April 2, 2023 / The Week of the Passion of the Christ

Welcome to Walk in the Truth podcast. How do we know where to find answers to the toughest

questions in life? While the simplest answer is the Bible, where do we start this search

and how do we discover this truth? Today, in this teaching podcast, John Metter, lead pastor

of Cross City Church, takes a specific text of the Bible and helps us find truth for the

life we're searching for.

I'm so glad that you are here today. If you have your Bibles, please take them and turn

to the Gospel of Luke today. The Gospel of Luke, chapter 19 today, and we're going to

Luke 19 · chapter mention

be talking about the week of the Passion of Christ. Now, as you turn in your Bibles, let

me just mention something that next week becomes extremely important for us. Everything we do

today is really in preparation also for what's going to be happening all week long. This

is probably one of the greatest opportunities to invite people to come with you at very,

very special services on Good Friday and on Easter Sunday morning, so don't miss a chance.

If you've been with us before, I built a cross on the stage here on Good Friday and preach

a message that I've been calling the message of the cross. I've been doing this for 25

years or more, and rarely is it that we don't have this service that dozens and dozens of

people come to Christ. Most of the time, 40 or 50 people will come to faith in Christ,

and I don't know how that number stays consistent, but I know that it happens because you invite

people who are impacted by the message of the cross, and I want to encourage you to

do that. And when they come, as we've already said, we'll be making available a copy of

this new book that we have out free to our guests, and it won't be released until the

16th, but we'll give them a voucher for that on Easter Sunday morning, and so don't miss

the opportunity to invite them. It's a great opportunity, and that's a great time for people

to want to respond well to that.

Well let's talk about the week of the Passion of Christ today. Luke chapter 19 beginning

Luke 19 · chapter mention

in verse 28. You know, if I could plan the last week of my life, if I knew my last day

on the planet, and I could plan that last week so that the places I was and the words

I said had significance for those that I love, I would plan it well. I can't know that day,

you can't know that day, but Christ, from before the foundation of the world, did know

that he was on the word of the cross. He did know the day that he would die, and he did

plan that week out in such a way to keep us remembering the things that he wanted us to

remember.

As I look through the accounts of the crucifixion, I saw four significant things. I really saw

ten or twelve, but I'm only going to share four of them today. But four mountain peak

experiences that when we think about different places where Jesus walked, different words

that he shared, we think about these things as we move towards the cross. Things that

I believe that Jesus did so that we would remember some of the most important things

about his last week and some of the most important things about him. We're going to be looking

at this beginning in Luke chapter 19. Would you please stand with me as we read God's

Luke 19 · chapter mention

word beginning in verse 28. This is what we normally know as the triumphal entry.

After Jesus had said these things, he's been teaching, he was going on ahead going up to

Jerusalem. When he approached Bethphage and Bethany near the mount that is called Olivet,

he sent two of the disciples saying, go into the village ahead of you. There as you enter,

you'll find a colt on which no one has ever sat, tied, untied and bring it here.

And if anyone asks you, why are you untying it? You shall say the Lord has need of it.

So those who were sent away went and found it just as he had told them. And as they were

untying the colt, the owner said to them, why are you untying this colt? And they said,

the Lord has need of it. They brought it to Jesus and they threw their coats on the colt

and put Jesus on it. And he was going and they were spreading their coats on the roadway.

As soon as he was approaching near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of

the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles that

they had seen, shouting, blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in

heaven and glory in the highest. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to

him, teacher, rebuke your disciples. But Jesus answered, I tell you, if these become silent,

the very stones will cry out. Man, can you just imagine that scene as Jesus descends

the Mount of Olives and gets to the bottom and heads back up to Jerusalem and sees these

disciples just praising him, calling him King. What a moment that we need to look at for

a few moments. Father, in Jesus' name today as we look at

this text and the other events leading up to the cross of Jesus, help us understand

the message that you have for us today, 2,000 years later. The things that Jesus chose to

do, the places he was at, the words he shared, need to affect us today. In the same way it

did those disciples on that day. I ask this in Jesus' name and everybody said, amen.

Please be seated if you would. So what was Jesus communicating the last week

of his life? Well the first event as we've already looked at is the triumphal entry.

