Podcasts about crucify

The weekly Sunday morning sermon delivered by Rev. James WilesMark 15:1-15“And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.”1. The King is rejected by the priests.2. The King is rejected by Pilate.3. The King is rejected by the people.www.huntsmbc.com

You had a plan. Maybe it was for the summer, maybe it was for your whole life -- and then reality showed up and none of it looked the way you thought. In this episode, Dot and Cara have an honest, tender conversation about what it means to surrender your expectations to a God who actually knows what He's doing. Cara shares from a raw and hard season she's walking through right now, and Dot reminds us that the same God who led you there will lead you through. Pull up a chair, grab your Bible, and lean in with us.Got a question about today's episode or something else you'd like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know! Episode RecapIntro (00:00)Write this down: Proverbs 19:21, "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." (00:07)Cara shares that her whole world got turned upside down two days before recording, this episode is the verse she's living right now (04:57)The idea of detaching from outcomes, what it really means to surrender your plans without letting your mind race to the what-if (05:36)Dot walks through Palm Sunday and Good Friday: the crowd went from "Hosanna" to "Crucify him," but Jesus was still King either way (11:17)When you're following God and everything still falls apart, Cara gets honest about how painful it is to do everything right and still end up in the deepest hurt of your life (16:03)Dot: "The only person God ever forsook was Jesus, so that we never would be," a word for anyone who feels like they're on the cross right now (15:21)The same God who led you there will lead you through, just like He led the Israelites out of Egypt (19:25)Living with "what is" instead of "what if," why the what-if always comes packaged with anxiety, and how staying in today is the way through (22:00)Dot closes with a challenge: go before God, give Him your tears and your expectations, and let God be God (35:08)Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.Watch Write this Down! on YouTubeFind Dot Bowen on Instagram and Facebook This Episode's Scripture VerseProverbs 19:21 (ESV) – "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand."

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Permission To Turn Up The Volume Read Luke 19:28-40 It is more likely that inanimate objects like rocks would cry out to Jesus in worship than for the King of kings to enter his capital city without honor.  Jesus encouraged the joyful praise of the people, He didn't suppress it. But how quickly things would change in less than a week, as many of these same people would yell, "Crucify!" Human beings created in God's image make much better worshippers than mere rocks.  - Line in the movie Troy by Achilles when fighting Hector.  A few other instances of inanimate objects crying out in praise: "Why, mountains, did you skip like rams? Why, hills, like lambs? Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob. He turned the rock into a pool of water; yes, a spring of water flowed from solid rock." - Psalms‬ ‭114‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ "You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!" - Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT "Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars! Praise him, skies above! Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!" - Psalms‬ ‭148‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ "mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds, kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, young men and young women, old men and children. Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven! He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones— the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord!" - Psalms‬ ‭148‬:‭9‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬ As Kingdom Writers, may our written words give others permission to turn up the volume and burst into cheers with the joyful praise that our King Jesus is due. Let's not give rocks any reason to cry out.  Our joyful praise and worship now is practice for the future coronation of our King in that same city of Jerusalem

JOHN 19:1-16 - CRUCIFY HIM - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025JOHN 19:1-16 "So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”Pilate's Decision5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?”11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away."To support this channel and partner with Brian in Ministryhttps://www.briansumner.net/support/For more on Brianhttp://www.briansumner.nethttps://www.instagram.com/BRIANSUMNER/https://www.facebook.com/BRIANSUMNEROFFICIALTo listen to Brians Podcast, click below.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Purchase Brians Marriage book at https://www.amazon.com/Never-Fails-Da...Brian is a full time "Urban Missionary" both locally and internationally with a focus on MISSIONS - MARRIAGES - MINISTRY. Since coming to faith in 2004 doors continued opening locally and internationally to do more and more ministry with a focus on Evangelism, Outreach Missions, Marriage, Counsel, Schools, Festivals, Conferences and the like.  Everything about this ministry is made possible because of people personally partnering through the non profit. God Bless and thank you. †Support the showSUPPORT THE SHOW

This powerful message challenges us to understand what it truly means to be a living sacrifice in light of Christ's resurrection. Drawing from Romans 12:1-2, we're reminded that our response to God's mercy isn't found in religious rituals alone, but in the daily crucifixion of our flesh. The sermon unpacks the three parts of our being—body, soul, and spirit—revealing that while our spirits are made alive in Christ, our bodies constantly war against God's purposes. The most profound truth presented is that every selfish decision leads to loneliness, while dying to ourselves leads to abundant life. We're called to remember that being a Christian means being a Christ-follower, and Christ's path led through death to resurrection. The challenge isn't just to celebrate Easter morning, but to live as those who understand that He is risen every single day, offering us new mercies and the power to overcome our flesh. This isn't about perfection, but about pressing forward, forgetting what lies behind, and straining toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.SERMON NOTES – Romans 12:1 (Resurrection Sunday)I. Big Idea  Because of God's great mercy shown in Christ's death and resurrection, believers are called to present their bodies as a **living sacrifice**—this is our reasonable, spiritual worship.II. The Basis: “By the mercies of God”  - Romans 1–11: God's mercies explained.   - We are all sinners; none righteous (Rom 3).   - God consigned all to disobedience (Rom 11:32).   - Jesus is the **propitiation** (payment) for our sin.   - In Christ we are **justified** – “just as if I'd never sinned.”    - Our record is wiped clean; sin cast as far as east from west.   - We are being **sanctified**, seated with Christ, more than conquerors (Rom 8).   - There is now **no condemnation** for those in Christ (Rom 8:1).  - Our response (Rom 12:1) is not to God's wrath, but to His mercy.III. Three Parts of the Person  1) **Spirit**  - Before Christ we are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1).  - When we're born again, God **quickens** our spirit—His Spirit now dwells in us (Rom 8:9–11).  - The same Spirit that raised Jesus now lives in believers and grants authority “in Jesus' name.”2) **Soul** (mind, will, emotions)  - Greatest command: Love God with all your **heart, soul, mind** (Matt 22:37).  - The Word of God divides **soul and spirit** and discerns thoughts and intentions (Heb 4:12).3) **Body** (flesh)  - The ongoing struggle: our body/flesh has been in control for a long time.  - Paul: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this **body of death**?” (Rom 7:24).  - We “leak” spiritually; our flesh constantly pulls us away.  - Command: **Crucify** the flesh (Gal 5:24; Rom 8:13; 1 Pet 2:11).   - Every selfish decision leads to loneliness.IV. Living Sacrifice  - OT image: costly, bloody bull offering reduced to ashes (Lev 1).  - Daily picture: we present ourselves to be “burned up” and swept away—our will, rights, and demands.  - This is “your reasonable service” / “spiritual worship” – not just singing, but **surrendered living**.V. Example: Marriage (Eph 5)  - Wives: submit to husbands as to the Lord.  - Husbands: love wives as Christ loved the church—**dying** for her.  - Marriage works when both give 100%; someone has to “die” to self.VI. Paul's Perspective (Phil 3:8–14)  - Counts all things as loss to gain Christ.  - Wants to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in death.  - One thing: **forget what lies behind**, strain forward, press toward the upward call in Christ.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS  1. Daily Surrender: Begin each day praying, “Lord, my body is yours today—eyes, mouth, hands, schedule.”  2. Crucify the Flesh: Identify one recurring sinful habit; actively “put it to death” by confession, accountability, and replacing it with obedience.  3. Relational Death to Self: In marriage, family, work—choose one concrete way today to die to preference and serve another.  4. Mind Renewal: Saturate your soul with Scripture so the Word, not culture, shapes your desires.  5. Forget and Press On: Stop rehearsing forgiven sins; receive Christ's finished work and move forward.DISCUSSION QUESTIONS  1. Which aspect of God's mercy in Romans 1–11 impacts you most personally, and why?  2. Where do you most feel the tension between Spirit and body in your daily life?  3. What does being a “living sacrifice” practically look like in your current season?  4. How have you seen selfish decisions lead to loneliness in your own story?  5. What “past” do you need to forget so you can press on toward Christ?  6. What specific step will you take this week to present your body as a living sacrifice?

