Prayer Requests during Covid19 church at home

Hey CrossRoads Family,

 Other than the obvious weekly gathering of our church family, one of things that I miss the most during our time apart is the opportunity to pray with and for each other. Typically every Sunday morning we gather the prayers and offer them to our Heavenly Father together as a family as well as share them midweek in email form so that we can continue to pray with and for each other. I'm not sure that I'm clever enough to figure out how to do that same thing exactly that same way every week but I would like to offer a way that we can keep praying for specific needs within our church family.

So here is what I suggest:

If you have a prayer request that you are comfortable being shared with the whole world via our live stream just reply to this message or email me directly at heathk76@gmail.com and I will share it in our prayer time during our live stream service on Sunday. Simple, right? If there are any requests for prayer that are more private or that you don't want sent out to the whole world but that our church family could be praying for, you can just hit "reply all" on this email and we can all be praying as a smaller group. Again, you can always email me directly or call me, I'd be happy to pray with you!

We love you and miss you all,

Heath

Seeing Ghosts - Mark 6:14-29 - April 19, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for April 19, 2020. Watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

Mark 6:14-29 Seeing Ghosts

Good morning! It is now week five of our CrossRoads in Quarantine livestreams and after much struggle and debate I have decided to return to our study in the Gospel of Mark. Unfortunately we cannot return to our format of discussion that we were enjoying before but we can still look at it together and you are free to write in your thoughts and questions in the comments under this video and we can dialogue after the live stream is over that way.

So let’s return to Mark chapter six. When we last studied Mark together we talked about the sending out of the Twelve two by two back in verse seven.

7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

And this is where we pick up our text for this morning.

14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. 

21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Word had spread of all that Jesus had been doing and teaching, no one could claim ignorance, obviously, because the Name of Jesus the Christ had spread abroad and had even penetrated the court of King Herod and this account reflects Herod’s reaction to Jesus.

Like any normal, stable, reasonable individual would, Herod deduced that it was the ghost of John the Baptist. Makes sense doesn’t it?

14 King Herod heard of it [that is, the preaching of repentance by the Twelve in Jesus’ Name], for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

Remember back to chapter one where we first met John the Baptist, what was his message? Repent for the forgiveness of sins. That was what he preached, that is why he baptized people, for repentance.

We’ve dealt with the idea of repentance before, it is an acknowledgement of sin and turning from it. Repentance is the beginning of the gospel, the beginning of the work of the Good News. In order for us to receive forgiveness we must first acknowledge our sin and sinfulness and then turn from it.

Have you done that? Have you acknowledged your sin before God and received His forgiveness?

Holy week reminded us of the purpose of Jesus’ death on the cross, He was the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Death is the price that must be paid for sin and Jesus paid it all Himself for us.

But if we do not acknowledge our sin, how can we be forgiven? How can we call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ if we do not turn away from our sinful ways and follow His Way of righteousness?

Lust, greed, selfishness, hatred, bitterness, we give ourselves permission to continue this way but Jesus does not, the message still rings true: Repent!

The ministry of Jesus, who was not the ghost of John the Baptist by the way, had reached all the way to the court of Herod Antipas, who wasn’t really a king, he was more like a prince with rule over one fourth of his father Herod the Great’s kingdom. He was more like, governor of the districts of Galilee and Perea.

The Herod family tree is a little more like a wreath. Herod the Great had five wives and had children by each of them. These half-brothers then all had children and started intermarrying. Herod Antipas, king Herod, or Herod the Tetrarch as Luke called him, was originally married to a daughter of the Arabian king Areta the Fourth but divorced her in order to seduce and marry his half-brother Phillip’s wife Herodias. She was the daughter of Herod’s half-brother Aristobulus which made her his half-niece.

It’s no wonder that John the Baptist told Herod that it was not lawful to have his brother’s wife! According to Leviticus 20:21 it was in fact forbidden for someone to marry his brother’s wife. This didn’t seem to bother Herod that much but it certainly did bother Herodias, and from verse 17-29 Mark flashes back to the account of the murder of John the Baptist.

