WEBVTT 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:01.720 Well, good morning, everybody. 00:00:07.140 --> 00:00:12.120 So we were talking a little bit earlier about King Charles and his coronation. 00:00:12.900 --> 00:00:18.900 And the passage today has a similar grand entrance as Jesus arrives in Jerusalem. 00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:23.240 But the scene is very different because it was set 2,000 years ago. 00:00:23.820 --> 00:00:29.780 This wasn't arranged by the authorities, but it certainly was an anticipated event. 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:33.840 And it has all the hallmarks of celebration. 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:40.460 Crowds gathered shouting and adulation, a carpet of coats, robes and palm branches. 00:00:42.039 --> 00:00:47.340 And it's also similar because it marks the arrival of a king to a capital city. 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:53.780 Although we're going to go on and find out that not everybody is going to acknowledge him as king. 00:00:53.780 --> 00:01:03.579 And the passage shows us at the start of the week, the people hail Jesus as king and yell, come save us. 00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:09.159 And yet by Thursday of that same week, they're going to reject him and crucify him. 00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:14.479 For us too, it's possible to acknowledge God with our lips. 00:01:15.479 --> 00:01:21.920 But that knowledge doesn't necessarily transfer down to practical choices in the way that we live our lives daily. 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:28.079 So as we look at this passage, let's invite the Holy Spirit to shine his light on us. 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:31.680 And so that you and I can ask that question. 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:35.900 Are we living for the king in his kingdom daily? 00:01:35.900 --> 00:01:42.780 So we're a week away from Easter and the biggest day of celebration in the Christian calendar. 00:01:43.300 --> 00:01:49.080 Many of you will have heard this story time and time again, maybe in Sunday school or kids' church, 00:01:49.440 --> 00:01:51.560 and heard it preached every year at Easter. 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:56.240 But let's look at that familiar story again and ask that question. 00:01:56.900 --> 00:02:02.700 How are we demonstrating daily that Jesus is first and king in our lives? 00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:10.659 Today, people often ask us as Christians where God is when there's wars, when there's suffering, 00:02:10.860 --> 00:02:16.099 when there's people starving, viruses are spreading, and people are being so cruel to each other. 00:02:16.680 --> 00:02:18.360 Where is God in all of that? 00:02:18.360 --> 00:02:28.660 To be honest, they're really hard questions, but I believe that this passage will help to at least give us part of the answer to that question. 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:37.080 As we've read through the Gospels about Jesus' life, we see that he taught publicly and performed miracles everywhere. 00:02:37.700 --> 00:02:40.520 But he never seemed to look for the limelight or the attention. 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:45.780 And most of the time when he's done miracles, he says to people, don't tell anyone about this. 00:02:45.780 --> 00:02:49.039 So this passage is quite different. 00:02:50.020 --> 00:02:57.120 For the first time, I think, Jesus, the servant king, prepares to enter the city of Jerusalem as a king, 00:02:57.639 --> 00:03:03.840 offering himself to the millions of Jews that have gathered there for the Passover as a king of Israel. 00:03:04.500 --> 00:03:07.539 He's organised a parade, a big public event, 00:03:07.539 --> 00:03:12.179 and he's entering Jerusalem in a way that kings would enter a city, 00:03:12.539 --> 00:03:15.899 and declaring to the masses that he is the king. 00:03:17.359 --> 00:03:21.219 And though these people initially greet him with great fanfare and adulation, 00:03:22.180 --> 00:03:25.819 it will only be a few days, as it was prophesied in the Old Testament, 00:03:26.399 --> 00:03:30.079 that Jesus will find himself rejected by his own people. 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:38.140 Jesus came to this city in that time and offered himself to humanity as their king, 00:03:38.700 --> 00:03:39.939 and they rejected him. 00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:46.080 God came to earth in the person of Jesus, not wanting to give upon humanity. 00:03:47.100 --> 00:03:51.280 And yet even today, people say, we don't want him, we're not interested. 