Northwest Bible Church - April 5, 2026 - Resurrection Day - Alan Conner John 18-21 Christ's Death and Resurrection Intro A.  THE ARREST - John 18:1-6. 1. Christ is in control.   2. “I am” and the mob falls (John 18:6).   B. THE TRIAL - John 18:12-19:15. 1. The Jewish trial a. Before Annas, John 18:12-24.    b. Before Caiaphas, John 18:24-27.     c. A kangaroo court trial. d. Jesus supplied the evidence for their conviction (Matthew 26:63-64). 2. The Roman trial (John 18:28-19:15). a. Did not want to get involved, John 18:31 b. John 18:31-32, Prophecy must be fulfilled, Isaiah 53:5; Psalms 22:16; Zechariah 12:10.    c. Pilate interviews Jesus and concludes, “I find no guilt in Him” (John 18:38). d. Jesus is scourged, crown of thorns, purpose robe, mocked, slapped (John 19:1-2). e. Pilate, “I find no guilt in Him” (John 19:4). f. Chief priests and officers, CRUCIFY, CRUCIFY (John 19:6). g. Pilate, “I find no guilt in Him” (John 19:6-15). C. THE CRUCIFIXION (John 19:16-37). 1. Jesus carried His own cross (John 19:17). 2. The inscription: JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS (John 19:19).   3. Casting lots for His clothes (John 19:23-24).  Fulfills prophecy, Psalms 22:18 (John 19:24). 4. Jesus' sayings on the cross:     5 of 7 dealing with redemption. a. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.” Luke 23:34 b. “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43 c. “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”  Matthew 27:46; Psalms 22:1.   d. “It is finished.” John 19:30.   A CRY OF VICTORY.    e. “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23:46; Psalm 31:5.   5. No broken legs (John 19:31-37).   6. Soldiers pierced His side and out came blood and water (John 19:34).   D. THE BURIAL (John 19:38-42). 1. Joseph of Arimathea, the secret disciple requests Jesus body (John 19:38).   2. Nicodemus, the devoted follower brings 100 lbs. of spices (John 19:39).    E. THE RESURRECTION (John 20-21). 1. Mary Magdalene is the first to report the empty tomb (John 20:1-2).    2. Peter and John run to the tomb, Peter sees, but John believed (John 20:6-8). 3. Mary returns and looks into the tomb, sees two angels (John 20:11-18).    4. Jesus' first appearance to the disciples (John 20:19-25).   THOMAS DOUBTS. 5. Jesus' second appearance to the disciples (John 20:26-29).  Thomas, “MY LORD AND MY GOD.”   6. Jesus' appearance to the disciples at the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-25).   a. Jesus restores Peter.   b. “FOLLOW ME” (John 21:19, 22). Conclusion

This episode is going to be a little different. No background music. No closing summary and calls to action. Why? Because we're grappling with the question, “Why did Jesus have to die?” in this conversation. Dr. Chris Croghan and Lars Olson do an incredible job calling out how everyone involved in Christ's final moments sinned against Him. From the betrayal to the power dynamics to the self-preservation, every single person called for Jesus to be crucified. Why did Jesus have to die? Because everyone demanded it. Including you. God repeatedly tells us His name is mercy. We don't believe Him. The only way you'll believe it is if His blood is on your hands. John 18:1–19:42: 3 So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” 5 They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” 28 Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate's headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” 9 But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 40 They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit. 10 Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12 From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.” 15 They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” 16 Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. Support the showInterested in sponsoring an episode of Scripture First?Email Sarah at sarah@lhos.org or visit our donation page: lutherhouseofstudy.org/donate

There is a real tension in the Christian life that we don't talk about enough: the tension between your flesh and your faith.In this episode, we're talking about what it actually means to crucify your flesh and why ignoring it can slowly weaken your walk with God. This isn't just about big, obvious sins. It's about the daily decisions, habits, and desires that quietly pull you away from intimacy with Jesus.Especially in light of Good Friday, we're reminded that the cross wasn't just something Jesus carried. It's something we're called to respond to. Following Him requires surrender, discipline, and a willingness to let parts of ourselves go.If your faith feels weak, inconsistent, or distant, this might be the conversation you need. Not from a place of perfection, but from a place of honesty and a desire to get closer to God again.tagscrucify your flesh, deny yourself, carry your cross, Christian podcast, Christian faith, spiritual growth, walking with God, Christian discipline, overcoming sin, flesh vs spirit, spiritual warfare, Christian encouragement, growing closer to God, intimacy with God, following Jesus, biblical truth, faith over feelings, Christian lifestyle, how to grow spiritually, Christian motivation, Good Friday message, cross of Jesus, surrender to God, dying to self, obedience to God

The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040326.cfmThe shift from the shouts of "Hosanna" on Palm Sunday to the cries of "Crucify him" just days later reveals the fickle nature of the human heart and our desperate need for God's mercy. As Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, explains, we have now entered the Easter Triduum, the most holy days of the liturgical year. While Lent technically ended with the Mass of the Lord''s Supper last night, the Triduum is a unique liturgical season that spans three days but is celebrated as one single, unfolding mystery of Christ's Paschal victory.Today is Good Friday, a day of strict fasting and abstinence. You may notice something striking: There is no Mass today. No consecration takes place. Why? Because on every other day of the year, the Mass is a re-presentation of the sacrifice on Calvary. But today, we do not need a re-presentation; we are present at the reality. The sacrifice happened historically on this day. The hosts we receive at Communion today were consecrated last night in the Upper Room. We are not reenacting the event; we are standing at the foot of the Cross, venerating the instrument of our salvation.Father Chris reminds us that Good Friday is a continuation of Holy Thursday. Last night, the Church entered the Upper Room; today, we walk the path to Calvary. When Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", He did not mean that the Trinity was broken. Rather, in His humanity, He experienced the profound sense of abandonment that so many of us feel in our deepest suffering. He entered into our darkness so that we would never be truly alone.This day invites us to reflect deeply before venerating the Cross. Do not rush through the ritual. Stop and acknowledge that this wooden beam is the instrument that brought you salvation. It is a public demonstration of your willingness to take up your own cross and follow Him. As we fast while the Bridegroom has been taken away, we prepare our hearts for the Resurrection. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Collect Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament Isaiah 52:13-53:12 See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. Just as there were many who were astonished at him --so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals-- so he shall startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.   Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account.   Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.   He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.   Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. The Response Psalm 22 Deus, Deus meus 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? * and are so far from my cry and from the words of my distress? 2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; * by night as well, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are the Holy One, * enthroned upon the praises of Israel. 4 Our forefathers put their trust in you; * they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 They cried out to you and were delivered; * they trusted in you and were not put to shame. 6 But as for me, I am a worm and no man, * scorned by all and despised by the people. 7 All who see me laugh me to scorn; * they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying, 8 "He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; * let him rescue him, if he delights in him." 9 Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, * and kept me safe upon my mother's breast. 10 I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; * you were my God when I was still in my mother's womb. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, * and there is none to help. 12 Many young bulls encircle me; * strong bulls of Bashan surround me. 13 They open wide their jaws at me, * like a ravening and a roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint; * my heart within my breast is melting wax. 15 My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; * and you have laid me in the dust of the grave. 16 Packs of dogs close me in, and gangs of evildoers circle around me; * they pierce my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones. 17 They stare and gloat over me; * they divide my garments among them; they cast lots for my clothing. 18 Be not far away, O Lord; * you are my strength; hasten to help me. 19 Save me from the sword, * my life from the power of the dog. 20 Save me from the lion's mouth, * my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls. 21 I will declare your Name to my brethren; * in the midst of the congregation I will praise you. 22 Praise the Lord, you that fear him; * stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel; all you of Jacob's line, give glory. 23 For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither does he hide his face from them; * but when they cry to him he hears them. 24 My praise is of him in the great assembly; * I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him. 25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: * "May your heart live for ever!" 26 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, * and all the families of the nations shall bow before him. 27 For kingship belongs to the Lord; * he rules over the nations. 28 To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; * all who go down to the dust fall before him. 29 My soul shall live for him; my descendants shall serve him; * they shall be known as the Lord's for ever. 30 They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn * the saving deeds that he has done. The Epistle Hebrews 10:16-25 The Holy Spirit testifies saying, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds," he also adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. The Gospel John 18:1-19:42 Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus replied, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go." This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, "I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me." Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?" So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter, "You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered, "I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said." When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" Jesus answered, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?" Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, "You are not also one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?" Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate's headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" They answered, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you." Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law." The Jews replied, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death." (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." Pilate asked him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, "I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" They shouted in reply, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a bandit. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him." The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God." Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor." When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge's bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, "Here is your King!" They cried out, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but the emperor." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it." This was to fulfill what the scripture says, "They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots." And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, "None of his bones shall be broken." And again another passage of scripture says, "They will look on the one whom they have pierced." After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

A sermon for Good Friday, 2026. John 18:1-19:42 Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus replied, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go." This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, "I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me." Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?" So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter, "You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered, "I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said." When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" Jesus answered, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?" Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, "You are not also one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?" Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate's headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" They answered, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you." Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law." The Jews replied, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death." (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." Pilate asked him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, "I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" They shouted in reply, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a bandit. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him." The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God." Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor." When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge's bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, "Here is your King!" They cried out, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but the emperor." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it." This was to fulfill what the scripture says, "They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots." And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, "None of his bones shall be broken." And again another passage of scripture says, "They will look on the one whom they have pierced." After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

