The Impact of the Empty Tomb: Fulfillment! | Dr. John Ewart

Hey everybody, this is Pastor John Ewart from Inglewood

Baptist Church in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina.

Thank you so much for tuning in to our podcast.

You're going to hear from God today as we share from his word

about important issues facing your life that can guide you

according to the Bible. Well, good morning, Inglewood.

Good to see everybody here this morning.

Thank you for being here on Palm Sunday.

And I don't want to distract us at all from what this week

means. I need to make one quick

announcement and update to our church family on a special

thing. It's AI think an exciting

announcement, but I need to go ahead and make this real

quickly. And then we're going to move

right on to Luke chapter 19. So if you want to be turning to

Luke 19 · chapter mention

Luke Chapter 19, I appreciate that very much.

Luke 19 · chapter mention

Thanks for being here. Listen, several months ago I

shared with you that we were announcing some changes to

King's Academy at the school that we have here.

And some of you may or may not have heard that, but we are

stopping our K through 2 program this May.

We want to continue to reach families, continue to reach

kids. Appreciate the work that's been

going on. Staff and families have known

about this for several months, but we want, we are going to

just focus on our preschool for now.

So I just wanted to share a few exciting new steps, next steps

with you. The new name, we are going to

rebrand, relaunch, promote this school in a different way.

And so the new name is just simply the Academy at Inglewood

Baptist Church. This will be a true ministry of

the church LED as part of our children's ministry.

There'll be some special arrangements because of tax, ID

or credit and arrangements, I mean, and, and finances, but

it'll be a part of that ministry.

So our director of children's ministry, Laura Klontz, who has

extensive experience with weekday church based school

programs, is going to serve as the staff liaison and will also

lead the academy's leadership and administrative team with

Catalina still serving as the day-to-day director.

For those of you who know anything about a school that

meant something to you, but the, but the exciting part for us too

is that as we continue to enhance the school, we just want

the, the expectation between the church and the school are going

to be enhanced. This is a real ministry of the

church. We wanted to be consistent with

other ministries in the church. So we're going to relaunch the

school with a new name, new promotion, and I pray even

greater participation and support from you all.

And some of this will occur as early as this fall.

We're also forming a school board to help counsel and

promote and support the new school.

So I'm just asking you to pray as and rally around the support

as we continue to reach young children and reach families with

the gospel. So this will be our preschool at

Englewood and just wanted to give you quick up, a quick

update on that. So some of you who are very much

involved with that would know and then others who have no idea

what I'm talking about would know something.

How about that? Now let's focus.

It's Holy Week, and I don't know if you know it or not, but

Easter's here. Isn't that amazing?

Next Sunday is obviously Easter. Easter is interesting because

Easter's about the only holiday where you can talk about an

empty tomb and a basket full of chocolates in the same sentence.

And both of that works out to be good news somehow.

And so. But I pray that we understand

the real truth and the, and the priority of its eternal meaning

and significance. So really pay attention to what

Pastor Gene told you. I know it's a lot, there's a lot

going on this week. This is a special week.

I'm just begging you to give this week to the Lord and to

celebrate with us on Wednesday and Friday and of course,

Sunday. You know, the Greek word that's

used for Easter or the Greek word Easter comes from is

actually the Greek word is pashka.

And it's a combination of Aramaic and Hebrew where they

took these words that actually meant the Passover.

And so the, the root of the word we call Easter actually has its

root in the Old Testament Passover and meaning.

So this is the passing over of Jesus from death to victory and

then our opportunity then to Passover from sin to

forgiveness. And, and so we need to stop, we

need to focus, we need to celebrate.

Well, what all this means. This is the highest holiday of

the year for believers. And so I hope that we'll cherish

it, that we'll cherish it as such, and we'll remember what

Christ has done for us and his sacrifice for us and rejoice

over his victory for us. And so I really do hope that

we'll celebrate this week. And next week we'll celebrate

the impact of the empty tomb in a special way.

