1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:03,960 Can you join me in Luke chapter 19? 2 00:00:12,260 --> 00:00:14,860 We're going to pick up in verse 28. 3 00:00:18,100 --> 00:00:21,060 It says this. And when he had said these 4 00:00:21,060 --> 00:00:24,900 things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 5 00:00:25,460 --> 00:00:29,620 When he drew near to Bethpage and to Bethany at the Mount that 6 00:00:29,620 --> 00:00:33,540 is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples saying, Go into 7 00:00:33,540 --> 00:00:36,920 the village in front of you, where on entering you will find 8 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:39,800 a cult tied on which no one has ever sat. 9 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:44,360 Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you why are you 10 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:48,280 untying it, you shall say this. The Lord has need of it. 11 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,720 So those who were sent away and and found it, just as the Lord 12 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:57,480 had told them, and as they were untying the colt, its owner said 13 00:00:57,480 --> 00:00:59,400 to them, Why are you untying the colt? 14 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:01,920 And they said, the Lord has need of it. 15 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:05,480 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the 16 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:09,320 colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they 17 00:01:09,320 --> 00:01:11,240 spread their cloaks on the ground. 18 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,000 And as he was drawing near already on the way down the 19 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,160 Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began 20 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:21,560 to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty 21 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,320 works that they had seen, saying, Blessed is the king, who 22 00:01:25,320 --> 00:01:28,920 comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven, and glory in 23 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:31,160 the highest. And some of the Pharisees in the 24 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,720 crowd said to him, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. 25 00:01:34,320 --> 00:01:38,400 He answered, I tell you, if these were silent, the very 26 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:45,040 stones would cry out. Father, thank you again for this 27 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,560 time. Lord God, thank you for your 28 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:52,240 holy scriptures. God, your love letter to each 29 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,360 and everyone of us. Father, I just asked once again 30 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:59,280 that you would meet us in this place, that this would be a 31 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:02,080 special time between Papa and his children. 32 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:07,560 God, that we would have ears to hear and hearts ready to receive 33 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:12,600 everything you have for us. May this not just be a another 34 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,560 Sunday, not just another Palm Sunday service. 35 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:20,720 God, God move mightily amongst us today. 36 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,680 And all God's people said Amen, Amen. 37 00:02:25,640 --> 00:02:30,920 So the title for today's message is Make Palm Sunday Great Again. 38 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:39,600 Thought you might like that one. It is the beginning of Holy 39 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,280 Week, right? And I'm really, really blessed 40 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:44,520 that I, I get to kick this off with you. 41 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,960 It's an important event in the life and ministry of Jesus. 42 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:53,960 The story that we just read, it's actually recorded in all 43 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:57,200 four of the gospels, which if you don't know that's, that's 44 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,480 pretty rare. Prior to this event, there's 45 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:02,880 only a couple other events. There's only a couple other 46 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:07,600 stories that all four gospels account for, right? 47 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:13,320 Which means that this day, this event, it is extremely 48 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,560 significant in the life of Christ. 49 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,480 Each gospel tells the same basic story. 50 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:24,320 You have Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. 51 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:30,320 You have the large crowds which gather together and wave 52 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:33,840 branches and lay their clothes across the road. 53 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:38,920 And they shout praise and blessing, enthusiastically 54 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:41,720 celebrating the arrival of Jesus. 55 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,480 Each gospel, though, also has its own bent. 56 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:49,240 They each share different details and focus in on 57 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:53,960 different aspects of the story. Some focus on the acquisition of 58 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,760 the cult, while others on the fulfillment of prophecy. 59 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:03,040 Others lean into the resistance that Jesus comes across with the 60 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:07,320 religious leaders. But again, no matter which 61 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:11,080 account you read, the importance of the event is clear. 62 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:17,279 This is a very special occasion. It's really a turning point in 63 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:23,280 the life and ministry of Jesus. For 3 1/2 years, Jesus has 64 00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:29,360 avoided the limelight, right? For 3 1/2 years, he's tried to 65 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:34,320 keep things on the down low. Even when he healed someone or 66 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,080 did something miraculous, he would often tell them, hey, keep 67 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:39,880 it quiet, don't tell anyone, right? 