WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.500 And people engage with what God's doing around the world. 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:10.580 So I'm not preaching on missions this morning, but I do want to put in a plug that we just have great needs. 00:00:10.580 --> 00:00:18.839 And the mission of the church, God has a mission for His church, and it's very, very clear, it's explicit, that is that we are to make disciples of all nations. 00:00:19.300 --> 00:00:23.280 Notice it's not just to make disciples, but to make disciples of all nations, and that's our mission. 00:00:23.780 --> 00:00:25.879 And we are all united in that. 00:00:25.879 --> 00:00:29.440 And if you speak English, we can use you. 00:00:30.219 --> 00:00:34.420 All over the world, people are wanting to learn English, and it's a great way to connect people to the church. 00:00:34.420 --> 00:00:43.039 If you are a schoolteacher or would like to be a schoolteacher, right now we have a great, great need for teachers in Japan to assist our church planting work there. 00:00:43.579 --> 00:00:51.019 And so if you speak English or a schoolteacher, we'd love to talk to you after the service about how you can engage in what God is doing. 00:00:51.480 --> 00:00:56.840 Also, I'm just thankful for this church, thankful that Matthew has some time off. 00:00:56.840 --> 00:01:00.540 Thankful, too, that you brought the purchase in here as well. 00:01:00.900 --> 00:01:03.620 Just very excited about what God is doing here at Cheyenne Mountain. 00:01:04.520 --> 00:01:06.380 But we are looking at God's Word this morning. 00:01:06.579 --> 00:01:10.820 John chapter 12, verses 9 through 19. 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:12.480 This is God's Word. 00:01:12.480 --> 00:01:22.840 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came not only on account of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 00:01:22.960 --> 00:01:30.780 So the chief priest made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:36.359 The next day, the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:40.680 So they took branches upon branches and went out to meet him, crying out, 00:01:41.019 --> 00:01:45.640 Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. 00:01:46.379 --> 00:01:50.280 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 00:01:50.939 --> 00:01:55.359 Fear not, daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt. 00:01:55.359 --> 00:02:00.299 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:04.579 then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 00:02:05.140 --> 00:02:11.000 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 00:02:11.639 --> 00:02:15.719 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they'd heard he had done this sign. 00:02:15.860 --> 00:02:17.460 So the Pharisees said to one another, 00:02:18.079 --> 00:02:20.219 You see that you are gaining nothing. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:23.340 Look, the whole world has gone after him. 00:02:23.340 --> 00:02:26.080 And this is God's holy and inspired word. 00:02:26.460 --> 00:02:27.060 Let's pray. 00:02:27.219 --> 00:02:28.920 Fathers, we look at your word this morning. 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:32.580 We pray that you would come and you would meet with us. 00:02:32.620 --> 00:02:36.159 Holy Spirit, we need you to open our hearts and our minds. 00:02:36.259 --> 00:02:37.340 Your word is true. 00:02:37.500 --> 00:02:38.099 It is real. 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:39.800 It is, in fact, it is clear. 00:02:40.020 --> 00:02:41.000 It is revelation. 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:42.640 You're revealing yourself to us. 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:46.539 And yet, oftentimes, our minds are cloudy and we need you, 00:02:46.539 --> 00:02:48.020 O Holy Spirit, to come and speak. 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:51.939 Unless you move among us today, we have wasted our morning. 00:02:51.939 --> 00:02:55.539 And so we plead with you, Holy Spirit, come work through your word. 00:02:55.639 --> 00:02:56.680 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:02:56.819 --> 00:02:57.079 Amen. 00:02:59.300 --> 00:03:00.979 Your father's on the way home. 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:06.500 When my sister and I heard those words when we were kids, it would strike terror in our hearts 00:03:06.500 --> 00:03:09.280 because it meant judgment was coming, right? 00:03:09.740 --> 00:03:13.840 It meant whatever you've been doing, how rambunctious you've been, disobedient to your mother, 00:03:14.099 --> 00:03:16.199 whatever, judgment's coming. 00:03:16.599 --> 00:03:17.659 You better be afraid. 00:03:17.659 --> 00:03:21.120 But those same words can also be quite comforting. 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:26.319 If you're a kid, you're home alone, and you're waiting for your dad to get home and it's starting 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:32.300 to get dark, that idea, your father is on his way home, actually provides a lot of comfort 00:03:32.300 --> 00:03:34.159 and a lot of assurance. 00:03:34.919 --> 00:03:41.300 We find sort of a similar reaction to Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem here on this first Palm Sunday. 00:03:41.900 --> 00:03:43.379 Some welcome him with cheers. 00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:46.879 Others, they're excited, they're anticipating what he might do. 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:51.439 Others are loathing and respond with disgust. 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:58.419 And so one of the questions we have to ask is, why do people respond so radically different to Jesus? 00:03:59.340 --> 00:04:02.340 I mean, everyone agrees that he has done these amazing things. 