Title: “Why Did the Cheering Stop?” Script: Lk. 19:29ff.
Type: Theme/special occasion Where: GNBC Palm Sunday 2020
Intro: Gene A. Smith, an American historian, authored a book entitled, “When The Cheering Stopped.” The book told of Woodrow Wilson, and the events surrounding WW1. Upon the end of the war, people were optimistic. The dream was that the world had at last been made safe, and the way had been paved for democracy and freedom everywhere. When Woodrow Wilson paid his first visit to Europe, he was greeted by large crowds, and he was cheered every place he went. In many people’s eyes he was more popular than the greatest war heroes throughout the land. The cheering lasted for about a year. The political leaders throughout Europe were interested more in their own agendas than a lasting peace, and the people slowly lost hope. On the home front, Wilson met opposition in the Senate, and his League of Nations was rebuffed. Under tremendous stress, his health began to fail. Woodrow Wilson, who almost two years earlier was heralded as a hero, came to his last days as a broken and defeated man. In our text today, Jesus at the absolute height of popularity on Palm Sunday. Yet, in less than a week, the cheering would stop.
Prop: Today is Palm Sunday, 2020 and we are reminded once again of the fickle nature of the crowd that at once so willingly embraced Jesus and then rejected Him.
BG: 1. Jesus Christ on that original Palm Sunday rode into Jerusalem on a donkey’s foal, a hero, being proclaimed by the adoring crowds as Messiah. A week later that would all change.
2. The author of this passage, Luke, was 1st class historian. Gives us great insight into people, hopes, dreams, and anger and hatred.
Prop: Today we’ll notice 3 reasons why the cheering of Palm Sunday stopped by Good Friday.
I. Why Did the Cheering Stop? Because they Didn’t Recognize Jesus’ Purpose.
A. What was the Purpose in Christ’s 1st Coming?
1. Unquestionably the people of Christ’s day did not realize the true reason for his coming.
a. Notice with me the telling statement at the end of this passage, v. 44 “because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” There are two ways one can interpret the word visitation. One idea carries with it the concept of bringing judgment, however, this does not fit the context of the passage. The other, is the idea of bringing relief or deliverance…this seems to fit the context. This is the same word used in Mt. 25:36 where Jesus says that “sick and you visited me.” Now, can you see the irony of the passage? Here is this nation of people, the Jews of Israel, suffering under oppression and bondage of Rome, praying for, asking for, pleading for God to send the Messiah to deliver them…and completely missing His coming!
b. Illust: THE MAN ON THE ROOF: A man was trapped on his rooftop by the rising waters of a flood. A fellow came over in a rowboat and called to the man, “Hop into my boat! I’ll save you!”The stranded man refused, saying, “No – God will save me!”The water rose to the man’s knees, and along came a rescuer in a motorboat. “Get in my boat! I’ll save you!” cried the boater. “No!” the man on the roof replied. “God will save me!”Soon after, the water was up to the man’s chest. Now came a helicopter with a sling suspended from it. “Grab onto the sling!” called the pilot. “I’ll pull you up and save you!”As the man called, “No, God will save me!” a wave swept him off the roof and he drowned. As he entered into heaven, God greeted him, saying, “Welcome to heaven! Glad to see you! Before I show you around and introduce you to some of the angels, do you have any questions?”“Well, yes Sir, as a matter of fact I do have one question.” the man replied. “There I was, stranded on my roof, with flood waters rising all around me! Why didn’t you save me?”“Well!” replied God. “I sent you two boats and a helicopter! What more did you want?” He missed what was right in front of him. So did ancient Israel. So do we today.
