Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
A Modern Expression of a Timeless Tradition. A local church in the Glastonbury Neighbourhood of West Edmonton. Sr Pastor Brett Esslinger.
I want to read two stories in a significant portion of scripture. But then I believe that today, as it's Palm Sunday, and this is really where we adjust and set our focus into the Passion Week, the story of Jesus making his way to Jerusalem and the cross and everything that we celebrate in our faith and we love the stories of Jesus coming as a baby, but he was born to die for this moment, to go to the cross, to create a way back to the Father. And Palm Sunday is the place where it starts pointing everything towards that. His whole ministry shifts, the whole focus of scripture moves from miracles and the work that he's doing with the disciples, but now, palm Sunday, it all points to the cross and what Jesus is about to do. And I was like Lord, what do you want to remind us of and speak to us as we are getting ready to look to the cross? And he brought me to a scripture in Numbers, chapter 22 and 23. So if you want to turn to Numbers, chapter 22,. But then also look in your Bible and put your finger in Matthew, chapter 21. Because when I read this first portion of scripture, you're going to have to wonder what the heck does this have to do with Jesus and the cross.
Numbers chapter 22, starting in verse one, says this then the people of Israel traveled to the plains of Moab and camped east of the Jordan River across from Jericho and Baelic, son of Zippor, the Moabite king, had seen everything the Israelites did to the Amorites and when the people of Moab saw how many the Israelites were, they were terrified. The king of Moab said to the elders of Midian this mob will devour everything in sight, like an ox devours grass in the field. So Baelic, king of Moab sent messengers to call Baelum, son of Bior, who was living in his native land of Pithor, near the Euphrates River. His message said look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and they're threatening me. Please come and curse these people for me, for they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I'll be able to conquer them and drive them out from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless and curses fall on people you curse. And Baelic's messengers, who were elders of Moab and Midian, sent out with money to pay Baelum to place a curse upon Israel. And they went to Baelum and delivered Baelic's message to him and they stayed here overnight. Baelum said in the morning I will tell you whether the Lord directs me what the Lord directs me to say. So the officials from Moab stayed there with Baelum Verse 12,. But God told Baelum do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed All the way to verse 18. So Baelum sends them away.
Baelic sends the messengers back a second time and Baelum responds a second time to the messengers, saying even if Baelic were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the Lord, my God, but stay here one more night. Now, this is interesting. Baelum is like I know what God said, but just hang around, maybe God will change his mind and I'll see if the Lord has anything else to say to me. That night the Lord, god, came to Baelum and told him since these men have come to you, get up and go with them, but do only what I tell you to do. So the next morning Baelum got up, saddled his donkey and started off with the Moabite officials. But God was angry that Baelum was going, and this has always confused me in scripture, because Baelum is testing to see if the word of the Lord will change. And then God says well, fine, go with them. But God's still angry that Baelum is willing, and his heart is pulled, to even do this thing. And so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way.
And as Balaam and his two servants were riding along, Balaam's donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, and the donkey bolted off the road into a field. But Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. And then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls, and when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and it crushed Balaam's foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. Then the angel of the Lord moved further down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. This time, when the donkey saw the angel that laid down under Balaam, in a fit of rage, balaam beat the animal again with his staff.
Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. What have I done to you that deserves your beating me this three times. It asked Balaam. And this is amazing Instead of being freaked out, balaam starts talking back to his donkey. Like you have to be so unaware that maybe God's trying to get your attention that when your donkey starts talking to you, you start talking back. And I think we hit this place in our life sometimes. And this is what Balaam says to the donkey. You have made me look like a fool. Balaam shouted If I had a sword with me, I'd kill you. So then the Lord opens Balaam's eyes. He sees the angel of the Lord. He realizes that he needs to be doing what God has called him to do. And he says this in verse 34, 35,. Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord I have sinned that. I didn't realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you were against my going. But the angel of the Lord told them go with these men's, but only say what I tell you. So Balaam went on with Balaam's officials.