The triumphal entry, when you hear about it, when you think about it, remember that Jesus

is making a powerful statement and it says, I am the King. I am the King. That was his

message. In fact if you zero in on verse 40, the conclusion of that triumphal entry, the

disciples are worshiping him and the disciples are praising him. They're actually quoting

some Old Testament verses referring to Jesus as the fulfilled Messiah, that he in fact

was the fulfillment of the Messiah. And the Lord said to the Pharisees, it said, tell

your disciples to be quiet. I tell you if these people become silent, the stones will

cry out. It's a very, very public and a very visible moment for Jesus Christ and a moment

for everyone else around him to know that Jesus was declaring who he really was.

Maybe when you read the gospels you see what I see often. Jesus would do some healing and

he would heal a blind man, he would heal a lame man, and as the man recovered he said,

go and tell no one who did this for you. And over and over Jesus would heal and say, don't

say anything to anyone else about that. Now normally they went and said something to somebody

else about what God had done in their life, but he was always saying, keep it quiet, keep

it quiet. And now all of a sudden on the way to the cross Jesus is not keeping it quiet

anymore. He wants everyone to know exactly who he is. So he is riding on this colt and

he's moving towards the gates of Jerusalem. Now the disciples and the Pharisees and the

bystanders are all standing around and they're looking and they're listening and they're

taking this all in because the message he's giving them is, I am the king, the king you've

been waiting for in every way. Now you may remember Jesus' earthly ministry and the different

things that were happening and the different words that were said. Remember Jesus was baptized

by John the Baptist in the River Jordan and when he was baptized then the father spoke

audibly out loud and said, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased and everyone

that they had no doubt in their minds who Jesus was. Well maybe you remember Caesarea

Philippi, the place where Jesus had his disciples and questioned them, who do men say that I

am? And then more pointedly who do you say that I am? And the apostle Peter said, you

are the Christ, the son of the living God. That was his profession of faith. It was a

public proclamation. This is my son, my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. You are the

Christ, the son of the living God. Now he's just come back from the place where he healed

Lazarus. In fact, this spot at the triumphal entry is nearby where Lazarus was raised from

the dead. Does anybody remember what Jesus said when he called Lazarus out of that tomb?

He said, I am the resurrection and the life. He's identifying himself. The beloved son

of the father, Christ, the son of the living God, I am the resurrection and the life. And

now he's told his disciples to go get this coat, a coat upon which no one has ever written

a donkey that no one has ever been on. And I have to ask, is there a bigger picture of

sovereignty anywhere that Jesus knows the life of this donkey so well? He knows that

no one has ever sat on this donkey. He knows where the donkey is. He knows everything about

it and he knows he's going to ride down this path on that donkey towards the gates of Jerusalem.

I've got a picture here of an area that looks very much like and is at that place where

Jesus rode that donkey down that mountainside in order to get to Jerusalem. And as he's

doing that, he's actually fulfilling prophecy. Just as he did when he was born, just as he

did as he ended up on the cross, prophecy puts Jesus in those spots, helps us identify

exactly who he is. Well, in riding that donkey, he fulfills Zechariah chapter nine, verse

nine. Here's what it says. It says, rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout in triumph,

O daughters of Jerusalem. And then the three words, you can say it with me if you want

to, behold your King. Behold your King is coming to you. He is just and endowed with

salvation and humble and mounted on a donkey. And the people, the disciples at least knew

exactly what this prophecy was. They knew that this was being fulfilled. So Jesus' identity

is going public. All of a sudden he's becoming very public about who he is on the way to

the cross. In fact, what you see them saying, glory to God in the highest is just what the

angels said when they announced the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. And so these words

are echoing around and these disciples who knew the words so well were realizing what

was really happening. Jesus Christ really is the King. And then picture the Pharisees

of course. There's always a Pharisee in every group. There's always someone that doesn't

like what Jesus is doing and they said, make your disciples be quiet. And Jesus himself

says that they are silent, even the stones that lie in the roadway will shout out my

praise. Now I've been to Israel enough to know there's a lot of stones in Israel. It's

a rocky country. And that means lots of rocks and lots of stones crying out the glory of

God if we keep silent. Of course the disciples were not going to keep silent because they

understood exactly what was going on. Jesus said if these don't cry out my praise then

all of creation will do that. And he's right about that. All of creation does sing its

praises towards God. All the trees, all the mountains, all the seas, the rocks and the

animals. In fact, I'm forever intrigued by the fact that only man doesn't praise God

at every opportunity. Isn't that wild? All the creation does it but man does not. But

