← Lakepointe Church with Josh Howerton
Lakepointe Church with Josh Howerton
Why Living for People’s Approval Is a Trap | Investigating Jesus | Pastor Mike Breaux
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Hey, guys, thanks for checking out this Bible teaching. Every week we release a podcast that corresponds to the sermon. It's like a little bit of a deeper dive where we hit some things that didn't make it into the sermon, some theological concepts. We talk about things that are going on in our culture and how to think about them from a biblical perspective. We call that podcast Live Free. An episode releases every Monday that corresponds to the sermon. If you would like to check out Live Free, just go to the Lake Pointe YouTube channel and look for the podcast tab there. We'll see you at Live Free. Now enjoy this Bible teaching. All right, what is up, everybody? Great to see you all. Welcome to Lake Point. Hey, want to welcome all of our campuses and those of you that might be joining us online as well. Man, super grateful for all of you. And, man, I love this time of year, don't you? I mean, spring break is on us. You got, you know, trees are budding out and grass is popping up through the ground. You got basketballs bouncing with March Madness. I just love this time of year. But my favorite thing about this time of year is Easter's coming just in three weeks. So I'm so excited about that. So be thinking about who you're going to invite because we're going to have a celebration here just celebrating the greatest event that's ever happened in history. It's going to be a blowout celebration, so make sure you invite somebody to join us for Easter. Hey, let me ask y'. All. Y' all ever been down a dark and scary road? I've been down a few in my life. I was. I was thinking about how one night I got lost downtown la. That was scary. Another time, I got lost at midnight on the south side of Chicago. That was scarier. I've been. I had a wreck downtown. Cold, foggy, dark San Francisco. I've been in the back of an old pickup truck on the treacherous roads of Haiti while people with machine guns and machetes are glaring at you. Just last month, a couple of weeks ago, ice covered road in Kentucky. I'm white knuckling the whole time. It's pitch black. There's no shoulders on the road. I've got a little sideways on the ice. I mean, I've been down some dark and scary roads. And the truth is, we've all been down some dark and scary roads in our life, too, haven't we? Haven't we all gotten a little sideways in the night? You know what the cool thing is now? So many of us, our lives are full of light and joy and freedom and peace, all because a man named Jesus chose to go down a dark and scary road. And today I want to get us on that road with him as we ramp up toward Easter. We have been following Jesus through primarily the book of Luke for a while now. And Luke chapter 9, verse 51 is a hinge point in the entire Bible. And it says this. When the days grew near for him to be taken up toward heaven, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. That phrase he set his face is really strong language. It's all about resolve and focus and single mindedness. It echoes the Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah in Isaiah 50 where it says this. I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting because the sovereign Lord helps me. I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like stone, determined to do his will, and I know that I will not be put to shame. All about his fixed determination, unwavering commitment, focused passion. I like the way the living Bible puts Luke 9. 51. As time drew near for his return to heaven, he moved steadily onward toward Jerusalem with an iron will. So from Luke 9. 51 forward, the gospel story begins to shift. Jesus is no longer primarily doing his ministry around Galilee. He's moving steadily, intentionally, courageously toward Jerusalem, toward the cross. Today we find Jesus on this dark road heading into Jerusalem. And not too often do all four gospels record the same story. But this one, they do kind of marking its significance. And you can find this story in Luke, chapter 19, Mark, chapter 11, John, chapter 12. And we're going to pull from all those. But I want to hang primarily today in Matthew chapter 21. So if you got your Bible, you can turn to that. We'll put it on the screens as well, or if you got an app that you use. So here's the thing. Jesus and his disciples are approaching Jerusalem from the east just as prophecy said the Messiah would come. And they're on this 19 mile road from Jericho. Now this is what the terrain on that road looked like. It was a desert road filled with caves and rocks. It's where criminals would hide out. Some of y' all might remember the story that Jesus tells about a guy that was on the road to Jericho and he gets beaten up and robbed and he's left by the side of the road and some religious people pass by on the other side. But the most unlikely guy, this quote unquote good Samaritan, stops And he helps this guy and he swings into action and he cares for him on his own dime. You don't remember that story. This