Episode Transcript
[00:00:05] Speaker A: Good morning, Westgate.
Today is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Let's all rise and make a joyful noise. Unto the Lord.
Is the day you've made.
So I rejoice and be glad. Rejoice and be glad in it.
This is where I believe
[00:00:51] Speaker B: that you
[00:00:51] Speaker A: are more than enough.
More than enough for me.
You are faithful to your promise. You are strong when I am weak.
When I'm standing in your presence. I have everything I need.
The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength. It's more than a feeling. The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Oh, my soul, bless his name, all that is within me.
[00:01:35] Speaker C: Sa.
[00:01:36] Speaker A: The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength.
I've got the joy. I've got the joy. I've got the joy.
Jesus, come what name?
You are worthy of all.
Worthy of all my praise.
You are faithful to your promise. You are strong when not yet weak.
When I'm standing in your presence, I am everything I need.
The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength. It's more than a fem. The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Oh, my soul, bless his name all that is within me, say the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength.
I've got the joy. I've got the joy. I've got the joy.
[00:03:02] Speaker C: Overflow,
[00:03:05] Speaker A: holy spirit.
Let it fall, Holy Spirit.
Let it rise up like a river.
Overflowing,
[00:03:35] Speaker C: Holy Spirit.
[00:03:38] Speaker A: Let it all out with no holy land.
Overflowing, Holy Spirit, Put your hands together for the joy of the Lord. He is worthy. Yes.
The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength. It's more than a fear.
And the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Oh, my soul, bless his name, all that is within me say, oh, my soul, bless his name, all that is within me say, oh, my soul, bless his name, all that is within me say the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength.
I've got the joy. I've got the joy. I've got the joy.
[00:05:05] Speaker B: Amen.
[00:05:08] Speaker D: Let's give praise to the Lord. He's good. Amen.
Amen. I am so thankful you've chosen to worship with us today. You may grab a seat. Thank you for being here with us today.
It is a fantastic day to worship the Lord. A day that he has given to us as we join together on this Palm Sunday and begin the Passion Week and our lead up to Easter.
I want to thank you especially for being here today. If you are a guest, my name's Rob Zimmerman, I'm the lead pastor here at Westgate and if this is your first time with us, thank you for
[00:05:40] Speaker E: coming and worshiping with us.
[00:05:42] Speaker D: One of the things we recognize for many people when they come check out a church or considering whether or not to get connected into it is that sometimes it takes time to wanna take that step of connection. Whether today's your first day or you've been here for a few weeks. When you make that decision to wanna get connected, the best way to do so is to begin by filling out a connection card. Those connection cards are in the pew
[00:06:04] Speaker E: in front of you.
[00:06:05] Speaker D: You can grab it, you can fill it out and at the close of the service I would encourage you to take it out into our main lobby where we have our guest center. Our host that is there would love to answer questions that you have about the church, how you can get connected. Our various different min as well. They have a small gift they would
[00:06:21] Speaker E: love to give you just for saying thank you for worshiping with us today.
[00:06:24] Speaker D: And so please be sure to stop by and do that again. If you are worshiping at home online this morning as well, you can fill out an online connection card and begin that process as well.
Now there are a lot of things that are going on around the church,
[00:06:38] Speaker E: especially as we move into Easter week,
[00:06:40] Speaker D: which means summer is just around the corner, the year is flying by, but with everything going on, the best way to stay engaged and up to date is with the Westgate Chapel app. If you don't have that, you can download that in your app store by going to Westgate Chapel Toledo. Download the app and it will keep you up to date with everything that is happening. The biggest thing obviously is that this week is Easter week and so we have got a number of different services we want to invite you to join us for. As you walked in today, hopefully you grabbed your sermon notes on the way in. But you would also see at the tables at each of our entrances are these cards that give you all the information about what is happening this week here at the church. You'll see on the backside that Good Friday sermon service is this Friday at 7pm it's going to be a great time of reflection, of worship together as a church family. We would love for you to come invite your friends and your family to
[00:07:33] Speaker E: come and join you as well.
[00:07:35] Speaker D: We have all of the information here about Our Easter services. Just a reminder that our service times are changing. Next Sunday for Easter, we will have three services you'll see on the screen, 8am, 9:30 and 11:15.
The most important things to keep in mind is for those of you that love the 8am service, get it done early, come worship, begin your day right. We would love for you to come be with us. But a reminder that that is the one service where we won't have children's programming. And so you can have your children here in the service with you if that's your desire. But we will have kids programming at 9:30, 11:15. Our students will be gathering at 9:30 as well.
But then for the kids, which we know, they're looking forward to, the Easter egg hunt, as long as the weather cooperates, that'll be happening between the second and the third service.
We would love for you to come and join us again, but also be thinking about who it is that you could invite, your neighbors, your friends, your family that could come and worship with us as we celebrate our risen Savior. Now, with that being said, we want to continue in our worship together this morning. But before we do so in song, we want to take a moment to welcome each other to our service. So I want you to stand up, turn, find someone you haven't said hello to, and tell them what you're looking forward to this week or how poorly your NCAA bracket is.
Something I would just love for these
[00:09:00] Speaker E: words to pour over you.
[00:09:02] Speaker D: Worship how you feel led.
[00:09:04] Speaker E: We know Jesus and we know there's
[00:09:07] Speaker D: power in that name. The Bible says God has highly exalted
[00:09:10] Speaker F: him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.
[00:09:16] Speaker E: So that at the name of Jesus
[00:09:17] Speaker F: every knee should bow in heaven and
[00:09:19] Speaker E: on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
[00:09:24] Speaker F: Lord to the glory of God the Father. Would you help us lift up his name right now?
[00:09:41] Speaker C: I know a name that can silence roaring waves I know a name
[00:09:54] Speaker E: that
[00:09:54] Speaker C: can empty out a grave I know a name he's the only name that sings and it's worthy of all praise
[00:10:10] Speaker B: I call you Jesus I call you
[00:10:14] Speaker C: I call you healer Risen and reigning
[00:10:19] Speaker B: in power Something comes out of the grave every time I call you Jesus I call you, I call you Sa
[00:10:34] Speaker C: Worthy of glory forever Something comes out of the grave
[00:10:43] Speaker B: every time I call your name I have a king with dominion over death he holds the key in his holy hills Right hand He is the heel that has crushed the serpent's head I resurrected great I am I call you Jesus I Call you, I call you Healer.
Living and making power.
Something comes out of the grave Every time I call you Jesus.
I call you. I call you Savior worthy of glory forever.
Something comes out of the grave
[00:11:50] Speaker C: Every
[00:11:50] Speaker B: time I call your name.
Chase. Break, drive close.
Wait.
Every time I call your name.
The days of hell shake.
Every time I call your name.
Change.
Break, Drive.
[00:12:12] Speaker C: Bo.
