← ArchiveMay His Face Shine Upon YouDateMarch 24, 2024SpeakerDr Josh BurnhamText—Passages in this sermonLuke 244:28Numbers 65:17Luke 95:21Exodus 36:49Luke 1315:25Luke 1815:32Luke 1915:36Luke 216:23TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00*music*0:30*music*1:00Okay welcome to the church that gathers at Bethel or 8332 Moody Parkway. My name is Josh Burnham lead pastor here one of the pastors that God has given to lead you in the word. And today is a unique Sunday at Bethel every fifth Sunday. Which is usually four or five per year. We don't have any kids ministry during the worship time because we believe when little eyes see adults worship that your love for Jesus changes young hearts.1:29But today is not the fifth Sunday. Today is the fourth Sunday because the fifth Sunday is Easter so we switch the fourth Sunday into fifth Sunday so today is actually the fifth Sunday theoretically. Make sense? Okay. I figure that's clear as mud. So the reason a lot of little eyes and ears are here today is because we believe intentionality in our worship for adults changes little hearts and little eyes.1:57For our young boys and girls every week we welcome all of our guests and we welcome them with a big hallelujah. So today for our children we're going to welcome our adults. So if you are birth through sixth grade I need eyes here. Everett I see you. Good job buddy. On the count of three you're going to give me the loudest hallelujah you can say. If you need to stand up you can do this. Ready? On the count of three a hallelujah.2:23One. Two. Three. Good job guys. And if you ever wonder if our children are smart they are speaking Hebrew. Hallelujah means ha let us or praise let us praise Yahweh which is the Lord. Let us praise the Lord.2:42Today all around the world. People are celebrating Palm Sunday. This day commemorates the triumphal entry of the Messiah into Jerusalem.3:09If you remember this moment the entry is complete with a trusty steed, a colt, a young donkey, royal pavement where people threw their clothes, their tunics and palm branches or palm fronds on the pavement or the dirt road. And official couriers. Which shouted Hosanna. Hosanna. Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.3:39This is the day where millions of Christians all around the world are celebrating the triumphal entry. And we begin our ascent into Easter in the gospel of Luke.4:01So if you have your Bibles with you go ahead and mark Luke. No. Go ahead and turn to Luke. Don't. Because Mark is also a gospel. The gospel of Luke. And Luke gives us the framework to how and how to read his gospel. For instance, Luke 24, 47.4:28Luke says this. And repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. Beginning at Jerusalem and over and over again in the gospel of Luke, you will hear or see going up to Jerusalem, Jesus sent his face to Jerusalem. It's as if the gospel writer, the good doctor, wants us to focus our gaze at Jerusalem.4:55And we will see that today. So let me give you the title and then we will pray. The title of today's message is simply, May his face shine upon you. May his face shine upon you. And I get that from two verses. Book of Numbers, chapter 6. The priestly blessing, which we'll read shortly. And then in Luke 9, 51 and verse 53, Jesus turns his face to Jerusalem.5:21And because he sets his face to Jerusalem, God's holy presence can now shine upon us because of what Jesus did at the cross. Let me pray and then we will open the word of God together. For all of our young boys and girls and our old boys and girls, let's pray. Father, we thank you for your holy word. We thank you that your spirit is still moving.5:50Lord, as we have seen today through believers' baptism, that there has been someone who has gone from dead in their sins to being alive in Jesus Christ. Father, for those that do not know you, whether young, old, Lord, may you bring us to the place where we behold your glory, where we see our sin, and where we run to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and eternity. Lord, bless the reading of your holy word.6:19Touch our lives, we ask in Christ's name. Amen. And amen. So the faith of Yahweh's covenantal people began long before the establishment of Jerusalem. If you're keeping notes, Jerusalem really was established as the capital under King David. But before we had David, we had Egypt. Remember Mount Horeb. God calls to Moses on the mountain. And Moses goes up in Exodus chapter 3 and he sees a bush that's on fire.6:49But the bush is strange because the burning bush is not consumed. It's not burning. And so Moses goes up to the bush on Mount Horeb and he hears a voice from the burning bush that says, Moses, Moses, take off your sandals because the place you are standing is holy ground. Now, most of you have not seen a burning bush that's not consumed and most of you have not seen a burning bush that's not consumed that now speaks to you.7:20And in that location, on that mountain, on a holy place, Moses hears, Moses, I