How many of you like to travel? Sometimes, going on trips is exciting, isn’t it? And when most people travel, they do not plan on being gone for long, and even so, when they get to where they are going, the first thing they do is unpack their belongings and find places to put them.
When my wife and I travel, we do not unpack everything, as why unpack it if you are not sure if you are actually going to use it, right? Besides that, when it’s time to go home, most of our things are already packed and it saved a lot of time that way.
We do not put much focus on short trips because we know we will not be there long enough to make much difference in things. We choose to put most of our focus on where we will be the longest amount of time. That makes sense, doesn’t it?
So, no matter how long we might be upon this earth; 50-years, 70-years, or even longer, we aren’t going to overly focus on this life because, compared to eternity, this life is no longer than a weekend trip.
We started off talking about trips, and since this is Palm Sunday, we should talk about a trip Jesus once took. It was down the side of a mountain and He made that trip riding on a donkey.
He had just left Jericho where he had dinner at Zacchaeus’s home, and then left there on His way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The last part of that trip was his riding the donkey down the path from the Mt. of Olives into the city of Jerusalem.
And as He rode that donkey down that mountain, His followers lined both sides of the path and put down palm branches and coats in front of Him as a way of celebrating and praising Jesus. But just five short days later, those same people were screaming to have Jesus crucified and killed.
This trip, called “the Triumphal Entry” demands our undivided attention, because it turned out to be the most expensive trip ever taken and it impacted the world more than any other trip before or since. He knew full well where He was going, and He also knew to the fullest extent what that trip was going to cost Him. But He chose to take it anyway. Let’s find out why.
He was going to celebrate Passover, which every Jew did every year. Let’s get into the Word and start reading what the Bible says about this trip.
LUKE 19:29-31, describes His journey to Jerusalem –
“29 As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
CONTINUING IN LUKE 19:32-35;
“32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” 34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.”
We are starting to see the first glimpses of how God was orchestrating each step of this story so He could offer salvation to the world.
How did Jesus know there would be a young colt tied up in the town? How in the world could an owner of an expensive animal like the young donkey be okay with letting two strangers come up and walk off with it without questioning them or charging them?
And why a donkey instead of a cow or a wagon? Actually, there is a clear explanation for each of these questions. First of all, Jesus knew about the donkey because He was also God. Secondly, the two men were influenced by the Holy Spirit to let the donkey go, and thirdly, it had to have been a donkey to show who Jesus was.
When a king rode into a town on a horse, it signified that he was their military king, their protector, and that he was ready to go to war with their enemy! However, if the king rode into town on a donkey, it showed him to be a king of peace, one who would focus on their peace and prosperity rather than their military might and power.
Jesus rode the donkey because He was the King of Peace, who came to save them, not to kill their enemies.
LUKE 19:36-38
“36 As He went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “ And blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
The people celebrated, partly because it was the time of Passover and so it was a very festive mood there in Jerusalem, but also because they were glad they finally had a king would who deal with their Roman enemies. Oh, how they praised and celebrated Him.
Today is Palm Sunday, which is also called Passion Sunday. Both celebrate the emotions of what Jesus went through, but there is a very big difference, too. The Latin meaning of “celebration” means to display joyful feelings of happiness. The Latin meaning of “passion” means to have deep suffering.
Palm Sunday focuses on the gala and festivities and celebration of the new King, while Passion Sunday focuses on the suffering Jesus went through during His final week.
What caused the people go from loving and honoring Him to hating Him and wanting Him killed in just five days? They just didn’t understand why He was here in the first place. He had come to offer forgiveness of their sin and to offer Himself as the One who would pay the price for them. They could not understand this.
All they seemed to understand is that He turned out not to be their military king, and therefore He was of no use for them. And when the leaders began wanting Him killed, they joined forces with them and also yelled, “Crucify Him!”
And this entire Palm Sunday time leads us right into Easter, the day God had anointed to reveal His Son’s true nature to mankind. The hatred had to happen so the cross could happen. And the cross had to happen so the resurrection could happen. And through this blessed resurrection, God has given His children the knowledge that since Christ could overcome death, we can overcome it, too. Maybe not in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense.
Remember how I opened this message by talking about trips, and I said that compared to eternity, this earthly live is nothing more than a quick weekend trip? That is why we put our focus, our love, and our hope on the eternal rather than the physical. And that is why our eternal life is so much more important than our physical lives.
