Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: Eph. 6:10-13    March 24, 2024

Message: “Taking a Stand!” by Pastor George Gnade

Intro.: 1. Today is Palm Sunday. On this day, we remember the story of how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.

a. This happened one week before Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. A lot happened in between including Jesus’ death on the cross. 

b. That is why Christians often refer to this week as “Holy Week.”  

2. We refer to it as holy week because what happened on Palm Sunday set the stage for everything that followed.

a. In John 2: 1-11, at the wedding in Cana of Gallilee, Jesus’ mother Mary wanted Him to perform a miracle and tell everyone He was the Christ. Jesus told her His time had not yet come. He agreed to do the miracle, but He did not explain who He was.

b. But in John 12:21, when some Greeks came to see Jesus, this time Jesus said His time had finally come. This happened shortly after He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

3. To understand what He meant, please read Matt. 16: 13-20 how one day Jesus asked His disciples: “Whom do people say that I am?” They said they think you are a great prophet. Then Jesus asked them: “Whom do you say that I am?” Peter replied: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

a. Jesus said only the Holy Spirit could open their eyes to know this but not to tell others yet. Then Jesus told them the rest of the story, that someday soon the Jewish leaders along with the Romans would kill Him.

b. Knowing who Jesus was, in Matt. 16:21-23, Peter boldly confronted Jesus and said: “Lord, that could never happen to you!” Jesus replied: “Get behind me Satan. You do not understand the ways of God.”

c. When Jesus said His time had come, He was referring to His death on the cross, and all the events that would lead up to His crucifixion. The Bible says He set His face like a flint – meaning He would not turn to the right or the left till God’s will for His life was accomplished.

4. That is what Palm Sunday and holy week are all about. Three specific times, starting with Palm Sunday, Jesus took a stand, acknowledging who He was, all leading up to His death for us.  Let me explain.

A. Let us begin with Palm Sunday.

1. The crowds were approaching Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in preparation for the Passover. Jesus chose this occasion to tell His disciples to bring Him a colt so He could ride into Jerusalem as the promised king of the Jews. As He did this, the crowds cheered for Him and called Him the son of David (Matt. 21: 1-11).

2. He had come to the temple in Jerusalem many times before, but this time He came as their king. He knew the crowds would cheer for Him, but He also knew the 

Pharisees would scold Him and plan how to kill Him.

a. In our passage this morning, Paul told all of us to “put on the whole armor of God” so that when hard times came into our lives, we would “be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6: 11). Then in vs.13, he repeats it.

b. He writes : “Therefore put on the whole armor of God so that when the evil day comes, you may be able to stand your ground, having done all to stand.”

c. Jesus knew His evil day was approaching. To stand, He had to openly confess to being their promised Messiah.

That is exactly what He did. 

3. In the temple, when the children continued to cheer for Him, the Pharisees commanded Jesus to stop them. Instead, Jesus told them that if the children stopped cheering for Him, then the very stones would cry out (Luke 19:40).  And so the events leading to the cross began. 

B. Secondly, consider Jesus trial before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish legal body that had the right to try Him for the crime they claimed He had committed.

1. All week long they had tried to trick Him, but didn’t succeed. Then Judas volunteered to betray Him, and we all know this happened in the Garden of Gethsemane. That is where Jesus was arrested and then taken to court.

a. Here they brought in all kinds of false witnesses to testify against Him, but nothing worked. 

b. Finally the high priest took the matter into his own hands. 

2. He confronted Jesus, putting Jesus under oath, and demanded that He tell the truth. Then came the question of the day. In Matt. 26: 63, he commanded Jesus:  “Tell us, are You the Christ, the Son of God?”

3. Once again, Jesus had the courage to tell the truth, to take a stand regardless of the consequences. He replied in vs. 64: “Yes, it is as you say… In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One on High and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

a. This was a reference to the prophecy given to Daniel in Dan. 7: 13-14. This left no doubt in anyone’s mind that Jesus certainly was claiming to be their Messiah.

b. As a result, because they didn’t believe Him, they condemned Him to death for blaspheming. 

4. That left only one more transaction. Only Rome could carry out this sentence. So this time Jesus had to appear before Pilot.  But when Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world, Pilate found Him to be innocent. But he condemned Him any way to please the Jews.

C. Finally, we find Jesus on the cross itself. Even there, He chose to take a stand. 

1. You see, He had the power to come down from the cross and punish all of them. In fact, Satan again tried to stop Jesus from dying for us. 

2. The crowds, under Satan’s influence, tempted Him saying:“If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross and save yourself.” When Jesus chose to die for us instead, they mocked Him saying: “He saved others, but Himself He cannot save.” (See Matt. 27: 41-43)

3. Notice Jesus was not influenced by others. In His evil day, He stood firm and did what God wanted Him to do.  So He died on that cross in our place. But it all began on Palm Sunday.

In Conclusion: 1. None of us know when we will be asked to take a stand for the Lord Jesus. Many in our world today have been asked that question; and many have died because of it, willing to give their lives for their Savior.

2.  Now the consequences are not always as serious as that, but taking a stand for Jesus can cost you friendships, your job, your family, or a thousand other things. Is Jesus worth it to you?  Always remember He took a stand and died on the cross for us because we were worth it to Him. 

3. As we celebrate Palm Sunday, may we all cheer for Him and proclaim Him to be our king. I can only pray that under more challenging situations, by God’s grace, we may have the courage not to change our minds.

4. The best way to prepare ourselves is to “put on the whole armor of God” so that in our “evil day,” we will overcome, “having done all to stand” (Eph. 6:13)