We are turning today, to an event that is recorded in all four gospels. That would signal to us the importance of it. An event that marks the last week of Jesus’ earthly life, and event that you can see as I project the scripture passage on the screen the superscription placed upon it by the bible translators, as the Triumphal Entry, but we commemorate it annually as Christian under the title of Palm Sunday, even though there are those historians who believe that this actually happened on a Monday. But let us read it together to set in our minds the scene of what took place that day, from Matthew’s account…
Matthew 21 (ESV)
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,
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.”
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.”
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,
“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise’?”
17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
Let’s pray….As I stated in my opening remarks, today is the day on the Christian calendar that is not referred to as the Triumphal Entry but is normally called Palm Sunday. The reason it is called that is because John’s account of this occasion specifies the fact that the branches that they cut were…
John 12:13a They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, Hosanna…
This Sunday, is more than likely in Christian-dom, the 4th most attended Sunday Service of the year. Easter is probably the first, my guess would be that Mother’s Day is the next, though it really has nothing much to do with the gospel, though there is some relevancy, the next would be the Sunday that Christmas falls the nearest too, pulling up the rear is usually Palm Sunday, which kicks off the Passion week, and as some denominations do, they celebrate it with a commemoration called Maundy Thursday, a Good Friday observance, and then of course an Easter Sunday Service, celebrating the resurrection of our Lord!
Now the danger, if I may use that word of any annual celebration is the complacency and even the complaints that it can cause! Let me give you an example, the Christmas holiday comes rolling around and though it is a holiday that has the potential that can produce great joy and even spiritual renewal, there can be a bit of an uggghh attached to it!
What gifts am I going to buy for the kids? Where will I get the money? What cookies shall I bake, etc. can enter into the joy that that particular season can bring. An anniversary, or a birthday as special as it is, can cause someone like myself to say, oh no, what do I get the misses this year, how do I top what I did last year, and that could be said for other annual observances like Thanksgiving, or Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day, or whatever annual holiday that you are in the habit of observing.
Well allow me to have to have a transparent moment with you if I may. This is my 23rd Palm Sunday observance with you, and the thought arose in me again this year, “Oh no, it is Palm Sunday, I’ve spoken on it 22 times before, what new things can I say, what new insights can I bring, what new inspiration can I offer that I haven’t 22 times before? Shall I go into the filing closet of the 22 other messages that I preached before, and repackage them, and offer one of them again to you this Palm Sunday 2021? My dear mother God rest her soul, used to advise me to do that because she saw that her son Tommy was working much to hard! She would advise me on more that one occasion to preach a message, put it in file, a year later pull it out, and hey no one would know the difference!
I believe she said that because she didn’t realize what biblical scholars I spoke to each and every Sunday, amen? I would have to tell her, “ma, I can’t do that, because you just don’t know how biblically literate the congregation of New Beginning is! Amen!
Well as I prayerfully contemplated how I would approach this extremely important week,
I’ve kind of asked the Lord to help us get into a time machine, as it were, and help us to relive this event, by the means that it can only be done, through His Living and Active Word, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, so that we can come away touched by it, and perhaps even transformed.
And that is why, I am presenting to you the events that happened on that day, that those of us who have been coming together on Wednesday evening have been reminded of, from the book of Daniel was a day that was precisely marked on the calendar of God:
Any way the way that I would like to approach this year’s Palm Sunday observance is by approaching it in the following fashion, in the way that I’ve entitled my message to you this morning..
Reliving the Relevancy of Palm Sunday!
And I just the word reliving verses remembering because I’m hoping that revisiting this event, by looking at the word pictures that the gospels offer us will help us to see the relevancy of it, and lead us into a new season of repentance, and renewal, and revival that we all desperately need!
And I would like to propose this to you…that…
Reliving the relevancy of the “Palm Sunday” will hopefully not only prick, but better yet, penetrate our hearts, and perhaps trigger a new season of repentance, spiritual renewal, and revival, within our lives by the transforming truths that lie latent within each picture.
And you really have to go below the surface and look for the hidden manna within portrait and the first one is:
I. Christian Obligation!
II. Christian Obscurity!
A) Obligation - An act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound; a duty or commitment.
B) Obscurity -The state of being unknown, inconspicuous, or unimportant.
Matthew 21:1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
1. Obscurity?
a) Two unidentified disciples
b) Reason unidentified?
i. We have to be willing to work in obscurity
Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. -NIV
John 5:41 I do not accept glory from human beings,
John 5:44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
John 12:43for they loved human praise more than praise from God.
John 8:50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge
Galatians 1:10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
Acts 5:29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men
2. Application?
1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
1 Corinthians 12:18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
1 Corinthians 12:22b those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23a and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.
3. Obligation?
a) Obey!
C) Responsibility of a Christian?
1. Responsibility - Something that one is required to do as part of a job, role, or legal obligation.
Matthew 21:2a saying to them, “Go”
2. Go! When Jesus says “Go!”
Matthew 28:1 8 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - NIV
a) If Jesus say’s go, you can’t say – NO!
I. I discovered that 23 years ago!!
b) There are two words that cannot go together – “NO – LORD!”
i. “Go!” is a command to action.
ii. You cannot follow Jesus and stay where you are.
iii. Going requires movement in the direction you are sent.
D) Reminder to all Christians:
1. Jesus said this frequently!
Luke 9: 57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. – NIV
Luke 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
D) Reality for most Christians:
1. Most Christian find it much easier to stay. It’s familiar, and often comfortable, to just stay where you are. It’s less risky. Less dangerous.
2. Yet, it’s our duty to go! Regardless of the cost, we are to go.
E) Responsibility of all Christians:
1. Prepare the way
a) Example of John the Baptist:
Luke 3: 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him. -NIV
b) We must prepare a straight path for the Lord, removing all obstacles which stand in the Lord’s way
2. Point out the way!
a) All the crooked ways in our life, in the life of our society need to be straightened out.
b) Why?
Luke 3:5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”
c) How?
Luke 3: 10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.
F) Requirement for all Christians!
1. Go if He says Go
Matthew 21:2b Go into the village in front of you,
a) How?
Matthew 21:2c immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.
i. Immediately
Thomas a Kampis - "Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience.”
ii. Trustfully
Matthew 21: 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”
iii. Unquestionably!
Luke 5 (NIV)
1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” -NIV
iv. Obedience -Unquestioned obedience
Luke 19: 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.” -NIV
v. Obey even when we don’t understand!
John 12: 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
vi. One of the greatest examples?
Genesis 22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Genesis 22: 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
G) Reminder to all Christians?
1. We have to work out of necessity!
a) Like the colt – The Lord has need of you!
i. Technically He needs nothing
ii. But he has chosen to use each of us for His purposes and glory
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
iii. Like the colt, we are to carry Jesus into this world
2. IMPORTANT REMINDER - If He didn’t say, Go – His word to you is – STAY!!
1 Corinthians 15: 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. -NKJV
Anyway the 3nd & 4th picture that I would like for us to see is the picture of..
III. Christ’s Omniscience:
Matthew 21: 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
Mark 11:1b you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden -NIV
Q: How did he know - THAT?
A) Omniscience!
1. The word “omniscient” is having infinite awareness, understanding and insight; a universal and complete knowledge.
a) Jesus knew where the colt would be because He is God!
b) God knows all things.
c) Part of the definition of God is omniscience.
d) He is God therefore, He is omniscient.
John 21:17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. -NKJV
2. Point?
a) Is it good enough for you that the Lord knows?
Psalm 94:11 The LORD knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile.
1Corinthians 3:20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
2 Timothy 2:19b “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
2 Peter 2:9b the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
b) Is that good enough for you? It ought to be!!
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. -KJV
IV. Christ’s Ownership!
A) Point?
1. Not only does..
2 Timothy 2:19b “The LORD knows those who are his,”
2. But also:
b) The Lord know WHAT is HIS!
i. WHAT – IS – HIS?
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
Psalm 50:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.
Deuteronomy 10:14 Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.
Psalm 89:11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them.
