Cold Open And Cabin Story

I'm ready to preach God's word. Are you ready to receive it today? Okay, three of you, because you're looking at the clock. 1149. So I don't know. I don't have to preach. We can go home. Alright, I'll preach. Thank you. Talk to me into it. Talk to me into it. The year was 2015. 2015. We were as a family vacationing in northern Wisconsin. We like to call it the North Woods. Our family's been blessed. We have a friend that owns a little cabin up there, and so we've been blessed to go there. For the first 10 years we lived here, we went every year, and now we kind of go every other year. But it's incredible, wonderful family getaway. The first bunch of years we go up there, there's no cell phone service. Amen. Hallelujah. Just felt the Holy Ghost and no cell phone service. And so we would go up there and hang out, and our family, we would waterski and get on the boat and fish and have all kind of fun, play a lot of games at night. No TVs. Come on, somebody. It's like real living. Um no social media accounts, nothing. No, no pictures to post, just family fun. And so we would go and every year we take a couple of days, a couple of nights, and we'll drive into town. It's about 35 minutes and drive into the town and have dinner or play putt-puck golf, which I usually win. And then um, no, really, I do. I'm just kidding. It's not that competitive. But she said, yes, it is. Uh, and then we'll go go see a water ski show or have dinner, and then our favorite activity on vacation is go through Dairy Queen and get blizzards. Come on, somebody. It ain't vacation if you don't get a blizzard. So, and you better turn that thing upside down, make sure it's the real thing. So we uh we would go and then head back to the cabin. Well, the cabin is the very last piece of property back at the back of this two-track dirt road and off the main road. So you go off the main road on one road, and then the further you drive back in, the smaller the road gets. And obviously it's nightfall, and the deeper into the woods you get, the darker the night is because the stars and the moon can't shine through the trees, the canopy of trees, and so. But I've started this little thing, and we do it every year. And so we were driving in these windy little roads, and uh I would turn all the lights and the dashboard and the headlights off in the car, and we're driving total darkness in this windy road. And it's scared. First time I did it, it scared the kids. They're screaming. Ushana's like, What are you doing? And uh, it was so much fun. It wasn't a long time, and it wasn't like I was going fast, but just to show how dark it really is, it was incredible. Turned it out and screaming, and from the back, I don't know if it was Evan or Eli, but from the back, one of them goes, Dad, use the light you have. And it's the year I learned no matter the situation, no matter where you're at, if you use the light you'll have, you'll always have plenty of light to go by. Why don't you just turn to your neighbor and say, use the light you have? And then the last one, just tell him, light it up. Up, up, up. It's Palm Sunday, and obviously it's a massive week. We're week four of our series, light. Our key verse is this Matthew 5.14, you are the light of the world. Everybody say I'm light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. So you are the light. It's not that you have light, but you are the light. You are the light. You need to hear that. It is critical that you hear the language of that. You are the light. You don't just need light, you don't just look for light. You are the light. And I would tell you that a function of light has always been to bring order to chaos. In the beginning, the world is without form, it is with it is void, darkness fills all of space. God says, let there be light. When he speaks light, order begins to come, structure becomes, and then he spends those days creating, and by his word, he creates the worlds. But it all began with the order and structure of light. So then anywhere there is light, there will be order and structure. And what is so powerful about that is no one can do anything about the light that already breaks through. You can't stop that light. There's nothing you can do to stop that light. That light will shine because that's what light does. Light shines. And Jesus said, You put under a bushel and you say, No. You hide it? No, it cannot be hidden. It cannot be hidden. The light is made to shine and bring order and structure to the world you're living in. Be the light, you are the light. And on Palm Sunday, I just want to bring this attention to this day of activity and maybe shine some light on the whole story. So let's dive in. First of all, and I'll try to be quick. I know you got places to be. Number one, but when you have miracle healings, cancer being healed, you pause. It's okay to stop in those moments. So here we go. Number one, Jesus didn't let the excitement outshine the assignment. And for our kids, your notes would say this the calling is greater than the crowd. Meaning, well, let's look at Matthew 21. Matthew 21, verse 8 and 9. Look at this. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. They literally were throwing their coats off. Others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. They're waving those branches and throwing them in front of Jesus. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. I mean, it's quite a scene that we're getting to see. This picture of people breaking branches and waving them and throwing them at the feet of Jesus as he's on that donkey and taking their coats off as a way to show honor and throwing them before him as he goes. And then they're singing and shouting, and the parents are singing out loud. But you know what's happening? The kids are actually out-singing the parents. Kind of like they are right now. You can hear them all through the room. But listen, I'm gonna tell you what, we'll get those kids in class next week. But you know what? I hope, I hope those kids outsing us. I hope those kids out-shout us. And we gotta have a moment where like, oh, we just gotta let's just listen to the kids worship for a minute, because out of the mouth of babes, the Bible says, praise is perfected. So the kids are shouting. And if you ever think that you're a if you can just have been a bystander on that day and have any kind of idea what's happening as all of this is unfolding, you gotta be looking at Jerusalem and saying, man, Jerusalem, I I think you're actually getting it. I mean, Jesus has shown up on the scene. He's all these wonderful miracles. He's teaching and inspiring and amazing him by his wisdom, the people by his wisdom. And and now they're like, they're finally like, Hosannah, here's our king. And you got to be saying, like, oh yes, Jerusalem, you got it. But they did not. Because they did not understand the light. You see, here's the trap of the crowd. The trap of the crowd is when you begin praising a version of the Jesus you want and not the savior you need.

