Happy Palm Sunday, Easter Each. Good morning. It is really great to be here. My name is Justin. I'm the associate pastor. And this morning I am just overwhelmed by the amount of kids that are here. It's awesome seeing them all, and uh, and that we have to kind of stop to slow them down to kind of catch up and see you know how many more kids. So uh pray for our kids, Red Steph. The idea that we're uh we're bringing today is all about Palm Sunday and uh big entrances, big entrances into the city. So, you know, this is a this is a big deal. This is the opening of Holy Week. This is the start of Holy Week. We're we're we are going to end next Sunday with Easter, but we can't start Easter without starting someplace else. So we started this sermon series a few weeks back while we were talking about Jesus setting his face toward Jerusalem, that he was he needed to go to Jerusalem. We needed uh to find out what was going to happen when he was on his way there. Just last week we talked about Lazarus being raised from the dead, and now we have the big entrance. And you know, I I love a good entrance. You know, uh, you know, when something just feels really big and really powerful, there's a lot of anticipation. The music is swelling and people are cheering, and there's energy in the air. And we have a lot of really great entrances of our time. We have uh, you know, we have we start off with with Michael Jordan. You know, Michael Jordan and uh the Alan Parsons project. You know, we we we hear this, so we know that that there's something big is on its way. We're gonna introduce the the man, the myth, the legend, Michael Jordan, into the arena, right? And then we also have you know the terrible, but uh we have oh, not that one yet. We have Darth, we have Darth Vader, you know, we have we have uh this is kind of scary, but it's also really important to know that we can recognize that something big is coming. We also have our you know our our Rocky, where something you know, we know there's training that's happening, there's uh there's all this anticipation for something big, right? We get pumped up by it, there's an entrance happening, and we also have you know this is for the younger cow, which is this John Cena is the the the guy who is you know now what does he say? Now you see me, I don't know what it is. But anyway, a big entrance, it's a big deal. We see these things happen, and you know, I've I've learned something about myself as and when I see these big entrances, is that I don't always handle uh you know these these big moments well. I I know there was a time when I was in high school where I entered into a uh a wedding that uh that I thought was my friend's dad's wedding, but it ended up not being that at all. So I I I walked in full of confidence. I was I like I belonged there. I made eye contact with people, I nodded as if I knew who they were, and I sat down, uh stayed longer than I probably should have. And at some point you're just committed. You're like, well, I guess I'm a part of this now. So that's the kind of palm Sunday energy that we're talking about here. It's a big moment, it's a big entrance, lots of excitement, but not everybody fully understands what is actually happening. And honestly, neither do we sometimes. It's possible to celebrate something you don't fully understand. I'll say that again. It is possible for you to celebrate something you don't fully understand. Palm Sunday is joyful, it's loud, it's hopeful, it's filled with expectation, and that's good. That expectation is good, but it also invites us to look at our own hearts. What is happening inside of us spiritually? Because we don't struggle with liking Jesus. That's not something that we typically think about when we're when we're going through our faith, when we're challenging our faith. We don't struggle with liking Jesus. We struggle with wanting him to be who we expect him to be. Let me say that again. We struggle with wanting him, Jesus, to be who we expect him to be. We don't reject Jesus. We typically reshape him. We want a Jesus who fixes things quickly, we want a Jesus who removes discomfort from anything that we're feeling. We want a Jesus who makes life smoother. And again, those aren't bad desires, but they are incomplete. Because Jesus didn't come just to improve our lives, He came to transform them. We want a Savior who serves us, not a King who rules us. So Palm Sunday is an invitation to joy, to knowing that something big is about to happen, something huge is here. But it's also an invitation to surrender. So let's step into this moment that is Palm Sunday. We're gonna be in the book of uh Luke today, and we're gonna be in Luke 19, and something that's really remarkable about you know this book as I've been reading it and reading it and reading it the last couple weeks, is Luke has high moments of pure majesty, of great power, of divinity. He has these moments where it's like, wow, that I can tell that person is divine, that person is blessed by God, and then it goes to something that's very dynamically different and purely human. You know, last week we talked about it where uh this is the this happened uh just a couple days before the triumphant entry, before Palm Sunday, where Lazarus is raised from the dead. That was that's just a couple days before Palm Sunday. And what's really cool about that is we see Lazarus being raised from the dead. He it's a miracle above miracles, it's the last miracle before Jesus' death. And it's amazing to see the majesty in there, it's amazing to see the power, the divinity in there. And then Jesus weeps, showing humanity. And so we we see that as we go into this moment as well. So follow along with me as we read. In uh verse 28. And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going to Jerusalem. When he knew, drew near to Bethagee, that's how you say that, by the way, Bethegye, not but not Bethpage, Bethegye. When he drew near to Bethegye and Bethany at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of his disciples, saying, Go into a village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it, and bring it here. If anyone asks you, Why are you untying it? you shall say this The Lord has need of it. So those who were sent