And this is a time of like it’s been said already, it it’s
it’s a time of us just celebrating and remembering the triumphant entry of
Jesus into Jerusalem. And so I want to read out of Luke chapter 19. On your
feet, please everybody if you would in honor and respect to God’s word today. Thank you. Luke 19:37.
When he came near the place where the road goes down, the Mount of Olives, the
whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices
for all the miracles they had seen. Let me back up just a little bit on the
story and tell you that they were getting ready to go into Jerusalem and Jesus sent two disciples ahead of him
and said, ‘I want you to go inside the city and you’re going to find a young co
uh a young donkey there and and when you find him, it’s going to be a donkey
that’s never been ridden on before. And I want you to untie that donkey and I
want you to bring it to me. And if anyone asks you like what you’re doing
taking the donkey, I want you to just tell them the master has need of it. Okay? So then he gets on the donkey and
he begins what we now call the triumphant entry of Jesus into
Jerusalem. It wasn’t the defeated entry.
He was on his way to the cross, but it is the triumphant
entry of Jesus in the final week of his
life. Amen. And I now we’re in Luke 19 and that
verse I read to you, it says the whole
crowd, the whole crowd spontaneously, basically. It
doesn’t use that word, but it says the whole crowd of
disciples began joyfully praising
God. Joyfully praising God. The whole crowd
praising God in loud voices.
The whole crowd praising God, joyfully praising God
in loud voices.
There we go. There we go.
That verse sounds like a church service, a champion center.
And really a lot of churches that that gather together on this weekend, the
whole crowd, not just a few people over here, not just one or two over here,
but churches gather and the whole crowd
[Applause] [Music]
joyfully in loud voices. es loud
voices praising God for all the miracles they had seen. Everybody say, “My
heart’s open.” My heart’s open. My mind’s ready. My mind’s ready. Make me better, God. Make me better, God. By
your word, by your word. I receive it. I receive it. I believe it. I believe it. I won’t be the same again. In Jesus
name. High five somebody and you may be seated.
when we gather at our services on the weekends, we gather at events, we gather at conference. This really is like an
imagery of what happens whenever we gather together. And I know it doesn’t
happen to every church u but it does happen in many churches. as it happens in our church for sure is that we we are
firm believers in expressive worship and praise and
honor. We are firm believers in loving out loud, loving God out
loud. And so when we gather at, you know, on one big night, the young people
come together and Yeah. a little rowdy.
little rowdy, a little little noise making, little little bit of movement. And I wonder really if you had been
there that day and you were, you know, you were a person that were observing
and a part of that and you went away to tell somebody about it. I I wonder how
what words you would have used. Like they could have been different words. You would have been painting the same picture though. You would have been
saying things like, “Man, it was wild.” Like people are like yelling and it’s loud and they’re all yelling and
clapping. Some people are bouncing around and know so excited. And then you would probably tell like some some
people even went out and they got palm branches and they they had palm branch and they start waving palm branches
because that was what was appropriate in those days whenever royalty came into a
city after battles had been fought and and royalty would come riding in on a
horse into the city and and and and people were doing that. They were they were bowing. They were waving palm
branches. They were yelling. Other people uh were taking off their outer
garments and and their coats and their cloaks and they’re laying them down in front of of Jesus as he rides in that.
It was just a big festive celebration. And I want to talk to you today about
celebrating Jesus. I know for some of you this is new. If
some of you maybe it’s it’s foreign. Maybe some of you didn’t celebrate Jesus before you actually got around those of
us who do and got around a church like ours. And so I’m affirming you today and
others today, you do a lot of things right. Like you do so much good like in
your walk with God. But this could be an area where some of you like God God
wants to really help you to learn how to celebrate Jesus more in your life rather
than just acknowledging him or saying yeah he’s he’s my homeboy or you know he
me and Jesus got our own thing going like learn how to really honor him celebrate him make a big deal out of
your relationship with him and all he’s done in your tonight. Are you ready for this message today? Are you ready?
