Entry With Jesus

ENTRY WITH JESUS

Palm Sunday April 1, 2007

Matthew 21:1-11

INTRODUCTION: Have you ever been in a situation where you have been all excited about going into a place, only to be disappointed once you entered? The disappointment we experience is two-fold, first from the hype we have we have built up when things are not what we hoped them to be, and second the “advertising” and promotion has “played” with the words and images and we have been or allowed ourselves to be misled. The result – what we ended up with is not what we expected, or in some cases what we wanted, or needed.

When it comes to being a Christian and living a Christian life, the world already has an opinion. Christians are, at times, perceived as a side show, or a tourist trap. Christians are out of the norm and what they have to offer looks good, but is not what we really wanted. So, from the outside looking in, there is already an expectation of disappointment.

So, in order to be effective in both our witness and testimony for and of Christ, we need to be diligent in the way we present ourselves as believers. To this end, I think we can pull a few principles from Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem!

I OUR DIRECTION FROM JESUS

A Go With Direction

1 God is all about giving direction

a 66 Books

b 8810 Promises

c 613 Laws

2 Jesus gave his disciples a direction to go – Bethphage

3 Jesus gave us a direction to go – All the world

a Not all at once

b Start small and branch out

PROBLEM IS THAT WE NEVER GET STARTED – WE ARE GIVEN A DIRECTION, BUT WE DO NOT FOLLOW THE DIRECTION WE ARE GIVEN!

WHAT IS OUR DIRECTION? Jesus said it best when answering the Pharisees

Luke 5:31 (NIV) Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

Luke 5:31 (MSG) Jesus heard about it and spoke up, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick?

4 A major problem with the church is we are not following directions

a If we were following directions, we would not have financial difficulties

b If we were following directions, we would not have time to grumble

c If we were following directions, we would not have empty pews

d If we were following directions, we would not have understaffed programs

e If we were following directions, we would be added to daily, trained continually and serving vigorously!

B Go With Purpose

1 We are to go with a purpose in mind

a We can go with the wrong purpose

b We can go with the right purpose

Let me give you an example: Young people, I hope that the reason you go to college is to get an education, not to party or get a mate. Now other things may happen when you are at college, but the purpose for being in college is education. SO, choose you school based on which school will give you the best education to do what God wants you to do.

Here’s another one:

Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

2 When we go we need to know that EVERY mission for Jesus is important

a The mount of Transfiguration was important

b Casting out demons was important

c Walking out of town with a donkey was important

C Go With End In Mind

1 God’s direction had an end – bring the donkey back to Jesus

2 We need to make sure we have the right end in mind when we finish

a Whose end? Mine or God’s

D Go With An Answer

1 Christ’s instructions included an answer

2 The disciples were to answer any who questioned there actions

a Their answer dealt with Jesus’ Lordship

b Their answer dealt with who Jesus was

A COUPLE OF THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

Jesus did not need the disciple’s stuff to serve. In fact he did not need His stuff to serve (he is borrowing a burrow!). What Jesus asked for was not stuff to serve but people to serve

How many times are there opportunities to serve the Lord and no one to do them because they are too insignificant or menial to be bothered with?