is the road that Jesus used in that story. And this is the road that Jesus was on. Now it's the first day of the week and the Passover festival is about to begin. And Jews from all over the Roman Empire would make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem to participate in this week long celebration to remember their liberation from Egyptian slavery. This was the biggest festival of the year and it had become so much more than a mere religious observance. It's like super bowl week for the local economy. I mean, on this week, tourism is surging. Restaurants are packed out, all the hotels, all the Airbnbs are completely booked. There are people camping out in tents lining the hillsides around Jerusalem. Historians estimate that over 2 million people would jam into the city during Passover. Think Times Square during New York on New Year's Eve. Or the drive through at Chick Fil A. Think how packed it would have been. And because things would often get a little out of hand during Passover week, the Roman government would always assign extra troops during that week because different political activists, different zealots, different Messiah wannabes, we often try to organize protests to express their disdain for Rome and their longing for political freedom. So soldiers were on high alert during Passover week and they did not hesitate to use force to keep the peace. Now, adding to the already electric atmosphere was the anticipated arrival of this miracle worker from Nazareth. Word had spread throughout the city and along the roads that he was headed their way. See, just a few days before, Jesus had performed his most spectacular miracle over in Bethany when he raised his good friend Lazarus from the dead. And John, his account of this story records that the people who had actually seen Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead were like telling everybody about it. And so the whole region is buzzing with the news of what had happened. Many people were sensing that nobody could do a spectacular miracle like that unless he really was from God. So the crowd wanted to see this miracle worker themselves. Matthew 21. As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to a town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Now, the Mount of Olives is a ridge. It's about two and a half miles long on the other side of the Kidron Valley, just east of Jerusalem. And it is covered with these gnarly looking olive trees. And it rises about 700ft in height. It gives a pretty spectacular view of the city of Jerusalem. Now this is a modern look from the summit but it still would be the same kind of view that Jesus would have. I mean, he could see almost every part of the city from his vantage point on that road. By the way, I got to stand there a few years ago, and it was in the olive grove where Jesus went to pray on the night that he was arrested, before he was crucified. And I'm telling you, it gave me chills standing there to know that as Jesus was praying, he could see from the city a mob coming out of those gates carrying torches and clubs and swords, coming for him. And just an interesting note about this. History tells us that while Jesus entered Jerusalem from the east, Pilate, the Roman governor, most likely was entering from the west. And he's coming with Calvary and horses and chariots and armor and spear and banners. A display imperial power. So there are two parades, so to speak. Two kingdoms being represented. One kingdom built on intimidation, the other one built on humility. One kingdom oppressing people, the other one setting people free. One kingdom saying, power comes from force. The other kingdom saying power comes from sacrifice. Two very different kingdoms, two very different visions of power. And in a few days, Jesus and Pilate would meet, and Jesus would tell him, my kingdom is not of this world. Your kingdom is based on temporary power, mine on eternal authority. And the kingdom that Pilate represented, like all others in history, it would eventually fall and prove to be only temporary. But the other kingdom that King Jesus ushered in, it's unshakable and it has no end. Now, just a few days prior to Jesus entering Jerusalem, they come to a little town called Bethphage. And Jesus sends two of his disciples to a nearby village, probably Bethany, to get a donkey and her colt and bring them back. It says this. Go into the village over there. Jesus tells them, as soon as you enter it, you'll see a donkey tied there with his colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. And if anybody asks what you're doing, just say the Lord needs them, and he will immediately let you take them. Now, we don't know if this is something that, like, Jesus had prearranged while he was in Bethany, but from the other Gospel accounts, it seems like it wasn't. Because Mark and Luke add the dialogue of the owners and some people standing nearby saying, hey, hey, hey. What are you doing with that donkey? Why are you untying that cold? That donkey is not yours. Where are you going with that donkey? And the two disciples go. The Lord needs them. Oh. Oh, the Lord. Okay. They obviously knew