I first thing I want to tell you is Jesus wants to be celebrated.
He wants to be celebrated. Yes. In fact, right here in this scripture that I’m
sharing with you after all the the noise and loudness and
all of that, verse 39 of that saying, just you move down to verse 39, it says,
“Some of the Pharisees in the crowd,” now Pharisees were religious people,
proper people. They were dignified, dignitary, whatever you would call it,
style of religious people. and they wouldn’t think of this as being appropriate. So some of the Pharisees in
the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples. Rebuke
them.” And Jesus responds back to them is, “I tell you, if they keep
quiet, the stones will cry out.” Wow.
Now, Jesus was actually saying, “I I like this. This is good. Like my
creation is designed and made to worship me. The creation of God is designed to
show forth the glory of God. And everything that has
breath is designed to praise the Lord. And he didn’t go into all of that. But
the point is is like he didn’t succumb to the idea of in any way that wasn’t
something that was good or appropriate. He countered it that day. Right. Some
people say, “Well, Jesus was humble, Pastor Kevin. He He didn’t want He
doesn’t want to be celebrated.” Okay. Jesus was humble.
He humbled himself by becoming a man. He actually picked a donkey to ride
on instead of a horse. Just a slight sign of his kingdom is different.
His kingdom is not of the world. If you want to be great in his kingdom, you serve.
The intent is not to be served. The intent is to serve. So slight little
thing. He He was humble. He came to serve. Yes. He came to be our
savior. He came to be our king. Yes. And
he is honored when we celebrate him.
He receives our praise. He’s exalted and elevated when his
people celebrate him. Yeah. Jesus
wants to be celebrated, not tolerated,
right? Not uh I got to go to church
again. It’s been going to church 43 years. I go all the
time. Here I am. Just be glad I showed up.
He doesn’t want to be carried around like a burden in your life.
He He’s not exalted by our sadness or I
really wanted to talk about this going into Easter because I I I think drawing
close to him at Easter. I think remembering the cross is so appropriate. I I you know when we were singing about
he’s good to me that song gets me like I I feel so grateful
for the way he has been and continues to be so good like no one can do for me
what God and Jesus has done for me like I I’m grateful like
so this is not about like not being emotional shedding some tears uh in your
joy you know tears of joy But it really is about keeping it right in your mind
that through the Easter season is not a time for us to put on sackcloth and
ashes. It’s not a time for us to just mourn about his passion, his sorrow, his
pain. No, no. It’s a triumphant entry that he made. Like I it’s a victory that
at that point he was calling it already like I’ve done it. like I went to battle
the last three years. I went to battle against the the the the evil and the
darkness of the world and I’m on my final lap right now.
And and so he he is he is allowing this
praise because he knows some of the things I’m going to talk about today. He knows that it’s part of God’s plan that
he would be celebrated and and and not mourned, not not just acknowledged. Are
you hearing me today? Not not just reverenced. Yeah. He wants to be
celebrated. Oh man, I know some of you really love Jesus, but you haven’t like thought of
it like this. He wants to be celebrated.
Psalms 10 verse1 reads like this. I’m going to read like five verses. Make a
joyful noise unto the Lord all you lands. Serve the Lord with
gladness. Come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord he is God. It is he that has made us and not
we ourselves. We are his people and we are the sheep of his pasture. So good. Enter
into his gates with thanksgiving.
And into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto him and bless his name.
For the Lord is good. His mercy is
everlasting and his truth endures to all
generations. Come on, can you clap your hands and celebrate Jesus today?
We’ve got we’ve got over at at church kids today, we’ve got teachers that are
standing up in front of those kids and leading them in songs. Children are
bouncing around in church. We don’t like put them over in a little area and and
tie them up and get them all proper and appropriate and No, no. We church is
meant to be a lifegiving place where we come together to worship. So, you’re
welcome. All you parents, you’re welcome. We’re we’re we’re getting the energy out today.