00:04:02.419 --> 00:04:03.199 He's healed the sick. 00:04:03.300 --> 00:04:06.259 He's even raised the dead, as we read moments ago. 00:04:06.259 --> 00:04:15.560 So it seems that there would be a positive reaction to him coming, but some react with joy, and others react with loathing. 00:04:15.959 --> 00:04:24.240 And this is not just a historical question, because Jesus' arrival on Palm Sunday is sort of a preview of coming attractions. 00:04:24.420 --> 00:04:26.019 It's a harbinger of things to come. 00:04:26.019 --> 00:04:33.139 It's his first entry, but it's a sign of his second entry when he'll come again to rule over all the earth. 00:04:33.659 --> 00:04:37.079 And again, some people are very much looking forward to this. 00:04:37.439 --> 00:04:41.339 You know, the whole expression, Maranatha, means come quickly, Lord Jesus. 00:04:41.620 --> 00:04:42.859 We anticipate it. 00:04:42.919 --> 00:04:43.659 We long for it. 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:44.879 We pray for it. 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:52.599 But for others, they find this idea of Jesus coming to reign repugnant, even offensive. 00:04:53.699 --> 00:04:54.379 Why is that? 00:04:54.379 --> 00:05:01.060 Why does Jesus provoke such strong, different reactions that some want to worship him and others want to kill him? 00:05:01.139 --> 00:05:06.379 Well, we see that in this episode here in the event of the life of Jesus on Palm Sunday. 00:05:06.719 --> 00:05:09.879 So this whole event takes place at the Passover feast. 00:05:09.879 --> 00:05:14.879 Now, Jerusalem normally would have between 50,000 to 80,000 people in its city. 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:18.439 During Passover, that number would double, sometimes even triple. 00:05:18.439 --> 00:05:26.839 So you've got to think about a city that is made for 50,000 to 80,000 people, now crammed in with twice to three times as many people. 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:28.100 And they're there for the feast. 00:05:28.199 --> 00:05:35.439 And the Passover, of course, is a religious celebration where they remember how God rescued them out of slavery in Egypt, 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:39.759 out of oppression by the Egyptian empire, and how he delivered them from that. 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:51.500 But it's also, while it's a religious celebration, as they sacrificed the lamb and so on, it also has some very strong nationalistic overtones. 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:55.959 I mean, Passover was their July 4th, their Independence Day. 00:05:55.959 --> 00:06:05.939 And so it is just a very nationalistic ceremony that is happening as well. 00:06:06.239 --> 00:06:12.259 And so the nationalistic fever is at its height because the original Passover, they were being oppressed by the Egyptian empire. 00:06:12.620 --> 00:06:13.819 Now, what's happening? 00:06:14.479 --> 00:06:16.219 They're under oppression by the Roman empire. 00:06:16.719 --> 00:06:19.959 And it seems like a similar type situation to many of the people. 00:06:20.579 --> 00:06:24.919 And so you can imagine their anticipation of the crowd as Jesus draws near. 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:29.360 The crowd had heard stories about Jesus, you know, possibly feeding the 5,000. 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:31.620 They'd heard about how he had healed the sick. 00:06:31.840 --> 00:06:34.120 They'd heard about how the lame walked, the blind see. 00:06:34.379 --> 00:06:39.939 And now they'd heard just a few miles away in Bethany how he'd raised this man from the dead, 00:06:39.980 --> 00:06:42.100 and that man is actually up and walking around. 00:06:42.400 --> 00:06:44.920 And so everybody wants to see this formerly dead guy. 00:06:45.420 --> 00:06:48.920 And they want to see this Jesus who can even raise the dead. 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:53.439 So there's this heightened anticipation about Jesus' arrival. 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:59.180 They're wondering, could this be the one who's come to set us free from tyranny? 00:06:59.300 --> 00:07:02.360 Who's once again going to establish David's throne? 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:04.079 And they make that explicit. 00:07:04.379 --> 00:07:10.659 You know, with this in mind, as Jesus arrives, they turn his arrival into an inauguration parade. 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:14.360 I mean, Jesus is coming to the city, and they all run out to greet him, 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:16.680 and they come around people from Bethany to greet him, 00:07:16.819 --> 00:07:18.839 and then they take down palm branches. 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:22.759 Now, they didn't just take down palm branches because they were convenient, 00:07:23.019 --> 00:07:25.119 although certainly they would have been convenient. 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:28.619 But palm branches were themselves a political symbol. 00:07:29.119 --> 00:07:33.159 300 years earlier, they also had been oppressed by another empire. 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:35.859 They're under the rule of the Greek Empire. 00:07:36.659 --> 00:07:42.519 And a group of people known as the Maccabees led a revolt against the Greeks successfully. 00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:46.419 And by the way, that's commemorated in the Hanukkah celebration. 00:07:46.420 --> 00:07:48.319 And so they led this revolt. 00:07:48.460 --> 00:07:52.520 Well, since that time, the palm branch became a national symbol for Israel. 00:07:53.300 --> 00:07:55.240 They would put it on their coins. 00:07:55.500 --> 00:07:57.439 They would stamp them on their coins. 