Sermon – “The Triumphal Entry”

Especially in this year or day that things that make for your peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes for days will come upon you when your enemy will build an embankment around you surround you and close you in on every side and level you and your children within you to the ground and they will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not know the time of your visitation. These words came to pass some seventy years eighty seventy. The Roman army burned Jerusalem and destroyed the temple because they had rejected their Lord. You cannot continue to reject the Lord and expect there to be no consequences. They rejected their Lord and they suffered the consequences their city was burnt to the ground and the temple completely destroyed the Mount of Olives. What a wonderful place glorious place. I think it would be a wonderful place to go and see probably be one of the premier places to visit if you go to Israel is it not Gary. He’s been there and it’s mentioned so many times not just in the New Testament but in the Old Testament also in Second Samuel Chapter fifteen King David fleeing from his son Absalom. Was going up the Mount of Olives and fifteen verse thirty it says. So when David went up by the scent of the Mount of Olives and wept as he went up and he and he had his head covered and went barefoot. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up weeping as they went. So not only King David but all the people that went with same was weeping as he was weeping. You know you’ve heard that laughter is contagious you get around people who are laughing you start laughing sometimes you don’t know what you’re laughing about you’re laughing because they’re laughing weeping is contagious also but they knew why he was weeping. They knew why King David was weeping. He was weeping because his son Absalom had stolen the favor of the people. If you’ve read the story back in Second Samuel you’ll know that Absalom killed his brother. I’m not a man because of his sister he went into his sister so it would have been Absalom sister and the man’s half sister so I went into her and Absalom killed his brother and he fled and was gone for a number of years but he came back and when he came back he stole the favor the people he would meet the people as they was coming into the city at the gate and he would make judgment over me says oh if I was judging over Israel you you know let me bring your matters to me and let me handle them so he was given them favorable decisions to steal the favor the people. And David’s leaders went to David and said Absalom has stolen the favor the people and he feared for his life. So he and many of the people with him fled and they’re going up the Mount of Olives and he’s weeping not only because of this because of what his son has done but I believe it was a reminder of the consequences of his past sins because God told him he said there will be troubles in your family on this usenet paraphrase and that there’s going to be troubles in your family because of your sin because of what he had done with Sheba in your eye up. He said I will. There will be troubles in your family and there was indeed troubles so I believe he’s realizing the consequences of his sin. You know whenever we ask Christ to forgive us of our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. But that does not mean that all the consequences of our past sins are cancelled out because if we were a drunk or if we was an alcoholic we may. We still get cirrhosis of the liver. That doesn’t mean that it won’t be there but we still are forgiven and we will have eternal life. You know if we were a smoker we might get cancer. There are consequences to our sins our lifestyles often will reflect those consequences so we may still have to bear with those consequences. And I believe that is one reason David was weeping here. Jesus wept as he descended the Mount of Olives David’s weeping as he’s ascending. Jesus is descending. Why was he weeping because his heart was broken his heart truly was broken. He came unto his own and they received Him not. He said if you had known even you especially in this your day the things that make for your peace. He came there bring them peace but he read they rejected Him they would not receive their peace. He came to offer them eternal life and they rejected Him Instead they clothed they chose to cling to their pride in their arrogance and their selfishness. You cannot continually reject God you can’t continually reject the peace that he wants to bring to you. There’s a prophetic message found in Zechariah chapter fourteen verses one through four and it says that also speaks and it also speaks of the Mount of Olives. It says Behold the day of the Lord is coming. But speaking of the Second Coming and your sport will be divided in your midst for I will gather all nations to battle against Jerusalem the city shall be taken the houses rifled and the women ravaged half the city shall go into captivity. But the remnant of the people shall not be cut out cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as he. Fights in the day of battle and in that day his feet shall stand upon the mount of Olives which will face Jerusalem on the east and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west and the Mount of Olives shall be yellow he said shall be split in two from east to west making a very large valley half the mountain so moved towards the north and half to the south is speaking of the Second Coming of Christ when his feet will stand upon that mountain and it will split in two. You cannot continue to reject the Lord. It’s absolutely amazing when you think about it. Jesus entry into Jerusalem is called the triumphal entry. Whenever he’s come in there before that week before his crucifixion. It’s called the triumphal entry. But many people