The Lord needs you.

 Date of Sermon Delivery: 2. April. 2023

Place of sermon Delivery:  Delhi, India

Sunday Worship Service (Palm Sunday)

Speaker: Jatin Bisht

 

Title : The Lord needs you.

Bible : Mark 11:1-11

Key verse –  3. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

 

Praise the Lord!!

The Lord has once again given me an opportunity to serve him in your midst.

It is great to see  you all in the house of the Lord this morning.

God bless you all because, personally, you always keep the first choice in your many options to come to the house of the Lord.

Last Sunday we heard that if it is our desire to come into the house for God’s will, then the Lord, who is above everything, will give us everything in his name.

 

Next month I will complete 10 years of my ministry.

I really thank God that there has never been any shortage in my life or the life of my family because my choice has been the Lord, who is the master of this creation, and I believe that there will be no shortage in the coming days also. But it will be by his grace, because in the coming days, the same Jesus Christ will be my first choice.

I hope that all of you will have such a testimony in your lives too.

 

Keep garnishing your testimony because it will strengthen you in the Lord and shine light into the lives of those who have not met Jesus yet.

Are you enjoying your life in Jesus Christ?

Come closer to Jesus, and you will enjoy more and see great changes in your internal being as well as your external life.

 

Let's read the bible to Mark 11:1-11.

 

Let us pray.

 

I greet you all on today’s Palm Sunday, When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a sitting colt (the child of a donkey), many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields.

It was the entrance of Jerusalem, and people were praising him, and shouting Hosanna, Hosanna.

Let us read again today Mark 11:1–11.

 

In these verses, we can see two lives.

First were the ones who were shouting Hosanna!

Do you know why they were shouting?

They believed the king had come to deliver them from the power of the Roman Empire.

They were waiting for an earthly king, who would demolish all the power of the Roman Empire. They were hoping that someone would come and free them.

Before this occasion, Jesus had performed a great miracle by raising Lazarus from the dead, and many people among them heard that he healed the mute, blind, and lame. So they were hoping that Jesus would be a great king of Israel because he did a lot of miracles.

They thought that he will do some miracle and all the Roman empires will collapse, and he will rule all the world and our name will be high.

They were accepting him as an earthly king and praising him.

 

But soon their illusion was shattered, and they understood that he was not the king as we were thinking.

 

As a result, the same crowd/people were yelling hosanna, hosanna.

When they arrived in front of the assembly, they yelled, "Crucified him, crucified him!"

They shouted, gave the cross to Jesus, and released Barabbas for them.

They were requesting the release of a murderer and give cross to Jesus.

 

Dear brothers and sisters.

When our dedication is external, like when Christmas is near and we are so excited, trying to be near Jesus, or when retreat is near and we are doing a lot of work, and caring for everything, Easter is coming and we are excited to do something, asking from him a new life.

It is not wrong, but if it is happening only during festival season, then we have to examine our faith and need to put our faith in Jesus.

When we make Jesus a festival, or part of our culture, then we are so devoted, and so joyful.

But if our dedication to him is external, then soon we will be like those people who crucified him.

The crowds, who were shouting "Hosanna," "Hosanna," later asked to release Barabbas and hand over the cross to Jesus.

How is our life with the Lord?

When there are festival seasons, there is a lot of enthusiasm, but as soon as the season is gone, we do not become cold.

Is our dedication external?

Is it not that we shout only in the season, or only on Sunday that Jesus you are my everything, Jesus you are my lord, Jesus I love you so much, I can do everything for Jesus, and then after some time we ask Barabbas in our lives?

Barabbas means sin, evil, deceit, dirty deeds, anger, and quarrel/fight.

Many times, we allow Barabbas to remain in our lives and leave Jesus behind.

Other lives are in that donkey.

Verse 2 says to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

When Jesus said to his disciple, Go to the village, you will find a colt. Untie it and bring it here.

This colt did not say anything, and he went to the place where Jesus was.

He made Jesus take over his life.

The crowd was shouting Hosanna, Hosanna, but later they crucified him.

But this colt is ready to surrender his life to Jesus.

He made Jesus ride over his life, and took Jesus to Jerusalem.

Dear brothers and sisters:

Today, Jesus needs such a life.

3. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’"

 

Today in the world, people express their needs: We need this; our kids need it; I need that; our family needs this; tomorrow I need increment.

But it is very rare to ask God,Lord, what do you need from me? What do you need from my life?

