WEBVTT 00:00:01.229 --> 00:00:05.690 Holy Week, starting with Palm Sunday, we lead 00:00:05.690 --> 00:00:11.150 into Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Saturday, 00:00:11.269 --> 00:00:14.390 or as many traditions call it, an Easter Vigil, 00:00:14.390 --> 00:00:18.850 or Easter Vespers, going into Resurrection Sunday. 00:00:19.829 --> 00:00:24.120 There are expectations to this week. The church 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:26.980 seems to get fuller for this week. Maybe not 00:00:26.980 --> 00:00:31.019 so much today, but next Sunday, Easter, we tend 00:00:31.019 --> 00:00:34.700 to see a higher percentage of people come. Maybe 00:00:34.700 --> 00:00:37.359 for a week or two, and then usually two, three 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:39.820 weeks later, we're back to whatever normal numbers 00:00:39.820 --> 00:00:44.409 are. But there are expectations. A lot of pastors 00:00:44.409 --> 00:00:46.570 talk about this in church staffs. This is the 00:00:46.570 --> 00:00:49.210 Super Bowl week of the church, right? Or you 00:00:49.210 --> 00:00:52.429 have Super Bowl week A is Christmas, B is Easter, 00:00:52.509 --> 00:00:55.990 or vice versa. I don't know about you, but I 00:00:55.990 --> 00:00:58.490 don't fully understand it. I've said this before. 00:00:58.549 --> 00:01:02.689 I have colleagues that fret over what their Easter 00:01:02.689 --> 00:01:06.530 message is going to be. I don't look at it that 00:01:06.530 --> 00:01:10.209 way. I think it's pretty easy. Read the text. 00:01:10.909 --> 00:01:13.409 Tell the story. Don't try to gift wrap the greatest 00:01:13.409 --> 00:01:18.049 gift ever given with my words. But give the story 00:01:18.049 --> 00:01:21.269 of salvation. Because it's one thing. It's a 00:01:21.269 --> 00:01:24.010 little pastor's secret. We don't have to make 00:01:24.010 --> 00:01:28.489 this up. It's already written. My job is to just 00:01:28.489 --> 00:01:31.010 talk about it. To try to dive a little deeper. 00:01:31.049 --> 00:01:33.629 To maybe look at things a little differently. 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:37.099 You don't take away from it. You don't add to 00:01:37.099 --> 00:01:39.939 it. It is the word of God. It will accomplish 00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:44.500 what it sets out to accomplish. But what happens 00:01:44.500 --> 00:01:49.040 when the expectations of something become real 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:51.659 loud in our minds? Let me ask a couple questions. 00:01:52.340 --> 00:01:55.400 What are some areas or stages of life where we 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:59.000 tend to have higher expectations than others? 00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:01.299 It's a little different question, so I'll give 00:02:01.299 --> 00:02:03.829 you a minute to think about it. What is an area 00:02:03.829 --> 00:02:06.450 of life or different areas of life where expectations 00:02:06.450 --> 00:02:10.270 really start to climb pretty high? That we have 00:02:10.270 --> 00:02:13.229 pretty high expectations of a certain season 00:02:13.229 --> 00:02:18.490 of life or maybe an event of life? Anybody? When 00:02:18.490 --> 00:02:22.909 do you expect a lot in life? Yeah. Motherhood. 00:02:22.949 --> 00:02:25.189 Okay. That there's a lot of high expectations 00:02:25.189 --> 00:02:28.750 of just the whole season of motherhood, however 00:02:28.750 --> 00:02:31.469 long that goes. Absolutely. I thought you were 00:02:31.469 --> 00:02:33.689 going to say Mother's Day, because that definitely 00:02:33.689 --> 00:02:37.770 has its own expectations as well, right? Others? 00:02:38.550 --> 00:02:42.210 Yeah. Standardized. I'm so glad you didn't say 00:02:42.210 --> 00:02:45.349 professions of faith. But standardized testing, 00:02:45.669 --> 00:02:48.210 sure. Expectations are high, right? You kind 00:02:48.210 --> 00:02:51.129 of get that one shot, one opportunity. I cannot 00:02:51.129 --> 00:02:53.650 believe I just quoted Eminem in a sermon, but 00:02:53.650 --> 00:02:58.069 I, sorry, scratched that from the record. Yeah, 00:02:58.129 --> 00:03:00.169 other expectations. If you didn't catch that, 00:03:00.229 --> 00:03:03.050 don't worry about it. Other expectations. Yeah. 00:03:04.169 --> 00:03:06.370 Why did you point to them when you said weddings? 00:03:07.330 --> 00:03:10.550 Oh, very good. Okay, yeah. Make sure Nick and 00:03:10.550 --> 00:03:12.449 Andy show up, right? It would have been a real 00:03:12.449 --> 00:03:14.210 different wedding, right? If all of a sudden 00:03:14.210 --> 00:03:16.750 one of them wasn't there. But good news, I can 00:03:16.750 --> 00:03:18.930 report they both were and they both got married. 00:03:19.050 --> 00:03:25.189 Other expectations. Yeah. Junior and senior year 00:03:25.189 --> 00:03:26.870 of high school. You want to break that down for 00:03:26.870 --> 00:03:35.069 us? Yeah, right there. Junior year, you're scoping 00:03:35.069 --> 00:03:37.349 out colleges. Senior year, you've got to finish 00:03:37.349 --> 00:03:39.550 strong. Right? According to Bethany, freshman, 00:03:39.669 --> 00:03:42.550 sophomore year, doesn't matter. But junior, senior 00:03:42.550 --> 00:03:51.870 year, absolutely. Others? Politicians. We're 00:03:51.870 --> 00:03:53.389 going to leave that one. We're just going to 00:03:53.389 --> 00:03:56.550 right turn. Okay? We could take that many different 00:03:56.550 --> 00:04:04.870 places. Retirement. Who was that? Was that Elaine? 