🎉 It’s Time to Begin 🌿Hosanna in the Highest🌿 (Week 1 – Jesus’ Ministry)

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Welcome to this 4-Week Journey to the Cross & the Risen King!

🙏 As we walk through the life of Jesus—from His birth to His resurrection—I pray that this study becomes a sacred space where you can meet with the Lord, reflect on His incredible love, and grow in your faith.

If you do not have the optional Journal yet – it’s available on Amazon  but it will take a few days to ship – so if you want it right now – you can buy the printable/digital version at half price  —> here and get it right away!

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Week 1 Intro – Jesus’ Ministry

As we begin our Hosanna in the Highest study, we’ll start by looking at the ministry of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. This week, we’ll reflect on:

• His Birth – The fulfillment of prophecy and the arrival of our Savior.
• His Baptism – When the heavens opened, and the Father declared, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
• The Crowds That Followed Him – Though many sought Him, Jesus continually pointed them toward the kingdom of God.
• His Call to Seek First the Kingdom – A reminder to trust in His provision and righteousness above all else.
• The Golden Rule – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” (Matthew 7:12).
• His Invitation to Find Rest – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
• Taking Up the Cross – Jesus’ call to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.
• Jesus’ Death Foretold – His clear teaching to His disciples that He must suffer, die, and rise again.

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This Bible Study is based on the gospel of Matthew.

For an in-depth Introduction to this our reading plan, watch this video. It is a great explanation of the book of Matthew!

NOW LET’S GET STARTED!

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This Week’s Bible Reading Plan:

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This week’s Reflection & Discussion Questions

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Day 1

The long awaited Messiah came as a baby born in a manger. His name was Jesus, which means God saves. His birth was announced by angels, celebrated by shepherds and visited by wise men. Jesus lived a sinless life quietly in Nazareth until about the age of 30, when He began his public ministry by being baptized by John the Baptist.

As we read about his baptism, we see the deity of Jesus as all three Godheads of the trinity were present: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of His ministry and confirmed His identity as the be- loved Son of God, the Messiah, who would save us from all of our sins.

We cannot save ourselves. We innately know this. We know something is missing but oftentimes we seek self-help books, self-help podcasts and advice from others rather than seeking the Lord. BUT all the self-help in the world will not take away our sin. We need a Savior!

Hosanna! Hosanna means, “save us, we pray.” May we give thanks to the Lord to- day that Jesus came and died on the cross to save us from our sins.

Have you received Christ as your Savior? Have you made Him the Lord of your life? This means surrendering all of your plans and priorities to Him. In what areas of your life are you resisting Jesus as Lord? Is there anything you need to change? Write below any areas you want to fully surrender to the Lord today.

Day 2

Jesus traveled and preached the gospel to all who would hear, and He healed many who were sick. This resulted in great crowds following Him. Not everyone who followed Him were sick physically but all of them were sick spiritually. The greatest sickness we have is the sickness of our sin. Sin damages our soul and separates us from God.

What’s important to note is where Jesus preached the good news. He preached the good news in the Synagogues, where religious people attended. It is very easy to think that being born into a church family means that we’re saved, but even good people need salvation from their sin.

Something I have always said to my children is that I don’t want them to be good, I want them to be godly. There is a difference! While someone who is godly may also be good, someone who is good may not necessarily be godly. Being “good” refers to someone who does good deeds or who follows the rules. But being “godly” means you have a personal relationship with God and desire to obey and honor Him with your life which results in righteous living.

Are you leading a good life or a godly life? In what ways? Perhaps you’ve re- ceived Christ as your Savior long ago, but it’s always good to remember that day. Write your salvation story below and think about how you have grown in godliness since then.

Day 3

Jesus told his disciples to seek first the kingdom of God. Then He invited them to let go of all of their worries and anxieties and trust in Him. You see, when we seek God’s kingdom first, God meets needs we didn’t even know we needed both physically and spiritually.

Some people try to use material things to save themselves from their fear and anxiety, thinking that money and possessions will give them security and stability. For a moment, it may work but in time, those things only bring us more anxiety as we try to keep up on the hamster wheel of life. Our things were never meant to be what sustains us! Only God can fulfil our deepest longings.

Is there something heavy on your heart today? Jesus wants us to lay all of our worries and fears at the feet of Jesus. Every time we feel overwhelmed, we can echo the cry of Hosanna, remembering that our Savior has come to give us peace. Seeking Him first is not just a command—it’s an invitation to experience the freedom and peace that only He can provide.

