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Easter 2017: The Easter Journey: Message 1Sermon Outline: Cheers, Fears and Tears

Topic: Salvation (Palm Sunday)

Main Point: There are three perspectives highlighted during the events of Palm

Sunday for us to consider

Intended Response: Group Discussion

Key Verse: Luke 19:28-48

IntroductionThis week we are going to look at Palm Sunday from three different perspectives: the eyes of the crowd, the eyes of the Pharisees and through the eyes of Jesus, followed by group discussions.

A. Cheers Jesus sends out two disciples find a colt The crowds cheer for Christ as He approaches the city There is so much excitement even the rocks could cry out

Question One: How excited are you to have Jesus in your life?

B. Fears Jesus’ teaching challenged the religious traditions of the day The Pharisees were fearful of the change Jesus was bringing

Question Two: What difference does Jesus make in your life?

C. Tears Jesus wept over Jerusalem Time plays a significant part in the Easter story Being aware of God’s timing is crucial

Question Three: God’s timing can challenge our plans

Questions Group discussion or personal reflection:

How excited are you to have Jesus in your life? What difference does Jesus make in your life? God’s timing can challenge our timing?

Teaching Illustrations and props:This sermon can be enhanced with the use Power Point slides, Palm leaves, the cross. You may also want to lay jackets and palm leaves down on the floor to illustrate the scene of Palm Sunday.More resources for this sermon, including PowerPoint slides are available at www.sarmy.org.au


http://www.sarmy.org.au/


Introduction: Good morning everyone and welcome.

Today is Palm Sunday and we have just started our series: The Easter Journey.

This week we are going to take a look at Palm Sunday in the Gospel of Luke from three different perspectives: the eyes of the crowd, the eyes of the Pharisees (the religious leaders) and through the eyes of Jesus.

Palm Sunday is when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey and everyone sees this as His declaration He is the new King of Israel. As we read through Luke chapter 19 you’ll see it is quite an emotional tapestry: there’s highs, there’s lows. There’s excitement, there’s fear. There’s a scene at Jesus’ triumphal entrance when a huge crowd erupts in song and there’s a scene where we see Jesus weeping over the city. The excitement of this chapter is captured in one sentence Jesus said, “if they people keep quiet, the stones swill cry out” (Lk 19:40). This time was electric with energy!

This chapter is quite an emotional roller coaster so let’s strap in and hold on tight as we have a look around. At the end of each of the three perspectives, I am going to pose a few questions – so keep your ears open because at the end of the message we are going to break into groups a have a discussion.

Read Luke 19:28-31

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.” They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.

1. Cheers Palm Sunday begins in the Gospel of Luke with Jesus sending two of his disciples on a mission: “you will find a donkey … untie it and bring it back to me” (Lk 19:28-31).

Now let’s think about that for a moment. Donkeys were a mode of transport back then. Can you imagine being sent out to find car that doesn’t belong to you … and then driving off with it! Has anyone here every taken a car that doesn’t belong to them – don’t answer.

What would you do if you saw someone trying to break into your car? I like how the Bible describes the man who owns the donkey; he sees the disciples untying his property and seems to ask rather calmly, “Why are you untying the colt?” I’m not sure if I would calmly ask, “why are you breaking into my car!!!”


But they simply replied, “The Lord needs it” and apparently this wasn’t a problem for the owner! Now we know the Bible says God is the owner of all things and that God probably would have already prepared this man’s heart, but I think when the man called out the disciples would have a huge adrenaline rush at that moment!

So they bring the donkey back and give it to Jesus, who then rides into town on it. Now picture this, Jerusalem, a busy, bustling little town with people coming and going to the Temple for worship. Imagine if you were there going about your daily business, keeping to yourself, when you notice a huge crowd is beginning to form around you. A swarm of people suddenly start walking past you and you get caught up in the tide and start walking with them. You make your way to the front of the crowd to see what’s going on and you see the most peculiar site: A man riding on a donkey?!

In the times of Jesus, donkeys were used to transport women, children, the elderly, or the sick, but generally not healthy men. Why was this man riding on a donkey? Then you some in the crowd begin to whisper “this is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” A king? On a donkey? A king on a donkey you would wonder! Why not a horse? Or a chariot, or camel at least – why a donkey?!

Then you hear the crowd beginning to roar and cheer, “Hosanna, hosanna, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matt 21:9). The crowd are referring to Psalm 118:25-29:

Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

What a cheer! What a celebration! For thousands of years Israel has been waiting for God to fulfil his promise to King David, and this was the time:

“… God himself will build you a house! When your life is complete and you’re buried with your ancestors, then I’ll raise up your child, your own flesh and blood, to succeed you, and I’ll firmly establish his rule. He will build a house to honour me, and I will guarantee his kingdom’s rule forever…your family and your kingdom are permanently secured…your royal throne will always be there, rock solid” (2 Sam 7:13-16 MSG).

This was in the mind of the crowd. This was in the minds of the disciples. This was in the minds of the disciples who took the donkey – the King had arrived! Cheers and celebrations all round!


Question 1: How excited are you to have Jesus in your life: Have you ever needed to loan someone a valuable item for the work of

God’s kingdom? How did you feel about that? Would you be willing to give something of great value away so the work of

Jesus can continue? How do you feel about sharing your faith with others?

Transition So here comes Jesus. The new king riding into Jerusalem. What an occasion! There were cheers, there were shouts, there should have been a brass band – everyone was happy!

