Series: One Thing
Illustration:
I watched years ago the movie “City Slickers” were one old cowboy and a city slicker are discussing what is the main focus of life. In other words “What is the meaning of life?” and the old cowboy hold his ginger up and says, “Life is about one thing and one thing only and everything else means nothing when you discover the one thing!” (paraphrase by me) The city slicker impressed and awed by the old cowboy’s wisdom says “What is the One Thing?” the old cowboy looks at him and says, “That’s what you have to figure out!”
So today and over the next week of Easter I am going to challenge you to discover the true meaning of life – discovering that “One Thing” which puts everything else into perspective in your life. Hold up your finger to express – everyone one of us here needs to figure out that one thing!
As most of you know today is Palm Sunday – a significant day which officially kicks off Passion Week – or Easter Week. This week is the most celebrated Holy Week of the year for millions of Christians across the world. Church attendance usually sky rockets this time of the year and people feel a strong urge or leading to go to church to celebrate this week’s significant meaning. You could boil this week down to the “One Thing” – Which I believe has to do with One Man, One Mission, One Soul, One Cry, and One Day.
Today I want to talk about the “One Man and His One Mission” Tonight we are going to pray for the One Day and One Soul in Hearts Ablaze were we are going to focus on praying for the Holy Spirit to show up at our Good Friday Service and our Easter Service with the intention that souls are going to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and each of us need to praying for that One Soul we want to come to Jesus.
T.S. - But today we are looking at: One Man
Sermon: “One Man”
Thesis: As many search for the ”One Thing” the meaning and purpose for their lives I want to point us to the “One Man” who can reveal to us what that “One Thing” is for each of us. That One Man is Jesus!
Scripture Text: Matthew 21:1-11:
The Triumphal Entry
1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5“Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
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.”
Introduction:
Every time I read this passage and I see the excitement of the people, the vibrant praise offerings given to Jesus. The honor shown Jesus with the Palm branches and coats being laid before Him the celebration and the praise from the crowd crying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” and I also read how 10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred… I immediately ask myself the question, “Where did all these people go by Friday?”
What happened to the enthusiastic crowd?
Jesus triumphant entry into the city was a fulfillment of numerous prophetic verses. Jesus actually fulfilled over 300 prophetic verses of the expected One - The Messiah’s - His life, His ministry, His mission, His death and His resurrection all confirm He is the One.
I. One Man fulfilled all of the Prophetic Scriptures of the One and only Messiah– His name Jesus.
a. Jesus is the one and the only man to fulfill these prophetic verses from the Bible. The chance of this happening? We could say 1 in 100 trillion?
i. The following from: http://www.eons.com/blogs/entry/1332824-How-Many-Bible-prophecies-Did-Jesus-Fulfill- BY Jerry Ballard:
1. Many of the prophecies concerning the Messiah were totally beyond human control: Birth: Place, time, manner of death: People’s reactions, piercing of side, burial Resurrection: Where did His body go? By using the modern science of probability in reference to just eight of these prophecies, the chance that any man might have lived to fulfill all eight prophecies is one in 100 trillion!
2. To illustrate this point: If we take 100 trillion silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas, they would be two feet deep. Now we mark one of these silver dollars and thoroughly stir the whole mass--all over the state. Now blindfold a man and let him travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick only one silver dollar.
3. What chance would he have of picking the marked one? The same chance that the prophets would have of writing just eight of these prophecies and having them all come true for any one man if they had written them without God’s inspiration!
4. The chance of any one man’s fulfilling all of 48 prophecies is one in ten to the 157th power. The electron is about as small an object as we can imagine. If we had a cubic inch of these electrons and tried to count them, it would take us (at 250 per minute) 19,000 times 19,000 times 19,000 years to count them. Now mark one of them and thoroughly stir it into the whole mass. What chance does our blindfolded man have of finding the right electron?
b. As you can see just from this probability factor Jesus is the One Man who did fulfill these prophetic voices of the One Messiah of the world. He is the One who could save the world, the One who could fulfill the mission of the Father to restore mankind to right relationship with God the Father.
T.S. – This One Man amazingly against all odds fulfilled over 300 prophetic verses and then went on to fulfill the One mission He received from God for you and I.