We’re we’re teaching our children at a young age that when you come to church, enter into his gates with thanksgiving.
Enter into his courts with praise. Amen.
I know some people today are you’re you’re like, “Well, I don’t feel I don’t always feel and you don’t know what I’m
going through.” And why don’t you say this with me? Just say say something. Let’s get this straight. Say, “My joy my
joy is my job.” is my job.
See, you’re not you’re not always going to feel joy. Which is why Psalms 100
verse1, the writer says, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord.”
Right? That he’s like, he’s just like, “Do it.
Everybody say, “My joy, my joy is my job.” Is my job. It’s not someone else’s
job to make you happy. That’s right.
That’s good. Joy and happiness is not something that you that you
chase that you go after and find somewhere.
A lot of the world thinking is like it’s external. If I get this, do this, go
here, go there, then I find happiness.
That’s all worldly thinking. Joy is is is is not like
a a demand that you have or that you
that you earn. No, no. Joy comes from within you
and it grows within you because of the presence and the power of
the Holy Spirit in your life. Joy doesn’t come from out
here. Joy comes from in here. Yes.
And and sometimes that means like the song says, a hard fought hallelujah.
You heard that song? You clap too loud, I might break into
singing it here today. All right. I love that song.
Oh my goodness. I’ll leave that to Brandon and Jelly
Roll. Go look it up if you haven’t heard it. Like it’s a good one. Like
I love like the I think the first or the second line of that song says, “Till my
soul catches up with my song.” Yeah. Like I I will I will I will sing until
my soul catches up with my song.
Come on. Anybody ever feel that way in your life? Like I
I I want to just help somebody today uh to dispel the idea that when you come
into a church service and a lot of us are singing and raising hand that that it means we’ve had a perfect week. Yes,
it means no such thing. It doesn’t mean we haven’t had any
trouble this week or adversity or problems or people who didn’t treat us
right. No, no, no, no. It It’s our hard fought. Hallelujah. Is what it
is. Oh, come on. Somebody ought
to somebody ought to get excited about this today because knowing and
understanding how this dynamic works is to begin by realizing Jesus wants to be
celebrated. He created you to celebrate him. Yeah.
The second thing, Jesus deserves to be celebrated.
[Applause] Amen.
Some people like, “Well, I don’t know what everybody’s happy about. I don’t know what.” Well, you need to learn.
You know, you you need to get educated on what he’s done for you.
That’s great. Cuz what if you really understand and you have a revelation of what he has done for you,
you are you will realize I have every reason to celebrate
him. Amen. See, Jesus had brought in the text
that I read you, he had brought a whole lot of hope and encouragement to the people of Jerusalem. For three years he
had he had helped people and he had healed
people. They had heard him explain God and God’s kingdom to them in ways
that they could understand. He talked about God’s promises. three
years like sitting out on hillsides and you know off up off the side of a of a
of a little path or a street or in a garden somewhere. He would talk about
God’s promises to people. He he would talk about God’s faithfulness. He would
remind them like have faith in God. He would say things to them like, “If an
earthly father desires to give good things to his children, how much more
does your heavenly father desire and want to do good things for
you?” Right. He would talk about God’s goodness and he he would talk about
trusting God, telling people who were in a, you know, in a season and time where
the they the the Jewish people were oppressed by the Roman Empire. He would
tell them, “God’s not forgot about you, and he hasn’t abandoned us.”
And so they would hear him three years of talking to them about God, about
God’s goodness, about God’s favor, about the nature of
God, of three years of watching him go out of his way to lay his hands on
little children, to sit down and bring them up onto his lap, and to to to talk
to them and to show them love and three years of healing people
and making them whole and well his followers that were gathering that
day on the triumphant entry they were they were convinced now that he was the
Messiah. The word Messiah meant anointed one. That’s what
it means is is anointed one. And based on their study of scripture, the Jewish
people had been expecting an anointed one to arrive
that would conquer their enemies. That he would be both a
king in the lineage of King David and a powerful son of man who would bring
everlasting dominion to them. He would turn their their
sorrow into dancing. He would he would provide for them a new
day, a new way, a new opportunity of hope. And they had watched for the
anointed one. And now Jesus steps on the scene. And after watching him and bringing
friends to listen to him and gathering, they they’re convinced beyond all doubt.
