It All Comes Together on the Road

Title: "It All Comes Together on the Road | Pastor Joel Mason (Sunday Service)" URL: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TANgsjjqPgI" Transcript: "(00:06) The road to Jerusalem wasn't easy. It was dusty and lined with expectation. Each step echoed with ancient prophecy. Each mile moved him closer to the cross. The crowd cheered. "Hosana!" They cried. They saw a miracle worker, a healer, and a hope. But Jesus saw the whole road. He saw what they couldn't. (00:44) He saw the betrayal and the nails, and yet still he rode. This road didn't lead away from the pain, but toward it. This road didn't go away from death, but straight through it. This road was not to claim a throne, but to carry a cross. Because love doesn't run away. Love walks the road. Palm Sunday was more than just a religious parade. It was a declaration. (01:15) It was the beginning of the most important journey in human history. Because Palm Sunday was the first step toward the cross, the tomb, and toward salvation itself. And the road to Jerusalem was the road to you. Luke 9:51 we read, "When it came close to his time for his close to the time for his ascension, he gathered up his courage, stealed himself for the journey to Jerusalem. (02:17) " It's out of the message translation. I like the way that puts that that Jesus realized and knew his whole ministry this time was coming. He knew that uh you know it didn't take him by surprise. He didn't suddenly find himself in Jerusalem and say, "Hey, what's going on?" He went there with a purpose. He knew the intent that his father had for him and he he came to this uh experience and what we celebrate as Palm Sunday uh in some respects is probably as critical to understand as Easter is. (02:55) And so today I want to take us a little bit on a little bit of a journey. I want us to walk through so that we may understand uh what those first disciples experienced, what their thinking was because I believe Palm Sunday a lot of times is a you think this as a kid. It was never I never really fully understood it. It was something that yeah, this was an event that took place in the life of Jesus and people cheered and everybody got excited and then a few days later they wanted to kill him. (03:23) And I want to walk for just a few minutes this morning through this so that we can understand a little bit better how Palm Sunday is really a refining moment for those followers of Jesus. That first Palm Sunday and I believe it can be for us today. It should be a refining moment. So when Jesus entered the city there, he came in, as I said, he came in with a purpose. (03:47) But I want you to be thinking all the way through on this is what was it like for his disciples. They knew that they were coming in Passover was to be celebrated. They knew that that that's a major uh Jewish holiday and to be to do Passover in Jerusalem. That's what you did if you lived there. You got to Jerusalem. And so the city was packed. (04:07) They estimate on that particular Passover they estimate there was over a million people in that city. And it's a small city. It wasn't that big, but it was packed with people. And suddenly uh rumor gets around that Jesus is entering the city. And Jesus with purpose sends his disciples ahead of him and he says, "You'll find a donkey tied up and I want you to bring it because I'm going to ride that in. (04:33) " 500 years of prophecy had been waiting and anticipating for this moment. And Jesus, he knew it was happening. Disciples just thought they were sent on an errand. And they went and got a donkey. They bring it and they put their coats on it. Jesus sits on it and it was the symbolism as as Zachariah even talks about. It was the image of a king who is coming in not as a conquering king but as a king of peace. (05:01) He was entering his city and the people began to recognize. They knew Jesus reputation. Many of them had seen his miracles, heard his teaching. He had been around for some time. They'd been really in many ways a who he was. And here he enters the city and we are told that the city literally shook as Jesus entered. And it's in that moment I wonder if the as the disciples were there walking with Jesus probably behind him and around him and and here he is riding in and people are laying down their coats and throwing palm leaves on the ground and there is (05:37) this massive uh celebration. There's there's joy. There's anticipation. People are e expecting that and have been looking for and had been told since they were a child when they first could understand that there would come a king promised by God who would bring salvation. And they're getting to they believe they're getting to witness this. (05:56) And as Jesus comes in, they're celebrating. Hopes are being realized. People have been longing for this to take place. And so that's why there's such a greeting. They it it's a greeting of a king and they are shouting for the king who has now come. They believe they have their king to overthrow the Roman rule. (06:19) They're going to be set free from oppression. They are going to receive all that God has always promised. And yet his disciples are walking next to him. What are they thinking? Well, we it's finally been worthwhile. We spent almost three years with this guy. It's been amazing. Peter, you