Holy Week
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 12 viewsNotes
Transcript
The long journey from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday is the pivot point of the gospel. It is these actions, Jesus’ faithfulness, from entering Jerusalem, to climbing a cross..that is both the tragedy and triumph of the Believer. From coming in and the people crying, “Hosanna, Hosanna” to beaten and mocked, crying, “Kill Him, Kill Him” Everyone failed Jesus in His trying time…Sadducees and Pharisees deciding it would be better to kill Him, His own people rejecting Him, His followers abandoning Him, His disciples, running, and rejecting Him. But what is the failure of man, only reveals the measure of our God. Jesus did not fail us, and endured what no man has had to endure, and endured the judgement all of us deserved. This is Holy Week. I’d like to offer two brief reflections to think about durning this time, as we prepare for Easter, take time to walk this journey with Jesus, and see His unfailing love for His people. It truly is a beautiful reminder of two things, Good Intentions, and God’s Intervention.
Luke 19:37-3
Entering Jerusalum
Luke 19:29
38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Good Intentions
Good Intentions
In Garden of Gethsamine
Luke 22:39
39 And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Matthew 26
In what was likely the hardest and longest night of Jesus’ life. The spiritual weight of this decision and the burden that was upon Him, to the point He was sweating blood..Jesus prays. And He calls the disciples to the garden with Him, and tells them to pray, so that they don’t fall into temptation. To be with Him, and be alert with Him. But each time, though they had good intentions of praying, Jesus finds them sleeping.
They were well intentioned, but failed Jesus in His greatest time of need.
Peter outside the courtyard, Jesus before the council
Matthew 26:32
32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Matthew 26:
And we see what happens, Peter, the disciple who walked on water, tells Jesus that whatever comes, I won’t deny you! Even if I must die, he says, I won’t deny you. And when the pressure mounts, he sees Jesus befre the council, he is asked, “Don’t you know this man!” He says I don’t know Him. The second time he says, I don’t know Him, with an oath! And when at last they said your accent gives you away, you know Him..he begins to invoke a curse on himself, and swears.. “I don’t know the man!” And he goes out, weeping. What happens..he had not prayed, he falls into temptation.
Well intentioned, but he fails Jesus.
At the Cross
25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
As to the apostles, the only one we see there was John. Everyone else seems to have fled, or hid. They are gone!
I am not trying to condemn the apostles here, I believe they did exactly like we would have. They failed..they had good intentions, but they did not pray when Jesus asked, fell into temptation, did not identify with Him in His suffering, or stand with Him at the cross.
This week should teach us, remind us, that we are weak! That are best intentions don’t actually get the job done. That it takes more than good plans, a well meaning heart, promises, your strength, it takes God’s intervention.
But praise God, the story doesn’t end there. God sees our good intentions, how we fail Him, and does what only He can do.
What does Jesus do? Every time?
The people, his own people, says it this way
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
He came to his own and they rejected Him. He comes into Jereusalum, and they sing Hosanna, Hosanna, and in a matter of days…his own people again are crying out, but this time its, “Crucify Him! Cruicify Him!” But God..continues, Jesus goes anyway. loves anyway.
His disciples abandon Him, but on that cross, He still sets His heart towards those the Father had given Him. He is still faithful. They deny Him, but He still stand by them..to do what God called Him to do.
Well meaning Peter, denied Him, three times, but God intervenes! Peter failed Jesus, but Jesus would not fail Peter. As a matter of fact, when Jesus returns, He tells the women who found Him to speak specifically to HIm, to encourage His heart.
All of us, had failed, have failed. All of us deserved the punsihment that Jesus faced upon that cross. All of us left Him, denied Him, turned our back on HIm, but praise God, that wasn’t the end of the story! God intervenes!
The world lost in sin..God intervenes!
People reject Him, God intervenes!
Peter denies Him, God intervenes!
Trembling and Hiding, God intervenes!
Should have been praying and trusting, and God intervenes!
Should have went to hell, but God intervenes!
Should’ve been us, but God intervenes!
I will tell you the truth, the reason I follow Jesus is simple. I got saved in 2011, I was 20..and everything, everything, that I had ever tried to do without God, I had failed at. There were times I thought I had figured something out, had confidence, courage, hope, a foundation to lean upon..but the harder it God, the more I realized I was not that strong. Man I tried to work on my anger, to do the right things, to love people, to find sucess, relationships..but I failed at every turn. I was mad..at myself. I thought if I tried hard enough, if I did the right things for the right reasons, that would be enough..but it wasn’t untill that Sunday morning I walked ot the altar at Overcoming belivers Church that I saw. My good intentions were never enough, never had been, and never could be. I needed God’s intervention..I needed God’s grace…I needed Jesus.
Holy Week has reminded me that its good intentions that get us through, that we will fail God, we will mess up, we won’t pray when we should, we won’t follow Him, we won’t do what we need to, we won’t love, we won’t be bold, or have courage, we won’t be faithful to Him all the time..but praise God! It doesn’t stop there! God has intervened! Died in our place, Offering us hope, and now I follow Jesus. Thats why I tell people, “if there is anything good you see in me, or what I’ve done, Its Jesus.” Because I have tried enough to know, and failed enough to know..good intentions don’t get it done.
Trust HIm this week. Pray! Take up your cross. Don’t huddle in fear, but truts in His intervention. The story isn’t over..He doesn’t stay there in that tomb..so don’t you stay there in that fear and worry, shame, doubt, sin, selfishness..come out!
