From Obsurity to Security

From Obscurity to Security

(This message was first preached at First Baptist Church in Carney, Oklahoma. It was preached in the morning service in the June 4, 1978. It was preached again at Cedar Ridge Baptist Church in Burleson, Texas in the Fall of 1992.)

         There is a story about a little boy who had never been to see the circus. He had heard the stories of the elephants and the big cats. He had heard about the acrobats and of the clowns; and, he had yearned to see them. One day his golden opportunity came. Word came that the great circus was going to be performing in a neighboring town. He rose early and walked many miles to a the town. He had bought new clothes. And on that grand day he arrived in the midst of all the excitement. He used some of his money to buy some cotton candy and he stood on the curb and watched the parade.

         Passing in front of him were the elephants. Then passed the acrobats. And then came the jugglers. Following them came the cages filled with lions and tigers. A big steam organ piping its music passed by. And mixed among all of this were the clowns tumbling, stumbling, falling down and performing their antics.

         After a while act after act passed him by until there were no more. And so with the parade gone he excitedly turned and rushed home to tell his parents of the circus. Unfortunately, he had been content to watch the parade and never realized that the circus was yet to come. The world, today, is filled with people who are content with watching the parade and not realizing that greater things are in store for them.

         I would like to introduce you, at this time, to a man named Simon. At the mention of the name Simon, we naturally think of Simon Peter. But this is not Simon Peter, the Apostle. It is another Simon. This Simon is introduced briefly in Scripture and then is quickly replaced by other personalities and events in the New Testament. This Simon is one of the little people of the Bible. Much like you and me. He was a man who was content with his position in life. And like the little boy of the story, one day he stood on a curb and watched a procession pass through the streets of Jerusalem.

         It was not a parade that he watched. It was not a religious procession. It certainly was not an occasion of excitement and jubilation. In this procession God's Son was the featured personality. Broken, bleeding, suffering, Jesus carried His cross through the winding streets of Jerusalem, staggering and sometimes falling. And on the curbs, completely unaware of the significance of this act, stood the sightseers.

         We find Simon standing on the curb watching. And we also find that in an instant, he is taken from the safety of the curb and placed into the middle of history. His life is never the same after that. I want to examine this situation as it is recorded in Mark's Gospel, the 15th chapter, 21st verse; and, I want to examine how it applies to us today. Whatever we say or decide this evening, I am sure of one thing, that those who claim the name of Christ must never be simply content to watch the cause of Christ pass them by. Once committed to the Christ of the cross, lives can never be the same.

         Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. the soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then wove a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they worshiped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

         A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means, The Place of The Skull). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

         There are at least three lessons to be learned of this experience of Simon's...first among them is that it is possible to be caught unprepared for Christian service. We see in this story that Simon was simply not prepared to perform this service.

         It was the custom of the Romans to have the condemned man carry his cross to the site of crucifixion. If he were unable to complete the trip, they were authorized to claim anyone standing nearby to bear the cross. All that was necessary was the touch of the Roman broad sword on the shoulder and instant obedience was required. And so it is the Roman broad sword that interrupts Simon's life and sets it on a new course. Simon was caught unaware and unprepared.

         Now they tell us that Simon was from Cyrene. It is commonly thought that he was a Cyrenian Jew who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover. This in itself is no small accomplishment, for Cyrene is a great distance from Jerusalem. It isn't as simple as driving from Fort Worth to Dallas. Simon had probably endured great sacrifices to be in Jerusalem at this time. He had probably used funds that he had saved over a long period of time just to be able to travel to Jerusalem for the Passover.

         It very well could have been a lifelong dream of Simon's to spend one Passover in Jerusalem. And so now in the midst of his dream, in the Holy City of God, the Roman broad sword taps him on the shoulder and he finds himself humiliated beneath the cross of a criminal.

         His dream had exploded! His darkest moment had come! We can imagine the thoughts that must have raced through his mind. How he must have hated this man for whom he now labored! How he must have yearned to reach his destination. How he must have wanted to throw down the cross and run from the whole experience. Mankind has not changed much, for men have been running from the cross for 2000 years.

         Simon certainly had thought at that moment that he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. All of his heart and soul must have screamed. ”Why Me?! Why Me, God?!” How many times has God tapped you or me on the shoulder, and our first response to him is an attitude that says, “Why Me?”

         In years to come, I believe that Simon would spend precious moments recalling that blessed moment that he shouldered for a brief instant the burden of his Savior. But that moment was yet to come, for right now I imagine that Simon wished he were anywhere other than where he was at that moment. I imagine that, if he could, he would have used any numbers of excuses to get out of this great task. He might have said, "I have bought a piece of ground and I must see to it." or "I have married a wife and I cannot stay." Or he might have used some that sound more familiar to us today, like: "I've got business to attend to." or "That sort of thing just doesn't appeal to me." or "I'm just not good at that sort of thing." But the Roman broad sword left no room for compromise for Simon.