Maybe even the Lord needs something from us, today, stop for a while and ask the Lord, "Lord, what do you need from me?

 

Put your hand on your heart and say, "Lord, you need this.

Put your hand on your head and say, Lord, you need this.

Put your hand on your things and say, Lord, you need this.

Lord, do you need my family, do you need money, do you need my time, do you need my energy, do you need my time, do you need my talent, do you need my life, do you need my house, or do you need my more obedience?

Today morning, God needs something from us, and that can be anything.

as he requires a colt to travel to Jerusalem.

In the Bible, in John 6, when five thousand people were following Jesus to hear him, they were hungry, and Jesus did not want to let them go with an empty stomach because they would die on the way.

Jesus told his disciple to arrange some food and give them.

So the disciple asked him, "How can we feed this many people?"

Jesus asked them, What do you have?

So they announced In front of the crowd, does anyone have anything to eat?

 

A small boy, when he heard this voice, came in front of the disciple, My mother gave me five loaves and two small fish.

Jesus took those five loaves and two fish and fed more than 5000 people.

Maybe when this small boy would have seen this crowd, he must have been very happy that so many people were eating food from my food.

People of God, if God needs something from you today, give it to him without doubt or grumbling.

 

John 6:12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 

13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

 

After everyone had enough to eat, they gathered the pieces and filled twelve baskets with the pieces.

When this small boy would have seen these 12 baskets, he would have been so joyful because this is the bread that I gave to Jesus.

You will also see with a joyful heart, when you give the Lord what he needs from you.

You would see with a joyful heart, that people are getting blessed by your giving, young people are getting blessed by your giving, poor people are getting blessed by your giving, and rich people are getting blessed by your giving.

Today we need to know, Does the Lord need anything from me?

 

And if the Lord needs anything, raise your hands, raise your heart, raise your time, raise your talent, raise your young life, and raise your money in the work of God.

 

Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said," here am I, send me

 

In this verse, Isaiah Hearing the voice of the Lord, whom shall I send? God wanted to send his message to his people, because the people of that time were burdened with sin, they were in captivity to sin, and God said, To whom shall I send a message for them.

Today God needs people—one who brings the good news of the Lord to the people.

Today the world is in darkness, young people are in darkness, and today God needs someone who may go to them with his message.

Ask God,God, do you need someone or do you need me to take out your message?

When God said, Whom shall I send, and who will stand for us?

Isaiah said, Here am I, Lord, send me.

Isaiah had a desire to go, he was ready to go.

When the world is in darkness and in wicked form, and I pray that we may also hear God, who shall I send? And you may ready to say here am I send me?

Today God needs us, and we must be ready to say, Here am I; use me.

Use my talent, use my money, use my life, use my young life, use my time, and consume me for your kingdom.

Mark 12:41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others

 

Jesus is not paying attention to rich people who offer large amounts, gold, or silver. But God brought our attention to a poor widow woman.

Verse 44 says, They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

When she came in front of the offering, maybe she saw many rich people and maybe they were offered a large amount, and she said, I do not have anything, I have only these two small copper coins.

But she gave them to God, because she believed that he needed them.

I will give it; I will offer it. I will not eat food, I have only this much, but I will give it to God, because she understood that God needs it.

 

Maybe today you will be poor, and you cannot do much, you cannot share the gospel with thousands of people; you cannot feed 100 people, you cannot help 100 people.

But you can help at least one person, you can share the gospel with at least one person, you can share food with at least one or five people, you can share one loaf of bread with someone who is hungry, you can help someone with your 100 rupees, and you can share one cloth with someone.

 

Today, God needs you.

Many times we do not understand: Does God need me?

May be for your neighbour, for your relative, for your friends, for your office colleagues, God needs you, and God needs me.

Dear brothers and sisters.

Jesus needed a colt to enter Jerusalem, and the colt was ready to surrender himself and gave himself to Jesus. In the same way, on this Palm Sunday, Jesus wants to tell us that he needs us.

Will you say to Jesus that Jesus you needs me, here I am ready?

Today God needs you, he needs your time, he needs your talent, he needs your young life, he needs your job, he needs your money, he needs your strength, he needs your heart, he needs your house, he needs your car, he needs your body, he needs your wealth; and all this is God, spend it for the kingdom of God.

Because God wants to bless you.

Will you give to Jesus?

May the Lord bless you.

Amen.