Palm Sunday—Much More Than a Sunday Drive
Isaiah 35:8-10; Matt 7:13-14
Text Luke 19:28-44
Have you ever gone on a Sunday afternoon drive? Every once in a while Bea and I will jump in the car and take off on a Sunday afternoon. We have no particular destination in mind. We just start driving simply to enjoy each other’s company and to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the countryside. It’s just a leisurely drive and we sometimes stop for an ice cream cone on the way. (A necessity, you know!) Again, it’s just a drive with no particular destination in mind. Let’s apply this to our lives. Do we live our lives in that manner; with no destination in mind or view? We’re just living life. What do you say when someone asks you, “What’s going on?” All too often I hear, “Nothing much. Same stuff, different day.” Have we allowed life to become so mundane, so predictable that we are just merely existing, just “livin life?”
What about our spiritual lives; our walk with Christ? Has your relationship with Him become mundane? Do you find yourself simply going through the motions of what a Christian should be and what a Christian should do?
If so, you need to see Palm Sunday from a whole new perspective. Walking the road of life with Christ is so much more than a Sunday drive. It is so much more than merely coming to church on a Sunday morning. It can be the most exciting, the most joyful experience you will ever have; and that on a daily basis. It all depends on which road we are traveling and the destination we have in mind.
Truly coming to Christ is a radical life change. What does it mean to “walk in Christ?” “Walk or live” implies a continuous, ongoing process. This means we are going to walk in the same direction that Jesus is walking. We need to continue to walk (not sit or stand) in the paths that Jesus would walk and live the kind of life that Jesus would live. Are the paths you are walking today the paths that Jesus would walk? Are they paths of live, commitment, obedience, and forgiveness? Or are they paths of sin, pride and self? Is the life that you are living pleasing to the Lord? Are you bearing fruit for the Lord? If not, then you are not walking in Him, and you are therefore like the sheep at the edge of the camp—the one the hungry wolf has his eyes on as he licks his chops and prepares his plate, rubbing his knife and fork together.
If your Christian life resembles a Sunday drive, or maybe a roller-coaster ride, you can establish stability in your daily walk with Jesus. But you must be on His highway.
The national Highway Traffic Safety Administration was founded around 30 years ago and was charged with the tasks of reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle accidents. There have been all kinds of traffic studies contradicting one another in regard to causes and reasons for traffic accidents. Many reasons have been cited such as speeding, driver inattention, cell phones, poor weather conditions, improper design and make-up! Remarkably, one statistic has held true for every study ever performed. You are about 12 times less likely to be involved in a traffic accident when you are driving on a one way street.
The same is true if you are living for Jesus. Yes, being a Christian does not exempt you from troubles, but living life according to His plan and on His Highway will lessen your chances of ending up in a mess. When the potholes, obstacles, and sharp curves of life’s road come at you fast and furious, with Christ you will successfully navigate any obstacle because you become “Built Lord Tough” on God’s “One Way.” Street.
At the Crossroad
“I encountered a man on the Road of life,
so sure of himself – so convinced he was right.
He had (his) religion, but he didn’t know God,
And though he had eyes, I thought that rather odd:
He only could see what he wanted to see.
So, blind to the truth that could set his soul free;
the man charged ahead – unaware he was lost,
until he encountered a Man on a cross
at a fork in the road
where the path became two
and the man who’d always been sure of himself had to choose.
Between broad and narrow, between left and right,
Between things he could see, and things still out of sight.
And I’m sure that the man would have gone the wrong way,
Had he not encountered the Savior that day.
But love rescued him! Truth set him free!
Grace opened his eyes – he could finally see…
That the Man on the cross made the difference.
Now listen, as this once-proud skeptic proclaims:
“For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Source unknown)
What road did you use to get here today? Although we are located on Webb Road, there are a number of roads you can travel to arrive at Webb. All of us travel different roads or paths every day of our lives. We take different roads to work. We take different career routes, different educational paths. We do not live in a cookie cutter world all trudging along in a mindless line.
We’re all on a road. We were born to travel it. It’s called the Road of life. There are many stops and rest areas on life’s road; some good and some bad. At different places in along life’s journey there are crossroads; intersections marked by the sign of the Cross of Jesus Christ. These are places of eternal decision. At the “crossroad” the path divides, and we have a choice to stay on the broad road of destruction we’ve been traveling, or exit onto the narrow road that leads to life.
The direction we choose at the “crossroad” not only has serious ramifications for the rest of our journey, but even more importantly, it determines our final destination.