         And my friends, the cross of Jesus leaves you no room for compromise today. In the Church today, many people still contract the Simon Complex. When it comes to serving the Master they feel "caught in the wrong place at the wrong time." Dear Friends, let me assure you now that there can be no greater joy in life than that found in service for the Master. So what are you to do when service calls? There is only one thing you can do. For the proper position for the Christian is not on the curb watching the parade pass by; but, it is rather beneath the cross of Jesus, laboring with the Master. This does not mean that a few Christians do all the work. It means that every Christian should accept his call to service.

         Where do you stand today? Are you on the curb watching? Or are you beneath the cross of Jesus? Christian, don't even try to hide from the cross. Don't try to run from God. You just can't do it. For you see, that man on the cross won't let you go.

         Now, I want you to realize that, even though a Christian may be caught unprepared, the service of the Christian is still necessary. This whole ordeal with Simon was a necessary thing. You see, Simon was needed. The cross had to be taken up Calvary’s hill. A man had to die there. The cross was necessary in order that Jesus might work His redemptive act. So, what service did Simon do for humanity that day? Well, he carried the death weapon of Jesus up a hill. He also carried the means that would be used to wash you and me from our sin. Yes, we owe a great deal to Simon of Cyrene.

         A word here about the nature of the cross. The cross does not represent life. The cross is a death instrument. The cross represents death. The empty grave represents life. But it is only at the cross that we can understand the depth of God's love for us and the extremes that He would go for us. All the way!! All the way!!

         Now, Simon did not understand all the implications of what the cross represents. And you may not understand all the implications of the cross. But whether we understand it or not, our position, my friend, is to be beneath it. And let me share with you this about cross-bearing. It is a one-time, one-way trip that leads to death. To bear the cross is to die to your own desires for your life, and to live the life that God intends for you to live. You see, bearing the cross is simply living the Christian life according to the way He wants us to live it.

         There is a story about a small village in France. The devastation of the Second World War had found its way to this small village. A statue of Jesus with outstretched arms, which stood in a garden , was severely damaged. The hands had been broken off and lost. After the war, the townspeople had determined to repair their statue so that Jesus would once more welcome all of those entering that garden with outstretched hands. They held a competition; and invited artists from throughout the land to present plans to replace the hands. Time passed and none of the plans, drawings, and models were satisfactory to the townspeople. One morning, when visiting the statute the elders of the town found a note placed at the foot of the statue. They read the note and they realized the truth of its message. Now instead of a completed statue with outstretched hands, there is a small metal plaque beneath the statue that says, "I have no hands but your hands."

         The will for God in your life today is that you serve Him. His will is that you will be His hands. God needed Simon's hands on that day 2000 years ago. And God needs your hands today. He needs you to be a witness for Him. He needs you to teach His Gospel. He needs you to preach His Gospel. He needs you to serve in Vacation Bible School. He needs you to sing in the choir. He needs you to teach a Sunday School class. He needs you to attend Sunday School. He needs you to cook and serve. He needs you to support and love the pastor of this church and his family.

         And finally tonight we see that no special talent is required to qualify as god's servant. Simon had no special talent that qualified him for the task. He had only what God had given him from birth. He had a strong back, two arms, two legs, strong hands, and a mind. That was all that was needed. And that is all that is needed in our church today. With strong arms, backs, legs, hands, and minds we can win this city for Jesus. That is all that is needed.

         You see, God doesn't necessarily ask for specialist to serve in His church. You don't have to have a Ph.D. in child physiology to teach a children's Sunday School class. You don't have to be an entertainer to work with youth. You don't need to be a bank president to work on the budget. You need only to be sincere and realize that the service is to the Lord and no one else.

         Yes, Simon had come a long way from Cyrene. He had come expecting to spend a Passover. But instead his life was changed forever. I believe that Simon learned some important truths that day. He learned what it meant to labor beneath the cross of Jesus. He learned of the necessity of his service. And finally he realized that there was nothing of his own qualities that specially qualified him for this service. But I believe that Simon, if anyone, truly knew what it meant to take up his cross in service to the Master.

         There is an old fable about three mighty trees which grew in the forest. The three trees each prayed that they might choose what they would be used for when they were cut down. One tree prayed to be made into a beautiful palace. The second tree prayed to be made into a great ship and sail the seven seas. The third prayed to remain in the forest and always point toward God. One day the woodsman came and chopped down the three trees.

         Instead of being made into a palace the first tree was made into a common stable. Therein the most beautiful Child in all creation was born. The second tree was made into a small boat and launched on the Sea of Galilee. On it's deck stood a tall young man who told the multitudes, "I am come that you might have life.." The third tree was made into a cross, and onto it men nailed that young man...the loveliest personality that ever walked the earth. Ever since then that cross has been pointing men to God. And so each prayer was answered in it own way.

         Simon prayed to go to Jerusalem during the Passover to find his God. He came and found Jesus. What is your prayer today. Whatever it may be, I pray that we never simply be content with watching the cause of Christ pass us by; but that we commit ourselves to the cross of Jesus and to the service that it brings. God bless you and keep you.