What Jesus Really Came To Do | Luke 19:28-44 | Pastor Neil McClendon

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

What Jesus Really Came To Do
Luke 19:28-44
1. Everybody plays a role in what God is doing, v. 28-34
2. Jesus comes on a mission for God, v. 35-39
⁃ Zechariah 9:9
Four reasons it matters that biblical prophecy is fulfilled...
a)it demonstrates the Bible to be divinely inspired
b)proves that God is sovereign over human history
c)confirms Jesus as the Messiah
d)gives us hope as it relates to the future
⁃ Luke 9:21-22
⁃ Luke 9:43-45
⁃ Luke 18:31-34
3. Not understanding Jesus is consequential, v. 41-44
v. 42- “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!”

Mental worship...
1. Do you feel as if your life and possessions play a role in what God is doing.
2. How much does God have to say before you can let go of something you really value?
3. How does the fulfillment of prophecy and the reality of provision affect your faith?
4. What is it about Jesus that people don’t understand and how would you explain it to them?
5. Is there anything about Jesus that you don’t understand?

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Other religions don't have a messiah. In other world religions, you have to be your own savior, your own messiah. No one's coming to save you. Here's what distinguishes Christianity. If you're considering the claims of Christianity against Judaism or Islam or Zarastanism or whatever, okay, or the Baha'i faith or whatever, you got to understand this. In all these other world religions, there is no Messiah coming. Why not? Because you're the Messiah. You have to save yourself by keeping the rules. Christianity is the only world religion where the leader of the religion lays his life down. He sacrifices himself on your behalf.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

