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The Jesus You Want vs The Jesus You Need

Have you ever felt like God isn’t doing what you expected? You’ve made space for faith in your life, but things still aren’t changing the way you hoped? You may not be rejecting Jesus outright, but you’re carrying the unmet expectations of who you thought He was and what He would do. In this message, Sean Sears walks through the story of Palm Sunday and shows how the same crowds who welcomed Jesus as King later turned on Him when He didn’t become who they expected. This message will help you see the difference between the Jesus you want and the Jesus you actually need, and why faith isn’t about getting everything you hoped for, but receiving what you need most.

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MESSAGE NOTES

The Story of Easter  ·  Week 1  ·  Palm Sunday

The Jesus You Want vs. The Jesus You Need

BIG IDEA  Jesus didn’t come to fulfill your priorities — He came to take authority over them. He doesn’t come to help you build your kingdom. He comes to bring you into His.

Setting the Scene

Jerusalem is packed. Pilgrims have come from all over Israel for Passover. Rome is watching closely — this is the kind of season when revolutions start.

Jesus rides in — not on a war horse, but on a donkey. The crowd erupts.

Matthew 21:9

“Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in the highest heaven!”

Five days later — that same city is shouting: “Crucify Him.”

Nothing changed about Jesus. He didn’t lose power. He didn’t change His mind. They rejected Him because He didn’t meet their expectations.

Zechariah 9:9

“Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey — riding on a donkey’s colt.”

They loved the “victorious” part and skipped the donkey. They wanted glory, not humility. And we’re not that different.

The Kingdom Problem

A kingdom is simply a place where your will is done. We may not be building a national or political kingdom — but we are each building a personal one.

In our personal kingdom, we want three things:

  • Autonomy — my truth, my timeline, my rules.
  • Power — control over my future, my money, my relationships.
  • Recognition — to be seen, valued, and respected.

There’s no real difference between what they wanted then and what we want today. That’s why Palm Sunday matters.

Point 1

We Want Control — But Jesus Calls Us to Surrender

John 18:36

“My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”

We don’t mind Jesus — as long as we stay in charge. But you can’t make Jesus King and hold onto control. He won’t force it, but if you want Him to be Lord of your life, you have to surrender authority in your life.

Point 2

We Want Comfort — But Jesus Calls Us to Take Up a Cross

Luke 24:21

“We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel.”

Isaiah 53:3

“He was despised and rejected — a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.”

Mark 8:34

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.”

Jesus himself didn’t get a life of ease. He came to reconcile us to the Father — and He calls us to lay down our lives too.

  • Choosing obedience will cost you something.
  • Forgiving people who’ve hurt you is difficult.
  • Staying faithful is sometimes sacrificial.

We want a King who will remove our suffering. But Jesus is a King who redeems it.

Point 3

We Just Want to Win — But Jesus Wants to Make Us New

Matthew 21:5

“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.’”

Isaiah 53:5

“But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.”

Philippians 2:8–9

“He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

God’s plan has never been strength and power first. It’s surrender first, humility first, trust and faith first — then peace, contentment, and victory.

Jesus doesn’t just want to fix things — He wants to make you new. He knows the most broken thing in you isn’t your career. It’s your heart, mind, and soul.

Application

Where are you waiting for God to fix something?

  • “If He changes this, then I’ll be okay…”
  • What if God is saying, “If you trust Me, you’ll be okay”?
  • If your faith depends on a different outcome, your circumstances are still your king.

He wants to change more than just your situation. He wants to change you.

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Application Questions

  1. What stood out to you from this message and why?
  2. What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?
  3. What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?
  4. How will this message change how you act at home, at work, and in your relationships?

Have you ever felt like God isn’t doing what you expected? You’ve made space for faith in your life, but things still aren’t changing the way you hoped? You may not be rejecting Jesus outright, but you’re carrying the unmet expectations of who you thought He was and what He would do. In this message, Sean Sears walks through the story of Palm Sunday and shows how the same crowds who welcomed Jesus as King later turned on Him when He didn’t become who they expected. This message will help you see the difference between the Jesus you want and the Jesus you actually need, and why faith isn’t about getting everything you hoped for, but receiving what you need most.

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