68 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:45,080 He avoided the crowds. But this is the first time in 3 69 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:51,680 1/2 years that Jesus embraces and even encourages the praise, 70 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:59,200 the shouting, the branches. This whole scene is set up like 71 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:02,760 a victory parade. It's like one of those 72 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:05,440 championship teams. You can put up that picture. 73 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,360 This one's for Tucker. It's it's like one of those 74 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:13,760 championship teams right after they've won the big game. 75 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,880 I thought you'd like that. That's an inside joke between me 76 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:18,720 and Tucker, but you can rasm about it later. 77 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:25,440 It's like the victory lap after the big game. 78 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:31,440 We refer to this as Palm Sunday because of the usage of palm 79 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:34,920 branches during his ride down into Jerusalem. 80 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:39,760 But most of your Bibles probably have the label Triumphal entry 81 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:45,240 somewhere over the text, right? Because this is a victory 82 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:46,880 parade. OK. 83 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:52,760 How many of you guys, however, have read this story a few times 84 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,520 before? How many of you read at least 85 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,640 five times throughout the course of your life? 86 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:02,360 10 times. Keep those hands up. 20 times. 87 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:07,120 I mean, depending how long you've been in church, there are 88 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:11,320 quite a few times that you have read this story. 89 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,160 How many of you guys have went to one of those churches where 90 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:18,400 they did the reenactments of, of Palm Sunday? 91 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:20,360 Usually it was the children's ministry, right? 92 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:22,440 Because kids are cute. You can dress them in the robes, 93 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,200 and, you know, they come marching down with the palm 94 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:26,840 branches, right? Anyone. 95 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:28,240 Anyone grow up in a church like that? 96 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:29,800 Yeah, thought so. Right. 97 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:36,040 How many of you have heard your fair share of Palm Sunday 98 00:06:36,280 --> 00:06:43,040 sermons, sermons about the donkey and its significance or 99 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,640 sermons about the palm branches and their significance? 100 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:50,360 How many of you guys have heard it preached that the same people 101 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:54,080 that were there on Sunday are the same people that are there 102 00:06:54,080 --> 00:07:00,760 on Friday yelling crucify him? Which I mean, that's a great 103 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:03,520 sermon point, especially if you want to talk about the the 104 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,560 fickleness of humanity. Probably not historically 105 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:09,640 accurate, but we preachers like to push the envelope a little 106 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:14,480 bit, right? My point is most of us have been 107 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:17,360 around the Easter block a few times. 108 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:24,040 And so with that, I, I think it's, it's hard sometimes to 109 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:28,280 engage with this text and for it to feel new, right? 110 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:32,400 Can I confess something to you? And please don't judge me, 111 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,760 right? I, I, I love this season. 112 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:41,400 I love Holy Week, but as a pastor, sometimes it's, it's a 113 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,880 tough one. It, it may not be my favorite as 114 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:46,800 a pastor. And before you go throwing 115 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:51,920 stones at me, let me clarify what I mean, right. 116 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,960 What I mean is as a pastor, as a preacher, developing this text 117 00:07:56,960 --> 00:08:00,800 year after year and trying to, you know, encourage you with 118 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:03,680 something new. It, it can be a, a challenge, 119 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:06,080 right? Developing something new for 120 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:08,680 Palm Sunday, developing something new for Good Friday, 121 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:12,440 developing new Easter sermons year after year. 122 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:16,880 It's the same story, it's the same text, right? 123 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,920 And for those of you who have grown up in the church, or for 124 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:25,120 those of you who have been going to church for a long time, maybe 125 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:30,320 you feel something similar. You know that Easter is 126 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:35,159 important. You love Jesus deeply and as 127 00:08:35,159 --> 00:08:39,679 best as you can, you try and engage and enter in this week 128 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,120 with full faith and and religious fervor. 