Scripture for Apr 1st (Palm Sunday): Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon Title: Victory Before Death

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

They praised Christ as He entered Jerusalem on the Sunday before His death. Some of the very people who were praising Him also called for His death later that same week. What happened to cause them to change their mind? It was unmet expectations. These people thought Jesus was coming as a conquering hero. When they were presented with Christ by Herod, beaten and bloodied, they felt betrayed and deceived. But the truth is that they needed a Savior more than a conqueror and Christ had come not to reign, but to die.

Theologian A.W. Augsburger writes the following concerning how Christ entered Jerusalem: “Jesus entered Jerusalem not on a white charger, but on a lowly beast of burden, not on a horse as a symbol of power, but on a colt as a symbol of humility. He is the peaceful King of the people of God, not a revolutionary with political interest (Is. 11:1–2).”

Many in the crowd that day misidentified Christ and did not realize that Christ as Savior (not as conquering King) had power over the future, ignorance and the present age. We will explore each of these elements as we continue our sermon series, “The Victorious King” this coming Sunday, Palm Sunday. Hope to see you then!

Scripture for March 25th: Matthew 16:13-28

Sermon Title: Victory In Death

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

“But what about you?” It’s interesting that Jesus directed His question to Simon Peter – in essence, He was saying, “It’s not as important what others are saying about Me than it is what you say about Me.” Here Jesus was making Peter responsible and accountable for his own beliefs. And Peter responded by affirming his faith in Christ: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Then Jesus tells all His disciples how to truly follow Him – by losing their lives through absolute obedience to Him.

“But what about you?” Who do you think Christ was? A good man, a prophet or truly the Messiah, the Son of God and the Savior? Your actions will speak louder than your words – if you truly believe, then you would “deny” yourself and “take up” the “cross” of Christ. In other words, true believers follow Jesus, not just with their words, but also with their actions. Peter truly believed. He followed Jesus, declaring his faith in Christ, and living out that faith through what he did. “But what about you?” Will you be a true follower of Christ in word and deed?

This coming Sunday we will speak more about what it means to be a true follower of Christ and find life in dying to ourselves as we begin a new sermon series entitled, “The Victorious King.” Hope to see you then!

Scripture for March 18th: Titus 2:11-14

Sermon Title: The Compelling Prospect of Grace

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

So we are “saved by grace” – what do we do now? That’s a question that I think most Christians answer at some point in their walk with God. I know that I am a child of God, I know that I have faith in Christ, they say to themselves, but they ask, “Okay, now what?”

In the Scripture passage above, the Apostle Paul attempts to answer this. He says our lives are now changed to live in the grace that we have received from God. Receiving and living in this grace empowers us to live our lives pleasing to God, living in the ways that He taught us to live. And in living that life, we will see God do things that will amaze us because those things can only be done by God.

Dr. David Jeremiah speaks to this when he writes the following in his book, “Captured By Grace,”: “Grace changes people as nothing else can do. It cleanses the sins of the past. It enables righteousness in the present. And one thing it does for certain: it constantly surprises us. For the essence of grace is surprise. There is nothing shocking about giving people exactly what they deserve. Grace subverts the rules and gives people what they don’t deserve. It is motivated by the warmth of love rather than by cold calculation. Therefore, grace is always doing something we didn’t expect. For example, what does grace do in the present? It walks to the blackboard and begins to teach: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us” (Titus 2:11–12).”

God’s grace is truly amazing – and living a life filled with God’s grace is just as amazing. This coming Sunday we will conclude our sermon series entitled, “Captured By Grace,” by discussing how grace teaches us to renounce sin, respect others and revere God. Hope to see you then!

Scripture for March 11th: Romans 8:28

Sermon Title: The Confident Promise of Grace

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Most Christians know the Scripture by memory: “And we know that in all things God works for good…” It is an often quoted verse, said during times of struggle or hardship to others. However, when something happen that is tragic, and there are no obvious answers as to how God can work out something good from the event, it becomes harder to believe that promise. And when that tragic event impacts our own lives directly, we often not just simply quote the verse, but also ask “How, Lord? How in the world can you make something good out of this horrible event?” And sometimes that answer never comes. Can we trust God then?

Dr David Jeremiah, in his book, Captured By Grace, speaks to this situation when he writes:

That question penetrates to the depth of our commitment to Christ. Yes, we know God is working all things for our good. Sometimes in this life we have the rare privilege of seeing just how God used this setback or that disappointment. We can feel the wisdom and strength that came through the basic trials of normal living. But can we trust Him even when we don’t know the answers?

How does this verse comfort us even when we don’t know how God is “working for good” all that we experience, even the most difficult and challenging of our experiences? It comforts us because we know that the promise that was given is a certain, comprehensive and conditional promise that does not change based upon our own experiences. We will talk more about the powerful promise of grace given to Christians that is found in this verse on Sunday as we continue our sermon series, “Captured By Grace.” Hope to see you then!