3610 North Pacific Highway Medford, OR tablerockfellowship.org

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1 3610 North Pacific Highway Medford, OR tablerockfellowship.org

2 INTRODUCTION Passion Week, also known as Holy Week, is the time from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday). Also included within Passion Week are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Passion Week is so named because of the passion with which Jesus willingly went to the cross in order to pay for the sins of His people. In this booklet we have used the gospel of Matthew, chapters 21-28, to journey with Jesus through the last week of His life. This is, by no means, all that happened during passion week, but in these 8 chapters we are given a beautiful account of the last week of Jesus life. If you would like to read the entire account of Passion Week in addition to Matthew chapters 21-28, we encourage you to read Mark chapters 11-15, Luke chapters 19-23, and John chapters HOW TO USE THIS BOOKLET This booklet is designed to be used as a personal devotional guide as you read through the last week of Jesus life. We encourage you to go through this booklet with friends and family. Prayer: The purpose of God s Word is always to lead you to God Himself. Therefore, each daily devotion ends with a prayer designed to bring you into conversation with God. These prayers are meant to be used only as a starting point for that conversation. Use them as a guide as you speak with your Savior about His great work for you upon the cross. Passion Week Journal: Included with each devotional is a page on which you can write down the things God has shown you or your family concerning His week of passion. God s Word should always change our lives, and journaling is a great tool for you to use to this end. Write down the things God is showing you and the changes His Word is prompting in your life. Additional Resources: For families with young children we have built a blog at trfpassionweek.blogspot.com. When you visit this blog you will find creative ways to initiate discussions and activities corresponding to each day of Passion Week. The ideas presented are perfect for families with young children. If, at any point, you would like to talk with a pastor about what you are reading we encourage you to call TRF at (541) May God bless you as you take this journey over the next seven days! Devotional Thought: A brief devotional thought has been written by a TRF pastor which corresponds to the (selected) passage in Matthew. This devotional thought is meant to stir your heart toward God as you consider the great sacrifice Christ made on your behalf. Scripture: At the heart of the Christian walk is the Word of God. Each day of this devotional begins with a passage of scripture from the Gospel of Matthew. The readings correspond to each day of Passion Week. Discussion Questions: The best way to interact with the Word of God is to respond. With each passage of scripture we have proposed a series of discussion questions. These questions are designed to draw out a response. Our hope is that these questions would spark discussion between you and God, or others with whom you choose to go on this journey.

3 APRIL 13 PALM SUNDAY Matthew 21:1-11 Pastor Kimball PALM SUNDAY JOURNAL APRIL 13 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT The Bible reveals that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds greeted Him by waving palm branches and covering His path with palm branches. Immediately following this great time of celebration in the ministry of Jesus, He began His journey to the cross. READ Matthew 21: When Jesus came to Jerusalem as the King, why did He ride a donkey rather than a horse-drawn carriage? 2. Why did the people lay down their coats and tree branches on the road before Him? 3. How should we treat Jesus, our King, until He returns to earth? PRAYER Lord, we are thankful that You are our Savior and our King. Help us to praise You and live for You every day of our lives. Help us to respect You and serve You faithfully. In Jesus Name. Amen. PALM SUNDAY SERVICE Join us Saturday, April 12, at 6 p.m., or Sunday, April 13, at 9 and 10:45 a.m., for our Palm Sunday service.

4 APRIL 14 MONDAY Matthew 21:12-17 Pastor Nick MONDAY JOURNAL APRIL 14 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT Every time we see Jesus become righteously angry in the scriptures, it is because people are getting in the way of Godly worship. The people that were selling animals and exchanging money were taking advantage of people who had come into the temple to worship God. They were telling the people that their sacrifices were not good enough or acceptable to God, so they needed to buy better sacrifices. It was a scam against people s desire to worship God! So Jesus came, knocked over tables, spoke the truth, and cleansed the temple from the lies and hypocrisy. After, Jesus continued to do His miraculous work of caring for those who were forgotten and uncared for! READ Matthew 21: Why do you think Jesus became angry when He saw the people being taken advantage of in the temple? 2. In verse 15, what does it say about Jesus when the children begin to shout, Praise God for the Son of David? 3. Why were the religious leaders angry when they heard the children shouting these things? How did this event affect what happened in the last week of Jesus life? PRAYER Jesus, thank You for passionately loving us and destroying any barrier that would keep us from loving and worshipping You. Today, we remember that this final week of Your life was devoted to redeeming the broken connection between the Father and us. We praise You Lord, for doing what was right even when it was not popular. And we ask You Lord, to give us the strength to do the same. As we continue to walk through Passion Week with You Lord, open our minds and hearts to what You have to show us. In Jesus Name. Amen.