II. One Man fulfilled the One Mission from God
a. John 3:16-17 – The One Mission: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
i. Jesus did this with His life and His death! He is the One person in all of History who meets the criteria and fulfills all these prophetic verses.
b. Did Jesus fulfill His mission with all the support a football team would get from its fan like the parades given to the winning Super Bowl Teams?
i. Actually by the end of the week all of the fans have left Jesus and there are only a few followers left at the point of victory – the cross!
1. You would have thought the stadium would have been packed with fans cheering on the Messiah to victory by the end of the week!
a. But there was no applause anymore! All the acts of honor are gone! All the coats picked up! The donkey returned to its owner! The Palms are being burned in a pile! All the shouting of praises have ceased and the mouths have closed with a frown or a growl. The fans have gone home in anger, disgust, frustration, bewilderment, and deception.
ii. There is certain point in this One week when the crowds turn. It’s spken about in John 6:66: “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”
1. Idleman states, “Many of the fans turn to go home. I was struck by the fact that Jesus doesn’t chase after them. He doesn’t soften his message to make it more appealing. He doesn’t send the disciples chasing after them with a creative handout inviting them to come back for a “build your own sundae” ice cream social. He seems okay with the fact that his popularity has plummeted. As I sat in the sanctuary surrounded by thousands of empty seats, here’s what became clear to me: it wasn’t the size of the crowd Jesus cared about; it was their level of commitment. I put the Bible back in the chair in front of me. I cried. God, I am sorry. Almost as soon as I said it to him, I knew it needed to go further. A few days later on Easter Sunday, a crowd of thousands gathered and I began my sermon with a choked up apology. I told the crowd that I was wrong for being too concerned with what they would think and how many of them would come back. I Think would the years my intentions were good; I wanted to make Jesus look as attractive as possible so that people would come to find eternal life in him. I was offering the people Jesus, but I was handing out a lot of free bread. In the process I cheapened the gospel.”
a. Idleman, Kyle (2011-05-24). Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus (p. 13). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
2. As I think about what Pastor Klye said in His book “Not a Fan!” I have to honestly ask each of you this morning “Are you just a fan of Jesus or are you a committed follower of Jesus?”
a. He notes there is a big difference between a fan and committed follower!
b. He goes on to say: Are you a follower of Jesus or just a fan?
i. He adds, “I am not asking the following: Do you go to church? Are your parents or grandparents Christians? Did you raise your hand at the end of a sermon one time? Did you repeat a prayer after a preacher? Did you walk forward during a twelve-minute version of “Just As I Am”? Do you own three or more Bibles? Have you ever appeared in a church directory? Did you grow up going to VBS and/or church camp? Is your ringtone a worship song? When you pray are you able to utilize five or more synonyms for God? I can keep going. Seriously, I can. Have you ever worn “witness wear”? Is the KJV the only real version of the Bible? Have you ever kissed dating good-bye? Under “religious views” does your Facebook page say “Christ follower”? Did you dog Harry Potter and rave about Lord of the Rings? Did you get a purpose driven life in 40 days or less? Do you say “Bless their heart” before speaking badly about someone? Do you understand phrases like “traveling mercies” and “sword drill”? Here’s my point: many of us are quick to say, “Yes, I’m a follower of Jesus,” but I’m not sure we really understand what we are saying. To quote Inigo Montoya, “I do not think that means what you think it means.”*
1. Idleman, Kyle (2011-05-24). Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus (pp. 19-20). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
iii. Many that day as Jesus entered the city were fans – good weather fans – when the team is winning fans. When they are being fed miraculously, all their needs being met, when everything is going the way they think it should be going fans. The kind of fans that are there for the miracles for the supernatural stuff, the fun stuff, exciting stuff! But when it gets uncomfortable, challenging, different than you expected, a call for total commitment, a call to self-sacrifice the fans throw in the palm branches and coats and say “I am out of here this is not what I signed up for!”
