The Triumphal Entry Revival

On February 8th of 2023 a revival broke out at Asbury University and lasted for 16 days. It started with a simple chapel service where a message was given that led students to seek God. This revival led to thousands and thousands of people descending on the small town to experience the revival. The news of it spread across the globe. Evangelical leaders attempted to come and take the stage, but the students refused, they didn’t want any figure head or big name leader, just the Holy Spirit in control.

It was unexpected, and overpowering, and wonderful, and it reminds me of a bit of the event we’ll be discussing today. A genuine move of God among an unsuspecting populace. And it reminds me of the event we're going to discuss today. 

People from all over the Roman empire were gathering at Jerusalem in preparation for the Passover festival, the most important festival of the year. It’s estimated that possibly over one million people were gathered in Jerusalem at this moment.

At the same time, the news about the raising of Lazarus from the dead, was sweeping through the city like wildfire.

Jesus was at last headed to Jerusalem, the nation’s capital, to complete the mission he had begun the day he was born.

Huge crowds were assembling near the entrance to the city, and the crowds began to gather palm branches, to celebrate the coming of their great king to the city.

Last week, we focused in on the amazing event in which Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave. We saw it from a perspective of personal resurrection in our lives, seeking God, and His help, to see our energy, our faith, and our excitement revived personally.

Now, as we examine the triumphal entry of Jesus, we’re going to consider what it looks like for God to revive us together, as a family of believers.

We’ll be in John 12:12-19.

John 12:12 says this: “The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.”

As we discussed, a great gathering was taking place in Jerusalem at this moment, the Passover festival. The celebration reenacted certain portions of their exodus from Egypt, like the offering of a Passover lamb, the eating of bitter herbs, and unleavened bread. Jews had gathered from across the nation and throughout the Roman empire to the city.

So the news was spreading fast, as the people gathered for the festival, about Jesus. I’m sure news was swirling around everywhere, of how he’d fed the five thousand, healed lepers and the blind, how he’d taught crowds of thousands, and how most recently, he’d raised a man from the dead.

Next, verse 13: “They took palm branches and went out to meet him…”

Can you imagine the crowds of thousands, waving palm branches as Jesus and his disciples approached the city?

And together the people shouted out to Jesus: “Hosanna!”

What does that word mean? It comes from the Hebrew word Hoshi’a na (ho-san-nah') and it means… “"save, I pray," "save now," or "please deliver us". But it also simply means, we worship you.

Many in the crowd I’m sure must’ve thought Jesus was there to overthrow the Romans, and re-establish the nation, but that was not Jesus’ purpose in coming.

I’m sure many in the crowd as they chanted “Hosanna!” Save us! Were in their hearts thinking, "save us from the Romans." But Jesus had come to save them from their own sins. He came to save them from themselves.

It’s often the last thing we want to look at that God comes to deal with. They thought their problem was the Romans. They thought their problem was oppression and high taxes.

Today we often think our problem is the economy, or the sinfulness of the world, or the things people do to us, or how our family is acting or our household problems, or politicians, or health problems, but, Jesus pushes past all that, and says look into your own heart, and find the problem there, that I wish to solve.

The crowd also chanted, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

By the miracle that Jesus did, the people finally understood who he was.

Yet soon after coming into the city, Jesus would mourn over the city, in Matthew 23:37-39, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

So the people at the time of his triumphal entry cried out "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord", but this was not generally representative of the majority of the city, but it came from a holy remnant that had embraced Jesus as the messiah. But, in general, the governmental and religious leaders had rejected Jesus, and in fact would crucify him, so the city would, as Jesus prophesied, be left desolate. 

The city was destroyed, and the Jews scattered in 70 AD, after an unsuccessful revolt against the Roman empire. So Jesus here points to a time far in the future, at his second coming, when again the people would cry out, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. And at his second coming, Jerusalem will not be destroyed, but will become the hub of the Earth, during the millennial reign.

Until that time, we wait for Jesus patiently. We long for his second coming to this Earth. And in the meantime, we long for God to do a new thing among the body of Christ, the church. We long for revival. We long for God to revive our church, right here, and do a new thing among us.

The crowds also cried out to Jesus, “Blessed is the king of Israel!”

Jesus is the Hosanna, the one who saves us. Jesus is the Son of God, the representative of the Father on Earth. And Jesus is also the King of the human race.

He is the king of Israel, but not just that, he’s the King of the United States. He’s the king of Brazil. He’s the king of Kenya. He’s the king of Italy. He’s the king of Pakistan. He’s the king of India. He’s the king of China. He’s the king of Japan. He’s the king of the whole Earth, every tribe, every nation, he is the king.

But scope it down for a minute. He is the king of Our world. But he’s also the king of this congregation. 

And what does a king, a leader desire among the people who follow Him? He wants them to be united in Spirit, in lockstep with one another.

God desires unity among us. He desires us to stand as one. To pray, and to seek Him together, as one church, as the bride, waiting for the groom’s arrival. The crowds united here, as one and cried out to Jesus, proclaiming who he was. And there’s power in that equation.

We can accomplish great things if we’ll stand together, even in our little congregation. Are our best days behind us? No, our best days are in front of us, if we’ll unite together in the Spirit.

So the crowds made three declarations:

1. Hosanna, Jesus is our savior for our sins

2. He comes in the name of the Lord, he’s the Son of God

3. And He is the King, Jesus is the rightful ruler of the Earth.

Those three things unite us as Christians. We believe those things, and they link us together in shared belief. And in shared beliefs, comes a power and purpose and energy that sparks amazing shifts and changes in the world around us.

As we look to Jesus as savior, Lord, and King, all three, we experience unity as the body.

Verses 14-15: 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: 15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

This moment fulfilled yet another prophecy about the coming messiah, from Zechariah 9:9, that the messiah would ride into the Jerusalem on a donkey.