have called you and I will give you my name. I am who I am. So before Jerusalem, there was Mount Horeb. Before Mount Horeb, there was Ur of Chaldeans where Abram heard for the first time,7:46Abram, leave your land and go to a land I will tell you. And before there was Ur, there was Eden. It was in Eden where Adam and Eve dwelled with the presence of God. And it's the daily reminder that you and I have been created for presence. You and I have been created to know God and dwell with him. Now, you might say, well, Pastor, I don't live in Eden.8:16Or I don't live in Horeb. Or I don't live in Ur. Or I don't live in Jerusalem. I live in St. Clair County. Is God here also? There is not a place in this world where the presence of God cannot reach. You and I were created to dwell with him forever. This is his universal truth. And Israel clearly displays that.8:44There's a priestly blessing in Numbers. So if you would hold on to Mark with your right hand and turn to the book of Numbers with your left hands. I believe in you. Right hand mark, left hand numbers. Numbers is in the Old Testament. In the Pentateuch. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Chapter 6, verse 25. There's a priestly blessing that became standard and the cardinal blessing of God's people.9:11And it sounds like this. May the Lord bless you. May he protect you. May his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord look with favor upon you and give you peace. This blessing was shared every time that you would go into the synagogue or the temple.9:37Every festival, every high feast day, the people of God would hear this blessing. May the Lord shine his face upon you. And for God to shine his face upon you meant that you experienced his peace. That you experienced his presence. It's almost if, right, if your son or your daughter runs up to you or maybe they're not yours.10:03In the baptistry this morning there was Clark and Cullen and they ran up to me and they're not even my children. But it's hard not to, when a little guy or little girl goes up to you, it's hard not to get down on their level, right? And what do you do? You turn your face towards them. As if you're giving them affirmation.10:32As if you're saying, I see you, I care about you, and I love you. For God to shine his face upon you is no different. Because we do not come to God as equal. You do not come to God on your terms and say, God, here I am. We come to God and say, God, I am a sinner. And God sent his only son who suffered, who took on flesh, that God would once again shine his face upon us.10:57We long for the day where God would turn his face upon us and we would be the apple of his eye, as the Old Testament describes. I don't know about you today, but I want God to shine his face upon me. I long for the day where I can say, God, let me experience your favor.11:26Let me experience your presence. Lord, I want this blessing on my life. God, shine your face upon us. And as we pray that prayer and seek that blessing, Luke in 951 gives us a description of Jesus Christ. Who is God in flesh. And Luke says this about Jesus Christ in verse 51.11:57When the days were coming to a close for Jesus to be taken up. Now, this is the CSB, which I do not think of this verse as the best translation of this phrase. And I'll tell you why. He determined to journey to Jerusalem. Literally, the exact phrase is Jesus turned his face to Jerusalem.12:24It's as if Luke is connecting the dots for us. Luke is saying, sinner, for God to shine his face upon you, Jesus had to set his face to Jerusalem. So when Jesus set his face to the cross, God could set his face upon us. We experience his presence because Jesus Christ journeyed to the cross for us.12:49And in case we miss it, look at verse 53 of the same passage. But they did not welcome him because he determined to journey to Jerusalem. Jesus has a great desire to go to Jerusalem. And in Jerusalem, the capital city, the death, burial, and resurrection find their reality.13:15Beginning in Jerusalem, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed. As Luke says it would. It is in Jerusalem where the cross, where Golgotha is found, and that we find forgiveness once again. Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem.13:43Why would Jesus do that? Jesus knew that suffering and agony in the cross awaited. And in spite of all of this, Jesus set his face to Jerusalem. Jesus knew that there would be difficulty, and there would be betrayal, and there would be pain, and there would be turmoil. And yet, Jesus set his face to Jerusalem.14:13Jesus knew that in the cross and at the cross, he would cry out, Father, I thirst. Father, it is finished. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And yet, he set his face towards Jerusalem. Church, and let me just speak to everyone. For our young boys and young girls, if your birth to sixth grade again, look at me.14:42And if you're outside of that realm, you also look. But if you have little eyes. Jesus set his face to the cross that you and I might be saved. Jesus did that for us. It's as if nothing could deter him from this holy mission to prepare a way for you and I.15:06Jesus set his face so that God would shine his face upon us. And Luke says it this way, Luke 13, 22. The Son of God made his way to Jerusalem. Luke 18, 31. Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Luke 19, 28.15:36As they were going up to Jerusalem. Luke 19, 28. And triumphantly, today, Palm Sunday, Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem. When Jesus set his face to Jerusalem, we catch a glimpse of his holy triumph. We catch a glimpse. When Jesus set his face to Jerusalem, God shone his face upon us.16:02But don't just believe me. Believe a young lady named Anna. So if you have your Bibles, again, turn to Luke. And Luke frames up his gospel with this idea of Jesus determining to go to Jerusalem to make a way for you and I. Luke 2, 38. Anna was a prophetess who was well along in years.16:27There's questions on how old she was. Is she been a widow for 84 years or is she 84 years old? And Luke was a very wise man. He didn't give us her age. He just wants you to guess. But she's not young.16:57And Anna is a prophetess. And the Bible says this about her. She has been day and night fasting and praying and serving God in the temple. And she says this in verse 38. When she sees Jesus face to face. We don't know how long she's been waiting. But she says this in verse 38. At that very moment, she came up and began to thank God and to speak about Jesus.17:22That's him. To all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. It's as if Luke is framing everything that Jesus does around Jerusalem. He is setting his face. There is redemption in this moment. Now, what is so special about the city?17:52It's more than an address. Jerusalem represents a people. And these people are the holy people of God. It is in Jerusalem where there is the temple. And that's where Anna is, day and night. It's in the temple where the ark is. And it's in the ark where the presence of God dwells. The presence of God is dwelling in Jerusalem because that's where the people of God are.18:17You see, Jerusalem represents a people because God is redeeming a people. And Anna expresses this. She says about Jesus, we are looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Now, redeem here is an economic word. It is a word meaning to pay the price of something.18:45For you who are not young, you remember that there used to be these things called coupons. And I would always get behind the couponer at the line, right? That would have 80,000 coupons. And their bill was $10,000. After coupons, their bill was $10. And so I would patiently wait for the coupon. And then, lo and behold, they would have the wrong coupon.19:16And they would have to go get the right product for the right coupon. And here I am just waiting, smiling. I just want a Snickers bar or a Coke. Just let me leave. But the coupon, you would give that to the cashier. And there was a redemption price. You could redeem the product with that. For maybe some of you who are younger, maybe it's a V-Bucks card or whatever it might be. You can redeem that.19:45In the Old Testament, you would redeem the price of land by purchasing that for a kinsman redeemer. Or you could buy back someone who had sold themselves into slavery for economic reasons. There was a price on that person. And you could pay that price for their redemption. And Anna says, uses this word. She was, we are looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. This is what the Bible very clearly articulates.20:13God is a holy God. And because of our sin, there is now a price that has to be paid for our sin. The Bible says it this way. That the wages, that's a cost. The wages of sin is death. So what is the cost of your sin? Death. The redemption cost is death.20:41And every sin has a cost. Because a holy God cannot ignore our sin. Because if God is a holy God, he cannot ignore unholiness. And so there is a cost. And Anna says, we have been waiting for the redemption to be paid for the people of Jerusalem. And because the cost of your sin is eternal, forgiveness from God is equally costly. And it costs nothing less than his one and only son.21:12God sent his only son to die on the cross to redeem those who are under a curse. So if you ever wonder, how can the price of my sin be paid? Look to Jerusalem. Look to the cross. If you ever wondered, does my sin have cost?21:39Look to Jerusalem. And if you've ever wondered, can my sin debt ever be paid? Look to Jerusalem. When Jesus died on the cross for your sin, your sin debt was paid in full. Our redemption. Anna, we are looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Jesus set his face to Jerusalem that our sin might be paid.22:05Church, you have been redeemed. This is our hope. But Jesus also not only set his face to Jerusalem, but he looks and sets his face upon those who have yet looked at him. Turn to Luke 