Palm Sunday 4/5/2020 What is Believable...

What is Believable

We are a very suspicious species. We need proof of almost everything, except what is on Facebook, right? that’s always factual, right? Let’s be honest…a lot of things that we hear from others or in the news, or on FB, can be verified by doing a little research. For instance...

1 - The world is flat (that was debunked by Eratosthenes in about 240 BC, a greek geographer, by calculating circumference of the earth by observing two different locations of the sun) and Columbus sailed around the ocean blue in 1492. That can also be traced back to Pythagoras in 6 BC as well.

2 - Alexander the Great (the great tyrant), why was he great? It has believed that he built the largest empire of the ancient world after his Father rule ended.

3 - How long is food good after it is dropped on the ground? We’ve heard 5 seconds, since that is how long bacteria can transfer to the food, 30 minutes as proved in a study done a few years ago (yup, a grant was given for that study). It does depend on what falls. Hard stuff like M & Ms, biscuits, toast, nothing juicy like buttered toast face down, a steak, mashed potatoes…or peanut butter and jelly…face down. YEA NO…not for me… Although, there was the show where Rachel and Chandler ate cheesecake off of the floor, well, at least, what didn’t touch the floor.

4 - A secret service agent will take a bullet for the president of the United States…even if they don’t like him or her. They’re getting paid to do so.

What about a the saying a friend will bail you about of jail, a good friend or brother will be in jail with you.

I always thought a good friend would try to stop you before you get that far…but that’s me.

How about ‘I will sacrifice myself so that others will live…forever. And this is for anyone who believes in me. And I don’t want repayment for doing it.”

Hard to believe that we can be loved so much by anyone. We love our kids, our fiances’, wives, husbands, with so much love that when times are hard, we question that love, but, hopefully, those hard times will help us remember that love and stop questioning it.

JESUS, through the hardest of trials, didn’t forget HIS love for us. And HE came to save us. It was foretold hundreds of years before JESUS was born by Zechariah the prophet that someone was coming to save us in Zechariah 9:9...

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

That salvation is what we celebrate during this time of year.

JESUS s a man that is GOD. He was born a virgin birth and was raised with us over 2 thousand years ago.

HE was baptised by John the Baptiser at about the age of 30. Then, HIS 3 year ministry started. It had one goal and conclusion…to save those who believed in HIM from the law.

Everyone in this world is governed by laws. We have ;aws that tell us which side of the road to drive on, what speed to go for safety (not way we usually drive), laws that control traffic, laws that protect us from ourselves, laws that tell us what morals we should have and when we should have them. There are even laws that allow our children to protect themselves from their parents.

The laws JESUS is referring to are religious laws. JESUS was not a rebel, he was sent to save man from himself. This goes back to the people of Israel that wanted kings to rule them and not GOD. the interesting thing…all the complaints after these kings, judges, etc, were from those who wanted that authority above them so they didn’t have to always think for themselves.

We don’t want authority over what we do. It’s a thing that most of us don’t like. We say that we’re ok with them, but we’re really not. You know why? Because we don’t like to be told what to do.

JESUS came to save us. In Luke 19:10...For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Lost…me? I’m not lost. I have a routine that I follow during the week and on the weekends, I have another routine. I don’t have a lot of time in my schedule because I need to unwind. Besides, why would JESUS do that for me?

Why would GOD sacrifice HIS only son for me?

It’s like this…since Adam and Eve did not follow GODS instructions regarding the tree of life, we have fallen short of everything we have done in our lives…past, present, and future. GOD…our Heavenly Father loves us so much that HE created everything for us. HE knows what we want, what we love, what we’ll do and won’t do…HE knows it all. Which is why HE knew that without a Savior, another Adam, to be a sinless example for us to look up to and aspire to be, and that this example would cover all sins…past, present and future, and if this example is HIS only SON, that we may not understand how much HE loves us. Let’s be honest, if GOD picked me, oh man…we would be so out of wack as an example, that we’d be still trying to learn how to be better than we were.

Let’s read the account of JESUS’ entrance...

Luke 19:29-38...'When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it. As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road. As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord ; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” They said, “The Lord has need of it.”

What is unbelievable is that JESUS knew what HE was going to go through…and HE still went through it

Matthew 26:36-39...Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

This day that is the week before Easter is a week of sorrow and sadness because we did not deserve what was done for us.

What is believable is that someone can love us…all of us…that much. There is no one else that would do that for any of us.

Today is also our Communion Sunday.