00:07:57.640 --> 00:08:02.960 So waving palm branches would be like waving a Ukrainian flag in Crimea. 00:08:03.840 --> 00:08:06.660 It would be like taking a Palestinian flag into Gaza. 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:11.300 This is, it was like, it was just almost unheard of. 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:14.700 It was clearly a symbol of nationalism. 00:08:14.699 --> 00:08:19.259 And if the symbolism of the palm branches wasn't enough, the crowd makes it explicit. 00:08:19.420 --> 00:08:20.039 What do they do? 00:08:20.300 --> 00:08:24.920 They begin shouting, Hosanna, which means give salvation now. 00:08:25.099 --> 00:08:26.180 Give deliverance now. 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:29.899 Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 00:08:30.379 --> 00:08:33.360 Blessed is the King of Israel. 00:08:34.100 --> 00:08:35.879 They're hailing Jesus as King. 00:08:36.279 --> 00:08:39.779 Independence Day, waving flags, crowds going wild. 00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:42.159 They're chanting, they're cheering like at a football game. 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:45.919 It is a rally, it is calling for Jesus to bring his kingdom. 00:08:46.719 --> 00:08:48.039 How does Jesus respond? 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:50.639 He says, no, no, no, no, you've got it wrong. 00:08:50.719 --> 00:08:51.240 I'm not a king. 00:08:51.799 --> 00:08:53.139 That's not what he does, does he? 00:08:53.719 --> 00:08:54.959 He says, you've got it right. 00:08:55.959 --> 00:08:56.959 He says, you've got it right. 00:08:57.360 --> 00:08:59.839 He doesn't discourage the crowd. 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:05.860 He encourages the crowd because he comes in riding on a donkey. 00:09:06.800 --> 00:09:14.680 What he's doing by riding in on the donkey, he's embracing the idea that he's coming in as a king. 00:09:15.560 --> 00:09:18.759 And in case the readers of John miss the significance of this, 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:23.600 John reminds us of the prophecy of Zechariah that was written hundreds of years before. 00:09:23.720 --> 00:09:26.480 We read it moments ago in the service. 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:28.019 But I want to read it again. 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:32.060 John just quotes a snippet, but here's the whole context that we read moments ago. 00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:34.480 Zechariah 9, beginning with verse 8. 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:37.800 But I will defend my house against marauding forces. 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:42.600 Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I'm keeping watch. 00:09:43.019 --> 00:09:45.060 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:46.420 Shout, daughter of Jerusalem. 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:49.840 See your king come to you, righteous and having salvation, 00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:54.420 gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 00:09:54.419 --> 00:09:59.139 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim, the war horses from Jerusalem, 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:01.039 and the battle bow will be broken. 00:10:01.219 --> 00:10:02.939 He will proclaim peace to the nations. 00:10:03.319 --> 00:10:07.919 His rule will extend from sea to sea and from river to the ends of the earth. 00:10:08.779 --> 00:10:09.839 Pretty clear, right? 00:10:10.799 --> 00:10:13.299 By riding on a donkey, Jesus is saying, 00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:17.599 I am the king that comes to free you from the marauding forces. 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:20.360 I am the king who's come to break the battle bow. 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:23.219 I am the king who's come to reign from sea to shining sea. 00:10:23.220 --> 00:10:24.100 I am the king. 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:25.980 Very, very clear message. 00:10:26.700 --> 00:10:28.800 And so the crowd's going wild. 00:10:30.060 --> 00:10:33.700 This man who heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, causes the lame to walk, 00:10:33.820 --> 00:10:37.500 raises the dead, surely he's our deliverer. 00:10:37.980 --> 00:10:39.620 So you can see why they're so excited. 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:42.540 But did you notice that not everyone's excited? 00:10:43.680 --> 00:10:47.759 There's some people here that do not like this at all. 00:10:47.759 --> 00:10:51.700 And we saw it in the first verses that we read, verses 9 to 11. 00:10:51.799 --> 00:10:54.939 Again, look at verses 9 to 11 of chapter 12 of John. 00:10:56.299 --> 00:10:58.960 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, 00:10:59.059 --> 00:11:01.080 they came not only on account of him, 00:11:01.580 --> 00:11:04.340 but also to see Lazarus, whom he'd raised from the dead. 00:11:05.080 --> 00:11:08.700 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:12.580 because on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and believing. 00:11:13.480 --> 00:11:14.299 A little context. 00:11:14.299 --> 00:11:16.419 This is the previous chapter, chapter 11. 00:11:16.719 --> 00:11:20.559 Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha, two friends of Jesus. 00:11:20.779 --> 00:11:22.339 Lazarus got very, very sick. 00:11:22.979 --> 00:11:25.799 And so they sent word to Jesus to come and heal him. 00:11:26.719 --> 00:11:28.019 Jesus doesn't come right away. 00:11:28.719 --> 00:11:30.679 He delays intentionally. 00:11:31.699 --> 00:11:34.000 By the time he gets to Bethany, where they live, 00:11:34.659 --> 00:11:38.819 Lazarus has been buried and in the tomb for four days. 00:11:38.820 --> 00:11:42.640 So when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, this isn't like, you know, 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:45.520 on the hard stops on the operating table. 