SERMON BY THE REVEREND AMOS MCCARTHY

3rd SUNDAY OF EASTER

MAY 5, 2019

Title: “God’s Favor at Christ’s Expense”

Text: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Scripture Reading:  Ephesians 1:3-12

One of the most familiar words in the Christian’s vocabulary is the word grace.  Many years ago, a theologian, tongue in cheek, wrote a book titled Grace Is Not a Blue-Eyed Blonde,” trying to shock us into realizing that we throw around many theological terms and words, not truly understanding what they mean.

The word grace and its related words appear in Holy Scriptures about two hundred times.  The first reference to grace is found in Genesis 6:8, where we read that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”  The final appearance of the word in the Bible is recorded in Revelation 22:31: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”  Indeed, one needs a firm grasp on the doctrine of grace, for it is the foundation on which the other doctrines rest.

The concept of grace.

To begin with, let us examine the word itself.  In the original language of our New Testament, the word implies a favor freely done.  The word for “gift” springs from the same root. The Greeks used this word to describe favor shown to a friend.  When Jesus came and died on the cross, grace leaped from its confinement as an expression only to friends and included enemies as well.  As Paul said, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NIV). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had much to say about Christians’ relationships with their fellow humans.  He said some terribly hard things: “Love your enemies!” And in his concern that our “love” for enemies would degenerate into an artificial emotion, he said: “Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).  

We need to understand that grace goes beyond our salvation.  Grace becomes the spring from which all blessings flow from God.  In other words, he who saves us by grace also brings us into the sphere of grace and endows us with all the blessings and favors that accompany this divine expression of love.  In fact, this attitude of God was hinted at in the Old Testament: “It shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear: for I am gracious” (Exodus 22:27). Similar expressions are also found in Nehemiah 9:17 and Jonah 4:2.  Paul wrote in Romans 5 that God abounds in grace. The word translated “abound” means to “exist in superabundance.” All of God’s dealings with his people are filtered through his marvelous grace! Thus we can be eternally grateful that God deals with us through grace not justice.

The Sufficiency of grace.

God’s grace is all sufficient.  It is true simply because grace comes to us from the glorious and transcendent nature of God himself.  It is one of his infinite attributes, and it is the result of the eternal counsel and purpose of his will.  We must not forget that grace is an act, not just a favor or gift from God. God reveals what God is as well as what he does.  

Grace comes through Christ.  There is no other way that humankind could have received the grace of God.  Jesus’ life on earth was a platform from which grace was displayed. The writer of hebrews summed it up this way: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9).

Paul spoke of the riches of God’s grace.  What are some of these riches? When God freely gives sinners eternal life through grace, he credits them with a perfect righteousness.  That is, when God observes Christians, sinners saved by grace, he sees them not in their continued imperfections and sins, but clothed in the righteousness that we imputed to them through their faith in Jesus Christ! Ephesians 2:19-20 tells us a lot.  This elevates Christians to an impregnable position with God. A further provision of God’s all sufficient grace is that it makes us to be “at peace with God” (Romans 5:1-2). This means that there has been brought about a reconciliation, creating an insoluble bond between God and the redeemed.  Also, a vital benefit of God’s grace is the believer’s accessibility to God through prayer. Christians are enjoined to “come boldly” to the throne of grace to make their requests known of God (Hebrews 4:16).

The Scope of Grace.

Paul in Titus 3:4-7, told Titus that grace is God’s grace is for “all men.”  Someone has said that if you take the g from grace you have the word race.  Grace is for all within the human race, for all stand on one common ground: Namely, that of being sinners.  Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). From beginning to end, the gospel presents the universality of God’s grace.

There is one thing we must understand clearly about God’s grace.  Grace does not imply that God passes by any person’s sin or takes it lightly.  Sin is so horribly base in God’s sight that he can in no way tolerate it. God sees the sinner utterly ruined, hopeless, and helpless.  And the triumph of grace is seen at Calvary, where heaven’s love and heaven’s justice meet. There Christ bore the curse of human sin, and with God’s hatred against sin vindicated on the basis of his grace, he can now forgive the sinner!