Many felt that Jesus would fight the Romans, and indeed if Jesus were coming as a warrior, he would like other warriors of the time, be riding a horse. The Roman army often utilized horses, and conquering Roman generals and Caesars would ride horses. But Jesus in sharp contrast, rode a donkey, symbolizing to everyone at the time, that he was a humble king, a servant king, a king whose purpose was to save through suffering and death.

Similarly, God desires from us, as a faith community, to not only be united, but also, to be radically humble. Jesus set the example for us in this. And the quickest way for a faith community to splinter and divide is when pride gets in the way, when we want our way, and we press for our agenda, but, when we’re humble, we’ll all be in alignment not with our own agenda, but with the agenda of the Holy Spirit within us.

Pride sidelines us in the spiritual battleground of this city. We get stuck on internal strife and problems. But humility will keep us united, so we can be focused on the city out there, and how to reach them for Jesus.

But I like how it says in verse 15: "Do not be afraid." The picture in my mind of Jesus riding on a donkey into the city of God, to save us from ourselves, is powerful. Jesus comes for us, to help us. He calls out to those who long for his coming and says “Do not be afraid! I’m here to help you."

The prime ministers and presidents of this world, they wouldn’t often come to save us, but our king, Jesus is riding toward his death, he is riding toward the cross he knows is coming, yet he rides in anyway, “Do not be afraid.” Jesus loves you. He’s riding toward you. To help you.

So we must also not be afraid, as a community. So much is happening in our world, strange illnesses, economic turmoil, wars and rumors of wars, our own city is rapidly changing, and we often look at the commands of God in scripture and we get a little afraid, overwhelmed, but Jesus quickly reminds us, do not be afraid, I’m here to rescue you. He is with us and he won’t leave us.

Next, verse 16 “At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.”

What’s fascinating is at the moment, the twelve disciples, as they walked behind Jesus on the donkey, didn’t fully understand what was happening. They must’ve thought well this is pretty cool, the crowds are cheering, but they didn’t understand that this event proved Jesus was the messiah.

They were caught up in the moment, caught up in the excitement as the crowds chanted hosanna. And it’s often the same for us as a faith community. We don’t fully understand in the moment what God is doing among us. But, when we look back, we’re able to see how he placed the puzzle pieces together one by one.

Remember that as we grow and develop as a faith community here. You may not fully understand what God is doing in the moment, but, you may understand more in the future.

It says in the scriptures, once Jesus was glorified, meaning once he died, rose, and ascended, sending the Holy Spirit to fill all believers, then they understood. Often, we do something by the leading of the Holy Spirit, not fully understanding it until later. Jesus helps us understand. But understanding is not a pre-requisite for obedience, I’ve learned time and time again in my walk with God, Jesus is not obligated to explain it to me, he wants me to trust Him.

So we too as a faith community are called to trust Jesus, even when we don’t understand what is happening. Can you truly trust Him through the ups and downs we experience here?

Next, verse 17: “Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.”

Notice it was the people who were literally at the event and saw it happen, who spread the news everywhere. When we see something that amazes us first hand, we can’t help but tell others. That is our testimony.

I had a gentlemen come on my personal YouTube channel to comment on one of my testimonies saying that I needed to provide verifiable evidence for my testimony, otherwise it was worthless as a form of evidence. Which is of course simply not true. In a court of law, eye witness testimony is considered a valuable form of evidence.

It’s the same with our testimonies of what Jesus did in our lives. Those testimonies are powerful. We saw ourselves go from one way to an entirely different way within. 

Now, if someone is seeking scientific or historical evidence, there is plenty of that too, but a testimony is also valuable evidence, that God is really real and active in the world today.

So, as a faith community, this is hugely important, we must be actively sharing our testimonies of what Jesus did for us. If we do, this church will grow, if we don’t, it will dwindle. Spread the word.

Next, verse 18 “Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him.”

The people gathering in Jerusalem heard the testimonies about the raising of Lazarus, and they were so persuaded, they went out to meet Jesus.

Similarly, when we as a faith community share our testimonies, share the gospel, people in our community are drawn in, and they want to learn more about this Jesus is who changed our lives.

And as a result, the body of Christ grows. And more people begin their journeys toward heaven. Hallelujah, Hosanna to the Son of David!

Lastly, verse 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

The religious leaders kept trying to question Jesus, accuse Jesus, provoke him, anything to get the people to stop following him. And they had failed.

Similarly, the enemy fights our little church. He tries to disrupt us, bring division, cause problems, but in the end he will fail if we stand together. The enemy has been trying very hard, there has been so much spiritual warfare around our church in the last year. But the enemy is failing.

And I believe many in our city are going to turn to Jesus in the coming years. Not because of us, but because of Jesus among us.

In conclusion today, you might say that the triumphal entry was a bit like a revival that took place in Jerusalem long ago, as Jesus entered the city, and the people cried out, "Hosanna!"

If Jesus came here, to our little church in Traverse City, and poured out revival fire upon us, what would we do?

I hope we would cry out, "Hosanna! Praise to the King of Kings!"

Would we allow the revival to flow freely? Or would we shut it down? Remember the Asbury revival, how God’s presence filled the sanctuary. And people stayed there worshiping around the clock. I had a friend who went to school there, and she heard that something was happening in the chapel on campus, which shocked her because chapel had always been considered "boring" by most students. So her and her friends went and walked into the sanctuary. The presence of God was so strong she fell to her knees and began to weep. But after 16 days, they shut down the 24/7 service, and it just.. stopped.

If we as a faith body do truly long for revival, long for awakening, long for resurrection as a group, not just as individuals, we have to make a simple choice today.