So today we're going to join him just a few days before the

cross. The weight or the shadow of the

cross must have weighed heavily upon his heart.

He knew what was coming. He was never surprised by the

cross. And so he arrives in Jerusalem,

and he knows why He's arriving in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

He's arriving to die for us. Now it's Passover season.

And so every adult Jewish male who lived within 20 miles of

Jerusalem was supposed to show up, and then every Jewish male,

regardless of where they lived, hoped to go to Jerusalem at

least once in their lifetime in order to celebrate Passover.

So this is a big deal. In fact, 30 years after the

Passover that we're reading about today, at 30 years later,

a Roman general, a Roman governor, excuse me, took a

census of how many lambs were slain at Passover during his

day, and the number was 250,000. And so there was 1 lamb for

every 10 people. So that would mean that

somewhere around 2.5 million Jews, Jews are coming to

Jerusalem to participate in Passover.

So the city is packed with people that are there just for

the holiday. But this year that we're going

to read about in Luke 19, this year is going to be different.

It's going to be very different because 1 lamb, a perfect lamb

is going to be slain for all people so that they might

experience salvation and death might Passover us eternally.

This is worthy of our celebration, but before

sacrifice in a very unique moment, and I don't know how you

how unique you recognize this, but it's the the triumphal entry

is a very unique moment because his glory could not be fully

contained any longer before he sacrifices.

It was time for him to be revealed.

It was time for his glory to show.

So we see that that it was time to complete the Father's

mission. So what we're talking about

today is we're talking about how he came in fulfillment and and

and so this Easter we're going to walk with Luke this this

whole week we're going to walk with Luke and the gospel of Luke

through his version of Easter. Look at Luke 19.

We'll start in verse 28. And we had said these things.

He went on ahead going up to Jerusalem and when he drew near

to Beth is in Bethany at the mount.

That is called all of it. He sent two of his disciples

saying, go into the village in front of you, where on entering

you will find a colt tide on which no one has ever set yet

sat untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you why are you

untying it, you shall say this. The Lord has need of it.

So the first thing we're going to see, we're going to see four

things this morning about Christ's fulfilment.

The first thing we see is that it was planned.

This is not a surprise. This is not some random event.

This is not just haphazardly taking place.

This entire experience is is Jesus following predetermined

instruction, giving his disciples predetermined

instructions to prepare the way. This is the only time.

This what makes it unique. This is the only time Jesus

planned and promoted a public demonstration.

This is the only time he's planning ahead for something

like this. In fact, if you read the Gospels

carefully, you'll notice that Jesus very often hushed people

about himself. He hushed men.

He hushed demons after he would set people free from demons or

he would heal people. He said, now don't tell anybody

who I am yet. It's not time for me yet to be

revealed. It wasn't time for him to be

declared as the Messiah yet, but now it was time.

No more secrecy. Now He planned the celebration

himself. So the cross was at hand.

It was time for him to confront sin and Jesus knew it and He's

willingly going to do it. He planned it.

This is a plan, an eternal plan that was in place before Genesis

1, before man sinned in Genesis 3.

This is an eternal plan. It was time for the truth of who

he was to be revealed. And over these next few days,

right cheer and Rocky Mount America, I pray it's time for

the truth of who he is to be revealed for us too, and for

your friends and for your neighbors and for your family

members. So I want you to take seriously,

we got a whole bunch of these still.

I want you to take them by the handfuls.

In fact, I would normally never share this with you, but I'm

going to say it out loud today. This afternoon, Teresa's been

working for days. I'm preparing little Easter

baggy goodies for our neighbors. And this afternoon we're going

to try to invite 40 something of our neighbors to be here with

us. Next week.

We're going to go door to door to door to door to door to door

to door to door to 43 Four. Take a bunch of these and invite

your friends before you leave. Don't forget, everything he

planned was fulfilled perfectly. Look at verse 32.

I'll prove it. So those who were sent away and

found it, just as he had told them exactly what he said.

And as they were untying the colt, its owner said to them,

why are you untying the colt? And they said the Lord has need

of it now always find it funny right there.

