You know, one of the many many reasons that that I meant, I love this moment. The the church and the Gathering of the church is because of stories like that. But you hear the hunter store and you think that like Man, I struggled trying to figure out where God's moving in my situations and my circumstances and we've talked before about what it looks like to like borrow Faith, you know, like when you're fate is weak to be able to borrow somebody else's and one of the ways we do that is through stories like that. Are you hear stories of God moving and people's situations and circumstances that God is still performing Miracles, right that God is still answering prayers that God is still doing more than we could ever think or imagine and when I begin to think about my situation and my circumstance and man, maybe I'm missing something and I don't know where God and then I hear stories like that. Then suddenly my faith kind of gets a little extra boost, right?
There's a there's a little extra strength kind of embedded there. And this this moment right when we gather together when we when we engage and we join in as the local church, and I mean we're reminded that like the we're part of something Beyond ourselves. Probably we're part of something more than just this moment. We we joined together in this moment as a part of a much larger movement. Like when we join together in this space and in this this moment, then we are standing on a foundation that has been centuries in the making.
Like I hope you understand that about the church the local church the Gathering of people and pursuit of God the people who are who are pursuing God's purpose in their life that that this thing. Like this thing has been it is outlived. It has outlasted every king or Kingdom. Like no democracy or dictatorship has ever been able to stop this thing that the church the Gathering of God's people has not only survived but it has thrived through every persecution every pandemic every catastrophe every chaos every war known to man. It's almost as if God tells us is showing us that hey this thing that you and I are part of this thing is Unstoppable.
They're not even the gates of hell can stand against it. And so when you and I when we join in together in this environment in the space in this moment, and we understand that. That this is so much more than a moment. It's a movement. And we look back over the course of this Movement.
We look back through history and we can see certain kind of foundational moments certain pillars that that have served to strengthen Faith across time across Nation across geography across the language. Today is one of those days today is one of those days that you look back on over the course of the history of church and it serves as kind of a foundational moment. It's what history would call today is what history would call Palm Sunday. In Palm Sunday serves as the beginning of what we call Holy Week Holy Week being the weak leading up to Easter Sunday. And this is understanding that this isn't just like a random kind of moment in time that we marked out and said, hey, it'd be pretty cool talk about this a lot.
Let's do that, right? But the Gospel writers that they tell us more about this week these days in the life of Jesus and the lives of the disciples. They tell us more about these few days than any other time period in their lives combined the Gospel of Matthew alone over 25% of that Gospel is dedicated to this week. It's an important one in our faith. It is foundation.
It shows us some truce that man we would do well. To hold on to is that we want to do that. We don't want to as you and I as we begin to I Easter this coming weekend, which man look is gonna be an incredible celebration. I'm really excited about all that's gonna be going on Easter weekend for Venture church. It's gonna be a great celebration, but I don't want us we don't want us to miss this time leading up to it Holy Week.
Is our teams put together some incredible resources for you. Just by the way, if you have the the app The Venture Church app. There's a button on there. You'll see it starting today. If you were to look right now, you'll see a button.
This is Journey Through Holy Week and and on that page every single day. There's some Scripture there's video. There's some some questions. There's some resources for you to pause. Okay, let's take a deep breath.
This week just kind of pause take a minute. Literally it would take you three minutes. And just engage in the story of Holy Week. The life of Jesus and disciples as they walk towards the cross and the tomb and Easter Sunday that will celebrate together. Is I don't want us to miss this week.
And so what I want to do before we do anything else I want to pause for just a second here. Okay, and and I want us as a family to take part in and really a family tradition that that is that is going on around the world today and I want us just to kind of look at the the story that that is today. That is Palm Sunday. All four Gospel writers. Tell us about this moment, but we're gonna look at Matthew chapter 21 Tells us about the the Sunday before what we celebrate as Easter Sunday the Sunday before the cross and the tomb.
Here's what's going on in the life of Jesus and the disciples. It says now when they drew near to Jerusalem and they came to Bethpage to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus sent two disciples saying to them go into the village in front of you and immediately you will find a donkey tide and a cult with her untie them and bring them to me if anyone says anything to you, then you say the Lord needs them and they will send them at once. This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet saying say to the daughter of Zion behold your king is coming to you humble and mounted on a donkey on a Colt the foal of a beast of burden. The disciples went and they did as Jesus had directed them.
They brought the donkey and the colt and they put on them their cloaks and he Jesus sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road and the crowds that went before him and the crowds that followed him were shouting Hosanna to the son of David blessed. Is he who comes in the name of the Lord hosanna in the highest now if that word Hosanna is is unique to you if you're unfamiliar with that. It's okay. Don't worry about I don't feel bad.
It's not exactly a word any of us use normally, right the word Hosanna. It means save us it means rescue us. This is a cry of rescue. This is a cry of help. This is a cry of Salvation these people as they're following Jesus.
