[0:00] Okay, well I want to speak to everybody today, but I want to speak especially to the Sunday school children. So if you're very generous, as I know you are, you will let everybody listen.
[0:16] Okay, so I'm speaking to you, but we're going to let everybody listen. Is that okay? Can the grown-ups listen as well? Please say yes, because if you say no, we've got a real problem. Okay, so everybody is going to be able to listen to what I've got to say.
[0:29] Now, I'm going to start off by asking you, I'm not going to have many questions today, because I know you've got so many answers that it just gets complicated. But I do start with one or two questions for you.
[0:40] And the first question is quite an easy one. How are you feeling today? How are you feeling today? I'm going to give you some possibilities, okay? Now, you know that the minister is very, very good at drawing, okay?
[0:52] So I've been working hard, been doing a lot of drawing. And this is going to help you answer the question, how are you feeling today? Are you feeling like this? What's this? A smile.
[1:03] A smile. Happy. So are you feeling happy? Yes. You seem to be quite happy. Good. Especially when you've seen this beautiful drawing. Okay. But there are other possibilities.
[1:14] Let's see. I wonder if anybody's feeling like this. Oh, everybody going very quiet. Sad. Is anybody feeling sad? Maybe.
[1:25] Well, we'll come back to that, okay? But sometimes we feel sad. And it's okay to feel sad. Sometimes there's good reasons for feeling sad. And I've got another one. One more. So you can see I was up all night preparing for this.
[1:36] Right. What's this one? You're quite excited about what it might be, aren't you? What could it be? Somebody had guessed. What is it?
[1:47] Angry. Yes. Very angry. I wonder if anybody's feeling angry. I hope not. But sometimes, sometimes it's okay to feel angry. Well, there are different ways in which we can feel.
[1:59] And we're going to be thinking a little bit about that this morning. And I wonder, I think today, I hope today that we're feeling happy. And I think we've got good reason to feel happy.
[2:12] We're together with our friends from Sunday school. And we've got the prize giving coming up. And so we should feel happy. We've got good reason to feel happy. And, of course, the holidays are soon to start, aren't they?
[2:24] Just, what is it, next week? The end of next week, school finishes. So, I'm sure we're happy about that. I'm very happy. I'm very, very, very, very happy. Because my holidays are starting on Thursday.
[2:37] This Thursday. Even before your holidays. We are cheating a little bit and starting our holidays early. So, I'm happy. So, there's good reasons to be happy. But, of course, sometimes it's okay to be sad.
[2:51] And sometimes even to be angry. For example, let's think about that. Let's think, first of all, about being sad. You know, if somebody we love is maybe very sick, then we feel sad.
[3:03] And that's right. We should feel sad. Or maybe somebody we love, somebody in our family or a friend, has an accident. Maybe they fall off their bicycle or they're in a car accident. And we feel sad.
[3:14] And we should feel sad. And sometimes even somebody we love might die. Maybe a granny or a grandpa or maybe somebody younger. And that's very sad. And we feel sad. And that's right.
[3:25] We should feel sad when something like that happens. I wonder, what about being angry? We might think, oh, well, it's never right to be angry. Not a good thing to be angry. Well, usually it's not a good thing to be angry.
[3:37] Because usually we're not angry for very good reasons. Sometimes you can get grumpy children and grumpy grown-ups as well. I don't know if we've got any grumpy children in Bonacord Sunday School.
[3:50] I don't know. But sometimes children can be grumpy. And they wake up in the morning and they're just grumpy. And they're just cross and angry about anything, even silly things.
[4:00] And that's not very good. Or maybe you're having your tea and it's time for pudding or dessert. And your brother or your sister gets a bigger scoop of ice cream than you do.
[4:12] Well, at least you think they've got a bigger scoop of ice cream. And you're quite cross about that. Well, that's not really a very good reason to be angry, isn't it? Even though sometimes we can get angry. But there are times when it's okay to be angry.
[4:25] Let me give you one example. Imagine you're at school and there's a new pupil in your class. Somebody who's come from another school, maybe from very far away. And they're a wee bit different.
[4:38] Maybe they don't speak English very well because they've come from another country. Or maybe they're a bit smaller than everybody else. Or maybe they're not very good at sport. Or they're just a little bit different. And some of the children are being nasty to them.
[4:52] You're not being nasty to them, but you see other children being nasty to them. It's right to be cross when you see that happen. That's okay to be angry if you see something like that happen. And to see how you can help.
[5:03] So sometimes it's okay to be, even to be angry. So sometimes we're happy, sometimes we're sad, and sometimes even it's okay to be angry.
[5:15] Now it is important to know when to be happy, when to be sad, and when to be angry. And for the right reasons. That's something we need to learn as we grow up.
