Sermon
Palm Sunday 2026 "The Stones Will Cry Out" | Luke 19:28-41 | Pastor Keith
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Title of the messages or the stones will cry out.
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I'm not talking about The Rolling Stones or the stones
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will cry out in this passage. And on this day, we enter into
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the holy of Holy Scriptures this morning as we're just days from
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the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus with Jesus to be crucified
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on the Thursday of the coming week due to it being a double
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high day. That is a double Sabbath at this
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time of the Passover at Christ's death, a double high day.
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What is that? It's a double Sabbath.
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The Bible refers to that whenever there's an an annual
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festival and the normal Sabbath, a high holy day, and they fall
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on the same period as the weekly seven day Sabbath.
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This creates what's called a double holy day.
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Frequently referenced in the context of the crucifixion is
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why they hurried to have Jesus buried quickly in John 19 verse
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31 to explain the timing of the Passover.
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At the time of Jesus death Jesus lived just 33 years, his active
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ministry just three years, but the last week of his life.
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The Gospel of Matthew gives 1/4 of the entire gospel to it,
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chapters 21 to 28. Mark gives 1/3 of his gospel the
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last week of Jesus life, Chapter 11 to 16.
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Luke gives 1/5 of his gospel chapter 19 to 24, the last week
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of Jesus life. The apostle John gives over 1/2
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of the entire gospel chapter 12 all the way through to 21 on the
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last week of Jesus. So there's 89 chapters in the
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Gospels, 29 1/2 of them, exactly 1/3 recount what happened
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between today, Jesus triumphal entry and his resurrection.
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That's a lot. So let's look at the background
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before we read our text. The city of Jerusalem at this
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time, it's Passover. It's teeming with people.
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Probably some 2 million to 2.5 million additional pilgrims have
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arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.
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The amazing event, an account that occurred 1500 years earlier
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in Egypt. You remember the death of the
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first born Jesus is coming. He's he's he's headed from
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Caesarea Philippi right up on the border of Lebanon and he's
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made his way in Caesarea Philippi.
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He said to Peter and said to the disciples who do men say that I
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am? And they said, well, something,
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it is something you that, and then Peter says you're the
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Christ, you're the son of the living God.
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And from that moment on, Jesus began to tell them of his death
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and they headed to Jerusalem, quite a journey from Caesarea
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Philippi to the north all the way to Jerusalem.
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And on the way, he's coming from Bethany now into drew into the
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Mount of Olives, the area of Olivet just opposite the mount
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of the Temple Mount. And he spends the Sabbath
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Saturday at Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
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Now the interesting thing is Lazarus, remember, had been dead
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just a little while back. Jesus had called him back from
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the dead. And his death is not a
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resurrection. He was called back from dead
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because Lazarus would die again. Jesus resurrection is the only
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resurrection because he was raised never to die ever again.
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And so here Jesus is the Passover lamb.
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And at the same time as all this is happening, Jesus is near
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Bethany and it's just those 22 KS from the Temple Mount to
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kilometres 260,000 lambs. Over 1/4 of a million lambs have
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been herded into the city, into Jerusalem for the sacrifice.
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Because every family had to have a lamb.
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If you didn't have enough, you need to have 10 of you.
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Every family had to have their own lamb, had to be selected,
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and had to eat and consume that whole lamb together as a family
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to celebrate Passover. So it tells you how many people
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there were. And so all these lambs are being
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herded into Jerusalem. And Jesus is now about to
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choreograph, orchestrate a massive public demonstration as
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he offers himself as the king of Israel.
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Now at this time, Jesus has a price on his head.
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They want him dead. If you dobbed in Jesus, told the
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religious leaders where he was, you would get a reward so that
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they can arrest him and kill him.
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Jesus turns this on its nose and he comes in publicly to this
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massive crowd. Now, it's no ordinary Sunday.
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This Sunday, Palm Sunday, the prophet Daniel had predicted
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this day. You and I read Psalm 118.
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We read the words, this is the day that the Lord has made.
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We used to sing that in church. This is the day that Lord has
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made. We would go out and rejoice in
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it. Well, it's not talking about
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just every every day. And yes, God has made every day,
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but it's talking specifically about Palm Sunday.
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This day it was predicted. That's why they're singing it in
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Psalm 118 as Jesus is riding in Daniel said, and he prophesied
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from the time from Artaxerxes, King Arxerxes of Persia, Medo
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Persia from the decree that he gave to Nehemiah for the
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ordering and the rebuilding of the temple, which was in ruins
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until the coming of the Messiah would be 7 weeks and 62 weeks.
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Daniel Chapter 9 verse 25. That's 69 weeks in total.