00:04:05.610 --> 00:04:08.949 That's a good one. Retirement. The expectations. 00:04:09.310 --> 00:04:13.389 I'm going to love not working. About four days 00:04:13.389 --> 00:04:17.110 later, I really wish I had something to do. Right? 00:04:17.329 --> 00:04:19.790 Yeah. Or the spouse is going, I really wish you 00:04:19.790 --> 00:04:25.129 had something to do. Absolutely. Anyone else? 00:04:27.449 --> 00:04:30.649 Vacations. Sure. Yeah. Especially when they don't 00:04:30.649 --> 00:04:32.329 go the way you want it to go or they're just 00:04:32.329 --> 00:04:37.129 flat out bad. Right? Yeah. I'll give you two 00:04:37.129 --> 00:04:39.589 since it's your professional faith day. Your 00:04:39.589 --> 00:04:41.850 first job. Absolutely. Much like a wedding. Show 00:04:41.850 --> 00:04:44.689 up. Right? Your first job. Yep. You want to show 00:04:44.689 --> 00:04:47.050 up. None of you, it's interesting, none of you 00:04:47.050 --> 00:04:50.850 said Easter. None of you said Sunday mornings. 00:04:50.949 --> 00:04:53.649 As your pastor, I can appreciate that you don't 00:04:53.649 --> 00:04:56.110 come with expectations, even though I think you 00:04:56.110 --> 00:04:59.290 do. You didn't say it out loud to really not 00:04:59.290 --> 00:05:01.790 hurt my feelings, and I appreciate that. We have 00:05:01.790 --> 00:05:05.829 expectations. So did the Israelites. There were 00:05:05.829 --> 00:05:08.470 expectations all around this guy, Jesus. The 00:05:08.470 --> 00:05:11.670 Gospel of Luke really gives us and shows us what 00:05:11.670 --> 00:05:13.990 those expectations are. Jesus brought it upon 00:05:13.990 --> 00:05:16.899 himself. He enters those pressures by saying 00:05:16.899 --> 00:05:18.779 the things he said, doing the things he did, 00:05:18.899 --> 00:05:22.040 healing the people he healed. But that expectation 00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:25.680 becomes loud. There are moments when a crowd 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:29.300 gets something almost right, right? Where the 00:05:29.300 --> 00:05:32.689 expectations really start to come. Think about 00:05:32.689 --> 00:05:34.949 the gates of Jerusalem, right? This is Passover. 00:05:35.050 --> 00:05:37.470 This is the biggest holiday of their calendar. 00:05:37.649 --> 00:05:41.410 And their calendar had a wide berth of a lot 00:05:41.410 --> 00:05:43.649 of celebrations that they would do. But Passover 00:05:43.649 --> 00:05:47.449 was it, right? I liken that to my first year 00:05:47.449 --> 00:05:49.209 and a half of college. I was out in Pella, Iowa 00:05:49.209 --> 00:05:52.129 at Central College. Small little town of about, 00:05:52.230 --> 00:05:55.129 I don't know, 15 ,000. Kind of the size of Munster 00:05:55.129 --> 00:05:58.660 until you get to tulip time. And then all of 00:05:58.660 --> 00:06:01.899 a sudden, 15 ,000 becomes 200 ,000 in a week. 00:06:01.980 --> 00:06:04.620 And that's not me exaggerating. The place gets 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:08.199 packed. Very similar to what Jerusalem was during 00:06:08.199 --> 00:06:11.699 the Passover. Energy, high, real. Excitement, 00:06:11.740 --> 00:06:15.920 high, real. Expectation, high, real. But their 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:20.500 understanding in this season was a little bit 00:06:20.500 --> 00:06:24.540 off. Maybe you've been to a parade. Maybe you've 00:06:24.540 --> 00:06:27.800 gone to some level of a championship game or 00:06:27.800 --> 00:06:30.439 maybe the Super Bowl or something like that. 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:34.560 The moment when the crowd is loud, unified, confident, 00:06:34.759 --> 00:06:37.800 yet they're not fully aware what's actually happening 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:40.879 behind the scenes. Palm Sunday fits that description. 00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:44.540 Palm Sunday is one of those moments. It feels 00:06:44.540 --> 00:06:48.209 like a victory parade, right? It was only a tenth 00:06:48.209 --> 00:06:50.370 of what our kids were doing during that first 00:06:50.370 --> 00:06:53.470 song. This was a massive, right down Broadway, 00:06:53.629 --> 00:06:57.629 on the main street of Jerusalem. Jesus is entering, 00:06:57.829 --> 00:07:00.569 crowds are gathering, cloaks are thrown on the 00:07:00.569 --> 00:07:04.569 road, voices are raised and praised. And Luke 00:07:04.569 --> 00:07:06.490 tells us, the whole multitude of his disciples 00:07:06.490 --> 00:07:10.170 began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice. 00:07:10.970 --> 00:07:17.939 Loud, joyful, hopeful. But if we're honest, Because 00:07:17.939 --> 00:07:20.939 the crowd is crying out, but they don't fully 00:07:20.939 --> 00:07:24.980 understand what kind of king is entering the 00:07:24.980 --> 00:07:28.240 city. They all think they do, and their shouts, 00:07:28.339 --> 00:07:30.920 Hosanna, right? Messianic verbiage, we'll get 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:33.279 there. They don't fully understand. Under the 00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:35.920 pressure of this moment, something is revealed. 