129 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:51,880 But it might also feel like kind of been there, done that, heard 130 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:54,920 these stories before. I kind of know where you're 131 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:57,840 going to go with the sermon and the illustrations. 132 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:01,920 You know, of course we would. We would never say this out 133 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,800 loud. We'd never admit it to a friend. 134 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:07,720 We don't want to look like bad Christians, right? 135 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:11,760 But perhaps when it comes to this week, you're more excited 136 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:16,400 about the Easter activities and the Easter meal than you are the 137 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:21,400 Easter sermon. Again, we know it's important. 138 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:24,960 We have a heart's desire to want to engage. 139 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:27,640 But I've kind of heard it all before. 140 00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:33,040 Can I encourage you to do something this Holy Week? 141 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,680 And I love what you're doing. You're already setting up nicely 142 00:09:36,680 --> 00:09:39,720 for this. But I encourage you to take some 143 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:47,880 time and simply just sit with Jesus, find a quiet place and 144 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:54,400 just enter into His presence and ask him sincerely Ask him, Lord, 145 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:57,640 what is it that you want to speak to me this year? 146 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:03,280 What is it that you have for me this year, right? 147 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:09,960 Do that all this week and watch as he speaks to you. 148 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:15,800 It'll still be the same stories. It'll still be, you know, the, 149 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:18,120 the, the same illustrations, right? 150 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:23,120 But I guarantee you he's going to blow you away with something 151 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:29,800 fresh and new, new insights and new wisdom, new corrections and 152 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:34,360 new challenges, new edifications and encouragements. 153 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:41,240 Friends, what you cannot do this week is go through the religious 154 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:48,040 motions of Easter, walking around it as you always have. 155 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:54,760 Guys, the God of Palm Sunday, the God of Good Friday, the God 156 00:10:54,760 --> 00:11:01,000 of Easter wants to meet with you in a fresh and new and dynamic 157 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:06,120 way. My prayer, my hope is that you 158 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:12,280 quiet yourself and you give Him the space and the time in the 159 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:16,320 midst of your busy week, in the midst of all your Easter 160 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:22,080 activities, just to listen and to receive that word that He 161 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:28,160 wants to speak to you this year. And I'm hoping for the rest of 162 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:31,840 the time that I have that we'll be able to do that a little bit 163 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:36,920 today, that he would speak something fresh and new or 164 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:41,120 perhaps something old that you need to be reminded of this Palm 165 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:42,360 Sunday. Amen. 166 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:47,960 All right, so we're going to look at three things that Palm 167 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:50,880 Sunday should remind us of. We're going to do a little 168 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:56,400 medley of the Palm Sunday texts. OK, so here's number one. 169 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:01,160 If you're a note taker, Palm Sunday should remind us of the 170 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:06,040 amazing care of Christ. The amazing care of Christ. 171 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:09,320 Join me in Mark Mark's gospel Chapter 11. 172 00:12:15,350 --> 00:12:21,600 We're going to look at verse one says this. 173 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:25,920 It says now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethpage and to 174 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:30,040 Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 175 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:33,200 and said to them, go into the village in front of you and 176 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:36,840 immediately as you enter you will find a colt on which no one 177 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:39,760 has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 178 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:44,480 If anyone says to you, why are you doing this, say the Lord has 179 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:48,120 need of it and he will send it back here immediately. 180 00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:54,040 Now, maybe you guys are Bible scholars or maybe you just read 181 00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:57,840 a lot more attentively than I do, but this is the first time 182 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:01,640 that I noticed that Jesus gave instructions to do what? 183 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:06,960 To return the donkey, to return the donkey, right? 184 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:11,520 Again, I've, I've heard tons of sermons about this donkey caper, 185 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:16,720 but this was the first time that it, that really stuck out to me 186 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:20,640 and it left off the page that Jesus gave instructions to 187 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:25,680 return the donkey right? Now, Marlon, what's, what's the 188 00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:28,920 big deal here? Think about this, right? 189 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,880 Did Jesus need to return the donkey? 190 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:38,320 I mean, not, not necessarily. This is Jesus, the Lord of the 191 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:41,760 universe, the creator of all donkeys, right? 