Next Sunday is Easter Sunday; a time when we honor our Lord and what He means to us. It is a holy time. Yet, even for believers, what will most of us be doing? Instead of going to church, most of us will plan nice backyard barbeques and Easter egg hunts, or if we do go to church, it will be to satisfy that twice a year tradition of getting dressed up and going to a church service.
And just as quickly as it is over, we forget about it until we start the same process all over again next year. Somehow, I do not think this is what the Lord wants or how He would want us to remember what He did for us.
There is an old saying: ‘Since Jesus was willing to die for us, shouldn’t we be willing to live for Him?’ Somehow, I think we would be much better off in every way if we would just pay honest tribute to Jesus Christ, the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. And then to fashion our lives after Him the rest of the year.
So, exactly what does Easter mean? Let’s take a look.
E is for ENCOURAGEMENT.
In ROMANS 15:4, Paul states,
‘For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.’
In 1 TIMOTHY 6:17 Paul tells us,
‘Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.’
We might find many things in this world, but without God, encouragement will not be one of them. It will only be through the reading of God’s Word that we will ever find true encouragement that will help us in times of sorrow and stress.
Sometimes, as we go through the storms of life, we feel like an old work horse in that it seems we have been rode hard and put away wet (sweaty). But because of what Jesus did for us way back then, we are encouraged by the fact that God is now walking through our storms with us, and if He doesn’t quiet the storm as we walk through, He will quiet our minds and hearts. All because we know that God is with us. And if Jesus could overcome the grave, God can surely overcome our storms!
During the Cold War, the Communists built a large wall down the middle of Berlin, Germany. That wall was an attempt to keep people in East Berlin from going over to West Berlin where they could have freedom. Then, the Communists built a large metal antennae so they could not only transmit their propaganda to the people they had enslaved, but they could also jam any signals coming in from the west, which meant to give the people hope and encouragement.
How many of you know God can work miracles?
Every day, the reflection from the sun caused a large cross to appear on that tower. It could be seen throughout Eastern Berlin. And it gave the people hope that no matter what they were going through, God was there with them.
Paul tells us in ROMANS 8:28…
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”
True encouragement only comes from God. And man cannot take away what God has given.
A is for ANGELS, or messengers from God.
Let me inform you of something most people miss. Who were among the first people God let know about the Risen Savior? It was the women! So this age-old hype that women can have no part in worshiping our Lord can now be dispelled. If God did not want the women involved, He would not have let them be among the first to know about Jesus’ resurrection. They are more important to God than they apparently are to some men.
But who explained it to them? It was an angel of the Lord. And He gave the message to the two women.
And after that, what happened? After the women knew, God let hundreds of others know, too.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:6 tells us:
“After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.”
Five hundred people is a lot of people. And Paul tells us that some of them have died and passed on, but there are still some of those who saw Jesus first hand who were still alive and could still be asked about it.
After the Angel showed the women, He let the rest of the world know.
S is for SURPRISE.
Do you remember back in the early 1960’s, a rock and roll singer named Buddy Holly appeared on the Ed Sullivan TV Show. It was a very big thing since it was coast to coast viewership. It was Buddy Holly’s big break! But just moments before going on live TV, there was a mishap.
He banged a microphone into his mouth and knocked out his two front teeth! Can we begin to imagine the total shock and surprise he felt? What could he do? He quickly put them back in and bit down to keep them in place! It must have hurt very much, but he went through the song without a hitch and had the teeth taken care of after the show.
As Mr. Holly was surprised at what happened, the two women were surprised at what happened at the tomb that morning, and we have all been surprised from time to time in our lives, too.
I think the biggest surprise of all, however, is when we finally are able to truly focus on what Jesus actually did for us, and then to realize why He did it.
T is for TELL.
After the angel invited the women to look inside the empty tomb, they were told to go and tell the good news to others. That same command applies to each of us today, too. But many people find reasons to outright ignore that command. They say they aren’t comfortable talking to strangers, or that they aren’t sure they could do it right.
And while we are so busy trying our best to keep from doing what God said to do, we go to church and pride ourselves on being wonderful Christians, and we sing, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”.
Let me explain something to you. It might be uncomfortable for you to tell others about Christ, but that is no reason to ignore a command of God. He will never tell you to do anything, or expect you to do anything, unless he first gives you every tool you will need to do it. God is not a Father who wants His children to fail.
We have focused so much on our comfort that we have softened the Word of God, and thereby rendering ourselves all but lukewarm. We need to remember what Jesus said to the church of Laodicea about how He will spew the lukewarm from His mouth come Judgment Day. And we need to realize that we have all but become the modern day church of Laodicea.