00:11:45.660 --> 00:11:47.580 This isn't a resuscitation. 00:11:48.020 --> 00:11:49.520 He isn't just a little bit dead. 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:51.520 He is dead, dead, dead. 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:55.320 He is so dead that they're worried that when they open the tomb, 00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:59.060 the rotting corpse, the stench of it is just going to come flowing out. 00:12:00.020 --> 00:12:01.100 He is that dead. 00:12:01.100 --> 00:12:07.320 And yet Jesus has them open the tomb, and he cries, Lazarus, come forth. 00:12:08.060 --> 00:12:12.580 And this formerly dead man with his burial clothes still wrapped around him 00:12:12.580 --> 00:12:13.960 comes out of the tomb. 00:12:15.420 --> 00:12:21.659 And so here, people hear about this, and they recognize what is going on, 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:24.800 and people want to see this man. 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:30.179 And because Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, now people are believing Jesus. 00:12:30.319 --> 00:12:33.179 Now they believe him, and they're starting to follow him. 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:35.579 Well, for the religious leaders, this is a problem. 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:40.159 Lazarus is what you might call an inconvenient truth. 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:45.039 The inconvenient truth is this, because as long as Lazarus is walking around, 00:12:45.699 --> 00:12:50.019 there's just incontrovertible proof that Jesus is the Messiah, that Jesus is God. 00:12:50.019 --> 00:12:54.919 And so, and if Jesus is God, that means Jesus is who he claimed to be, 00:12:55.240 --> 00:12:59.519 and that presents a problem, because these leaders did not want Jesus to be king. 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:02.399 We see this again in the previous chapter. 00:13:02.980 --> 00:13:05.699 After the religious leaders hear about Lazarus, here's what they said. 00:13:06.659 --> 00:13:08.019 They said, what are we going to do? 00:13:08.079 --> 00:13:09.799 For this man performs many signs. 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:13.019 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, 00:13:13.199 --> 00:13:17.360 and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. 00:13:18.379 --> 00:13:19.360 Notice the problem? 00:13:20.019 --> 00:13:23.000 The problem was not that they didn't believe Jesus' miracles. 00:13:23.720 --> 00:13:26.259 The problem was not they didn't believe he really did these signs. 00:13:26.539 --> 00:13:28.899 They did not accuse Jesus of being a fraud. 00:13:29.220 --> 00:13:33.000 What they were afraid of was that if people started following Jesus, 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:34.840 they were going to lose their place. 00:13:35.699 --> 00:13:37.079 They weren't concerned about the people. 00:13:37.439 --> 00:13:38.759 They weren't concerned about the sick. 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:40.120 They weren't concerned about the blind. 00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:41.299 They weren't concerned about the poor. 00:13:41.659 --> 00:13:46.340 They were concerned about themselves and about losing their position of power. 00:13:46.340 --> 00:13:53.160 So they began to plot to get rid not only of Jesus, but Lazarus as well. 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:55.120 Now, this is striking, isn't it? 00:13:55.700 --> 00:14:00.519 You would think faced with the evidence of like, oh, somebody being raised from the dead, 00:14:00.740 --> 00:14:06.700 that might be pretty good proof that they would believe it and that they would want to believe in Jesus. 00:14:06.700 --> 00:14:13.460 But instead of going where the evidence leads, they decided to quite literally bury the evidence. 00:14:13.920 --> 00:14:14.980 That's what they wanted to do. 00:14:16.180 --> 00:14:18.140 Here's the problem with Jesus being king. 00:14:18.139 --> 00:14:22.480 If Jesus is king, you are not. 00:14:24.179 --> 00:14:27.100 If Jesus is king, you are not. 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:32.319 And this is not just a problem for leaders 2,000 years ago, but for us today. 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:37.199 If Jesus is Lord over all creation, that means he must be your Lord. 00:14:37.580 --> 00:14:40.639 If Jesus is king, that means we are accountable to him. 00:14:41.319 --> 00:14:44.799 And if we are accountable to him, we owe our allegiance to him. 00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:45.960 We owe our obedience to him. 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:47.620 He brings about justice for us. 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:53.100 And that is a truth that some simply do not want to accept. 00:14:54.500 --> 00:14:58.139 Famous atheist philosopher Thomas Nagel wrote this. 00:14:59.080 --> 00:15:01.440 He said, I want atheism to be true. 00:15:02.560 --> 00:15:04.840 It isn't just that I don't believe in God. 00:15:04.980 --> 00:15:07.120 I don't want there to be a God. 00:15:07.259 --> 00:15:10.320 I don't want the universe to be like that. 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:16.060 He says, you know, Albus Huxley, who wrote A Brave New World, said this. 00:15:16.059 --> 00:15:20.759 He says, you know, most ignorance is what he calls invincible, overcomable ignorance. 00:15:21.659 --> 00:15:24.519 We choose not to believe the things we don't want to believe. 00:15:25.299 --> 00:15:30.379 If Jesus has come to bring his kingdom, then that means he is king over us. 00:15:30.379 --> 00:15:31.879 But we don't want the evidence. 