We can grow together in unity, or we can fade away separately. We’ve got to allow the Holy Spirit to bind us together, in the unity of Jesus Christ, the kind of unity that came when Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey. And the crowds cried out, "Hosanna, to the Son of David, Hosanna to the King of Israel. Hosanna, to the Lord who saves us!"

Come Lord Jesus, and revive us again!

The Resurrection of Lazarus

The greatest mystery of the life of Jesus is his resurrection from the dead. It’s the moment that changed everything. It’s the moment that meant Jesus was more than just a heroic figure who died tragically. It meant that he was more than just a great teacher or philosopher who was misunderstood and castigated. It meant something unthinkable and unimaginable had taken place. It is the key truth of the life of Jesus. Yet it is also the moment that many find the hardest to believe. So we are going to go on a journey, as we approach Resurrection Sunday, looking at the moments leading up to and the moments directly after this key moment that changed history forever.

What is resurrection? What does it mean? Did it really happen? What is the historical evidence? What did it mean theologically? What does it mean for us today? We are going to explore these questions and more, as we study the resurrection.

For our first message in this series, we come to a moment near the end of Jesus’ three year ministry, just before Jesus enters the capital city of Israel. Jesus is with his disciples and he receives a message from the town of Bethany, that a close friend of his in sick. This is the brother of Martha and Mary, Lazarus.

He tells his disciples that there is a purpose behind what is about to happen next. Jesus in fact told his disciples, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

So there is a purpose at work in everything that is happening. But what happens next is, Jesus stays where he is two more days. After those two days passed, Jesus told his disciples, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

So Jesus actually waits until Lazarus has died, and then tells his disciples, the purpose here is simple: It’s so that you will believe. Really believe. And that belief will then change their lives.

Sometimes when something bad happens to us, it’s just because bad things happen in a fallen world. But, sometimes, something bad happens to us, because it’s going to show God’s glory through how we respond to it. And that is a beautiful and faithful offering before God.

Jesus and the disciples arrive, and they find that Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days. Martha and Mary greet Jesus, and they are both deeply grieved by the loss of their brother. Martha greets Jesus first, then Mary comes to him, they are both regretting the fact that Jesus arrived too late to save Lazarus, but Jesus assures them, Lazarus will rise again.

Yet it also famously said, "Jesus wept." He was deeply moved, grieved by this death. The two women then took Jesus and the disciples to the tomb.

And so we come to our scripture for today.

As we study these passages, I want you to see yourself, and our world in these events. Because I think we will see, these events are a picture for us today of how Jesus will deal with the problem of death in our lives.

In John 11:38 it says, “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.”

Jesus is deeply moved. What causes you to feel deeply moved in life? We were talking about this in young adults group the other night. What moves us is what we’re passionate about. And that passion builds as we grow in it, and we develop something called momentum in that direction, and pretty soon, we are on fire. 

What created momentum in Jesus was his connection with His Father, and the situation that he saw.

It’s the same with us, we are moved by our connection with God, and moved also by the plight of suffering humanity around us, to take action, and similarly Jesus takes action.

The problem is simple in this scenario: Physical death. The tomb is the problem.

And we all face a similar problem. What do we do about physical death? It will come for all of us. For those of us here today, we’ve come to a simple conclusion: Jesus is the answer to the problem of physical death.

Is that the key truth in your life? Jesus Christ? Are you on fire? Has the momentum of your walk with God, built and built, into a raging fire of excitement in your soul? Or have you grown a bit lukewarm? My prayer is that this series will help rekindle the fire in your soul, for the mission of Jesus Christ.

Next, verse 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

The first thing Jesus does is take away the barrier. That is essentially what Jesus whole life did, it took away the barrier that blocked us from God. When Jesus was crucified, the curtain in the temple was torn in half, opening the way to God for us.

What is the barrier in your life? What keeps you away from a whole-hearted devotion to Jesus? I think I know the culprit in my life. The smart phone, and all the fun things on it. Could it be your TV? Distractions, distractions, distractions. Clear away the barrier.

Our world is like a dark valley, and in that valley are people wandering around, completely blind, there are hundreds of them, thousands, wandering in that dark valley.

And you walk into that valley, with a light glowing in your heart. Because you’ve been raised from the dead. But they haven’t.

Some when they see your light, are drawn to it.

Others flee away from it, they love the darkness.

Still others are afraid of it, because they’ve been hurt.

Others become angry, because they’ve been deceived.

Yet if you speak with wisdom, you can bring them closer to the light, even help them to gain the light within them.

Let me ask you a simple question: What is the barrier in your life, that stops you from going to them? Because if we aren’t going to them, in some form, we are also deceived, we’re missing true reality, and there is a stone that must be rolled away, to clear the way for Jesus to open our eyes, to those lost in the valley of darkness.

Second portion of verse 39: “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

There was a bad smell that would come from the tomb. It reminds me of the stain of sin in our lives. The stain of death, from the fall, that we all carry. It’s the reason for the separation between man and God in the world, sin. The choices we made, the choices our ancestors made, that kept us far from God.

Thankfully, the smell of sin that covered me and you, didn’t stop Jesus from cleansing us, and washing us, and raising us up, to make us clean. All we had to do was come to Him willingly.

In verse 40, Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

Earlier in the chapter, when Jesus was speaking to Martha, he had told her that Lazarus would rise again. She figured he meant on the last day he would rise, but Jesus meant today!

Then Jesus said to her in verses 25-27 “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Jesus is reminding her, you believe in me, keep believing in me. It’s a good reminder for us today.

We’ve all made professions of faith, when I baptized several people here at this church, they confessed they believed in Jesus, but, the challenge is always, what about tomorrow? Will I continue to believe? That is my goal, I hope you make it yours as well.

Notice Jesus says, whoever believes in me will live, but, whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

Believing something, and living daily by that belief are two different things.

If you believe, you will see the glory of God. It’s true for them, it’s true for us today.

