The Prophet Zechariah spoke of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday…right down to the details of what He’d be riding. And when the crowds saw Jesus, they laid their clothes on the road before Him and waved palm branches, shouting “Hosanna!” The Prophet Isaiah echoed this prophetic word in Isaiah 62:11, “The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: ‘Say to the Daughter of Zion, See, your Savior comes!’ ” The Word ties this all together as we look at the Hebrew word for salvation which is Yasa. The name Jesus is derived from this root word. The word “Hosanna” that the crowds were shouting is also directly traceable to the word Yasa. That Palm Sunday, Jesus may have entered Jerusalem seemingly as a meek and mild man…but who really rode in was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords…our Messiah and the Savior of our soul.
Tag: daily inspirational blog
Psalm 122:1 ” I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’ “
There is much to be said about gathering together as a Body of Believers to worship our Heavenly Father. Whether it be in a huge sanctuary, or a quaint clapboard place of worship, or the darkened confines of an underground Church …it’s a chance for all come together. But that’s not the only “house” that God lives in…for the Lord’s spirit lives within us. (I Corinthians 3:16) And Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them.” So if you think about it, we don’t need a “Church building” to have the Lord among us. We simply need to come together in His name. For when we do, God will act, according to His character and purpose, on our behalf.
I Corinthians 1:27 ” But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
God could easily use the powerful and super-intelligent to move His Kingdom forward…but He doesn’t. He could utilize those who are idolized and obsessed over…but He chooses not to. God would rather select those who the world would view as ridiculous to direct the course of redemptive history. Verses 28-29 go on to say, “He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.” God uses everyday, common, ordinary people to do extraordinary work for Him on a regular basis. He takes the nonsensical and creates the incredible. All He needs is a willing heart and spirit.
Acts 10:47 ” Then Peter said, ‘Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’ “
Peter and the other Believers with him couldn’t dispute what they witnessed in the house of Cornelius. The Holy Spirit was super-naturally poured out on the Gentiles while Peter was still mid-sentence, telling them about Jesus. Now Peter could have questioned this…”But Lord, these people are very different from us! We don’t have anything in common with them. They’re a different race and culture from us! Are You sure You know what You’re doing?” Sometimes, as fellow-Believers, we can find ourselves asking the same questions of those we find different from us. Yes, we may not share a lot…but we do have a common denominator…faith in Jesus Christ. Together we are one Body…one Church…united in our trust of our Savior…joined together eternally by our faith.
Jeremiah 14:10 ” This is what the Lord says about this people: ‘They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; He will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.’ “
The Prophet Jeremiah’s message was primarily one of judgement upon Judah for their shameful and persistent sins. They seemingly lacked the desire or even control to stop straying from God’s law. The world today still wanders from God…aimlessly roaming, running after whatever has their attention…following a harmful path that can only lead to death and destruction.
Psalm 119:154 “Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to Your promise.”
If the Lord Almighty is defending my cause…why do I always feel compelled to justify or explain myself? If God is contending for me in a dispute…why do I need to somehow prove myself right also? St. Augustine was correct when he prayed, “O Lord, deliver me from this lust of always vindicating myself.” We have this fleshly desire to be right…to explain ourselves away until everyone finally agrees with us…but if you look at Jesus teaching among the crowds, He never explained anything or made excuses for Himself. He left the misunderstandings and misconceptions of others to correct themselves.
I Corinthians 1:25 “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”
II Corinthians 13:4 tells us that Christ was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God’s power. Man looks at the cross and see humiliation, shame, and scorn. They see Jesus powerless as He hangs there dying, seemingly unable to change His situation. But the world can’t comprehend that it was Jesus’ decision to be there. Just as the world can’t comprehend how three days later He rose from the dead. What the world sees as stupid…Believers see as salvation.
Isaiah 51:7 ” Hear Me, you who know what is right, you people who have My laws in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults.”
The world doesn’t understand the trust Christians have in Jesus Christ…to them it is utter craziness. They view Christians as weak-willed people using religion as a crutch. So why wouldn’t the world mock us? It’s at that point though we have to make a decision of whether to allow the insults to discourage us or not. Elsewhere in Isaiah it says, “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.” (Isaiah 50:7). Any and all fear can be faced with trust in the Lord.
Galatians 2:13 ” The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.”
No matter how spiritually strong we are, anyone of us can stray from the will of God. Here Simon Peter, nicknamed the Rock, of which Jesus had said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church,” caved under man’s pressure. Peter had been fellowshipping with Christian Gentiles until a group of Jews showed up and started pressuring him to stop. He was afraid that his reputation and standing might be questioned…fearful of what they might think of him…so he separated himself from the Gentiles…taking everyone with him, including Barnabas. Isaiah 51:12-13 asks this question, “Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, that you forget the Lord your Maker?” It’s a dangerous slippery slope when we start fearing man rather than God…afraid of what people may think of us rather than doing God’s will. Peer pressure can be tremendous, for we all want to fit in and be liked…but when it causes us to deviate from God’s plan…it effects everyone around us.
Numbers 24:12-13 ” Balaam answered Balak, ‘Did I not tell the messangers you sent me, even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord – and I must say only what the Lord says?’ “
The king of the Moabites, Balak, had attempted to hire Balaam, (a soothsayer who used divination and sorcery for personal gain), to pronounce a curse on the tribes of Israel. But every time Balaam tried, out came a blessing instead. Try as he might, Balaam was forced to conform to God’s will and he realized that nothing he did would change that…no matter how much King Balak offered him. We may think evil is running amuck on the earth…unimpeded by anything. But God is still in control, ruling and reigning over every situation, every detail, every person.
Safetypinlove 