Sermon Recap
The Cry of the Human Heart
Brian Hunter · September 20, 2026
Scripture referenced
- Matthew 23:37-39
- Psalm 118:26
- Psalm 118:22
- Romans
- Jeremiah 30:1-17
- John 12:12-13
Pastor Brian picked up where he left off the previous week, following one question he had left open: what would it take for national Israel to finally say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”? He worked through Jeremiah 30 and John 12 to show that the answer is both a future historical event and a present personal one.
What was said
The review of last week set the table. Psalm 118:26, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” was the phrase Jesus quoted in Matthew 23. A rabbi quoting one verse expects his audience to hear the verses around it, and verse 22 is the one that stings: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” The religious leaders had done exactly that. Brian also reminded the room that the Hebrew word for “reject” carries the meaning of treating something casually, not only throwing it away outright, and he had asked whether anyone had been doing that with the counsel of Jesus.
From there he turned to the open question: what will happen in Israel’s heart? He went to Jeremiah 30, reading through verse 17, letting the prophet describe a wound so severe that no medicine and no ally can touch it, and a healing that only God can provide. Before reading he offered a lens for the prophetic books generally: look for the phrase “in that day” or “the day of the Lord,” because those phrases signal that something still-future is being described. Many prophecies in Jeremiah had a near fulfillment, like the Babylonian exile, but carry a greater fulfillment yet to come.
Jeremiah 30:7 names this coming season “a time of trouble for my people Israel,” which Brian connected to what Jesus called the tribulation. He called it Jacob’s trouble. His argument was that this period will function as the catalyst that finally softens the heart of national Israel. He was careful to note that “the chastisements of God are always the least severe measures taken to bring about the maximum possible correction,” and that everything Israel has endured throughout history, including the Holocaust, has not yet produced that surrender. Something still ahead will.
He moved to John 12 and the triumphal entry to land on the word the crowd used. Most English translations render it “praise God,” but the actual word is Hosanna. Brian asked the room what it means. The answer: it is an Aramaic cry that means “save us.” He described it as the shout of someone who has tried every option and is now out of options entirely. The crowd outside Jerusalem used it almost as a rehearsal, he said, not fully understanding what they were saying or to whom they were saying it. One day national Israel will mean it completely, and that cry will coincide with the return of Jesus as their Messiah.
Brian was straightforward that he preaches this with personal urgency because he believes people alive right now may see it happen. He spends time with Jewish people in the Jackson community and said that shapes why this is not abstract to him.
He brought it home by asking whether anyone in the room was in a position similar to Israel’s: trying to handle something alone, stepping on the same rake repeatedly, unwilling to stop striving long enough to ask for help. The invitation he extended was simply to say the word Hosanna, a cry of desperation directed at the only one who can fix what has no human solution.
Touch points
- If there is unrepentant sin in your life right now, stop making excuses for it, call it what it is before God, ask His forgiveness, and turn the other way.
- Ask yourself honestly whether you have been treating the counsel of Jesus casually in any area of your life, and then apply what He says instead of continuing on your own.
- The next time you are reading the Old Testament prophets and feel lost, look for the phrases ‘in that day’ or ‘the day of the Lord’ as a signal that the passage is pointing to future events for Israel.
- Whatever situation you are trying to figure out on your own right now, try simply praying ‘Hosanna, help me’ and letting God be your rescuer instead of pushing through alone.
- If you have never been to a Shabbat dinner, take Brian up on the invitation this Friday at the Hunters’ house and see how that context brings the Bible to life.
Doing a Bible study?
- Brian talked about repentance as the spark that invites the Holy Spirit to fan a dying ember back into flame. Is there an area of your life where you have been making excuses instead of calling sin what it is? What makes it hard to do that?
- Brian said the Hebrew word for ‘reject’ in Psalm 118:22 also means to treat casually or lightly. Where have you found yourself treating the counsel or leadership of Jesus casually rather than clinging to it?
- Brian described God’s chastisements as always being the least severe measures needed to bring about the maximum possible correction. How have you seen that pattern play out in your own life or in the life of someone close to you?
- Brian pointed out that the crowd on Palm Sunday was shouting ‘Hosanna,’ which means ‘save us,’ a cry of desperation from people who knew they could not save themselves. Have you ever reached that kind of end-of-yourself moment? What did it take to get there?
- Brian closed by asking whether you are still trying to handle a situation on your own when what you really need to do is cry out Hosanna. What would it look like practically for you to stop striving and hand that thing to God this week?
Resumen en español
Brian comenzó recordando el mensaje de la semana anterior sobre Mateo 23:37-39, donde Jesús le dice a Jerusalén que no lo verán de nuevo hasta que digan “Bendito el que viene en el nombre del Señor.” Esa frase viene del Salmo 118:26, y el versículo anterior, el 22, habla de la piedra que los constructores rechazaron. Brian preguntó si alguno de nosotros ha tratado el consejo de Jesús con indiferencia, descartándolo para seguir nuestro propio camino. Esa fue la base para lo que vino después.
Esta semana, Brian abrió el libro de Jeremías capítulo 30 para responder la pregunta que dejó pendiente: ¿qué tendrá que pasar en el corazón de Israel para que finalmente digan esas palabras sobre su Mesías? Leyó los versículos 1 al 17 y explicó que los profetas del Antiguo Testamento tienen capas, como un “ahora y después”: algunas cosas se cumplieron en tiempos de Babilonia, pero hay un cumplimiento futuro mayor. Ese tiempo futuro se conoce como “la angustia de Jacob,” un período de sufrimiento tan intenso que Israel finalmente dejará de depender de sus propias fuerzas y clamará a Dios. Brian fue directo: el castigo de Dios siempre usa el mínimo necesario para lograr la máxima corrección, y cuando Israel llegue al límite, Dios enviará a su Mesías, Jesús de Nazaret.
Al final, Brian llevó todo esto a cada uno de nosotros. En Juan 12:12-13, la multitud gritó “Hosanna” cuando Jesús entró a Jerusalén. Esa palabra aramea significa simplemente “sálvanos.” Es el grito de alguien que ya agotó todas sus opciones. Brian nos preguntó si estamos en ese punto, sea con la salud, una decisión difícil, una herida que no sana, o un orgullo que no soltamos. La invitación fue sencilla: clamar “Hosanna” y dejar de intentarlo solos.
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Pasajes bíblicos usados:
- Mateo 23:37-39
- Salmo 118:22 y 26
- Jeremías 30:1-17
- Juan 12:12-13
Topics
Cry For Help Hosanna Israel Prophecy Jacob’S Trouble Repentance Stubbornness