My Kingdom Is Not of This World 33So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, Are you the King of the Jews? 34Jesus answered, Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me? 35Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done? 36Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world. 37Then Pilate said to him, So you are a king? Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the worldto bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. 38Pilate said to him, What is truth? After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, I find no guilt in him. 39But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews? 40They cried out again, Not this man, but Barabbas! Now Barabbas was a robber.[g] Jesus Delivered to Be Crucified 19Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3They came up to him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! and struck him with their hands.4Pilate went out again and said to them, See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him. 5So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, Behold the man! 6When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, Crucify him, crucify him! Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.7The Jews[a] answered him, We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God. 8When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, Where are you from? But Jesus gave him no answer. 10So Pilate said to him, You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you? 11Jesus answered him, You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin. 12From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar. 13So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic[b]Gabbatha. 14Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour.[c] He said to the Jews, Behold your King! 15They cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him! Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. 16So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

APR 3 GOOD FRIDAY | This Is Jesus | John 19:1-30 ...Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face.Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!”When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”“Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.”The Jewish leaders replied, “By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.”When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. “Why don't you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don't you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?”Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.' Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.”When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement. It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, “Look, here is your king!”“Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!”“What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked.“We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull. There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it.Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews' to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.'”Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.”When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let's throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.Standing near the cross were Jesus' mother, and his mother's sister, Mary, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

APR 3 GOOD FRIDAY | This Is Jesus | John 19:1-30 ...Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face.Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!”When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”“Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.”The Jewish leaders replied, “By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.”When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. “Why don't you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don't you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?”Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.' Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.”When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement. It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, “Look, here is your king!”“Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!”“What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked.“We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull. There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it.Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews' to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.'”Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.”When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let's throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.Standing near the cross were Jesus' mother, and his mother's sister, Mary, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:1-16. From the "Gospel of John - Part II" sermon series. Preached by Mike Tiberi.

Banter ends at 6:19 Holy Week is here--the most transformational week of the year...and of all of history. If you haven't had a good Lent, a good Holy Week can make up for it...and if you have had a good Lent, finish strong by entering into the mystery of Christ's passion and death as we prepare to celebrate His resurrection on Sunday. On this episode of The 40 Days for Life Podcast, we dive into the week that changed the world.

How can we find authenticity and spiritual clarity in a world of fake leaders and cultural murkiness and confusion? In this episode, host Tina Yeager sits down with Tyler Gaulden, a viral TikTok pastor, author, and leader of the Unspeakable Joy Movement. Recorded onsite at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, Tyler shares timely wisdom on finding authenticity and spiritual clarity in today's phony, chaotic, and often deceptive culture. As they explore the struggle with comparison, the famine of authenticity, and the real meaning of peace, Tyler offers practical steps for cultivating genuine wisdom, clarity, and centeredness both at home and in leadership roles. Discover why true peace isn't just comfort during easy times, but a deep sense of calm even amid life's storms. Tyler also unpacks the relationship between spiritual clarity and authenticity, highlighting how our ultimate goal isn't about a place or career, but about becoming more like Christ. Tune in for rich insights, honest conversation, and encouragement to return to God for answers to life's hardest questions. If you're yearning for authenticity in a world full of confusion, this episode is for you. Authenticity in a Filtered World Tyler highlights the challenge of comparison in our social media-driven society. He reminds us that we often only see the highlight reels of others' lives, leading to a "famine of authenticity"—especially among younger generations. Tyler encourages us to: Crucify the spirit of comparison and stop measuring ourselves by curated online images. Embrace who God made us to be, finding comfort in our own skin and unique calling. Understanding Real Peace Are we chasing comfort instead of true peace? Tyler shares a beautiful story illustrating that peace isn't the absence of turmoil, but the sense of calm and assurance in the midst of challenge. He cautions that "comfort" is feeling at ease when things are easy, but "peace" is feeling at ease when things are hard. It's about staying steady and anchored, not seeking a hassle-free life. Building Spiritual Clarity Clarity, Tyler says, grows from a foundation of spiritual authenticity. Instead of searching for a career path or a specific role, our greater purpose is to become more Christlike. When we set our sights on Christ himself, rather than on positions or achievements, our steps naturally become clearer—even when life throws unexpected turns our way. A Simple Remedy for Complex Problems Tyler's advice for anyone wrestling with confusion, hurt, or restlessness? Return to God. Looking for fulfillment in relationships, jobs, or circumstances is an endless chase. Only in surrender and connection with God do we find the wholeness and clarity our souls crave. Stay Connected with Tyler Gaulden Interested in hearing more? You can find Tyler's sermons and books on all major platforms, and connect with him on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or by searching for his books on Amazon. We're thrilled to accompany you on this journey of faith, growth, and transformation. As always, we appreciate your support! Please subscribe and share this episode. We can't wait for you to join us for future episodes of Flourish-Meant. To book Tina as a speaker, connect with her life coaching services, and more, visit her website: https://tinayeager.com/ Optimize your mind and body with my new favorite, all-inclusive supplement, Cardio Miracle! I love the energy and focus this health-boosting drink mix provides without toxins, caffeine, or sugar! Get a discount on your purchase with my link: http://www.cardiomiracle.com/tinayeager To flourish in all seasons of life with the highest quality nutraceutical health supplements that benefit charitable causes, shop NutraMedix wellness supplements. Be sure to use my link  https://www.nutramedix.com/?rfsn=7877557.b6c6785 and add my special code TINA to get 10% off your entire purchase! If you're a writer, subscribe to Inkspirations Online (devotional publication by writers for writers): https://www.inkspirationsonline.com/ Manage stress and anxiety in 10 minutes a day with the course presented by 15 experts, Subdue Stress and Anxiety https://divineencouragement.onlinecoursehost.com/courses Connect with Tina at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tyeagerwriting/ Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinayeager/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tina.yeager.9/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TinaYeager Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tyeagerwrites/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3865622.Tina_Yeager

Palm Sunday reminds us how quickly people turned from shouting "Hosanna!" to "Crucify him!" when Jesus didn't meet their expectations. Today, we often do the same - creating our own image of how Jesus should work in our lives. When breakthrough seems impossible despite our prayers, the issue might not be God's faithfulness but our willingness to leverage spiritual disciplines. Jesus told His disciples they couldn't cast out a demon because of their unbelief, explaining that some breakthroughs require prayer and fasting. Biblical fasting - abstaining from food while focusing on prayer - helps us hear God's voice, demonstrates humility, and confronts unbelief by weakening our flesh while strengthening our spirit.Thank you for joining us at NorthRidge Church! For more information please visit us online at http://www.northridgethomaston.com.

Main ThemeWe don't just read about the crowd in Holy Week—we are the crowd.Our expectations of Jesus often determine our response to Him.Key IdeaJesus doesn't conform to our expectations—He confronts them.Holy Week BreakdownPalm Sunday → “Hosanna” (Save us now)Good Friday → “Crucify Him”Easter Sunday → “He is risen”➡️ The same people shifted because Jesus didn't meet their expectations.What “Hosanna” Really Meant A cry for immediate rescue A desire for personal and political salvation➡️ The crowd wanted a Savior who would fix their situation—not transform their hearts.The Problem: Jesus in Our BoxWe often shape Jesus into: Someone who agrees with us Someone who fits our culture Someone who supports our goals➡️ But Jesus is: Holy Merciful Gracious Compassionate Above every category we createWe Are the CrowdWe like to think we would've stayed loyal—but: We praise when life makes sense We question when it doesn't We doubt when God is silent➡️ Our faith often follows our expectations.The Emotional ProgressionWhen Jesus doesn't meet expectations: Excitement → Confusion Confusion → Disappointment Disappointment → Frustration Frustration → Rejection➡️ “Hosanna” can become “Crucify Him.”Real-Life Reflections “Jesus, where are You?” “Why aren't You fixing this?” “Do You even care?”➡️ These are modern echoes of the same crowd.The Turning PointEven with: Discipline Effort Religious activity➡️ We can still reject Jesus when He doesn't align with what we want.The CallStep out of the crowd. Stop trying to make Jesus fit your expectations Start trusting Him for who He isKey Takeaways We are more like the crowd than we think Expectations shape our faith more than we realize Jesus is not who we want Him to be—He is who He isClosing ReminderSunday is coming.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260330dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Matthew 21:9 Shout Out to Your King! When do you shout? It might be when you are frustrated—like when the neighbor’s dog is digging in your yard—again! It might be when you prefer to shout, “Time to eat!” rather than actually tracking down every hungry person. It might be when your favorite player just won a victory for your favorite team. When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, there was shouting. These were not shouts of anger, but ones of praise. “Hosanna” and “Blessed is he” were the spontaneous choruses that erupted from those who saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem that day. When is the last time you shouted out to Jesus? Was it your weekly worship? Your daily prayers? Or have you been less than excited even when you do worship and pray? Or has it been a very long time since you have felt the need to say much to Jesus at all? Perhaps you feel there are good reasons for that. It’s hard to be excited about praising Jesus when things in life are not feeling so praise-worthy. You may feel a whole lot more like shouting in frustration at God than bringing praise to God. But remember this: Jesus shouts for you. When your conscience crushes you with the weight of your sin, Jesus shouts out, “My blood has atoned for each and every sin!” When the devil leads you to the brink of despair, Jesus assures: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you! In a few days, the shouts of Palm Sunday would be replaced by the more sinister cry of “Crucify him!” But that was the price your loving Savior was willing to pay. That is worthy of our thanks, our praise, and even a shout of “Thank you, Jesus!” Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are truly worthy of all praise. Please accept my praise and comfort me when I struggle to find joy to shout about. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Crucify him! (John 19:1-7)