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:41.259 Not just who Jesus is, but what we expect him 00:07:41.259 --> 00:07:47.009 to be. I also noticed that none of you, Said, 00:07:47.050 --> 00:07:50.649 I have an expectation of Jesus in my life. We're 00:07:50.649 --> 00:07:54.389 much like Sunday morning. I think you do. I think 00:07:54.389 --> 00:07:56.470 if we're honest, we all have our expectations 00:07:56.470 --> 00:07:59.810 of Jesus. So let's dive in. Luke chapter 19 with 00:07:59.810 --> 00:08:04.009 our first point. This moment was never an accident. 00:08:04.850 --> 00:08:08.389 Moment never an accident. Luke 19, we'll start 00:08:08.389 --> 00:08:13.670 in verse 28. Luke 19, starting with verse 28. 00:08:13.889 --> 00:08:16.310 And when he had said these things, he went on 00:08:16.310 --> 00:08:18.990 ahead going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near 00:08:18.990 --> 00:08:22.189 to Bethpage and Bethany at the mount that is 00:08:22.189 --> 00:08:24.730 called Olivet, he sent two of his disciples saying, 00:08:24.870 --> 00:08:28.170 go into the village in front of you where on 00:08:28.170 --> 00:08:31.250 entering you will find a colt tied on which no 00:08:31.250 --> 00:08:35.169 one has ever sat. Untie and bring it here. If 00:08:35.169 --> 00:08:38.009 anyone asks you, why are you untying it? You 00:08:38.009 --> 00:08:42.570 shall say this, the Lord has need of it. So those 00:08:42.570 --> 00:09:04.860 who were sent away, so those who were sent. Luke 00:09:04.860 --> 00:09:06.919 gives us a lot of detail here. It's what I love 00:09:06.919 --> 00:09:10.100 about the Gospel of Luke. A lot of details. Doctors, 00:09:10.980 --> 00:09:14.159 details. Luke thinks that way. His writer wrote 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:17.570 that way. But he gives us a lot of details that 00:09:17.570 --> 00:09:20.629 we can easily miss if we move too quickly. Especially 00:09:20.629 --> 00:09:23.389 if you've been in church even longer than a year. 00:09:23.610 --> 00:09:26.509 The Palm Sunday message is really the same message 00:09:26.509 --> 00:09:30.210 every year. But if we pass by too quickly, we're 00:09:30.210 --> 00:09:33.029 going to miss some things. Jesus doesn't just 00:09:33.029 --> 00:09:36.570 ride into Jerusalem. It's not just happenstance. 00:09:36.570 --> 00:09:39.370 Like, what are we going to do today? Jesus planned 00:09:39.370 --> 00:09:43.090 this. Go into the village. You will find a colt 00:09:43.090 --> 00:09:45.470 tied. Untie it, bring it here. If anyone asks, 00:09:45.629 --> 00:09:48.269 say the Lord is in need of it. It's not spontaneous. 00:09:48.750 --> 00:09:51.629 This isn't him rolling the dice. I hope the colt's 00:09:51.629 --> 00:09:53.909 there. I hope that the owner's okay with it. 00:09:53.990 --> 00:09:59.029 No, this is intentional. Carefully designed and 00:09:59.029 --> 00:10:03.870 arranged. Much like creation. And that matters 00:10:03.870 --> 00:10:06.529 because what Jesus is doing is not simply entering 00:10:06.529 --> 00:10:12.980 a city. But he is staging a moment. of revelation 00:10:12.980 --> 00:10:17.120 now we can't try to get on jesus's level the 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:18.899 bible says his ways are higher than our ways 00:10:18.899 --> 00:10:21.200 and we shouldn't really try but if we really 00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:23.840 can dive into the details luke is emphasizing 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:28.759 obedience and precision the cult is exactly where 00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:31.240 jesus said it would be the question is asked 00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:34.259 exactly the way jesus predicts and the response 00:10:34.259 --> 00:10:40.919 is given exactly as instructed Because, let's 00:10:40.919 --> 00:10:44.080 be honest, right? That this is, in some ways, 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:48.299 theft. That some of us, more on the pragmatic 00:10:48.299 --> 00:10:52.519 or pessimistic side, we go, Jesus is an accomplice 00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:56.919 to theft. He tells these disciples to go find 00:10:56.919 --> 00:11:00.340 a cult that technically doesn't belong to him. 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:02.220 Our good Kuyperian theology would say it does 00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:04.279 belong to him. Everything, every square inch 00:11:04.279 --> 00:11:07.460 belongs to Christ. But he tells his disciples 00:11:07.460 --> 00:11:10.720 to go do this. And the owner could have had a 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:13.559 very different response, right? Let's bring it 00:11:13.559 --> 00:11:17.480 to 2026, right? And let's bring it to a car, 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:21.080 not a colt, okay? A car never been driven. I 00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:22.539 know this is getting pretty thin, but you can 00:11:22.539 --> 00:11:24.879 follow me, right? But let's say Jesus says, go 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:29.610 into this town, find this car, get into it. The 00:11:29.610 --> 00:11:31.230 key will be in there because I don't think Jesus 00:11:31.230 --> 00:11:33.070 would say hotwire it. I don't think that's okay. 00:11:33.549 --> 00:11:37.289 But the key's in there. If the owner says, what 00:11:37.289 --> 00:11:39.090 are you doing? Say, the Lord's in need of it. 00:11:39.169 --> 00:11:44.830 Okay, take my car. That's kind of weird in 2026, 00:11:45.029 --> 00:11:47.909 right? I've probably seen too many movies or 00:11:47.909 --> 00:11:50.830 shows to where what usually happens in this scenario. 