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We left off Friday as Jesus, the sinless Son of God, chose to give His life on the cross for you and I paying the price for our sins. His body was then laid in a tomb, sealed, and guarded by Roman soldiers during the Sabbath day.

Then…

Matthew 28/Mark 16/Luke 24/John 20

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen!

Why do you look for the living among the dead? Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words.

The angel said, “Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

When they entered the tomb, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.

When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”

So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

When the women came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb.

He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Afterward, Jesus appeared in a different form to two other disciples while they were walking in the country to a village named Emmaus. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”...

This morning is Palm Sunday, the day when we celebrate the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem for the Passover to fulfill this prophecy of Zechariah.

Zechariah 9:9-12

9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!

    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king comes to you,

    righteous and victorious,

lowly and riding on a donkey,

    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim

    and the warhorses from Jerusalem,

    and the battle bow will be broken.

He will proclaim peace to the nations.

    His rule will extend from sea to sea

    and from the River to the ends of the earth.

11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,

    I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.

12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;

    even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

Peace by establishing Jesus’ rule here on the earth. Freedom for prisoners of hope, double restored for what has been stolen because of the blood covenant that God has made with us.

Jesus once stood up in the synagogue where He grew up in on the Sabbath, asked for the scroll of Isaiah and read:

Isaiah 61:1

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

    because the Lord has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

    to proclaim freedom for the captives

    and release from darkness for the prisoners

He then said that on that day, this prophecy was being fulfilled. I believe that not only did Jesus fulfill this prophecy, but that we get to fulfill it as well!

The past three weeks, we have learned about the fundamental church element of God’s provision. Oh, if we only realized all that has been provided under this new covenant and what the fullness of our salvation makes available to us!

As we learned last week, we truly do reap what we sow and we reap to the degree of our generosity in sowing.

This morning, we move onto another principle that could be another reason for us still finding ourselves in need. There was definitely not enough time to cover this one last week!

There may be things in our lives that either need to be bound or loosed.

Here’s an example of this. A woman was crippled and bent over for 18 years and could not stand up straight. She needed healing; perhaps spine surgery or a really good chiropractor, right? Well, her need for healing could not be met by medical methods.

Luke 13:10-17

10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

Her need for physical healing existed because she was spiritually bound and needed loosed. The root cause was spiritual and not physical, but it manifested itself physically.

I really wish that spirits of infirmity would just find something more productive to do… Why would Satan keep this poor woman bound for so long?

Well, we know that his goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. Think of everything in your life that would be affected if you were forced to be doubled over like that for 18 years! More than we would think would be stolen, killed, and destroyed by that condition…

What need might we have that just seems to never be met no matter what we do to try and deal with it? There might just be a spiritual issue at play!

In teaching about demons, Jesus made the analogy that our lives are like houses.

For the most part, we choose who we allow into our homes; who we bind our lives together with. We also choose who is not allowed into our homes; those whom we loose from our lives.

No matter how secure and clean and occupied of a home that we keep, unwanted visitors who were never invited in decide to make our home their own. Whether it be vermin like mice, rats, or bats or bugs like spiders, stink bugs, or lady bugs, they invade our homes.

We have to deal ...

The last few weeks, we have been learning about the church element of God’s provision. Provision is truly the heart of God. Beyond just the material necessities of life, God provides healing, comfort, deliverance, joy, peace, restoration, wisdom, guidance, and so much more!

God abundantly and freely provides all of these things, even to wicked and evil people still in their sin. If this is the case, then why is it that we still find ourselves in need; especially when we live in faithful pursuit of God?

Well, let’s spend some time today going over some possibilities.

1. We do not ask

James 4:2b (AMPC)

You do not have, because you do not ask

Remember that it takes just as much faith to ask when in need as it does to give generously to meet needs. Often, we have need simply because we are too proud to ask for help.

Presenting our needs to God, and to our brothers and sisters in Christ, is part of God’s plan for us. We are a body and need each other by design. You have what I need and I have what you need and it is only together that those needs are swallowed up by God’s abundance.

Other than simply not asking, why else might our needs not be met?

2. We doubt or lack faith

James 1:6-8 (AMPC)

6 Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. 7 For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,

8 [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].

Doubting, being double-minded, places us in a position where we should not expect to receive anything from God. That’s a pretty serious issue! God wants us to trust Him fully; being wholly surrendered and walking by faith alone.

Mark 11:22-24

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

In our times of need, we need to ask for help and have full faith in God; shaking off any areas of doubt. Single minded, single focused faith. This leads us into the next possibility. Sometimes, we ask for the right things which seem godly and even with a scriptural backing, but for wrong reasons.

3. We ask with wrong motives

James 4:3 (AMPC)

[Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures.

Now before you think, “That is absolutely not me!”, consider this truth.