who they were talking about now, I can assure you all, if I were to say to a couple of you, there's this really, really cool truck, it's parked at a certain dealership, it's black with a sunroof, it's got leather interior. Go get it for me and bring it back. If they hassle you, just tell them bro needs it. You ain't coming back with that truck. I'm just telling you right now. But not so with Jesus. Verse 4. This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said, tell the people of Israel, look, your king is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey, riding on a donkey's colt. The Old Testament prophet Zechariah had predicted that the Messiah, the deliverer, the Promised one, the Savior, would come riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. It says that in Zechariah 9. It says, look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey, riding on a donkey's colt. In fact, there are all kinds of centuries old prophecies from Zechariah, Isaiah, Deuteronomy, the Psalms, unfolding during Jesus ride into Jerusalem. All kinds of signs pointing to him as the long awaited Messiah, the deliverer. But very few made the connection. Even John, who was writing from the vantage point of being like an inner circle, a guy in the loop in the know, he writes this about these, these events, he says his disciples, in other words, he's saying we, we didn't understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, we remember what had happened and realize these things had been written about him. Here's Johnson. Even we, God is closest to him. We were clueless in the moment. I mean coming from the east, riding on a donkey, palm branches lining the streets, hosanna in the highest, children singing, man, we didn't know. We just got swept up in the excitement and the crowd of that day. But after he was crucified and after he rose from the dead, we look back at all the Old Testament scriptures and realize, oh my goodness, yes, this and this and this. Everything throughout the ages pointed to Jesus, our friend, our teacher, our mentor, our master, our Lord, our king, our God, as the long awaited Savior of the world. By the way, did you know There are over 300 messianic prophecies in the Old Testament written thousands of years before Jesus ever showed up on the scene. And catch this, he fulfills every one of them. Specific detailed prophecies about where he would be born, where he would live. Talking about his family tree. How he would. What he would say, what he would do, how he would live, how he would die, how he would rise again from the dead. Over 300 detailed prophecies about Jesus. I mean, what are the odds of all that coming true in one man? Well, let's check out some odds. The odds of dying in a car crash, one in 93. Those odds go up on the bridge of I30 in Rockwall, Texas. I'm telling you that right now. The odds of dying in a plane crash, 1 in 11 million. The odds of getting struck by lightning, 1 in 1.2 million. The odds of winning the lottery, 1 in 292 million. It's March Madness time. Many of you are going to be filling out your brackets starting today, even if you have knowledge of the teams and their seating, the odds of picking a perfect bracket, 1 in 120 billion. The odds of eight prophecies, detailed prophecies written thousands of years prior, coming true in one man, one in ten to the seventeenth power. That's one in ten with seventeen zeros behind it. Now, let's increase from eight prophecies to forty eight prophecies. The odds of forty eight promised prophecies coming true in one man is one in ten to the one hundred fifty seventh power. That's 1 in ten with one hundred and fifty seven zeros behind it. And catch this. Jesus doesn't just fulfill 8. He doesn't just fulfill 48. He fulfills all 300. And as they say in Dateline, the DNA is a definite match. This is so compelling to me. And if you're still a bit skeptical about it, I would encourage you pick up Lee Strobel, who was a former atheist, pick up his book, the Case for Christ. Or maybe Josh McDowell's classic, which is a really detailed read called Evidence that Demands a Verdict. I mean, it's pretty compelling evidence. So Jesus tells them, go get the donkey. And it says the two disciples did as Jesus commanded. They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, which was a sign of majesty, and he sat on it. Now, you expect somebody who's a king to ride in on what, like a huge white stallion, right? I mean, that's what the crowds expected. And you know what Revelation says? Someday he will. But kings rode horses to signify war. They rode donkeys to signify peace. So Jesus isn't arriving as a military revolutionary. He isn't coming to take lives. He's coming to give his. So here comes the king of all Kings, the Lord of all, lords, Creator, God the Great. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Prince of Peace, riding in on a donkey's colt, affirming both his humility and majesty at the same time, while all fulfilling prophecy and lots of people have been following him. And crowds of people are coming into Jerusalem. And those who are already there in Jerusalem, they begin to gather on this stretch of road about a mile outside of the city. And when they see Jesus, they go crazy. It says most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Jesus was in the center of the procession and the people all around him were shouting, did you catch that? Jesus was in the center of the procession, man. What a spectacle, right? What an enormous boost for your ego, right? Surrounded by applause to be the center of attention, the most important person in the room, man, to have everybody cheering for you. I need to tell you a story. I hesitate to tell the story. I've never really told it before, but I was asked to preach in a pretty affluent part of Southern California one time and I flew there from Chicago when I was living there. And after, after I got done, they told me, said, hey, tomorrow morning someone will show up at your hotel and take you to the airport. I go, cool. So I, I walk out the, out of the hotel, 5:30 in the morning because that early flight to LAX walk out there and I'm standing out in front of the hotel and I'm fully expecting the, you know, the youth pastor and his Honda Civic to pull up and take me to the airport. That's the way it always is. But this stretch limo pulls up. I mean, the biggest car I've ever seen in my life, it's like a football field length. Pulls up in front of the hotel. I'm thinking, man, I wonder who that's for. Somebody important must be staying at this hotel. I'm going to hang out and see who gets in this limo. Well, the guy gets out, walks around, he goes, Mr. Briox. Well, it's bro, actually. He goes, I'm your ride at the airport. I go, me? You're my ride. I'm getting in that thing. Never been in a limo in my life. Haven't been in one since. He opens the door for me. I get in the back seat of this limo and this thing is huge and we take off riding it. I felt so stupid sitting in the back of this limo. But then as we started heading toward lax, I started thinking, you know, I bet people Are wondering who's in that limo. I mean, some big deal is sitting in that limo. And so I started feeling like, yeah, I am a pretty big deal. Until. Until smoke started to fill the cab in the back of this limo. And it started getting worse and worse. And I thought, what's going on? So I yelled the guy in front, hey, hey. Cause he's way up there. There's something happening. There's smoke all over the back seat here. And so he looks in the rearview mirror, and he pulls the limo over, like, four lanes of traffic all the way to the side of the 405 and pulls over. I jump out of the limo, and the back tire had blown out, and he'd been riding on the rim for a long time, and the rim had caught, so it's flaming right next to the gas tank. I jump out of this limo, and all of a sudden, I take my jacket, and I'm trying to put the fire out. It burns a huge hole in my jacket. I'm kicking dirt off the side of the road and trying to put this fire out. He comes running around the limo with two little bottles of Aquafina. He's throwing them on there. You know, I'm kicking dirt. I'm making mud. Now. I'm trying to. Trying to put this fire out. And I was. I was a mess. And I also had a pen in my pocket that exploded. And so I had ink all over my pants. I had dirt, mud all over me. I had a huge hole in my jacket that would have caught on fire. I'm standing on the side of the road, hitchhiking on the way to LAX airport. Every bit of this is true. Taxi pulled over and picked me up. And I thought God said to me, bro, you might be a lot of things, but a big deal ain't one of them. I mean, God will take you down in a hurry, right? He just will. He will. So here's Jesus, who really was a big deal. He's in the center of the procession. People are taking off their coats to roll out the red carpet for his entrance. They're cutting branches from trees, waving them in the air, dropping them in the streets to add to the royal treatment. This is the kind of stuff only reserved for conquering kings. And everybody's caught up in it. And the people are shouting, hosanna. Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest heaven. Now hosanna has come to be known in church world as a way to give praise to God. And some of my favorite songs that we do around here have hosanna in its lyrics somewhere. But its original meaning in Hebrew was more of a cry which meant save us, we pray. In fact, in Jesus Day, Hosanna had become a slogan of the ultra nationalist political zealots. Please save us, give us freedom. We are sick of these Romans. And when people waved palm branches, they were waving a symbol that had been stamped on Jewish coins during a time where they were free. So they were not so much a symbol of peace and love as we usually assume. They were a symbol of Jewish nationalism, a longing for political freedom, a longing to a return to the golden era of King David. So when Jesus, this amazing teacher, this prophet, this incredible miracle worker who had just raised Lazarus from the dead, he shows up riding on the back of a donkey and the crowd goes crazy with anticipation. Political hope gets stirred up to an all time high. They could see that their liberation from Rome was finally at hand. And what better time than Passover week With the support of 2 million strong. I mean, this could be their king. This could be the long awaited deliverer. So their hosannas probably sounded more like save us now, save us now, save us now, save us now. And these chanted words are found in a section of the Old Testament of scripture called the Hillel, the great Hillel, A portion of which is found in Psalm 118, which says, Please Lord, please, please save us. Please Lord, please give us success. Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. Oh yes, he's here. He's finally here. Our deliverer, our conqueror, our king. But they didn't understand his kingdom and where this king would actually lead them. They didn't know he had come to deliver them from so much more than Roman oppression. They couldn't see that he had come to conquer sin and death for all people, for all time. They didn't realize that on the day that they were supposed to be picking out their Passover lamb for sacrifice, that the Lamb of God was coming down the street to sacrifice his life for their sins. So when it becomes apparent later on that week that Jesus was not going to fulfill their hopes and dreams, that he was not the kind of king they anticipated and longed for. When they realized he was not going to be their economic savior, he was not going to be their political messiah, he was not going to be their conquering hero, the same adoring crowd just a few days later would turn completely against him. Instead of praise him, they would cry out, crucify him. And when given a choice between Jesus and a murdering political assassin named Barabbas, they choose Barabbas. At least he's trying to do something about our Roman problem. But on this day, on this road, man, the masses are cheering, shouting, bowing, waving, singing, applauding. And as Jesus rides in like a king, there are tears in his eyes. Only Luke records this part of the story. It says, but as Jesus came closer to Jerusalem and he saw the city ahead, he began to weep. As people cried out their hosannas, he cried tears of grief for the hearts of those people. He foresaw the terrible devastation of Jerusalem that would happen just a few decades down the road in 70 AD. He knew the fickleness of their praise. He knew their distorted views. He knew that they would have nothing to do with a deliverer who came to deliver them from sin, a king who had come to establish a different kind of kingdom, one that was upside down, countercultural, inside out, and would take up residence in the heart of anybody who would humble themselves and believe in him. So as they go berserk with praise and adoration, while most people would flex and bask in the applause, while most people would be on this huge eagle trip, Jesus cries. Now, before we get too hard on this crowd, let's just be fair and ask ourselves, if we were in the crowd that day, that week, what would we have done? You see, we had the benefit of looking back 2000 years, and we know how it all turned out. But honestly, would you and I have been sucked in to that mob mentality? Would we have cheered for him for what he could do for us on one day and then written him off the next? Would we just be amazed at his ability to bring a guy like Lazarus back from the dead and then totally confused at his inability to save himself? Would we have been so spiritually blind not to grasp what kind of king we really needed, what kind of deliverance we really needed, what kind of kingdom he came to really establish? I would like to think that I would have had, as Jesus put it, eyes to see and ears to hear. But I don't know. Honestly, not sure. However, I am sure of this. I spent a lot of my life following the crowd, doing whatever they said to do. I spent way too much of my life swept up in their applause and their approval. So I've had to ask myself, not only what would I have done if I'd have been in that crowd, but I've had to ask myself, what would I have done. If I were in Jesus shoes, being the center of attention, surrounded by screaming fans, soaking up the adoration, would I have chosen to go with the crowd and just bag the plan of God? You might remember three years prior, right before he began his ministry, Jesus goes into the wilderness to be alone with his father and center his heart. Pastor Josh taught on this at the beginning of the year. And while Satan, while Jesus is there, he's fasting and he's praying, Satan shows up. Any of y' all ever do fasting? I'm trying to build that discipline into my life more, but historically I've not been a very good faster. I know that's not a real spiritual thing to admit to. I've done a three day fast before and I was weak, I was hungry, had a headache and dreaming of the Krispy Kreme hot sound the entire time. Jesus goes 40 days. He's spiritually strong, but he's physically weak. He's very hungry and very weak. And Satan appeals to his flesh and says, come on Jesus, gratify your appetites, flex your power to satisfy yourself. Man, if you could just turn these stones into bread, you could eat like right now. And besides that, just think you could feed other people too. Cause I know you're big into compassion and all that stuff. And