[00:12:15] Speaker B: Every time I call your name.
The gates of hell shake.
Every time I call your name.
In glory
[00:13:15] Speaker C: where all death is now
[00:13:21] Speaker B: your sleep and we your victory.
Dead things come alive. Dead things come alive.
Dead things come alive in the name of Jesus. Dead things come alive. Dead things come come alive. Dead things come alive in the name of Jesus.
Death things come alive. Dead things come alive. Dead things come alive in the name of Jesus. Dead things come alive.
Death things come alive.
Dead things come alive in the name I call you Jesus.
I call you, I call you Healer.
Risen and raining in power.
Something comes out of grave.
Every time I call you Jesus.
I call you, I call you Savior Worthy of glory forever.
Something comes out of the grave every time I call your name.
[00:14:40] Speaker C: Change.
[00:14:41] Speaker B: Break, Drive close.
Wait.
Every time I call your name. Name the gates of hell. Shame.
Every time I call your name. Dead things come alive.
Dead things come alive.
Dead things come alive. In the name of Jesus.
Dead things come alive. Dead things come alive. Dead things come alive. In the name of Jesus Christ.
[00:15:25] Speaker E: Amen.
[00:15:25] Speaker F: Amen.
[00:15:25] Speaker D: Give him some praise. Lift him up one more time.
[00:15:57] Speaker C: A thousand generations falling down in worship.
To sing the song of ages to the land and all who've gone before us.
And all who will believe.
Sing the song of ages to an end.
Your name is the highest. Your name is the greatest. Your name stands above them all.
All thrones and dominions. All powers and positions. Your name stands above them all.
And the angels cry hol.
All creation.
[00:16:57] Speaker B: Christ.
[00:16:59] Speaker C: Holy you are lifted high.
Holy, Holy forever.
If you've been forgiven and if you've been redeemed.
Sing the song forever to the lamb if you walk in freedom and if you bear his name.
Sing the song forever to land we'll sing the song forever and amen.
And the angels cry holy.
All creation cries Holy.
You are lifted high.
Holy.
Holy forever.
Hear your people sing holy to the king of kings.
Holy you will always be holy.
Holy forever.
Your name is the highest. Your name is the greatest. Your name stands above them all.
All thrones and dominions. All powers and position.
Your name stands above them all.
Jesus, your name is the highest. Your name is the greatest. Your name, it stands above them all.
Above all thrones and dominions, all powers and positions. Your name stands above them all.
And the angels cry holy.
All creation Christ.
Holy.
Holy.
Holy forever.
Yes you are.
Hear your people sing Holy to the king of kings.
Holy.
You will always be holy.
Holy forever.
You will always be holy.
Holy forever.
The name of all names. You will always be holy.
Holy forever.
You will always be holy.
Holy forever.
[00:21:12] Speaker D: Let's give praise to Jesus.
[00:21:18] Speaker E: You can be seated.
[00:21:19] Speaker D: Father, we praise you.
[00:21:21] Speaker E: We praise your holy name.
We thank you for being a God who is all powerful, who is over all things and in control of all things, of whom, Father, there is no greater.
[00:21:38] Speaker D: We confess to you, Lord, that at
[00:21:39] Speaker E: times we turn ourselves and our hearts towards things and people in this world that we think will supply the hope and the contentment and the peace that we long for.
And yet, Father, we're reminded consistently through your word that the only way that we find peace is through your son, Jesus Christ, who has been given all authority over this world and over our lives.
And so, Father, this morning, as we worship you, as we sing these songs, may they be a reflection of our heart, our thankfulness, Father, for who you are and what you've done through your son, Jesus Christ.
His death on a cross, his resurrection, his offer of eternal life through faith in him.
Father, may our hearts be filled with gratitude for the way in which not only you offer us salvation through your son, but in the way that you walk with us and give us peace amongst a world that completely lacks it.
And, Father, from that experience, would you transform our hearts in such a way that our deepest desire is to share that peace with other people?
Father, as we come to our time of worship this morning, through the giving of our tithes and our offerings, we thank you, God, for the way in which you have provided for us.
And we thank you, God, that you allow us to participate in your kingdom work and reaching more people with the good news of your son.
Would you continue to cultivate our hearts in the area of giving, of being generous and allowing ourselves, Father, to be used by you as we give our offerings today, whether it's in this room, in a bucket that has passed, or whether we give online, whatever it may be. May this be a moment, Father, where we are reminded of your faithfulness to us and worship you with all of our hearts as we give back.
And we ask God that you would multiply these gifts and use them so that more would know your son. In Jesus name we pray.
[00:23:38] Speaker D: Amen.
We're gonna take our morning offering. And so if you're Sitting here in the center aisles. The buckets are there. We'll pass them out to the sides. If you're in the balcony, those offering buckets are in the corners. And we'll pass them in and we'll take our morning offering for just a
[00:23:53] Speaker E: few moments before we jump together in into the word.
[00:24:42] Speaker D: Well, once again, it is good to be here and to be worshiping together on this Palm Sunday, really the beginning of the Passion Week, the week where Jesus begins his journey into Jerusalem. And if you have not been with us over the past many weeks, we're in a series that is entitled the King is Coming.
We have been taking a look at Jesus last weeks leading up to his crucifixion, looking at it through the lens of the book of Luke, seeking to understand that as Jesus began his journey towards Jerusalem and towards the cross, what the things were that were most important on his heart and how that informs how we live our lives today. In light of all that Jesus has accomplished for us. Now we celebrate today the beginning of this Passion Week. It's called Palm Sunday because of the palm branches that are used that we'll see in our passage this morning that were used as people celebrated Jesus arrival into Jerusalem. And oftentimes I find that most Christians think of two things when they see palm branches. They either think of a luxurious tropical, tropical vacation somewhere that they would like to go to, or two, they think of the triumphal entry. However, for me growing up, anytime that I see palm branches or even palm trees, I'm reminded of these two rather large palm trees that were in my backyard growing up. As a kid, I would look out and it actually wasn't in our backyard, but in the neighbor behind us, right up against the fence line were these two massive palm trees. And I can remember as a young boy laying in my room, which was at the back of the house with my window, listening to the breeze rustling through the leaves of the palm trees. And then when we would have a good sized wind come up, watching those things sway in the wind, thinking, how do they not snap and just fall over? But those are fond memories that I have, but they also bring back a very poignant memory that I have of my father. You see, one of the things about these palm trees also is that there were these power lines that we had that ran right in front of them. And there were constantly these rats that would run along and, you know, what's coming, would run along the power lines. And I would watch as they would go from the power lines, jump onto the tree Run up into the very top of it and then they would make their nests in there. Well, as you can imagine, this caused a little bit of a problem in the neighborhood because people would find rats in their garage and we were no different. There were times where we would find rat droppings kind of in the garage and also the rats would cause all sorts of damage. Anybody here ever experience damage from mice or rats that kind of get into a space? Yeah, I mean, it's a little bit of misery, if you will. And I remember my dad trying every humane way possible to get rid of them. Even buying like one of those little things you could plug into a wall that emitted a sonic noise. Didn't really work. They took our money though, but to no avail.