Come on, don't make it play.

I'm gonna I'm gonna follow Jesus and I'm gonna serve Jesus as long as it fits into the category of the lifestyle I want to live.

Come on, make it play.

The Crowd Versus The Calling

Identity That Outlasts Applause

Riding To The Cross

People Pleasing And Audience Of One

Invitation To Follow Jesus

Oh, he's so merciful, he'll let me live this way. He's so full of grace, I can do what I want to do. Listen, he may be, but he's jealous. And he understands righteousness, and he wants the very best for you. So we don't just look for the version of Jesus we want, we've got to search for the savior we need. Look at this crowd. They wanted a political king, they wanted a national rescue, they wanted a visible takeover. Take over this Roman Empire, Jesus. Like, set your throne up, and then they're like, finally, it's gonna be great because our guy's gonna be on the throne, and when our guy's on the throne, that means y'all have to go away. But Jesus didn't come for that, he came to build a spiritual kingdom. He came not for not just the national, the national rescue, he came for heart transformation. And he came for eternal redemption. And here's the thing about running with the crowd is this that when you run with the crowd, you begin to look at what he can do rather than who he is. So I would say fall in love with who Jesus is and not just what he can do. Because he can do anything, but if he does nothing, he's still my Jesus. You see, it's possible when you're with the crowd to be around Jesus but not be surrendered to Jesus. It's possible to be emotional about Jesus but not be obedient to Jesus. It's possible to celebrate him publicly, but resist him privately. And if all if it's all about what can be done, you can be with the crowd shouting Hosanna on Sunday and crucify him on Thursday. Because you didn't understand the light. And if I could just put this in like a life note or a leadership note, it'd be this not everyone cheering for you is committed to you. A lot of people cheering you on, but maybe not for the right reason. The second thing is, Jesus never borrowed his identity from the crowd. Kids, your notes would be this God's gifts are greater than people's opinions. Look at this, Luke 19. And some of the Pharisees called to him from the crowd, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. Time out. This is the greatest celebration. We're praising Hosanna. Here comes our king. And look who's in the crowd, the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the ones that knew all the law, memorized all the word of God. They knew everything about the word, but they did not get to know the word for themselves. And whenever that happens, when you get to know all about it, but you don't really know him, you can sit in a crowd and say, You should rebuke your disciples, Jesus. But look what Jesus says. He answered and said, I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out. You know what he was saying? He's saying, Listen, I don't need their praise to tell me who I am. My identity doesn't come from people standing around and cheering for me. My identity comes from heaven above. I'm sure and confident on my assignment. It's almost like he was saying, I was king before they shouted, and I'll be king when they go silent. Because I'm not validated by heaven, or I'm not validated by volume, I'm established by heaven. You see, the crowd didn't create the moment. They were just echoing what heaven had already declared. So this would be my life lesson for you. This leadership note, maybe, to put into action is this you cannot build your life on public opinion. Because just the same day you're the slice of bread, you're stale toast the next. Oh, so many things to say. I've gone from pastor, that's the greatest message I've ever heard, to like two weeks later, like that's the weakest. Can't be fed by that. It doesn't rest on public opinion. It's the word of God. Your identity established, it's founded in this word, it's principled in this word, and no matter what anybody says, you are what God's word says you are, you can do what God's word says you can do, you can be what God's word says you can be, and you need no one to validate that except God Himself. Because, listen, public opinion changes, emotions fluctuate, and people are inconsistent. But when you build on what is unshakable, what God crowns, people cannot uncrown. I said it last week. God's calling for your life is irrevocable. The gift he puts on your life is irrevocable. No one can take it away from you. No one, no one can trash talk it. They can't do anything. They can do whatever they want, but it doesn't have an impact on you unless you let it. So stop letting likes define your worth, criticism define your calling, and silence define your value. If God called you, the crowd didn't start it, and the crowd cannot stop it. The last one is this heaven's crown remains when the crowd shifts. Now think about this. John 1 1 says, In the beginning was the word. The word was with God, and the word was God. A few verses later it says, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us. So can we all agree at the very beginning, when God says, Let there be light, could we all agree Jesus was there? In fact, the Bible says he's the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. It was in God's plan all the way to send a Savior. So he's there at the beginning, which would make me think it's it is no surprise to him when he's riding into town that these people are losing their mind and celebrating