Paslm Sunday - Seeing the Future Joy
Pastor Dan Little - adfontes.djl@gmail.com
The Landmark Church
Binghamton, NY 13903
Scripture Reading:
Matthew 21:1-13
The Triumphal Entry
1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 "Say to the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" 11 And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers." ESV
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This entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem was not an accident. He was presenting Himself to the Jewish people as their king—not an earthly king which is why He didn’t ride to the governor’s palace, the seat of political power. He came to rule as a loving Lord and King over the hearts of men who would have Him—a heavenly king which is why His ride culminated at the temple.
The meaning of the ride was not lost on Pilate. It so affected him that when Christ was crucified he insisted on nailing a sign on the cross above Jesus’ head that read 'The King of the Jews. John 19:21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews ,' but rather, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews .'" 22 Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."
Jesus, so far as the religious establishment was concerned, has been keeping company with all the wrong people. He had not risen up through the acceptable corridors of religious and political power. He was a ragamuffin king with a horde of ragamuffin followers.
In fact He has just recently been in a little backwater town hardly more than 2 miles southeast of Jerusalem, where He stood outside of a tomb of Lazarus, man dead now for four days. Jesus stood facing the tomb and (against everyone’s advice) ordered the stone to be taken away. When it was opened Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out of the grave. And that is what Lazarus did. At the command of Jesus voice, life filled his decaying body, death was reversed, and Lazarus walked out of his tomb.
So for these people Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was a time of great joy and celebration. They loved Him. These ragamuffins were shouting and waving branches and laying down their coats to make for Him a royal path. It was one of those rare moments when poor people let down their guard and celebrated.
The religious people watched and found it disgusting.
You can feel the tension between Jesus and the religious kingmakers who want it this scene stopped immediately.
At one point they demand saying; Luke 19:39 "Teacher, rebuke your disciples."
Jesus answers their demand saying 40 "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."
As Jesus looked upon the celebrating multitude He thoroughly enjoyed them enjoying Him.
You wouldn’t know it by the nightly news but joy and a sense that life is to be celebrated is the natural state of man. It was man’s original state, as God made him—his first nature.
The misery of sickness and death and the pain of sorrow and brokenness and lives filled with worry, that is not our natural estate. That state of affairs is exactly what the Bible means when it talks about Acts 2:40 "Save yourselves from this warped and bent generation."
In Genesis 3 the Bible says that what opened the door to our first nature being warped and bent was when Adam and Eve embraced a lie and acted upon an alternative wisdom that promised them something of a higher and better life than their life of unbroken fellowship with God. This lie brought them into hardship and sorrow and death.
That original lie has now become a thousand lies all rooted in the first one—all presented to us much like the serpent presented it to Adam Eve, and we (like they), have become captives to the sadness and sorrow and wounds and confusion and depressions, sickness and death that enslaves us so long we believe the lie in whatsoever form it comes in. It enslaves us.
Jesus was and is a king, but He did not come to set up and earthly kingdom. He came to reestablish the true kingdom of God, a kingdom of truth and light, in the heart of every captive.
What a prayer is found in Psalms 43:3-4
3 Send out your light and your truth ;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling!
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
One of Jesus very famous truth claims is this; John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The people who are joyfully celebrating Jesus the king, the Liberator of the heart and mind, the destroyer of sorrow and restorer of life and joy are actually participating in our ancient past as well as in our eternal future, for it is the whole purpose of Christ to release us from the power of lies and restore us to our natural state.
So Jesus lets them release their joy in celebration without telling them that the time for His death is very near. He will lay down His life for His sheep in order to destroy the power of the ultimate thief—death.
So Jesus is given a glimpse into the joy that is set before Him—a glimpse of the future that He will make possible by the sacrifice of Himself.
He is thinking of the moment of His resurrection when He says to all who hope in Him; John 14:19 …because I live, you shall live also.
As you give your attention to this upcoming week, the week of Jesus’ passion you will see on Easter morning that Jesus broke the bars of the prison of death and just walked out the tomb.
Here are a few of the common lies that we tend to believe and say over and over to ourselves. These lies imprison us.
1. God may love everyone, but He doesn't love me.
2. I am worthless, dirty—a loser and can never be forgiven.
3. I will never be good enough becasue something is wrong with me.
4. I should be able to change overnight.
5. I am only worth what others say I am worth.
6. The value of my life is in what I own and the amount of money I have.
7. Life has no meaning.
8. I will be happy if I just follow my heart.
9. It doesn't hurt anybody, then it’s not a problem.
10. I can't help it-it's just how I was raised (it's just how you are).
11. The perfect church exists.
12. Spiritual maturity just happens.
13. All I need to do is be "good" and act "nice." I don't need church or Jesus.
14. God doesn't care about the small things, so I never talk to Him except for an emergency.
15. God's wisdom and guidance are only available to pastors and teachers.
16. The main thing that God wants for me is that I should be happy and comfortable in this world.
17. I make my own truth. What ever I believe is true that is the truth for me. If I don't believe in God, then there is no God.
18. If I don't feel loved then I am not loved.
19. If I don't look like that person then I am not a beautiful or attractive person.
20. I am broken and I will never be fixed.
21. God is like my earthly father and He will abandon me.
Any of these lies (or any other form of them) can become life-controlling issues.
Look this list over and circle any lie that you recognize as one that you frequently tell yourself, or maybe was told to you or conveyed to you as a child.
Don’t sign the paper, just circle the number of any lie that looks familiar to you and then as you come for communion I want you to place the paper on the kneeling pad here at the altar and as you walk away, ask God to help you walk away from that lie.
I will collect the papers and chart the data and next week we will talk about it.
In the meantime join me in praying;
Psalms 43:3 Send out your light and your truth ;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling!
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