Verse 41: “So they took away the stone.”

Can you imagine the smell that rolled through the area at that moment? There were many people there, you’ll see that noted earlier in the chapter, because Bethany is only two miles from Jerusalem. The power of our senses is intense, when they smelled the dead body, can you imagine what they must’ve thought? How could this be possible? At the same time many had seen Jesus’ miracles, they knew he had power from heaven, so I'm sure many believed, anything is possible with Jesus!

Do you believe today?

What stone needs to be rolled away in your life?

Sometimes we need to roll the stone away. That’s our part. Then, let Jesus do the miracle in our lives.

What stone is blocking you from going deeper with God?

Are you just maintaining in your walk with God? For a few years I was there, just kind of mildly reading the Bible and praying a little.

But at some point, we want to go from maintaining to actively growing, and I’ll tell you what, that’s a lot more exciting too.

Here’s the difference. Are you spectating? Or are you serving?

A spectating Christian is someone who prays, reads their bible, and goes to church sometimes, but that’s about it. This person is not building on the foundation of Christ, they are not truly active in their faith walk. They go through the motions, but their heart isn't really in it. There may be knowledge being accumulated, but there is no action accompanying it. 

Then there is the serving Christian, they pray, read their bible, and go to church, but, they’re also serving, they are out there witnessing to friends and neighbors about Jesus, they are helping people out around them, meeting needs, volunteering, doing ministry, and it’s beautiful to behold. Their heart belongs to Jesus, and they are excited to serve Him. 

The spectator is always learning, but never applying. They take in all this knowledge, but it never makes it into their actual daily lives.

But a servant, is always learning and also applying. They take the knowledge and translate it into their actual daily practices.

Which sounds more like you? If necessary, you can always make a change and go from spectator, to servant. And I don’t care if you’re 90 years old, you can still serve, we have a woman at our church who is 89 years old, and she comes and cleans the bathrooms every Tuesday!

Next, verses 41b-42: Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

The whole purpose here is that all the people there would believe. And it’s written in the Bible for the purpose that we would believe too. Studying these passages produces an effect similar to the effect of those who saw it happen. Sure, it takes greater faith for us, we weren’t actually there, but we’re gentiles, that’s what we do. We dare to believe.

When we choose to believe, or we see it in some new way, it energizes us, it inspires us, it spurs us forward.

At the same time, we all know doubt it real. Doubt is a real challenge we face. Particularly when we’ve faced disappointments in life. But, faith is also real. Dare to believe today. To really trust God and His word.

So we come to the big moment. Jesus prays first, then, he looks directly at the problem of sin and death and issues a command.

Verse 43 says: When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

The Son of God had the authority to issue this command by the power of the God who created the universe from nothing. And nothing is too hard for God. How could a dead man be raised to life? By the command of a supernatural God. Was it magic? No. It was by the power and authority of the Creator.

This is the truth for us as well. We believe that after we die, and we will all one day die, that Jesus will raise us from the dead.

We will rise.

Let’s see what happened next, verse 44: “The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.”

The command of Jesus was given, and Lazarus’ body was restored, and he got up, and walked out of the tomb, alive. A dead man, alive again. And so Jesus does the same for us. He does the impossible. And it isn’t even hard for him.

There are four ways Jesus raises us from the dead. The first is spiritual death, he awakens us, and gives us a new spiritual nature.

Second, he restores us when we’re broken, he heals us.

Third, when we are caught in sin, he delivers us. And sets us free.

Fourthly, he raises us from the dead literally, from physical death. 

So is his promise to us. And I believe Jesus. I take him at his word.

Lastly, verse 44b Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Ultimately, Jesus will not only raise our old bodies, though that is what happened for Lazarus. But, when we are raised after death, into the new world Jesus is creating for us, we will receive new bodies, new bodies that do not age.

Jesus told the sisters to remove the grave clothes from Lazarus. Similarly, Jesus will remove the old sin nature from us, and give us a new nature in heaven. Glorification we call it.

I love that last line, let him go! Set him free. Ultimately, Jesus sets us free, delivers us from sin, gives us a new life when he died for us on the cross. But even more so, the ultimate end goal, is eternal life…

A new body.

A redeemed nature.

A new heavens

A new Earth.

Eternal life, in a paradise with God, and all redeemed humanity. All those who accepted Jesus, and let Jesus cleanse them.

Let’s go back to the beginning, the big question is, do you believe? Do you really believe Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead two thousand years ago? And do you really believe Jesus will raise you from the dead?

If you struggle with doubt, pray, and ask for God’s help. If struggle with distractions, again, ask for God’s help, he will deliver you. Remember the goal through this series will be to help rekindle a fire within each of us, around faith in the resurrection, that will spur us toward the lost in this city. Let us pray, and ask God now to build in us, a fresh fire in our souls.

Prayer: Lord, we come before you today in need. We need you Lord, to revive us again, stir up the fire in our souls, pour out fresh fire upon us, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask you Lord, to do a mighty work in us, and get us ready to go to the lost, and share your light with them, in Jesus name, amen. 

Preparing Ourselves for the Return of Jesus

In 2016 a man named Randy Wagner, in Rosharon Texas knew flood waters were coming. A news article stated: “Wagner was determined to find a way to save his home, after Brazos River Authority warned residents of the approaching floods that hadn’t been seen in decades.” So he went to Louisiana and purchased an aquadam, and surrounded his house with it. Neighbors laughed at him. But then the Brazos river overflowed, and his home was protected. Among the endless flooded home, Randy's home sat safe and protected by the tube-shaped aquadam.

Randy Wagner, could perceive that trouble was coming. He could sense an impending calamity. I think all of us in some form, sense something similar. 