192 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:46,680 He he doesn't need, he's not obligated to return anything. 193 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:49,600 But we also know that this is Jesus. 194 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:53,920 So it would definitely be in his character to want to return the 195 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:56,280 donkey. Jesus is a good guy. 196 00:13:56,280 --> 00:14:00,440 He does the right thing. But also imagine all the 197 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:04,520 surrounding circumstances that are going on in his life right 198 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:07,960 now. He's going to Jerusalem. 199 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:11,680 He's going to face these religious leaders that hate him 200 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,200 and want to kill him. He knows his time is short. 201 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:22,120 He's thinking what's going to happen to his disciples and to 202 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:25,320 his family? What about the big parade that 203 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:29,560 he's about to enter into? With all these things swirling 204 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:33,840 around his mind, it's easy to overlook something like this. 205 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:38,640 Returning the donkey. How many of you guys forget the 206 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:42,360 little details in the midst of something really important going 207 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:47,160 on in your life? You have a dinner party and you 208 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,000 forget to buy the napkins, Right. 209 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:51,720 My parents, we'd never had napkins, so I was always using 210 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:53,800 the paper towels. Story for another day. 211 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:57,240 How about you? You have a one of your kids 212 00:14:57,240 --> 00:14:59,280 birthday parties. How many of you guys forget the 213 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:01,680 candles or the matches for the birthday cake? 214 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:03,040 Parents. Yeah. 215 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:10,240 How many of you forgot something important on your wedding day? 216 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:13,560 Weddings can be extremely chaotic. 217 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:15,600 Do you want to know what we forgot on our wedding day? 218 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:20,360 The bread. The bread for communion. 219 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:25,120 So we wanted to as our first act as man and wife, as a married 220 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,040 couple, we wanted to take communion together even before 221 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:32,480 the big kiss, right? But in the the circus of that 222 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:36,440 day and we forgot to have bread for communion. 223 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:40,800 Now we, we had our wedding in the backyard of my in laws 224 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:42,480 house. And them being the wonderful 225 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:45,840 Mexican American parents that they they are, they had no bread 226 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:48,480 in the house, but they did have tortillas. 227 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:54,320 So I don't know if we're the first, but we we took communion 228 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:57,200 with tortillas and grape juice, right? 229 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:05,680 Whether intentional or unintentional, this could have 230 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:08,440 been something that was easily overlooked. 231 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:15,120 But Jesus didn't. He made this a priority, which 232 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,920 speaks volumes of his level of care. 233 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:26,640 Friends, Jesus deeply cares about every little detail of 234 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:31,080 your life, even the ones that may seem insignificant. 235 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:34,240 He cares about the big life decisions. 236 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,760 Where should I go to college? Should I find a new job? 237 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:42,520 Should I move to a new city? Is this relationship the 238 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:45,840 relationship for me? When should I retire? 239 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:48,920 But he also cares about the little things. 240 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:54,120 He cares about kids and the nightmares that they have as 241 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:58,480 they go to sleep. He cares about teenage acne and 242 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:02,400 high school drama. He cares about the way that you 243 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:07,079 feel after a breakup. He cares about your babies, and 244 00:17:07,079 --> 00:17:09,359 yes, he cares about your fur babies. 245 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:15,680 People, this is not a detail. There isn't, excuse me? 246 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:18,880 There's not a detail in the span of your entire life that doesn't 247 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:22,880 matter to Jesus. Psalm 139 says this. 248 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:27,640 He says You have searched me, O Lord, and you know me. 249 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:30,440 You know when I sit down and when I rise. 250 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,240 You perceive my thoughts from afar. 251 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:36,120 You discern my going out, my lying down. 252 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:38,920 You are familiar with all my ways. 253 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:43,560 Before a word is on my tongue, You, Lord, know it completely. 254 00:17:44,120 --> 00:17:48,680 You hem me in behind, and before you lay your hand upon me. 255 00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:55,080 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to 256 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:58,800 obtain. Because Jesus knows us 257 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:03,920 intimately. Jesus cares about us deeply. 