Living Grace Foursquare
Palm Sunday: Here Comes Hope
If you knew that you only had a week to live, how would you spend your final days? Would you retreat quietly, or would you step boldly into the very place where your enemies waited? On that first Palm Sunday, Jesus didn’t run from His fate—He headed straight into it. Not on a war horse, but on a donkey. Not with an army, but with humility. And yet, the crowd cheered? Why? Because even in the shadow of the cross, He carried something they desperately needed—hope. Anyone need hope today? Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice, O people of Zion![d] Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious,[e].yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.
Locations & Times
Living Grace Foursquare Church
3646 N Rancho Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89130, USA
Sunday 8:30 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
Have you ever been disappointed by God?
“God, I thought you would…”. Your word says???….. you prayed and prayed but what you prayed never happened.
“God, I thought you would…”. Your word says???….. you prayed and prayed but what you prayed never happened.
Expectation is planned disappointment
Sherwood Wirt captured the mood of the first Christmas in this description, which he wrote in a Christmas card:
“The people of that time were being heavily taxed and faced every prospect of a sharp increase to cover expanding military expenses. The threat of world domination by a cruel, ungodly, power-intoxicated band of men was ever just below the threshold of consciousness. Moral deterioration had corrupted the upper levels of society and was moving rapidly into the broad base of the populace. Intense nationalistic feeling was clashing openly with new and sinister forms of imperialism. Conformity was the spirit of the age. Government handouts were being used with increasing lavishness to keep the population from rising up and throwing out the leaders. Interest rates were spiraling upward in the midst of an inflated economy. External religious observances were considered a political asset, and abnormal emphasis was being placed upon sports and athletic competition. Racial tensions were at the breaking point. In such a time, and amid such a people, a child was born to a migrant couple who had just signed up for a fresh round of taxation, and who were soon to become political exiles. And the child who was born was called, among other things, Immanuel, God with us.”
The birth of Jesus tells us that God often shows up in a way we’re not expecting Him.
Hope is trusting that God’s promises still hold even when….
“The people of that time were being heavily taxed and faced every prospect of a sharp increase to cover expanding military expenses. The threat of world domination by a cruel, ungodly, power-intoxicated band of men was ever just below the threshold of consciousness. Moral deterioration had corrupted the upper levels of society and was moving rapidly into the broad base of the populace. Intense nationalistic feeling was clashing openly with new and sinister forms of imperialism. Conformity was the spirit of the age. Government handouts were being used with increasing lavishness to keep the population from rising up and throwing out the leaders. Interest rates were spiraling upward in the midst of an inflated economy. External religious observances were considered a political asset, and abnormal emphasis was being placed upon sports and athletic competition. Racial tensions were at the breaking point. In such a time, and amid such a people, a child was born to a migrant couple who had just signed up for a fresh round of taxation, and who were soon to become political exiles. And the child who was born was called, among other things, Immanuel, God with us.”
The birth of Jesus tells us that God often shows up in a way we’re not expecting Him.
Hope is trusting that God’s promises still hold even when….
We know nothing about the owners except they gave away 2 incredibly valuable animals.
i. Risky
ii. Costly
iii. Not a lot of details
iv. Doesn’t make a lot of sense
You never know how a sacrifice you give will be used by God.
i. Risky
ii. Costly
iii. Not a lot of details
iv. Doesn’t make a lot of sense
You never know how a sacrifice you give will be used by God.
Jesus often shows up in our lives by asking us to give-up things that you don’t expect.
a. With God, loss is gain!
b. That’s His formula for growth
i. You gain your life by losing it
ii. Better to give than receive
iii. Humble yourself and He will lift you up
iv. In surrender you have victory
You never know how sacrificial giving will be used by God.
Am I a generous giver or a taker?
How has the Lord been nudging me to give?
a. With God, loss is gain!
b. That’s His formula for growth
i. You gain your life by losing it
ii. Better to give than receive
iii. Humble yourself and He will lift you up
iv. In surrender you have victory
You never know how sacrificial giving will be used by God.
Am I a generous giver or a taker?
How has the Lord been nudging me to give?
OT Fulfillment #18; Jesus uniquely fulfilled all the prophecies concerning the first coming of Messiah.
a. Please don’t miss the incredible degree of detail, to the 9th degree, in which God is in control of this process!
b. From His birth, His life, to this final week of His life; God is in control!
BTW; He is involved in the details, to the 9th degree in our lives as well!
God was at work long before the people could see it.
God was at work in my life long before I could recognize Him.
a. Please don’t miss the incredible degree of detail, to the 9th degree, in which God is in control of this process!
b. From His birth, His life, to this final week of His life; God is in control!
BTW; He is involved in the details, to the 9th degree in our lives as well!
God was at work long before the people could see it.
God was at work in my life long before I could recognize Him.
This makes me reconsider my worship of King Jesus! All of creation worships Him, do I?
Not just in singing songs but how I live my life.
Not just in singing songs but how I live my life.
The people are rejoicing, Jesus is weeping.
Daniel accurately predicts the time of Messiah’s coming over 500 years before. This event marked the official presentation of Jesus Christ to the nation of Israel as the rightful Son of David.
1. There are many calculations that try to land on the exact date of the crucifixion or Jesus’ triumphal entry.
2. The Messiah was predicted by Daniel to arrive before the end of the Second Temple period, 483 years after the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.
a. This date synced with the Jesus’ 3-year messianic ministry.
1. There are many calculations that try to land on the exact date of the crucifixion or Jesus’ triumphal entry.
2. The Messiah was predicted by Daniel to arrive before the end of the Second Temple period, 483 years after the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.
a. This date synced with the Jesus’ 3-year messianic ministry.
1. Palm Sunday tells us: God always shows up — just maybe not how we thought He would.
2. Hope Comes Lowly, Not Loud
Jesus chose a donkey, not a stallion. Why?
He was sending a message: "I'm not coming to conquer you. I'm coming to invite you into relationship."
2. Hope Comes Lowly, Not Loud
Jesus chose a donkey, not a stallion. Why?
He was sending a message: "I'm not coming to conquer you. I'm coming to invite you into relationship."
🙏 Takeaway Points:
1. God’s Word gives us a foundation for hope — long before we see results.
2. Don’t miss God’s move because it doesn’t come in the package or time you expected.
3. Jesus walks the road of hope even when others want shortcuts — so should we.
1. God’s Word gives us a foundation for hope — long before we see results.
2. Don’t miss God’s move because it doesn’t come in the package or time you expected.
3. Jesus walks the road of hope even when others want shortcuts — so should we.