2. The Distractions of Daily Life Forced the People to Miss out on Christ’ Purpose.
a. Jesus is not implying that the people of Jerusalem did not know His purposes. These people were, in fact, looking for the KOG, and Jesus had already told them that the KOG was in their presence (Lk. 17:20-21). They knew His claims as the Son of God. They had witnessed His miracle working power. Yet, there was one significant reason why they could NOT see Christ’s purpose in coming, and unfortunately, it is the same cause of affliction in our own day: They had their eyes on their immediate condition and could not get their focus off of their current circumstances. (Anyone know someone who is so caught up with the problems and concerns of life fail to look to the Creator and Sustainer of Life for help?
b. Illust: Distractions : We can become distracted and look away from the goal of becoming like Christ. If you saw the movie Chariots of Fire, then maybe you remember the great British runner Harold Abrams. He had won so many races. His coach held up such discipline. But he finally lost one of the races because he looked to the side. Just as he was about to finish the race he looked to see where the competitor was. His coach said to him, that look cost you the race. He was not single minded on the finish and the prize that lay ahead.
B. Undoubtedly Most People Do Not Recognize the Purpose Christ had in Coming.
1. What was the theological purpose in the coming of Christ?
a. My friends, let me take a little theological rabbit trail…for which I credit the excellent writing of Paul Washer. Jesus Christ alone was the only Qualified Redeemer for mankind. Sometimes individuals will ask the question: “How can the life of one man satisfy the justice due the many?” One of the most beautiful and precious doctrines of Scripture encases the answer to these questions: the infinite worth and perfect obedience of Christ. Friend, the One who was nailed to the cross of Calvary was God, and the life He gave for the sake of His people was of infinite worth! Jesus’ perfect obedience to the Law of God gave merit to His sacrifice and provided a perfect righteousness that would be imputed to His people. Again, some may ask, “Now how can it be that Christ’s life was more valuable than others?” Because He alone was divine! The life of Jesus Christ was worth more than the lives of every other person in all of history who has ever lived, COMBINED!
b. Illust: Think with me for but a moment. If it were possible that the whole of creation, every mountain and molehill, dust and stars, mice and men all placed on one side of a scale, and then the Lord Jesus Christ stepped onto the counterbalance, the scales would immediately tip in Christ’s favor because of His precious deity. Had all the countless myriad of angels offered their spotless lives upon the cross, their sacrifice would not have amounted to the payment required. Our salvation required a sacrifice of infinite value and “Our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”, PTL, has such value!
2. Do not become distracted or discouraged.
a. Friends, we, like the Jews of Christ’s time, allow the concerns and cares of the world to take our eyes off of Christ, thereby missing His purpose in coming. How often our are prayers: “Lord deliver me, help me, fight for me, uplift me” instead of: “Lord mold me, use me, grow me, change me, get glory for yourself Lord Jesus.”? The end result is that instead of God changing the person in those circumstances, the desire is for God to change the circumstances and when that doesn’t happen, the way we want, we lose sight of His purposes, and sadly in effect, the “cheering stops” in our own lives. I think that’s important for us to realize today in midst of pandemic.
b. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem that day the crowd waved palm branches…a long standing symbol of Jewish nationalism…Like us waving our flag… They assumed they knew the plan and purpose of God in Christ. Sadly, they did not. The timing was right. It was approaching the Passover feast. That was symbolic of the event where the death angel passed over Egypt, and Pharaoh let God’s children go. And now, just maybe now, Jesus would somehow lead them from the restraints and cruel treatment they received from the Roman government. The completely missed the point!
C. Applic: Do you truly know why Jesus came? Don’t miss the point.
II. Why Did the Cheering Stop? Because they Refused to Accept His Terms.
A. The People of Christ’s Time would not accept the terms He layed out.
1. Jesus’ Terms clearly included the Cross. – Lk. 14
a. Jesus clearly wanted His listeners to count the cost. Look at v. 42 (Read) “If you would have known the things that make for peace.” The word “know” that is used here is not the idea of being aware of something or “to have knowledge of something”. Rather, the word is the same as in Mt. 7:23, where Jesus says: “Depart from me for I never knew you.” As God, Jesus knows everything there is to know about you. So, what does it mean? It means He never “approved” of you. So, we could translate the passage: “Depart from me, because even though I know you and every little detail about you, you must depart because I do not approve of you.” Some people may shudder in consternation at my saying this. “Who do you think you are, preacher?” “I can set your mind to ease on that point, I am NOBODY.” “However, Jesus is God and He does address this topic.
b. Jesus clearly stated in the Bible that He offered the only way that leads to salvation, but we have rejected it. Friend, the Bible says: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to destruction.” (Prov. 14:12). Let me ask you, are you rejecting the Lord’s salvation in lieu of your own efforts or own ideology. God help you because you cannot help yourself.