This Palm Sunday, Bishop Paul reminds us that we are the crowd—crying “Hosanna” one moment and “Crucify him!” the next. We want a savior, but often on our own terms. Yet Jesus comes knowing this, loving us before we are faithful, committed to rescuing us from ourselves. We realize how radically and deeply Jesus loves us when we walk with him through Holy Week.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, bringing peace when people expected war. The crowds shouted "Hosanna!" then "Crucify him!" days later. Palm Sunday reminds us: Jesus came not to meet our expectations, but to save us from sin through His ultimate act of love and courage.

Sermon Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KUlb3e1CI_CmoMLhX_Yr3FQ6KEsgQRE9/view?usp=drive_linkWebsite: shepherdsaz.orgInstagram: @shepherdshouseazFacebook: /shepherdshouseazTiktok: @shepherdshouseazYoutube: /shepherdshouseazWebsite: shepherdsaz.orgInstagram: @shepherdshouseazFacebook: /shepherdshouseazTiktok: @shepherdshouseazYoutube: /shepherdshouseaz

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” — Luke 19:38   How does a crowd go from shouting “Hosanna!” to crying out “Crucify Him!” in just a matter of days? In this powerful message, we walk through the tension of Palm Sunday and uncover a sobering truth: it's possible to praise Jesus emotionally, follow Him conditionally, and still completely miss who He truly is. In this sermon, we explore: 1. The danger of emotional, surface-level praise that lacks deep roots (Matthew 21:8–9; Matthew 13:20–21) 2. How misunderstanding Jesus' mission leads to misplaced worship (John 12:13; John 6:15) 3. The reality of conditional faith that fades under pressure (Luke 23:21; Mark 14:50) 4. Why following Jesus must be about who He is, not just what He does for us (John 12:16; John 6:68)   As we head toward Easter, this sermon invites you to move beyond shallow faith and into a deeper, lasting relationship with Christ.

Why the same crowd that shouted "Hosanna" on Sunday demanded "Crucify him" by Friday once they realized Jesus had a different agenda. If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you". We invite you to watch and reflect on how you can join Jesus in the serving while trusting him for the saving.

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. — Matthew 21:12 Jesus entered Jerusalem and was cheered as a king—but not for long.In the next scene, Jesus went to the temple courts in Jerusalem. And as he looked around, he became upset. As Isaiah the prophet had noted many years earlier, the temple of the Lord was to be “a house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7). God wanted it to be a place where people could connect with him. The temple area was not meant to become a marketplace for selling animals and exchanging currency. So Jesus overturned the tables and benches there and drove the merchants out.Continuing in his ministry of drawing people to the Lord, Jesus healed people who came to him at the temple. Some were blind, and others could not walk, and he healed them.The temple authorities, however, did not like any of this.They complained about the disruption and the children shouting “Hosanna” in the temple courts, and they asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”“Yes,” he said, and he asked if they knew the words of the psalm that said, “From the lips of children and infants, you, Lord, have called forth your praise” (see Psalm 8:2).But the religious leaders did not have the eyes of faith to see Jesus for who he was. Before long, they were plotting to kill him, and in a few days they stirred up the people and had them shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Faithful God, help us to see Jesus for who he truly is—the fulfillment of all your promises. Thank you for your grace. Amen.

On this, part 1 of 2, on Monday of Holy Week, pastors Matt and Lee discuss the Sunday to Sunday movements of Jesus and his disciples during the week of his crucifixion and resurrection. On Palm Sunday, Jesus enters the city on a colt that has never been ridden to the praise of the multitudes shouting "Hosanna!" As the week progresses, the tide of public opinion switches from praise of the Messiah to "Crucify him!" What happens during this week to bring about such a shift? Matt and Lee discuss these questions and more in this episode, exploring Luke 19-24 together.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260330dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Matthew 21:9 Shout Out to Your King! When do you shout? It might be when you are frustrated—like when the neighbor’s dog is digging in your yard—again! It might be when you prefer to shout, “Time to eat!” rather than actually tracking down every hungry person. It might be when your favorite player just won a victory for your favorite team. When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, there was shouting. These were not shouts of anger, but ones of praise. “Hosanna” and “Blessed is he” were the spontaneous choruses that erupted from those who saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem that day. When is the last time you shouted out to Jesus? Was it your weekly worship? Your daily prayers? Or have you been less than excited even when you do worship and pray? Or has it been a very long time since you have felt the need to say much to Jesus at all? Perhaps you feel there are good reasons for that. It’s hard to be excited about praising Jesus when things in life are not feeling so praise-worthy. You may feel a whole lot more like shouting in frustration at God than bringing praise to God. But remember this: Jesus shouts for you. When your conscience crushes you with the weight of your sin, Jesus shouts out, “My blood has atoned for each and every sin!” When the devil leads you to the brink of despair, Jesus assures: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you! In a few days, the shouts of Palm Sunday would be replaced by the more sinister cry of “Crucify him!” But that was the price your loving Savior was willing to pay. That is worthy of our thanks, our praise, and even a shout of “Thank you, Jesus!” Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are truly worthy of all praise. Please accept my praise and comfort me when I struggle to find joy to shout about. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Does your faith depend on your circumstances, or is it built to last?In this Palm Sunday message, we explore the stark contrast between the joyful "Hosannas" of Sunday and the "Crucify him!" of Friday. Why did the same crowd that climbed trees and laid down cloaks for Jesus abandon Him just five days later?The answer lies in the "Palm Sunday Problem": the crowd focused on what Jesus could do for their bodies, while Jesus came to save their souls. When the miracles stopped and the "earthly prosperity" didn't arrive, their commitment withered.In this sermon, you will learn:* The Marriage vs. Wedding Faith: Why starting a journey with joy is easy, but finishing it requires a different kind of endurance.* The Miracle-Free Reality: How to navigate the seasons of life where prayers seem unanswered and pain remains unresolved.* The Three Great Miracles of Holy Week: Discover why the forgiveness of Thursday, the debt paid on Friday, and the empty tomb of Sunday are infinitely greater than any physical healing.* The Secret of "Palms Up": A challenge to praise God not just for the gifts He gives, but for who He is—even in the valley and the desert."Jesus never promised an easy life, but He did promise it would be worth it." Whether you are walking through a season of comfort or a season of trauma, learn how to keep your palms up for the King who refused to come down from the cross for you.

Many who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead gathered to welcome their king into Jerusalem. Later that week, those who doubted yelled, “Crucify him!” Pastor Lee McDerment teaches on the Triumphal Entry and what it means to live in expectation of the King. Many who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead gathered to welcome their king into Jerusalem. Later that week, those who doubted yelled, “Crucify him!” Pastor Lee McDerment teaches on the Triumphal Entry and what it means to live in expectation of the King.

In this palm Sunday message, Pastor Armando focuses on authentic Christian faith, addressing the contrast between superficial belief and a truly transformative relationship with Jesus Christ. Main Scripture: Romans 7:15-25; Matthew 26:20-30; Luke 6 43-49; John 20 24-29Topic: Bible Teaching, Bible Study, Christian Leadership, Kingdom Builders, Living on a Mission, Use Your Gifts, Serve God, Pray Give Serve, Faith ForwardSupport the show ------------------------------------------WANT MORE?Say You Love Me 1: Building Healthy RelationshipsToxic 1: What are Toxic Thoughts? Things Jesus Never Said 1: Is Loving Money Bad?Bondage Breaker 1: Tormented by your past?  ------------------------------------------ JOIN US!Visit us at www.FusionChurchNY.com for the most up-to-date in-person service times and events.Join a Small Group.------------------------------------------FOLLOW US!Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and Tiktok.

