Good morning, guys. It's a cold Palm Sunday. It's the beginning of Holy Week, as you guys know.
It's the week that commemorates the most important historical events in all of history,
because Christianity is a religion built off of historical events. Amen?
More than World War II, more than the signing of the American Constitution,
more than 9-11, his death and resurrection are the most important historical events to occur.
So it makes sense that we take time to focus on this, in this time of the Christian calendar.
So we're going to be taking a break, as Janet mentioned, from our current sermon series in Revelation.
Today, we're going to take a look at Luke's account in Jesus' triumphal entry in Luke 19, 28-44.
That's Luke 19, 28-44.
And as always, if you are in need of a Bible, and if you would like one,
feel free to just raise your hand, and one of our members would be happy to gift you one.
Let's bow our heads, and if you would, pray with me as we pray for the reading and preaching of God's Word.
God, we are in need of strength.
We are in need of mercy.
We are in need of the things that only you can give to us.
We are in need of grace.
We are in need of every single one of your blessings.
We are in need of Christ, the perfect Lamb,
the one who was slain on our behalf,
the coming King who came to bring us peace.
We are an anxious, toiling people without you.
We have no hope for peace without you.
Show us the peace that we find in your Son.
Give us eyes to see and ears to hear today.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Please rise for the reading of God's infallible Word.
And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the mount that is called Olivet,
he sent two of the disciples, saying,
Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied,
on which no one has ever yet sat.
Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone asks you, why are you untying it?
You shall say this, the Lord has need of it.
So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.
And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them,
Why are you untying the colt?
And they said, the Lord has need of it.
And they brought it to Jesus.
And throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.
And as they rode along, they spread their cloaks on the ground.
As he was drawing near, already on the way down the Mount of Olives,
the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice
for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying,
Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.
And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,
Teacher, rebuke your disciples.
He answered, I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying,
Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace.
But now they are hidden from your eyes.
For the days will come upon you when your enemies will set up a barricade around you
and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground,
you and your children within you.
They will not leave one stone upon another in you,
because you did not know the time of your visitation.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
In Greek mythology, there is this story about a woman named Cassandra.
Cassandra was the beautiful daughter and princess of the city of Troy.
She was so beautiful that the Greek god Apollo courted her,
tried to woo her, and did so by giving her the gift,
the supernatural gift of divination, of being able to see the future accurately.
But while she was all too eager to accept that gift,
she actually rejected him as a romantic partner,
essentially friendzoning him, right?
And he's so upset that he ends up cursing her.
He can't take away that power, but he curses her
so that while she can accurately see the future,
no one would believe her.
So the story goes that while she was in Troy,
she frantically warned her parents, the city, the people of Troy,
of the dangers of the Trojan War,
even of the Trojan horse,
the deceptive ploy that the Greeks used
to be able to hide soldiers inside the horse,
invade the city, and bring destruction.
But because of their stubbornness and because of the curse,
no one would listen to her,
even though she knew exactly what would bring peace to the city.
Can you imagine laboring over a people that you want to be saved,
but continue to reject the message that you know to be true
and you know would be good for them?
Well, we'll see that Jesus knows what that feels like in our passage today.
Jesus knows what it feels like to bring the things that would make for peace,
namely himself,
only to be misunderstood and outright rejected.
His disciples misunderstand what kind of kingdom,
what kind of peace he's come to bring.
And even worse, he's outright rejected by the Pharisees
and all in the city of Jerusalem that refused to look to him
for all their righteousness, for all their peace,
refused to look to him as their Passover sacrifice.
Because of that, while his entrance is triumphant with exuberant praise,
it's also quite sad.
So much so that even after receiving exuberant praise from his disciples,
Jesus, he weeps.
He is weeping over all who reject the peace that he has come to offer.
Humbly, he came humbly to save them from their impending doom.
But they reject it.
And that same warning of rejecting Jesus is true of us today.
Everything hinges upon what you make of Jesus.
Who is Jesus to you?
Is he your king?
Will you serve him as king?
Will you accept his peace?
This passage this morning warns and exhorts us to worship Jesus
as your coming king,
who alone brings everlasting peace.
Broke down the sermon by the three characters and actors that we see,
namely, of course, Jesus, his disciples, and then the Pharisees.
