Storm Clouds Gathering

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the fifth Sunday in Lent, the 3rd of April, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

I don’t know why it fascinates me so, but I’ve always enjoyed watching an approaching storm.  There’s something about those dark, threatening clouds rolling in that I find rather calming, even as lightning flashes and thunder rumbles off in the distance, as the wind begins to pick up.

In our observance of Lent, we are following along with Jesus during His last few weeks of life on this earth.  Our walk will eventually lead us to the cross, and then to an empty tomb.

But right now, the storm clouds are gathering as the Jewish religious leaders increasingly feel their positions of authority and extravagant way of life threatened by this humble teacher and healer, this Jesus.  This Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead, as witnessed by a large number of people – Jewish people – people who had come to console the dead man’s sisters Martha and Mary.  We can only imagine their reaction to seeing Lazarus, four days in the grave, rise up from the tomb, still bound in his burial cloths, and live again.

Please listen and follow along as the Apostle John lets us in on what happens next and the plans the chief priests and Pharisees hatched to do away with this Jesus, from chapter 11 of his Gospel account, verses 45 through 57, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

45 Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. 46 But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This Man certainly performs many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow Him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in Him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”

49 Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! 50 You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”

51 He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. 52 And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.

53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. 54 As a result, Jesus stopped His public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with His disciples.

55 It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, “What do you think? He won’t come for Passover, will He?” 57 Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest Him.

--John 11:45-57 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for loving us so much that You would put a very intricate plan in place to give us a chance at salvation and eternal life in paradise.  Each actor in this plan had a role to play, including the Pharisees and chief priests of the Jewish people.  But the greatest was Your Son Jesus, who did everything You asked of Him.  Thank You Father for sending Your Son, our Messiah.  Forgive us, please, when we become too complacent and lazy in our faith.  Please help us be more obedient to Your voice.  And help us remember the great sacrifice You and Jesus made just for us.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who so willingly do his bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  May we remain calm and secure in Your love, even as the storm clouds gather.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Clergyman and author Warren Wiersbe, in his book Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching and Preachers, tells us that missionary Hudson Taylor had definite convictions about how God's work should be done.  We can make our best plans and try to carry them out in our own strength.  Or we can make careful plans and ask God to bless them.  Taylor added, "Yet another way of working is to begin with God; to ask His plans, and to offer ourselves to Him to carry out His purposes."

Long ago, Scotsman Robert Burns wrote a poem titled “To a Mouse”, in which he noted, “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley, An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, For promis’d joy!”  You’ve probably heard that more clearly stated as “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”  Man’s grand schemes, no matter how well laid out and planned, too often turn sideways and don’t end up at all as expected.  Burns adds that the joy our plans may promise, too often end in grief and pain.  But if we include God in our planning, letting Him guide us, working with Him all the way, and then letting Him carry out the plan through us for His purposes, then we will succeed.

Otherwise, prepare for the worst.  If we try to do it all on our own, we can watch as the storm clouds gather.

We are nearing the end of the Lenten period and our walk with Jesus during the last of His mortal days.  Next week we will celebrate His triumphal entry into Jerusalem to attend the Passover feast that will see our Lord offered up as the sacrificial Lamb.  Shortly after that entry, Jesus went into the temple and turned over the table of the moneychangers and drove out the sellers.  To me, this act was simply a metaphor.  For in His short, three year ministry, Jesus managed to turn the Jewish leadership on its head, just like those tables.

By this point they were seeing more and more people begin to believe in Jesus as the Messiah.  He could perform mighty acts of healing, miraculous acts, even bringing the dead back to life.  How could they compete with that?  They were losing their grip on the people, watching their authority over the masses slip away, worrying that their prestige and power were nearing an end.  “What are we going to do?”, they lamented.  “What else can we do, but have Him permanently removed from sight.”

They had been a little worried about Jesus all along, but now their thinking had turned to plotting, and their plans had turned sinister.  And the storm clouds gathered over Jesus’ head.

We know how that storm ended, even with the sun being blotted out when Jesus drew His last breath on the cross.  But just like our thunderstorms often benefit us by clearing the air and bringing brighter days in their wake, the storm the chief priests caused brought us a chance at salvation.

And it also showed us how poorly even our best laid plans work out.  The Jewish leaders wanted this Jesus business put to rest and done with and no one giving it any further thought.  Instead, the Gospel continued, Jesus lives on, and His name is widely known and worshiped today.

But there is another storm building.  And this one is of God’s making.  We can see the clouds rolling in from the horizon.  Wars, invasions, insurrections, riots, all on the rise.  Anger, hatred, brother against brother, fear of one another, everywhere we look.  Wildfires, earthquakes, floods, famines, diseases running rampant around the globe.  The storm clouds are gathering once again.

Hear what the prophet Joel wrote in the 1st two verses of the 2nd chapter of the book bearing his name…

1 Blow the trumpet in Zion,

And sound an alarm in My holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;

For the day of the Lord is coming,

For it is at hand:

2 A day of darkness and gloominess,

A day of clouds and thick darkness,

Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains.

A people come, great and strong,

The like of whom has never been;

Nor will there ever be any such after them,

Even for many successive generations.

--Joel 2:1-2 (NKJV)

Jesus is coming back to us and bringing the army of God with Him, great and strong.  He’ll come riding in on those clouds to set the world aright.  Our Bible tells us He’ll call His church home before the battle begins, and all those left behind will tremble and shake in fear.  They’ll try to hide, even seeking death, but death will not come.

For them, it is too late.  But there is still time for folks to avoid that horrible fate.  All they have to do is accept Jesus as Lord and give their life to Him.  But they need to act fast, because the storm is building.

Family, the storm clouds were gathering as the Jewish leaders plotted Jesus' death.  And they are gathering now, in our current age, as Jesus prepares for His return.  Let us prepare as well.

In just a few moments we will be partaking of the body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus.  Paul tells us not to come to this table with any hatred or spite or anger or malice still in our hearts.  We must be right with God, having forgiven old hurts, tossing out personal pride, flinging off biases and prejudices towards others.

Please take these next few minutes to get rid of that old stuff so we can all come to the table together with a right heart.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, You are in control and You’ve been in control all along.  When the Jewish leaders plotted against Jesus, You took their plans and turned them for our good through Jesus’ sacrifice.  Thank You, Father, for giving Your Son to atone for our sin.  Thank You for loving us that much.  Father, sometimes we fail to see what is truly happening around us.  We blindly go through life ignoring the signs You place in our path.  Sometimes we forget that Your great plan is still in play, building up to the return of Your Son.  Forgive us, Father, our blind eyes and cold hearts.  Forgive us when we don’t take all that is happening seriously enough to more actively share the Gospel.  Please help us be better servants.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You knew the Pharisees and chief priests were plotting against You.  As God, You could have put an end to their schemes before they were even formulated.  But instead, You carried out Your Father’s plan just as He asked, giving Your all for us sinners.  Thank You, Lord, for being the good and faithful Servant.  Thank You for making salvation possible for us.  Please, Lord, forgive us when we don’t enthusiastically do as You command.  Help us get out of our little boxes and start spreading the Good News of salvation that comes only through You.  Remind us that You are Lord, our Lord, to whom we owe our all.  Show us the lost that we might help them be saved.  And Jesus, please strengthen us through these very difficult times.  Heal the hurts that separate and divide us.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on what this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.