John #33 Prepare The Way
That you may Believe and Have Life #33
John 12:1-19
Next Sunday we celebrate onf ot the two largest celebrations of the year, Easter Sunday, Resurrection Day …
You know, the birth of Jesus went largely unnoticed, no fanfare, outside of some shepherds late one night and some magi several months later … no one cried out his name …
But then 33 years later, word got out that Jesus was coming to town … and crowds gathered with shouts, cries, worshipping him with palm branches waving … and then five days later … they were still shouting … but instead of FOR him, it was AT him … instead of cries for deliverance … they were cries for death …
But let’s back … I want to help us today …
Prepare the way for the Messiah in our lives … that’s what we are doing…
Would you like to prepared the way for Jesus today?
We’re going to read really two stories but we need to cover the ground … and it will be obvious as to reasons … Let’s read …
READ 12:1-19
So, how do you prepare a way? How do you build a Road?
Well I want to state the obvious first
You first need to ask …
Where will the road take you? What is the destination/
There are people all around us building roads
Ø some are building roads called “careers” … some of them have counted the costs, understood the challenges and the … but some have not … they set out building a road to find that the destination in their career is not what they thought. They will find themselves down the road saying “this is not what I expected or wanted” and they will quit working the road
Ø some will build a road called “marriage” but they don’t think it through, they are caught up in the emotions and down they road they will find themselves in a different destination
Ø There are many roads being built – fame, pleasure, success, fortune, even religion … only down they road they find out that the end of the road … the ultimate destination isn’t what you / they had hoped for …
So, wherever you are in road building, I want to challenge you today to make a way to build a road to Jesus Christ …
Let me show you how today …
Step One … is …
1. Brokenness
In order to be broken …
A. we must be aware of our sin
1. we must be saddened by our state
2. we must wish to die (mourn) out state
3. we must realize our inability to make our own way to God
4. We must recognize the holiness of God, contrasted against our utter sinfulness
5. we can’t be broken as long as we think we are sufficient
6. David realized the root issue and in Psalm 51 he said
“I know transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against you only have I sinned and done was it evil in your sight … you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts, you teach me wisdom in the inmost places
In Psalm 36 he says …
There is no fear of God before his eyes
In his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect his sin
The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful
Even on his bed he plots evil he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject was it wrong
7. Did you see that? David said that the problem is we are on the wrong road … In Proverbs 14:12 it says There is a way that SEEMS RIGHT to a man, but in the end it leads to death
In Matthew 7 Jesus says there are two ways “wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter … but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life
8. You and I are NOT sufficient – in response to the evil of our sin … David says your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies, your righteousness is like the might mountain, your justice like the great deep … how priceless is your unfailing love
9. In Ps 51 David says ‘have mercy on me O God, … blot out my transgressions, wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from sin
B. Look at the Cross
1. If you want a glimpse of the seriousness of sin … come with me to the cross …
2. think about the cross … They mocked him, they spit on him, they struck his face, they lied about him … They plucked his beard out by the roots leaving patches of exposed skin … the beat him 39 times with a cat of nine tails, a leather whip with bits of sharp objects embedded. They tied him to a post, beat him, then turned him over and continued … giving 39 lashes of his sentenced 40 withholding the final one as mercy …
Then they mocked him … oh yeah the weaved a crown out of a thorn bush and thrust it upon his head, placed a heavy robe on his back, matting with the wounds … then they removed it, exposing the wounds again … and placed the instrument of execution, the cross, on his back and forced him to carry it until he no longer could …
Finally they nailed him to that cross and raised him up …
Birds would have hovered over head and attacked
Stand at the foot of the cross …
Do you doubt the seriousness of sin for God to allow his son to go through this?
Do you doubt his love for you to make this choice?
C. Brokenness is Necessary to build a Road
1. Mary took her most prized possession, that perfume would have cost a year’s wages … She didn’t give Jesus a little … she gave him all of it. Mark says she broke the jar and poured it out … Mark took notice that she anointed his Head … John noticed that she poured it over his feet
2. In Psa 51:17 … David says “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart …
3. I was reading earlier this week on the practice of building roads … and found some understandings about being broken to make a way for Jesus
4. After determining distance, direction, and destination (hmmmm that sounds like a sermon outline) … the area for the road had to be cleared and leveled
5. Then they covered the area in stones … they spread them over the surface of the Road and settled them into place with a light sledge … and those stones which were too large had to be broken or removed.