2. We must humbly come to Jesus on the terms He sets for us.
a. You see the people of Jerusalem desired peace, but wanted it to come though conflict. Jesus was offering them peace in conflict. (Read Lk. 13:34) You see, the very meaning of the name “Jerusalem” meant “founded peaceful”, refused Jesus’ terms for finding true and lasting peace because they wanted to set the terms for peace. Illust: Throughout the Civil War President Lincoln rejected several attempts for peace by the Confederacy. He knew of one term for surrender and only one term that would ultimately be able to lead to a rebuilding of the shattered nation: “Unconditional Surrender” – Admit total defeat and beg for mercy. Not because wanted to rub the noses of the South “in it”, but because only a totally defeated foe could in fact, become a brother! My friends, that’s what Jesus Christ demands from you and me. UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER! Recognizing there is nothing we can add to our salvation or use as an excuse or defense. Yet, in the end, only then, can He make you His brother!
b. How often do we as Christians do the exact same thing? We want peace, we want the blessings, but at the same time we do and say those things that are the exact opposite of what His word instructs! In essence we have the attitude: “Lord, I am going to do thus and such and why you need to bless it and give me a peace about it, and I am going to do it my way because that’s the way I want to handle it.
B. Even today we often refuse to accept Christ’s Terms.
1. This is often the case with Christians.
a. Obedience is the practical acceptance of the authority and will of God. It includes both submitting to Him and then expressing that submission in actions, words and thoughts. To be obedient is to be in agreement with God. To be in agreement with God is to be in a position of power in Christ. Disobedience is caused by rebellion and distrust of God. To be disobedient is to yield to self-will instead of surrendering to God and desiring His will in all things.
God expects obedience (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). To choose Christ is to choose obedience (John 14:15,21). To become disobedient is to sin or rebel against God (I Samuel 15:22,23).
b. Illust: The Japanese have created the best swords in the world. To create these fine weapons, ancient Japanese sword makers had to create a sword that was hard enough to retain a sharp edge, but at the same time soft enough not to be brittle. Sword makers who made swords by making the steel hard found they could preserve a sharp edge. Such swords, however, were often so brittle that they would often break when they clashed in battle. Soft steel, however, was found to be not as brittle, but would easily dull and be unable to slice through armor. Japanese sword makers therefore had to forge a sword with steel hard enough to retain a sharp edge, but at the same time pliable enough not to break in battle. What Japanese sword makers learned to do was to create a sword made of hard and soft steel. Multiple sheets of hard and soft steel are heated, folded and pummeled together over and over again. Japanese swords go through a lengthy forging process until they have up to 33,000 paper-thin laminations of hard and soft metal. Each of these layers is one hundred thousandth of an inch thick. This is all done to a very precise recipe of temperature treatment. The end result is a finely crafted weapon with extreme pliability and a blade that will retain a finely honed edge. Just as Japanese sword makers repeatedly hammer together layers of metal to produce a sword that will be strong enough to withstand breaking, so God allows trials to hammer metal into the lives of His children. It is in the forging hand of God that humility and dependence on Him are developed into our lives to create character that will triumph in adversity. The hard steel in our lives is the word of God. The soft steel in our lives is humility and a dependence on God. These are forged together in our lives through fiery trials and prayer to produce vessels that will give Him glory. We need the hard steel confidence of what we believe together with the soft steel of humility.