We'll see how Jesus is declaring himself as king.
Next, we'll see how the disciples accept him as king.
Those, he's not the king that they expected.
And how the Pharisees reject him as king.
Our passage opens with Jesus going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
And throughout the book of Luke,
Jesus has been foretelling his death, his resurrection,
prophesying that Jerusalem will be the specific place where he will die.
In the immediate chapter before our passage today,
in Luke 18, Jesus warns them,
see, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.
For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles,
and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.
And after flogging him, they will kill him.
And on the third day, he will rise.
You see, this is it.
This is the mission that Jesus has set out to do.
This is the mission that the Father gave him.
Jesus has been to Jerusalem before.
But, you know, after a prediction like this,
this visit is going to be very different.
Despite all the suffering and pain Jesus knows awaits him in the city,
he steps forth into his destiny with courage, without hesitancy or fear,
because he loves us.
In his highly praised book, Gentle and Lonely,
Pastor Dane Ortlund writes,
the cumulative testimony of the Gospels
is that when Jesus Christ sees the fallenness of the world all about him,
his deepest impulse, his most natural instinct,
is to move toward that sin and suffering,
not away from it.
We see that deepest impulse here in the opening verse,
to move toward sin,
to bring peace no matter what the cost to him.
And knowing this is his last week to live,
Jesus is now ready to publicly reveal everything about who he is
and what his ministry is all about.
Throughout the Gospels, we witness Jesus perform miracle after miracle,
saving, transforming lives,
only to then tell these people,
shh, don't tell anybody.
And he does this because he wants them to keep what theologians have called the messianic secret.
Jesus knew there was a right time for his death.
And he knew that if he grew too popular among the Jews,
the Pharisees, his enemies,
could let their ugly envy and anger
lead them to prematurely eliminate him
before the right hour that Jesus knew,
namely the Passover,
so that he could be the Passover lamb.
And his popularity has been growing and growing throughout his ministry,
but now that the time is just right,
literally five days,
five days before his death,
Jesus is ready to reveal who he is as the rightful king of Israel.
And he also knows the consequences of that too,
that he knows that the consequence of this would ultimately lead to his death.
And just like there is no way for us to take back words that we say out of our mouths,
there's no going back after Jesus' statement here.
This event changes everything about him and how the public perceives him.
I don't know what this says about me,
that this is one of the first examples that came to my mind,
but in the cinematic classic,
The Princess Diaries,
there's a scene where shy, introverted Mia
is revealed to the public that she is the rightful heir
to the throne of Genovia.
And everything changes about how people treat her,
about who she is.
There's no going back to being normal Mia.
In a similar way,
Jesus proclaims that he,
the lowly,
poor son of a carpenter,
a Galilean commoner,
he was the rightful heir to the Davidic throne.
And he does this by the vehicle of his choice.
When he draws near to the Mount of Olives,
Jesus sends two of his disciples to go fetch a cult
on which no one has ever yet ridden.
Now,
we have to ask,
why a cult?
A lot of this goes over our 21st century Western sensibilities,
but to a first century Jew,
they understood what Jesus was doing.
They understood the message that he was trying to proclaim.
They would have known this because of the historical precedent
set by kings in the past.
We know that after King David,
after his moral debacle of adultery with Bathsheba
and killing off her husband,
his family sort of turns into this dysfunctional mess.
And he turns into this negligent king and father.
And at the end of his reign,
where the public is supposed to know
who is supposed to be next,
and while he's already previously promised
his son Solomon the throne,
his other son,
Adonijah,
tries to steal power,
steal the throne,
and publicly proclaims,
I will be king.
So the public is confused.
Who's going to be king?
Is it,
was it Adonijah?
Was it,
was it Solomon?
After being negligent,
David finally steps in
and corrects his course
and establishes Solomon as king.
How does he do this?
He does it by having him ride into the city
on a donkey.
By riding a donkey into this city,
the answer is unambiguous
that Solomon is king.
And on top of that,
we'd be remiss
if we don't,
you know,
click this bright blue hyperlink
to Zechariah 9, 9,
which reads,
Rejoice greatly,
O daughter of Zion.