258 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:09,520 He cares about every detail, every aspect of your life. 259 00:18:11,120 --> 00:18:14,720 I'm guessing that some of you guys brought some baggage in 260 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:19,240 here this morning, things that you're worrying about, things 261 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:23,240 that concern you. Maybe they're big things, but 262 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:26,760 maybe they're small things, things that you have deemed 263 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:32,480 insignificant, things that you think I don't need to bother God 264 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:35,480 with this. This thing doesn't really merit 265 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:37,160 his time. I mean, after all, he's trying 266 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:43,440 to run the universe. That's the problem, guys. 267 00:18:44,120 --> 00:18:47,120 The problem isn't that Jesus doesn't care. 268 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:50,560 The problem is often times our hesitation to actually give Him 269 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:54,280 an invitation to come in and show His care. 270 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:58,240 Revelation 320 tells us that He's standing at the door of our 271 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:01,480 heart and knocking, just waiting for us to open. 272 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:05,360 Friends, open the door to Jesus today. 273 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,960 Let him come in, big or small, and help. 274 00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:15,320 He's not here to judge you. He's not looking at that as 275 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:19,520 though it's insignificant. He cares about you and He wants 276 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:20,600 to help you. Amen. 277 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:28,800 Second thing, Palm Sunday reminds us of our need for King 278 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:31,880 Jesus. Palm Sunday reminds us of our 279 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:36,080 need for King Jesus. John chapter 12 and in verse 12 280 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:41,800 says this. The next day the great crowd 281 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:45,320 that had come from the festival heard that Jesus was on his way 282 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:48,280 to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went 283 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:50,400 out to meet him, shouting, Hosanna. 284 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:53,920 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 285 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:58,520 Blessed is the king of Israel. And Jesus found a young donkey 286 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:01,760 and sat on it as it is written. Do not be afraid, daughter of 287 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:06,160 Zion, see, your king is coming seated on a donkey's colt. 288 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:12,600 So much of what is done and written here speaks of the 289 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:16,480 kingship of Jesus, the parade itself. 290 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:21,760 Was usually something thrown for a king or a leader after a 291 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:27,800 victorious battle all Although horses were usually ridden 292 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:31,560 during this parade. A donkey still conveys the 293 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:34,280 kingship. But as we know the humble 294 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:38,840 kingship of Jesus palm branches were often used in the 295 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:44,520 celebration as well. Again, it's not just what people 296 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:49,680 did, but it's also what they say here that portrays Jesus as King 297 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:56,120 John chapter 12 and in verse 13 it says blessed is he who comes 298 00:20:56,120 --> 00:21:00,480 in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel. 299 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:06,120 Mark 1110 says blessed is the coming Kingdom of our Father 300 00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:11,280 David Hosanna in the highest. Now you might be thinking again, 301 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:14,520 Marlon, Palm Sunday. I already know that one, but I 302 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:17,600 know that this speaks of Jesus as King. 303 00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:20,600 True, I get that. That's not new. 304 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:25,800 But what is new, or perhaps something that you need to hear 305 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:31,640 anew, is that you desperately need Jesus as king. 306 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:35,840 Not just the simple fact that he is king and fulfilling the 307 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:40,880 prophecy, but you and I, we need Jesus as King. 308 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:46,400 For most of us, the idea of a king it's not relatable unless 309 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:50,320 you grew up in England or you watch The Crown on Netflix. 310 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:54,000 Right? But even monarchy in its current 311 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,160 state, like it's, it's mainly symbolic and ceremonial. 312 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:05,760 Who really needs a king today? But think it through, so much of 313 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:11,720 your hopes and your dreams revolve around the right person 314 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:16,200 being in power. This isn't a political 315 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,400 statement, so please don't get all antsy. 316 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:22,320 I don't care who you voted for or whatever election, but every 317 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:24,400 four years our country goes crazy. 318 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:30,480 People lose their minds investing time and energy and 319 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:33,560 money and getting their person elected. 