Sermon Tone Analysis

By Pastor Glenn Pease

Some of history's greatest battles have been won by means of retreat.

The 13 colonies won the first day of battle with England in the Revolutionary War because of a wise retreat.

When Captain John Parker saw several hundred British Redcoats marching on the double toward his 70 or so minute men, forming a line on the Lexington Green, he knew at once he was facing a disaster.

They had vowed earlier never to run from the British, but Parker realized there is a time for everything, and now was the time to run.

He shouted, "Disperse, you men! Do not fire.

Disperse!"

They made a hasty retreat into the countryside.

Paul Revere and others took off warning the people that the British were coming.

The result of this strategic retreat was that only a few Americans were killed in that first encounter.

By the time the British were marching toward Concord the Americans were prepared.

The British were shocked that these untrained farmers could shoot.

The British suffered 250 casualties, and the Americans suffered less than 100.

It was a day of victory because of a Captain who knew the wisdom of withdrawal.

The Captain of our salvation, the Lord Jesus, demonstrated this same wisdom in His conflict with His foes.

Take note of the context of our text.

In Mark 3:6 its says, "Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus."

The kid gloves were coming off.

No more games.

They were in a conspiracy to murder this miracle worker.

Homicide was their only solution for the solving of the mystery of a man like Jesus.

It is in the light of this context that we read verse 7: "Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the lake."

The Greek word for withdrew is anachoreo, and it caught my attention because Matthew uses the same word in telling this account of the reaction of Jesus to the plot to kill Him.

The word is most often used to refer to a retreat, and a getting away from a dangerous situation.

Jesus is not ready for a showdown, nor does He have any macho need to prove His courage by courting death.

Instead He retreats from the city, and escapes the clutches of those who seek to kill Him.

By so doing Jesus makes it clear that there is a time to take your stand, and there is also a time to retreat from your enemy so that you can be in control, and not at the mercy of the enemies choices.

This same word is used to describe the withdrawal of the wise men in Matt.

2:12.

They took a new route home to their country to escape Herod.

Were they cowards by this retreat and refusal to face up to the wrath of Herod?

Not at all.

They would have been fools to die for no cause, and they would have done just that had they not taken the way of escape.

It is not only right to flee from evil men to avoid their anger and evil schemes, it is a Christian obligation.

To cooperate with evil by letting evil men kill you when you can escape is folly.

The wise men are heroes because they escaped and outwitted Herod.

The same word is used also in Matt.

2:14 where Joseph took the Christ child and Mary, and departed to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod.

Joseph did not stay and fight for his right to have a son who would grow up to be a king.

He ran away.

There is such a thing as positive escapism.

We almost always think of escapism as negative.

It is a refusal to face reality, and a fleeing from reality.

But the fact is, there is some reality that it is wise and right to escape from.

There is the deadly reality that evil men will do you harm and even kill you, and it is not usually God's will that you die at the hands of evil men.

The theme of positive escapism runs all through the Bible.

Noah escaped the evil world and the flood.

Lot escaped from Sodom.

Israel escaped from Egypt.

Jonah escaped from the whale.

Daniel escaped from the lion's den.

His friends escaped from the fiery furnace.

David escaped from Saul.

Job escaped by the skin of his teeth and lived.

Peter escaped from prison and Herod's wrath.

Paul escaped from the Jews in the night.

All believers have escaped the judgment of God in Christ.

The greatest escape artist of all is Jesus.

In John 10:39 we read that in a context where the Jews were trying to stone Him, "They tried to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp."

On another occasion Dr. Luke tells of the mob spirit that arose so that the Jews dragged Jesus to the hill on which Nazareth was built, and were about to throw Him over the cliff to snuff out His life, but Luke 4:30 records, "But He walked right through the crowd and went on His way."

The crowning event was when Jesus did finally decide to lay down His life and be taken captive by the power of death.

Then came the grand finale; an event that Houdini could only dream of: Jesus escaped from the clutches of death, and rose again in triumph.

He became the way of escape from sin, death, and hell, for all who will trust Him as Savior.

Positive escapism is the very essence of salvation.

It is the goal of God for all His people.

The ideal life is the life where there is perpetual escape from reality.

It is folly to think that all reality is somehow good.

This has lead to the corruption of the media.

People curse God and profane all that is noble and precious.

Therefore, because this is part of reality it must be made a part of all our entertainment.

The same logic is used to justify all manner of evil being displayed because it is part of reality.

The Bible says this is the very part of reality the Christian is to escape.

The Bible fully agrees with the thesis that sexual temptation and the temptation to break every commandment of God is a basic part of reality.

But it has a different answer as to how we are to deal with it.

The world says exploit it and experience it, but the Bible says to escape it.

Paul in his well known words of I Cor.

10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.

And God is faithful: He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

Here is the recognition of the reality of our being subject to all the temptations of a fallen world, but here is also the recommendation that you take the way of escape that God provides.

The Christian who is not into escapism is a Christian who is a victim rather than a victor.

There is no way for the Christian to conquer all evil.

He has to retreat from it and gain his victory by escape.

Like Jesus, we must withdraw from the battlefield when it will only give evil the advantage.

The Christian who thinks he can stand up to evil and win the battle is often the Christian who falls.

It is he who stands who is to beware lest he fall.

Why?

Because his very stand may be his biggest mistake.

It is more often the wiser strategy not to stand, but to flee.

Paul gives this advice over and over.

In I Cor.

6:18 he told them to flee fornication.

In I Cor.

10:14 he told them to flee idolatry.

In I Tim.

6:10 he told Timothy to flee from love of money.

In II Tim 2:22 he told Timothy to flee youthful lusts.

There is just no escape from the reality of positive escapism in the Bible.

Those who refuse to practice this Biblical escapism end up as victims of reality rather than victors over reality.

You can't escape the need for positive escapism.

It is wise; it is good, and it is right.