there's lots of hungry people around these parts, man, you would have them eating out of your hand. You would be the most popular guy going if you could do that. That's what they're looking for. That's the kind of savior they really want is the economy, stupid. Feed them and they will follow you by the thousands. That's the way politicians work. That's the way dictators rise to power. They certainly don't rise to power by going to a cross. Come on, Jesus, that's just stupid. This is your chance. Now you know, don't you, that Jesus had the power to turn those stones into bread? Remember, he later turns water into wine. And he takes like two fish and five biscuits and feeds over 15,000 people. But in this moment, he refused to use his miraculous power to indulge his own appetites or to impress the people with resolve. He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 from the Old Testament prophecies. It is written, man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. There's something deeper that satisfies a man. There's something deeper that satisfies a woman. There's someone greater that I hunger for, and that's my relationship with my Father. And I will humbly feed on his truth and not your lies. So Satan comes to Jesus again, says, okay, okay, so it's a no to the stones and the bread thing. How about this? All these kingdoms, all the possession, all the power, all the perks, all the prestige, you could have it all, man, you could rule it all. Satan says, jesus, with your power, with your charisma, with your gifts, your personality, man, I can make you into overnight superstar. And that's what it's all about. If you'll just avoid the painful cross. And who wouldn't want to do that and just bow down and worship me. And the word structure here indicates this was not an ask for like ongoing allegiance. It was just a one time deal. And that's how he starts, isn't it? Jesus, check it out. Worship me just this once. I mean, come on, what's the big deal about that? It's just one time. And you're out here all by yourself, so no one will ever know. I can give you all this stuff, all the kingdoms, the entertainment kingdoms, the economic kingdoms, the political kingdoms will all be yours. All you gotta do is do it my way instead of God's way. What do you say? And Jesus again. Quotes from Deuteronomy, a section known as the Shema. Every Hebrew child grew up learning this, including Jesus. So it was already in his heart, it was already in his mind. He says, it is written, worship the Lord your God and serve him only. I'm interested in only one kingdom, and that's the eternal kingdom of God. And there is only one, there's only one who is worthy of my worship, only one worthy of my allegiance, only one worthy of my adoration. And you are certainly not that one. So Satan comes at it from another angle. Jesus, you know what you need? You need an agent. Let me teach you how to get a crowd. Cause you've done the low key approach, you tried that unspectacular manger in a stable stuff. What'd that get you? Got you a few shepherds, you live in a little bitty hick town, you've been doing carpentry and stonemason work. The only guy out there promoting you is some weird dude in the desert who eats grasshoppers and wild honey. Let me market you, let me be your publicist. Cause honestly, you could definitely stand a little flash, a little makeover, a little spectacular. That's what the people need and you know that's what they want. So picture this. I'm thinking you could throw yourself down off the apex of the temple. It's about 100ft to the bottom of the Kidron Valley. You could do like this swan dive thing. And then out of nowhere, the angels will swoop down. Because that's what scripture says, by the way, Satan knows how to twist scripture. He definitely twists Psalm 91 here. He says they will swoop down and catch you and you will just float to the ground. That's what I'm talking about. Now that is an entrance. You do that, man, you will go viral. The people will go crazy. They will love you, they will adore you, especially the religious people. And you know, they're going to be the ones that are going to be a really tough sell because that's the kind of Messiah they're expecting and longing for anyway, you know. You know, they are not going to go for this crucified Savior on a cross thing. You're going to wind up misunderstood, rejected, forsaken and alone. And who in their right mind would want that? So why not play to the crowd, get a billion likes, get your name and lights and receive the adoration of the masses. Come on, what do you say? Jesus? Well, Jesus knew the rest of that verse. Satan twists it and comes back with what the scripture really says. What it really says. Don't put the Lord your God to the test. I'm not about to put my father to some silly swoop down and rescue me test just so my ego can get stroked. Or so I can feel the applause and the acceptance of the masses. Cause I'm already accepted by the one who matters most. And I have resolved to live my life for his approval and his approval alone. And for me, that's more than enough. And with that, I believe he got up and he walked out of that