13, 34. Again, Luke is framing up his gospel.22:34Jesus setting his face to Jerusalem because your salvation is not an accident. Jesus prepared a way. Luke 13, 33. Jesus says, yet it is necessary that I travel today, tomorrow, and the next day because it is not possible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.22:54Outside of Jerusalem. And then Jesus later laments. He later laments. He says, Jerusalem. Jerusalem, how I long to gather you under my wing. And that reduplication, like Jesus often said and did say to Martha.23:23Remember when Martha was so upset. She's busy. She's working. She's trying to make a way. And she's frustrated. Lord, don't you see what I am doing for you? And my sister is not helping. Now, I know none of our brothers and sisters in this audience have ever felt that way. But if you ever have, you're not alone. God, don't you see my brother doing nothing?23:53And Jesus says to her, Martha, Martha. That's the language of intensity. The language of maybe dissatisfaction, but also the language that brings us in. And Jesus says, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets who are sent to you. Those outside of Jerusalem in verse 34.24:20If you have not yet given your life to Jesus Christ, the Lord still went to the cross for you. To make a way. You see, Jesus sets our face upon us before we set our face upon him. The scripture describes it this way. That while you were still a sinner, Jesus died for you.24:46Because rarely will someone die for a righteous man. But the world will never die for the unrighteous. And yet Jesus set his face upon you and I while we had not yet set our face upon you. Second Peter describes it this way. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but he is patient with you.25:11Anyone here thankful for God's patience? I know I am. Why is God patient? Wanting no one to perish, but all have eternal life. Before you had a thought towards God, he had a thought towards you. And he sent his only son to die on the cross that you might experience the fullness of life if you turn from your sin.25:37If you repent. Jesus looks upon those who have not yet looked upon him. Why would Jesus Christ do all this? Well, look at Luke 19, 28. Again, in Jerusalem. Going to Jerusalem. The redemption of Jerusalem. Jesus setting his face to Jerusalem.26:06And now we get to this triumphal entry. Luke 19, 28 describes the scene. When Jesus had said these things, he went on ahead going to Jerusalem. And as he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the place called Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said, Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there, which no one has ever sat.26:36Untie it and bring it. And if anyone asks you, why are you untying it? Say, the Lord needs of it. And just as Jesus said, things happened. Verse 36. As he was going along, they were spreading their clothes on the ground. Now, he came near the path down the Mount of Olives, and the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully, with a loud voice, saying,27:00Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens. And some in the midst didn't like the loud noise. Some in the midst didn't like the loud praise, and they said, Teacher, rebuke your disciples.27:27And Jesus answered, I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out. Jesus set his face to Jerusalem to prepare a way. A steed that had never been sat upon was designated as something fit for a king.27:53You see, this was no ordinary animal. This was a unique animal. It was set aside for the purposes of God. Can you imagine? And this is an aside to the triumphal entry. Can you imagine being that animal? After Jesus rides upon you, I'm going back to the stable and saying, the King of kings. You'll never guess what I did today. You were enjoying your oats and your hay, but the King of kings sat upon me.28:24Can you imagine creation saying, this was why I was created? I was created to bring the King of kings, the redemption of Jerusalem, back to the proper place. This is the glory of God. And Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem because the Lamb of God would be slain.28:49Why would Luke go to all of this trouble to frame the gospel around Jerusalem? Maybe a better question to ask is this. Why would Jesus go to all of this trouble? Why would Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple so Anna could hold him?29:18And the moment she saw his face, she said, we have been waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. Why would God put some random animal, random animal in some random stable so Jesus could say, go to this village. If anyone asks you, what do you need it for? Tell them that the Lord has use of it. Why would God go to all of this trouble?29:49Why would Jesus set his face to a city and a people who would crucify him? Jesus knew that to go to Jerusalem meant to walk to the cross, meant to carry his cross, meant scourging, meant betrayal. Why would Jesus do all