MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(The Powerpoints used with this message are available at no charge. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com and request #259.)
A. There is a beautiful old hymn that begins with these words: “Love sent my Savior to die in my stead. Why should He love me so?”
And the chorus of that hymn asks again, “Why should He love me so? Why should He love me so? Why should my Savior to Calvary go? Why should He love me so?”
How would you answer that? Even King David, back in the O.T. wondered about that when he asked God in Psalm 8:4, “What is man that You are mindful of him?”
Frankly, folks, I don’t quite know how to answer that question. Yes, I know that God created us & placed us here upon this earth. And I know that He has provided us with life & loved ones & the blessings that we enjoy. But why? Why should He love us so?
On the average, we’re really not all that lovable, are we? Mankind has made a real mess of the world in which we live. And all around us we see the bitter fruits of hatred, selfishness, & greed. No, I don’t know why God should love us. But He does!
In fact, one of the most familiar verses in the Bible proclaims that “God so loved the world that He gave His one & only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
And from the depths of his heart the Apostle Paul declares in Romans 8:38-39, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, … nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
He loves us! And even though I may not understand just why, it is wonderful to know that God loves us so!
B. Now while I am on this subject, I must confess that there is something else that I don’t understand – why there seems to be such hatred in this world against anything that is considered to be Christian.
The cruel explosions in Boston last week remind us once again that there are people who deliberately set out to kill as many of us as they can in order to express the hatred raging within them.
That kind of hatred – a hatred that pours out its venom on innocent men, women & children - is hard for us to understand. I mean, haven’t we been told by some Muslim leaders that the Koran doesn’t condone such deliberate & wanton slaughter – that in fact it actually condemns the taking of innocent lives?
PROP. Then why is it that most of the riots & demonstrations of hatred in the Middle East seem to erupt as the people pour out of their mosques following times of prayer & listening to the messages of their Mullahs – their religious leaders?
They proclaim that they are in a “Jihad” – a holy war – against Christians & Jews. I don’t understand - Why do they hate us so?
I. WHY DO THEY HATE US SO?
A. Now, I think I could give you a few reasons, but Christians have been hated before, & not just by some Muslims.
ILL. Do you remember what happened a few years ago as Mel Gibson was finishing the production of his movie, “The Passion of The Christ”? What a barrage of opposition, accusations, personal attacks, boycotts, threats & outright lies that came his way in an effort to stop him from ever releasing it!
So harsh & heavy-handed were their attacks that, by the grace of God, it back-fired against them & “The Passion of The Christ” set new records in the film industry.
ILL. Some of you may remember the incident around that time when the 1970’s rock star, Linda Ronstadt, was escorted out of the Aladdin Hotel Casino in Las Vegas following the commotion that arose when she praised the movie “Fahrenheit 9/11” & dedicated a song to its director, Michael Moore.
Now I have no desire to discuss her politics. But in an interview published by the San Diego Union-Tribune two days before her appearance in the Aladdin Casino she said something that I think you need to hear. Let me read a little part of that interview to you, leaving out a couple of her words to keep it from being political.
Talking about her concerts she said, “It’s a real conflict for me when I go to a concert & find out somebody in the audience is a … Christian. It can cloud my enjoyment. I’d rather not know.”
“It’s a real conflict for me …It can cloud my enjoyment” to have a … Christian in the audience? That’s sad, isn’t it? And it’s rather revealing, too. Why do they hate us so?
B. Long ago Jesus said in John 15:18-19, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
“As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."
Down through the centuries, the words of Jesus have proven true. Christians have faced all kinds of persecution. Some died in the coliseums to provide entertain-ment for the people - being crucified alive or torn apart by wild animals. Others were burnt at the stake or sold into slavery – objects of hatred in a pagan world.
In Hebrews 10:32-33 the writer of Hebrews called upon Christians to: "Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground…in the face of suffering.
“Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult & persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.”
And even today, Christians are still being persecuted.
