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3-29-15 Easter Season 2015

What an Entrance!

INTRO

A little over a month ago the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted the 87th Academy Awards. Many were excited to hear what went on that night insidethe Dolby Theater in Hollywood, CA—who would be named Best Actor and Best Actress, and what movie would be named Best Picture. But just as many were excited about what was going outside the Dolby Theater just before the Oscars. Hollywood Blvd. was lined with people straining to get a glimpse of their favorite celebrities—Whatwould they be wearing?—Who would be walking with whom? It was all about the entrance. It was all about the red carpet.

Today is Palm Sunday—the day we celebrate another exciting entrance—Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus entered Jerusalem entered riding a young donkey—not in a stretch limo. Instead of a red carpet, the people laid down a carpet of their cloaks and of palm branches. They strained to get a look at the person they heard so much about—they wanted to see Jesus make his entrance, and what an entrance it was!

TEXT

Jesus Entered Jerusalem to Questions of His Identity

The people weren’t concerned about what he was wearing or who he was with. They wanted to know who He was. We heard this passage read earlier; but look at Matthew 21:10. It says… When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” What an entrance! The whole city was talking about Jesus’ entrance and they wanted to know who He was.

They wanted to know if Jesus was the promised Messiah—the Anointed One—the promised King who would restore the line of David as ruler over Israel. The people were hoping that Jesus would fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9-10 that says… 9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!See, your king comes to you,righteous and victorious,lowly and riding on a donkey,on a colt, the foal of a donkey.10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraimand the warhorses from Jerusalem,and the battle bow will be broken.He will proclaim peace to the nations.His rule will extend from sea to seaand from the Riverto the ends of the earth.

Was Jesus the king riding on a donkey that Zechariah had predicted? Many hoped he was; but Matthew 1:11 indicates that many didn’t think so. They described Jesus as a prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. Many didn’t know that while Jesus grew up in Nazareth, he was born in Bethlehem—the city of David and another fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus entered Jerusalem to questions of his identity. And 2nd…

Jesus Entered Jerusalem to Cheers and Criticism

  • The crowds were cheering.

Large crowds gathered on the Mount of Olives, on the east side of the city. The text says there were people in front of Jesus leading the way, and others who followed him and they were shouting, “Hosanna!” “Hosanna” comes from a Hebrew word which means “Save, we pray.” They were cheering Jesus on—praying that he would be the promised Savior. They were cheering him on to save them from the oppression of the occupying army and rule of the Roman Empire. We see from the account in Luke’s gospel that some were cheering because of the miracles they had seen Jesus perform.

The crowds cheered “Hosanna!” They were cheering for God to save them, and Jesus did come to save them. But those cheers were hollow. They were cheering for political salvation, but what they needed was spiritual salvation—they needed to have their sins forgiven. They needed a Savior who would offer His life as a sacrifice for their sins. Many of this crowd cheering “Hosanna!” would be cheering “Crucify!” in just a few days. The crowds were cheering, but…

  • The religious leaders were criticizing.

The account in Luke 19 sets the cheering of the crowds in stark contrast to the criticism of the Pharisees. Look at v. 37-39… 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

The crowds may not have fully understood the significance of Jesus’ grand entrance into Jerusalem, but the Pharisees did. They knew that what was happening here was a celebration of the coming of the Messiah; and Jesus was allowing it. In fact, when they asked him to silence the crowds Jesus said… “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:40)

John’s gospel gives us some insight into why the religious leaders were so concerned. Look at John 12:12-19… 12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!”“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

News of the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead had spread like wildfire through Jerusalem and the city was filled with people who had come to celebrate the Passover; so the religious leaders were afraid that this loud demonstration would sweep through the people.

