In his sermon, Doug Campbell explores the themes of Jesus as the ultimate prophet, priest, and king, focusing on John 12:12-13 and the events of Palm Sunday. He emphasizes the importance of understanding Jesus' roles and challenges the congregation to examine their own faith and priorities. Campbell warns against modern false prophets, critiques the desire for worldly solutions over spiritual ones, and calls for true repentance and reliance on Christ. The sermon stresses the need for believers to view Jesus not just as a savior, but as a guiding king and authoritative prophet, urging a return to sincere faith and biblical understanding, especially in the face of societal and personal challenges.

With that we'll go ahead and I have another screen over there so I can see what I'm talking about. So the first thing that before we get started I want to make sure that you all know is that we want to be here to be a blessing to you during this time. If you can't get to the store, or if you're a high risk person, or whatever, if you make me a list, or now even Hy-Vee and Walmart, they have it so you can place your order online and I'd be glad to go pick that up for you I'd be glad to get you whatever you need once again I'd remind you we have lots of eggs this time of year so if you need some eggs we want We want to help you in that so please if you have a need let me know I want to be a blessing to to all of you. Next is the every week I go over this and just understand that that we're not about we're not about making money and all that stuff the church isn't here to get your money but giving is an act of worship but only if done rightly if you can't provide for your family I believe it is sinful to give to the church so first you provide for your family and then as God blesses you and then you would Worship God by giving to him and if you want to do that, you can send it to the church by mail It is P.

O box 102 Elveston, Illinois Or you can go to our website and click on give and you can give online We want to give you the opportunity to worship as God has directed you, as He has set it in your heart I have things I need to shut off As He has set it in your heart to give, then we pray that you would be obedient to do that but keep in mind the Bible tells us that he who doesn't provide for his family is worse than an unbeliever and so and obviously we that's for our family's needs so we as as elders of the Elveston Community Church we do not want you to give if if you are unable to provide for your family that is your first priority. All right next up we want to make sure we are continuing to pray for for Jessica Dowdle. She works in the medical industry, specifically in this type of thing. And so we wanna keep her in your prayers. She also is going to be having a baby soon and so that further complicates and gives I'm sure gives her some stress I would ask that you would pray to that God would comfort her that he would protect her and that his will would be done in her life.

We also want to pray for Jim or Jim John and Kim Fox. I guess if you mix the two together they could be a Jim. But they also work in the health industry as pharmacists John specifically works in the Burlington Hospital and so he definitely it's you know it's very real a very real thing that he is working through and serving God in and so pray that you would continue to bless both of them as they both are pharmacists they they both see people lots of people on a regular basis So please keep them and their family in your prayers. Also this week Sandy Kailer asked that we would keep her daughter Heidi in your prayers. She's a nurse in Springfield and so let's also lift her up.

Alright so this morning, I'm sorry that the screen that I see the slide is way over there and I have to keep looking around the microphone. This morning the title of my message is, Where is our King? And if you would turn with me to John chapter 12, I'm going to read verses 1 through 19 to give some context. But this morning I'm going to look specifically at John 12 12 through 13. So but if you could grab your Bibles, I Pray as you worship God this morning as a family That you would all have your Bibles ready to understand that Jesus is our prophet.

He is the ultimate prophet. He is not only giving us God's Word, but He is God's Word. So we, and I won't preach into that until we get there, but we are blessed to have the very word of God before us let us not be neglectful of his word so if you turn with me to John chapter 12 let's read 1 through 19 it says six days before the Passover Jesus therefore came to Bethany where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.

Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume, But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, he who was about to betray him, said, Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the money bag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, Leave her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial, for the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me." When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priest made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him crying, Hosanna blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel. And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it just as it is written, fear not, daughter of Zion, behold your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt. His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done the sign so the Pharisees said to one another you see that you are gaining nothing look the world has gone after him let's pray father we thank you on this Palm Sunday for your mercy and your grace upon us, Father, and upon our nation.

