In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of living a life that is aligned with the word of God. He compares a life without God to a film or a circus, stating that it is unreal. The preacher also highlights the rejection and suffering that Jesus Christ endured, despite his greatness and kindness. He mentions how Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, displaying humility and meekness, which was unexpected for a king. The sermon concludes by discussing the significance of the week of the suffering or passion of Christ, and how Jesus bore our sins and brought healing through his wounds.

We're going to read from Isaiah 52. Yesterday we were visited by people from the Tugela Valley. Not Tugela Ferry, but the Tugela Valley. There were 39 of them. And when they got home, they said, if we could, we'd like to come back tomorrow if we get the chance. But if we don't meet at Kwasizwabantu, we'll have our meeting with them down there in the valley. The Lord worked wonderfully. And it is wonderful to see how people receive the gospel so willingly. Some were here for the very first time. And we're going to read from verse 13. Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, so his visage was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. So shall he sprinkle or startle many nations, kings shall shut their mouths at him. For what they had not been told, they shall see, and what they had not heard, they shall consider. Who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness, and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we did not esteem him. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. We will read thus far. In this week we could meet every day and have services about this text which we have read. Nevertheless we would never get to the end of all this which we have read. This week is known as the week of the suffering or the passion of Christ our Lord. The week of his suffering. Today it is celebrated and remembered regarding the Lord Jesus entering into Jerusalem on a donkey. There were Hosannas. There were Hosannas. Despite their Hosannas, by the end of the week they were calling for blood, demanding that he gets crucified. Do you see how we can never lean on man? We cannot depend upon a human being who changes, one day it is like this, and then the next day he is different. The Lord Jesus entered in on the foal of a donkey. And it is not something that a king would do, he came in humility and meekness. Quite out of place for a king, one would laugh and say, surely a king doesn't arrive on the foal of a donkey. You women should realise this and appreciate it, he came in on the female foal of a donkey. Now he came in not as a king but as a servant, as we have read in the beginning of our text, behold my servant, he didn't come ruling but as a servant. He came in not as a king but as a servant. You women and you girls who refuse to put your faith in the Lord, your hell will be so much worse. You sell out the Lord just because of the desires and lusts of the world. The children sang out loudly, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes as the son of David, he who is the most high. Hosanna, blessed is he who comes as the son of David, he who is the most high. Hosanna, blessed is he who comes as the son of David, he who is the most high. He who comes as the son of David, he who is the most high. Hosanna, blessed is he who comes as the son of David, he who is the most high. I wonder whether our children, our young people are full of that spirit where they cry out Hosanna. And those who are believers, disciples, they cut off the fronds of palms and they lay the branches of palms on the ground so that he on the fall of the donkey would walk over it. The palm being symbolic of peace and joy and of great excitement. And so you find in many churches, especially closer to the Middle East than that, but many churches actually take palm fronds and this week where they have services and they remember the passion of the Lord, they put the fronds, the palm leaves to symbolize the peace and joy. Now in Europe they don't have palm fronds or they don't have palm trees because it is not the right temperature, it's too cold. But let it be spiritually that each one of us takes that palm leaf into the heart. With some kings, with some people who want to be leaders and kings, as it comes to an election there is much argument and much mud thrown around, but here is the king, here is a leader who comes in peace. That is why in churches all over they celebrate this week of the passion of our Lord with the emphasis of his peacemaking. That is why in churches all over they celebrate this week of the passion of our Lord with the emphasis of his peacemaking. When it should be a time of peace that one lives this week with a special emphasis on peace, yet you find that many are completely different. I invited a certain policeman, a leading policeman to attend the opening of the auditorium and he said I'm very sorry that I can't come because Easter is the time when we police have to handle violence, blood that is spilt, drunkenness and all sorts of terrible things. Instead, We should take this week as very special, this peace should rule in our heart, we should draw near to the cross, draw near to the crucified one and see his wounds afresh, but some they just see it as a holiday just to do their thing, whereas this should be the time of understanding and getting to realise afresh the passion of our Lord. Understanding. Why? Why? And so we need to understand afresh why the Lord Jesus was made a curse for us. Why he was cursed, why he was crucified, instead for others it's a time to buy their Coca-Cola and to celebrate with Easter bunnies and Easter eggs. But he was cursed for you. Yes, the very sins that you cling to, those things that you say I can't let go of, he was made a curse because of that thing and so the Lord Jesus is the one that we should be drawn closer to and to see what he has done. That he became a servant and came He came as a servant for you, if you would just realise