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The literal translation is 7 sevens and 62 sevens. 7 was a
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common designation for a week in Hebrew culture.
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But more literally it's 69 * 7 years which is in the old maths
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483 years to the day to the day. Daniel said from the time that
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art exerts, he said Nehemiah go and rebuild the walls of the
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temple of Jerusalem until Palm Sunday to the day it's 483 years
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exactly. Jesus is the Messiah, it says in
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verse 41 of our text. Luke 19.
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Just drop down there. Now as Jesus drew near, he saw
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the city and he wept over it, saying if you had known even
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you, especially in this your day, they should have known who
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it was, how he was coming, who it is on this day.
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Because their Bible that they went to the synagogue and they
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read and they studied over and over and over.
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All the prophets said He's coming on this day.
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They should have known all this is the day he's coming, but they
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didn't. Then Jesus said the things that
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make for your peace, but now they are hidden from your eyes.
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In Psalm 118, which we read, it says verse 22, the stone which
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the builders rejected Jesus is the cornerstone, has become the
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chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing.
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It's marvellous in our eyes. Psalm 100 and 1824.
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This is the day the Lord has made.
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What are we to do? We will rejoice and be glad in
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it. Why the messiahs come finally.
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This is why Jesus said on this day, years in the making and
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prophesied. If on this day human voices
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failed to rejoice, Jesus said the stones, the very stones
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would cry out their praises and hosannas.
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Now each time I go to Israel, I actually happen on the journey
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that Jesus took. So I've been a couple of times
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and it's these stones, these very stones.
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But Jesus would have rode over with his donkey and if the crowd
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had a kept silent, I wonder what these stones would have blasted
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out. The Bible speaks clearly with if
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that the world rejoices, the trees clap their hands, the
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hills and the valleys, they rejoice.
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And so these stones, Jesus said, if the crowd is quiet, then the
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stones are going to cry because this is the day, this is the
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great day. So let's read verse 28.
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So Jesus, when he had said this, he went on ahead going up to
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Jerusalem and came to pass when he drew near to Beth Phage and
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Bethany. It's just as I said, when you're
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looking for the Mount of Olives back towards the temple, Beth
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Phage and Bethany had just around here crossover the Kidron
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and you go like one to two, about two kilometres up to the
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Temple Mount and the mountain called Oliver.
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Then that he sent two of his disciples saying go into the
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village opposite you where as you enter you will find a cult
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tied. So there was a mother and a new
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cult, a mother donkey and a cult tied on which no one has ever
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sat this cult. No one has ever ridden this
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cult. Loose it, undo it from its
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reins. Bring it here.
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And if anyone asks you why you're losing it, what are you
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doing? You shall say to them all,
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because the Lord has need of it. So those who were sent went
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their way, found it just as Jesus had said to them.
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But as thou undoing the, the the reins to loosen the cult, the
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owners of it said to them, Hey, why you loosen the cult?
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And they said, well, the Lord has need of him.
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And then they brought him to Jesus, and they threw their own
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clothes on the cult. And then Jesus sat on him.
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And as he went, many spread their clothes on the road, as
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you can see behind me. And then as he was now drawing
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near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of
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the disciples, the old city, the crowd began to rejoice and
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praise God. Notice this with a loud voice.
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You know, if you ever get the chance to go to Israel, and I
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still hope we can get to it there in January, you'll hear
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when something happens in Israel, they're loud.
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When families get together and they celebrate Sabbath and when
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they begin singing, when they have a wedding, they have a bar
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mitzvah and anything like that, it's it's loud.
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You and I, we've got to get used to something.
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When we get to heaven, heaven's going to be loud.
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Heaven's going to be loud. And so it was cranking.
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They were really crying out and singing at the top of their
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lungs. Praise God with a loud voice for
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all the mighty works they had seen.
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Notice they're praising God for all the things that God had
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done. That's why you praise God.
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If you praise God, I should ask you, well, why are you praising
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God? You shouldn't be able to say I'm
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praising God because of what He's done in my life.
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He's given me a family, He's given me a wife, given me a
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husband. He's been here, He's faithful to
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me, He loves me, He's forgiving to me.
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That's why you can praise God. There's always a reason why you
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praise God, not just well, I think this is what we do before
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the bloke starts speaking about something and it says they were
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saying blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord,
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peace in heaven, glory in the highest singing.
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The Psalm that we read and some of the Pharisees is that the old
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party poopers religious leaders called the Jesus from the crown.