320 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:40,960 Because if if your person wins all my problems are over. 321 00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:45,000 Everything in the world will be made right again. 322 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:50,280 But it's not just politics. How many of you have ever 323 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:52,840 thought or complained to a Co worker? 324 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:58,800 Man if if we just had a better boss if he or she were no longer 325 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:01,440 in charge. I mean this dummy can barely 326 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:04,240 manage tying a tie let alone our company right? 327 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:11,640 Or family? What kid hasn't thought that 328 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:16,080 their parent was the problem? And if you just had a different 329 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:22,280 parent it who has teenagers? OK, I have 6 in my house right 330 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:22,920 now. Right. 331 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,840 How many of your teenagers are geniuses? 332 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:31,120 Meaning every time you tell them something, what do they say? 333 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:35,720 I know, I know, I know that they must be the smartest human 334 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:40,880 beings on the planet. They question your leadership at 335 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:44,640 every turn of the corner, everything that comes out of 336 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:47,440 your mouth. Now, this is church, so I don't 337 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:50,760 want to start a a marital spout, right? 338 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:55,960 But I can guarantee you at some point this week, or perhaps even 339 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:59,640 on your way to church, there was an argument or disagreement 340 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:02,120 about the leadership in your home, right? 341 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,720 Better leadership and the need for better leadership. 342 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:11,960 It's always running across our minds and we think that it's 343 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:14,000 going to fix all of our problems. 344 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:20,240 Now, while we long for and dream for new leadership at work or at 345 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:23,520 home, it's actually not the root of our problem. 346 00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:27,720 Do you know who is the root of your problem? 347 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:33,640 You. You, the reason your life and my 348 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:38,040 life is the way that it is, is because of our bad leadership. 349 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:41,480 It's not because of him, it's not because of her. 350 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:44,880 It's not because of them. It's because it's under our own 351 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:51,200 management. Guys, that stress, that anxiety 352 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:57,440 that you feel over your finances, that stress, that 353 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:03,680 anxiety that you feel over, you know, the markets, inflation, 354 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:08,080 taxes, whatever, it's not because of bad leadership. 355 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:11,960 It's because you're trying to manage all of those things on 356 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:16,760 your own. You want to blame all the issues 357 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:20,920 in your life on that relationship, what he said, what 358 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,600 she did, and maybe some of those things are valid, but they're 359 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:27,920 not the problem. The problem is, rarely in that 360 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:29,760 relationship do you stop and pray. 361 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:35,240 Rarely in that relationship are you welcoming Jesus in to have a 362 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:38,880 say. The problem is, Jesus is only a 363 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:42,360 part of that relationship on Sunday, but Monday through 364 00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:44,680 Saturday, you're doing everything on your own. 365 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:50,600 Because we can run through all the countless examples, but all 366 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:56,520 the craziness, all the stress, all the pain, all the sadness, 367 00:25:57,080 --> 00:26:02,640 it's because of your management. It's a me problem, not a them 368 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:06,320 problem. Proverbs 3 five and six 369 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:09,520 encourages us to trust in the Lord with all our heart. 370 00:26:10,360 --> 00:26:13,440 Do not lean on your own understanding in all your ways. 371 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,920 Acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. 372 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:23,840 Friends, it isn't isn't enough enough? 373 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,600 Have you not got tired of the way things are? 374 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:35,640 Don't be so prideful that you can't see that you're the one 375 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:38,440 actually standing in the way of all the things that you want to 376 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:42,920 see happen. You need a king in your life. 377 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:48,640 You need to crown Jesus King over your money and over your 378 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,520 family. You need to crown him king over 379 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:54,480 Sunday, but you also need to crown him over Tuesday. 380 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:59,080 You need to crown him king over your fears and over your dreams. 