that will matter in one hundred years. The only thing that will matter in one hundred years is your relationship with Jesus. Someday we are going to heaven! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Let me end with this story.

 

The American painter, John Sargent, once painted a panel of roses that was highly praised by critics. It was a small picture, but it approached perfection. Although offered a high price for it on many occasions, Sargent refused to sell it. He considered it his best work and was very proud of it. Whenever he was deeply discouraged and doubtful of his abilities as an artist, he would look at it and remind himself, "I painted that."20Then his confidence and ability would come back to him.

 

May God give you the ears you need to here today’s part of the Good News. You are a disciple of Jesus Christ. For that reason and for that reason alone you should be filled with self confidence. Because you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, you know who you are. Discover your own strengths and weaknesses. Never be afraid to say those three liberating words, “I don’t know.” Because you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, you know whose you are. Never forget! God loves you! Because you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, you know where you are going. The challenges of this world are only temporary. Someday we are going to be in heaven together! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”