1. What is a fan?
a. Kyle states, “Here is the most basic definition of fan in the dictionary: “An enthusiastic admirer” It’s the guy who goes to the football game with no shirt and a painted chest. He sits in the stands and cheers for his team. He’s got a signed jersey hanging on his wall at home and multiple bumper stickers on the back of his car. But he’s never in the game. He never breaks a sweat or takes a hard hit in the open field. He knows all about the players and can rattle off their latest stats, but he doesn’t know the players. He yells and cheers, but nothing is really required of him. There is no sacrifice he has to make. And the truth is, as excited as he seems, if the team he’s cheering for starts to let him down and has a few off seasons, his passion will wane pretty quickly. After several losing seasons you can expect him to jump off the fan wagon and begin cheering for some other team. He is an enthusiastic admirer.
i. Idleman, Kyle (2011-05-24). Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus (p. 24). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
b. Kyle states, “And I think Jesus has a lot of fans these days. Fans who cheer for him when things are going well, but who walk away when it’s a difficult season. Fans who sit safely in the stands cheering, but they know nothing of the sacrifice and pain of the field. Fans of Jesus who know all about him, but they don’t know him.”
i. Idleman, Kyle (2011-05-24). Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus (p. 25). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
2. Maybe Jesus’ fan base started eroding away when He did the awkward temple thing?
a. Matthew 21:12-17 Jesus at the Temple
12Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13“It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’” 14The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. 16“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?” 17And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
b. Yes, the same day Jesus has the crowd following Him, eating out of His hand – routing Him on He does something that does not when friends and influence people.
i. He offends a bunch of people!
ii. He over turns tables in the Temple.
iii. He chases out the money changers with a whip.
iv. Talk about a dramatic and out of control reaction to what He encounters in the Temple!
1. Is He really out of control?
2. Is He angry – the answer is “Yes!”
v. I am sure the crowd did not see this coming!
vi. He cries out - “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’”
1. I am sure there were those certain fans who were stunned – some immediately said, “The guy is loose cannon and I am out of here!”
c. But don’t forget after the chasing out of the thieves Jesus heals people!
i. Guess what? Some of the fans are back on board again!
1. Why, fun things are happening! And there looking for what they can get out of it!
c. So let me ask you this morning are you a fan or a committed follower of Jesus?
i. Kyle states, “What if all of life comes down to this one question? What if there really is a heaven and there really is a hell, and where I spend eternity comes down to this one question? That may seem completely ridiculous, but if there is some part of you that considers this a minute possibility, then isn’t it worth thinking through that question?”
1. Idleman, Kyle (2011-05-24). Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus (p. 21). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
T.S. – Let’s take a few moments this morning and see that Jesus is the One we need to not just be a fan of but really a committed follower of.
III. One way into Heaven is revealed by the One man who fulfilled the One Mission.
a. The way to Heaven is achieved by radically abandoning everything you have and giving it to Jesus. Just like He did for you on the cross and at His birth.
i. Your pride – Jesus the Son of God – God in the flesh gave up the glory of Heaven so that he could build a road with His blood, sweat and tears for you to Heaven. The Bible tells he humbled himself so that he could make the way for us to regain our relationship with God the Father like Adam and Eve initially had in the Garden.
ii. Your life – Jesus struggles through the decision to give his life in the Garden of Gethsemane when he said, “Lord, not my will but your will be done!” But he choose to die to give up his life so you could have eternal life. He did it for you and me!
iii. Your job – I am sure most people have never thought about giving up their job for the Lord but Jesus did that I am sure he was trained by His earthly dad Joseph as a carpenter but their came a time in his life at age 30 when he gave up the carpenters shop for the ministry of restoring us to God The Father.
iv. Your family – Jesus not only gave up his earthly job but he gave up his family too – they wanted him to come home but he had to be about His Father’s business and the Father’s business was saving you and I from the pits of Hell. It was to release the Love of God into the world to deliver us from our sins.
v. Your possessions – Jesus gave up all earthly possessions to go fulfill His one mission. He chose to forsake the things of this world for the things of Heaven and for you. So that you and I could see that thinks will not allow you to find that One Thing. Things will never satisfy your soul, your purpose for life only Jesus can do that!
vi. Your dreams – Can I remind you that Jesus did not leave heaven and its glory to come to earth to give you the American dream. Jesus did not die on the cross for your good life. He died to give you eternal life through Him –through His path. Your dreams can never reach the dream he has for you! His dream for your life is bigger than you could ever imagine.