Proverbs 16:2

All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.

God sees beyond our need and what we ask for straight into the motives of our hearts. Sometimes, we even deceive ourselves thinking that we are in legitimate need of something for a good and godly reason.

However, our motives may not be so pure or good. The reason that we are in need might be an issue with our motives as well and meeting those needs might just mask an issue that God wants to deal with and deliver us from.

Consider health issues. Pain medication may seem awesome as it makes us feel better and able to live normally. However, if that medication is just masking a symptom of a serious issue, that medication is not actually helping us, it is hurting us. If instead, the root, underlying issue is taken care of, we would be healed; whole and healthy.

God wants us whole and complete; lacking nothing. If He wants to heal some holes in our lives, He might just stop pouring into our lives whatever is masking those holes.

The Lord knows all and sees all and is aware of what giving us what we ask for would result in.

Jeremiah 17:9-10

9 The heart is deceitful above all things

    and beyond cure.

    Who can understand it?

10 “I the Lord search the heart

    and examine the mind,

to reward each person according to their conduct,

    according to what their deeds deserve.”

Ultimately, God knows what is best for us and won’t give us something that would not be good for us. If we back up just a few verses, we’re reminded that:

Jeremiah 17:7-8

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,

    whose confidence is in him.

8 They will be like a tree planted by the water

    that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

    its leaves are always green.

...

Today, we continue getting back to the small things which are the big things to God. We’re getting back to the elemental parts of this amazing thing that Jesus created called church from the book of Acts.

Church Elements.

So far, we learned about two pairs of foundational church elements, praise/prayer and persuasion/power.

We started last week learning about a church element that often results from our prayers to and praise of God that release God’s power and persuasion to be witnesses and to reach the lost; provision.

To say that God is a provider is one of the greatest understatements of all time!

James 1:17 (AMP)

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes].

In the early church, there were no needs because of the attitude and practice of generosity that existed. Nobody claimed anything as their owns, but everything was God’s. Anytime that needs arose, others gave to meet those needs.

This worked because ultimately God was their provider and source as everyone was living by adventurous faith in obedience to Him. When we live according to His word, when we live in such a way as to entrust everything to Him, ALL IN!, He releases provision that can only be described as good and perfect!

In fact, God is so good that He even provides for wicked and evil people who care nothing about God nor His values or commands.

Asaph struggled with this reality. How is it that things seem so upside-down here in this lifetime? Wicked people prosper and righteous people struggle to make ends meet.

Psalm 73:12-17

12 This is what the wicked are like –

    always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure

    and have washed my hands in innocence.

14 All day long I have been afflicted,

    and every morning brings new punishments.

15 If I had spoken out like that,

    I would have betrayed your children.

16 When I tried to understand all this,

    it troubled me deeply

17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;

    then I understood their final destiny.

God’s goodness and mercy and provision are expressions of who He is, not how good someone is. In the end, no amount of worldly wealth will matter. Unless the wicked have a revelation that it is only because of God’s goodness and mercy that they have such provision and repent of their wicked ways, their final destruction will be the loss of it all along with their souls.

David had this same revelation.

Psalm 36:1-9

1 I have a message from God in my heart

    concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:

There is no fear of God

    before their eyes.

2 In their own eyes they flatter themselves

    too much to detect or hate their sin.

3 The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;

    they fail to act wisely or do good.

4 Even on their beds they plot evil;

    they commit themselves to a sinful course

    and do not reject what is wrong.

As David was lamenting over the sin and evil of wicked people, it’s as if though God lifted his focus up off of them and onto the Lord as the tone of the song changes into praise!

5 Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,

    your faithfulness to the skies.

6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,

    your justice like the great deep.

    You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.

7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!

    People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

8 They feast on the abundance of your house;

    you give them drink from your river of delights.

9 For with you is the fountain of life;

    in your light we see light.

It was just like the manna that God provided for His people as they wandered through the desert even though they were walking in rebellion grumbling against Him. Even though their hearts were hard, God showed that His Spirit could break through that hardness and release provision just like the water from the rock in the middle of the desert!

Even then, God made sure that their shoes never wore out and that their needs were always met. Even if that meant that those shoes that never wore out meant walking around aimlessly in doubt. Even if that meant that they were living out their days just to die in the desert on the threshold of the promised land.

God still faithfully provided for them because that is who He is!

How much more will God faithfully provide for those who are earnestly seeking after Him?

How much more will God provide for those who hunger and thirst for His Presence and His promises?

...

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Messages

Resurrection Sunday

April 5, 2026

Church Elements: Bind and Loose

March 29, 2026

Church Elements: Provision (Part 3)

March 22, 2026

Church Elements: Provision (Part 2)

March 15, 2026

Church Elements: Provision

March 8, 2026

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