Christ Our Cornerstone | Pastor Cody- April 13th, 2025 Psalm 118:22-29

marvelous light." I invite you now to stand as we continue in worship. Oh, hail the power of Jesus. Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal dadd. dadd and crown him Lord of Lord. He chosen seed of Israel's race. He ransomed from the home. Hail him who saves you by his grace and crown him Lord of all. Heal him who saves you by his grace and crown him Lord of all. Let every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball. To him all majesty [Music] ascri Lord of all. To him all majesty ascribe and crown him Lord of all. [Music] Oh that with your sacred throne we at his feet may fall. We'll join the everlasting song and call him Lord of all. will join the everlasting song and crown him Lord of all. Amen. Sorry guys, I guess I was one song off. That was my fault for not communicating that. Uh let's pray as we take up our offering. Father God, we give you thanks for this day. Thank you for uh each and every person gathered here in this room. Um God, we look forward to anticipation what to see what you're going to do, not just with these gifts provided, but what's going to happen in this room this week, God. And I pray that as a result of all of it, people would walk away blessed. God, we give you all the praise and the glory and ask this in your name. Amen. Today's reading is uh catechism number 22. And the question is, what makes the state into which man fell

miserable? And this is answered in three passages. The first one is Genesis 3:24. God drove out the man and at the east end of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim with a flaming sword that turned away every way turned every way to guard the way of the tree of life. Next passage is in Galatians 3:10. For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them. And last, our passage is in Romans 6:23. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thank you. If you would please stand and sing Hosana, who is the one that is worthy of our praise and our focus and adoration. [Music] Praise is rising. Eyes are turning to you. We turn to [Music] you. Hope is jouring. Hearts are yearning for you. We long for [Music] you. Cuz when we see you, we find strength to face the day. And in your presence, all our fears are washed away. Wash [Music] Hosana. Hosana. You are the God who saves us. Worthy of all our praises. [Music] Hosana. Hosana. Come everywhere among us. We welcome you here. Lord Jesus. [Music] Hear the sound of hearts returning to you. Return to [Music] you in your kingom. Broken lives are made

new. Oh, you made us new. Cuz when we see you, we find strength to face the day. When in your presence, all our fears are washed away. Wash Hosana. [Music] Hosana. You are the God who saves us. worthy of all our praises. Hosana. Hosana. Come on your way among us. We welcome you here, Lord [Music] Jesus. [Music] Cuz when we see you, we find strength to face the day. And in your presence, all our fears are washed away. Wash [Music] Hosana. Hosana. You are the God who saves us. Worthy of all our praises. Hosana. Hosana. Come have your way among us. We welcome you here. Oh Jesus. [Music] Hosana. Hosana. You are the God who saves us. Worthy of all our praises. [Music] Hosana. [Music] Hosana. Come have your way among us. We welcome you here Lord Jesus. [Music] I was a wretch. I remember who I was. I was lost. I was blind. I was running out of time. Sin separated. The bridge was far too wide. From the far side of the chasm, you held me in your side. And you made a

way across the great divide. Left behind heaven's throne to build it here inside. There at the cross, you paid the debt I owe. Broke my chains, freed my soul. For the first time I had hope. Thank you Jesus for the blood of Thank you Jesus. It has washed me white. Thank you Jesus. You have saved my life. brought me from the darkness into glorious light. You took my place, laid inside my tomb of sin. You were buried for three days, but then you walked right out again. And now death has no steam and life has no end. For I have been transformed by the blood of the lamb. Thank you Jesus for the blood of life. Thank you Jesus. It has washed me white. Thank you Jesus. You have saved my life. Brought me from the darkness into glorious light. [Music] There is nothing stronger than the wonder working power of love. Love the [Music] love that calls the sons and daughters. We are ransomed by our father through the blood. [Music] There is nothing stronger than the wonder working power of the blood. The [Music] blood because of sons and daughterers. We are ransomed by our father through the lamb. Thank you Jesus for the blood of life. Thank you Jesus has washed me

