Easter 2024: Preparing For Palms

Preparing For Palms

Lev.23:4-8, 40; Mark 11:1-11

Part of the challenge of preparing a Palm Sunday sermon is that it’s an historic event; it doesn’t obviously lend itself to discussions of doctrine. But when we peer through the waving palms, we can see some pretty amazing plans coming to pass…

Palm Sunday Helps Us See

* The Premise of the Feast ~ Lev.23:4-8,40

• 4 Feast list:
  • *Passover* – remember the Lord’s deliverance (new year) Pilgrimage
  • Firstfruits – remember the Lord’s provision (start of harvest)
  • Weeks – remember the Lord’s Law (wheat harvest 50 days later) Pilgrimage
  • Trumpets – 7mo/1da – remember the Lord’s works
  • Day of Atonement – 7mo/10day – remember the Lord’s forgiveness
  • Booths – remember the Lord’s fellowship (end of fruit harvest) Pilgrimage
• 5/7 Passover – Lamb chosen; 4 days in home; sacrificed 5th
  [touchback to this for Jesus’ parallels]
• 40 Booths (notice palms)

* People Prepared for Fulfillment ~ Mark 11:1-6

• 1/2 finding the tied colt:
  1) owner taking care of property;
  2) keeping it for their own use
• 3 3) not anticipating claim of other;
  4) not thinking his property could serve Prince of Peace
• 4/6 things lightly valued (Not fully grown; not fancy warhorse) may be intended by God for honorable service

* God’s Promises Fulfilled ~ Mark 11:7-11

• 7 (Zech 9:9) Who has arrived? your KING
• 8 Who is with the King? Passover Pilgrims; Bethany Buddies
• 9/10 (Ps.118:25-26) What do they say? Hosanna: an Aramaic expression that literally means, “help, I pray,” or “save, I pray.” By Jesus’ time it had become a strictly liturgical formula of praise, however, and was used as an exclamation of praise to God
• 11 when we compare the Triumphal Entry accounts from Matthew and from Luke, we see that Jesus wasn’t just glancing around here: he was looking with “reproof, correction, admonition” (Lightfoot; Mark, Chapter 11)

Jesus KNEW what had to be done: he had to show the nation what kind of Messiah he TRULY was; and he knew they weren’t going to take it well. The same crowd who yelled “Hosanna – the Coming King” would shout “Crucify Him” one week later. Have we moments in our lives when we’d rather hold on to our preconceived notions of what we *think* God is going to do, than to pay attention to what is actually happening around us? How will we lift our voices in response?

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Seen in the Manger 1: Background and Birth

Click HERE for MP3 of Background and Birth sermon audio.

Mat.1:18-25

Manger Scene: a collection of a bunch of different bits of the story of Jesus. What we see in the Manger scene gives us elements that belong to the story – but it’s not often the whole story (unless you have the expansion set of extra figurines!)

Getting Ready for Christmas: Don’t Miss The

* Background Before The Manger ~ Mat.1:18-21

• 1,17 background: Matthew wants to make sure his readers understand who Jesus is: the son of David, and the son of Abraham. God made covenant promises to each of these men: He promised Abraham that all nations of the earth would be blessed through him (Gen 12:1-3); He promised David that his descendant would rule forever (2Sam 7). Matthew shows that Jesus is the Messiah for Israel (through David) and for all people (through Abraham)
• 18 Nativity characters: Mary, Joseph, Holy Spirit (Baby Jesus in the womb)
• 19 Joseph spotlight: righteous man (knows the law, follows the Lord); kind man (doesn’t shame Mary, even when he doesn’t know all the facts)
• 20 Nativity character: Gabriel (specific in Luke 1); message: child is from Holy Spirit
• 21 JOSEPH is to name baby; implication: keep family together; raise this boy – He’s destined to fulfill God’s promise of Salvation (Ez.36:22-29)

* Plan Before The Promise ~ Mat.1:22-25

• 22 Matthew reminds us that history is under God’s control; what *we* think might be unpleasant or hardship might just be a part of God’s plan all along
• 23 Isaiah 7:14’s original context: King Ahaz is scared of invaders; God reminds him that HE is in control; Ahaz is still scared, so God says, “ask Me for a sign – anything”, and Ahaz is too scared to even do that. God says, in less time that it takes for a young woman to conceive and have a toddler (3 years?), your invaders will be long gone. Matthew takes that promise, and applies it as a future prophecy as well – Mary ALSO is a virgin, and has a baby, who is called “God Who Saves” – Yeshua. Immanuel is a title describing who Jesus IS (God with us), and Yeshua is a name describing what Jesus DOES (God who saves)
• 24 God speaks to Joseph in dreams (Numbers 12:6); he marries Mary
• 25 Joseph cares for Mary until baby is born; obeys the Lord and names Him Jesus

It’s important, as we enter this time of Preparing for Christmas, that we don’t get so rushed in trying to get “everything” done that we miss the meaning of it all. Let’s make sure of what we have Seen in the Manger: God’s plan to rescue us all.

