Worship led by Brian Legg
What is special about today?
Yes, it’s Palm Sunday – celebrating the time just 5 days before Jesus was to be crucified, when he came to Jerusalem.
It was of course a busy time in Jerusalem, as residents welcomed a large number of visitors from up-country to the city for the annual Passover celebrations. Many VIPs would be there, as much perhaps to be seen rather than wishing to be any significant part of the festivities.
Let’s begin by reading Matthew’s account of what went on in Jerusalem – a city we still see almost every day on our TV news bulletins.
Matthew 21: 1 – 11
Let’s sing a couple of songs in which we can each give our welcomes to Jesus today.
SONG: All hail King Jesus (7) (x2)
SONG:: Hosanna! (189)
Prayer: Yes, Lord – we do indeed want to lift up and praise your glorious name once again this morning. We want to glorify You alone, as we come together this morning. We do indeed welcome you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and we ask that by your grace and mercy you will move amongst us in power and hear and receive our worship, which does come from truly thankful hearts. Be very near to each of us, as we come as needy people to hear your voice, in Jesus holy name, AMEN.
I’m not sure what the disciples made of that triumphal procession. After all, Jesus had only recently been telling them that he was to die. So what were they to believe? The two who went off to get the donkey and colt – what is He doing?
They may just have thought, quite reasonably, that Jesus was just tired from the journey – so a lift on any animal would have been a blessing. They must have asked themselves which version of Jesus they to witness this day – was he after all the king who would take over the city and expel the terrible Romans?
They would have recalled too some of the things he had said to them – which they never really understood – about dying, and coming back again from the dead. They had tried to persuade him not to go into Jerusalem, but Jesus had chosen to ignore their pleas.
Anyway, the animals were provided, and Jesus rode on the donkey towards Jerusalem, where crowds gathered to welcome him. Some knew about Jesus, having seen him themselves – others had just heard about the miracles he had performed, particularly of healing – other no doubt just wanted to join the crowd to see what the commotion was all about. Either way, the crowd got very excited and gave Jesus a royal welcome – waving palm leaves and laying their cloaks on the ground to make a pathway for Jesus and his entourage. They welcomed Jesus, without for the most part being really aware of who He was.
The arrival of Jesus caused many to ask “Who is this?” Was he indeed the long-promised Messiah who would save his people? Was he just another in a long line of prophets claiming to declare the words of God? They were of course to find out more about the true person of Jesus in the next few days.
Our desire this morning is of course to bring glory to Jesus, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is of course yet to come again, not this time to die, but to take believers to be with him. It’s good to remind ourselves in such a troubled world that we do have a “coming King”.
SONG: Lift up your heads (336) (x2)
Our next song reminds us a little more about who our Saviour is, and what he does.
He’s King – He reigns over heaven and earth – He’s waiting to take all his followers to be with him for ever.
SONG: Rejoice, the Lord is King (482)
Read Philippians 2: 6 - 11
That day is yet to come – when every knee will bow before Him
Our next song picks up that theme, and reminds us that Jesus reigns over an eternal kingdom, one that will not pass away.
SONG: Blessing and honour, glory and power (675)
Breaking of Bread
Our reading just now took up the theme of Jesus as the servant King – giving up his rightful place in glory, becoming man, and going all the way to the cross for us – being obedient unto death – even death on a cross. Such a cruel and ignominious way to die – especially when he had done nothing to deserve death. As the hymn reminds us “There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin – yours and mine. He only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in.” By the grace of God alone, we can come today, those who have been cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus, to thank Him for the price He paid for us.
I’d like us to remain seated to sing the first three verses only of
SONG: From heaven you came (120) – FIRST 3 VERSES ONLY – remain seated.
Prayer: Lord, those words remind us of the true suffering you went through – having been earlier welcomed, you were rejected, cruelly treated, and hung upon that cross, suffering for sins not your own. We just want to say than you Jesus – than you for dying there in my place, Thank you for cleansing me from my sin, and making a way to heaven for me. Bless these emblems to us, as we share them in memory of You.
Message – summary of the message by Stephen Lawrence on the subject of
the Tree of Life.
Jesus took Genesis as literal, verifiable history, quoting Genesis for marriage, Noah, Abraham etc. So, we should take it the same way.
God created Adam (meaning Dusty), and placed him in a garden, Eden, meaning paradise. The environment does not make the man, no matter how good it is, with choice, there will come disobedience. He was told to tend the garden, Genesis 2:15, have free reign with only one prohibition, not to eat of one tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:16-17. This was in the centre point and alongside the tree of life, that was also central and not forbidden to eat from. If he were to eat from it he would surely die, (in dying he would die). An instant spiritual death would bring physical death in time.
Eve, (mother of all living), was created as the last of God's creation and was told of God's instruction. The serpent, under the influence of Satan, tempted eve, mis-quoted the Lord God, changed his title to God and said did God say you can't eat from any tree?
Eve called also the Lord God as God, added we can't even touch the tree, (something God didn't say), and that we would die. Notice she said die and NOT surely die. We would die once but not in dying will we die.
All the trees were pleasing to the eye and good for food. This tree had the added temptation that it could make one wise.
Satan denied man would surely die, but would become like God. This is a half truth, as they did become like God knowing knowledge, but as the Lord God said, they would die in dying.
God reacted with love by banishing them from the garden and keeping them from the tree of life. I am convinced that this would have been the next temptation from the devil to make man eternally fallen.
Adam never ate of the tree of life and he died at the age of 930. Adam did not have immortality but life until he sinned, and then would die and he did. Had he never sinned and eaten of the tree, he would have had immortality. (2 Timothy 1:10)
The tree and all is gone in the flood but God in Jesus, brings life to man and immortality also. Not the life of Adam. In one garden Adam disobeyed and would die, in another garden the last Adam would die through obedience not disobedience. No-one ever died in the presence of Jesus and no one took his life, he gave it freely as Adam gave himself freely to eat of the tree.
A living tree produced death, and the cross, a dead tree, produced life. The tree of life comes again in the book of Revelation and open to freely be eaten from by those who belong to God through Jesus.
Rev 2:7 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and that they may enter the city by the gates.
Notices
- There is a Maundy Thursday service at HBC at 10.30am
- Good Friday – joint C4H service at St Barts at 10.30am
- Easter Day – C4H sunrise service at 6.30am in Horley Rec
- Easter Day celebration – 10.15am, speaker Ken Cowell
- Saturday 6th April – Church Cleaning morning from 8.30am onwards.