Genesis 14:19 He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
Genesis 14:22 Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth,
Psalm 104:24 O Lord, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions.
Psalm 50:10 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills.
Job 41:11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me
B) Picture?
1. The Lord said to two unnamed disciples, I know where a colt is, one that is unridden it is MINE, now go fetch it for me!
Mark 11: 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’” -NIV
2. He is just going to borrow it, but the reality matter is that it is His, and he is letting you borrow it!
a) A Christian realizes that they own nothing and are borrowing everything!
Psalm 24:1a The earth is the Lord’s, - THE EARTH BELONGS TO GOD
Psalm 24:1b and everything in it, -ie, It’s possessions and property - BELONGS TO GOD
Psalm 24:1c the world, and all who live in it; - It’s people - BELONGS TO GOD
C) Perspective?
1. God Owns Everything, and I Own Nothing!!
D) Promote?
1. Stewardship – healthy sense of stewardship!
Holman Bible Dictionary – Stewardship is the utilizing and managing all resources God provides for the glory of God and the betterment of His creation." Christian Stewardship regards the obligation of Christians in managing and utilizing intelligently the gifts that God has given. The Christian steward is not only responsible for the financial blessings provided by God but also the spiritual gifts that are given through the Holy Spirit. God wants human beings to be His stewards in the work of creation, redemption, and sanctification.
1 Peter 4:10- As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:
E) Picture:
Matthew 25: 14 “Again, it [The Kingdom of Heaven] will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ -NIV
1. Serious consequence!
a) Therefore let us:
Malachi 3:10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
2 Corinthians 9:6b Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
b) For:
Luke 16:11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
But I believe there is just another beautiful picture of Jesus in this event one of..
V. Christ’s Orchestration!
A) Defined?
1. As the planning or coordination of the elements of a situation to produce a desired end!
a) Of what?
i. All things!!
Colossians 3:11a Christ is All and in All!
LARRY FARLOW -Does God Orchestrate All Things that Come to Pass?
Does God orchestrate all events? By that I mean all events, not just the “biggies.” No Christian I know suggests God did not orchestrate things like the Flood, The Plagues of Egypt the birth of Christ, the crucifixion of Christ, etc. However, many balk at the idea that He orchestrates everything, even the mundane events of life for His purposes.
However, the Bible is fairly bursting with not only the teaching that God orchestrates all events but with examples of Him doing so. One such example is in I Samuel, chapter 9.
Just prior to this chapter, Israel’s last judge, Samuel, has become old. He’s put his sons in charge and they are corrupt as Eli’s sons had been a generation earlier. As a result of this and the people’s hardness of heart, they ask Samuel to give them a king so they can be ruled like the nations around them.
God tells Samuel to warn the people what that will mean for them but instructs him to give them what they want. We then come to chapter nine.
Several donkeys of a well-to-do man named Kish have run away. Kish instructs his son Saul and one of his servants to go look for them. Saul and the servant set out but have no luck finding them. They go from town to town, province to province, but no donkeys. Finally when they reach the district of Zuph, Saul suggests to the servant that they turn back. He’s concerned that his father will stop worrying about the donkeys and begin worrying about them if they stay gone much longer.
However, the servant just happens to know that there is a prophet in the town they are near. He suggests they consult with the “man of God” and see if he can help find the donkeys. Saul agrees.
As a result of all these events they are walking along the road exactly when and where God had revealed to Samuel he would find God’s chosen king for Israel.
Why did the donkeys run away? Why did Saul’s father send his son and not just some servants to look for the donkeys? Why did he choose this particular servant to go with Saul? Why did they take the route they took to look for the donkeys? Why did the servant suggest they check with the “man of God,” rather than just accede to his master’s wishes?
One one level the answer is because of the volition of the creatures, whether donkeys or men. They made real choices within time and space. But, on another level we must say because God orchestrated the events to happen just as they did. No differently than He orchestrated the birth of Christ and death of Christ at just the right times (Galatians 4:4, Romans 5:6). We don’t understand how those things work together – how men and women make real choices for which they are responsible yet all things that come to pass are the plan and purpose of God. But, the Bible consistently teaches both are true (Acts 2:23).
