Jesus Isn’t On Our Side! EASTER 3/31/24 - Killen Global Methodist Church

3 min read

Luke 9: 51-56 51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, will you that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did? 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, You know not what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village

❓ When have you ever felt like God was ignoring you?❓ When have you ever realized that it was a good thing God didn’t give you what you asked for or wanted? ❓💥 We see by these verses, that for all of God's will and purposes to work, Jesus had to go to Jerusalem.v51➣ What was God's will and purpose for Jesus? To offer Himself up, so that people could be saved.

V51) 51 And it came to pass when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
v56) 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

⭐ How tragic it would have been for us if Jesus had given in to the Samaritans and done what they wanted Him to do and not done God’s will and not gone to Jerusalem! What would have happened if He had given in and stayed with them (like they wanted) and not gone to Jerusalem?

💥 How strange it is that so many people all around Him missed that simple purpose. He didn't hide it.

Those who heard Him speak and preach missed it.
He told those closest to Him what was about to happen, and they missed it.
It had been prophesied for centuries and still, the scholars missed it.
When it came down to the very moment, the whole world seemed to be missing it!

The great message of Easter! A. Jesus is on God’s side! This is a good thing for us all! 👉 ****) If God denies us anything, it is only for the purpose of giving us something better! (****👈

Sometimes this is hard to receive and understand!

➢ They wanted Jesus on their side. Samaritans 👉 ****) (Abraham Lincoln's Illustrations after Antietam, “Good thing God is on our side!)💥 WE NEED TO BE ON GOD’S SIDE!

The Samaritans wanted Jesus to tell them they were right! John 4:19)
Samaritans and Jews had a conflict over who was right and where to worship and how to worship.

⭐ More interested in their will and purposes than God’s. He was about to change it all. Tear down those barriers and divisions.💥 The message of Easter is for God’s will to be done and not our own. If He seems to be denying us anything, it is only for the purpose of restoration, healing and redemption!

B. It is good for Jesus to keep going, if we are not willing to allow Him to do His will.

They wanted Jesus to turn aside from His plan to stay with them!
- How often we can get sidetracked as churches from our real business and meaning of existence. To save souls!
- We like to find the comfortable place where we can be among people that love us, and we can avoid conflict and insults.
- - Places where we can remain “safe.”

👉 It wasn't easy for Jesus to go to Jerusalem! (Gethsemane)

C. We are the ones that embrace the wrong spirit, not Jesus! All this was happening as Jesus was preparing to die for them all!! How badly they were missing the moment!! ( Reality for today)

In church we get ugly and do ugly, even to the point that we can destroy

lives.

We can feel as good about it as the disciples would have felt if fire had come down.
- We would have been proud of it and even worn metals of honor.

💥 For God's will and purposes to work for us, we all have to go to Jerusalem.Jesus, our example. The Easter message:I. Accepting God's will for our life. Psalms 143:10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

Putting our life before God and laying it all on the altar. We forget this about Easter. It's a wonderful reminder of what Christ did for us, but it also should remind us that we too are to follow Jesus’ example and lay it all down and let God use us to make a difference in the world!
⭐ It is not being delivered from the trials as much as it is allowing Him to teach us and take us out of the fire!!

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

II. Not turning aside to stay in our Samaria! Psalms 119:71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.

It was NOT easy for Jesus to go to Jerusalem.
Stay steadfast. Be consistent, unwavering in God's purposes.
- Not turning aside to stay in our in Samaria.

💥 Seek God's will and truth. You will become unpopular to those you only want to help. You will be unwanted and even despised by some. Some would seek to destroy you.

DON’T PRAY FIRE DOWN FROM HEAVEN!!

III. We need the right spirit. 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, You know not what manner of spirit you are of.

Jesus died for us to cleanse us from our sin. Cleanse our hearts and make a place where He could come and abide WITHIN us.
He arose to make us spiritually alive! Filled with the Holy Spirit. Walking with Him above being offended, hurt and hating others.
💥 It is this and only this that can keep us on the right way. Steadfast to finish our journey.

Not much has changed since those days because people are still people.

Lost people are still lost people.
Hurt people still hurt people.

But the crucifixion can and will change it all for those who are willing to make the journey with Christ. He won't force us. He won't push us.💥 Let’s steadfastly fix our face to go to our own Jerusalem. Where God’s will can be done in us and through us!!!