Is he marches into Jerusalem surrounded by his disciples the crowd goes before him they go after him and they're all shouting save us help us rescue us. Now they thought history would tell us that they thought that Jesus was going to bring about this salvation through a political revolt. That's what they hoped that Jesus was going to March into Jerusalem that he was going to overthrow the Roman government that he was going to reestablish Israel's Power by reestablishing Israel's government Authority and influence the political means which is Telling maybe is the word therefore it's telling to us. The Bible says that Ecclesiastes says that there's nothing new Under the Sun. You and I mean as people.
We we've always looked more for a political salvation than a spiritual salvation. In hopes that a politician would save us rather than a savior a holy and righteous one sent from God. That's not what I want you to see though. Here's really what I want you to see in this moment this picture this entire picture what my headline says the the triumphal entry. I love that the try the winning entrance.
This whole picture is a picture of victory. It's a picture of conquering as Jesus mounts a donkeys. He rides into Jerusalem on a donkeys the people spread their cloaks and palm branches on the road in front of him. This is what a Roman Emperor or a Roman general would do watch this. After the war had been won.
After the battle had been fought after Victory would achieve would have been achieved. To ride a donkey would have been a sign of Peace your King enters humble. It was a picture of Peace. It was a picture of hey, we've won the Battle Victory has been achieved less celebrate. Now.
We know Jesus is marching into Jerusalem eyeing the cross that Friday's coming that he knows he will be betrayed. He will be arrested. He will be crucified. He'll be nailed to across he'll be beaten that he will breathe his final breath on the cross. And he's marching towards that moment.
In a Victory Parade you see that? Why? Because he knows the outcome. He knows what's going to happen. Yes, he knows the cross is coming.
Yes. He knows he's going to face his death, but he also knows. The tombs not the end of the story. That the cross the tomb the stone in front of the Tomb that's not the end of the story because he knows three days later. He's gonna walk out of that tomb.
He's gonna bring about the salvation the rescue that these people are crying out for that. They have no idea that they really need. He knows there's more to the story. And so today today for you and I is this built-in reminder in our calendar in our year, and we look back on the history of the church. We look back on the history of faith.
Today's this reminder kind of built in for us that the invitation to follow. Jesus is an invitation to live in Victory to live victoriously. Why because we know the outcome. We know the end of the story we know because of the Cross because of the empty tomb because of Easter weekend. We know that whatever our current circumstances are.
They're not the end of the story. We know that death in the grave is not the end of the story for those that follow Jesus. We know that God is the author of our story and he has already written the Final Chapter that includes Eternal rescue and salvation. So we can live in Victory. So here's what I want to in light of that okay in light of what today is in light of the foundation that we stand on in this moment.
I am man. I'm convinced that one of the most dangerous one of the most powerful things that keeps us from experiencing the Victory and living the victory that Christ has invited us into one of the most dangerous things is our own shame. Around our sin that Jesus has already put to death. We carry the shame and we carry the self-defeat and we carry the self-accusations and we carry the self condemnation over our sins that Jesus has defeated on the cross and in the Tomb and so what I want to do today is I want to I want to kind of push against that a little bit I want to push against the shame that maybe you're carrying so that we can find and we can live and we can experience in the victory knowing the outcome that God has already set before so. We're gonna jump into Romans chapter 8 in just a second here.
But just so you kind of know where we're going. All right, here's the big idea for what we're gonna see in Romans chapter 8 and I understand right off the gate that this isn't going to be for everybody and that's okay. But I really do believe God's giving it to somebody. Here's the idea. The cross and the tomb Easter weekend What it shows us is that God forgives you.
And if God forgives you. You can forgive you too. You hear me on that if God forgives you, so can you? Let me show you I believe let me show you why this is important for us. We're almost chapter 8.
Verse 31 is what we're gonna start Paul is going to to ask a series of questions that kind of build on each other to this this Crescendo this big moment that we'll get to in just a second but Romans chapter 8 verse 31 Paul starts. This way says What then shall we say to these things. If God is for us who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son. This is the message of Easter right here.
He who did not spare his own son, but gave them up for us all how will he how will God not all so through his son graciously. Give us all things now if you've heard that line before, If God is for us. Then we typically go I do so easy for us mentally to get to this place of what that means. If God is force is that God is on my side right? He's for me.
Yeah, go get them. You got this attaboy, right? We're gonna get that picture of God. But but there's so much more Happening Here than that. That word for if God is for us that word for doesn't mean beside.
It doesn't mean behind it literally means above it means over it's a picture of something being overlaid being laid on top of another thing to be used in place of that's what it means in place of Let me Give an example so you kind of you're tracking we know what I'm talking about husbands, maybe you're with me on this one I pump gas for my wife do it a lot. It's not because I'm a great person. I'm not it's because I know when I get her car guaranteed two miles down the road gas lights coming on right I could just it happens. It's not that I'm not great of a person. I just don't want to be stuck on the side of the interstate.
