Text: Matthew 21:1-17

Jerusalem was buzzing with excitement on this day, often called Palm Sunday. The people were looking for someone to help them in their time of need. 

As Jesus entered the city, the people did something that may seem strange to us. The Bible says they began to throw their garments on the ground and cut down palm branches to lay before Him (John 12:13). This act was an ancient symbol of reverence. By placing their garments and branches before Him, they were recognizing Him as a King, but their expectations were misplaced.

Many in that crowd were not seeking a Savior; they were hoping for political relief. They longed for deliverance from the burdens of the Roman Empire. Their cry of “Hosanna” was not a plea for salvation from sin but a desperate call for national restoration.  Palm Sunday reminds us that He is not just a political leader or a historical figure—He is our Master and King.

The crowd cried, “Hosanna! Save now” (Psalm 118:25). They were eager for a new government, a change in leadership.  Many perhaps had Isaiah’s prophecy in mind, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever.”  They were ready to accept Him as a political deliverer, but not necessarily as their personal Lord and Savior.

It reminds me of a story about a young boy who was sick one Sunday and couldn’t go to church. When his father came home, he was carrying a palm branch. The boy asked, “Dad, why do you have that?” His father replied, “Well, son, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved palm branches to honor Him.” The boy sighed and said, “Oh man, the one Sunday I miss, and Jesus shows up!” As cute as this little illustration may be, we know Jesus is always present.  That being said, it is not enough to know about Him historically; we must know Him personally. 

In Matthew 21:10, it is recorded that the crowd was “moved.”  But being moved emotionally is not the same as being transformed spiritually.  Many people today have emotional religious experiences, yet never truly repent and trust in Christ as Savior. Many in that crowd on that Palm Sunday praised Jesus one day and rejected Him the next.  Luke 19:14 reads, “But His citizens hated Him, and sent a message after Him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.”

How often do people celebrate Jesus when life is easy but reject Him when trials come? They say, “Hosanna” when things go well, but refuse to submit when the road gets tough.  Palm Sunday is a reminder that Jesus is not just a temporary source of help—He is the eternal King of Kings. The question for you today is this: Do we pay temporary reverence to Jesus through palm branches of our own making or do we truly lay our lives at His feet?  May we surrender fully to Christ, not just in times of joy but in every season of our lives.

This Old House - Pastor Chad Houghton

Text: Luke 19:45-46

" And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

Have you ever treated God’s house as “just an old house?” Sure, maybe you’ve never turned it into a “den of thieves,” but have you ever treated it as something “we just do every Sunday?” Have you ever approached it with a mundane mindset? Have you ever attended and just “gone through the motions?” In other words, do you approach God’s house as something other than what He intended it to be?

Before you separate yourself from the buyers and the sellers in the text, consider this:

1) What a privilege it is to be called a child of God

• Read Romans 8:14-16.
• The next time you begin to feel complacent about God’s house, remind yourself: God adopted me and lets me call Him Father!

2) What a privilege it is to GATHER with God’s people every Sunday

• When the Israelites were held captive in Babylon, they longed to go to the temple, where they could worship and sing to their God freely.
• Psalms 122:1 “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.”
• If you have lost your zeal for God’s house, ask Him to restore it to you.
• Thank God today for the freedom of worship in this country, but also thank Him for the freedom you have in Christ!

3) What a privilege it is that God continually provokes you to GROW

• John 15:2 "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."
• Praise God that He does not leave you alone, but continually pushes you to grow in Him and through Him!
• The next time you begin to lose focus on God’s house, remind yourself: God wants me to continually learn from the teaching and preaching in His house!

Have you lost your zeal for the house of God? Have you lost your zeal for the things of God? The Zeal of the King should produce in us a zeal for worship and a zeal for God’s house. So, when we find ourselves going through a dry time spiritually, let’s remind ourselves of these powerful truths:

1. I get to be called a child of God!
2. I get to GATHER and worship freely with God’s people!
3. I get to GROW in Christ because God continues to pursue me!

The King Rules - Pastor Nathan Adams

Text: Psalm 2

As we reflect on Jesus' Passion Week through the lens of His Kingship, we turn to the Old Testament, where Psalm 2 prophetically points to the coronation of the Son. This Psalm begins by describing rebellious peoples (1-3), a resolute God (4-6), the coming reign of the King (7-9), and a call to revere Him (10-12).

Psalm 2 is the first Messianic Psalm, and early Jewish rabbis recognized it as such. We know today that the Messiah is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God who died and rose again! While we remember Christ’s incarnation at Christmas and His death and resurrection at Easter, we must also remember that Jesus is our ruler. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and He calls all people to submit to His rule and reign. Let’s explore three implications of the righteous reign of Jesus.

Politically, Jesus is our true ruler. While we are sovereignly placed under earthly authorities, our ultimate authority is King Jesus, and those authorities are also called to submit to Him. It’s wise to influence the government to establish good policies and laws, and we are blessed to live in a nation where we can have a voice. However, our hope is not in politicians or powerful figures; our hope is in Christ alone. No matter what earthly ruler we are under, we can live boldly and joyfully because we are citizens of a kingdom that is not of this world. Our allegiance is to the King who reigns over all.