white. Thank you Jesus. You have saved my life. brought me from the darkness into glorious light. Thank you Jesus for the blood of life. Thank you Jesus has wash me. Thank you Jesus. You have saved my life. Brought me from the darkness into glorious light. Amen. Yes. [Music] I have seen my father's glory revealed in Jesus Christ. And the more that I behold him, the more he satisfies. When I gaze upon his beauty, when I see him as I should, then my eyes are lifted upward for his glory and my good. There is hope in every trial. For I can trust the Lord. He will turn my heart towards him and help me bear the thorn. So in faith I follow Jesus on the road not unerstood. For I know that he is working for his glory and my good. [Music] To our God be the glory. To our God be praised. He alone the name above all names. I will boast ever only in the Lord my God. For I know his glory is my good. [Music] See the open arms of Jesus upon the cross that day. What they understood as weakness deserves my every praise. For the charge that was against me, it was nailed into the wood. Yes, I know that he has saved me for his glory and my [Music] [Applause] good. To our God be the glory. To our God be praise. He alone, the name above all names. I will boast ever only in the Lord my God. For I

know his glory is my [Music] good. Would I gladly be made nothing? That Christ would be made more? Would I seek the only kingom that far outweighs them all? I will stand before my father where the faithful saints have stood and with joy my heart shall praise him for his glory and my good. My heart shall praise him for his glory and my [Music] good. To our God be the glory. To our God be praise. He alone the name above all names. I will boast ever only in the Lord my God for I know his glory is my good. To our God be the glory. To our God be praise. He alone the name above all names. I will boast ever only in the Lord my God. For I know his glory is my good. Yes, I know his glory is my good. [Music] Let's pray as we get ready to hear the sermon. Lord, we thank you just that you want our praises, that you uh delight to hear from us, that you are here in this place with us. Lord, help us to see you as you are. Not to be um confused or think that you are doing something other than what you do, but to really see you and to glorify you as you are. And um that because of that, the world would see you as well. that they wouldn't be misled about your character, about your goodness, because of the testimony of this congregation who loves you. Lord, we pray for pastor as he brings your word this morning. We ask that you would just be anointing him with your grace and your wisdom and uh your words for us today. And we're so grateful to have a

pastor who brings us your word. In your name amen. Well, if you uh have your Bible, and I hope that you do, please turn with me to Psalm 118. That's where we're going to be today. Um, and uh, I guess once you get there, maybe stick a finger in there because uh, it is Palm Sunday. It's the triumphal entry Sunday. And uh, we're we we have to read the triumphal entry, you know, that's just what you do. Um, and so I'm going to read the account found in Matthew chapter 21 just kind of set the stage for us uh, real quick. And uh as you're making your way over to Psalm uh just hear the word of the Lord found in Matthew 21:es 7-11. It says, "They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks and he sat on them. Most of the crowds spread their cloaks on the road and others cut branches from the trees, spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosana to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosana in the highest." And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up saying, "Who is this?" The crowd said, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee." And I want you to I want you to close your eyes for a moment and just picture Jerusalem alive and buzzing with anticipation. Palm branches waving like banners in the wind. Cloaks blanketing the dusty road as they begin celebrating the entrance of Christ. And they're everyone's shouting out hosana. Hosanna to the son of David. And everyone's raising their fists and raising their hands and shouting out these praises to Jesus. It's a parade fit for royalty. It's like a small town rolling out the red carpet for a war hero. Flags are flying. Cheers are echoing. Joy is