Until the one day, a one day that is etched in my mind for all of history.
It's a day that changed my entire perception of who my father was.
My dad is the kind of person that I would call growing up a peacemaker to the T. Like that is just what describes him. He was generally quiet. Never in my life did I truly see my parents ever fight. He really never raised his voice with us. When he got angry though, his face would turn beet red, begin to shake and look like it was going to explode. That was enough for us. But he was always calm. He was too himself. He was never overstated in a group.
[00:28:22] Speaker E: Thus, as I think about my father, he was this picture of calm and steadiness in my life until the day
[00:28:33] Speaker D: that he saw the rat sitting in
[00:28:35] Speaker E: the back of the garage.
[00:28:37] Speaker D: We had this shelf that was rather large and very deep that sat in the back of the garage. And my dad saw the rat sitting there between two boxes. And in that moment, everything I knew about my father changed.
I watched him as he grabbed a broom and his small Swiss army knife and a roll of duct tape and he began to tape it to the end of that bruisek. You feel where this is going? And he goes like an indigenous warrior, tribal warrior in the thick of a jungle, creeping quietly into the dark garage, hunting his prey. And then thud. And a large squealing that wouldn't stop ending. And here comes my father proudly walking out with his prey on the end of his makeshift spear.
It was awesome.
I couldn't believe it. I was so confused too, because everything had changed. My quiet, soft spoken father was a hardened warrior.
And on one hand I thought it was cool. At the same time I knew that I really needed to stop causing trouble because I didn't know what he would do if I Went too far now nevertheless, I would have never expected that at that young age from my father because my whole perception of who he
[00:29:55] Speaker E: was began to shift that day.
[00:29:59] Speaker D: You know, as we come to our text for Palm Sunday, looking at the
[00:30:04] Speaker E: day that Jesus would enter into Jerusalem,
[00:30:07] Speaker D: as he began his final journey to
[00:30:09] Speaker E: the cross, the disciples whole perception of Jesus Jesus would also begin to shift dramatically.
[00:30:18] Speaker D: You see, they had one idea in
[00:30:19] Speaker E: their mind of who he was from their experiences with him, but also from
[00:30:24] Speaker D: who they had heard the Messiah would be.
[00:30:26] Speaker E: But now as he makes his final approach to the holy city, everything that they knew would be challenged, but also begin to change.
[00:30:36] Speaker D: If you have your Bibles with me, I'd encourage you to pull them out. We're going to continue in Luke chapter 19 together.
And as we go through Luke chapter
[00:30:45] Speaker E: 19, I'd also invite you to pull
[00:30:47] Speaker D: out your sermon notes.
[00:30:48] Speaker E: If you have them, you can use
[00:30:49] Speaker D: those to follow along.
[00:30:53] Speaker E: But before we jump into the text,
[00:30:56] Speaker D: I want us to again get a little bit of history and background.
Pastor Dan touched on this just a little bit last week. And by the way, can we thank Pastor Dan for sharing from God's Word with us last week?
Such a fantastic bringing God's Word to us.
But as we begin to look at kind of the context surrounding our passage this morning in your notes, what we see is that on Jesus journey to Jerusalem, he was passing through Jericho.
Now when we think of Jericho, typically, if you've been in church for any amount of time, you will typically think of Jericho as in Joshua and the Israelites marching around Jericho and the walls come tumbling down.
You know, Old Testament Jericho was actually only about 6 to 10 acres in size. If you look here at the screen, it's a picture of Old Testament Jericho. To give you a little bit clearer picture, here are the boundary markers of Old Testament Jericho. It was just a very small space, 6 to 10 acres in size. You could walk its perimeter. It was about a half a mile all the way around. It was a very compact city, incredibly fortified with high.
And there were roughly estimates are around 1300-2000 people who would live within this city. And sometimes it would swell a little bit more if there was an attack that was taking place. People from surrounding areas outside the city might run into the city walls to be saved. But it was somewhere in that range of about 1300-2000 people.
But after it was destroyed, Jericho actually during Jesus time in New Testament times was very different. As we look at this picture on the screen, we it was a few miles square Miles in size. It was fairly bigger.
It was spread out across farmland, residential clusters. The royal palaces and retreats were there. As you see on the screen, that residential area, homes would have been spread out through that area. And if you see the small gold circle up there, that is how big Old Testament Jericho was. That's where that small section is. And then down in the blue is where the municipal Jericho. It's the place where Herod the Great would have built all of his temples and all of his palaces that he would live in a winter palace that he had for his family.
And what this helps us to understand is at the time of Jesus, Jericho itself, letter A, was a luxurious oasis city.
It was known as the City of Palms because of all of the palms that were there. And I'll talk about that in just a minute. But here's the deal. Herod the Great built incredible water systems and aqueducts that would take water from all of the springs surrounding this area and funnel them into Jericho and turn it into a fertile green oasis in the midst of a barren desert. Because of its vast water supply from those various springs, it was known for its agriculture, for its trade. It was made popular by the vast amount of date palms that you'll see here on the screen, various different palm trees that can be found throughout the region there. It also was popular and it was also wealthy because of its sugarcane, its balsam production, which was a rare, expensive perfume and a medicine resin. Herod the Great also built, as I said, numerous royal palaces in Jericho, essentially turning it into a hotspot of wealth, of beauty and comfort for Roman elites. Thus, Jericho was considered to be a place of prosperity and a place of pride, privilege, which also made it a very hot spot for Roman taxation. And that brings us to our second point, that Jericho, letter B, was also a morally corrupt city.
It was known to be morally corrupt because of the taxation largely that would happen there. Jericho sat along the major trade routes with a very heavy commercial traffic. So this made Jericho a prime location for Rome's notorious tax collection. One of the stories that Pastor was Dan referenced last week, that happens at the very beginning of chapter 19 of the book of Luke, was the story of Zacchaeus, a tax collector who was hated by the general public. And when you understand how they hated him, you understand how they felt about all tax collectors who were generally Jewish people who were working for the hated Roman government, exploiting the people and ripping them off with the taxes so that they themselves could live a time long life of privilege. They were completely hated because of the corruption that existed, especially here within this city.
But what we also see because of its wealth and its corruption, letter C is it was a city where the marginalized were consistently overlooked. It was a place where the gap between wealthy and poor was incredibly pronounced.