I read that Sir Edwin Landseer was one of the most famous painters of the Victorian era. His talent developed early, and he had the first showing of his work at the Royal Academy when he was just thirteen years old. He was commissioned to do a number of official portraits of the royal family, and even gave private drawing lessons to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. But he was best known for his depictions of the natural settings and life in the Scottish highlands.

One day as he was visiting a family in an old mansion in Scotland, one of the servants spilled a pitcher of soda water, leaving a large stain on the wall. While the family was out for the day, Landseer remained behind. Using charcoal, he incorporated the stain into a beautiful drawing. When the family returned they found a picture of a waterfall surrounded by trees and animals. He used his skill to make something beautiful out of what had been an unsightly mess.

God works in much the same way in our lives. The things that we think of as weaknesses and handicaps can, through His grace, become our greatest strengths—and the very things He uses the most to bring glory to Himself. God’s grace provides the strength to meet every challenge and overcome every weakness.

It is important to understand that grace is God’s part and faith is our part.  We simply accept, by faith , the grace of God. We do not grow into grace, but we do grow in grace.  Once we are made sharers of divine grace, it becomes a progressive force in our lives. Grace is not just a seed in the heart that lies dormant, but a blade, an ear, then the full corn in the ear.  As the roots spread, the plant grows!

The scope of God’s grace forever widens.  As Christians start to grow in grace, they grow in spiritual stature toward God and grow smaller and smaller in their own eyes.  Through grace, one grows out of self-conceit, for grace subdues self. Furthermore, growing in grace means that all of the virtues of the Christian life grows proportionately.  Growing in grace means acquiring the fruits of the Spirit Paul described in Galatians 5:22-23. These fruits being love, joy, peace, gentleness, meekness and the list goes on. It means growing proportionately.  As we grow in grace, the growth of corruption is hindered. The flower of grace prevent the weeds of sin from spreading.

The hymnist Robert Robinson wrote one of the great hymns of the church, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”  In one verse he wrote:

“O to grace how great a debtor,

Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let that grace now like a fetter,

Find my wandering heart to thee.”

There once was a ship in distress on the high seas because its water simply had run out.  The crew was in danger of dying from thirst though there was water all around them. When hope was almost gone, they sighted a ship in the distance.  At once they sent up distress signals. The only answer they got, as they signaled to the passing ship that they were without water, was, “Dip it up!”  What heartless mockery to tell those sailors to dip up buckets of salt water! They signaled again, but the same answer came back, “Dip it up!”

In despair, they lowered a bucket.  Imagine their amazement and joy when the water proved to be freshwater!  They thought they were yet on the high seas, but they had drifted into the mouth of the Amazon River.  

This is the way it is with the grace of God.  Countless souls are dying of spiritual thirst everyday, when all around them there is available the saving grace of God.  All they need to do is, by faith, “dip it up”! God’s grace is bountiful. God’s grace is sufficient. God’s grace is universal and covers all humankind.  May the grace of God be with you all. God bless you!!!

SERMON BY THE REVEREND AMOS MCCARTHY

2nd SUNDAY OF EASTER

APRIL 28, 2019

Title:  “Now Is the Time”

Text: “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14).

Scripture Reading: Romans 13:11-14.

No doctrine in the Bible is more important than the doctrine of repentance. It is more important , for it is the gatekeeper of heaven.  Before people can be reconciled to God through his Son, Jesus Christ, they must experience repentance. The experience of David recorded in Psalm 51 is a classic illustration of genuine repentance.  One almost feels that he or she is intruding on a scene that is extremely private and personal, for David is writing in the agony of remorse and sorrow. He has faced sin in his life, with all the veneers of human excuses stripped away.  His soul is naked before God, and he sees himself stained and distorted before his Creator. We watched in breathless wonder as this helpless man deals with a problem that clearly has no human solution, for he is guilty of sins that put him beyond the remedy provided by the law of his day.  It is with stunned amazement that we watch David work through an experience that resulted in the cleansing of his soul and the restoration of peace and joy in his life. As we look the issue of sin and repentance this morning, we can use David’s experience. We can plot David’s journey down the highway of repentance.