didn’t look at that as a much of a triumphal entries that week went on that day as a week proceeded on. They turned her back on him. Yes it was very triumphant on that day and are shouting Hosanna Hosanna in the highest and they’re expecting to take him into his likely put him on that front. But that’s not what Christ was sent to do. So they turned their backs and thought it was not very triumphant. They thought that he was going to deliver them from the hands of the Romans but they didn’t see the real triumph there. Today they didn’t say that it was the most triumphant entry that ever was because Jesus delivered us from sin and death. He delivered us from sin and death. We can shop a victory. We can shout Hosanna in the highest because of Jesus Christ because of the victory that we have over sin and death. But according to that passage that read from Zachariah there’s going to. Another great triumphal entry in there there’s going to be another great triumph renter when the Lord returns and stands upon that mountain and he will defeat his enemies he will defeat his enemies he won’t come as a lamb to be led to slaughter. He’s going to come as the liner Judah. The devil will no longer be able to spread his lies and his deception is deceit among the world because he will be completely and totally destroyed. You know he’s been spreading lies all along saying you have plenty of time to get things right plenty of time don’t worry about it today go ahead enjoy your life for tomorrow or you can do those things I want to tell you when Jesus comes back and that next Trump went your windows speech hit man all of it. Time is up. Time is up. There won’t be any second chances. There won’t be any second chances. But we can shout the victory man you know. We’ll get back to our passage in Luke Jesus sent the disciples and said go and you’ll find a cauldron who no one has ever said they went and found it exactly as Jesus told them I didn’t say they were not on top of that thing and all they had to say is the Lord has need of him and away they went. The man didn’t say well wait a minute wait a minute that’s mine and you can’t have it. Oh how do I know that you’re going to get it for the Lord. All he had to say is the Lord has need of it and it was this way when he had almost achieved celebrity status among the people if you will. He was that popular. His Teachings the miracles the signs and wonders that he did just I mean he had celebrity status if you will. But look how quickly it faded away. The car quickly they forgot about all this. It’s this is the only time that Jesus permitted a public demonstration like this on his behalf and he did so for two reasons at least two reasons The first was to fulfill prophecy to present himself as Israel’s King and Zachariah nine nine and says rejoice greatly or daughter of Zion shall the daughter of Jerusalem. Behold your King is coming to you he is just and having salvation lonely and riding on a donkey a colt the foal the donkey. You know I don’t know that the people really understood all that was happening in that time. I really don’t think they did even though they were shouting the messianic psalm that was from Psalms one eighteen. I really don’t think he understood all that was happening. They didn’t understand that he was coming to die for their sins your sins in our sins so there are celebre Tory attitude did not last long. As is often the case I found a little story some years ago a man named Gene Smith wrote a historical article and it was about President Woodrow Wilson and it was titled when the cheering stopped. It was a story how when Woodrow Wilson and the events leading up to and following World War one it said that when the war was over Wilson was an international hero. There was a great spirit of optimism abroad and at home and people actually believe that this war was the last war that would ever be fought and the world had been made a safer place for democracy in its democracy would reign around the world. But on his first visit to Paris after the war Wilson was greeted by cheering mobs he was actually more popular than their own heroes. The same thing was true in England Italy and in a Vienna hospital. A Cross worker had to deal with children. There would be no Christmas presents because of the war and the hard times the children didn’t believe her. They said that President Wilson was coming and that they knew that everything would be all right. That’s the impact he made around the world. The cheering lasted for about a year then a gradual build began to stop. It turned out that the political leaders in Europe were more concerned with their own agendas than they were with lasting peace at home Woodrow Wilson ran into opposition in the United States Senate and his League of Nations was not ratified under the strain of all this. The president’s health began to break and the next for the last election his party was defeated so was it Woodrow Wilson a man who barely a year earlier had been heralded as the new world Messiah came to the end of his days a broken and defeated man. The celebration often does not last very long does it. The second reason though for the celebration that Jesus allowed during the triumphal entry was to force the Jewish religious leaders to act because they had hoped to arrest him after the Passover in Matthew twenty six three three through five it says. Then the chief priest described in the elders of the people assembled at the Palace of the high priest who was called Caiaphas and they plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill him. But they said not during the Passover lest there be an uproar among the people. So they had intended to wait till afterwards but that’s not God’s plans. God had ordained that his son will be slain on the Passover as the Passover Lamb the Passover Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world a