Now let's jump over to Matthew, chapter 21. Two stories, two donkeys. I think an important truth for us today. As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethpage on the Mount of Olives, and Jesus sent two of them on ahead. Go to the village over there he said as soon as you enter it you will see a donkey tied there with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you're doing, just say the Lord needs them and he will immediately let you take them.
Jesus took place to fulfill the prophecy that said tell the people of Jerusalem look, your king is coming to you. He's humble, riding on a donkey, riding on a donkey's colt. The two disciples did as Jesus commanded they brought the donkey and the colt to him and they threw their garments over the colt and he sat on it and most of the crowds spread their garments on the road ahead of them and others cut branches from the trees and they spread them on the road. Jesus was in the center of the procession and the people around him were shouting praise God for the son of David, those on the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Praise God in highest heaven. The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. Who is this? They asked, and the crowds replied it is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.
And I think sometimes we gloss over this scripture because we think it was so easy for the disciples to just do what they were told. But if you read the Gospel of Mark, chapter 11, verse 5 and 6, it says this they were actually confronted when they went to get the colt. It's not enough that Jesus asks you to go get this donkey in a village, you'll find it, just untie it and bring it to me. That's like saying go to driving force, walk in the lot, there will be a car with keys in it, just take it and bring it to me. I need it right now. And the disciples have to sort through this and work through this, because in Mark 11, verse 5 and 6, it says as they were untieing it, some bystanders demanded what are you doing that colt? So they said what Jesus told them to say and they permitted them to take it, like if I went somewhere, and I was like, hey, the Lord needs this vehicle. Oh, I'm so sorry, pastor Jeremy, just take it. Do you need anything else?
I want to speak to you this morning from the subject. When donkeys talk, let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word. I thank you that it's so alive, it's living, it's powerful, it's active and, god, I just pray that it would twinge our hearts in a fresh way today, because sometimes you're trying to get our attention to do the things that you have purposed and we miss it. But, lord, I pray today that we would hear your voice and we would hear your word and we would see what you want to show us in Jesus, mighty name. And everybody said amen and everybody at Glory Hills and online said amen as well.
Have you ever been in a situation where God's trying to get your attention and you're just not listening? I was so stuck over the last two weeks because I knew I was preaching on Palm Sunday and I knew that I wanted to use this passage in numbers and I was very confused because I'm like Lord, I don't get this. How am I bringing this into what you want to speak to the church, going into the Passion Week and everything you want to say? And I've preached on this passage before and I've understood it and we use different lessons out of it. But as I was doing that, I was trying to see, like God, when you have a story about a guy who's being tempted to go and curse the people of Israel. He's being tempted with money and fame, and a king of the earth is like hey, if you behave this way, there'll be a reward for you. But he hears from the Lord. This is how I'm supposed to behave, this is what I'm supposed to do. And we see in Balem's life the wrestling should I go to Balek or should I listen to the Lord? And even in the midst of that, god has to open the mouth of his donkey, to speak to him, to get his full attention. And then the story about the disciples.
In Matthew 21, we find another donkey tied up waiting in a village and Jesus is kind of testing the disciples, saying, hey, go into the village nearby, get this donkey. It's waiting for me. And he's really saying do I have your attention yet? Because for three and a half years you've been walking with me. We're in a place now where I'm about to do what I was meant to do, but do I have your attention? I told Pastor Brett before he left to not be surprised if there was a donkey in the green room when he got home today. However, pastor DeAndre's budget did not have enough money left in it for me to do that, and so I thought surely here there has to be something left from years ago at Bethlehem Walk. Maybe I could get one of the guys to dress up as a donkey, but I thought that would be weird.
But there's seasons in life where we're trying to do good things, we're think we're doing great things. Balaam's like not in a bad place. He's saying well, I'll go with you, but I'll only do what the Lord says. He's like Lord if there's something to be profited here. But I'm still obeying you. Is this okay? And God tries to get our attention because he knows how easily we're pulled and torn and sometimes he wants us to see through what only we see. So we see his purpose and the future that he has for people, but we miss it, even with the best of our intentions. You can be serving God all your life. You can be a person like me who studies the word and is supposed to lead people forward, and in my own life and in my own journey there are moments in time where I have my sight set on something, where I want something so badly. People can speak to you and you're like you're missing what God's trying to do to get your attention.