Shout aloud,
O daughter of Jerusalem.
Behold,
your king is coming to you.
Righteous and having salvation
is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt,
the foal of a donkey.
When Jesus rides
into Jerusalem
on a donkey,
there is no doubt
to everyone there
what statement he is making
by fulfilling this OT prophecy
in Zechariah 9, 9,
and literally hundreds more.
Jesus is the indisputable,
long-awaited,
righteous,
messianic king
of Israel,
bringing salvation
to all who would believe
in his name.
Jesus knows it,
the disciples know it,
the Pharisees know it.
As theologian N.T. Wright
puts it,
within his own time
and culture,
Jesus riding on a donkey
over the Mount of Olives
spoke more powerfully
than words could have done
of a royal claim.
To enter in this regal way,
Jesus sends his disciples
on a quest,
on a side quest
to find a colt
and he gives them
very specific instructions.
He gives them three.
Go to this village,
number one.
At the entrance
of this village,
find a colt
which he seems
to supernaturally know
that no one
has ever ridden.
And then number three,
without asking the owners,
start untying.
If they object,
Jesus teaches them
to simply state,
the Lord has need of it.
So they go.
Of course,
it's Jesus.
They find it exactly
as he tells them.
And they obey.
In my imagination,
they start nervously
untying the colt.
And lo and behold,
the owners seem
to catch them.
And object.
And say,
why are you
untying the colt?
And I imagine
the disciples,
you know,
they looked at each other
and shrugged their shoulders
and they said,
the Lord has need of it.
And it works.
It works
because it's likely
that Jesus really
is stepping in
to the full role
of a king here.
Because back in those days,
there was a principle
that figures of state,
rulers and kings,
they could impress
private property
for their own
personal use.
So he possesses
the donkey
on that principle.
And I think
this is fascinating.
The owners,
which in the original Greek
literally translates
as lords,
the lords
of the donkeys
submit and hand
over the animal
to the true lord
of the universe.
Isn't that true
of us,
brothers and sisters?
If Jesus is our king,
we should serve him
as such.
Everything we own
is in the domain
of his sovereignty.
Whenever he points
to this possession
and he says,
I have need of this,
we must hand it over.
It's the king.
Whenever he points
to our car
or our time
or money
or this skill,
we've got to turn it over.
It's the king.
We must.
Actually,
no,
sorry,
that's not a must.
It's a we get to,
right?
We get to
because we serve
only out of the things
that he has freely
given to us.
For what do we have
that we haven't
freely received?
Everything we own,
everything we are
comes freely
from the sovereign king.
Every good gift
comes from him.
After all,
in the hands
of the savior
is the most secure place
to have our possessions.
As Martin Luther comments,
I've held many things
in my hands
and I have lost them all.
But whatever I've placed
in God's hands,
that I still possess.
One particular area
that I believe
Jesus is saying,
I have need of this,
is our homes
in radically
ordinary hospitality.
Doesn't mean you have
to be the best cook,
thank God,
or have the nicest furniture
or even have a lot
of space to host
because Lord knows
we struggle with that
in Boston,
Cambridge.
Our hospitality
must be radical,
but it is ordinary.
It's well documented
that since the 1990s,
we have become
increasingly
a lonely people.
The U.S.
Surgeon General
has called,
quote,
our epidemic
of loneliness
and isolation
and underappreciated
public health crisis.
We don't need figures
of state to tell us that.
We know that.
We feel that,
don't we?
Our phones,
our social media,
they promise connectivity,
community,
to be known,
but in the end,
it feels like we are
more distant than ever.
And amid an epidemic
of loneliness
of our Christian homes,
whether you live
in a multi-storied house
or live in a dormitory,
the Lord is saying,
I have need of this.
Indeed,
opening our doors
to friends,
family,
church members,
and even strangers,
our homes
transform
into hospitable
hospitals
to heal the world
of this public health crisis
of their loneliness.
This is how we show the world
what authentic Christianity
is all about.
Author Rosaria Butterfield
writes of hospitality
in this way.
Do Christian people
practice Christian hospitality
in regular,
ordinary,
consistent ways?
Or do we think
our homes
are too precious
for criminals
and outcasts?
Our homes
are not our castles.
