Palm Sunday : Prevenient Grace

Today marks the beginning of another week we refer to as Holy Week. Every year that passes this week has more significance and weight to it, because every year I understand Christ’s sacrifice and love just a little deeper.

For a few minutes I’d like to talk about this idea of Surrender and it’s relationship with grace. The problem, though, is that surrender can be seen as a negative. Particularly in our “take responsibility and pull yourself up by your bootstrap culture.” Surrender means we have lost. We have given up. We have no more options left. We are weak. Which are all true, by the way. We’re desperate to survive. And surrender sometimes in life, particularly in battle, is usually the last thing we want to do. I prefer to call what we are talking about as Victorious Surrender. A reminder that to surrender to Christ IS victory. When it comes to surrender, there are always many things that happen leading up to us having to make that choice.

We’re going to look at the scripture that makes today significant. Palm Sunday. Matthew 21:1-11

Matthew 21:1–2 NIV

1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.

Matthew 21:3–4 NIV

3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

Matthew 21:5–6 NIV

5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.

Matthew 21:7–8 NIV

7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

Matthew 21:9–11 NIV

9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Who was in that crowd? People who had been healed by this Jesus loudly shouting Hosanna. Friends and family of the healed. Those who had heard a sermon but still had reservations. Those in line with the Pharisees who had disdain for this Jesus. Pharisees. Saducees. And I’m sure those who thought this whole thing was ridiculous and didn’t have a strong opinion either way.

Every type of person was present. All walks of life. All types of status and attitudes toward Jesus.

We know that this triumphal entry leads to the cross. But they don’t.

The absolute picture of the term prevenient grace.

Grace - The free and unmerited favor of God.

Prevenient - Preceding

Prevenient Grace - The favor and blessings of God that comes before salvation.

Jesus rides toward the cross for all gathered there before His full purpose is known. Before the final sacrifice is made.

There is something that happens for us with every passing year. It’s this incredibly helpful tool we can utilize in our life. It’s called hindsight. The ability to see things later that we missed because we were in the midst of the events.

The same thing happens in our relationship with Jesus. How often have we been able to look back, often years later, and say “oh, that’s what God was doing. Maybe you were even in a period where you felt like God wasn’t present at all. But we can look back and see how His hand was there all along.

There is a journey. There is Grace and love and mercy at work in our lives.

For these people, the hand of God was at work from the beginning. Shaping this nation. God called Abram and made a covenant with him. He guided Isaac and Jacob. He blessed Joseph in Egypt. He showed His power in Egypt and led the Israelites out of Egypt with Moses at the head and eventually took them to the promised land under the leadership of Joshua. There were many prophets, judges, and kings. Some passionate about God. Many not. And yet in hindsight we see God’s grace through it all. And now we arrive to Jesus. His ministry. The signs and wonders that prove He is the long awaited promised Messiah. Riding through Jerusalem itself. The eyes of people from all walks of life upon Him. Riding toward the cross. It’s all come down do this.

There comes a moment. For each of us. Where we arrive at the foot of the cross. Where we must reckon with what it is that Jesus has done. With Him on the cross, how do we respond?

That’s the moment of choice. This here is not a club. It’s not a specific church or denomination. It’s how I...how you... respond to Jesus. The Grace of God has been at work in our lives, now what?

This is where we now return to that phrase.

Victorious Surrender

There is a battle at the cosmic scale, and we are involved. We were born into it. But the Kingdoms at war are within. The Kingdom of Christ and the Kingdom of Anti-Christ. Because the truth is there is no neutral ground. In the end, one side will have our heart. In the end, there is only one option for victory. To surrender to Jesus is not to lose our identity. Not to lose who we are. To surrender to Jesus is ultimate victory. Is to hand over all that holds us back and imprisons us.

Imagine two kingdoms advancing on a single piece of land. There is a dark kingdom that will take your land by force. Use up every good fruit you have and leave the land barren. This other kingdom won’t take the land by force, but if you surrender the land to Him, you will bear more fruit that you could imagine. The fields will be lush and vibrant in His care. Not only that, you are now protected by this Kingdom. Not only that, the King adopts you.

That is what it looks like when we respond to the grace of God that was at work in us before we even realized it. When we come to that moment at the foot of the cross whether or not to surrender all that we have, inside and out, to Jesus. It doesn’t look like defeat. Our surrender is Victory. I choose the side of the creator. The ultimate victor. The one who will call me His child. The one who died for me. The one who defeated death itself. The one who has shown me grace long before I even realized I needed it. I choose victory. I choose surrender.