1. David Platt states, “Amid the many faces of the American dream that contradict the core of the gospel, one ideal Americans have embraced coincides subtly with the words of Christ. As James Adams was coining the phrase ‘American Dream.” Franklin Roosevelt was emphasizing how Americans will postpone immediate gratification and even endure hard sacrifices if they are convinced their future will be better than their past. Americans are willing to take great risks, he said, if they believe it will accomplish great reward. In similar words Jesus said to his followers, ‘Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’ Jesus clearly acknowledged that following him involves risking the safety, security, and satisfaction we have found in this world. But in the end, Jesus said, following him leads to a radical reward that this world can never offer” (page 161, Radical).
vii. Your will – Jesus gave up His will for the Father’s will that you should be saved – He agreed and allowed His will to be put aside so that you and I could gain the priceless treasure of Heaven.
1. Platt states, “The question, therefore, is not ‘Can we find God’s will?’ The question is “Will we obey God’s will?” (page 160).
b. So how do you really know if you are a follower of Jesus or just a fan? How do you know if you are on the one way path to Heaven?
i. Well first you need to evaluate your relationship with Jesus.
1. Is it casual or committed?
2. Is it convenient or inconvenient?
3. Does it take effort or no effort?
4. Do you meet regularly or sporadically?
5. Do you know something about each other or nothing about each other?
6. Has it moved past infatuation to admiration?
7. Is it a 2 hour weekend date or is it a 7 day a week 24 hour a day exclusive relationship?
ii. Second what would you say to Jesus if you had a face to face encounter with Him over coffee at Starbuck’s?
1. Would you say, “I like your sandals!”
2. Would you say, “I love your hair. I heard long hair is coming back in style!”
3. Would you offer to buy Him a coffee or a latte –like a Turtle Mocha with skim milk - hot?
4. Would you be able to look Him in the eye – as you talked?
5. Would you be able to listen to what He had to say – or would you tune Him out?
6. Would you approve of His plan for your life or your church?
7. Would you be willing to “Stop” the path you were on to take a new position within His Kingdom? Would you do it for no pay and for long hours with a promise of blessings in another life time? Would you be willing to give everything up to walk out the door with Him from that Coffee shop and be willing to follow Him wherever He takes you?
a. The answer to these questions above determines if you’re a fan or a follower!
b. Two thoughts we need to keep in mind in our spiritual journey:
i. Matthew 7:13-14: The Narrow and Wide Gates
13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
ii. Matthew 7:21-23: 21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
c. One of the greatest hindrances to people coming to know the One Thing from God is the when people read the Scriptures and read what they believe rather than believe what they read.
i. John Bevere states it this way, “We allow our experience to interpret the word of God rather than allowing the word of God to establish truth” (Page 102, Driven by Eternity).
ii. This is what Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducces for.
1. Dr. Nichols states, “There must be a difference between the knowledge that comes from the gathering of information, and that which comes by revelation. The Pharisees and Sadducees had the best information anyone could have in their day. If you asked them, they would tell you they were in touch with revelation as well. But when revelation of the fullness of God stood in front of them with skin on, they called Him Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24)…How can this be? How can people who are trained in the Scriptures, some of whom are even anointed by God to perform their ministry, deny the revelation of the Son of God? There is a kind of zeal in the teaching gift when it is not submitted to apostolic and prophetic authority that is destructive. This zeal combines itself with pride in knowledge to oppose what cannot be controlled. And Jesus could not be controlled by the religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Neither could the apostles in the book of Acts…In Acts chapter, Jesus handed off the task of advancing the Kingdom to His followers” (Page 17, 18- Who’s In Charge?).
a. Notice Jesus did not hand off the Kingdom to His fans! Jesus hands the Kingdom of Heaven off to His followers – His committed followers!
Conclusion:
David Platt in his book Radical challenges us with what it means to be a follower of Jesus – to commit to that belief:
But we don’t want to believe it. We are afraid of what it might mean for our lives. So we rationalize these passages away. ‘Jesus wouldn’t really tell us not to bury our father or say good-bye to our family. Jesus didn’t literally mean to sell all we have and give it to the poor. What Jesus really meant was…’ And this is where we need to pause. Because we are starting to redefine Christianity. We are giving in to the dangerous temptation to take Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of Jesus we are comfortable with. A nice, middle class, America Jesus. A Jesus who doesn’t mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our closest relationships so that he receives all our affection. A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are. A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who, for that matter, wants us to avoid danger altogether. A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American dream. But do you realize what we are doing at this point? We are molding Jesus into our image” (Platt, page 13).
