Eight Days That Changed The World

Eight Days That Changed the World

Pastors: Quint Pitts and Steve Felder

Easter 2009

Masterpieces (Quint)

On May 10, 1508 Michelangelo began a project that would become his masterpiece. His canvas was a rounded ceiling 134 feet long and 43 feet wide stretching over the Sistine Chapel. Pope Julis II wanted Michelangelo to paint the ceiling, and theme it around Christ and his apostles with a large picture of Jesus over the special door Pope Julis used. However, Michelangelo had a different vision for the Sistine Chapel.

Run images of Sistine Chapel

Panel by panel, he captured the drama of man’s creation, his sin and alienation from his Creator, and God’s promise to reunite men and women to Himself through a Savior. It took Michelangelo four years, using 336 human figures to tell his story, but on October 31, 1512 Michelangelo took down the tarps, dismantled his scaffolding and unveiled his masterpiece to the world and we have stood in amazement for 500 years.

Three thousand years before Michelangelo began the Sistine Chapel God began painting a story on the canvas of human history using men, women, and an unblemished lamb. He called his masterpiece The Passover; scene by scene it captured the drama of men and women, once separated from God by their sin, now being united to Him by a Passover lamb. It took Michelangelo 4 years to complete the Sistine Chapel, revealing his work only when the project was finished. But it took God 1400 years to complete The Passover; unveiling its beauty a piece at a time until he was ready to paint its final scene. That’s where our story begins today with God painting the final scene of his 1400 year masterpiece. It will take Him eight days to complete His work. In eight days God will finish His masterpiece, angels will stand in awe, and eternity will be altered… Because these are the eight days that changed the world!

Exit the door on the speaker’s Left

Transition music

Enter door on speaker’s right… (Steve) – Trench Coat

Day One: Your King Comes

Day Marker on screen: Sunday…Day One

The eight days that changed the world began on a Sunday, we call it Palm Sunday. Thousands of Israelites made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem every year to celebrate the Passover. The city inns and homes quickly bulged to capacity and overflowed the walls of the city. Tents and makeshift shelters popped up on every available space along the roads leading into Jerusalem. Jesus came to celebrate Passover as well. He and his disciples stayed with friends in Bethany, two miles east of Jerusalem. Sunday morning Jesus sent two of his disciples into a nearby village to secure a young donkey that had never been ridden. When they returned, the disciples placed their coats on the donkey’s back and as if he understood the importance of the event, the unbroken colt willingly carried Jesus down the road towards Jerusalem.

When Jesus emerged, riding on a young donkey, heading towards the eastern gates of the Jerusalem, the crowds camped along the road immediately recognized who he was and connected the scene before them with an Old Testament prophecy. Zechariah 9:9 foretold that when God’s promised Savior appeared, he would offer himself as Israel’s king, not astride a magnificent war horse, leading a glorious army, rather he would come in humility riding and on a young donkey.

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!

See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation,

gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zech. 9:9

The crowds surrounded Jesus, and began honoring him by snapping off palm branches and laying them before his donkey. Others could not find a palm, so they stripped off their coats and laid them down before Jesus. A growing chorus of voices began proclaiming Jesus as God’s promised savior and king.

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

"Hosanna to the Son of David!"

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

"Hosanna in the highest!" Matthew 21:9

The thunder of the crowd rumbled ahead of Jesus and burst into the city as the procession rode through the eastern gates. The sentiments of the crowd were unmistakable…This Rabbi that ignited their hearts and minds with fire when he taught… this miracle worker that walked on water, healed the sick and raised the dead… this man who was riding an unbroken donkey into Jerusalem was their messiah…their promised savior…their King.

These praises had been locked up in the hearts of Israelites, for hundreds of years. Generation after generation waited for the day that their Messiah would appeared and they could crown him with these words of adoration. When the religious leaders saw the procession and heard the crowd lavishing these sacred praises upon Jesus, they were incensed. They immediately rebuked Jesus and commanded that he silence his followers. But Jesus told them: