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Jesus stood on a hill overlooking Jerusalem—the Kidron Valley spread from right to left before him, the temple mount rising up on the other side of the valley, and the walls of Jerusalem encircling the capital city. From that hill, Jesus would descend into the valley, up again into the city, and into the temple itself.

Everyone who knew him, and many who had only heard of him, were asking themselves, “What will he do?” They believed he would become the next King of Israel, reigning from Jerusalem. 

But, “How will he secure the throne?” And, “What kind of king will he be?”

Well, we know from last week that he will be a gentle king. And how will he secure the throne? In this sermon, we explore how what Jesus did in Jerusalem the last week of his life tells that story. Spoiler alert, it has to do with gentleness too!

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What does Jesus mean when he says, “gentle”? Jesus says he has a gentle heart and that the gentle (or “meek,” the same word in Greek) will inherit the earth. So, what is it that Jesus means when he uses the term "gentle”?

The gentleness question has taken me from the New Testament to the Old. Through word studies and commentaries and desperate Google searches, to times in prayer and many, many conversations.

In this message, we explore what it looks like to live as gentle-men, gentle-women, gentle-teenagers, etc. Spoiler alert, it has a lot to do with this: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

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What tone do you imagine when you think about God speaking to you? Our past experiences and current circumstances often shape the tone or how we hear God’s voice. Yet, the clearest way to understand God's nature is by looking at the life of Jesus, who shows us gentleness in how he carries his authority with both care and humility. Instead of delivering hard truths with harsh words or condemnation, Jesus speaks with compassion.

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In Romans 4:19-25, the Apostle Paul recounts the faith of Abraham and explains that righteousness is granted by faithfulness. Despite setbacks and seemingly impossible circumstances, Abraham remained faithful and trusted in God’s promise, which is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness” (v. 19-22). Not only was this true for Abraham—it is true for us as well (v. 23-24). 

Belief in God fundamentally changes how we live, no matter the challenges we face. It is the door into a new world as we trust that God is there with us, He is able, and He is for us.

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What are you afraid of? How does fear hold you back or keep you from living by faith? In this week’s sermon, we look at the family of Moses whose faith toppled the most powerful empire in the world. They had much to fear, but by putting their hope in the right place, and being faithful in ordinary moments, this family changed the course of history. If we are to cultivate lives that produce faithfulness, our fear of God must be greater than our fear of everything else.

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What do you do when it seems like faith has failed you? How do you handle disappointment, difficulty, and doubt that inevitably comes when things do not turn out how you thought they would?

In this week’s sermon, we examine the life and faith of Abraham (Hebrews 11). Although he encountered uncertainty, setbacks, doubt, and fear, Abraham stayed the course and ultimately trusted God with the outcome. Similarly, our faith should guide us to obedience, no matter the result. Even when the end is unclear and we cannot see the finish line, we are called to run the race set before us with perseverance, living by faith and entrusting God with the outcome.

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The author of Hebrews likens living a faithful life to running a race with perseverance, throwing off anything that hinders or entangles us (Hebrews 12:1). The Christian life is a relay race, in which someone else handed us the baton that we will inevitably hand off to someone else. We are called to be faithful with our stretch of the race! 

In the preceding chapter, the author explains that faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Even though we may not be able to see the finish line, we run the race marked out for us and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

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Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother… How are you doing with these? In Mark 10:17-22, a rich young ruler who seemingly had it all and had it all together, asks Jesus what he must do to live a good life. Jesus then reminded him of the commandments, all of which he claims to have kept since he was young. But there was one thing he lacked—covetousness. He lacked freedom from the relentless desire to acquire more. The solution Jesus provides, which is to sell all of his possessions and give the money to the poor, results in the young man walking away in sorrow.

It’s easy to play the comparison game. When we look at God’s commandments, we may be tempted to focus on the commandments we are keeping. The truth is, we all have areas of our lives where there is plenty of room for growth. But growth comes at a price. Sometimes we have to give something up if we are to grow up. To cultivate lives that reflect God’s goodness, to say “yes” to the life that God is calling us into, we will have to say “no” to something else.

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In a world that emphasizes individualism and autonomy, everyone has their own definition of what is good. And without even realizing it, we can also choose heteronomy, in which others tell us what’s good. Whether it is ourselves or another human being, we must consider the source and confront the possibility that our ideas of right and wrong might be flawed. In fact, Jesus tells us that “no one is good—except for God alone” (Mark 10:18). 

We often live as though we are the rulers of our own lives, deciding what is good for ourselves. Only God is truly fit to be the king of our lives because He is the ultimate source of goodness.