Beyond Palm Sunday: The Path to Freedom

Welcome to the Lone Star Church podcast.

Pastors CF and Nicole Rady are here to share the Word of God with you each week, helping you grasp the fullness of God's plan for your life.

We hope you'll be blessed by this week's message.

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Palm Sunday.

Y'all remember what Palm Sunday is, right Jesus, just before Jesus came back to Jerusalem when he was going to go to the cross.

It's so interesting.

You think of the story of Palm Sunday.

Jesus is coming back and God had a plan for it.

God prophesied so many things about it, some of them hundreds and hundreds of years prior, all the way down to how Jesus would come back like into Jerusalem, that he wouldn't be riding a white stallion, there wouldn't be chariots, there wouldn't be all these things, but he'd be on a donkey.

How many of you picture a king on a donkey?

Right, if you saw the president of the United States, who is the leader of our nation and he's got this big limousine and everything.

But if you just saw him in some old jalopy or something, you'd be like boy, that's not proper for the president to be driving.

Well, here the king came that way.

What was Jesus showing?

He was showing humility, amen.

And it's so interesting when he came back here's the interesting part Think about your giving Jesus.

When he was coming back, he knew by the spirit of God that he was to ride on that donkey and he told his disciples.

He said there's a man right, go down the street, go and tell that man that God has need of his donkey.

I know that man got an eternal reward.

For what?

For loaning his donkey out to Jesus for the day.

Isn't that something?

We miss our eternal reward sometimes because we think, well, it's not some grand gesture or some big thing, but just a simple act, like that fulfilled prophecy.

Then Jesus comes back and remember.

They're climbing trees and they're shouting Hosanna, hosanna, and they get palm leaves down, they're waving them and they throw them on the ground in front of the donkey and they're praising him and it's an impromptu parade and they're oh Hosanna, oh, hosanna, hosanna.

And a few days later the same people are yelling crucify him.

Shows you how fickle people are, doesn't it?

And so today we're going to talk a little differently about Palm Sunday and leading to the cross, because I think it's important we understand these things.

And so a couple of things that had come up this week in my life and to my attention.

And so my son Bo had a friend of his from college pass away 19 years old.

I had a friend of his from college pass away 19 years old.

This young man, we'd met him last fall.

He'd been sick most of his life.

He'd had a lot of issues, had a liver transplant when he was young and had had brain cancer and treated and recovered and tumors came back in his brain and he passed away on Friday.

And so talking to a 20-year-old young man dealing with this for the first time in his life where it's personal like that as far as someone else young he's dealt with, a lost family, and so just talking with him and his friends and they're all going to meet on Friday evening, and he said, dad, they've asked me to pray, can you help me with a prayer?

And so they were just going to meet and praise the Lord.

I believe, from what Bo said and what Nicole and I looked at some of this young man's stuff online, that he was born again, so he's in heaven.

Amen.

Paul says for me, to die is gain.

It's never what we want, sometimes in certain situations, for our loved one to leave this earth, but if they're a believer, there is no loss in death.

And so I was thinking about just that, just mortality and the power of the cross, amen, the power.

And so, as today, palm Sunday, and we know this week is what we call Holy Week, as it leads through those times of Jesus at the Last Supper with his disciples and then in the Garden of Gethsemane as he's praying, and then as he gets arrested Peter's denial they beat him and spit on him and curse him, and then he's kicked back and forth between the Romans and the Jews.

He's kicked back and forth between the Romans and the Jews, then ultimately to the cross.

Before he goes to the cross he's whipped and beaten so bad the Bible says you couldn't even recognize him.

Then he hangs on the cross and gets to that point where he gives up his last breath.

And gets to that point where he gives up his last breath.

And I think it's important we look at why did all these things happen?

It's not just an Easter story.

Everything that happened happened for a reason.

So let's go to 1 Corinthians 1, verse 18.

1 Corinthians 1:18

Praise the Lord.

Look what Paul wrote.

He said For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it's the power of God.

See, the world will hear things like Jesus died on the cross for you and they'll be like that's just silly.

What do you mean?

He died for me.

Most of the world don't understand why someone would die for someone else.

And they sure don't understand why someone would die for someone they don't even know.

And they really don't understand why someone would die for someone they don't know who hates them.

Right In fact, the Bible itself says there are many who would die for someone who you care about, but how many would die for your enemy?