You notice there's nothing written next where the owner

said well, so obviously he just went right along with him.

It was all it's almost suit. It's it's miraculously

supernatural in the way it's being done.

The owner didn't gripe about somebody basically taking his

donkey away. Look at verse 35 and they

brought it to Jesus and throwing their coat cloaks on the colt.

That's hard to say. They're cloaks on the colt

practice that this afternoon at lunch say that 10 times fast and

throwing their cloaks on the coat colt.

See, they set Jesus on it. Now Matthew tells us it was a

donkey. Luke doesn't say what kind of

animal it is, but but Matthew does.

And this is really significant because the donkey was actually

a royal animal of Jewish monarchs.

It was a symbol of peace. And so Jesus rides a donkey into

Jerusalem, not a War Horse. And this is really important

because as many of you know, the popular concept at that day and

time, especially of the Jewish people of their Messiah was a

Davidic king riding in on a White Horse who's going to go to

war and destroy Rome and set them free and set up his Kingdom

right there in Jerusalem. But that's not the true story.

Here we see Messianic fulfilment in the form of the Prince of

Peace. But, but, but listen friends,

don't worry. Next time he comes, it's going

to be different. Next time he comes, he's going

to come as King Jesus, sovereignly fulfilling his

Father's will and power and majesty.

In fact, let me just read about it.

Let me just read from Revelation 19 because it's that good.

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold a White Horse.

The one sitting on it is called faithful and true, and in

righteousness he judges and makes war.

His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many

diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but

himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped

in blood, and by and the name by which he is called is the Word

of God. And the armies of heaven,

arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on

white horses. And from his mouth comes a sharp

sword with which to strike down the nation's.

And he will rule them with a rod of iron.

He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the

Almighty. And on his robe and on his thigh

he has a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Now, a lot of folks just want to kind of box God up as God as

this God of love. And he is that he's all that

more that more so than they understand.

But he's also a God of holiness and he will be a God of

judgement. And we need to be ready.

Are we ready? Are we ready for this?

What if he were to come this week?

Are you, are we ready for him to come?

You can prepare for that even right now, today.

Now, this Friday, we're going to celebrate the Lord's Supper in

our Good Friday service to remember what he's done for us.

But when we proclaim or perform the Lord's Supper, participate

in it together, the Bible says we're also proclaiming him until

he comes again. So we're making a proclamation

about his death. We're making a proclamation

about his second coming. Every time we have the Lord's

Supper. The Bible also says that we need

to examine our hearts and be prepared to partake in the

Lord's Supper in a worthy manner.

So I hope that you're actually going to prepare yourself.

Be ready. Be here for the prayer meeting

Wednesday night. It'll help prepare you.

We're actually going to go back and look at the suffering

servant passages in the in the in the prophet Isaiah's writings

and see how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament as he came.

It's going to be a powerful time Wednesday night.

You want to be here, Pastor Charles, been working hard on

that. So is your heart ready?

Are we ready today? Look at verse 36.

And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the

ground on the road. Sorry.

And he was drawing near already on the way down the Mount of

Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice

and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that

that they had seen, saying, Blessed is the king who comes in

the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

Not only was this all planned, but we also see that Christ's

fulfillment was praised. This is a moment for his glory

to be recognized, His identity to be seen.

So they used their garments as a saddle and for a royal carpet.

And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.

Now literally the way that's written in the Greek languages

is they continuously spread their cloaks on the road.

So that means that everybody ahead was doing that.

It might mean that as soon as he passed by, they picked these up,

ran ahead of him and put them down again.

But this royal carpet, like a royal salute.

This is this is a reminder of Second Kings 9.

And it's like the royal salute when they gave to Jehu when he's

anointed and declared king. Recognize and understand the

divine royalty of King Jesus. That's what Palm Sunday is

about. Salute him.

Salute him with the very shirts of self off your back.

Lay down the garments of your own glory, lay Him down in the

dust before Him and recognize who He is.