[5:26] And we're always learning that. Even when we're old, we need to learn that. And somebody who can help us is Jesus. You see, when we meet Jesus in the Bible, in the New Testament, in the passage that we read even this morning, we find Jesus happy, we find Him sad, and we find Him angry.
[5:45] All on the very same day. Now that's interesting. And so Jesus, He was always happy or sad or angry at the right time and for the right reasons.
[5:57] And so what I want to do this morning is just think a little bit about Jesus on this day. When we find Him happy, and we find Him sad, and we find Him angry. And think a little bit about why.
[6:09] Why He was happy, and why He was sad, and why He was angry. And what that can teach us. Okay? So that's what we're going to do. So we're going to start by thinking about this very special day.
[6:19] This very special Sunday. It was a Sunday. Just like today. And Jesus, He got up in the morning with His disciples. He had breakfast. And then He headed into Jerusalem.
[6:33] We don't know exactly where He was. He must have been fairly nearby. And He headed into Jerusalem. He was going to church. Really, He was going to the temple. And that's what He was heading, to Jerusalem.
[6:45] But this was a very special Sunday. And you know a little bit about this story, I'm sure, even before I read the passage. And one of the things He did on this Sunday was He got two of His disciples to arrange for a little donkey to be ready for Him so He could ride into Jerusalem on a donkey.
[7:04] Well, that was a little bit different already. And as He was heading into Jerusalem or approaching Jerusalem, the crowd started to gather. You see, by this time, Jesus had done lots of miracles.
[7:16] He'd been teaching in Galilee and in Jerusalem for three years. So lots of people knew about Jesus. And lots of people thought that He was very special. They knew about His miracles.
[7:27] They'd maybe seen Him perform miracles or heard about it. And so when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, the crowd started to gather. And there were lots of crowds in Jerusalem that week because it was a very important week.
[7:41] And they gathered round and they were following Jesus and going before Jesus into Jerusalem. And some of them took off their cloaks, which were like big jackets, and they put them on the ground in front of Jesus as He rode in on the donkey.
[7:55] And others, maybe they didn't have a cloak, they cut down some big branches. And they put the branches in front of Jesus as Jesus came in riding on the donkey. And they were singing praise to God.
[8:07] Let's just listen to what they were doing. And I'm just going to read what the Bible says about what they were doing. So listen to what the Bible says. The whole crowd of disciples… So those were Jesus' closer friends that we know about, but others as well.
[8:21] The whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen. Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.
[8:33] Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. So the disciples, they were praising God for all that Jesus had done, all the wonderful things that He'd done and all the wonderful things that He had taught.
[8:46] Now, some people didn't like what the disciples were doing. They didn't like the disciples singing praise to God and praising Jesus.
[8:58] They didn't like that at all. And so they said to Jesus, they said, look, you've got to tell them to be quiet. We don't like what they're saying. You've got to tell them to be quiet. I wonder what Jesus did.
[9:11] Well, He did no such thing. And He didn't tell them to be quiet because Jesus was happy with what they were doing. He was pleased that the disciples were praising God.
[9:22] That was something that made Jesus happy. And so at the beginning of this special Sunday, we find Jesus very happy. Happy with the disciples singing praises to God.
[9:35] That made Jesus very happy. And that's still true today. When we sing praise to God, when we realize all that God has done for us, all the amazing things that He's done to save us, and we praise God for that, that makes Jesus very happy.
[9:51] Just like at the beginning of this day that we're reading about in the Bible, Jesus was very happy. But then what happened? The day starts very well.
[10:03] Early morning, they're heading into Jerusalem. All the crowds are singing praise to God, and Jesus is pleased. He's pleased with that. But then what happens? Well, let's go back to see what the Bible says.
[10:14] So they're carrying on their journey. They're heading into Jerusalem. They're nearly there. And listen to what the Bible says next. As He, as Jesus, approached Jerusalem and saw the city, now listen to what it says, He wept over it.
[10:31] Well, that's a change, isn't it? He was so pleased with the disciples, praising God. He was so happy. And now, what do we read? It's just a few minutes have passed.
[10:42] He's nearly in Jerusalem. He's up at a higher level. He's looking down at Jerusalem. And the Bible tells us that He wept. That means to cry, but to cry a lot. It means somebody is very, very sad.
[10:57] The day seemed to have started so well. But now, what do we find? Well, we find Jesus very, very sad. Now, why was Jesus sad? I wonder why He was sad. Well, Jesus tells us.
[11:10] He tells us why He's sad. And let's just see what He says. So let's just go back to see what the Bible says to help us understand why He'd been very happy. And now, He seems to be so sad.
[11:22] Well, listen to what Jesus says. He's speaking to Jerusalem, really. He's looking over Jerusalem. And this is what He says, if you, Jerusalem, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace.