Father, we thank you this morning that as this week I have looked and examined my heart father and have pondered how much we sin against you how much we fail you how much we turn our back on you how much we snub our nose at you, how much we disobey your law how much it can be said of us a woe to those who call evil good and good evil father this morning we are a sinful people. We are a sinful nation. Father, I pray that you would have mercy upon us. Father, that you would turn us back to you. Father, we ask, we plead, Father, that you would grant us repentance.

Father, even as we see the plague among us, we arrest believers for protesting wickedness, Father, and we protect the wickedness to keep the doors open of those who would murder their children father it's it's heartbreaking Father to look out and to see that so many double down on their wickedness. Father, when you bless us with a pestilence Father that is Meant to wake us up to get us to turn Father is so many that will double that have doubled down Father we pray Specifically for your church father and father specifically for me this morning that God, you would continue to let your will be done, that you would continue to break us as far as we need to be broken. Father, we are reassured by your word that those who would turn from their sin and trust in Christ are forgiven. And Father, for those who are forgiven, You're not punishing Father, but you are disciplining That it's an act of your mercy Father that evil would be among us That will remind us Father to turn to you, to trust you To trust you as not just our priest but our prophet and our king.

So father this morning we come to you trusting in your forgiveness, trusting in your mercy and trusting in your grace. But father, that mercy and grace comes from hearts that turn to you. That comes from you to hearts that turn to you, father. And so father, this morning, I pray your Holy Spirit would draw us as I pray so often. That we would take our minds off of the false gods around us.

That we would take our minds off of us, Father, and what we want. But Father, that our lives would be lives that are given to you father that begins I believe in your word And so father this morning we pray that your word would penetrate that it would change us Father we would come to complete repentance in you Father that's that's our goal and should be the goal of every believer, that Father, we would become like You. So Father, this morning we give You this time, I pray that You would bless all those who are listening, and that Father, not just a blessing of health and and and Worldly things father but way more important than that father that we would be blessed spiritually that we would come to know you Deeply that we would come to obey you deeply That we would come to obey you deeply That we would come to desire you deeply And father if there are those who don't know you maybe they they come to church every week And maybe they they look like model citizens, but as they search their hearts they would if they were honest they might come to the conclusion that they don't know you at all father I pray that you would draw them this morning in Jesus name amen amen Well this morning I want to look specifically at John 12 12 through 13.

This is the story of Palm Sunday. It's the Sunday that we celebrate this week. We celebrate this week in also sadness. One thing that I pray and one thing that has really been on my heart this week is that I pray that people understand that what we're doing now, what we're doing online, what we're doing to supplement church is not church this isn't church at all. This is simply your pastor and your elders desiring to continue to disciple and to continue to encourage you through this time.

But as I read so much on social media, people excited because they're sitting on their couch in their pajamas and they're going to do church this morning this this isn't church if you remember in scripture it says Don't forsake the gathering together When it speaks of church, it's the the gathering together. It's we can't gather together on our couch So we can't consider this church. We can only consider this A very far second and trying to continue to encourage that you would come closer to Christ during this time. So let's look at John 12 12 through 13 this morning. It's the triumphal entry.

It says the next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him crying, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel. This morning we have the image and so often we do on this Sunday when we're gathered together we have the palm branches and we wave them around and and you notice in this it says they were laying him at his feet I Typically remind people of this this is This is symbolic if you remember this is they're preparing for the Passover this really didn't have a lot to do with Passover as much as it had to do with a symbolic of royalty coming symbolic of the king coming We also do that even to this day if you've been to a wedding You'll notice that we have a flower girl who throws flowers down in front where the bride will walk And we find this idea here in the triumphal entry, this idea in Palm Sunday people are taking palm branches and laying them before their king and that's that's exactly what they say they say Hosanna that word Hosanna means save now I pray save us now we could replace that in there we could say save us now blessed as he who comes in the name of the Lord even the king of Israel so these the Jewish people were were searching for their king they were under Roman bondage they look forward to the day that their messiah would come and he would deliver them from this bondage.