Which road are you on? Are you at a crossroad moment in your life? What are you going to do? Which road will you take? Will you listen closely to the directions to the right road, or will you ignore and take the road you want to take? (i.e. not listening to directions and getting lost)
A woman was driving home one night. The weather was really nasty. Rain was coming down in buckets and visibility was very poor. Seeing taillights ahead of her, she followed the car in front. Not being able to see, the car in front seemed to be going in the right direction. So she stuck with it.
All of a sudden the car in front of her came to a stop. She began to wonder what had happened; perhaps the car in front had hit a deer or some thing like that. She began to feel uncomfortable; thinking being stopped in the middle of the road can often lead to accidents.
Much to her alarm the car in front of her turned off their lights. Her concern was now growing as well as her anger, and she was then startled by a knocking on her window. She looked up and there was a man standing in the pouring rain wanting to speak to her. She cracked the window open and asked the man what the problem was. The man replied by stating that that was the question he was going to ask her. She retorted that she wasn’t the one who had stopped in the middle of the road and then turned off the car lights. The man’s reply was that they were not in the middle of the road, but in his driveway!
Obviously, this woman had chosen the wrong leader to follow. She had chosen a leader who would not take her to where she wanted and needed to go. She had chosen the wrong leader and the wrong road.
How about you? Which road are you on? Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mt (Matt 7:13-14) that there are two main roads which man will travel, one wide that leads to destruction, the other narrow, straight that leads to eternal life. Which road are you traveling? Are you traveling God’s direction on His road, or the wide road of the world that leads to eternal destruction? Are you listening and obeying God’s signs along the road of your life? Are you careening out of control down the road that leads to destruction? Are you living recklessly, hoping everything will turn out right at the end? Despite what the world proclaims, there is only ONE path to God, and that is Jesus Christ (Jn 14:6). The only way to heaven, the only way to God is through Him and through the salvation He offers.
If you are on the wrong road, following the wrong leader, God is placing a roadblock in your path, with flares and flashing lights to warn you of the danger of following a path of destruction. He’s pointing you to the Cross of Christ, to the right direction. Don’t miss this moment. Don’t drive by unconcerned. God loves us so much that there are countless moments and ways He tries to reach us during our lifetimes. He’s passionate about it. He wants us to know that there is a Savior; that our sins, which are many, have been forgiven because His Son died on the Cross to save our souls and take away our sins through His cleansing blood. God pursues us in our lifetimes over and over again. But it’s what we do when we come to the crossroads, to the knowledge of the cross and the Right Road of Life that matters. What road are you on?
Today is Palm Sunday. It marks the day that Jesus made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It marked the beginning of the last week that He would spend as a man on this earth among His disciples. Jesus bids us to follow Him on the Road to Jerusalem. Following His leadership, walking His road leads us to life. There are basically only two main roads to travel in life; the road that leads away from God, and the road that leads to Him. Which road are you on?
II. The Wide Road that leads to Destruction
A. Wide/broad means it spacious and easy. It’s the road of tolerance and permissiveness. No curbs, no boundaries. Travelers on this road follow their own inclinations. They do their own thing. “If it’s right for you, it’s all right!”
B. Multitudes are streaming down this road. They seem to be either unconcerned or careless about the spiritual realities.
C. It’s a road of the uncommitted. You cannot be neutral with regard to Jesus. There isn’t any comfortable middle ground, leaving on either side the very good and the very bad. Christianity isn’t about being very good, or very bad, or very comfortable. It’s about being in God’s kingdom or staying out. It’s about allegiance to God, or rebellion. It’s about walking the Road of Jerusalem with Jesus, or staying on the wide road of self-centeredness and sin until it leads to a dead stop in final destruction. Which road are you on?
II. Jesus Wants You to Travel His Road. Luke 19:28-32 “After He had said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two disciples saying “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘why are you untying it?’ you shall say, “The Lord has need of it”
Here, on that road into Jerusalem, Jesus is traveling towards His death, burial, and glorious resurrection. While the road led Jesus to Jerusalem, it will lead us to heaven, if we are willing to follow Jesus along that road. We must be willing to the road prescribed by Christ.
A. It is a road of humility. We see that in vv.28-32. In our perceptions, heroes ride in a blaze of glory, guns blazing, and Rambo style. Right? Or if it is a dignitary or king, the pomp and pageantry is spectacular, right? Yet, here is the Creator of the universe riding into town on a donkey, a lowly beast of burden. Kings and leaders, heroes ride in on great, mighty white steeds. That’s what the people thought should happen. “Run those Romans out. Tar and feather them! Give them the old 1-2 punch. Reestablish the kingdom of David with all it glory!” But a donkey?
1. The life of Christ reflected humility. He came into this world in poverty, not kingly splendor, not in grandeur, but meekness. He came and reflected throughout His ministry and teachings – humility.