And so here the message across it's foolishness to most people.

What's sad is, those are the people who need to hear it.

They're who, those who are perishing.

But to us Paul says, to us believers who are being saved boy, the cross, it's the power of God, amen.

It's where it all came to a culmination.

And so you go back man was created right in Genesis, in God's image.

In fact, when God created things, in the book of Genesis, chapter one, we see God create things and he says it was good and it was good, right.

He created the waters, it was good.

The sun, it was good.

The trees, it was good, all these things.

When God created man in Genesis, he created man.

And he says man, when he created man, it was very good, created us in his image.

He says boy, that is it, that is the best of my creation.

And then we know Adam and Eve, right, the first humans on earth would spend time walking in the garden with God in the cool of the day.

Then the devil, who had been kicked out of heaven, the devil, came and tempted Adam and Eve and they ate of that fruit and sinned.

And as soon as they sinned, guilt, condemnation, came.

They went and did what they hid and they covered up their nakedness with fig leaves.

And God, it says, came to walk with them in the cool of the day, like he did Remember that old hymn, and he walked with me and he talked with me and he told me I am his own and they were hiding.

God said why are you hiding?

They said because we're naked.

God said why are you hiding?

They said because we're naked.

He said how do you know that?

He says because you ate of the one tree.

God had given them everything in the garden, all provision.

He'd given them authority and dominion over everything that was on this earth.

He gave them time every day to be with him.

His love right him.

Time every day to be with him.

His love right, his goodness, his mercy.

Yet that one thing he told him not to do.

They did.

And so Adam.

Ultimately, adam committed high treason, rebelling against God.

And so then God we see the first shedding of blood on the earth.

There had been no shedding of blood until this point.

God kills the animals to cover Adam and Eve and from that time on God realized I've got to make a way to get this relationship back right with man.

He spoke over them right and he talked about that.

There was a curse that came on man because of sin.

So here's the amazing thing it talks about those perishing.

Whether you know it or not, when you were born, you were born into a curse.

Man without Jesus is cursed, cursed.

You may not know much about curses, but when you hear if someone says you're cursed, if you were just walking down the street and some gypsy lady comes up to you says I curse you, you may not know much, but you know that's bad.

Here's the thing you really don't know how bad the curse was that was on you, because the curse that was on you was for eternal damnation, for an eternity in hell, separated from God.

But God says I'm going to make a way.

He talked about the enemy right when he spoke to the serpent and he said look, you're going to bruise his heel, but he's going to crush your head Talking about Jesus.

So you go all the way back to Genesis 3, and we see prophecy that a Savior's coming.

There's power in the cross, amen, amen.

And so let's go over to John, chapter 14 and verse 6.

John 14 · chapter mention

And from that point of sin, people have struggled with their own sin before a just and holy God.

Billy Graham said this.

Billy Graham said God is a holy and righteous and pure God.

He cannot even look upon evil.

John Piper wrote a book called 50 Reasons why Jesus Came to Die.

He said our sin makes us guilty before God, so that we're under his just condemnation, before God, so that we're under his just condemnation, and it makes us ugly in our behavior so that we disfigure the image of God we were meant to display.

It damns us with guilt and enslaves us to lovelessness.

The blood of Jesus frees us from both miseries.

Amen, jesus.

Here in John 14, 6, jesus said I'm the way, the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

Here's the amazing thing about man From the time you were born, whether you know it or not, you were born with a God-sized hole in your heart and you had a desire for something more.

It's why we have all these different religions on earth.

Why?

Because people are trying to get to God.

They don't even know it sometimes.

The amazing thing is Christianity, right, is the only religion that doesn't ask you to die for the God that you serve.

God says no, I'm going to send my son and he's going to die for you.

Jesus says I'm the way, the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

You all know how to get to heaven.

It's interesting because it's complicated.

Let me tell you it's complicated to get to heaven.

It's what I always use the example of telling people how to get to Lone Star.

It can be complicated, right?

Number one, nicole and I have been here just over 20 years, coming up on 22, this Father's Day, and the name of the road right in front of the church when we first came was State Highway Y.

Then it was State Highway YY.

I always used to make the joke people drive out here and you get a little car sick or something or hit a deer or raccoon.

You'd be like YY, am I?

driving all the way out there to church.

Now it's State Highway FF, which is fine, except if you're coming from Harrison County.