Jesus here says I am the king. The father has affirmed it. The disciples have affirmed

it. The works that Jesus did affirmed it. Prophecy affirms it. And now we have Jesus

Christ himself saying the words, I am the king. And you're thinking to yourself, got

it. It's simple to understand. Jesus is the king. And my question to you is this, if Jesus

is the king, do you worship him as king in your life? Do you lift him up? Do you worship

him? Do you bow before him? Do you give him your life if Jesus Christ is the king? And

actually from this moment on each person must decide how to respond to Jesus because even

those that were there on that day was no longer in question who he was. It was no longer in

the dark, no longer in the doubt. Jesus said I am the king. Decide what you will do with

me. And those disciples need to hear that so bad at that moment. And we need to hear

it so bad knowing that we cannot be neutral when it comes to this. He is king or he's

not at all. I don't know if you consider yourself a bystander or God forbid that you

just consider yourself a Pharisee. I hope you consider yourself a disciple who says

Jesus is king of my life. And beyond that so many vie to be earthly kings. There are

so many people who want to rule and be in power and authority but we only have one king

and that king is Jesus Christ. And that's who we worship. You have a king, King Jesus.

So Jesus arranged this moment for the disciples and the rest of us who are now on this planet

to see Jesus Christ saw himself as the king. One day every knee will bow, every tongue

will confess Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father but here he is saying I

am the king and they needed to hear it then as he made his way to the cross. The second

event took place on what I call the Olivet Discourse, the Mount of Olives. And on the

Mount of Olives Jesus made this statement, I am coming back. Now you have to ask yourself

why is it so important for Jesus to say I'm coming back when he hasn't left yet. The disciples

are just becoming aware that Jesus is going to go and undergo suffering. They're just

letting it dawn on their minds and their hearts that he's about to be put to death. They haven't

accepted it yet, they haven't fully recognized that yet but Jesus is preparing them by saying

I am king and I will come back. Would you go to chapter 21 of Luke? Luke is the gospel

that is most chronologically correct. He writes everything in its own order. So we know all

these things are happening one event after the other, one paragraph after the other in

proper order. Jesus has this triumphal entry into Jerusalem and then comes back to the

Mount of Olives in order to be teaching his disciples and in verse 5 of chapter 21 it

says while some were talking about the temple that it was adorned with beautiful stones

and votive gifts. He says as for these things which you're looking at the days will come

which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down. They

question him saying teacher when therefore will these things happen and what will be

the sign of these things that are about to take place? And he says see to it that you're

not misled for many will come in my name saying I am he and the time is near do not go after

them. When you hear of wars and disturbances do not be terrified for these things must

take place first but the end does not follow immediately. For the next 15 verses Jesus

describes all the chaos of what we consider final days the last times. So there he is

on this Mount of Olives with this beautiful scenario beautiful picture if you will from

the Mount of Olives. You can see Jerusalem's walls you can see what was at that time the

temple and the temple of course is gone now but the disciples were talking about the temple

they felt the temple would be invincible it had been there for so many years it was a

forever kind of thing with them. That's where sin was forgiven that's where the sacrifices

were made that allowed them to be forgiven and be in right relationship with God and

he said all these stones will be torn down and the response was how? When? Why? And Jesus

response was such that we call this the Olivet Discourse. It left them concerned it left

them alarmed it left them wondering what is the future like this is not what their future

wanted to be what they wanted it to be. Massive events that Jesus talks about during the time

of the Olivet Discourse these are the last things kinds of conversations talking about

Jerusalem talking about Israel itself he talks from the book of Revelation he talks about

things that we read later on from Revelation and thousands of volumes have been written

about all the things that will be taking place that is in Matthew 24 and Luke chapter 21.

Luke 21 · chapter mention

I consider this a double prophecy that Jesus gives in that context first as it happens

to Jerusalem now later on as it happens in the great tribulation period and if you read

chapter 21 of Luke verses 9 through 27 you see all these things before Jesus said that

and then I return I am coming back. All through the Olivet Discourse Jesus is assuring his

disciples kingdoms will clash nature will erupt disciples will be persecuted in fact

often what we see around us today is very similar to those kinds of things setting the

scene for some future apocalyptic fulfillment and the future of the world. And Jesus says

those kinds of things setting the scene for some future apocalyptic fulfillment and it

should say some day soon Jesus Christ is going to come back that all these things don't catch

God by surprise and we're supposed to lift our heads and look for the coming of the Lord

just like these disciples were to lift their heads and look for the coming of the Lord.