[11:36] And then He says some other things. Now, that sounds a little bit mysterious. What does Jesus mean by that? And why does this explain why Jesus was sad?
[11:47] Well, really what Jesus is saying as He looks at Jerusalem, what He's saying to Jerusalem, and especially about the people who live in Jerusalem, He's saying, I'm very sad that you have rejected Me.
[11:59] Not everybody had rejected Him. As He was coming into Jerusalem, many people were praising God, and some of them very genuinely. But most of the people in Jerusalem had rejected Jesus.
[12:13] Most of the people didn't believe that He was the Savior who God had sent to save them from their sins. They didn't believe that. Most of the people didn't want to listen to Him and follow Him and do what He was telling them.
[12:28] Most of the people were rejecting Jesus, and they weren't praising God for Jesus. And that made Jesus very sad.
[12:40] But you know, Jesus wasn't sad only because they were rejecting Him. He was sad because of that. But He was also sad because He knew that they would suffer greatly because they were rejecting Him.
[12:56] And that also made Him sad. And in what we've read, it says a little bit about that as well. Maybe just to explain that a little about why Jesus was sad, not only because the people were rejecting Him, but because of the consequences of rejecting Him.
[13:11] Maybe you could understand it like this. Imagine if you had a friend who was very sick, and you had a medicine that could make them better. Imagine if your friend said, oh, I don't want that medicine.
[13:27] Get lost. Now, I think you'd feel sad for two reasons. I don't know if you agree with me. You think about it. I think you'd probably feel sad because your friend was rejecting you and not listening to you when you wanted to help.
[13:41] That would make you feel sad. But you know, I think you'd also feel sad because you'd be thinking, but if He doesn't have the medicine, He's going to get more sick. And that would make you sad because He's your friend.
[13:51] Well, I think that helps explain a little bit why Jesus was so sad. He was sad because the people were rejecting Him and He loved them so much, but He was also sad because He knew the consequences for them of not believing in Him.
[14:07] And you know, that's the same today. It's the same today that Jesus is sad when people reject Him, when He shows His love and invites people to come to Him to be forgiven of their sins and to follow Him.
[14:20] And when people say, oh, we don't want to do that. I don't need that. I don't need to be forgiven. I don't want to follow Jesus. Maybe when I'm older, but not now. When people reject Him, Jesus is still sad, just like He was as He looked over at Jerusalem.
[14:38] So, we've been following Jesus on this very special Sunday. He gets up in the morning. He's heading into Jerusalem. The people are praising God, and He's pleased about that. He's happy about that.
[14:48] But then, as He looks over at Jerusalem and He remembers just how many of the people are rejecting Him, we find that He's weeping. He's very sad. I wonder what happens next.
[15:00] Well, let's see what the Bible tells us. Listen to what the Bible says about what happens next. He manages to get into Jerusalem, to the very center of Jerusalem, to the temple, which is what He was heading for from the very beginning.
[15:14] And listen to what the Bible says about what Jesus did. It says, Now, that is very strange, isn't it?
[15:34] He goes into the temple, which was like a very big church, and He starts overturning tables and pushing over benches. Is Jesus happy? No.
[15:46] Is He sad? Well, He probably is a bit sad. But what is He? He's the third face we showed, isn't He? He's very angry. He's very angry. You know, He was very happy, and then we read that He was very sad.
[15:58] But now, on the very same day, He's very angry. And He's in church. He's in the temple. And He's very angry. I wonder why He was so angry. Well, let's listen to what Jesus says.
[16:11] What answer does Jesus give as to why He's angry? Listen, this is what we read in the Bible. It is written, He said to them, Jesus speaking to the people there in the temple, My house will be called a house of prayer, a house of prayer for all nations.
[16:27] But you are making it a den of robbers. You see, the temple was like a very big church. It was a place for people in Jerusalem, and indeed from all over the country, and indeed even from other countries, could come and worship God.
[16:45] It was a special place that God had given for people to gather and to worship Him. But some people in Jerusalem thought, oh, let's not bother about worshiping God.
[16:56] Let's make lots of money. We have all these people coming to worship God, and we're going to charge them. We're going to get money out of these people. It doesn't matter if they're rich or poor. They're going to have to give us some money, and we'll get lots of money.
[17:10] And then this will be great. All these people coming, and we'll get really rich. And they were making it difficult for people to worship God. People wanted to worship God, and these people were making it difficult.
[17:23] Well, you can understand why Jesus was very angry about that. He was very angry about these people who thought that making money was more important than worshiping God.
[17:33] And so Jesus was angry, and he had very good reason to be angry. Jesus wants everybody to know and to worship God.
