"All In" 3-24-24

Overview

All In: The Marathon of Holy Week

Paul often pictures the Christian life as a race, and Holy Week reveals just how much of a marathon discipleship really is. A marathoner's journey moves through anticipation, euphoria, doubt and boredom, bargaining and despair, and finally the afterglow of crossing the line. The disciples traveled this same emotional arc as Jesus rode into Jerusalem in Luke 19:29-40. At the starting line, they were full of anticipation and praise, throwing their cloaks before Him and shouting, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord." They had just witnessed the raising of Lazarus and walked with the King; their "Hosanna" was a confident plea, sure of who went before them.

The triumphal entry is pivotal because it magnifies the tension between the earthly Messiah the crowds wanted and the kingdom that is not of this world. Everything in Scripture had been leaning toward this week—the promised seed who would crush the serpent Genesis 3, the covenant with Abraham Genesis 15, the deliverance through Moses, the throne promised to David's lineage 2 Samuel 7, the suffering servant of Isaiah, and the ruler from Bethlehem foretold by Micah Micah 5. Yet within days, the same hands that laid down cloaks would strip Jesus of His cloak, His dignity, and His life. Peter, who swore he would die with Christ, denied Him with an oath. When Jesus is not who we expect or does not act when we expect, we too are tempted to strip Him of His royal cloak, to bargain, to deny, to quit.

But Jesus does not ebb and flow with circumstance. He is fully human, yet as God He is steadfast in love, justice, and mercy. The Pharisees thought their power could silence Him; Satan thought death could defeat Him—both were wrong. Jesus was all in from before the foundation of the world. As Ephesians 1:4-5 declares, He chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless, destining us for adoption according to the good pleasure of His will. That good pleasure led Him to humble Himself Philippians 2, to enter Jerusalem, to climb Calvary, and to give His Spirit over to death for our redemption.

Pastoral application: in baptism, Christ calls us into this marathon, and by His grace He trains and sustains us through His Word, the promise of forgiveness, and His body and blood in Holy Communion. He knows we will falter through boredom, doubt, and despair—so He gives us the community of brothers and sisters running alongside us, that we may encourage one another and remind each other of the One who was all in from before time began. Because He rose triumphant after three days, He drags us across the finish line with Him, and we cling to His promise: "You are forgiven. I died for you. I rose for you." All creation sings His praises now, and we are promised that we will sing them eternally in the afterglow of His glory.

Transcript

If you would please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, the 19th chapter. 3s

If you're using a Pue edition of the Bible, you can find this on page 72 in the New Testament. 10s

The Gospel of Luke, the 19th chapter. 17s

If you're going to run a marathon, if you decide that you're going to be a marathon, you're 23s

going to run a marathon. 29s

There is no question you have got to be all in. 33s

You can't wake up one day and say, I think I'm going to run over 26 miles and head for 39s

it. 45s

But there's preparation to be had. 46s

There's emotion involved. 49s

It's really interesting when you get into the psychology of the marathon runner. 51s

I ran across an article where we're a marathon runner and ultra marathon runner. 57s

He wrote about about the abs and flows of the emotions of marathon running. 63s

He said that it starts with the anticipation. 70s

The line, the runners lined up at the starting line. 73s

They're anxiously waiting and ready to get going all of the months of training had 77s

lead up to this moment. 83s

Then the race begins and there's this sudden euphoria, which also kicks in with a adrenaline 85s

and fortitude. 92s

The race begins. 94s

The run has started and everyone at the beginning of a marathon feels great. 95s

They feel great. 104s

Even when the euphoria starts to wear off, the adrenaline is still going and you can still 106s

feel incredible. 112s

There's a long way to go, but that fortitude of making it through it there. 113s

Then the runner keeps running and boredom doubt, denial and anger said in. 123s

Wow. 135s

26.2 miles. 136s

That kind of long. 138s

The mind starts to wander. 140s

The mind starts to wander. 143s

Did I leave the light on at home? 145s

What is that plant over there? 147s

Do I have my GPS just right? 149s

And then your mind starts playing tricks on you. 153s

Can I maintain this speed? 156s

I don't even know if I can and that deed of doubt is planted. 157s

And pretty soon the runner is talking him or herself out of the run. 162s

Am I too tired? 170s

Is this too difficult? 171s

And then comes the bargaining, the depression and the acceptance. 173s

You're suffering. 179s

Your body is on strike. 181s

Things are aching. 182s

Your legs are heavy. 184s

Every step is a struggle. 186s

There's no hope for a graceful finish. 187s

And you try to justify reasons to just stop to just quit. 191s

But you reluctantly continue, although you have reached your low point. 200s

And soon it comes right back around. 209s

Back to that fortitude, adrenaline, and euphoria. 212s

You realize the finish line is not that far away. 217s

You realize that there are others running this same race with you with similar struggles. 222s