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Hey teacher, rebuke your disciples or this is only for
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the Messiah. It's funny how you can know the
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Bible not know Jesus. You know, there's a lot of
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people that know the Bible. I know the Bible, Genesis X and
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I know all the people in the Bible, but you know they don't
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know God. You know about God, but you
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don't know God. The religious leaders were that
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Jesus answered and said, if I tell you he's pretty savvy on
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this, if this should keep silent, the stones would
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immediately cry out. And everyone always says if only
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they kept silent for just a little bit, see what would
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happen. So how was all this that
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happened on Palm Sunday carried out?
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All things were prepared, planned and in place on this
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day. Zechariah, the prophet
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Zechariah, Chapter 9, verse 9, written 520 years before the
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birth of Jesus, gave this prophecy, which the Jews knew
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of, to identify who the Messiah is.
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Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.
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That's Jerusalem. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem,
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behold, your King is coming to you, how he is just having
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salvation. Lowly riding on a donkey, a cult
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the fall of a donkey specific see why it's specific and he
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could have just said he'll come, he'll enter.
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Now why does the Bible give us all that specific detail?
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Because he wants to tell you this is how God worked.
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God operates in the area of specifics my life, how I live
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and how long I live. God has down to the dot went on
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to to go home. Actually, the Bible says in the
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book of Proverbs, he says that every step I make, he plans the
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steps of a good man, the Bible says are ordered by the Lord.
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So your life, you may think it's well, I'm just bumbling here and
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going there. No, no, no, if you're a child of
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God, God is controlling and directing, ushering, shepherding
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off, protecting, and you don't know about it, but he's guiding
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every step of your life. I love that because when I think
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about our children and our grandchildren, when they go off
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to school and you can't watch over them, the Good Shepherd
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does. The Good Shepherd does 520 years
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before the birth of Jesus Christ.
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Zechariah gives this absolute specific prophecy going to the
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village when you enter, you'll find a cult.
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Tide, a cult. No one's ridden it loose the
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colt, and they ask you why you're losing it.
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Tell them the Lord has need of it.
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Who arranged all this? Didn't just, you know, the guy
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didn't just go. Why are you taking this?
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Who? Oh, the Lord has need of it.
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OK, you know what? You know, we kind of think this
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way. It's been arranged by God.
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Jesus has gone ahead and arranged all this.
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So the first point today there's going to be 4 is Christ's
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perfect knowledge. Jesus Christ not only a man born
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in Bethlehem, but he was also God, the Son of God.
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Romans Chapter 9 verse 5 says in the new living, Abraham, Isaac
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and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an
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Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned.
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And he is God as well, the one who rules over everything and is
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worthy of eternal praise. Amen.
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So he's a man, but he's also God, God Incarnate.
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The thought of Jesus Christ, perfect knowledge, should alarm
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all sinners, all those who don't know Jesus.
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And the thought that Jesus Christ knows everything should
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alarm every Sinner. Why is that?
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That Christ is omniscient. All knowing should wake every
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Sinner and turn them to repentance.
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Why? If someone knows all about you,
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isn't that a bit wow? They know everything, absolutely
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everything about you. It tells us that the Holy God,
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God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, knows every minute
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detail about every part of my life and your life.
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He knows, He knows every, he knows what you're thinking now.
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He knows what you're going to think in 5 minutes time.
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He knows when you're going to stand up before you're going to
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stand up, when you're going to sit down before you sit down.
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In Luke chapter 12 verse 7, it says I've always thought, why is
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this in here? It's kind of like it's a bit
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weird, but even the very hairs of your head doesn't say I
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counted as such. It says they're numbered,
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numbered. That's like it's another detail.
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It's like 123. Some of us help.
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We've got four or five others. We have how many?
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And God is why is that in there? Why does why does the Bible say
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God knows and has numbered every hair on your head because the
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next part of that verse says therefore fear not because you
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are of more value than that of a Sparrow and he throws in the
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sparrows. Then what is that?
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Remember Pastor John Miller telling me this is just great
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little thing and I've always mentioned that Jesus attends the
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funeral of every Sparrow. God knows whenever and I I never
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forget I was coming down one day and I ran over.
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Unfortunately one of those water hens that you know, run all over
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the place and I hit 1 and I know I've run it over and I get out
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of the car, stop, pull over and I got to pick it up, take the
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side of the road. I feel like I'm the most evil
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person in the world and I take it across and it's laying down.
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I can't do I can't do nothing like 2 of that to it, you know.
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And then as I'm seeing there, it's eyes went, it's eyes
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closed, it died, I felt. This small but in the Bible
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tells me that God knew God was there.
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You see, God is telling you through this verse, I know
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everything, everything about you.
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I know everything about everything that every time you
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see a little dead bird. Now remember you know who's been
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there. Jesus has been there.