Now these are about 15 or 20 verses that have so many details to it I've summarized it for

you and here are the things Jesus was saying to his disciples as he said I'm coming back

he said you must first of all be patient. Secondly you need to be watchful and thirdly

you need to be faithful. You know there's so much that we have to endure until Christ comes

back so many difficult things not only Israel must endure that but we must endure that.

There's so many things that we need to be watching for. There's so many things that

God calls us to be faithful in. But as it gets to the end of the Olivet Discourse

look 21, 27. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

I just love that verse because some day Jesus Christ is going to come back with power and with great glory.

Are you looking forward to that day? I'm looking forward to that day.

And the disciples needed to hear this so bad because they didn't realize that Jesus was just about to go

down to the Garden of Gethsemane later be betrayed by Judas later be scourged later be

crucified later die and go into the tomb before rising again on the third day. They needed so

badly to know that Jesus was King. They needed to know that Jesus is coming back and they needed to know

what to do until he came back. He was doing everything saying everything that they needed before

he went to the cross. Now let me just say that this has great application to you today.

You know being a follower of Christ in times like we live in is not so easy. It's so different from what it was

a few generations ago. You realize of course that if you take a biblical stance on creation or truth

or the Bible or sexuality or gender or morality or family or honesty or anything it makes you a target

in the minds of atheists and secular humanists who really want to really want to take a stab at us.

It's so important that you just learn to be patient. So important for you to realize that Jesus has everything

in control. Be patient, be watchful, be faithful because he's coming again and when he's coming again

he's going to reward you beyond anything you can find as a reward on this planet. He's going to come

and he's going to reward us. I am coming back.

Now then Jesus went to the Last Supper, the Passover meal. Keep turning in your Bible to Luke chapter 22

Luke 22 · chapter mention

and you find in verse 19 and 20 the Last Supper. And at the Last Supper Jesus made a statement that we don't often

associate with the Last Supper. He made this statement in all that he said, I will take your place.

Luke 22 verse 19 and 20 said, this is my body which is given for you, this cup which is poured out for you

Luke 22:19

in the new covenant in my blood. Everyone knows about the Last Supper. You've seen the famous paintings

from the medieval times where Jesus is reclining at the table behind the table with 12 disciples.

So much detail in those paintings. Which one is Peter? Which one is Judas? Which one is Matthew?

As you look at those paintings, that was an intimate gathering with the disciples in that Passover meal.

It was bread, it was wine, Jesus was distributing all this. He was blessing it by praying to the Father first

before he handed it to the disciples. But what does it all mean and why did Jesus do this at the Passover?

Most of us know the Passover was instituted after Israel was delivered from Egypt. That's in the book of Exodus.

God used Moses to set the people free and from that time on they were free and they observed the Passover

which is what took place when the angel of death was going over Egypt and even those Israelites had that angel of death

passing over them but he did not put to death their firstborn because they were told to put blood of a lamb

over their door post. It's called the Passover because the angel of death passed over the homes with the blood

on the door post and that celebrated this for since the fifth century for hundreds and hundreds of years.

And it continues to be celebrated today even in Israel 2,500 years after it was first instituted.

Why does Jesus have this last supper with the disciples at the Passover?

He did that because he wanted them to remember that only by blood are we protected. Only by blood are we forgiven.

The temple was such a big deal to the disciples in that day as well because it was in the temple

and before the temple the tabernacle where the animals, the animals were slain and their blood was shed

in order to atone for guilty. Innocent for the guilty is the principle of the blood sacrificial system

and everybody associated that with the Passover and with the temple itself.

In fact if you go all the way back to the book of Hebrews chapter 9 verse 22, the author of Hebrews

Hebrews 9:22

the Holy Spirit inspired them to write this, all things are cleansed with blood and without the shedding of blood

there is no forgiveness so blood forgives guilty sin. So here's Jesus at the Passover and he says

this is the new covenant in my blood. Now the Passover was the old covenant.

