Sermon 4/13/25

Palm Sunday//Who We Worship

Who we worship matters more than how we worship.

Who is Jesus?

Luke 19:28–44 NIV

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.” They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Who are we praising today?

Jesus

Someone who has authority…

Luke 19:30–31 NIV

“Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”

—> Authority over the animal.

—> Authority over the situation.

Someone who has done amazing things

Luke 19:37 NIV

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

—> Jesus didn’t just have the power to theoretically do miracles, he did them.

—> The people have seen and heard about the amazing things Jesus has done.

—> There is testimony

—> They are witnesses

—> The praise comes from a place of gratitude, wonder, amazement

—> all stemming from what Jesus has done through his power.

Jesus doesn’t bow to the powers or principalities of this world.

Luke 19:39–40 NIV

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

—> Jesus has ultimate authority

—> That authority isn’t scared of the powers of this world

Jesus weeps for those that don’t recognize who he really is, and what he is here to do.

Luke 19:41–44 ESV

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 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 side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

—> Jesus weeps because he knows the people aren’t worshipping the real Jesus.

—> Their worship is sincere but it is misguided.

Who Jesus isn’t.

—> We don’t worship Jesus because he is our next political king.

—> We don’t sing the songs, pray the prayers, give our offerings, to the Jesus that we create in our mind of who we want him to be.