walked on water. We've seen people healed. We've seen the dead raised. (06:42) We've watched time and time again. We've been dumbfounded by much of his teaching. We found that we fall short. But this is amazing because finally, it's going to come to fruition. Not too long before this, they've been fighting for who was going to get the seats of of a position of of prestige in Jesus rule. (07:01) And so, probably some thoughts going through their mind, this is good. I like this. This is the way it should be. Jesus is finally being recognized for who he is. And we'll get a little bit of the gravy that comes with it. And yet Jesus knew what the disciples didn't know. Jesus knew what this week was going to be. If you think about it now with me, it really became a test for the disciples. (07:30) And Jesus had been telling them that. Jesus had been forewarning them of what was to come. And so now everything that he had taught them, everything that they had experienced, even the things that they had been able to accomplish by following and believing and trusting in Jesus was going to be put to the test. (07:51) You see, Passion Week speaks to the suffering of a of our savior, of Jesus suffering on our behalf. His willingness to go through it for the greater cause of his father rather than to be dissuaded from the pain of this world. He went through it for everyone. Yet in the midst of that, he also knew that his disciples who had been walking with him now for three years, he knew them personally. (08:19) He knew what they needed to face. I want you to think about the things that they saw, the experiences that they had, the suffering that of Jesus that they experienced, and how it impacted them. Jesus knew they needed it. And so when he enters, he's entering not just for what he will accomplish, but what it will accomplish in the life of his disciples. (08:42) Now, you're going to say, "How do you know that? It doesn't say that in the Bible." I know that because of what Jesus said to his disciples after he rose from the grave and what unfolds on the pages of the book of Acts and what follows everything after that. It all is centered on what the disciples had to walk through on that road with Jesus. (09:06) Without it, they wouldn't have been able to bring the power of the resurrection to bear on the world. So think about it with me a minute now. As Jesus has entered, it's got to be a high point for them to see what's happening and Jesus being honored and all the things that are going taking place. (09:27) Jesus knows what's going to happen. And he's told them, "We're going with a purpose." In fact, he they had tried to dissuade him from going into Jerusalem. You realize that before he even got there, but now that he's there, it's like, "Okay, this is good." And it's literally a matter of a few hours that Jesus begins to say things like this. (09:46) I want you to listen to these words now. In John 15, we read, "Yes, I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing." Now, we like that verse and it's very much the definition of being a disciple. You must remain in Jesus. Absolutely. But that remaining and that abiding as the word is is translated there must be tested. (10:19) It's easy to say I believe in Jesus when everything is going well. When Jesus is doing the miracles right before you when the dead have walked out of the tomb. Yeah, I'm I'm remaining with Jesus. But can you remain with Jesus when it starts to become difficult? That's the question. And so when he says, "I am the vine, you're the branches. (10:41) " Those who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit, their remaining in Jesus is about to be tested. He goes on and says to them a little later in in John 15, it says, "I have loved you even as the father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love just as I obey my father's commandments and remain in you. (11:06) " Their obedience was about to be tested. He goes on and says, 'Ive told you these things so that you won't abandon your faith. Got a question for you. Do you think they at all in that week with Jesus thought about abandoning their faith? That's an easy one to answer. Yeah, they did. It crossed their mind. Absolutely they did. (11:33) Think now just a few hours later when Jesus would be put on trial and they're standing outside. Where are most of them? It tells us that most of them by that point had scattered. Only a few of the disciples remained. So yeah, the desire to abandon would become real. John 16:16. In a little while you won't see me anymore. Oh, now they're going to not only want to abandon, they're going to feel abandoned because the one who was supposed to who whose power had been so fully displayed, the evidence of who he was was suddenly arrested and beaten beyond recognition (12:15) and led out to be hung on a cross, humiliated. John TW 16:20, I tell you the truth. You will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. They're going to go through a grieving process. You see, and yes, they will get to Jesus and tell them, you will eventually see that grief turned to joy. (12:49) We know where that point is. It was Sunday morning when the women went to the tomb and the tomb was empty and they returned. He's risen. That's the point of joy. But up to that point, it was a testing. It was the