On one hand you would have Roman officials, wealthy elites, tax collectors, and on
[00:35:49] Speaker E: the other hand you would have the
[00:35:50] Speaker D: poor, the overlooked and the high, high population of beggars. We hear about that and we think about that in Luke 18 when it says that Jesus began to pass through Jericho. And who does he encounter? A blind beggar by the side of the road, that he would give him back his sight and heal him. But this was a common existence, the gap between wealthy and poor and those who were needy.
Letter D, as we understand all of this, about this final pass through, if you will, as Jesus heads to Jerusalem, we see letter D that Jericho is
[00:36:26] Speaker E: the final stop on Jesus way up,
[00:36:29] Speaker D: the passage tells us, to Jerusalem, where
[00:36:31] Speaker E: he makes his mission abundantly clear to
[00:36:35] Speaker D: his followers and to all who would listen.
These final moments, when the passage says that he's going up to Jerusalem, as he's passing through Jericho, it begins, begins his final journey to the cross. He would travel up to Jerusalem. If you look at this shot here, at the very bottom of those hills or mountains or whatever we call them, Jericho sat about 800ft below sea level. And it was a 14 mile journey basically from Jericho to Jerusalem. And in that span of 14 miles you would climb 3,300ft from the bottom at Jericho up to Jerusalem.
But it is in these final moments
[00:37:15] Speaker E: in Jericho that Jesus also makes his mission clear.
[00:37:19] Speaker D: He is not just going up physically
[00:37:22] Speaker E: to Jerusalem, but he will be going up to the cross.
But he makes this mission clear in
[00:37:28] Speaker D: Jericho, number one, because he sees and
[00:37:30] Speaker E: brings healing and salvation to the marginalized and those who were considered unworthy.
[00:37:37] Speaker D: And in doing so, what Jesus, Jesus does is he continues to emphasize that the kingdom of God is not just for the wealthy, for the elite, for
[00:37:44] Speaker E: the religious elite, but it is for
[00:37:47] Speaker D: all people, especially those who were cast off by the rest of the world.
Jesus makes clear that his mission is to seek and to save all who would turn their hearts to him.
And not only does he make that mission clear, but number two, he calls all of his followers to faithfulness.
Because this journey from Jericho to Jerusalem would be one of the most difficult weeks in the disciples lives as they watch the one in whom they have followed and given their lives for go through one of the most horrendous, unjust experiences that a person could ever have.
And their lives themselves are in danger and they have great fear. And Jesus knows that this moment is coming. So he continues to call them to incredible faithfulness, to hanging in and to trusting the plans of God.
What we see, letter E is that
[00:38:41] Speaker E: Jericho then represented God's power to bring victory and to bring peace in the Old Testament, as God provided victory to
[00:38:51] Speaker D: Joshua and to the Israelites as they entered into the promised land.
But as well as Jesus passes through
[00:38:58] Speaker E: on his way to Jesus Jerusalem, it
[00:39:00] Speaker D: would be a statement of the victory that he would win over sin and over death and the peace that he would bring to all of mankind. And so letter F. Now Jesus faithfully sets himself on the road to the cross, an ascent that would clarify and signify God's power and victory over sin
[00:39:20] Speaker E: and death, bringing ultimate peace who all would choose to all who would choose to.
[00:39:25] Speaker D: To follow him.
And so, as we look and continue
[00:39:28] Speaker E: into our passage this morning, it is
[00:39:31] Speaker D: the account of the triumphal entry beginning in Luke, chapter 19, verse 28. You can follow along in your Bibles or here on the screen with me.
[00:39:40] Speaker E: This is what it says.
[00:39:43] Speaker D: When he, Jesus had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethpage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples saying, go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, why are you untying it? You shall say this. The Lord has need of it.
So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owner said to them, why are you untying it? And he said, they said, because the Lord has need of it.
As we begin to look at this moment, Jesus gives instructions to his disciples that they are to go and they are to find this colt or this donkey that is tied up and to take it and to bring it back to him so that he can ride it into Jerusalem. What's interesting here is that Jesus instructions to his disciples, if you're following along in your notes, would have been a hopeful confirmation, but hopeful confirmation of what was coming.
[00:40:57] Speaker E: But mixed with a whole lot of confusion.
[00:41:00] Speaker D: You see, what the disciples see and understand is this. Jesus is clearly in control and he is now calling the shots as he
[00:41:08] Speaker E: makes his journey into Jerusalem.
[00:41:11] Speaker D: He's making preparations for this big entry. And the crowds have been coming to Jerusalem for the Passover. They're enormous crowds. But even more, they have swelled around Jesus as news of his miracles has begin to spread. The miracles that they've seen with their own eyes, as the murmurs are being passed around because they know and believe that he is potentially this Messiah that has been promised and his word begins to circulate, there's a huge air of expectation that is going on. People are excited.
But then he looks at his disciples and he tells them to get a donkey for his entry into Jerusalem.
When we think of donkeys, we don't think of animals that are fit for kings. We think of this, right?
Is that what a king is fit for?
When we think of donkeys, we think of crazy animals that smell bad. They make loud noises and weird faces. Right? How is this fit for a king? Well, let's dial back and understand something for a second. Letter A. In Israelite tradition, the riding of a donkey was associated with legitimate peaceful succession of kingship. Huh? Think of it in these terms. In the Old Testament, King David, when transferring power to his son Saul, Solomon has him seated on a donkey. In First Kings, chapter 1, verses 33 through 35, it says these words that the king said to them, speaking of David, take with you the servants of your Lord and have Solomon, my son ride on my own mule and bring him down to Gihon, and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, long live King Solomon. You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place.
And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. You see, it was common for leaders and for kings to ride donkeys in times of peace. In times of peace, donkeys were considered to be noble animals. But here's. Here's the other thing. Not only was this common in the Old Testament in times of peaceful succession, but letter B, the moment had also been prophesied about. The prophets of the Old Testament actually spoke about this exact moment in Zechariah, chapter 9, verses 9 through 10. Listen to what he says. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Speaking of the coming Messiah, shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. For behold, behold, your king is coming to you righteous and having salvation. Is he humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations. His Rule shall be from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. Literally. Literally. The prophecy of the Messiah would that the Messiah would come to rescue Israel is spoken of as the Messiah being humble and mounted on a donkey. The problem is letter C that this image did not match the popular political
[00:44:29] Speaker E: hopes of the day.
[00:44:31] Speaker D: There are three overarching beliefs about the Messiah that were held by the religious leaders, but also by the common population and Jesus disciples themselves.
These overarching beliefs about who the Messiah
[00:44:45] Speaker E: would be would be this.
[00:44:46] Speaker D: Number one, that he would demonstrate incredible power militarily and also politically.
[00:44:52] Speaker E: That he would be a military warrior, that he would be politically motivated.
[00:45:00] Speaker D: Number two, that as he came, he would liberate Israel from Rome. He would finally wipe out their greatest enemy so that they could live in peace. Number three, thus establishing Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem, ushering in a time of unbridled peace for the nation and also for the world.