spilling out of the mouths of everyone. And Jesus is there riding humbly on a donkey as he enters into Jerusalem. He descends from the Mount of Olives down into the Kidrron Valley and then he begins his ascent into the city of Jerusalem on the eastern side. And the crowds, they cry out that word hosana. It's a word that we're going to unpack soon. But but that that word, it carries an ancient meaning for the people of God. And you might be thinking, Cody, it's Palm Sunday. You just need to preach that passage, right? I I want to I I promise you we're not abandoning Matthew's account here, okay? Um just a few weeks ago, we were in Mark's gospel and we dealt with the triumphal entry. If you guys remember that uh when we were in Mark 12:es 1-12, we also saw the danger of rejecting Christ as our cornerstone. And that question keeps coming up and coming up and coming up as we've been in Mark's gospel for 45 weeks now. And that question keeps popping up. What will you do with Jesus Christ over and over again? We've seen that come up time after time after time. And today I'm taking us to Psalm 118, not to leave the Gospels behind, but because I want us to dig deeper into the why of Palm Sunday. Why did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on this day? Because Psalm 118 is a soundtrack of the crowd's praise. It's a prophecy. It's a way to prove that Jesus Christ is who he said he is. He is the Messiah. He is the son of God. And it reveals Jesus as the rejected cornerstone. He is the source of our salvation and the reason that we worship with all of our hearts. And we're going to see those truths today. That Jesus is the stone that the world rejects. The reason that we rejoice and we delight in the Lord. We're going to see that he is the savior who deserves our gratitude, the king that we welcome. So, it's with that in

mind that I want us to stand together in honor of God's word as we read Psalm 118 22 through 29. God's word says this, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord. Oh Lord, we pray. Give us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords up to the horns of the altar. You are my God and I will give thanks to you. You are my God. I will extol you. Oh, give thanks to the Lord for he is good. For his steadfast love endures forever. Let's pray. And so, Lord, we do thank you for your word. We ask that right now that you would just speak to us um through the power of your word. We know that the Holy Spirit, he can move among us powerfully. And we ask that uh you would convict us of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. We ask that you would not allow us to be conformed to the image of this world, but to be conformed to the the image of the son, God, and that you would continue to work in our lives. And as we deal with our worship today, Lord, um give us a heart uh filled with passion just like what we saw last week through Mary's worship, God. um as she as she anointed Christ just before he was betrayed and crucified, as she anointed him for his burial, God, with so much love and with joy, I pray that that would be the characteristic of our own hearts. Lord, let us be filled with gratitude above everything else. And we just thank you. We thank you that you have given us salvation. We

thank you that you have called us into a deeper relationship with you. We we thank you that you haven't just saved us uh but that you continue to work in us uh continuing to sanctify us for your glory, God. And we just ask, Father, that uh wherever we're at in our walk with you, whether we've followed you for years, months, or whether we're not followers at all, Lord, we just ask for your will to be done in Jesus name. Amen. You can have a seat. Good morning. I can't tell if there's a lot of murmuring or or what have you. I can't hear very well up here. So, if you have an amen or something, you're going to have to yell it. Okay. Um and and I do feel like I'm coming through really hot right now. Am I coming through really hot? I see. Okay. So, the AV team will adjust that. The reason why we um we we moved in here this week, okay, is because we got to work out all these kinks for next week, we want to have be prepared uh because we know that we will have many people that do not know Jesus that come uh that maybe they uh have some sort of a walk with the Lord. Maybe they responded when they were teenagers and they're not walking with the Lord. Uh we we don't know. We don't know. Uh so that's why we moved in here this week. And uh we want to be prepared because we want folks to encounter the Lord next week. Amen. And uh um and so uh next week uh please I I think that most people are going to be like many of my friends there uh past half court uh where they're going to want to sit towards the back. So I encourage you if you're regularly attending and all that great stuff, please move forward. that way our our folks that maybe are coming in late u would be able to have easy to access seats. Okay, so that's for next week if y'all could do that for me. Uh quick housekeeping thing. Uh Joe and Carol, happy anniversary, guys. And they've

