The Healing Word

Pastor Jack Morris: Friend, there's a day coming, a glorious day. But today is a glorious day because God has done great and glorious things. And whatever the difficulty is in your life, don't let it hinder you. Look to the Lord. Trust Jesus. Celebrate.

Guest (Male): As we celebrate Palm Sunday, we remember how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, while the crowds waved palm branches and shouted praise. But are you aware this event fulfills the Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah chapter nine, verse nine, that the Messiah would come into Jerusalem on a donkey?

As we progress through this Holy Week, Pastor Jack Morris reminds us of the significance of the most solemn week, where we commemorate the events leading up to Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection.

Pastor Jack Morris: Christianity is a happy religion. It really is. I think of the religions of the world, and you can remember how when they do have a hymn and they sing it, it's usually an off-key monotone. There's nothing really bouncy or exciting about it. They have very few hymns; some of them have none. But we have hymn books full of hymns to celebrate and to worship the Lord.

It's a happy religion, and the followers of Christianity are a rejoicing people. If you do not feel joy in your heart this morning, I believe you will before the service is over. And if you feel it to some degree, you will feel it immeasurably by the end of this service today. There's nothing dull or insipid about Christianity. If it's dull or insipid and the world has siphoned the joy away, come on, we're going to have a comeback. The Lord's going to fill your heart with his blessing, and you will soon be praising the Lord.

When I said there's nothing dull or boring about Christianity, I learned of one exception to that rule. It was a mother and her daughter who went to church Sunday morning. The pastor was preaching while he was waxing eloquently from the pulpit. The little girl didn't think so. She was squirming and twisting and turning, and finally, she looked up at her mother and she said, "Mother, can't we just give him the money and go?" There's more to it than that, but we're so thankful that we have the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is there to strengthen us and to help us follow the Lord.

Let's look at the scripture now. We're going to go to Matthew chapter 21 and the very first part of the first verse. It says, "As they," that's the disciples and a multitude of people, "as they approached Jerusalem." They were on their way to the Holy City. It was going to be a marvelous experience as they went toward the city following the road. People began to come out of their houses and gather. By the time they got there, there was a whole crowd of hundreds, maybe thousands of people following. But ahead of them were thousands more. It is thought that there were well over a million people that had gathered there to look at Jesus riding in on that little donkey into Jerusalem.

It was a triumphant experience for everyone. My prayer today has been that every person here would have a triumphant experience; that Jesus would just ride right in this morning, right into your heart. He would just sort of come down this aisle on a little donkey and just spread his glory all over this sanctuary and everyone that is within it. This would be Jesus's last time to go to Jerusalem as a human being, as an individual in the flesh.

His first time to go to Jerusalem was when he was eight days old. Think of a mother who just gave birth eight days ago, and eight days later, she takes her child to Sunday school. Joseph and Mary took that little boy to the temple to have the spiritual religious rite of circumcision that would bring him under the auspice of Abraham and Moses. Now he is truly a child of Israel. Friend, you can't start too early with your children. You have to be very concerned because if you're not, somebody else isn't going to be concerned for your child. Bring those children and get them into the house of God.

Right now, we're working to get Sunday school teachers back. Karen, our Sunday school director, Karen Bates, is telling me she's got classes without teachers. Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come." He blesses them and puts his arms around them, but we can't meet them one day a week and teach them? Has Jesus changed his mind about children? He said, "Unless you become as a little child, you'll not enter into the kingdom of God," and he's expecting his people to care for the children. If we don't, he's not sending angels to care for them. Nobody's going to care for them unless the triumphant people who have experienced a triumphant entrance of Jesus now want that same triumphant entrance of Jesus into the children.

Let's not complain about them when they get older and become teenagers and become rowdy. When there's a falling away and we're trying to find out why, it is because we didn't take care of them when they were eight days old. The second time Jesus went to Jerusalem was when he was 12 years old. He and a lot of boys went all the way up the highway to Nazareth. They had a covered wagon coming down, picking up all the boys. These boys were going to now have a second religious rite that would bring them into manhood because Hebrew boys at the age of 12 would become a man by going through a religious rite.

I'm trying to get our young people to come to the platform as many times as I can to read the scripture so that they will be back there with Minister Houpert, Minister Mazzan, and with me to see how we pray together before we come out. I want them to become an integral part of the church. They will see the inside operation, and the inside operation is prayer and looking to God. We're bringing them on. Stick with me, and I'm so thankful for the dedication of our parents and Christian homes.

At 12 years old, Jesus stayed in Jerusalem when they loaded up the covered wagon and started back towards Nazareth. They started dropping the boys off as they were going home, and Mary and Joseph couldn't find Jesus. They thought he was in the wagon with the other boys, or with the relatives. So they go back to Jerusalem and find Jesus. What a place to find your kid: in the house of God, in a Sunday school class, or in a youth group. There he was, talking to the elders and doctors of the law, asking questions and answering questions.

He spoke to Mary when she asked him, "Why did you do this to your parents? We were concerned." He said, "Don't you know I must be about my Father's business?" At 12 years old, he knew God to be the Father. Parents, these children need Jesus. There's a wicked world out there, and only the word of God is going to sustain them. We have to inculcate the word of God into them. This will be their defense. This will be their glory.

Now notice, as they approached Jerusalem. I feel that on Sunday mornings in particular. At home during the week, we are approaching our spiritual Jerusalem when we're praying and having our devotions. But every Sunday morning, I believe that through singing hymns, praying prayers, and having the word of God, we are approaching a spiritual Jerusalem. Look out, because you're going to have a triumphant experience this morning. You're going to have your own Jerusalem experience.