So I put gas in her car for her. All right wives you find everything for your husband. All right, like I get it. He should be able to find his own underwear. I understand that but she literally said yes.
But you do that for him Are you do that in place of him? That's what Paul is saying here. You see that God is for me. God is in my place. God stands in the gap for me.
This is so much more than God is on my side. This is so much more than God wants my stuff to work out as a matter of fact, if I'm honestly I think for most of us God doesn't want our stuff to work out because our stuff really isn't tracking with his stuff. But Paula saying it's not that God just is behind you giving you an outer boy along the way. No, so God stands in the gap for you. That's the whole picture of the Cross right?
That's what Easter is all about. But God stood in the Gap that God stood in my place for me that God took what I deserved so that he could give me what I could never earn. That he took the pain that he took the punishment. That he took the death that I deserved because of my sin because of my Disobedience to a holy and righteous God he stood in my place rather he hung on the cross in my place. So that he could give me what I could never earn.
That's Grace. He graciously gives us all things. That's how Paul frees that there. Let me say this about Grace too, and we're going to move on to the next question. I want you to get this picture of of God's grace in your mind.
Grace we talk about Grace undeserved favors what it means. Grace is opposed to earning. But not effort. That's not my line. I didn't come up with it, but I was really powerful.
Grace is the post to earning not effort and what that means is hear me clearly you and I we cannot earn God's grace. We can't do it no matter how many good things you do. No matter how much money you give no matter no matter how good of a boy you are no matter how much you respect mama and them we cannot earn God's grace. We can't earn it. We don't deserve it.
He freely gives us his grace and because of that there should be effort that extends from it. Paul says Philippians chapter 2 the way, he says it to that church. He says that in obedience. We are working out our Salvation. It's not that I work it to be a thing.
But because it's a thing because God's grace is a thing in my life. Therefore I Work It Out There's effort there's evidence extended from it that looks like me and you pursuing the things of God in our lives on a daily basis. It looks like me treating my family my friends my neighbors. It looks like you running your business. It looks like you making decisions as if God's grace God's forgiveness got salvation is real and evident in your life and Real and evident in the other person's life.
There's effort there. Okay, so we get the picture of God's grace. Right it is it is a free gift as God stands in the gap for us. Now here's the next question. Paul asked verse 33 who shall bring any charge against God's elect God's people.
It is God who justifies? Who is to condemn who is to consider to count guilty? Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that. Not only did he die. But more than that who was raised he was alive now and because of that he is at the right hand of God who indeed is interceding for us.
You are broken. Man you you're so messed up. Man, you you are so you're worthless. If they really knew. What you think about?
If they really knew what you struggle with if they really knew what you do behind closed doors, they would never look at you the same. They're not going to be able to forgive you for that. Hey as a matter of fact. She probably left because of you. You know what?
He's probably hateful because of you. Now you hear those words from me. In his jarring and this is borderline offensive, right? Probably want to throw something. And while I would never say those words to you.
In truth and honesty because of how painful how hurtful they are. How often do we not say those same words to ourselves? That self condemnation where we look at ourselves in the mirror and we say you are so messed up. You are so broken. Who can bring any charge against God's people?
More than that Who can condemn who can count guilty? There's a lot of charges. There's a lot of accusations that are there's a lot of lies and hear me say those are lies that we deal with but float around in our head constantly. They come from people we love. All right, like like seeds that have been sawn into the the soil of our soul from parents from teachers from coaches from the time.
We were children. Oh, you're not good enough all that's really all you'll never amount to anything. They come from our spouse our children our friends. Words spoken and angerless them. You need to guard your words at home, especially when you're angry and frustrated James Compares our words to a spark.
He says just like a spark a small spark can set an entire Forest on fire. Your words have the power to destroy worlds. Because there's lies and those accusations become seeds planted and and soils and Souls of lives. Lies accusations charges that come from the enemy Right, he's called the accuser the liar who comes to steal kill and destroy and the easiest thing the enemy can destroy is your own self-confidence to put self-doubt in you to destroy your picture of how God sees you. The most dangerous place those charges those accusations those lives come from ourselves.
I mean how many times have we said it? Right nobody speaks to you more than you speak to you and we look at ourselves and we we tell ourselves over and over and over again. You were broken. You're messed up. You're worthless lies charges to which Paul says.
It is God alone who justifies? The idea of justification there is is like reconciliation. It's righteousness. It is to be considered in right standing what Paul is saying here is that it is only God who determines who stands in righteousness with him. What he's saying is you can't earn God's grace and that's great news because you can't lose it either.
It's not on your good deeds. It's not built on your good actions. It's not built on your good decisions. None of it matters. It's built on God's goodness alone.