16 But when Herod heard of [Jesus’ ministry], he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. 

21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

The message of repentance has never been a popular one, people don’t like to preach it, and people don’t like to hear it. Let’s face it, no one wants to hear that they’re wrong, let alone admit it.

Herod and Herodias had three options when confronted with their sin, one good one and two bad ones.

Herod chose to be indifferent about his sin. He liked John the Baptist, he didn’t want to kill him, but he also liked his sin and didn’t want to kill that either. Herod could have made things right but, like a coward, chose to just let things lie and hoped that it would all just blow over but it didn’t. He had to choose between letting John live and living with his venomous and vengeful wife. He had John beheaded and was from then on plagued by guilt.

Herodias, on the other hand, when confronted with her sin, celebrated it. The Law meant nothing to her, she had found her way into the arms of a more powerful man and would kill to protect all that her sin offered her and that’s exactly what she did. She took vengeance on the only one bold enough to expose her sin and call it what it was.

These were the two bad options. The third option is the way that leads to life, acknowledging sin and sinfulness and turning from it, this is the beginning of the gospel, repentance.

This account in the Gospels is a kind of milestone event for Herod and Herodias, but it is given to us as a reminder that we are constantly faced with the same choices they were, to be indifferent about our sin, to celebrate our sin, or to turn from our sin.

We are sinners, by nature and by choice. Through faith in Christ we are forgiven for that sin and sinfulness but that doesn’t make us now unable to sin, nor does it remove sin’s natural consequences. 

Jesus paid the penalty that our sin deserves on the cross and every time we sin we make His sacrifice that much more necessary. 

A life of faith in Jesus Christ is a life of repentance from every sinful thought, every evil deed, choosing to reject sin and its empty promises of fulfillment, and living lives of true righteousness and holiness.

Herod and Herodias chose to reject this message, to reject repentance, to their own eternal peril.

I pray that you won’t.

Don’t choose to be indifferent to your sin as if it doesn’t really matter, Jesus’ death on the cross for sin says otherwise!

Don’t choose to celebrate your sin as if you have the right to live however you want with no consequences, Jesus death on the cross says that isn’t so!

Choose to turn from your sin, to repent and to turn to Jesus. I’m not just talking about people who have never trusted in Jesus, I’m talking about all of us in our constant struggle with sin.

If you do not have faith in Jesus, repent! Turn from your life of sin that leads to death and trust Jesus for forgiveness and to lead you in the way that leads to life!

If you do have faith in Jesus, the life you live in Christ must be a life of repentance, constantly turning from the temptations and sin that so easily entangles.

In either case we must constantly call on the Lord to help us, to accept His death in our place and the forgiveness that comes through faith in Him and to defend us from the continuous temptations to sin.

Amen.

Easter 2020 the Story of Redemption - April 12, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for April 12, 2020. Watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

Easter 2020 the Story of Redemption

Good morning and happy Easter!

I hope that the videos that I have been sharing with you all on Facebook have been a blessing throughout Holy Week. I think that it’s really helpful to walk day by day with Jesus through that week, and it all culminates right here, Easter Sunday, the day that the world stops to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He is alive!

But today is about much more than just remembering an event. Today is certainly about more than looking for candy filled eggs that a mythical bunny left on the windowsill behind your curtains. Did you check there?

Today is about remembering and celebrating the purpose of the event, embracing anew the eternal benefits of the work of Jesus, His life, death, and resurrection, not just their benefits though… Also their necessity. 

Did you know that the Bible is all one long story, not just one book, but one whole story? All of the individual books and accounts all work together toward the same purpose, to display God’s redemptive plan for mankind. 

Like all stories it begins at the beginning, in the book of Genesis, a word that means, “beginning.” In Genesis Moses wrote the account of God creating the world and all that is in it and proclaiming that, “It is good.” That is high praise from the Father! On the sixth day God created Man.

