1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,800 Hey there, this is Jen Wade, part of the core team here at Springs Church. We just want 2 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:13,760 to say thank you so much for joining us and listening to our podcast. We are praying that 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:18,080 it encourages you and it inspires you. And if you'd like to find out more about Springs 4 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:34,000 Church, please visit our website springschurch.co.uk. Here's today's message. 5 00:00:48,080 --> 00:01:16,000 Let's stand while we read the 6 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:34,280 scriptures. 7 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:51,920 a fold of a donkey. The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey 8 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:57,920 and the colt and they placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their 9 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:02,720 cloaks on the road while others cut branches from the trees and spread them across the road. 10 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:07,840 The crowd that went ahead of them and those that followed shouted, come on now church, shouted 11 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:14,160 Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who can't say the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the 12 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:19,840 highest heaven. When Jesus entered Jerusalem the whole city was stirred and asked, who is this? 13 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:28,080 The crowds answered, this is Jesus the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. And then Jesus entered the 14 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:33,680 temple courts and drove out all those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables 15 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:38,720 of the money changers and the benches of those selling dubs. It is written he said to them, 16 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:44,320 my house will be called the house of breath. But you're making it a den of robbers. The blind and 17 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:49,840 the lame came to him at the temple and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers 18 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:54,960 of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shied in the temple courts, Hosanna to 19 00:02:54,960 --> 00:03:01,200 the Son of David, they were indignant. Do you hear what these children are saying they ask? Yes. 20 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:04,720 I wonder how long the pause was for the Lord. Yes. 21 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:11,920 Have you never heard the lips of children and infants? Your new Lord have called forth your 22 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:17,600 praise. Can we come to him my little children this morning? Can we come to him with faith like a 23 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:23,600 child who says Jesus I don't know everything about you but I do know you're good. And like a child 24 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:35,040 who trusts, Lord we're going to trust. We're going to believe in you today. Amen. Let's take our seats. 25 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:44,480 God bless you. Amen. Well good morning church. Can you tell I feel like preaching this morning? 26 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:49,520 Did you notice that? I'm a little bit excited and it turns out I'm a little bit known for that. 27 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:54,480 And so I'm sorry about that but that's who I am and so this morning I could be a preacher or I 28 00:03:54,480 --> 00:04:00,080 could be a teacher and so you can help me out a little bit by kind of vocalizing not only your 29 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:05,520 support for the scriptures but vocalizing that stuff in your heart that goes yes yes I believe 30 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:12,640 that I know that is true and get involved is that okay? Amen. My heart's intention this morning is 31 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:19,600 not to bring out some how to live points from the message or what we should do with our Christianity 32 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:24,880 points. If it's okay with you I'm not going to be practical I just want us to camp around wow. 33 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:30,400 Is that okay? We're not going to be going for what or hows of our faith but I'm believing this morning 34 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:35,440 there'll be a wow that rises up in our hearts that we just go man I just want to praise this kid more 35 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:43,200 than ever. Is that okay with you? Yeah. Come on, come on. Okay so we just read the Palm Sunday 36 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:50,160 scriptures Jesus is bringing into town. I want to ask a question what's so important about a donkey? 37 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:57,200 What is so important about the donkey? Anyone got any clues? Anyone understand? Why was Jesus so 38 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:04,240 intense about lads go fetch me a donkey would you? There's two reasons that donkeys in these 39 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:10,800 scriptures are so very important. The two reasons I want to pull out this morning are one prophecy 40 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:16,960 and the second is another thing posture. The donkeys in this story are so important because 41 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:22,160 there's something prophetic that Jesus wants to do through such an animal and there's something 42 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:28,400 about posture that he wants to make a point about. Is that okay? God has been promising the arrival 43 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:36,480 of his son the sin conquering death defying messiah not from the dear zero and just throughout 44 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:41,840 Jesus's life but you'd go all the way back to Genesis and discover that God had been talking 45 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:48,800 about the day that his son the messiah would come all the way back to Genesis. A little Bible 46 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:55,360 education for you. Genesis is not the oldest book in the Bible. What? What? It's at the start. Is 47 00:05:55,360 --> 00:06:00,400 the Bible not chronological? No it is not. The oldest book in the Bible is in fact anyone know? 48 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:06,400 The book of Job. Some scholars reckon the book of Job might be 6 000 years old. How about that? 49 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:12,320 Let me tell you what Job said. The oldest book in the Bible says this. Job says this to God 50 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:18,800 but they say I know that my redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand on the earth. 