Lent 2019 – Our Weeping Savior (Palm Sunday) Series

Lent 2019 – Our Weeping Savior (Palm Sunday)

Please stand as we read our newest memory Scripture together …

2 Timothy 4:3-4

“The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

And our memory refresher verse(s) for today is(are) …

James 1:2-4

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Please open your Bibles to Luke 19:28-44

Jesus was an emotional guy!

As I was looking for the varying emotions of Jesus found in the Scriptures I decided to do an internet search and found this in an article by G. Walter Hansen in Christianity Today.

“The gospel writers paint their portraits of Jesus using a kaleidoscope of brilliant ‘emotional’ colors. Jesus felt compassion; He was angry, indignant, and consumed with zeal; He was troubled, greatly distressed, very sorrowful, deeply moved, and grieved; He sighed; He wept and sobbed; He groaned; He was in agony; He was surprised and amazed; He was disappointed, He rejoiced very greatly and was full of joy; He greatly desired, and He loved.”

This morning as we read this Scripture we will see Jesus experiencing an emotion and it’s not the one we would normally expect as we read through, what appears on the surface, to be a joyful occasion …

With that in mind let’s look at: Luke 19:28-44

May God bless the reading of His Word … (Prayer for help …)

Luke 19:41

“As [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it …”

Why was Jesus weeping?

Jesus knows that the city where He placed His temple would soon be destroyed along with the nation He had chosen and raised up. Destroyed!

Let’s read Luke 19:43-44 again …

“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. 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.”

Not only is Jesus weeping over the destruction of Jerusalem but He is also feeling once again the rejection of His own people.

Have you ever been rejected by someone you loved, by someone you really cared about?

Was the LORD God of Israel REALLY after a love relationship with the people of Israel?

What was the greatest commandment in the Old Testament?

Deuteronomy 6:5

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

Isaiah 43:1-3 says

“But now, this is what the LORD says - He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I Am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’”

He loved the people of Israel and they were supposed to love Him in return but instead they rejected Him!

The LORD God of Israel had been rejected by the people He loved.

They had rejected Him many times; over and over and over and over!

The LORD God of Israel had given birth to the nation of Israel. They were His chosen people. He was to be their God and they were to be His people. They would be His people who would faithfully declare His glory to all the nations of the earth.

The LORD God of Israel was to be their King; speaking to them through a prophet.

But they didn’t want any part of that!

They wanted an earthly king like the rest of the nations and in doing so, they rejected His leadership!

1 Samuel 8:1-9

1 “When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

4 “So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, ‘You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.’