00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:33.460 I had my own encounter with this. 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:36.659 When I was in college, I started off at Georgia Tech. 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:39.259 I was there for a year until they invited me to go somewhere else. 00:15:39.980 --> 00:15:44.120 And the next year, I was at another college that also invited me to go somewhere else. 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:45.039 But that's a long story. 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:49.580 Next year, I was there, and I went back to visit my friends at Tech. 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:53.980 And we were part of this fraternity, which might have been part of my problem. 00:15:53.980 --> 00:16:01.379 But I was a Christian, and these men were Christian, and we were talking about something that happened that previous year. 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:11.139 One of the other people in the fraternity decided they wanted to bring an exotic dancer, let me just put it that way, to the house. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:18.379 The Christians strenuously objected to this and obviously did not want this, but they were overruled. 00:16:18.980 --> 00:16:20.920 And so they thought, what are we going to do? 00:16:20.919 --> 00:16:26.079 Well, the day the dancer was supposed to come, they had a prayer meeting in the basement of the house. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:31.459 While they were praying, an electrical fire broke out in the attic. 00:16:32.599 --> 00:16:34.039 It was not sabotaged. 00:16:34.219 --> 00:16:34.839 The police came. 00:16:35.059 --> 00:16:35.919 The fire truck came. 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:39.120 And the thing is, no major damage. 00:16:39.659 --> 00:16:42.319 But because of all that, the party got canceled. 00:16:43.599 --> 00:16:44.779 Now, here's what's interesting. 00:16:46.579 --> 00:16:49.019 How do you think the non-Christians responded to this? 00:16:49.019 --> 00:16:51.620 They didn't say it was just a chance. 00:16:52.460 --> 00:16:52.779 They didn't. 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:55.639 They said, you Christians ruined our party. 00:16:57.579 --> 00:16:58.139 Here they believe. 00:16:58.199 --> 00:16:58.980 Now, notice this. 00:16:59.199 --> 00:17:02.519 Now, engineers are typically very logical, rational people, right? 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:04.400 I mean, that's just kind of how they are. 00:17:04.480 --> 00:17:07.579 In Georgia Tech, that's all they are, engineers, especially back in these days. 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:09.279 Logical, rational people. 00:17:09.539 --> 00:17:17.539 They all believed, Christians, non-Christians alike, believed that the fire started because the Christians were praying in the basement. 00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:23.519 And yet, instead of acknowledging Christ as king, which they all believed he just did, right? 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:26.659 Instead of acknowledging Christ as king, they grew angry. 00:17:27.899 --> 00:17:31.039 See, if Jesus is king, we are not. 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:36.700 And for some, that's a truth we simply do not want to accept. 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:41.240 Karl Marx famously said that religion is the opiate of the masses. 00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:42.440 You've probably heard that. 00:17:42.920 --> 00:17:44.400 Religion is the opiate of the masses. 00:17:44.660 --> 00:17:49.900 But a Nobel laureate, Czeslaw Milov, observed that Marx's drug analogy cuts both ways. 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:50.680 He writes this. 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:56.180 A true opium of the people is the belief of nothingness after death. 00:17:56.940 --> 00:18:03.420 A huge solace for thinking that we are not going to be judged for our betrayals, greed, cowardice, murders. 00:18:03.420 --> 00:18:09.160 See, if there's not a God, you get away with anything, right? 00:18:10.140 --> 00:18:13.080 Stoicevsky said, if there is no God, all things are possible. 00:18:13.779 --> 00:18:17.160 You can do whatever you want because there's no accountability, there's no judgment. 00:18:17.420 --> 00:18:24.340 And so this whole idea that there's a king that's coming to bring about judgment and to bring about justice, 00:18:25.580 --> 00:18:27.440 you can see why this is absolutely terrifying. 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:36.180 But by the way, it should not just be terrifying for my friends at Georgia Tech or these religious leaders long ago. 00:18:37.600 --> 00:18:39.920 It should be a bit terrifying for us too, right? 00:18:41.180 --> 00:18:45.059 That one day we'll all stand before the rightful king. 00:18:45.940 --> 00:18:47.480 He's going to judge the earth. 00:18:48.360 --> 00:18:52.320 He's going to bring about absolute, true, and perfect justice. 00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:56.279 No evil will go unpunished. 00:18:56.279 --> 00:19:03.920 No sin will be ignored because he's righteous and he's just. 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:07.240 And so that's kind of terrifying. 00:19:08.420 --> 00:19:15.379 You know, I always thought the scariest song was the Christmas children's song about Santa Claus is coming to town. 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:18.940 He knows when you've been sleeping. 00:19:19.099 --> 00:19:20.039 He knows when you're awake. 00:19:20.619 --> 00:19:22.480 You know, he's watching you all the time. 00:19:22.579 --> 00:19:24.000 You better be good for goodness sake. 