that and have an understanding and if that should dawn upon you, you would repent right now. Yes, this very instant you would part from those filthy things, from all sexual immorality and all the gossip and all those things that you have in your heart. It would disappear. It would be It would be the finishing off of sin, if only this week would become so precious to you and reveal to you this week that we experience, it would be an absolute revolution in your heart. Remember To think that he was crucified for me. And if you spend your time doing your own thing, just in your own sins and you don't see the Lamb of God, whose blood was shed for us. The Lamb of God slain for me. Yes, you would see things completely differently if you realise Jesus came into this world. He was sent as a servant because of you. Your stealing would just disappear. Those things would just be cleaned up and would be gone if you would only see the crucified one. That your life is permanently changed, that you don't ever go back in the same way. Young people are troublesome in this generation, but there it was the children, it was the youngsters who cried out Hosanna, Lord save us. Many works of God, many ministries are being broken down and just die. Why? Because you find young people bringing in the music of the world, the drums, the rhythm, the beat, which is of the world. Because they haven't met with Jesus. And His wounds, instead you find them bringing in the dance and the styles of dancing into the church. And so this day and this week of remembering the Lord's Passion is forgotten by most and instead they trample it underfoot. Our Lord, despite the circumstances around Him, He went and climbed onto the foal of a donkey He went and climbed onto the foal of a donkey He went and climbed onto the foal of a donkey And so the Lord Jesus came in on the foal of a donkey in humility and in peace. Instead you find that there are those who forget about peace and they have the exact opposite in their lives. People who claim to be children of God and they fight and their words waste part. They don't know this man who rode on the donkey because they themselves are donkeys and they've got no sound mind. And they don't know the peace of the Lord as symbolized with those palm leaves. But here we have our King of peace and of joy and the one who reconciles. He is the Lord of peace and here He comes into Jerusalem. Not only peace, the peace comes with joy. It is multiplied joy. No hatred. No jealousy. And fighting and disputes. Instead it is pure love. Peace and joy. Double peace. Peace with God and peace with your fellow man. And a person who says he's got peace with God and not peace with his fellow man is a liar. Get it straight. Even if he preaches the gospel and calls himself whatever he likes. He's a liar. You can't have peace with God and don't have peace with your fellow man. The moment you part with your fellow man in Christ, you part with God as well. And you go astray. And your children will be the first one who show the world that you're following the way of the devil. And the person who says, I hate my dad or I hate my mom or I hate this person, this Christian man, that shows the devil that you have in you, that you're headed for hell. Jesus said, forgive one another. As he forgives us. Jesus even went into death and his enemies, the Lord even in death forgave his enemies. You cannot be a believer and have a root of bitterness in your heart. It's impossible, but nowadays everything is possible and allowed in the Christian church. Because Christians are so blind that they don't see the naked truth. And you're wasting years of your life. And at the end of the life and being judged and thrown, you'll regret that you had been such a fool and that you chose such a way. How can the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, the devil, how can this wounded be understood and be realized in you, if you still have this irritability and hatred, and hora chieso? how can the blood of Jesus have free sway free liberty in your heart if you hold on to your grudges and hatred against other Christians the blood of Jesus has got no meaning for you and you you say it has the day that comes will show that you're a born liar and you're taking after your father who's from below how can you ask and say please forgive us and at the same time you gossiping about that person maybe it's a Christian who borrowed a hundred grand off you and now you bear a grudge and a hatred and you gossip and you you claim to have to be a Christian and you can't forgive such a small thing whereas the Lord Jesus in comparison has paid off your debt with tens of thousands of rands we pray forgive us our trespasses as we have forgiven those who trespass against us but if you refuse to forgive your debtors those who have sinned against you then the Father in heaven has not forgiven you and if there's no forgiveness in you towards others then it shows that the death and resurrection of Jesus is nothing to you in fact despite all your claims you are an outsider if you do not forgive others it shows your hardness it shows that you're rock-hard like rock-hard cement like granite we must be forgiving towards others and have a heart the spirit of forgiveness the Bible tells us commands us that we have to be reconciled to God be forgiven by God and that we should forgive each other and that was the message of these messengers that they went forth and told people make peace with God and then peace one with the if you don't yet live that life your your life is like just a film like a circus it's it's unreal and truth be told you are hardening your own heart by nursing this grudge this unforgiving spirit you just get harder and harder now we need to continue that there's so much more that can be said about this for it continues to say behold my servant shall deal prudently and he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high no one is great as he is but you find many who are just irritated by him and brush him off no one as good no one as kind as he and yet you find that these