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Following Jesus – A Time To SHOUT! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the April 13, 2025 sermon, “Following Jesus: A Time To SHOUT!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Matthew 21:1-17

 

“The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest!'”
Matthew 21:9 (NIV)

 

As one called by Jesus to “Come, follow me”, Matthew gives us great teaching on what it looks like to live a life which follows Jesus.  A life in Christ and with Christ is possible when we welcome Him with a triumphal entry into our life.  As we jump ahead in our journey through the Gospel of Matthew to the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, we rejoice in His arrival with a time to . . .

  • Seek:  Matthew 21:1-3

    • Jesus sent two of the disciples out to seek something He knew they would find.  When the Bible tells us to seek the Lord while He may be found, it is doing so with the understanding that Jesus will make a triumphal entry into any life which earnestly seeks Him with a whole heart.  We shout the arrival of Jesus when we learn to seek Him from wherever we are. 

  • Honor:  Matthew 21:4-5

    • As Jesus made His way into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, He did so as One who was well received and honored.  While He was not riding a horse of battle or victory, He did come in a way which fulfilled prophesy about the Messiah who would come and save His people.  Even when understanding was incomplete, the people honored the arrival of this King of Peace.  We shout the arrival of Jesus when we choose to honor Him with our life.

  • Obey:  Matthew 21:6-11

    • The honor given to Jesus was made known not only by words, but by an obedience to doing what He asked.  The disciples who were sent to seek the donkey and its colt did so regardless of how they felt about the likelihood of success.  We shout the arrival of Jesus in our life when we choose to obey all that He has taught and commanded.

  • Undo:  Matthew 21:12-13

    • As Jesus made His way into the temple courts He encountered life choices which people needed to undo in order to be right with Him.  People had turned what should have been a house of prayer into a “den of robbers”.  When we welcome Jesus into our life, we become His dwelling as His Spirit lives within us.  When we live as the temple of God, we must learn to undo the deeds of the flesh so that we would live by the Spirit and become the house of prayer we are called to be.  We shout the arrival of Jesus when we undo our “den of robbers” through our repentance.

  • Tell:  Matthew 21:14-17

    • As Jesus encountered criticism for not silencing the children who were shouting His praises, He makes it clear that they were designed to tell about Him.  As Jesus enters our life, it ought to be a normal and natural thing to tell people about all that He is doing in our life.  We tell by the words we use and we tell by the life we live.  We shout the arrival of Jesus when “we cannot help but to tell all we have seen and heard” about Jesus.  

Today, how will you SHOUT?