Trust is a tricky thing for many in our culture it is something that must be earned…as Christians because of needing to truly love as defined in 1stCorinthians 13 and what Paul said to the Philippians 4:8 we are to think about what is good lovely and noble in all things which means we should come to a place of trusting until proven otherwise
But our world has been so corrupted and many have been so wounded and often we put onto others what we have felt from the start…we have failed so we assume others will fail us, we have been prejudicial and judgmental so we assume others are toward us. We have wounded others so we expect others to plan on wounding us…As Christians we have to begin to make the choice to trust the Lord in all things…Jesus sent two of his disciples to do a task. What was it like for them
Two disciples – Video
In case you are not familiar with the story here is the way it reads in scripture
Matthew 21:1-11
As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”
4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,
5 “Tell the people of Jerusalem,
‘Look, your King is coming to you.
He is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt.’”
6 The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.
8 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,
“Praise God for the Son of David!
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Praise God in highest heaven!”
10 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.
11 And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
As they got over their “trust issues” they found themselves part of something very big that would be remembered for over 2000 years they trusted the Lord and set up for his triumphal entry into Jerusalem that would initiate what we would call the passion week the last week of Jesus life, a week of intensive teaching, love and horror…their trust in Jesus words would establish the beginning of the end and lead to Jesus complete trust in His Father when at the cross he uttered this last words
Luke 23:46
And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.
When Jesus said these last words it was as if a fuse of dynamite had been lit that would destroy the Kingdom of darkness….At this moment Jesus was saying all that I have done, I’ll I have come to do, all that we planned from the beginning of time, I have completed and now I am trusting it all into your hands Father….I am trusting that the way has been made for all of man kind to understand our plan if they will choose…that the whole world could be in your hands and that nothing would any longer separate us from mankind if they will choose
Matthew gives us a little more detail and a little more insight…because while this sounds like an ending it really was a beginning…
Matthew 27:50- 61, 28: 1-8
Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52 and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53 They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. 54 The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
55 And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. 57 As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, 58 went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. 59 Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. 60 He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. 61 Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.
Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.
2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. 5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”
8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message
Wow all of that happened because Jesus put his life into the hands of the Father
Amazing things happen when we choose to put our life completely into his hands…we tend to do it in times of difficulty and trouble and when we reach a point of maturity but often until we get to that place, we place our life in him and then we begin to make decisions that are not lead by him but by us and we take our lives back until a crisis happens or struggles come, or we just begin to miss Him
Jesus had been faithful with everything…he had lived a sinless life for over 33 years although he had been tempted in every way, he never cheated on his taxes, never looked at something on line that he should have, he never fudged the truth in any way, he never drank too much, never got a DUI, never lied to his parents never did anything that would disqualify him from being the perfect, sinless sacrifice for all sins, mess ups, hang ups he made our complete payment in full for all of that and then He trusted his life into the hands of his Father
Jesus hung on the cross suffering dying for 6 hours completed everything the scriptures said about him….in fact his entire life was the fulfillment of hundreds of references and prophecies from the Old Testament written over one thousand years…In fact even these last words were prophetic which we will talk about in a minute
Jesus was trusting that His Father would complete the task that he would not leave his body to decay, that laid in a borrowed tomb in three days he would be raised from the dead…that finally death, hell, the grave, and Satan would be defeated once and for all…
Why????? so that all who believed in Him would be able to receive forgiveness and start a relationship with the Father through Jesus
Jesus had full confidence in His Father to complete the task that is why Luke records it this way
Luke 23:46
Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!”
It was a shout, a proclamation, a victory yellnot a whimpy whisper of a defeated individual but a proclamation of total victory…Jesus wasn’t thinking, “I hope I made the right choice he was making a proclamation of defeating every foe….He was doing exactly what He said he would do in John 10: 9-11, 17-18
Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.
“The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
Jesus was proclaiming I am the only way to heaven, I am willing to do whatever it takes for my family including surrendering my life…the Romans can’t take it from me, the Jewish leaders can’t take it from me, Satan doesn’t have the power to take it from me, I lay down my life willingly into the hands of my Father
Jesus completed His part of the rescue mission by putting His life into the hands of his Father even in that he was quoting an Old testament prayer that every Jew would incorporate into their evening prayers
Psalm 31:5a psalm of David when Saul was chasing him
I entrust my spirit into your hand.
Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God.
Then it goes on to say 15,16
My future is in your hands.
Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.
16 Let your favor shine on your servant.
In your unfailing love, rescue me.
These words from the cross were the words prayed everyday by Jews as they were preparing to rest at night…they wanted to make sure before they fell asleep that even their subconscious they wanted to make sure that were in right standing with God should anything happen while they slept, they were placing their lives everyday into the hands of a loving God
Much like the prayer we have learned to pray
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take….
It your hands do I commit my Spirit
Jesus was once again giving us an example of how to overcome, how to succeed in this life
Every day many are in battles they can’t seem to win let me challenge you with something radical place your life into the hands of the one who loves you the most
Every day you are facing fears, worries and anxieties they have become such apart f your life that you just accept them as a fact of life…they don’t have to be place these old familiar friends into the hands of a loving God
Everyday you are believing for your dreams, hopes to be fulfilled, God has placed them in your heart, mind and spirit how about placing your life in the hands of the one who gave them to you
Can you trust all of these things in the hands of a loving God?
How do you know you are? Are you worrying, are you battling having peace? Are you losing sleep? Are you losing joy?
If any of these things are others are going on chances are, they are in your hands and not His!
Commit then into His hands today!