00:11:52.389 --> 00:11:55.750 Anybody? What usually would happen in this scenario? 00:11:57.190 --> 00:12:00.809 Yeah, yeah. The disciples get shot, okay, depending 00:12:00.809 --> 00:12:02.690 on what kind of town they're in when they do 00:12:02.690 --> 00:12:05.990 this carjacking or this cultjacking, okay? And 00:12:05.990 --> 00:12:09.090 so, but everything seems to go, or not seems, 00:12:09.149 --> 00:12:14.090 it goes exactly the way Jesus says. And what's 00:12:14.090 --> 00:12:16.429 funny is Jesus isn't reacting to the moment, 00:12:16.529 --> 00:12:18.990 isn't he? Or he's not. He's just walking into 00:12:18.990 --> 00:12:22.529 it. He's going, this is a, yeah. That's what 00:12:22.529 --> 00:12:24.169 you get when you're the savior of the world, 00:12:24.230 --> 00:12:27.250 when you are the omnipotent God, what you say. 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:31.500 For some of us, we don't like that. It binds 00:12:31.500 --> 00:12:34.700 us a bit. We're like, well, I want that power. 00:12:35.100 --> 00:12:37.919 Well, you don't want to be God, believe me. You 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:41.039 do not want that job. But he is controlling the 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:43.919 moment, and here's where it gets really interesting. 00:12:44.830 --> 00:12:47.990 During Passover, Jerusalem would already be on 00:12:47.990 --> 00:12:51.190 edge. Historically speaking, thousands of pilgrims 00:12:51.190 --> 00:12:53.929 are arriving, national identity is heightened, 00:12:54.009 --> 00:12:57.370 and Roman authorities were on alert for what? 00:12:58.110 --> 00:13:01.289 For lunch and a conversation with Pastor Jim. 00:13:01.370 --> 00:13:06.309 What are the Romans worried about? A revolt, 00:13:06.610 --> 00:13:10.679 right? Oh, uprising, revolt. Okay, you and Max 00:13:10.679 --> 00:13:12.879 fight it out who gets the lot. She just got married, 00:13:13.059 --> 00:13:15.259 okay? So she just got a ton of money. I'll take 00:13:15.259 --> 00:13:18.419 you out. Okay, so understand that, yeah, they're 00:13:18.419 --> 00:13:20.440 worried about rebellion. They're worried about 00:13:20.440 --> 00:13:24.379 revolt. Absolutely. Historically, Roman governors 00:13:24.379 --> 00:13:26.840 like Pontius Pilate, who we're going to see this 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:29.639 week, would offer enter Jerusalem during major 00:13:29.639 --> 00:13:34.720 festivals, not on a donkey. That the high elite 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:37.519 leaders would actually do exactly what Jesus 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:40.960 does, but do it in a very different way. This 00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:43.440 would be like the Macy's Day Parade, the Rose 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:46.340 Bowl Parade, and the Munster Fourth of July Parade, 00:13:46.340 --> 00:13:49.379 all mixed together. And they would come in on 00:13:49.379 --> 00:13:54.080 the most glorious war horse ever, not to be praised 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:59.279 by the pilgrimage Israelites of Passover, but 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:04.940 to say, we own... Very different kind of parade, 00:14:05.179 --> 00:14:08.080 right? He would come, war horse, soldiers, banners, 00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:10.559 visible power, a show of dominance reminding 00:14:10.559 --> 00:14:15.000 Rome is in control. But that's not what happens. 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:19.000 Now we hold next to this image of Jesus. Likely 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:22.059 at the same time, another procession could be 00:14:22.059 --> 00:14:24.820 happening, right? No soldiers, no weapons, no 00:14:24.820 --> 00:14:27.940 banners, no empire, just a cloak, just dust, 00:14:28.059 --> 00:14:32.659 a borrowed colt. And a crowd shouting scripture. 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:36.100 This is not just a humble entrance. This is a 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:39.279 counter procession. This is a deliberate contrast. 00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:42.919 This is the pressure of the moment. Pontius Pilate, 00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:45.100 all of the other high elites, they would have 00:14:45.100 --> 00:14:48.440 gone this way with it. Jesus comes in this way 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:53.019 with it. Two kingdoms entering the city. One 00:14:53.019 --> 00:14:57.799 built on power. One built on peace. But here's 00:14:57.799 --> 00:15:00.429 Luke's deeper point. Jesus is not hiding his 00:15:00.429 --> 00:15:03.970 identity. He is forcing the question. This is 00:15:03.970 --> 00:15:07.070 the moment where everything becomes public. Because 00:15:07.070 --> 00:15:09.409 up until now, what has Luke showed us? Especially 00:15:09.409 --> 00:15:11.149 if you've been following along in the gospel 00:15:11.149 --> 