ILL. Are you aware of what has happened in the country of Sudan in Africa? For more than 10 years, down in the southern part of Sudan, Christian villages were systematically being attacked by government forces, their churches destroyed, the villages burned to the ground, the men killed, women & children carried off & sold into slavery while most of the world turned a deaf ear to their cries.
But thousands of churches in several countries began to respond. For example, 7 years ago Central Christian Church in Brownsville, TX, the church where I ministered, working through International Disaster Emergency Services, raised several thousand dollars, donated blankets, furnished hundreds of emergency survival kits, along with the food to go with them – all for the refugees of Sudan.
Many other Christian agencies got involved in trying to save them, too - even going so far as to raise money to buy back some of the children who had been sold off into slavery. But despite all their pleas, for 4 more years the rest of the world ignored what was happening in the Sudan.
Then, in 2004, the United Nations finally got involved & sent a delegation to Sudan condemning “genocide” & demanded that the Sudanese government sign a treaty promising to stop the attacks in the western “Darfur” region of Sudan. The U.N. even threatened to impose sanctions upon Sudan if it didn’t comply.
That sounds good, doesn’t it? But did you notice? It was not the attacks upon Christian villages in southern Sudan that caused the U.N. finally to act. It’s the Muslim villages in the western “Darfur” region of Sudan that they were trying to protect.
The attacks against Christians in the south were still going on, & nothing much was done about that until finally South Sudan declared its independence & world opinion forced Sudan to recognize that fact.
I could go on with stories of cruel persecutions of Christians in China, North Korea, Indonesia & in other parts of the world. But I won’t. I just wonder, why do they hate us so? May I dare suggest that it is because we belong to Jesus?
II. IT’S BECAUSE WE “BELONG TO JESUS”
A. The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 3:13, "Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you." But I am surprised. It shouldn’t be that way.
I mean, is there any group in the world that is better known for showing love & compassion to those who are in need than Christians? All over the world you can find Christians helping the poor, feeding the hungry, visiting the lonely, & ministering to the helpless.
In fact, Jesus said in John 13:35, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
But if we’re known for our acts of love, & for caring for those who are in need, then why would anybody hate us?
I could understand it if they hated hypocrites – those who are selfish, self-centered & self-righteous - just pretending to be Christians. In all fairness, it would seem that that’s the type of people the world should hate!
But Jesus told us that the world would hate Christians - not the hypocrites. He even said in John 15:18-19, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
B. Just what is it about us belonging to Jesus that is so upsetting to them? Maybe we can find part of the answer in Paul’s words to the Corinthians.
In 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 Paul wrote: "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ & through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.
“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved & those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.”
Do you understand what Paul is talking about here? No, most people today probably don’t. But the Christians of the 1st Century certainly did! You see, Paul was describing what was called a “Roman Triumph” – the glorious parade to honor a victorious general & his army upon their return to Rome.
Leading the parade, as a sign of welcome to the victorious army would be the senators & officials of Rome. Then came the trumpeters signaling the return of the army.
Behind them were carried the precious treasures taken from the conquered lands. Those were followed by servants carrying pictures & models for all the people to see of the enemy fortresses, cities & ships that had been captured or destroyed.
Next in line came a white bull to be sacrificed in thanksgiving to the gods. Behind the bull would come the captives, enemy princes, leaders & generals – all in chains – shortly to be thrown into prison & in all probability almost immediately to be executed or thrown to the wild animals in the Coliseum.
Then came the lictors, the marshals of the parade, followed by the musicians. Behind them, & I want you to remember this, came the pagan priests swinging their censers with sweet-smelling incense burning in them.
And the fragrance of their incense permeated the air, especially perfuming the air around the commanding general who came immediately behind them.
He stood in a chariot drawn by 4 white horses. He was dressed in a purple tunic embroidered in gold & over it wore a purple toga marked out with golden stars. In his hand he held an ivory sceptre with a Roman eagle at the top. And over his head a slave held the crown of Jupiter. Behind him rode his family.