00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:56.640 We're quite happy being in charge of our own lives, doing our own things, thanks a lot. 00:03:56.639 --> 00:04:00.599 Before we were even born, God loved us. 00:04:01.259 --> 00:04:02.919 God had a rescue plan for us. 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:07.679 God came to earth, he was born a baby, lived a perfect life, 00:04:07.939 --> 00:04:11.539 and he chose to die in our place, so that our sin, 00:04:12.299 --> 00:04:15.919 the pollution that pollutes our lives, could remove from us. 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:19.219 And yet even today, people say, no thanks. 00:04:20.459 --> 00:04:25.680 People often today blame God for viruses, or acts of God in earthquake and tsunamis. 00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:29.199 They blame God for the violence or the selfishness in this world. 00:04:30.379 --> 00:04:33.240 And yet I think, if you trace it all back to its source, 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:36.000 our suffering isn't caused by God, 00:04:36.600 --> 00:04:42.819 but it's caused much more by the individual and corporate sinfulness of us all as a people. 00:04:42.819 --> 00:04:47.519 It's when people say, we don't need Jesus, we reject him as king. 00:04:48.019 --> 00:04:49.339 We want to do our own thing. 00:04:50.300 --> 00:04:52.259 We want to do our own thing on our relationships. 00:04:52.659 --> 00:04:53.699 Keep out of my relationships. 00:04:54.420 --> 00:04:56.399 We want to run our businesses how we like. 00:04:57.000 --> 00:04:59.180 We're not interested in what God thinks about that. 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:02.259 It's how we treat people at work, what we do at work. 00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:03.800 Keep him out of my career. 00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:08.759 And when we tell little white lies, or we gossip behind people's back, 00:05:09.060 --> 00:05:12.540 or we undermine people to make ourselves feel better. 00:05:13.420 --> 00:05:16.319 And when we say, you know what, I don't need Jesus to die for me, 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:18.860 because I'm such a good and perfect person. 00:05:19.780 --> 00:05:23.259 This is when sin enters the world and suffering follows. 00:05:23.259 --> 00:05:26.060 So I think that the problem is not God. 00:05:26.500 --> 00:05:27.719 I think it's humanity. 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:32.199 All the way through Matthew's gospel, 00:05:32.579 --> 00:05:36.819 Matthew keeps presenting Jesus and reminding him that he's king. 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:39.800 And in this chapter in Matthew's story, 00:05:40.899 --> 00:05:43.860 he presents Jesus as a king who's rejected by the masses. 00:05:44.579 --> 00:05:47.480 So approximately two million Jews were in the town 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:51.060 to celebrate the Jewish celebration, the Passover, 00:05:51.060 --> 00:05:55.319 where the Hebrews in Egypt had put a cross shape around their doorposts 00:05:55.319 --> 00:05:57.040 with the blood of a perfect lamb, 00:05:57.319 --> 00:05:59.800 and the angel of death passed over that household 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:01.639 and did not kill the firstborn. 00:06:02.220 --> 00:06:05.439 And so in this, we see Jesus as the Passover lamb. 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:08.779 He's just finished a bit of a retreat with his disciples, 00:06:09.180 --> 00:06:12.600 and now he's heading back into the city 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:15.600 to what he knows is going to be his certain death. 00:06:15.699 --> 00:06:17.660 He knows that's what he's got to do. 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:20.340 And I really don't think the disciples, 00:06:20.339 --> 00:06:21.719 they'd spent all that time with him, 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:23.439 but they still didn't really get it. 00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:25.419 The masses are there, 00:06:25.959 --> 00:06:28.599 and Jesus gets all set to ride into the city 00:06:28.599 --> 00:06:30.579 and present himself as their king. 00:06:31.259 --> 00:06:32.539 And from this day onwards, 00:06:32.659 --> 00:06:34.659 there would be nobody in Israel that could say 00:06:34.659 --> 00:06:37.439 that they didn't know that Jesus had said who he was. 00:06:38.699 --> 00:06:41.559 So this was a triumphal entry, 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:42.939 and it was also a proclamation. 