Palm Sunday

Morning.

Welcome, glad you're in the room joining us online.

My name is Die.

I'm part of the team here at our Mill Creek campus,

and it is my privilege to remind us of the

significance of Palm Sunday, or if you don't know, to

help us learn the significance of Palm Sunday. It's a

big deal to us. Let's just talk about calendars for

a minute. So if you've looked at a calendar anytime

in your life, you know that there are regular, recurring

holidays on your calendar. Some of them we really like

because they involve no school and hopefully no going to work.

Those are usually our federal holidays, things that are really fun,

like Fourth of July. Things that are very family oriented,

like Thanksgiving, which is one of my favorites of the year.

But if you've looked at a calendar recently, you'll see

there's all kinds of additional things now on the calendar,

different from when I was growing up. Now there are

all kinds of cultural and religious days that are marked

on the calendar as well.

So some of those.

Special days are things like I'm going to get hopefully

extra points for saying this one Administrative Professionals Day is

coming up in a week and a half. Shout out

to the admin team of Venture Church that make our

lives work. But also things like nurses and teachers appreciation days.

There's our Armed Forces Recognition Day, so there's all kinds

of things that happen on there regularly. What you may

not know, though, is that there are both solar and

lunar calendars. So let's go a little nerdy for a second.

And even if you've heard us talk about Palm Sunday

in the past years, because we talk about Palm Sunday

and the significance of it every year. This is like

I went on a rabbit hole of studying the lunar

calendar just to understand a little bit more. But the

solar calendar is based around the sun. You probably guess

that that's pretty basic, but we follow Our Western calendar

is a solar calendar, you know, the one that has

three hundred and sixty five days in a year except

for leap year where Sean King.

Gets a birthday. We love that one.

But we understand how that calendar works. It marks the seasons,

it marks the solstices, the you know, the the solstice

where you get that longest day of the year or

the shortest day of the year. It marks the beginning

of like spring and summer, et cetera. And then there

is the lunar calendar, which doesn't just mark the phases

of the moon, but the entire lunar calendar is based

on the moon. So a month begins when a new

moon begins. So when that little crescent first forms on

the moon, that's the beginning of a new month. So

that is how the lunar calendar works. And in most cases,

our western solar calendar isn't really affected by the lunar

calendar except when it comes to Easter. And that is

why Easter is so incredibly confusing, because it really the

date is really affected by both calendar solar and lunar.

So we'll dig into that in just a second. But

here we are on Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday, as Brandon mentioned,

kicks off what is known as Holy Week. There's all

kinds of content on our What's Next page for you

to dig into what is Holy Week, But this is

the week that leads up to Resurrection Sunday, Easter Sunday.

It was the last week of Jesus's life, and as

it turns out, the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke,

one third of each of those.

Books is focused on that last week of Jesus's life, and.

The Book of John half of the book is focused

on the last year or week of Jesus's life. And

that last week of Jesus's life, which launches on Palm Sunday,

which we're going to dig into, includes not just Palm Sunday,

but includes like conflict with religious leaders, it includes this

last meal, the last supper that Jesus celebrates with his

closest friends and followers, his disciples. It includes Judas's betrayal

of Jesus. It includes Peter's denial of Jesus. It includes

this scandalous illegal trial in which the innocent Jesus is

declared guilty. He is sentenced to death on the cross

that happened on Friday. We call that Good Friday, but

Good Friday really is Horrible Friday. It's when Jesus is

beaten and killed, mercilessly, hung to die a criminal's death

on a cross.

And then, of.

Course, our entire Christian faith is built on Hinges on

Resurrection Day, Sunday. We call it Easter Sunday, the day

that we celebrate that Jesus just didn't die on a cross,

but he then defeated death, hell, and the grave and

resurrected on Easter Sunday morning.

Today we are gonna tackle this.

Like, what is the significance of Palm Sunday? Why is

it even called Palm Sunday? What's the significance of it?

And why did Jesus have to go and die on

our behalf? Why does this week lead up to the.

Death of Jesus? Why did he have to die before

we do that?