God had a covenant with Israel and the old covenant was about that and the Passover was celebrating that

but now Jesus says in spite of all those years of celebrating the Passover this is not the old covenant

this is the new covenant in my blood. It's my blood now. It will be my blood that shed from this day forward.

He's telling them and everyone else in the world that needs to see this that there is finally a different

a perfect permanent sacrifice for sin and Jesus is that sacrifice once for all.

I am going to take your place. I'm sure that by now the disciples have forgotten what John the Baptist

said about Jesus when he first saw Jesus. You remember what he said, John chapter 1 verse 29

John 1:29

behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Behold the Lamb of God the one who will be

slain for us who takes away the sin of the whole world. And basically Jesus is saying the Lamb's blood

has taken your place before this day but from this day on it will be my blood that takes your place.

Can you fathom what it means for someone to take your place? For someone to stand in the gap for you

when death comes. I'm always moved by war stories of soldiers who gave their lives to rescue their comrades.

They're so noble, so incredible, so selfless. Or stories of mothers and fathers who would absolutely

give their lives for their family and sometimes have done that. It's such a testimony of love, such a testimony

of willing sacrifice to take care of someone that they love so much. This is much, much greater

because this is God in the flesh. It's like I'm going to lay my life down for yours. I'm going to die in your place.

I'm taking your place. You should die on the cross. You should die for your sin but I'm standing in the gap for you.

I will take your place. Romans chapter 5 verse 6, 7, 8 is such a great passage that explains that.

Romans 5:6

For while we were yet still helpless at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man

though perhaps for a good man someone would dare even die. But God demonstrates His own love for us.

In that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Can you imagine for just a few moments where you are

and who you are apart from Christ, without Christ? If you don't have Christ today or if you can for just a few moments

remember who you were, what you were before you came to Christ, imagine with me for a moment what it will be like

to endure all of the wrath of God on your life if you had to bear it yourself. Imagine all the wrath of God poured out

on mankind for our sin. Imagine being blinded by the brilliance of the brightest light and burned by the fire of

a thousand furnaces, being pummeled by the tempest of the most powerful hurricane for sin and we justly deserve

all that punishment but Jesus Christ goes to the cross and stands in our place. And at the Passover meal,

the last supper with the disciples, that's exactly what He's saying. He's saying, I will take your place.

I must go to the cross to take your place. He wants them to remember this moment. He wants them to understand

when they look at Him on the cross, that's why Jesus died. He didn't die in punishment that the Roman

rulers put on Him. He didn't die because of some mistake. He willingly laid His life down on the cross

as a sacrificial lamb in order to pay for my sin. Jesus is saying on the cross and to the disciples at the

Passover meal, I'm giving my life for yours. Let me just pause for just a moment. Let me ask you to sit at that

table with those disciples at that last supper. And the significance of Jesus' life and His eternal nature

means that in the same intimacy with which He died for each one of those disciples, He died for you.

It's just as real that He died for you as it is that He died for Peter or James or John or Matthew.

It's just as real that He took your place as He took their place. Will you accept it? Will you embrace it?

Will you by faith say, Lord Jesus, I acknowledge You took my place on the cross? And if you'll acknowledge

that, you'll realize that Jesus has completely cleared you of sin because of His sacrifice on the cross,

completely forgiven you before God Almighty. You have righteousness before God because Jesus took your place.

It's important that these disciples hear this message, I am a king. I'm coming back. I will take your place

because the moments of the cross would completely make them forget many things that Jesus said, but He

didn't want them to forget these things. The fourth and final thing that Jesus did that's so significant

is the Garden of Gethsemane. And in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said, I will overcome. I will overcome.

In Luke chapter 22 verse 42, the prayer that Jesus prayed and repeated three times actually was this

Luke 22:42

prayer, Father, if You're willing, remove this cup from me. Yet not my will, but Yours be done.

Three times Jesus prayed that in the Garden of Gethsemane, some significant moments of prayer.

The Garden of Gethsemane is a beautiful place. It's serene with centuries old olive trees spaced throughout.

I have a picture of that on the screen. Those olive trees, some say they're well more than the thousand years.

Some said that one of those trees was almost 2,000 years old. It's the smallest piece of real estate that

Jesus undemandably walked upon. Has been untouched over the years as it was then it is now.