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He knew that little bird was there.
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Jesus attends the death of every Sparrow.
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Now, if you're a Sinner for all sinners, Jesus knows what He
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knows what they've done. Everything is everything you've
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done. He knows what they've thought,
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Every thought, every thought. How often did Jesus answer a
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question when the religious leaders were around him and they
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haven't even asked it and he's gone.
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He was thinking that and they've gone.
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Who blabbed? Who slips sank ships?
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Who said, you know, he knows what they thought.
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Jesus knows every word that they've said.
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Nothing is hidden. Nothing is hidden.
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God knows everything about us. Jesus Christ, who is coming back
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to judge the world in righteousness at His second
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coming, tells us that heaven contains the records of all that
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exists of a person here on earth in full detail.
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Now we have smartphones, we have AI, and now you can be talking
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and or you send an email off about something or you're
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talking and all of a sudden you're up on your phone pops an
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advert, doesn't it? Oh, here's where here's a good
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holiday for you. You go, what?
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Where's that come from? Or you send an email to someone
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about something and next an advert comes or a are you
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thinking of? Here's a good thing for you to
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buy. Our smartphones, our laptops,
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everything's listening. If you have Alexa, it's
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listening. Never does what you tell it to
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do. All these things are going on
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around us. A little Chinaman sitting in
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China going, I know what you're doing, He's running everything.
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No, sorry, I shouldn't say that, but but God knows everything.
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In Revelation 20, verse 12, talking about these books, it
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says, and I saw this is John, I saw the dead small great stand
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before God and the books and the books were opened, plural, lots
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of books. And another book was open, a
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specific book which is the book of life.
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And the dead were judged out of those things which were written
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in the books. Everything's recorded everything
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according to their works. So when the dead stand before
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God, there's the great wide throne Judgement.
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It's not like I won't. Yeah, no, no.
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I have a reason. It's Panorama.
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Here you are. This is who you are.
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This is what you said on January 21, 1964.
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This is what you thought. December 2021.
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This is what you did. It's all it's all recorded.
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That's why it says in Romans chapter 3 that when sinners
Romans 3 chapter mention
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stand before God in the judgement day, their mouths will
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be closed. You'll have no excuse.
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You know your gaps. Just you're done.
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It's not a it's not a case. Are you good or bad?
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Remember the great white throne judgement is a sentencing.
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It's not like, oh, let's see if you can come into heaven or not
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according to the works. Matthew 12, verse 36.
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Jesus says this, but I say unto you, Jesus says, but I say unto
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you, every idol, I kind of like that word that men shall speak.
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Every idle word they shall have give account of thereof in the
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day of judgement. Every idle word you're by
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yourself. Man wish that bloke get off the
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road. Every idle word, every detail.
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You see, the Bible tells us of Christ's perfect knowledge.
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That's how Palm Sunday was so beautifully set up and planned.
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God knows everything. That's why he said it all up
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perfectly, that there is no where we can hide.
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David wrote Psalm 139 verse 7. Where can I go from your spirit?
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Where can you hide from God? Where can I flee from your
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presence? These are all questions.
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If I ascend into heaven, you're there.
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If I make my bed in hell, behold, you're there.
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It goes on to say Psalm 139. Your eyes saw my substance being
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yet unformed. You saw me before I was created
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and my heart started beating. Before there was even 1 cell of
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me in my mother's womb, you saw me.
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And in your book it says again. And in your book, Psalm 139,
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they were all written. In other words, God knows all
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about you before you're born, before a cell.
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We have started beating that day.
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And in the book, in heaven, everything is written down of
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what you're going to do, what you're going to say, what you're
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going to think. Staggering, staggering, the
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day's fashion for me. You have written down, whereas
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yet there were none of them, but you had them all, all recorded.
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When judgement begins during the tribulation period after the
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rapture of the Church, God knows where everyone is to the
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minutest detail. Now it's physically where you
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are spiritually, what's going on in your heart, and he knows all
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your emotions. In Revelation chapter 6, when
Revelation 6 chapter mention
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judgement has begun, this is after the church has been
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raptured and judgement starts to be poured out upon the earth.
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Revelation 615 it says and the kings of the earth, the great
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men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men,
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every slave, every freeman hid themselves in the caves and in
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the rocks of the mountains, said to the mountains and rocks fall
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on us and hide us. Can't hide what from from the
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face of him who sits on the throne, From the wrath of the
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Lamb. That's why the church won't be
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in the tribulation period, because the wrath of the Lamb.
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Jesus has taken our wrath when He died on the cross for us, but
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the judgement during the tribulation period upon those
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who rejected Christ falls on them and it comes from God
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Himself for the great day of his wrath has come.