Well, not everyone…

2. Fears Some of Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” (Lk 19:39).

The Pharisees were a group of middle to upper class religious leaders with a lot of power and they were extremely fearful of what Jesus represented. If we were press pause and zoom in on them for a moment we would see their main concern was one of power and control. John records in his gospel:

Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. “If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation” (Jn 11:47-48 RSV).

For them Jesus represented a change in tradition, a change in identity, a change in power, a change in the way they ran church! Notice the word ‘our’ – our temple (church), our nation – our way!

They wouldn’t move with the times. They were stuck in their ways. They did not want anyone to challenge how they viewed God or how they should connect with Him. While others were saying king, they were thinking kill.

A few days later, when Jesus was teaching in the Temple, He also quoted from Psalm 118. But it wasn’t from the joyous cheerful verses 25-29 the crowd quoted. Jesus used much a more pointed verse to the Pharisees:

The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD’S doing … (Psalm 118:22-3).

The entrance of Jesus into our world presents us with opportunity to celebrate and cheer. He answers our prayers, He saves us from our sins, He renews our life, He provides for us – but he also challenges us.


We can all come to God as we are but we are to go from Christ changed: committing to becoming more like Him. Jesus disrupts the status quo of our lives. He brings change.

Question 2: What difference does Jesus make in your life: Is Jesus welcome or is He a disruption to your life? Has there been a time when you’ve been following Christ but you feel let

down when life doesn’t go as planned or your prayers were not answered? Is there any part of following God that makes you nervous or anxious?

Transition So we’ve had the thrill of getting a donkey, heard the loud cheers of the crowd, sensed the fear the Pharisees, and now – now we have the tears of Jesus…

3. Tears Luke 19:41-44,As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but [your temple will be destroyed and] … they will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you”

Time plays a significant part in the Easter story. When Jesus was on the cross, Scripture records three distinct times: 9am, 12noon and 3pm. 9am and 3pm two referring to the morning and evening sacrifice, noon refers to the time of prayer.

Throughout the Gospel of John there are multiple times when people tried to capture Jesus, but they failed. Each time they fail the Bible gives the explanation “for His time was not yet here” (Jn 2:4, 7:6, 7:30, 8:20,12:23).

In Galatians 4:4 we read “And when the set time had come, God sent his son…” We get this sense that God is in control and nothing will happen to Christ until the right time. Again, there is a clear sense that there was an appointed time for Jesus to arrive as the Saviour.

When Jesus arrived to the shouts of cheers and celebration, he paused and looked over the Temple. He began to weep over it for the inhabitants would not be able to understand God’s timing.

In what could have been a time of peace ended up being a time of war. The tears that ran down Jesus’ face were not caused by sin, not caused by disobedience, not caused by rebellion, poverty or sickness but by people not being able to perceive God’s timing. Jesus rarely comes into our lives when it is convenient for us.

Question 3: God’s timing can challenge our timing: Have you experienced a time when God has interrupted your plans? Have you ever felt prompted in prayer to do something for God but it didn’t

fit into your plans? Do you ever feel God moves to quickly in your life or to slow?


Transition We are going to spend some time now in groups discussing some of the questions Palm Sunday raises for us to consider. Afterwards, I’ll call us back in to close in prayer…

Group Discussion Questions

Part One: CheersQuestions: How excited are you to have Jesus in your life:

Have you ever needed to loan someone a valuable item for the work of God’s kingdom?

How did you feel about that? Would you be willing to give something of great value away so the work of

Jesus can continue? How do you feel about sharing your faith with others?

Part Two: FearQuestions: What difference does Jesus make in your life?

Is Jesus welcome or is He a disruption to your life? Has there been a time when you’ve been following Christ but you feel let

down when life doesn’t go as planned or your prayers were not answered? Is there any part of following God that makes you nervous or anxious?

Part Three: TearsQuestions: God’s timing can challenge our timing:

Have you experienced a time when God has interrupted your plans? Have you ever felt prompted in prayer to do something for God but it didn’t

fit into your plans? Do you ever feel God moves to quickly in your life or to slow?

Closing Prayer

Father, as we consider all the emotions of Easter recorded in Luke’s gospel, we bring our own emotions and thoughts before you today.

Some of us feel excited by your mission – we ask that you would give us opportunity to share the love of Christ with others this week.

Others of us might have some fear. We may be facing situations beyond our natural ability to handle. We ask that your peace would guide us at this time.

We thank you for your perfect timing. We know you are in control God and have a plan and purpose in every stage our of lives. We lay aside our plans and open ourselves to where your voice would lead us. You set the course and direction for our lives Father, help us walk in step with you Lord.

In Jesus name – Amen.



Lk 19:40"I tell you," He replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

Lk 19:28-31After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.” They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.

Lk 19:38"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

Psal 118:25-29Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

2 Sam 7:13-16 God himself will build you a house! When your life is complete and you’re buried with your ancestors, then I’ll raise up your child, your own flesh and blood, to succeed you, and I’ll firmly establish his rule. He will build a house to honour me, and I will guarantee his kingdom’s rule forever…your family and your kingdom are permanently secured…your royal throne will always be there, rock solid.

Lk 19:39There were a bunch of Pharisees in the crowd who said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!

Jn 11:47-48Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation”

Psal 118:22-23The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our sights.


Lk 19:41-44As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but [your temple will be destroyed and] … they will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you”

Jn 2:4"Woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My hour has not yet come."

Jn 7:6Therefore Jesus told them, "My time is not yet here; for you any time will do.

Jn 7:30At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.

Jn 8:20He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

Jn 12:23Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Gal 4:4But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,


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