00:06:43.679 --> 00:06:47.299 And it was bringing true that promise from Zechariah, 00:06:47.300 --> 00:06:47.920 which says, 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:50.660 this took place to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet, 00:06:51.460 --> 00:06:52.600 say to daughter Zion, 00:06:52.819 --> 00:06:54.600 see your king comes to you, 00:06:55.100 --> 00:06:56.819 gentle and riding on a donkey, 00:06:57.480 --> 00:06:59.240 and on a colt the foal of a donkey. 00:07:00.199 --> 00:07:03.980 So I wonder what the Roman soldiers that were watching this 00:07:03.980 --> 00:07:06.720 would have been thinking to see him coming in riding on a donkey. 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:10.820 They would have been used to seeing kings coming in on their stallions 00:07:10.820 --> 00:07:14.400 and their chariots with thousands of soldiers marching beside them. 00:07:14.880 --> 00:07:17.580 And here's Jesus riding humbly in on a donkey 00:07:17.580 --> 00:07:19.700 with no army beside him, 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:21.120 the servant king. 00:07:21.900 --> 00:07:23.460 Would it have even made sense to them? 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:27.240 I think they might have seen him as being really pathetic, 00:07:27.760 --> 00:07:28.560 a bit of a joke, 00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:30.100 a bit of a comical scene. 00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:32.140 And on this occasion, 00:07:32.840 --> 00:07:35.780 Jesus enters the city as the suffering king. 00:07:42.280 --> 00:07:43.360 But do you know what? 00:07:44.820 --> 00:07:47.740 There's a day coming when Jesus will return to earth 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:49.340 on a large white horse, 00:07:50.080 --> 00:07:52.379 and he's going to be coming as a conquering king 00:07:52.379 --> 00:07:54.840 with millions of Christians coming with him, 00:07:55.100 --> 00:07:57.580 and nobody's going to be in any doubt who he is. 00:07:57.579 --> 00:07:59.779 But this first time he came, 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:01.240 as the prophet Zechariah declared, 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:03.399 humbly and riding on a donkey. 00:08:04.519 --> 00:08:06.459 So the disciples left him 00:08:06.459 --> 00:08:09.439 and went on their mission to do what Jesus had told them to do, 00:08:09.800 --> 00:08:11.719 and they brought the donkey and its colt, 00:08:11.860 --> 00:08:14.120 and they laid some clothes on the backs. 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:16.419 And then Jesus got on. 00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:19.519 Many people spread clothes in the road, 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:21.860 while others put down some palm branches, 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:23.680 which they'd cut from trees. 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:26.219 Some people walked ahead of him, 00:08:26.220 --> 00:08:27.560 some people followed him, 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:28.660 and they were all shouting, 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:30.480 Hosanna for the son of David! 00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:33.080 God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 00:08:33.740 --> 00:08:35.980 The word Hosanna means save now. 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:37.700 Literally, they were calling, 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:39.180 Jesus, save us now. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:41.160 But save us from what? 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:44.920 Well, they wanted Jesus to save them economically, 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:47.060 politically, and militarily. 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:50.560 They wanted Jesus to be that great military leader 00:08:50.560 --> 00:08:53.360 that was going to destroy the Romans with a death blow, 00:08:53.360 --> 00:08:56.379 and set up a new kingdom free from Roman oppression. 00:08:57.539 --> 00:08:58.539 Save us now. 00:08:59.580 --> 00:09:01.460 We're so sick and tired of these Romans 00:09:01.460 --> 00:09:02.940 and their taxes and their cruelty 00:09:02.940 --> 00:09:04.460 and their false religion. 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:06.720 Jesus, Hosanna, save us now. 00:09:08.180 --> 00:09:09.600 And so it's no wonder, really, 00:09:09.700 --> 00:09:11.039 that as the week progressed, 00:09:11.659 --> 00:09:12.779 and it became apparent 00:09:12.779 --> 00:09:15.620 that he's not going to pull out his giant sword 00:09:15.620 --> 00:09:16.840 and raise up a mighty army, 00:09:16.840 --> 00:09:19.700 that Jesus was not going to just save them now 00:09:19.700 --> 00:09:20.399 from the Romans. 