been married for 55 years and so praise the Lord for that. Uh I try to remember those things. if if you grab me. I try to remember uh but sometimes I I muff the punt, so please forgive me. Um let's take a look at our passage today. Psalm 118 verses 22 through 23. We learn about this stone that is rejected says that the stone that the builders rejected has become the the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes in ancient construction. the the cornerstone is the foundation. It is the most critical piece. It's not a decorative block. If you go out and you look at our cornerstone on the corner of our building, it's a decorative stone, right? It in the ancient world, that's not the case. It is the most important, most critical piece of equipment that you can have set at the corner of a stone building. It it aligned every wall. It ensured the building's entire stability. And a flawed cornerstone meant collapse in the future. And the builders, they would know. They would know. They would be able to look at a at a cornerstone and they would say, "Uh, that that's just a little off. We can't use that. We're going to we're going to turn that away. We're going to find a better cornerstone for this particular building." And the builders, the ones that should have known best, the ones that should have looked at Jesus and said, "Yeah, that's the Messiah." Are the same ones that looked at him and said, "He's not the one. He's not the one that we are looking for." So they rejected him and they fulfilled this ancient song on Palm Sunday. The scene was electric, cheering crowds, palm branches, waving voices, shouting praises as Jesus entered into Jerusalem. But rejection was just around

the corner. It's not about the initial Yeah. It's about receiving Christ. The scribes with their scrolls of knowledge, their Pharisees with their knowledge of the law, uh the the Sadducees with their beliefs, the Herodians with their political connections, the chief priests with all of their experience, all of them rejected Christ. All of them examined him and questioned him and they all rejected him. He's just a a Galilean teacher, some troublemaker from Nazareth. He's not the Messiah. I mean, that's like a a master jeweler coming across like a an uncut diamond and and looking at that and going, "Ah, it's not good enough." the the jeweler should know if it's valuable or not. And we look at that and we go, "Of course, of course, Jesus. Of course." But Jesus, he was discarded by those who should have recognized his worth. And that echoes all throughout Israel's history. In Psalm 118, it's a song of God's mercy, often sung to celebrate a king's victory. Think of David, right? He's a shepherd boy born in Bethlehem. He was uh from from the tribe of or from the family of Jesse. Small family and a small tribe of the smallest people. When Samuel arrived, he anointed him as king. But before he did that, what did Jesse do? Jesse said, "Well, if you're here to anoint my sons, here's my oldest son. He's big and strong. He's definitely kingly." and on and on and on and on down the row until Samuel's like, "Don't you got another son? There's a there's another one somewhere around here." David, not David. He's the shepherd boy. He's the gopher. He's the one that's just out there in the fields keeping watch over my sheep.

He's He's not the king. And yet God chose him, the youngest, the smallest, the one that was not royal material. And even after God chose him and anointed him as king, what did Saul do? He tried to hunt him down. He caused a war over this. Michael even scorned his worship. And yet God said, "This is my king." David, he was the rejected one who became Israel's greatest leader. And yet he himself was pointing to someone greater than himself. Acts 4:11 says this that this Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. Jesus Christ is the true cornerstone, the foundation of God's new building. That is the church with capital C. Ephesians 2:20 says that the church is built on the foundation of God's new is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. Christ Jesus being the cornerstone. He's not just a piece of the puzzle. He's the trunk of Israel. He's the promised son. He's the Messiah. He's the righteous king who suffered for our sins. He didn't stay dead, but he lives now. And he holds all authority over all the nations, over all people. And this rejection wasn't a mistake. What does the scripture say? It was the Lord's doing. Verse 23 says it was the Lord's doing. And it's marvelous. God, he orchestrated everything. Jesus's rejection led to the cross and ultimately was the payment for our sin. And he's the one that bore our sins. And his resurrection, it lifted him up to where he is now the unshakable foundation of our faith. But here's where it gets personal. Many still reject him today. I mean, some people, they treat Jesus like a life enhancer, a little G God