Genesis 1:26-31 records,

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 

27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

And things were good! For about a chapter… In Genesis 3 it’s recorded how God told Adam and Eve, the first man and woman that they could eat from any tree in the Garden that He put them in except for one. Which tree do you think that they decided to eat from? That one!

The devil appeared to Adam and Eve in the form of a snake and deceived them and got them to eat the forbidden fruit, they disobeyed God at the first opportunity.

Because of their disobedience, what we now call, “sin,” God cursed the serpent, God cursed the ground, and God cursed mankind, death entered into God’s perfect creation as a result of their sin.

But imbedded in the curse was a promise. Genesis 3:15 God says to the serpent,

15 I will put enmity [deep hatred] between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

Do you know who that offspring of the woman is? It’s Jesus!

Most of the rest of the Old Testament is given to God’s preservation of one bloodline from Adam and Eve, to Noah, to Abraham, to King David, all the way through to Joseph and Mary, to Jesus.

Jeff Reed wrote:

“[The whole Bible is given] to unfold God’s central plan and eternal purpose to set apart a people for Himself for all eternity, commissioning them to be witnesses of His purpose and supplying them with a book that contains all the essential insights and guidance that they need to effectively assist Him in carrying out His purpose, which demonstrates His wisdom to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places.”

God sets the stage for this whole story in Genesis with creation and the fall, as I’ve said, as well as insight into how to live in harmony with His created order and mankind’s tendency to resist that order.

God promised to bless all families of the earth through Abraham and his descendants, forming them into a nation and revealing how to live by faith in God, and revealed how man tends to resist that plan and go his own way.

God recorded the history of the nation of Israel, Abraham’s descendants, through whom God continued to sovereignly reveal His unfolding plan, making a covenant with King David and revealing a further aspect of His promise to bless all the families of the earth through a coming descendant who would rule forever.

God provided a kind of a divine hymn book in the Psalms for worship and reflection so that the people of God might internalize the Word of God and acquire hearts for God.

God also provided a kind of “divine guide to wise and skillful living” in the writings of King Solomon and those that wrote in his tradition for use in all areas of family, community, and national living so that God’s people might acquire hearts of wisdom.

But God’s people did not always obey so He sent to them prophets and He recorded their words. The prophets called God’s people on their constant disobedience to His Law and announced impending judgment for disobedience as well as providing a picture of the One who was coming with a new covenant of faith for God’s people and would fulfill all of God’s promises to Abraham’s offspring. The prophets gave the people of God insight into the true condition of their hearts and called them to repentance and godly morality.

In the Gospels God recorded, in narrative form, the transition from the Old Covenant of Moses, Abraham, and David to the New Covenant of faith through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Over the course of Holy Week we have read of Jesus’ declaration of His kingdom and His rejection, His crucifixion, and now, finally we celebrate His resurrection.

I’d like to read Luke 24:13-35 to help us gather all these thoughts together.

13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 

28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus explained to those disciples just what I have explained to you, that the whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments are about the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the One whom God promised would bruise the serpent’s head while the serpent would only bruise His heel.

Through Jesus’ death on the cross the price was paid, once and for all, for the sin of mankind, starting with Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit all the way to you and me. The power of the serpent was broken.

The Gospel of John records the words of Jesus on the cross just before He gave up His spirit, “It is finished.” The work was done, the price had been paid.

But God’s plan of redemption is still unfolding even now through His church, not the buildings but the people, as we serve as witnesses of God’s divine purposes and the only way to participate in this plan is to join with the redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ.

The word, “redeem,” means to buy back. God bought mankind back from death, from His own wrath, from the punishment that we deserve for our sin, and the price that was paid was the life of His Son Jesus. He died on the cross instead of us, he suffered the wrath of God instead of us, and now, if we accept His sacrifice for us, we can be forgiven of our sin, and look forward to an eternal resurrected life like Him and with Him in His eternal kingdom.

