The Waiting Is Over
Palm Sunday 2020
MAN – I love that song (Take Courage)
AND – one of the reasons is because it is absolutely true.
Jesus – is always in the waiting.
AND SO – this morning 4/5/2020 I want you tell yourself those truths we sang just a few moments ago…
Take courage my heart
Stay steadfast my soul
He’s in the waiting.
QUESTION – what are you waiting for right now?
I think a lot of us are waiting for this Coronavirus pandemic to end… we are waiting for things to get back to normal.
Back to a new and better normal.
OKAY – today is Palm Sunday 2020… and I want to unpack a conversation that I am calling, “He’s In The Waiting”
AND LISTEN – waiting for something that you really want to happen can be an extremely difficult thing to do.
WHICH – is why when the wait is over… it is a very exciting time.
FOR EXAMPLE – just 2 months ago… (seems so much longer, LIKE - am I the only, or is time just getting harder and harder to keep track of these days).
WELL – about 2 months ago on February 2, Superbowl 54 was played in Miami, Florida…
UNDERSTAND – experiencing triumph after years of waiting, is good reason to be excited.
AND LISTEN – on that first Palm Sunday God’s people had been waiting for thousands of years…
Which means that generation after generation, after generation… both entered and lived this world still waiting.
YOU SEE…
SINCE - Genesis…
SINCE - the fall in the garden and the call of Abraham… God’s people had been waiting for the coming of their Messiah, their Savior, their true king.
AND UNDERSTAND – not only was it a long wait, but it had been a very difficult wait…
There were many mountain highs, and even more valleys along the way.
Wars, famines, death, defeat, foreign occupation, political and religious corruption… and the like.
YES – God’s people had been waiting for this victory, they had been waiting to lift their Lombardi for a very long time…
IN FACT – everyone alive on the first Palm Sunday was hoping and dreaming that this moment would come in their life time.
AND… AND… God the Father and God the Son had been waiting even longer. SINCE – before the creation of the world for Jesus to announce His arrival and bring salvation… opening the way for restoration with the people They so love.
NOW UNDERSTAND – God had always been with His people in the waiting, but on that first Palm Sunday the wait was over and Jesus’ time had come.
LISTEN - for nearly 33 years Jesus had purposely stayed out the limelight. As much as possible, when you are doing the kind of things that Jesus is doing….
• Preaching good news to the poor
• Opening the eyes of the blind
• Casting out demons
• Cleansing leprosy, and
• Raising the dead
BECAUSE - it was not yet His time.
BUT NOW - the time has come (the tree is ripe) and Jesus boldly announces that He is indeed the King, not according to the plan of man, but rather according to the plan of God, as revealed by his prophets in His Word.
UNDERSTAND – Jesus was the Messiah predicted by the prophets, but not the Messiah expected by the people.
YOU SEE – they wanted a Messiah who would overthrow Rome and restore the nation to it’s former glory.
UNDERSTAND – on that palm Sunday 2000 years ago…
Jesus enters Jerusalem royally,
Jesus enters Jerusalem freely.
He is not a victim -- he is not a prisoner.
Jesus did not hide and He did not hurry.
Jesus did it His way and on His time schedule..
And Jesus was not afraid. He did not try to secretly slip into the city.
Jesus acted deliberately and with purpose as he rode into the city, making His claim to be both King and Messiah.
AND YES – Jesus knew his enemies would be watching when He rode into town and He wanted them to see Him being treated like a king. I MEAN - it was as if he was saying to them, "Look, I know you’re going to drag me into court and treat me like a criminal, but before you do, I want you to take one more look at the real me. I want you to have one more chance to step out and join the parade.”
YES - the time had come for the great struggle to both begin and end -- it was high noon...
THE TIME - had come for the world/mankind to make the ultimate decision, (to either acknowledge her ruler or to renounce Him).
THE TIME - had come for Jesus to fight the great battle with, satan, sin and death...
