worship, this changes everything

Worship-This changes everything

My family and I have been here for just a short while and we have witnessed God do so many great things already! We are so expectant to see what God has for this church, what He's planned for this city, and for our family!

1.      Well, Palm Sunday is about a celebration of Jesus.

1.      As we think about what happened that day when Jesus rode in on a donkey's colt and everyone had palm branches waving and using their voices to cry out “Hosanna!”

1.      Hosanna meaning "help" or "save, I pray."

2.      Hosanna meaning blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord", "Hosanna in the highest" "Hosanna to the Son of David","Save us now!"

1.      Rescue us, deliver us, restore us,  save us from the Romans.

Psalm 118:24-26 NLT [24] This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. [25] Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success. [26] Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord."

Luke 19:28-40 NLT [28] "After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of His disciples. [29] As He came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, He sent two disciples ahead. [30] "Go into that village over there," He told them. "As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. [31] If anyone asks, 'Why are you untying that colt?' just say, 'The Lord needs it.'" [32] So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. [33] And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, "Why are you untying that colt?" [34] And the disciples simply replied, "The Lord needs it." [35] So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for Him to ride on. [36] As He rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of Him. [37] When He reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of His followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. [38] "Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!" [39] But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, "Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!" [40] He replied, "If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!"

2. Here in Mark 11, is the fulfillment of God’s prophecy given to Zechariah. 

1.      Jesus, who owned neither a colt nor donkey, had each provided to Him at the precise moment it was needed. 

2.      Then into Jerusalem He slowly rode, the condemned King, the unwanted, rejected Messiah, rode into the city on a beast of burden.

3.      He came to the cheers of a crowd who threw down their coats and palm branches because they wanted to use Jesus as a means to an end (to overthrow the Romans) and not as an end (to have freedom from the ultimate oppression of sin and eternal death).

2.      So what’s the significance of a tied up colt? 

1.      Like the colt, Jesus’ people were once slaves under the devil’s cruel hand to carry burdens of guilt and death. 

1.      But now, like the colt, they are being freed up for a higher work. 

2.      Notice Christ’s disciples, who would soon carry His Gospel to Israel and the ends of the earth in order to free Christ’s people from their sins, have come to free a colt that will carry the Savior to do His own work.

3.      What is the significance of the colt having never been ridden? 

1.      It’s that this colt has been set apart for a sacred task, to be mastered first by the Lord as He’s paraded before the people on His way to a monumental and unexpected death.

Matthew 21:7-9 [7] "They brought the donkey and the colt to Him and threw their garments over the colt, and He sat on it. [8] Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of Him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. [9] Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, "Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!"

Vs. 7 We must not think the clothes on our backs or our things are too dear to part with for the service of Christ.

•   Those that take Christ for their King, must lay their all under His feet.

•   My car is His, my home is His, my relationships are His, my finances are His, my health is His, my family is His, whenever He needs it I'll give it.

Vs. 9 Jesus ought to be in the center of everything we do, not just in church but in life.

•   The chief priests and the religious leaders joined with the multitude that abused Jesus upon the cross; but none of them joined the multitude that did Him honor.

•   In fact, they told Jesus to rebuke His followers and Jesus said if I do the rocks would cry out in worship.

•   Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples.

Zechariah 9:9 NLT "[9] Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey-riding on a donkey's colt."

•   He is vindicating Himself, clearing Himself of suspicion, proving He is the King, proving He is right, justified, and reasonable.

•   But Christ's kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.

•   It shall not be advanced by outward force or carnal weapons.

•   His gospel shall be preached to the world, and be received among the heathen.

•   We received His kingdom, His message, His forgiveness.

•   A sinful state is a state of bondage; it is a pit, or dungeon, in which there is no water, no peace, no comfort; and we are all by nature prisoners in this pit.

•   Through the precious blood of Christ, many prisoners of Satan have been set at liberty from the horrible pit in which they must otherwise have perished, without hope or comfort.

•   Christ changed in us everything!

•   We as sinners are prisoners, but prisoners of hope; our case is sad, but not desperate; for there is hope in Christ.

•   Christ is a Strong-hold, a strong Tower, a city of refuge, in whom believers are safe from the fear of the wrath of God, the curse of the law, and the assaults of spiritual enemies.

•   To Him we must turn with faith; to Him we must flee, trusting in His name under all trials and sufferings.

•   Worship changes everything.

•   If Bill Maher can vocalize his trust and confidence in nothing then I can vocalize my faith and confidence in everything.

•   He can tweet hate statements against God, he can make radical jokes for unbelief against God on national television, voicing his unbelief in God's people and their lifestyle, then surely I can vocalize my faith in them.

•   Get bold in your faith, get bold in your confidence, get bold in your attitude, passion and purpose for God.

•   As I do it changes everything.

•   A lot of people want certain things from Christ.

•   They may want His healing, His joy, His peace, His financial prowess, they may want His forgiveness, His truth, His leadership, His compassion but what they need is utterly and completely different.

•   I may want Christ customized or civilized, but what I need is Christ crucified.

John 12:12-13 NLT [12] The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors [13] took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, "Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!"

•   Sometimes the visitors will out praise the saints.

•   These sinners give us such an example to follow.