This podcast is brought to you by Grand Parkway Baptist Church, helping people to know, enjoy, and glorify God. For more information about Grand Parkway, visit our website at grandparkway.org.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Yes, yes, yes. Let's pray together, church. Lord, we just say yes and amen to that. We've come to praise you because you are the king of kings. But you're not the kind of king that the people expected. And for some of us, you're not the kind of king that we want. And you came to set up a kingdom that people didn't understand. And so, Holy Spirit, illuminate the scriptures today so that we have understanding. Because when we have understanding, that informs what we believe. And when we believe some things and we live in light of those, then that informs our joy. And so we want to be more joyful people because of our understanding today. So, Holy Spirit, make that happen to your glory and our pleasure, we pray in Jesus' name. And everyone said, Amen. You can have a seat if you've got a Bible. I invite you to take it and open up to Luke chapter 19. Luke chapter 19. If you're visiting today, my name is Neil. I'm the lead pastor here at Grand Park Way. We're so honored you've chosen to worship with us. Thank you for giving us this morning. We pray what you experienced today will make you want to give us more mornings, okay? Uh today is Palm Sunday, uh, and I want to talk to you about what Jesus really came to do. What Jesus really came to do when he rides into Jerusalem, okay? This is a day where Jesus realized if I do this thing that I'm gonna do, it's going to get me killed. I'm going to incite a riot. Religious people are going to lose their mind and they're going to want to kill me. Now, up to now, Jesus has been kind of veiled in his disclosure. Uh, what do you mean by that? Veiled in his disclosure. He would, if you ever read in the Bible, Jesus would heal somebody and then he would say this to them. And the Bible says, and he charged them to tell no man. And you're like, what? I mean, if I healed somebody like this week, I'd have been at the door going, hey, I healed somebody on Tuesday. You want to hear about it? Uh but Jesus would heal people not just once, but multiple times. He would heal somebody and he would charge them, hey, don't tell anybody. Now, why would he do that? Here's why. Jesus did not want a following, he wanted an understanding. Now, he's not like modern-day preachers. Modern day preachers want a following. They build their brand, they have people that push them out there and hype up their videos and stuff. They want a following. Jesus wanted an understanding, okay? And if I give you biblical understanding every Sunday, that means that some Sundays you're gonna get mad at me. What? What? I heard that over here. Who was that? Uh yes, I see that hand right there, Landon. I'll see you. Meet me at the bike racket recess. Yes. Yes, you should walk out kind of twisted some Sundays, like I don't know about that. I gotta think about that. Not because I want to be controversial, because I want you to be stretched in how you think. I want there to be stretch marks on your soul where the kingdom has given birth inside of you, okay? And we gotta understand some things. So Jesus has kind of practiced this veil disclosure, but now he sets into motion this last week of his life where every word is deliberate and every act is intentional. Starting with the words that we'll read this morning, Luke chapter 19, starting verse 28, it says this. And when he had said these things, he went on ahead and going to Jerusalem when he drew near to Bethphagee in Bethany at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of his disciples, saying, Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you'll find a colt tied on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, Why are you untying it? you shall say this, The Lord has need of it. So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owner said to them, Why are you untying the colt? And they said, The Lord has need of it. And he brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it, and as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road as he was drawing near. Already on the way down the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen, saying, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. He answered, I tell you what, fellows, if they were silent, the very stones would cry out. And when he drew near and he saw the city, and he wept over it, saying, Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace. But now they're hidden from your eyes. 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 and throw you down to the 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. You see, even back in the Bible, people didn't understand what Jesus really came to do. Not just in his earthly ministry, but especially when he rides into Jerusalem, they think one thing's gonna happen, and Jesus is thinking about a totally different thing. For us to understand what Jesus really came to do, you gotta realize three things. Number one, everybody plays a role in what God is doing. Everybody plays a role in what God is doing. Now, for people in Jesus' day, you may be thinking, where do you get that from? For people in Jesus' day, a donkey was their most valuable possession, okay? Next to their children. And depending on how their kids were acting, sometimes the donkey was more valuable, okay? Uh it was their beast of burden, it's how they got around, it's how they hauled stuff. It's always a very valuable thing. It's not like, hey, I got an extra set of donkeys. Like, I have some friends that have donkeys on their property and they're obnoxious and not nice people, unless you have an apple in your pocket and then they love you, okay? Uh but a donkey for these people, it was a big deal, all right? And so, until all of a sudden Jesus comes along and he just claims this guy's donkey for his own purposes. And he says to them, he says, Hey, if anyone asks you, which I love that, if anyone asks you, it's like if you went into the parking lot after church today and then somebody's is hot wiring your truck, you're not gonna say, Hey man, uh, do you need this? No, I'm just telling you, there's too many pistol-packing mamas in this church. You're gonna get shot if you try that. All right. So if you're visiting today and you got thievery on your mind, somebody's gonna bust a cap in you. But back to the Bible, they said, Jesus said, if anyone asks you, like, hey, you're gonna take somebody's stuff and they're not gonna have questions. If anyone asks you, why are you untying it, you shall say this the Lord has need of it. Now, just get just write that. If you're a note taker, write that. The Lord has need of it. And they were like, Okay, absolutely. This is what I mean when I say everybody plays a role in what God is doing. Ask yourself this question: how much does God have to say to you before you let go of something or somebody you hold on to dearly and you really value? What does God have to say, and how long does he have to say it before you can let go of something or somebody that you you you value really dearly? I mean, I I really value, I really hold on to this. See, you let go because you believe the Lord has need of it. Like my wife left Thursday morning to go to Alabama to do her aunt's funeral. She gets back this afternoon. So I've been alone in my house for three days, all by myself. She gets back today at 3:30. I'll put the house back together, but you're like, what do you mean? What's this got to do with us? Everybody plays a role in what God is doing. Here's what I'm saying, okay? Uh that I started looking around, cleaning up, went out