Acts 2:23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
LARRY FARLOW - So does God orchestrate all things? Yes, and I’m thankful He does. If it were otherwise, we’d be at the mercy of the decisions of the creation rather than of the Creator and in whose hands would you rather rest?.
B) Demonstrate?
1. He watches over his word to perform it
Jeremiah 1:12 Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
Matthew 21:4a This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet,
2. Spoken approximately 500 years before that day by Zechariah:
Matthew 21:4b saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
C) Doctrine?
1. Jesus did this to announce prophetically to the people of His day that was the ex[pected Messiah.
2. God is overseeing, and orchestrating even the minutia of our lives!
3. He is not merely overseeing our lives but actively participating in them
4. Therefore He is ultimately in control of our lives!
5. Our trust must be in Him!!
How Involved Is God in the Details of Your Life? – Jon Bloom – Desiring God Ministries
Why does God give us more details about Joseph’s life than any other individual in Genesis?
God has many reasons to drive us through Joseph’s life, some more obvious than others. Let’s look at one perhaps lesser obvious reason…we see a startling and unnerving level of God’s providential involvement in the details of Joseph’s life. Here are some of the scenes (warning: you may find some of these scenes disturbing).
? Joseph’s prophetic dreams were (obviously) part of God’s plan (Genesis 37:5–11).
? His brothers’ jealousy was part of God’s plan (Genesis 37:8).
? The existence of an evil slave trade at the time was part of God’s plan (Genesis 37:26–27).
? Potiphar’s complicity with the slave trade and his position in Egypt was part of God’s plan (Genesis 37:36).
? Joseph’s favor with Potiphar was part of God’s plan (Genesis 39:4–6).
? Potiphar’s wife’s being given over to sexual immorality was part of God’s plan (Genesis 39:7–12, Romans 1:24).
? Potiphar’s wife’s dishonesty was part of God’s plan (Genesis 39:13–18).
? Potiphar’s unjust judgment of Joseph was part of God’s plan (Genesis 39:19–20).
? The particular prison Joseph was sent to — the one that would receive the cupbearer and the baker — was part of God’s plan (Genesis 39:20).
? Joseph’s favor with the prison warden was part of God’s plan (Genesis 39:21–23).
? The dreams the cupbearer and baker had were (obviously) part of God’s plan (Genesis 40:5).
? Their trusting Joseph’s integrity enough to confide their dreams in him was part of God’s plan (Genesis 40:8–20).
? Joseph discerning the meaning of their dreams was part of God’s plan (Genesis 40:12–13, 18–19).
? The Egyptian judicial processes that exonerated the cupbearer and condemned the baker were part of God’s plan (Genesis 40:20–22).
? The cupbearer failing to remember Joseph for two years was part of God’s plan (Genesis 40:23–41:1).
? The timing of Pharaoh’s dreams was part of God’s plan (Genesis 41:1–7).
? The inability of Pharaoh’s counselors to discern his dreams was part of God’s plan (Genesis 41:8).
? The cupbearer remembering Joseph and having the courage to remind Pharaoh of a potentially suspicious event was part of God’s plan (Genesis 41:9–13).
? Pharaoh’s being desperate enough to listen to a Hebrew prisoner was part of God’s plan (Genesis 41:14–15).
? Joseph having discernment of Pharaoh’s dreams was part of God’s plan (Genesis 41:16–36).
? The miraculous amount of immediate trust that Pharaoh placed in Joseph’s interpretation and counsel was part of God’s plan (Genesis 41:37–40).
? The complex confluence of natural phenomena that caused the extraordinarily fruitful years followed by the extraordinarily desolate years, with all the resulting human prosperity and suffering, and the consolidation of Egyptian wealth and power in Pharaoh’s hands were part of God’s plan (Genesis 41:53–57; 47:13–26).
? The threat of starvation that caused terrible fear and moved Jacob to send his sons to Egypt for grain was part of God’s plan (Genesis 42:1–2).
? The brothers’ safe journey to Egypt and Benjamin’s non-participation was part of God’s plan (Genesis 42:3–4).