3. Obviously we grew up in Missouri and I've only seen palm trees on vacation.

1.      But now God has called us to Ukiah where I see, walk by and look at palm trees every day.

1.      It's amazing to me because they are beautiful and tropic.

2.      It is awesome to be here in this beautiful country.

2.      One thing that I've noticed is that Palm branches grow up, grow out, and look just like the palm on our hands.

1.     The Palm on your hand is for praising.

Leviticus 14:15 In accounts of leprosy and other skin diseases they would come to the Priest, the man of God would pour oil on his palm this showed the anointing in worship. (His Palms) Then parts sprinkled with this blood were then anointed with oil a ceremony which is supposed to have borne this spiritual service: that while the blood was a token of forgiveness, the oil was an emblem of healing as the blood of Christ justifies, the influence of the Spirit sanctifies.

Psalm 92:12 "The Righteous will flourish like a Palm tree…” a palm tree bends in the storm but does not break!  Why? Because its branches are out and up! Because it's roots are anchored so deep they are able to hold up through any storm.

Isaiah 49:16 We are engraved on the palms of the hands of our God! I praise Him for this because He thinks of us 24/7. His thoughts about us are more than the sands on the seashore.

Exodus 17:11 As long as Moses hands or palms were held up the Israelites were winning! Wow the power of praise, this changes everything!

Exodus 17:12 Others need to lift up with you! When we do the whole church, the whole body wins!

Ezra 10:4 Rise up…this matter is in your hands!  Praise and worship make a difference when you use your hands!

Psalm 18:20, 24 God looks at you as righteous with clean and holy hands towards Him and rewards this kind of life.

Psalm 24:4 26:6 I go about your altar with a pure heart and clean hands. (MY PALMS reflect my HEART!)

Psalm 47:1 Clap your hands(palms) all you people shout unto God with the voice of TRIUMPH!

Psalm 63:4 Wow it doesn't get any plainer than this! “I will praise you Lord as long as I live! In your name I will lift my hands.

• Church your palms make the difference.

•   Why? Because if you do not praise and worship as a church and individual we lose our city!

•   God is honored when we use our palms together!

I believe the global church is at a unique spot in the fact that we either allow the past to continue to hurt us, the Devil to continue to break us, we can employ fear instead of our faith or we lift up our hearts and palms to The Lord and fight through.

•   A praising church is a victorious church.

•   Palms begin to die when they first start putting their hands down.

•   Take a praise break right here: Shout unto the God with the voice of triumph!

•   Jesus rode in and it is called the triumphal entry! Why? Because He is the King of Kings, this changes everything.

•   I choose to pick palms over past.

2. Your PALMS are for SERVING!

•   We're doing an outreach around here next Saturday and I believe God is going to honor our service to this community.

•   We serve He's exalted.

•   Serving changes everything.

•   I also remind everyone we must choose to volunteer and work within the church in different ministries that we might transform and disciple the next generation.

•   Invest in others, use your God given talents and gifts!

•   I told Jesus a long, long time ago that I would gladly be His hands and be His feet.

•   My hands can do so many amazing things for The Lord with His strength and touch.

•   The first thing we all need to do is have is have God's hands upon us.

•   Do you allow God to do this on a daily basis?

IT IS BIBLICAL you know!

Ezra 7:6,9,28 NLT [6] This Ezra was a scribe who was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel. He came up to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious hand of the Lord his God was on him. [9] He had arranged to leave Babylon on April 8, the first day of the new year, and he arrived at Jerusalem on August 4, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. [28] And praise him for demonstrating such unfailing love to me by honoring me before the king, his council, and all his mighty nobles! I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of the Lord my God was on me. And I gathered some of the leaders of Israel to return with me to Jerusalem."

Ezra 8:18,31 NLT

[18] Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they sent us a man named Sherebiah, along with eighteen of his sons and brothers. He was a very astute man and a descendant of Mahli, who was a descendant of Levi son of Israel. [31] We broke camp at the Ahava Canal on April 19 and started off to Jerusalem. And the gracious hand of our God protected us and saved us from enemies and bandits along the way."

BECAUSE of GOD’S HAND being on Ezra, the result and response from Ezra was in:

Ezra 9:5 NLT "[5] At the time of the sacrifice, I stood up from where I had sat in mourning with my clothes torn. I fell to my knees and lifted my hands to the Lord my God."

•   What an encounter with the God of the universe.

•   Listen on this Palm Sunday CWC, we have a chance to honor our God in spirit, in truth, in freedom by lifting, clapping our hands together to honor and using our voices to glorify our great, mighty, strong, faithful, unfailing, rescuing God.

•   God places His hands on our lives and our name is written in His palm.

•   Because of this…we have the power of our gracious God to not only praise, but to serve our city, win our community.

•   Church I believe this is our finest hour here in Ukiah California.

•   What the devil meant to destroy us with God is going to glorify Himself with.

•   He has awakened a sleeping giant and God's power is greater, His plan is greater, His purpose is greater, and the devils plan is being thwarted as we speak.

•   As we surrender to God, this changes everything.

Let's all come forward this morning, let's all lift up our palms to our God in praise and worship, ask Him to put His mighty hand upon each of us and our church today!

***COMING THIS WEEK***

Join us this Saturday April 19th 1-3pm right here at Calvary Way Church as we have a Easter Egg hunt and free BBQ for our church family and our community!