forging of steel. It was the determination of their souls. It was the moment where they had to come to to grips with, "Yes, I believe in Jesus because everything I saw him do, do I believe in Jesus?" when life seems to press in hard and it it doesn't make sense and everything I the way I expected it to go doesn't go that (13:26) way. What happens then? That was what the disciples had to go through. Now, in some respects, and I mentioned it already, it might be easy to think, well, they kind of failed, didn't they? I mean, let's think about it. They did scatter. I mentioned that they scattered fairly quickly. They they were uh fearful. We know that. (13:47) There's no question whatsoever about that. Peter denied Jesus three times. And the amazing thing is on that sometimes we think about it. Peter was only one of a few that were still there wa uh watching. So in a way it took courage for him to be there. But when the courage the heat got real tight he's like no I have nothing to do with him. (14:05) He literally swore and I won't repeat it but he swore I don't know Jesus. You've got me mistaken for someone else. Isn't that failure? Isn't that the breaking of a disciple? No. It's the forging of a disciple because we must decrease and he must increase. We must abandon ourselves. Now Peter's when he was denying Jesus one think well there needs to be less of me so I'll deny Jesus too. (14:41) That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is sometimes in the midst of our walk with Jesus, we're say we are disciples, there are things in our lives that we hold on to so tightly that we think define what it is to follow Jesus. And sometimes those things have to be ripped out of our hands so we will truly fall before our savior. I'm helpless. (15:03) I can't do anything. What do I do, God? This makes no sense. And it's in those moments that Jesus will lift us again and say, "Follow me. Abide in me. Obey me. Walk with me. And you will know the life that I give." You see, this week, I think it's really hard for us to think about this the this passion week and all that Jesus goes through. (15:35) And we read like I was reading from John 15, John 16, Jesus prayer for uh not only for Jerusalem, Jesus prayer for his disciples and Jesus uh passion for his those that will come to know him. And he's praying to the father, you have given them to me. Help them, protect them. And in that us as we even as disciples are walking there with Jesus to be those he considers in the process of becoming disciples forged in the difficulties of life. (16:06) So our faith moves from ideas and concepts to life-changing action to who we ultimately become. We have just spent um 35 weeks walking together through the path of a disciple. Called it life unlocked. We started with 10 foundational beliefs of the Christian faith. That'd be great. Could we stop there? Yeah. Well, we're satisfied with that. (16:39) We know it. But we pushed on further into 10 actions that need to follow from belief because belief does not become faith until it becomes the foundational motivation and movement of my life. And we looked at those things. But God said he's not satisfied for his disciples to simply know about him to simply respond from that knowledge but to become like him in character. (17:04) And so we've pushed into and and have just finished this whole idea that God's ultimate intent is to make us into the image of his son. That where we are, Christ is in a world that is still desperate to know him as a risen savior. He has sent his son in you to be the voice, to be the image, to be the scent, to be that hint of Jesus in the midst of a culture that still needs to know him. (17:34) The world still needs disciples of Jesus. Maybe I need to state that again. The world still needs disciples of Jesus. And so we need those times and I hope even as we we put ourselves there with the disciples where our faith is by the crucible of difficulty we are put into situations where it is refined from just a belief in my head to an action of my life to the absolute character of my being. Jesus is present in me. (18:12) We have looked at in that process at Galatians 5:es 22 and 23. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. All descriptions of the presence of God. And Jesus desires that for his disciples. (18:39) You know, here's one thing that I know that the disciples didn't do after Passion Week. You know what they didn't do? They didn't decide to meet once a week on a Sunday, sing a few songs, and listen to a message, and go home. Does that sound familiar? See, that's what I'm afraid we've made disciplehip into. They met every day together, morning, night, throughout the day. (19:16) When they could be together, they were together with other followers of Jesus. They they sacrificed for each other. They prayed for each other. They were with each other to encourage each other to walk as Jesus walked to be the expression of the presence of God. Disciplehip was not a simple uh religious routine that could be easily satisfied so that we could go on about the rest of our lives. (19:44) It was a life that was lived. How could they come through Passion Week ending with Easter and say, "I'll be see you next Sunday." You see, how can we get there as followers of Jesus? We've been lied to. We've been uh brainwashed. We've