In other words, they didn't envision Jesus coming in on a donkey, even though that was historically accurate in a time of peace, even though it had been prophesied about what the expectation was was that he wouldn't come on a donkey, but that the Messiah would come on a war horse. An animal that was fit for going into battle.
An animal that was fit for the overthrow of a very powerful government.
There is no doubt that this picture that was given to Jesus disciples would
[00:45:57] Speaker E: have confused the them.
[00:45:59] Speaker D: This wasn't a time of peace. Rome would not just roll over and hand Jerusalem to the Messiah on a donkey. He would have to come in power. He would have to take it by force.
Thus the disciples, while they were excited
[00:46:14] Speaker E: for the moment, were no doubt confused by the symbolism behind Jesus request.
[00:46:21] Speaker D: Thus letter D. Riding a donkey wasn't anti king.
[00:46:25] Speaker E: It was an intentional symbol of the type of king that Jesus would be.
You see, Jesus is working to change their perception and understanding of who he was and his purpose and mission.
He hadn't come to wage war, but he had come to bring peace.
[00:46:48] Speaker D: Not peace with Rome, but to bring peace with God. He hadn't come to slay all of their enemies.
[00:46:56] Speaker E: He came to be slain so that the sins of the world would be covered by his blood and so that the people could receive salvation through his sacrifice.
[00:47:13] Speaker D: And what you see, as though Jesus has been trying to make this clear in things that he says, in the
[00:47:18] Speaker E: symbolism of the triumphal entry, you see
[00:47:21] Speaker D: the disciples trying desperately to ignore the
[00:47:24] Speaker E: obvious signs that their perception of Jesus was off.
Look with me at Luke 19, verses 35 through 40. It says that they brought this donkey, this colt, to Jesus.
[00:47:37] Speaker D: And throwing their cloaks on the colt,
[00:47:39] Speaker E: they set Jesus on it.
[00:47:42] Speaker D: And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road as he was drawing near. Already on the way down the Mount of Olives, where he would go into the Kidron Valley and up to Jerusalem. It says the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And peace come. And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, teacher, rebuke your disciples.
And he answered, I tell you that if these were silent, even the very
[00:48:22] Speaker E: stones would cry out.
You see, Jesus, entry into Jerusalem actually revealed so many things.
Letter A. It revealed that worship can be enthusiastic.
And yet also misunderstood. Informed.
[00:48:39] Speaker D: Think about it. They began to praise God fervently, with loud voices, it says, because of the miracles that they had seen.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. He's our Messiah.
And as they think about all the miracles that they have seen Jesus, do remember, in the earthly ministry of Jesus, they've seen him give sight to the blind.
They've seen him cause the mute to speak, the deaf to receive their hearing, the people with leprosy, their skin healed before their very eyes.
They've seen him walk on water and Peter do the same. They've seen Jesus in a boat surrounded by a massive storm on the Sea of Galilee, speak and command nature to follow his direction. And the waves were calmed. They know that Jesus is the Messiah. They know that. That he has all power. They know that he can come in power and authority and wipe out Rome.
[00:49:35] Speaker E: And yet this picture of the peaceful king entering into Jerusalem.
[00:49:39] Speaker D: But still they call out, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, our Messiah.
In the Book of Matthew, as he recounts this, he also says that the disciples cry out and the crowds cry out, hosanna to the Son of David. In other words, hosanna, save us. Save us now. Our Messiah.
But here's the problem.
[00:50:01] Speaker E: The problem is that the crowd wasn't pleading for salvation from sin.
They were pleading for salvation from Rome.
They were right that Jesus was the Messiah, and they were right to worship him.
Their enthusiasm was real, but they were misinformed as to the type of king that he was, was and what he desired from them.
Cannot the same be said today, the same truth?
It is very easy in our own culture, within the church and in the world today to have very strong, enthusiastic feelings of worship towards God. We can be driven by inspiring music. And the energy of worshiping in a group can create a powerful sense of devotion to God.
But emotion does not guarantee correctness.
Worship can feel meaningful while also being theologically off track.
And if our worship isn't based in the truth of how God has revealed Himself in His Word, it is not only misinformed, but also dishonoring to God. Because what it does is doesn't worship God for. For who he is, but rather, like the disciples, for who we want him to be.
If our worship isn't based in the truth of how God has revealed Himself in His Word, it is misinformed and dishonoring. And we live in a culture today where it has become normal to put God in our own box.
And here's the deal.
[00:51:40] Speaker D: We like to point out the biggies
[00:51:41] Speaker E: of how people screw this up, right? Especially in the church. We're like, oh, those people value that marriage is between one man and one woman, and they don't value the gender roles that God has assigned and clearly made true in Scripture. And so we love to point out
[00:51:59] Speaker D: the biggies of the way that some people will claim to follow God and have really bad theology.
[00:52:05] Speaker E: And yet at the same time, while we like to point out other people's faults, we fail to recognize and to see the ways in our own lives in which we dishonor God and put him also in our own little box of how it is we want to follow Him.
You see, while we like to point out the biggies, but while we do this while redefining or ignoring our own holiness and what we consider to be an acceptable way to worship God, if
[00:52:34] Speaker D: you were to turn to Galatians chapter
[00:52:36] Speaker E: five, you would see that this is not something new. The Apostle Paul actually talks about this in the New Testament with the church. After they've experienced Christ's death and his
[00:52:47] Speaker D: resurrection and salvation that comes and they've
[00:52:49] Speaker E: been baptized, he chastises them because they have created their own understanding of I can worship God and yet live with sin that I believe is acceptable.
[00:53:01] Speaker D: What does he say to them in Galatians 5:19?
[00:53:03] Speaker E: He says, the works of the flesh are evident. Sexual morality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity,
[00:53:09] Speaker D: strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions,
[00:53:13] Speaker E: divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. And then he says, I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
You see, what he points out is how easy it is to slip into a deprived mindset that says I get to determine who, who God is based on what is most convenient for me and fits what I desire.
And in the Christian culture today, it happens all the time.
Where we are fine with the idea of sex before marriage, though God's word speaks against it.
Where people wrestle deeply with pornography, excusing it as not really hurting anybody.
Where people will deal with, with alcoholism or drunkenness and excuse it as no,
[00:54:06] Speaker D: it's not a big deal because I
[00:54:07] Speaker E: have control, even though God's word speaks directly against it. And you may still sit and say those are some of the biggies. And I would say also that when
[00:54:15] Speaker D: we look at what Paul says, what does he say?
[00:54:17] Speaker E: He says things like anger, fits of rage, gossiping, our hatred towards one another.
We excuse these types of things and in the process we worship not recognizing the disconnect of how we ourselves have created our own understanding of what is acceptable, not according to God's word, but what is convenient for us.
