Introduction

Good morning, beloved family of God. It's a joy to gather together in this sacred space, where the love of our Savior Jesus Christ is so tangibly felt in each warm greeting, each shared smile, and each heartfelt prayer. We are united under the banner of His love, and it is His love that we celebrate today as we gather to hear His Word and seek His wisdom.

Today, we turn our hearts and minds to the Gospel of John, specifically the passage found in chapter 12, verses 12-13. It reads, "The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!'"

In this moment, we are invited to witness the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, a moment that marks the beginning of His journey towards the cross. It is a scene of joy, of celebration, of recognition of Jesus as King. Yet, it also foreshadows the sacrifice that He is about to make for each one of us.

Our sermon today will focus on three main points drawn from this passage: Preparing our Hearts for His Arrival, Proclaiming His Kingship in our Lives, and Pursuing a Deeper Understanding of His Sacrifice.

In the words of the respected Christian author J.I. Packer, "Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know Christ, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord." As we delve into these themes, let us remember that our main business here is to know Christ, to prepare our hearts for His arrival, to proclaim His kingship, and to pursue a deeper understanding of His sacrifice.

Let us begin with an opening prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we come before You today with humble hearts, eager to hear Your Word and understand Your will. As we reflect on the triumphant entry of Jesus, help us to prepare our hearts for His arrival in our lives. May we boldly proclaim His Kingship and seek to understand His sacrifice more deeply. Guide our thoughts and open our hearts to Your truth. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen.

Transition. May God bless us as we seek to know Him more through His Word today.

Preparing our Hearts for His Arrival

As we consider the scene of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, we can't help but notice the anticipation, the excitement, and the preparation that went into this moment. The people had heard that Jesus was coming. They didn't just sit idly by. They took action. They went out to meet Him, palm branches in hand, shouting praises. This is a powerful picture of how we, too, should prepare our hearts for the arrival of Jesus in our lives.

Think about the last time you had a special guest coming to your home. You probably spent time cleaning, cooking, and making everything just right for their arrival. You were excited and eager for them to come. This is the kind of anticipation and preparation we should have for Jesus. We should be excited for His presence in our lives and eager to make our hearts a welcoming place for Him.

But how do we do this? How do we prepare our hearts for Jesus?

First, we must make room for Him. Just as you would clear out a guest room for a visitor, we must clear out space in our hearts for Jesus. This means letting go of anything that might be taking up too much space - our worries, our fears, our sins, our self-centeredness. We need to let go of these things to make room for Jesus.

Second, we must invite Him in. It's not enough to just make room for Jesus, we have to actually invite Him into our hearts. This means opening up to Him, being honest with Him, and asking Him to come in and take His rightful place in our hearts.

Third, we must anticipate His arrival. Just as the people of Jerusalem were excited for Jesus' arrival, we should be excited for Jesus to come into our hearts. We should look forward to His presence, His guidance, His peace, and His love.

Lastly, we must respond to His presence. When Jesus comes into our hearts, it should make a difference in our lives. We should respond to His love by loving others. We should respond to His guidance by following His lead. We should respond to His peace by sharing it with others.

Transition. Preparing our hearts for Jesus is an ongoing process. It's not something we do once and then forget about. It's something we need to do every day. We need to continually make room for Him, invite Him in, anticipate His arrival, and respond to His presence. This is how we prepare our hearts for the arrival of Jesus.

Proclaiming His Kingship in our Lives

As we continue to reflect on the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, we find ourselves in a place of recognition ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO