Sermon Title: Save Us!

Save Us! (4.9.17) 1

First Scripture: Psalm 118:1-2,19-29
(1-2) 1Give thanks to theLord,for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2Let Israel say:
“His love endures forever.”
(19-29) 19Open for me the gatesof the righteous;
I will enterand give thanks to theLord.
20This is the gate of theLord
through which the righteous may enter.
21I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22The stonethe builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
23theLordhas done this,
and it is marvelousin our eyes.
24TheLordhas done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
25Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!
26Blessed is he who comesin the name of theLord.
From the house of theLordwe bless you.[b]
27TheLordis God,
and he has made his light shineon us.
With boughs in hand,join in the festal procession
up[c]to the horns of the altar.
28You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God,and I will exaltyou.
29Give thanks to theLord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

Second Scripture: Matthew 21:7-11
7They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.8A very large crowd spread their cloakson the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna[b]to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]
“Hosanna[d]in the highest heaven!”
10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophetfrom Nazareth in Galilee.”

Who has heard the phrase "There are no atheists in a fox hole?"
While not universally true, often people who want nothing do to with God, under normal circumstances, will cry out to Him when they need saving. For example an atheist was enjoying the view from a cliff until a strong gust of wind knocked him over. He grasped at a tuft of grass, but soon realized that it was not going to hold for long. Dangling from the cliff he said, "God, if you are there, please save me!" To his amazement a loud voice said, "I am here my son. I will save you, just let go of the grass." The atheist thought about this for a moment, looked up and said, "Is there anyone else up there I can talk to?"
When we feel like we are hanging on by a thread, when we are desperate, we should absolutely cry out to the Lord to save us! However, we also need to be ready for His response. When we are open to His response we will often discover something surprising. We will be surprised about what we really need to be saved from, what we are saved for, and what follows our salvation. This morning is Palm Sunday. All four gospels recount this, very significant, event in the life of Jesus. As Jesus enters Jerusalem people wave palm branches and put their coats down in front of Him in respect and celebration. Respecting Him as king, and celebrating His triumphal entryinto the city.
In Matthew, Jesus is greeted by shouts of 'Hosanna,' literally meaning 'save us now!' The people were excited because Jesus had come to save them. But their cheers would soon turn to jeers, and the palm branches would soon turn to fists raised in the air. This same crowd, in less than a week, would scream "Crucify Him!" Why such a sudden and dramatic change? There are certainly many reasons, but one is definitely that Jesus did not meet their expectations as a savior. Many of them believed that they needed to be saved from Roman oppression for the prosperity of Israel and an increase in their power is what would follow.
Just like the atheist in the previous story, we often assume we know what we need saved from. We also assume the purpose of our salvation, what we are saved for. Finally, we also assume what will follow, or come after, our salvation. Right now, some of us may be barely hanging on, feeling like we are dangling over a cliff. For some of things are going well right now but we do not know if and when the bottom will drop out on us and we will need to cry out to the Lord "save us." Regardless of our situation, let's consider God's response to crying out Lord save us! With Jesus as our Savior, what is He saving us from, what is he saving us for, and what follows the salvation that He brings about? What are we really asking for when we turn to the Lord and cry out save us?
In the movie Forest Gump, Lt. Dan asks Forest, "Have you found Jesus, Gump?" Forest responds, "I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for Him sir!" Similarly, if we went to the mall and asked people, "are you saved," a very common answer would be "saved fromwhat?"
It is not helpful to talk about God saving us, unless we know what we need saved from. When Jesus entered into Jerusalem, Matthew records people shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David!" In other words, save us Son of David. In their minds, He came to save them from Roman oppression. Like David, Jesus, the Son of David, was going to establish the geopolitical boundaries Israel had during her glory days! They had no idea that Jesus was coming to save them, and us, from something far worse than Roman oppression.
In the same way we are so often deceived about what we really need saved from. We think we need to be saved from financial insecurity. We think we need to be saved from not being well liked. We think we need to be saved from those on the other side of the political spectrum. If those people would just get their acts together, everything would be perfect! The difficulty is, we do have legitimate concerns. Just as the Roman oppression was real, things like the threat of terrorism, and petty infighting over political issues turning violent here in the US, are very real concerns. But here is the question, is that what we need, ultimately, to be saved from? As individuals, and a nation, we need to be prudent, not reckless, doing what we need to so we can be safe. However, there is always going to be another evil empire, we will always have the threat of losing, finically, what we have.
In times of threat, conflict, and despair, whether it is personal, or national, it is a challenge to not become so narrowly focused, that we miss what we really need to be saved from. I know it is a challenge for me. However, as evil as they are, Jesus did not come to save the Jews from the Romans or us from ISIS. He came to defeat a much worse enemy! He came to save us from, sin, death, and the brokenness of humanity.