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Who is able to stand, who is able to stand means you're
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guilty. You are guilty.
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But now to those you and I, we pray, who today called Jesus
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Christ our Saviour and Lord the omniscience, the all knowing
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power of Christ should what not scare us?
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It should come for us. How how does this comfort us as
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a Christian today? One, it means our masters eyes
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never off us. I love that I don't know about
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you. I've been in several situations
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in the ocean ocean where I thought I'm going to die and I
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literally thought I'm going to drown.
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One, we were shipwrecked out in the in the sound and people were
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looking for us and there are miles in and we were miles out
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and we're sinking. It's getting dark.
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I thought we're done. We've been surfing in the
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morning and it's spear fishing all afternoon and we got sailing
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and the boat sank although we cooked.
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It was another time down South surfing and surf.
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They shouldn't have gone out in and massive set hit me and I
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lost my board. It's just torn off me and I
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thought I'm going to drown. I am.
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I'm struggling here. I'm out in the middle of nowhere
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struggling. But you know, the Bible tells me
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God is watching over me. The Master's eyes never off me.
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He knows where we live. He knows your situation, where
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you're at now. He knows our daily trial.
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You go off to school and you got a difficult teacher or this
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situation, or you got a bully at school or or whatever, or you've
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got a difficult boss or you're in a workplace where it's just
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so anti God. He knows.
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He knows who our friends are. He knows our every thought and
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word before we even think them. He captures beautifully, the
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Bible says in Psalms, every time you weep and you shed a tear,
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the Bible says he captures that tear, puts it in a little
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bottle, stores it. He controls.
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Daniel tells us how every breath, you know, you have no
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control over your breath right this moment.
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It's an involuntary action. Your lungs are moving.
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You're not telling them to do that.
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Those people that have to do that have to live, you know,
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operate what's called a, it's called an iron lung.
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So they could live for you. You're sitting here today.
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You're sitting here today living and breathing.
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By the grace of God, His breath is keeping you alive.
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Your heart is beating. You have no control of your
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heartbeat and he's just keeping it pumping.
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But you know, the beautiful thing is that all of this is in
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the hands of my heavenly Father. How good is that?
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So that when anything would stop, I know, oh, God says this
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time I have nothing. I have No Fear now.
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So we can take confidence and courage from this.
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And you should know John chapter 10, everyone of you should read
John 10 chapter mention
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John chapter 10 and make it one of your favourite chapters just
John 10 chapter mention
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like it is mine. Why?
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Because it talks about the Good Shepherd.
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He knows the sheep. He calls you by name.
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He protects you, keeps the wolves away from you.
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He'll never have any allow anyone to take you out of his
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hand. He watches over you, you see, He
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knows when you're slandered. He knows when the boss or some
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workmate is saying something, or person at school, or a
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schoolmate is saying something about you and you know it's not
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true, or it's going on a text. Someone sent a text and saying
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this about you. Ever had someone lie about you?
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He knows when you're misunderstood.
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Well, that's not what I meant. I never meant that.
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I never meant that. He knows when you're
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misunderstood and he knows when you're mocked.
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I remember being in a workplace and there's certain chap just
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screaming at my face. You're one of those born
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againers, are you? You're one of those born
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againers, are you? All these other men around him.
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And he was just like this far away from my face.
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I said, yeah, I am actually. And he was shouting at the top
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of his voice, making himself like an idiot.
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I didn't have to do anything. Now none of this matters to you
-
and I because why? John chapter 21 verse 17 says
-
when Jesus was with Peter and restoring to Peter, remember
-
cooking breakfast and it said to Peter, you know Peter, do you
-
love me Peter, do you love me? And then on the third time,
-
Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?
-
And Peter was grieved because twice already.
-
Now this is the third time he said to him the third time, do
-
you love me? He said to him, Lord, you know
-
all things. You know that I love you.
-
I love that because there are times when you and I are acting
-
rather foolish, not acting correctly.
-
You know what, God even knows you still love him.
-
And when you're not being very loving to someone or very right
-
before him, he knows you love him.
-
Peter said, Lord, you know all things, you know I love you.
-
Second point, Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on that fateful
-
day, the first part Sunday, and received adoration and public
-
praise. And for the first time he
-
allowed it. The whole city of Jerusalem, the
-
whole multitude of the disciples says in verse 37, they were all
-
rejoicing around him. They were all praising him and
-
singing hosanna. Hosanna means save now, save now
-
son of David. And it was, as I said, loud.
-
It was loud. Some of you need to move a
-
little bit from your librarian culture make up and you need to
-
move a tad. And you know, when we sing a
-
song about lifting your arms, you can go.