381 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:05,120 Friends, we need to crown Jesus, Lord of everything, of 382 00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:09,440 absolutely everything. OK, let's wrap it up. 383 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:14,520 The last thing Palm Sunday reminds us that we are in the 384 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:23,520 greatest love story of all time. As you read the triumphal entry, 385 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:28,040 whatever version that you read, do you kind of have this Deja Vu 386 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:31,160 feeling? Like I feel like I've read 387 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:34,360 something like this similar somewhere else in the Bible. 388 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:40,120 Revelation 19 says, Then I saw heaven open and behold a White 389 00:27:40,120 --> 00:27:42,680 Horse. And the one sitting on it is 390 00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:46,360 called faithful and true. And in righteousness he judges 391 00:27:46,360 --> 00:27:49,360 and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of 392 00:27:49,360 --> 00:27:55,000 fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name 393 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,120 written that no one knows but himself. 394 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:01,480 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which 395 00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:05,280 he is called is the Word of God. And the armies of heaven, 396 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:07,680 arrayed in fine linen, were white and pure. 397 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:09,960 We're following him on white horses. 398 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:13,720 From his mouth came a sharp sword with which to shrug down 399 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:17,920 the nation's, and he ruled them with a rod of iron. 400 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:22,240 He will tread the wine presses of the fury of the wrath of God 401 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:24,840 the Almighty on his robe and on his thigh. 402 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:29,080 He has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 403 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:35,040 While many of the details in Revelation 19 aren't necessarily 404 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:37,640 completely aligned with what we read in the Gospels and the 405 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:44,280 triumphant entry, both features or both explain and both 406 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:46,960 foreshadow the return of the King. 407 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:51,760 Revelation 19 is eschatological, right? 408 00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:57,240 Meaning that it speaks of future things, things to come, end 409 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:04,400 times events, the triumphal entry that we celebrate today 410 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:08,560 for Palm Sunday. It's a foreshadow of the return 411 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:12,920 of the King, guys. So there's so much that we could 412 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:17,160 say about this topic. We could talk about the hope 413 00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:22,880 that it reminds us of. Guys, we live in very, very dark 414 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:24,080 times. Amen. 415 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:30,160 But yet, even as dark as our times are, the hope of His 416 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:34,840 return, the hope that He is coming back to make all things 417 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,160 right. It gives us hope for each day. 418 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:43,000 We could talk about how this event speaks of justice right 419 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:48,080 upon His return. Jesus will judge this world, all 420 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:53,760 the hurt, all the pain, all the evil that we think is being 421 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:56,720 overlooked. He's going to come back and 422 00:29:56,720 --> 00:30:01,880 execute perfect justice, making right all things. 423 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:07,640 We could talk about hope, we could talk about justice. 424 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:12,040 But I want to land the plane here with perhaps one of the 425 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:15,400 most important things that Palm Sunday reminds us of. 426 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:19,000 And it reminds us of his deep, deep love. 427 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:23,560 It reminds us that we are in one of the greatest love stories of 428 00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:29,440 all time. Directly after Jesus rides into 429 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:35,960 Jerusalem, where does he go? You can say it. 430 00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:37,760 It's OK. Tell me, where does he go? 431 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:42,200 He goes to the temple, right? Matthew, Mark, Luke, they all 432 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:44,800 tell us he goes to the temple. And what does he do there? 433 00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:51,000 He goes kind of crazy. He starts turning over tables 434 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,920 and he he gets a whip and he's driving out the merchants and 435 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:56,640 the money changers. This is a different side of 436 00:30:56,720 --> 00:31:00,600 Jesus than we're used to seeing. This isn't the meek and mild 437 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:02,880 Jesus, right? Why? 438 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:06,280 Well, Marlon, because they're, you know, they're money changers 439 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:08,400 there and they're merchants and they're ripping people off. 440 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:11,960 They're misusing the temple, yes, but it's actually bigger 441 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:16,200 than that. Our church has been going 442 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:18,720 through the the book of Genesis for over a year now. 443 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:22,960 And the more I I read Genesis, the more I'm just, I'm falling 444 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:27,160 in love with it all over again. And one of the reasons why, 445 00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:31,560 right is because it's not just a, a book about the creation of 446 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:35,360 the stars and of the planets or the creation of man and of 447 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:38,560 beast. It's about the foundation of the 448 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:45,720 greatest love story of all time. Genesis chapter 3, verse 8 says, 449 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:49,080 and they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden 450 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:53,440 in the cool of the day. I, I, I wish we had time to 451 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:56,560 develop this more. I'm already over on time, right? 