THE TIME - was at hand for Jesus to finish the work that the Father had sent him to do (the work of redemption).
THE TIME - had come for the King to claim His rightful throne.
OKAY – here is what we are going to do in our time remaining…
• USING – a few passages from all 4 Gospel writers we are going to read words that the Holy Spirit felt were important to put on paper to describe the triumphal entry
• THEN – we are going to pull from them a few timeless truths that are part of the greatest parade in human history.
I. The Triumphal Entry
Bethany was about 2 miles east of Jerusalem.
The town of Bethphage was a small village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives which was 2600 feet high and looked directly down upon the temple which was located 300 feet below just across from the Kidron Valley.
OKAY SO – the ride starts on Sunday from Bethany…
HOWEVER - I want us to begin our study of the Triumphal Entry with an event that took place on Saturday night.
We will begin in John chapter 12 verse 1…
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor.
NOW APPARENTLY – there was a tradition back then that if YOU were ever to raise someone from the dead that person would give a dinner in your honor. Seems reasonable, right?
Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.
OKAY TRY TO PICTURE THE SCENE – just a bunch of friends reclining at the table eating and talking amongst themselves...
NOW – I’m sure some were asking Lazarus a bunch of probing questions, like:
• Lazarus what was it like to be dead?
• Lazarus do you remember anything?
• Did you see anything?
• Did you hear Jesus shout from outside the tomb?
OTHERS - were probably talking to Jesus asking him questions....
And still others were saying things such as, "pass the gravy, and hey Pete how come you always take the biggest lamb chop.. Just a bunch of friends who had shared so much having a meal together, enjoying each others company. Laughing telling jokes and having a good time.
NOW – I did some in depth research this week… and I was able to uncover some the jokes that were commonly told in the first century.
• What do you call a fake noodle? An Impasta.
• What do you call a belt with a watch on it? A waist of time.
• Why was the big cat disqualified from the race? Because it was a cheetah.
• Why do crabs never give to charity? Because they’re shellfish.
• What do you call a man with no nose and no body? Nobody nose.”
• What did the Buffalo say to his little boy when he dropped him off at school? Bison.
• Why is Peter Pan always flying? He neverlands!
• Why did the coach go to the bank? To get his quarter back.
• What did the fisherman say to the magician? Pick a cod, any cod.
• Which is faster, hot or cold? Hot, because you can catch a cold.
• Which is faster, hot or cold? Hot, because you can catch a cold.
• What do you call it when Batman skips church? Christian Bale.
• What does a baby computer call his father? Data.
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”
He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.
ISN’T IT AMAZING – the lengths that people will go to when they do not like the truth?
The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him… - John 12:1-12
OKAY – from here we will jump over to Matthew’s account of the Triumphal Entry… Matthew 21:1…
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her.
(probably Peter and John)
Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
(this is a quote from Zechariah 9:9)
“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.
NOW – this is the only time that we see Jesus traveling using something other than His feet…
AND LISTEN – not only is He fulfilling prophecy, He is also announcing that He in fact is the promised King and he is making a statement about the nature of His kingdom.
YOU SEE – He did not ride in on a great horse to make war and overthrow Rome, but rather He road in on a donkey.
WHICH WAS WHAT - a King rode when he wanted people to know that he had come in and to make peace…
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
You see they recognized what Jesus was doing and began quoting the Messianic promise given in Psalm 118…
Hosanna - Save Us Now….
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
- Matthew 21:1-9
AND – we will finish up our reading in Mark…
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. – Mark 11:11
II. The Timeless Truths
AND LISTEN – they are timeless because they were true 2000 years ago when Jesus road into Jerusalem and they are still true today.
A) Jesus is more worthy than possessions
Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume… It was worth a year’s wages. – John 12:1-5
UNDERSTAND MARY – saw Jesus for who He is…
The Christ, the Son of living God.
