Skip to content The Message of Jesus in Disturbing Times - Palm Sunday 2023 Apr 2 · 52 min ...more
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Empowering multimedia ministry for bold Christian living: Weekend Messages, Deep End Podcast, Deep Dive Bible Study. Tim Hatch, Lead Pastor, Waters Church, 26 years of pastoral ministry, book author.
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0:00 Well, today, we're talking about Jesus coming into the city of Jerusalem. 2000 years ago, changed everything, changed the world, split history in half, split humanity in half. You're either with Jesus0:12 or you're with the world. And I'm so glad that I'm with you today in this house of worship where we get to remind ourselves every week that we're a part of king heaven the kingdom of heaven. We're part of the team of0:24 Jesus, and we're never alone. Standing with me for the reading of God's word about the triumphal entry. If you got a paper bible, hold it up. Hold it up. Bring it out. Hold it up every location. Just0:36 look at all the super spiritual people at Waters Church who bring their paper bible to church. Amen. Luke chapter 19. Now the bad thing is it's a little bit harder to get to the text than the paper bible, so0:48 all the smartphone people can get there real quick. Luke 19, we're gonna read the triumphal entry passage. We just saw a little bit of it here in North Attleboro, but we're gonna read it in full today for all the0:58 locations. Here's what it says. And when he had said these things, he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem. And when he drew near Bethpage and Bethany, at the mount that is called the1:10 Olivet, he sent 2 of the disciples saying, go into the village ahead of you, where on entering, you will find a colt tied on which no 1 has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. If1:21 anyone you, why are you untying it? You shall say this, the Lord has need of it. So those who were sent went and found it just as he had told them. And as1:33 they were untying the cold, its owner said to them, why are you untying the cold? They said, the Lord has need of it. And they brought it to Jesus and throwing their cloaks on the coat, they set Jesus on it. And as he1:44 rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. And as he was drawing near, already on the way down the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the1:55 mighty works that they had seen, saying, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said, teacher, rebuke your disciples. He2:07 answered, if you I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it saying, would that you even you had known the day,2:19 this day, the things that are making for peace, but now they are hidden from you. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side2:31 and tear you down to the ground and you and your children within you, and they will not leave 1 stone upon another in you because you did not know the time of your visitation. This is the reading of God's word. Let's2:43 pray together and ask him to speak to us in this moment. Heavenly father, we thank you that today we are your people gathered in this house of worship2:55 and every other 1 that is connected to our church. Lord, joining millions, billions billions of Christians around the world to start Holy Week, to remind ourselves that this is the week that3:07 changed the world, changed history, changed our lives. God became flesh and bore our sins on a cross. And3:19 I pray, God, that every ear is open, that our minds are renewed, that our hearts are transformed, that we receive the word of3:31 God humbly, gratefully, submissively. For today, God, we have a chance to see you do a new work in us through the teaching of your word. And I3:43 ask in this moment that every person who hears me now will see Jesus. Him and him only. In his mighty name, we pray. And everybody said,3:54 amen. Amen. I wanna talk to you on the message of Jesus in disturbing times. God bless you. Have a seat at all locations. The message of4:06 Jesus in disturbing times. I've got 1 thing to share with you before we get to the message, and that is only for North Attleboro. Anybody4:18 live in North Attleboro? If you live in North Attleboro, say, oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, good. There's a few of you. So this Tuesday in North I don't know other locations. You can look this up for your4:30 own, your own city or town, but we have a election this Tuesday for the North Attleboro School Committee. I believe that these are some of the most4:42 important elections on the planet right now. And I don't tell you who to vote for, but I wanna tell you that 2 people from our church here in4:54 North Attleboro are running for the positions on the school committee board. And I just wanna give you their names. I'm not telling you who to vote for.5:09 Their names are Marjorie Avarista. That's a v r I s t a, Marjorie and, Aaron Whirl,5:20 w h I r l. And we have checked out these people and asked them and know for a fact that they they do in fact know what a woman