? The brothers’ bowing to Joseph in unwitting fulfillment of the dreams they hated was part of God’s plan (Genesis 42:6).
? Joseph’s whole scheme to test his brothers was part of God’s plan (Genesis 42:7–44:34).
? Simeon’s being chosen to remain in Egypt was part of God’s plan (Genesis 42:24). Jacob’s refusal to release Benjamin to return to Egypt causing the delay of the brothers’ return and Simeon’s bewildering experience in custody was part of God’s plan (Genesis 42:38).
? The relentless threat of starvation that prompted Judah to make his personal guarantee of Benjamin’s safe return and that forced Jacob to finally allow Benjamin go to Egypt was part of God’s plan (Genesis 43:8–14).
? The success with which Joseph was able to continue to conceal his identity and pull off the framing of Benjamin for thievery and all the anguish the brothers experienced as a result was part of God’s plan (Genesis 43:15–44:17).
? Judah’s willingness to exchange his life for Benjamin’s out of love for his father, and thus initiating his own sale into slavery like he initiated Joseph’s sale into slavery, was part of God’s plan (Genesis 44:18–34).
? Joseph’s timing in revealing himself to his brothers was part of God’s plan (Genesis 45:1–15).
? God’s directing Jacob to move to Egypt was (obviously) part of God’s plan (Genesis 46:2–4).
? The relocation of the entire clan of Israel to Egypt, where they would reside and grow for 430 years and eventually become horribly enslaved, thus fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:13–14, was part of God’s plan (Genesis 46:5–47:12).
Jon Bloom – Joseph had a unique role to play in redemptive history. But God’s intricate involvement in Joseph’s life is not unique to yours. One of the many reasons God gives us a close-up of Joseph’s life is to show us how active he is, how he never leaves us or forsakes us all along the way, in both the good and the evil things we experience…We see that God was there all the time working all things together for good for Joseph and millions of others (Romans 8:28).
Jon Bloom – Yes, God was even working the evil, heinous things people did to Joseph for good. We can say that because that’s precisely what Joseph himself said to his brothers about their betrayal of him: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20).
Jon Bloom – The detailed narrative of Joseph’s life, among many other things, is a loving letter from your Good Shepherd (John 10:11) — the same Good Shepherd who guided Joseph through green pastures and the valley of the shadow of death, pursuing him with good all the days of his life (Psalm 23) — to remind you that no matter what you are experiencing, sweet or bitter, good or evil, no matter how long it has lasted, he has not left you alone (John 14:18). He is with you (Psalm 23:4), he is working all things together for good (Romans 8:28), and he will be with you to the end (Matthew 28:20).
VI. Crowd’s Ovation!
A) Ovation?
1. A sustained and enthusiastic show of appreciation from an audience, especially by means of applause.
2. In Roman history it is a processional entrance into Rome by a victorious commander!
Matthew 21: 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!”
A) Acknowledging?
1. Son of David is a Messianic Name!
a) Jesus is the long awaited Messiah!!
John 12:12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”
2. King of Israel is a Messianic title!
a) Hail Him!
b) Bow down to him – symbolically
Mark 11:8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields.
2 Kings 9:12b Jehu said, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’” 13 They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!”
c) After the Maccabean victorious revolt you see palm branches being waved as a sign of victory!
2 Maccabees 10:1 The Maccabee and his companions, with the Lord leading them, recovered the temple and the city. 2 They demolished the altars that the foreigners built near the marketplace, as well as the sacred precincts. 3 They cleansed the temple and made another altar. Then they struck flints to make fire and they offered up sacrifices after a lapse of two years, and they prepared incense, lamps, and the sacred loaves.
2 Maccabees 10:6 They celebrated eight days with cheer in a manner like the Festival of Booths, remembering how during the previous Festival of Booths they had been roaming about in mountains and caverns like animals. 7 So they held ivy wands, beautiful branches, and also palm leaves, and offered hymns to the one who had made the purification of his own temple possible.
B) Anticipation?
