Palm Sunday 2010 "Figless"

Bad blogging does not become me!



I need to update my sermons for the last 3 (busy) weeks.



Palm Sunday was a wonderful celebration of Christ, our prophet, priest, and king.



However, the sermon was a stern warning us about not being ready for Jesus' second triumphal entry.



The texts we looked at were Jesus' ride into Jerusalem in Mark 11:1-20 and the description of Jesus' second triumphal entry when his kingdom is consumated at the last in Revelation 19:11-16.



The message was one of warning; a theme to often overlooked on Palm Sunday. The story of the triumphal entry is one about no one being ready for who Jesus is or what he had come to do.



1. The foal wasn't ready to be ridden. It had never been ridden before. Jesus needed not only this colt as a display of his kingship, but an unbroken one as prophetic message that ready or not, he is here as king.



2. The crowd wasn't ready for a messiah that would suffer. They wanted the crown but not the cross through which it must come.



3. The fig tree wasn't ready to bear fruit. It may have not been the season for figs, but the Lord of the universe was hungry and the fig tree was held accountable to for its lack of fruit.



4. Those overseers of the temple were not ready for God to show up. Here they were at the place designated for God's presence with his people. But when God shows up they have turned the house of prayer in to a den of thieves. They were cast out.

In Revelation 19 we get a glimpse of Jesus' second coming. It is quite different than his first. The foal is a war horse and the only robe mentioned is the one the King is wearing and it is dipped in blood and the armies of heaven are in tow.

Are we ready?

Submit to his Lordship.
Take up your cross daily.
Invest your life in bearing fruit for God's kingdom.
Become a person of prayer.

We closed with reading from Matthew's gospel.

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.’

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Pastor Scott

Click here to listen