Indeed,
they are not even ours.
I felt
and witnessed
the transformation
that hospitality brings.
Acquaintances
come through the door
and they leave
as friends.
Church members
come through the door,
but they leave
as family.
Haters of God
come through the door,
but they leave
as lovers of God.
Christine and I,
along with many of you,
have been blessed
by this church's hospitality.
And in part,
in large part,
we are part of this church
because of hospitality.
And God will continue
to use our hospitality
to build his kingdom,
to build this church.
May we submit
everything we own,
even our castles,
to the Lord's purposes.
going back to the scene,
we see how Jesus' disciples
do just that
by submitting
everything in their possession,
even the very clothes
on their backs.
They bring back
the donkey to Jesus.
They set him on,
the animal,
not before
throwing their cloaks
on it
as a regal seat.
On top of that,
they throw their cloaks
on the ground
lest the regal king
or his donkey
touch the dirty ground.
They're pulling out
all the stops, right?
The royal red carpet treatment
because they accept him
as king.
Just like they did
for King Jehu
in 2 Kings 9.
But before we move on,
I think it's important
that we set the stage
historically
because it's well documented
that the Jews
at the time
believed that
their coming Messiah,
the foretold Davidic king,
he was coming
to bring peace.
I heard he touched him,
healed the leper.
Well, I heard
that he raised a girl
back to life.
Believing he is the king,
the whole multitude
of his disciples
began to rejoice
and praise God
with a loud voice
for the mighty works
that they had seen.
At a fever pitch,
the crowd welcomes
Jesus into Jerusalem
with zealous,
passionate worship
and they proclaim,
blessed is the king
who comes in the name
of the Lord.
Peace in heaven
and glory
to the highest.
This is in fact
the very first time
in the book of Luke
that Jesus is called
a king.
And this is the first time
that Jesus accepts
public worship
like this.
I would do this.
Compare that to the disciples
in Acts
or even the angels
in Revelation
who all rightly
reject the worship
of man.
But right now
the most appropriate
thing to do
is to worship
Jesus.
The first part
of that worship
comes from Psalm
118,
part of the Hallel,
which was a group
of Psalms
from 113
to 118.
And theologian
William Barclay
comments just how
deeply ingrained
these Psalms were
into their Jewish culture.
He writes,
they were part
of the first memory work
that every Jewish boy
had to do.
They were sung often
at great acts
of praise
and thanksgiving.
They were an integral
part of the Passover ritual.
So it seems like
with their heart
songs
that they learned
at such a young age,
they're singing it
to the ultimate
fulfillment
of Jesus.
Psalm 118
was also
traditionally sung
in pre-exilic Israel
as a welcome
to the king.
Compare what
the angels
say
at the birth
of Jesus
in Luke 2.
I think this is
such a fascinating
scene
because we see
the near opposite.
The multitude
of angels
they're proclaiming
glory to God
in the highest
and on earth
peace among those
with whom he is pleased.
Do you see
the contrast there?
The heavenly angels
there are looking
down and saying
peace on earth
while the disciples
on earth
are looking up
to heaven
and saying
peace in heaven
all for the glory
of Jesus
all for the glory
of God.
throughout his life
Jesus has united
the praise
of the earthly
of the heavenly
and it's appropriate
for every corner
of the universe
to worship
his name.
And I have no doubt
in this scene
that they were
they were crying
they were laughing
they were jumping
they were hooping
and hollering
because their Messiah
had come
to come establish
his earthly kingdom.
That's what they believed.
But on this side
of the cross
we know that
their cries of joy
will soon turn
to cries of grief
and disappointment
in five short days.
The disciples
may have understood
rightly how
Zechariah 9.9
predicted of
the coming Messiah
bringing salvation
but they probably
scratched their heads
when they read
in that part
and if you could
throw that verse
up there
they called
the Messiah
the humble
in Hebrew
the word
humble
can also mean
poor
afflicted
gentle
lowly
the disciples
were only seeing
Christ the conqueror
not Christ
the gentle
and lowly
suffering servant
because we know
that Jesus
came to the city
of Jerusalem
not to submit
Jewish enemies
under his feet
but to wash
the feet
of his father's
enemies.
