Living Hope Church
29 Mar Sunday Service
  • Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)
  • Gratitude
  • House Of The Lord
  • Holy Forever
  • Because He Lives
  • Agnus Dei
  • Shout to the North
  • Majesty

  • Overview

    This week we are looking at the events going from the Triumphal Entry (when Jesus entered into Jerusalem on a donkey) up to His death and resurrection.
    This is the hardest and best celebration that separates Christianity from every other deity claim in existence.
    We claim that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to take on our sin and die in our place.
    This is rejected by every other religion in the world. To the Muslim, Jesus was just a prophet and God would never allow His Son to suffer death.
    Other religions claim “Love”, but never self-sacrifice with the requirement of self-sacrifice.
    Did you catch it? Jesus lived a perfect life, was put to death for our sins, rose again, and ascended to the Father. His requirement for salvation is that we would sacrifice our will for His.
    Romans 12:1 NKJV
    1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
    As we go into the triumphal entry of Jesus, I want us to keep in mind Jesus’ words when He said:
    Matthew 16:24 NKJV
    24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

    Expectations

    I want us to think about expectations. What are your expectations of Jesus? Do you have a list of expectations or demands that you expect Him to fulfill? We will come back to this at the end.
    Let’s look at something Jesus does with the disciples that completely shakes up their understanding of Him
    Matthew 21:1–3 NKJV
    1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
    Take a look at how Jesus declares His divinity in doing what no human could do on their own.
    Jesus gives the disciples clear, sequential instructions. The order looks like this:

    I. Go (vs 2)

    He tells them to Go to where they were not - and He declares the future in front of them.
    Jesus is declaring His Sovereign authority exercised in ordinary obedience.
    Takeaways:
    Obedience begins with movement.
    The disciples were sent without full visibility of the outcome.
    Faith is required to follow Jesus. He rarely gives the whole picture.
    Obedience is often required before understanding
    Proverbs 3:5 NKJV
    5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

    II. See/ Find (vs 2)

    Matthew 21:2 NKJV
    2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
    The disciples must observe reality through trust in Jesus’ word.
    Jesus’ Word always proves true, even when it goes against our understanding.
    Obedience sharpens spiritual perception.

    III. Do (vs 2)

    Matthew 21:2 NKJV
    2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
    This is the risky step.
    Jesus told them to go get animals that were not theirs and bring them to Him.
    He does not give them money, or tell them how that transaction is supposed to work out.
    Obedience requires action and not just belief.
    I wonder what their conversation was as they went into the town.

    IV. Say (vs 3)

    Jesus also told them what to say
    Matthew 21:3 NKJV
    3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
    He prepared them for the potential resistance to them taking someone else’s animals.
    The authority rested in Jesus’ word, not their persuasion.
    Jesus equipped them with what they would need to say.
    Obedience includes speaking exactly what Jesus commands. Be careful to study His word to ensure that the words we speak are not outside the scope of His Word.
    It is neat that back a few chapters, Jesus tells them persecution is coming. He tells them
    Matthew 10:16–20 NKJV
    16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

    Application

    In your life, if you love Jesus, He is speaking to you. He is directing you to do things that do not make sense to you.
    The point to the triumphal entry was their expectation that Jesus would establish His kingdom on earth. But He was establishing His KINGDOM in their lives.
    This is why so many who declared in verse 9
    Matthew 21:9 NKJV
    9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!”
    Were also the ones crying crucify Him.
    When Jesus tells you something you don’t want to hear, do you shift from “Lord Save” to “Crucify Him”?
    These disciples had something many of the others did not have. They experienced Him destroying their expectations through experience.
    Is there an expectation you have of God that you need to let die today?
    He wants you to experience His amazing sovereignty over time and space but you have to let your will die and submit to Him.
    Let’s Pray.

      • Romans 12:1NIV2011

      • Matthew 16:24NIV2011

      • Matthew 21:1–3NIV2011

      • Proverbs 3:5NIV2011

      • Matthew 21:2NIV2011

      • Matthew 21:2NIV2011

      • Matthew 21:3NIV2011

      • Matthew 10:16–20NIV2011

      • Matthew 21:9NIV2011

Living Hope Church
pastor@livinghopecogop.org
325-500-4763
http://livinghopecogop.org
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