But specifically, they were looking for their King. When will our King come? And if you... John MacArthur has preached on this several different messages and in one of his messages and in his commentary he goes into great depth of those all those who would come falsely all the false Messiahs all the people that would come and they were professed to be the Messiah and oftentimes the Romans would end up killing them or killing most of their followers and the things that they said they were going to do I think one of them even said that he was going to part the Mediterranean Sea and his followers were gonna walk through that obviously that didn't happen he would fall short and most of the time they would be put to death. I believe on that note it's important to take note if you are a watcher of those people who preach on TV take note of those who make proclamations, who say things that don't come to pass.

For instance, a couple weeks ago, Kenneth Copeland, he made the proclamation that, and even used the words that he was standing in as a prophet of God, and that this COVID-19 virus will be completely gone on March 31st. We sit here today and we see that that didn't come to pass. And what does the Bible say about those who, especially using those words, standing in as a prophet of God and making a proclamation and that doesn't come true? In the Old Testament you were to stone such a person. In the New Testament, we're told, don't fear such a person, because they don't speak from God.

They speak out of selfish, motivated hearts. And that might sound harsh, but if you're a fan of these people who make proclamations just as Joseph Smith did and they don't come true God is telling you that this is not from God They are of the enemy. They are of the devil. They are of the anti-Christ spirit. And that's how we know who is the Messiah.

That's how we know Christ is King. For instance, with Christ, every prediction that he made, they all came true. And then, as we get ready to celebrate next week, God has, at the end of Christ's ministry, after all that he has said, as he has died for our sin, has taken the punishment on the cross, and then as he is raised again, as God has raised him from the dead, as the tomb was empty, it was God saying, this is who he said he was. This is the Messiah. This is absolute proof.

This is the one who has come this is the one who can save you This is the only one who can save you And so this morning We have to Understand that the people in this time They had the same Thing going on there was lots of deception there was lots of Things going on that made it could make it very hard for them but We also have God's Word So we notice they're saying hosanna or save us now blessed as he who comes in the name of the Lord even the King of Israel they're looking for their king and what king are they looking for what they're going to scripture to find this information in Psalms 2 9 and Psalm 2 9 It says you shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel This is the king that they're waiting for The king that would conquer Rome that would deliver them. They felt their biggest problem was Rome They felt their biggest problem was Rome. They felt their biggest problem was they were in bondage They needed a deliverer who would come forth and they would he would conquer Rome And then he would set them free to go back to live as they lived before But what king Did we see and this is this is where?

The problem happened this is where see the the the the Israelites or those who were crying this out, they searched for a messiah who would deliver them from their earthly or worldly problems. This is what their concern was. They didn't understand why Jesus came, that he will be this king in the future. He will be this king as he returns in Revelation. But Jesus understood they had a far bigger problem.

And as we come to Him today, There are many in this world who come to Jesus to give them a better life, to give them a better marriage, to do this for them or that for them, any worldly thing they can think of and they try to trust in Him for this. But I tell you, those people who only trust in him for what he can do for them are these same people that we find in John chapter 12 verses 12 through 13 they they they cry Hosanna save us now save my marriage now save this now save me from prison now whatever it might be and blessed is he blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. They want this King who will deliver them from the consequences of their sin. They want the king that says, you shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. But in essence, they only want deliverance from their sin.

They only want deliverance from the bondage that their sin has created. So when we come to Isaiah 53 3 and we find scripture that described who Jesus was at this point it says Isaiah 53 3 he was despised and rejected by men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and as one from whom men hid their faces he was despised and we esteemed him not why did we esteem him not because he wasn't the king that we wanted he didn't do what we wanted him to do it was all from a selfish aspect he didn't he didn't provide for us the relief that we desired He wasn't the king we desired. He wasn't the God we desired. And at the end of it, that's what's most troubling. So how did we come to this?

Or how did they come to this? In Hebrews 1 verses 1 through 3, it tells us about who Christ is to mankind. It says, Long ago at many times and in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days he is spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he also created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. In this we find that Christ is three things to us. That he is not only the king in how he upholds the universe by the word of his power, but he is also the prophet. In the last days he is spoken to us by his son whom he appointed the heir of all things. He is the King, the Prophet, and look at the end, after making purification for sin, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, that he was our high priest.

