Unfulfilled Dreams

Text: Matthew 12:10-20, Isaiah 42:1-7

Focus: Peacemaking

Function: To help people keep Jesus Vision alive.

Form: Storytelling

Intro:

I was at Westminster Abbey a few years ago and inside it is filled with graves and monuments that praise the heroes of England’s power and success all over the world.

But there is a recent addition to the Abbey (SHOW PICTURE) that was placed there last century, a whole new group of statues of that depict men and women of faith who were martyred in the 20^th Century. One was a Catholic priest who volunteered to die in place of a total stranger in a Nazi camp, a Lutheran minister, Dietrich Bonheoffer who was one of the last men to be executed by Hitler, to people martyred in Japan, China, San Salvador, South Africa, New Guinea and the United States.

The man from the US whose statue is there, right in the center, is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Blue like Jazz author Don Miller' was interviewed where he says, “MLK never bowed to politicians, they came to him, not he to them.” His battle was spiritual, not political. He had a dream. In 1958 He preached a sermon “Unfulfilled Dreams.”

• Based on David not being able to build the temple, but his son did.
• Or Moses who wanted to take the Israelites into the Promised Land.
• But it took the hard work and sacrifice of the next generation to do it.

I love this commentary on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I specifically love the way he illustrates that the preacher didn’t go to the politicians, they came to him.

He loved Jesus and recognized that the battle for justice is a spiritual, not political battle.

Politicians think/believe, perhaps even know that siding up to great spiritual leaders boosts their credibility.

I am not talking about the popular preachers, but significant leaders like Mother Theresa, Billy Graham and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

They are the leaders who didn’t care about popularity, but they spoke God’s truth against injustice.

The Bible says that the Old Testament prophets spoke by the power of the Spirit of Christ Himself. (SHOW) Speaking the truth about justice (and injustice) brings the power of the Holy Spirit with to heal a land. (From Zachariah 8:14-16)

So, what does it mean to speak the truth, to speak up for the truth of justice?

I saw the video of a group of clergy in San Francisco who were trying to establish a house to shelter women coming out of the sex trade and had faced months of delays by the zoning officials who didn’t want that kind of establishment around.

Mother Theresa happened to be in the town for some event and a politician wanted to been seen with her. She didn’t mess around with the schmooze of the political arena, as soon as the cameras were on the two of them; she quietly, lovingly and directly asked them if they were concerned for the plight of these young women. In one day’s time, she cut through the red tape of city hall that had been holding up the project by asking sincere, loving and direct questions about showing mercy to these women.

It was the way she exposed the importance of mercy on behalf of these women who had been victimized their entire lives that cut through all of the manipulation, politicking and greed of those opposing the project.

If she had been charismatic or political, the opposition could have dismissed her words. But her argument was so simple and direct that the leaders hearts were changed as to the value of this group home for these women.

Let us go back to our scripture: (SHOW)16: and he ordered them not to make him known in order to fulfill what Isaiah said about him… …20: He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory.

He was not political; He was sincere in His faith. He refused to be political; He even told His followers not to talk about the miracles He was doing, not to build Him up into some sort of super-hero. He was more concerned about His mission than His popularity. He was convinced that He was doing what God wants Him to do.

Jesus was interested in advancing God’s kingdom by giving God’s justice the victory.

To be clear, I am not saying that believers who influence politics are wrong, but it is important to remember that we are called first to God’s kingdom, not mans’.

And God has used great politicians to advance His Kingdom. Abraham Lincoln and William Wilberforce are two good examples.

I love the movie “Amazing Grace.” It is the story of how William Wilberforce, with divine inspiration from God, ended the slave trade in England.

At the beginning of his career, he wrestled with becoming either a politician or a Clergyman. God used him, with all of the political manipulation that politics entails to stop the English slave trade.

But the great spiritual leaders followed closely in the footsteps and pattern of Jesus. They had a vision, a dream, a purpose about their lives that was so simple, straightforward, convicting and just that people, even politicians, couldn’t stand against them.

But that doesn’t mean that these leaders don’t get opposition.

Look at the beginning of this passage and the reason why Jesus said: “don’t brag Me up!” (SHOW): 10. A man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, "Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath?" so that they might accuse him…. …14. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.”

I left out the middle verses where Jesus healed the man and spoke to the opposition sincerely, lovingly and directly.

And these great leaders have learned to be confrontational with the same Spirit Jesus had: He is sincere, loving and direct. Look at verses 11,12: (SHOW): 11. He said to them, "Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12. How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."

Jesus spoke the truth about their injustice. They eventually killed Him for exposing their attitudes. His motivation was/is to give Justice the ultimate victory.

He wasn’t afraid to stand up for what was right. Jesus wasn’t looking at the politics of the situation; He was looking at the man.

Sadly, this message is not preached in many Bible believing churches as strongly as we preach it.

I am not trying to puff ourselves up as better, because to preach “why we are special” is not preaching Christ. But I do want to emphasize its importance.