[17:45] He's the way that we can know God. We put our trust in Jesus. That's the way that we can become friends with God. That's what Jesus wants, and it makes him angry when people make that difficult or stand in the way of people finding that out and doing that and worshiping God.
[18:03] So, it's been quite a day so far. I don't know how much of the day has passed, but Jesus got up. He was going into Jerusalem. The people were praising God. He was pleased about that. He was very happy about that.
[18:15] But then as he looked over Jerusalem and remembered about how many people were rejecting him, he was very sad about that. And when he got to the temple, we find that he's very angry.
[18:27] There's a final thing that happened on this day. Well, maybe other things as well, but a final thing that I want you to notice that happened on this day. There in the temple, really at the same time or just after, he's been overturning the tables and really showing how angry he was with some of the people in the temple.
[18:47] And let's notice the next thing that happens. So, listen carefully. We're going to read from the Bible again. And we're going to start off reading a bit we've already read. And then we'll move on to the next bit. So, listen again to what happened when he first went into the temple.
[19:01] Jesus entered the temple, drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. It is written, he said to them, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.
[19:16] And now listen to what the Bible says straight after. The Bible, the blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, Hosanna to the Son of David, they were indignant.
[19:35] They were very cross. Do you hear what these children are saying? They asked him. Yes, replied Jesus. Have you never read? From the lips of children and infants, you have ordained praise.
[19:49] So, isn't that interesting? Even though Jesus was still angry with the people there in the temple who were making it difficult for others to worship God, he was also, at the same time, very happy about the children who were seeing Jesus healing the lame.
[20:07] People couldn't walk. Giving sight to the blind. And the children were seeing this, and they thought, Well, this is amazing. And they were praising God for what Jesus was doing. And so, Jesus is angry with the people who are making it difficult, but at the same time, he's happy with the children who are praising God.
[20:26] And that's a very good lesson for us, especially for the children this morning, to remember that when Jesus sees children praising God, that makes them very happy.
[20:37] So, isn't that interesting that on this same day, this very special Sunday, we find Jesus very happy, and we find Him very sad, and we also find Him very angry. And as we think about why He was happy, and why He was sad, and why He was angry, that can help us a little bit as well, to know when it's okay to be angry or sad, and why we can also be very happy.
[21:03] Well, it's been quite a day. And at the end of the day, we're told that Jesus left Jerusalem, and He went nearby to a place called Bethany, just a couple of miles from Jerusalem, a wee bit like from here to King's Wells, or even closer.
[21:19] So, it was just a short journey to Bethany, where He stayed, I imagine, with one of His good friends, Lazarus, and there with His disciples. I suppose they had a kind of sleepover, because the next day, they were back into Jerusalem.
[21:31] So, off He went to Bethany at the end of that Sunday. But the last thing I want you to just remember, or to know, is what happened later on in that week.
[21:43] All of this was on one day. Everything I told you about was on this special Sunday. But on that very same week, on the Friday, just, what, five days later, Jesus died.
[21:54] He died on the cross, in the place of sinners, in our place. He died taking the punishment that we deserve. He died because He loves us. And that was on that very same week.
[22:06] And on the Sunday, He rose again from the dead. The Father raised Him from the dead, and in that way was telling everybody that what Jesus had done for sinners was successful, that He had done what needed to be done for sinners, to be forgiven and to be welcomed back into friendship with God, that we would have peace with God, just like what Jesus was talking about there in the passage that we've read.
[22:31] So, there's something for you to think about, something to think about when you're happy, or sad, or angry. Just ask yourself, well, I wonder if it's a good reason to be happy, or a good reason to be sad, or a good reason to be angry, or maybe it's not.
[22:45] And I think Jesus can teach us quite a lot about that. So, let's just bow our heads, and let's just pray and ask God to help us to learn from what we've read and thought about in the Bible.
[22:57] Our Heavenly Father, we do thank You for Your Son, Jesus. We thank You that Jesus was and is a man, a human like us, who knows what it is to be a man, who knows what it is to live in this world, who knows what it is to suffer, and to be tempted, and to experience all kinds of emotions.
[23:21] But we thank You that in all of these things, unlike us, Jesus never sinned. He never said something He shouldn't have said. He never thought something that He shouldn't have thought.
[23:32] He was never angry in a way that He shouldn't have been. And we thank You for that. We thank You that we can learn from Him. But we thank You that Jesus not only is an example for us, but even more special.
[23:44] He is our Savior, who died on the cross for us, to forgive us, and to help us be brought back into friendship with You.
[23:55] And so we thank You for Jesus and for who He is and all that He has done for us. We pray that with the children in the temple, we would know what it is to praise You and to praise Your Son, Jesus, as we think of everything that You have done and continue to do for us.
[24:11] And all of these things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.