Sermon Notes - Palm Sunday Choices - Littleby Baptist Church - March 29, 2026

1.     We make choices every day.

a.      Some choices are simple.

b.     Such as what clothes we are going to wear.

c.      Or maybe what we are going to have for dinner.

d.     Other choices are much harder.

e.      Like which car to buy.

f.      Shopping for a house.

g.     If it is time to get married.

h.     And sometimes if we can forgive someone.

2.     Life is full of choices.

a.      Some are nothing to lose sleep over.

b.     Some are a lot more challenging and keep us up at night.

c.      For example, where to eat lunch is relatively easy.

d.     But how about forgiving that person that hurt you.

e.      Or if we should share the Gospel with someone when it might strain our relationship and push them away.

f.      Those are much harder choices.

g.     They shouldn’t be, but they are.

3.     Life is full of choices.

a.      And here is the thing, the important choices tend to have an easy path and a harder path.

4.     Let's take a look at a couple of people in the Bible who were dealing with important choices to make.

5.     Genesis 6:14-16

a.      God gave Noah what seemed like an impossible task.

b.     Which left Noah with a choice to make.

c.      He could take the easy path.

d.     Which would be to not do what God wanted him to do.

e.      Or he could take the difficult and challenging path and do as God asked.

f.      The easy path would have been accepted by the people around him.

g.     The difficult path would lead him to be rejected by society and thought of as a fool.

6.     Genesis 6:22

a.      Noah made the choice to follow God.

b.     He took the hard path.

c.      Which led to a lot of work.

d.     It is reasonable to think that he was laughed at and mocked by the people around him.

e.      After all who would build a boat like that where he was.

f.      He didn’t live in a coastal town.

g.     Let alone build one that size.

h.     Imagine the pain of being spared when all but your closest family is wiped out.

i.       Noah chose the difficult path.

7.     Exodus 3:9-10

a.      Moses was standing before the burning bush.

b.     God was telling him that he needed to go.

c.      That he was to be God’s instrument to free His people.

d.     Moses questioned if he was the right man for the job.

e.      He questioned if the people would even listen to him.

f.      He doubted that he would be able to speak in front of Pharaoh and others.

g.     He knew the task before him was monumental.

h.     He also knew that he did not have the power to force Pharaoh to do what God wanted.

i.       Moses had doubts.

j.       He even asked God to send someone else.

k.     In the end, Moses agreed to be used by God.

8.     Exodus 4:20

a.      Moses made a choice.

b.     He chose to follow God.

c.      He made a choice to walk down the difficult path.

9.     Then there is our Lord Jesus.

10.  Matthew 21:1-7

a.      Jesus had a choice to make.

b.     It was what we now know as Palm Sunday.

c.      These verses show us that Jesus chose to head into Jerusalem.

d.     Even at this point He had a choice to make.

e.      He could have continued walking on the path He was on.

f.      Or He could have taken that donkey right on out of there.

11.  Jesus knew the scriptures.

a.      He knew the prophesies.

b.     He knew that the path was going to be painful.

c.      That His choice would lead to His death.

12.  Zechariah 9:9

a.      Jesus was right where this prophecy said He was going to be.

b.     He knew that if He followed the prophesies.

c.      If He did what He came to earth to do

d.     It was going to be hard.

e.      It was going to be painful.

13.  Isaiah 53:3-6

a.      The path Jesus was on would lead Him to be despised.

b.     He would be rejected.

c.      He was going to be struck down, pierced, crushed, and punished.

d.     When Jesus choose to climb on that donkey.

e.      He was reaffirming His choice to go through hell on earth for those that He loves.

f.      He chose to take the hard road because He loves each of us.  

14.  Matthew 26:2

a.      These words confirm.

b.     There is absolutely no doubt!

c.      Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen when He climbed on that donkey and headed into Jerusalem.

d.     He knew that over the next week His Triumphant entry was going to lead to His death.