-
I ain't lifting my arms. Well, Jesus lifted his arms and
-
he was crucified for you. I think it's just worth it.
-
You'll go to the football and you'll go.
-
Oh, go. But Dad, I thought you don't
-
lift your arms. Oh, give him the joy and the
-
praise. He's, he's Jew.
-
Let your children see how much you love the Lord.
-
This day was like no other Jesus 33 years previous.
-
Previously, Jesus had withdrawn himself from the crowds, hadn't
-
he purposely? He's usually returned to the
-
desert place to get away from those he healed.
-
He said. Now don't tell anyone about the
-
healing. Be silent.
-
But today is different. Palm Sunday.
-
Jesus courts, He encourages and he approves the public
-
attention. Jesus wants the multitudes to
-
take notice of his entrance into Jerusalem.
-
Why? Why?
-
Good question. The Lamb of God that John the
-
Baptist had declared was coming in to Jerusalem, The Messiah,
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the Lamb of God to end all sacrifices.
-
This sacrifice, John sees Jesus coming unto him, John 129 and
-
said, behold the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins
-
of the world. Now on Palm Sunday, it's the
-
10th of Nissan, not Nissan the car, but Nissan the Hebrew
-
month. It's the 10th of Nissan.
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Now on the 10th of Nissan, if you go back and read Exodus 12,
-
chapter 12, on the 10th of Nissan, the lamb that was to be
-
inspect that that was to be eaten and killed for the
-
Passover was inspected. And it was inspected for four
-
days leading up to the 14th of Nissan, which was Thursday, the
-
day of sacrifice. Jesus rides in on the 10th of
-
Nissan, according to Exodus Palm Sunday.
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He's going to be crucified on the 14th.
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You see, the Lamb of God was about to be slain.
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Jesus rides in and what he's doing, he says, here I am.
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I am the Messiah, I'm here for inspection.
-
I am the Lamb of God. There is, there is no spot, no
-
blemish. I'm innocent, I'm guiltless.
-
I've done no sin, nothing. I am the Lamb of God and that's
-
why He declares and allows this, this massive praise and
-
adoration of him. He's stating I am the Lamb that
-
is going to end all sacrifices. The Lamb of God.
-
The Lamb of God was about to be slain.
-
The great sin offering the sacrifice to end all sacrifices
-
was about to be killed and all Israel should have known this.
-
He's the Messiah, but the joy of that day was short lived, wasn't
-
it, when he presented himself? Because there is coming, but
-
there is coming another day when Christ will return to rule and
-
reign, the second coming to establish His Kingdom.
-
And on that day Paul writes Philippians 2 verse 9.
-
On that day, therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given
-
him the name which is above every name, that on that day
-
that the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in
-
heaven, those on earth, those under the earth, that every
-
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of
-
God the Father. That's what's coming when he
-
returns the second time. No rejection.
-
Third Point, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem.
-
Why did Jesus do this at this time, this great day?
-
Why, why, why in the midst of this, this moment of prophecy,
-
of prophecies, does he weep? Jesus knew the hearts of the
-
inhabitants of Jerusalem, his people, He knew of their pride.
-
He knew of their self righteousness.
-
They just thought, born a Jew, I'm, I'm good with God, Gentile.
-
They're just for wood, for the fires of hell.
-
He knew of this stubbornness. He knew the rejecting of the
-
truth. It was not hidden from Jesus.
-
Jesus knew in just a few days what they were going to do to
-
him. He came riding in, knowing that
-
this crowd, Oh yeah. He knew of his unfair trial.
-
He knew of his being handed over to the Gentiles, to the Romans
-
to be killed under pilot because the Jews couldn't do capital
-
punishment. He knew of the cruel whipping
-
that he was about to face, the many beatings he would get, the
-
spitting and the fight, the tearing of his beard, the
-
mocking. And he knew of his crucifixion,
-
the most horrific death, shamed for all the world, treated like
-
a convict and killed in the midst of two other convicts,
-
criminals. Yet knowing all this, Jesus
-
pitied Jerusalem. He didn't go.
-
Man, this crowd, you know what I should do to this crowd.
-
You know what they're going to do to me.
-
I should just, but Jesus wept for him.
-
You see, that's the God of the Bible.
-
You and I can't comprehend God. If you and I were like God, we'd
-
kill everyone. As I said, you know, one night
-
in the youth and I said, why doesn't God just get rid of
-
every bad person, every evil person?
-
I said, well, we'll all be dead because the Bible says no, it's
-
none, right? Just no, not one.
-
So Jesus weeps. Matthew 9 verse 36.