This would be Jesus's last time in Jerusalem because in less than a week he's going to be crucified. He's going to fulfill the purpose for which he came, and that is to bear our sins. Only Jesus knew that it was less than a week. The disciples didn't know and no one else knew, but he knew he was going to suffer for the sins of the world. Jesus at this time was on death row. He knew he was headed for the cross at Golgotha to take my sins and yours. What a day, a glorious day.

The Pharisees said to Jesus, "Contain your disciples." Jesus said, "If these be silent, the very stones will cry out." What's he talking about? He created the stones. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in Genesis spoke that there would be light, vegetation, and earth. He created the stones. Even the stones seem to know, or they do know, that a Messiah is present.

I looked out yesterday as I was still preparing in prayer, and I saw the grass and the leaves on the tree turning green and coming out. My heart began to praise the Lord. I see vegetation coming alive; even the trees and the grass are praising the Lord. It's beautiful to look upon. This is God's creation. There's a force of life out there today greater than the force of death. Yes, Jesus died, but there's a force greater than death. He stomped the serpent's head and arose from the dead. I looked at the trees just a few months ago and they looked dead, but there's a life force. Let it encompass you and fill you. It's the Spirit of Jesus.

In Zechariah 9:9, he's coming with righteousness and having salvation. Let us crown him King. Do you know what a crown is to a king? Praise is to Jesus. If you want to put a crown on Jesus's head, thank him, praise him, and remember the answers to prayer and your salvation. Start talking to him and praising him, and you will be putting a crown on Jesus's head. He needs you to crown him Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Don't wait until you get to heaven someday to do it. Do it now because if you don't do it now, who knows if you will be able to do it then?

The scripture says that the believers in heaven are going to wear crowns. He has a crown for you. Crown him now. He's crowned us with salvation and forgiveness of sins. He's crowned us with an answer to prayer. The scripture says the believers took crowns and they cast their crowns at Jesus's feet. If I don't cast my life at his feet today, will I be able to cast my heart at his feet then? If you don't do it now, whatever you need to do to glorify the Lord, in the name of God, do it. Don't wait for a more convenient time because today is the day of salvation. There's never going to be a better time than right now.

When you have more time, put it on the calendar. That's the day you're going to make your move. But today, make a commitment that you're going to do it. Handel's Messiah was perhaps the greatest of all hymns ever written. I think maybe we sing too many hymns and say words like, "I surrender all," but we don't surrender all. We are in danger of becoming Christians of words only. Seek first the kingdom of God. Are we putting him first, or is it just words and bellowing out nothingness?

Handel said, "King of Kings and Lord of Lords." He shall reign forever and forever, and of his kingdom, there shall be no end. What you have today is lasting forever and ever. You're part of forever, so crown him and worship him. Jesus smashed the enemy's head. We're going to celebrate that next Sunday, but every day we are to remember he stomped the serpent's head. He drove the enemy of sin and temptation out of your life. You couldn't get it out, but he did. Today, you're a new creature in Christ Jesus. Your life in him has been ushered into the kingdom of God.

Listen to the scripture, friend. "Lo, your King comes to you." Rejoice greatly. I don't know much about the kingdoms of this world, but I've seen the pictures. When the English people meet their queen, at least they curtsy and the men bow. Jesus needs an expression of dedication from me and you today. Let's give him our heart. Let's tell him with words, but also tell him with actions and behavior. Rejoice and worship him, all you saints. Your King comes.

I think of the situations that many of us are in. there are problems and testing times. You don't quit during those times. You keep your focus and keep praising the Lord, not because you feel like it, but because you know it's the right thing to do. It's fitting to praise the Lord. Surely God has done marvelous things far beyond anything we can imagine, and he's coming again. When Jesus got to Bethphage, he stood on the Mount of Olives. He looked down into the valley of that glorious, magnificent temple of Jerusalem. That's where God abided then, but God is wherever you are now.

He will come back to that Mount of Olives. Forty days after his resurrection from the dead, he will stand on that same Mount of Olives and he will tell the church to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every person. Come on, let's sing the hosannas of the Lord. We can't go into all the world until we go into a Sunday school class and tell the world already here: these children, these teenagers, and these adults. We built these buildings, but the classrooms are empty. Many are called, but few are chosen. It's time to worship God.

He stands on that mount and he tells us to do a lot of things. Let's make sure we're doing them. Then he's lifted up with an angel on either side. The angel says this same Jesus that is taken up shall so come in like manner as you've seen him go into heaven. There's a day coming when we're going to stand before God from the Mount of Olives. When he comes back, his feet will touch down on the very mount that he stood on and left terra firma to go back to heaven. His feet will touch the Mount of Olives, and then we will be gathered to him.

Today is a glorious day because God has done great and glorious things. Whatever the difficulty is in your life, don't let it hinder you. Look to the Lord. Trust Jesus and celebrate. The bread and the wine represent his broken body and his shed blood. Let's worship the Lord and let's give our hearts to him. Let's not say our duty is over once the benediction is sound. Friend, we are children of God. Jesus is coming for us.

Atomic warfare will not take us out. Jesus is coming back to people on this earth to rapture them to himself and to love them forever. You belong to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Rejoice in him.

Guest (Male): As we conclude today's message, I invite you to focus on the joy that Christ brings. Just like he did when entering Jerusalem on a donkey 2,000 years ago, he's here to offer forgiveness, healing, and answered prayer, and to usher you into his joyful kingdom.

If today's message strengthened your faith, we invite you to stand with The Healing Word through your prayers and your generous support. Every gift helps us take the gospel to more people who desperately need to hear that Jesus still saves. Join us tomorrow for another Healing Word message. Until then, blessings on you.