51 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:26,160 In the end he will stand on the earth. Job the oldest book in the Bible. The idea of God saving 52 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:33,840 the messiah was not a new idea when Jesus walked up. It was as ancient as Job. Wow. I know that my 53 00:06:33,840 --> 00:06:42,960 redeemer lives. In the end he will stand on the earth. 700 years before Jesus was born there's a 54 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:49,760 book called Isaiah. We read a chapter from Isaiah a little earlier. And in the book of Isaiah God 55 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:56,080 speaks to his prophet and says this is where the messiah is going to be born. This is going to be 56 00:06:56,080 --> 00:07:00,960 his nature. This is going to be his character. This is what he's going to do. The people in the 57 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:06,960 darkness will see a great light. Do you remember that? Christmas scriptures. And then a little 58 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:13,840 recently just 500 years ago there's a prophet called Zechariah. And the people of Israel have 59 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:18,400 been kicked out of their homeland for many hundreds of years and they've recently been 60 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:23,440 brought back to their homeland. Then Zechariah a contemporary of Haggai, another one of the minor 61 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:28,800 prophets you'll see in the Old Testament. He gets to speak the word of God because God inspires him 62 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:36,240 and tells him how you would recognize a messiah when he appears. Are you with me? Job said what? 63 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:42,560 I know my Redeemer lives and in the end he will appear on the earth. Isaiah prophesied this is 64 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:46,960 where he will be born. This is what his character will be. This is what he will do for the people. 65 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:53,280 And then we've got Zechariah who says watch out I'm going to give you a clue says God as to how he's 66 00:07:53,280 --> 00:08:00,480 going to appear. How are you going to recognize him? Well you see here's the thing Zechariah 67 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:09,120 prophesied that 500 years before Jesus and between Zechariah 500 years passed until Jesus and in that 68 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:14,640 500 year gap between Zechariah saying look out I'm going to tell you what to look for and when 69 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:22,160 Jesus actually came there had been many messiahs. Hello? Many messengers of God. Many warlike kings 70 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:27,680 that had taken back what the enemy had stolen and restored Israel. But none of those messiahs, 71 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:33,280 none of those kings or none of those rulers added up to what Zechariah told us Jesus would appear 72 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:39,280 like. They came with their war horses and they came with their chariots and they came with their 73 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:45,360 messages and they came with their desire to build an empire. That's not how Zechariah prophesied 74 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:52,400 the Messiah would come. Let's get the scripture of Zechariah. Let's see what this is all about. 75 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:59,280 Rejoice greatly daughter Zion. Shout daughter Jerusalem. See your king comes to you righteous 76 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:05,760 and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey on a cult the fault of a donkey. I will take away the 77 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:11,920 chariots from Ephraim and the war horses from Jerusalem and the battle boat will be broken. 78 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:18,160 This messiah will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the 79 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:23,680 river to the ends of the earth. As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you I will free 80 00:09:23,680 --> 00:09:29,200 your prisoners from the waterless pit. Sounds like a dry nasty place. Sounds quite heavy. 81 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:35,760 Return to your fortress prisoners of hope. That's an oxymoron if ever I heard one. Prisoners 82 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:41,840 of hope? We haven't got any prisoners of hope in Jerusalem. People whose hearts are captivated by 83 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:48,480 the truth. I belong in a place called hope. I'm happy to be a prisoner to the hope that is in Jesus. 84 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:56,240 Amen. Even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. God of the double portion right 85 00:09:56,240 --> 00:10:05,200 there. Wow. So remember that scripture is 500 years before Jesus turned upon a what? On a donkey. 86 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:11,360 What's so important about a donkey is that God had prophesied through his servant five and half a 87 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:16,240 millennium before Jesus appeared that he would arrive not with war horses and chariots but riding 88 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:22,560 on a donkey. Why is Jesus so intent on fulfilling that prophecy? It's because of this. If God speaks 89 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:28,320 he will fulfill it to the last detail. Did you hear me this morning church? If he says it's 90 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:33,680 going to be a certain way it's going to be a certain way. God is not a brainless man. 91 00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:40,480 God is not a breaker of promises. God is not a tease that he would lead you on. When God speaks 92 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:46,240 he does what he says he will. Is that good news this morning? It's the first thing that we can get 93 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:52,240 excited about on Palm Sunday is that prophecy one matters. Number two prophecy should encourage 94 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:59,040 your soul. Number three when God speaks he's going to do it. Are you with me this morning? Yeah. Let 95 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:03,920 me paraphrase that scripture. The scripture will stay on there but let me give the peak right kind of like 96 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:10,320 paraphrase. Jerusalem there's a day coming when you will see the Messiah. Hello. The king will be 97 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:17,440 righteous. He'll be perfect in all his ways. He is victory personified but gentle and humble with 98 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:23,680 him. His humility will be known by the vehicle of his travel a donkey not a showstopping stallion. 