We can feel it in our lives, on the cold winter days, on those autumn nights, in the twilight of summer we can sense it, as the news scrolls across the screens, we can feel it, every moment seems to whisper to us, quietly, cautiously, but continuously… all this will end.

This place is temporary. The clock is ticking. Before the clock stops on this planet, we know there will be a time Jesus spoke of, called the end times.

We should not be afraid. We should be sober. Expectant. Hopeful. Joyous even. Jesus will return. The time of the fall will end, and a new time will begin.

Do you long for that day? Or are you hoping you might have a bit more time.. because you know you aren’t ready? Maybe like Randy Wagner, and the flood, we need to make sure we’re ready too.

In our final message in the prayer series, we discuss the prayer of preparation. A type of prayer, that represents sober reflection, and self evaluation.

In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus outlines many of the signs of the end times. But today, we’re not going to look at those signs, we’ll look at how Jesus wants us to think about his second coming.

In these passages we will find seven symbols. One is a clock. The second an ark. Third a flood. Fourth a road. Fifth is a house. Sixth is a servant, and seventh is a prize. Let’s dive in, and we’ll examine their meaning one by one.

In Matthew 24, Jesus has been explaining all the signs of the end times, then he says in verse 36: “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.”



Our first symbol today is a clock, without hands. Meaning, we don’t know when Jesus is returning. Many believe he never will, it’s been so long. It’s been two thousand years. That seems odd to me, because there were two thousand between Adam and Eve and Abraham. And two thousand years from Abraham to the birth of Jesus. So is it so strange to see a long period of time pass? 

But we still don't know an exact date, and this is intentional for the Lord, he wants us to live our lives one day at a time. 24 hours at a time. Each day, when we wake up, we make a decision, who am I going to serve today? My challenge to you today is to choose prayer, every single day.

Next, verses 37-38: “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.”


The second symbol, the ark of safety. Noah’s ark represents to us today, Jesus Christ. When we run to Jesus, we find safety, safety from the judgment of God that is coming on the world because of sin.

The goal then is to abide in Christ, to remain in the ark, while we live on the Earth. Not everyone is in the ark, and not everyone who enters the ark decides to stay in the ark, some stay for a while, but then drift away, and go back to the ways of the world. Abide, is the goal.

Is Jesus first in your heart? Or have you slipped off into other things? Many things wants our heart’s first attention. It can be romance, work, money, politics, family, and it can be many other things. Examine yourself today.

Where is my heart? Does it belong to Christ alone? Or are other things starting to crowd out Jesus?

This is going to be a challenging message, but I hope it will also be a hopeful message, one that gives you a sense of excited expectation, that Jesus is coming soon.

Jesus says as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be near his return. The days of Noah are described like this: "every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil all the time" -Gen 6:5

And to virtually everyone it appeared like everything in the world was going in a certain direction. Very few people noticed Noah, and his ark.

So it is in our day and age. People pay little attention to us Christians. Instead there is a narrative that is generated all around us by television, news, social media, by the elites and those with power and money, and it’s not the agenda of God.

That’s why it’s so important to be led by the Holy Spirit, and in the Bible, otherwise we may be swept up into the beliefs of the world, and miss the agenda of God in the world.

There is an ark in our world, it is the gospel, the good news of Jesus death, and we are kind of like Noah, pointing people toward the gospel, declaring, “enter the ark of safety before time runs out!”

The ark of safety is Jesus Christ, and the good news of His gift to us of salvation. But given the world system all around us, we must pay the most careful attention to the word of God, so we do not drift away from it.

This is explained in verse 39, “People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.”


This brings us to our next symbol, the flood. What was the flood in the time of Noah? God’s judgment against sin. What is coming in the end times? The same thing, God’s judgment against sin. It was a surprise in Noah’s time, and I think it will be again in our time.

When the Son of Man returns, people will be so caught up in their latest technologies, virtual realities, AI generated content, advanced medical tech, whatever the world has come up with by then, that they will be absolutely shocked by Jesus’ return.

The key for us as believers is watchfulness, and preparation. Jesus has given each of us a robe of righteousness to wear as believers. But in Revelation we’re told not to dirty our garments. Are you careful as you walk through this world of multiplied evils, to repent quickly if you slip into a sin?

How? By asking His forgiveness, if we sin. When? Today. This is the prayer of preparation. Or you might call it self-examination.

Many of you I’m sure already do this. At the end of your day, you’ll be in a time of prayer, and you begin to ask the Lord, "Father, is there anything displeasing in me, that you want to deal with tonight? Any sin that I’ve committed recently?" And we may sense a conviction from the Holy Spirit, saying, you need to repent of pride, or of gossip, or of lust, or cussing, or whatever it might be.

And as the Lord brings up the issue, we again pray, and say "Lord, please forgive me for this sin. I repent before you now, I forsake this sin, I turn away from this sin, and I turn toward you Lord, Please Lord wash me afresh in the blood of your Son."

That is the prayer of preparation, of examination. God is faithful and just, if we confess our sins, to forgive us, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Next, verses 40-41: 40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.”

We see such suddenness at the return of Jesus. Two men are working, one man is taken up, another is left behind. One woman is taken, another is left behind.

This is where we get the concept of a rapture, the idea of being taken up to heaven by Jesus. There are many perspectives on this, some believe that just before the end times, the church will be raptured off the Earth, and the unsaved will be left behind to go through a time called the great tribulation. Others believe that the church will be raptured halfway through the tribulation, still others believe the church won’t be raptured until after the tribulation. Whichever view you hold, one thing is clear, we need to be ready.

As Jesus says in verse 42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.”


This is the symbol of the road. We each walk a road through life, not knowing when our last day will come. It doesn’t have to be the return of Jesus, it could be a car accident, or an illness, or any number of things. The road we walk is a road of watchfulness, not fear or panic, but watchfulness.

