“THE SET FACE” – MAR. 27, 1955

(Sermon Originally Presented By Rev. Samuel Southern - it has been shortened/re-edited for reenactment)

In the gospel according to St. Luke, the 9^th chapter and the 51^st verse we read “….and it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem”.

Deeply conscious that all things must come to pass which were written concerning Him, Jesus faced the closing scenes and incidents of His public ministry, with a courage and resolution, that has called forth the admiration of all real thinking men and women.

Within the compass of the text, and the incidents relative to it three thoughts stand out with prominence.

First: The Set Face of Jesus suggests the true value of Self-Control.

It has been said, the clamor of passion upsets our quiet sense of truth and right. Self interest brings in conflicting echoes, and that is how some of the disasters of life arise.

It is true, and more often than we realize, men and women go wrong not because they are senseless or ignorant of the right direction, but because they have allowed themselves to be thrown off the balance of their best judgment by some secret selfishness. For example, an inordinate or unholy love of pleasure, or an immoral obstinacy. These are big barriers in the pathway of true character building. It is unquestionably true that the undisciplined man or woman is his own worst enemy. A lack of self-control is a far worse trouble than a lack of intellectual greatness.

There is no question that self control is a valuable asset in any life.

Again: the Set Face of Jesus certainly suggests a strong determination.

I think it was President James A. Garfield who said, “If the power to do hard work is not talent, it is the best possible substitute for it. Things do not turn up in this world, until somebody turns them up. A pound of pluck is worth a ton of luck. You may follow luck to ruin but never to success.”

My friends, it does not call for any strenuous effort or strength of will power to run and shout with a crowd. The weakest swimmers can swim with the current. Real determination, real Christian character are only manifested when we can obey the challenge of conscience and take an open, unshaken stand for right against wrong. The strength of character is only seen when, in spite of ridicule or adverse criticism, we strive, by Divine assistance, to attain the highest levels of Christian living and usefulness.

May God grant to you and me the spirit of Christian determination which will save us from being tossed to and fro by the clamor of the crowd. God help us to have a purpose true, and dare to make it known.

Lastly: the Set Face of Jesus would suggest True Courage. The element we call courage is an essential requirement in the development of real character.

When Dr. Fred W. Robertson of England was one day warned by a lady parishioner that his preaching would get him in trouble, he quietly replied, “Madam, I don’t care.”

“But, Mr. Robertson, don’t you know where ‘don’t care’ once took a man?”

Very seriously and with deep feeling, Dr. Robertson answered, “Yes, I know; it took Him to a cross.”

Jesus of Nazareth did not flinch, nor did He swerve from his path of duty. He refused to lower His standards of truth and righteousness, and because He had Set His Face to the ideal, He had to go to Calvary. Shall we remember, that endurance calls for more of the heroic spirit than a mere flash in the path of a moral endeavor? It takes real God-given stamina to stand steady year in - year out for God and the church under the pressure of criticism and antagonism, but we must also remember this is the kind of life that honors God; this is the kind of life God delights to honor.

No person young or old ever took up a cross for Christ, but that cross brought him to a sweeter, richer, deeper fellowship with Him and the fellowship strengthened character.

Real courage does not consist of bluster or bravado. To speak truth boldly we do not have to be boorish or bearish. The courage of the Master was shown in the manner of His speech to the cowardly ignorant officer who so rudely struck Him in the presence of the High Priest; He said, “If I have spoken evil then bear witness to the evil, but if well, why smitest thou me?” (St. John 18:23)

The finest heroism that earth can produce has not always been displayed on the battlefields of the world. Many times it has been shown by men and women laboring for God and humanity, unnoticed and unpraised, working for the welfare of others less fortunate in the dark, obscure places.

The sustaining power of true Christian courage is the deep consciousness of the reality of a Divine Presence.

As I come to a close, I am thinking of Dr. John Henry Jowett, when he took his ministry in that wealthy New York City church. In the opening of his pastorate he said to his people, “I shall preach the greatest Christ my God will able me to conceive. He will be the lowly Jesus whom I shall meet along the ways of life whether they be high or low.”

In his intellectual power, in the graciousness of a great ministry Dr. Jowett exhibited the finesse of self-control, determination and courage. In spite of his exalted position as pastor of a great and wealthy church, John Henry Jowett had the Set Face for God and truth.

Beloved, God has a plan for your life and mine. We may not be called to stand in the limelight, but to live out His plan will demand the best in us of self-control, determination and courage. Let us Set our Faces to the goal of Christian character. Let us say with Dr. Philip Dodderidge:

Awake, my soul stretch every nerve and press with vigor on,

A heavenly race demands thy zeal, and an immortal crown;

Blest Savior introduced by Thee, have I this race begun,

And crowned with victory at Thy feet, I’ll lay my honors down.

“And He set His face to go to Jerusalem.” But beyond Jerusalem: the cross, and beyond the cross the glory of a resurrection morning.