It was about five years ago, right around this time, brandy and I decided we were gonna leave the North side and we were gonna look for a house somewhere in Southwest Edmonton and we were gonna go and start this search and I found a house I really, really liked. And that was amazing because we had looked at 34 houses and our realtor was getting very, very tired and we found one just across the street here, just across from the hand they hear in Ormsby, and we liked this house a lot but, for whatever reason, it just wouldn't click and work out for us to be able to make the offers get into the house, because we started a negotiation with the seller and then my wife finds online, when I was out of town for where I was working at the time, that someone had veered off the road and drove through the side of that house. So we wanted to make sure it had been repaired properly. So we kind of paused the offer and all these things and we were in this back and forth and then we decided, no, no, we want this house and we wanted to go after it and the seller disappeared.
Just MIA, wouldn't answer calls, wouldn't respond, and I was like Lord, I think this is the area we're supposed to live. I think this is the house we're supposed to be in. I mean, I would drive by on Sunday afternoons to see if anyone was home. I actually knocked on the door one time when someone was there and it was the brother of the older lady who owned the house and he says, sorry, she's in the hospital. That's why you're not hearing from anything. She's been very sick and so we're just waiting to see what happens. I said, okay, well, when she gets better, call me. I really want this house, all this stuff. And I had a friend he's still my friend, I think but at the time I was just pushing and pushing on this house and when I did something in my mind I'm a little bit like incessant, like determined driven.
Like I asked my wife if we have to buy a new vehicle she hates that, because all I do is scroll, look for a good used vehicle my dad's mechanic, like it's endless and like what about this? What about that? And Brandy just says I don't care. For some reason my wife wants a van and hey, she says all I care about is three things I want a van, I want power doors and it can't be red. Like that's what she gives me to work with. And then she goes whatever you want and you buy like that's up to you. I don't care, it's not my vehicle. And she hates when we have to get new vehicles or if a vehicle breaks, because she knows that for like two weeks until I find something, I had to find one for my daughter. It's nothing but scrolling marketplace ads, things for vehicles, last minute trips, gotta get out the door, gotta go see this, and she's just so grateful. She praises God when it's done.
Because I'm driven and determined like that and my friend says to me about this one house that we were looking at, we were having coffee one day. He's like Jeremy, I don't know if God wants you to have that house. I'm like you close your mouth. I am the man of God and I will tell you when God tells me he doesn't want me to have that house. So here's the thing I said to my friend. I said, dave, if God doesn't want me to have that house, something extremely circumstantial would have to happen for him to close that door Church. That lady passed away and that's not funny, but it's the place she was in it. Like hey, someone can't sell a house if they're not here and it ties up all of these things in legal matters and all these things. And finally, when that happened, I said to my wife maybe God doesn't want us to buy that house, maybe we should go look at other houses. And we ended up buying the house where we live now the summer, just before the whole saints engaged, and all that thing happened.
We live over in La Pearl, kind of right where Weka was first started, near the strip mall there, and we get into that house. And I'll tell you what the morning the morning we signed the final papers for that house went to the lawyers. Next meeting was with our realtor because we were selling my father-in-law's house for him. The realtor says hey, I got some news for you and my wife's like just tell me he's like you might want to sit down for this. She's like you better, just tell me right now. He says the son of the lady who passed away. His realtor called me this morning and said if you buy the other house he will pay all the fees for you to sell this house, take that house and do this whole thing. And my wife says that lady died so we would not move into that house.
I'm pretty sure we're not going there and God kind of had our attention and to this day I don't understand some of that. But I know that we are where we're supposed to be for the season that we're in, for what God was going to unfold and what he wanted to do. But even in my best of intentions and the things I wanted for my family and all of that stuff in the midst of that we can miss God. And I think this Easter season, as we focus on the cross and as we move towards Good Friday and Easter Sunday and the opportunity for us to gather together and see who Jesus is in a fresh way, to realize again our need for a Savior, there is a purpose that God is calling us to as a church across the saints family that is greater than we could ever hope for or expect. But we need to give our attention to Jesus, not just how we did last year at Easter or at Christmas or the time before that.