As a church
we're going through
the book of Revelation
and at Jesus'
second and final
coming
there will
be a time
where he will
come to judge
and make war
where he will
subdue
all his enemies
under his feet
and so in this passage
Jesus has every
prerogative
to do the same
to enter into
Jerusalem
and to submit
his enemies
under his feet
in Revelation
he comes
riding in
on a white
war horse
but in Luke
in this passage
he comes riding in
on a peaceful
doggy
the animal
associated
with peacetime
becomes offering
peace
his eyes
are on the mission
assigned to him
by the father
not to storm
the capital
with violence
establish a worldly
kingdom
but to lay down
his life
for eternal
peace for us
and to establish
his heavenly kingdom
for Christ knows
that the greatest
problem in our
lives is not
a peace
not a lack
of peace
politically
but a lack
of peace
spiritually
scripture teaches
us that
the invisible
spiritual reality
that's realer
than the physical
things that we see
with our own
two eyes
just imagine
standing on that
last day
before your maker
as he rattles
off all the ways
that you have
defamed
you've betrayed
you've forsaken
his name
can you imagine
who could stand
who could say
a single word
in defense
those who feel
overworked
crushed
oppressed
complacent
powerless
and hopeless
today
they only feel
so because
they're feeling
the effects
of spiritual
sin and separation
from God
not just because
of broken
political systems
that's what
Jesus came
to fix
Jesus Christ
the righteous
king
came offering
peace
and this
peace of God
is peace
with God
for that purpose
Christ came
to this earth
defeated all
temptation to sin
was betrayed
forsaken
beat
mocked
and crucified
on our behalf
so that not
by our works
not by our acts
of hospitality
not by the quality
of our worship
or our evangelism
not by our works
but by faith
are we saved
he who knew
no sin
became sin
so that we
might become
the righteousness
of God
and notice how
Zechariah 9
does not say
that we need
to go to him
it says that
Jesus comes
to us
he came not
to be served
but to serve
this is amazing
grace
oh where would
we be
without Jesus
where would
we be
without him
don't you see
how much
he loved you
so today
we are beyond
blessed
to live
between the
advents
the saints
of old
would have
loved
to know
the things
that we
know now
in this book
we know
that Jesus
came ultimately
not to save
us
politically
but spiritually
to free us
not from the
bondage
of political
rulers
but the
bondage
of sin
and death
but church
that is
the greater
miracle
isn't it
not the lesser
sin compared
to Rome
is our
greater enemy
not the lesser
isn't it
so then we
have to ask
sometimes
why isn't
our worship
like the
crowds
like these
disciples
when was
the last
time you
worshipped
like this
do you
worship
like he
has literally
saved your
life
knowing what
we know
shouldn't
our praise
our excitement
our joy
exceed that
of the
crowds
Tim Keller
speaks of the
importance of
worship in this
way
the secret
to freedom
from
enslaving
patterns of
sin is
worship
you need
worship
you need
great worship
you need
weeping worship
you need
glorious worship
you need to
sense God's
greatness and
to be moved
by it
moved by
who God
is and
what he
has done
for you
I love
that quote
makes me
want to
worship
I wonder
if we
worship
little
because we
need
little
our text
says that
these crowds
they worship
because they
believe in
all the
works that
he had
done
so many
of those
miracles
Jesus
helped
those who
are in
desperate
need
lepers
who lost
everything
paralytics
the blind
from birth
parents
of a
deceased
child
Jesus
stepped in
where there
was no
peace
no chance
for peace
and he
spoke
and everything
changed
he
they worshipped
this way
because they
were desperate
for him
in other
gospel accounts
the crowds
are yelling
Hosanna
to the son
of David
Hosanna
literally
translates
to please
save
please
save us
I beg
you to
save
are you
desperate
for his
help
in the
same
way
every
morning
when I
rise
to make
Christ
my
treasure
when things
are going
well
Satan
makes
war
against
me
to make
me forget
my need
of Jesus
when things
are going
bad
and I'm
having
I'm
having
a tough
time
Satan
makes
war
against
me
by making
me
forget
that
Jesus
alone
meets
my
needs
retired
pastor
John
Piper
in such
a
call
for
way
as he
always
does
states
the need
to fight
for faith
every morning
he writes
I feel