5 APRIL 15 TUESDAY Matthew 21:18-25:46 Pastor Kimball TUESDAY JOURNAL APRIL 15 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT In light of the Pharisees criticisms, Jesus teaches about the eternal scope of His kingdom and authority. Jesus teaches that God s kingdom will ultimately triumph. Though Jesus must die for the forgiveness of sins, He will come again as King to rule and reign forever. Jesus encourages us to be ready for His second coming and to live our lives in light of His return. READ Matthew 21: Why does Jesus use the example of Noah in this passage? 2. Why is it important to keep watch (v 42) for Jesus return? Compare and list other similar commands. 3. What should we be doing until He returns? PRAYER Dear Lord, You have promised to come back to earth as our King. Please help us to be ready, and until You return, help us to be faithful to You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

6 APRIL 16 WEDNESDAY Matthew 26:1-16 Pastor Nick WEDNESDAY JOURNAL APRIL 16 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT Jesus knew exactly what was going on. He knew that He was going to be crucified, and yet, He did not run. Instead, He spends this time with the people that He loved, and who loved Him. A woman, who the book of John identifies as Mary the sister of Martha, comes in and anoints Jesus head with a very expensive jar of perfume, as would be the custom for a King! This jar of perfume most likely cost Mary a year s worth of working wages, but Jesus was worth it to her. However, Judas agrees to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, the average price of a slave in their time. Judas betrays Christ and sees Him as having no more value than a common slave. To those who understand how precious Jesus is, a year s worth of wages is a tiny price to pay! READ Matthew 26: Why were the religious leaders plotting how to capture and kill Jesus? 2. Mary gave away something that was extremely precious to her in order to bless Jesus. What would that look like in our lives? 3. We can easily look at the 30 pieces of silver that Judas received and wonder how someone could sell Jesus out for so little. But, have we ever been guilty of selling out Jesus for far less than that? Popularity? Advancement? Relationships? PRAYER Lord Jesus, let us never look at You through the eyes of Judas seeking only what we can gain from knowing You. Rather, give us the eyes of Mary who could see how precious and valuable You are! As we remember this anointing that was preparing You for Your death, let us also remember that each and every day we should lay down all that we have and anoint You Lord and King over our lives! Praise You. In Jesus Name. Amen. WEDNESDAY SERVICE Join us Wednesday, April 16, at 6:30 p.m. in the Worship Center for our Wednesday Night Service.

7 APRIL 17 MAUNDY THURSDAY Matthew 26:17-56 Pastor Bobby MAUNDY THURSDAY JOURNAL APRIL 17 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT In Exodus 11 and 12 we read of the first Passover for God s Old Testament people. There we see the blood of a lamb applied to the doorposts and lintel of each Jewish home. Doing so would prevent the death angel from entering their home, thus saving each of their lives. In Matthew 26:2, Jesus said that He would be crucified and in so doing, become the sacrificial lamb who would take away the sins of the world. Do you know that He died to set you free from your sins? Have you applied the blood of Jesus over the doorposts and lintel of your heart? READ Exodus 11, 12, and Matthew 26: What does the bread represent? What happened to Jesus body and why did it have to be torn/broken? (read Isaiah 53:4-5). 2. What does the wine in the cup represent? Why did Jesus blood have to be shed? (read Hebrews 9:22, Romans 5:8-9, Ephesians 2:13-14). PRAYER Jesus, I thank You and praise You for being my sacrifice on the Cross, for Your forgiveness and for the freedom from my sins. Help me to live in such a way as to bring You honor in all that I do. In Jesus Name. Amen. MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE Join us Thursday, April 17, at 6:30 p.m. in the Worship Center for our Maundy Thursday Service.