You got to tell people don't turn on State Highway FF.

It doesn't exist over there, it's F, and then magically turns to FF.

Different roads, no same road.

Different names.

I've had to email Google numerous times to make sure our name gets right on their map.

But if there's just one way, it'd be easy.

So everyone's trying to figure out how do I get to heaven?

Can I work my way?

Jesus says here's the thing, I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life.

The only way to get to the Father is through me.

Well, guess what that way through Jesus is?

Through the cross.

It's through the cross.

It's through the empty tomb.

Jesus says that's the way.

John 3, verse 16,.

John 3:16

Let's look over at that.

This is probably the most quoted scripture out of the Bible John 3, verse 16.

John 3:16

Jesus here is talking to Nicodemus who's trying to find the way to heaven.

Up earlier Jesus looks at Nicodemus who is a student of the Bible, and Jesus looks at Nicodemus.

He goes Nicodemus, you want to go to heaven?

Nicodemus says I want to go to heaven.

He says how do I get there?

He says you must be born again.

And that blows Nicodemus' mind.

I know.

If you didn't have some knowledge of salvation and the Bible, if someone said, oh, you want to get to heaven, man, you got to get born again, you'd say the same thing that Nicodemus said.

Nicodemus is like again, I've already been born once.

How can I get born again?

And he asked the question.

You can read it there in John 3, the first part of the chapter.

He says how can a man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?

All the ladies are like mm-mm, mm-mm.

Right, seven pounds is big enough, right?

180, 200, 110, whatever you are mm that's not going to happen and Jesus had to explain it.

No, this is a spiritual birth, not a.

You've been born naturally once, I don't know.

You have two birthdays.

If you're a christian when you were born and when you got born again, you know the sad fact.

Honestly, it is a sad fact.

We, as christ Christians, should be better at celebrating that birthday Because, can I tell you something, it's the most important birthday.

It's the birthday that gets you to heaven.

Honestly, we should all start doing it.

Go get your old Bible, get your baptism with it.

Whatever you got, look up, see when that birthday was and make a point.

People, be like boy, you're just having a good day today.

Well, it's my birthday, boy, I thought your birthday was in this month.

Oh, this is my second birthday.

This is when I got born again.

Amen.

So look at this.

For God so loved the world, even when man sinned, god still loved.

Even when man rebelled, god still loved.

God so loved the world that he, what he gave.

What did he give?

The most important thing, his only begotten son.

That whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Look at verse 17.

For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world.

So, as we celebrate Palm Sunday, as we celebrate the Holy Week, as we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, next Sunday, god did not send Jesus to make you feel bad.

I love what Reverend Joe said last week.

At every service he said God's not mad at you.

Too many people believe God's mad.

They believe God's angry.

No, god didn't send Jesus into the world to condemn you, but why?

Why that the world, through him, might be saved.

This is why the cross so that you could be saved, amen.

Let's go over to Ephesians, chapter 2.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

We're going to start in verse 8, in Ephesians 2.

Here's the thing we have to understand you can't save yourself.

You can't save yourself, no, on your own you're powerless against the evil of this world Right and your own good deeds, your attempt at righteousness, is nothing the Bible says but filthy rags.

No, jesus came to save us, amen.

Ephesians 2, verse 8 says For by grace, you've been saved through faith.

Ephesians 2:8

That not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

I know your salvation.

You didn't earn your salvation.

You didn't earn it.

There is no one in this place that is good enough to get to heaven, and I know we've got some siblings in here and I know everyone that I was the good sibling.

Right, I was, I was the good one.

No, you can't earn your way to heaven.

You can't earn your way to heaven.

It's a gift, amen.

Why?

Because if you could earn your way, then some of you would get see what I did, just like you do at home sometimes, like you're a kid and you do something and your parents recognize it See what I did.

It says no, not that anyone would boast, you can't earn your way there Verse 10,.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.

Why did God send Jesus to die on the cross for you?

So you get saved, so you can enter into the family of God.

But you're created for a purpose.

God has things for you to do good works, amen which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

God wants you to walk in his goodness, he wants you to walk in his plan for your life, and it all goes through the cross.

It all goes through the cross.

So, jesus, here's what we know.

The curse came because of sin.

What do we know about Jesus?

He never sinned.

Jesus never sinned.

How do we know that?