Jewish leaders were irritated and angered and it says his visage his face was marred beyond any other person they hated him looked down upon him he was despised and rejected by men and was his appearance wasn't attractive is there anyone as exalted as Jesus anyone who's better than he is is there anyone as beautiful as him but he was despised by these Jews these leaders hated him looked down upon him they hated him more than anyone else in the world not wanting to believe in him they condemned him instead of accepting him so instead of receiving him they were angered by him and condemned him rejected him instead of embracing him and loving him with all their hearts they hated him instead of saying of saying Lord you are glorious in beauty there's no one like unto thee instead they spat upon him rejected him trampled on him and they said he is someone who's ugly and despised they didn't want to even look upon him saying he was nothing he was just an absolute nothing and it shows that the king of the devils Beelzebub is the one who rules such hearts saying crucify him seeing nothing good in him even if when they saw him their question was where did he get his education from isn't he just from the local Nazareth nothing good can come out of Nazareth isn't he just the son of a carpenter and we know his brothers and sisters he was small he was nothing he was despised in their eyes he was low and he was in meekness down and they saw him as despised and as a as a nothing and you who turn away from him and you turn aside from the faith this is exactly your spirit you despise and trample him underfoot you do not esteem him you have rejected him and we blame the Jews we say to the Jews maybe you are here and you have exactly that same spirit in you they couldn't see anything good in him there must have been something radically wrong in their lives and if God reveals his way to you and you're not prepared to follow that way there must be something radically wrong in your heart and in your life and in your mind and I esteemed him not they rejected him saying crucify him crucify him they looked upon him as one that was an absolute nothing of the nothings they said doesn't he go around with sinners and tax collectors he's from Nazareth that dirty old town there's nothing good that can come from there and so the Jews in rejecting him they have had to suffer the consequences and just look at the enormous suffering in the last 2,000 years and so too with you if you reject Christ you yourself are an outsider and you will suffer the consequences thereof you and your offspring they didn't want to have anything to do with him didn't want to identify themselves with him his blood can come upon us and our children and they God gave them what they wanted and he'll give you what you want you won't reap it if you are not prepared to go God's way when he taught them he said they said what can we be taught anything by him he who can punish us for our sins who does he think he is away away with him but the Bible says in their rejection of him the Gentiles shall see and love him they shall receive the gospel but I fear lest those very people to whom the gospel was given become the same haters like those who crucified him they said we don't want this person to live and so Jesus was crucified on the cross and in the garden of Gethsemane but now we haven't even got to that part of our remembrance of him we are just speaking about his suffering even before then his rejection by them they despised his teaching and his speaking my friend you whoever you are from whatever race whatever nationality do you follow him when he reveals the way of obedience to him do you accept him in that or do you reject him and you are hard-headed against him and you're like a sheep gone astray and then it says who has accepted this message who has believed our report to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed many do not know the arm of the Lord they've never had this revealed to him the arm of the Lord being understood they have ears but don't hear eyes and do not see we speak of the Jews and their rejection of Jesus but fortunately there were those who though they were few who believed in him but you do you believe in Jesus is he great in your eyes or here is he something that's despised despised or can you say Lord you are the greatest one to me the most beautiful the one who rules and who is the first in my life I love you more than my own children I prepared to separate from anyone even my own child because I love you Lord it says and so the word says that one will be taken and one be left behind even in a bed one spouse taken the other left behind or do you have a dawning understanding where you say Lord you're greater than anyone I see your death I see your crucifixion for me Sapphira was cursed because she followed her husband was a fear of work alleges a mobile on London Linda to York we find many on spin by any baby what her leg was on her they see Fika a burning a pipeline of a fun and I love a baby but where is a lot said here a fantastic is number one in my life forgive me in the past what where it was not so where I was a blind man and other blind people followed and in English that well those who say today then even though I've sinned in the past despised and rejected him but today I turned from my sin to him let's bow and pray let's bow our heads Lord we've heard that you are the one who will become the greatest but those who are there in that generation of Jews they rejected you and despised you you were beautiful more than anything else yet they saw you as ugly but Lord today we look not at those Jews who rejected you but at ourselves and ask whether you are Lord and we examine ourselves Lord whether you are the first whether we love you Lord be merciful to us that we won't go astray like sheep but that we turn to you and follow you be obedient to you 40 sing-along see and that we don't reject you soon enough I'm or be like Judas Iscariot who sold you out but rather that we are faithful to you right until death as you died for us amen