6. The smaller stones were layered on top and settled in. Finally a hard clay covered the stones creating a smooth useable surface
7. Why am I telling you this? It’s about Brokenness … You see it had to be broken up to prepare the way … hammered down … but interestingly … in a month or two of traffic, the smooth surface would settle or be wore away and the rough edges of rocks could appear. Men were employed to break the stones up again and smooth it. Another 4-6 weeks later the road was broken again with care and smaller hammers. The road would require breaking from time to time to keep it smooth
8. * doesn’t that sound like the way it is in the Christian Life? Initially there must be great brokenness in the awareness of the greatness of our God and the ugliness of our sin. Then in our brokenness we open ourselves to Christ, yet a few weeks or months pass and as the newness wears off, we recognize rough areas in our lives. We have to allow Christ to break us again as the Spirit works in our lives … again and again, over and over, brokenness is necessary to prepare the way for Christ in our lives.
9. Perhaps you came to Christ and received salvation, but the rough edges have shown again. You didn’t submit to the breaking and road has worn down … … and you are stuck … SUBMIT to the brokenness again.
10. Repent of sin, Surrender to the Hand of God
11. you can’t build a road without brokenness
12. allow barriers to be broken down
And then
2. Wave a Palm Branch
Why do we wave a palm branch?
A. For a King
1. when a king was coming to a town and people knew … they would go outside the town and greet him and escort him back into town with great fanfare
2. Roads were build, valleys filled in, mountains brought low, crooked places made straight …
3. then they would welcome him in
4. having seen his love for us … having understood the seriousness of our sin … broken and spilled out before him … Mt 5:3 says “blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”
5. Broken we are ready to welcome him in
B. Wave a Signal
1. wave a signal of unworthiness
2. wave a signal of worship
3. wave an offering … a wave offering in the old testament was different than other offerings and sacrifices. The wave offering was offered by the priest and waved TOWARD God, but it was not CONSUMED … the Lord gave it BACK to the priest to consume with his family.
4. When YOU come to Christ, with the way prepared, you offer yourself as a wave offering before the Lord proclaiming the majesty of his grace and mercy in receiving you, then because he has made you a priest to him, he gives you your life BACK to use in worship to him.
5. He doesn’t break us like a vicious foe, to wickedly enslave us or worse yet to take our lives from us. On the contrary, in our brokenness, he returns our life to us, full, abundant, alive, overflowing … a common phrase in early church seems to be this “grace and peace be yours in abundance …”
Both Peter and Jude used this phrase …
6. he doesn’t want dead Sacrifice but a living Sacrifice
7. signal surrender
8. worship him … Rejoice in his goodness, rejoice in his name, rejoice in his glory and strength
Psalm 89:15-17 (NIV)
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord. 16 They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness. 17 For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn.
C. lay Down your Coats
1. when Luke tells story, he says that they also laid their coats down in the road. It was their way of celebrating his royalty
2. WE have garments to lay down don’t we …
a. filthy clothes – Zech 3:4 – take off your filthy garments and I will put rich garments on youi
b. grave clothes – remember last week? Lazarus … Jesus said “take off the grave clothes and let him go”
c. prison clothes – we are bound to sin
d. garments of pride
e. garments of self – sufficiency
3. Wave a Surrender
4. Wave a signal of Worship
5. LAY DOWN your Garments … don’t worry, you will never be short changed … you will never be cheated … will you lay down what you have in exchange for what he has for you?
Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Let’s review the Trade options if you will lay down what you have …
Beauty ß Ashes
Gladness ß mourning
Praise ß despair
Righteousness ß sin
Holiness ß wickedness
Wisdom ß foolishness
Strength ß weakness
Sonship ß foreigner
Freedom ß slavery
Peace ß anxiety
Hope ß hopelessness
Heaven ß Hell
Life ß Death
Wave a Palm Branch
Lay Down your Garments
Give up Satan’s Second Hand Clothing that covers nothing
Shop at God’s Galleria
…
So,
Broken, Waving in preparing the way …
3. Cry Out
A. The Blind Cried Out
1. one heard Jesus was in town and cried out “Son of David have mercy on Me”
2. another time two together cried out “Son of David, have mercy on Me” …
3. Why? Because he knew his situation .. he knew that he couldn’t fix it and he believed that Jesus COULD so he cried out
B. The Sick Cried Out …
1. a man called out to Jesus “my only son is sick …
2. ten men with leprosy called out “Jesus have mercy on us”