The first thing we pick up from David is the realization of sin.  Before we observe the “breakthrough” in David’s life, the moment when he came to realize his sin, let us set the stage historically.  We look in on a court scene in Jerusalem with Israel’s greatest king sitting on the throne. David has been divinely chosen and anointed for the task of being God’s king to rule over his people.  He had also become the nation’s spiritual leader. God had promised him that his house would be established forever. God had blessed him; his kingdom had flourished; and his armies had soundly defeated Israel.

But in the midst of all this victory and luxury, David saw and wanted and took for himself the beautiful wife of Uriah.  Any other king in the world could have done this without a whisper of blame on himself. But David was Jehovah’s anointed! Before the sordid story was over, murder was added to the picture as David had Uriah conveniently placed on the front line of battle so that he would be killed.  Thus adultery and murder clung like soot to David’s soul. For almost a year, David endured the lashing of his conscience. But one day the fearless prophet Nathan came with that brief powerful story of the neighbor who had one sheep, which was stolen by the man with many. A dagger was thrust into David’s soul when Nathan said, “Thou art the man!”

There would be no story to tell if something marvelous had not happened.  Instead of rejecting Nathan’s hot words of accusation and ordering the prophet executed for his presumption, the process was triggered that resulted in David’s rising again.  Someone had suggested that David’s sin must have called for a great celebration in the Devil’s domain, for David must have been the one person in the entire world, Satan longed to have in his clutches.  And now this great man lay morally and spiritually trapped and bound and ruined! David, the spiritual leader of God’s chosen people, was out of the fight!

The second thing here is the agony of turning. David’s first reaction, following the shock of Nathan’s accusation, was a cry of forgiveness.  “Have mercy upon me, O God,” David cried. God is ever monitoring the channel on which people cry for mercy, and he sends instant relief when people call.

It important to note David’s pattern of thought: his first move was to speak out before God his particular and specific acts of sin.  He used three words to describe his sin: transgression, which means rebellion, deliberately settings oneself against the will and laws of God, a calculated sin of high treason against the sovereign of the universe, iniquity, that which distorts one’s reason: and sin, which means “missing the mark.” or failure.

Then David used three words of action, indicating that he wanted God to do something for him that he could not do for himself.  David said, “blot out my transgression. “Washed me thoroughly.” David said, “cleanse me.” “Blot out” means to erase from the record ; “wash me” indicates David’s realization that his whole being was defiled and needed a divine scrubbing; “cleanse me” reflect his desire to be absolutely clean inside and out.

Following David’s cry for mercy, David sincerely confessed his sin: “I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.”  Nathan had said, “thou art the man!” Now David was saying, “Lord, I am the man.” He assume all responsibility for his sin; he did not blame his ancestors or Bathsheba as an accomplice in his sin.  He declared that he alone, was responsible for what he did.

David prayed hard not only that he might be received into God’s presence again.  As David bared his soul before God, he saw what a vile, sinful person he had been.  Now he wanted God to purify him, his whole sin defiled being! He wanted God to sprinkle hyssop  on him. Hyssop was an aromatic oil used to spray those who had had leprosy or some other loathsome disease.  Not only did the hyssop serve as a deodorizer, but sprinkling it was also a symbolic act whereby one was cleansed for God’s presence.

David reached the climax of his prayer.  It was the end of his journey down the road of repentance, when he prayed for a new heart and a new life.  In Psalm 51:10 David is saying in essence: Lord, because of this terrible things I have done, you must assume your role of creator again for me!  I must have a new heart! I have damaged the old one beyond repair. David is saying the scars are two hideous. Do your work all over again. David asked God to give him a new heart.  In the 10 verse of this psalm, David lays the foundation for the New Testament doctrine of the New Birth. David recognizes the strategic importance of being born again. David’s mental, moral, and spiritual self must be renewed by the creative touch of God.