You see, worship can be enthusiastic, but also misinformed. And what God wants us to do is to worship him not based on what our culture says or what is most convenient for us, but how he's revealed in his word for who he is, letter B. We also see in this passage that it's possible to follow God and completely misunderstand Jesus mission.
Think about this. The disciples are spreading cloaks or their coats on the road. It was an expression of their submission of their hearts and their whole life to Jesus.
[00:55:22] Speaker D: Symbolically, what they were doing was placing
[00:55:24] Speaker E: themselves underneath his feet as their king.
[00:55:28] Speaker D: But they were so fixated on what
[00:55:31] Speaker E: they wanted from their king that they completely missed his purpose. His mission was to come and to
[00:55:38] Speaker D: seek and to save the lost, those
[00:55:40] Speaker E: who were separate from God by sin.
[00:55:43] Speaker D: And what I find is that sometimes
[00:55:45] Speaker E: we also live as though Jesus mission
[00:55:47] Speaker D: was to come and to save us so that we could enjoy life and sit by the pool with our lemonade and just wait for his return.
[00:55:54] Speaker E: But submission to Jesus is not just believing, it's surrender. And what is surrender?
Surrender is laying down my purposes and my plans for my life to join Jesus in his mission.
There are times where our following of God looks more like asking God to join us in our plans than actually joining him in his.
And this is revealed as well in the text.
And then it continues in Luke chapter 19, verse 41, as Jesus journeys. It says when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, he wept over it.
I want you to see this point later. Letter C. As Jesus weeps. Jesus is not angry. He's grieved.
He's grieved deeply.
[00:56:52] Speaker D: You would think to yourself that Jesus would have every right to be angry. His own disciples don't get who he is. They have their own ideas that they want him to join them in of who he should be.
The people themselves are not necessarily walking with God. Many have rejected. You would think that as Jesus is going to the cross and he's going to die at the hands of his creation, that there would be an anger that is welling up in his soul to where as the all powerful God, he would just wipe them out and say, I'm done.
And the truth is that sometimes we think that God looks at us that way.
We think because of my sin and because of my brokenness, that God looks
[00:57:32] Speaker E: at me with hatred or anger.
[00:57:34] Speaker D: There's no way he could possibly accept me. But what I want you to catch is, is that as Jesus weeps over
[00:57:39] Speaker E: the city, it's not anger, it's grief.
You see, anger flows from a heart that longs for revenge, but grief flows from a heart of compassion that longs for reconciliation.
I want to ask you this question because as Jesus looks at the city, he's not angry even knowing what he's about to endure.
His heart is overflowed with compassion and
[00:58:07] Speaker D: grief for people that desperately need God who are lost in their sin and destined for eternal separation.
[00:58:14] Speaker E: He grieves it. And I would ask you, how does
[00:58:17] Speaker D: that truth about Jesus impact how you
[00:58:20] Speaker E: view the broken world around you?
It is so easy as Christians to look at a world that doesn't know God and to look at their sin and the ways in which they even
[00:58:32] Speaker D: attack you because of what, what you
[00:58:33] Speaker E: believe and to allow anger and hatred to be welled up in your soul towards them.
But do you recognize as Jesus looked at the city full of people who would take him and pin him to a cross with nails, he didn't express anger or hatred.
It was compassion because he desperately wanted them to know Jesus.
Have you fallen so in love with Jesus and his purposes in your own life that when you look at a broken world, you have that same compassion.
Not hatred, but understanding that that's what life looks like without God. But you have the message that will bring them hope, eternal life and peace with God.
See, not only is Jesus not angry, it says that he is grieved. But we also see letter D that what is revealed as Jesus goes up to Jerusalem is that within the heart of man there is no peace. And there are even delusions of how that peace is achieved.
Look with me at the words in Luke 19, verse 42.
As Jesus drew near and saw the city, he wept over it.
And as he wept over, he said, would that you, Jerusalem, even you had known on this day the things that make for peace.
But now they are hidden from your eyes.
Would you if you only had known the things that would make for peace.
But you can't see it.
Jesus grieves the blind that has been caused by sin.
He sees a people that long for peace because of the broken world that is around them.
[01:00:26] Speaker D: But they are looking for that peace
[01:00:28] Speaker E: in all of the wrong places.
[01:00:31] Speaker D: See, in their mind peace would come
[01:00:33] Speaker E: when Rome was done.
[01:00:35] Speaker D: But that was a delusion.
[01:00:37] Speaker E: Because the lack of peace in our world stems not from external situation but internal realities.
And can you see that truth in your own life today?
Sin in the heart of man is the thing that drives all lack of peace in our personal lives. And in this world we fall into this same similar trap as the disciples and the people of that day and of Jerusalem.
When all of we think to ourselves, peace will come when my troubles are all removed, or peace will come when my enemies are vanquished.
[01:01:18] Speaker D: Peace will come when the right person
[01:01:20] Speaker E: is president or the right party is
[01:01:23] Speaker D: in control of congress. Then peace will come. Or we think peace will come when I get my way for what I think is right.
But you know what the Bible says?
The Bible says that peace doesn't come through human and earthly rule. They will always fail us.
The heart of all of mankind is sin always looking out for itself.
You may find a time of eh, kind of peace, but lack of peace will come again in a broken world.
Where do we find true peace from true peace? Lasting peace will come when you surrender your heart to the king of kings, the king of peace.
Peace comes. Peace comes in knowing that your sins are forgiven by God.
Peace comes in knowing that you will reign with him for eternity.
Peace comes in knowing that he has a plan and a purpose for your life. Peace comes in knowing that he is in control even as the world spins in chaos.
Peace comes in knowing that one day
[01:02:23] Speaker E: he will make all things new.
[01:02:26] Speaker D: And I would say to you today, if you you are longing for peace, it isn't found in materialism or the things in this world that you think will give you what you're looking for. It's not found in human leaders of our world, for they will always fail us.
Peace is found in Christ and in Christ alone, when he deals with the very core issue that drives all lack of peace. The sin that resides in the heart of man.
[01:02:53] Speaker E: And when we surrender our heart to God and choose to follow him, placing our faith in him and receiving the gift of salvation, we experience the peace
[01:03:03] Speaker D: of God in this life. Like literally as wars rage in Iran and fights happen all over our country about the direction that we're headed and everything seems to be a mess.
[01:03:15] Speaker E: When you know that Jesus has your eternity in his hands, my friends, you can experience a peace that the world does not get.
And you also have that peace because you know that your sin has been forgiven.
That the King of Kings loves you so much that he sent His Son to die on a cross for you, that because you have placed your faith in him, one day he will set it right and you will live with him forever.
That is the peace you really long for.
Passage doesn't end there, though.
Letter F Jesus final words make this point clear about Jesus Journey to Jerusalem said he longs for the people to find peace, but he says that judgment will follow rejection.
This is a hard truth in reality.