is.5:34 So I'm not telling you who to vote for, but that's happening this Tuesday in North Attleboro. If you care about the future of your country, go vote5:47 and make your voice heard. And we're gonna do this on a regular basis until this country comes back to some semblance of sanity.5:58 Sorry. All the locations that that I had to address that here. I don't usually do that, so please forgive me. We won't do that again, but I just wanted to make note of that. If you're in house, take out your notes. They6:08 look like this. I want you to fill in the blanks with us. Double sided today. And if you're not in house or you are in our churches, but you don't have the paper, you can go to waterschurch dot guide. It looks like this.6:20 And then you can click on today's message, and it will look like that. And then you can fill in the blanks digitally as well. So we always want you to be connected with the word of God and the study of the scriptures.6:30 Amen. The message of Jesus in disturbing times. I am disturbed. I am disturbed. Because on Monday of this past6:42 week, our Christian and brothers, our Christian brothers and sisters were targeted for a violent attack, hunted down, shot, and murdered for6:54 what they believe about biology, what they believe about true science. God made them male and female. What they believe about7:05 marriage between a man and a woman. And on Monday in Nashville, Tennessee, a Christian school that has done nothing evil7:17 to anyone, nor does it teach to do evil to anyone, was targeted, hunted, and attacked brutally by a transgender individual who formerly attended the school.7:29 We do not wish harm on anyone as a church or Christians, but the days of evil and wickedness are upon us. On the heels of this7:41 vicious attack, our president got up at a press conference to address the the shooting and joked for 3 and a half minutes about ice cream and7:53 good looking children in the audience. And 4 days later, his press secretary got up to make an announcement that they, the White House, our hearts go out to the transgender8:04 community as they are under attack right now. This is America 20 23, and this is madness. And some of you are shocked because you haven't8:16 heard this. Of course, you haven't heard this because you are indoctrinated by a news media that has an agenda to reshape our country, to reshape humanity into the image of a secular8:27 utopia, to undo the foundations of what makes a human being a human being, to deny the existence of an almighty morally just God, and to distract you from the8:39 reality of those truths that can support you and propel you into success. Our country is in a mess. On the heels of this attack, a transgender8:51 day of vengeance was scheduled for yesterday, appropriately on the date April first. The attacks were supposed to go out across the9:03 nation. Transgender Day of Vengeance. Transgender Day of Vengeance. Imagine putting any other category of people into that statement and see if they can get away with it. Christian Day of Vengeance,9:15 Muslim Day of Vengeance, Jewish Day of Vengeance, the most persecuted people on the face of the earth in all history. Jewish people don't even have a day of vengeance. But the most coddled, most supported, most9:26 celebrated, most most deified subcategory of our population believes it deserves a day in which to carry out acts of violence against those who disagree with their ideology.9:38 This is America 20 23, and it is madness. This is where we are, And pastors and preachers in our country had better start speaking up and9:50 saying something because we have a moral obligation. Dare I say a divine obligation to speak out in an age of lies the truth of scripture louder and10:01 more forcefully than ever before. Our country is dying. Our world is going crazy, and preachers are standing by silent.10:13 Enough is enough. Now if you follow me on my YouTube channel, you know that I address these things on a regular basis. And if you don't follow me because you don't like me going there, stinks to be you this morning.10:28 Because I'm going there. This is what needs to be said now more than ever before. Pastor said nothing when our country made10:39 homosexual marriage a civil right. Black people, I feel so bad for you. I really do. Because your just moral activity of the 19 sixties was hijacked by a10:51 sexually deviant subculture. And they have turned civil rights into sexual deviancy rights. And I'm so upset about how that has happened to you because this is not how it was supposed to be. And11:03 I don't think for a second that Martin Luther King Junior intended for the start of his organization to end where it has become. And we've got to stand up and speak the truth because people are more confused now11:15 than ever before. In the wake of these violent attacks on Christians in Nashville, Tennessee, Madonna, are you done with Hollywood yet? Madonna has decided to add a concert in Nashville, Tennessee. For11:27 what reason? To raise awareness and raise money to support transgender youth in the very city where the