man God’s perfect plan so he actually allowed this to force their hand because it would not happen in God’s time frame as he wouldn’t have. Here is our Passover lamb First Corinthians five seventeen says therefore purge out the old leaven that you may be a new long since you truly are unleavened for indeed Christ our Passover with sacrifice for us he was our is our Passover lamb we know that following that triumphal entry that that week was filled with many many teachings. Jesus didn’t just go in there and sit down say well my time’s almost up I’m going to relax. He taught the disciples he prepared them for the difficult years that lie ahead. He warned them about false Messiahs that would come proclaiming to be the Messiah in Luke twenty one he said Take heed that you not be deceived for many will come in my name saying I am he. And the time has drawn near therefore do not go out after them. He thought then that there would be natural disasters that would happen but don’t be afraid. Don’t be in distress for these things must happen. He said that there would be earthquakes in various places and famines and pestilence and all these things are great signs from heaven but do not fear the time is not yet he warned them that they would be persecuted. You’re not going to live a life of ease and luxury. You’ll be persecuted in Luke twenty one it says and they will lay their hands on you and persecute you deliver you up to the synagogue in prisons and you will be brought before kings and rollers for my name’s sake but it will turn out for an occasion for testimony. Hallelujah. When you’re persecuted look in see how you can bear witness of him how good he is and how gracious he is. He taught them about His return in Luke twenty one and there will be signs in the sun in the moon in the stars and on the earth distress of nations with perplexity the seas in the ways working men’s hearts failing them from fear and expectation of those things which are coming on the earth. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory Amen. Now when these things begin to happen look up lift up your heads because your redemption draws near. Hallelujah hallelujah because your redemption draws near Jesus never strayed from his purpose. He never got off track not one step from his purpose for coming and that was to preach the kingdom of God to seek and save a lots. He was true to that cause to the very end he came to his own and His own received Him not in first Kings Chapter nine verses six or nine. Says but if you and your sons at all turn from following me and do not keep my commandments and my statutes which I set before you but go and serve other gods and worship them then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have which I have given them and this house which I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among the among all peoples. And as for this house which is exalted everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hear this and say why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house. Then they will answer because they pursue the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and have have embraced other gods and worship them and serve them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this calamity on them. All this calamity because they rejected they pursue the Lord their God He came unto his own it is receipted not and that next triumph or injury when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him then He will sit. The throne of His glory and all the nations will be gathered to before him and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats and he will set the sheep on his right hand but the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right hand Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. I will say again he will not come as a humble lamb. The next time there’s a triumphal entry he will come as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords he will come and completely destroy the enemy with the brightness of his coming with Tyreese word he will completely destroy the enemy. Satan and all his demons and all those who follow him will be defeated and evil will be completely removed from this earth completely removed. So as I speak of the triumphal entry I think we should look to the next triumphal entry. That was my purpose a day to look to the second coming because what a day that will be. It’s a day that we can look forward to that we can rejoice in. You know we were speaking this morning and about the end times and Sabbath school. We can look forward to that time. We can anticipate is coming. If you have Christ in here you don’t have to fear it but you can look forward to it with rejoicing in your heart. Yes there may be times of persecution there may be times of trouble between now and when that day appears but he will give us strength. He warm boldness. He will watch over us. You can trust in Him for He is God and there is no other. He is coming again. But let us be faithful in his service until that day arrives. There are men and there are close in him as Lamb of God. The only time when you have then you will be the last. Only lost me on the line. OK All right all you do. No in the world. Right. Let us pray. Grace seventy father we do thank you and praise you for the Lamb of God we thank you for the blood the blood of Jesus Christ that washed as white as snow. Hallelujah we give you the praise and the glory and honor. Father I pray that your spirit will be upon each of us in the coming days. God that we might be emboldened empowered or God to witness for the the share the wonderful news of the Lamb of God God that people can find repentance for their sins and boldness toward to spread that message. Father may your angels watch our verse in the coming days to keep us to bless us with your presence in Jesus’ name we pray Amen.