been manipulated to think we can satisfy what it is to walk with Jesus one day a week. (20:11) We can't think about the suffering of Jesus. And do you believe that when he walked out of that tomb, he said, "I just simplified it for you. Make sure you're there at least three Sundays a month and you'll be doing well. Just every once in a while, give me a little something back and you'll be fine. (20:33) Set your life up so others can't inconvenience you and everything will be great. No, he said, "Now you're my disciples and your life's going to become a constant inconvenience because I am going to be at work in you so others will be drawn to you to know me. So where you go, every conversation, every interaction, every attitude needs to express my presence. (20:57) You need to be gentle. You need to be kind. You need to be loving. You need to be one who walks in joy and relationship with me and not go and muster it up. No. Abide in me and I will abide in you and the world will see the fruit that I produce in your life. You will love me when you obey me. Walk in obedience. (21:21) Even when it's difficult and it doesn't make sense, trust me and obey. Walk in obedience with me. You see, I can't understand. I honestly cannot understand and and I'm this is I'm aiming this at me as any as much as anything else is how we over the course of of history unfolding since uh that passion week of our savior that we will ultimately celebrate next Sunday that we could make it seem that to follow Jesus is as simply as meeting certain obligations. (22:00) Jesus never set up obligations. He said, ' Give me everything. And we said, 'Well, okay, a little bit. No, everything. You see, I was talking with somebody this week. I found this interesting because this person, I wouldn't necessarily, they believe in God, but yet to fully follow Jesus is not there yet for them. That's okay. (22:26) God's working on their life. And in that process though, he understands a number of things. And he said to me, "I don't I don't understand how um the people have a certain concept of being a Christian is just kind of something else that you have in your life." He goes, "I even know that's not true. (22:51) " He goes, "I I figured this out a while ago. I just am not ready to get there yet." He said, "Every one of us in this world is serving something. We're all serving something. Whether it's a a degree we're pursuing, a a next promotion that we want, if it's a certain size of our bank account, whether it's a certain number of clicks on our social media, whatever it is, number of followers we get, we're s seeking after something. (23:15) We all have somehow in our mind to find where significance lies. And he said, I know this one thing though to be true. following Jesus means I've got to set all that aside and find only my significance in knowing Jesus. I was like, "Yeah, absolutely true." And he goes, "This is the part that gets me. How come so many Christians either don't understand that or don't want that?" I don't know. (23:51) I think it's because maybe we made it partway through with the first disciples, but in the midst of the week, we decided to fully abandon. And we'll take what is easier and makes it look like we're meeting the obligations rather than being fully surrendered. And you know, we look at the book of Acts and it is the answer to the question that we asked earlier. (24:18) Didn't they fail? Now the book of Acts explains they absolutely did not fail. In fact, they triumphed. We walk with those disciples who were in the midst of the suffering with Jesus. And what did they choose? I will suffer too. Oh, that I might know the power of the resurrection. Apostle Paul says, "And what? Share in his suffering. (24:45) " Oh man, we don't want to. That's making me uncomfortable. Yeah, we struggle in 21st century west with an understanding of how do we blend comfort with Christianity? Now we can have something worth following. But we don't understand as we seize comfort into Christianity, we leave Christ by the side of the road. (25:15) It's not easy. I'm saying that as one who wants to be there, too. It's not easy to be a disciple because to be a disciple means I've got to walk with my savior even when I don't understand. As he said, you're you're going to feel abandoned here shortly. Did he Did Jesus leave his disciples? Got a question for you. (25:37) Did Jesus leave his disciples? Did he abandon them? I'm going to argue with you. No, he did not. because he had already made the promise, I'll never leave you or forsake you. So his spirit was still present with the disciples even though they were not indwelled by the spirit at that point. He was still aware and still present with them. (25:58) So what did that require of them? They couldn't physically see Jesus. So they had to trust in Jesus. They had to trust in what he had taught them. He had to trust in how he empowered them. trust in how he had had given to them his commands, his uh very expression and example of what it was to walk in the midst of life when everyone is against you. (26:20) He gave it to them and he wouldn't have abandoned them just because he had to go to the cross. His spirit was still with his disciples. So if he can be with his disciples in the midst of his suffering, where will he be in the midst of our suffering? Now