He was the one who made sacrifice for us. We also find these three things in Revelation 1 5 it says and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, prophet, the firstborn of the dead, priest, and ruler of kings on earth, king. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood. He is the prophet, the king, and the priest. Now, Where did they go wrong?

One, they didn't understand this. They were looking for a king. They weren't looking for a priest. In those times, the majority of the Jewish people, they very much prided themselves in keeping the law, so they thought. In fact, if you remember, Jesus had a conversation with someone that asked him, how do I inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said, well, you know the law, keep the law. And the guy, his response is one of complete arrogance. It is, I've kept the law since my youth. It's either complete arrogance or he doesn't understand the law. He doesn't understand that he needs delivery.

He doesn't understand how sinful his heart is. And in fact, as he lists through the laws, he says, I've kept them all since my youth. And Jesus points to the first and second commandments and says, well then, Sell everything you have and come follow me and you will have great treasure in heaven and what's it say the guy went away sad Why because he regularly breaks the first and second laws the first and second commandments That God isn't his first priority his money is actually his God But this is where they went astray. They didn't understand that they needed a priest. And in fact, many people in our world don't understand the same thing many of those on the streets that we come into contact with they would say as Ray Comfort puts them to the test I am a great person I'm a good person they have no understanding that they need a priest And that's what we find during this period.

Now they understand prophet, they seemingly understand that to some extent that Jesus came to teach them, to show them, to be an illustration of God. They seemingly know their Old Testament to some extent obviously as we've seen here they they they cling on to some scripture and they all but ignore some other scripture But what they thought they needed was this king this deliverer So they focused completely on the king and they had no use for a priest and they had no use for a prophet And this is what led them astray look at look at how we see that illustrated in John 19 14-15 it says now it was the day of the preparation of the Passover it was about the sixth hour and he said to the Jews behold your king did you catch that? Behold your King this is what you wanted behold here he is and they cried out look this is the same people that were laying down palm branches and say and singing Hosanna and they've taken that's from from scripture Hosanna deliver us now save us now King save us now our king. But look what these same people just a few days later says they cried out away with him away with him crucify him and Pilate said to them shall I crucify your king the chief priest answered we have no king but Caesar The king wasn't as what they wanted.

He wasn't what they expected. He didn't deliver them from their worldly problems. He didn't deliver them from their worldly problems. He didn't deliver them from their sinful problems. He delivered them from, potentially from something much greater.

He delivered them from their sin problem. The sin problem that resided within each and every one of us and with them. He delivered them from that. If they would but turn from their sin and trust in his payment, he delivered them. He was much more than just a king.

He was a prophet and a priest he was much more than what what what they were asking for he was beyond their expectations that beyond what they could even comprehend what he did for them they could never do for themselves and yet they say crucify him because he's not what they wanted they wanted a good life now they wanted the same thing that many anti-christ speakers for God and our mainstream American airwaves they wanted their best life now if you want your best life now God says you might have it you might not but you better enjoy it because this is all you will have. You will be of those who say crucify Him when people proclaim the scripture. You will be of those who won't put up with sound doctrine. That you won't put up with anything that doesn't go along with what you think it should be. That God should be put under your feet.

That you should be His judge. That He should be the one that does things the way you think he should do them. Is he your king? Is he your priest? Look at the people.

They've become so in love with their culture and how they live that They wanted the Messiah to deliver them and to be their king and since he didn't live up to what they wanted Look what they say they go back to their evil culture. They say we have no king but Caesar I would remind you this morning that this was of their time and as we come closer to the end and as we look out and see prophecies being fulfilled and Jesus promising or telling us things that are coming to pass and also understand that this pestilence we find ourselves in is but very minor as we go forward to the end times we can expect especially for those and whose nations will not repent that this will look like a day at the park compared to what will come in the future but one day Jesus is returning as his king as as the one day Jesus is returning as the king that they expected the strong king who will who will rule the earth look at Revelation 19 11 through 16 So they were right Jesus will come as this king he just he had to deal with a bigger problem first.