8 APRIL 18 GOOD FRIDAY Matthew 26:57-27:61 Pastor David GOOD FRIDAY JOURNAL APRIL 18 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT On the day that Jesus died, darkness fell upon the earth. God himself had died. The Bible says in 1 John 15:13 (NLT), There is no greater love than to lay down one s life for one s friends. How great is God s love for us? For Jesus chose to lay down His life to save ours. He paid the debt of our sin that we could not pay. Since Jesus has given His life for us, should we not choose to give our lives back to Him? READ Matthew 27: In verse 46, why do you think Jesus would have felt forsaken by God? What do you think this experience was like for Jesus? 2. In God s temple there was a curtain that separated people from the Holy of Holies where the presence of God lived. What do you think is the significance of this curtain being torn in verse 51? 3. In verse 54, what was the conclusion the Roman officer came to concerning the identity of Jesus? What do you believe the crucifixion proves about Jesus? PRAYER Jesus, in Your death we find life. We take time today and remember the reason for which You died; our sin. Thank You for paying the debt for our sin and bringing us peace with God through Your shed blood and Your broken body. As You willingly laid down Your life in love for us, may we willingly lay down our lives for one another. May we become more like You. In Jesus Name. Amen. GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE Join us Friday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. in the Worship Center for our Good Friday Service.

9 APRIL 19 HOLY SATURDAY Matthew 27:62-66 Pastor Jim HOLY SATURDAY JOURNAL APRIL 19 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT Well... that s it. Jesus is gone. Condemned to die and crucified, the Messiah is no longer. Could that have been the sentiment of Jesus followers and also the general population? In Luke 23: 48, the Bible says, And when the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. In today s culture we focus on the resurrection and often lose sight of Saturday. It is that in-between place where hope seems lost because of what we see and what we don t understand. Saturday was a day of loss, a day of grief and mourning. Have you ever been there? Have you experienced the loss of a loved one? Have you ever felt like there was no hope? That was Saturday. READ Luke 23:48, John 20: Why do you think the crowd was in deep sorrow? Wasn t this what they wanted? 2. Why was Mary weeping at the entrance of the tomb? 3. What was her reply to the questions the angels asked? 4. What was Mary s question to the man whom she thought was the gardener? PRAYER Father, sometimes we don t understand the tragedies in life. Certainly, Your death was very tragic to Your followers and, much like Your disciples, we won t know what You mean until our Saturday has passed and hope has been fulfilled. Father help us to mourn here, in the in-between of Saturday, with those who are still mourning and waiting. In Jesus Name. Amen. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. And the One on the throne said, LOOK, I am making everything new! Revelation 21:4,5 EASTER SERVICE Join us Saturday, April 19, at 4 and 6 p.m.

10 APRIL 20 EASTER SUNDAY Matthew 28:1-20 Pastor Shawn EASTER SUNDAY JOURNAL APRIL 20 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT Jesus lived in a challenging, abusive, hurt filled world for us. He died a brutal death at the hands of hateful people for us. Then, on the 3rd day, He defeated death, and arose to life and lives on for us today. Romans 5:8 explains, But God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The angel who announced the wonderful news of the resurrection told of four simple things that would change the world for eternity: Don t be afraid. He isn t here. Come and see. Go quickly and tell. We are all here on this earth to spread the joy and beautiful reality of the resurrection to the ends of the earth. READ Matthew 28: What do you think it was like when the angel spoke and gave the news? Verse 8 says they were frightened, yet filled with joy. Imagine you are in their place. How do you think you would have felt if you were there? 2. In verse 13, after the guards told the priests what happened, why do you think they made up a lie about what had taken place? 3. After the resurrection, Jesus declares His authority, and tells us to go and make disciples. What are the two aspects of making disciples? How do we make disciples in today s world? PRAYER Jesus, You are the hope of the world, our Savior, our King. You willingly gave your life to pay the price for our sin. In our place, you suffered pain, ridicule and ultimately death. You conquered even death, rose again and are with us today. You were there in the beginning and will be with us for all of eternity. Thank You, Jesus for Your undeserved, amazing love. In Jesus Name. Amen. EASTER SERVICE Join us Sunday, April 13, at 7, 9 and 11 a.m.