SHE KNEW - what Jesus was doing.
SHE KNEW - that death awaited Him when He rode into Jerusalem the next morning...
AND SHE KNEW - He was dying for her.
AND SO – Mary wanted to do something for Jesus, she wanted to do something that would express to Him her great love.
She wanted to do something for Jesus while she still had the opportunity to do so.
AND SO - Mary took the most expensive thing she had and alabaster jar of expensive perfume, worth a years wages…
How much do you make in a year.
And she knelt down at the feet of her Lord, breaking open the jar anointing his feet, then Mary took her hair which Paul's say's in I Corinthians 11:15, "is a woman's crown and glory" and she dried the feet of Jesus with her hair.
UNDERSTAND…
For Mary, no sacrifice was too costly and no service was too demeaning.
BECAUSE – Mary got it?
Jesus is more worthy than possessions.
IN FACT – He is more worthy than anything.
QUESTION – do we get it?
Is there anything we need to pour out that maybe we have been unwilling to pour out?
B) Jesus is more appealing than religion
The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him… - John 12:12
QUESTION – do you know how great that crowd was?
Probably over 1 million people.
That’s a lot of people.
And they had come for the festival, for the Passover.
UNDERSTAND – if you did not live in Jerusalem there were 3 feasts that you needed to come back for…
Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles…
AGAIN – as Jesus rides into Jerusalem this large crowd had come to celebrate the Passover. The annual reminder of the time when God delivered His people from 400+ years of Egyptian slavery.
SO - these were a bunch of religious people…
BUT – these people wanted more than what their religion was giving… especially since it had become so corrupted by the Pharisees and other religious leaders who had turned the entire thing into a burden that they could not carry.
HOWEVER – those who had gathered for the Passover heard that Jesus was coming they left the city and…
They took palm branches and went out to meet Him… - John 12:12
Because Jesus is so much more appealing than religion…
UNDERSTAND - Jesus was like a breath of fresh air blowing into the religious environment of the day.
Let me quickly share a few contrasts between Jesus and religion…
Religion emphasizes the outward, Jesus emphasizes the inward
Jesus cares about the heart… It’s the heart that counts.
Always has and always will.
And He knows both the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Religion centers around what you can’t do, Jesus is about what you can do.
Religion – a bunch of ‘thou shall nots’
Jesus – come as you are and watch what I can do in your life.
Religion puts up barriers, Jesus pulls down barriers
I MEAN – the Temple in Jerusalem itself was just one barrier after another.
Religion is good at keeping other people out.
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. – Galatians 3:26-28
Religion says work your way to God, Jesus says I am the way to God
Religion is performance based
Jesus is grace based
The Gospel is not about human achievement, it is about divine accomplishment.
Not – ‘do’
But rather – ‘I have done’
NOW - I had a survey pop up one me Saturday morning as I was working on my message about how the percentage of people who classify themselves as having no religion in the USA has risen dramatically since 1972…
1972
Adult population ~ 159 million
Adult population no religion 5% (~ 8 million people)
2018
Adult population ~ 248 million
Adult population no religion 23% (~57 million people)
Jesus is more appealing than religion…
And at The Grove we are not about religion we are about connecting people to a life changing relationship to Jesus.
C) Scripture is more reliable than opinions
NOW UNDERSTAND - everyone had opinions about who Jesus was…
Some said he was Elijah
Others John the Baptist
Or one of the prophets
AND SOME - like the religious leaders said that Jesus was not from God, that He was mad and possessed by a demon.
QUESTION – were any of those people correct in their opinions of Jesus?
OKAY – the closest would be that He was a prophet, but we know that Jesus was so much more than a prophet.
NOW - two times in the Gospel accounts of the Triumphal Entry we see The Holy Spirit guiding the writers to quote from 2 Old Testament passages that make Jesus’ identity abundantly clear.