99 00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:29,680 He won't come in chariots or war horses. There'll be no fighting the day he enters. He will proclaim peace not war. 100 00:11:29,680 --> 00:11:35,680 He will be about all the nations not just one nation. His kingdom will not be limited to a national border 101 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:43,680 but extended to every human heart. His covenant will be declared by his own blood shed. He will bring 102 00:11:43,680 --> 00:11:50,640 freedom. His covenant will last forever. He will return you to your fortress. God himself he is your 103 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:57,680 refuge. Where you have been a slave to sin and death you will become a prisoner of hope locked into hope 104 00:11:57,680 --> 00:12:05,680 eternal. He's the god of the double portion. Judge God exists. God speaks. He delivers on what he promises. 105 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:13,680 Are you ready to have your minds blown? We've got anyone who's into mathematics at all? I like that one. 106 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:21,680 Good on you. Good on you. Kids going, go on. You little sluts. Obviously English and Humanities going. 107 00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:27,680 If I could sneeze an essay and get a good grade. But maths and science? No mate. So I admire you mathematicians. 108 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:33,680 A few years ago, I just want to encourage you mate, there are literally hundreds, I'm excited aren't I? 109 00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:41,680 There are literally hundreds and hundreds of prophecies about the Messiah, about Jesus. All the way through the Old Testament. 110 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:51,680 Hundreds between three to four hundred prophecies. Things that God said by his Holy Spirit through prophets to help us look out for the Messiah when he can. 111 00:12:51,680 --> 00:13:01,680 Three to four hundred prophecies. Do you know what the probability of one person fulfilling all of those prophecies is? 112 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:09,680 Do you know what the probability of you winning the lottery is? One in however many millions played the lottery that week. 113 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:17,680 I might have the county lottery. Do you know how likely it is that you will get the job you dreamed of when you were a little girl? 114 00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:23,680 Do you know what the probability is that you'll meet the person of your dreams and marry them in the exact year that you planned? 115 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:33,680 Do you know what the probability of life is? Man, we can't even begin to do the maths while we can, some geniuses can. 116 00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:45,680 Jesus fulfilled three to four hundred Old Testament prophecies. But because that sum was too big to work out its probability, a mathematician called Dr Stoner 117 00:13:45,680 --> 00:13:57,680 True story. A mathematician in America called Dr Stoner, maybe he was Californian, I don't know. 118 00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:09,680 Dr Stoner, he decided it's too big a concept to work out the probability of three to four hundred prophecies being fulfilled by one person to just go with eight. 119 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:17,680 What's the probability of just eight prophecies being fulfilled by one person in the way that they were fulfilled by Jesus? 120 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:33,680 To say the results would be one hundred followed by fifty zero. That my friends is technically known as one in a hundred quadrillion. 121 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:47,680 One in one hundred quadrillion chances of one person fulfilling just eight prophecies from the Old Testament and yet Jesus fulfilled three to four hundred. 122 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:59,680 And they say that the holy scriptures were just thrown together. They say that the Bible is just chance and just things put together and man-made. 123 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:07,680 Three to four hundred scriptures attesting to the same Messiah and he built every single one with odds like that. 124 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:15,680 My goodness me. Would you invest your money, would you invest even one penny if the odds were one hundred quadrillion against you? 125 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:24,680 Of course you wouldn't. It must have been God. It must have been written this way. It must have been designed. It must have been purposed this way. 126 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:34,680 Undoubtedly Jesus was and is always will be the Christ, the Messiah, the perfect love of God, the Redeemer, the Son of God, the long awaited, now celebrating Savior of the world. 127 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:41,680 It was always going to be the case in this man because even the way he arrived fulfilled prophecy. 128 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:50,680 So the second thing is we've looked at prophecy and it's just so encouraging because God really does speak and really does follow through with what he says. 129 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:59,680 Then the second thing about donkeys is posture. The scriptures say that this Savior, this Messiah is not going to turn up on war horses and chariots and kind of make a big, 130 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:10,680 rush entry. This Messiah will come in riding on a donkey. Not just any donkey, a young donkey, a cult of a donkey, a little baby donkey. 