2. Non Christian, have you examined the claims of Christ?.
a. In our country today, every religion is given a “free pass” except the very religion that most greatly influenced this land: Christianity. GK Chesterton, 100 yrs ago said: "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." Chesterton - Chapter 5, What's Wrong With The World, 1910 Blaise Pascal said: "There is enough light for those who only desire to see, and enough obscurity for those who have a contrary disposition." (Pensees #430) Ultimately, it is again, as Chesteron said: "If there were no God, there would be no atheists." (Where all roads lead, 1922)
b. Possibly you are listening today and outside of Christ. By this I mean that you have never personally, individually, accepted Jesus Christ as God the Father’s only provision for your salvation. Jesus clearly laid down the terms for salvation when He said that He was “the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father but through the Son.”Illust: In my entire life I have never known a kidnapped individual laying out the terms for his/her own release. The person would not be a victim of a kidnapping or being a hostage, rather, the person would be playing at a scam. Sin, hell, and death have your soul under their control. They have your outcome secured. Only through outside intervention can you be released. You need Christ.
C. Applic: Are you refusing the terms Christ has set in place for knowing Him and enjoying eternity?
III. Why Did The Cheering Stop? They Did Not Believe it would Bring Judgment.
A. Although it is not a popular topic, we need to realize there is judgment.
1. Christ Specifically warns of a coming day of Judgment upon Jerusalem for its rejection of Messiah.
a. Read vv. 42-44. In this passage Jesus clearly described the coming future judgment upon Israel for its rejection of the Messiah. They had been warned. They knew the terms, they knew who Jesus was, but they refused to accept the truth so they brought judgment down upon themselves.
b. Illust: early this week law makers passed $2 Trillion stimulus. US debt is now $23 Trillion. I shudder when consider the burden that debt is on our children and grandchildren. Nothing compared to debt people in time of Christ put on their children: Mt. 27:25 where, a week from this event, the angry crowd will shout out to Pilate: “Let His blood be upon us and upon our children.” I cringe every time I read that passage! Friend if you want to curse yourself through your life and choices and actions…so be it. DON’T do that to your children! Friend, what are you doing for the spiritual benefit of your children? Taking to Sunday School or Church? We never like to consider future consequences of my actions today. Illust: Jerry was a sometimes homeless man that I knew years ago. He was dying and I visited him about a week before his death. He told me he was mad at God. I asked why? “Because of this lung cancer.” “I said Jerry, how long have you smoked? Since I was 13yrs! Didn’t you know cigarettes were bad for you? “Of course I didn’t I just never really expected that they would kill me.”
2. Illust: If you know your history you know how the people’s curse decimated the next generation. The Roman General Titus marched on Jerusalem in 70 AD, destroying every building and bringing them down so nothing was left higher than waist height. Josephus wrote that 1 million Jews were murdered during Titus’ siege. What an awful judgment.
B. So the question may be asked: “How does this event from Palm Sunday 2000yrs. ago apply to me?”
1. It applies in this: Are you going to accept or reject Jesus Christ in light of eternity. Friend, you cannot come to God on your own terms; you have to come thru Christ. You cannot come to Him in your own time; Jesus said no man comes unto Him unless the Father draws him. When you come to Jesus you must accept His claims. Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior, the sacrifice for sin. If you refuse these things you may be nailing the coffin of your opportunity shut, and all that will be left for you to hear is: “It’s too late!” The cheering, for you, will have ended. The Bible says: “It’s appointed for man to die once and then face judgment.” (Heb. 9:27)
2. Illust: A father and son were driving down a country road in S. Georgia and saw a watermelon patch a little way off the highway. The father said to the boy, "Keep a lookout here while I go get a melon." He snuck into the patch, lifted a choice melon from the vine, and then called to the boy, "Is anyone coming? Look both ways." The little fellow wisely responded, "But Daddy, shouldn’t we look up too?" ( Our Daily Bread , April 18, 1999) Even if we think we are pulling something on those around us, and even if we think that we are “getting away” with something…God still knows.
C. Applic: Why did the cheering of Palm Sunday end by Good Friday? Because they didn’t understand the purpose of Christ’s coming, because they refused to accept his terms, because they really didn’t believe their actions would incur judgment.