wilderness battle full of confidence and purpose and focus. Cause he knew who he was. He knew why he was here. He knew what he wanted to accomplish. He said, you know what? Here's the kind of Messiah I am. I'm a preach the good news, release the captives, lay down my lives for the sins of the world, change the hearts of men and women. Kind of messiah. That's who I am, and that's why I'm here. And that's what I'm going to accomplish with my life. And nothing, nothing is going to distract me. Nothing's going to derail me or detour me from doing what my father wants me to do. So I am going to set my face and I'm going to move toward Jerusalem with an iron will. So let me Ask you this. Aren't you glad he didn't cave in? Aren't you glad he didn't bail? Aren't you glad he didn't choose to feed his ego, gratify his appetites, play to the crowd, stockpile his portfolio and thus short circuit the plan of God? Sometimes we overlook this. Jesus was tempted in every way that we are. He had a choice that day and he chose us. Man, there's so much to love and respect about Jesus, so much to admire and learn from him. But this resolve to do life God's way, to not waver or shrink back, to set your face and trust your Father and move toward the pain, it just blows me away. I mean, to cry over the lostness of those misdirected people, to not let the roar of the crowd mess with your head, to not let the applause and approval of other people sway you or distract you from doing the right thing. It's one of the things I most admire and want to learn from Jesus. Because honestly, gang, we all have crowds to navigate, don't we? How do you keep your focus when the crowd is telling you what to do? How do you keep your head straight when they're chanting your name and they're applauding you and they're praising you and they like you and they, they retweet you and they share you? What do you do when they set expectations for you, saying, come on man, go this way. If you do this, then you will be in, I mean, approval ratings. Applause influences the decisions of politicians and leaders. Clicks and likes drive social media influencers. The main reason home court advantage is so huge in basketball games is that the applause of adoring fans drive those athletes to a whole other level. Actors, musicians, comedians thrive on it. Some say they can't live without it. The applause of people can be a powerful, even addictive thing. I'll never forget an old dude saying to me one time, flattery is like chewing gum. Enjoy it briefly, but don't swallow it. We've seen this before, but I love the straightforwardness of Proverbs, chapter 29. Fearing people is a dangerous trap. It's a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety. The message puts it like this. The fear of human opinion, it disables trusting in God protects you from that. Don't let people's opinion disable you. Don't allow them to rule your day or ruin your day. I think all of us fight this struggle of appeasing the crowd. In school, at home, on the job. We think you Know what? I have to do what they want, even if it's wrong. If I don't, man, I'll be out. And I really, really, really want to be in. Listen to me. Living your life for the applause of the crowd will eventually eat you alive. It is a life of insecurity and doubt and fear and codependency. You will never feel accepted. You will never feel like you really belong. You will never feel like you're in. And I see this with junior high and high school students all the time. I lived it, trying desperately to fit in. Whatever it takes to be noticed, whatever it takes to be accepted is what a lot of us are willing to do. And let me just tell you from personal experience, play into the crowd. Basking in the approval of other people will lead you down some dark and scary roads. It'll screw up your thinking. It'll turn you into this insecure, self centered mess. And even when you do do something for somebody else, you'll want to snap a selfie and post it all and brag all about it. It'll just keep you from being God's best version of you. It will derail you off the road that he has for you. It's why you gotta set your face. You gotta set your face and say, I'm living my life for an audience of one. Because I'm already accepted by the One who matters most and his approval is enough for me. Some of the saddest verses these are some of the saddest verses, I think, in the entire Bible from John chapter 12. This many people did believe in Jesus, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn't admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue, for they loved human praise more than the praise of God. Isn't that sad? Now, to a degree, all of us care what people think. It's normal to want to be liked and accepted and admired and respected and such. But when we care more about what other people think of us and what God does, when we trade in the applause of heaven for the applause of the crowd, I'm just telling you, it's always a bad trade. But when you begin to see yourself the way God sees you, when you really start believing what he says about you, when you begin to base your worth on his approval, when you start to lean