that they can call on when the bills start to pile up or when their health begins to fail. Some people reduce the gospel to just a social media post typing amen so that's enough to claim that you have faith. No, no, no, no, no. That is not why Jesus came to die. He's so much more than that. He is the cornerstone, the bedrock, the entire foundation of everything that we are. And he demands, he requires our full attention in our devotion. He's worthy of it of our whole lives. Charles Spurgeon, he once wrote that Christ, he's the foundation of our hopes, the guarantee of our peace, the source of our joy. He is the very cornerstone of our faith. Can you imagine building a house without a foundation? I mean, let's say that you said, "You know what? I'm going to use cardboard, Cody." Which may or may not be very far off for construction standards in our society today. How long is that going to stand? Don't worry about it being squared. We'll fix that later. We'll cover it up with some drywall. I mean, it might stand for a really beautiful day, but you know how Missouri weather is. First storm's just going to cause it to crash. And the the the crash, the fall will destroy you. And that's what it's like when we build our lives on anything but Christ. If we build our lives on our career or our family or our toys or our politics or our good deeds, they crumble. They burn up. Only Christ endures. And so let me ask you, you take a moment and just think about this. Is Jesus the cornerstone of your life? Is he the foundation of all your hopes, of all your joys, of all your purpose? Or are you trusting in something else? Are you leaning on someone else, something temporary?

What's your cornerstone? Secondly, look at verses 24- 25. It says this, "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, oh Lord. Oh Lord, we pray. Give us success." You know, Palm Sunday, it's a day of triumph. It foreshadows Jesus's victory over sin, over death, over hell. And the crowds, they are shouting hosana, which verse 25 explains that for us. It means save us. Now, Hosanna, it's not some type of casual cheer that they just started saying as though, you know, they just saying it for tradition's sake. It was the cry of their hearts. Psalm 118, it was sung when a a king would return from battle and they would celebrate God's deliverance. And we hear this in 1 Chronicles 16:34. This is when the ark of the covenant is coming back from Oed Edom um after the Philistines had taken it and put put it before Deeon and you know all that kind of stuff. Read about it. It's a great story in first Chronicles. But here the ark of the covenant is being returned to Jerusalem and G and David is dancing with joy. And here's what it says. Oh, give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his steadfast love endures forever. That's how Psalm 118 begins. That's how Psalm 118 ends. And it begins. It it finds its origin there at that moment when the ark of the covenant is coming back into Jerusalem. It echoes throughout the Psalms. Psalm 136:1, it says, "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His steadfast love endures forever." on psalm uh on psalm sun uh on palm Sunday psalm palm whatever the palm on palm Sunday the crowds they saw Jesus as their deliverer as their hosana and that was this psalm coming to life for them so I want you to picture yourself lost at sea your boat is beginning to sink waves are crashing over the edges of the deck

and in panic what you do is you radio for help. Mayday, mayday. And as your boat begins to sink beneath the waves, your hope begins to fade. And all of a sudden, you hear a helicopter in the sky. And you look and it's the Coast Guard coming and it's roaring overhead, dropping a lifeline. That is Hosanna. Save me. Save me. a plea for salvation that Jesus Christ is answering the crowds. They cried as he rode into Jerusalem because they thought we need deliverance from Rome. That's our greatest need right now is political stability or political change or economic change. And the crowds, they cried it as he rode into Jerusalem and we cry it still because we still need his grace every single day. Not that we have to be resaved or anything like that. But we do need his continual abundant grace every day. Maybe you sing a song as a kid, right? You know that song, this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. used to sing that. It used to be something that churches would sing. It's something that families would sing and clap to things like that. It's Psalm 118. It's about victory. But victory doesn't mean that you're done needing Jesus. Just because you're saved, justified, does not mean that you need don't need continual salvation being sanctified. You are made right with God when you come to Christ. You are continually made right with God. Ongoing sanctification as he conforms you more and more into the image that he has for you, which is the image of Jesus. Hopefully, as a believer, you're a lot different than you were when you first became a Christian. Amen. I don't know about you, but I look back on some of my old pictures like I posted last night and I'm a little embarrassed. Not