and going crazy, and it is it is oh, what is that? What is what is that? Lollapalooza in Jerusalem. Everybody's going crazy. I've been down there one time, I said I'll never go back. That and uh St. Patrick's Day say I'll never go back. Did it one time, never do it again. One was enough. But the the town's losing, you think it surprised Jesus that the same people shouting, Hosanna, here's our king, would be shouting, crucify him. Then why would he keep riding? Look at John 12 says this. Then Jesus, when he had found a young donkey, sat on it, as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Zion, which we're quoting the Old Testament here. Behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt. His disciples, look at this, his very own disciples did not understand these things at first. And then John's like, puts parentheses in the story. And it's like he's telling the story like play by play, and then he stops and puts parentheses and says, Oh, let me just tell you from the other side. Let me tell you from what happened. And look what he says. He says, But when Jesus was glorified, meaning after he rose again from the dead, then they remembered that these things were written about him and that they had done these things to him. Did you just tell me that the disciples were they weren't aware of what was happening, but they realized what they had done afterwards? Look at Philippians, Paul writes to this to the church in Philippi. And being found in the appearance of man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every other name. So what's crazy is why would Jesus keep riding through that crowd if he knows they're gonna turn their backs on him in just a few days? That even his disciples are gonna depart and be apart. Because sometimes not saying anything is saying everything. And then they're they're all there, and then he tells Simon, Simon, the devil wants to sift you as wheat, but I've prayed for you. So look at this, so that after you have fallen, you can come back and do what I called you to do. Like it's not a surprise to Jesus. It's not a surprise to Jesus because the crown was still there, even though the crowd was shifting. Why did he keep riding? Because he wasn't riding for the celebration, he was riding to the cross. He never adjusted his mission to match the mood of the crowd. Because when you know heaven's verdict, you can survive earth's volatility. Church, don't be controlled by praise. Don't be crushed by criticism. Don't be dependent on recognition. Understand that the crown will stand when the crowd disappears. Hey kids, you thought I forgot your note. I did not. It's this pleasing God is greater than pleasing people. My life, a little note for you, this leadership note for you, this thought for you for this week. Managing people's perception about you is exhausting. The crowd wanted palm branches, not nails. They wanted a throne, not the cross. I was thinking about my basketball experience in high school. I was a freshman. I told the 9 a.m. service, I think I averaged about 18 seconds a game. I scored a lot of points in warm-ups, I can tell you that. A lot of points. Man, I had that I had that finger roll too. It was good. Tapped the board. So I averaged about 18 seconds a game. And um in the second to last game of my freshman year, we were getting killed. And I can tell you, it was the score was so bad, my coach put me in in the second quarter. So you know it's bad. And uh so he puts me in and my best friend Doug, and I mean we just started playing and we play hard. Um and we had a couple of steals, made a few layups, and we got the score a lot closer. Like it was it was reasonable. And we go into the locker room, and everybody's like, it was Chuck and Doug, man, Doug and Chuck, Doug and Chuck, Chuck and Doug, Doug and Chuck, this. All the guys were so fired up. And uh, and coach comes in, and you know, he's gonna give us some wisdom, something encouraging to go into the second half, and he comes in, he writes on the board. And my best friend Doug, his name, his last name was Heemstra. So he writes Heemstra on the board, and then he's gonna write my last name on the board, and he writes it, Colgrove, right? It's you know my last name's Colgrove. I don't know, you call me P C, but Colgrove. So he writes, he writes the last name C O L E G R A V E. And he's like, Heemstra, we are in this game. Guys, we are in this game because Heemstra and Colgrave. I mean, he's my coach. It's the second to last game of the year, and he still doesn't know my name. I'm like, here's my one shining moment. I'm gonna have the song playing and I'm gonna be in this video, but no, he got the name wrong. And then, as if that wasn't enough, then we go out, we lost that game, but I got to play the whole second half and scored the most points I ever scored in my career. But then we the night before the last game that week of it was the last game of our season, he's like, listen, listen up, guys, listen up. I gotta, I want to just say something the way that we look. Way we played last week. Um Doug Doug is starting in Colgrave. Still got my name wrong. And so I went home that night and I told my dad, I was like, hey dad, um hey dad, um I'm gonna start tomorrow's game. It's our last game of the season I'm gonna start. He's like, oh, okay. And listen, my dad was busy building the church, working in ministry as a pastor, so he didn't come to very many of my games because I I just told him, I was like, Dad, I don't play. So it's a waste of time for you to come to this thing because you're just