If you are watching this morning and you have never accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for you but you want to, I would invite you to pray with me now.

Lord, I am a sinner, but this morning I want to turn from my sin and live for you. I accept that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again that I might live forever with you. Forgive me. Come into my heart Lord Jesus, my life is yours. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Amen.

Triumphal Entry? - Luke 19:29-44 - April 5, 2020

These are the Sermon Notes for April 5, 2020. Watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.

Luke 19:29-44 Triumphal entry?

Good morning! Today is a special day, on the Christian calendar today is what is traditionally called Palm Sunday. 

Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter where we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The Gospels give us a day by day account of Holy Week, the week that begins today and ends on Easter Sunday next week. 

But the church didn’t just slap a label on Palm Sunday, the events we are going to look at in Luke 19:29-44 this morning really happened on the Sunday before Jesus was crucified, the Last Supper really did happen on Thursday of that week. Jesus really was crucified on Good Friday and He really did rise from the dead on Easter Sunday.

The church has given these special days special names over the years and today we are going to think about Palm Sunday and some of the elements of Jesus’ triumphal entry and consider if Jesus’ triumphal entry was really all that triumphal.

Luke 19:29-40

29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, [the Mount of Olives] he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—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, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

There is some really interesting stuff going on here! But to understand its significance we have to dig a little deeper. 

The Prophecy

Luke leaves out some of the details that the other Gospels include, the first of which is that Jesus is fulfilling prophecy here in this scene.

Zechariah 9:9 says, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! 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.”

That’s Jesus riding on the colt! And the Jewish people, the daughter of Zion, the daughter of Jerusalem, were rejoicing greatly and shouting aloud! Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

The Donkey

The donkey itself is significant too. 

Entering the city on a donkey was a simple way to symbolize the truth that Jesus did in fact come as King of Israel. 

When Solomon became king after David, he rode his father's favorite mule during the inaugural procession into Jerusalem in 1 Kings 1:33. Now, a far greater "Son of David" rides triumphantly into the city of kings on a donkey. It showed for the first time that he accepted the title, and he accepted the people's praise.

Do you have a flannelgraph picture in your mind? ‘Cause I do!

The Palms

We call this Sunday “Palm Sunday,” but interestingly Luke left out the palm branches. 

Matthew and Mark both include the cutting down of palm branches and waving them around and spreading them on the road and this was significant! It’s traditional to hand out palm fronds on palm Sunday that often get woven into little crosses.

Palm branches are highly symbolic in Jewish culture, they are like the bald eagle of Israel. They represented refreshment, blessing, festival, new life, and victory! Palm branches were even stamped on their coins! 

It was no small thing that the people would spread them on the road before Jesus, they were declaring that Jesus was in fact the Messiah! “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” 

Verse 38 says, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

 “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Does that sound familiar? It reminds me of the angels’ annunciation of Jesus’ miraculous birth.

The Crowd

This crowd of people was an interesting mix too. You’ve got the disciples obviously, you also have a crowd from Bethany, people who had just witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. The city of Jerusalem and its surrounding villages would have been filled to overflowing with pilgrims for Passover, you also have the regular crowd of cranky old Pharisees following Jesus around, and then you have the Romans trying to keep all this craziness under control. You’ve got believers, you’ve got skeptics, and you’ve got scoffers.

The believers in the crowd were shouting a phrase straight from Zechariah’s prophecy: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

The word "Hosanna" is an Aramaic expression that means "save, I pray!" or "help, I pray!" 

We can see it in Psalm 118, 25Save us, we pray, O Lord! [There’s the word Hosanna] O Lord, we pray, give us success! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. 27 The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!

It’s not insignificant that in Luke’s account Jesus goes directly to the Temple after all of this.

Some of the skeptics and scoffers in the crowd, otherwise known as the Pharisees say to Jesus in verse 39, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “They are saying that you’re Messiah! Tell them to knock it off!”

