The Waiting Is Over (A Palm Sunday Msg)

The Waiting Is Over

Palm Sunday 2020

MAN – I love that song (Take Courage)

AND – one of the reasons is because it is absolutely true.

Jesus – is always in the waiting.

AND SO – this morning 4/5/2020 I want you tell yourself those truths we sang just a few moments ago…

Take courage my heart

Stay steadfast my soul

He’s in the waiting.

QUESTION – what are you waiting for right now?

I think a lot of us are waiting for this Coronavirus pandemic to end… we are waiting for things to get back to normal.

Back to a new and better normal.

OKAY – today is Palm Sunday 2020… and I want to unpack a conversation that I am calling, “He’s In The Waiting”

AND LISTEN – waiting for something that you really want to happen can be an extremely difficult thing to do.

WHICH – is why when the wait is over… it is a very exciting time.

FOR EXAMPLE – just 2 months ago… (seems so much longer, LIKE - am I the only, or is time just getting harder and harder to keep track of these days).

WELL – about 2 months ago on February 2, Superbowl 54 was played in Miami, Florida…

UNDERSTAND – experiencing triumph after years of waiting, is good reason to be excited.

AND LISTEN – on that first Palm Sunday God’s people had been waiting for thousands of years…

Which means that generation after generation, after generation… both entered and lived this world still waiting.

YOU SEE…

SINCE - Genesis…

SINCE - the fall in the garden and the call of Abraham… God’s people had been waiting for the coming of their Messiah, their Savior, their true king.

AND UNDERSTAND – not only was it a long wait, but it had been a very difficult wait…

There were many mountain highs, and even more valleys along the way.

Wars, famines, death, defeat, foreign occupation, political and religious corruption… and the like.

YES – God’s people had been waiting for this victory, they had been waiting to lift their Lombardi for a very long time…

IN FACT – everyone alive on the first Palm Sunday was hoping and dreaming that this moment would come in their life time.

AND… AND… God the Father and God the Son had been waiting even longer. SINCE – before the creation of the world for Jesus to announce His arrival and bring salvation… opening the way for restoration with the people They so love.

NOW UNDERSTAND – God had always been with His people in the waiting, but on that first Palm Sunday the wait was over and Jesus’ time had come.

LISTEN - for nearly 33 years Jesus had purposely stayed out the limelight. As much as possible, when you are doing the kind of things that Jesus is doing….

• Preaching good news to the poor

• Opening the eyes of the blind

• Casting out demons

• Cleansing leprosy, and

• Raising the dead

BECAUSE - it was not yet His time.

BUT NOW - the time has come (the tree is ripe) and Jesus boldly announces that He is indeed the King, not according to the plan of man, but rather according to the plan of God, as revealed by his prophets in His Word.

UNDERSTAND – Jesus was the Messiah predicted by the prophets, but not the Messiah expected by the people.

YOU SEE – they wanted a Messiah who would overthrow Rome and restore the nation to it’s former glory.

UNDERSTAND – on that palm Sunday 2000 years ago…

Jesus enters Jerusalem royally,

Jesus enters Jerusalem freely.

He is not a victim -- he is not a prisoner.

Jesus did not hide and He did not hurry.

Jesus did it His way and on His time schedule..

And Jesus was not afraid. He did not try to secretly slip into the city.

Jesus acted deliberately and with purpose as he rode into the city, making His claim to be both King and Messiah.

AND YES – Jesus knew his enemies would be watching when He rode into town and He wanted them to see Him being treated like a king. I MEAN - it was as if he was saying to them, "Look, I know you’re going to drag me into court and treat me like a criminal, but before you do, I want you to take one more look at the real me. I want you to have one more chance to step out and join the parade.”

YES - the time had come for the great struggle to both begin and end -- it was high noon...

THE TIME - had come for the world/mankind to make the ultimate decision, (to either acknowledge her ruler or to renounce Him).