We begin our last week of preparation walking with Jesus as he enters Jerusalem to the praise of an adoring crowd. Looking at all that transpires between this triumphal entry and Jesus' death we notice such Grace, patience, fortitude and forgiveness from our Victorious Christ. We also see people whose understanding is incomplete and who 'know not what they do' - be it shouts of "Hosanna!" or shouts of "Crucify!" Let us take time this week to meditate on Jesus' life, character, and the hope held out in the gospel. Prepare for this week's teaching by reading Luke 19:28-44. For your continued pursuit, use our Holy Week Devotional for daily readings and join us for our Good Friday Service at 5:30pm or 7:00pm

A Sermon From Pastor Darryl Lovell 3-29-26

On this final Sunday in Lent, Richie Reeder reflects on both Palm Sunday and the church's "Lessons of the Desert" series, inviting listeners to consider how practices from the wilderness—prayer, testing, silence and solitude, self-denial, wisdom, and humility—might shape their lives beyond the season. Teaching from Matthew 21 and contrasting the crowds' "Hosanna" on Sunday with "Crucify him" on Friday, he challenges listeners to examine where their own faith can be fickle rather than faithful, especially when God doesn't meet their expectations. Richie closes by urging the church to carry these desert rhythms into Holy Week with a posture of honest reflection, surrender, and humble dependence on Christ.

On Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus entering Jerusalem to a crowd cheering for the Son of David, the Messiah, the King who has arrived. Yet, days later a crowd will also chant, "Crucify him!" How do we receive Jesus?

Palm Sunday March 29, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel.” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt.” At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” — John 12:12-19 Hosanna = please save us! Jesus didn't come to bring the kingdom in the way people expected. He came to redefine what God's kingdom actually meant. — N.T. Wright When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. — John 19:13-16a Picture of Jesus Picture of Galilean Man When we get the story of God wrong, we get our own story wrong as well. — N.T. Wright

This Palm Sunday, Kirstine looks at the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey - how did a crowd so ready to welcome him turn from shouting 'Hosanna' to 'Crucify him' in so short a time?

Blake Randolph delivers a sermon from Luke about the approach of Jesus to Jerusalem, and how we are the same as the people who at first exclaimed "Hosanna," and later cried "Crucify."

Matthew 21:1-11When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.' This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,‘Tell the daughter of Zion,Look, your king is coming to you,humble, and mounted on a donkey,and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,‘Hosanna to the Son of David!Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!Hosanna in the highest heaven!'When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?' The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.' What's your favorite parade? From the Macy's Day Parade to Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day, and countless Independence Day celebrations, we Americans love parades. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from attending or marching in one. Growing up in Anderson, we had the Midnight Parade. It was on the night of July 3rd, but it started at midnight, claiming to be the first July 4th parade in all the land. I loved watching the civic groups march along the route, many I would have never known existed had it not been for the parade. I remember the joy of little kids getting so excited about terrible candy thrown at their feet. Who knew Tootsie Rolls and Airheads could make someone so happy?Most special of all was when we surprised my mom with tickets to the Rose Parade in Pasadena. Every New Year's Day it was on in our house growing up. As we watched, she always said, “Can't you just smell it? I bet the smell is amazing.” And the parade did not disappoint. The floats were extraordinary, the bands terrific, and the smell indeed was amazing.Every parade tells a story — a story of identity, values, and heritage. Mardi Gras tells a story of joy, indulgence, and fun. Pride tells a story of celebration, love, and identity. The Rose Parade tells a story of creation and beauty.And what makes a parade good is that it draws you in. You don't want to just watch it. You want to be part of it, not just a spectator. The people of Jesus' time were no strangers to parades. Because if one ancient people can be credited with the culture of parades, it's the Romans. They were known for their grand displays of power. One example was called the Adventus. That's when a Roman governor or emperor entered a city under Roman control. First came the golden eagle — the symbol of Rome. Then banners and battle flags with Roman gods on them. Then the trumpeters announcing their arrival. Then the display of power: cavalry and foot soldiers dressed in full armor. And then finally came the governor or emperor himself, riding a war horse or chariot. And behind him, chained prisoners — living proof of Rome's power.The Adventus parade told a story that was very clear: Rome is in charge. Rome has power. Rome wins. The Jews of Judea, including Jesus, were familiar with Adventus, because that's how Pontius Pilate would have entered Jerusalem for Passover. Pilate didn't actually live in Jerusalem. He lived in a Roman city near the coast. But every year, during Passover, he would come to Jerusalem.Because Passover made Roman officials nervous. It was a celebration of liberation from oppression under Pharaoh. And Pilate knew people might take that opportunity to protest their oppression under Caesar. So to remind everyone who was in charge, who had the power, Pilate would hold an Adventus. Coming from Caesarea, this huge procession would have entered Jerusalem from the west, quelling even the idea of an uprising.But there was another parade into Jerusalem, this one coming from the East. Jesus and his disciples were in Bethphage when he made an unusual request: Go into the next little town and bring me a donkey and her colt. Matthew even tells us Jesus somehow sits on both of them, which is a little odd and maybe even a little funny to picture. But that's not really the point.Matthew tells us this happened to fulfill the words of the prophet Zechariah: “Look, your king is coming to you, humble and riding on a donkey.” Jesus isn't just finding a ride into town. He is making a statement. He is telling the people exactly who he is. He is the one they have been waiting for.And thus begins the parade. With no flags or banners to wave, they take off their cloaks and line the street with them. There are no drums, just the sound of branches snapping off trees and being spread along the road. And the only music is the crowd shouting, “Save us, Son of David! Save us!” That's what Hosanna means: save us, please. This was a crowd of poor peasants, hurting under the occupation of Rome. And finally here comes their hope — the one they call Son of the king, the rightful heir to the throne; coming to overthrow Rome and restore the kingdom of David, just like his ancestor talked about, like his own mother sang about.Now that's a story. That's a parade that draws you in, one you want to be a part of, not just a spectator. I guess that's why we reenact this parade with palms of our own every year. We find ourselves in that crowd. We may not be poor peasants under Roman occupation, but we still know things are not as they should be. We need a change. We too want to crown Jesus. We too shout Hosanna — save us, O God.Save us from war and division.Save us from hatred and injustice.Save us from everything that keeps this world from being what you created it to be.I wonder when the crowd realized that their parade was not what they thought it was. When did it register that what they wanted Jesus to do and what Jesus was about to do were two very different things? At some point in the week ahead, the crowd is going to realize that their hope isn't going to play out like they thought it would. I imagine at some point they wandered over to the west side of town. Maybe they saw the Adventus, Pilate with all his power entering the city. Or maybe they just heard about it — the horses, the soldiers, the brute force. That parade lured them in. It told them a story, veiled in threats, about how the world works: a world governed by strength and power.Pretty soon after that parade of branches and cloaks, the crowd remembered Jesus on a donkey and compared that to Pilate's parade, Rome's parade, and realized he didn't stand a chance.They weren't in a parade on the east side of Jerusalem that day. They were in a funeral procession, following the hearse the whole time.So they switch sides. And in just a few short days they will go from “Save us!” to “Kill him,” from hail him to nail him.We are still in that same crowd. It's tempting to think we would have stayed by Jesus' side, that we would have understood, that we would have been different. But we are the same crowd. We want a savior who fixes things, who wins, who makes life easier, who proves we are right and our side is right. We want a powerful king, not a crucified rebel. We want victory, not sacrifice. We want resurrection, but we would really prefer to skip Good Friday.And when Jesus doesn't do what we want, we start looking for another parade to join. But Jesus never wanted to be king, at least not the way the world understands kings. His goal was never to display power, but to redefine it; passing on the crown so that he could pick up a cross instead. So this Holy Week, stay in the crowd. You've already started in the parade. You're already a participant in this story. So go a bit deeper. Gather with Jesus and the disciples around the table as we remember the Last Supper and celebrate First Communion with some young partners in mission. Walk all the way to Golgotha on Good Friday. Hear the chants of “Crucify him.” See how the same people who shouted Hosanna put Jesus on a cross.But the parade doesn't stop there. If we follow Jesus all the way, we will find ourselves at an empty tomb. And we will realize the parade wasn't just a funeral procession, but an inauguration, where Jesus is crowned not as a king, but as the savior; defeating sin and death not by power and force, but by obedience, humility, and above all, grace… Which he hands out like candy, freely to anyone who wants to grab it.That's my favorite parade. Not one of power. But one of grace.Amen.