00:15:13.710 and reading through it over these last couple 00:15:13.710 --> 00:15:18.190 weeks. Jesus is withdrawn from crowds. He has 00:15:18.190 --> 00:15:20.570 told people to keep quiet. He has avoided premature 00:15:20.570 --> 00:15:24.009 confrontation. But now he steps into the center 00:15:24.009 --> 00:15:30.210 stage of it. Why? Because his time has come. 00:15:30.629 --> 00:15:33.809 This is the beginning of the final movement toward 00:15:33.809 --> 00:15:37.450 the cross. The Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 00:15:37.450 --> 00:15:40.870 12, reminds us Christ is our king who governs 00:15:40.870 --> 00:15:44.549 us by word and spirit and defends and preserves 00:15:44.549 --> 00:15:47.210 us. But here's the key. He doesn't establish 00:15:47.210 --> 00:15:49.889 this kingship by force. There's no war horse. 00:15:49.950 --> 00:15:53.389 There's no pomp and circumstance in a militaristic 00:15:53.389 --> 00:15:59.200 or political way. He reveals it, and he's going 00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:02.980 to let it be rejected. Because the king rules 00:16:02.980 --> 00:16:07.059 not by coercion, but by sacrifice. And this is 00:16:07.059 --> 00:16:09.720 where this presses on us. This is where in 2026 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:12.899 we should feel this. Because we often want Jesus 00:16:12.899 --> 00:16:15.960 to react to us. We want him to fit our plans. 00:16:16.179 --> 00:16:18.659 We want him to respond to our needs in a very 00:16:18.659 --> 00:16:21.480 specific way. But Luke is showing us something 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:25.789 different. Jesus is not reacting. He's leading. 00:16:26.090 --> 00:16:29.929 He's not adjusting to the moment. He's fulfilling 00:16:29.929 --> 00:16:34.029 his mission. And that means following him is 00:16:34.029 --> 00:16:36.809 not always comfortable because this kingdom does 00:16:36.809 --> 00:16:41.149 not move in the direction we expect. Jesus does 00:16:41.149 --> 00:16:43.809 not always move in the way we want him to move. 00:16:43.889 --> 00:16:47.230 But pastor, I pray about it. I fast about it. 00:16:47.289 --> 00:16:50.149 I talk to other people about it. I post prayer 00:16:50.149 --> 00:16:54.539 hand emojis just for that reason. Sorry, friends, 00:16:54.679 --> 00:16:57.360 that's not how it works. When you submit, we 00:16:57.360 --> 00:16:59.960 should cry out like that kid's doing. In all 00:16:59.960 --> 00:17:02.720 of the understanding of who we are, your will 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:08.400 be done. But, pastor, I don't like that. Well, 00:17:08.420 --> 00:17:11.960 guess what? In a couple days, that Good Friday 00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:14.759 service, Crown Point, 909 East Greenwood Avenue, 00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:17.519 7 o 'clock, Crown Point, we're going to hear 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:21.700 the same thing come out of Jesus' mouth. Not 00:17:21.700 --> 00:17:26.259 my will. but your will be done. And that's not 00:17:26.259 --> 00:17:29.619 about a promotion at a job. That's not about 00:17:29.619 --> 00:17:31.880 trying to get new brakes on your car. That has 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:33.619 to do with whether or not he was going to go 00:17:33.619 --> 00:17:38.680 to the cross. And guess what he does? The king 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:41.480 enters, not quietly, not accidentally, but intentionally. 00:17:41.859 --> 00:17:44.380 And now the question is no longer hidden. It 00:17:44.380 --> 00:17:48.160 is out in the open, which takes us to verse 36 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:51.440 with our point two. Praise can be loud without 00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:56.180 being deep. Hang in there. The umbrella, this 00:17:56.180 --> 00:17:58.440 is going to hurt, guys. Okay? This one's going 00:17:58.440 --> 00:18:00.279 to hurt. I'm going to start with me, and then 00:18:00.279 --> 00:18:01.660 we're all going to get it. Starting with verse 00:18:01.660 --> 00:18:05.170 36. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks 00:18:05.170 --> 00:18:07.390 on the road. As he was drawing near, already 00:18:07.390 --> 00:18:09.349 on the way to the Mount of Olives, the whole 00:18:09.349 --> 00:18:11.690 multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and 00:18:11.690 --> 00:18:14.910 praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty 00:18:14.910 --> 00:18:17.309 works that they had seen, saying, Blessed is 00:18:17.309 --> 00:18:19.769 the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace 00:18:19.769 --> 00:18:25.269 in heaven and glory in the highest. Love that, 00:18:25.349 --> 00:18:28.009 right? Blessed be the king in the name of the 00:18:28.009 --> 00:18:31.470 Lord. Blessed is he. They're messianic psalms. 00:18:31.470 --> 00:18:35.970 They are quoting Psalm 119. True praise, right? 