Well, there's scripture that tells us.

Matthew 1.23.

We're going to look at both these.

I want you to see all this.

Thank you, lord.

Looking at my notes, we're going to get through it.

Matthew 1.23.

I'm going to turn over to another one.

Just read it to you here in a minute.

So it says behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which is translated write God with us so we see that Jesus was born.

He is God with us.

And then listen to this in Hebrews 4 15, it says for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

So Jesus came, he was God with us.

And then, what do we know?

He was tempted just like we were.

It's so interesting because people say, well, it'd be easy not to sin if you're never tempted.

No, jesus was tempted just like we are.

He was God, but he was man.

He was the only one of his kind.

He was fully God and he was fully man.

It is hard, right, he came into this world differently than everyone else, right?

Why?

But because he was born of a virgin, right?

So that sin that taints when two people come together, right, that taints that original birth.

It didn't happen with Jesus.

The Holy Spirit placed him in Mary's womb and so he wasn't born into sin like we were.

And then he wasn't born into sin and then he also chose not to sin.

It's not just that he didn't sin, he chose not to sin Last night.

We had prom last night and then, because my daughter's a junior, we had after prom and the parents are there doing stuff and games and I left a little early.

I left at 3 am and Nicole and Lucy stayed till I don't know 5 or whatever.

I was sleeping hard enough.

I didn't awake when they came back in, but so we had that, and so I was running a game in one of the rooms and the ladies had really put on a spread.

I mean, there was some food and we had pizza from two different places and they had El Napal and they had this table where Nicole was sitting with these ladies.

So in between stuff, I'd go visit with them, visit with Nicole and the folks that were there, some of the dads and all these desserts.

They had chocolate fountain and they had cheesecake.

I love cheesecake, these little cheesecakes and they had some of those little bunk cakes, boy.

They had all kinds of fruit and great things to dip in the chocolate and cookies.

I came down and they're like boy, see if we have a lot of food to just eat.

I said no, I'm not going to eat.

I was tempted to eat.

I didn't arrive to my job until 10 pm and you know it's midnight and I'm like I'm tempted and then I'd go do my little game and then I'd come back and it's 1.30.

Hey, see if you just grab something.

Look, oh, we got the queso from El Nepal over there, and chips and guacamole and tacos and chicken, chicken and rice and pizza.

I said no, I'm just, I'm just not going to do that.

I made it all the way through to 3am didn't eat anything, had three bottles of water and that's all I had.

I'm not saying that to say, hey, look at me.

But what I'm saying is there's and Jesus proved, temptation can be overcome.

Temptation can be overcome.

You can overcome temptation.

You just have to make up your mind and believe God can help you to overcome those things.

Why?

Because we can't save ourselves.

Praise the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5, verse 21.

2 Corinthians 5:21

Boy, paul has a lot of things to say about what Jesus did.

So it's so interesting.

We see in the Gospels Matthew, mark, luke and John, we see the story of Jesus from his birth and into his ministry and then to cross and then finally to the empty tomb.

And so we see the story of Jesus and who he was and what he did.

But then Paul writes all these letters and what's he do?

He explains exactly what happened, from the cross to the grave, to the empty tomb.

And he says things like this From the cross to the grave to the empty tomb, right.

And he says things like this For he, god, made him, jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him, in Christ.

So God made Jesus who knew no sin.

He made him to be sin.

Why For us?

So remember on the cross.

And this week I would really encourage you go back and read the gospel accounts from Jesus' arrest to the cross to Resurrection.

Sunday.

Read those, read them.

This is almost an initial suggestion.

This is almost an order suggestion.

This is almost an order.

Read those accounts this week and tell me if, when we get to next Sunday, it doesn't come more alive to you when you see everything that happened to him.

I mean, his own friends turned on him.

Peter, one of his closest friends, those that was close to him in ministry, denied him three times.

All the disciples just left him, acted like they didn't even know him.

All these people that were celebrating him one day, all of a sudden, the next day they're saying crucify him, they're spitting at him, they're slapping him.

Jesus knew no sin.

So we know.

On the cross, there comes that time when Jesus says my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

For the first time in all eternity?

Because he'd always been with God, the Father, but for the first time in eternity he's not with God.

He's God forsaken.

Why?

Because God, at that point, god loved you so much that God took his son, blameless, sinless, his only begotten son, and God said Jesus, I don't want to do this, but I have to do this.