attack happened. Ladies and gentlemen, at some point, you've got to wake up and realize11:39 that this country and this culture indeed hates you, is out to get you, wants to silence you, would love it if I didn't dare to say these things in public. But you've got a pastor11:51 that's not afraid and I've got nothing to lose and I'm going to say it and I'm not gonna shut up. And I don't say this for your applause12:03 and I don't say this for your approval because these things matter. Our children are watching us. They're watching you parents. And if you're silent, you're complicit. And if you say12:15 nothing, you're part of the problem. And the pastors today who are more interested in building their brands and building their population popularity and getting Instagram fame have are part of the problem as well.12:26 Pastors have gotta get back to preaching this word. It's not about you. It's about Jesus Christ. And if you don't come to him, you're bound and destined for hell eternally.12:38 We've got to speak up. We've got to say something. We've got to do something. If you're in the corporate world, you know the corporate world has been hijacked by DEI, diversity, equity, and12:50 inclusion, which is just another moniker for sexual deviancy and its approval and support from you. And you gotta say something and do something and refuse to participate. It might13:02 cost you. It might hurt you financially, but the truth is at stake. And our forefathers in the faith went to the lion's dens and went to the stakes and were burned alive and were13:14 handed over to brute beasts for the sake of standing for the truth. And they're watching us from heaven. That great cloud of witnesses that is bearing witness to what we're doing right now on this earth, And13:26 we've got a responsibility to fight for truth in our generation so that our children are raised not in confusion, but in Christ Jesus. Now more than ever before.13:38 On top of all the sexual confusion madness, there is the open attack and aggressiveness against the pro life Americans. When Roe v Wade was overturned, over 100 pro life centers, pro life13:50 pregnancy resource centers that give free food and and baby necessities and maternal necessities to women who are in trouble with unexpected pregnancies. Over 100 of them were violently14:01 attacked, firebombed, destroyed, graffitied all over their walls. The message is mostly speaking out on their walls. If abortions aren't safe, then you aren't14:13 either on pro life centers across America. A pro life center that our church specifically supports. Abundant Hope Pregnancy Resource Center right down the street here in Attleboro, which famously14:25 owns a former abortion clinic, by the way. We bought them their ultrasound machine as a church. Your tithes brought bought them an ultrasound machine many years ago. They were named by14:36 governor Maura Healy last week as a threat, as a threat to society and what's going on in our country. Imagine people who wanna save babies in their mother's womb, where they should be most protected, being14:48 considered a threat by the most powerful person in Massachusetts. This is America in 20 23. And by the way, last year, we had a banquet with abundant hope. It was at a place in rent the15:00 Massachusetts. I'll let you guess which place it was. And after we held our banquet, our pro life banquet, working to raise money to save children from abortion, being ripped limb from limb in their15:12 mother's womb. Ladies and gentlemen, what they refuse to tell you when they're all about women's rights. Where is the right of the woman in the womb of her mother? When we had our when15:24 we had our banquet last October, the staff was watching. I spoke at the banquet. We gave our thoughts and prayers and support financially to that organization. A week later, they got a letter15:36 from that from that resort center, that that conference center in Renton, Massachusetts. I'll let you guess which 1 it was, that they were no longer welcome to their facility based on their views.15:48 Discrimination is okay as long as you're on the wrong side of history, as long as you're against the Christian movement and Christian truth. Do not be misled.16:00 Those against biblical values have power, authority, and the wealth necessary to continue these discouraging realities. This is America in 20 23. It16:12 only took 5 years for our White House to go from being draped in the colors of the pride flag in 20 15 on the heels of the Obergefell decision from the Supreme Court to being surrounded by barricades16:24 in 20 25 years, and the peace of our culture has been destroyed, has been eradicated, has been replaced by a confusing,16:35 disturbing, destructive, demonic organization that is overseeing and in all this case, in all points is winning on almost every front. And I feel so bad for16:47 you, the sheep of God's pasture. I really do. My heart goes out to you because I don't work with non Christians. I work surrounded by Christians, and they work for me, which means they have to be doubly nice. They're16:57 