(Because of the dead sea scrolls we have copies of these predictions 100+ years before Jesus was ever born)
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet,
“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” - John 12:14
As I said earlier that is a prediction made by the prophet Zechariah (9:9)
AND LISTEN – what the crowds were shouting on that day as Jesus rode into Jerusalem were not just random thoughts that popped into their heads.
RATHER – they were quoting from Psalm 118…
The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
- Matthew 21:9
Okay here’s the deal – who Scripture says Jesus is, is more accurate than who people think He is… amen?
Scripture is more reliable that opinions.
The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever. – 1 Peter 1:24,25
NOW – in our day everyone has an opinion about everything. AND – they love letting everyone…they love expressing those opinions whenever they can.
AND – they even have opinions about Jesus and about what is true and right.
BUT LISTEN – when their opinions are as reliable as Scripture than we can talk…
UNDERSTAND – real security comes when our lives are governed by God’s word.
A few years back the Jason the 19 year old son of some friends of ours in Orlando was in terrible motorcycle crash and was on life support and it did not look.
Karey his dad made the following post on His Facebook wall.
I’ll tell you what I believe, though. I believe that Jesus is The Christ, The Son of the living GOD, and that whosoever believes in Him shall NOT die, but have everlasting life. So, either way, having professed his faith in Jesus, Jason is and will be alive today, tomorrow and every day thereafter, whether here or in the presence of GOD ALMIGHTY!
Time is running short for that miracle healing. With that said I know my GOD is worthy of my faith and I trust in his plan. So I will accept a miracle healing of my child or the miracle healing of the children who will receive the transplants
D) Following is more important than observing
NOW – there were thousands of people observing Jesus as He road into the city on that first Palm Sunday…
• Roman soldiers
• Religious leaders
• The curious
• Zealots gripping their swords hoping that Jesus was about to lead a rebellion
• Eyewitnesses to resurrection of Lazarus
•
YEAH – thousands of observers…
BUT – there were just 11 guys who were committed to following.
AND SURE – their following was not always perfect…
UNDERSTAND – it is good to observe, but your observation must eventually lead to participation.
eventually lead…
• to participation.
• to leaving the cheering crowd and walking between the chalk lines and entering the field of play
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. – John 13:17
E) Surrendering is ‘beyond’ more advantageous than rejecting Him
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 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.
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 your visitation.”
- Luke 19:39-44
THE WORD TRANSLATED WEPT MEANS MORE THE TEARS; IT SUGGESTS THAT JESUS’ WHOLE BODY WAS HEAVING AND SOBBING, HIS BODY SHAKING WITH EMOTION.
LIKE THE DEEP, SOULFUL SOBBING WE SUFFER AT THE LOSE OF A LOVED ONE…
UNDERSTAND - as Jesus sees Jerusalem, it is not for himself the tears are shed -- he was not weeping over the cross that awaited him.
NO!, he was weeping over the fate that would come upon the nation in just a few decades, in 70 AD when the army of the Roman Emperor Titus would completely destroy this city and Temple.
YOU SEE
INSTEAD OF - of the joyful shouts and praises, Jesus heard: the screams, the cries, the shrieks and groans of the men, woman and children who would die in the city. He could see the burning buildings, the city turned to rubble and he could smell the odors of smoke and death.
JESUS - came to His own and his own did not accept Him, they crucified the son and invoked the Fathers furious wrath.
Jesus wept for those who would reject the gift of salvation and came to bring them.
He wept for those who would reject him as their king.
He wept for those who could not see the peace that He came to bring
There are only 2 times where we see Jesus weeping in the Gospels…
Outside of the tomb of Lazarus
John 11:35
(not all things were supposed to be)
And here in Luke 19…
• Surrendering is ‘beyond’ more advantageous than rejecting Him
• Following is more important than observing
• Scripture is more reliable than opinions
• Jesus is more appealing than religion
• Jesus is more worthy than possessions
Let's Pray