2. Speaking of His kingdom, Jesus spoke terms like “service, and servant hood.” Interestingly, on the night of His betrayal, the disciples were arguing over greatness. “Who gets to drive the Mercedes? Who gets to sit in the big chair? Who’s in charge?” Jesus traveled the road of humility and expects His disciples and followers to do the same.
3. What does the road of humility means for us? It means giving up our selfish desires. It means denying ourselves. It means putting not only God first in our lives, but putting others first as well. Our family, our friends, even our enemies. The road of humility is the road that says “I will live like Christ lived. I will strive by His Spirit to be conformed to His image. WE are called to walk that road with Him
B. This was also a road of fulfillment. Matt 21:4-5 “All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your king is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
This wasn’t luck or chance, but all a part of fulfilling the divine plan of Almighty God. There are over 332 prophecies in O.T. fulfilled in Christ. Jesus is the Messiah foretold of in the O.T. God will bring about His mighty plan!
1. The whole life of Christ was the divine plan of God the Father to redeem us, to save us from our sins. All that Jesus went through was for the fulfillment of the salvation of you and me. Jesus knew that the road into Jerusalem would lead to His death on the cross, His death that would bring eternal life with God in heaven for you and me.
2. We must be willing to follow the will of God for our lives as well. Jesus knew that the road He was on would lead to intense, indescribable suffering and death. But He traveled it in obedience to the will of the Father and out of love for humanity. Are you willing to follow Christ no matter what He asks or where He leads?
C. The Road to Jerusalem was one of submission. Jesus always submitted Himself to the Father. His first priority was to the Father. His purpose was to do the will of His Father. Complete submission.
1. The disciples submitted themselves to obeying Christ. They may have thought it a strange request, but they obeyed anyway.
2. We must obey regardless if we think it strange or not, regardless if we want to or not. We need to follow Christ on the road of submission, submitting our lives to God.
3. The crowd submitted themselves. This is symbolized in the lying down of their garments before Christ as He travels the road. In O.T. (2 Kings 9) when Jehu was proclaimed king, the captains did the same thing as a sign of submission to his reign.
4. What have we done to indicate our submission to Christ and His kingdom? We need to lay it all before Him! But we don’t. We’re afraid of what He might take or mess up. So we keep it to ourselves. We don’t want to sacrifice for Christ. We don’t like that word ‘sacrifice’ do we? We live in such a self-indulgent society and we would just as soon cast that word out and cling to the leather bag of indulgence. Donald Trump was once the entrepreneur’s entrepreneur, the yuppie’s yuppie. He was often featured in newspapers and magazines. Newsweek Magazine said “For better or for worse in the 1980’s it became okay to become ferociously ambitious, staggeringly rich, and utterly at ease in bragging about it.” Donald Trump said, “Life is a game and the ultimate scoreboard is money.” Sadly, we want a religion that doesn’t ask us to sacrifice, not even for a moment. Bob McFall, was a 39 yr. Old bachelor suffering from Aplastic Anemia. He needed a bone marrow transplant. A search was conducted among his family and they discovered that his first cousin was an ideal match to donate so Bob McFall could live. But when the first cousin was asked about donating, and the explanation that there would be no harm to him whatsoever, he refused to give any bone marrow. So Bob McFall sued his first cousin, and took him to court. The trial went on and on and finally a verdict was reached. While the behavior of the first cousin was considered reprehensible, the court ruled that it could not force him to give any bone marrow. Bob McFall died 3 weeks after the trial. Sacrifice is not in our vocabulary. We want an easy faith, with easy ways. Contrast that with the Cross which Christ traveled to for us. God sees us wallowing in our sin and realizes that the only remedy is a blood transfusion! But it must be the right kind of blood. It must be holy blood. It must be God’s blood. And He willing became our sin sacrifice!
Yet we must follow Christ down the road of submission. If we want to follow the highway to heaven, we must travel the road of submission; submission to the Father; submission to the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; submission to God the Holy Spirit. One day, all will bow in submission to Him.
Which road are you traveling? If you are on the road with Christ, stay there on the road of humility, obedience and submission. Follow Him for the glory of God. Remember, it’s not about you, it all about Jesus.
If you are not on the right road following the Savior, this is your crossroad of decision. Jesus is offering hope, encouragement, and eternal life. He’s not there to take way the fallout of the difficulties of life, or the consequences of your bad decisions. But He’s there with forgiveness to take away your sins and its guilt. Accept Him. Walk His road. It’s not an easy road. There are no exemptions from the twists and turns of life. But there is the promise of a heavenly Companion, a Savior who loves and cares about you.
Which road are you on?