131 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:16,680 Sometimes I read the scripture and it makes me think that he was riding two at the same time while they got in. 132 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:23,680 I don't think that's what it means but I don't think it's possible. That would have drawn a crowd. 133 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:29,680 She's my bad boy from Hasbro. You can donkey surf. 134 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:40,680 But the posture of Jesus' arrival is incredibly important because this Jesus, though he is King of Kings, 135 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:54,680 nothing in creation was created except by him and through him. Though he is powerful and though he exacts judgment against sin and death with all the passion of heaven, 136 00:16:54,680 --> 00:17:01,680 he's also humble and gentle in heart. My brother told me this years ago. He told me he stuck with me. 137 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:13,680 One thing we find out about the personality, the kind of person Jesus was, where he's on lips, he says, come to me or you will marry me. I am gentle and humble in heart. 138 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:22,680 The fact that he rode in on a donkey that day was a huge whatever metaphor for I'm coming to town. I'm not coming with violence. 139 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:32,680 I'm not coming with a brawl. I'm not coming with a harsh crime. I'm just coming to show you this. I love you. 140 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:39,680 I'm going to lay my life down for you. I'm going to lift you up and get who you are away. 141 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:48,680 I want to encourage you this morning that Jesus does not call us to be dangerous and subjects of the crime but to be raised up as citizens of heaven. 142 00:17:48,680 --> 00:18:00,680 He's not coming with me this morning. He does not call us to be slaves. He calls us to be co-servants. Arm in arm. Loving God and loving life together with him. 143 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:08,680 Jesus comes to share his power with us. Anyone need a miracle in this place? He comes to share his power with us. 144 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:19,680 Jesus, while he's on the mouth, shortly before Palm Sunday says, listen, the son of man, me, Messiah, I didn't come to be served. I came to serve you. 145 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:29,680 That's our Messiah. So important about donkeys. I'll tell you what, prophecy and posture, that's what's important about donkeys. 146 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:35,680 Let's flip it. Let's go somewhere else. As we read the Palm Sunday story, we might wonder where on earth did the crowds come from in the first place? 147 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:41,680 Where did the crowds come from? How was there suddenly thousands of people? Was it suddenly? Did Jesus' magic come in? No, no, no. 148 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:48,680 There's a building up. There's something going on. There were two crowds in that area that collided that day. Two crowds. 149 00:18:48,680 --> 00:19:00,680 They ended up colliding in Jerusalem together. The first crowd was already in Jerusalem because just a few days' time it was going to be the biggest festival in the Jewish calendar, the festival of Passover. 150 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:11,680 And so what you would do as a good, honorable, God-fearing Jewish man or woman is you would take yourself and your family, you would go to the temple and you would get yourself right with God before the festival. 151 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:20,680 And so from all over Israel, known as Palestine at the time, over all of that area, Jews would go to the temple, get themselves right with God in Jerusalem. 152 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:26,680 So there was already a crowd building in the capital city. Does that make sense so far? They were there for a party. 153 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:35,680 They were there to remember when a few thousand years before, Moses led the people of God out of slavery and into freedom. 154 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:40,680 Interesting timing for Jesus to turn up and do his theories and holy we go. 155 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:47,680 Moses himself prophesied there'll be another one like me who loses the chains of slavery. 156 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:52,680 Wow. Gosh, the prophecy's all over the place, isn't it, mate? Thank you, God. 157 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:58,680 So there's the first crowd already in Jerusalem. The other crowd, however, starts one month earlier. 158 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:07,680 Have you ever watched an episode of something that you really, really loved and you'll be presented with the main part of the story and then it'll backtrack and go? 159 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:11,680 Previously, or one month earlier. That's what we're doing right now. 160 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:16,680 One month earlier, before we go to Palm Sunday, this is what happened. 161 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:22,680 One month earlier, Jesus is at ministry and he gets a message from a town called Bethany. 162 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:30,680 Bethany is not too far from Jerusalem itself. If you like, walk from here to Morehampton city centre. It's not that far. 163 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:37,680 Jesus gets a word from Bethany and the word is this, that his best mate Lazarus is on his deathbed. 164 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:41,680 And Lazarus' sisters, Martha and Mary, you know I never heard of those guys, 165 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:48,680 Martha and Mary write or get word to Jesus somehow wherever he is and say, you need to come quick, Lazarus is dying. 166 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:58,680 Oh my goodness, lo and behold, by the time Jesus actually arrives, Lazarus has already been dead and buried for three to four days. 167 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:03,680 In a tomb, covered with stone. Whoa. 168 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:11,680 Jesus gets to the sisters, he gets to Bethany, Lazarus is dead, his corpse is already starting to rot and sting. 169 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:16,680 And the girls come to him and say, Jesus, if only you'd been here, this would never have happened. 170 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,680 This would never have happened. 