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Sermon Summary: We are in a moment of change that we didn’t anticipate, but we know we serve a God that is unchanging. God is still on the throne, and God is still on task to accomplish His purpose, which is the salvation of Mankind. As one of our good friends taught us “Jesus is always on task, and He is always on time” Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Reference Scripture Matthew 21:8-9 (NIV) “A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The 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 heaven!” ‘
We see in the scripture that the disciples found themselves in a moment of change. Up to that point in their walk with Jesus, they had gotten to see and experience the miraculous. Matthew 11:5 (NIV) “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”
At the time that Jesus entered Jerusalem, we see the disciples as the most famous disciples of the most famous person who had ever lived. Up to this point, the disciples had a place in the world, and they knew where they fit. I compare them to backup singers in a famous band. Wherever He went, they went. But when Jesus climbed onto the back of the donkey, He changed the whole world in fulfillment of the prophecy spoken by the prophet Zechariah. Zechariah 9:9 (NIV) “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”
What does it look like when Jesus has turned your world upside down? What does it look like when you are happy just doing what you are doing, just enjoying the status quo, and somehow one day without any announcement, you are no longer just in the background? You are no longer a backup singer. You step up to the moment, and there is nowhere to hide, nowhere to be, except right in the center of God’s will for your life.
I have been really inspired recently by a YouTube artist by the name of Ashley Stevenson. She sang a version of the Stevie Nicks song “Changes” (Subway performer stuns crowd with Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide”- Chicago, Il- Blue Line, Washington S)
The song starts:
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changin’ ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder Even children get older
And I’m getting older too
One of the first times I heard this song, I remember I was installing my new tape player in my car as a teenager. It was a big thing to have tape player back in those days. I was into my car, and into my comic books. I used to read my comic books over and over, and now those comic books have become movies. These were my happy memories, and I am sure that if I could stop time, I would try to stay in that place.
But change came. I moved away from home, and went to school, and when I would come home and look for my stuff, I couldn’t find it. This was because my mother had a vision. Her vision was to help the church build a new sanctuary, so it was time for change! She would have yard sales where she sold my stuff, and used the proceeds to build the sanctuary.
Likewise, when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, He knew it was time for a change. It was time for Him to be recognized as the Messiah. The disciples removed their outer garments and placed them on the donkey for Jesus to ride on, and likewise the people of Jerusalem laid their garments on the street in front of the donkey Jesus was riding. This was significant. In those days a person was identified by their outer garment, it was their identity. When the people laid down their garments, they were laying down their identities in worship of Jesus.
But we will see in this Easter story that even as Jesus was preparing Himself for the cross, the disciples lost heart and ran away. In this moment of change, they never expected that the Jesus they had followed would be arrested, beaten, and put to death. At the time Jesus went to the cross, it seems like all of the twelve disciples were gone. Matthew 27:55-56 (NIV) “Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.”
Even though sometimes our earthly expectations don’t always seem to come through, God is still on the throne. Jesus went to Calvary, and took our sins, covered them with His blood, so that you and I can have eternal life. From my personal testimony, I can tell you that when I accepted Christ into my life in front of the chemistry building at my college, it felt like 1,000 lbs. was lifted from my shoulders. All we have to do is choose Him, and turn over our lives to Him. We have to be like those followers in Jerusalem who threw down their garments, and their identities, so that they could be hidden in Christ.
If you want to see a picture of what it looks like to be hidden in Christ look at Apostle Peter. Before the crucifixion, Peter denied Christ, but on the day of Pentecost, he stood up with the eleven remaining disciples, and addressed the crowd, and three thousand were added to their number that day. Peter had a boldness because his life was hidden in Christ. Colossians 3:1-3 (NIV) “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
What are you looking for this Easter? Do you want to spend the rest of your life just living on the outside of what Jesus has for you? Do you want the status quo? You need to leave behind your old self, your old life, and turn your life over to Christ!
If you heard this lesson, and you have responded to Christ, we recommend that you find a Bible believing church in your area where you can fellowship. You can also join us online www.heartvisionchurch.org
Worship Songs;
• “It’s Who You Are”
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkxea2w6c6gjgQ2iQWFsG0tQVY3bbnK3OGX?si=gmjzzl D7WByP6Wf8
• “I shall Wear a Crown”
https://youtu.be/5GTTXqHqzDY?si=77MvpGJJQ_ctgxY0
References: All of our scripture references come from the YouVersion Bible (https://www.youversion.com/)
We Love You,
Pastors Willie and Rochelle McIntosh
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