Finally, there was the army itself, file after file of fighting men, wearing all their decorations & shouting cries of triumph to the accompaniment of the cheering crowds. It was a tremendous day – a day of glory for them all!
C. Now let’s go back to the words of Paul & to his mention of the sweet-smelling incense that filled the air in the Roman Triumph. What Paul is saying is that when we do it right - when we live out our Christianity the way we should – the fragrance of Christ begins to saturate us & we smell like Jesus.
There is an aroma of Christ about us that others will notice even when we aren’t conscious of it.
Once again we go back to the Roman Parade. To the general & to the soldiers the smell of the incense was a fragrance of triumph & life. But for the wretched captives who walked in chains it was a smell of death, for it was a constant reminder of their defeat & impending execution.
In the same way, Paul is saying that to those who are being saved, the presence of Christians is a refreshing fragrance that encourages them & reminds them of God’s faithfulness & power.
But to those who are lost, the presence of Christians is an aroma of death - a reminder of their sin & its sentence of death. No wonder they hate us so!
But what can we do? In a world so filled with hatred how can there ever be a change? Folks, I’m convinced that our only hope is Jesus Christ & His power to transform lives. Listen to this true story:
ILL. Mitsuo Fuchida was the pilot in charge of one of the most successful aerial attacks in recorded history. Under his command were squadrons of 360 specially selected pilots, & on Dec. 7, 1941, Fuchida’s squadrons bombed Pearl Harbor.
He quickly became one of the most highly decorated pilots in the Japanese air force, & the one most hated by the American forces. That included Jacob DeShazer, a young B-25 bomber pilot who longed for the day when he would be able to pay Japan back for what they had done.
One day that opportunity arose as DeShazer became a part of the very first bombing raids over Japan. But after dropping his bombs on the city of Nagoya, DeShazer lost his way in the heavy fog & was forced to bail out when his plane ran out of fuel.
He was quickly taken prisoner, & for almost two years, DeShazer suffered from hunger, cold, dysentery, & watching his fellow prisoners die. And the more he experienced this treatment the deeper his hatred of the Japanese grew.
Then, in 1944, someone gave DeShazer a Bible. He started at Genesis & read on & on, barely sleeping. And by the time he had come to the Book of Romans he had surrendered his heart & life to Jesus as his Savior & his Lord.
Immediately Matthew 5:44 became a crucial challenge to him, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you & pray for those who spitefully use you & persecute you.”
Because of Jesus & that verse DeShazer’s attitude toward his Japanese guards began to change. His hostility evaporated & every morning he greeted them warmly.
He prayed for them & sought to witness to them. Slowly their attitude toward him also changed & some of them even began bringing him extra food & supplies.
Finally, the war was over & DeShazer was freed. Returning home he studied for the ministry & decided to return to Japan as a missionary. After establishing a church in Nagoya, the very city he had bombed, he wrote a pamphlet entitled, “I Was a Prisoner of the Japanese.”
It wasn’t long until thousands of Japanese wanted to see & hear the man who could forgive & love his enemies.
Meanwhile, Fuchida, the Japanese hero, had come out of the war a very disillusioned man. He went back to his farm, but because of his wartime commission he was often called into the city to testify at the war crimes trials.
On one of these trips he was handed a pamphlet - the pamphlet DeShazer had written. Fuchida read it & reread it, & despite being a firm Buddhist was intrigued enough to buy a Japanese Bible.
He was especially affected by the words Christ spoke upon the cross when He prayed, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:24).
Then he met DeShazer, & it wasn’t long until these two men, who once were sworn enemies, became the best of friends & brothers in Christ. And Fuchida became a great evangelist, witnessing in Japan & then throughout the world.
From diverse backgrounds of hatred & pride, both of their lives were changed by Jesus & His love.
“Love sent my Savior to die in my stead. Why should He love me so? … Why should He love me so? Why should He love me so?
Why should my Savior to Calvary go? Why should He love me so?”
INVITATION