-
We know the heart of Jesus because previously he'd seen the
-
crowd. When Jesus saw the crowds, he
-
had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless,
-
like sheep without a shepherd. The word compassion, it's the
-
literal word of, of of of the innards, His gut, his.
-
Oh man, look at these people. That's the God of the Bible.
-
You see, we make a massive mistake if we think Christ cares
-
only for those who believe in him.
-
Jesus cares for all humanity. John 316 For God so loved who?
-
The world that whosoever it's your choice, that whosoever
-
would believe in him, should not perish, but have everlasting
-
life. Christ's heart is wide enough to
-
know intimately all mankind. When Judas betrayed him in the
-
Garden of Gethsemane, what did Jesus say?
-
You rat man? I knew you, he says.
-
My friend, He called him my friend.
-
He betrayed me with a kiss. How?
-
How was that? Christ's heart weeps for every
-
man, woman, every boy, girl on earth to whom he gives the
-
breath of life itself. The Bible tells us we serve a
-
God that is ready to forgive. Did you know that?
-
Ready to forgive? God's not just sitting there.
-
Yeah. Not yet, no.
-
A bit more. No.
-
The Bible actually says that God leans in to those of us who went
-
in living in our sinful ways before we found Christ.
-
And the Bible says in Psalm 86, verse 5, these words, O Lord,
-
you are so good, so ready to forgive.
-
It means Jesus is leaning in. He's just waiting for you to go.
-
Lord, I need to say, yes, I'm here.
-
Remember the prodigal father and the prodigal son came home.
-
Dad didn't go like most Australian dad.
-
Yeah, I don't want to say. Just get to the room.
-
Wash up. We've been working here.
-
The farm. Me and your your brother.
-
You've gone off. You've blown everything.
-
You want us to look up. You want us to, you know, drink.
-
You take you all back now and everything.
-
Everything's all good and dandy. You wish me dead.
-
That's us, isn't it? But no, the prodigal father,
-
it's the only time you see in the Bible God in a hurry.
-
It's the only time you see God in a hurry.
-
He pulls up his garment, which was not the right thing to do.
-
And he ran down and hugged his son who smelt like a pig pen.
-
And I mean, I've worked with pigs.
-
That's that smell stays it is rank hugged him.
-
What did he say? Party get the calf, get the
-
cloak, get the ring, get the shoes.
-
Yo, my son who is dead is now alive.
-
That's how he thinks of you. That's the God of the Bible to
-
you. Jesus weeps.
-
But here's the other thing. But ignorance is not excusable.
-
He's a holy God when people should know the truth and refuse
-
to know it. I know what you're telling me.
-
It's true. I know it's right, Romans 118
-
says. But God shows his anger from
-
heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the
-
truth by their wickedness. In other words, the truth keeps
-
trying to help them and help them and help them, and they
-
keep pushing it away. I don't want to.
-
I don't want to. I know it's right.
-
I remember witnessing in in, in Perth one Sunday night, the US
-
fleet was in town. We're giving a Bible tracks.
-
All these sailors said, hey guys, you know, thinking that
-
they know that. And the guy said, man, I know
-
about the Lord. He says, but I'm here to sin.
-
So that's knowing the truth but suppressing it.
-
Romans 119 They know the truth about God because he has made it
-
obvious to them. There's people who know what
-
you're saying is right. They know it's truth and they
-
go, I don't want it. I know what you're telling me is
-
true. I know I should get my heart
-
right. I know what you're saying it's
-
true. I don't want it.
-
It's a dangerous place to be. Why is it dangerous?
-
Because their guilt is very great in God's sight.
-
It's deliberate ignorance and will never be allowed as a plea
-
in man's favour. On the contrary, it will
-
increase their guilt. 4th and final point, Jerusalem, a city,
-
had been privileged. Palm Sunday, the Son of God
-
himself had visited at the time prophesied and the way
-
prophesied, miracles had been performed in our walls by Jesus.
-
That's why they were rejoicing. Read back through the text.
-
They praised God for the things that they've seen and heard.
-
The greatest preacher and teacher had filled the air of
-
Jerusalem with the word of God from God's lips himself.
-
The message was plain and clear. Repent and believe.
-
But all these were disregarded. This rejection, Christ himself
-
declares, when they should have known, was to be the turning
-
point to their ruin, to their guilt.
-
And in just a few years, on 70 AD, 40 odd years on, the city
-
would be in ruins. The Sporia would come.
-
General Titus would light siege, take him.
-
This rejection would be their ruin.
-
You see, you and I find ourselves living in the last
-
days of Bible prophecy. There's coming A1 world leader.
-
There's coming a cashless society.