As you walk in the Garden of Gethsemane, you've got that sense of reality that Jesus really did walk on this ground

and He really did pray this amazing prayer of surrender. If you're in the Garden of Gethsemane, you can look up

towards the city of Jerusalem and you can see the Eastern Gate. It's now closed. It's now blocked.

But it was the gate through which Jesus went through and nearest to those gates on the other side was the temple

that Jesus had cleansed prior to this time. The photo from the Garden of Gethsemane shows us that wall and that Eastern Gate.

It's also said that when Jesus Christ comes back and puts His foot on the Mount of Olives,

that He'll also be straddling the Eastern Gate of the temple as well, the Eastern Gate of the walls of Jerusalem.

That's in biblical prophecy. So the Garden is a place of serenity, but it's also a place of surrender.

It's a place where Jesus said, I will endure this and I will overcome.

You know the word cup here is in His prayer, if it's any possible, if you're willing Father, remove this cup from me.

It's a cup of suffering. Jesus knew exactly what He was about to undergo in these hours before the cross.

In fact, the Gospel of John said Jesus knew what was ahead of Him. He knew what He was going to face.

And it was a moment of agony where He's sweating drops of blood, where He knows He's about to be betrayed by a disciple.

He's aware that He'll be tried by wicked men. He knows He's going to be scourged and flogged by the whip,

which was called a cat-o-nine-tails and His back laid open. He knows He's going to be mocked and disfigured

by all those beatings the Bible said, almost beyond recognition.

And then He knows He's going to be nailed to a massive cross where He'll die.

But that's not the agony. The agony that Jesus is experiencing here, the cup of suffering He's talking about,

is not physical pain. It's not humiliation. It's not shame, even though all those things will happen to Jesus on His way to the cross.

The greatest agony is this one. It's described in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21.

2 Corinthians 5:21

Every believer needs to have this verse memorized. And here's what it says.

He that is God made Him, that is Jesus, He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,

so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Would you look at that statement for a moment? I've put the words to be in parentheses because they're not actually in the original.

It literally reads, He made Him who knew no sin, sin on our behalf.

This does not say that Jesus had an act of sin. It doesn't say that He sinned in any way.

This says that God placed the sin of mankind on His Son, Jesus Christ, His perfect Son, His holy Son, became sin on our behalf.

He did that in our place. And the agony that Jesus was going through in the cross was the agony of taking upon Himself that which has never touched Him before.

It's a powerful statement. And all the sin of the world being placed on Him, that weight, that condemnation, that judgment, that shame placed on the one man.

Can you imagine the difficulty of knowing that you would bear the sins of the entire world?

Could you imagine the love that had to be going on in His life where He would say, I'm willing to do that.

I'm willing to become sin. I'm willing to feel the weight of wickedness.

And in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus ended that moment of prayer by saying, I'm ready, I'm going, I'm going to overcome this too.

I will gladly drink this cup of suffering so that you might become the righteousness of God.

I will gladly walk through all that is coming so that you might become the righteousness of God.

I will bear the sins of the world and overcome so that you might become the righteousness of God.

I will be beaten and spat upon and overcome in so many ways so that you might become the righteous of God.

I'll endure a harsh death at the hands of wicked sinners so that you might become the righteousness of God.

I'll be buried in a tomb, dead for three days,

descended to Hades and come back from the dead

and overcome so that you might become

the righteousness of God in me.

That's what I'm doing.

That's what I'm doing.

That's why I'm going to the cross.

That's why you'll see all these things unfold on me.

Jesus suffered, bore our sins,

died and overcame it all for you.

That's why he is away in the truth and the life

and no man comes to the Father except through him.

Because only Jesus could have done that.

Only Jesus did that.

He leads the way for us.

It means he secures salvation for us.

It means that we're not required to live to perfection

because we can't anyway.

And whatever has been done in our past

in the way of sinful actions,

he has forgiven and covered that

by the blood of Jesus Christ.

It means that you and I are right with God.

We have the righteousness of God

that we only get through Jesus Christ.

We've become righteous by his actions, not ours.

These disciples needed to hear this

before they saw Jesus naked, bleeding and dying on the cross.

Otherwise they could not have processed that well.

There's no song that is sung in many churches.

It's an old hymn.