I think God is looking for people who give their attention to Him all the time, in every way that even in our best of intentions we would be willing to put things aside to say God, my ears are open. My eyes are set to see what you want to show me and I believe that God wants to remind us about some things today. And the first thing I want you to know, the first thing I believe that God wants to remind us of today, is that His purpose is far greater than our best plans will ever be. I think Balaam thought he had a pretty good plan here Keep the king of Moab happy, keep Balaam appeased and please God, let's dance this line, let's figure this out. And I think he thought, well, I'm not going to take the silver and gold and all those things, but I don't want him mad at me, so I'm going to say only what God says.
And he gets in this situation with God, and God has to get his attention and say Balaam, your heart's kind of torn, do I really have your attention? Because he knows that we will have desires, we will have temptations, we will have directions that we want to go. But we need to know that God's plan and His purpose is far greater than any of those things. But sometimes we don't give enough attention to Him to actually hear His plan, because we're rehearsing our own and we're marking our check this and we're writing it out.
And the interesting thing is, I've learned in life that that doesn't always work. Trust me, if you've ever met anyone who likes to know what's going on and to be in control of situations and things, I'm that person. But I also understand, with the chaos of life and church and ministry and I think the Lord taught me this by being a youth pastor for like 16 years that things don't always go as you plan and that's why I can fully get on board on following Jesus one step at a time. There are certain things in life that they got to be a certain way, but if God speaks, if the Holy Spirit moves, my plan's got to step aside and I got to start taking one step at a time, and that's one of the most difficult things to do. And His plan, his purpose, is far greater than anything we could come up with. And the interesting thing is is I think we forget this sometimes. Maybe Balaam forgot this. God's plan and His purpose is far greater than any king or official or government on this side of eternity. And Christians, do we remember that?
Because Balak is in a political game here? Appease the king of Moab or please, and walk with God, and the interesting thing is, god walks him through this on how to handle it, what steps to take, what to do. But the idea is here that when he is summoned by Balak, he says hey, I need you to come and I need you to curse this people, I need you to speak some things against them. Because Balak has an agenda, he has an idea and Balam has to understand that I have to speak what God speaks. And in verse seven and eight of Numbers 23, it says this. It says come. He said curse Jacob for me, come and announce Israel's doom. But how can I curse those whom God has not cursed and how can I condemn those who the Lord has not condemned Church? If we're going to speak on behalf of the Lord, if we're going to speak people into the knowledge of Jesus Christ, if we're going to speak towards how God wants people to walk and live, we better know what God is saying. We better learn to speak what God speaks towards people, whether we like them or not.
In verse 19 and 20 of Numbers, chapter 23, in the second prophecy that Balam puts over the children of Israel, he says this God is not a man, so he does not lie. He's not human so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried through? Listen, I have received the command to bless. God has blessed and I cannot reverse it. And God will bless his purpose. God will bless his plans. God will bless our walking in step with him to the things that he's called us to.
And sometimes we're going around, we're trying to curse things that maybe God wants us to face, go through or deal with, and we're trying to bless things that God has not blessed. And we have to come back to the place where we give God our full attention and say God, whatever I feel about this, whatever I think about this, your purpose is far greater than my best plans and my best ideas, and I believe God is calling churches to live like this. God is calling us to live open-handed, open-spirited, in a place that we begin to speak over people and see them as God sees them. But we can't do that freely if we got so many ideas and intentions and aspirations in our heart that we won't surrender to God. So the first thing I want us to remember as we focus on the cross this week is that God has a purpose and a plan that's far greater than our best plans ever will be. But the second thing is this morning I believe that God wants to remind us that Jesus knows what he's doing, even when we're not sure. God was not confused, god was not overwhelmed.