Crown Him and celebrate Him as the Lord of all.

And you got to do it before it's too late.

He's the fulfillment of the perfect plan of the Father,

designed before time began, and He deserves all praise.

We need to humble ourselves before Him, but some find that

difficult. It's always amazing to me.

Some people will come next week. They'll come because mom and dad

invited them, or Grandma invited them, and they got to go to

grandma's to eat lunch on Easter and have an Easter egg hunt or

whatever they're going to do. And they'll sit here in this

room and they'll hear all about Jesus.

They'll hear about his resurrection.

They'll hear everything that the gospel would hold next week and

they'll walk right out that door like nothing's happened.

Some find it very difficult to humble themselves.

Some believers are the same way. They come in and and it's all

about them and what they want or what they wish rather than what

King Jesus might want. Many believe that this life is

just for them. Many believe that they actually

should have the power to control their own life and manipulate

their own life. They don't understand what life

is at all. Some of them are like a

woodpecker. It's like the story of the

woodpecker who is pecking away on a tree.

Suddenly lightning hits the tree and splinters their trees a

million pieces. And as the woodpecker flies off,

he looks back and say, look what I just did.

But today, this week, this Easter, we have the opportunity

to be reminded of the truth. The truth.

I've quoted Corey 10 Boom often here.

I I don't really quote her as often as I feel like I have in

this last year. But Corey 10 Boom was once to

ask, is it difficult for you to remain humble with your

notoriety, with your celebrity? If you don't know who Corey 10

Boom is, you need to Google that later.

And and and her reply was simple.

She said this. Let me just read it.

When Jesus wrote into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a

donkey, and everyone was waving palm branches and throwing

garments on the road and singing praises, do you think that for

one moment it ever entered the head of that donkey, that any of

that was for him? If I can be the donkey on which

Jesus Christ rides in his glory, I'll give him all the praise and

all the honor. Now the other gospels tell us

that they saluted him with branches.

Matthew uses words for twigs or shoots young branches.

John uses the word for palm branches, which is why we call

it Palm Sunday. Mark actually uses a very unique

term where he talked about leaves being strewn together to

form a bed or a carpet. So you got to have this imagery

of this green carpet being rolled out with, with plant life

and then garments being placed on top of that in this royal red

carpet or Colt carpet of many is literally as Jesus is entering

and all that's taking place. It reminds me our Uganda team is

finishing up their work in Uganda.

They've shared the gospel with with hundreds and hundreds and

hundreds of kids. I almost said 1000 and probably

is just short of 1000, but it's almost that high, hundreds of

kids. And then they've been training

church leaders who are going to lead thousands of other people.

And they've been worshiping this morning.

They're already way ahead of us. So they were worshiping this

morning and Palm Sunday. I bet their worship services

lasted 3-4 hours. Don't worry.

But they did that. And it reminds me as they're

coming home, they were in the mountains, way high in the

mountains of Africa. And it reminded me of East

Africa a lot. And I was reminded that in East

Africa, when there's a car accident in East Africa and

other parts of the world too, But in East Africa, they'll tear

off branches and they'll put the branches on the road, up the

road from the accident. So if you're coming around the

corner, you're coming down the road, you'll see tree branches

in the road. That means there's something big

that's happened up there. There's an accident or there's

something important or construction or something going

on up ahead. So slow down, take it easy, pay

attention. So here were these garments,

here was this Garland of praise all over the road, making an an

announcement that there's something really big up ahead.

There's something really significant coming.

And so as Jesus draws near, the whole multitude of disciples,

they, they broke out in praise courses believing that they were

in the presence of their Messiah, believing that he was

incredible. The new king is here.

So they rejoiced. They actually imitate heaven for

just a few minutes and they recognize him and they praise

Jesus as king. Mark says it this way.

And Mark 11 and those who went before and those who followed

were shouting, Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the

name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming Kingdom of

our Father David Hosanna in the highest.