And what did he do at that moment?

He took all the sin of all mankind, your sin, my sin, every sin that's ever happened, and he placed it on Jesus.

He placed it on Jesus right.

So when we think about what happened on the cross, we get so tied up with the physical, we get so tied up with the nails in his hands and the crown of thorns on his head and the nails through his feet, and the fact that he'd been whipped and beaten.

And all those things happen for a reason and there's spiritual connotation to each of those things.

But I think sometimes the thing we miss is when God took sin and he put it on Jesus.

And for the first time in eternity, jesus couldn't see God and God couldn't on Jesus.

And for the first time in eternity, jesus couldn't see God and God couldn't see Jesus.

Why?

Because our sin.

So I've been thinking about that young man this week.

I've been thinking about his salvation and it gets you to think, boy, we need to be sharing Jesus with more people.

Why?

Because God, their sin is so heavy.

And it gets you to think, boy, we need to be sharing Jesus with more people.

Why?

Because God, their sin is so heavy and they can't carry that burden.

And God knew it.

And he says I'm going to place that sin on Jesus.

He was God forsaken for us, amen, amen.

Look at, let's go to Acts, chapter 2 and verse 31.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

I think there's some things we miss sometimes as we think about the cross.

It says God foreseeing this, spoke concerning or he foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of Christ, that his soul talking about Jesus' soul was not left in hell or Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.

So from that period, from the cross to the grave, to the empty tomb, where was Jesus?

People always ask where was Jesus during that time?

The Bible tells us right here when did he go?

Where do sinners go?

Hell, jesus died a sinner.

Had he sinned?

No, but he took our sin upon him.

So here's the amazing thing Jesus paid a debt he did not owe.

Why?

Because we owed a debt we could never pay.

But his soul wasn't left there.

Aren't you glad he didn't stay there.

He wasn't even dead long enough for his flesh to start to see corruption.

Romans, chapter 8, verse 11.

Romans 8:11

We're going to look at just a couple more verses here.

Why the cross.

It had to be.

It had to be the cross, right?

Jesus in Gethsemane, in the garden.

What did he pray to?

God?

God, if there's any other way, if there's any other way to do this, God, take this mantle from me.

But then where did he go?

That prayer of dedication, god, not my will, but yours, be done.

It wasn't just the physical pain Jesus was concerned about it was that separation from his father.

Look at this Romans 8, 11.

But if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal body through his spirit who dwells in you.

So we see what happened on the cross.

The Holy Spirit went and raised him from the dead and that same Holy Spirit, it says, will give life to your body.

But I think about that.

You ever think about that.

When you're tired, just go to this verse and say God, I believe you're going to give life to my body, amen.

I was talking to Marcy the other day and she was telling me it really blessed me.

I didn't tell her, but it really blessed me.

She said some discussions she had with my mom and my mom would say the way Marcy does things, she'd go.

Boy, marcy, that reminds me of me when I was younger.

My mom slept very few hours a day.

As she got older she'd just sleep sometimes, but when we were kids she'd sleep three or four hours a day.

I mean she was up late cleaning and cooking and baking and up early cleaning and cooking and baking and taking care of everything and she'd just go, go, go.

Even into her 70s she'd just go, go go.

She was working, running a business and doing all this other stuff and taking care of her family and boy, she just all was on the go.

And I'd say, mom, you need to slow down.

She'd be like I just believe God will just quicken my body.

And she did.

She learned to take like 20-minute naps, just impromptu, right, it wasn't planned, it, just she'd sit down in an uncomfortable dining room chair and just I'd be like, mom, just here, here, let's just go a bit.

No, I'm fine, I'm fine.

She'd get up and get busy.

Holy Spirit can quicken your mortal body, Amen.

Let's go down just a little bit here to verse 29 in Romans 8.

Had to be the cross For whom he foreknew.

God also predestined right to be conformed to the image of the Son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

So Jesus was the firstborn spiritually right.

Sin died, gets reborn.

Jesus is the first.

Why?

So we could all come after him.

How many of you know?

Someone had to be first, someone had to do it and there was only one that could do it.

Man could never do it right.

Paul talks about how he grew up in the church and he's like boy, I was a Pharisee and I was this and I was trying to keep the law.

But here you want to know the crazy thing about the law.

Anyone that tries to put the law back on you realizes this.

