Be the Center
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It is Palm Sunday, and at this time of year we stop to remember the triumphal entry of Christ into the city of Jerusalem...
1 As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead.
2 “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me.
3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”
4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,
5 “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.’ ”
6 The two disciples did as Jesus commanded.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.
8 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!”
10 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.
11 And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Then, less than a week later, we see this...
15 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted.
16 This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas.
17 As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
18 (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)
19 Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”
20 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death.
21 So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?” The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”
22 Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?” But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”
24 Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”
25 And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”
26 So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.
WHAAAAAAAATTT????
How does the same crowd go from declaring a man as King, as Messiah, as Savior, as their HOPE and less than a week later shout CRUCIFY HIM??? Let his blood be on our hands.
It really comes down to what was really in the hearts of the people!!!!
Think of it with me - they were claiming in the moment to be followers of Christ, to want Him to lead them.... but did they really?
1. Follower of Christ or Benefit Seeker?
1. Follower of Christ or Benefit Seeker?
This kind of thing happens all the time!
People claim to follow Christ, but they are really only seeking out benefits for their lives.
NOW, when we follow Jesus there are some great benefits - but some want benefits without the conditions of FOLLOWING!
We hear people say - I BELIEVE IN GOD and JESUS...
19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.
It is one thing to believe Jesus is and another to surrender your life to HIm because you believe WHAT HE TAUGHT US!
I think when Jesus went into the temple and rebuked the money changers for making the Temple a den of thieves instead of a house of prayer that hearts began to turn...
Jesus was looking for a people who would seek the Father in prayer and in spirit and in truth… they wanted to buy their sacrifices, make their money, fulfill their religious requirements and be given a “SPIRITUAL PASS”
It was all about what Jesus would do for them...
Lead us out of Roman oppression and set us free...
Provide for our needs
Heal our bodies
Do miracles
Hold it, you want us to invest our lives back into your Kingdom??? You want to be the focus of our worship? I was wanting to get something, not give something....
The problem with religion these days is it is all about what we get without making Jesus the CENTER OF OUR LIVES!
Jesus, fit into my schedule...
Even Jesus followers would betray and deny him before He was crucified...
Jesus called us to
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.
Not you can have your cake (sinful lifestyles) and eat it (Jesus) too!
Something happens when our expectations and Jesus expectations don’t line up! We want Jesus to conform to our desires, but He is calling us to conform to HIM!
If Jesus is the Center of it all, than we must put Him on the throne of our hearts!!!
(use a chair and the crown, have a person sit on the chair wearing the crown, have them take the crown off and give Jesus the crown and have Jesus sit on the chair with the crown and the kneel at his feet)
You see — Jesus wants to be at the CENTER OF OUR LIVES AND OUR HEARTS....
It is about what HE DESIRES not what we desire
It is about what HE EXPECTS not what we expect
It is about what PLEASES Him, not us
2. Identifying When Jesus is NOT the Center
2. Identifying When Jesus is NOT the Center
So we have established that Jesus doesn’t just want our lip service of praise, but He wants to be the center of our lives… He wants to sit on the throne of our hearts as King of our Hearts.
How do we know when Jesus is not on the throne of our hearts as center
A. When we continue to choose sinful choices instead of surrendering our sinful desires to the Lord
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.
10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
There are basic commandments like not stealing, killing, fornicating, adulterating, etc.
Jesus teaches us not to lust after any who are not our spouse, not to hold anger in our heart, not to break our word...
The teaching of Christ is very clear, yet so many in the church today our doing what we want - that is keeping Jesus out of the center!
The Word talks of drunkeness, partying, gossip and slander, etc. - is that keeping Jesus center
How about not forgiving as He forgave us? I heard of a young child telling his class that his father told him he did not love him because he had done something wrong --- where is the unconditional love in that?
When Christians become so politically charged that they hate others instead of simply hating the sin...
the greatest commandment is to love one anther
B. Refusing to Identify with the Body of Christ
This is a big one these days.
18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.
22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.
23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
One of the greatest spiritual deceptions out there today is to think you can love JESUS the head of the CHURCH and hate the BODY of CHRIST - the church.
23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.
If the husband and wife are one — so is Christ and the church. If Jesus is at the center of our lives than the body of Christ - the church must also be at the center of our lives.
The church has lost effect because the body of Christ is fragmented as people disassociate or fail to love the body as we love Christ.
We love HIM FIRST and LOVE EACH OTHER ALSO ---
When he is our center - so is his bride!!! The body is made up of many members - not just ourselves.
3. We don’t care for what He cares about
We sang it this morning - break our hearts for what breaks yours...
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
If we don’t sense the heart of Christ for the lost in the world, our hearts may not really be in sink with his… do we see the need of lost humanity, family members, friends and even enemies???
All three of these things are indicators if Jesus is at the CENTER OF IT ALL!
3. How Do I Put Jesus in the Center?
3. How Do I Put Jesus in the Center?
Three words
TRUST
SURRENDER
OBEDIENCE
Trust and faith are one in the same — to believe for what you cannot see, and to believe that when you surrender to Christ He is accomplishing His plan for your life...
6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.
We already looked at the passage where Jesus said take up your cross and follow me....
To follow Christ is to surrender your life to Him… to let go of all you are and have and yield it to Christ...
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.
and last
OBEY
once again, Jesus words to obey my commandments
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
We accomplish this when we make Jesus Lord over our daily lives!
28 For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
Do you only live for Jesus on Sunday morning? Do you ask Him what would he do when you come up against situations at work, school, relationships, etc.
How do we make him King on Sunday and on Monday we make our sinful choices King, or our friends impressions king, etc?
Seek HIM FIRST --
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Make what matters to Him, matter to you...
9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
His Kingdom, forgiveness, His name being reverenced!
I don’t want to be like the crowd on Palm Sunday who hailed Jesus King, but then failed to follow Him, who didn’t make Him the CENTER OF IT ALL ---
WIll you make Jesus the center with me today?