But Jesus knew what was going on and He accepted the people’s praise because He is in fact Messiah! He said that if He made the people stop yelling praises the rocks would start yelling praises instead!

The Twist

Now this is where the “Triumphal Entry” takes a twist; a turn that the people didn’t expect. 

The people had misunderstood the Messianic hope. Their “hosannas” were a cry for Jesus to save them from their circumstances, a prayer that lately, I am sure, has been echoed all over the world in the midst of our current crisis. The people on that day were shouting “Hosanna,” in hopes that Jesus would save them from the oppression of the Romans and give Israel back their kingdom. 

People had tried to force Jesus to be their king in the past but He had refused it and hid Himself from them, but now here He was finally accepting their nomination and riding triumphantly into the city! 

And in the middle of the parade He stops, no doubt to make a very kingly speech…

Jesus stops the procession and looks out from the hillside across the valley to the Holy City of Jerusalem… 

A hush falls over the crowd… Jesus is going to speak…

But instead of making an acceptance speech, instead of making a declaration that now is the time for the Romans to go and for His kingdom to be set up and for Him to take His rightful place on the throne of His father David… He starts to cry. He weeps over the city and her people.

41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For 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 44 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.”

Can you hear His heart? The people longed for peace and He longed to give it to them, but it wasn’t the same kind of peace. 

Can you see His love for God’s chosen people and for the Holy City? Can you see His anguish over their rejection of Messiah?

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem wasn’t triumphant, it was tragic. 

He was scorned and rejected by the ones He came to save. They wanted Him to conquer the Romans and cleanse the nation of Israel but instead He came to conquer sin and death and cleanse those who would believe in Him of all their unrighteousness.

But that’s not what they wanted, that’s not what the crowd was after, His triumphal entry had totally fizzled. It’s not that it didn’t go as Jesus planned but it certainly didn’t go as anyone else wanted…

The people were disappointed and the crowds dissipated, even the Disciples would eventually desert Him. 

He wasn’t the kind of king that people were looking for but He is the kind of King that people NEED.

I’m not so sure that we are that much different.

They wanted a Messiah to save them from our circumstances not their sins.

They wanted a king to conquer Rome and give them their nation back but Jesus said that His kingdom is not of this world.

Are we any different? 

After all, we can see our circumstances; we can see what our earthly troubles do to us, what this virus is doing to us, to our families and friends, we pray for sickness to stop, we pray for difficulties to end, we want health and wealth and good times, and to watch baseball and eat out again. 

We often don’t see how Jesus could work through our trouble, how He can and will use our difficulties to make us more like Him, to spread His gospel and expand his kingdom.

We want Jesus to conquer America again, we want Him to kick out the ungodly rulers and make this a Christian nation again with laws that honor Him. Have we have forgotten that He said that His kingdom is not of this world?

The people in that crowd on the first Palm Sunday didn’t trust Jesus to be who He really was or to do the task that the Father had asked Him to do. They wanted a political Messiah and He said, no.

They wanted Him to save them from their difficult circumstances and He said, no.

When given the opportunity to trust Him to be who He is and do what He was there to do the crowd said, no.

But what will you say?

Will you trust Jesus Christ to save you from your sin even if He doesn’t save you from your circumstances? Jesus died on the cross in our place, to take the punishment that we deserved for our sin, not to make our lives any easier.

Will you trust Jesus to walk beside you through your circumstances and allow Him to make you more like Himself even if it’s hard? Because that’s exactly what He promised to do! 

He promised to never leave us! He promised that in this world we will have trouble! But we can take heart, because He has overcome this world! 

It doesn’t matter how bad it gets, it will never separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus!

So, do you trust Him?! Well… trust Him then! 

Don’t be like the people of Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday who blinded their eyes to the things that made for peace. 

It is only by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone by God’s grace alone that makes for true peace: peace with God, and peace with our circumstances because we know that God is at work in them.

Amen.