Do you love the Lord Jesus? Do you love your Savior? Perhaps the answer to that question seems ridiculously obvious to you. If I walked down this aisle, looked right into your eyes, and asked that question, I doubt that any of you would answer me with anything less than a hearty “Yes! Of course I love Him.”
That should be the very reason behind your being here today. A believer goes to church to worship in the first place not to get something for himself, but to give something of himself to God. Worship is a fruit of faith in which a believer humbly gives His love to Christ for the great gifts he has received from Him. If a person is not in worship when he could be, then the question has to arise: “Does that person truly love the Savior?” because love for Christ's saving blessings will compel him to be there, to sing “Hosannas” with the children on Palm Sunday, and to give glory to God. I hope that's the reason we are all here today - because we love the Lord Jesus and what He has done for us eternally.
Another question for you: How do you show that you love Him? You see, the test of true love is in that which it does. Love Speaks through Actions, whether in bad times or in good, whether it takes on a cross that tries one's soul, or it receives a crown that honors one's achievements – love speaks through what it does.
I. It happily takes on the cross.
For example, on the night before Palm Sunday, Jesus went to Bethany where His good friends Lazarus and his sisters lived (Mk.14:1f; Jn.12:1f). Lazarus was the man that Jesus had just raised from the dead. These friends of Jesus wanted to do something for Him. So Martha prepared a banquet in His honor. Mary didn't tell her plans, but she had secretly thought of something special. Lazarus just wanted to sit by the Savior who brought him back to life. Each one's love for Him spoke through their actions.
While they were at the table eating, Mary quietly came into the room with a jar of very expensive perfume. She thought it was the best gift she could give the Lord Jesus to show her love for Him. She broke it open and poured the perfume on Jesus' head and feet. Then she knelt and wiped His feet with her long hair. When she did this, the sweet smell of perfume filled the entire house.
But her humble act of love made some people angry and they rebuked her harshly. “Why was this perfume wasted?” they cried. Then Judas Iscariot, the disciple who was going to betray Jesus, hypocritically lamented, “Oh, this perfume could have been sold for a lot of money that we could have given to the poor!” But Judas didn't really care about the poor. He wanted to steal the money for himself. Mary took on so much grief because in their vain deceits the self-righteous guests smelled blood. They descended upon her quickly like a pack of dogs on a 3 legged cat. How's that for love and humility. They smelled blood and attacked.
When a person takes on such ridicule, harsh treatment, and unkind words because they want to do things in their love for the Savior, the Bible calls that, “taking up the cross.” Perhaps you remember Jesus speaking about this a few weeks ago in one of our lessons when He said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mk.8:34). Love for the Savior happily takes on the cross – in all humility.
Jesus was pleased with Mary's actions. He knew that she had done this because she loved Him. He also knew that she had done this because she believed that Jesus had come to die for her sins. She was honoring Him ahead of time and preparing Him for His death in just a few days. You see, dear friends, Love Speaks through Actions that happily take on a cross for the Savior.
Does your love for the Savior speak through your actions ? Are you ready to happily take on a cross for Him? Believers will because believers want to do something to say thank you for all that Jesus has done for us. In His great love for us He has done much more than we could ever do for Him. That motivates us.
So it is that Paul writes in our text: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.”
In other words, Jesus had it all in heaven where He was equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit in power, majesty, and glory. Who could want anything more; He had everything! Yet, seeing us in our damned state for sin, His heart went out to us and He willingly gave up that which He had above so that He could come into our world to live for us and to die on a cross for us. He didn't think, “Oh, I can't do this. I have to hang on to what I have here in heaven.” No, He happily gave it up for our sakes. “He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness and found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!”
That's love for the unlovable, sometimes ungrateful sinners that we can be. Love speaking through actions! He happily, humbly took on a cross for us.
That's what you see in Him on Palm Sunday. He came to Jerusalem for this purpose sitting on a donkey. Oh, He's hailed as king! But it's not exactly the way a king would come, and He surely wasn't treated like a king in the next few days. But it's the way the Savior came, showing love in His humility and willingness, knowing full well that Calvary lay ahead.
For the Most High God to come like a mortal man, a lowly man is astonishing. For the Creator to subject Himself to His creatures is incredible. For the Eternal One to give Himself into such a death is incomprehensible. But that's what had to be done if we were to escape the punishment of hell. And Christ happily came to do it.
It seems totally backwards, doesn't it? Earthly rulers seek victories through strength. They are forever building up weaponry, armies, intelligence, alliances to guarantee power for themselves. But Jesus worked to gain victory for us in the opposite way. He poured out of Himself the full use of His divine power and became altogether lowly in order to conquer sin, death, and hell for us.
You want to see love in action , dear friend. Then watch Him happily take on the cross for you. As the Bible says, “Greater love has no one than this - that one should lay down his life for his friends. And you are my friends” (Jn.15:13).
“Friends,” that's what He calls us. What a special gift - once enemies, now friends, all because of what He happily and humbly did for us. His love speaks volumes. And now the Scriptures encourage: “Let your attitude be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
The Bible doesn't say “act like Jesus”; it says have the same attitude as Jesus. When the attitude is right within, then love will speak through your actions to happily take on a cross for Him.
II. It happily receives the crown.
But a cross is not the end of it, just like the cross was not the end of it for the Savior. Our text continues: “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The story of Jesus doesn't end with a cross. There is a glorious sequel. It includes His resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, his sitting at the right hand of the Father, and His ruling as King of kings and Lord of Lords. The story ends in glory.
How important is that! - because sometimes we Christians look at Christ in His humility on the way to the cross and think only sorrowful thoughts – thoughts of pity towards Him, thoughts of shame upon us in our sin. And well we should for we need to repent. After all, it was our sin that caused the Lord such anguish.
But the ironic part is that is exactly what Jesus came to do and wanted to do to bring us forgiveness and eternal rest. And that's a happy thought. So happy that the Father raised Him up in glory and gave Him a special crown. And Jesus happily received that crown . In the end, on the last day it will be known by all, even those who mocked and crucified Him. And those who believed and confessed His name in love, even in the toughest of time, will share in that glory before Him. You see, where there's a cross, there's a crown.
Have you read any good books lately? Did the book match up to your expectations or did it seem kind of shallow in the end?
In the introduction to Moby Dick, Herman Melville said that a great book requires a great theme. Endless books and paperbacks flow from modern-day presses. Some even achieve best-seller status. But only a few become the world's great literature. For the majority, the stories and themes are too small and the content is mired in meaningless concerns. Good books? Perhaps, but the themes are just too small.
Now focus on the theme, the purpose, and the goal of our lives as Christians. Too small? Not in God's eyes. If He sent His own Son to happily take on the cross for us so that He might happily pass on the crown to us, there is no time for us to drape ourselves in black. There's a great theme here – the best the world has ever seen. We ought to affirm and celebrate it for Christ is Savior and Lord to our good and to the glory of God.
Do I love Him for that great theme? You bet I do. Do you? I pray you do. So let love for Him speak through our actions . It's our duty and great joy for we were saved to praise Him and sing “Hosanna.” God grant it in our lives of faith for Jesus' sake. Amen.