Luke 19, verses 43 through 44 say these words, Jesus said, for the days will come upon you as he looks on Jerusalem, speaking to Jerusalem and the people that are there. The days will come upon you when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you because you did not know the time of your visitation.
What he says is that the moment
[01:04:47] Speaker D: has come for you to see and
[01:04:48] Speaker E: to recognize your King. But because of your rejection of him, there will be judgment.
And while he speaks these words over the city of Jerusalem, the same is true in this life for every single one of us.
God has demonstrated his love for us and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Judgment from God, eternal separation from him in hell, a real place, is not a sign that God is unloving.
It's a sign that you have rejected the depth of God's love for you and pitted yourself as an enemy of the One who loves you and has given everything for you.
This should hold incredible weight for every person's life in this room.
And I would ask you this question.
How does this truth impact you today?
Maybe you are here and you've not put your faith in Jesus. How does this truth impact you?
Maybe you have put your faith in Jesus.
But how does the truth of judgment for those who haven't impact how you are living your life?
I want to say this, that I know that there are some that are here this morning that have never put their faith in judgment.
And maybe you've been here for a few weeks, maybe a few months, you've been listening to the different teachings from God's Word.
You have been wrestling with your own understanding of who Jesus is.
[01:06:34] Speaker D: Maybe you've gone through a period of
[01:06:36] Speaker E: time where you felt like you Jesus was just that guy who wrote a book of rules for people to follow
[01:06:43] Speaker D: to make life a little bit more
[01:06:44] Speaker E: miserable and less fun.
[01:06:45] Speaker D: Or maybe you have had a view
[01:06:47] Speaker E: that God is not necessarily involved in our lives, but he's far away and he's distant. And as you've been searching and reading His Word, you've been learning more. And maybe, just like the disciples, perception and view of Jesus is now shifting and changing. Maybe you've been on that journey as well in your own life, and you're beginning to recognize the truth about who he is.
He's not a God that's just angry and wants to destroy people. That he's a God that has loved you so much that knowing that your destination outside of him is eternal destruction, that he loved you so much he gave himself to die on a cross to pay for your rebellion against God.
That if you would believe in him, put your trust in him and choose him to follow him, you would receive the gift of eternal life as you surrender your heart and your life to Him.
Maybe today is the day that you choose to follow him as you've been on this journey, much like the disciples would come face to face with a choice of who they would believe Jesus is.
Jesus invites you today into a relationship with Him.
And I want to extend that invitation to you.
Is today the day that you choose to say, I believe and I'll choose to follow?
Would you pray with me, God?
I just want to pray and ask that you would move and that your spirit would move in the hearts of all who are in this room this morning.
If you are here and you have never placed your faith and trust in Jesus, but you know, like your perception and understanding of who Jesus is has been shifting and you're recognizing the depth of his love for you. And today is the day that you want to choose to follow Him, I would just invite you to pray this very simple prayer. You don't have to do it out loud. You can do it in the quietness of your heart, but just simply Pray and say to God, God, I believe in you.
I believe that you love me so
[01:08:59] Speaker D: much
[01:09:01] Speaker E: that though I sinned against you, you have sent your son Jesus into this world to pay the penalty for my sin so that I could have a right relationship with you.
Not only do I declare today that I believe in you and that I believe in Jesus. Jesus, but I ask you to forgive me of my sin.
I place my faith and my trust in Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
And Jesus, I choose to follow you.
Thank you God for the gift of salvation that you give me through your son, Jesus Christ.
As we continue in a moment of prayer, I would just say to you if you prayed that that prayer this morning.
I'm excited for what God is doing in your life. I'm excited for the journey that he has had you on.
And I would love the opportunity to be able to journey with you or at least to encourage you as you continue to follow Jesus and learn about what that means and what that looks like.
You'll see at the close of the service that in the pew in front of you is also a small card that says I said yes across the top. I believe it's in maroon or red color. I would invite you to grab that card. All it asks for is your name and your email address. Fill that out. You can drop it in the back in our giving receptacles as you leave. Or I would encourage you to come forward at the end of the service as our prayer team will be here at the front. You can give them that card, tell them about the decision you made today.
[01:10:36] Speaker D: They want to celebrate with you what
[01:10:38] Speaker E: God is doing in your life. But also we have a Bible and some devotional material we would love to give you to encourage you as you make this choice to follow Jesus. So come at the close of our service and share that. Let us celebrate with you and also journey with you and encourage you as you continue in this new relationship with Him.
[01:10:59] Speaker D: Church Family as we continue to close
[01:11:00] Speaker E: in prayer, I also recognize that the message this morning from God's Word as Jesus moves towards Jerusalem is such a
[01:11:10] Speaker D: pure picture of the Gospel, not just for people that have not placed their
[01:11:13] Speaker E: faith in him, but for all believers.
And it pushes us to ask ourselves,
[01:11:19] Speaker D: are we living our lives as followers
[01:11:21] Speaker E: of Jesus, living with a correct understanding of who he is?
Have we created our own box for Jesus?
Are we taking him at who His Word says He is is, and striving for righteous and holiness so that he would be glorified as well? Have you made His Mission, your priority
[01:11:41] Speaker D: is your deepest desire because of what
[01:11:43] Speaker E: he has done in your heart and your life, to go and to share that truth with others.
My prayer for you this morning is that if you recognize that there are
[01:11:53] Speaker D: areas in your life where you have
[01:11:54] Speaker E: been wrestling in your own relationship with him, as it would use today as a of fact matter moment where you place a stamp and say, today it's going to be different.
I fully surrender my heart and my life to the Lord God. I just pray that if there are ways that we have put you in
[01:12:10] Speaker D: a box sin that we have allowed in, ways that we have redefined what it looks like for me to worship enthusiastically while embracing something about you that is not true, then Lord, today I pray that you would change that. And as well, we ask God that not only would you forgive us of sin, but we ask that your Holy
[01:12:28] Speaker E: Spirit would empower us to change, that
[01:12:31] Speaker D: you would change our perspective. And that honestly, God, it would come from a place not of us working harder, but from us just simply falling in love with you and what you have done for us. And from that, God, transform our hearts to live wholly for you.
And Father, open our eyes, to have spiritual eyes, to see how you are calling us every single day to be a part of your mission of sharing
[01:12:57] Speaker E: the good news of your son, Jesus, with the world that's around us.
[01:13:01] Speaker D: Help us to see those who are broken, those who are hurting, those who
[01:13:04] Speaker E: are lost without you, and fill our
[01:13:07] Speaker D: hearts with the compassion of Jesus that we would not look on them with anger or disgust because they are not like us, but that our hearts would be overflown with a distinction desire to see them receive restoration that can only
[01:13:19] Speaker E: come from your son.
Make our hearts equally as passionate, Father, about your mission.