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:22.759 It helps us understand 00:09:22.759 --> 00:09:24.440 why at the beginning of the week 00:09:24.440 --> 00:09:25.379 they hail him king, 00:09:26.300 --> 00:09:27.519 and by the end of the week 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:29.800 they totally reject him and crucify him. 00:09:31.460 --> 00:09:34.019 And how often have you and I 00:09:34.019 --> 00:09:34.840 seen this happen 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:36.960 in the lives of people around us? 00:09:38.060 --> 00:09:39.200 Or if we're honest, 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:40.420 maybe our own lives. 00:09:40.419 --> 00:09:42.719 We pray, 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:43.899 we expect, 00:09:44.299 --> 00:09:45.179 we need, 00:09:45.879 --> 00:09:47.419 we feel that we know 00:09:47.419 --> 00:09:49.639 exactly what God needs to do for us. 00:09:52.419 --> 00:09:54.379 But God doesn't answer our prayers 00:09:54.379 --> 00:09:56.519 when or how we expect it, 00:09:57.039 --> 00:09:57.959 and we get fed up. 00:09:59.079 --> 00:10:00.679 Our minds are so small, 00:10:00.839 --> 00:10:02.139 our perceptions so limited, 00:10:02.939 --> 00:10:05.219 that often we don't see how God is at work. 00:10:06.539 --> 00:10:08.740 And it looks like he's not answering our prayers, 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:11.060 and people get disillusioned, 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:13.320 and some people walk away from him. 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:16.840 When Jesus came to Jerusalem, 00:10:17.060 --> 00:10:18.639 everyone in the city was excited 00:10:18.639 --> 00:10:19.100 and asked, 00:10:19.220 --> 00:10:20.200 who can this be? 00:10:20.460 --> 00:10:21.539 And the crowd answered, 00:10:21.820 --> 00:10:22.639 this is Jesus, 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:24.399 the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:26.539 And on that day, 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:29.379 people had an incorrect expectation 00:10:29.379 --> 00:10:30.860 of what he was going to do. 00:10:31.980 --> 00:10:32.759 On that day, 00:10:32.820 --> 00:10:34.279 people acknowledged him as king, 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:36.460 but they were going to reject him. 00:10:36.460 --> 00:10:39.080 And I wonder, 00:10:39.220 --> 00:10:40.540 when people look at you and I, 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:43.100 do they see just kind-hearted, 00:10:43.700 --> 00:10:45.879 nice people doing nice things? 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:47.820 Or do they really see 00:10:47.820 --> 00:10:49.220 radical children of the king? 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:53.120 Is Jesus really king and first in our lives? 00:10:54.040 --> 00:10:55.440 Or is it more of a head thing? 00:10:56.160 --> 00:10:57.460 Something that we believe, 00:10:57.840 --> 00:10:59.800 but it doesn't really impact our daily choices. 00:11:01.400 --> 00:11:03.460 How does it affect how we treat people? 00:11:03.460 --> 00:11:06.379 How does it affect our relationships 00:11:06.379 --> 00:11:07.259 with our friends, 00:11:07.400 --> 00:11:07.860 our neighbours, 00:11:08.220 --> 00:11:09.040 our wider family, 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:10.519 our kids and our other halves? 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:13.740 How does it affect how we behave at work? 00:11:14.660 --> 00:11:16.280 Do our colleagues even know we're Christians? 00:11:17.780 --> 00:11:18.920 How does it affect us 00:11:18.920 --> 00:11:20.840 when we see social injustice going on? 00:11:21.280 --> 00:11:22.600 When the gap between rich 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:23.480 and the weak and vulnerable 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:25.139 in this country grows daily? 00:11:26.460 --> 00:11:28.320 How does it affect what we do with our time? 00:11:29.259 --> 00:11:30.759 Do we make time to read our Bibles 00:11:30.759 --> 00:11:31.620 and pray daily 00:11:31.620 --> 00:11:33.340 to help us to get closer to God? 00:11:33.779 --> 00:11:35.740 Or do we get distracted by other things? 00:11:36.620 --> 00:11:37.939 And do we look for opportunities 00:11:37.939 --> 00:11:39.059 to pray with people 00:11:39.059 --> 00:11:41.139 that are physical and emotional pain? 00:11:42.299 --> 00:11:43.620 How do we spend our money? 