And again, because it was Passover, there's huge crowds

there. And and they wanted to see the

miracle Rabbi. Some, some might have believed

it was the Messiah. Others had heard about the

miracles that Jesus performed. His notoriety had preceded him.

And we got to go see the miracle Rabbi.

And they began to cry out Psalm 118 in praise and in fulfilment.

As they went down the road, this was a praise Psalm that was

connected to the Passover and also connected to the Messiah.

The word hosanna means save us. We pray save us.

We pray save us. We pray the King's come for

them. But this week I pray you'll cry

Hosanna because he's come for us as well.

So publicly declaring Jesus as Messiah was their response.

It has to be ours too. And so I I pray that something

about Easter excites you. I pray that something about

Jesus excites you. I pray there's something there

that they get your heart stirred.

I mean, does the thought of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done

create a sense of passion in you or have we become so used to it

over the years? You know, it's March Madness

time. I've heard there's some game on

later today. People cheer, people shout,

people have parties to watch the game together.

They wear logos. They they, they have banners.

Last night, Teresa and I and our family were invited to the

Lenovo Center to watch the Carolina Hurricanes play their

game and and watch my son propose to his fiance on the big

Jumbotron. And she did say yes, which was a

good thing. But thank you very much.

But we have no idea what dates or anything are yet.

But but his company owns a suite there and they were extremely

get gracious. They paid for this whole suite

with food and everything. And we were all hiding up in

this suite and he was down in some regular seats and he had it

arranged to where they would call him out and kind of play a

price is right kind of game on the big jumbo screen and and he

kneels down and he proposes. But as I was sitting there, I, I

don't know if you've ever been to a hockey game or not.

I don't go to to them often, but but the Lenovo Center has been

seriously ranked as the loudest arena in all of professional

hockey. And so if you ask me a question

later today and I go, huh, you just need to know I'm, I mean,

I've anyway, it's loud and it's passionate.

I was watching people. I think I was the only one not

wearing a hockey jersey. And, and people are screaming.

And of course, the the canes won and they were yelling.

And every time somebody got in trouble on the canes, they'd Boo

real loud and they'd scream whenever we scored.

And, and, and I mean, the place is not a seat in the place

packed out with people. What are we going to do this

week for Jesus? Can we make Holy Week a

priority? It's upon us.

Will we cheer for King Jesus? Some never would.

Some are more passionate, and some will be here more

passionate about some secular version of Easter than they are

about Jesus. And some will dismiss again what

it means. How many times will they be able

to do that? Even some who may come here next

week, they'll they'll hear, but they'll reject.

But this isn't new. Look at verse 39.

This is not new. Some complained back then in the

face of God's truth and grace too.

Look at verse 39 and some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to

him, teacher, rebuke your disciples and he answered, I

tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.

So not only is it planned, not only is it do we see it's he's

praised, but this is the opposite also happens.

His fulfillment is persecuted. Matthew 2110 says that when he

entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying who

is this? That word stirred up means moved

like an earthquake. I mean, the whole city knows

he's there. They're all aware.

But some, some saw this public demonstration and they were

disturbed by it. It was not proper.

This is not normal. We're not used to this.

It actually scared him a little. Whose city stirred up Some

things I'm just afraid are never good enough.

Some folks just tend to be critical all the time.

No matter what, no matter what sermon they hear, no matter what

God does for them, they just seem to be critical.

I've been studying numbers in my personal quiet time and I've

just hit that point to where they're they sent the spies into

the promised land and then they come back and they've seen the

plagues of Egypt. They watch God part of sea.

They saw God provide quail and manna.

They've seen pillars of fire and cloud by day.

Oh Moses, how come you didn't leave us back in Egypt where it

was better? We would rather eat the meat

pots and the onions and the garlic and slavery then be here

with God. Some people, it doesn't matter

what sermon they hear this. Their seat wasn't soft enough.

It wasn't angled the right direction.

Something didn't happen just right the way they want because.

Because that's all that they see.

