Palm Sunday:
4/5 The Return of the King
INTRODUCTION
In 1976 upstart Burger King began designed a new ad campaign hoping to push there sales higher in an effort to knock of industry leader McDonalds. With their campaign a new slogan quickly was embraced as the spirit of independent Americans.
Watch this video. (Burger King Comericial)
Have it your way has become an unofficial amendment to the American Bill of Rights. We want it our way and actually we also want it now.
Nearly 2000 years ago a group of people lined the streets of Jerusalem as a Carpenter’s son arrived for Passover. Though the waves braches in the air and praised his coming, everyone had their own ideas of who he was and what he should do. They all wanted Jesus, but they wanted him their way.
Let’s look at one of those passages together.
Turn with me to Mark 11:4-10
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
"Hosanna!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
10 "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"
TRULY CELEBRATING PALM SUNDAY MEANS ACCEPTING WE CAN’T HAVE IT OUR WAY.
One of the things I really love about Holy week is the truth that Jesus refused to be forced into other peoples ideas of who he should be. That is so rare. Most of us are molded by what other people want us to be. But not Jesus.
He doesn’t let people have it their way when it comes to relating to him. Let’s explore that this morning.
I. Having it our way with Jesus implies we get to define His Role in our Lives.
On that day numerous individuals were lining the streets each seeking to force Jesus to fit their idea of who he should be.
A. Teacher
Some had heard him on the seas shore, some had hear him talk about loving your enemies, practicing forgiveness and loved to listen to him. They loved his wisdom. And as long as he was just a teacher they could accept him. For Jesus teaching wasn’t enough.
Even today the most common way people try to force Jesus to fit into "their way" is to say he was a good teacher, he was moral, he taught tolerance and love. I can accept him as a teacher.
B. Conformist
The Scribes, Pharisees and other religious leaders all wanted Jesus to conform to their ides of how he should act, what he should teach what he should do. They had had numerous discussion with him. Each hoping that he was going to conform to their religious ideas and views. Jesus wouldn’t.
Today people still want Jesus to conform to their ideas and their life style. They desire to dictate to him what he should do, what he should approve of what he should be. They want him to be a conformist to their ideas of who he should be. He won’t
C. Revolutionist
The Zealots were excited to see Jesus as he arrived in Jerusalem. They long to see him over throw all those who opposed them. They wanted Roman occupation to end. They envisioned Jesus as the head of a mighty army that usurp power form their oppressors and bring about the Kingdom of God. Jesus Wasn’t
Today there are many that want Jesus to be their leader supporting their opposition to the government and culture. They want to see him force himself upon other so their causes would be enacted in congress. He won’t
D. Disciplinarian
Some in the crowd on that day longed to see Jesus rebuke the sinners and condemn the unrighteous. They longed to see him dole out punishment upon the guilty, upon the immoral, upon those whose lifestyles were impure. He didn’t.
Some today want him to do similar things, to Judge some harshly because of their egregious sins, their immoral acts, past failures. He still won’t.
E. Wonder Worker
Some in the crowd that day showed up believing he was the wonderworker, the feeder of five thousand, the healer of the infirm. They long for the next trick the next wonder he would perform. Would they benefit from it? What would be their blessing for showing up.
He wasn’t to be their genie in a bottle.
Today some still long for him to be their personal wonder worker, to fill their lives with abundance, and wealth. To ensure that they have everything they want and desire. Though he does do wondrous things he is still not a make wish genie for the masses.
II. Having Him means letting God have His way.
Lessons were about to be learned by all who knew Jesus. He was about to demonstrate how much he wanted a relationship with us, He was about to prove his love with the ultimate sacrifice. He was about to lay down his life.
Lessons that would teach us about what it means when God has his way
A. Sin couldn’t be over looked
Created with free wills that eventually would betray us, we had become individuals who were harmed marred by the sin and it’s consequences. We who were once in relationship with him had wandered away.
Is. 53:6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the LORD laid on him
the sins of us all. NLT
B. Love couldn’t be denied
Having created because of love, His same love was motivating him to act. He became like us. Lived among us. And was a about to die, assume our punishment. He was about to settle once and for all how much we were valued, how much he wanted us back in relationship with him.
Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. NLT
C. Sacrifice could be avoided
If there could have been any other way to bring all the elements of his design together he would have done it.
For the God in his perfect holiness to loving create free will beings that could fully appreciate his goodness, inevitably lead to sin and our separation. So from the foundation of the world, he planned for the day when he would assume the blame, the shame, the pain. Every guilty act would be laid upon himself and he would not just forget it, but he would pay in full the penalty.
Luke 22:42 "Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."
D. Cross cannot be skirted.
Therefore if the Cross itself could not be avoid by God himself, if Jesus could elect for a plan b, why should anyone believe that we can skirt the issue of the cross.
To want God, to want Relationship with Jesus means we must face the place of skull. It is at the cross that the biggest truths of the universe at discovered.
God Love, God Grace rushes headlong into Man sinful free will and there trough confession and belief we discover all he intends for us.
The cross cannot be skirted. It is the cross that frees us and unashamedly calls us to live in it’s shadow, not merely benefiting from its blessings, but living to make truth known.
It is Palm Sunday. What will it be for you today.
Conclusion
It’s Your way
Or God’s way.
How did you come today? Are you one of those who insist on having your way?
We are about to Celebrate the Event. The Forgiver Dies and Lives again. Why? Because it was God’s unavoidable way of restoring us to a relationship with him. One that cannot be skirted.
TRULY CELEBRATING PALM SUNDAY MEANS ACCEPTING WE CAN’T HAVE IT OUR WAY.
Have you been one of those who has been skirting the issues of the cross. Is it about time for you to renew your relationship with God, this time on his terms, not yours.
If you desire to make that step today, then I invite you come talk with me up front at the close of the services today.