15.  Matthew 21:7-11

a.      Jesus understood that His life on earth had a purpose.

b.     He made the hard choice to take the difficult path.

c.      He knew it was the right thing to do.

16.  As we live our lives, we make decisions every day.

a.      The lions share of them are as simple as what we are going to eat for lunch or what we going to wear.

b.     But other decisions can be complicated.

c.      The choices where we see easy paths.

d.     And difficult paths.

e.      It make take us a bit to recognize it, but frequently the difficult path is the correct path.

17.  Going to church is a great example.

a.      The easy choice is to sleep in.

b.     And maybe think about going next week.

c.      The correct answer is to get up and fellowship with other Christ followers.

d.     To learn more about Jesus.

e.      To seek His will for our lives.

f.      And maybe get to bed earlier next week.

18.  How about studying God’s Word?

a.      Or if we should spend some time in prayer.

b.     The easy answer might be for us to stare at the TV instead.

c.      Or maybe scroll through our phone.

19.  The choice that requires effort.

a.      That requires commitment and sacrifice.

b.     The path that will strengthen our relationship with our Lord is to read the Bible.

c.      To spend time in prayer talking to our God.

d.     Don't let other things interfere with spending time with our God.

20.  How about forgiving someone?

a.      In many cases the easy path is to walk away from the problem or the person.

b.     To never discuss the issue.

c.      To build a wall in one form or another.

d.     To avoid the conflict and pain.

21.  Ephesians 4:32

a.      The correct path is to forgive those that hurt us.

b.     It will be hard.

c.      There may be a confrontation.

d.     But our God is the God of restoration.

e.      He can heal the hurt and restore the relationship.

f.      It may take time.

g.     But God will work when you follow Him.

22.  How about sharing the gospel with family and friends?

a.      The easy path is to not talk about Jesus.

b.     To not share what He has done in our lives.

c.      It does not take a lot of effort to hide our faith.

d.     The correct path.

e.      The more difficult path is to share our faith in Christ openly.

f.      To share what Jesus has done in our lives.

g.     There will be People who do not want to hear it.

h.     It may drive some people away.

i.       But we need to remember that we were created to Love God and to Love Others.

23.  If we are hiding our faith from those around us.

a.      We have to ask if we are truly loving them?

b.     Showing them true love is sharing what Jesus has done for us.

c.      In hope that they too will spend an eternity with the God that loves them.

d.     The path is not always easy.

e.      But it is the correct path to take.

24.  Our Lord and Savior Jesus rode that Donkey towards the hard path.

a.      The path that led to His death.

b.     He knew the choice He had made.

c.      He knew He was heading down the hard road.

d.     But He knew that if He wanted to spend an eternity with us, He needed to make the ultimate sacrifice.

e.      Out of His Love for us.

f.      Jesus made the hard choice.

g.     In doing so, He is able to offer everyone the gift of eternal life.

25.  Jesus headed into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday out of pure love for you.

a.      He knew He was going to die.

b.     But He also knew that He was the only sacrifice that would wash away our sins.

c.      He knew that His resurrection on Easter Morning would give us eternal life in Glory.

26.  If you are unsure if you will be joining Jesus for an eternity in Glory, please listen carefully.

a.      Jesus is the Son of God.

b.     It is through faith in Him that your sins can be forgiven.

c.      All of us are sinners.

d.     None of us can earn our way into heaven.

e.      We cannot be good enough, give enough, or do enough.

f.      We need Jesus!

g.     We need the gift that He has freely given us.

h.     If you have not put your faith in Jesus.

i.       I encourage you to do so now.

j.       If you would like to take the first step in being a follower of Jesus.

k.     I would love to talk and pray with you.

27.  For those of us that are followers of Jesus.

a.      Make the choices that grow our faith.

b.     Ensure that you spend time with our God.

c.      Choose Jesus each and every day.

d.     Share Him with those in your life.

e.      Forgive the hurt that others have caused you.

f.      Making Jesus THE priority of your life.

g.     Prioritize Jesus each and every day.