Years ago, Pat Robertson was doing a show on capital punishment. He interviewed 2 Christian leaders, one of them was a friend of mine from our Denomination who was against the death penalty and the other was a prominent theologian who was in favor of it.

The man in favor of it gave a good case for the rule of criminal law. Many scriptures prove the sickness of a society by the way that injustice is permitted. His argument was and is believed by many people.

But the woman who spoke the other side was the daughter of the pastor of the Miami First, Church of the Brethren. She, her father and brother were stabbed in a home invasion. She was the only one who survived and she spoke simply, quoting Jesus’ words and her testimony was so powerful that Pat Robertson just cut her off and concluded with “there is a lot to think about.”

Some people wonder if I am a liberal because I speak about this justice so much, but I do it because of this example of Jesus. We believe it is an important biblical stand.

Remember, I mentioned this last summer, but I want to reiterate it. Remember Jesus had one mission: (SHOW) Jesus said: I come to seek and save the lost. (Luke 19:10)

He is the Savior and He is the Savior of all of humanity.

Too often, we conclude that Jesus’ mission of salvation is merely to provide for us a fire escape from hell. But that is only part of what Jesus life was about. When we take our clues from His life, we see Him over and over working to bless the people in the here-and-now, and also giving them eternal life.

I have heard some missionaries say: “what good does it do to help someone who doesn’t know Christ if it only prolongs the time before they are sent to hell?”

Well, it must be good because that is what Jesus did. These things cannot be separated and remain consistency with Jesus’ life.

The scripture points to this dual purpose. In John 17:4, Jesus is praying to the Father for all Christians everywhere and He reminds God: (SHOW) “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”

When He prayed this prayer, He had a long night, a terrible tomorrow and a rough couple of days ahead of Him.

But it is an odd prayer if all He wanted for was for people to ensure that they were going to heaven. Right before He was crucified He said: “I have completed the work YOU gave me to do.”

What work was finished?

Well we know He wasn’t done, that sacrifice, that terrible day had not yet been accomplished.

Because of it, we have eternal life. Because of it, we have peace with God. Because of it, we have the Holy Spirit inside of us. Because of it, we have the forgiveness of our sins. The wonder of that is too hard to describe.

But how can He say: “I have finished?”

He says, I have finished the work YOU wanted me to do. That work was showing us how to live, how to love, how to be just. Jesus is God’s personal letter of endorsement upon the way He wants mankind to treat each other. That was His work on behalf of God.

The last three days, He did another job, not on behalf of God, that was finished; He did a work on behalf of humanity.

He still had the purchase of our salvation to do.

But to fulfill the mission of seeking and saving the lost, Jesus spoke the truth on behalf of doing justice and redeeming us from our sins.

How can we not do the same? How can we be true to Him and not do both?

Well we have. God is still changing the world through the followers of Christ.

And that is why I preach the importance of continuing Jesus work in this way.

We can’t become the sacrifice for anyone’s sins, but we can share our faith for the Holy Spirit to convince them and draw then into this great adventure, relationship and cause of redemption both in heaven and on earth.

(SHOW) We are called to preach good news, not just for the afterlife, but for the here-and-now.

The mission doesn’t stop with signing names on the Church role because they have trusted Christ and have been baptized.

We are left here to continue His work.

Actually the title: “Unfulfilled Dreams” is not original with me. Dr. MLK preached, I am sure a much better sermon in 1958 with the same title.

It was a challenge to the next generation, to everyone who would follow his ministry. It was a challenge not to stop what God started.

Just like David wanted to build a temple and God called the next generation to finish that work. Just like Moses wanted to bring the people into the Promised Land. That work was to be carried on by the next generation.

MLK called it unfulfilled dreams because the work of Christ will never be finished until people know Him as Lord and Savior and pick up His cross and follow Him.

MLK, Mother Theresa, Abraham Lincoln were Christians who were not only saved for eternity, but embraced their Christian calling to bring a victory to Justice.

We, where we live right here in Southern Ohio as Brethren and other Anabaptist groups took part in a great accomplishment of that by facilitating the Underground Railroad. Believers lost lives and property for that conviction, but their witness lives on today.

In one way, we have seen MLK’s dream fulfilled but we sill have a long way to go.

It starts here, in a relationship with Christ by making Him our Lord and Savior. By taking up His charge, His call, His passion and continuing His work.

I love the mission statement of our denomination: (SHOW) “Continuing the Work of Jesus, simply, peaceably and together.”

And I am not preaching denomination, or any person in the form of the great spiritual leaders I mentioned in this sermon, I am preaching Jesus Christ and what He gave His life to convey to humanity.

We don’t want to be accused of merely using Jesus as a fire escape from hell. We want to be His witnesses to the things He taught us and was passionate about while we live here underneath this sun.

But if we truly honor Jesus Christ, then this passion will continue to this and the next generation.