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:25.960 You go, oh my goodness, I'm toast, right? 00:19:26.279 --> 00:19:37.420 You know, but what about a God who truly exists, who truly is watching and sees everything you do and also judges the motives of the heart? 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:38.660 That's terrifying. 00:19:38.660 --> 00:19:43.220 So why would we be anxious for Jesus to come as king? 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:47.540 Well, the answer to that is to see what kind of king Jesus is. 00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:50.540 Notice how Jesus processes into Jerusalem. 00:19:50.660 --> 00:19:53.240 The people are waving palm branches and they're shouting, Hosanna. 00:19:53.620 --> 00:19:56.480 And he rides in as a king, but notice what he's riding. 00:19:57.360 --> 00:19:59.040 He's riding in on a donkey. 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:02.079 Now, he's not riding in a war horse. 00:20:02.940 --> 00:20:05.000 He's not, you know, he's coming in on a donkey. 00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:13.940 Jesus is sending a message that he, if he's sending a message to a military leader, he's going to have a white stallion, right? 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:16.879 He's going to come in in power, but he rides in a donkey. 00:20:17.159 --> 00:20:18.240 He doesn't come in a tank. 00:20:18.299 --> 00:20:19.639 He comes in a VW Bug. 00:20:20.599 --> 00:20:22.440 It's not quite as impressive. 00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:29.120 Now, granted, riding in a donkey into town in that day is not as ridiculous as it sounds. 00:20:29.299 --> 00:20:32.960 You know, to us it kind of looks sort of comical, but it wouldn't have. 00:20:33.080 --> 00:20:37.420 In those days, a great man would come in, oftentimes, on a donkey. 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:40.360 That was how an official might arrive. 00:20:40.900 --> 00:20:42.340 But it's still not a war horse. 00:20:43.360 --> 00:20:44.940 It's something a man of peace would ride. 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:50.380 So Jesus is not coming to conquer in the traditional sense of the word. 00:20:50.380 --> 00:20:57.500 He's coming to bring his kingdom as one, even as Zechariah tells us, who's meek and lowly. 00:20:58.200 --> 00:21:01.340 He's coming in to bring about justice. 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:04.120 And he's coming to go to his throne. 00:21:05.060 --> 00:21:10.180 But Jesus will descend to the throne, but his path to the throne goes to the cross. 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:16.880 Through the second half of all the Gospels, we see Jesus making a beeline to Jerusalem 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:19.020 for this triumphal entry. 00:21:19.820 --> 00:21:23.340 But the triumph goes to the ascension on high. 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:28.760 But between those two points of his triumphal entry and his ascension is the cross. 00:21:29.680 --> 00:21:31.580 Jesus is not coming to conquer the traditional sense. 00:21:31.660 --> 00:21:33.000 He's coming to conquer our sin. 00:21:33.140 --> 00:21:33.940 See, we need a Savior. 00:21:34.800 --> 00:21:38.940 We need someone who can restore our broken world as well as our broken lives. 00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:40.720 And here's why we should be longing for the King. 00:21:40.840 --> 00:21:43.860 I mean, we live in a world that is beautiful but broken. 00:21:43.859 --> 00:21:49.159 You look out your window, which is, I think, the most distracting church in Colorado Springs 00:21:49.159 --> 00:21:51.699 because you look and you see Cheyenne Mountain. 00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:54.059 And, I mean, it's just gorgeous, right? 00:21:54.279 --> 00:21:55.659 I mean, it's absolutely beautiful. 00:21:56.219 --> 00:21:58.599 But what's inside Cheyenne Mountain, right? 00:21:59.219 --> 00:22:00.099 I mean, they're there. 00:22:00.199 --> 00:22:04.079 We have a military installation designed to protect us in case we're ever under attack. 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:07.599 It's beautiful, and yet it's terrifying at the same time. 00:22:07.659 --> 00:22:09.379 The threat of danger is always there. 00:22:09.380 --> 00:22:14.940 You gather together with your family for celebrations, and it's joyful, and you feast and you eat, 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.140 but you gather with your family for celebrations, and it's also stressful, right? 00:22:19.900 --> 00:22:24.160 There are people who aren't there anymore because of death, of broken relationships. 00:22:24.780 --> 00:22:30.520 We live in a world that is broken because we've rebelled against the rightful King. 00:22:31.280 --> 00:22:36.080 We think of sin as sometimes as simply just kind of not quite getting it right, 00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:37.600 or we mess up occasionally. 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:39.359 Sin is rebellion against God. 00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:44.359 And the reason our world is like it is, the reason our world is broken, 00:22:44.659 --> 00:22:46.539 this isn't how things are supposed to be. 00:22:47.240 --> 00:22:51.599 It's this way because we rebelled against God until the rightful King returns to the throne, 00:22:51.699 --> 00:22:52.980 the world cannot be made right. 00:22:53.059 --> 00:22:59.919 Until He gets rid of evil and injustice once and for all, then the world cannot be right. 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:04.240 We sometimes wonder, why can't God just kind of forgive everybody and not worry about it, 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:07.399 whether He followed Christ as King or not, just let everybody in? 