Setting Our Faces Toward Jerusalem: Walking Through The Easter Season
Well, this blog is LONG OVERDUE, but my only defense is that it’s been a busy season around here–either that or I’ve been lazy. Nevertheless, here we are in Easter season, coming down to the count down to Passion Week. This is the hardest week that our Savior lived out on this earth. He knew what was going to happen before He came. It shows the love that He had for you and me. I can say that because if I knew the events of today or tomorrow, I would probably avoid pain and suffering and go a different route. I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment, most of us would avoid pain and suffering if given the choice.
This Sunday we celebrate what is commonly known as Palm Sunday. It commemorates the day Christ road into Jerusalem as prophesied many years before. The crowds that lined the streets were yelling accolades and praising Him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord.” They were shouting His praises publicly on this day, but for all the wrong reasons. They wanted freedom from the Romans and they thought Jesus was the guy Who came to do that. Now Christ was all about the freedom, but not the kind the general Jewish population had in mind. His freedom was about the ultimate and final payment for the sin of the world, not just the people of Israel. He came to pay for all our sins, my sin, and yours, and He was the only One that could make that payment. Hebrews tells us that all the sacrifices that had been done and were being done, that week were not sufficient, but only a picture of what He could and chose to do.
Many times we can get pretty direct in telling God what WE WANT and forget that He is the ONE with the best plan. This shows that we can be very superficial with God, we don’t want to go very deep with understanding Him and His plan, because He might mess our plans up. We can be narcissistic and selfish, wanting God to fit our agenda, to bless our plans, to grant our three wishes like some genie in a bottle. The Bible tells us that God is God and no one dictates to Him what He will do or what He won’t do. He is perfect and eternal and merciful and also just–He has our best in mind, even if sometimes things happen in our lives that aren’t “fun” or “blessed” or what we would desire. Rather than us making plans and asking Him to sprinkle blessings on it, He really wants to press into our lives, like a mold into clay and pattern our lives after Christ to use us for His glorious outcome.
Following the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Christ would go through this last week on earth and it was gruesome and lonely in many ways. Because no body else could do what He had to do, He had to rely on His time with the Father Who understood His heart and His emotions as He walked through so much having godly wisdom and knowledge, but living in frail flesh. Remember Christ said, “Father, if there be any other way to let this cup pass from me, but nevertheless Your will be done!” Christ drank the whole cup of suffering for you and me, that is how much He loves us! He did die, but three days latter He did rise again. The Romans were still in power, but it was beginning of a new era of time for the world, when mankind could be free from the condemnation and control of sin. Because He paid the price, my and your price, we are set free, to live and bring glory unto His name.
Happy Passion Week! Check out the Easter Now app from Ministry Safe which will walk you through the week with maps and little daily reminders of the evens of this week. Click here to check it out: https://easternow.com/
Be sure to join us for Good Friday service 3/29 at 6:30 PM, as we walk through His final hours.
Hope to see you here!t
Bro. Dennis
