Good Days - Bad Days

INTRO.- You’ve heard some of those good news/bad news deals. Here are a few for preachers.

Good News: The Women’s Group voted to send you a get-well card. Bad News: The vote passed by 11-10.

Good News: The Elder Board accepted your job description the way you wrote it. Bad News: They were so inspired by it, they also formed a search committee to find somebody capable of filling the position.

Good News: Mrs. Jones is wild about your sermons. Bad News: Mrs. Jones is also wild about the "Beavis and Butthead" and the "Texas Chain Saw Massacre."

Good News: The trustees finally voted to add more church parking. Bad News: They are going to blacktop the front lawn of the parsonage.

Good News: Church attendance rose dramatically the last three weeks. Bad News: You were on vacation.

Good News: Your deacons want to send you to the Holy Land. Bad News: They are waiting until the next war.

Brothers and sisters, these good news/bad news situation don’t just happen to preachers, they happen to everybody! No one is immune from both good and bad in life.

ILL.- It’s like the farmer who went into his banker and announced that he had bad news and good news. "First, the bad news..." "Well," said the farmer, "I can’t make my mortgage payments. And that crop loan I’ve taken out for the past 10 years -- I can’t pay that off, either. Not only that, I won’t be able to pay you the couple of hundred thousand I still have outstanding on my tractors and other equipment. So I’m going to have to give up the farm and turn it all over to you for whatever you can salvage out of it."

Silence prevailed for a minute and then the banker said ,"What’s the good news?" "The good news is that I’m going to keep on banking with you," said the farmer.

What happened to that banker and what happens to us also happened to Jesus! He experienced both good and bad in his life on earth!

Hebrews 4:15 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin." TEMPTED IN EVERY WAY.

You would think that being the son of God would make a difference in a person’s life. Yes, in a sense. He was God in the flesh. He could call down 10,000 angels to His side if He needed help but He didn’t. He walked in close communion with His Heavenly Father and that was wonderful. But still, He was tested. He was tempted. He was grilled.

Remember in Matthew chapter 4 when Satan (in person) said to Jesus, "Command these stones to become loaves of bread"? Had Jesus given in He would have been giving in to more than just His normal desire for food. HE WOULD HAVE BEEN YIELDING HIS ALLEGIANCE TO THE EVIL ONE WHO WANTED TO BE GOD!

NAME YOUR TEMPTATION. What’s the strongest temptation you’ve ever faced in life? Lust? Greed? Fame? Pride? Gluttony? Overindulgence of something? You name it and Jesus faced it, He endured it and HE OVERCAME IT. The Word says so.

Consequently, since He’s been there and done that He can help us! And boy, do we ever need help at times! On those really bad days we need His help!

PROP.- Today is Palm Sunday and we want to think about both the good news and bad news or the good days and bad days that happened to Jesus and how they apply to us.

1- The good day

2- The bad day

I. THE GOOD DAY

8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The 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!" 10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" 11The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

The good day in the life of Jesus was Palm Sunday. The people were excited about Jesus. They were glad to see Him. They were thrilled, shouting "praise the Lord," so to speak because at this time they believed that Jesus was a true prophet of God. I am sure that Jesus felt pretty good on this day. Of course, He wasn’t fooled by all this cheering. He knew what was coming and He knew people’s hearts.

Overall, how should we take good days? Be thankful. Give thanks to God for any good day that you experience. Accept it as a gracious gift from God. Every good and perfect gift comes from above. If it’s good, we assume it’s from God and we should give thanks for it.