of this? You're the reason.30:18You're the reason. God sent his one and only son to set his face to Jerusalem that whoever might believe in him might not perish, but have everlasting life. Let me make it personal. You know who a whoever is? I'm a whoever.30:48You're a whoever. Jeremy, you're a whoever. Randy, Carissa, Clark, you're a whoever. God sent his only son for us. He did all this. And I read the triumphal entry and I simply asked this question. How could the triumphal entry be triumphal if God's only son was going to die?31:15It was triumphal because our sins would be forgiven in that moment. It was triumphal because when Jesus set his face to Jerusalem, God set his face upon us once again. Let that sink in. May the weight and the hope and the joy of everything that happens in this Passion Week settle upon your soul.31:44Church, I'm a whoever. Church, I'm a whoever. If you're a whoever. Jesus set his face to Jerusalem that God might set his face upon you.32:07Maybe you hear this and you say, Pastor, I want. I've never given my life to Jesus. I want what Amber has. I want to be able to say I have died to my sin and I have been raised in new life. Pastor, I need that and I want that. How? How could I receive that?32:36It's simple. And yet it's not simple. It's a prayer of faith that says, God, I believe that Jesus is who he says he is. And I trust that Jesus did what he said he did. It's simple to say, but it's not simple to live, is it? Because to turn from your sins means that you have to turn from yourself.33:06And if you've never done that, I'm going to give you a chance to follow Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. So, Pastor, how? You can pray a prayer like this. Now, church, this prayer does not save you. There is no church that saves you. There is no communion that saves you. There is no baptism that saves you. But there is one who saves.33:35And his name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He is the King of kings. He is the Lord of lords. He is the one who set his face upon Jerusalem. He is the one who lived a sinless life. He is the one who died upon the cross and was buried. He was the one that three days later, he rose again. He is the redemption of Jerusalem. He is the freedom for sinners.34:05And he is the hope of the ungodly. Jesus can save your soul. And if you today need to give your life to Jesus Christ, in the busyness of all the little voices and all the movements, would you spend time with the Lord face to face? Would you pray a prayer like this? Father, today I recognize that I'm a sinner.34:32I know that the wages of my sin is death. Father, for the first time, forgive me. I believe that Jesus is your only son. I believe he died on the cross for my sins. I trust that God, you sent your only son, Jesus, to set his face to Jerusalem,34:57that I might be saved. And Father, today I will follow Jesus no matter what it costs. If you've done that by faith, the Bible says this. For all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.35:20That's not a subjunctive. That's an indicative. You don't have to guess or wonder about your salvation because your salvation is intentional. It is certain in Jesus Christ. Give your life to the King of kings. He can redeem you.35:50He will save you. He will forgive you. And he will cleanse you. One of the reminders that we have of our salvation is what the Bible calls the Lord's Supper or Communion. And in a moment, for every believer who has been baptized. So parents, I know this might cause you some difficult conversations, but we need to have this. If you have a son or daughter who has not given their life to Jesus and has not been baptized,36:19I beg you, do not let them come to the table. The greatest thing that you can do for them is to say, no, this is not for you yet. But give your life to Jesus. Come to Jesus and then you can come to the table. And if you don't want to have that conversation, listen, we will have that conversation with you. That's what we're here for.36:49Our pastors will be down front. We will stay after the service. But this is not simply a child's game. The Supper of the Lord is for the communion of the saints. And the Bible says, do not enter and do not eat without thought or self-reflection. So as we have a time of invitation, I'm going to ask you, if you are a Christ follower, before you stand, before you sing, before you come,37:18confess your sins before the Lord and find that he is faithful and just to forgive. In a moment, our deacons will come forward and to the rear of the sanctuary. If you would like to eat today, I'm going to ask you to come to the elements. And then if you would take that back to your seat, because we will eat with one accord. And in a moment, Amber, today, church, we have new guests at the table of God.37:45So we invite Amber to come first. Because of her testimony that Jesus is her Savior, she is our honored guest at the Lord's table. Let me pray and then we will eat. Father, we thank you.