1. Messianic mission?
Psalm 118:25 Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.-KJV
Psalm 118:25 Please LORD, deliver us! Please LORD, hurry and bring success now! -IRSV
a) Prosperity!
b) Success!
c) Political deliverance!
d) National deliverance!
e) Economic deliverance!
f) Physical deliverance
g) Social deliverance!
i. AND DO IT – NOW!!!
C) Application?
1. There are many people who “follow” Christ for the very same reason today!
John 6:24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27a Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. -NIV
2. Jesus did not preach a political message!
Luke 20:25 “Well then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”- NLT
The Politics of Jesus - by Harold Rhodes
It may come as a surprise to many, but Jesus Christ did not involve Himself with the politics of His day. Even though He had a strong interest in government, He chose not to become involved in any of the political factions of the day, either in the Jewish government or in its overseer, the government of Rome.
The Politics of Jesus - by Harold Rhodes
Jesus had good reason to remain apart from politics. The message He preached was about government, but a government He would bring to the earth, not one that would come about through human effort. Jesus’ message was about the government of God that will rule the world and that will bring about world peace!
Isaiah 9: 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
Isaiah 9:7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
John 18: 33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. -NIV
3. There was even some confusion:
Matthew 21:10 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.”
Matthew 16: 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”-NIV
Luke 24:19b “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21a but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. -NIV
4. The appeal and applause was based on:
a) Prior chapter in John:
John 11: 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
b) Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after four days in a tomb!
c) Create?
John 11:45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
i. Believers?
a. Fair weather followers!
b. Today, “Hail Him,” on Friday, “Nail Him!”
VII. Critics Objection!
John 11:46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”
A) Concern?
1. Themselves!
J.R. Thomson -. It was for themselves that the chief priests and rulers were concerned - for themselves chiefly, if not solely. It is easy to cloak selfishness in the garb of public spirit and love of country. The discerning and just mind can see through such hypocritical pretenses.
John 11:49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
B) Critical of Him throughout His entire ministry!
1. Heals on the Sabbath
2. Eats with tax collectors and sinners
3. They criticized his disciples for not washing their hands before eating.
Luke 19:36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37a As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice
C) Criteria?
1. Miracles!!
Luke 19:37b for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”
E) Come back?
Luke 19: 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Charles Spurgeon -Could the stones cry out? Assuredly they could if he who opens the mouth of the dumb should bid them lift up their voice. Certainly if they were to speak, they would have much to testify in praise of him who created them by the word of his power!
Alan Carr - IF THE STONES COULD TALK
I. Mt. 4:3-4 STONES ON THE MOUNT OF TEMPTATION -They talk of His Sinless Nature
II. John 2:6 STONES AT THE MARRIAGE OF CANA -They talk of His Provision
III. John 4:6 STONES AT JACOB’S WELL - They talk of His Mission
IV. John 8:7 STONES IN THE TEMPLE COURT - They talk of His Forgiveness
V. John 11:39-44 STONES AT THE TOMB OF LAZARUS - They talk of His Power
VI. Lk. 19:40 STONES AROUND JERUSALEM - They talk of His Glory
VII. Mt. 28:1-6 STONES AT THE GARDEN TOMB - They talk of His Resurrection
Alan Carr- If the stones could speak you know what they would be saying? Just the same things that you and I ought to be saying today. We ought to get about the business of declaring His greatness to a lost and dying world.
Psalm 148 (NIV)
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
1. What do they say?
F) Comical!
Kempton Turner -When God called the frogs in the plague, they said, “ribit…yes, Lord.” When God called the flies, they said, “buzz…yes, Lord.” When God called a big fish to swallow a rebellious prophet, the whale opened his mouth and said, “Yes, Lord.” They all said, “Yes, Lord.” In the triumphal entry the donkey obeyed and declared, “Hee-haw, hee-haw. Yes, Lord.” The rocks were ready to roll, “Yes, Lord.” And in Matthew 21:15 we read that the chief priests were indignant when they heard the children saying “Yes, Lord” by shouting out in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David.”