They were also concerned that the Romans would see it as an insurrection and fully invade Israel, take away the authority of the religious leaders, and even destroy the temple; all things that happened just a few years later. So Jesus entered Jerusalem to mixed reviews—the hollow cheers of the crowds and the fearful criticism of the religious leaders. 3rd…

Jesus Entered Jerusalem with an Offer of Peace

It was very significant that Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a young donkey. In the ancient Near East, if a king came in peace, he would ride on a donkey instead of a war stallion. Jesus entered Jerusalem offering a reign of peace rather than imposing a reign of force. He entered Jerusalem extending an offer to reign—not imposing one. He entered Jerusalem with an offer of peace to anyone who chose to receive it—to anyone willing to bow the knee to Him as Savior and King; and that offer is still available to us today. But make no mistake, there is only one King in the Kingdom of God and that is Jesus Christ—Jesus the Anointed One—Jesus the Lord. To enter His Kingdom, you need to remove your crown.

Romans 10:9 says… If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Next week as we celebrate Easter, we will talk about the importance of the resurrection—the importance of believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Today, as we celebrate Palm Sunday, we are talking about the entrance of the King—a King who came with an offer of peace.

That King will come again someday, and He will not come riding on a young donkey. Revelation 19:11-16 says… 11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

When Jesus comes again he won’t enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey with an offer of peace; He will enter Jerusalem riding on a war horse with the armies of heaven to establish His reign over all the earth. But on Palm Sunday Jesus entered Jerusalem with an offer of peace. And…

Jesus Entered Jerusalem with a Broken Heart

Once again in Luke’s account we see that in the midst of the cheers of celebration, Jesus wept over what was coming. He wept, not because of what He had to face on the cross, but because the people of Jerusalem would reject His offer of peace. Listen to Luke 19:41-44…

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Here Jesus prophesied the coming siege and destruction of the city of Jerusalem—a siege and destruction that began in 70 AD at the hands of the Roman army under the command of Titus, who would later be Emperor Titus—a siege and destruction that came about because the people did not recognize Jesus as Messiah and rejected His offer of peace.

CONCLUSION

So what about you? Will you accept Jesus’ offer of peace? That is why Jesus came—He came to make it possible for us to live our lives at peace with God. It doesn’t mean that we will have everything we want in life. The people of Jerusalem wanted a political ruler to deliver them from Roman rule and give them freedom. When they didn’t get it, their hollow cheers of “Hosanna”—of “save, we pray”—turned into cheers of “crucify him!” Jesus offered peace with God—the people wanted peace with Rome. What about you? As we have sung “Hosanna” today—is peace with God that you want? If it is, I can guide you there—I can guide you to take the…

Steps to Peace with God

1. God’s Plan—Peace and Life

God loves you and wants you to experience His peace and life.

The BIBLE says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”(John 3:16).

2. Our Problem—Separation

Being at peace with God is not automatic, because by nature you are

separated from God.The BIBLE says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”(Romans 3:23).

3. God’s Remedy—The Cross

God’s love bridges the gap of separation between God and you. When

Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the grave, He paid the penalty for your sins.The BIBLE says: He personally carried our sinsin his body on the crossso that we can be dead to sinand live for what is right.By his woundsyou are healed.(1 Peter 2:24, NLT).

4. Our Response—Receive Christ

You cross the bridge into God’s family when you receive Christ by

personal invitation.

The BIBLE says: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave theright to become children of God, even to those who believe in Hisname” (John 1:12).

To receive Christ you need to do four things:

1. ADMIT your spiritual need. “I am a sinner.”

2. REPENT and be willing to turn from your sin.

3. BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross.

4. RECEIVE, through prayer, Jesus Christ into your heart and life.

CHRIST says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens thedoor, I will come in” (Revelation 3:20).The BIBLE says, “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved”(Romans 10:13).

What to Pray:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for mysins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and

follow You as Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You can pray a prayer like this in your heart right now; or you can pray whenever you are ready. The question is will you accept Jesus’ offer of peace? Will you welcome the King into your life? If you do all I can say is—Wow, What an Entrance!