GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Palm Sunday

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-20; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 19:28-40

Introduction

Suffering is the physical and mental pain that a person or animal goes through. We are not fond of pain not even the slightest discomfort in life. Our whole being rejects, recoils, and rebels against it. Meanwhile, the great lessons of life are taught in the classroom of suffering. Hence the counsel, "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting..." (Eccl. 7:2). Isaiah prophesying about Christ said, "I gave My back to those who beat Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spitting." (Isaiah 50:6 HCSB). 

Purpose simply put, is the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. Is there a reason that someone would prefer the house of mourning to the house of feasting? Why would the Messiah give His back to those who beat, His cheeks to those who tore out His beard and wouldn't hide His face? Let's follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit to receive answers to these and more.

Palm Sundays open the final week of Christ's death and resurrection. We are spending time to reflect on the suffering of Christ Jesus, hence the theme, "Suffering for a Purpose". 

Jesus Faces His Suffering

The triumphal entry was at a time the Jews were going to commemorate their deliverance from Egyptian slavery. The death of firstborns in the land was for all persons in the land of Egypt except those who exchanged this death with the lamb's blood on their doorpost. The Passover lamb was killed to deliver the Israelites from slavery and bondage giving them a new beginning. Jesus quoted Isaiah 61 saying, "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." (Luke 4:18-19 HCSB). Jesus Christ's sufferings and death was like the Passover lamb that was exchanged for our death, and deliverance from being slaves to sin.

This is what the Messiah came to do for all humanity. He gloriously faces His suffering for a purpose.

The Suffering of the Messiah

Christ suffered for our sins "For the wage of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). The blood of a sinless man was the requirement. Jesus being fully man and fully God took our place of death. The apostle puts it, "He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross." (Philippians 2:8 HCSB) 

Christ suffered when He emptied Himself to assume the form of a slave (Phil. 2:7). Even though He was rich, for our sake He became poor, so that by His poverty we might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9 HCSB). Christ suffered extreme poverty that no one can fathom during the passion. He had no food, no water, was naked, and was in need as He hanged on the cross. He even said, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20 HCSB). He became homeless so that we might have a roof over our heads.

Again, Christ suffered the absolute rejection of the Father. Quoting from Psalm 22:1 He cried, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “ My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46 HCSB). Jesus had always relied on the Father's presence in His entire life on earth - praying always, empowered by Holy Spirit, speaking only what the Father tells Him, etc. But now on the cross, He felt the total absence of the Father. 

He was forsaken so that we would be brought into God's holy family, rejected that we might be accepted as children of God (John 1:12).

Like the donkey, you may have been tied for a long time, today, Christ calls on you to be untied for the Lord needs you (Luke 19:31). Whiles Jesus was on the donkey, it was covered with nice robes whiles others spread their robes on the road for it to walk on them (Luke 19:35-36). Your believe and acceptance of Jesus Christ into your life is the turning point to your sufferings. 

"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be." C. S. Lewis (1959). Someone has also said, "Pain is God's key to draw the attention of humanity to Himself."

Beloved in Christ, let me share with you a few purposes of our sufferings today.

1. Suffering calls on us to repent and put God first in our lives. "When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. ¹⁹ I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired hands.’" (Luke 15:17-19 HCSB)

2. Suffering disciplines the Christian to the righteousness and holiness of God. "For the Lord disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He receives...For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:6, 10-11 HCSB)

3. Suffering is a call on us to totally rely on God in this world. "For we don’t want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia: we were completely overwhelmed — beyond our strength — so that we even despaired of life. Indeed, we personally had a death sentence within ourselves, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:8-9 HCSB)

4. Suffering brings us to God's power of resurrection. "...to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" (Philippians 3:10 HCSB)

5. Suffering brings us to our Heavenly reward. "For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory." ... "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17 HCSB)

Conclusion

Christ triumphantly entered Jerusalem knowing the suffering set before Him. And so, "Make your attitude that of Christ Jesus ... who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne." (Philippians 2:5; Hebrews 12:2 HCSB)

Precious one, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves, "See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is very compassionate and merciful." (James 5:11 HCSB)

Shalom aleichem...