LESSONS FROM THE TRIUMPHANT

THF SUNDAY SERVICE

10THAPRIL, 2022

PALM SUNDAY

 

SERMON

TOPIC:                        LESSONS FROM THE TRIUMPHANT ENTRY

TEXT:                          Matthew 21:1 – 16

PREACHER:               Rev. Ebenezer Olawuyi

 

MESSAGE

In the Christian calendar, this week is called the Holy Week but I believe that there is no week that is not holy. Starting from Sunday downwards to Ash Wednesday, Good Friday…What is the significance of Palm Sunday? Jesus told his disciples to go to Jerusalem and they will find a donkey tied with its colt with it. He told them to loose them and if anyone asked them, they should say the Master needs them.

1. The first thing you need to know is that this tells us that He owns all things. He told them that they would find a donkey tied and the mother with it, they are toloose them and if anybody asked them, they should say that the Master, the Lord needs it, so, the man would release them, why? Because He owns all things, including you. You are His, right? So, allow Him to use you. Allow Him to do anything He wants to do with your life. I challenge you, allow Him in your life, let Him use you freely as He wants. Don’t resist Him. Because whether you like it or not, one day, He will take hold of what He has. Remember, there was one rich fool in the Bible who never had time for God. He said, “I will break down my barn. I will do this, do that, etc.” and the Lord said, “You fool. Today, I require your soul. Tell me, all what you have gathered, who is going to take them?”So, the first lesson is: Allow Him to use you.Don’t struggle with Him, release yourself. There are so many in church still struggling with the Lord. Time is fleeting, allow Him to use you. Your time is in His hands, let Him use you. He owns all things. Your money, He owns it; the gold, the silver is His. That house you have, He is the owner. Those children are His. Let Him use you, even your job is His, let Him use your job for His glory. That’s the first lesson there – He owns you.
2. The second lesson there is that the donkey is a sign of humility, kings don’t ride on donkey, they ride on horses. A horse is a sign of power,a donkey is a sign of humility. Jesus rode on a donkey, that’s why the Scripture says, “Ride on in Majesty, ride on Majesticallyin prosperity, because of humility, because of righteousness.” Jesus came in a humble way, and anyone who wants to walk with him need to learn to be humble. Psalms 45:4 – “And in your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility and righteousness; And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things..” Friends, I want to remind you again, God resists the proud. God hates proud people. Check your heart regularly. You want to walk with God, ask everydaythat God clothesyou with humility. Jesus rode on a donkey. He said, “I am your master and I am washing your feet”. He also said, “The kings of the earth, they lord it over, but I am doing this to show you a sign of humility.”
3. The Bible says nobody has ever used the donkey. It’s dangerous to use a donkey that nobody has ever used because it has not been broken or trained. You need to break it (break its nature), for it to be able to subject itself to human beings riding on it, if not, it won’t. The first thing is that a donkey must go through training so that it will learn to subject itself to someone riding on it. This one has not been ridden, nobody has ever ridden on it, yet Jesus came and rode on the donkey and when He rode on the donkey, nobody tells us that the donkey threw Him off. You know what? When Jesus rides on you, He will break you down. There are so many people that have not been broken, they are still themselves. The old nature… they keep saying, it’s my nature, it’s my nature. Jesus is in you and it’s your nature? “That’s what I like,” it’s not about what you like, ask yourself, does Jesus like it? Let Jesus ride on you, He will break you down and change that nature of yours. He will give you another nature.

That’s why 2 Peter 1:3 – 4 says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises….”God wants to give you a nature, let Jesus ride on you, He will break down your nature. “It is no longer me that lives but Christ that liveth in me, the life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Not me again, and I don’t rejoice over that past life, boasting about drunkenness, etc. I don’t rejoice over the past, if anything I remember the past, it is to show forth His glory. “If not for Jesus that has taken this away from me, I would have slapped you,” you want to go back to Egypt? You know, some people brag about the past. Let Jesus break you down. If you refer to the past, it must be to His glory – “I was once blind, but now I see, to Him be the glory.” Let Him ride on you, he will break you down. That anger, He will take it away from you. That issue of covetousness, He will take it away from you. That lust, He will take it away from you. Bitterness, He will take it away from you. A ladyonce said when she is angry, for about 4 to 5 days, she won’t eat. She said she would just stay in the room for 4 to 5 days, unable to eat because of the anger. Let Jesus ride on you, He will change you. The issue of “This is the dressing I love”, and saying“they are controlling me”, when people talk against it will end. “It is my life,” who says it’s your life, it’s not your life; 1 Cor. 6:27 – You were bought at a price, therefore glorify God with your body and spirit. Let Jesus break you down, then He will change you.

4. When He entered Jerusalem, the scripture says, people started praising Him. You were created for His praise. He has created you for His praise. Whether you are young or old… Children started praising Him, they started raising praises to Him. The Pharisees were angry but Jesus said, if these ones do not praise me, I will raise up stones to praise me. May stones not replace you.Praise Him everyday. As you praise Him, he is going to lift you up, he will turn your life around, He will visit you. I see teenagers find it difficult to praise the Lord, it is because they don’t know God, that is the sign of pride and you need to deal with it early. Some of them, they find it difficult to praise God when they are with girls. Children shouted Hosanna to the King, the son of David. Children! And some of these Pharisees who don’t know the praise of the Lord asked Jesus to stop them but he refused and said, if they do not praise Him, the stones will praise Him. You are created for his praise. Praise Him, praise Him everyday. With your life and with everything you have, praise the Lord!

 

Prayer

Turn these four points to prayer and say:

• Father, don’t let stones replace me; don’t let others replace me. Help me to always praise you.
• Father, break me down, remove that old nature in me. Change my life, break me down. Jesus break me down, let the old go. Pray that the Lord will break you down.
• Pray that the Lord will clothe you with Humility of heart and that you will remain humble.Pray that the Lord will remove every iota of pride from your life. Tell the Lord to search you.
• Tell the Lord that everything you have belongs to him and that you will serve Him all your life. Rededicate your life to him, say “I’ll serve you”. He owns you.

The Lord does not use anyone who is not broken. Until you are broken, you are not qualified for His use. I am praying for everyone here today, that Jesus Himself will break you down for His use. No longer will you resist Him. You will fulfill God’s purpose for your life. You will serve Him for the rest of your life. Every seed of pride, let it die in everyone here. From today, may your attitude towards praise change. May you enjoy in praising Him. May you praise Him because He is God. May the praise of the Lord fill your heart in the name of Jesus.Amen.

 

Shame the Devil today. Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviourand He will put a new nature, His own nature in you.