Palm Sunday The Parade Prior to the Pain Pastor Eddie Turner Sunday, April 9, 2017 Mark 11:1-10(NLT) - As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethpage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 Go into that village over there, he told them. As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks, What are you doing? just say, The Lord needs it and will return it soon. 4 The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door. 5 As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, What are you doing, untying that colt? 6 They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it. 8 Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven Holy Week is the week of events preceding the Resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God. Holy Week begins with the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem; we refer to this day as Palm Sunday. Matt. 21:1-9(NLT)- As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethpage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 Go into the village over there, he said. As
soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, The Lord needs them, and he will immediately let you take them. 4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said, 5 Tell the people of Jerusalem, Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey riding on a donkey s colt. 6 The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it. 8 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven! Zechariah 9:9(NLT)- Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey riding on a donkey s colt. Palm branches symbolized goodness, well-being and victory. The Parade Prior to the Pain. How many times has Jesus entered our situation, but we are looking for the wrong thing and miss the full revelation of His coming. Jesus always shows up in our moment of need. He said, I will never leave you or forsake you. Yet, often He doesn t arrive in the manner that we desire-so we miss our moment.
We are looking for escape; yet Jesus wants to walk with us as we endure. We are wanting immediate; yet Jesus wants us to understand that it is through faith and patience we inherit the promises. We are looking for prosperity; Jesus wants to bring us blessing. Rom. 8:28(NLT)- And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them Holy Monday Matt. 21:12-16(NLT) - Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the moneychangers and the chairs of those selling doves. 13 He said to them, The Scriptures declare, My Temple will be called a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves! 14 The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15 The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, Praise God for the Son of David. But the leaders were indignant. 16 They asked Jesus, Do you hear what these children are saying? Yes, Jesus replied. Haven t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, You have taught children and infants to give you praise. - 1). Religion is afraid of prayer; religion longs to make the church a business and entertainment entity instead of a place of prayer. Matt.21:13(NLT)- The Scriptures declare, My Temple will be called a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves!
2). Religion despises divine healing and the supernatural. Religion longs to control God and man. When the supernatural is in operation-religion loses its control. Matt. 21:14-15(NLT)- 14 The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15 The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, Praise God for the Son of David. 3). Satan understands tomorrow s revival begins with today s children. Satan tried to kill Moses as a baby; he tried to kill Jesus as a baby. If he can poison our children today-he can control them tomorrow. Deliverance and salvation for our grandchildren and great grandchildren will be found in the transformation of our children today by the Spirit of God. Matt 21:15-16(NKJV)- But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! they were indignant 16 and said to Him, Do You hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them, Yes. Have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise? What did Jesus mean by perfected praise? Psalm 8:1-2(NKJV)- O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth, who have set your glory above the heavens! 2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength, because of your enemies, that you may silence the enemy and the avenger.
Holy Tuesday John 12:20-27(NLT)- 20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration 21 paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, Sir, we want to meet Jesus. 22 Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. 26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. 27 Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, Father, save me from this hour? But this is the very reason I came! What about that fig tree? Matt. 21:18-20(NLT)- 18 In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, 19 and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, May you never bear fruit again! And immediately the fig tree withered up. 20 The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, How did the fig tree wither so quickly? Mark 11:12-14(NIV)- 12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, May no one ever eat fruit from you again. And his disciples heard him say it. What was the significance of Jesus s judgment against the fig tree?
- Giving the appearance of fruitfulness but yielding no fruit-is called hypocrisy. - Matt. 15:7-8(NLT)- You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, 8 These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Over my years of serving the Lord and watching hundreds of Christians-I have learned that judgment will come quicker over sins of the heart than sins of the flesh. Holy Wednesday (Spy Wednesday) Matt. 26:14-28(NNKJV)- Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you? And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him. Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper when Jesus shared the Passover Meal with his disciples before his crucifixion. Matt. 26:20-28(NKJV)- When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 21 Now as they were eating, He said, Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me. 22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, Lord, is it I? 23 He answered and said, He who dipped his hand with Me in the
dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born. 25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, Rabbi, is it I? He said to him, You have said it. 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is My body. 27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. The word Maundy means commandment. Jesus was being betrayed and a few hours away from a cruel and painful crucifixion-yet Jesus shows us the manifestation of true love by serving. John 13:1-5(NKJV)- Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. John 13:12-16(NKJV)- 12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another s feet. 15 For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
We think we have gone over and beyond when we serve when it fits into our schedule and doesn t interfere with anything we want to do. Jesus demonstrates real love when at the moment of his abuse, when he is being falsely accused and cruelly mistreated; while he is being betrayed and his close friends are just minutes away from denying they ever knew him- instead of trying to defend himself or cast blame upon the guilty individuals, Jesus chooses to serve and wash his disciple s feet. - At this season in your life-can we identify one thing where we are serving? Not just doing the things you enjoy during your free timebut actually serving? - Remember before the glorious resurrection, there was the commandment to serve. - Friday