Though, let's pray if you will join me, Jesus, we

don't want to just rush by these next few minutes

where we talk about this significance of your willingness to

lay down your life for each and every person. So

help us to have soft hearts and minds that are attentive,

and even if we're familiar with this story, help us

to learn something new that is life transforming for us.

It's in your name, we pray.

Amen.

All right, First, let's go back to an address the

fact that Easter constantly moves on the calendar. I was

listening actually to a country station this week and the

two hosts were chatting and one of the hosts of

the station was talking about how her birthday is April twentieth,

and what in the world how can I have to

share my birthday with Easter? And how can I only

share my birthday with Easter like one out of ten years,

and why is Easter the most confusing holiday? And who

even knows how the date for Easter is chosen as

someone just arbitrarily picking a date. And then they said,

in fact, if you know the answer to this, could

you call in and tell us why Easter is on

my birthday this year?

And I helped my phone.

I was like, Nah, she probably isn't looking for the

answer I'm going.

To give her.

But it is really important that we teach and understand

why Easter moves around, what is it based on and

so we think it's so important we teach on it

every year in some form or other adventure, and we

have been for over ten years. While most dates that

we celebrate regularly are regularly occurring or easy to know,

either because they're always on the same date Christmas December

twenty fifth, or because they follow a pattern. Mother's Day

second Sunday of May or Thanksgiving.

Last fourth Thursday of November.

Easter does not follow that pattern, as you're aware. Easter

instead is the first Sunday after the first full moon

after the vernal equinox. I know, if you've been around,

you probably were just saying that with me under your breath.

If you're new here, you're wondering why on.

Earth do we care? Well we do. That's the thing.

It's important.

It's the first Sunday after the first full moon after

the vernal equinox. Again, it's a combination of the solar

and lunar calendars, and so what kind of sets the

dominoes in motion? Is the sun crosses the equator. So

here we are today, April thirteenth, twenty twenty five. The

vernal equinox was March twentieth. That's also known as the

first day of Spring. It's the day where we look

out the window and nothing changed, but everything changed because

now we have hope. Okay, So vernal equinox March twentieth

this year, last night, but past midnight, so already into

Sunday was the first full moon after the vernal equinox,

which is why Easter will be the Sunday to come,

so next Sunday. So that is the chain of events

vernal equinox, first full moon, and then the next Sunday

after it. If you look on your calendar right now,

you would see that today is marked on a.

Calendar as Palm Sunday.

You might all so notice though, that today is also Passover.

It began last night as sundown, which is extra confusing,

and so Passover also moves around on the calendar. And

for simplicity for today, for our purposes, we're going to

focus on when was Passover during Jesus's last week on

Earth and what is the significance of Passover the last

week of Jesus's life on Earth. Palm Sunday and Passover,

Historically speaking, that last week of Jesus's life are both

directly tied.

To what we call Easter Resurrection Day.

So it is fair to say it would be hard

for us to understand the significance of Easter if those

two other days are so directly tied to it unless

we understand those two other days too. And really the

hinge point is Passover, So today to understand Palm's which

is today, and Easter, which is next Sunday.

We have to understand Passover. Are you with me? Are

you sure? Okay? Calendar Christmas December twenty fifth, Okay, all right,

So what is Passover?

So we just concluded here adventure our series through the

Book of Genesis that took us quite a few months,

and just a couple weeks ago we concluded. We parked

that series in the last chapter of Genesis with God's people,

the Israelites in Egypt, where the pharaoh who is in

power at that time, has been very gracious and has

provided a place for them to live and has agreed

to care for them and protect them. So israel is

in Egypt. However, if you go to the first chapter

of the next book, which is Exodus, you will see

that in four hundred years time, things have changed drastically.

The pharaoh, who is now in power, is now brutally

oppressing the Israelites, and they are enslaved to this pharaoh.

And now things have changed and.

They are crying out to God for a deliverer. They're

asking God to rescue them. Scripture says that after four

hundred years in slavery, the Israelites are now crying out

to God.

That's the phrase.

And the word that that phrase comes from is the

word Hosanna. Okay, so say Hosanna one more time in online.