One can also check out the glory of the restoration.  A note of positive, and a ringing assurance appear in David’s words.  Purge me with hyssop, and I will be whiter than snow. David’s hope lay in the fact that God is God who keeps his words and who is as good as his promises.  He is God who keeps his covenant with his people. When this hope dawns in a person heart, life begins, for this a truth to live by and a truth to die by.

What was the natural result of David’s experience of repentance and forgiveness of sins?  It was the same first impulse that every saved individual has to tell others about his glorious newly discovered remedy for soul sickness.  Note again his assurance: “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” David vowed that he would spend the rest of his life telling others about God’s grace and urging sinners to come to the only source of life and cleansing.  David would be an evangelist, a seeker of the lost people, and an announcer of good news to those who languished and sin.

In summary, we find that four ingredients constituted David’s response or repentance: humiliation, contrition, confession, and transfiguration.  The Holy Spirit convicts people and brings them to a state humiliation, to an expression of contrition, and to the point confession. Then the biggest miracle of all transpires when, as a result of these preparatory experiences, they are transformed by the power of God.  it my prayers that w all will realize that the resurrection of Christ gives way to repentance. It helps us to clothe ourselves with Christ, thereby killing our fleshly desires. God bless you.

SERMON BY THE REVEREND AMOS MCCARTHY

EASTER SUNDAY

APRIL 21, 2019

Title: “The Difference of the Resurrection.”

Text: “Then the same day at evening the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in their midst, and saith unto them, peace be unto you.  And when he had said so, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord” (John 20:19-20.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the badge of authority for the Christian faith.  On Calvary Jesus suffered and died for the sins of humanity. There were three crosses on that Good Friday.  What gave validity to the life and words of the man on the central cross? It was the resurrection. When he arose from the grave, the world had to acknowledged that all of his former words and deeds were true.

This is the secret of the resurrection: It gives Christianity its stability.  Actually, the symbol of Christianity is more an empty tomb than a cross. The empty tomb gives meaning to the cross.  That is the difference of the resurrection! Were it not for the empty tomb, the cross would have been a tragedy. That is the difference of the resurrection.

It was only right that the witnesses of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial were also witnesses of his resurrection.  Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were the first to receive news of the risen Lord and to encounter him. They had been at the cross; they had been there when he was laid in the tomb; and now they received love’s reward-they were the first to know the joy of the resurrection.    

Jesus resurrection did not happen without resistance from the enemies of righteousness.  They remembered that Jesus had said he would rise from the dead, and they remembered it before it occurred.  Thus they sealed his tomb (Matthew 27:63). It is sad to note on the other hand that the disciples did not remember Jesus’ words until after his resurrection (Luke 24:8).  With the dread of a potential resurrection of Jesus Christ in his enemies’ mind, they proceeded to try to prevent any incident that might lead people to believe that the resurrection actually occurred. People would try to influence us from believing anything about the resurrection, it is the power of the resurrection that gives us courage to stand up for what we believed.

When we read Matthew’s account of the resurrection, one would see attempts to prevent the resurrection.  We see paltry people struggling against eternal truth. They imagined the Lord to be a deceiver and the disciples to be cunning men with a scheme to make the resurrection appear to be real.  They took it upon themselves to try to prevent the resurrection, an event that would make the populace think that Christ was raised from the dead. We will see that religious teachers in ignorance and malice tried to prevent the resurrection.  They had come to Pilate out of hatred and ignorance seeking to destroy Jesus (Matthew 12:14). Now that he had been killed, they were going to see that his deathly defeat remained a reality. They approached the cowardly Pilate knowing that they could manipulate him.

Pilate in uncaring complacency played along.  Pilate had seen and heard enough about Jesus Christ.  He certainly did not want a rumour circulating about Jesus’ resurrection, so he gave the chief priests and Pharisees a detachment of soldiers, concurred in their efforts to secure the tomb, and issued the weakest statement of encouragement the world had ever known.  Pilate said, “Make the tomb as secure as you know how” (Matthew 27:65 NIV). What a scene of futility: mere men seeking to secure a tomb that God himself had declared would be opened (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19).