just of shaving my head and wearing a Hawaiian shirt. No offense, Steve. I love you. I don't even know where he's at. Um but um, I don't listen to the same things I used to listen to. I don't do the same things that I used to do. I don't struggle with the same things I used to struggle with. Why? Because his salvation is continually conforming me to the image of his son. Not that I've arrived, Amber. You know, I haven't arrived yet, right? Amen. But he's continually working on me and he's still working on you, too. And we need that. And one day, praise the Lord, we will be glorified. We will receive new bodies where we will no longer be influenced by the power nor the very presence of sin. Those passing thoughts won't be there anymore. And that's just so foreign to me. I'm so looking forward to that. But on Palm Sunday, the crowds there are shouting, "Hosana!" They are crying for salvation, and we do, too. We're justified, but we keep praying, "Save us, Lord. We've seen the deliverance, but save us, Lord. We need his strength to face the temptation. We need his strength to love others. We need his strength to stand firm in the world when we're feeling unsteady. We need that to fuel our joy." Verse 24 calls us to rejoice and be glad because worship it's not just about singing a hymn. It's not just about clapping along. It's about trusting Jesus with all that we are. It's not about being perfect. It's about giving Jesus your heart. Everything I am, everything that I have is yours, Lord, day after day. One of the things I've noticed is that sometimes we hold things back as as a church when it comes to worship. Um, some of us we like to

just do this. And I'm not being critical, okay? Please don't take this as criticism. Uh, but I don't I don't think that that's what Jesus desires, okay? Um, I think that Jesus desires adoration. I think that he's worthy of adoration. I think that Jesus is worthy of our hands being raised. I think Jesus is worthy of our hearts being made low. I think Jesus is worthy of all of our affections. And so, and this isn't just about Sundays. It's about the entirety of our being. It's about what we do with our time. It's about are we are we spending time worshiping the Lord and and being in his presence throughout the week? I mean, he didn't save us so that way we would be Sunday Christians, right? He he called us and he redeemed us to change the entirety of our lives. So, okay, I get it. On Sunday mornings, it's easy to come in and worship him and delight in his presence for most of us. But what about, let's say, Sunday at 1 until Saturday night? What does your life look like? Are you rejoicing in Christ? Is your song a Is your life a song of praise to him? Do you delight in your inner being of who you are and what Jesus has done for you? Do you trust him in the highs and lows? What does your worship say about your trust in him? Thirdly, let's look at the the blessed king, okay, and how he is welcomed. Look at verses 26 and 27 with me. It says, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords up to the horns of the altar." On Palm Sunday, Jesus he entered Jerusalem as God's chosen

king. The crowds are waving their their palm branches. They're echoing this verse. They're hailing him as the son of David. Okay, that's the Messiah. But they didn't really understand everything that was unfolding before them. Jesus wasn't just a king. He was the fulfillment of every promise that God has ever made. Verse 27, it says that the Lord is God. He has made his light to shine upon us. Jesus, he is the light of the world. In John chapter 1 verses 4-5 he says in him was life and life was the light of man. The light shines in the darkness and darkness has not overcome it. Imagine a lighthouse on a stormy shore and it's piercing through the fog and the waves and it's guiding all these lost ships to safety in the harbor. That is Jesus. With one major exception is that Jesus, he places his very own light in our hearts. For 400 years, Israel, it dwelt in silence. No new word from God, no prophet to guide them and to call them to repentance. And then Jesus arrives and he shines his light. And what happens is that they try to snuff out the light because men hate the light and they love the darkness. And yet as light, it still guides us. It still spreads freedom and liberty through the deliverance of sin. But he's also the sacrifice. Look at verse 27. It mentions the binding of the festal sacrifice to the altar's horns. That's a vivid image of the temple where lambs were offered for sin. Jesus, he didn't need ropes. He chose the cross. Not a not a stone altar there in front of the temple, but a wooden cross on Calvar's hill. Isaiah calls him the lamb that was led to the slaughter. And yet, he went with the strength of God Almighty. And he died to atone for our