Neighbors 1: Far

Click HERE for MP3 of Far sermon audio.

Romans 13:8-14

Did you ever play the game “Mad Libs”? Think of three of the character qualities you’re most uncomfortable with in others. Perhaps you might think of people who vote differently than you do. You might consider people who spend money on things you think have little or no value. You might even think about people who sin… but who sin differently than you do. With those uncomfortable thoughts in your mind, let’s begin our time together this morning, and look at what it means to be a neighbor…

Why should we love a neighbor we don’t even know?

* The Debt of Law ~ Romans 13:8-10

• CONTEXT: Romans 13 is about submission to human authority, because authority itself is from God:
• 8 therefore, even though we don’t like it, we pay taxes. Paying what is owed (taxes, $, respect, honor) is a matter of LOVE. Care for the least of these (Mt.25.40)
• 9 remember: ALL OF GOD’S LAWS hold the same weight according to God (James 2:10 – break one law is guilty of breaking all of them)
• 10 Instead of remembering 613 laws, or thinking that the Law gives righteousness (Gal.2:19-21), remember: Love God, Love people – if you do this, you will not break God’s Law – because His Law IS LOVE. LOVE fulfills every law. We OWE this to God.

* The Day of Love ~ Romans 13:11-14

• 11 context: keep the end in mind; every day is one day closer to Jesus’ return!
• 12 “armor of light” IN DARKNESS; not to be seen, but to see our way THROUGH the darkness in God’s protection; armor absolutely implies CONFLICT – we’re in conflict with the world, whether we recognize it or not. Therefore WAKE UP, DROP DARK DEEDS, and PREPARE FOR BATTLE
• 13 behave as if we’re already in the Day of the Lord while we’re still in the night before He comes
• 14 more than putting on armor that protects our outside: put on CHRIST HIMSELF, which replaces our inside (2Cor. 5:17; Ezek. 11:19; Eph. 2:22-24)

Can anyone really say they love God, if they treat humans badly? Some might think, “oh, well *I* never do anything ACTIVELY bad to others”… but neglect is just as much an act of harm as infliction. I recognize that not everyone in the congregation can volunteer in a soup kitchen 7 days a week. But we can show kindness to everyone we interact with. We may not be able to feed all the starving people of the world… but we can buy a few extra cans of food for a Food Pantry.

We may not be able to completely unravel the psychological problems of people caught in addiction or confusion about their life… but we can certainly love them in Jesus name with a smile, a kind word, a simple civil exchange with people who are different than we are. Can’t we?

Portraits of the Patriarchs: Joseph

Joseph

Gen.37:3-8; 41:9-13; Heb.11:21-22

What ARE dreams? Psychologists might say they are the means our minds use to process our experiences. Visionaries could say that they are concepts to help us see a preferred future. But Scripture teaches that they can be the means by which God gets our attention. Let’s pay attention today to one of Scripture’s most well known dreamers – Joseph:…

A Dreamer for God

* Prepared to Serve in Prickly Situation ~ Gen.37:3-8
~ Family Insight to how we’re shaped

• 3/4 Israel=Jacob’s new name; I/J does the same thing to Joseph that Isaac did to Jacob/Esau – paternal favortism – family dysfunction is hard to escape
• 5/7 proto-prophecy – God’s long term plans are hard to understand
• 8 family doesn’t always accept God’s movement in our lives – be warned; NOT an indication of “better” – perhaps just willingness to be used

* Past Service Might Provide Strategy ~ Gen.41:9-13
~ Occasional Looks Back may help us look forward: NOTE – this is from those who were helped BY Joseph, not he himself

• 9/11 look at the context of the need (Pharaoh troubled by a dream, cupbearer remembered about Joseph’s interpretations)
• 12/13 specifics from the past might shed light on a future direction

* People In Progress See Potential ~ Heb.11:21-22

• 21 Jacob/Israel’s end: blessing ALL his sons (and Joseph’s, too); he grew beyond his early example
• 22 Joseph’s end: held by faith the promise given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob – passed it down; HOW ARE WE DOING THAT?

Ask yourself: How did Joseph end up? How will YOU end up? Is God placing a dream in YOUR life? What will you do about it?

Joel’s Hope: A Word of War

A Word of War

Joel 3:9-16; Eph. 6:11-17

I’ve been reading Scripture as literature lately; I’ve been focusing more on plot and character than on devotion or doctrine. One thing I’ve noticed is the overarching theme of restoration. THAT is Joel’s Hope: that God would put right what has gone wrong.