Hosannah great. Hosanna means God save us. Okay, Hosanna means

God rescue us. Hosanna means God deliver us, Send a deliverer,

send a rescuer. So the people are crying out Hosanna,

and God responds. He hears the cry, and he responds,

and he sends them a rescuer, a deliverer.

It's a guy by the name of Jesus.

For our purposes today, we're gonna summarize this by saying

Moses was a Hebrew prince, so he was an Israelite,

but he grew up in Pharaoh's household, so he was

strategically positioned to demand that Pharaoh let God's people go.

Pharaoh refused to let God's people go. And if you've

heard anything about the Book of Exodus, you've probably heard

about the plagues that then God sends on Egypt. And

they are things like boils and hail and flies and

locusts and livestock dying and darkness.

And it's not good.

But each of those plagues Pharaoh doubles down and says no,

and in fact, not only not only am I gonna

not let God's people go, I'm actually going to treat

God's people more harshly. And so God's tenth and final

plague was a plague of death, in fact, death of

the firstborn son of every Egyptian family. Now, if you

have your Bible, even if you have a digital Bible,

I'm gonna encourage you to open it because.

I think it's really powerful to see.

These words embedded in biblical history and understand the context.

If you don't have a Bible, the words will be

on the screen. We're going to Exodus chapter twelve. Chapter

twelve tells the story of God's instructions to his people

to prepare for the deliverer that he has provided for them.

So Exodus twelve, starting with verse two, God is talking.

He says, from now on, this month will be the

first month of the year for you. So God is

already setting up what will be known as Passover. But

he's setting this up already as so important that he's

telling his people this is now going to be the

first month of your calendar year. Your calendar will revolve

around this activity. This deliverance that God hasn't even performed yet.

Okay, so he's setting it up for them. Look at

verse three.

Verse three cents announced to the whole community of Israel.

So let's look at dates here. Let's pay attention to these.

On the tenth day of this month, each family must

choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice,

one animal for each household on.

Which day tenth.

On the tenth day, if you skip down to verse five,

it says the animal you select must be a one

year old male, either a sheep or a goat with

no defects. Take special care of this chosen animal and

tell the evening of the fourteenth day. Tenth and the

fourteenth of this first month, then the whole assembly of

the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or their

young goat.

At twilight.

They are to take some of the blood and smear

it on the sides and the top of the doorframes

of the houses where they eat the animal. Tenth day,

lamb selection day, fourteenth day. That's the spotless lamb that

has been selected is now going to be sacrificed, and

the blood of that animal will be painted over the

doorframes of the houses of the people, in order for

God to pass over those homes pass over. That's where

that comes from. God is going to pass over these homes. Now,

Verses eight through ten give us some really specific instructions

that God gives that I will summarize. There's instructions for

how to roast the animal that is sacrificed.

There's some instructions.

For how the people are to dress. That they are

supposed to make bread without yeast. Then they're supposed to

hold the walking stick. They're going to have their shoes on.

So Verse eleven says, be fully dressed, were your sandals,

carry your walking stick in your hand, and eat the

meal with urge, and see this is the Lord's passover.

Why are these instructions? Why do we need to know

about not making bread with yeast? Why is it important

that they wear their shoes and that they have a

coat on, and that they have a staff in their hand.

Because God is about to send a deliverer, and he's saying.

Your job is to be ready.

Don't assume that you have time for your bread to rise,

and don't assume that you're gonna have leftovers tomorrow, because

tomorrow you may not be here to eat the leftovers,

because tomorrow I'm going I'm going to be rescuing you.

You're already gonna be on your way.

Okay, So specific instructions God's about to deliver them. In

verses twelve and thirteen, it says, this is the further

instructions from God. On that night, I will pass through

the land of Egypt. I will strike down every firstborn

son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt.

I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt,

for I am the Lord.

The blood on your doorposts will serve.

As a sign marking the houses where you are staying.

And when I see the blood, and there it is

right there in the Bible, I will pass over you.

This plague of death will not touch you when I

strike the land of Egypt.

So this set of instructions.