And you encourage one another in that race. 229s

At some point you realize that the finish line is just at your reach. 232s

And you cross the line. 240s

And you enter the final emotion of the marathon. 242s

The afterglow. 249s

Where you have the opportunity to hobble off in search for comfort and food. 252s

Paul, in scripture, refers to the Christian walk, 262s

often as a race, that it's a race that we're running. 267s

And we see ourselves as those marathon disciple. 271s

But we're going to see how the marathon plays out in and through Holy Week. 279s

If you would look pleased first at verse 29, 289s

when he had come near Beth Vigine Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Allives, 294s

he sent two of the disciples saying, 299s

go into the village ahead of you. 301s

And as you enter it, you will find tied their cult that has never been ridden. 303s

Untie it and bring it here. 308s

If anyone asks you why are you untying it, just say this. 309s

The Lord needs it. 313s

So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 316s

They were at they were untying the cult. 319s

It's owners asked them, why are you untying the cult? 321s

They said, the Lord needs it. 325s

Here we have the starting point, the anticipation, 329s

the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 335s

It is a pivotal event. 339s

It's a pivotal event because everything, in scripture, 341s

everything in time had been leaning up to this week. 346s

The anticipation of Holy Week is found throughout, 352s

scripture in Genesis, the third chapter we read of the promise of the one who would crush 356s

the head of the serpent. 362s

In Genesis 15, we find the covenant that God made with Abraham, 364s

that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. 371s

In Exodus, we read of Moses, God's chosen prophet, 375s

how he was leading the people out of bondage into the promised land. 380s

In 2 Samuel, we read the promise that God makes to the king David 385s

that one in his lineage would be enthroned forever. 392s

The prophet Isaiah, right of the suffering servant who will redeem the people. 398s

Micah, the prophet Micah, right of the promise of God's own to come to Bethlehem, 405s

whose origin is from ancient of days who will feed his flock in the strength of Lord 411s

in the majesty of the name of the Lord. 418s

And then we get to the Gospels. 423s

And we hear of the glorious birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, 426s

the miraculous birth as he entered into humanity. 432s

And we read these Gospels, the life of Jesus, and we walk with Jesus seeing how he taught, 438s

how he healed, how he lived, God in the flesh, all the while, all the while facing, 446s

this holy week, the final entry into Jerusalem. 458s

The triumphant entry into Jerusalem is a pivotal event because it magnifies the tension between 467s

the earthly expectations of Jesus as an earthly Messiah, a Savior, and anointed one. 478s

And the reality that the kingdom of God is not of this world. 489s

They enter in. He is on the cult. The disciples have brought it to him looking at verse 35. 498s

Then they brought it to Jesus and after throwing their cloaks on the cult, they set Jesus on it. 507s

As he wrote along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 513s

As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olive's, the whole multitude of the 516s

disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had 522s

seen saying blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the 529s

highest heaven. The king is passing before them and they shout with Glee. They shout with joy 538s

to have Jesus passed before them and we find ourselves on this palm Sunday shouting phrases 549s

to the king. Shouting as the disciples did, happy to praise the one who is 559s

fromest, happy to praise the God who does great things in our lives. He feeds us, he cloaks us, 567s

he shelters us, he is worthy to be praised. These disciples are also heading 584s

into Holy Week but they are unknowing of what exactly they're heading into. They don't realize 594s

what is coming other than that the king has entered the Holy City this week as we continue 604s

in Holy Week. We're going to find that the triumphal entry does not feel so triumphant for all 617s

the disciples as the weak progresses. We find Peter and the others clamoring in their euphoria to 630s

celebrate the Passover with Jesus. Thomas in the gospel of John after before they're coming into 637s

Jerusalem, they're going to go in Salazaris. Remember Lazarus has died and the disciples are a little 647s

worried and Thomas he says, let us also go that we may die with him. He is you for it to be with 654s

his God with the Messiah. They're in a euphoric time. They're euphoric of being in the presence 662s

of Jesus in the presence of the king they go with Glee to face the weak ahead of them. 672s

They had just witnessed as they enter into Jerusalem they had just witnessed the raising of Lazarus 684s

they know they're bound to see more great and mighty deeds. What is there to fear 692s

for they walked with the king they walked with the king. The cry upon their lips was Huzana 700s

a plea for saving because they knew that they would be saved. It's a Huzana of a short 710s

praise assurance that they knew who the king was who went before them but as the weak continues 719s

they realized he's not exactly the king that they expected and we come to the boredom 728s

doubt, denial and anger. In a few days these people, these people who lay their cloaks before Christ 741s

will seek to strip him of his cloak of royalty. They will seek to strip him of his dignity. 754s

And they will seek to strip him of his life. Are we like these disciples? When Jesus is not 764s

who we expect him to be, when he does not do what we expect him to do, do we try to use 781s

strip him of his royal cloak? Jesus, the man that they praise for the great things that he had done 793s

these are the same that will shout out, crucify him, crucify him, a seat of doubt began to 803s

fester as the mighty warrior king that they wanted became the silent lamb before the slaughter. 817s