I preached in Slovenia and I preached at Glory Hills last week that we shouldn't be afraid to get in over our heads, because God's not in over his. He knows what he's doing, he knows where he's leading us, he knows those who are his, he knows those he's going after and where he wants to take his church so other people can be brought in to the net and receive the gospel and understand the cross the way we do and come into a Life-giving relationship with Jesus. And sometimes we're like walking with God and we're going to our jobs and we're doing the day in and the day out and we're like God, are you really sure you know what you're doing? Because we get so overwhelmed with the stress and the frustration and the things that happen and sometimes dealing with people and and you know, it seems like for every story, like we hear pastor Brett share about this this woman's faithfulness, pastor, in people and laying down her life and the good things that God is doing, or or the miracles that happen. We hear 20 other stories of how difficult it is, or nobody can turn their life around, or Marriage is falling apart and all of these things. But God knows what he's doing, he knows where he's leading us and our job is to be faithful. Our job is to walk with him. Our job is to be obedient to what he says. And this brings us back to Matthew, chapter 21. It says is Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem.
They came to the town of Beth page, to the Mount of Olives, and Jesus sent two of them on ahead. Go into the village over there. He said. As soon as you enter it, you'll see a donkey tight there with its colt beside it on, tie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you're doing, just say the Lord has need and he will immediately let you take them.
I Believe there's times in our lives where we struggle to say God, what's the next step? What am I supposed to be doing? But then he gives us the next step, but he only gives us half of what's gonna happen, and then we're like I don't know if I want to take that step. Lord, go into that village, find a donkey, untie it and bring it to me. Don't worry, if someone asks you, it'll be fine.
Most of us would say Lord, send somebody else, I'll praise on the bandwagon. When it was fine for somebody else, I'd be more than happy to be a part of it, but don't make me be the one that goes by myself. Well, at least you sent two of them. It was like you know. I bet they were hoping that Peter would go with them, because if someone got angry at them, at least Peter would fight back. You know, surely you weren't sending Thomas. Maybe he did, said Thomas, I don't know if this is gonna work, maybe the whole way right, he's telling Peter I don't know if this is gonna work, we're gonna get there. Maybe there's not gonna be a donkey there, we're gonna get there. Maybe it's a sick donkey, maybe it can't even walk. Maybe it's gonna be of no use to us. Maybe the people are gonna want to fight us for it. I don't know, and you know like there could be that going on, whether he said it out loud or in his heart.
I'm sure the disciples had ideas and reservations because they had seen Jesus do a lot of things. But it's very different when Jesus said you know, I don't know if this is gonna work. But it's very different when Jesus says hey, you've watched me do a lot of things, you've heard about me doing a lot of things. But when God comes to you and says I know my plan, I know my purpose for you and this is your next step, we don't like it, unless it's a full step or a clear picture. When God tells you Get ready to shift careers. Well, lord, what does that mean? Means? Get ready? And then we're like Wall, I don't want to shift careers. Maybe show me the career list that I can choose from and then I'll decide if I'm gonna get ready to shift careers. Because that's what we all do inside, that's what we all say Get ready for the next step. And and yet they go, and they, they listen to Jesus. And I just want to remind us that we will, in our faith, struggle with taking next steps with Jesus. But the victory, the purpose of God, the freedom of God Is on the other side of those steps, and if we get stuck and we stay there, we won't see it.
But maybe maybe you're just in a place where you're wondering if God knows what he's doing, because maybe you feel like that cult. You feel like that donkey tied up in some village somewhere. Nobody knows you exist, nobody knows where you are and you just feel stuck. I felt that this morning as I was praying over this. I think there are people that be like oh, that's great, jesus is giving some people next steps and he's speaking them.
I don't even know if Jesus cares where I'm at in life right now. I felt so dry, stagnant and stuck for so long. He doesn't even probably know where to find me. The pastor probably won't call me and find me. I don't even have someone else in my life. And can I just tell you right now all the things that you're running over in your heart and your spirit? Jesus knows exactly where you are, he knows where to find you and guess what. He is coming when he has need of you. You just need to be ready.