What are you worried about today? Is there something you are worried about in tomorrow? Seek God right now by writing out your concerns for today and to- morrow below and giving them all to Jesus.

Day 4

Today’s reading is called the “Golden Rule”, which says, “do to others as you would have them do to you.” We tend to think that our hearts are good, but Jesus knows our hearts. He knows that we naturally act in our own self-interest rather than in the in- terest of others. And so, He gives us the bar with which to measure our selfish hearts.

Do you want someone to steal from you? Then don’t steal from others.
Do you want someone to lie to you? Then don’t lie to others.
Do you want someone to talk badly about you? Then don’t talk badly about others. Do you want someone to help you? Then help others.
Though the term “Golden Rule” is not used in scripture, Jesus says that summed up in this one command is all of the Prophets and Law. It is an extraordinary command! It is a command to love as Christ has loved us.

The bottom line is this: Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Take a moment right now and reflect on this command. How have you been treating others lately—those inside your home, those outside your home and those in your family? What changes do you need to make in your life to be more selfless and loving?

Day 5

Are you weary? Do you need rest? Not just physically but spiritually and emotionally, how are you doing? Jesus invites us to come to Him. All of us have burdens. Like a hiker weighed down with her backpack—we each have our own backpack, filled with stuff that weighs us down. We must remember that Jesus wants to carry our back- pack for us!

There are many things we try to turn to as an escape when we feel tired, but these escapes are only temporary fixes and often lead to even greater problems. Jesus calls us to turn to HIM, because He is the only one who can save us from our weary and burdened souls. He gives us true rest!

If you have ever flown on an airplane, then you know that when you fly you get a choice to either check your baggage or carry it on. I hope today you will choose to check all of your baggage and burdens with Jesus! Give it all to Him—don’t carry it any longer.

What is weighing you down? What or whom do you turn to lately when you feel weary and burdened? Can you see how the rest you receive is only temporary? Share below how your escapes differ from running to Christ, and then write a prayer to God giving Him your burdens.

Day 6

Jesus told his disciples, if they were going to follow Him, they were going to have to deny themselves and take up their cross to follow Him. This was not an easy saying for them to receive because they knew exactly what He meant. The cross was a pic- ture of death.

Jesus invites us as well, to come and die to ourselves. BUT how do we walk this out in real life?

A lot of people say they want to follow Jesus, but they do not want to give up con- trol of their lives. The life of a Christian—is a life of self-denial, surrender, sacrifice and of dying to the wants and desires of our flesh.

Jesus said that those who want to have life, must be willing to lose their lives to Him. He is the highest authority in our lives. He has the final word. If we want to keep control and the final word over our lives, we will one day stand before Him and dis- cover that the life we thought we had, wasn’t really life at all.

In what ways do you struggle to follow Jesus? Is there anything in your life you need to deny to follow Him more fully?

Day 7

We can feel the tension rising as Jesus foretells his disciples of his coming death. The disciples were troubled when He said that He would be killed because while they looked to Him as their salvation, they completely misunderstood what kind of salvation He was offering. They thought He would save them from the oppression of the Roman Empire. They didn’t realize that He had come to save them from a much greater oppression: sin and death.

But as the shadow of the cross loomed over Jesus’ ministry, He continued to walk toward it willingly. Why? Because He knew that death would not be the final word! His disciples focused on the part where He said He would be killed and missed the hope of his resurrection!

Jesus came to fulfill the cry of Hosanna, “save us”! He knew that the pain of the cross was temporary and necessary for our salvation and the hope of the resurrec- tion is eternal.

Do you find yourself misunderstanding what Jesus is doing in your life? Has He answered a prayer for you lately in a different way than you wanted? Has this caused you to be troubled? Take sometime today and ask the Lord to help you see what He is doing in your life right now.

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This Week’s Verses of the Day:

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Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

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Here’s the Printable Bible Bookmark
for Hosanna in the Highest.

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I commend you for committing to study with us! If you want to go deeper in your study, I encourage you to use on-line commentaries and Bible Study tools.

☕️ 📖 ✍️ Now, let’s get started!  Grab a cup of coffee or your favorite drink and open your Bible and SOAK it in! Be sure to leave at least 15-20 minutes for your reading each day. 

🙌 I can’t wait to see how God reveals himself personally to each of us, as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Easter and find rest for our souls as we lift our voices in praise—Hosanna in the Highest!

Have a wonderful week in God’s Word – I’ll see you back here on the blog next Monday as we go deeper into God’s Word together! 

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Keep walking with the King,

COURTNEY

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