away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owner said to them, Why are you untying the colt? And they said, The Lord has need of it. And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near, already on the way down the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen. Remember, they just saw a man rise from the dead. They're telling everyone that they're seeing, and they're they're they're shouting these praises of we have seen this man perform these miracles. He is coming into this city. And they had been saying, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, said to Jesus, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. He answered, Jesus answered, I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. So Jesus is approaching Jerusalem. This is the final stretch. And he sends his disciples to get a colt in Luke 19, 30. And he rides in. Not on a war horse, not with military force, but on a donkey. On the colt of a donkey, one that has not been broken, not one that has not been trained. So this is kind of a wild animal. This was intentional. This is a big deal. It says in Zechariah 9:9, see your king comes to you gentle and riding on a donkey. That's Zechariah 9.9. And this is a big deal because it's showing that there is prophecy. Jesus is once again fulfilling what was written about him hundreds and hundreds of years ago. What we need to see here is that the king we needed didn't come with force. He didn't come with force. He came with humility. Complete humanity. And the people responded beautifully. They really did. They're laying down their cloaks. They praise God. They shout, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. They laid their cloaks and they lay their branches down. They lay these palm fronds down before saying, Welcome to the city. We welcome you. You are here. And they're singing Hosanna, Hosanna, which can goes back to the Psalms. When this in the Psalms it is basically saying, God, help us. We're in desperate need. It reaches all the way back to Exodus, where they're saying the exact same thing. We are oppressed, we are occupied, we need your help, God. We are calling out to you. Will you come and rescue us? They're saying these things as he is entering the city. And six days later, they would be saying, Crucify him. Crucify him. So they're singing these things, they're saying these things. And they're not wrong. They're just incomplete in their thoughts. They welcomed the right king, but for the wrong reasons. They wanted freedom from Rome. At this time, Israel was occupied by the Empire of Rome. And they wanted freedom. They wanted to be free of that oppression, of that rule. Jesus came to bring freedom from sin. They wanted a change in their circumstances. Jesus came to change their hearts. He didn't come to take a throne. He came to take the cross. And then this is when the moment shifts. From praise, from joy, from hope, from welcoming, from screaming Hosanna and saying all the miracles that Jesus has done. And they're welcoming him into the city. And then it says in Luke 19, 41, it's not going to be on the screen because I want you to listen to what happens and how different it is going from hearing all of these hope and praise and this majesty and this kingship and all these things. And then it says here, and when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it. Why is he weeping? Why is his humanity being shown once again? Because he sees what they don't. They are celebrating the king, but completely missing his mission. His mission is to save the world from their sin. Not just get them out of oppression, not just get them out of some occupation, but to restore the relationship that they have with the Father. The crowd was celebrating, but Jesus was grieving. Because they didn't know what they were doing. So here's the question that we have to ask ourselves: will we receive Jesus as he truly is? Or only as we prefer him to be. Because real faith, if we're working our faith with fear and trembling, like Paul asks us to do, if we're working out that faith in our hearts, it says, Jesus, I trust you. Even when you lead differently than I expect. Because this is where joy and mission come together. Because this is not just about us. We should be so moved to be celebrating the King who is going to save us, the King who is saving us, the King who will die for us. We should be so moved to joy and hope in that we join the mission with Jesus. This isn't just about us. There are people in your life right now who are open. There are people who are in your life right now who are searching. Who would come to Easter if invited. Easter is one of the most natural moments all year for someone to attend a church service. You know, something that I've been praying about ever since uh we started this Road to Easter series is those Easter cards that are somewhere around you right now. And I've asked you the last couple weeks to take those cards. They're not for you, they're to give to other people. And my prayer has been that you actually take them and that you give them to other people and that you invite them to Easter because that's what our mission is with Jesus. And guess what? We ran out of cards. Amen. We ran out of cards because you're inviting people. You're saying, I know there's somebody who needs to hear that Christ lived for us. He died for us, he rose from the dead for us. But if you still have some of those cards, if you still have them with you, if you go on our social media page or our website or hear what we're doing, I want to invite you to start with praying. Praying for that coworker, praying for that neighbor, praying for that person that you love that needs to hear this message. That needs to hear the joy, the hope, and the love of God. Because here's what really happened when Jesus started weeping over Jerusalem. He knew that he was going to his death. That this was where he was set upon to go to. That he was set upon to go to his death. It says in Isaiah, Isaiah 50. It talks about how, you know, uh what was set a long time ago before this even happened. It says starting in verse 4. The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught. This is this is basically Jesus saying this about himself, but this is centuries and centuries