Humanity's that way. I mean, even the Garden of Eden

wasn't good enough. How come I can't have that tree

I know I got? I just want that tree.

Why are we that way? The cross isn't good enough, The

empty tombs not good enough. Jesus isn't good enough.

Grace isn't good enough. Forgiveness isn't good enough.

And so humanity becomes bound by their own definitions, their own

rituals, their own control of what they thought they think is

proper, right, or true. And they can't see the real

eternal truths right in front of them.

Please hear this truth this morning.

I've been begging God that you would believe that Jesus is good

enough. Please believe that this week.

Trust that is grace. Trust that is peace.

Trust that is forgiveness. Trust that is that is, that is,

that is sacrifice. Trust that they're good enough.

And celebrate them because these religious leaders were more

focused upon a concerned about how to condemn than they were

how to celebrate. John tells us that they were

actually seeking a way to put him to death and destroy him.

And they and they would soon hypocritic to think about how

hypocritical this is. They would soon cry out we have

no king but Caesar choosing to side with the oppressing Pagan

Romans over the Messiah. This Easter you're going to have

to choose. People are going to make

choices. Will you surrender to his love

and grace? Will you surrender to the truth

about our King Jesus or will you ignore the truth?

Years ago, thinking about the mountains of Uganda made me

think about when we lived in Arizona and we were the plant

church planting hub of Northern Arizona in the mountains, some

of these tall Rocky type mountains.

And, and we planted a church in a little town called Wilhoit,

Arizona. And the only way to get to Wil

Hoyt in those days, it's probably changed now.

It was a little 2 lane Rd. that hugged the side of a mountain.

I mean, you were doing this and there's a sheer Cliff down on

this side and you're just hugging that mountain the whole

way there. And, and when you're going

there, you'd encounter a dangerous curve ahead.

Signs you had to make a choice. Am I going to ignore that sign

or am I going to observe that sign and slow down?

You can ignore it and maintain your current speed.

You're going to defy it. Speed up.

But whatever response you exercise, you're not going to

change the truth of the sign or the road.

The curve remains dangerous and you will fall whether you

acknowledge that fact or not. Teacher, rebuke your disciples.

Not a chance. Jesus says not a chance.

Even the creation knows better than you.

Even the creation will cry out with the truth.

The rocks know better than you religious leaders.

You guys are Dumber than a rock. I mean the stones of cry out

with the truth you reject. So will we cry out about the

Messiah this morning? Will we cry hosanna, or will we

rebuke and reject? We've got to celebrate the

greatness of the King this week. We need to allow His grace to

free us and restore us, awaken us, revive us in a new way.

Look at verse 41. And when he drew near and saw

the city, he wept over it, saying, would that you, even you

had known on this day the things that make for peace, but now

they're hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you

when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and

surround you, and hem you in on every side, and tear you down to

the ground, you and your children within you.

And they will not leave one stone upon another in you,

because you did not know the time of your visitation.

The last thing we see is that Christ's fulfilment was also

extremely prophetic. He's not only fulfilling Old

Testament prophecies throughout his entire life.

So he he came to fulfill the Father's will.

And this whole scene of the triumphal entry is actually a

fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, but it's also an event

for future prophecy. Matthew 21 says this.

This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet,

saying say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your king is

coming to you humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal

of a beast of burden. This was a fulfillment of

Zechariah 99. So Jesus entered Jerusalem as

Israel's Messiah, but he also talked about the future.

He wept over their future. He knew that soon they would

reject Him and that ultimately they would face the destruction

of Jerusalem and they would face the destruction of their beloved

temple in the year 8070 by the Romans.

A true fact. The Romans came in and destroyed

Jerusalem. God visited His people as He has

promised. The Messiah came to seek and to

save the lost, but but they refused to recognize Him.

They refused to see God's glory in Jesus.

And in just a matter of days, those people, those crowds who

praised him crowds would soon be crying out crucify him.

Even his own disciples would reject, deny, run.

That places you, that places all of us in kind of a spot of

decision this morning and this week.

What are we going to do right now?