But some of us are so worked up. We're mad at God, we're mad at our small group leader, we're mad at people, because no one recognized me or did anything. I feel so stuck. And is this even worth it, god? Do you even know what you're doing? Change your heart, be ready for when God comes, because he knows the season you're in, he knows where to find you and he will bring you at the right time for his purpose not your purpose, not my purpose, not even the church's purpose for his purpose, and that's what we want to follow him in. See, you might feel stuck, but Jesus is not stuck. He knows where he is and he knows where he's headed and he knows where he's leading us.
In Luke, chapter 9, verse 51, the scriptures show us this. It says as the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Some translations said he set his face like a flint to Jerusalem. Jesus knew that the time of the cross was coming. He knew that his purpose was about to be fulfilled. He knew it wasn't time for prayer meetings or other things along the way anymore. He knew it was time to prepare his heart for the purpose of the Heavenly Father, which was to go to Jerusalem, to go to the cross, to experience what only he could experience, to open the door and pathway of salvation so many could enter in.
And I think sometimes we're so stuck on what we feel and where we're at and don't get me wrong. It's an easy place to get because we are emotional beings, but Jesus knows what he's doing and where he's working and where he wants to lead us. And I hope this Easter we would begin to see life a little bit fresher through the cross of Jesus Christ. We would begin to see that God's purpose is greater than our best plans and purpose. And if we would be ready when he needs us, if we would go when he tells us there is a fruitfulness on the other side of those steps, amen, amen, amen. Come on, people. I'm telling you donkeys talk and they talk like in Shrek, never ending, nonstop. People, I just can't hear God. Sometimes it's like a pastor. So I have a friend. I'll look right at the camera. Gary, if you're in church, you better be, because you skipped last week to go to Lethbridge. I went to Slovenia for two weeks and that wasn't enough time away for me, so he took another week off to go visit family, so he should be back today.
We were talking about coaching people. The best thing about life coaches is as a secret. They let you talk and you come to your own decisions, and they get paid a lot of money to do it. As pastors, we do the same thing for a whole lot less. And sometimes we're sitting there counseling people like, if I just sit here and shut up, you're going to tell yourself the right thing to do and what God wants you to do, and I'm just going to say, well, I think you're hearing God and let's pray for you. And then we look spiritual. But if you would slow down enough to realize that God is speaking to you, he's teaching you, he's leading you through things Sometimes you need that sounding board and stuff but come back to the place where you get in the presence of God and you say Jesus, I don't understand this situation.
I don't know why it is the way that it is, but I know that you know what you're doing. I know that your purpose is greater than my purpose. So, jesus, help me wait if I need to wait, help me prepare if I need to prepare, help me fix my heart and my attitude. And that's always the one at the bottom of the list. I pray that last because I don't want to fix my heart and my attitude unless I have to. I'd rather God fix other people's hearts and attitudes and then I can just still feel okay about myself. But it doesn't work that way, because maturity as believers starts saying Jesus, I need to realize that, even though I do face trouble on this side of eternity in life, some days I feel stuck, some days I feel lost, some days I can't see the whole picture. I don't know all the steps, but I'm believing you for the next step and I'm going to trust that. That's enough, jesus.
I think maturity leads us to a place to say now we're seeing life God's way, now we're ready to walk in His purpose, because we haven't gotten so far down the road that we're upset when God messes up our plans. Because I think that's what we do sometimes. We're so locked into what we want to be that we miss what God wants to do now. And I think we need to come back to a place church where we remember Jesus knows what he's doing. Jesus isn't stuck. Jesus knows why he needs me in a certain place at a certain time, with my colleagues, with my coworkers, to experience maybe what they're going through, to speak into their situation. But we can get lost and not know what he's doing when we feel stuck and we haven't given our attention to the Holy Spirit and what he's doing in our lives and I think, as we come to Easter, good Friday is going to be a great opportunity. Good Friday is going to be a great opportunity for us to come and reflect on the cross. We're all going to be here together at 10.30 am at Glastonbury, all locations, and as Christians we should.