Kempton Turner -I love how Jesus corrects them by quoting Psalm 8:2: “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.” How are you doing at giving what Jesus wants – even when it’s not easy? Do you have moments in your schedule in which you stop and break out into adoration? When you come here on Sundays to worship collectively with others is it the culmination of a week of personal worship experiences or is it your only time of praise? Friends, God can make the stones cry out -- but He’d rather have men and women and boys and girls who worship Him spontaneously, loudly, and regularly!
VIII. Christ’s Occupation!
Luke 19:41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,
A) Occupation?
1. The activity in which one engages
2. The principal business of one's life!
Isaiah 53:3a He was despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. -NKJV
3. TO BE THE SUFFERING, SORROWFUL SERVANT OF GOD, AND THE SON OF MAN!
David Baron – (Messianic Jewish Writer)
"No person in the history of the Jews has provoked such deep¬-seated abhorrence as He who came only to bless them, and who even on the cross prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." When on earth, at the end of His three ¬and ¬a ¬half years of blessed ministry among them, they finally rejected Him. Their hatred was intense and mysterious. "Away with this man; release unto us Barabbas...Crucify Him, crucify Him!" was their cry. And all through the centuries no Name has provoked such intense abhorrence among the Jews as the name of Jesus.”
John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. -KJV
Luke 19:42a saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!
3. His occupation?
a) To bring peace!
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
b) How?
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
c) What was their problem?
Romans 3:17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
i. Because they rejected Him who is:
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. -NKJV
II. They therefore rejected peace!
IX. Christ’s Objection:
A) Objection
1. A reason offered for opposition, refusal, or disapproval.
Luke 19:42a Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!
Bruce Hurst – “What irony -- Jerusalem "City of Peace" had no clue as what made for true peace, most importantly peace with God! The Hebrew concept of Shalom emphasized peace or right relationship between creature and Creation! Without this man can experience no true peace. Here is my simple formula for genuine peace = Know God. Know peace! No God. No peace!
Bruce Hurst – So Jesus is not referring to political peace! Ultimately it is not what things but Who makes for peace. Messiah was the prophesied Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) Who would have indeed brought in the Messianic Kingdom of peace for the Jews and the holy city of Jerusalem just as had been prophesied (Isaiah 32:18, 60:18, Micah 4:3-4 Zechariah 14:11).
Luke 19:42b But now…
Bruce Hurst – But - This term of contrast introduces the tragic contrast of what could have been (peace) with the consequences of rejecting truth. Oh, may we all be careful to never reject any word of God's Word of Truth!
Bruce Hurst – Now - This is but a single word, but it is an expression of time which functions in this context like a "curtain" dropping to announce the final scene in a play! It announces the beginning of a time of judicial spiritual blindness for the nation of Israel and Jews in general.
Luke 19:42c… they are hidden from your eyes.
Bruce Hurst – This has to be one of most tragic passages in all Scripture. Here we see that since they did not recognize Messiah, God blinds their eyes that they cannot recognize Messiah. This is divine judicial blindness.
A) Why?
1. Selfishness
2. Short-sightedness
3. Sinfulness
John 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!
B) Outcome?
Luke 19:43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
1. In AD 70, Titus, the Roman general, surrounded Jerusalem and ultimately destroyed it!
C) Overview:
Canon Liddon – God visits a nation, when at a critical moment in its history He bids it maintain some imperilled principle, or do some great act of justice. Perhaps the opportunity has been neglected; it passes, and then the sentence of national decline is written on the pale of history
Canon Liddon – God visits at His own time the several branches of His Church, it may be after long years of apathy and darkness. He visits a church when He raises up in her teachers who insist upon forgotten aspects of truth, who call men from false standards of life… and the doom of the church which comes in time is justified
Canon Liddon – God visits a soul… And this is a visitation. God is speaking to your soul, and much depends on your under. standing Him, on your resolving and acting and re-fashioning your life accordingly. Much, I say, depends on this; for be sure that it is very serious to have enjoyed such a religious opportunity and to have neglected it. Divine visitation does not leave us where it found us; it always leaves us better or worse. To have been in contact with truth and grace, and to have put it from us, is to be weaker, poorer, worse off — religiously speaking — than we were. When the Divine visitation of the soul has been rejected, then the day of its enemies has arrived; then the legions of hell encamp all around it, the powers of darkness make sure of their victim. There is such a thing as the last chance in the life of a soul. God knows when it has passed by each of us, but one day certainly all of us do, in whatever way, pass it.