00:18:37.650 --> 00:18:42.329 But it's not with understanding. Because within 00:18:42.329 --> 00:18:45.029 days, some of these same voices will fall silent 00:18:45.029 --> 00:18:48.910 or maybe even turn. To say that the same crowd 00:18:48.910 --> 00:18:50.670 that's saying Hosanna is the same crowd that 00:18:50.670 --> 00:18:53.549 crucifies actually can be kind of debunked. Some 00:18:53.549 --> 00:18:56.720 are probably the same. But understanding that 00:18:56.720 --> 00:18:59.819 Palm Sunday reminds us that it is possible to 00:18:59.819 --> 00:19:03.640 praise Jesus without truly surrendering to him. 00:19:05.220 --> 00:19:08.779 And guess what, friends? How many Sundays in 00:19:08.779 --> 00:19:11.980 a year? 52? We do a Thanksgiving service. We 00:19:11.980 --> 00:19:14.259 do a Maundy Thursday service. Let's throw the 00:19:14.259 --> 00:19:16.799 candlelight service in there. Maybe just for 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:20.119 fun, two more services. So 57 services a year 00:19:20.119 --> 00:19:23.480 we do here at Munster Church. And we can do it 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:26.609 in the wrong way. We can do praise and worship 00:19:26.609 --> 00:19:29.849 without submitting our lives to Christ, without 00:19:29.849 --> 00:19:33.789 giving that over, and that is not how it's supposed 00:19:33.789 --> 00:19:36.890 to be. Palm Sunday is calling all of us out. 00:19:36.950 --> 00:19:39.789 We can sing loudly. We can show up faithfully. 00:19:39.869 --> 00:19:42.630 We can celebrate emotionally, but still misunderstand 00:19:42.630 --> 00:19:46.109 what Jesus came to do in your life, in my life, 00:19:46.109 --> 00:19:48.730 in the life of the church. The catechism reminds 00:19:48.730 --> 00:19:52.700 us that true faith is not just knowledge. But 00:19:52.700 --> 00:19:57.579 what else? It's a knowledge and a trust. That 00:19:57.579 --> 00:20:03.680 gut feeling, that trust. Under pressure, shallow 00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:07.680 praise in this moment is exposed. Yet what we're 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:10.579 going to see is that Jesus is the king who will 00:20:10.579 --> 00:20:16.480 not be silenced. Verse 39. And some of the Pharisees 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:19.019 in the crowd said to him, Teacher, rebuke your 00:20:19.019 --> 00:20:21.900 disciples. He answered, I tell you, if these 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:27.319 were silent, the very stones would cry out. Don't 00:20:27.319 --> 00:20:29.440 you love this scene? The Pharisees are like, 00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:32.119 this is too much. I kind of see them going, la, 00:20:32.220 --> 00:20:34.740 la, la, la, la, like they don't like it. This 00:20:34.740 --> 00:20:36.619 is not what they would want. Jesus is getting 00:20:36.619 --> 00:20:38.599 all the hype. They're probably worried on the 00:20:38.599 --> 00:20:40.960 Jesus side, but they're also worried because 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:42.940 of the rebellion there, potentially in their 00:20:42.940 --> 00:20:47.400 minds, and the Rome side. Like, keep it quiet 00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:49.559 over here. This other guy's doing something over 00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:53.579 here. In other words, they're telling Jesus to 00:20:53.579 --> 00:20:57.900 make it stop. This is too much, they think. This 00:20:57.900 --> 00:21:01.539 is too bold. This is too dangerous. But Jesus 00:21:01.539 --> 00:21:04.680 responds, if this creation isn't going to cry 00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:07.480 out, this creation will cry out. And guess what? 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:11.920 He can't. He can say those things. And what we 00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:13.859 don't even realize is how staggering of a statement 00:21:13.859 --> 00:21:17.119 that is. So he has said he is the son of man. 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:19.579 He has said he is the Messiah. He is now saying 00:21:19.579 --> 00:21:23.400 he is the creator. Creation itself will always 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:27.720 recognize the creator. In our lives, part of 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:30.599 our job as believers is to recognize the creator. 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:33.480 Guess what? It's not us. That we are creation. 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:36.460 We recognize our king, our creator. If people 00:21:36.460 --> 00:21:39.359 refuse to praise, creation will take their place. 00:21:39.599 --> 00:21:44.579 Why? Because this moment's not optional. This 00:21:44.579 --> 00:21:47.660 is the arrival of the king. This is the turning 00:21:47.660 --> 00:21:51.539 point of history. This is the moment that everything 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:56.400 had been moving toward this moment. All of the 00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:59.779 Torah, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:02.500 all of the historical books, all of the prophets, 00:22:02.779 --> 00:22:05.779 major, minor, all the wisdom literature, all 00:22:05.779 --> 00:22:08.059 of it is pointing toward this week. The king 00:22:08.059 --> 00:22:11.599 will be recognized. And the question is not if 00:22:11.599 --> 00:22:14.809 there will be praise. The question is, who is 00:22:14.809 --> 00:22:20.809 going to give it? And let's be honest, we miss 00:22:20.809 --> 00:22:24.349 it. And Jesus' response should really strike 00:22:24.349 --> 00:22:30.650 our heart. He weeps over missed peace. Little 00:22:30.650 --> 00:22:33.150 rabbit trail. One of the hardest things in the 00:22:33.150 --> 00:22:35.650 church is conflict between congregation members, 00:22:35.890 --> 00:22:38.069 right? When you have sheep, it's sheep versus 00:22:38.069 --> 00:22:41.250 sheep, for whatever reason. They took your normal 00:22:41.250 --> 00:22:43.029 parking spot, they took your seat you normally 00:22:43.029 --> 00:22:44.950 get, they got the last cup of coffee, whatever 00:22:44.950 --> 00:22:47.309 it was, or stuff deeper, because none of that 00:22:47.309 --> 00:22:49.769 really matters. But understanding that we can 00:22:49.769 --> 00:22:52.069 hurt one another. Sheep can bite other sheep. 