171 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:26,680 Jesus cries his eyes out. Famously the shortest verse in the Bible, Jesus wept. 172 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:31,680 He cried his eyes out. His friend Lazarus was dead in the tomb. 173 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:37,680 That ain't where the story finished. Jesus marches off, he goes straight to that graveyard, he goes straight to that tomb. 174 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:42,680 And he shouts with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. 175 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:44,680 To good job he said it. To good job he said it. 176 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:48,680 And not just everyone get up out of the grave. That's true. 177 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:51,680 Because some of them are meant to stay dead. 178 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:56,680 And at that moment, Lazarus comes out of the tomb. 179 00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:02,680 The stone is rolled away, the guy is in his burial clothes. 180 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:05,680 What are we doing here? 181 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:08,680 Jesus raised his mate from the dead. 182 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:11,680 We can just take a really simple point away from that story. 183 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:14,680 If you're a friend of Jesus, he's going to raise you from the dead. 184 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:17,680 Let me say that again, because you don't believe it. 185 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:20,680 If you're a friend of Jesus, he's going to raise you from the dead. 186 00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:30,680 If I die on the spot right now, someone would pray for me and if it's not God's will for my earthly life to be over, I would be raised to life. 187 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:32,680 I believe that. Do you believe that? 188 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:37,680 One day, as an old man, Lazarus did die and he stayed dead. 189 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:41,680 One day I will die and I will stay dead. 190 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:46,680 But my life will be resurrected instantly into the presence of Jesus. Hello? 191 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:55,680 And then one day, come on, let's get end times now, and then one day, at the end of days, there will be a tropical and the dead will be raised to life. 192 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:57,680 Let me tell you the truth of the Gospel. 193 00:22:57,680 --> 00:22:59,680 The weirdest bit of the Gospel perhaps is this. 194 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:03,680 That if you are a friend of Jesus, you will be raised to life. 195 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:07,680 And in those end days, it won't be the body that I've got now, thank goodness, 196 00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:12,680 rubbing like homers and scars and dodgy knees on that arm, glorified body, and so will you. 197 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:14,680 It will last forever. 198 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:17,680 Wow, what a crazy set of beliefs we have. 199 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:20,680 Oh, what a wonder. I'll press into that one, right? 200 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:26,680 The people are going nuts, as you can imagine. 201 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:28,680 Bethany's on fire. Everyone's going like crazy. 202 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:32,680 Oh my gosh, everyone knew Lazarus was in a small, big community. 203 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:37,680 They say about here, don't they, it's whispered in upper Gordal, it's shouted in lower Gordal by the afternoon. 204 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,680 But Bethany is like a small place that everyone knows who Lazarus is. 205 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:43,680 They've all been mourning with the family, haven't they? 206 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:48,680 And so there's a crowd, the authorities are already after Jesus. 207 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:50,680 Is everyone okay? You still with me? 208 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:53,680 Alright, it's my new 2002 time, I mean, you're going to be alright. 209 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:57,680 Okay, so here we go. So there's a crowd happening. 210 00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:02,680 The authorities are already hot on Jesus' tail, but it's not yet his time to be killed on the cross. 211 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:07,680 So Jesus, in his wisdom, kind of retreats with his disciples and he goes to a quiet place. 212 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:11,680 He gets out of the town, out of the business, and him and his lads and his girls, 213 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:15,680 they go to a place called Ephraim and it's over the other side of the River Jordan. 214 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:19,680 No one's going to know the other side of the River Jordan. No one's going to bother Jesus there. 215 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:23,680 So while he's in Ephraim, in the desert place, the other side of the River Jordan, 216 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:28,680 he sits down with his disciples, he teaches them parables, he explains things about the kingdom. 217 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:32,680 Different people come to meet with him and he shares quietly and rebukingly. 218 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:38,680 And then the time comes for him to start his final journey to Jerusalem. 219 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:42,680 What's just happened? He's just raised his mate from the dead. 220 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:44,680 He's just raised his mate from the dead. 221 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:52,680 The heat's on, so he's got himself to a quiet place, but now it's time to make a final journey. 222 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:57,680 First thing he has to do with his disciples is cross the Jordan. 223 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:02,680 The Lord knew of anything. The people of God taking the land from the Old Testament. 224 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:06,680 And then he makes a beehive for a city called Jericho. 