Brian Bill - There is a very clear principle here in these words that are dripping with the tears of Jesus. If you and I do not recognize God’s coming in the form of the Lord Jesus and put our faith in Him, we will be exposed to judgment. If you reject Christ, you will pay the consequences. It’s possible to miss the time of God’s visitation today as well.
Hebrews 3:15 As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.
X. Christ’s Obsession:
Luke 19:45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”
A) Point?
1. God Purpose for His House?
a) PRAYER!!!
2. Our Problem?
1. We have made it a den of thieves
a) We have allowed other things to rob God’s House of the preeminent purpose for which He established it!
b) After Solomon built the temple this is what he said to God, thus revealing it’s purpose:
2 Chronicles 6: 8 “But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 19 Yet, Lord my God, give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. 20 May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 21 Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.
c) God’s response?
2 Chronicles 7:13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. -NKJV
RC Sproul- Prayer’s role as one of the defined purposes of the sanctuary where people would meet for corporate worship points to the critical role of prayer in the life of the church. There is an emphasis on corporate intercession that the Lord desires for His people that we see carried into the new covenant, for we read of the gatherings for prayer that the very first Christians held (Acts 1:14; Acts 12:12).
RC Sproul- It is surely a mark of spiritual poverty that we devote little attention to corporate prayer when we gather for worship. In many of our modern churches, there is much focus on the music, the sermon, or both, but corporate prayer often seems like an afterthought. It is proper, of course, to focus on the teaching of God’s Word and on the praises we sing to our Creator, but we must also emphasize the practice of prayer. Whether we kneel, sit, or stand as we pray to our God, we are confessing our absolute dependence upon Him…Prayer keeps us humble before our Maker and reminds us of our need for His mercy, which is key as only those who rely on God’s mercy alone are declared righteous in His sight (Luke 18:9–14). They understand that they have no merit of their own to offer the Lord but rely only on Him for salvation.
RC Sproul- The prayer life of an individual and of the church says a lot about their view of the Lord. If we are careful to develop a precise theology and yet have an anemic prayer life, it may be that we have not really grasped with our hearts the truth that we are fully dependent upon God for all things. Christians must not only be “people of the book” who love and do what the Lord reveals in the Bible; we must also be “people of prayer” who depend on God for every good thing
Close:
James 5:13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Christianity Today - Ravi Zacharias’s Denomination Revokes Ordination -By DANIEL SILLIMAN
FEBRUARY 19, 2021
Ravi Zacharias was best known for the apologetics ministry that bears his name, but he spent his 46-year career licensed as a national evangelist with the Christian Missionary Alliance (CMA). The denomination has now revoked the ordination of its highest-profile minister after its own limited investigation confirmed a “pattern of predatory behavior.”
Zacharias is believed to be the only person in the CMA’s 134-year history to be posthumously expelled from ministry.
New York Times -Ravi Zacharias, Influential Evangelist, Is Accused of Sexual Abuse in Scathing Report By Ruth Graham -Feb. 11, 2021
The influential evangelist Ravi Zacharias, who died last spring, engaged in “sexting, unwanted touching, spiritual abuse, and rape,” according to a report released on Thursday by the global evangelical organization he founded. After initially denying accounts of his misconduct, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries announced that an investigation had found credible evidence of sexual misconduct spanning many years and multiple continents.
Christianity Today - Ravi Zacharias’s Denomination Revokes Ordination -By DANIEL SILLIMAN
FEBRUARY 19, 2021
CT reporting found that Zacharias was not a member of a church and did not submit to a local pastor.
Close:
1. Did you see your obligation to obey?
2. Understand Christ’s ownership of you?
3. Understand His orchestration of all things?
4. Are you an objector of His Sovereignty?
5. Do you understand his obsession?