Joel’s Hope Is Our Help

* Warn the World… ~ Joel 3:9-12

• 9 context: this is a warning to the world, not God’s people
• 10 riff on Isaiah 2:4; the world will fight against God anyway it can BEFORE the day of the Lord
• 11 notice voice change: first part is Joel warning; second is Joel praying
• 12 third part is God responding; make no mistake: God WILL judge the nations, even those who claim not to know or follow Him (THAT is why we share)

* To Weigh Their Worth ~ Joel 3:13-16

• 13 back to Joel’s prayer: calling for the “harvest/judgment” of the nations; Jesus referenced this: Matt 9:38 (“pray the Lord to send workers”)
• 14 “valley of decision” is a metaphor for being stuck, and needing to choose; DO YOU FEEL STUCK IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?
• 15 another metaphor: try to live without God, and you’re stuck in the dark!
• 16 Our choice: thunder and trembling away from God; or a refuge and stronghold WITH Him.

* Wage the War ~ Eph. 6:11-17

• 11/12 We are not fighting PEOPLE; we are fighting spiritually
• 13/14 STAND actively, not passive; we are on OFFENSE
• 15 Are you ready to move? When God says GO, what’s your response?
• 16/17 Roman shield USED IN CONCERT; not as individuals but AS A UNIT

Make no mistake: we ARE in a spiritual war. How are you engaged?

Apocalypse Talks: The Bigger Picture

Apocalypse Talks: The Bigger Picture

Matthew 24:36-44

Sometimes we receive warnings about a coming disaster, take appropriate steps, and in large part prevent the situation. Y2K was talked about for years, with serious preparations occurring 2 years before. As a result, when Y2K finally happened, only minor inconveniences and website errors were reported.

In other instances, we don’t respond as well. There were 36 warnings about 9/11, as early as 1994, with 22 in 2001 alone. With all those warnings (including one that said “tomorrow is zero hour” received on 9/10), we still missed preventing a tragedy that resulted in 2,996 deaths.

What’s Wrong With End-Time Warning?

* Some Refuse To See It ~ Matthew 24:36-39

• 36 Refer: vs 29-35; these are references to Isaiah 13&24; and Joel 2: the Day of the Lord is a subject that Israel knows about; Jesus warns His listeners that the Fall of Jerusalem is the end of their world as they know it. AFTER that (not “immediately”, but later) will the final gathering and judgment at the end of the Day of the Lord occur. Since ONLY the Father knows when that is, don’t obsess about the timing of it
• 37 it took Noah 55-75 years to build the Ark; his neighbors MUST have noticed! (lots of warning time)
• 38/39 but they don’t pay attention; they hear but do not listen, they see but do not understand (cf. Isa 6) (NOT ALL WILL RESPOND)

* Some Selected To Receive It ~ Matthew 24:40-44

• 40 When the Trumpet is sounded, only SOME will respond to the call
• 41 God knows whom He will elect and collect
• 42 WE do NOT know when the Call will be sounded: WATCH!
• 43/44 implication: The Day will END with the Trumpet (1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thes. 4:15-17) (NOT ALL WILL BE SAVED)

Bigger Picture: not *just* about the Fall of Jerusalem; about the end of the Day of the Lord (Joel 2). Good news for us who already know we’re going to be with the Lord – not necessarily bad news for others, because THERE’S STILL TIME TO TRUST… until there ISN’T. Only God knows how much sand is left in the Divine Hourglass…

Apocalypse Talks: Mitigating Disaster

Apocalypse Talks: Mitigating Disaster

Matthew 24:15-22

Thomas Edison’s manufacturing facilities in West Orange, N.J., were heavily damaged by fire one night in December, 1914. Edison lost over $2 million worth of equipment and the record of much of his work. The next morning, walking about the charred embers of his hopes and dreams, the 67-year-old inventor said: “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”

When Jesus told His disciples about the coming Apocalypse, He didn’t shy away from the difficult details. His words held a warning which still can help us today…

When Disaster Approaches

Get OUT of its Way ~ Matthew 24:15-20

• 15 cf Dan.9.27-Antiocus Epiphanes; “abomination that causes desolation” is pagan authority where Godly worship should be (Destruction Of Temple)
• 16 the only way the Temple will be completely destroyed is by invading army. RUN!
• 17 RUN RIGHT THEN: Don’t dawdle
• 18 RUN AWAY: Don’t turn back (cf. Lot’s wife Gen 19)
• 19/20 RUN FAST: simply because they’re slow; they can’t evacuate quickly

Keep Pressure in Perspective ~ Matthew 24:21-22

• 21 “great distress” not dispensationalist “TRIBULATION”; same word 45 times in NT, means “pressured”; Destruction of the Temple certainly placed an unequaled pressure on the whole of Judaism!
• 22 historian Josephus reported 1,100,000 dead, and 100,000 survivors sold into slavery. If that kind of devastation had continued, everyone under the Roman attack would have died; “sake of the elect”

Jesus TOLD the Disciples they’d need to leave Jerusalem here, and told them again in Matthew 28:19-20 and AGAIN in Acts 1:8.

