Palms and Promises
Christ Comes on a Colt: Past and future promises of His coming.
Introduction: Priming the pump for tonight’s discussion.
How would you summarize the central idea of this week’s message in one sentence? Was there anything significant that stood out to you from the message that you would share with the group? (Hint: What was your personal “aha” moment?)
We talked quite a bit about the gospel this week. Let’s take a moment to briefly reflect on our own coming to Christ. In 60 seconds or less, how did you meet the Lord as your savior? What is your 60 second testimony? Remember, there are no boring testimonies!
Exploration: Questions to guide our group discussion.
We learned this week that the Old Testament is full of prophetic texts regarding the life, ministry, and passion of the Messiah. Let’s focus on two important Easter texts. Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 provide striking details of the crucifixion centuries before crucifixion existed on the planet. Let’s read those texts and allow the Lord to speak to us about the power of these prophetic texts. How does it move you that these texts were written hundreds of years before Jesus was born? What does this affirm about the unique qualities of the Bible?
We learned that the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was an intentional fulfillment of prophecy on the part of Jesus. Jesus was intentionally claiming to be the promised king of Zechariah 9:9. Not only did Jesus fulfill prophecies that he had no control over, but He was intentional to fulfill these prophecies. What does this tell us about the way that Jesus wanted to be perceived by others, and what He wanted others to believe about Him? If He was intentional in fulfilling these prophecies, then wasn’t He intentionally leading us to believe in Him?
The multitude welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday as the promised king, but on Friday, the religious leaders had Jesus crucified. Why do you think that the religious leaders were opposed to Jesus? According to the Bible, in what ways were they threatened? Why did they react to Jesus with a desire to kill Him? What can we learn from their example about things like a quest for power and control?
The signs of Christ’s first coming are a reminder that there are signs that He is coming again. Looking to Matthew 24:3-14 as an indicator of the general climate leading up to the season of the Lord’s return, which of these indicators are we seeing now…and are we seeing these things with greater frequency? Considering that these things will increase in frequency like birth pangs, would you agree or disagree that we are seeing more of these signs than ever before?
Additional Scriptures for Deeper Study:
- Zechariah 9:9
- Psalm 118
- Philippians 2:10-11
- Revelation 7:9
Application: How can I apply this to my life this week?
There are so many proofs of the Bible, and perhaps the greatest of these is prophecy (2 Peter 1:19). No other book on the planet contains the kind of specific and accurate prophecy that the Bible contains. There is only one reasonable explanation for this phenomenon…that its author knew the future in advance. The only one who knows the future is God, and so prophecy is a proof that God Himself is the author of the Bible. How should this reality impact the way that we interact with the Bible, and especially our desire to hear from God?
Because Jesus fulfilled promises that he would come in the past, we can trust God’s promises that He is coming again in our future. The Bible instructs us to be watchful and to prepare for His coming. Are there rooms in your spiritual “house” that aren’t ready for company? What commitments, decisions, or changes would God have you to make today, as we prepare for our Lord? Would He find your “house” dirty or prepared if He came suddenly today?
If we really believe that Jesus is coming soon, then what impact should that have on our lives as Christians? How should this impact personal evangelism, our commitment to church attendance and discipleship growth, and our submission to the Spirit for personal sanctification?