Worship Devotional XIX
Originally posted to the Facebook group on 4/3/2020.
Worship Devotional 4/5/20
~ Palm Sunday & Good Friday ~
Psalm 118:25-29:
"Lord, save us! Lord, please grant us success! He who comes in the name of the Lord is blessed. From the house of Israel we bless you. The Lord is God and has given us light. Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give You thanks. You are my God; I will exalt You. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever."
The word, "Hosanna" is a term of praise derived from the Hebrew word meaning, "Lord, save us!" When we sing, "Hosanna," we are singing praise to the God who saves, and praying for Him to save us. This was the prayer of Israel, which we see in Psalm 118. This psalm is what the crowd of Jesus' disciples quoted as He approached Jerusalem riding on a donkey. They recognized the fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy (Zch 9:9), and believed that He had indeed come to save them at last. Therefore, they praised God as they laid palm branches (significant to the Jewish Festival of Booths, during which Psalm 118 was sung) along the road to Jerusalem and welcomed their King.
Yet they did not really understand the work that God was doing. Jesus had indeed come as the King of the Jews to bring God's salvation and deliverance, but it wasn't going to happen as they expected it to. God's plan was greater than they could fathom. They were expecting an outward appearance of victory and triumph over their enemies, that they might rejoice as their nation was restored to glory.
Jesus, however, knew what was coming. Before there could be glory, there had to be suffering. Before there could be joy, there had to be sorrow. Before there could be life, there had to be death. Before there could be victory, there had to be sacrifice. As His disciples rejoiced at His coming to Jerusalem, Jesus looked straight ahead at the horror He knew He would have to face. This was the Father's will, so that salvation might be brought not only to Israel, but to all people of all nations.
We also can find ourselves praising God, but not really understanding the scope of His mighty works. We sing "Hosanna" to the God of our salvation, but we need Him to mold our hearts to reflect His, for His salvation is for all people in every nation. We also remember Good Friday and the sufferings of Jesus, the suffering Servant and Man of sorrows of which the prophet Isaiah spoke. May the eyes of our hearts be turned away from ourselves with our own limited expectations of what God is doing, and toward the One who is eternal and greater than we could ever imagine. We sing this week of both the praise of Palm Sunday and the suffering of Good Friday in anticipation of the glory that was revealed on Easter Sunday.
1) Intro: Hosanna by Hillsong
For this week's set, we will open with the chorus and bridge of this song as a prayer to the God who saves that our hearts may be healed and cleansed then filled with His compassion and love. May we forsake our worldly views and take up an eternal perspective that we may live for God's kingdom.
See also: Psalms 51, 86; 2 Corinthians 4-5; Hebrews 12:1-2
2) Hosanna (Praise Is Rising) by Paul Baloche
God is at work among us. He hasn't stopped. He will accomplish His plans and purposes. Praise is rising, and eyes are turning to Him. As we look to our God for provision and hope, we find the strength we need to endure the struggles of this life. He is our God who saves us. Let us sing, "Hosanna" and rejoice in His salvation.
See also: Psalm 118; Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 19:28-48; John 12
3) Suffering Servant by Dustin Kensrue
Why do we have hope in the midst of chaos in these times? Why do we rejoice even though the world is filled with sorrow? Why do we sing "Hosanna" with faith and joy when the world is falling apart around us? How is it that the Almighty God would reach down from heaven to save us? It's all because of Jesus. He suffered in our place though He had done no wrong to deserve it. He bore our sickness, our sorrow, and the guilt of our sin on the cross, that we might be saved — that through Him God would answer our Hosanna plea. We need to understand what Christ knew on Palm Sunday — that suffering was to come on Good Friday. Sin demands punishment — justice had to be done. We were without hope and without any reason to rejoice. But because of Jesus, the Man of sorrows, we now have the hope of eternal life in Him.
See also: Psalms 14, 22, 53; Isaiah 53; Romans 3:9-26
4) Stricken, Smitten, And Afflicted
With this hymn, we continue to express the meaning of Christ's suffering. At the cross and in Jesus' suffering, we see how horrible and terrible our sin really is. Only by faith in Jesus and through His sacrifice can anyone escape the wrath of God. He entered our darkness and pain to deliver us and bring us into His light and life. Now anyone who puts their hope in Him has a sure foundation that will never be shaken or destroyed.
See also: Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Psalms 22, 41, 55; Isaiah 53; Luke 20:42-44; John 1, 13
At the cross Jesus answered our Hosanna cry for God to save us. He poured out His love and now we who believe in Him are redeemed, forgiven, and set free. Hallelujah!
See also: John 8:28-36; Romans 5
Wherever you are and however you hear these songs this week, let's remember to always trust in the God who saves. Through faith in Jesus, we have the only true and unshakeable hope there is. May we stand in boldness, grace, peace, love, and faith as we endure our various struggles, knowing that Jesus has gone before us and suffered for us. He is able to help us get through whatever we face in this life.