I was joking on the phone with my brother. He's tired, he works hard. He said I don't know, maybe I'll just stay home. He was joking, he was trying to get a rise out of me. He was tired when he went to the cross after praying all night. Can't you come to church on Good Friday? And then, you know, he probably said something to me that only brothers can say to each other. And it's not about the guilt and it's not about that, it's about there are there are.
There is one time a year that I honestly almost lose it in any service, and Good Friday is one of them, because it is the single place that every year, I remember that I would be nothing and nowhere, and I don't even want to think about what life would be like without my relationship with Jesus. So, no matter how stuck I feel, no matter, no matter how much I wish that my plans could come to pass faster. I have to come back to place, and this is why we do this. I have to come back to the cross and say, jesus, your way is better, your way opened the door for me. Your way promised you would never leave or forsake me. Your way shows me that I can walk with you all the days of my life. And so, even when I feel those things my feelings might be lying to me, I might actually be facing attack, but, god, you're going to lead me through those things. You aren't going to leave me here I get my eyes back on the cross and what Jesus wants to do. Life becomes a little less about me and a little bit more about his purpose, and I think that's a good reminder for us all the time. We don't have to wait till Easter, but I want to remind you that Jesus' plan, god's purpose, is far greater than your best plans. That we, even when we feel stuck or lost, jesus knows what he's doing. But lastly, I want to remind us of this that there is power in praise and a pathway for Jesus when we start to proclaim, as the church, the things that we are supposed to.
A lot of times we come to church, god? How do you want to lead my family? How do you want to change my life? What do you want to do on the inside of me? And that's great, that's good that's growing in the Lord, that's being discipled. But maturity brings you to a place where you come to church not just because you want God to do more in your life, but because you want to be so full of what God's purpose is that when we leave this building, we begin to praise, proclaim, speak of and show other people what God is doing.
The people started shouting Hosanna. They started crying out in the streets praise God, blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord, blessing on the coming kingdom of our ancestor David. Glory to God in the highest, hosanna. Hosanna and this is this in Matthew 21, verse 10. And this is the entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered, saying who is this? They asked.
I think sometimes people don't ask about Jesus because we never say anything about Him. I think people don't ask questions about Jesus because we never praise God about that healing testimony in our workplace. I think sometimes people question whether God is real and cares about or loves people, because all we do is talk negative about our city where we live, all those things, and that's fine. We all struggle, we have issues with things, but I think we need to start speaking the good things of God more, that people begin to see that there is something worth serving and following in a relationship with Jesus that leads us out of that realm, because we will always have feelings, emotions and negative things on this side of eternity. But there are things that God is doing and my wife and I were talking about this the other day. We got to start telling more stories like that in our home because that's what our kids need to hear, that's what people around us need to hear that praise God that he's healing people today. Thank God that cancers are being removed from people's body. Praise God that he opened the door and he showed a young adult that they actually have value and purpose and he cares about them. Those are important things. We need to start praising Jesus for who he is and get a little more vocal. But we need to start blessing what God blesses.
We can't curse what God has blessed. In Numbers, chapter 23, verse 22 to 26, it says this God brought them out of Egypt. This is when Balaam's prophesying For them. He is as strong as a wild ox. No curse can touch Jacob. No magic has any power against Israel. For now it will be said of Jacob what wonders God has done for Israel? These people rise up like a lioness, like a majestic lion rousing itself. They refuse to rest until they have feasted on pray, drinking the blood of the slaughter. Then Balaam said to Balaam fine, if you won't curse them, at least don't bless them. But Balaam replied to Balaam didn't I tell you that I can only do what the Lord tells me?
I just got to thinking church. How would our street change, our cul-de-sac change, our workplace, change that, if we went in with a praise for who God is and what he wants to do in the lives of people and we actually started to bless our neighbors, we actually started to bless our coworkers, we actually started to speak the life of God over them and into them. Because before Jesus ascended and after he went to the cross, he said that we were to go into the world Jerusalem, judea, samaria and proclaim the good news of the gospel. And I think as Christians we got to tip the scales a little bit. Do blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. Can we tip the scales and start saying God sees people as lost and far from him and he wants us to bless them and speak of the good things that God wants to do and praise the work of Jesus on the cross and elevate it to a place that people might actually believe that God has a plan, a purpose and a place for them, because when we're constantly against them, they won't hear that from us, and this is a challenging thing.