Was in order for the Israelites to understand what is

going to protect them from what is coming. The blood

of an innocent lamb that is selected on the tenth day,

that is taken care of but then sacrificed on the

fourth day, and that animal's blood must be painted on

the doorframes so that the Angel will pass over those

home and spare those people. This explanation is to be

followed every year. So now God has instituted you're going

to follow this lamb selection and lamb sacrifice part every

year to remember how I'm about to rescue you.

And the people agree.

So on the tenth day they select their spotless lambs,

and on the fourteenth day they slaughter those spotless lambs,

and the blood of those spotless lambs is painted over

their doorframes. And Exodus twelve twenty nine tells us that

on that fourteenth day, that night, at midnight, the Lord

struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt,

from the firstborn son of Pharaoh who sat on his

throne to the firstborn son of the prisoner.

In the dungeon.

Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of

Egypt woke up during the night, and loud whaling was

heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a

single house where someone had not died. And so what

was Pharaoh's response, Go get out of the land, take

your people, Moses, and go.

That's what you've been asking for.

Go. So, after four hundred years in captivity, God's people

have now been given the green light. God has sent

them a deliver He has made the way for them.

They've participated in Him making the way, and they left

captivity in Egypt. They left with their freedom and with

the instructions that every year they are to celebrate the Passover,

to remember that it was God who made the way

and set them free.

On the tent day to choose a spotless lamb.

And on the fourteenth day to sacrifice that spotless lamb,

and remember that God passed over them.

You guys good.

So for fifteen hundred years, this is what Israel does.

The people of God every year would practice remembering Passover.

On the tenth day, they choose the lamb, on the

fourteenth day they sacrifice it. They remember that God rescued them.

In all the while, they continue to cry out, jose Nah,

God save us, Hosannah, God rescue us, believing that God

had promised he would send a deliver to rescue them

from their sin. That's much bigger than being rescued from Egypt.

So they continue this practice of remembering, and they continue.

To cry out, God save us.

Over those fifteen hundred years, God sends prophets and messages

to remind them that he hears them and to tell

them that they will one day have a savior who

will deliver them from their sin. And now fifteen hundred

years later, this Palm Sunday, which begins the last week

of Jesus's life, God's people are oppressed by Rome. So

they're saying, Hosannah, God save us, God deliver us, God

rescue us from Rome.

And there's the double meaning, God rescue.

Us, Send the deliverers, Send the Messiah who will rescue

us from our sin.

They're continuing to cry out, and.

This is when Jesus appears on the scene, which is

so cool that right at this appointed time is when

Jesus shows up. John twelve twelve tells us the news

that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through

the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors because they're

they're remembering Passover like they're supposed to. So they're gathering

in Jerusalem because they're going to choose a spotless lamb

and they're going to.

Sacrifice that lamb.

They're continuing to do what God has instructed them to do.

So they've gathered in Jerusalem.

It says John twelve to twelve.

And they took palm branches and they went down the

road to meet him. Matthew adds the description that they

laid their coats out, and they they laid palm branches

out on the road, and they waved palm branches in

the air, and they said Hosanna, which we know means

God save us, God rescue us. And then they said,

blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Blessed is the king of Israel. For fifteen hundred years,

Israel has been shouting Hosannah.

And it is on this day, by the way.

Lamb selection day, that Jesus just so coincidentally happens to

roll into the city.

Of Jerusalem on lamb's selection day.

And all throughout Israel, God's people are choosing their spotless lamb.

They're remembering that fifteen hundred years before, God rescued us,

and he says he's going to deliver us again, and

they're waiting for that deliverance.

And we should take note.

Then. In John John the Decide records John the Baptist

saying about Jesus, look the lamb of God who takes

away the sin of the world, the Lamb of God.

On the tenth day, Lamb selection day, the Lamb of God,

Jesus Christ, the perfect spotless Lamb enters the city, and

it's God's way of saying, I already chose the spotless

lamb for you. What's the significance of the palm branches?

You're holding a palm branch. There's actually other things that

are really significant in the story too that I cut

for time, and they're on the What's Next page if

you want to take a look.

But you're holding a it's not really a branch, let's

be honest.

It's like a leaf. But it's symbolic. So you're holding

that and you're wondering, what are we supposed to do

with this? Yes, you could wave it and say Hosannah.