[01:13:27] Speaker D: So, Father, as we move into this
[01:13:28] Speaker E: week of Easter, as we reflect again deeply on all that you did in your journey to the cross, dying on the cross and being raised again to life, may you cause us to fall so deeply in love with you that it transforms the way that we live. So that Easter is not just a once a week reality in our lives, but a daily reality. To your glory in Jesus name, Amen.
[01:14:13] Speaker F: Oh, I want Jesus oh, I want him O Jesus, take this world and
[01:14:35] Speaker C: give me here
[01:14:40] Speaker F: oh, I want Jesus oh, I want him oh, Jesus, Jesus take this world and give me
[01:15:07] Speaker E: no
[01:15:07] Speaker F: more mixture Give me the God of scripture no more idols, lesser lungs no substitutes will ever do there's nothing more I'll ever pursue oh, I want Jesus oh, I want you Yes, I do oh, oh Only Jesus, take this world and give.
[01:15:58] Speaker B: King,
[01:16:02] Speaker F: I surrender.
Until my heart grows tender.
You'll be my treasure, my greatest call.
No substitute will ever do.
There's nothing more I'll ever pursue.
Oh, I want Jesus.
Oh, I want only Jesus.
Oh, only Jesus.
Take this world and give me.
Sing it again.
Oh, how Jesus.
Oh, I want him.
Oh, holy Jesus.
Take this world and give me.
[01:17:25] Speaker C: Oh, take this world and give me.
Give me. Help.
[01:17:41] Speaker F: Isn't he enough?
Isn't he enough?
[01:17:48] Speaker C: Jesus is everything.
[01:17:51] Speaker F: All that I'll ever need Isn't he isn't enough?
[01:18:01] Speaker C: Jesus, my King of kings, you satisfy me.
[01:18:08] Speaker F: Isn't he enough?
[01:18:11] Speaker C: Isn't he enough?
[01:18:15] Speaker D: Jesus is everything.
[01:18:19] Speaker F: All that I'll ever need is in he enough, Isn't he enough?
[01:18:29] Speaker C: Jesus, My King of kings, you satisfied me.
We cry out to him.
We're singing how won't Jesus.
Oh, I want him, yes, I do.
Oh, holy Jesus.
Take this world and give me Him.
Sing it. Whoa.
I want Jesus.
Oh, I want him.
Holy Jesus.
So take this world and give me.
Oh,
[01:19:38] Speaker F: I won't cheat. Come on, church.
Take this world and give me.
Take this world.
Take this world and give.
[01:20:05] Speaker D: Give me here.
[01:20:10] Speaker F: Take this world and give me.
[01:20:18] Speaker D: Let's lift a shout of praise to the Lord together. He's good.
You know, as we close, a couple
[01:20:26] Speaker E: of things for you.
[01:20:27] Speaker D: One, I forgot to mention this earlier.
[01:20:29] Speaker E: Would you please thank our choir for
[01:20:32] Speaker D: leading us in worship this morning.
What a what of a beautiful, beautiful time of worship we had with them. And you know, I wanted to just quickly share with you. Yesterday we had the incredible opportunity to gather together, about 50 of us and go out into our community to go
[01:20:50] Speaker E: and begin sharing the good news of the love of Jesus.
[01:20:53] Speaker D: And we went, we tried to hang door hangers all throughout the two mile
[01:20:57] Speaker E: radius that surrounds our church because we
[01:21:00] Speaker D: know and believe that God has placed
[01:21:02] Speaker E: people in this community that need to know him and hear his good news.
[01:21:05] Speaker D: And we had the opportunity to have conversations and pray with people all across the spectrum in our community. People that were like, hey, I'm looking for a new church. Others who were like, I'm wrestling with who I believe God is, but I would love to check that out. And you'll see on the screen here, this was as we debriefed together, kind of a prayer wall that we designed with where we came and we began
[01:21:27] Speaker E: to write down the names of people
[01:21:29] Speaker D: that we had conversation with to pray with them.
[01:21:32] Speaker E: So many stories, incredible opportunities of people in our community that are looking for Jesus. And I'm excited Because God is giving us the opportunity to reach and to share the good news of his son right in the community that's around us. But I also want to tell you, Jesus is giving you that opportunity every single day in your own circles, with
[01:21:52] Speaker D: people in your family, with people in
[01:21:53] Speaker E: your schools and your workplace. Wherever it is that he plants you,
[01:21:57] Speaker D: there are people that he wants you
[01:21:59] Speaker E: to go and share the good news of Jesus with. And I want to invite you, as our service closes today, you'll see that
[01:22:05] Speaker D: our ushers are going to be handing out these door hangers that we passed
[01:22:08] Speaker E: out in our community yesterday.
[01:22:10] Speaker D: I would encourage you to grab tons
[01:22:11] Speaker E: of them, put them in your neighborhood, invite people to come to our services.
[01:22:15] Speaker D: You can grab these bags and put them in there. We've also got the cards that give all the information as well. And even more important, Little Debbie cookies.
Somehow these bring people to Jesus. I don't know, but they're just yummy. And it's a nice treat to show somebody the love of Jesus. So I would encourage you. We've got tables that are set up in the east entrance. We've got a table over in the cafe where you can grab a bag,
[01:22:39] Speaker E: put as many door hangers and cookies
[01:22:42] Speaker D: for your neighbors, not yourself, into the bags and go.
[01:22:46] Speaker E: With boldness to invite people to experience Jesus with us this next week, Easter Sunday. I'd encourage you, church family to prayerfully do that also. As we close our service this morning, our prayer team is here at the front. They're gonna be on each side.
[01:23:01] Speaker D: If you made a decision to follow
[01:23:03] Speaker E: Jesus today for the first time, can I just encourage you to come forward? You can hand that card to one of these people. They'll love to get give you a
[01:23:10] Speaker D: Bible and that devotional material. We want to celebrate what God is
[01:23:13] Speaker E: doing in your life and as well, if you have any prayer needs, they are here to minister with you today.
[01:23:18] Speaker D: So any who would come for prayer,
[01:23:20] Speaker E: please come at the close of our service.
[01:23:22] Speaker D: But church family, as you go, my
[01:23:24] Speaker E: hope is that your own perception and understanding of who Jesus is and all that he has done would drive you to join him in his mission. That this week would not just simply be a about reflecting on what he's done for you, but sharing it with others.
[01:23:39] Speaker D: So God cultivate our hearts.
[01:23:42] Speaker E: May this week not be remembering only and just thanking only.
May it motivate us, God, to share the good news of your son, that we would join you in your mission to share the King of peace and the way to peace with a world that is in desperately in need.
Thank you for enabling us and empowering us to be a part of your mission. We love you. In Jesus name, amen.
[01:24:13] Speaker D: God bless you church.
[01:24:14] Speaker E: I cannot wait to worship with you Friday night.
[01:24:16] Speaker D: We'll see you then.
