Palm Sunday Sermon 2011

JESUS ENTERS IN Matthew 21:1-11 Palm Sunday April 17, 2011
On Palm Sunday Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumphant and glory. On Good Friday Jesus exited the city in shame and humiliation. As Jesus entered the city on Palm Sunday Jesus heard shouts of “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.” As Jesus passed out of the city gates on Good Friday they were weeping for him and crying out in anguish. When he came into the city a donkey was carrying him. As he left the city he was carrying a heavy wooden cross. Upon entering the city they hailed him as the Son of David. When leaving the city the soldiers carried a plaque that said “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” that would be nailed to the cross along with him.
You might say that Jesus moved from triumphant to tragedy, from the highest adulation to the lowest condemnation. And all the while, he simply wanted quietly to enter the hearts of people to free them from their sins, their fears, their sorrows, and their suffering.
In the prologue to the Gospel of John (1:11-13) it says, “He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”
This was the human tragedy of the life of Jesus. When he was born King Herod tried to trick the wise men and kill Jesus. When he spoke in his hometown synagogue in Nazareth, they were so angry they took him to the brow of the hill and threatened to throw him over. When he told the rich young ruler to give all he had to the poor and follow him, the rich young ruler turned away. As Isaiah 53 says, “he was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief….”
But Isaiah goes on to say that this was all part of God’s great plan of salvation, that his Son should be rejected and become an offering for the sin of the whole world. The suffering and rejection that Jesus experienced was not for nothing. It had a purpose and a meaning that those who rejected him could hardly fathom. In Isaiah 53:5 the prophet says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.”
Just as Jesus entered into Jerusalem so long ago, he wants to enter into our hearts and lives today as our lord and our savior. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Behold, I am standing at the door and knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you, and eat with you, and you with me.” Remember that in John 1 it says, “but to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God….”
This Holy Week, as we remember how Jesus entered Jerusalem and ultimately was rejected, let us open the door to him who is knocking and let him enter into our hearts and lives as the savior who paid the price for our sin on the cross and as the lord who rules our lives. Let us be something more than cultural Christians who go through the ceremonies, but be disciples of Jesus who day by day let him enter into our lives.
A few weeks ago my confirmation class finished watching a movie about the life of Jesus. At the end of the movie there is an evangelistic segment which invites people to welcome Jesus into their lives. Viewers are invited to pray this prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."
One of my bright young students immediately asked “Pastor! did you pray that prayer?” And I said, “I certainly did. And I do it every time I show this film to a class.” Because every day, I want Jesus to enter in. Every day I need forgiveness. Every day I need help to be the kind of person I ought to be. Every day I need the assurance of God’s love. And don’t you, too?
Let us pray. Come into my heart, come into my heart, come into my heart Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. AMEN.