Sunday Setup – Matthew 21

Hey Cross Church family and welcome to the Sunday setup. This is our time each week, Thursdays at 2:00 that we digitally gather together to prepare our hearts for the text that we're diving into this weekend. Well, Sunday is Palm Sunday. And this Palm Sunday, we're going to dive into the story that we get this day from and we find it in Matthew chapter 21. And we're going to be ending our series through Let's Go, kind of unpacking this two-year initiative, but it so perfectly fits in with Palm Sunday and what God has for us. And I want to start in verse one. We're going to read 11 verses and we have two prayer prompts that are going to just help prepare our hearts for God's word that we'll receive this Sunday and how we can praise through it, pray through it, preach through it, and practice it next week. But we start here in Matthew chapter 21 starting in verse one. It says this, "When they approached Jerusalem and they came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples telling them, "Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them and he will send them at once." This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled. "Tell daughter Zion, see your king is coming to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Verse 6, the disciples went and they did just as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and they laid their clothes on them and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their clothes on the roads. Others were cutting branches from the tree and spreading them on the road. Then the crowds went ahead of them and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna anna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest heaven." When he, being Jesus, had entered Jerusalem, the city was in an uproar saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee." As we look at this passage and as we see how this prepares us for the Palm uh Sunday story, but how it also prepares our church as we enter into this season wrapping up our series through Let's Go, but really beginning our two-year commitment. Is this Sunday is commitment Sunday and as we unpack that, we do through do so in the midst of the story. And here's the first thing as we attempt to pray through this so that we're preparing ourselves for it. Is I love this question that is asked in verse 10. Is who is this? And actually they answered, the crowds answered saying, "This is a prophet Jesus from Nazareth." But really they're not answering the question that we know who Jesus is. We know Jesus is God. We know Jesus is savior. We know Jesus is the one who came to change everything. And that is our prayer prompt today. Is when they ask this question, "Who is this?" We get to pray to the Jesus we know. And this is our first prayer prompt, a prayer prompt of worship. Is Jesus, you are so small, so simple, but so profound. Jesus, you are Jesus, you are holy. Jesus, you are strong. Jesus, you are present. Jesus, you You our you are creator. Take some time. Pray through this prompt, wherever you are. Jesus, you are Jesus, you are God. Jesus, you are the ultimate prophet. God, the ultimate healer. God, you are the prince of peace. You are the one who cleanses our sin for all of eternity. Jesus, you are king. And Lord, as we prepare our hearts, God, we do so in a stage of worship answering the question that the city had at that time, that our world has today is who is this? Is Jesus, you are our God. But, it does not stop there. You see in the story where it asked who is this, it starts and the disciples are obeying every single word he said. He's giving them these directions that seem odd, that to seem weird. Have go get a colt, go get a donkey, go make sure it's in this specific way, but they just obey. You fast forward after the crowds turn on him and they go from shouting Hosanna to shouting crucify him, many from the same mouth, the disciples don't play those games. Instead of in Matthew 28, after they witnessed them coming in in a triumphal entry, after they witnessed Jesus put on a cross, after they witnessed him die, after they witnessed him raise again, as Jesus giving them the great great commission, they are still obeying every single word he says. And here as we say, Jesus, you are, we answer our world who Jesus is. As the second part moves our worship into action. And Jesus, this is our prompt, Jesus, let me obey you no matter what. Jesus, let me obey you no matter what in however he has called you to. Maybe in being a part of a church family, in inviting my neighbors to Easter, in being a light in my workplace, in giving my resources back to his kingdom. Jesus, let me obey you no matter what in Pray those prayers to our God. >> Jesus, let us obey you no matter the cost, no matter the lack of comfort. Jesus, let let us obey you and God being bold about our faith and being faithful in our families. Let us obey you in putting you first in worship, in our finances. God, let us obey you in whatever you ask us to do that moves us out of our comfort, that convicts our sin, that calls us to do something that maybe, Lord, we are scared to do that God we be obedient in following your word, in following your spirit, in following the vision and the purpose that you have put in our life. God, let us be obedient in the things that you have called us, the commission that you have put upon us, and let us obey that no matter what our world throws at us. God, we thank you that you are king. We thank you that you are God, and Lord, we just lift all this up in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you guys for joining us today. We cannot wait to worship with you this Sunday. Have a great rest of your day, and we'll see you soon. >> Oh.