The Cry of the Human Heart

In one paragraph

Pastor Brian picked up where he left off the previous week, following one question he had left open: what would it take for national Israel to finally say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord"? He worked through Jeremiah 30 and John 12 to show that the answer is both a future historical event and a present personal one. The review of last week set the table. Psalm 118:26, "Blessed is...

Read together

1. Matthew 23:37-39 Main passage from last week, Jesus lamenting over Jerusalem and saying they will not see him again until they say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord
2. Psalm 118:26 Source of the phrase blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord, quoted by Jesus in Matthew 23
3. Psalm 118:22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, used as a rebuke of religious leaders who rejected Jesus
4. Romans Paul describes Israel experiencing a hardening of the heart so the gospel glances off rather than penetrating
5. Jeremiah 30:1-17 Read in full as the main passage for the evening, describing Israel's coming time of trouble and God's promise to heal and restore them
6. John 12:12-13 The triumphal entry, crowd shouts Hosanna and blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord as Jesus approaches Jerusalem

What was said

• If there is unrepentant sin in your life right now, stop making excuses for it, call it what it is before God, ask His forgiveness, and turn the other way.
• Ask yourself honestly whether you have been treating the counsel of Jesus casually in any area of your life, and then apply what He says instead of continuing on your own.
• The next time you are reading the Old Testament prophets and feel lost, look for the phrases 'in that day' or 'the day of the Lord' as a signal that the passage is pointing to future events for Israel.
• Whatever situation you are trying to figure out on your own right now, try simply praying 'Hosanna, help me' and letting God be your rescuer instead of pushing through alone.
• If you have never been to a Shabbat dinner, take Brian up on the invitation this Friday at the Hunters' house and see how that context brings the Bible to life.

Talk about it

1. Brian talked about repentance as the spark that invites the Holy Spirit to fan a dying ember back into flame. Is there an area of your life where you have been making excuses instead of calling sin what it is? What makes it hard to do that?
2. Brian said the Hebrew word for 'reject' in Psalm 118:22 also means to treat casually or lightly. Where have you found yourself treating the counsel or leadership of Jesus casually rather than clinging to it?
3. Brian described God's chastisements as always being the least severe measures needed to bring about the maximum possible correction. How have you seen that pattern play out in your own life or in the life of someone close to you?
4. Brian pointed out that the crowd on Palm Sunday was shouting 'Hosanna,' which means 'save us,' a cry of desperation from people who knew they could not save themselves. Have you ever reached that kind of end-of-yourself moment? What did it take to get there?
5. Brian closed by asking whether you are still trying to handle a situation on your own when what you really need to do is cry out Hosanna. What would it look like practically for you to stop striving and hand that thing to God this week?