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INTRODUCTION
Today’s message is entitled, “Don’t take Jesus for granted.”
What does it mean to take something for granted?
If you take something for granted, you don't think about it because you assume you will always have it.
If you take someone for granted, you don't show your appreciation to them.
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof "I assume his train was late"
If you take something for granted, you don't think about it because you assume you will always have it.
If you take someone for granted, you don't show your appreciation to them.
www.finedictionary.com
“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”
— G.K. Chesterson
A husband or wife can easily slip into taking the other for granted — simply expecting them to always do certain things (dinner, lawn work, bills, diaper changing, etc.).
When one of them feels taken for granted, they can become discouraged...it feels like they are no longer loved or appreciated.
Illustration: You might have heard on the news that a self-driving Uber struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona the other day.
There was a driver in the car — a monitor, just in case something goes wrong.
I don’t know what he was doing when the accident occured — but he was looking down.
Apparently the monitor/drivers do some sort of information gathering on a a computer.
It’s safe to say that he assumed the car could handle itself — he took that fact for granted.
He was used to the car doing what it was supposed to do.
You shouldn’t take things for granted
We can become so used to things and people that we no longer really notice them…and when we do notice it might be too late to do anything about it.
Whenn it comes to pivotal, momentous, world-changing days, such as Christmas, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Resurrection Day, etc., we can easily take their meaning for granted.
They become so familiar to us that we end up just going through the motions without allowing the truths to transform us.
Do you take Jesus for granted?
Big Idea
Jesus' love, grace, and mercy fade from view when you take Him for granted
Jesus' love, grace, and mercy fade from view when you take Him for granted
There is an illness, a plague really, that we need to face head-on today.
it’s not a new disease - it’s as common as the common cold.
But there is a cure.
I call it
#takingJesusforgranteditis
Today is Palm Sunday — the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, just a few days before hung on the Cross.
Do we really the importance of this day?
BACKGROUND
Narrative summary of the few weeks leading up to this moment
Over the last few weeks we have followed John’s account of Jesus’ life - of His Words and actions that breathed life into the people then and still breathes life into people today.
In fact we jumped ahead of the story and looked at the events of Jesus’ last supper with the Disciples () - He washed their feet, served a passover meal, and spoke words that both frightened and comforted them.
He promised the Holy Spirit would come to teach and empower them for the ministry had was calling them to — Today we want to revisit the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Let’s read.
John 12:12
BIG IDEA
PRAYER
This event reminds us of Jesus’ love, grace and mercy — it is vital that we do not allow it to fade from view or take it for granted.
Let’s ask the Lord to enable us to see Palm Sunday with freshly enlightened eyes.
This event reminds us of Jesus’ love, grace and mercy — it is vital that we do not allow it to fade from view — that we not take it for granted.
Let’s ask the Lord to enable us to see the actions of Jesus on Palm Sunday with freshly enlightened eyes.
Transitional: It’s important to gain a fresh understanding that...
Transitional: It’s important to gain a fresh understanding that...
Jesus Revealed His Plan
Jesus Revealed His Plan
The events of Palm Sunday were out of character for Jesus
Jesus purposefully became the center of attention — there had to be a good reason.
Before this — Jesus avoided the spotlight as a rule
When His mother asked Him to help with the wine shortage at the wedding in Cana… “Woman, my time has not yet come!”
He didn’t want to draw attention to Himself
In , Jesus perceived that the people wanted to take him and make him King…by force if necessary.
He could have taken it all in…but He left town
Several times when Jesus healed a person He told them not to tell anyone
Several times when Jesus healed a person He told them not to tell anyone
Up until this day…the Sunday before His crucifixion.
Jesus did not seek out the spotlight.
What was Jesus up to?
The events of Palm Sunday were organized by Jesus Himself
The Synoptic Gospels record that Jesus arranged to use the colt of a donkey - this would fulfil OT prophecy concerning Him.
He instructed the disciples to go into the village - that they would find a colt tied there which no one has ever ridden.
Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone asks what you are doing with it, say “The Lord needs it.”
The outpouring on the road to Jerusalem was not spontaneous - it felt that way to the crowd — but Jesus intended for it to take place
The outpouring on the road to Jerusalem was not spontaneous - it may have felt that way to the crowd — but Jesus intended for it to take place
It was not that Jesus wanted to have a party thrown in celebration of Him.
In fact, in , the record shows that when Jesus looked upon Jerusalem, He wept.
It was not because He wanted to have a party thrown in celebration of Him.
In fact, in , the record shows that when Jesus looked upon Jerusalem, He wept.
Why were the events of this day so important to Jesus that He made arrangements for it to happen?
He obviously had a reason…a purpose.
God doesn’t do things randomly.
The events of Palm Sunday were purposeful
“What was the purpose of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem?”
“What was the purpose of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem?”
It was time
“the hour has come” ()
This massive celebration forced the hands of the religious leaders.
They had to do something before it was too late.
Jesus knew His arrest and suffering would take place during Passover because it was the Father’s plan
Why is Passover so important in this story?
It was an annual celebration remembering when God set the Jewish people free
On Passover night the Lord struck down every first born child of the Egyptians - this devastating plague finally brought about the release of the Jewish slaves
God instructed His people to slaughter a lamb, and apply some of its blood to the doorposts of their homes - this blood would be a sign to the angel of death to passover those homes - sparing first born sons.
The blood on the doorposts would inform the angel of death to passover those homes - sparing the first born sons.
Jesus became the true Lamb of God.
His death saves us from a slavery much worse than any other…the slavery of sin, despair, addiction, loneliness, and death.
It is not a stretch to imaging that, at the very moment lambs were being slaughtered for Passover, Jesus was suffering and dying on the Cross
“What was the purpose of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem?”
…it was time and
Jesus clearly showed that His actions were voluntary
He didn’t have to come into Jerusalem with such high exposure
He could have chosen to lay low, like He had many other times
There were even times before this that people wanted to kill Him and He simply slipped away…it wasn’t time yet.
But now was time
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