The most effective way to do something you are uncomfortable with is to just do it. Do it over and over until you are comfortable with it. And the most effective way to evangelize is by asking others to come and worship with you in your church. You may have asked that person a dozen times in as many years and have been told “No”, but they may never have been in the same circumstances they are in today.
If you ask them again, do not be surprised to see them accept your invitation. Ninety-five percent of all Christians came to Christ because someone first cared enough about them to ask them to go to church.
Let me tell you how your words impact others, even if you don’t think they will. Go to work someday, and choose one co-worker who seems to be feeling pretty good. Start out early in the day and ask them if they feel okay. They will say they do.
An hour or so after that, show some concern and ask them if they are sure they feel okay. They will again say they do and they will ask you why you keep asking. Tell them they just don’t look like they feel very good.
Repeat that question sometime around noon, and by the afternoon, if they haven’t gone home sick, they will be dragging around the work place as if they really are sick. That is how your words can impact others. And if you use those words to impact them for Christ, you will be astounded at the results you will have.
The second E stands for EXCITEMENT.
What a difference a day makes! Those who cheered as Jesus rode by were full of excitement and anticipation. But just a couple of days after that, their excitement had turned to despair and they had lost all hope. By the end of the week, their lives had turned to sorrow and the enemy molded that to create the hate for Jesus.
Many of us live in the day before the miracle, or the day of the trial. If you are there now, you need to find a reason to get excited, because help is coming and is being brought to you on the wings of an angel. It is from your Savior, Jesus Christ, the living Son of the living God.
Lift yourself up. Look to the hills where your help comes from. And get excited!
MATTHEW 5:12 tells us –
"Be happy! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets went through many of the same things you are going through.”
R stands for RESURRECTION.
Confucius is still in his grave. Buddha is still in his grave. Muhammad is still in his grave. In fact, every single leader of every single religion is still in their grave, except for one: Jesus Christ. Why is that?
All other beliefs either came after Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven, making them “knock-offs” of the original, or they were just worldly men who had nice ideas and were then elevated to the level of god by followers who needed some real hope to cling to.
What amazes me is that we have taken the one single truth and have spent more energy and thought into making up others things rather than just simply believing the truth that is in front of us. if we want to have eternal life, all we need to do is go through the only One who has risen from his grave – Jesus Christ.
A Sunday school teacher had just finished telling her class the story of Easter. Wanting to see if they understood, she asked what Jesus said when He stepped out of the tomb. A very eager little girl raised her hand and said, “Ta-Da!”
This little girl may not have had it all down pat, but she did get one thing right … Jesus is mankind’s only TA-DA. He is our only true miracle. He is the only author of our salvation and the great giver of joy.
The greatest enemy you will ever have is the enemy of despair and hopelessness. Let me show you what can be done through God to overcome the enemy.
I am sure most of you have heard of the great Christian teacher and evangelist, Kay Arthur. Let me share with you her story. She was not always a Christian. In fact, in her 20’s, she was married to a man who severely beat her on a daily basis. She ended up having an affair with another married man. She had no friends and she had no hope.
In a fit of depression, one day after he had beat her, he threatened to kill himself. In anger, she replied, “Go ahead, nobody will care!”
He then killed himself. On the way home from the cemetery, she screamed at God and told Him, “You want to do something for me? Just die!” Later that day, she realized for the first time that He had already done that –for her. At that point, she said for the first time in her life she felt hope and realized God was real.
God can use the most terrible of situations to give us His wonderful love if we will just stop fighting Him long enough to listen. Where there is no hope, the people perish. The only place you can fine true hope is in Jesus.
Just as you cannot find gasoline for your care except for a gas station. The problem is timing.
A pastor was going to fill his car up before a long weekend. He found a long line of cars all waiting for gas. As he sat in his car, the young attendant could be seen scurrying back and forth trying to accommodate the other customers and help them get gas as quickly as possible.
Finally, when he got to the pastor, he apologized for the delay and explained that everybody seems to just wait until the very last second before getting filled up. the pastor smiled and replied back, “Yeah, they do that in my business, too.”
Jesus rode into town knowing those who loved Him would soon turn against Him. He knew the cross lay ahead of Him, but he also knew how much He loves us. He doesn’t want us to wait, as we will end up waiting too long, and will run out of gas before we ever reach the pump.
Let us close in prayer.
* After March 29th, the video clip of sermon can be found at: www.cowetanazarene.org/videos.html