the tomb's empty. The spirit was sent. I'll say he's right there with us. (26:44) He's right there with us. Now, I'm not telling you, and maybe if I'm making you uncomfortable this morning, that's not my Well, maybe it is my intent because I think I need to be uncomfortable, too. But I want you to hear this. I'm not telling you that today you need to go out and drain your bank account and and and take that and give it here to the church. We'll start there. (27:07) That'd be great. Let's just end with that thought. No. Um Jesus doesn't Jesus calls us to sacrifice because we're walking with him and we see what he wants us to do. He it's not just a life of misery so that others will notice that I'm miserable and then we can say you see I'm being a good disciple. (27:27) It is a life of living fully where Christ has empowered me to live. I may be a nurse at a hospital. I've gained an education. I make sure that in the process of that education, I am seeing God in the midst that I'm glorifying him. So that in the midst of my job, I'm able to bring Jesus right there in the midst of those to those patients. (27:48) They will catch a hint, as we have talked about in this series, a hint of the love and the joy. like a fine wine. It has the hint of the presence of Jesus. So that when I am faced with somebody else's need, I am not holding on tighter to what I have, but I am able to give first from Jesus. And if my savior says, "Give them a little bit more. I give a little more. (28:10) " So that that voice is so familiar, I don't hesitate to respond. This week I had the opportunity really is representing you, but this happens fairly often of somebody will call and be in need, some sort of of of need and they need help with something and uh it's easy to sometimes because those phone calls come fairly regularly and you don't know the background of what's happening and you I can come up with all kinds of reasons to justify no response. (28:46) It can be a very easy thing. I'm busy. Um, we don't have much. We can't do much. But I often will when I'm listening to those people say, "First thing I can do is I can pray for you." And I will, and I will continue to pray after we're off the phone, and I will listen to the voice of Jesus. And if he's calling me to do more that I can't understand how, I'm going to follow him. (29:16) And so it will in return be a response of Jesus that you get. Now sometimes that's not much if we look at it from the world standard. But oftentimes I've been surprised at the response of just people saying, you know, thank you for listening. Thank you for praying with me. Do you know how many churches I've called? Do you know how many nos I've received? Do you know how many people have said, "Nah, we don't have anything. Go on. (29:47) Go somewhere else." I'm saying, "Well, I can't do much for you either." Yeah, but you've listened. You prayed with me that and I don't lift myself up to say that. I'm just giving you that as an example. Okay? In the midst of that, you guys are doing even more than I am. But I want to encourage you in that those opportunities that come, value the person first and love Jesus in the midst of seeing that person. (30:20) That's what it is to be a disciple. I've been, as you know, reading through the Old Testament in the series that we've been doing the the uh one, you know, the one story that leads to Jesus. And in that reading, I appreciate the work that the Bible Project guys are doing and and there's videos that go along with that and was just struck the other day about understanding really seeing and understanding what sin is. (30:50) There was a one of the videos was on sin the other day and oftentimes I think the church has put the wrong that word doesn't mean what you think it means kind of thing in a certain sense yeah sin is that which offends God but it's because we don't honor him as God and that's where we often get off is that in process of life God just wants us to walk with him and honor him and that's why he gives gives us the an steps along the way, ways to do that. (31:24) Think on whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is noble. Think on these things. He tells us how to think. He tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. He walks with and says, "I'm going to put my spirit in you to bring out my character in you." And in all of those things, what is he doing? He's not telling me here's the list of sin and you are just so close to that I'm going to cut you off. (31:48) But sometimes that's what we have communicated within the church. No, what the church should be communicating is a risen savior who loves you so much that he died for your sin. That which where you choose to abandon God for yourself and instead you have the opportunity to run to God in Jesus and walk with him. (32:10) And why would we choose as disciples of Jesus to things those things that would tear us away from walking with God? Those things are sin. Anything that does not honor God, anything that takes us away from that. And then they went on to talk about further in there which I really liked is that sin is also when I devalue people. (32:35) when I don't see them for who they are and because of Christ. And they went on they tie that which is so true. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. You see, my worship of God is best expressed in the way that I treat my neighbor. So when somebody calls on the phone or knocks on the door and says, "I have a need. (33:04) " I can't meet every need, but God knows deeper what they need. So, the first thing I can do, and he calls of his disciples to do, is love me right now. Love me as you're talking to that person. Show passion for me by the way you respond. Show that you obey me by the way you treat them. Give them my time, not your time. Give them someone who will listen because this world won't listen. (33:34) Give them somebody who will actually give them value by looking them in the eye, sitting next to them, hearing their problems, and encouraging them that there's a God who knows them and he's right now sitting with them. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. (33:59) So, the phone call I got this week was asking for money and I said, "We don't really have any right now. We've given away what we have. I don't have a lot." But I said, "If you will," I gave her my my cell phone number and I said, "If you will keep pestering me, I will see what I can pull together. I was able to pull together a little and called her back after several days and she pestered me a few times and I said, "You know what? I wasn't able to get much, but what I've got I'm going to give you. (34:43) " And so she came. I met her at Insomnia Coffee and and gave her what little I had. And the easy thought would be as I watched her pull up in a car with somebody else and it was a pretty nice car. And I could have thought and say it didn't mean in my mind, "Do you really need this? Looks like you're doing okay. (35:09) " She came up and she looked like everything was going well for her. And I could judge her in the process and say, "I wonder if you're kind of con me, but instead I just simply said,"I don't have much. Gladly let you have this. God still loves you." And her response in that was a thank you. You don't know how much this means to us. We need it. (35:47) We're short on food and then she's gone. Does that mean that it was a waste of time? You see, if what we have belongs to God, I happen to know that God has plenty. And you know what he's asked us to do? To give it away. Why? Because in the giving away others will know they have met God. Does he need to judge them? Does he want me to determine what they need steps they need to take to prove the worth of what they've received? No. It's hard though. (36:39) You see, it's hard to be a disciple to Jesus because I try to make him fit into my comfort. And he just never wants to. He simply wants us to obey. But I got to listen to obey. I've got to abide to know his word. I've got to walk with him and fully surrender. And then in the midst of when life is difficult, things don't make sense, when I don't have the answers, but I know he's still with me, then I have joy that I can give to those who have nothing. (37:24) You see, I said earlier on in this series, in this last section of the series that we're doing, is that sometimes we undervalue and do not appreciate what God is creating when he's creating his character in us. I will tell you this. There is no greater thing in this world than for the character of Christ to be developed in you. (37:43) Because how do I know that? Because that was God's intent when he sent his son. And if that was good enough for God, that had better be my standard. And sometimes we downplay the importance of being the image of Jesus. And the world suffers as a result. There is no greater gift. So that may mean that the greatest thing that somebody may need, a a co-orker, a neighbor, is to see that there's hope in the midst of a hopeless world. (38:16) That there is joy to be found outside of things. That there are uh there is value in relationship. There is amazing restoration that comes through forgiveness. You see the depth and riches of God can't be defined by the things of this world. Yet we often are trying to define them by the things of this world. When we finally as disciples understand that that's what those disciples went through in that first uh passion week. (38:48) What was going to define the presence of God? What it was to be a disciple? What it was to follow Jesus? They had it figured out. It was going to be authority in his kingdom. They were going to look good, wear nice clothes, and everybody would be excited that they got to meet one of the disciples. H Jesus said, "Uh, you're going to have a rough week. (39:13) I got a little news for you." But boy, did they come out on the other side. They understood the presence of God. And they lived the presence of God. They lived it with each other, for each other, through each other, and for the world to know that Christ was risen. Our God is good. Our God is purposeful, and he has done much for us. (39:42) I want to end with um where we were last week. And I just say this. It brings us back to John 15 verse 5 where Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. That last phrase concerns me the most. Apart from me, you can do nothing. (40:06) Because I think too many of us who say we're followers of Jesus have scratched that line out of our Bible. We think we can do plenty without Jesus. We just need him to make us look good. Now we need Jesus to do anything good. So we must remain in him