That bigger problem was our sinful hearts and that we must be delivered for them. But look at Revelation 19 11 through 16 It talks about a day that is coming. It says, Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. The one sitting on it was called Faithful and True. And in righteousness he judges and makes war.

His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is the Word of God. And the armies of heaven arrayed in fine linen, white and pure were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread on the wine presses of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords." There is a day coming where Jesus will return and he is going to rule as king. The day is coming. There's a day where when Jesus will return, his work is finished on the cross, the lowly king who would lay down his life, who would be mocked and ridiculed, the day is coming when he will return, and the mocking and ridiculing will be no more. He will rule with a rod of iron think about that that king whom they rejected is the very king that would do what they thought he was coming to do his work is not over so what is our answer today? Or how do we apply this to our lives?

We find at that time that they desired a king. They didn't desire a priest and they really didn't desire a prophet as we read second Chronicles 7 13 through 14 it says when I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people. If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and heal their land." I remind you once again that this is directed at God's people. That when pestilence and famines come it's not the problem of the world so much as it is a problem of God's people. And here's where I'm going with this.

What is the problem of God's people today what is the problem of not only mainstream America but just mainstream Christianity in America but in most churches in America, what's the problem? Why, what is there to repent of? I believe it has to do with these three things, the prophet, the priest, and the king. See, in their day, they wanted a king. In our day, we still have the same problem, we're just focusing on a different spot.

In our day, we only want a priest. We only want the Savior. We only want to check a box and say Jesus come into my heart or whatever we did or get baptized or whatever and then we want to go on and live life however we want to. We want Jesus to bow to our schedules to bow to our our you know all of our hobbies and our Our entertainment and all these things we still want him to be priest, but we say Jesus I don't know if you can really be my king Is he your prophet? Do you are you diligent about?

Searching his word and reading his word and pondering upon his word? If he's your prophet, you will study his word, you will study to know him, you will desire him. Is he your priest this morning the biggest problem that we have is our sin our sin is what what disqualifies us from the other things from prophet and king it's our sin have you come to Christ and repentance and faith Have you put your trust completely in Him? The Bible, if we've examined our hearts and we see the ninth commandment is, thou shall not lie. Now you would say, well is God going to really send me to hell because I told a little lie?

Yes, he will. But you're minimizing your sin. How about we count every single lie you've told in your life, and on the day of judgment they will, the books will be opened and it will be set before him that not only did you tell a little white lie? But let's go through pages and pages and pages Bible says in Revelation I don't have this on the slide, But it says that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire You need a priest a one who would intercede before God who would who would Sacrifice who would pay the price for God now think about this in the Old Testament We we in the times of the temple, the priest would do several sacrifices for God, but once a year the priest would go in to make a sacrifice for the sin at large of the people. Now I would ask you what did the people have to do with it?

What did the people have to do with the sacrifice? And I would tell you the only thing the people did that caused the sacrifice to happen or caused this the priest cover or making a sacrifice that would cover their sins before God the only thing they contributed to this was the sin that made it necessary. If you think you can work your way to heaven, you are placing yourself in the shoes of those people saying, somehow I can make myself right before God when you cannot. As Christ becomes our High Priest, the only thing that you can contribute to your salvation and the only thing that you do contribute to it is The sin that makes it necessary Jesus Christ himself becomes the sacrifice The high priest who would who would who would offer the sacrifice for the Father. And this sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is not only a covering of sin, but a complete payment in full for our sin.

Is He your High Priest? Have you put your trust in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ? Is he your Savior? And lastly, is he your King? Do you obey him?

See the thing that we misunderstand, if Christ is our Savior, He gives us a new heart. If we have done this rightly, if we have repented and trusted in Christ, He gives us a new heart that not only desires Him to be priest, but it desires Him to be our prophet. We desire His word. Oftentimes scripture would compare His word to food. Like, we desire him so much that that we we desire him like we would desire food and who would go a week without eating and say you know I probably ought to go get something to eat right We would laugh at that because it's our earthly body that quickly reminds us that we need to eat.