Yes you could lay it, and that's what the people did,

But what.

Did it mean?

The waving of the palm branches or the lay down

to the palm branches was a very common practice in

ancient Near Eastern history, and it was how you welcomed

home a king. It'd be like rolling out a red carpet.

Before we ruined that practice by like rolling it out

for Hollywood stars or something like an actual king, like

royalty has come and we want to roll out our

best welcome to that king.

That is literally what that palm branch meant.

The people were laying out and waving these branches, declaring

Jesus to be the King, the Messiah, the Deliverer come

to rescue them. Their waving of those branches was their

acknowledgment that he is the deliverer. But even as an

this is really the part that stuck with me this week.

So I'm gonna say this slowly because I really want

it to capture your heart too. Even as these coatless

multitude two to people, the coatless people like they had

taken off their coats to lay them down for Jesus

to ride on a donkey across, even as they waved

these palm branches that symbolized welcoming a king, even as

they shouted Hosannah, God save us, They've missed the true

reason for Jesus's presence. They missed it. They could not understand.

They couldn't see it because it hadn't happened yet. But

they couldn't understand the cross that was coming. And that's

why Luke tells us that as Jesus approached Jerusalem, he wept.

He wept for what they would miss. It's a tragic

thing to see the Savior and not recognize him at

all for who he is. That has historical meaning, but

that has right now meaning. It's a tragic thing to

miss the Savior for who he really is. Can we

just talk about the modernization of the Easter holiday without

being silly eggs and bunnies and all that and candy,

Even if you're in this room and you would call

yourself a Jesus follower, do we miss the significance of

why Jesus came in the week of activities and things.

We check the box on?

Because does Easter become more about brunch and family and

gathering and egg hunts than it does about recognizing that

we cried out for a savior and God said, I

have the perfect spotless lamb for you.

Do we miss it?

The crowds who were crying out Hosanna on Palm Sunday

would be the same people who shall crucify him just

days later.

It is in just four days.

That Jesus and his disciples gathered to celebrate the Passover meal.

We remember that Passover by calling it the Last Supper,

Jesus's last celebration of the Passover meal, and we remember

it by practicing communion. So when you came in, you

were handed communion elements. And I'm gonna invite you to

go ahead and peel off the top layer and take out.

The cracker or wafer.

And just hold on to it. We're gonna take it

together in just a moment that passovernight. That night that

Jesus and his disciples were gathered to celebrate Passover and

share a meal together, Jesus took some bread, scripture says,

and he broke it and he said, this is my body.

It represents my body broken for you. And then later

he would mention the cup of wine and he would say,

and this is my blood that would be spilled shed

for them. And of course his disciples couldn't really understand

what he meant. What do you mean you're broken body?

They understood blood. I mean, that's what the whole, that's

what the Passover is about. It's about the lamb that's

been selected.

Being sacrificed. To remember when.

The blood had to be painted over the doorframes in

order for the angel bringing judgment to pass over their homes.

That's incredible grace and mercy provided by God. So they

understood passovers about blood, But what do you mean this

represents your blood or this represents your body?

What do you mean Jesus? They couldn't. They couldn't understand

what was coming in just hours. They couldn't.

They couldn't understand that Jesus would be arrested and tortured

and beaten and gruesomely hung on a cross like a

criminal in complete innocence. And they couldn't understand that he

would spill his blood. And they couldn't understand that he

would do that willingly, like what kind of a deliver

who comes to free us from oppression from Rome, doesn't fight.

Doesn't show his power. And yet Jesus laid down.

His power, and Jesus knew what was in front of him.

Brandon mentioned the verse when he was closing worship, and

I will mention it again. Second Corinthians five twenty one

helps us understand why Jesus, the perfect, spotless lamb, came

entered the city on lamb selection day and now on

the fourteenth day at the passover meal, when the lamb

is slaughtered, it's precisely where Jesus is at that moment,

willing to die, not just for them.

But for us. And sometimes I just have to stop and.

Go, why do I mess around? We're not messing around

when we talk about sin. We're not messing around here.