00:11:45.100 --> 00:11:46.620 Do we give what we should to church 00:11:46.620 --> 00:11:48.340 to support the mission and evangelism 00:11:48.340 --> 00:11:49.080 of our town 00:11:49.080 --> 00:11:51.220 so that this church can really be 00:11:51.220 --> 00:11:52.399 a Christian presence here? 00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:55.799 And then we know that there's those people 00:11:55.799 --> 00:11:56.860 that we need to forgive, 00:11:57.539 --> 00:11:58.700 but we just don't want to. 00:11:58.700 --> 00:12:01.800 Recently, I was watching an interview 00:12:01.800 --> 00:12:03.980 with that great evangelist, J. John, 00:12:04.920 --> 00:12:07.320 and he explained it as having Jesus 00:12:07.320 --> 00:12:09.100 in the car of your life, 00:12:09.259 --> 00:12:10.740 and I think it's really helpful. 00:12:11.540 --> 00:12:12.280 And he says, 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:14.640 to be a follower of Jesus 00:12:14.640 --> 00:12:17.220 means that you've got Jesus in the car, 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:20.379 and so if Jesus is not in the car of your life, 00:12:20.620 --> 00:12:22.040 you need to invite him in. 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:24.420 But I think with a lot of us, 00:12:24.560 --> 00:12:25.980 Jesus is in the car, 00:12:25.980 --> 00:12:27.779 but the question is, 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:29.420 where is he in the car? 00:12:30.779 --> 00:12:31.759 I like this bit. 00:12:32.519 --> 00:12:33.480 Is he in the boot? 00:12:34.779 --> 00:12:36.680 Do we drive our car to church, 00:12:36.920 --> 00:12:37.740 unlock the boot, 00:12:37.899 --> 00:12:39.220 and get Jesus out of the boot 00:12:39.220 --> 00:12:40.340 for religious happy hour? 00:12:41.139 --> 00:12:42.300 Or for some people, 00:12:42.379 --> 00:12:43.800 he's in the driving seat, 00:12:44.539 --> 00:12:45.800 but we're backseat drivers. 00:12:45.799 --> 00:12:49.259 The thing for all of us 00:12:49.259 --> 00:12:50.279 is to make sure 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:52.759 that we've got Jesus in the driving seat, 00:12:53.500 --> 00:12:55.199 and that we're not dictating to him 00:12:55.199 --> 00:12:56.059 where we're going. 00:12:57.519 --> 00:12:58.339 So finally, 00:12:58.479 --> 00:12:59.339 what would you do 00:12:59.339 --> 00:13:01.000 if you truly have Jesus 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:01.939 as your king 00:13:01.939 --> 00:13:04.059 when disaster strikes, 00:13:04.259 --> 00:13:05.439 when things don't go 00:13:05.439 --> 00:13:06.559 how you want it to go, 00:13:06.779 --> 00:13:08.500 and it makes no sense to you? 00:13:08.500 --> 00:13:11.759 I suggest that this is when 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:13.220 we have to be honest with God. 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:15.679 We make our request to God, 00:13:16.179 --> 00:13:16.840 specifically, 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:19.419 but we trust that God is at work 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:21.360 for our good in some way. 00:13:21.960 --> 00:13:22.980 Even though at the time 00:13:22.980 --> 00:13:23.899 we may not see it, 00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:25.100 it may be years later 00:13:25.100 --> 00:13:26.759 that we can see how God was working. 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:28.720 And this week, 00:13:28.779 --> 00:13:30.120 as we approach Easter, 00:13:30.820 --> 00:13:31.919 we need to remember 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:34.220 that Jesus paid a great price 00:13:34.220 --> 00:13:34.879 for our sin 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:35.980 and for our salvation. 00:13:35.980 --> 00:13:38.800 that we are all children of God 00:13:38.800 --> 00:13:40.759 and we are citizens of heaven 00:13:40.759 --> 00:13:41.940 here on this earth 00:13:41.940 --> 00:13:43.779 to serve the King of kings 00:13:43.779 --> 00:13:45.139 and the Lord of lords. 00:13:46.100 --> 00:13:48.060 And we all should not be conformed 00:13:48.060 --> 00:13:49.259 to the patterns of thinking 00:13:49.259 --> 00:13:50.620 and behaviour of this world, 00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:53.159 but we must let his word 00:13:53.159 --> 00:13:54.460 and his Holy Spirit 00:13:54.460 --> 00:13:56.019 transform the way 00:13:56.019 --> 00:13:56.700 that we think 00:13:56.700 --> 00:13:58.039 and we behave. 00:13:59.060 --> 00:14:00.060 So this week, 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:01.220 a challenge for us all. 00:14:01.980 --> 00:14:02.879 Seven days a week, 00:14:02.980 --> 00:14:04.000 24 hours a day. 00:14:04.580 --> 00:14:05.639 Let's try and acknowledge 00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:07.519 Jesus as our King 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:09.299 in everything that we do. 00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:10.919 Amen.