Sermon in a nutshell: Matthew 28:8-15
Today is Palm Sunday. On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem as the King of kings. Jesus told the disciples to go to the next village and to bring a colt. The disciples went to the town and found a colt. They said to the owner, “The Lord needs it.” The owner gave the colt willingly to the disciples. Then people threw blankets on it and Jesus sat on it and rode it into town. Many spread their cloaks before him and others spread branches of palm they had cut from the fields. Many shouted saying, “Hosanna! (Save us!) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” In shouting Hosanna, they were saying, “Jesus, You are a Rock in a weary land and a shelter in the times of storm.”
MUSIC: “A Rock in a Weary Land.”
Yes, Jesus is the Messiah, Holy Son of God, the life, the truth, the way. However, did they know the meaning of those statements? Did they actually know what kind of salvation Jesus would bring to us? No! Their thoughts were different than God’s. Do you remember the temptations that Jesus had in the wilderness? At that time, Satan tested Jesus with three temptations: Material, Religious, and Political. Satan asked Jesus to turn a stone into bread. Jesus replied: We should live not only with bread but also with the Word of God. Satan lured Jesus to jump from a cliff, saying angels would receive Him because Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus replied, “Do not test God Almighty.” Then finally, Satan offered Jesus the world if He would bow down to him. However, Jesus said he would worship and bow down only before God. People, also, were shouting, “You can become a king of this world, be a savior for us!” But Jesus had already answered the crowd, saying that he was not the Messiah that they awaited. Jesus would die on the Cross to save us and God would raise Him up from the dead. That would be the way in which Jesus would become the Rock on which we all stand!
MISIC: “Christ is the Rock”
They all shouted that Christ is the Rock on which they would stand. The irony is this: When God actually raised Jesus from the dead, all the crowd did not believe Him. Even the leaders of the crowd tried to hide the fact that Jesus was risen! Today’s Bible passage shows their desperate effort to cover up the resurrection of Jesus. They all received the report from the guards and they knew exactly what had happened. Jesus was risen! Jesus proclaimed already that He is the King of kings by his resurrection, which is louder than any voice! However, the crowd gave bribes to the Roman soldiers and spread the rumor that the disciples stole the body of Jesus from the tomb!
The leaders tried to change the wind. They tried to make people forget the fact that Jesus fed the five thousands with five loaves and two fish. They tried to ignore the fact that Jesus brought Lazarus back to life. They tried to erase the teachings of Jesus. They spread mockeries and rumors. The winds of change were blowing.
MUSIC: Winds of Change.
They changed praise into mockery! They covered the truth and spread lies. The truth was silenced. The guards kept quiet. However, Jesus said, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” If the people don’t shout, the rocks will cry out. If we do not spread the Good News, God will use Rocks!
MUSIC: Ain’t No Rock Gonna Shout for Me
Brothers and Sisters!
The Way of the Cross moves us to shout. We cannot keep silent. We want to give thanks to God. We want to exalt God because God is good and His love endures forever! We cannot hide the Way of the Cross in a secret room! We want to share it with others. Let us go out and invite our friends and family members to the Way of the Cross and to the Easter Table. They will come and find the meaning of the life and get the strength they need in their lives!
- Why do people try to make the Good News a secret?
- With whom are you going to share this Good News that here is abundant Life?
- Whom are you going to bring to church on Easter Sunday?
VIP Ministry Network 
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