The Church in Noble - Cornerstone
March 29, 2026
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      • John 12:13NASB95

  • All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name
  • Doxology
  • He Is Exalted
  • The Old Rugged Cross
  • In Christ Alone
  • OPEN service - John 12:12-19
    Fulfilling Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
    ILLUST: not understanding how good the gift is, not using it correctly - DRILL PRESS
    I really don’t appreciate what I have right in front of me

    The Passion Week Parade

    Consider all that occurs during this week
    Entry into Jerusalem
    Teaching in the temple - taking on the leadership
    Teaching the disciples - last efforts to explain, one last supper
    Betrayal, Arrest, Crucifixion
    Great noise… to deadly silence…
    TODAY: Psalms of Praise - particularly 146
    READ Psalm 146

    1) Praising the Champion

    Lazarus has been raised
    This Psalm starts “Praise the Lord!” The people know these psalms.
    Hosanna - save us now! Or maybe “You raised Lazarus, save US now!”
    Here comes a hero to rescue us!
    Notice the object of praise in this psalm
    The Lord
    And…Warning to NOT put your trust in human princes, for your overall goodness
    Only God is good - praise HIM!
    The entry
    Spirits are high; Hope is high
    100,000 or more ascended to Jerusalem for this week of celebration, Passover
    Palms in the street, coats to make a “red carpet” entry, reverence
    A celebration, perhaps the air of protest against Rome…
    Like a prize fighter entering the arena - Let’s go, Jesus!
    The praise of this psalm - makes it inviting for others to join in
    The excitement of this prophet entering the city - so many joined in
    Why?

    2) Expectations

    Worship is shaped by expectations
    Too often, our expectations are tied to immediate gratification
    And if the situation does not work out, we don’t feel like praising anymore
    Verses 3 and 4 here
    People are tempted to place their praise, their adoration, in “princes,” “mortal man”
    Where there is no salvation…
    What did Jerusalem see?
    They saw what they expected
    They saw what they wanted, what they felt they needed
    A human ruler, charismatic, to rile up the Hebrew leadership and throw off Rome
    (side note, they did it before with the Greeks around 200 years prior - read it)
    They wanted deliverance - their way, their terms
    Could they see the true, real Messiah?
    Suppose they GOT an earthly king, revolution occurs, Rome is gone from Israel…
    Then what?
    If Jesus is merely human…humans die…then what?
    How long would this earthly deliverance last?
    A generation? Maybe
    Prosperity, a better life, no responsibility
    Way back in 1 Samuel 8, after the Judges - the people wanted a king, just like the rest of the world, and they got it, and pushed God aside
    POINT: When people get what they want from this world, they tend to push God aside
    e.g. - People want the “love” of Jesus, but not the “live for Me” that He demands
    Verse 4 shows why it is futile to trust in earthly leaders
    They die
    Their commitments and promises die with them
    They cannot control the future of those depending on them
    Human princes CANNOT provide salvation
    Psalm 33:16–17 NASB95
    The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
    But…the Lord can deliver all who trust in Him
    Psalm 20:7 NASB95
    Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.
    There are brilliant people, some good leaders
    There is ONE God, ONE Yahweh

    3) So…What Kind of King?

    Yes, what kind of king IS this?
    The rest of the psalm
    Praising the greatness and goodness of Yahweh
    The psalmist invites us to praise with him
    The psalmist invites us to trust the path/plan of this King
    -Physical metaphors, symbols-
    Frees prisoners, sight to blind, helping the oppressed, protection
    These also apply to us, spiritually
    The crowd in Jerusalem that day:
    Imprisoned by Rome, but also by sin
    Some physically not well, all spiritually blind
    Oppressed by Rome, by religious leaders, and by the real enemy
    Some/few truly want to follow the Lord, and need direction
    Strangers (Bible study tip) - “aliens”
    This is the believer, this should speak CLEARLY to us
    We trust God
    We live here - that makes us aliens/strangers
    And if we trust God, why do we feel like we need humans to save us?
    That is what the psalmist asks!
    That is what I am asking today!
    What kind of king did they expect?
    What kind of Jesus do you want?
    This is the disconnect with Jesus’ entry
    This is the disconnect from Jesus today
    The crowd is full of people who cannot help themselves
    Yet, they think they have to help themselves
    And they cannot
    Our world, our churches, are full of people who want to help/save themselves
    And they cannot
    Jesus weeps as he nears Jerusalem, full of sheep, lost…
    People: At long last, someone is here to help us
    Jesus: My kingdom is not of this world
    YEAH! Wait….what?
    Psalm 146 - Praise God! Yes, praise Him!
    You want blessing?
    Put your trust, your hope in the “God of Jacob” - Yahweh
    You want security and certainty?
    Trust in the one who will deal with wickedness
    Human leaders will die…
    Psalm 146:10 NASB95
    The Lord will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!
    …The LORD will reign forever
    Praise HIM - all day, every day - He is good, He is great
    He is good because He is great
    Human leaders reign as long as they are here, and then they pass
    The LORD reigns as long as He is alive - FOREVER!
    So praise Him, all day, every day
    (Transition to close)
    Triumphal entry
    People want a king, a ruler
    People trust “human princes”
    People need to see the Christ!
    Psalm 146
    The psalmist praises the Lord
    This is the life of this psalmist - continual praise - all day, every day
    Human leaders are flawed - this is shown in Passion Week
    People wanting to maintain control
    People wanting to follow people who want control
    You can hang on to that control
    Or you can let go and follow the LORD
    When you live dependent on people, you will ultimately be disappointed
    (Yes, God gives us each other to help each other, to rely on each other, yet we are all flawed, and we ALL need to be relying on the LORD)
    Palm Sunday
    The people praise the right King
    But did not understand His mission, His plan
    Needing to be delivered, just not getting how that would come about
    Loud, wild celebrations
    This week, Jesus walks among His people
    This week, Jesus walks among His enemies
    He walks - in the midst of a hundred thousand
    Music, food, tables, friends, family
    Through it all, He is walking to the cross
    Most of this crowd misses that - just where He was walking - for them
    HALLELUJAH!
    HOSANNA! HOSANNA!
    CRUCIFY! CRUCIFY!
    Is God meeting your expectations?
    If not, you are missing what He has done!
    Do you, can you, will you praise Him all day, every day?
    Say it! Sing it! Own it! Live it!
    And don’t if you don’t mean it…
    Focus this week
    If you cannot praise Him all day, every day…
    Check your heart, because the issue is not with Him

      • Psalm 33:16–17NASB95

      • Psalm 20:7NASB95

      • Psalm 146:10NASB95

  • Majesty
  • Hymn Of Heaven

      • Luke 22:42NASB95

The Church in Noble - Cornerstone
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