So in closing today, I want to ask us this question Are our eyes open to see God's purpose and to proclaim that purpose to others? How do you see the cross? How does it affect your heart? Does it change you? Does it make you want to respond out of the love for Jesus? Does it make you realize that if Jesus could lay down his life for me and receive and accept me, maybe I could start to believe that he wants to do that for someone else?
And as Jesus enters the city on a donkey, he's getting everybody's eyes Off, all the ideas of him as teacher, as healer, as good rabbi, all of those things. And he is saying I want you to start seeing me as the one, the Messiah, who would lay down my life, who would shed my blood, who would open a doorway back to the Father. And this door is open for all who would believe and all who would come. And he's trying to get his people to see that there is something that God wants to bring to the Father, something that God wants to bring into the earth, a purpose that goes so far, beyond our day to day, and it's eternity. It's eternity that God wants to spend with people. It's the heart of Jesus for your neighbor, it's the heart of Jesus for people that have walked far away from him. And this donkey is going. And this donkey in Matthew 21 begins to speak.
Because in John, chapter 12, verse 16, it says that disciples didn't even realize they were doing this until he ascended. But after Jesus entered his glory, they remembered what had happened and they realized that this had all been about him. And I'm praying for our churches to come back to a fresh revelation this week. But no matter where you're at, that our eyes would be opened and we remember this has all been about him, him being glorified, him being lifted up, him being the door of salvation that is open, and I think we need to start seeing people through a different lens.
In Numbers, chapter 23, verse 9 and 10, it says this this is what Balaam said over the people of Israel. I see them from the cliff tops. I watch them from the hills. I see a people who live by themselves, set apart from other nations. Who can count Jacob's descendants as numerous as the dust? Who can count even a fourth of Israel's people? Let me die like the righteous and let my life end like theirs. I just hope we start to see a harvest where people are getting saved, a people that God wants to draw unto himself, a doorway that is open, and that we would bless the work of God and we would lift up the cross and we would lift up the name of Jesus, that we might see a numerous inheritance of sons and daughters, and men and women being adopted into the kingdom of God, because this is God's purpose and this is what he's leading us into.
And the interesting thing about this story in Numbers, chapter 23 and this is a stretch, but there's this idea out there, this legend that when Baelic looked over the cliff and he saw the people of Israel, the way they camped around the worship structure, the heart of Israel, the tabernacle, jesus in the center, the mercy seat, there were three tribes up top, three on each side and three on the bottom. However, because Judah was nearly double the size of the other tribes, they say actually looked like a cross. Now we have to be careful here, because the cross that Jesus was crucified was not on the one like we have. It was actually more like a T. But I just feel this way If God can see through time and eternity and Baelim saw a people that he said let me live like the righteous, let me die like the righteous, because God has blessed that life Maybe we could be a church of people that start seeing our world through the lens of the cross.
Maybe we could start being a people that have given our attention to God. And when we're in a meeting, when someone cuts us off in traffic and then we run into them at Starbucks immediately following, can we see God's purpose is bigger than us. Can we see people through the lens of the cross? And I just want to remind us this week. I want to challenge you to take some time to pray, to prepare your heart, because often we do.
We get into the motions and we go to church and we do the things. This time of year is one of the greatest times where people will come with you, because that's what you do. You go to church on Christmas and Easter. But I pray that we would start seeing people and we would take the invites that we're able to take and we would bring someone to church and say God, I'm going to give that to a person who I am choosing to see through the lens of the cross and I know the door is open. Jesus, I pray that you would lead them like you've led me, that you would use whatever you want me to do, that God's got your attention and we would be intentional this week to say God, just show me again how my life can be about your purpose and not just my own. Amen.