Preparing for the Lord's Day
Palm Sunday
What will be the defining hour of your life? Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus continually refers to His hour (2:4; 4:21; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23,27; 13:1; 16:32; 17:1). In this hour, He will be glorified and will bring glory to God the Father. In John 12 we come to the passage of Scripture which is commonly called the triumphal entry. In this passage Jesus rides into the city of Jerusalem to shouts of praise and the waving of palm branches. The story of His ministry seems to come to its climax. The promised Messiah rides into Zion during the celebration of Passover. The King of the Jews has come! Jesus’ disciples must have imagined that this was the hour of which He spoke; the hour of glory. What more could they expect? However, His disciples were wrong. His triumphal entry was not His defining hour. What we will see in our text is that the defining hour of Jesus’ life was not worldly triumph but rather the humility of the cross. As one who is called to follow Christ, how might His humility affect the way you judge your own defining hour? To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and to meditate upon John 12:12-36, Psalm 118, Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 4:8-9; 16:21-25 and Westminster Confession of Faith 8.4.
As we gather to worship our humble King this Palm Sunday, we will join our hearts in song, singing the Processional Hymn "All Glory, Laud, and Honor," the Acclamation of Praise "O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus!" and the Hymn of Response "Lift High the Cross." Let us come to worship this Sunday prepared to hear God’s Word, to receive it in faith, to love and treasure it in our hearts, and to practice it in our lives that we may continue to glorify and enjoy Him!
If you’re going to be out of town this Sunday, let me encourage you to listen to the sermon online (usually posted by Monday afternoon) or you can download the REPC podcast, which will be delivered to your mobile device.