00:22:53.069 --> 00:22:56.009 Shepherds try to do our best, but even shepherds 00:22:56.009 --> 00:22:57.750 can hurt sheep, sheep can hurt shepherds. It 00:22:57.750 --> 00:23:00.569 can happen. That's why Jesus spends so much time 00:23:00.569 --> 00:23:02.609 talking about conflict resolution and bringing 00:23:02.609 --> 00:23:05.950 peace, restoration, those kind of things. When 00:23:05.950 --> 00:23:09.849 we miss an opportunity to bring peace to a fellow 00:23:09.849 --> 00:23:11.809 brother or sister, or to receive that peace, 00:23:12.089 --> 00:23:14.829 whether a disagreement, right? We're going to 00:23:14.829 --> 00:23:16.829 go through a next week, week and a half, where 00:23:16.829 --> 00:23:19.009 a potential huge decision about this church is 00:23:19.009 --> 00:23:20.849 going to get made. And there are going to be 00:23:20.849 --> 00:23:22.930 some people that do not like it. There are going 00:23:22.930 --> 00:23:24.690 to be some people that look at it in a completely 00:23:24.690 --> 00:23:30.609 different way. Okay. That is part of this. And 00:23:30.609 --> 00:23:33.970 we may do this. I hope we don't war over that. 00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:36.799 Because that peace is there. That peace is for 00:23:36.799 --> 00:23:40.299 us to give and for us to receive. And Jesus sees 00:23:40.299 --> 00:23:43.400 this missed opportunity in verse 41 and he weeps 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:47.059 over it. 41 to 44. Then he drew near and saw 00:23:47.059 --> 00:23:50.720 the city. He wept over it saying, would that 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:55.259 you, even you, had known on this day the things 00:23:55.259 --> 00:23:58.000 that make for peace. But now they are hidden 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:01.329 from your eyes. For the days will come upon you 00:24:01.329 --> 00:24:04.650 when your enemies will set up a barricade around 00:24:04.650 --> 00:24:07.769 you and surround you and hem you in on every 00:24:07.769 --> 00:24:11.190 side and tear you down to the ground, you and 00:24:11.190 --> 00:24:14.029 your children within you, and they will not leave 00:24:14.029 --> 00:24:18.349 one stone upon another in you because you did 00:24:18.349 --> 00:24:23.490 not know the time of your visitation. What in 00:24:23.490 --> 00:24:26.990 the world is Luke talking about here? He's weeping. 00:24:27.980 --> 00:24:31.519 No other gospel points this part out. Luke does, 00:24:31.539 --> 00:24:34.480 though. This weeping. It's not a quiet sadness. 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:40.019 This is a deep, visible grief. Why? Would you 00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:42.319 that have known the things that would make for 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:45.460 peace. But Jesus, the crowds are celebrating. 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:48.920 Yet Jesus is weeping. Because they missed it. 00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:51.940 They wanted a political king. They wanted someone 00:24:51.940 --> 00:24:54.640 to overshadow the other people going through 00:24:54.640 --> 00:24:57.299 the gates of Jerusalem on the other sides. But 00:24:57.299 --> 00:25:00.240 what Jesus is bringing is spiritual peace. We 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:02.920 want the immediate victory, the immediate change. 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:06.539 But he's bringing eternal salvation. They want 00:25:06.539 --> 00:25:10.460 control. He is offering surrender. And because 00:25:10.460 --> 00:25:13.220 they reject him, Jesus foretells destruction. 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:16.500 This isn't just what's going to happen at the 00:25:16.500 --> 00:25:19.640 end of this week. He's talking about Jerusalem 00:25:19.640 --> 00:25:23.700 as a whole historically. And guess what? Jerusalem 00:25:23.700 --> 00:25:29.299 fell. 70 AD, the temple destroyed, the city overrun. 00:25:29.579 --> 00:25:34.660 Why? Because you did not know the time of your 00:25:34.660 --> 00:25:38.680 visitation. Friends, they missed the moment. 00:25:38.900 --> 00:25:41.869 They had it. It was served up on a beautiful 00:25:41.869 --> 00:25:45.650 platter. All the little intricacies of this Palm 00:25:45.650 --> 00:25:50.869 Sunday mean something. But they miss it. So what 00:25:50.869 --> 00:25:52.349 does that look like in our life? When the king 00:25:52.349 --> 00:25:55.369 comes close. When the king sometimes comes right 00:25:55.369 --> 00:25:59.630 here, right in your face. And yet we still miss 00:25:59.630 --> 00:26:02.690 him. And here's where the passage presses in 00:26:02.690 --> 00:26:05.309 on us. Because Palm Sunday is not just about 00:26:05.309 --> 00:26:07.930 them, it's about us. Jesus still comes near, 00:26:08.130 --> 00:26:10.349 doesn't he? Through his word, through his spirit, 00:26:10.529 --> 00:26:13.609 through worship, through those moments of conviction. 