If you broke one, you broke them all and you were never going to do it right.

You'd go oh boy, I've went like three weeks, I haven't broke any law, I'm doing good.

And then you do something.

It's like oh there, he goes right, you play Monopoly, right.

So with the law it's a lot like Monopoly.

You broke one.

It's like go to jail, go directly to jail.

Do not pass, go, do not collect $200.

You go to jail.

There was this TV show and they had this guy that was pretending to be like a dictator down in Central South America and he's like you know, in my country, if you do this jail, if you eat chicken on Thursday, jail.

If you do this, jail Directly to jail, jail.

That was the law right, and there are still people that believe that way.

Oh boy, it's just jail, jail, jail.

It's just law, law, law.

Well, here's the thing.

The Bible realized you could never do it.

So God came down to earth himself in the form of Jesus so he could do it first.

Why so that?

Because of the way he did it.

Now you can do it.

Why so that?

Because of the way he did it.

Now you can do it.

Amen.

He made it easy.

He did the hard part.

God did the hard part.

Look at this.

Colossians 1.

We're going to look at just two more passages here Colossians 1 and verse 12.

Praise the Lord.

Colossians 1.12.

Paul says giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us.

God qualified you to do what?

To be partakers of the inheritance of the saints of life.

So you ever go get a loan right?

And they got to qualify you.

What are they looking at?

They're looking do you have a good job?

Do you have steady income?

What's your debt ratio?

What's all these things?

And they're like we're going to see if we're going to qualify you to receive something.

Well, guess what?

You don't have to qualify yourself.

God qualified you through Jesus so you could be partakers of what the inheritance that belonged to Jesus, not what belonged to you.

You don't get what you deserve.

That was the thing.

But Bo kept saying, and his friends I was talking, they were in a group and they're like boy, this kid was such a kind-hearted kid and he was so good.

And in fact this boy because he'd had a liver transplant, he'd survived brain tumors, he would travel all over the country speaking to groups about what happened in his life and then it hit him again and he passed away at 19.

And the thing that would come up Bo's like Dad.

We just don't understand.

He didn't deserve this.

Here's the thing In reality, in the law, we all deserve death.

You say I don't deserve it, we all deserve death.

But praise God, we don't get what we deserve.

We get what Jesus deserved.

Why?

Because he qualified you through his blood, through his death, burial and resurrection, so you could now be a partaker of his inheritance.

You don't get your inheritance.

You get the son of God's inheritance, the son of the king of kings' inheritance.

You don't get your inheritance.

You get the son of God's inheritance, the son of the king of kings inheritance.

He says we should give thanks for that.

Why?

Because he qualified us Verse 13, he has hath delivered us from the power of darkness.

I'm going to tell you right now, if you're born again, you have been delivered from the power of darkness.

I'm going to tell you right now, if you're born again, you have been delivered from the power of darkness.

Well, I just don't feel like it.

No, you have been.

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves, we need to remind the devil.

No, I have been delivered from the power of darkness.

Why?

Because God has conveyed me into the kingdom of the son of his love, in whom right, jesus, I have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

I've been redeemed.

The Bible says let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

Let's go over to Galatians 3.

We're going to end here in Galatians 3.

Why the cross?

It had to be the cross.

Galatians, chapter 3 and verse 13.

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

Galatians 3.13 says Christ has hath already did redeemed us from the curse of the law.

So you were born into what?

Into the curse.

I was born into the curse.

We were all born into the curse.

You can go back and read the curse.

Deuteronomy talks about the curse.

Christ has redeemed us, set us free from the curse of the curse.

Deuteronomy talks about the curse.

Christ has redeemed us, set us free from the curse of the law.

How did he do that, having become a curse for us.

So what happened on the cross?

Jesus was cursed.

Who cursed Jesus?

His father.

His father put the curse on him.

Now people say, boy, that just doesn't seem like a loving father.

No, he put the curse on Jesus.

He put our sin on Jesus.

Why?

Because he knew he could handle it.

He didn't want to have to curse us.

But because of Adam's treason and sin the curse came.

Why?

Because God is a righteous God, he's a just God and if God said this is the punishment, then that's the punishment.

The amazing thing and Reverend Joe did such a good job talking about it God has not changed.

You read the Old Testament, you read the New Testament.

You're almost like man.

I think God really changed.