-
We're just about there. There's coming a point where you
-
won't have to worry about credit cards and all these numbers that
-
you've got your pen and all that.
-
There's coming a time when you have to, if you want to buy or
-
sell, be part of the world lawless society, anti God.
-
You'll have a mark here or a mark here.
-
So you won't have to worry about, you know, what's my pin
-
number and swipe on the card. It'll be or just a laser across
-
here and it'll come up. There'll be a false prophet
-
because there'll be a one world religion headed by the false
-
prophet who's the right hand man of the, the new world leader,
-
the Antichrist. And so there's coming a massive
-
shift to our world economically, politically and spiritually.
-
Let me ask you, can you see that now where we're shifting?
-
I mean, you, you'd have to be blind to not see what's going
-
on. Can you see where we're at?
-
It's getting set. It's so close.
-
Is Christ today the question is once more weeping over his
-
people, his creation. Does the world know of Christ
-
soon return? Are they listening or have they
-
rejected the gospel of truth because it says in Second
2 Thessalonians 2 chapter mention
-
Thessalonians chapter 2 during the tribulation period when the
-
Antichrist is on his throne ruling his dictatorship and the
-
church has been taken out. Verse 7, it says for the mystery
-
of lawlessness is already at work.
-
That's back 2000 years ago. Only he the coming of the
-
lawless. 1 the Antichrist is according to the working of
-
Satan. Satan himself will be using this
-
man to rule the world with all powers, signs and lying wonders,
-
and with all unrighteous deception among those who
-
perish. That means you're lost for good.
-
Why? Because they did not receive the
-
love of the truth that they might be saved.
-
It's like Pharaoh. Each time Moses came to Pharaoh,
-
let the children go. Let my people go.
-
Let my people go, Pharaoh. No.
-
And another plague would come. A massive miracle occurred.
-
And in the end, it says God set Pharaoh's heart.
-
It's coming to a place where you reject Jesus Christ.
-
You knowingly reject it, you're done.
-
That's it. It says in Romans, God, God
-
gives you over to a reprobate mind.
-
It says verse 11 and for this reason these people, God will
-
send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie.
-
You see, it's it's over that they all may be condemned who
-
did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness,
-
who now restrains will do so until he is taken out the way.
-
When sinners believe God and God's truth, God saves them.
-
But when they believe Satan's lie and reject the love of the
-
truth cannot be saved. Being neutral about God's truth
-
is a dangerous thing. It has eternal consequences.
-
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jesus said you kill the prophets and stone
-
those who sent to her. How often?
-
I just wanted to gather you as a mother hand gather the chicks
-
under her wings. But you were unwilling.
-
You made the decision. We're not standing in Jerusalem
-
today. This Palm Sunday, Calvary
-
Chapel, Secret Harbour. We're not seeing Christ ride in
-
on a cult as it happened, but we are still in the crowd watching
-
on and needing to make a decision on who is this man.
-
Palm Sunday was the proclamation to the world that this man is
-
the Christ, the Lamb of God. When beaten and bloody Jesus
-
stood beside Pilate and Pilate said to the crowd, You remember
-
therefore, when they were gathered together, Pilate said
-
unto them, Who were you that I release unto you Barabbas or
-
Jesus, which is called Christ? Pilate said unto them, What
-
shall I do with Jesus is called Christ?
-
And they all said unto him, Let him be crucified, let his blood
-
be upon our children and our children's children.
-
When Pilate saw that he could prevail, nothing, but rather a
-
tumult was made. He took water and washed his
-
hands before the multitude, saying I'm innocent of the blood
-
of this just just person. He was guiltless.
-
See you to it. Like here's the deal, Pilot,
-
you're not innocent. You had a choice.
-
You had a choice Pilot before you stood the truth and you
-
rejected it. You see, no one is innocent.
-
What do you say today for this man?
-
And resurrection from the dead, when he rose from the dead, blew
-
up all man's reasons and excuses to say who is this man?
-
Today, Palm Sunday, you must decide what to do with him.
-
As our worship team comes forward, I want to read just a
-
few words from an old hymn that tell it best.
-
He came from his blessed throne, Salvation to bestow.
-
But men made strange, and none the longed for Christ would
-
know. But all my friend, my friend
-
indeed, who at my need his life did spend.
-
Sometimes they strew his way, and his sweet praises sing,
-
Resounding all the day. Hosanna to their King, then
-
crucify is all their breath, And for His death they thirst and
-
cry. Why, what has my Lord done?
-
What makes this rage in spite? He made the Lamb to run, He gave
-
the blind their sight sweet injuries, Yet they these
-
themselves displeased. And against him rise just to
-
know you.