What are we going to do this Easter?

Are we going to recognize him in a new way?

Will you celebrate the King with me this Easter?

Will you relinquish the throne of control of your life and give

it to him where it belongs? Or will you try to hold on to

yourself with some kind of death grip?

And because you need to be careful, because at some point

the term death grip will be the proper one, Acknowledge his

perfect fulfilment. Acknowledge the only plan of

salvation. In the year 1715, King Louis the

14th of France died. Louis was a very powerful king,

and perhaps more powerful in his own mind than even in reality.

But he called himself great. He declared himself great.

He once made the statement I am the state and his court was the

most magnificent in all of Europe.

You can still go there and see remnants of that incredible

Kingdom that he had and gold and lavish luxury.

He pre planned his funeral and to be and to be this massive

spectacle. His body lay in a solid gold

coffin and he ordered that the cathedral be very dimly lit and

that the only real light in the whole cathedral was a a special

candle sitting right above his casket, so that you would see

his casket and you would see him in all his glory.

The Bishop steps up to begin the service.

Thousands of people are in attendance, all hushed in

silence. The Bishop stands up and begins

to speak, but before he says a word, he slowly reaches down and

he snuffs out that candle and he says only God is great.

Will we acknowledge the greatness, the triumph of the

entry of Jesus? Will we celebrate our King this

Easter? How well will we do that?

I've been praying that Easter would be a catalyst for so much

more, for revival, for spiritual awakening.

I pray. I pray that we respond.

Father, thank you. Thank you for your greatness.

Thank you, Father, that that you're a patient, gracious,

merciful God, but that, Father, you're also a God of truth and

ultimately a God even of judgment.

Father, thank you for the faithful servants that serve

here. Thank you for those who are

walking closely with you, sensitive to Your will, abiding

in You, serving you. Thank you, Father, for them.

Help them to feel your your presence.

Help them to feel your pleasure. Help them to feel your blessing

upon them. Thank you for so many.

But Father, I also want to pray for the person who doesn't even

know you. I have to, Father.

I pray that that they'll recognize that this Easter, that

this Sunday, that right now and this very moment that they can't

simply treat this like every other moment.

Father, I pray that your Spirit is speaking to them and drawing

them to you. I pray, Father, that they'll

recognize their need for you. Father, maybe they need to pray

some prayer sort of like this, that where they say, Father, I

know I'm a Sinner. We all sin.

Every one of us is a Sinner. Every one of us has fallen

short. Every one of us has said

something, thought something, done something contrary to God's

word and God's will. We're all sinners.

Father, I know I'm a Sinner and I'm sorry for my sin.

I want to turn for my sin. I want to repent for my sin.

So I asked Jesus to come into my heart, to be my Savior, to be my

Lord, to forgive me, to restore me.

And I want to serve him, the power of the Holy Spirit.

I want to serve him in the church.

Father, if anybody here needs to pray some prayer like that, I

pray, Father, that they'll let us know so we can pray with

them, encourage them. Father, also pray for believers

who just recognize they've just been kind of going through the

motions. And the Father, you would

forgive a spirit of complacency, a spirit of apathy, a spirit of

selfishness. And that, Father, this would be

a time of renewal, a time of revival that spills over into

awakening into this community, into the state and out into the

nations. Father, help us to celebrate

you. Help us to recognize Easter.

Help us to surrender in Christ's name, Amen.

I'm going to ask you to stand with me.

Our worship team is going to lead us.

There'll be some pastors here, but you don't have to come talk

to us. You can go straight to the next

steps room and visit with someone privately, discreetly.

This want to pray with you and encourage you.

You can come here and pray at these steps or come talk to us

if you need to. But what we really just pray

that you'll do is what God wants you to and that you won't wait,

you won't hesitate, you won't put it off, you won't reject it,

that you'll come and surrender to Him.

Thank you so much for listening today.

And I also hope that you'll go to

[email protected] as well as our app and find many

other resources that will bless you and your families.

Thank you once again.