And I thought of the song whenever I was reading

through this text this past week

and I actually posed the question to myself

before I thought of the song,

how can it be that God would love me so much?

How can that really be?

And the song word is, the lyrics go,

amazing love, how can it be

that thou my God should die for me?

Have you ever thought about that?

Have you ever thought about how amazing

his love for you must be?

For him to undergo all that he did in order to secure you,

forgive you, cleanse you, draw you,

save you, redeem you.

It's incredible love.

You've never been loved like this before.

No love that you have ever experienced on this planet

will come close to comparing with the amazing love

that God has for you expressed through Jesus Christ.

God demonstrated his own love for us

and that while we were yet sinners, Christ did.

He died for us.

Wow.

He wants his disciples to know

that how does that make you feel?

What does that make you want to do?

What do you think when you think about

the amazing love he had for us to die for us?

I've written three things down.

I'm first of all grateful.

I am so grateful that I have somebody

that loves me so much

that he would lay his life down on the cross for me.

Secondly, I'm humbled.

I'm humbled.

He did what I could never do.

He fulfilled the law.

He was righteous before God.

I could never do that.

You could never do that.

None of us could do that.

There's not enough religion in the world

to get us to that place.

There's not enough good works in the world.

But Jesus did all that for us and it leaves me humbled.

I continue to believe there are no proud Christians.

If they're truly Christians, they must be humbled.

He did what you could never do.

It also leaves me surrendered.

If he did this for me, how could I not follow him?

If he loved me this much,

why would I find love in any other place

that would vie for my loyalty

to the one that died on the cross for me?

Four events in places.

Four distinct statements before going to die.

I am king.

I'm coming back.

I will take your place.

I will overcome.

Is he your king?

Are you watching for him to come back?

Have you accepted his offer of dying in your place?

Are you surrendered to him as king today?

You know, if what Jesus did is true,

if you believe that this is historically a fact,

it has to change the way we live.

It has to change the way we worship.

It has to change the way we look at life.

He's done all those things

so that you might have real life with him.

In just a few moments,

we're going to invite you to two or three things.

First of all, we have invitation stations

that are in our building,

and we'll light those up over these next few moments.

On your way out, you'll see the big banner,

an invitation station.

You'll see people that are ready to pray with you

and talk with you.

Today, if you've not responded

to what Jesus did on the cross to you yet,

or if you've responded in a way that was clearly

inadequate for what he did for you,

if you're only paying lip service as a disciple

instead of yielding your life,

surrendering your life to him,

would you stop and talk to someone

and let them visit with you

and pray with you about the decision

to follow Jesus as king,

knowing he's coming back,

knowing he's died in your place,

knowing he's overcome on your behalf.

Stop by and talk to them.

But we're here to pray with you

and help you in the simplest way to know

I've made my decision to follow Jesus Christ.

Secondly, I want to invite you, if you're a guest,

to come to our guest reception room

right outside the center exit doors across the hallway.

I'll be there to greet you. Love to meet you.

If you're a first-time guest,

I actually have a voucher for a free food truck lunch outside,

and I would love to give that to you.

And I'm the only one that has those,

so you have to come see me if you want to get those.

Thirdly, I want you to realize

this is an amazing week for you to invite others.

We've mentioned this earlier in our service.

And what an opportunity for you

to bring others with you this next week.

At the end of our service, I hope you'll hang around,

enjoy lunch at the food trucks,

meet some people that may be brand new here.

This is their first time here,

and we would love for them to meet you

because we believe that those relationships

can be so good, so helpful.

Would you stand with me as I close us

in a word of prayer today?

Father, today I thank You that we can look at Passion Week,

the week of the love of Jesus spread out, poured out for us.

And see those significant moments,

the moment where Jesus rode the colt, the donkey,

down the Mount of Olives,

the moment where He came back to teach,

the moment in the garden,

the moment in the Last Supper.

Father, I pray that You would use these words of Jesus

and these events to impress on our heart

what You think about us and what You've done for us.

And then, Father, I pray that we would have the capacity

to respond in faith and gratitude and humility and surrender.

Lord, help us not take these moments lightly.

These are so real, so powerful.

Thank You for doing all this for us.

As we leave today, I pray that we'll experience incredible things this week,

Easter week, as we contemplate, as we worship You,

and as we give thanks to You for dying in our place.

Father, I ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

God bless. You're dismissed.