before. That I may know how to sustain with the word, him who is weary. Jesus can do that. Morning by morning, he awakens. He awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. Jesus knew what was ahead of him. Jesus knew that there was going to be suffering ahead of him, and yet he decided to not be rebellious, which is what we all would have done. I decided to not be rebellious. I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard. I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting, but the Lord God helps me. Therefore I have not been disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. Jesus is saying, I know it's ahead of me. And yet I'm still walking that direction. That's why he's weeping. It's these people who are welcoming him into this city, into these gates that we just talked about in Nehemiah. The people who are welcoming him into this place are going to put him to death. And he's grieving. He's grieving for us because they are going to spit on him. They are going to murder him. They are going to hurt him. They're going to make him suffer. And he's going to do it for you. He's going to do it for us. He's going to do it for the people that you are inviting to Easter. So pray for them. Pray for them. And then say to them, hey, I'd love for you to come with me to Easter this week. We have a lot of services. We have a lot of opportunities. If really early morning is your thing, come on. Come hang out with us. There's a pastor there who likes to play weird music in the beginning of his messages that, you know, are kind of fun, but it doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the messages. That's okay. So, but anyway, I'd love to have a seat next to you, next to me, for you. Then give them the card. Share with them a social media post. Tell them what's happening. I'll save you a seat. That's it. No pressure. No perfection. You don't need perfect words, just a willing heart. Your invitation just might be someone's turning point in their life. And here's the beauty. You're not bringing them to an event. You're not bringing them to a concert or to a movie or to, you know, to a birthday party. You're inviting them to meet a king. You don't often get that invitation in the real world. So you are inviting your coworker, your friend, your loved one to meet a king. Now imagine this. Not just a crowd celebrating Jesus, but an entire church surrendered to him. Homes that are shaped by Jesus. Conversations that are filled with Jesus. Lives aligned to him and his word. We don't just celebrate the King. We surrender to him. And imagine this room on Easter, seats filled with people who were invited. People who almost didn't come. People who drive by here all the time, who see us on social media, who see us do all these really great things in the community. And they say, I'd like to go there for Easter, but I don't know anybody. I don't know who I'd sit with. I don't know if I'd recognize anybody. There's no one there like me. That's where you come in and join the mission and say, I'm right there with you. I'll sit with you. I'll take you up for coffee after. Or breakfast or lunch. I'll be right there with you. People who need hope. People who are about to discover that Jesus is more than they expected. We're not just attending Easter. We're bringing people to it. Because the road to Easter is still moving. The king has come. The cross is near. The tomb is coming. And the invitation is still open. Don't just celebrate the king this Easter. Surrender to him. And as we walk this road together, we do it with joy. We do it with hope. And we do it knowing the king we needed has come. And he's better than we ever imagined. Church, the king has come. Not riding in with power to take, but with complete love to give. Love that moves him to weeping over you. He comes not to crush his enemies, but to carry their sin. And even when we don't fully understand him, he is still good. Even when the road leads somewhere we wouldn't choose, I wouldn't choose the cross. I wouldn't choose the suffering. I wouldn't choose the flogging. I wouldn't choose the abandonment. But he did. And he is still faithful. Even when the path includes a cross, we can trust the heart of our King. Because he is not distant. He is not unpredictable. He is not unsafe. He is steady. He is kind. He is trustworthy. He is the king of our hearts. The one who walks with us in the valley. The one who leads us in truth. The one who holds us even when we don't understand. And he is worthy. Worthy when the crowd is loud. Worthy when the road gets quiet. Worthy when we see clearly who he is and what he has done for us. And even worthy when we don't. And Jesus said, if we keep quiet, the stones will cry out. Creation itself knows who Jesus is. So we have a choice. We can stay silent. Just like the Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke his disciples. Tell them to stay quiet. The miracles that he has done, don't tell anyone about them. The praise that you're giving him, stop. We can choose to stay silent. Or we can join the song that creation is already singing. We can hold back. Or we can lift our voices. Because the king has come and he is worthy of praise. Let's pray. Father, we thank you. We thank you for sending Jesus our King. A King who came in humility. A King who came in love. A King who came to save. And Lord, today we confess that sometimes we misunderstand you. Sometimes we expect you to move in the ways that make sense to us. Sometimes we want comfort more than surrender. But today we choose to trust your heart. We choose to believe that you are good, that you are faithful, that you are worthy. Jesus, be the King of our hearts. In our homes, in our decisions, in our fears, in our future. Rule over every part of our lives. And Lord, don't let us be silent. If the stones would cry out, then let our voices rise first. Let our church be a place of worship. Let our lives be reflection of your glory. As we walk toward Easter, give us boldness to invite others. Give us joy in sharing you. Give us hearts that overflow with worship. Because you are worthy. And we don't want the rocks to take our place. We lift our voices. We lift our lives. We lift our praise to you. In the name of Jesus, our King. Amen.