Why do you suppose we celebrate MLK day and not Malcolm X day? Martin Luther King recognized that racism was not, and is not, humanities primary problem. The brokenness of all of humanity is our biggest problem. This brokenness manifests itself in many ways, racism is one of them to be sure, but humanities brokenness is why the oppressed can become the oppressor in an instant! Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn lived through communist Russia, one of the most evil empires this world has seen. Rather than blaming Stalin he wrote that line separating good and evil "passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either but right through every human heartand through all human hearts." Son of David save us from the brokenness of humanity, those scars caused by the brokenness of other's and the brokenness, sin and evil found in each of our hearts. Lord, save us from ourselves!
If we need saved from brokenness, what are we saved for? What is the purpose of our salvation?
After saying "Save us Son of David" the people cry out "Blessed He who comes in the name of the Lord," a quote from Psalm 118. In the verse right before that one in Psalm 118 we read, "Lord save us! Lord, grant us success!" This begs the question, what is success? What are we saved for anyway? Too often, we misunderstand the purpose of our salvation. Many of the Jewish folks that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem probably believed that God would save them for their own sake. In other words, the purpose of the coming messiah was to grant the people of Israel success in wealth, comfort, and power.
This persists today, prosperity preachers are a perfect example. According to them, you are saved, and the reason you should give me your money, so that God can make you healthy and wealthy. This plays itself out in more subtle ways as well. Who has heard the statement that someone is "so heavenly minded, they are of no earthly use?" This idea that we are saved for fire insurance for hell. Instead of being saved for fire insurance, we are saved to be made whole. We are saved so, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we enjoy fellowship with God while inviting others into that same relationship!
This means, we are not saved for an easy and cushy life. We are saved for loving relationship with Him! He is our portion, and prize. When things are going well, He is enough, when they are not going well, He is enough! In all circumstances, everywhere, He is enough! So often we seek wholeness in things like money, pleasure, and the approval of others, but it never fills the void in us. Russell Bran is a successful comedian. In an interview he was talking about his addiction struggles and he said "drugs and alcohol are not my problem. Reality is my problem, drugs and alcohol were my solution."
Most of us will not become addicted to drugs and alcohol. However, how often do we have a similar problem? Being a workaholic, gossip, rage filled, lustful, we can all fill in the blank, is not our real problem, reality is our problem and we think these things will fix it, or at least make things hurt less. When we turn to Jesus crying out save us, He saves us for hope and wholeness. He saves us so our reality may become more and more aligned with Him, the author of ultimate reality. When that happens it is not that we do not suffer, or that everything goes our way. Instead, He gives us a deep, unmovable, hope that our suffering is not meaningless. A sure and certain hope that by the power of the Holy Spirit, real success, what makes us whole even in the midst of strife, is heaven coming to us and through us!
If we are saved from brokenness for the sake of wholeness in Christ, what follows our salvation?
Once we are saved, are we done? What comes after, what follows, our salvation? The final phrase Matthew records the people shouting is "Hosanna in the highest" or "Save us in the highest!" At least in partthis means, once we are saved it is not the end of our journey, it is just the beginning! The beginning of making God, and our relationship with him, more than our top priority. Making Him the highest priority. The one the rest of our lives revolve around. This journey of orienting all of our lives around Him is what follows salvation!One step at a time He becomes our all in all. What is the next step God is calling us to in that journey?
This upcoming week is Holy Week, the week we remember Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross. It is the week when we remember the cost of grace. As Bonheoffer reminds us, "grace is costly because it cost Christ His life, and it is grace because, God did not reckon His Son to dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered Him up for us." Let us take this week to reevaluate our priorities, to count the cost of God responding when we cry out Lord save us. What follows salvation? The reorientation of our entire lives. That which captures our time, talents, our imagination, shifts. Save us in the highest! Lord allow Your grace to transform us so You, Your love, and Your kingdom may be preeminent in our lives!
As we depart today, let us consider how God responds when we cry out Lord save us! Whether we feel like we are dangling off a cliff, or we are waiting for the other shoe to drop, Lord save us! Save us from the brokenness of humanity, others as well as our own. Save us for loving relationship with You, and others. Send your Holy Spirit so what follows our salvation is a life continually yielding to You. Yielding our time, talents, imaginations, our very hearts to Your love, purposes and wholeness!
Let us pray: Loving Father, save us to the uttermost by sending Your Holy Spirit so we may entrust our lives, more and more, to Your Son and Our Risen Savior Jesus Christ Amen!
Receive this blessing and benediction: Let us go forth knowing we are saved, and are being saved, from brokenness for loving relationship with God, as we follow Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.