Palm Sunday-Our Expectations Of God
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Today’s main idea:
   ● Jesus came to fulfill our deepest _______________ rather than to meet our personal _______________.
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The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in thename of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16 At first his disciplesdid not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been writtenabout him and that these things had been done to him. 17 Now the crowd that was with him when he calledLazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, becausethey had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another,“See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” John 12:12-19“
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Jesus here was not confused about the significance of this event or by the shouting of the crowd. He knew that the meaning of his entry into Jerusalem was an entry to his death.” Gerald L. Borchet
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“Palm Sunday is a happy day, a day of flowers and dresses and new shoes. But another message carries a warning about our vision of Jesus as we celebrate. The crowd in some fashion assumed that Jesus and his movement would serve their cause. Their vision for society and Jesus’ presence could together make changes they dearly desired. As the gospel story unfolds further, Jesus’ failure to satisfy those visions (religious, political, and social) leads to a cry for crucifixion one week later.” Gary M. Burge
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“The story of Palm Sunday has another side—a side that most of us each spring do not pause to hear. Do weever take up the name of Jesus and attach it to our own agendas?” Gary M. Burge
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Jesus came to fulfill our deepest _______________ rather than to meet our personal _______________.
    ● What expectations of mine are limiting God?
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What limits God’s movement in our lives is not God, but the expectations that we put on Him.Some examples:
    ● We EXPECT God to change our circumstances but what we NEED is to allow God to change us first.
    ● We EXPECT God to condone our choices so we can be happy but what we NEED is God’s challenge us to lead us to holiness.
    ● We EXPECT God to shelter us from all darkness but what God NEEDS is that we shine our light in the darkness.
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“Palm Sunday is a reminder of God’s unexpected ways and our need for grace to receive them just as much as it is a reminder to constantly welcome Christ into our lives”
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Good Friday and Easter
You are invited to our Good Friday and Easter services. Make sure you invite a friend and join us. More details can be found at tpclive.org/easter.