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:09.960 Because if you do that, you still have people in rebellion. 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:11.200 You still have a world that's broken. 00:23:11.560 --> 00:23:17.940 The only way this world gets fixed is if the rightful King comes and people acknowledge Him 00:23:17.940 --> 00:23:19.960 and follow Him as the rightful King. 00:23:20.840 --> 00:23:22.740 And so, all of us know this. 00:23:23.019 --> 00:23:23.540 We've sinned. 00:23:23.620 --> 00:23:24.680 We've been sinned against. 00:23:24.840 --> 00:23:26.000 We've sinned against one another. 00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:28.119 We've done things that are wrong. 00:23:28.259 --> 00:23:28.960 We've been wrong. 00:23:29.960 --> 00:23:33.140 And yet we see the nature of that. 00:23:33.259 --> 00:23:34.660 And yet we tend to downplay it. 00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:36.759 We think of sin as a mistake. 00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:39.799 We think of something that maybe deserves a slap on the wrist. 00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:43.940 But God says the wages of sin is death. 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:45.779 It's death. 00:23:46.779 --> 00:23:49.660 And He said the only way for our world to be healed is someone must take the death. 00:23:49.660 --> 00:23:54.779 So Jesus comes that Palm Sunday, but His eyes on the cross the whole time. 00:23:55.820 --> 00:24:01.180 As Jesus rides into Jerusalem, people shouted, Hosanna, which literally means help or save us. 00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:03.740 And that's precisely what Jesus has come to do. 00:24:04.700 --> 00:24:08.380 He came to take the judgment so we no longer would have to face the judgment. 00:24:08.540 --> 00:24:11.240 He came to take the punishment so we would not be punishment. 00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:17.759 He came as the Son to take the death so that we who face death could live as sons. 00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:27.259 As Paul says, He, that is Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 00:24:27.460 --> 00:24:28.180 Think about that. 00:24:29.299 --> 00:24:33.779 He doesn't just say that Jesus comes and through His life and His death and His resurrection, 00:24:33.960 --> 00:24:37.779 he doesn't merely say that your sins are forgiven, although that's wonderful. 00:24:37.779 --> 00:24:41.660 He says we actually become the righteousness of God. 00:24:41.779 --> 00:24:43.240 We get clothed with His righteousness. 00:24:43.500 --> 00:24:49.759 We are adopted as His children, loved and adored by Him because of what Christ has done for us. 00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:56.899 And so that Paul would say also in Romans, therefore because of this, there is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. 00:24:57.220 --> 00:25:02.799 See, that's why we can look forward to the coming of the King, bringing justice, and not be terrified, 00:25:03.339 --> 00:25:05.299 is because Christ has taken the terror away. 00:25:05.299 --> 00:25:07.799 He's been punished on our behalf. 00:25:08.539 --> 00:25:11.419 So we don't have to live in fear of the coming. 00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:13.519 You don't have to live in fear of judgment. 00:25:14.399 --> 00:25:16.879 Instead, we can live in joyful anticipation of that. 00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:20.099 But to do that, we must put our trust in Him. 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:27.319 In the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus comes and He first starts announcing His kingdom, 00:25:27.500 --> 00:25:31.180 He says these words, which I think are really instructive for us. 00:25:31.619 --> 00:25:32.399 It's Mark 115. 00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:35.019 He says, the time has come. 00:25:36.120 --> 00:25:38.060 The kingdom of God is near. 00:25:39.400 --> 00:25:41.740 Repent and believe the good news. 00:25:42.700 --> 00:25:44.060 Repent and believe the good news. 00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:49.440 Now, that phrase, repent and believe the good news, unless you've grown up in the church, sounds awfully strange, right? 00:25:49.600 --> 00:25:50.000 Repent. 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:52.220 I mean, it just sounds kind of an awkward word. 00:25:52.280 --> 00:25:54.720 But it was not that awkward of a word back in those days. 00:25:54.820 --> 00:25:57.940 In fact, other people used that word as a common phrase. 00:25:57.940 --> 00:26:03.400 In fact, one example of this, there was a man named Josephus who was born a few years after Jesus died. 00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:13.299 And Josephus was sent by the religious leaders in Jerusalem to Galilee because the Galileans were planning a rebellion against Rome. 00:26:13.400 --> 00:26:21.180 And the religious leaders knew that if the Galileans rebelled against Rome, then the Romans' armies were going to come in and squash everybody, which, by the way, they did. 00:26:21.180 --> 00:26:27.039 And so, Josephus goes up and he goes to the Galileans and here's what he says to them. 00:26:27.380 --> 00:26:30.500 He says, quote, repent and believe in me. 00:26:31.480 --> 00:26:36.100 Now, Josephus was not calling them to some sort of religious experience. 00:26:36.400 --> 00:26:46.039 What he was saying is, repent, stop your rebellion, stop your current course of action, turn back from what you're currently doing, and trust me to work out something better. 00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:49.299 So, what's Jesus saying when he says, repent and believe? 