00:26:14.329 --> 00:26:20.369 And the answer is, do you recognize him? Or do 00:26:20.369 --> 00:26:23.210 we reshape him to fit what we're comfortable 00:26:23.210 --> 00:26:26.230 with? One thing we've seen through this entire 00:26:26.230 --> 00:26:28.369 sermon series is Jesus is going to enter that 00:26:28.369 --> 00:26:32.640 uncomfortability. Yet sometimes we want him just 00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:35.119 to be the comfortable Jesus. And so we resist 00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:38.140 him as our king. But the one thing that Heart 00:26:38.140 --> 00:26:41.400 of Our Catechism Lord's Day 1 reminds us is that 00:26:41.400 --> 00:26:46.200 we belong, body and soul, to Jesus Christ. Not 00:26:46.200 --> 00:26:50.200 partially, but completely. We can't say, Jesus, 00:26:50.299 --> 00:26:54.759 I give you my 99 .9%. I'm just going to keep 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:56.839 that 0 .1 % here. I'm going to keep it in my 00:26:56.839 --> 00:26:58.759 pocket. I'm just going to keep it with me. You 00:26:58.759 --> 00:27:02.559 can't see it. Stay away. We can't do that. But 00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:05.259 we belong, body and soul, in life and in death, 00:27:05.339 --> 00:27:09.319 to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. Why? Because 00:27:09.319 --> 00:27:12.599 he's paid for your sins. How? With his precious 00:27:12.599 --> 00:27:16.539 blood. And that means his authority is not something 00:27:16.539 --> 00:27:21.160 we admire. Oh, Jesus, you're great. Way to go, 00:27:21.259 --> 00:27:25.059 Jesus. No, we submit our lives to it. As hard 00:27:25.059 --> 00:27:27.960 as it is, as much as we want that control, we 00:27:27.960 --> 00:27:32.970 submit our lives. So don't let this week just 00:27:32.970 --> 00:27:36.789 come and go, friends. The crowds cried out today. 00:27:37.150 --> 00:27:39.430 Their voices filled the road, filled the streets. 00:27:39.569 --> 00:27:42.990 Praise echoed through the city. Expectations 00:27:42.990 --> 00:27:47.509 were high. But they did not understand. They 00:27:47.509 --> 00:27:49.410 didn't know where the road was leading this week. 00:27:49.849 --> 00:27:52.309 Because the road does not stop at this celebration. 00:27:52.450 --> 00:27:55.869 It moves forward. It moves forward to a table. 00:27:56.680 --> 00:27:59.720 A table where bread will be broken, a cup will 00:27:59.720 --> 00:28:03.779 be lifted, and Jesus will say, this is my body 00:28:03.779 --> 00:28:09.180 given for you. From the table we will move to 00:28:09.180 --> 00:28:11.839 a garden, a place of prayer where the weight 00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:16.039 of sin presses so on the Son of Man, but we will 00:28:16.039 --> 00:28:20.400 hear those faithful words, not my will, but your 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:24.920 will be done. And then we'll be invited to watch 00:28:24.920 --> 00:28:29.109 there. To see obedience under pressure. To see 00:28:29.109 --> 00:28:32.750 surrender that saves. Why? Because from the garden, 00:28:32.809 --> 00:28:36.250 it will move through the lies and the beatings 00:28:36.250 --> 00:28:40.269 and the floggings and the mockery to the cross. 00:28:41.170 --> 00:28:45.309 Where the shouting will change. The praise will 00:28:45.309 --> 00:28:48.390 turn to accusation. Where the king will be lifted 00:28:48.390 --> 00:28:51.970 up, high and lifted up, not in triumph of in 00:28:51.970 --> 00:28:57.359 praise, but in a bloody... sacrifice. And then 00:28:57.359 --> 00:29:00.200 we'll be invited to stand there, to face the 00:29:00.200 --> 00:29:03.799 reality of my sin, the reality of your sin, to 00:29:03.799 --> 00:29:06.940 see the depth of his love, to sit in the darkness 00:29:06.940 --> 00:29:12.380 and not rush away from the moment. Because friends, 00:29:12.440 --> 00:29:19.309 then, only then, the cross moves to a tomb. A 00:29:19.309 --> 00:29:22.609 silence, a waiting, a stillness where everything 00:29:22.609 --> 00:29:25.630 seems unresolved and chaos seems to fill the 00:29:25.630 --> 00:29:31.170 conversation. Chaos, confusion. But then we move 00:29:31.170 --> 00:29:34.089 to the morning where the stone is rolled away, 00:29:34.250 --> 00:29:38.789 where death itself is undone, where the king 00:29:38.789 --> 00:29:41.789 is revealed, not just as savior, but as risen 00:29:41.789 --> 00:29:46.630 Lord. So today we cry out, but in this week we 00:29:46.630 --> 00:29:51.400 follow. To the table, to the garden, to the cross. 00:29:52.619 --> 00:29:57.859 Don't turn away. Lean in. Because only those 00:29:57.859 --> 00:30:01.319 who walk with him through the darkness will fully 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:07.019 understand the light of Easter morning. So this 00:30:07.019 --> 00:30:11.019 week, my friends, come. Come to the table. Come 00:30:11.019 --> 00:30:15.000 to the cross. Come to the empty tomb. And follow 00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:17.880 your king. Let's pray.