Personally, our lives should be subject to King Jesus. We often focus on Jesus as our friend and comforter, which is true, but He is also our King, and He demands obedience and submission to His will. We are called to honor His authority in every area of our lives. Is there an area of your life that has not been brought under His Lordship? If Jesus was King of the world and we followed His law, how would you be doing—both publicly and privately? This Easter, as you reflect on Jesus as King, take a moment to ask the Lord to reveal areas where you may have failed to submit to Him. Surrender these areas to Him in obedience.

Publicly, the Kingship of Jesus gives us a bold witness. We can be gracious and tactful while also being bold and truthful. Psalm 2 calls the world to submit to God before His wrath comes. As we share about King Jesus, we do so with the knowledge that Christ will return to rule and reign in righteousness. He will judge the world. This is a great season to invite others to Easter and share the hope of Christ’s return. The knowledge that Jesus is returning to establish His kingdom gives urgency to our witness.

As we meditate on King Jesus this Easter season, let’s live lives that honor and adore Him. We can live confidently that He is in control. We are encouraged to live pure lives that reflect His righteousness, and we can boldly tell others about Him. May we submit to His reign in our personal lives, stand firm in His rule politically, and boldly proclaim His Kingship publicly. Jesus is our King—let’s worship and follow Him with all our hearts.

Text: Luke 24:33-49

Text: Luke 24:1-12

Two thousand years ago, a message from heaven changed the world. Governments have attempted to silence it, and skeptics have tried to deny it, but the truth remains: Jesus is alive! His resurrection is the foundation of our faith and the source of our hope.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Scripture points to Jesus. He is the truer and better Adam, Isaac, Joseph, and David. Every page of the Bible reveals Him as the fulfillment of God’s promises. He came, lived, died, rose again, and is coming back. His resurrection is not a past event we celebrate once a year—it is a present reality that transforms our lives daily.

Early that morning, women came to anoint Jesus’ body, expecting death, not life. They found an empty tomb and were perplexed. Then, angels spoke: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”(Luke 24:5-6)

How often do we look for life in things that cannot satisfy? The world offers power, success, and pleasure, but these only lead to emptiness. The resurrection of Jesus reminds us that true life is found in Him alone. Faith is not based on empty tombs but on the living Word of Christ. His promises sustain us when life leaves us confused or discouraged.

The women ran to tell the disciples, but their words seemed like nonsense. These men, who had walked with Jesus, now doubted. Peter, however, ran to the tomb and saw for himself. Later, he would boldly declare that the resurrection was not a cleverly devised myth but the foundation of his faith (2 Peter 1:16).

Doubt is not the enemy of faith—unbelief is. Many struggle with questions, but Jesus invites us to seek the truth. The evidence of the resurrection is overwhelming, but the greatest proof is a transformed life. When we trust in Jesus, our doubts turn to conviction, and our fears give way to faith.

Peter, once fearful and ashamed, became a bold witness for Christ. What changed? He encountered the risen Savior. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in every believer. Through Him, we are given “great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:4)

The resurrection is not just an event to remember; it is a reality to experience. It changes everything—our purpose, our identity, and our eternal destiny. It turns skeptics into believers, sinners into saints, and the broken into the redeemed.

Jesus’ resurrection gives us an unshakable hope. The world’s hope is uncertain, but biblical hope is rooted in the finished work of Christ. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)

No matter how perplexed, doubtful, or broken we feel, the risen Jesus meets us where we are. He calls us to believe, to be transformed, and to share this life-changing message. He is alive, and His presence continues to change lives today.

*This devotion is adapted from Pastor Todd’s 2023 Easter Sermon

Text: Luke 23:25-27

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” -Galatians 2:20

What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? Obviously, you and I were not there on the cross with Jesus. We didn’t even exist yet! Paul was not there on the cross with Jesus either. It took a miraculous conversion experience for him to even recognize the cross of Christ as the path to salvation. There is certainly something more that is being spoken about.

The Apostle Paul is communicating something very powerful and profound here. That is, when we get saved, we are united to Christ. We are united with Him in more than just His person, but also His work. We are united with Him in His resurrection, which is why we can have new life and have the promise that we will be resurrected one day when He comes back. However, the other aspect of this is that when we get saved, we also die; that is what it means to be crucified. Nobody survives a Roman crucifixion.

Our salvation is defined as union with Christ, and we attain all of the benefits of His Sonship through adoption, namely justification, sanctification, and future glorification. Yet, all of this was only possible because He died on the cross, and when we receive Him as savior, not only does His righteousness get imputed to us, but His perfect death on the cross is also ours as well. This means that we should count ourselves dead because we have been crucified with Him! This is why Paul says in another letter,

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. -Colossians 3:3

Since we are dead, the only life we have now is the new life we have in Christ. This is a real spiritual reality by which you are still living and breathing. Your life is no longer your own, you were bought with a price, and since you are united to Christ, you have joined Him in His death and His life.

As we contemplate and meditate on Christ’s death during Passion Week this Easter season, let’s consider what Christ’s death means for us today, not just in the past and not just in the future, but today! How often do you consider your life as one hidden with Christ because you have been crucified with Him? So often in our Christian life, we spend out time and spin our wheels trying to resurrect the old dead self that was crucified with Christ instead of living the new life found in Him!

Paul says again later: ¹² So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. -Romans 8:12-13

In contemplating the death of Christ this Good Friday, let us also contemplate how we can continue to put to death the deeds of the flesh and live lives fueled by the righteous life of Christ. What do you need to stop? What do you need to start?

Waiting .... - Pastor Chad Houghton

Text: 1 Corinthians 15:25-26

Text: Matthew 28:1-9