The soldiers in regimental obedience try to abate this process. The soldiers acted with regimented obedience as they sought to carry out Pilate’s command.  They went to the grave site and made sure the rock was sufficiently placed in the tomb’s entrance. They then sealed the rock, thus making it a trespass against the law of the Roman government for the tomb to be opened. They, to make certain the edict was enforced, the soldiers stood guard by the tomb. But still, this did not stop the resurrection from occurring.  Jesus Christ rose from the grave. The tomb is empty. That is the difference of the resurrection! People will try to steal our joy of the risen Lord, our resolve to stand our ground and do God’s work.

The first two Scottish missionaries sent to the New Hebrides Islands were killed and eaten by cannibals on the day they arrived. After that it proved difficult to find missionary volunteers. But even when John G. Paton agreed to go, well-meaning people in the church tried to dissuade him. One elderly man warned that he would be eaten by cannibals. Paton replied, “I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honouring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer.” After fifteen years of fruitful ministry, almost everyone on the island of Aniwa where Paton ministered was converted.

Serving God is not a guarantee of an easy life. But we are called to a life of service, even if it means giving up everything. “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

The difference of the resurrection is that it assures us of a living Christ.  Jesus assured the early disciples of his presence. Jesus showed himself to the apostles to satisfy them of the reality of his resurrection.  Later he appeared to Thomas to convince him.

Scripture records eleven different approaches to Jesus during the forty days between his resurrection and ascension.  Reading the narratives of the appearances of the risen Christ, we are struck with the fact that the Christ whom people saw was certainly the same person they had known days earlier.

Jesus continues to assure people of his continued presence. If Christ is risen, people can continue to encounter him.  R. W. Dale, a great preacher from Birmingham, England, described how one day while he was writing an Easter sermon, the fact of the resurrection broke in on him as it never had before.  The reality of the resurrection came as a burst of sudden glory. He said, “Christ is alive? The evangelist paused again and said. “Christ is alive!” This reality made a difference in his life and can also make a difference in our lives today.

One other difference of the resurrection is that Christ brings us immortality. Jesus defeated death.  Throughout his ministry, Jesus affirmed that he ruled over all powers, including death itself. He assured his disciples that even if he died he would rise again.  “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priest and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21 NIV). When Jesus died on the cross, death felt that it held its prey.  But Jesus rose from the grave, he proved that death had been defeated. The living Lord gives us victory over death. Since Christ won the victory over death, his followers share his victory. “Because I live, ye shall also” (John 14:19). Easter morning brought immortality to light.

When Jesus Christ resurrected he assigned us a task.  Jesus assigned the disciples a task. Jesus appeared to the Eleven and gave them an assignment: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus commissioned these men to go out and make the kingdom of the world into the kingdom of God.

The risen Christ has also given us a task.  Modern disciples also have been entrusted with a task: We are to continue Jesus’ ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit within us can enable us to be Jesus’ witnesses by word and deed. His abiding presence can enable us to awaken people to the depth and urgency of their need.  By God’s power, we can lead people to Jesus, the one in whom their needs can be met.

It is a difference of the resurrection that the risen Christ brings us sustenance for life.  Jesus Christ after he was risen helped the disciples in number of ways after the tragic event of the cross.  Thomas doubted. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus gave in to depression. Peter and some other disciples thought the cause of Christ was lost, so they returned to fishing.  Jesus ministered to their needs during the forty days after the resurrection, renewing, strengthening, and sustaining them. The risen Christ sustains us during life’s trials. Those who respond to the Lord in faith find comforting presence as they pass through times of conflict and suffering.  Let us rely on the resurrection for its difference are obvious.The difference of the resurrection is that the resurrection assures us of a living Christ. The resurrection brings us immortality.  The resurrection assigns us a task. The resurrection brings us sustenance in the trials of life. “I serve a Risen Savior, he is in the world today. I know that he is living, no matter what men may say.  I see his hands of mercy and hears his voice of praise. Whenever Ie need him, he is always near. He Lives! He Lives! Christ Jesus Lives Today. He walks with him, and talks with him along the narrow way! He Lives! He Lives! Salvation to impact.  You ask me how he live, He lives within my heart!” God bless you!