A heart that's born again cries out the same thing. It cries out, I haven't been in God's Word. I need to eat. I need Him. I need to know Him better.

I desire Him. But the heart that's born again also desires Him as King. It says, God, whatever you would call me to, however you would call me to spend my time, God, I want you to be my king and I want to obey you that is the born-again heart now it doesn't do it perfectly But the desire is there our hearts are changed. We can't just have him as our priest We can't just have him in the Old Testament as our king if we only pick one it's evidence That our hearts haven't been changed Now God could be still working on your heart and I pray that that's true but the thing that that out of all this virus and all the things that are going on the thing that I fear most is that there are those whom I've had the opportunity to share with and don't understand rightly or God rightly I fear that there are going to be many who will stand before Him and they will say, depart from me, I never knew you. Why?

Because they thought they could have a priest without a prophet and without a king. Christ must be all or He is nothing to us. This morning I would encourage you, I would plead with you. Seek Christ until you find Him. Seek him until he changes your heart turn from your sin and trust in Christ dig into God's Word Study it to know him the more you know him the more you will love him the more you love him the more He continues to sanctify and change your heart But this morning I want you to know, to reiterate and in conclusion, what I really would beg you to understand is you can't have a priest without having a king.

You can't have a priest without having a prophet. This is a one package deal. When he changes your heart he becomes prophet, priest, and king. Is he that to you? I would beg you to seek Him.

As I look out into the world and I see the things that were going on, I had a lot of optimism at first. I thought, You know, people will come to know God. This is going to draw people back. People are going to repent. They're going to want to know Him.

He's eliminated most of our schedule. We're no longer distracted by all this stuff. People will once again come to know Christ. But as I look to the world in general, I just don't see a lot of this happening. If our nation, specifically, if our churches do not return, do not repent, and turn once again to Christ as everything, as their prophet, priest, and king, we have no hope in things getting better.

In fact, I believe that the hard times for us as a nation have just begun. This morning though, I talk a lot about mainstream Christianity and I talk a lot about what's going on with the people in the nation but where my heart fears and where I have anxiety and I know scripture says for us not to have anxiety but where my heart aches on a daily basis is for our church in Elveston. As I look through the pews in my head and I look at the faces. I can't judge hearts. I don't know where people's hearts are.

But my question to all of you is, is he your prophet? Is he your priest? And is he your king? Are you studying his word? Are you learning about him, learning what he's revealed, the Word of God?

Is he your savior? Is he everything? Are you trusting on your own righteousness, Or are you putting your complete trust in the sacrifice on the cross and? Thirdly is he your king? Is your life subject to him If he calls you into the the coven 19 ward at the hospital today to preach the gospel to everybody in there does your heart say yes Lord or does your heart say I better not do that now I don't know if he's calling you to do that but the question isn't is he the question is would you is he your king this morning if you're like me and as you go through those two things and really ponder upon them I see so much how I have fallen short The command once again is to repent.

If in Elveston, if our church as a whole, if we come to God in repentance, I believe God can use that to change the world but it begins in my heart and it begins in yours is he your prophet, is he your priest, and is he your king Or do you take advantage of what he has to offer and throw the palm leaves down in front of him and call him your king? But then, just not even a week later, we're yelling, crucify him! He didn't do what I wanted him to do. He didn't make my life how he wanted how I wanted him to make it This year prophet is here priest and he is he your King let's pray Father we thank you for this Palm Sunday. Father, this week as we go about our days, as we approach Easter Father my heart aches.

Father my heart aches that we aren't going to be able to gather together on the best holiday of the year. The greatest holiday of the year as we remember our Lord and Savior rising from the dead as we remember your stamp of approval saying this is who He said he was this is your Savior This is your prophet your priest and your king But God this morning as I've seen through scripture You don't just desire Fake worship father, You don't just desire our lip service, but you desire our repentant hearts. So Father, this morning I pray that you would give us a heart that seeks after you this week, that seeks to examine ourselves in depth. Father, I pray that you would give us hearts that desire deeply and cause them to repent before you. Father, help us, Father.

Have mercy on us, Father. Draw us, Father, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.