A Sermon for Palm Sunday Philippians 2:1-11, St. Matthew 21:1-17, and St. Matthew 27:1-54 by William Klock One of the buildings that intrigued me the most when I studied architectural history is the Pantheon in Rome.  It's absolutely massive.  If you're not familiar with it: it's a magnificent round building covered by the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.  It's so impressive, that until I studied the Pantheon in architectural history, I'd always assumed it had been built during the Renaissance.  But no.  It was built by the Romans in the early Second Century, a testament to their engineering capabilities.  That's what the Pantheon is known for. What doesn't get nearly as much attention is the function of that massive building.  It was a temple for all the gods of Rome, hence the name “Pantheon”, meaning “all the gods”.  It was a temple, full of altars and statues of the gods to which they were dedicated.  And, in this, it came to represent the imperial power of Caesar and his empire, backed and supported by the power and authority gods.  When I read Paul writing about the “principalities and powers” of the present wicked age, I can't help but think of the Pantheon. But in the Year of Our Lord Six-hundred-and-nine, the Christian Emperor Phocas and Boniface IV, the Bishop of Rome, ordered the by then disused Pantheon stripped of its pagan idols and pagan altars.  Twenty-eight cartloads containing the bones Christian martyrs were exhumed from the catacombs and reburied there.  A Christian altar was erected.  And the building was dedicated as a church in honour of those martyrs whom the pagan Romans had murdered in the names of their gods.  To this day, over fourteen-hundred years later, the Church of St. Mary and the Martyrs remains there, a faithful witness to the conquest of Rome by the gospel and of the lordship of Jesus the Messiah.  A testimony to the power of the cross and the blood of Jesus, not only to purify us from our sins and to make us a dwelling place fit for God's Spirit, but to wash creation itself clean from our sins as well.  There is nothing in creation—whether sinful humans or the most pagan of pagan temples—that Jesus cannot purify and redeem and set right for the glory of the living God.  But the Pantheon is also a testimony of how, of the power of gospel virtue—humility, love, grace, mercy—over the raw power and violence of empire and human endeavour. Think back to the beginning of Lent.  We listened as St. Matthew told us the story of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness.  The devil took him off to a very high mountain and showed him all the magnificent kingdoms of the world.  Off on the horizon was Rome.  “I'll give the whole lot to you,” the devil said, “if you will fall down and worship me.” To rule creation was, after all what Jesus had come for.  He was creation's true Lord.  Caesar and all the other kings were pretenders, shams, parodies of who and what Jesus really is.  All of it, from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond belongs to him.  “There is not one square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” to quote Abraham Kuyper.  But this was not the way.  Jesus will not reclaim his creation without also setting it to rights, without dealing with the problems of sin and death.  Without purifying it from idolatry.  without dealing with the very problems that gave us kings in the first place.  To do that requires more than raw power. And so today we hear Matthew again as he tells us of Jesus' triumphal procession into Jerusalem.  When they came near to Jerusalem, and arrived at Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of the disciples on ahead.  Go into the village over there and at once you'll find a donkey tied and a foal beside it.  Untie them and bring them to me and if anyone says anything to you, say, “The Lord needs them and he'll send them back right away.”  He sent them off at once.   Jesus was about to act out another one of his prophecies.  This time it was to show and to remind the people what sort of king the Messiah was to be.  They did want a king who would set all to rights, but in their heads, to their way of thinking, that meant leading a revolt against the Romans.  He would be like David, who defeated the Jebusites to take their city Jerusalem as his capital.  He would be like Judas Maccabeus, who defeated the Greeks and established an independent Jewish kingdom under the high priest.  The Messiah would be like that, only better, greater, more powerful, and his kingdom would last forever.  He would raise up Israel and put the gentile kings under their feet.  The day before or maybe even that same day, as Jesus came to Jerusalem from Bethphage, Caesar's governor, Pontius Pilate, was marching into the city from the opposite direction, from his base in Caesarea, at the front of a column of Roman soldiers.  They were there to represent Caesar's might and to keep the peace with threat of violence during Passover.  If Jesus was the Messiah, now was his time—or so a lot of people thought—now was Jesus' time to finally and really be the Messiah, raise up his army, and cast down Pilate and the Romans and take his throne. But violence wasn't the way to the throne any more than bowing down to the devil was.  Matthew says that Jesus did it his way to remind the people of what the Lord had said about the Messiah through the Prophet Zechariah: Tell this to Zion's daughter: Look now! Here comes your King.  He's humble, mounted on a donkey, yes, on a foal, it's young. The king they expected was going to ride into Jerusalem in a chariot or at least on a great warhorse.  But God's king is different.  A great warrior might take care of the Romans and even take his throne.  He could set things to rights in the way of earthly kings like Caesar, but the world would still be subject to sin and death.  So Jesus acted out the prophecy.  The disciples brought the donkey and Jesus humbly rode it into the city.  And the people cheered all along the way.  They spread their cloaks on the road.  Others cut branches form the trees and scattered them on the road.  The crowds who went ahead of him, and those who were following behind shouted, “Hosanna to the son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!”  And the whole city was gripped with excitement when they came into Jerusalem.  “Who is this!” they were saying.  And the crowds replied, “This is the prophet, Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.   The humble king, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah.  But Jesus wasn't done with his acted-out prophecy.  Matthew says that on entering Jerusalem, Jesus went straight to the temple and when he got there he threw out the people who were buying and selling in the temple.  He upturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of the dove-sellers.  It is written, he said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a brigand's lair!”  The blind and lame came to him in the temple and he healed them.  But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the remarkable things he was doing, and the children shouting, “Hosanna to the son of David!” they were very angry.   The king was fulfilling the words of the prophets.  He came in humility.  And he came announcing that he really was going to set the world to rights.  He was going to set the world to rights in a way that would make the temple obsolete.  Jesus himself would bridge the gulf between God and sinful humans.  Jesus would offer himself as the once-for-all and perfect sacrifice for sin, a sacrifice that would finally purify his people so that in the Spirit, the living God could dwell within them and make them his temple.  So that he could finally give them new hearts full of love for him and love for each other.  They didn't want to hear that.  It was his preaching about the temple that got him arrested. Our long Palm Sunday Gospel today—Matthew 27—vividly depicts the Messiah's humble way to his throne.  Betrayed by his friends, rejected by his people.  Standing humbly before the Roman governor so many people expected him to slay.  Facing trumped up charges made by lying men.  Left condemned to death as the people chose instead that Pilate should free a brutal, violent revolutionary—a man truly guilty of the trumped up charges against Jesus.  Standing humbly as the very people he came to save cried out to Pilate, “Crucify him!”  Standing humbly as he, the king, was rejected by his own people who cried out the unthinkable, “We have no king but Caesar!”  Standing humbly as Roman soldiers mocked him, beat him senseless and scourged him, ripping the skin from his body.  Humbly dragging the very cross on which he would be crucified through the city.  The king, nailed to a cross and hoisted to die between two violent thieves as his own people shouted blasphemies at him, as the chief priests and scribes mocked him shouting, “He rescued others, but he cannot rescue himself.  If he's the king of Israel, let him come down from the cross!  He trusts in God; let God deliver him now if he's really God's son!” For hours Jesus suffered: pulling on those nails driven through his wrists, pushing on the nails driven through his feet, lifting himself to gasp for breath through the pain, while the people gathered around: Jews, Romans, even the spiritual shepherds of his people who claimed to speak for God mocked him and shouted blasphemies.  And despite all that, Luke writes that Jesus prayed for them: Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.  And eventually his body could take no more and Jesus breathed his last breath.  Matthew says, the earth shook.  The great veil that guarded the holy of holies in the temple was torn in two.  And the Roman centurions standing guard, scared out of their wits, announced the very thing Jesus' own people would not: He really was the son of God!   Brothers and Sisters, there can be no Easter without Good Friday.  To set the world to rights—to really set it to rights—not just to take a throne, not just to defeat the Romans—but to defeat sin and death and to reconcile sinful men and women to God required a king willing to let evil rise up to its full height, to let evil concentrate itself all in one place, and to let it do its worst, crashing down on him all at once.  It required a king willing to throw himself into the gears of this fallen, broken, and sinful world to bring them to a stop.  It required a king willing to give his life for his own people even as they mocked and blasphemed him, so that he could rise from that humiliating death to overturn the verdict against him, rise victorious over sin and death and the absolute worst that they could do.  Only that humble king could defeat death and bring life—real and true life—back to God's creation and gather a people forgiven, cleansed by his blood, and filled with his Spirit to become a new temple, a new holy of holies where the nations would—where the nations now—enter the presence of God. It was in that humble king that those Roman centurions saw something they had never seen before.  Their Caesar called himself the son of God, but in Jesus they saw the God of Israel at work in all his glory, in all his love, in all his mercy, in all his faithfulness—like no god they'd ever known—completely unlike any god or goddess honoured in the Pantheon.  Whether they knew it or not, those centurions that first Good Friday announced the defeat of Jupiter and Mars, of Hera and Diana, of Neptune and Vesta and all the others.  And they announced the defeat of Caesar, too.  In less than three centuries, the Emperor of Rome himself would be captivated by the good news about Jesus, the son of God, the great King who was setting the world to rights. But Brothers and Sisters, the good news about Jesus, crucified and risen, didn't go out through the empire and to the nations all on its own.  It was carried, it was stewarded by a people—by a church—that, itself, took on the humility of the Saviour.  The bones of those martyrs buried in the Pantheon are a testimony to the faithful, humble, sacrificial witness of Jesus' people in those early centuries.  They didn't just proclaim a message.  They lived it out as a community—as the vanguard of God's new creation born that first Easter morning.  A people welling over with the humility of Jesus and the love of the Spirit.  In the midst of a world of darkness, of false gods and idolatry, of brutality and immorality hard for us to imagine today, they gave the pagans a glimpse of God's future.  By the way they lived, they lifted the veil and showed the world God's new creation.  It was not only the proclamation of the church, but the very life of the church that showed the world a better way, a way no one before had ever known. Here's the truth of it: The people of the humble king must be humble too or it's all for nought.  This is why Paul, writing to the Philippians, says to them, If our shared life in the king brings any comfort; if love still has the power to make you cheerful; if we really do have a partnership in the Spirit; if your hearts are at all moved with affection and sympathy—then make my joy complete!  Bring your thinking into line with one another.  In other words, if you're going to be a gospel community for all the world to see: Have this mind amongst yourselves!  Here's how to do it.  Hold on to the same love; bring your innermost lives into harmony; fix your minds on the same object.  Never act out of selfish ambition or vanity; instead, regard everyone else as your superior.  Look after each other's best interests, not your own.   And I can hear them asking Pau, “But how?  It seems impossible to be that kind of people.”  And Paul knew that, too.  And so he takes them back to the cross.  Brothers and Sisters, everything goes back to Jesus and the cross!  The cross is the only way a gospel people can be a gospel people.  He writes: This is how you should think amongst yourselves, with the mind that you have because you belong to Jesus the Messiah.  And what does that look like?  Paul quotes what looks like song lyrics—maybe a hymn they sang regularly in their churches—a hymn full of gospel truth that maybe they'd got just a little too used to over the years, truth they needed to be reminded of, to think through, to incorporate into their own lives.  Paul writes: Who, though in God's form, did not regard his equality with God as something he ought to exploit.  Instead, he emptied himself, and received the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men.  And then, having human appearance, he humbled himself, and became obedient even to death, yes, even death on a cross.  And so God has greatly exalted him, and to him in his favour has given the name which is over all names.  That now at the name of Jesus every knee within heaven shall bow—on earth, too, and under the earth.  And every tongue shall confess that Messiah Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.   Paul reminds them of the humble king, the son of God who not only took on our flesh, but who gave his life in the most painful and humiliating way possible so that on his way to his throne he might take us with him. Brothers and Sisters, the only way we will ever be faithful in being the people Jesus has called us to be, the only way we will ever be faithful in being the new creation people the Spirit has made us, the only way will ever be faithful stewards of the gospel is to keep the cross of Jesus always before us.  There's a reason why we confess our sins before we come to the Lord's Table.  There is a reason that we repeatedly recall our unworthiness to enter the presence of God on our own merit.  There is a reason why, as we rise in the morning and as we go to bed at night, we confess our sins.  It's so that as we hear the absolution and as we come to the Table, we will remember just how gracious and merciful and loving God has been to us.  It's why we sing songs like “Amazing Grace”.  Amazing grace is such a sweet, sweet sounds, because apart from grace we are such sinful wretches.  And it is inevitable that when we forget this, when we start to think of ourselves as deserving of the gifts God has poured out on us, when we forget the sinfulness of our sin, when we forget that we are the ones who have broken his beloved creation, dear Friends, that's when we forget the true power of the gospel and the true mercy of the cross and the great depth of the love of God for sinners.  When we forget the sinfulness of our sin, we lose sight of the amazingness of God's grace.  Eventually we lose the mind of Jesus the Messiah and we cease to be the community of humble servants that he has made us.  We turn, instead, to self-righteousness, to pride, to violence, to politics, to money, to power to further the kingdom of God.  And our light grows dim.  Our witness fails. We see it happening all around us in the West.  We've stopped talking about sin and we've thought more highly of ourselves than we ought.  We preach a doctrine of cheap grace.  And our light has gone dim.  Our churches have emptied and the culture has claimed them for its own.  In some they preach false gospels of prosperity or the divinity of man or the goodness of sexual immorality.  We setup idols to politics and earthly power in them.  Some are literally gutted, becoming theatres or bars.  Others are little more than tourist attractions: testimonies to the power of the gospel in the days we proclaimed it, but now empty, dead shells.  The culture removes the cross and sets up altars to its idols.  Brothers and Sisters, before it is too late, let us kneel before the cross of Jesus and look up.  Let it fill our vision.  Let us remember that he—the sinless son of God—died the death we deserve.  And let us meditate on the depth and power of his grace that we might share the humble mind of our humble king, that we might be the people he has called us to be, the people he has given his Spirit to make us, the people who will steward his gospel of grace until every knee bows and every tongues confesses that Jesus the Messiah is Lord and gives glory to God the Father. Let's pray: Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for mankind you sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility:  Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Sermon for Palm Sunday {The Sunday of the Passion of our Lord} at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and The Ev. Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, both in The Bronx, New York (Matthew 26:14—27:66).