like I
have to
get
saved
every
morning
I
wake
up
and the
devil
is
sitting
on my
face
that's
why we
have to
put our
phones
down
to lay
our
distractions
aside
and examine
if our
hearts
are appropriately
needing
Jesus
and when we
are rightly
needy we
know that
there is
no problem
too great
for us to
bring before
the king
of peace
whether it's
a struggling
relationship
depression
anxiety
a lack
of job
loneliness
anger
habitual
sins
Jesus
can perform
miracles
in your
life
and while
we pray
for miracles
we don't
make the
same mistakes
that these
crowds did
that these
disciples do
no we have
faith to
trust that
his spiritual
blessings
far outweigh
his temporal
physical ones
so we turn
to him
because in
him we find
every spiritual
blessing
he is able
to do far
more abundantly
than we ask
or think
Charles Spurgeon
succinctly
proclaimed
I have a
great need
for Christ
I have a
great Christ
for my
need
that's how
we can
worship Jesus
with great
worship
with weeping
worship
with glorious
worship
but when we
worship like
this the
king's enemies
hates
hates it
they hate
when we
worship like
this
we see that
even here
with the
Jewish leaders
the Pharisees
the final
actors in
this scene
they reject
Jesus'
message of
the kingship
while the
crowds are
calling him
king
they refuse
to do the
same
they call him
a simple
rabbi
just like
them
and say
teacher
rebuke
your
disciples
now some
believe that
this request
of the
Pharisees
comes out
of a
genuine
concern
that this
mob
might turn
into
a political
riot
one that
the Romans
might only
be too
happy to
squash
with their
military
might
but could
be motivating
their request
but throughout
the book
of Luke
Jesus has
been constantly
sparring
with the
Pharisees
and at
this point
they are
rebuked
for their
love of
the praise
of man
their blindness
to the
times
their obedience
to man-made
trivialities
over the
law of
God
so they
are hurt
they are
offended
they are
angry
and they're
envious
of Jesus
so
yes
they could
be afraid
of Roman
conquest
but so
much of
their motivation
I believe
is out of
envy
in John's
account
he records
them saying
to each
other
you see
that you
are gaining
nothing
look
the world
has gone
after him
who here
would have
the audacity
that during
Sunday worship
they're upset
they're bitter
have an upset
face because
all these people
they're worshiping
Jesus
not
not him
not her
who would have
the audacity
the hubris
to do that
yet exactly
that's what
the pharisees
are doing
so Jesus
defends his
disciples
by saying
I tell you
if these
were silent
the stones
would cry out
now have you
guys ever
heard of the
insult
you're as
dumb as a
rock
I hope you
haven't heard
that recently
or told that
to anybody
recently
but
essentially
Jesus is
encapsulating
that message
to the
pharisees
right
he's saying
to these
well-esteemed
highly educated
pharisees
these uneducated
these unpolished
disciples
know better
than you
they are in the
right
in fact
these stones
these inanimate
objects
with no brains
they know
better than you
the pharisees
fail to see
with eyes
of faith
who Jesus
is
he is the
king of the
jews
yes
but he is
the king
of the
cosmos
all of the
universe
knows to
worship him
and because
of their
unbelief
Jesus draws
near to the
city of
Jerusalem
and he
weeps
over it
such a
powerful scene
this is one
of the last
things that
you would expect
Jesus to do
after receiving
such exuberant
praise
and it's a
rare occurrence
because Jesus
only weeps
three times
in all of
scripture
but here
Jesus isn't
weeping
over his
really close
friends
Mount Martha
or Lazarus
he's weeping
over the
people that
will drive
nails through
his hands
and feet
so while
his rebukes
of the
pharisees
may have
been strong
no one can
say that
he did not
love them
like a
loving parent
seeing their
child go
down a
path to
destruction
he weeps
over them
he already
knows and
laments that
they have
rejected him
just like
they've rejected
many of the
prophets of
old
he knows that
they're extremely
hardened hearts
out of that
God has
judged them
and blinded
them to be
able to see
the things
that would
make for
peace
and just
like the
ot prophets
like jeremiah
or elijah
jesus he
weeps and
this word is
an emotional
word it's a
heavy word
it's not a
pretty cry
it's a
sobbing
it's a
heaving
he wanted
them to
know the
peace
he wanted
them to
know how
much he
loved them
and it's
ironic that
jerusalem
