Let's Raise Our Praise This Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday launches the passion week leading to the crucifixion and resurrection, and the congregation receives a direct call to engage in the week's events: faith talks, Good Friday witness stand testimonies, a Seder service, and interactive experiences for children. The Palm Sunday scene in Luke 19 frames Jesus' entry into Jerusalem as a procession orchestrated toward the cross, where public jubilation foreshadows the salvation to come. Scripture imagery emphasizes that all creation praises God—the heavens, trees, mountains, seas—and if human voices fall silent, even the stones will cry out in worship. Learning to praise stands as a spiritual discipline: praise sometimes comes naturally, but it also requires practice, habit, and steadfastness when feelings, circumstances, or fatigue resist worship.

Four practical challenges structure the call to faithful praise. First, praise when it feels right—acknowledging beauty, provision, and blessing. Second, praise when it does not feel right—holding fast like the prophet Habakkuk who vows joy when crops fail and loss arrives. Third, pursue continual, lifestyle praise that shapes speech and resists coarse talk, letting thankfulness be present in ordinary moments. Fourth, praise without delay—choose to worship now rather than banking last week’s devotion for today’s battles. The text urges expectation: place hope in God’s arrival and let that expectation flip the inner switch from downcast to praise.

The narrative draws a clear pastoral logic: praise functions both as recognition of Christ’s kingship and as an active means of inviting God’s presence into life’s crucifixion moments. The congregation receives opportunities to respond immediately—decision for Christ, prayer ministry, and practical next steps—so that faith translates into ongoing devotion. The closing benediction reinforces that God enthrones himself in the praises of his people and that each believer can become a living stone of praise, carrying worship from the sanctuary into the week ahead.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Praise even when emotions fail When circumstances produce grief, loss, or disappointment, choose praise as an act of faith rather than feeling. This discipline recognizes that emotional honesty and spiritual obedience can coexist: naming pain while declaring God’s help refuses despair a final word. Praising in the valley trains the soul to trust God’s presence independent of immediate relief. [52:59]
• 2. Make praise a daily habit Turn worship into everyday language and rhythm so that gratitude governs speech and response. Lifestyle praise reshapes how hardship meets the mouth; it disciplines the tongue away from profanity and toward thanksgiving, forming an inner posture that outlasts mood swings. Consistent small acts of praise accumulate into steady faithfulness. [60:05]
• 3. Expect God to arrive now Anchor hope in God’s imminent action and let that expectation transform inner weariness into outward worship. Hope functions like a switch: when focused on God’s arrival, the soul lifts itself from last-week complacency into present engagement. Choosing to praise now invites God’s presence into current struggles. [68:30]
• 4. Let creation’s praise inspire Remember that all creation testifies to God’s glory; if human praise stalls, the rocks themselves will cry out. That cosmic chorus challenges human resistance and calls believers to join the ongoing worship that surrounds them, refusing to outsource praise to sunsets or seas. Joining creation’s song affirms Christ’s kingship and aligns the heart with eternal truth. [41:06]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [32:09] - Launching Passion Week
• [32:57] - Faith Talks, Good Friday, Seder
• [36:31] - Scripture Reading: Luke 19:37-39
• [41:06] - Creation Praises God
• [46:29] - Learning to Praise: Practice
• [49:45] - Four Challenges Introduced
• [50:06] - Praise When You Feel Like It
• [52:59] - Praise When You Don’t Feel Like It
• [60:05] - Continual, Lifestyle Praise
• [65:51] - Praise Right Now: Call to Hope
• [74:39] - Invitation and Prayer Teams
• [81:00] - Benediction and Sending

Bible reading: Luke 19:37-40 (ESV)
And as he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Observation questions

1. What was the specific reason the disciples gave for their loud praise as Jesus entered Jerusalem?
2. What was the Pharisees' request to Jesus, and what was his response? [39:44]
3. According to the sermon, what was the ultimate destination Jesus was heading towards during this celebration? [37:17]
4. What are some of the things in creation that the sermon says are already praising God? [41:06]

Interpretation questions

1. Why do you think Jesus accepted this praise and even defended it, knowing it would ultimately lead to his crucifixion?
2. The statement "the stones would cry out" suggests praise is an unstoppable force. What does this reveal about God's worthiness and creation's purpose?
3. The sermon describes praise as a "learned behavior" and a "spiritual discipline." [46:06] Why can't a vibrant praise life be sustained on feelings alone?
4. How does the concept of "lifestyle praise" [01:00:22] differ from praise that only happens in a church service?

Application questions

1. The sermon gives a challenge to "praise when you don't feel like it." [52:59] What is a current situation in your life where you need to choose praise despite your feelings, much like Habakkuk did?
2. "Lifestyle praise" [01:00:22] involves letting thankfulness govern our everyday speech and reactions. What is one ordinary moment this week (e.g., traffic, a work frustration, a household chore) where you can practice speaking praise instead of complaint?
3. The idea was presented that you "can't store up praise from last week for this week's battle." [01:11:10] What does it look like for you to "praise right now" and anchor your hope in God's imminent action today, rather than living on yesterday's spiritual momentum?
4. If all of creation is declaring God's glory, how can you be more intentional about joining creation's song this week? Could it be going for a walk to intentionally thank God for his handiwork, or pausing to thank him for a sunset?
5. The sermon connected Palm Sunday to facing our own "crucifixion moments" [01:12:36] this week—times we must die to self. How can choosing praise before you face a difficult moment this week prepare your heart to trust God in the midst of it?
6. In what practical way can you "raise your praise" together with others this week, making it a collective act of exaltation rather than just a private one? [01:09:43]