225 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:11,680 In one of them, the story of Jericho, the people of God praised and the walls of Jericho came tumbling back. 226 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:17,680 Why? It's just like Jesus is called by living this or that, and getting the most magnificent place. 227 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:23,680 And so he crosses the Jordan, he goes to Jericho, spends some time in Jericho, people are blessed. 228 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:30,680 But then here's the reason why the crowd starts to build up again on their journey towards Jerusalem. 229 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:36,680 Living in Jericho, two blind men. Two blind men. 230 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:41,680 Matthew just says two blind men. In the other gospels, we're given the name of one of them. 231 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,680 The life of the party leaders. 232 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:47,680 Living in Jericho, these two blind men. 233 00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:52,680 They would have heard the rumours about this man from Galilee, well, the man from Nazareth, 234 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:56,680 the stuff that he'd been doing in Galilee, just a few miles away. 235 00:25:56,680 --> 00:26:02,680 They'd been hearing the rumours of what he's capable of, what he's been doing, and there's two blind men. 236 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:06,680 They're hoping for some kind of miracle. 237 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:14,680 Do you know the scriptures say that faith comes by...faith comes by...faith comes by doing? 238 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:18,680 Faith comes by a miracle. Not necessarily. 239 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:22,680 I've seen miracles happen in people's lives and then all the way from there. 240 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:27,680 It's not the same experience. Faith instead comes by hearing. 241 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:31,680 The scripture finishes off by saying, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. 242 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:34,680 We've already read the word of God, those Old Testament prophecies. 243 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:40,680 People are starting, oh my gosh, is this the guy that the scriptures have been talking about the whole time? 244 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:45,680 Faith comes by hearing. How did you come to faith? You've heard about Jesus. 245 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:49,680 You've heard about Jesus. Listen, you can imagine these men talking amongst themselves, 246 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:54,680 and Jesus is about to leave Jericho, and as he's leaving, I can imagine them talking to themselves 247 00:26:54,680 --> 00:27:02,680 without their sight, saying, you know, I hear, I hear, I hear he's crying to people like us. 248 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:10,680 I hear he stands up for the poor. I hear his disciples have come from all walks of life. 249 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:14,680 I heard that he lives with you just as much as he does men. 250 00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:19,680 I heard that he's leaving Canada, what country you come from? 251 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,680 I heard that he walks on water. Are you serious? Yeah. 252 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:34,680 What I heard, he gives sin. I heard that he teaches with authority that no other leader is as well as. 253 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:43,680 Right. I heard he heals the deaf and the blind. Do you think he could? 254 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:47,680 I heard there was a bloke that died down the road in Bethany. 255 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:52,680 He turned up and he brought him back to life. 256 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:58,680 We might be blind, but I think we're catching a glimpse of God, right? 257 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:04,680 The scripture says this in 2 Peter 2.29. 258 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:08,680 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 259 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:13,680 Two blind men were sitting on the roadside when they heard that Jesus was going right. 260 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:18,680 They shouted, Lord, son of David, have mercy on us. 261 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:27,680 The crowd was reputed, taunted, shrieked, but they shouted even louder, Lord, son of David, have mercy on us. 262 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:33,680 Jesus stopped and called them. What do you want me to do for you? 263 00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:40,680 Lord, they answered, we want our sight. I love how specific these guys were. 264 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:46,680 What do you want the Lord to do for you? What do you want the Lord to do for you? 265 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:51,680 Ask him. What church do you want the Lord to do for you? 266 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:56,680 What do you want him to do for this community, in this church, in your life? 267 00:28:56,680 --> 00:29:00,680 He says that Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. 268 00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:05,680 Immediately they received their sight and followed him. 269 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:10,680 Have you got on wedding rises this morning? 270 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:14,680 What did they shout? They shouted Jesus, son of David. 271 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:17,680 This title son of David left no illusions. 272 00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:23,680 The only person that was going to have the title son of David was the true Messiah of God, the saviour of the world. 273 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:27,680 And so as they shouted, Jesus, son of David, they were trying to shut up, shut up, mate. 274 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:31,680 If you start saying that, the authorities are going to come down here and carry him off and kill him. 275 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:35,680 And then they're like, no, I don't care. Jesus, son of David, have mercy on us. 276 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:38,680 And instead of going, lads, seriously, pack it in. 277 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:42,680 Jesus goes on to him and says, what can I do for you? 278 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:46,680 God, we want our sight and their sight they received. 