452 00:31:57,040 --> 00:31:59,320 But Eden was a very special place. 453 00:31:59,320 --> 00:32:05,640 It's a sacred space. It's not just a garden, right? 454 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:09,320 This was a place where heaven met earth. 455 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:14,240 This was a place where God could come and dwell with man. 456 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:16,880 And we, we know the story, right? 457 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:18,800 We know that Adam and Eve, they forfeited it. 458 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:20,280 They send and they, they ruined it. 459 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:24,000 But as you track throughout the rest of the Bible, it's a 460 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:30,160 complete story of God trying to once again create a new Eden, to 461 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:34,960 create the sacred spaces where God can be with mankind. 462 00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:42,800 Right from Noah's ark to Abraham moving into the land, to the 463 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:46,480 Tabernacle, and then to today, what we're reading our story to 464 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:50,080 the temple. The temple was this intersection 465 00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:53,520 between heaven and earth, a permanent structure, a special 466 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:57,000 place where God can be with mankind. 467 00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:00,920 Now you might be thinking, cool, Marlon, what does this have to 468 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:06,840 do with Palm Sunday? Do you have a a romantic place, 469 00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:12,000 a special place for you? Maybe it's a restaurant where 470 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:15,360 you proposed. Maybe it's where you found out 471 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:18,320 you were going to have your first child somewhere here that 472 00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:19,960 is really, really special for you. 473 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:25,240 For me, that place is 2625 N Christine St. 474 00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:29,000 It was our first home that that we had when we moved here to 475 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:31,800 Boise. And anytime I'm in town, I love 476 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:35,320 passing by there because I have so many great memories there, 477 00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:38,960 even memories of Pastor Tucker coming and stealing my shoes and 478 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:45,200 giving them to Tom over there. But if if I came back a year 479 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:48,400 from now and that place was torn down, I would be absolutely 480 00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:53,720 devastated because it holds such a special place for me. 481 00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:59,000 And that's what it was like for Jesus as he enters into the 482 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:03,480 temple and he sees this special place, this place where God was 483 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:08,040 supposed to meet with man and how it had been misused and 484 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:11,000 abused. We can see and understand his 485 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:16,000 anger a bit more. But praise God, guys, that's not 486 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:19,800 where the story ends. Jesus is coming again. 487 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:25,080 Remember, this first Palm Sunday was only a foreshadowing of what 488 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:28,280 was to come. Jesus is coming again. 489 00:34:29,159 --> 00:34:31,040 He's coming to finish our love story. 490 00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:37,719 He's coming to establish a new Eden, a sacred space, and that 491 00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:40,679 is what Palm Sunday reminds us of. 492 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:48,239 Revelation 21 says this. Then I saw a new heaven and a 493 00:34:48,239 --> 00:34:51,480 new earth for the 1st heaven and the first earth that passed 494 00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:55,679 away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new 495 00:34:55,679 --> 00:34:59,840 Jerusalem coming down, coming down out of heaven from God, 496 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:02,880 prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. 497 00:35:03,720 --> 00:35:07,000 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the 498 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:09,120 dwelling place of God is with man. 499 00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:13,760 He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God 500 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:16,840 himself will be with them as their God. 501 00:35:18,160 --> 00:35:22,160 Guys, from cover to cover, from beginning to end, this is a love 502 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:25,040 story. And that is what Palm Sunday 503 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:29,000 reminds us of. It reminds us of we have a God 504 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:33,760 that loves us so much that he will move heaven and earth to 505 00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:38,720 come down and to be with us, that he's coming again to dwell 506 00:35:38,720 --> 00:35:43,600 with us forever. That that dream like ending, 507 00:35:43,600 --> 00:35:48,120 that fairy tale like ending, it's a reality for us and it is 508 00:35:48,120 --> 00:35:50,800 coming soon and very soon. Amen.