into him for your identity, when you embrace his kingdom and you live knowing you're already a citizen of heaven, when you start to grasp his unfailing love for you, when you set your Face and resolve to live your life for an audience of one man. It changes everything about your life. Everything. My daughter Jody, who about a year ago taught here with me on Father's Day. You might remember her. She's remarkable woman. I'm so proud, Jody. But she would tell you that she used to play to the crowd she longed to be in. Really struggled with this throughout high school and that started her down some really dark and scary roads. I can't tell you how many nights her mom and I spent sleepless nights just praying for her that she would trade in the applause of the crowd for the applause of heaven. And she eventually did. And she surrendered her life to Jesus. Did a total 180. And it's very cool to see what God has been doing with her life. And many of you know that she writes these spoken word pieces and just from the perspective of her dad, someone who's had a front row seat to her transformation. This is one of my favorite ones she's ever written. In fact, I think it was the very first one that she ever wrote. She says, I have wanted to be in to be in the in crowd in the loop, in the know, among the proud not left out but to be allowed to be in. I have wanted to be in Wear clothes that are in style A trendsetter and versatile Just the right cut and the perfect smile I have wanted to be in to be looked at as someone who has much all the in music right at my touch on the latest and greatest stuff and such I have wanted to be in But I have felt aggravated, frustrated, unappreciated Slated as someone who is underrated unimportant, unknown, unseen average mediocre routine beneath below beyond a chance inconsequential, insignificant But Jesus liked people like me Took notice of a blind man and made him see Saw a locked up kid and set him free Told little Zacchaeus get out of that Felt that when a desperate woman touched his cloak Knelt beside a dead girl and up she woke Hung out with a down and out and broke Offered hope to the forgotten with just the words that he spoke Touched a man with leprosy who others would mock Touched the mouths of the mute and at once they could talk Forgave a woman at a well who was the laughing stock Came to lowly shepherds who smelled like their flock in the company of sinners is where he would eat Defendant an adulterer Made her accusers retreat Made followers out of men who were crooked cheats Let the tears of a prostitute anoint his feet. And suddenly, dramatically, miraculously, undeniably, they were in. In his story, in his truth, in his grace, in his purpose, in his eyes. Someone great. And I have wanted to be in. And since the day I met with him, he took all that I had been, all my fear, my shame, my sin. Changed my life. By letting me in. Our God is greater than the past that drowned me. Stronger than those chains that bound me. Higher than the shame that found me. There is no one like Him. None like him. Jesus knew he was already in with the Father. So he arrives into Jerusalem knowing. Knowing that within days he'd be hanging outside its walls. He knew. He knew he was riding toward rejection. He knew that he was riding toward betrayal. He knew. He knew that he was riding toward unspeakable humiliation and excruciating pain. He knew. But he rode anyway. Because he has set his face toward the cross. He has set his heart toward us. You see, I think one of the reasons he rode in Jerusalem with tears in his eyes that day is he saw your face. He saw my face. He saw our desperate need for a savior, saying, I am a king, but I'm a king on a cross, and no one takes my life from me. I'm going to voluntarily lay it down so that someday everyone could be. And if you'll come to Jesus as you are, he'll meet you right there and you'll be in. If you will humbly invite him into your life, saying, hosanna, please save me from me. If you will embrace his love and forgiveness and you will trust his leadership, you will find the acceptance and the security and the significance and the approval you've been longing for all your life. Let's just bow our heads for a few moments. Maybe right now, just the quietness of this place or wherever you're at right now, just say, jesus, that's what I want. I'm gonna come to you. I've been playing my life to the crowd. I've been going down some dark and scary roads by my own decisions. And I wanna do a 180. I wanna turn toward you, away from my sin, toward you. And I wanna be forgiven. I want to accept what you have done for me on the cross because I need to be forgiven. I'm a sinner and I need your grace. Come into my life. I'll let you lead my life from this moment forward. Just pray a prayer, kind of like that. In your own words. Just open it up. He's been waiting for some of us to say those words. So long. Jesus just want to thank you for what you've done. Thank you for setting your face toward the cross and not letting anything knock you off that road. So. So eternally grateful. Literally, eternally grateful. It's in your name. We praise you and thank you. Amen.