Peter, the one who's sure that she would go with Christ even to death will deny him 830s

with a spit in oath and as life happens in your life and my life we spit with our own anger, 840s

cursing and asking high Lord. Why? And we deny the Lordship that the Lord has in 854s

our greatest moments of doubt in our greatest moments of despair in our greatest moments of anger 871s

we are tempted to just quit. We can find ourselves at the lowest point, 878s

wanting to deny the very one that we were just praising and we begin to bargain. 891s

Looking at verse 39, some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 905s

teacher order your disciples to stop and he answered, I tell you if these were silent, 911s

the stones would shout out. The Pharisees thought they had the power and they attempted to 919s

leverage their earthly power against Jesus. Satan thought he had power to and he tried to 928s

leverage the power he has in death over Jesus, but there is absolutely no bargaining with 939s

Jesus. There is no bargaining to be done with Jesus. You see our emotions, they ab and flow with 952s

our circumstances. One minute we are all in. We are going to praise our Lord. We are going to be 964s

the disciple of all disciples because we are all in for Christ, the King, and then we face a difficulty. 972s

We lose a job. We have a fight with our dearest. We face tragedy. The death, the death of the one 984s

who wasn't supposed to die burst and we want to quit. We are ready to throw in the towel 999s

because it is just too hard. If only Jesus, if only this wouldn't have happened and we try to bargain 1015s

with Jesus, but Jesus is not to be bargained with. Jesus had a motion too. He was human. He is 1031s

human, but unlike us, Jesus does not end and flow with the emotions of His circumstances 1041s

because He is God and God is never changing, but steadfast. Always in His love, steadfast always 1051s

in His justice, steadfast always in His mercy. Jesus knew as He entered in to the Holy City, 1064s

knew what laid before. He knew what was to come. He knew exactly what He was headed to as He entered 1074s

Jerusalem, but He was absolutely all in. And Jesus was all in before the beginning of time. In 1083s

Ephesians 1, we read, He chose us in Christ. God chose us in Christ before the first chapter. We read, 1095s

foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love. He destined us for adoption 1104s

as His children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will. The good pleasure 1114s

of His will was to enter into humanity as we heard in the reading from Philippians that 1126s

His good pleasure was to enter into accumulation of being one of us, of not exercising at all times 1136s

His full divine power, but entering into flesh in His good pleasure. Jesus entered into Jerusalem. 1150s

In the good pleasure of His will, He entered Calvary. 1164s

In the good pleasure of His will, He gave His own spirit over to death. 1171s

So that we would be redeemed because He is all in. He is all in for the forgiveness of your sins. 1178s

He is all in for your redemption and the salvation of your souls. 1194s

We just got to witness a miracle. We got to witness the miracle of baptism. We got to 1206s

witness the miracle, the making of a disciple. When we are baptized and we are called, 1216s

as His disciples, we are called into the marathon. 1225s

And through His grace, He trains us by His word, through His grace, He sustains us 1233s

for the marathon, through His word preached, through that promise of forgiveness, through His 1241s

own body and blood given, through the bread and the wine of Holy Communion. 1248s

And He knows that as often as we claim to be all in, we are going to falter. 1256s

We are going to face the boredom, the denial, the despair, the doubt, 1266s

and we are going to be tempted to deny the discipleship and the marathon to which we have been called to run. 1274s

But He has given you. He has given you the community of these brothers and sisters 1287s

that we can look around and we can say, you're running this race with me. 1296s

We are in this together and we can encourage one another and we can pray with one another 1302s

and we can remind one another of the one who was all in from before the beginning of time. 1311s

Jesus Christ, the one who is not to be bargained with. 1325s

When He gave His Spirit over to death, Satan thought He had power, but He was absolutely 1331s

He was raw. Because after three days, Jesus Christ rose triumphant, 1346s

winning for us the ultimate victory crossing the finish line of the marathon for us. 1356s

And by His grace, He jirags us over the finish line with Him. 1367s

And He tells us over and over and over again, you are forgiven. 1377s

I died for you. I rose triumphant over your sins and we are built up. 1384s

And we have that fortitude and that adrenaline and that you forrest starting to flood 1393s

in again and as His disciples, we cling to that promise, the promise of redemption that we have 1400s

in Christ because He was all in. And as we cling to that promise, we continue and just 1409s

just as Jesus told those Pharisees that even if these humans around me were not singing 1422s

praises, the stones would praise me because the Lord will be praised. The Lord will absolutely 1431s

be recognized as the sovereign Lord and King over all creation creation. No, is it? 1444s

Creation daily sings the praises of our Lord. And we are promised. 1451s

As His chosen and redeemed disciples, we are promised that as we run this marathon of 1458s

discipleship, we are promised that we will indeed sing God's praises. Now, but more importantly, 1470s

that we will sing God's praises in the presence of His glory eternally. 1483s

When we come to the afterglow. 1495s