He must have had something happen and he just got happy all of a sudden.

Because you read the Old Testament, you're like boy, god is very angry, right.

You ever come home and mom's like, hey, kids, just quiet down, dad's angry.

Right, dad didn't have a good day, daddy's not having a good day.

Just settle down, just stay away from Dad.

Dad's down in and just leave dad out in the garage.

Just, dad's angry.

Any of you men ever can you relate to that, right?

Well, here's the thing God didn't change.

He was an angry God in the Old Testament and a happy God in the New Testament.

No, god was a God of law, he was a God of justice, he was a God of all those things.

He still had mercy in the Old Testament.

But what changed was our relationship with him, the same relationship he had with Adam and Eve.

That's the relationship he always wanted.

Then man changed the relationship and then God said I want that relationship back.

What relationship?

Where he can just come, walk with you and talk with you, where he can be your father?

He said the only way to change that relationship is that sin.

So here's the issue.

We no longer have a sinner problem.

There is no problem with the sinner.

There was a sin problem, not a sinner problem.

There was a sin problem.

And Jesus took care of the sin problem.

He said I'll just take it all.

Put that on me, I'll take it all.

And he did Amen.

And what did he do?

He redeemed us from the curse of the law.

How he became a curse for us.

Right.

Put verse 13,.

Please back up on the screen.

How did it happen?

Look at this.

Because sin came on it, but it fulfilled what we see in the word, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.

I don't know.

Jesus dying on the cross didn't just happen by accident.

When Mel Gibson made the Passion of the Christ Mel Gibson a Catholic.

When he made the Passion of the Christ, there was a lot of controversy because the Jewish people said boy, that movie really makes it look like we killed Jesus.

And then, even Mel Gibson, a lot of the Catholics said, hey, that movie really looks like we, the Catholics, the Romans, killed Jesus.

Neither one of them were happy.

Why did Jesus get kicked back and forth from the Jews and then went to the Romans?

Because it was God's plan.

Why?

Because how did the Jews usually kill people?

They would stone them Doesn't say curses everyone who gets killed by stoning.

Jesus had to die on the cross.

Why?

Because that curses everyone who hangs on a tree.

So he gets kicked back and forth.

Finally, to the Romans.

How many know we played a part in Jesus' death because of our sin.

But here's what you need to know Jesus willingly went to the cross.

Why?

Because he could have called down angels, right, in fact, when they came to arrest him remember, when they came to arrest him, they said he goes who are you looking for?

Well, that's a tough guy, move right there.

Who are you looking for?

Jesus of Nazareth, he says I am.

When he said that he's the great I am, he declared it.

All those Roman soldiers fell out under the power of God.

What was he doing?

He's proven.

Hey, just so you know you're not taking me, I'm going with you.

He climbed on that cross.

It wasn't the nails through his hands and his feet that held Jesus to that cross.

It was his love for humanity that held Jesus to that cross.

He became cursed so that we could be blessed.

Now look at verse 14.

A lot of people stop at verse 13,.

Right, about the curse.

He became cursed for us.

But now look at verse 14, galatians 3, 14.

Why did he become cursed?

So that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles and Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

So as we look at Palm Sunday, we look at that time from Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.

We look at this time with the disciples at the Last Supper to the garden in prayer, this prayer of dedication, and then from the garden to his arrest and his arrest with the Jews to the Romans back to the Jews, to the Romans, to the cross, to the grave.

And then next Sunday we're going to talk about the empty tomb.

But why the cross?

Because the Bible says it had to be the cross.

He had to do all of that.

Why?

Because we could never do it ourselves.

We could never do it ourselves.

And so I keep going back and Nicole and I have talked often this week, the last few days, about that young man and this is my prayer for Bo and all of his friends Number one that the peace of God that passes understanding would come to them For that young man's family.

Nicole and I looked at that and, having a son similar age, can't imagine what that young man's family is going through, even if they're believers, which I believe they are.

Having a son that was posting some of the things about Jesus that he did, and then Bo knew some of his friends from high school.

He said, no, dad, he's a believer.

And just Nicole and I, both in our spirits, were like man.

I believe he's in heaven.

Today, even knowing that he's in heaven, there's still that loss of this young life.

And he was when we met him just for a few minutes at this gathering in Maryville before a football game.