SERMON BY THE REVEREND AMOS MCCARTHY

5TH SUNDAY IN LENT/PALM SUNDAY

APRIL 14, 2017

Title: “What is your Attitude?”

Text: “When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19: 37-38).

Scripture Reading: Luke 19:28-40.

The story is told of how every day, an old man sat in his rocking chair with his granddaughter outside a petrol station, greeting tourists who passed through their town. One day, a man who seemed to be looking for somewhere to live asked, “So what sort of town is this?” “What sort of town do you come from?” the old man replied. The tourist answered, “Everyone criticises everyone. It’s really bad.” “That’s just the way it is here,” said the old man. A few days later, another man asked, “So what sort of town is this?” “What sort of town do you come from?” the old man replied again. The tourist answered, “It’s great. Everyone gets along so well.” “That’s just the way it is here,” said the old man. After the man left, the granddaughter said, “How come you told the first guy this was a bad place to live, and the second guy this is a great place to live?” “Because wherever you go, you take your attitude with you, and that’s what makes it good or bad.”

We all have attitudes about the things in our lives.  We can have a positive attitude. We can have a negative attitude.  We can have an attitude about love or an attitude of hate. We can even have an attitude of indifference.  What is important is the attitude we have about the circumstances we encountered in our lives. Our attitude is what cause us to view the circumstances in our lives as a blessings or a curse. Our attitude will determine situations that will affect us, our families, those around us, and even our lives.  Our attitude is a choice. Each one of us will not know what we will run into, but we can determine our attitude towards whatever it is, or whatever it is going to be.

Our attitude is a choice. It is something that’s very valuable, because it lets us be in control of how we feel inside. If attitude was not a choice, we could not follow Christ, because Jesus requires of us some unexpected attitudes in certain situations. Have you ever had anyone tell you, you need to change that attitude or get rid of that attitude as soon as possible? Having a bad attitude or a poor attitude can really destroy relationships and will hurt us in the long run.

Charles Swindoll said this about attitude, “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of Attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important: than facts, than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do, than appearances, than giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have, and that is our Attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% of what happens to me and 90%  of how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.”

Palm Sunday is a time to examine our attitude towards each other, but more importantly towards Jesus.  The first Palm Sunday occurred during the PassOver. Jerusalem is filled with people from all walks of life.  It was not about a parade. It was not about a king coming to town. It was about a prominent Jewish festival.  But Jesus appeared in the picture. Jesus chose to ride a donkey on that day. The people were surprised. God word tells us in the four synoptic gospel that Jesus riding on a donkey during the Passover “cause great stir in the city.” Huge crowd of people had gathered.  In the crowd were people with different attitudes. There were those who are committed, and true followers of Jesus. These were people who have flaws and weakness but wants Jesus to rule their lives. They had the attitude of gratitude, attitude of praise, and attitude of service.  There were others in the crowd who might encountered Jesus, heard about his miracles, but not the king they were expecting. They were excited about a Messiah, but were disappointed about Jesus. Those with positive attitudes towards Jesus is what matters the most. Let us see this morning how our attitude match up with those in the crowd.

Now Jesus has less than a week to live, and He knows it fully well. He has finally decided to make it known publicly that He is the long awaited Messiah, the King that God’s people has been waiting for, for hundreds of years. We read in the Old Testament a prophecy about a King who would come into the city riding on a colt. Zechariah predicted it would happen over 500 years before Jesus was born. The time had finally come and Jesus was ready to take the next step. Can he count on everybody’s cooperation?