sins. And three days later, he burst forth in radiant glory, declaring his victory over sin and death and hell. And this wasn't a random event. Jesus's whole life sparked these these conflicts with the religious leaders. Jesus, he he challenged the Pharisees teachings. He confronted the Sadducees about the resurrection. The scribes, they were testing his wisdom. And yet every time they rejected him and yet it is through that rejection that we see God's purpose. Jewish tradition it notes that in Psalm 118, this is in the Mishna. It was written in about 200 AD as a commentary on the Old Testament that they used to sing this during the Passover pointing to the Messiah's arrival. And Jesus, he fulfilled it. And he came in God's name to save us. See, welcoming Jesus is much more than just, you know, cheering for him like the crowd did. It's trusting in his sacrifice, following his light. What does it say in Psalm 118:6? The Lord is on my side. I will not fear. What can man do to me? Jesus, he triumphed and we stand in his victory. But you got to do it. You can't stay on the sidelines waving branches and say that you're a follower. So let me ask you this. Are you welcoming Jesus as your king? Is he what shapes your choices? Your words, your relationships, your purpose. Think about that for a moment. And fourthly, I need to wrap it up here. Look at verses 28 through 29. You are my God and I will give thanks to you. You are my God. I will extol you. Oh, give thanks to the Lord for he is good. For his steadfast love endures forever. That's the heartbeat of Palm Sunday. It is gratitude for Jesus and he is the cornerstone that saves us. That love that he has for you is not fleeting. It does not change based upon how you perform. His love endures forever and it

unchanging and it is completely eternal. Jesus didn't come to just sprinkle a little blessing in our lives as though he were some sort of fairy. He's not a cosmic vending machine just to fulfill our wishes. He came because we are lost. We are pitiful. We are trapped trapped in sin. Helpless to save ourselves. And yet he was filled with compassion. Not like a soft feminine snuggy wuggy kind of compassion or love. He was willing to lay down his life and bleed and die because of his love. And it was a fierce devotion. And yet Hebrews 12:2 it says that it was the joy that was set before him. He endured the cross. the joy of redeeming us. And he didn't stay dead. He rose again. And it proves that his love is forever. You know, you hear stories about uh soldiers that uh jump on grenades to save their whole squad. And it's true that happens. I heard one time that that happened and the friends they survived and he was gone. But you know what they did was they spent their lives honoring him, telling his story to anyone who would listen. And Jesus, he did much more than just take a grenade infinitely more. He died and he rose and he is alive and he hears our thanks. Listen to Revelation 7:es 9-12. A great multitude is there from every nation from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands crying out salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb and that is our future and it echoes those palm branches of Palm Sunday with eternal praise. See, gratitude is not just a feeling. It's a way of life. It's evangelism. It's telling your neighbor about Jesus, inviting them to know about the great salvation that you