It is a road of prayer. One thing I’ve learned in the Christian life, is that if I have a vibrant prayer life, and I’m deeply connected with my Father, I’m abiding. And those that abide, will stand the test of the road.

The prayer life, which we’ve discussed across this series, has so many facets, so many different ways we can pray, but, it really does come down to one simple fact: It’s love.

We pray because we love our Father, we love to be with Him in prayer. And as we pray, and spend time with our Father, it causes us to love Him more and more. And it’s like a snowball rolling down a hill, it keeps growing bigger and bigger.

Every time we pray, we fall more in love with Him, and every time we pray, he gives more of His love to us, like a waterfall of Love coming down from Him to us.

It’s praying in the morning, praying the armor of God, it’s little prayers in our heads to God throughout the day, prayers over our meals, prayers for our loved ones and the lost, prayers with our spouse and family members and friends and church members, and those precious prayer times where we get alone with God for long periods, basking in His presence, seeking His face, hearing His voice, and feeling His love for us.

It is a prayer road. To cultivate that, keep pushing forward, don’t get stuck on the prayer road at a certain limited space, keep pushing past your comfort zone to deeper forms of prayer, and you will abide on this road we travel together.

Next verses 43, gives us a new picture to consider: "Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into."



We come to the symbol of the house. If someone knew ahead of time, someone is coming to break into their house at 7:15 tonight, they would call the police, and be ready to prevent it. But we don’t know when the end will come for us.

So as it says in verse 44:"You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected."

How can we guard our house? Our house is our soul. It’s you. And you can guard your house, your soul, with the prayer of self examination.

But do you know where this prayer is really found? It’s in the Our Father. “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us, lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil.” Those are four requests, all centered around self examination. Make it your daily prayer.

But I think over time we learn to repent immediately. Within an hour, even a few minutes, we feel convicted, we pray, and make amends to anyone we’ve wronged. But, sometimes we may miss something, so the prayer of preparation is still important.

The word of God tells us to judge ourselves, so that we won’t face judgment (1 Corinthians 11:31).

But brothers and sisters, fear not. Jesus has paid the price for our sins. His blood covers us. His Spirit fills us. We have only one job and it's simple: Live by the leading of the Holy Spirit. And if the Holy Spirit tells us to repent of a sin in our lives, we do so. Self examination is led by the Holy Spirit. Don’t try to do it alone.

Guard your house in the Spirit. Don’t allow your house, your soul, which the word calls a temple of the living God, to be polluted with active sins in your life. Repent quickly. We as Wesleyans believe in holiness before the Lord. We believe we can live pure lives. That is the essence of holiness theology. But, we don’t believe we can do this ourselves, we believe by the Holy Spirit, and the love of God, we are able to overcome any sin, not necessarily by fighting it, but by surrendering and repenting in God’s power. Praise the Lord!

Last two verses, 45-46: “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.”

Here we find our last two symbols. First, the servant.


Jesus is the master, and we are the servants. Do you see yourself that way? A servant of God. That’s what we are. 

We are workers in His field. And he is the landowner, returning to examine the work we’ve done. This is the idea discussed in John 15, of bearing fruit. If we abide in the vine, as a branch, we will bear fruit, if we don’t, we will shrivel up, and be cut off. How do we abide? Prayer and obedience.

And final symbol, the shining reward. 


If we are cautious to be prayerful, to be obedient, awaiting His return, and on that day, Jesus finds us at work in his vineyard fields, we will receive a generous reward. A reward that is explained as an inheritance. It's explained as receiving God’s kingdom… a plot of land, a home, belonging to us, in His eternal kingdom. Now that is an inheritance that can never fade away or disappear. It is worth every effort we make toward that goal.

So let’s review today, the 7 symbols we discussed briefly and their meanings.

There was the clock without hands. We don’t know when our last day will be, so we live one day at a time.

There was the Ark of safety, which is Jesus, whom we abide in through obedient and prayerful self examination.

There is the flood. We know God’s judgment will come upon the world during the end times, a time when God’s wrath will be poured out on the Earth.

Fourthly, there is the road. Each day we walk with Jesus through a sinful world, and we find prayer in it’s various forms helps us keep on the path, avoid sin, and repent quickly when we stumble.

Fifthly, the house, is like our body, we guard it carefully to avoiding polluting the temple God has given us.

Six, the servant. We are the servants, Jesus is the master, and our job is to produce fruit for him and tend His vineyard fields, until he returns.

Seventh, the reward. For the faithful servants, Jesus will reward us with authority, an inheritance in the kingdom of God.

So as we close, let us prepare ourselves in this prayer of self examination.

Prayer: Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit, we judge ourselves, and we ask, that if there is anything in us that displeases you, please God reveal it, and grant us the grace to repent of it. We repent Lord Jesus, wash us in your blood, forgive our sins, and help us to overcome them by the Holy Spirit within us, in Jesus name, amen.

The Prayer of the Impossible

When Hudson Taylor went to China, he made the voyage on a sailing vessel. As it neared the channel between the southern Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, the missionary heard an urgent knock on his stateroom door. He opened it, and there stood the captain of the ship. "Mr. Taylor," he said, "we have no wind. We are drifting toward dangerous reefs, near an island where the people are heathen, and I fear they are cannibals." "What can I do?" asked Taylor. "I understand that you believe in God. I want you to pray for wind." "All right, Captain, I will, but you must set the sail." "Why that's ridiculous! There's not even the slightest breeze. Besides, the sailors will think I'm crazy." But finally, because of Taylor's insistence, he agreed. Forty- five minutes later he returned and found the missionary still on his knees. "You can stop praying now," said the captain. "We've got more wind than we know what to do with!"
-Unknown. 

Hudson Taylor and the crew of the Dumfries found themselves in an impossible situation, but through determined prayer, and bold faith, the impossible, became possible.