Romans chapter 8 verse 1 is where Paul starts his whole conversation. He said he says therefore there is now no condemnation. For those that are in Christ Jesus who is to condemn no one because on the cross Christ put to death your condemnation. Now there's conviction. When we talk about our sin, we talk about our Disobedience when we talk about our actions, there's conviction.
And that's the Holy Spirit drawing out of us the things that lead us to a place of death, but there's not condemnation because on the cross Jesus put to death your condemnation. There's consequences. And our sin and our Disobedience. Hey, we're gonna we're gonna have to deal with the consequences of those choices. You commit adultery.
There's consequences there you speak out you act out in anger. There's consequences there. But there's not condemnation because Christ put your condemnation to death on the cross. You see that who is to bring any charge who is to bring any condemnation? Well, it can come from a lot of places, but the reality is.
Jesus already dealt with it. And so why do you continue to carry it? Now Paul I told you it's kind of building to this this kind of Crescendo right this kind of big celebration And he here's where he goes with this verse 35. He says who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword as it is written for your sake. We are being killed all the day long doesn't sound great.
We are regarded the Sheep to be slaughtered. Not fun verse 37. Here's the big moment. No in all of these things. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
You see the president like present tense language of that verse. We are you are more than conquerors. This isn't a one-day. Hope this isn't a hey one day you'll get there. Don't worry.
It'll be okay. This is a present reality. You are more than a conqueror. You are more than Victorious. Why because Christ loves you.
I'm convinced by the way. I'm convinced that the more than right there because how do you become more than what does it look like to conquer more to be more Victorious the more than there. Is God's love for you? Not only are you Victorious? Not only are you a conqueror, but your loved?
Like God doesn't give you that Victory. God didn't win the war over your sins condemnation because he was obligated to because it made for a good story because it's the right thing to do. He did it because he loves you. Okay, you'll know me like Man, I'm struggling with this thing. If I'm supposed to be victorious does that mean I'm not going to struggle tomorrow?
Yeah, you're absolutely gonna struggle tomorrow. Yeah, the victory that's been one is over since condemnation. But man, we're still in the Battle of those choices. And here's the good news. Okay, if you maybe you've never been able to think about it this way.
Let me just remind you. That on the cross. When Jesus Took the nails when he took the beating when he took the punishment when he took the mocking when he took the ridicule that on the cross all of your sins, all of my sins were future sins. All of them were tomorrow choices any still did it? But what if I mess up tomorrow?
Well, guess what yesterday's mess up was tomorrow on the cross and he still did it. He still took it for you. Because he loves you. So why do you continue to carry the shame and the condemnation because he's already said I won the victory because of my love for you. They here's what I want to do.
Okay in this. Might be a little bit different, okay. You know if you're looking for the alright, here's the three, you know three-point big ideas to take home. I don't have that for you. Here's how I want to wrap this up.
Okay. And just a second, we're gonna step into across all of our campuses. We're gonna step into a moment of worship and response. It'll be your time to to engage in the presence of God move around respond. However, he leads you maybe you need to spend some time at the cross.
There's some crosses at all of our campuses. Maybe, you know In This Moment you've been caring some sin some shame for far too long. He's already he's already nailed it to the cross. And you just need to leave it there with them. Maybe you need to spend some time just on your knees and prayer.
We have prayer team members that are available put a hand on your shoulder and pray for you. Be your chance to respond will be a little bit more time than usual to respond before we get there. Here's what I want to do. I just I want to take a second. I want to I want to speak a blessing over you can do that.
So I want to invite you just bow your head close your eyes for just a second. Do whatever you got to do to. Take a deep breath. And focus on these words in your life. This isn't for the person beside you.
This isn't it for the person on your mind. This is for you. For I'm sure. That neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all of creation will ever be able to separate us. We'll be able to separate you.
From the love of God in Christ Jesus your Lord God Is for you? He's not just by your side. He's not just rooting you on. God is standing in the gap on your behalf. Because he loves you.
God is restoring. You he is rebuilding. The things that have been broken in your story. Jesus In This Moment Is interceding for you? He is speaking good over you.
Jesus has won the victory. Over your sin over your shame over your condemnation. And he invites you to live in that victory. Lord we come before you now God. I thank you.
Honestly, I don't know what else to do other than thank you. For your goodness for your victory for your grace because it's you defeated sin. That you put to death condemnation. But I pray that in this moment. But you'll tear down walls God that you'll open heart.
You'll open minds to your truth to your salvation to your rescue God that we will be able to lay down the things whatever it is that's keeping us from you that we'll be able to lay that down. To pursue you to give our life to you to follow in your way. We pray in this moment for salvation for rescue Hosanna. In the highest she'll be glorified that she will be honored. All things we ask in your name.
Amen