gonna sit there and be frustrated that I'm the best player on the team and not play. Because that's the way my dad rolled. It didn't matter if it was true or not. It was I was his son, and I must be the best player on the team. So I knew he was just gonna be frustrated that I wasn't playing. So I said, Don't come. But I said, Dad, this game I'm starting. And uh we get to that school high school, great representation. Last game of the year, you are warm-up circle when they're getting ready to jump. My dad is in the same Honestly. It might as well have been an NCAA championship game. I mean, it might have it might as well have been the most important game on the planet because he was there in his suit. He always wore a suit to work at the church, and he was he was there in his suit and he was so proud. I mean, he was and I played that game. I don't know who else was in the stands that day, but I played that game for an audience of women. And I think so many times, so many of us, we live our life trying to please everybody else around us. And when you try to please all the people in your life, not only will you be exhausted, but you're gonna do things you thought you would never do. You'll say things you said you would never say, you'll think things you wish you never thought. Because you're just trying to, maybe if I do this, they'll like me. Maybe if I do this, they'll like me. If I cut my hair, they'll like me. If I change the color of my hair, they'll like me. If I if I wear this, they'll like me. Maybe if I do this, they'll like me. If I go here, they'll like me. I'm just gonna tell you it's not worth it. Because you're gonna end up being somebody you were not called to be, and you know what? At the end of the day, they're not gonna be happy, anyways. In fact, they're gonna shift. But if you will live a life to only please God, you'll wear a crown that will stand no matter everybody else, they're up, they're down, doesn't matter. You're living for the audience of one. You don't get your identity from the crowd. You don't get the value from what people say. I read this this week. You know that saying, if you stand for nothing, you'll fall for everything. But the other flip side of that is if every single person loves you and thinks you're great, it's an indicator you stand for nothing. And the way that you try to please everybody is you end up standing for nothing. If you're gonna live to please God, you know what? You're gonna make some decisions that will ruffle the feathers of the people around you. But you know what? Their opinion doesn't matter, it's his opinion that does. I'm not living to please anybody else. I have one person in mind to please, and that is God. And when I live to please him, I know it is gonna set me up on the right path, and the people in my life can be proud of me living a good, godly life. Not because it makes me a good person, but because it allows me to be who God's called me to be. Pleasing other people, and look up into the stands and see beyond beyond that crowd of people and see one, and the one you're watching is nail scarred, he knows what it's like. The Bible said he went through every single thing that we would go through, but he remained sinless. First of all, to show he has the power to do so, but secondly, because when he went to that cross, he took all of our sins with him and he humbled himself to take the position of a sinner because only the one who has the power over it can actually submit to it and still come out on top. That's a word for somebody right there. You've been trying to win it on yourself. Listen, you just allow Jesus to pay the price for you. You'll never be good enough, do enough good ever. Come on, bow your heads with me. Jesus, what a Sunday! You've come into this room and changed our lives. You've healed us, you've freed us, you've filled us. But Lord, we we don't want to leave without offering you something, so we offer our life to you. I'm gonna tell the whole world you can have it. Take it, have the riches, have the fame, have the fortune, have the popularity, have it all. Give me Jesus. I'm gonna live for an audience of one because my calling is greater than the crowd. Your gift is greater than their opinion. And God, to please you is all I ever want to do in this life. Keep your heads bowed, your eyes closed for a second. If you've never given your life to Jesus, I think today has been the perfect example of what Jesus can do in our life. He lifts and rebuilds what's destroyed and broken. If you've never made a decision to follow Jesus, today's your day. All you gotta do is, you know what? Say, PC, I believe it. I believe what Jesus did on the cross was for me, and because he paid that price, I can have that gift. You see, you believe it first with your heart, but when you confess it, that's what leads to salvation. So we're all gonna pray this prayer because we're all taking steps every Sunday to get to know God better and to take one more step closer to Him. If this is your first time, if you pray it like you mean it, this is gonna change your life. It will not make your life perfect, but I can promise you, you'll never be alone and you'll always have a Savior and not just a Savior that you think you want. It will be, he will be the Savior you need. Are you ready? Let's pray. Dear Jesus, thank you for loving me and dying on a cross for my sin. Thank you for the free gift of salvation. I turn from my own ways to follow after you, be my Lord, and be my savior. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Come on, church.