and the good news is he will remain in us. I take us now where we left off last week. (40:40) We left in the 20 we spent a fair amount of time in the 23rd Psalm and I it was all centered around this whole concept of humility that one of the the last the lynch pin I believe in being a disciple of Jesus. If you are not if you do not have humility being developed in your life it will stop everything else from being developed. (41:05) I honestly believe that if humility does not define your relationship with Jesus, you're going to have a hard time hearing his voice. You're going to have a hard time obeying him. You're going to have a hard time and you will struggle constantly with the concept of full surrender to him as your savior. That is why all the way through the Bible, all the way through the Bible, there is the theme of the struggle between pride and humility. (41:33) I pointed a few of them out to you last week. But God calls us to humble ourselves and he will lift us up. How does he do that? Because the humble person is available to be used by God. He'll put you in the situations where he wants to have an effect. Think of the privilege of that. God sees someone needs and he says, "I need you over here. Just just go with me. (42:05) Trust me on this one. Remain in me. You're going to like this one." And he uses us. What a privilege. What an absolute privilege. But he needs disciples that have humbled themselves. Because when pride starts to rise up, we kind of start resisting what God wants to do because we think that that won't look very good on me. (42:30) I don't want to do that. That's below me. That takes effort. That will cost me. I don't have time. It's an inconvenience. Humble yourselves and I'll lift you up. And then we walk through the 23rd Psalm and I explain to you how there is a direct connection between the 23rd Psalm and Matthew chapter 5. (42:53) And in that when Jesus is talking about how to live in the kingdom of God, it really is the walking path of the sheep with the shepherd. It's going on and I'll go back to the theme that we're using this morning. It's saying as a follower of Jesus, I'm willing to walk on the road with you, Jesus. (43:10) Even if that road takes us into the midst of circumstances I can't fully understand. My fear is rising, but you're with me. I'm uncomfortable and others want to to hurt me, harm me, bring me down, but you're with me. You see, that's what it is to walk with Jesus. But it requires humility because when a sheep gets uppety, they get in trouble. (43:37) And I've talked to you some examples before about how dumb sheep can be. And some Thad, you talked to me before you, your family raised sheep. They will do things and oftent times sheep will one sheep will do something and then the rest of the herd thinks it's a great idea and pretty soon they're all in trouble. (43:58) You see, it's it's that thinking it's a good idea that can get us into the trouble because that's usually has a little kernel of pride in it because we don't go back and ask God what he wants. Just real quick, I talked about I think I mentioned last week uh the that the Old Testament in in the book of Samuel, the struggle between Saul and David, if you're familiar with that, the central theme of that is humility. (44:26) Have you caught that yet? If you've been reading, it's all about humility. Was Saul a humble guy? He tried to be, but his pride got him in trouble all the time. In fact, it ultimately took his life. He what did he do? He was waiting for Samuel to come and give the sacrifice and give a blessing to for him to go into battle. (44:48) And he's like, "I've waited long enough. I got to do it myself." And Samuel comes to him and says, "What have you done? What have you done? God is now taking his presence from you because you thought you what God must do. Was David a perfect guy? No, he wasn't. But you know what I love about David is he recognized he wasn't a perfect guy? And he would humble himself before God when he suddenly sees, God, I'm stupid. (45:20) Why did I do that? And he would humble himself. That was that's the struggle that's taking place if you don't realize it through first and 2 Samuel and what's going on with the nation. It's all about humble humility and pride. Will you humble yourself before God? And so it was David that wrote the 23rd Psalm. (45:39) And he writes it from the position of understanding how humble one must be. And he compares himself to a sheep as a shepherd who knows how dumb sheep are. So you get get what I'm saying here? Sheep need a shepherd. And anybody knew it, it would be a guy who had spent a good portion of his life moving them around, picking up after them, saving them, protecting them. (46:03) And he'd probably going, "Good grief, you dumb animals. Get in line." And yet he says, "You know what? I got to learn to be like a sheep because I act just like him. So now I got to realize I am just like him. I need a shepherd that I'm willing to follow. I actually am willing to follow. And so when we read these words, listen to them carefully. (46:29) They're the expression of obedience, but they're also the expressions of a disciple. So you want the disciples manual? Here it is in a few verses. Listen carefully. The Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green pa p