A Healthy Church/ Palm Sunday
It's All About JESUS!
Acts 2:42; Matt 21:1-11
Today we celebrate Palm Sunday. This is the day known as the triumphal entry, the day that Jerusalem recognized Jesus for who He was and is. It was a day filled with excitement. It was a day that the people gathered along the roadside to welcome Jesus. Let's read the account of this triumphal entry that is recoreded in Matthews gospel, it is in chapter 21 starting at verse 1...
"1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. 10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."
We know what will happen less than a week later, but for today, it's all about Jesus! I want you to flip to another place in your Bibles. Go to Acts 2:42.... Remember we have been looking at the early church and the fact that it was a healthy church! Let's read again verse 42..."42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." I know you're probably wondering what this has to do with Palm Sunday, so I'm going to give you the answer. The answer is JESUS! Ready? On the day of the triumphal entry, the people shouted Hosanna! which means save now. First question, who were they shouting to? JESUS! They also referred to this one that they cried to as "the Son of David". Who is the Son of David? JESUS! They cried "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord" To whom were they referring? JESUS! John's gospel account in chapter one says " 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (Who is the Word?)
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (Who made everything?)
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (Who is the light?)
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (Who is He?)
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (Who?)
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (Oh, there's the answer,JESUS!!!)
We're not done yet. Someone said " I am the vine, ye are the branches" Who said that? JESUS! Someone said " In my Father's house are many mansions, and I go and prepare a place for you, that where I am ye may be also" Who said that? JESUS! Someone said " I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me!" Who is me? Jesus!! it is written that there is a name above every other name. Who's name ? "10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." We are not quite there yet. God said this is my Son in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him! Who is God's Son? Jesus! John 3:16 says " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Who is the only begotten Son? JESUS! Isaiah the prophet wrote; "1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Who was Isaiah speaking of? JESUS!
We are almost there! He is the good shepherd! JESUS! He is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, JESUS! Paul wrote "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."; "And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. " Who's body was broken? Who's blood was shed? Do this in remembrance of who? JESUS! It is by Jesus broken body and shed blood that we can receive forgiveness of sins and be saved from eternal punishment! OK, so on Palm Sunday, Jerusalem recognized Jesus as the Son of David, The one that cometh in the name of the Lord and the one who can save them! Misguided in the means of salvatiuon, but recognized Him as the Savior! It was JESUS' day, it was all about Him! People were asking questions and talking about one man, JESUS! Some time later after Jesus' death, burilal, resurrection and ascension. The early church continues in breaking bread. Why? To remember. Who? JESUS! The breaking of bread is not about anything or anybody but JESUS! The early church needed to stay focused. They needed to make sure the one thing that always was there in everything else was JESUS! It sounds like such a simple phrase but it ties it all together. The apostles doctrine is Jesus! The fellowship, the caring and the sharing, JESUS! It was Jesus that said "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. "; "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." The breaking of bread is about Jesus! just a preview in two weeks we will talk about the final thing from verse 42, Prayer. I'll give you a hint Prayer has to do with? JESUS! Ok, heres the wrap for us. On Palm Sunday the triumphal entry it was all about Jesus! But, less than a week later, people no longer remembered who Jesus was and is. Less than a week later they would cry "crucify Him!" The early church continued in the breaking of bread,"This do in remembrance of me" The early church didn't forget that being a christian is about being Christ like. It was not and is not "a system of religous beliefs". It was not a social club. It was and is about Jesus! Without Jesus we are nothing more than any other religion. we are nothing more than an orginization, a social club. If we forget Jesus, He may forget us! "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." We are Christians because of Jesus the Christ" We can have beautiful music, a beautiful sanctuary, all kinds of programs to be active, But if it's not about Jesus...It's not about Jesus! He is the one who did it all, we owe Him our lives. He died for you, will you live for Him! Remember, if it wasn't for Jesus we would still be in our sins! We would be without Hope! But because of Jesus we have hope! The early church continued in the breaking of bread, They remembered it was all about Jesus! If they didn't would they have been like the crowds in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday? Let us not forget, The answer is JESUS!
