In this Palm Sunday message, Pastor Carl continued the message series The Beloved Community by talking about The Hopeful Community. The teaching text was the Triumphal Entrance of Jesus on a borrowed horse. Jesus was riding a donkey to what would be His death, but the disciples were accompanying Him telling of the miracle of Lazarus.
We live in an era of unprecedented technology and knowledge. As citizens of this age, it’s easy to put our trust in human advancement. Jesus came to challenge our sense of security in what we can accomplish in the put our trust in God’s saving grace. Moving into faith requires us to be purposeful. We will live trusting what we have always trusted unless we decide to step out in faith.
God desires that we would walk in faith even when we don’t need it so that when we need it we have the faith we need. To illustrate this point, Pastor Carl told three stories. In the first he told the power of agreement when he and Pastor Tracey came into agreement about a need that they had and God came through that very day.
In the second story he told about how he was greatly inconvenienced and was operating in frustration instead of faith. Once he decided to meditate on the goodness of God in his life he saw that he was possibly in a situation that God wanted him in for God’s purpose. In that moment of humility and thankfulness he was able to be a vessel for God’s use to minister to someone he never would’ve seen.
The third story was the resurrection of Lazarus. As a foreshadow of Christ’s Passion, Lazarus was dead in the tomb and no one around had faith. But after Lazarus was raised from the dead, Mary Martha and Lazarus had a faith beyond the other disciples that they could carry to the death of Jesus.
We have to live our lives open to the uncomfortable happenings of God. He is equipping us for seasons we don’t yet envision. And he’s using us in ways we can’t imagine. In order to walk in both of these possibilities, we have to hold our lives loosely for God’s use. In this we give him glory and bring God joy.
This week, as you think about this message consider the following:
What situations are you in right now that God is not delivered you from because there is a lesson to be learned? Prayerfully consider this and bring it before the Father.
What circumstances does God have you in right now because he wants you to be a witness?
How will you share the lessons of your uncomfortable seasons with the people around you?