From Palms to Cross: Surrender Your Expectations

We are more broken than what we think we are and we would like to admit. Right? More self centered than we realize, more in need of grace than we are comfortable acknowledging. And no power powerful king or triumphant king can fix that. None of them. But only one. The one who was crucified, who was risen again for us. Only one. [00:13:04] (28 seconds)  #OnlyChristHeals

An invitation today is not just to admire him, but to trust in him, to surrender your expectations and to release your control and to follow him, not just with praise, not just with bells, but with all the way to the cross. Because your palm branches might be green externally, but your hearts might be dark internally. But he is near to you. He's near to the brokenhearted. He's near to you today and forever because the only way to him is through Christ. [00:19:34] (43 seconds)  #SurrenderToTheCross

We forget that this king is still here. And this isn't just a statement about him. It's a statement about reality itself. The way up is down. The way to life is through death. The way to glory is to surrender. That runs against everything we instinctively believe. Pretty much what we had to do everything backwards if we wanna do it right. [00:06:39] (36 seconds)  #UpsideDownKingdom

And yet, Jesus in that moment entrusted himself completely to God the father. He says, he who vindicates me is near. In other words, I don't need to be defended. I don't need to defend myself. My father will. But if we are honest, if we are gonna reflect on this Palm Sunday, how many times have we tried to defend ourselves? How many times have we tried to defend our position? God shows us a different way. [00:07:57] (40 seconds)  #LetGodVindicate

And he tells us very clearly. And I, when I'm lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. Lifted up means to the cross. So here's what Jesus is saying, my throne will be a cross. My victory will look like defeat, and that is how I will draw you to it and to me. Is that how you will do it, how you and I will do things? In fact, we wanna show that we are not vulnerable, that we are strong. [00:10:52] (36 seconds)  #VictoryThroughTheCross

The hour has come. And we think, finally, we got the whole point. Right? We think, oh, we got this. Right? I got it. But then he says another thing. Unless a a grain of wheat falls into the earth and it dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. It has to die. This is a profoundly statement, but it's unsettling statement. [00:05:35] (29 seconds)  #DieToBearFruit

We can't expect the same king right now. We want Jesus as long as he is aligned with our plans, with our expectations. We want help. We want his help, but not necessarily his rule. We want salvation, but often on our terms, how we think salvation to take place. In fact, we want to be part of that salvation. Uh-uh. You die for me? Let let me let me let me do this now. I'm gonna ask you to come here. That's my part. [00:04:23] (35 seconds)  #SaviorNotOnOurTerms

Because on the cross, Jesus does something no other kingdom will ever do. He takes responsibility for his people. Wouldn't you like to be to have a king like that? The one who takes responsibility for his people. How many times as leaders, we don't take responsibility for our people? Oh, that's not my fault. That's not my bet. We must embrace who we are. [00:13:37] (29 seconds)  #KingWhoTakesResponsibility

He bears their sin. He absorbs their failures. He carries the their judgment. The king dies for the rebels. How many of our bosses or our kings will be willing to do that for us? I don't know. You're gone. You're fired. Next. [00:14:06] (24 seconds)  #HeTakesOurSin

There is something deeply human about expectations, and I'm sure you are here because you're expecting something. I'm sure you get up this morning because you're expecting something. I'm sure you're moving because you're expecting something. We always have those expectations in our lives. We all carry them. Who doesn't carry expectations? And sometimes we do it aloud, sometimes we do it quietly. Sometimes we we are so demanding about our expectations that we forget, what kind of expectation does Jesus have for me today? [00:00:23] (39 seconds)  #CheckYourExpectations

So when we the crowd shouted hosanna, they were not wrong about shouting hosanna. They just didn't understand what salvation will cost. How many times do we really think about how much our salvation cost? How many times this week have you considered or reflect on your demands demands you have this week or the expectations you have? And not have considered his expectations for you. [00:14:30] (37 seconds)  #SalvationHasACost

If you have a savior, there's an expectation for you. But no, we're saved by grace, and then we just wash it off. There's an expectation for you, and and expectation is not about age. It's about who you are. We want salvation without surrender. We want glory without our cross. But Jesus says, if you want life, real life, you have to lose it. It's not because he wants to diminish you, but because he wants to remake you. He wants you to die [00:15:24] (38 seconds)  #LoseToLive

Now, because Palm Sunday, we the moment Jesus enters into Jerusalem, now we realize he's not the king we expected. He's the king who can save us. It's not the king we have chosen, it's the king who has chosen us. It's not the king we have chosen, it's the king who has chosen us. [00:17:13] (36 seconds)  #KingWhoChoseUs

Because Jesus is saying at that moment, my glory will not come through power, but through pain, through loss, not through the domination, but through death. What kind of kin are you expecting as you raise your palms? And you might think about I like the analogy, you know, the palm branches, but also how many times had you raised your palms to praise. [00:06:04] (34 seconds)  #GloryThroughSuffering

And here's the truth about us, we don't just need a king who inspires us. Many of many of those kings that have been or prophets or teachers of religions, they point you to one thing, you can be better, how you can do a proper, live a life in proper. If you do this, then this happened. None of those people, now Gandhi, no no one good have died for you. What we needed is a savior. And that's the one who created us came down, and he knew exactly what you and I needed. [00:11:29] (38 seconds)  #WeNeededASavior

See, the people back then, they wanted a king, but they wanted a certain kind of king, a strong one. Because if we want anyone to lead us, we want a strong person. Right? You probably will not pick a high five person. You probably will pick a bigger one with, you know, a great physique that when he comes across, everybody will bow their heads. So you probably want a visible one too. A king who fits everyone's expectations. [00:03:44] (33 seconds)  #WeWantStrongLeaders

And let me ask you, if they scream or they say with loud voices, Hosanna, Save us from Rome in their minds. What does your Rome look like? Save us from Rome. What does your Rome look like? If you were to ask Jesus for now, save us, hosanna, what will that be? Death, sickness, worry, doubts. [00:03:03] (41 seconds)  #WhatsYourRome

The one who had everything to hold on to, the one who has the power to say, you know what? I am God. Just shut up and do your work. The one who can say clearly, Mauricio, who are you to ask me? Remember, we just went to Job. Who are we to tell God what to expect from him or demand from him? How dare you, Mauricio? [00:09:37] (27 seconds)  #WhoAreYouToQuestionGod

Our promise is not external promise, not just circumstances, it's not just politics, it's not hardships. It is internal problem that we have, that we need to deal with. But how often have we not deal with the internal things in a external way? We do things externally thinking that we can fix the internal, and that cannot happen. We have tried that often. I mean, if not, put yourself in a scale, and you will find out that you cannot even do that. [00:12:28] (33 seconds)  #HealFromTheInside

But then this god who humble himself, not only humble himself, but he walked towards the cross. He didn't avoid it. He went straight for, this is what I come here for. This is what I come here for. Now, here's the turning point. Why does he do that? Why does he want to go straight to the point I mean, even the devil tried to tempt him to say, you don't do this, man. [00:10:04] (34 seconds)  #HeWalkedToTheCross

Because on the cross, Jesus does something no other king will ever do. He takes responsibility for his people. Wouldn't you like to be to have a king like that? The one who takes responsibility for his people. How many times as leaders, we don't take responsibility for our people? Oh, that's not my fault. That's not my bet. We must embrace who we are. He bears their sin. He absorbs their failures. He carries the their judgment. The king dies for the rebels. How many of our bosses or our kings will be willing to do that for us? [00:13:37] (44 seconds)