00:26:50.259 --> 00:26:52.000 Stop your rebellion against God. 00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:56.159 Turn away from what you're doing and believe in me. 00:26:57.059 --> 00:27:00.180 But literally what he says, he says, believe the good news. 00:27:01.399 --> 00:27:10.960 And here's the good news, that if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, if we stop our rebellion and put our trust in him, we are no longer under condemnation. 00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:15.920 And not only that, but one day he's going to come and he's going to bring his kingdom. 00:27:16.819 --> 00:27:19.880 And he's going to bring about everything that he promised in Zechariah 9. 00:27:20.519 --> 00:27:24.480 He's going to do away with the destruction and the warfare. 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:29.160 They'll beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. 00:27:29.720 --> 00:27:33.700 One day he will do away with sickness and death and disease. 00:27:33.960 --> 00:27:36.400 One day children will pray freely in the streets. 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:40.000 One day the child will play with his hand in the hole of the cobra. 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:44.940 One day the hills will drip with wine and everyone will have an abundance. 00:27:45.559 --> 00:27:48.579 And that's the promise he has for all who follow him. 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:51.960 One day God will wipe away every tear. 00:27:53.039 --> 00:27:54.920 That's why we cry out, Hosanna. 00:27:56.420 --> 00:27:57.140 Save us. 00:27:58.099 --> 00:28:01.500 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 00:28:02.180 --> 00:28:03.559 We can trust this king. 00:28:03.559 --> 00:28:13.059 In the early 1980s, King Hussein of Jordan heard that some of his officers were planning to rebel against him. 00:28:14.279 --> 00:28:18.659 When he heard this, his security forces heard this. 00:28:19.220 --> 00:28:21.779 The security forces were, of course, loyal to the king. 00:28:21.779 --> 00:28:26.480 They wanted to surround the barracks where these officers were plotting and arrest them all. 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:30.879 And King Hussein thought about it and goes, no, don't do that. 00:28:31.700 --> 00:28:33.379 He says, bring me a small helicopter. 00:28:34.559 --> 00:28:44.240 So he got a small helicopter and Hussein climbed to the helicopter and they flew him to the barracks where these people were conspiring to overthrow his rule. 00:28:44.240 --> 00:28:49.620 He said to the helicopter pilot after they landed on the roof, he says, if you hear gunfire, leave without me. 00:28:50.460 --> 00:28:57.240 The king went in, he went down two flights of stairs, and he appears in the room where all these officers were plotting this coup. 00:28:57.579 --> 00:28:59.140 And they see him stunned there. 00:28:59.220 --> 00:29:02.440 And he says, gentlemen, I hear what you're about to do. 00:29:03.880 --> 00:29:10.400 But if you do this, if you take over the country and install a military dictator, you do this, the army's going to break apart. 00:29:10.519 --> 00:29:12.620 The country's going to be plunged into civil war. 00:29:12.619 --> 00:29:15.799 For tens of thousands of innocent people are going to die. 00:29:16.339 --> 00:29:17.279 Please don't do this. 00:29:17.339 --> 00:29:18.119 There's no need. 00:29:18.339 --> 00:29:18.859 I'm here. 00:29:19.139 --> 00:29:19.539 Kill me. 00:29:20.939 --> 00:29:30.859 When he did that, the whole group rushed this one to him, fell at his feet, kissed his feet, and pledged their loyalty to him till death. 00:29:31.599 --> 00:29:35.079 Any king who's willing to die for his people, they're willing to follow. 00:29:36.079 --> 00:29:42.599 Jesus is a king who not only was willing to die for his people, he died for us. 00:29:43.379 --> 00:29:44.939 And that's why we can trust him. 00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:46.479 Hosanna. 00:29:47.199 --> 00:29:49.299 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 00:29:49.839 --> 00:29:50.299 Let's pray. 00:29:50.899 --> 00:29:55.919 Father, we do thank you that you are a God who loves your people. 00:29:56.019 --> 00:30:02.419 Lord, we do look at our world today in our own lives, and we long for a king to make things right. 00:30:02.420 --> 00:30:12.360 Our heart breaks, oftentimes, with hearing of news in our own families of quarrels, of strifes, of divorce, of estrangement. 00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:14.160 I've seen wars. 00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:21.660 I've heard of hearing of people who are suffering with disease, poverty, mental illness. 00:30:22.580 --> 00:30:24.400 And we just cry out, Hosanna. 00:30:25.019 --> 00:30:25.840 Lord, save us. 00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:34.259 Father, we come and we confess that for some, the whole idea of giving up the kingship of our lives to you is a terrifying thought. 00:30:34.380 --> 00:30:36.440 We want to reign, but Lord, we pray. 00:30:37.220 --> 00:30:39.000 Help us just to be honest about the evidence, 00:30:39.120 --> 00:30:40.860 to see that you are the God who reigns, 00:30:41.519 --> 00:30:44.600 that your kingdom is coming, and we need a king. 00:30:45.019 --> 00:30:46.620 You're the only one who can fix things. 00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:47.920 You're the only one who can fix us. 00:30:47.980 --> 00:30:49.860 So, Lord, we turn from our sin. 00:30:50.559 --> 00:30:52.039 We turn from our rebellion. 00:30:52.240 --> 00:30:55.460 We repent of that, and we trust in you, 00:30:55.460 --> 00:30:57.279 and we believe the good news 00:30:57.279 --> 00:31:00.000 that you are going to make all things new. 00:31:00.860 --> 00:31:02.200 We pray all this in Jesus' name. 00:31:02.320 --> 00:31:02.500 Amen.