Christians, and I employ them. But for you who work amongst the lost, I feel so bad. You're vilified. You're targeted. You're harassed. You're hated. Some of you keep silent. You shouldn't. You17:09 should speak up and declare what you believe and not have any qualms about it because you are the light of the world, and you are the salt of the earth. And if we don't get out of our salt shaker, we're of no good to17:21 this earth. God is looking to us, his church, to say something, to do something, and to speak up in truth. And so we will.17:33 This is America 20 23, and Christian pastors and churches are silenced on YouTube and Facebook. My own channel on a regular basis, videos are taken down, squashed,17:45 silenced, censored. Why? Because I say things that they don't approve of. This is America 20 23. Tweet the wrong thing and you're suspended. Say that a man cannot get pregnant and you're17:57 vilified. This is the confusion that they want for your children and for you. And some of you have been playing safe for far too long as a Christian. The Christian movement18:08 is not a safe movement. Never was. Never has been. We were falsely led to believe that America was a Christian nation. All evidence to the contrary, my friends.18:21 It is a devoid of values nation. It is a nation that has set itself against the knowledge of God. And it is our job as God's people to stand up and say, thus says the Lord. And if you don't like it, I'm okay18:32 with you not liking it. But we will be here to testify to the truth, and you can freely hate us, but we will serve you in love as the people of light, the people of God. That is the church's responsibility in18:44 every generation. And I am if you haven't noticed yet, I figured I'd start this sermon at an 8 and ratchet it up to an 11 15 minutes in. I'm disturbed. I'm angry, and I18:56 want Jesus to come back. I want Jesus to show up. My heart grieves for the curse that is upon our world. And more now than ever before, I desire the Lord19:08 to come home to us and rescue us from this world. So let's talk about Palm Sunday. Because never before,19:21 and I mean this, have I felt more sympathy for those pilgrims who worshiped Jesus as he entered the city of Jerusalem 2000 years ago than I do right now?19:34 This is the nation of Israel, a nation that is still around, a miracle nation. The Jews still live19:46 in the same land, worship the same God, read the same holy book, and speak the same language for 3500 years. But they have had19:58 it rough. When Jesus marched into Jerusalem on that day, leaving Zacchaeus' house where he had free where he had welcomed the tax collector into the kingdom of God and declared that the son of man20:10 has come to seek and save that which was lost. The scriptures leave that story with this line in Luke chapter 19 verse 11. You can look at it on the screen. It says that as they heard these things, he proceeded to tell20:21 them a parable because he was where? Near to Jerusalem. And because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. So there20:33 was an air of anticipation in the atmosphere. Jesus, the miracle working Nazarene carpenter, the miracle worker, the the dead raising demon chasing20:45 carpenter, the rabbi from Nazarene is coming into the city, the epicenter city of Israel, the hope of the nation.20:57 Every unrest in the Middle East is an argument over the property rights of that city still to this day. And Jesus is walking toward it. His disciples are21:08 anticipating as Passover is approaching the most sacred hallowed week of Israel's calendar year that perhaps this is finally it. The Messiah would come and21:20 inaugurate the kingdom of God. What's the word at the end? Immediately. And this is why they wanted it so badly Because Israel had suffered21:32 persecution, hatred, animosity at the hands of foreign powers for 900 years. And they, like you,21:44 were probably sick and tired of it, exhausted, had been kicked around by the cultural powers of their day. A brief history, if21:56 you will indulge me. Israel is called out of Ur of the Chaldees, Abram. He is called out of paganism, idolatry to found a new nation, a new family, the22:07 Israelites, the father of the faith. He comes into the property of Cain and what we now know is Israel. He dies only owning 1 thing, a grave for his wife and himself.22:19 His generations go further, and they multiply in the land. They end up in Egypt. They come out of Egypt through mighty powers under Moses. When they come into the promised land and are led in conquest of that land22:28 through Joshua, they own most of the land by that time. And then they beg God for a earthly king. And the king that they get is Saul. Saul's a disaster, and God replaces Saul with a king named David. Anybody know22:40 that name? Dave is the giant killing, Philistine, butt kicking king that is anointed by God Almighty. And he elevates the kingdom of Israel, subdues all the enemies22:52 around her, and brings peace to that area for the first time in millennia. He has a son named Solomon. Solomon is wise beyond comprehension. He