279 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:53,680 I want to encourage you today that it is the hearing about Jesus that led them to having faith in Jesus. 280 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:58,680 And it's having faith in Jesus that led those men to receive in their sight. 281 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:03,680 And it was receiving their sight that led them to follow him. 282 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:09,680 The ground swell of suspecting Jesus was the Messiah was catching fire amongst the local population. 283 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:13,680 Rumours and whispers of renewal and kindness and life turned around. 284 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:15,680 And now this. 285 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:19,680 As Jesus leaves Jericho, he comes back to Bethany. 286 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:24,680 Last time he was in Bethany, a dead man came back to life and so there was a crowd of blind men from Jericho. 287 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:27,680 There certainly was one in Bethany because everyone was back out on the streets. 288 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,680 He's back. He's back. 289 00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:36,680 And then lads, especially in the dark, you know the rest. 290 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:40,680 The crowd that day were living a pre-Easter experience. 291 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:43,680 Can I see his call book? 292 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:50,680 The crowd that day were living a pre-Easter, a before Easter experience. 293 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:57,680 As you read the Gospels and Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you will find that many of the people in that crowd, 294 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:00,680 you know there's two crowds that come right in Jerusalem that day. 295 00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:08,680 Many of the people in that crowd cheered him on Sunday, yet jeered him on Friday. 296 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:16,680 They went from calling for their king to be crowned to choosing the king to be killed. 297 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:21,680 No wonder why he's nailed on the cross. 298 00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:27,680 He looks down at this crowd that says, Father, forgive them. 299 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:31,680 They don't know what they're doing. 300 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:38,680 The crowd that day wanted a king, but God was looking to establish a kingdom. 301 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:41,680 You see the difference? 302 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:47,680 The crowd that day wanted to establish a king, but Jesus had in his mind the heart, the kingdom of God. 303 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:50,680 And it wasn't going to come with war horses and chariots. 304 00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:55,680 It was going to come with a covenant paid for in his arm of God. 305 00:31:55,680 --> 00:32:00,680 The crowd desired a warlord and a conquering king. 306 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:02,680 For their generation and for their nation. 307 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:11,680 But God's desire was to establish an everlasting covenant that we've got for all nations and for all generations. 308 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:13,680 There's a different crowd in this building this morning. 309 00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:15,680 Where's the crowd at? 310 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:17,680 Where's the crowd at? 311 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:19,680 Is there a crowd in here this morning? 312 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:22,680 There's a different crowd in this place this morning. 313 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:25,680 You are not a pre-Easter crowd. 314 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:27,680 You are a post-Easter crowd. 315 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:31,680 You know the whole story. You better get your praise on right now. 316 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:34,680 You're not a pre-Easter crowd. You're a post-Easter crowd. 317 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:39,680 You know the full story of why you came here. 318 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,680 We live on the other side of salvation as we believe it. 319 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:46,680 We live in what they call the age of grace. 320 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:52,680 We don't live under the law, but Jesus did what he had to do and now we live. 321 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,680 The age of grace, the age of salvation. 322 00:32:55,680 --> 00:33:01,680 The days where the Spirit of God is on the earth and every man, woman and child, because they're praying in him, 323 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:07,680 can allow him to make a home in their hearts. 324 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:16,680 We're going to sing, praise him, praise him. 325 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:22,680 The crowd, this crowd this morning, can praise him for the whole story. 326 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:28,680 This crowd this morning can praise him for prophecy fulfilled. 327 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:33,680 This crowd this morning can praise him for setting the record straight. 328 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:39,680 This crowd can shout, shout, call Xanad to the son of David and be confident that he truly is the Messiah. 329 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:43,680 This crowd can look towards the cross. 330 00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:46,680 This crowd can look towards a resurrection coming. 331 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:50,680 This crowd can crown him king of their hearts. 