C. What KEEPS you from Crying Out?
1. we think we don’t have a need
2. we think we can meet our OWN need
3. we don’t know that Jesus can or WILL meet our Needs
4. Well, if we have moved through Brokenness, welcomed him, lain down our wretched garments … then there is No NEED NOT to Cry Out
… FILL YOUR LUNGS WITH AIR
… Push from You Diaphragm and CRY OUT
Ps. 55:16 – I call to God and the Lord saves me … Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress; and he hears my voice
Ps 61:2 I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I
Ps 86:3 – I call to you all day long
Ps 116:1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry …
D. Why did they Cry Out?
1. For Salvation – “Hosanna” means “SAVE US” – they cried out for Salvation … do you see a theme building? – This was fulfillment of the prophesy of Zech 9:9 – “see your king comes to you righteous and having salvation, gentle riding on a donkey”
2. They cried out Rejoicing – Zech 9:9 says Rejoice greatly …” why? Because Jesus has Salvation, righteousness, because we are sick and there is healing in his wings. Rejoice because he comes from the Father, Rejoice because he brings us TO the Father, Rejoice because he GIVES us Righteousness
How Long has it been since you cried out to God?
They cried out, blind, sick, needy …
They Cried Out for Salvation
They Cried Out in Rejoicing …
They Cried Out as we finish
Because they …
CONCLUSION –
… Recognize Him As King
à The interesting thing is the difference …
They said “Blessed is the King of Israel” with their lips, yet NOT with their hearts and lives
As Luke tells the Story, after these shouts of praise, waving palm branches, Jesus was drawing near to the city … and while they were praising and proclaiming him King …
Luke 19:41-42 says Jesus wept over the city … saying “If you had only known on this day what would bring peace … “
à What brings Peace?
Jesus as Lord
Jesus as King
We can be broken and weep over our sinful state
We can cry out for help and salvation, and even cry out in worship
But IF we fail to Recognize him as Lord and King … they are USELESS WORDS and WASTED TEARS …
Oh Seeker … The King is Coming …
Prepare the Way
Oh we need to Close, but can I give you a reason to wave your Palm Branch?
Can I Give you a Reason to Surrender?
Can I Give you a Reason to Cry Out
Can I give you a Reason to Make him Lord and King?
Oh you don’t want to take the time do you?
You don’t want me to walk through the tired old Alphabet do you?
Why Jesus?
He is
A - Almighty God; All Together Righteous;
B - Beautiful Savior; you Must Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
Prepare The Way …
C - Commander of the Army of the Lord, Confess Your Sin; Consecrate Yourself;
D - Darling of Heaven; Deed Holder of Earth; Dispenser of mercy or judgment the choice is yours
Will You Welcome him in?
E - Elohim, El-Shaddai, El-Olam; Emancipator of Sin's Slaves
F - Fall at his Feet
He is
G - Giver of Grace
H - Heaven's Harbinger of Hope,
I - Image of the Almighty, Icon of Forgiveness, Immanuel God with Us
J - Jerusalem's Savior, Judah's Lion
K - The Kinetic Energy of the Universe, Kingdom's King of kings,
L - Lord of lords, the Lamb of God,
M - Morning Star, Mighty God,
N - Name above all Names, Nature's Creator
O -Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Only Begotten of God
P - Prince of Peace, Perfect in Purpose, Paragon of Obedience
Will you Lay it all down for Him?
He is
Q - Qualified to take the Throne, Quintessential Truth
R - Rose of Sharon, Rock of Ages, Ruler of Heaven and Earth
S - Salvation in his Hand, Sanctuary for Believers
WELCOME THE KING
T - Tried and True, Trustworthy, Triumphant
U – Unparalleled, Unapologetically with mercy in one hand and judgment in the other
V - Valiant, Vessel of grace, Vigorous, Vicarious, Vindicator
Have you Cleared a Way?
He Is
W – Word of God in Flesh, Wielding the Truth, Wisdom of the Ages
X - x-raying the heart of man,
Prepare the Way
Y - Yet for Now there is still time, Yahweh calls you to himself
Z - Zealous for your Soul, Zion's Champion, Zenith of all of History
Here Comes the King!
Fall At his Feet
Open Your Heart
Embrace Him As Lord