elevates the country to its zenith. It's23:04 it's accompanied by international diplomacy and and social wealth and prosperity. The country reaches the pinnacle of its existence. This is around 900 BC.23:16 But how many know countries very rarely handle wealth and prosperity well? And little by little, they start to fornicate with the nations around them, prostituting themselves to the idols of the foreigners23:28 who surrounded them. And rather than follow God, Yahweh, their God, and his rules, they decided to placate the nations around them, indulging in the same sins we see coming back to our society today.23:40 Sexual morality, gender confusion, the murder of the innocence for the sake of prosperity. This was happening 900 years before Christ came. So God handed them over to their23:51 enemies. 1 after another of foreign pagan powers ruling over the people of Israel. It began in 800 BC with the nation of24:03 Syria. Then it was the Sidonians and the wicked Jezebel ruling over the northern kingdom with her weak willed husband, Ahab. Finally, in 740 BC, the northern nation was24:14 invaded by Syria, king sent a Syria. King Sennacherim came in and thoroughly devastated the nation, enslaved its population, and wiped out their temple and all their religious practices. Interbreeded them with24:26 pagans to wipe them off the face of the earth. The southern kingdom of Judah held strong for another 150 years, led by a few moral kings such as Josiah and Hezekiah. But inevitably, they deteriorated as well.24:38 In 5 86 BC, the Babylonians, led by King Nebuchadnezzar, came into that city of Jerusalem, the very city Jesus was entering 2000 years ago. They came into that city. They burned the temple. They burned the palace. They24:50 plucked out the eyes of their king after they killed 14 of his children in front of him and dragged away their young men and their young women into slavery for their lives. 4 of those men are most notable to you.25:02 You know 4 of their names, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Thank God that he always has somebody, no matter how dark the world gets, who will stand for righteousness and light in the middle of25:14 hardship. And because of those 4 men, Israel survives the exile of 70 years to Babylon. But then they are subjugated to the to the Medes who overcome Babylon. And then they're handed over to the Persians25:25 who overcome the Medes. And then after the Persians is the Greeks. And the Greeks through Alexander the Great conquer the entire known world. And they instant instigate Greek culture throughout the world. 1 practice of25:36 which the Jews thoroughly supplemented to the Greek culture, the practice of circumcision was put on hold. Why? Because God's people wanted to be accepted by the culture around them instead of stand for the25:48 truth that God had given them. And then at the death of Alexander the Great, the the kingdom of Greece was split into 2, the Solemn and the Solu the the Ptolemn and the Soluces. The Soluces got the land of26:00 Israel, and 1 of their kings was named Antiochus the fourth. Antiochus the fourth decided to thoroughly humiliate and subjugate the Jews. And so he marched into Jerusalem and took a pig, an unclean animal, and26:11 sacrificed it on the altar of sacrifice in the temple of Israel to thoroughly humiliate the populace of Israel. And this country had been decimated by 1 company 126:23 country, 1 empire after another. Ping pong from world power to world power for 900 years. And so you can26:34 understand why in the first century AD, when Jesus, the 1 who could seemingly beat death, was welcomed with such26:46 anticipation that day, 2000 years ago, as he entered into that city. They were exhausted. They were tired of being beaten up and pushed around,26:58 and they wanted action. Like me this week, like you this week. And if you feel that, Palm Sunday has a lot to say to you27:10 because it teaches us the true message of Jesus in the midst of disturbing times. So let's unpack this text together. Let's look at 3 elements from this story that teaches27:22 what to know while the world goes crazy around us as Jesus continues to build his church. Number 1, I want you to write this down. Jesus rules over every27:33 detail of my life. That's the first thing we've gotta know from this text because for a kingly coronation, it takes a crazy turn. I don't know if you saw it, but I saw it in27:45 the text. A lot of details, a lot of text is given to something that seems innocuous. For instance, the whole deal about finding the donkey. Why are we27:57 given these details? Who cares about the donkey? Let's just saddle up and ride in. And when we get to Jerusalem, Jesus, if you don't mind28:09 stringing together another whip and sending our enemies packing. That would be my plan. How about yours? But this is how the text moves. Let's look at verse 29. When he drew near28:21 to Bethpage and Bethany at the mount that is called the Olivet, he sent 2 of his disciples saying, go into the village in front of you where upon entering it, you will find a colt tied in