This is him. This is the one the prophets spoke about.
They knew that day. It wasn’t just that they were celebrating just anybody. They
they they knew like he deserves he deserves our celebration.
He He deserves like the palm branches. He deserves the coat in the road. He
deserves the noise that we are making. He deserves every bit of this from
us. So, let me remind you, there’s a lot that Jesus has done for you and is still
doing for you. He has turned his favor toward you,
sir. He has provided for you,
ma’am. He’s opened up doors for you and your family,
for your children. He has put and is continuing to put
right people into your life. Like, he’s been so good.
I said he’s been so good. I said he’s been so good.
In fact, let me just make it easy for you. Everything that is good in your
life comes from above.
Everything. But by far the greatest thing is
that he purchased your salvation.
There’s a TV program called The Voice
and the contestants, the way it works, I I’m we’re really into it right now. I’ve not
known about it like many of you for years, but we’re really into it right now because a a pastor friend of our son
is in the competition and he’s like continuing to do really really well. He’s still in it
right now if you happen to watch it on Monday nights. Little bit of promo for
you Britain. There you go. Putting it out there. Um, and when when the contestants start
to sing, in case you haven’t seen, the judges, there’s four judges and they have their backs to the
singer and the contestant has to sing to the back of the chair. And there’s an
audience out there, of course. But as they sing, the hope is that the judge
will hit the button which turns his
chair. So, it’s like if you were looking at me and you were singing, it’s like, I hit a button and I turn to see you. I
haven’t seen you until then. And when that happens, the judge
is saying, I want to change my role in your life if you will let me. Right.
I I want to go from being a judge
to helping you be everything that you can be.
I I’ve been right now. I’ve been listening. I’ve been judging. I’ve been critiquing. And now, boom, I hit the
button. Welcome to my world. That’s what the judge is doing.
They’re saying, “I want to be everything that I can be to help you
go where you are able to go. Pick me.
Choose me.” And that’s what it looked like when God
sent Jesus to save his people from their sins. It’s like he hit the button, turned his
chair, and said, “If you choose me as your
savior and your leader, I will give you the promise of salvation and eternal
life.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. So, hear me out. Let me explain a
little bit more. He made it possible for you, a sinner, to go from the guilt of sin to the
freedom of salvation. He made it possible for you, an imperfect
being. Well, Pastor Kevin, like I don’t know you too. I I go to church all the time. No. No. imperfect, flawed, messed
up, goofed up. Any admissions in the rooms today? Any
like, “Yep, that is me without
Jesus.” To go from the imperfect in your performance to to being
righteous in God’s sight.
2 Corinthians 5, let me just show you. This is a beautiful scripture. He made him who knew no
sin. God made Jesus who knew no sin to be
sin for us. Everybody say, “For me.” For me. Say it again. For me. For
me. that we might become the righteousness of
God in him. By the turn of the
chair, we get to say, I
am the righteousness of God in Christ.
I am a sinner who is in right
standing with God. Let me tell you what he’s done for you.
He’s turned your mourning into dancing. He’s turned your life around.
He’s given you beauty for ashes. He’s given you victory
over your enemies. Yes. He’s turned He’s turned graves into garden.
He deserves to be celebrated.
Come on, let’s clap our
hands. So the last point that I had today to
share about celebration is to just tell you that we benefit when we celebrate.
Jesus wants to be celebrated. He deserves to be celebrated and we benefit
when we celebrate Jesus. There’s a reciprocal effect that
celebration has on the life of the celebrator.