Jesus gave his life. Two Corinthians five twenty one says

God made him, Jesus, who knew no sin, perfect spotless lamb,

to be sin for us to take our place, so

that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

He became sin.

All we had to offer him was our mistakes, our sin,

our shortcoming. And we're not messing around with sin.

Sin.

Sin can be the most minor missing of the mark,

because that's what it means by definition, and it can be.

You know in your head what it could be. You

know what you and I are capable of.

You know the things that you and I are the

most ashamed of, And hope no one ever knows. Jesus

took that sin willingly on himself, in complete innocence to

the cross and died in order to give us his

righteousness in exchange. Martin Luther calls that the great exchange

that what we deserve is.

Death, and what we get is righteousness.

In fact, Romans three twenty three tells us every one

of us, every one of us, has sinned and fallen

short of God's glory. And Roman six twenty three tells

us the penalty for our sin, that every one of

us deserves death, and Jesus paid that price. And as

you hold that, what represents Jesus's body? As you hold that,

can I just say how.

Much of our lives we live?

Like the crowd that completely missed Jesus as their savior

on Lamb's selection day, as Jesus came into Jerusalem to

be the sacrifice on their behalf, they missed him as

the savior. They saw him and they thought king. They

saw him and they thought he's going to rescue us

from Rome. And they missed him as the savior of

their sin.

And so do we.

We missed the fact that Jesus willingly gave his body

to make us right with God the Father. First John

one nine tells us, if we confess our sin, he's

faithful and just and will forgive us our sin and

cleanse us from everything in.

Us that is unrighteous.

And as we hold this, which represents Jesus's body given

for you and given for me. We have the opportunity

to receive that forgiveness right now today, his payment for

our sin right here in our guilt, in.

The wages of our sin, which is death.

Jesus said, I paid for that sin if we receive it.

So I'm gonna ask you to bow your heads as

you're holding that, because before we even take it, let's be.

Right with Jesus. Let's not mess around with sin. Let's

not mess around with the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

So all across this room and online, if you need

to be right with Jesus, whether you've never known him

and you want to receive the sacrifice he made to

give you righteousness before God to free you from the

penalty of death, or you just know you've been messing around,

or you even't taken it seriously, or you have not

lived for Jesus, or you've got stuff in your life

that shouldn't be there, and you want to just say,

Jesus make me clean. Would you raise your hand all

across thank you? Yeah, thank you, up down, up down,

all of the room, thank you. There's nothing prescriptive necessarily

about me praying a prayer, and you're repeating it. But

we do this adventure because it's our way of realigning ourselves,

submitting ourselves, surrendering ourselves to Jesus and asking for his forgiveness.

So I'm gonna pray.

I'm going to ask that all of us repeat this

prayer after me. Dear Jesus, today I ask you to

forgive me. I lay down my guilt, I lay down

my shame, and I lay down my sin, and I

receive your forgiveness. Jesus, make me new, make me clean.

I choose to follow you. Amen, go ahead and take that.

Cracker.

And once you've done that, if you will open up

now to the Jews. This represents the precious blood of

Jesus Christ shed for you and for me to bring

us into right relationship with God. It represents God's grace

that he provided away for us to be right with him.

Romans five tells us that God demonstrated his great love

for you and I by sending us Jesus.

And Hebrews twelve and this blows my mind.

Tells us that it was Jesus's joy to endure the

cross is his joy.

It wasn't a drudgery. You and I were not a task.

It was his joy to endure the cross for us.

It was his joy to pay our price.

And all we can say is thank you, Jesus. So

I'm gonna ask you to stand to your feet. We're

gonna pray a prayer of thanksgiving, and then you can

take that juice. As soon as I say amen, we

will close it out by worshiping because of gratitude for Jesus. So, Jesus,

right now we say thank you for your blood, thank

you for your grace, Thank you that it was your

joy to go to the cross to pay the price

that we could not pay on our own. Thank you

that when we give you our sin, you exchange it

and give us your righteousness.

And all we can say is thank you, Jesus.

We align our hearts with you in gratitude and say

everything that we celebrate this week is for what you've done.

It's in your name. We pray Amen.