Today, we speak of the impossible prayer. And to learn more about that, we look to Jesus.

We come to a moment in the life of Jesus, when he had just been teaching a great crowd, and famously multiplied fishes and bread to feed a crowd of thousands. Next we come to a moment that has caused wonder and amazement for endless millions throughout history.

Our scripture today is in Matthew 14:22-33.

Matthew 14:22 says, “22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.”

They were located near the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Chelsey my wife has actually swam in the waters of this very lake. It’s about 8 miles wide and 13 miles long. Still there today. Good reminder that we aren’t studying fiction, but real events.

But today as we focus in on a powerful form of prayer, we’re going to be talking about doing impossible things. Doing things beyond. Doing things that we aren’t presently capable of doing. And we’re going to see that we serve a God who makes the impossible, possible.

So Jesus sends the disciples in a boat, to cross the lake. God often also sends us upon the waters, in uncertain places, to do things we’ve never considered before as well.

Next, verse 23: “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,”

Jesus goes up high on the mountain, to spend time with the Father, late into the night Jesus prays.

It reminds me how Jesus is always interceding for us, before the throne of God. He is always before the Father, in the glory of heaven, making the case for us, helping us, stepping in for us. He is guiding everything in our lives.

It reminds me of a film, a sci fi film with Will Smith, where his young son has to go through dangerous terrain so they can be rescued, and the son is guided by his father who can’t go with him, so he must continuously trust his father’s guidance in a dangerous situation. (After Earth - 2013)

So too we travel a difficult world, and we must trust our Father’s guidance, even though we can’t see him, he is like a voice to us, as we travel this world.

God is not far off, he is with us, and yet, we can’t see Him, so we must rely on His voice in our lives, and His leading, and make the choices he moves us toward. That isn’t always easy.

But today I want to address not just difficult situations, but doing impossible things. Things that are simply beyond what we could imagine that we’re capable of.

Next, the disciples face a challenge on the waters.

Verse 24 “and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.”

A great storm hit the disciples as they traveled together. The wind was against them, and the waves were crashing against the boat. They could not make progress as they traveled on the waters.

They had struck out to do their master’s will, but, the storm had hit, and caused them to be trapped and in danger.

In my life in ministry I’ve faced numerous situations where I felt trapped in a storm and unable to make it through. So many situations where I felt, I simply can’t do that.

One example, math. I had completed every class for my bachelors degree, did about half at university of Wisconsin, other half at Liberty university, I was down to 116 credits, needed 120. But, I was so afraid of the math requirement, I kept avoiding it, until finally, it was the last class, I was about to enter seminary, but I had tested so low in the math pre-tests, that I would have to take 3 other math classes to get to the math class I needed. And I said Lord, what do I do? I’m in big trouble.

God made a way. I petitioned the board of mathematics at the college, and they allowed me an exception to attend the base requirement, and I passed, by God's grace!

Next, verse “25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.”

Jesus comes to rescue the disciples, walking on the surface of the water.

As we pray and cry out to the Lord, Jesus comes to us, walking toward us, on the water of our troubles. He walks on the water of our troubles with complete ease, they have no power over Him, instead he has authority over them.

Picture that thing in your life, that problem that troubles you, whatever it might be, a secret addiction, a health problem, a sin in your life, a family problem, picture it as turbulent waters. And now, picture Jesus walking on those waters toward you. And picture him speaking over the waters, and calming them completely.

Now this has taken us as far as what we discussed last week, seeking God in our sufferings, and finding His help and rescue in those times. That’s a very good and beautiful thing. But today we’re going to take it one step deeper.

Praying through suffering and struggle is a beautiful thing, and it is amazing how God comes and helps us, amen? I love that. He has delivered me so many times I can’t even count and every time I’m amazed.

Jesus shows up, and he comforts us. As it says in verse 27…

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Fear is the key issue here, fear is what disrupts our faith, and disrupts our ability to trust God.

I’ve been learning through some wonderful mentorship that long ago when I was mistreated as a child, I began to embrace a lie that I can’t feel safe, and that I must be anxious and afraid. But that is a lie from the devil. And the Lord is helping me to embrace a new core belief: I am safe in Him.

Fear is the enemy. That’s why the Bible says over and over, “Fear not!”

We must overcome our fear and dare to believe: Jesus is capable.

I was talking to Darlene about her surgery and Pam asked her if she was afraid before going in and Darlene said no, not at all, I know God has me.

We were amazed. But Darlene really believed it so completely, fear simply had no place there. It was just trust and peace.

Is Jesus real in your life? Or does he seem distant? Do you believe you can really trust Him? Or does fear still dominate? God can deliver us from fear.

Take courage, Jesus says, It is I. He’s saying take this courage I’m giving you by my Presence with You. It’s yours, take it. And put it on as your armor. Courage. Reject fear. Look into the eyes of Jesus, and see you’re perfectly safe. Look down at your hand and you’ll see another hand in yours, nail-pierced, the hand of Jesus.

You are safe.

But now, let’s take it deeper. Peter is going to help us see the key truth we want to discover today.

Verse 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

The rest of the disciples are terrified and relieved, at the same time, to see Jesus coming to help them, in the midst of the storm. They’re happy to sit back and let Jesus do whatever he needs to do.

And often those are the kinds of prayers we pray. Lord, I give it all to you, Lord you’ll fight for me, I’m just gonna sit here quietly, I’ll just be still and know. And there are moments for that, for sure. There are seasons for that. But there are also seasons where we need to strike out, move toward what God calling us toward.

When Moses was leading the people out of slavery in Egypt, God led them along a path that seemed to lead to a dead end, and there they were, with a great sea in front of them, and the Egyptian chariots chasing behind at full speed. And the people began to cry out to Moses saying why have you led us here to die in the desert!