have experienced. It's disciplehip. It is growing in faith and helping others to grow. It's about teaching your kids. That's why we do catechism. I mean, it's questions and answers. That's it. Praise the Lord for it. It's trusting him. When the world feels dark and you might look around and you might say, "This is a really dark world." You might see crime spiking and cultural culture spiraling out of control. But you know what? The gospel endures. His people continue on. And we have a firm and sure foundation upon which we can stand with full certainty that Jesus Christ is king and he rules. Now the psalmist declares, "You are my God." Is that your confession? Is is Jesus your foundation? Is Jesus your cornerstone? Are you still building on yourself and your plans and your strength and your achievements? Biblical belief is not about nodding in agreement and saying, "Yep. It's not about liking sermon clips online. It's about trusting Jesus completely. It's about worshiping him with your whole heart." Palm Sunday, it shows us the stone that the builders rejected was riding into Jerusalem to save us. Psalm 118, it was their song. It's ours, too. He's the cornerstone. He's the reason that we rejoice. The king that we welcome, the savior who deserves our gratitude. And his steadfast love endures forever. Picture u a skyscraper that was that stands tall throughout the earthquakes. You guys probably seen some of those uh uh videos from the recent one down in Asia. These skyscrapers just swaying back and forth and entire pools being emptied up on the top floors. And yet they still stood. They stood strong. Even in the midst of chaos, even when the very earth shakes, it was firm. The picture of the solid foundation that we have in Christ in our lives. So no matter what life throws your way in the midst of fear and chaos or whatever, he

holds us firm. So let's respond just like what they sang in verse 29. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His steadfast love endures forever. Head, heart, hand, head. God, he wants you to believe that Jesus is the cornerstone, the foundation of salvation and the one that God has chosen. Even though he was rejected by the world. Now the crowds, they may not have fully understood what they were praising, but God, he has already declared Jesus to be the cornerstone. Everything else, okay? All the rejoicing, all the welcoming, all the gratitude, all of that flows from that reality of what will you do with Jesus heart. God, he wants you to believe that trusting in Jesus is the only way to be be made right with God. Okay? He alone is the savior that God sent. And belief, it's not just in Jesus as a good teacher or as a miracle worker or even mentally agreeing with Jesus. Okay? He's much more than that. Biblical beliefs means to rely on to put all your hope in. Put all your eggs in that one basket, right? Even though the world rejected him, but he is the sure foundation for life and hope and eternity. In hand, God, he wants you to build your life on Christ by abiding in him continually, praising him openly, and giving thanks daily. At this time, uh, we are going to, uh, move into a time of response. It's going to be a little bit different, uh, because we got our Annie Armstrong Easter offering at this time as well. Uh, every dollar that you give goes to the North American Mission Board, which goes to fund, uh, missions uh, here in North America and in Canada. Oh, America and Canada. But uh you know the the where we're doing it at is not up here because we were afraid that uh folks might trip over this little little pipe that's

here. But it's right there behind the AV booth centrally located for you. And uh as we as we sing and we worship together, uh this is a way that you can participate. So let me pray and then we will sing. It's turn your eyes upon Jesus, right? Yeah. All right. Well, then we'll sing together. So, if y'all would stand with me as I pray and uh then we'll respond in worship. So, Lord, we do thank you so much for this great day that you've given to us. Uh we ask that um you would continue to work in our hearts and in our lives. We pray that you would just be that uh firm foundation and that cornerstone uh that we build our lives on. Lord, every hope is in you. And I pray that we would truly live like it. God, help us to bear your light to a world that desperately needs to see the hope of Christ within us. We love you so much in Jesus name. Amen. as we sing together. Let's Oh, soul are you weary and trble. No light in the darkness you see. There's life for a look at the Savior and life for abandoned and free. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangeely dim in the light of his glory and grace. [Music] Through death into life everlasting, he passed and we followed him there. our sins no have [Music] dominion for more than conquerors we are. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and

grace. His word shall not fail you. He promised. Believe him and all will be well. Then go to a world that is dying, his perfect salvation to tell. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the face of earth will grow strangely [Music] dim in the light of his glory and grace. Well, uh, thank you, church. It was, uh, a pleasure being with you this morning. It's always good to fellowship with the saints. Amen. Um, I was gonna Okay. Um, this is the last Sunday for pictures and uh so if you want to be added to the directory uh please go to room 301 which is straight down this hall to the right uh and uh be will get you there and uh get all the pictures and everything like that done. Also please be sure please please please sign up if you're going to be helping cook or anything like that for Dogwood Festival. I love you church. Go in peace. [Music]