meadows. He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. (46:54) He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid. For you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect me, protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessing. (47:16) Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. That's a disciple who has come to realize what it is to humble themselves before God in the midst of the unknown and the fearful when there are those things that want to cause us harm. I hope you can feel it as you he walks us through that that he's talking about how easy the one one thing there it it jumped out uh has jumped out to me before and he says there even though I walk through the darkest valley I I will (47:54) not be afraid for you are close beside me your rod and your staff protect me your pair pray a feast for me in the presence of my enemies you honor me anointing my head with oil the whole picture is the natural tendency of sheep when something is coming in is they will often scatter to get away the disciple deciple stays close to the shepherd. (48:16) That's where humility comes in. We stay close to the shepherd. We abide. If you abide in me, I'll abide in you. If you love me, you will obey my commands. You see, it's that connection of listening to the voice of God. That is being a disciple. As we go into Passion Week this week, I want to encourage you not to just pass this off as just another week before we get to Easter. (48:44) No, we have an opportunity to to really hone our uh our souls to the surrender of God. So, I call you consider whether you have surrendered to Christ in the first place. Do you believe in him as your savior? Do you know that he died for you, rose again, that you can have a relationship with God? That was God's intent for you before you were even born. (49:08) But in that, h are you walking in your own pride and your own desires? Or have you surrendered to your shepherd and let him determine where he wants to take you so you can be his representative where he needs you? What a privilege. That's what he calls us for. So, I want to I actually was trying to figure out how to do this for you. (49:32) I couldn't figure it out. So, I'm going to instead just encourage you to do this. Um, and normally I wouldn't push anything that's going to require you to spend a little money, but this is a good investment in your spiritual life. Uh, you've probably heard me mention before a guy named Tommy Profett, and he uh is a producer, music producer, and and put together some phenomenal things. (49:56) I really like him if you haven't picked up on that yet. Now, he just released on the just last week came out. I think it might even been Friday. Um, a uh new album called uh the King. And here, what I was going to try to do is buy that album for every one of you. I wanted to see if we couldn't make it electronically available to you so that you could be worshiping all week long in the midst of the the pressures of this week. (50:24) Walk with your savior. But the music he's put together on that, it's it's a worship. I mean, truly is a worship album in the midst of the suffering of our savior. So, I'm going to encourage you to go buy that album. I'm going to guess probably electronically or anything else. I will say this, too. (50:43) If for some reason that puts a hardship on you, come see me and I'll figure out a way to get it to you. Okay? I will figure it out. It is not because it's Tommy Profit and it's not because it's good music. It's because it will lead you to your savior in a sense of humility and worship. I encourage you to pick it up. This is a valuable, valuable week in your spiritual life. (51:11) Take advantage of opportunities to walk with those first disciples. walk through the Gospel of John in those last chapters where Jesus is with his disciples, the last supper, all of those things, and ask God to let you hear what it is to surrender in humility to your savior as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death with them and with him that he is doing it for you. (51:37) do. What I'm saying is in all of this, make an effort to take the opportunity to worship God as you recognize what he did for you through his son. All right, pick that up. I know it's out there and available. Just another tool that you can use to worship God. I want to just close in prayer. Father, thank you for your word. (52:01) Thank you for the way that you care for us. We are looking forward to celebrating next Sunday as we celebrate Jesus, your resurrection. But in the in between time, you have a purpose for all the things that you went through before you rose from the dead. As your disciples, I'm asking for myself and for each of us that we will take the time to truly walk with you this week. (52:26) Consider what you experienced, why you were going through it, why these things were happening, and what it is you want me to surrender as a result of what I see. And as a sheep who is following you as my shepherd, what do I need to do? Where am I not listening? Where am I not surrendering? Where am I not following? Help us with this, I pray. (52:48) We want to be disciples in whom our savior is known and seen. tasted and sensed. You are with us because we walk with you. We pray this in your beautiful, beautiful name, our risen savior. Amen."