His words of warning helped the early church escape the coming disaster AND reminded them that their mission was larger than their home: they went out to serve the world. Are we?

alas, the video did not record this week. Audio is working, however! Click the top link.

You’d Better Believe It – God Prepares His People

You’d Better Believe It – God Prepares His People

Luke 1:11-25

Small Details in the story can be crucial; more than just window dressing, often they clue us in to the nature of the story itself.

Zechariah’s story helps us notice:

God Is At Work Before We Realize It ~ Luke 1:11-17

• 11 background synopsis 12/13 God IS listening!
• 14/15 God plans for us
• 16/17 John is promised preparer of Messiah: he is the type of Elijah (not reincarnation, but homage)

God Is At Work Before We’re Ready For It  ~ Luke 1:18-25

• 18 a reasonable question: am I imagining this? How do I know this to be true?
• 19/20 not a punishment, but verification
• 21/22 Sometimes we don’t have the words to describe what God has done in us: MAKE SIGNS
• 23/25 Recognize the Lord is at work in us

As we consider Zechariah and Elizabeth’s story, we see it leads into John the Baptist’s origin story. It gives us context as to what God ended up doing in John’s life. Consider your OWN context: what clues might be there, often unnoticed, that God is preparing YOU for something?

Lingering in Worship: Preparing

Lingering in Worship: Preparing

Ezra 8:21-23; 1 Peter 1:13-19

Quick refresher: Ezra is about rebuilding the Temple after the nation of Israel returns from exile. Ezra the priest shows up in chapter 7, introduces himself to the reader, and then moves the narrative along in chapter 8. He knew the newly rebuilt temple would need ministers, so he calls Levites together to staff the ministry. Then he has to move them to the Temple grounds, through hostile territory.

Prepare for Worship? We Need To Get Our

Heart Smart ~ Ezra 8:21-23

• 21 FASTING isn’t to convince God of your sincerity; it’s to remind YOU to live in HUMILITY BEFORE GOD
• 22 inconvenient truth: if you BRAG about God’s provision, you’d better be ready to depend upon it
• 23 Is this FORCING God to answer the way we want? No – it might be forcing us to LISTEN better, though

Mind Aligned ~ 1 Peter 1:13-19

• 13 not FOR salvation, but BECAUSE OF salvation
• 14/16 one sentence: don’t shape your life by your old values; use Jesus’ life as your template: be holy Gk. “up and down, back and forth”
• 17 live carefully, impartially (like God): THIS TAKES PREP WORK
• 18/19 You are REDEEMED: not a purchased slave, but a cleansed child of God

We say that “liturgy/worship” is the work of the people. This work can be joyful, fulfilling, and life-changing. It just takes some preparation to get the most out of it.

Snapshots from Mark: Stay Awake

Snapshots from Mark: Stay Awake Sermon Audio Here

Mark 13:24-37

I found this WONDERFUL way to remind myself of things: WakeUpDialer.com Just listen… Now, wouldn’t it be great if God gave us wake-up calls? Well…

Jesus Gives Us All A Wake-Up Call:

A Call For Caution ~ Mark 13:24-27

• 24 This refers to The Day Of The Lord cf. Isa. 13:9-10
• 25 CODE: not actual destruction of stellar objects; language used to denote the end of a ruling era (cf Ezk. 32; Amos 8; Joel 2 – diff. Kingdoms, same ending language)
• 26 God WILL REIGN (cf. Dan 7:13)
• 27 cf Deut 30:3-6 (God will gather & restore His people);
•    Jer. 32:37 (God will bring us back to Himself);
•    Ezk 34:13, 36:24 (God will bring His people to His land);
•    Zech 2:6 (God scattered His people to the ends of the earth because of their disobedience, and He calls them back home)

A Call To Clarity ~ Mark 13:28-31

• 28/29 Cause and effect: summer follows winter; God’s plans bear fruit
• 30/31 “this generation” = within the lifetime of His followers. A.D. 70 certainly was; hold onto Jesus’ enduring word

A Call Of Self-Control ~ Mark 13:32-37

• 32 that Day under control of the Father
• 33/34 each with his assigned task: God has tasked US to be His servants
• 35 four watches of the night, 6pm-6am
• 36/37 “to watch for him is to… use the time that remains before his coming in the work of winning others for him. It is to recognize him gratefully in his intermediate comings in the persons of the least of his brethren.”¹

We do not need to wait until Jesus’ return to live as Kingdom people NOW.

1. (Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary; St. Mark, by C.E.B. Cranfield, p. 412)