Church 3/23/2024
Offertory scripture:
God is good. And Jesus is the heart of our contentment.
Malachi 3:10
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
Sermon message:
God is good and His mercy endures forever.
Thesis: Jesus knew.
God promised Abraham and Abraham believed God and acted on what He said. The Bible refers to Abraham as the father of faith. One major promise that God made and kept was that Abraham and Sarah would have a child in their old age. Further, that Abraham would be the father of a great nation.
Even more so, Abraham still believed and obeyed God when God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice the son of God’s promises (Isaac). Abraham obeyed, but God stopped him before he committed the deed.
Genesis 22:15-18
15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
It pays to have faith and obey.
Later, David bought the land on Mount Moriah where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac, and he put an altar on that spot to offer a sacrifice to God. The folks who sold David the land wanted to give it away, but David refused to accept without payment. Acquiring this land needed to cost something. This stopped the plague that was occurring at the time.
Solomon later built the first temple on that spot. He offered 142,000 animals as sacrifices to God on that altar.
Through the years and generations, the temple was destroyed and rebuilt, and by the time Jesus Christ was on the earth, this temple was known as “Herod’s temple.” (Herod even added to the structure of the temple.)
The story of the Passover. It began when God freed the Israelites from Egypt - they passed over through the Red Sea and walked out of Egypt, free. The night of the Passover the Israelites took an unblemished lamb, slaughtered it, and spread its blood on the doorposts of their homes. God sent the death angel that night across all of Egypt to kill all the firstborns of all houses that didn’t have that blood. All Egyptians lost their firstborns but the Israelites did not, for God spared them because of their obedience.
Jesus Christ was that unblemished Lamb who died for our sins - over Passover weekend. Jesus knew He was the promise and that He was that Passover lamb.
Jesus knew.
Point #1: Jesus knew He was the promise and the Passover lamb.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Even John the Baptist knew who Jesus was.
John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Even Paul knew.
1 Corinthians 5:7
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
Peter knew, too.
1 Peter 1:19
but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Hebrews 4:14-15
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 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.
Jesus was certified clean, pure, and spotless.
Point #2: Jesus knew He was giving His life.
He knew He was coming to Jerusalem to die. He gave His life. The Romans didn’t kill Him. Neither did the Jews, nor did anyone else.
John 10:18
No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
Jesus was the lamb/ram as an alternate to Isaac. Jesus was the lamb as an alternate to the firstborns of Israel while they were in Egypt. And Jesus is the alternate for all of us.
One-third of Mark‘s account of Jesus’s life on earth was devoted to the last week of His life. One-half of John’s account covered the last week of Jesus’s time here on earth.
Mark 11:1-11
1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; 2 and He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. 3 And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.”
4 So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. 5 But some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, loosing the colt?”
6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David
That comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!”
11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Even the natural world knew Jesus was and is King.
Luke 19:39-40
And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Mark 11:11
And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Point #3: Jesus knew and he gave his life because he loves you.
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Point #4: Now you know. How will you respond?
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