which no 1 has ever sat. Untie28:30 it, bring it here, and if anyone asks you why you're untying it, just say the Lord needs it. What a crazy story. What a weird story. Why this? This is like if Jesus was marching on Washington DC,28:42 and we were hopefully welcoming him to wipe them all out. Then he says to some of you, 2 of you, said, come here. We're on the way to March Washington DC. We're on the way to 1600 Pennsylvania28:54 Avenue. You 2, come here. I want you to go to Massachusetts Ave. On the corner of Massachusetts Ave, you will find an f 1 50 pickup. Pull down the visor. The keys are up there. The owner29:06 leaves in there thinking nobody will steal it. And then start the car and come pick me up. And if anybody asks you, just say, the Lord needs it. It's a strange story.29:18 Why does this happen? It happens to show us that though Jesus is marching into Jerusalem towards his inevitable death, his crucifixion, his brutal rejection of the Jewish29:30 authorities, He is still in charge of every detail that takes place along the way. And so look what it says then in the passage after this, verse 32. So those who were sent went away and found29:42 it, what? Just as He had told them. Jesus rules over every detail of your life. He rules over the fact that you got here this morning.29:54 He knows you by name. He's in charge of every breath that you have taken up to this point and will take until your final breath. No detail30:06 escapes his notice. He's God. And it says in verse 33, and as they were untying the coat, exactly what Jesus said. The owner said, why are you untying the coat? And they said the Lord needs it. And done. They secured the30:18 transportation for Jesus. Now liberal scholars really crack me up about this text. I read both conservative and liberal commentators all the time to get perspectives. And the liberal scholars bend30:29 over backwards to try to explain for us how this event took place. And what they suggest is ridiculous. They said Jesus went into the city30:41 the day before alone and worked out the agreement with the owner of the cult beforehand. Then came back to his disciples and marched into the city with their disciples. And then to30:53 oppress them, he decided to send them ahead to the place where he had already secured his Uber ride into Jerusalem for that afternoon. This is what liberal scholars have to do because they deny the31:04 miraculous. They deny the authority of scripture. Here's the reality. This is Jesus. This is God in flesh. He knows31:16 stuff. He can do stuff. He can change things. And he rules over even the small things in your life.31:29 John's gospel, John chapter 1, tells us that Jesus knows people before he meets them. Nathaniel comes to Jesus. He says, I saw you when you were sitting on the fig tree, and Philip came and got you. And Nathaniel says,31:40 how'd you know that? You must be the son of God. He says, that ain't nothing. Wait till you follow me for 3 years. He knows what you're thinking while you're thinking it. Several times in the gospels, it says,31:52 Jesus, knowing their thoughts. Some of you are afraid to sin because you know that God is watching you. I've got even worse news for you. He doesn't just watch what you do, he knows what you32:03 think. Happy Easter. Jesus knows people before he meets them. He knows their thoughts before they tell them. He knows the thoughts of those around them. He knows what32:15 people will do before they do it. He predicted Judas's betrayal and Peter's denial and the abandonment of all the other disciples. Jesus knew that you'd be here this morning at all of32:27 our locations. You are not an accident. You are not an afterthought. You might think that you're doing somebody a favor by being here today. I've got news for you. God orchestrated all the events beforehand to move on32:37 your life to get you to this place so that you would hear that God loves you and wants to save you and bring you home to heaven. No 1, absolutely no 1 is beyond the32:49 rule and authority of king Jesus. And the reason for this this event of securing his ride into Jerusalem was twofold, to prove that he was33:01 completely in charge of what was about to happen that whole week and to fulfill scripture. Zechariah chapter 9 verse 9 prophesied that when Israel's Messiah would come,33:13 rejoice greatly. It says, oh, daughter of Zion, shout aloud, oh, daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you righteous and having salvation. Is he humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the fall of a33:22 donkey? So the anticipation is in the air. Jesus is fulfilling scripture. He knows all the details. Every detail of your life is under the domain of God. And some of you say,33:34 well, that's not good news for me, pastor, because I've had a horrible year. I just got a diagnosis from the doctor. I can't understand why God would allow this to happen. Some of you are looking at the events of this33:45 last week and say, how could a loving God allow his children to be murdered? And for every person that all ask those questions, I wanna