Jesus' Triumphal Entry Hid a Troubled Heart
Lenten Journey 2024 | Palm Sunday | Resurrection Sunday | Jesus Christ | Christianity
The series:
Lent 2024 Week 1 | Lent 2024 Week 2 | Lent 2024 Week 3 | Lent 2024 Week 4 | Lent 2024 Week 5 | Lent 2024 Week 6 | Palm Sunday 2024 | Maundy Thursday 2024 | Good Friday 2024 | Resurrection Sunday 2024
Who Pressed the Fast-Forward Button on Lent?
Wow. I can hardly believe it. Palm Sunday is here.
My Lenten Season 2024 has progressed as a slow contemplation, and then it sped up faster than I had anticipated. Boom, we’re here at Holy Week, already, and the Passion of the Christ.
Dear readers, pray for those who lead your churches or parishes. They need physical as well as spiritual strength. They’re preparing messages not only for you who faithfully attend. They also have on their hearts and minds the hundreds, maybe thousands, who will come to church next Sunday for their twice-a-year visit, but this time with broken hearts seeking hope in these troubling times.
Pray!
Sixth Sunday in Lent
Readings
This Sunday’s readings, according to one liturgical Church Calendar, are the following verses for the First Reading, a Psalm, an Epistle, and the Gospel. Here are the links for you to read as you have time this week:
[URLs to go Biblegateway.com - version is the ESV]
For this post, we’ll briefly examine verses from the Epistle and the Gospel readings.
Troubled Heart, and Yet….
Jesus understands troubling times. When our hearts are troubled, He definitely has compassion on us.
John 12:27-28 (ESV)
27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
Our fully divine and fully human Savior not only knew His mission, He also felt the heart-rending anguish His mission would cause Him, an anguish and suffering that we can never fathom.
And yet, He sought the Father’s glory above all His troubled feelings. He focused on glorifying Abba.
Can I do that?
Can you?
We can, through the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit [read my series].
Voice of the Martyrs sends regular emails to subscribers, and the most recent ones are focusing on our sisters and brothers in northern Nigeria. They are suffering greatly.
It takes great courage and faith to openly worship and serve Christ in northern Nigeria. “Christians can no longer move about freely because kidnapping is on the rise,” a front-line worker said. “People are not even safe in their own homes, and people are traumatized every day because of the incessant kidnappings and violent attacks.”
No matter the cost, our brothers and sisters are standing up for their faith even in the face of persecution.
~Voice of the Martyrs, via email, 20 March 2024.
Jesus asked the Father to give us His Holy Spirit, and we receive the Spirit when we believe in Jesus and swear our loyalty to worship and serve only Him. He will sustain our souls during troubled times, for we are His forever.
Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV)
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Hold fast to your believing loyalty in Jesus. Stand firm in Him one day at a time, even one moment at a time if that’s all you can do. Follow His will as revealed in His word, and walk in humble obedience to Him even as the waves of this world’s disobedient culture crash into you, trying to destroy you.
For there is good news, which we celebrate this Holy Week as post-resurrection Jesus followers.
John 12:31-33 (ESV)
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die
This is Christ’s work on the cross. Not only to save us and redeem us from sin and death, but to overthrow the disobedient and rebellious unseen ones: the ruler, the powers, the principalities, and the authorities of this world. On the cross, Jesus waged intense spiritual warfare, and reclaimed His Lordship over all the nations. He now is drawing all people to Himself.
Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Hallelujah!
Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.
Soli Deo Gloria!
If you’re a not-yet follower of Jesus Christ, please come along on this journey with us. You are welcome here.
And, I invite you to read my series on the book “What Does God Want?”.
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GOD bless you, Jenise, and your family.
A Prayer for the Christian martyrs in Nigeria and the world
"Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers." Matthew 24:9 NLT.
Christian martyr: persons killed (murdered) for their devotion and belief in Jesus Christ
"It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them." Deuteronomy 32:35 NIV
Oh, Father, how are we able to pray for those being persecuted and killed for their faith in You? How can we bear to understand such pain and suffering? Are not our hearts crushed just by the thought of these things? Oh GOD, when will these atrocities stop? When will this wickedness be judged? When will this evil be taken away?
"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest heaven!" Mark 11:10 NIV
LORD, comfort the martyrs everywhere, speak to their hearts about Your coming Kingdom, and remind them that they will all be with You forever. There is a better life beyond this one. There is still hope.
"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed." Psalm 34:18 NLT
Oh, GOD, rescue us all from this wicked world. Please don't delay, oh GOD, for the days are growing darker by the hour. Remind us that we are no longer of this world, nor should we desire it because we anticipate Your coming Kingdom now. Come, Lord JESUS, come quickly. Amen
"But we are citizens of Heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior." Philippians 3:20 NLT
GOD bless you all!
"When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." John 14:3 NLT
Rivers & Robots/ You Know My Name https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6cAZNgaY-M
Dear Readers,
Wonderful video on Palm Sunday and "Christ Is King" by the BibeProject:
https://youtu.be/xmFPS0f-kzs?si=wGfWo0QA2emzXNR6