Celebrate Palm Sunday

Celebrate Palm Sunday  It is the Sunday before Easter that begins the Holy Week. It is the day that we remember and celebrate the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem as Savior and King. As Jesus rode a donkey into the town of Jerusalem a large crowd gathered and laid palm branches and their cloaks across the road, giving Jesus royal treatment. The hundreds of people shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

5 Things about Palm Sunday that Remind Us Christ is King:

1. God's Word tells us the people cut palm branches and waved them in the air, laid them out on the ground before Jesus as He rode into the city. The palm branch represented goodness and victory and was symbolic of the final victory He would soon fulfill over death.

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Cor. 15:55

2. Jesus choose to rode in on a donkey, which directly fulfilled Old Testament prophecy of Zech. 9:9. In Biblical times, it was common for kings or important people to arrive by a procession riding on a donkey. The donkey symbolized peace, so those who chose to ride them showed that they came with peaceful intentions. Jesus even then reminded us that He is the Prince of Peace.

“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.”        Zech. 9:9

3. When the people shouted "Hosanna!" they were hailing Christ as King. That word actually means "save now," and though in their own minds they waited for an earthly king, God had a different way in mind of bringing true salvation to all who would trust in Him.

They thought that He would establish an earthly kingdom, but it is a heavenly kingdom that He intends to establish in our hearts, in our lives.

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!" Ps. 118:26

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Rom. 10:9

4. The Bible says that Jesus wept for Jerusalem. In the midst of the praise of the moment, He knew in His heart that it wouldn't be long that these same people would turn their backs on Him, betray Him, and crucify Him. His heart broke with the reality of how much they needed a Savior.

But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep.  “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.” Luke 19:41-42

5. To celebrate Palm Sunday is to remind us that the reign of Christ is far greater than any the mind of man could ever conceive or plan. Man looked for someone to fight their battles in the present day world. Yet God had the ultimate plan of sending His Son to fight the final battle over death. This is the greatness of why we celebrate this week. Because of Christ's ultimate sacrifice, we can be set free of death.

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,'"John 11:25

We have so much to be grateful for God.

The enemy knows that, and you can bet, he's going to do everything he can to try and distract us away from the true meaning of living for Christ means. Don't let him win.

May God direct our thoughts and attention towards what matters most, Jesus Christ our King...

Let's choose to focus on worshiping our Lord, thanking Him for the gift of His sacrifice, celebrating the power of the Resurrection, and the new life found in Him alone.

Grace.

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Cor. 9:15

H e came that we might have an abundant life, not just on the afterlife, but even right here, right not NOW!

Adam and Eve were defeated because of the sin of disobedient.

Jesus is victorious because He was obedient, even to death on the cross.

Philippians 2:8 New Living Translation (NLT)

8     he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

We can be victorious by being obedient.

Let us celebrate Palm Sunday  and Let us die to sin daily and live in obedience to God.   Let us put to death the desires of the flesh.

Romans 13:12-14 New Living Translation (NLT)

12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

Romans 8:12-13New Living Translation (NLT)

12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters,[a] you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature,[b] you will live.

Colossians 3:5,9,10

5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.

9 … for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.

10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.