And we get that famous scripture, Exodus 14:13-14:

13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

The Lord will fight for you, be still! And that’s true. But, notice the next two verse in that scripture.

Verses 15-16: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”

Yes, they stood still as the water was parted, but Moses needed to lift his staff over the sea, and be God’s instrument. Similarly, the people could not just stand there, they needed to begin moving down the pathway God provided.

Get moving!

This is the kind of prayer we’re talking about today. I’m going to call it the prayer of abandon, or the impossible prayer. It’s a prayer that says, Lord, I don’t see a way through, I feel like it’s impossible, but, I believe in you, I abandon myself to you, and I’m going to start moving in that direction you’ve told me to go in, that seems as impossible as walking on water. I can’t see a way, but I trust my Father, so I start moving.

For the Israelites, they could at least see the path form in the waters, to walk on the dry ground. But Jesus wants more from us.

Peter only sees water. And a storm. But, he also sees Jesus walking on that water. And he gets a fundamental truth about the Christian life, he gets it, with Jesus, I can do the things Jesus does, and even greater things. I can walk on water if Jesus commands it.

I can do the impossible, if Jesus commands it.

Does Jesus rebuke Peter, say what are you talking about, only I can walk on water I’m God your not? Nope. Jesus says one word.

Verse 29: “Come,” he said.

Brothers and sisters he’s saying the same thing to us today. Come out on the waters. Believe for the impossible. Strike out and he will see you through. Abandon yourself to God.

“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”

Peter began walking on the water, above the waves, above the storm, above the obstacles and struggles, Peter, by faith walked, his eyes locked on Jesus, and by faith he walked above the waves.

We can do the same thing. We can walk on the waters.

Peter understood something so simple: I can trust Jesus. And I can walk in that trust.

Many of us trust and wait. That’s good. But can we also trust and move forward in trust?

Yet despite our best efforts to walk in trust, we will sometimes fall short. And so it was for Peter that night.

Verses 30 says, “30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Peter took his eyes off Jesus and begin to look at the danger around him, he began to focus on the problem, instead of the solution. He centered on his fears.

We must keep our eyes on Jesus, the solution, the one with all power.

No judgment on Peter, it’s not easy to focus on Jesus with a storm spinning all around you! But even though Peter became afraid and began to sink, he cried out to the Lord, the most simple request, God please help me!

Next, verse 31: 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Jesus immediately rescued Peter.

He doubted Jesus, but Jesus still rescued Him. God does the same for us. Sometimes as we strike out in faith, doubt begins to seep in, but God helps us in those moments as well. But I think the goal is that we would learn to walk in such faith, that fear simply has no access. It’s locked out. The faith is so strong, we walk upon the water of that impossible task before us.

This is a key reality of the Christian life, that we will face situations that seem beyond our ability. Why is that? Because God is training us to trust in Him and his ability. But also, to walk forward in His strength, abandoning ourselves to Him.

As Peter took those steps forward of faith, God did the rest, he made sure the water held Peter, as Peter held his faith in God and kept his eyes on Jesus.

Next, verse 32 “And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.”

The storm ceases at the coming of Jesus. It reminds me of how, after we’ve struck out in faith, and walked in the strength of God toward whatever impossible thing it is in our lives, we see the victory. The storm is defeated. And we find that the impossible has now become the accomplished victory. And that is such a reward.

I want you to see this in regard to your walk with Christ: What is that thing that you’re afraid to do? That thing that seems just a bit too big for you?

Maybe you’re afraid to pray out loud. You feel embarrassed. But what if you abandoned yourself to God and said you know what, I’m doing it.

Maybe it’s giving your testimony: It feels overwhelming, but you start to pray, and say Lord, I abandon myself to you, and move toward it.

Maybe it’s doing a special song at church, again same thing, abandon yourself to God.

Perhaps the Lord has been tapping your heart to start a ministry, or to serve in some way.

Maybe the Lord has been challenging you to witness to one of your coworkers, time to pray, take a deep breath, and head on over to speak the word.

Maybe it’s something else in your life, something that seems too big, but you can sense God calling you toward it. Make use of the prayer of abandon.

Maybe it’s fasting, you know what, let’s go for it.

It’s a prayer of faith, of trust, a prayer of boldness, a prayer of you, know what, I’m diving in, like the kid at the edge of the pool and he dips his toe in and it’s too cold, but finally he says you know what, let’s go, and he dives in.

You may just find that as you dive in, and get to work, and do your best, the storm around you, that the devil brought to try to scare you away from God’s will, turns out to be much smaller than you thought, and it simply disappears.

These fears we face are prisons often, and they are prisons of lies and deception. They are lying to us, and we don’t have to believe the lie. Jesus can break us from the prison of fear. And he'll help us to walk on the water with Him.

Verse 33: Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

The disciples believed. They saw Jesus walk on water and they knew: He is the Son of God.

Jesus is capable my friends, entirely sufficient.

Therefore we are capable, if Jesus calls us to it.

Easy to say, harder when we are buffeted by fear and in this life we are buffeted by fear.

Dare to make your prayer, the prayer of abandonment to God.

With God with me, I can walk forward in faith.

With God, I can.

Simple, but not easy. Sometimes it takes an act of courage, I’m stepping out, I’m doing it, pray, and move.

Let’s make our closing prayer, a prayer of abandonment.

Prayer:
Father, we rise up in faith, we believe in your power, we believe you are with us, we believe are capable of doing all things in us, we do not stand still, we move forward in faith, give us faith, we renounce fear, give us courage, we take up courage, Lord, we abandon ourselves to you completely. We don’t doubt you. We believe in you, and we believe in our ability in you, so Lord we strike out in faith, toward that thing we’ve been avoiding, we strike out in faith, we surrender it all to you, guide us God, as we move toward that thing you’ve led us to, in Jesus name, amen.