This powerful reflection on Palm Sunday challenges us to examine the gap between celebration and surrender in our relationship with Jesus. Drawing from Matthew 21, we witness the crowds welcoming Jesus as king with palm branches and shouts of 'Hosanna,' yet within days, many of those same voices would cry 'Crucify him.' The sermon exposes an uncomfortable truth: we often want Jesus as Savior without accepting Him as King. We celebrate when He meets our needs but resist when He calls us to surrender control. The crowd expected a king who would overthrow Rome and fix their circumstances, but Jesus came to overthrow sin and transform hearts. This distinction matters profoundly for our faith journey. The challenge presented is deeply personal: identify one area of life where Jesus is not currently king—a habit we're holding onto, a relationship we won't surrender, or a decision we're trying to control. True peace doesn't come from Jesus fixing everything around us, but from Him ruling everything within us. This Holy Week, we're invited not just to prepare for Easter dinner, but to enthrone Jesus completely, surrendering fully rather than partially or conditionally.

How can a society move from celebrating Jesus as Messiah to accepting (or even demanding) His crucifixion—within days? Joe Rockey and Father Boniface Hicks pick up the thread from the previous episode and go deeper into the forces that make moral collapse feel “normal”: self-interest, fear, groupthink, and the quiet pressure of power structures.Father frames a key clarification: it's not certain the Palm Sunday crowd and the “crucify him” crowd were the exact same people—Jerusalem was flooded with pilgrims for Passover. But even those who loved Jesus still faced a terrifying reality: Rome's violence was real, and even the apostles fled when things became dangerous. The conversation turns practical: if corruption can become invisible from the inside, how do we train ourselves to resist the crowd, keep Scripture speaking clearly, and stay close to people with integrity—so we don't breathe “putrid air” so long we stop noticing it?Key IdeasPalm Sunday's contrast (Hosanna → Passion) is real, even if the crowds weren't identical.Fear is a powerful silencer: when violence is credible, even loyal followers often retreat.Jesus didn't present as a worldly power figure (no army, no weapons), so the “little ones” recognized Him—but lacked power to defend Him.Groupthink pulls people downstream; self-interest (status, honor, money, security) keeps them there.Resistance becomes possible when we: (1) honor courageous witnesses, (2) let the Gospel keep challenging our rationalizations, and (3) surround ourselves with high-integrity people who keep the air “fresh.”Scripture Mentioned (no links)Palm Sunday readings (Triumphal Entry + Passion narrative)Matthew 7:3–5 (beam/splinter)References to the apostles fleeing during the Passion narrativeLinks & References (official/source only)Dr. Jordan B. Peterson (official site):https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/Pope Benedict XVI (official Vatican profile):https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en.htmlCTA: If this helped, please leave a review or share this episode with a friend.Questions or thoughts? Email FatherAndJoe@gmail.com .Tags (comma-separated)Father and Joe, Joe Rockey, Father Boniface Hicks, Palm Sunday, Passion narrative, Holy Week, Hosanna, crucify him, crowds, groupthink, fear, courage, self interest, power structures, corruption, public opinion, moral courage, integrity, apostles, discipleship, Rome, persecution, Pharisees, scribes, humility, resistance, conscience, truth, Gospel, Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Jordan Peterson, beam in your eye, Matthew 7:3-5, virtue, repentance, conversion, community, faithful witness