He was just so kind and nice and came and spoke to Nicole and I Most of Bo's other friends weren't speaking to us right and the adults there came and shook our hand and introduced himself.

And I hear those things and you can get sad, you can even get angry about it or, as a believer, you can say, boy, that just emphasizes the point.

I need to tell more people about Jesus.

Why?

Because people are dying every day and maybe, like this young man, they haven't accepted Jesus as their Savior and it's why we as a church need to not only do it on Sunday mornings but, man, we need to be doing it.

Chris called me the other day and it was a blessing to me just talking about sharing the gospel with people.

I know that's what we're called to do.

Why?

Because we see all these people that are cursed, that are on a highway to hell, that are going to spend eternity separated from God, and we've got this amazing gift, this amazing thing on the inside of us, this amazing word, this amazing scripture that we can share.

And guess what?

The Bible says in Romans?

That all they have to do is hear the message.

In fact, in Romans it says how can they hear unless someone is sent?

How can they be sent right, unless someone's doing these things?

People need to hear it.

What the gospel?

What's the gospel right?

It's the fancy word that we put on this term.

Good news?

You know what the world is full of?

Bad news, oh my gosh.

Just get on your phone or turn on your TV or your radio.

Bad news Prices are going up, wages are going down, war here, war there.

All these tariffs are going to cost you this, and inflation and recession, and the Democrats and the Republicans and China and all these other countries, oh, and terrorist organizations.

And bad news, tornadoes and hell.

Right, it's all bad news.

You know what the Bible has some bad news.

Here's the bad news in the Bible For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death, eternal separation from God.

That is the worst news you're going to see in the Bible.

Now, the amazing thing with that is that because of that bad news, we don't have to stop there.

Why?

Because God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son.

That whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

That if we believe that Jesus is who the Bible says he is and I confess, believe it in my heart and confess it with my mouth I'm saved.

That's the good news.

We complicate it, we're like, oh, I couldn't share Jesus with people because I don't really know the Bible good enough, pastor.

Well, do you know who Jesus is?

Do you know who Jesus is?

You know what he did?

That he lived a perfect, sinless life on this earth, that he died on the cross, that he took your sin, my sin, the sin of all mankind, upon himself.

That he paid the debt that we owe, that he spent that time in hell right, we read it in Acts.

But then he rose again triumphantly on the third day, and he's now seated at the right hand of the Father, where he intercedes for us, where he's our advocate.

That he's going to come back, and he's come back for a triumphant church, he's going to gather us all up and get us out of this mess, but that we're redeemed from the curse of the law, that all those things in the curse don't apply to me.

Here's the amazing thing, right, people say, well, that applies to you, that's part of the curse that doesn't apply to me.

Why?

Because I'm redeemed, right.

It's just like if you ever have a legal paper, right, like you have a lease or something, and you go to your landlord and you're like, hey, you got to fix this.

He's like, I don't have to fix that, I'm the only one.

He said no, no, let me just show you right here buddy, I signed this, you signed this, this applies to me.

I know you pick up your Bible.

When the enemy says I'm gonna put sickness on you, I'm gonna put all this stuff on you, say no, no, no, no, no, no.

Let me show you what applies to me.

He goes well, the curse, right here.

Oh yeah, I see, uh, section one, uh, subsection, uh, three, I see that the curse exists and it includes all these things.

But let me show you right down here, galatians 3, 13.

Right, section 3, 13.

This is I've been redeemed from the curse of the law.

That that section you might as well just cross that out, because it no longer applies to me, because I'm born again, amen.

So we look at this week and I'm telling you Holy Week, man, just, I want you to take this week Just just to, to, to, to get in the zone, just to get there, and you go read it.

It's just a few chapters in each of the Gospels that talk about Jesus, from the triumphal entry, palm Sunday, to the Last Supper, on to His arrest, to His death on the cross, his burial and His resurrection.

You could do it in less than 30 minutes this week.

If you're a slow reader, maybe 40, right, you could listen to it audio message and just listen to those.

Matthew, mark, luke and John, they all give a little bit different angle to the story, but you put them all together and it paints this beautiful picture of life everlasting that God's provided to us through Jesus.

Amen.

Thank you for tuning into the Lone Star Church podcast.

We hope this week's message strengthened your faith in God's word.

Remember, if you live in Northwest Missouri or Southern Iowa, we invite you to join us in person on a Sunday morning.

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