He’s starting to get ready for his whole reason for being, which was to obey God the Father. He calls his disciples and chooses two of them. In Luke 19:30-31 Jesus said,  “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?’ tell him, ’The Lord needs it.’” Now the word Lord here, is the name for God which is found in the Old Testament.

So Jesus is saying, tell them “God is about to do something great with it” Now here’s the first opportunity for an attitude. Suppose you had been there as one of the disciples. Would you have gotten upset and became envious that Jesus chose those two and not you? Some kind of miracle is going to take place with this colt. Why do they get to be the ones to go?

Few things are as damaging to the body of Christ, than people having the attitude, “I should have gotten that part, or my child should have had that part.” The attitude of envy causes us to say things about others that should never be said. We question their motives, their hearts, and their intentions. We forget that we are called the body of Christ, not the interchangeable parts of Christ. Jesus does not treat us the same, because He has different roles and ministries for each of us to fulfill. Some of us would have said, “if he was going to do it for the two, then he should have done it for the 12. That’s the only way to be fair.”

Sometimes we get upset with others over God’s call on their lives, when we do not understand what price they have paid to get to where they are. Sometimes God cannot use us in the spotlight, because we’re unwilling to pay the price to get there. Now here are these two disciples are going on the word of Jesus. As they are walking along, one of them probably said, “So how much money did Jesus give you for the colt.” The other said what, “I thought he gave you the money to pay for it.” What’s our attitude when God calls us to do something, but God does not give us anything to accomplish it with except His Word. All we know is that God told us to do it.

At the heart of Palm Sunday is Jesus’ desire to bring peace into our lives and to be willing to carry whatever burdens in life that are weighing us down. But the only way Jesus can complete his desire, is for us to allow him to march in and take over without having to fight us all along the way. Have you ever told God, ”you can march over there, but don’t come this way because I’m not yet ready to surrender.” Wherever Jesus is not fully welcome in our lives, is where the real battle is taking place for our attitudes. We’re doing all kinds of things hoping to find some peace, but God is saying, until you get your attitude together right here, you shall not have peace as you seek for it.

When the two disciples returned with the colt and the donkey, they placed their coats and garments upon the young colt to serve as a saddle for Jesus. This is one attitude of those who wanted to immediately offer Jesus the best that they had. They took off their coats and clothing and begin to lay it down the pathway as to form a royal carpet for the animals to walk on. They were not concerned that their clothes might not be reusable or that they would not be able to get them back. Their focus was on going all out to honor Jesus Christ. Is this your attitude when it comes to serving God? Lord you can count on me to give whatever I have without thinking about it. This was the attitude of the group that gave ‘above and beyond’ what was expected.

Then there was another group with another attitude at the parade that day. It’s the attitude of giving something good, even if it was not the best they could give. They kept their coats and clothing, but they were willing to go and cut down the palm branches and lay them down as a means of honoring and respecting Jesus. They are in the parade and they look pretty good.

This is where many people are in the church today. They’re doing a pretty good job, and investing themselves in the work of the Jesus, but they haven’t decided that all that I am truly belongs to God. They believe it as a head knowledge, but it is not a reality in their hearts. They are still not convinced that doing things God’s way is the best way to handle their lives.

Then there were those who were there, but they never actually became a part of the parade, they just sort of stood alongside the road and cheered a little bit. They were willing to take notice of Jesus and to even give him a handclap, but they were too concerned with other things to actually get involved. As soon as Jesus passed them by, they went on about their business as people do once the parade is gone.These are the people who claim to know Jesus, but are not committed in any church, nor do they seek to live the lives God has called them to live. Their attitude is, “well the Lord knows my heart.” The Lord does know our hearts, and what God has to say about our hearts should cause us to run and give our lives to Jesus Christ. Apart from Christ, our hearts are in need of a major overhaul.

We can go on and on and point out different attitudes in the crowd on that Palm Sunday.  The most important thing to remember here this morning is “What is our attitude toward Jesus?  If our attitude toward Jesus is one of absolute acceptance, then let us join hands and shout “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” God bless you all!