the name
meaning the
city of
peace has
rejected what
would have
made peace
for them
in the same
way it could
be said that
jesus weeps
over all
who reject
him today
because he
wants all
to come to
full life
in him
are we as
followers of
jesus do the
same
to weep over
the lost in
this world
are we pray
with the
weeping burden
over our
lost co-workers
our family
our friends
this city
this nation
this world
according to
joshua project
there are over
three billion
people
i can't even
wrap my mind
around this
i'm intimidated
in preaching to
just 70 people
three billion
people
who do not
know christ
who are unreached
with the gospel
may we continue
to grow
in our love
for the lost
that we can
express our
love through
tears
because the
jews did not
know the time
of their
visitation
jesus predicts
a very dark
day in
jerusalem's
future
in this
he even
corrects his
disciples who
think that he's
come to build
an earthly
kingdom
that's not
what he's
come to
doing
that's clear
from his
prophecy
he predicts
a terrible
siege of
jerusalem
the location
of the
temple
just as
every word
of jesus's
command to
fetch the
donkey came
true every
word we
know came
true of
this prophecy
we already
talked about
the political
tensions between
judea and
rome and that
did not stop
after jesus died
in 33 a.d
we know that
33 years later
in 66 a.d
that there
were tensions
over taxes
over money
as seems
like everything
is about
fighting over
money
roman leaders
then they
would plunder
the temple
treasury which
the zealots
did not like
so they
started a war
for seven
bloody years
in the middle
of the war
during 70
a.d
rome besieged
jerusalem
meaning their
armies surrounded
the city
walls and
prevented anyone
in or out
they starved
the city to
death and
according to
josephus the
jewish historian
starvation was
so bad that
one million
jews had
perished they
couldn't even
bury the body
so they had to
just toss them
over the city
walls
worst of all
to the jews
the romans
eventually broke
in and
destroyed
laid waste
to their
temple
their consecrated
temple
jerusalem was
supposed to be
the abode
of god
untouchable
territory
but as
israel was
exiled by
assyria
by by
babylon
in the past
in the ot
god definitively
displayed
his covenant
wrath against
israel
but the
christians
in 70
80
church
history
records that
they believed
jesus's warnings
in luke 21
to flee to the
mountains and
they escaped
they fled the
misery of this
starvation
across the
jordan river
in time and
established the
church in
pelle
it's been said
that the most
important thing
about a person
more than your
income
more than your
nationality
your personality
your accomplishments
is what you
make of
jesus
this passage
paints this
truth into
reality
jesus is
proclaiming the
unambiguous
message that he
is the king
of peace
the king of
the cosmos
but what
happens to
those who
reject him
he'll weep
over you
this historical
event is a
warning of the
greater judgment
day to come
and that final
day he will
judge the
living and the
dead
there's salvation
in no one
else for there's
no other name
under heaven
given among men
by which we
must be saved
it's the name
of jesus
so what will
you do
will you heed
his warning
will you know
the time of
your visitation
will you pledge
your allegiance
to the king
and renounce
all other
pursuits of
peace outside
of him
if you have
not accepted
jesus as
your king
our deepest
prayer is that
today would be
the day of
your salvation
this is undoubtedly
the most important
week of all of
church history
all of history
in general
use this week
i urge you
to explore
who jesus is
that he is
neither a legend
a lunatic
or a liar
but he is
lord
lord of the
universe and
lord over our
lives who's
laid down his
life for you
everything hinges
upon his name
let the king of
glory come in
let's let's
pray
oh jesus we
know that
everything hinges
upon you
and your name
that when we
have you we
are the richest
people in all
the universe
and apart from
you that we
lose everything
oh god please
give us eyes
to see ears
to hear that
you are the
lord who's
come to give
us the peace
that we can
never find with
anyone else
give us god
desperate hearts
after you
needy hearts
humble hearts
and say lord
jesus you alone
are what we
need you are
more than enough
for us you are
our greatest
treasure oh
father bless us
we need you and
your help your name
we pray
amen