Jesus’ Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)

Jesus’ Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem

And when he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Beth′phage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village opposite, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat; untie it and bring it here. 31 If any one asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this, ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their garments on the colt they set Jesus upon it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their garments on the road. 37 As he was now drawing near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the 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 multitude said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:28-40)

Thank the Saviour Jesus

Thank the Saviour Jesus for what he’s done,
For victory over sin and death he’s won.
Thank the Saviour Jesus for his grace,
For by him God’s mercy shines on your face.

Thank the Saviour Jesus for giving you healing,
And surrender to him each and every feeling.
Thank the Messiah for reconciling you to God the Father,
And give him the glory and no other.

Thank the Saviour Jesus for your life in abundance,
For he has saved you from spiritual redundance,
Thank the Redeemer for preparing your place in heaven,
For he intercedes for you all year, twenty four seven.

Thank the Saviour Jesus for your family and each friend,
Remember to him belongs the beginning and the end.
Thank the Prince of Peace for giving you tranquility,
Remember to him belongs everlasting stability.

Thank the Saviour Jesus for his wisdom and strength,
And to please him have faith till life’s journey and length.
Thank the Saviour Jesus for each blessing,
And your praises to him keep freely expressing.

Seek good, and not evil

 

Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. (Amos 5:14)

Open the eyes of my heart lord (Video)

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ( John 3:3)

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:16-21)

Loving God – Bible Promises Spoken (Video)

Note: Credit for the YouTube video goes to www.hearingGod.tv ministries.

Adjust your focus towards God

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:2)

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5)

Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:2-5)

 

A reflection on the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem

The prophecy about Jesus coming to Jerusalem on a donkey:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

The  above prophecy about Jesus fulfilled:

¹ Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” ⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,⁵ “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” ⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. ⁸ Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” ¹⁰ And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹ And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:1-11)

Reflection:

When Jesus entered into Jerusalem, he didn’t come as a rich man. He came upon a donkey as prophesied for he was the descendant of King David. Even the way his disciples got the donkey is a miracle in itself. At this point even though the religious elders hated him, the people still gave him a grand welcome. They even said, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Hosanna is a word used to express adoration, praise, or joy (mostly in Jewish and Christian liturgies or worship). And truly Christ was worthy to receive this praise. Being the Son of God that he is, Jesus entered Jerusalem rather humbly in obedience to the will of God. Even today Christ is meek and humble of heart and his burden light.

Here are a few questions for your own reflection keeping in mind the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem:

• Do you still believe God to be faithful to his promises and his word? Yes, you will if you have read that Bible and understood that God’s been fulfilling them all through the ages and continues to do so.
• Are you enamored by mere physical appearances or do you look for the truth in the midst of it all? Indeed, you will when you decide to discern things in a way consistent with the principles of the Lord God.
• When celebrating Christ in your life, will you fear others and not praise him? Surely not when you care more for the desires of God than the desires of men.
• Will you only welcome him but forget and abandon him later in the days to come? Certainly never if you hold close the fact that salvation comes from Christ alone.
• Do you adore Christ just because of the crowd or because you know who he is? You’d worship him more personally when you read about him in the Scriptures and fall in love with him.

Related articles

• “Hosanna”…. “Crucify”…
• If you have faith and do not doubt
• God and Man

Always on always ready Christian

We must always choose to be always on always ready Christians. This can help you serve God better and more effectively. Most importantly you must be ready for the return of Christ Jesus always.

I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8)

Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:44)

And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. (1 John 2:28)

To this effect there are a few things you might like to consider having. This will ensure that you are always on always ready for our Lord Jesus Christ.

1) Training regularly

Keep training yourself in the ways of godliness. For this, consistent training in the teachings and principles of the Bible is essential. While going to a weekly Bible class is good it might not be possible for everyone to attend. Try to read good books that teach you the things of the Christian faith. Joining a Christian library can help you get hold of such books. Though checking for Christian teachings online is a fine option you must take due diligence that what you are learning is worth it. I mean be cautious against heresy and legalism and any teaching that relaxes your guard against the evil of sin.

However I must add that nothing outdoes plain old fashioned Bible reading. Yes just reading and meditating on the words of the Bible. Commentaries are secondary. Here your objective must be to become more like Jesus Christ every time you read it. This is not a book to read and forget but rather to read, believe and be transformed into the person whom God wants you to be.

2) Mental state of faith

Have a frame of mind in which you can pray and intercede anytime. It might that be you’ve enjoyed a great dinner at home and are soon going off to sleep. When all of a sudden you get a message on your phone asking for prayer for a person who is injured in a train crash. Then before you sleep you can pray for the injured person. A short prayer said in faith should be enough. It’s vain to say that you are going to wake up in the morning and only then pray but won’t before you sleep.

This is not limited to prayer but to
any needs for self review, deeds of mercy and charity. You must be mentally focused on the will of God at all times.

3) Discernment

You need to think very clearly about your actions and objectives for the Lord. Spend sufficient time to check on what and where you put on your efforts over to. Is it as per the deceitful things of the world or as per the will of God? Never be so drawn up in the entertainments, worries and passions of life that you are not able align yourself with the will of God. Because being too busy with work or play might make you distracted from God’s will if you are not going to make that choice to keep God first on a regular basis.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

4) Hard work and planning

You need to plan to follow God’s plan. Might seem odd but lots of people have their own ideas which contradict the Lord’s work in their life. For them its their way or the high way. They choose the easy way out such as steal instead of do a honest job to earn a decent living. May all who choose a life of sin for the sake of ease leave their evil ways lest they merit damnation in hell.

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. ( Proverbs 6:6-8)

Hard work must never be equated with legalism. Certain things that need you to work hard are either natural or from God’s grace. Yet some are legalistic so you must avoid legalistic hard work.

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. ( Hebrews 11:7)

Each Christian has been assigned good works which only he or she can do. Keep trying to discover what new good deed you can do for Jesus Christ. You might be a volunteer at church events for the elderly but might have not got a chance to be in foreign mission. There might be a foreign missionary who must have missed on singing in the choir as a child. So never feel bad about not getting the chances others get. You never know what they missed on. But in all this just pray to know where you are needed and then work for the Lord God over there.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

5) Be joyful in the Lord

Are you joyful in the Lord? If not then something is missing. The joy of the Lord is something that you need to cherish in your life. This joy comes through the Holy Spirit by Jesus Christ.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)

So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

The joy of the Lord unlike any earthly joy gives you strength in times of adversity. Its not that you will be laughing or smiling every time but you will be able to overcome all hardships and struggles for God. Even Jesus could overcome so much because of the joy that was set before him by God.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

Now that you know these five principles put them to memory and put them to practice. Christ be with you!