I. Introduction and Focus Welcome from Victory Church podcast; statement of mission: reaching the lost, restoring the broken, reviving believers. Call to open Bibles to Galatians 6; affirmation of the power, authority, and reliability of God's Word. Sermon title and theme introduced: “The ultimate boast” – centering on the cross of Jesus Christ. II. Paul's Life and Credentials Brief overview of Paul as an apostle and missionary: sent by Christ, three missionary journeys, final journey to Rome, thousands of miles traveled. Paul's work: establishing churches, appointing leaders, testifying before rulers, writing about half the New Testament (13 letters). Emphasis that Paul had an extraordinary “resume” of accomplishments. III. The Only Legitimate Boast: The Cross (Galatians 6:14) Key verse: “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Point: Despite having much he could boast in, Paul chose to glory only in the cross. Contrast with culture (ancient and modern) where people seek worth in achievements, wealth, status, and credentials. Clarification that net worth does not equal self-worth; many wealthy, accomplished people still lack true value and identity. IV. Biblical Rebuke of Worldly Boasting (Jeremiah 9:23–24) Jeremiah's warning: Let not the wise glory in wisdom. Let not the mighty glory in might. Let not the rich glory in riches. True glory: understanding and knowing the Lord who practices lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness. Humanity's tendency to boast in intellect, strength, and possessions contrasted with God's values. V. Paul's Resume Re-evaluated (Philippians 3) Paul lists his qualifications: Circumcised the eighth day, of Israel, tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of Hebrews. A Pharisee regarding the law, zealous (persecuting the church), outwardly blameless in legal righteousness. Paul's conclusion: what was gain he now counts as loss for Christ; all is “rubbish” compared to knowing Christ. Illustration of “trophies” being swept into the garbage compared to the surpassing worth of Christ. VI. Illustration: James Dobson's Trophy Story of James Dobson winning a state tennis championship, proudly displaying his trophy in school. Years later the trophy is found in the trash; a janitor calls to ask if he wants it. Lesson: what once seemed highly valuable becomes garbage; earthly honors are fleeting. Application: anything not attached to Jesus Christ fades and loses significance. VII. The Fleeting Nature of Earthly Glory Personal example: pastor's brief media prominence during Israel war coverage—interviews, trending stories. After a few days, the coverage disappears and must be searched for. Broader examples: Money sprouts wings and flies away. Beauty, strength, popularity, trends, and influencer status all fade. Even Christian trends, names, and songs move from top to bottom of the list. Warning: if identity is tied to these things, life will be unstable—“up and then down.” VIII. The Cross as Central and Supreme Reaffirmation of Paul's statement: God forbid that I should boast in anything but the cross. Scholar's quote: the cross as the hinge of history, the hub of God's purposes; OT prophets pointed to it, NT disciples proclaimed it. Hymn “The Old Rugged Cross” cited to underline the cross as emblem of suffering, shame, salvation, and ultimate exchange for a crown. Concern that contemporary church culture often downplays the cross, the blood, and Christ's supremacy, exalting human philosophy and benefits instead. Clarification of “mystery” in the biblical sense: a truth once hidden but now revealed. IX. Everything Flows From the Cross The cross' relevance to today: Every good thing and spiritual blessing comes through the cross. Apart from Christ's death there is only judgment and condemnation. Repeated call-and-response: “Because of the cross” applied to: Every sin forgiven. Every healing. Every ministry, song, offering, and destiny fulfilled. X. The Message of the Cross in 1 Corinthians Reading 1 Corinthians 1:18–25: The message of the cross is foolishness to those perishing but God's power to those being saved. God destroys worldly wisdom; through “foolish” preaching He saves believers. Jews seek signs, Greeks seek wisdom, but the church preaches Christ crucified—stumbling block to Jews, foolishness to Greeks, but the power and wisdom of God to the called. Warning against famine of hearing God's Word in the last days; insistence that the church must keep proclaiming Scripture, not just short, story-only messages. XI. Paul's Resolve: Christ and Him Crucified (1 Corinthians 2) Paul's approach in Corinth: not with excellence of speech or human wisdom. Determination “to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Emphasis on weakness, fear, trembling; preaching in demonstration of the Spirit and power, so faith rests on God's power, not human wisdom. Critique of modern church gimmicks, sensationalism, and entertainment used to attract people. Principle: what you win people with, you must keep supplying to keep them; only the cross and Christ are stable foundations. XII. True Value and Identity: Who Owns You and What Was Paid Teaching: the value of something depends on who owns it and what someone will pay for it. Illustration: Ordinary sneakers vs. Michael Jordan's sneakers valued much higher because of the owner. Believers' value because they are owned by Christ, bought with a price. Baseball card story: selling sports cards to buy his wife's engagement ring, showing how value is determined by what someone is willing to pay. Scriptural basis: believers redeemed not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ; life is in the blood; without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Conclusion: our worth, significance, and purpose come from the cross and the blood of Jesus, not from worldly systems. XIII. Identity Rooted in Christ, Not Titles or Opinions Warning against grounding identity in titles (even “pastor”), roles, or what people say. People are fickle: they can shout “Hosanna” one day and “Crucify him” the next. Admission that the pastor still struggles with this but must continually return to the cross and the Father's love. Call for the congregation to avoid judging quickly, recognizing everyone has issues. Exhortation: find identity in Christ and His work on the cross when all external things are stripped away. XIV. The Uniqueness of the Gospel and How We Are Saved Contrast of Christianity with other religions (Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Buddhism, Islam): Other systems focus on what adherents must do and become. The gospel centers on what Christ has done. Example from Acts 16: jailer asks, “What must I do to be saved?” Answer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,” not a list of works. The cross as the only ground of boasting because we contributed nothing to it; all glory goes to God. XV. Ongoing Power of the Cross and Call to Persevere Statement that the cross' power to deliver, heal, and set free never diminishes. Reference to Philippians 3: Paul has not arrived but presses on by grace. Encouragement: no believer has “arrived”; we all press on because of the cross' power. Allusion to hymn: the blood reaches the highest mountain, flows to the lowest valley, and gives strength day by day. XVI. Invitation to Salvation and Response Appeal to those who have never fully accepted Jesus or the work of the cross. Explanation: salvation is by faith—repenting, believing in what Jesus did on our behalf. Assertion: there is real power in the cross and the blood to change lives. Quotation: “He who has the Son has life; he who does not…the wrath of God abides on him.” The cross shows both God's wrath against sin (someone had to die) and His love for us (Christ taking our place). Call for a response: raising hands to indicate need for grace, then coming forward publicly to seal the decision. Assurance: they are only being asked to believe and receive, not perform. Closing with worship focused on the cross and thanksgiving for Christ's sacrifice, plus practical church information (Victory Church address).

Crescent lunge with modification ~ Crucify (5 September 1999 - Indianapolis, IN) Crucify (24 October 2017 - St. Paul, MN)

Myra Ellen Amos – better known as Tori Amos – is a singular voice in American popular music. While she has been nominated for such major accolades as Grammys and MTV Video Music Awards, she never received significant mainstream radio play in America. Still, her prodigious musical skills and captivating, poetry-rich lyrics confronting topics like religion, misogyny, and sexual assault made her an alt-pop icon who enjoyed considerable success in the 1990s and beyond. Now, more than 30 years into her musical career, and on the eve of the release of 18th studio album, In Times of Dragons, the Great Pop Culture Debate wants to look back and attempt to name the Best Tori Amos Song.Songs discussed: “Silent All These Years,” “Taxi Ride,” “God,” “Winter,” “Spark,” “China,” “Little Earthquakes,” “Crucify,” “Cornflake Girl,” “Jackie's Strength,” “Tear in Your Hand,” “Pretty Good Year,” “Raspberry Swirl,” “Hey, Jupiter,” “A Sorta Fairytale,” “Precious Things”Join host Eric Rezsnyak, Patreon sponsor Bob Erlenback, and GPCD panelists Jim Czadzeck and Kate Racculia as they discuss and debate 16 of their favorite songs by Tori Amos.For the warm-up to this episode, in which we discuss additional Tori Amos songs that didn't make the bracket, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today. EPISODE CREDITSHost: Eric RezsnyakPatreon Sponsor: Bob ErlenbackPanelists: Jim Czadzeck, Kate RacculiaProducer: Derek MekitaEditor: Bob ErlenbackIntro/Outro Music: "Dance to My Tune" by Marc Torch#toriamos #90smusic #90s #music #altpop #poprock #littleearthquakes #prettygoodyear #crucify #god #spark #thesepreciousthings #silentalltheseyears #winter #taxiride #intimesofdragons #boysforpele #fromthechoirgirlhotelSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.