332 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:55,680 This crowd could sing, praise him, praise him. 333 00:33:55,680 --> 00:34:05,680 Oh my soul, Jesus Christ is king. 334 00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:13,680 If you're in church this morning and you are unsure where your life is in terms of the relationship between you and God, 335 00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:19,680 I want to encourage you that Jesus Christ, this time next week, will be celebrating that he rose from the dead. 336 00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:25,680 The reason that he died in the first place was to nail all your sin and shame down permanently. 337 00:34:25,680 --> 00:34:30,680 The reason he went to the cross was so that you never have to fear death, because when you put your trust in him, 338 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:32,680 he will raise you, his friends, alive. 339 00:34:32,680 --> 00:34:37,680 And if you are here this morning and you know that you have not given your heart and life to Jesus, 340 00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:40,680 in this moment you can say, God, come into my life. 341 00:34:40,680 --> 00:34:44,680 Jesus, I accept, I believe in you. I have heard that you are good. 342 00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:46,680 I have heard that you accept people like me. 343 00:34:46,680 --> 00:34:51,680 I have heard that there are disciples of an all-war sort like, if you can save them, you can save me. 344 00:34:51,680 --> 00:34:57,680 Lord, I want you this morning, this past Sunday, is there anyone asking Jesus into their life? 345 00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:01,680 Tell the Lord what you want to do. 346 00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:04,680 Come on, let's stand this morning. 347 00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:09,680 His prophecies are true, his posture is towards you. 348 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:12,680 Oh praise him. 349 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:19,680 Oh praise the name of the Lord our God. 350 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:25,680 Oh praise his name forevermore. 351 00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:31,680 For endless days we will sing your praise, 352 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:38,680 Oh Lord, oh Lord our God. 353 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:46,680 Oh Lord, oh Lord. 354 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:52,680 I cast my mind to Calvary 355 00:35:52,680 --> 00:35:59,680 where Jesus bled and died for me. 356 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:05,680 I see his wounds, his hands, his feet. 357 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:15,680 My Savior on that persitree. 358 00:36:15,680 --> 00:36:21,680 His body bound and drenched in tears. 359 00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:27,680 They laid him down in Joseph's tomb. 360 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:33,680 The entrance sealed by heavy stone. 361 00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:43,680 Messiah still and all alone. 362 00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:50,680 Oh praise the name of the Lord our God. 363 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:56,680 Oh praise his name forevermore. 364 00:36:56,680 --> 00:37:02,680 For endless days we will sing your praise, 365 00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:08,680 Oh Lord, oh Lord our God. 366 00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:18,680 Yeah. 367 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:23,680 On the third at break of dawn, 368 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:29,680 the Son of Heaven rose again. 369 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:35,680 Oh trampled death, where is your still? 370 00:37:35,680 --> 00:37:43,680 The angels roar for Christ our King. 371 00:37:43,680 --> 00:37:51,680 Oh praise the name of the Lord our God. 372 00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:58,680 Oh praise his name forevermore. 373 00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:04,680 For endless days we will sing your praise, 374 00:38:04,680 --> 00:38:11,680 Oh Lord, oh Lord our God. 375 00:38:11,680 --> 00:38:13,680 Yeah. 376 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:16,680 Oh Lord our God. 377 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:19,680 Yeah. 378 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:25,680 He shall return in robes of white. 379 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:31,680 The blazing sun shall pierce the night, 380 00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:37,680 and I will ride among the saints. 381 00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:44,680 My gaze transfixed on Jesus' face. 382 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:53,680 He shall return, He shall return in robes of white. 383 00:38:53,680 --> 00:38:59,680 The blazing sun shall pierce the night, 384 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:05,680 and I will rise among the saints. 385 00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:15,680 My gaze transfixed on Jesus' face. 386 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:22,680 Oh praise the name of the Lord our God. 387 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:28,680 Oh praise his name forevermore. 388 00:39:28,680 --> 00:39:34,680 For endless days we will sing your praise, 389 00:39:34,680 --> 00:39:38,680 Oh Lord, oh Lord our God. 390 00:39:38,680 --> 00:39:46,680 Oh praise, oh praise the name of the Lord our God. 391 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:52,680 Oh praise his name forevermore. 392 00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:58,680 For endless days we will sing your praise, 393 00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:04,680 Oh Lord, oh Lord our God. 394 00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:08,680 Oh Lord, oh Lord our God. 395 00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:15,680 We sing to the Lord, Oh Lord, oh Lord our God. 396 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:21,680 Hallelujah, hallelujah Jesus. 397 00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:24,680 There's no one like you. 398 00:40:24,680 --> 00:40:28,680 Oh we lift up our praise to you today. 399 00:40:28,680 --> 00:40:35,680 We lift up our hands, we lift up our voices to you this morning Lord. 400 00:40:35,680 --> 00:40:43,680 Oh we worship you Lord to keep the peace today. 401 00:40:43,680 --> 00:40:49,680 Oh praise the name of the Lord our God. 402 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:56,680 Oh praise his name forevermore. 403 00:40:56,680 --> 00:41:02,680 For endless days we will sing your praise, 404 00:41:02,680 --> 00:41:08,680 Oh Lord, oh Lord our God. 405 00:41:08,680 --> 00:41:13,680 Thank you Lord. 406 00:41:38,680 --> 00:41:40,680 God bless.