A joyful heart is good medicine. Proverbs
17:22, “But a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
Psalm 37 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of
your heart.” So can I just tell you there, sir? Can I just tell you, don’t be complacent when it comes to
celebrating. Even if it’s hard fought, hallelujah.
Like, find the word hallelujah. Find the words thank you Jesus.
Because as you lift him up, you get lifted up.
I know without having to ask you today, many of you, everybody who came in today and sang and and raised your hands up,
you feel better now than you did before you came.
It just it’s just what happens. Our celebration brings his goodness to the front of our mind. We
sing about his goodness and yep, yep, God’s so good. Our celebration takes off
the spirit of heaviness and we put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. So make a
decision church. Come on. Make a decision that you will continue and
never stop celebrating Jesus.
Oh man. You know, I could keep going, but the bell is ringing right now. He
deserves more than your silence. He’s worthy of your shout
today. I said he’s worthy of your shout
today. I said he’s worthy of your
shout today.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Anybody thankful for all that he’s done in your life?
You know, I I just I I came from like many of you a somewhat of religious
background and you know that there was always like criticism around celebration like people were trying to analyze that.
Well, especially like in in in young people like, well, you know, they go to that one big night and they’re rowdy and
they do all that. Are they really celebrating? Do you shut up? Shut yourself
up. You want them to just do that at the game? You want them to just do that at the concert?
Are we going to get excited that young people actually come together, have fun,
celebrate Jesus together? Come on, sing songs of
praise, songs of worship, lifting up their
[Applause]
hands. Remember, that’s bowed, eyes closed. Nothing God has done compares
with his gift of salvation. Nothing.
He has turned the chair. Thank you, Jesus. He wants to be
your advocate. I don’t know who I might be talking to
today, but if you walked in here and you’re not in right standing with God, there is no reason for you to leave the
same way. He wants to be your savior,
your redeemer. He turned the chair 2,000 years ago when
he went to the cross. And today, he’s just waiting for a yes
from you. And that means he goes from just being a
judge in your life to being an advocate before God. He puts it your sin under
his blood. He represents you before the father in
heaven and says this man is is ours. This woman is
ours. Because in the month of April
2025, he said yes in a church
service champion center. He said yes.
And the father says well done.
Well done. Do you understand what I’m saying? We celebrate we celebrate the
cross this week. We celebrate the resurrection next Sunday. I just want you if you haven’t yet acknowledged the
turn chair in your life. I I just want you to know that that he he’s already
offered to carry your sin, carry your shame. There is no longer any
condemnation that needs to be on your shoulders for what you have fell short in, for what you have done wrong, for
the mistakes that you have done. No matter how small, no matter how big, he
turned the chair for you. And I want to invite you today, whoever you are, you
hear in me as I make my appeal. But more than that, you are sensing the Holy
Spirit in your life today, waiting for a big yes from you.
I’m going to invite you, if that’s you, raise a hand up in the air. Raise both hands up in the air if you want and just
say, “Pastor Kevin, today I want a new beginning in my life.” Good. Hands are going up. Hands are going up. I want a
new beginning in my relationship with God right here in this room. Wow. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Deont
Belleview, God sees you, loves you. Jesus died for [Music]
you. And today is your day for Yes. Good. Good. Just giving time. All right.
with your hands held high and all of us praying along with you. Say with me, Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, welcome to my
world. Welcome to my world. Forgive me of all my sin. Come into my life.
And make me a new person. Today I receive your word. I receive your
word. I receive your promise. I receive your promise. I receive the hope. I receive the hope that you have for me.
that you have for me. I boldly declare boldly declare. This is my day. This is my day of salvation.
My day for a new beginning in my life. My life my relationship with
God. my relationship with God. I’ll never be the same again. I’ll never be the same. Say it again. I’ll never be
the same again. In Jesus name. In Jesus name. I want to welcome you sir. I want
to welcome you ma’am to the family of God. Welcome. Come on church. Let’s celebrate new
