24, March 2002
Dakota Community Church
Love Came To Town
Introduction:
It’s Palm Sunday.
- What does the day mean to you if anything?
- Just one more week to chocolate heaven?
- The day we get the leaf at church?
- Actually it is the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
- Image what it must have been like on that day almost 2000 years ago.
- This week I want you to think about and read about the events that were unfolding.(Over come the numbing effect of religion)
- In your notes lets read:
Matthew 21:1-11
1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethpage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."
4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5"Say to the Daughter of Zion,
’See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ "[1]
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna[2] to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"[3]
"Hosanna[4] in the highest!"
10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"
11The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
Luke 19:39-40
39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
40"I tell you," he replied, "If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
John 12:19
19So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!"
- Jesus could have set up His Kingdom right then and there
- But that would have been a temporary Kingdom
- He refused their crown and a week later was run out of town by the same crowd now shouting “Crucify”
Mark 15:25-32
25It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.[1] 29Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30come down from the cross and save yourself!"
31In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can’t save himself! 32Let this Christ,[2] this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
- Scientists tells us that self-preservation is a very basic instinct, that whenever we encounter danger, we automatically seek to protect ourselves.
- ILL. If we stumble we put our hands out to break the fall. If we’re riding in an automobile, & suddenly it appears that we’re going to crash, we automatically brace ourselves. And even though experts say that is not the wisest thing to do, we automatically do it because self-preservation is a basic instinct in man.
- So it is quite natural for the enemies of Jesus to stand beneath the cross of our Lord & reason logically that Jesus would want to save His own life.
- They reasoned this way: "If He really is the Son of God, then He has the power to come down from the cross. And if He has the power to come down from the cross, then He will come down because that’s the natural thing to do."
- Therefore, when Jesus did not come down from the cross, they assumed that He did not have the power, & therefore He was not the Son of God. Their conclusion was this: "He saved others, but Himself He cannot save!" That was their conclusion, a logical conclusion, but a false conclusion.
You see: Jesus could have saved Himself.
1. He could have saved Himself by not going to Jerusalem.
- He could have stayed in Galilee. His ministry had gone well there.
- In Galilee He had preached the Sermon on the Mount & thousands of people had come to listen.
- In Galilee He had fed the 5,000, & they had wanted to make Him king.
- In Galilee They said that He did not speak as their scribes & Pharisees, but as one having authority.
- It was in Galilee that He walked on the water.
- It was in Galilee that He stilled the storm, & caused the waves to be calm again.
- Not all of the sick had been healed. Not all of the hungry had been fed. Not all of the sinners had been changed.
Isaiah 50:6-7
6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.
7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
2. He could have saved himself by escaping from the garden of Gethsemane.
- Have you ever quit something to avoid facing the music?
- (Jesus was about to take on Himself the sin of the whole world.)
- In that day before street lights & neon signs that light up the sky it would have been so easy for Him to have slipped off through the trees, behind the rocks, & made His way carefully to the other side of the hill & escaped.
- He could have gone to the home of Lazarus, Mary & Martha, & they would have gladly helped Him escape out of the area around Jerusalem.
- He certainly had adequate warning. He knew that the soldiers were coming. He could see their torches in the night sky as they left the temple gates, & made their way toward the Garden of Gethsemane, crossing the Kidron Valley. He could have escaped easily!
- Others have escaped from dangerous situations, & we don’t think badly of them.
- The Apostle Paul was lowered in a basket down a wall to escape from his enemies.
- We rejoiced with those who escaped from behind the iron curtain of Communist Russia. We didn’t think that it was bad of them to try to escape.
- He could have said, "The Chief Priests & rulers are evil men, making false accusations against me. I haven’t done anything wrong, & to submit to them would not be right."
- He could have escaped that night & we would not have thought any the less of Him. But He didn’t! He allowed the soldiers to arrest Him.
John 18:1-11
1When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.
2Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
4Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"
5"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.
6"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.
7Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?"
And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."
8"I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." 9This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."
10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
11Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
3. He could have saved Himself by pleading His case to Pilot.
- Ever had the Lord tell you to be silent on some issue?
- I don’t think that Pilate felt threatened by the words of Jesus about His kingdom that was not of this world. Time & again he said, "I find no fault in this man." I believe that Pilate really wanted to release Him.
- I think that Pilate would have jumped at the opportunity to let Jesus go, & be rid of all the hassle & problem & worry. If Jesus had only pled His case, I’m convinced that Pilate would have released Him.
- He could have stood before Pilate & said, "Pilate, you know me. I’m the one who told them to go the 2nd mile, to carry the Roman soldier’s pack even farther than the law requires. I’m the one who discouraged revolution by the sword. I’m the one who told them to turn the other cheek. I’m the one who told them to forgive 70 times 7. I’m the one who told them to have meekness & understanding & peace in their lives. Pilate, you know that I’m not guilty."
- Perhaps He could have swayed Pilate’s thinking, & Pilate would have said to the leaders, "Away with you, I am releasing Jesus!" But Jesus didn’t say a word on His own behalf.
Isaiah 53:7
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
4. He could have saved Himself on the cross.
Matthew26: 53-54
Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"
The question we need to be asking ourselves on this Palm Sunday and throughout the coming week is:
WHY DIDN’T HE SAVE HIMSELF?
- He didn’t come to save Himself; He came to save us!
Acts 4:12
12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Luke 19:41-44
41As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you."
How many chances does a person get?
Conclusion:
A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though they are very large mammals their throats are very small.
The little girl stated that a whale swallowed Jonah. The teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was impossible. The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah."
The teacher asked, "What if Jonah isn’t in heaven?"
The little girl replied, "Then you ask him."