say, first of all, and most importantly, your questions are valid.33:57 Your feelings are understood. And I wanna address them for you, if you don't mind, with 3 simple answers. Whenever anybody asks me how a good God can allow bad things to happen, I say 3 things. Here's the things I34:09 want you to write down so that you can have them for yourself. Number 1, if there is no God, then bad events do not matter. If there is no God, then bad events do not matter. And and if bad events34:21 bother you, why? What's the big deal? If all we are, as Martin Luther King Junior said, is flotsam and jetsam spinning around the world, spinning around the sun every 3 65 days, then it really doesn't matter.34:34 But the fact that it bothers you betrays the reality that you know something's not right, something's off kilter, something's not wrong, not not going the way it should. I've got news for you Christians and non34:45 Christians alike. Scripture has an answer for that. The world was in peace. The world was in righteousness. The world was completely as it should be. And Adam surrendered to the devil's voice. And34:57 we've been in bondage ever since. Bondage to decay, corruption, destruction, hatred, animosity, division. This is the domain of Satan. If anybody wants to know what hell looks like, just look at the trajectory35:09 of our culture for the past 30, 40 years. It gets worse as you live into the domain of Satan and division and hostility and hatred. That's where it goes to confusion, desperation,35:21 poverty, unsafe streets, murder, violence. These are the fruits of wickedness. And the things that bother you are pointing to the reality that you know that the earth is not35:32 as it should be. And the good news and the last thing like they tell people is Jesus took the worst things of all upon himself at the cross 2000 years ago. Unlike Hinduism,35:44 unlike Islam, unlike atheism or any other ism out there, our savior, our leader, our founder went through the worst suffering in human35:56 history for us. He was stripped naked in front of his mother and his friends. He was beaten. His beard was pulled out. A crown of thorns was shoved down36:08 onto his skull, whipped with 39 lashes by the cat of 9 tails. His skin was literally filleted off of his body by the time they nailed him to the cross. The nails pierced his hands, his36:19 feet. They dropped him into a hole, and he literally suffocated for 6 hours on that cross, bleeding, naked, exposed, shamed, vilified, reviled,36:31 hated, mocked, scorned by the public as they walked past him and blew him off. Jesus did that as God in the flesh. Why? To take hell36:43 for you. He went through hell so that you don't have to go to hell. He undid the work of Satan. He undid the failures of Adam. He trusted God implicitly and suffered for36:54 it 100 percent so that you don't have to suffer for your sins. My friends, this is good news for anyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ. Because on the cross, he said it is finished, which means that your payment37:05 for your sins is complete and full in Jesus' blood. And God will never hold you accountable for the sins that you've committed past, present, and future. They are paid in Jesus Christ.37:19 This is the good news of the gospel. Will God judge me? Yes. He'll judge you for what you did with what he gave you. That's the judgment of works, the bema seat of Christ. And we're all responsible for what God gives us.37:31 Live gratefully and just and joyfully. But the reason why bad things happen point to the fact of number 2 in your notes. I want you to write this down. Jesus knows every physical problem points to a spiritual answer.37:45 Every physical problem points to a spiritual answer. What's the physical problem of our world? Unrequited evil, injustice37:57 allowed and lawlessness increasing. What was the physical problem of ancient Israel 2000 years ago? They were subjugated.38:09 They were they were occupied by a foreign pagan force known as the Roman Empire. They had little rights. There's a puppet regime in place by the name of Pilate.38:21 Pilate was a ruthless, brutal dictator over the city of Jerusalem. Historians tell us on 1 particular Sabbath, he crucified 2000 Jews just to show his power over them.38:33 2000 Jews. After 800 years of being kicked around from nation to nation and empire to empire, you would be just like the Jews on that day, begging and38:45 hoping and pleading that Jesus Christ had come to restore the kingdom to David. The Messiah would finally win a political battle for all of them. Verse 37 shows38:57 us what's happening, though, Gives us a picture of how Jesus reacts to this moment. He drew near on the way down to the Mount of Olives. The disciples began to rejoice. Praise God. They said, blessed is the king who39:08 comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven, glory in the high. They're believing for a political revolution. Now, John's gospel tells us in John 12 13 that they took palm branches, and they waved themShow more
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