in the garage, saw some stuff, and I just thought, we do not need this anymore. We haven't used this in a long time, okay? Because what it comes down to is you got to ask yourself, what role does my life and my possessions play in what God is doing? And so I just realized I got some stuff in my garage. I went in our closet and I thought, my wife has got some stuff in here. I don't think she needs anymore. Yes, yes. You're welcome, ladies. I'm not available. I hate to break your heart. So I got a big, I went out not in the kitchen, got a little white kitchen, 13-gallon. I went out in the garage and got a 55-gallon industrial strength trash can. And like these pants she hadn't worn, these shoes. Now, I will be divorced on Tuesday. But right now, my house is clean and crisp. My two favorite words in the English language. Because here's the thing: I can't stand up here and talk about how your life and your possessions, what role do they play in God's plan for the world if I got in excess of either one of those? Uh-oh, did you feel that? Some of y'all took a big step back, like, what you talking about, Willis? Leave my stuff alone. Uh, you see, if anyone asks you, why are you untying it? The Lord has need of it, okay? Now, can you just imagine sidebar for a second? I told you before, I don't like a lot of TV. I don't find it very interesting, but I'm super into documentaries. A friend texted me probably a month, five, six weeks ago, something. It said, Hey, I know you like it. It's not a documentary, but it's a thing on Netflix called the King of Collectibles. You might like this. And I searched King of Collectibles. Ken Golden owns Golden Collect, their auction house that collects sports memorabilia. And they now they're into movie stuff and toys. And so I just start binge watching. It's 11:40 at night. My wife's like, Are you going to bed? One more episode. This is so fascinating. She goes, You are such a nerd. Uh, and where it ends, and I'm just I'm on a cliffhanger, is they go to Carl Malone's, the basketball player, uh, his car dealership in Utah, and he's got all the jerseys on display from the 1992 dream team, the Olympic Dream Team. And he, here's the kicker. He got them for free after the game. The guys that took off their jerseys, kicked off their shoes, they changed, they showered and changed and left. And he's like, I'll take all this stuff, put it in a trash bag, hauled it back to America, has it on display. He calls Ken Golden, the the the leader of uh of Golden Collectibles, the king of collectibles, and he says, I think I want to auction my collection off. And he says, Oh, Carl, we would love this. I think we could get top dollar. That collection sold for five million dollars. And he found it on the floor of a locker room after a basketball game. Michael Jordan's jersey sold for$3,030,000. Now you should be thinking right now, hey, uh, how do we get from the Bible to this? This is because of the drugs I did in high school. This is where my mind went when I read this about this donkey. Look at these are game-worn jerseys by the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. My mind goes to how much in the day's market would that donkey be worth? Talk about Jesus-ridden donkey. And I'm just like, what could the king of collectibles give for this little donkey? Yes, sir. Yeah. Now you're like, I don't know. Again, what role does your life and your possessions play in what God is doing? See, there's some questions that just kind of waterfall out of that that I asked myself in the past couple weeks as I've been getting ready for today. Because to say that everybody plays a role in what God is doing means that each of us should have the sense of the role that our life and possessions play. Like, here's a question that fell out of that for me. Uh, do you exist? And does your stuff exist for God or for you? Do I exist? And does my stuff exist? Do I have what I have? Is it for me? So I have multiple layers of security regardless of how how how expensive gas gets? Or does it exist for God? Here's another question that fell out of that for me. Is it about ownership or stewardship? Do you think like an owner? Or do you think like a steward? Hey, this is God, God's trusting me so much because He knows I'm going to steward this well. See, everybody plays a role in what God is doing. Here's the second thing you've got to understand if you're going to understand what Jesus really came to do. Jesus comes on a mission from God. Jesus comes on a mission from God. Let me read verse 35 to 39 again, because there's this little subtle, it's not a play on words. It's this, Jesus says a whole lot with just a few words, okay? Here verse 35 again. They come to him, it says, uh, uh, and as he rode along, he spread their cloaks, their heading down the Mount of Olives, and the multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty things that they have seen, saying, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, Teacher, rebuke your disciples, tell these people to shut up. And Jesus answered, I tell you what, if these, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. Now, when I say Jesus comes on a mission from God, you say, I don't know what you mean. He comes to them in ways that are really familiar, but they misunderstand his real goal, just like we do today. Uh, this was familiar to them politically and biblically. Stick with me. This was familiar to them politically, first of all. Why was it familiar to them politically? Because 150 years before this, there was a man named Judas Maccabeas who led what's called the Maccabean Revolt. Uh, and he overthrew the Romans who were occupying Jerusalem. And when he came back into Jerusalem, the people were so appreciative that they were waving palm branches, like our conquering king is here. So Jesus, they hear that Jesus is coming and they get the palm branches because we're about to overthrow the Romans, set up a new government. I'm gonna get to be Marco Rubio, and you're gonna get to be J.D. Vance. It's at his right and left hand in his kingdom. Yes, you realize that you want political peace long before you care about spiritual peace, right? That's why we're so happy Donald Trump got back in the White House. America's Christian again. It never was. News flash. I hate, I lost some of y'all that wear the red hat right there. You're like, tell you what, my God, you're talking about my president. Stay with me. Just stay with me. It was familiar to them politically, okay? Because what they experienced. Secondly, it was familiar to them biblically because they had read in the Old Testament that God had promised something 500 years ago. Now, now this is what's called a prophecy. We're fixing a reading in Zechariah chapter 9, verse 9. Now look at me. When I say a prophecy, what do I mean? It's like God makes a promise back here, and then it doesn't matter how long it takes, this promise is going to come true. Like I was talking to my oldest daughter uh who was finishing up at Dallas Theological Seminary this summer, uh, and she said, Dad, and I was like, by the way, men, have you noticed by the way your kids say your name or your title that you could tell something's up? It wasn't, hey dad, it was dad, like exasperated. And I was like, Oh, don't summon my inner redneck. What? She said, Dad, can I ask you a question? I said, Yeah, babe, why are you talking like that? Dad, when you traveled and spoke at youth camps and stuff, when you played basketball, did you talk a lot of smack? Listen, these white boys with their little papa shot, you know. I said, Why are you asking this, babe? She goes, Because my academic advisor at DTS saw my name. I, when I started, I was single, then I got married, and he said, McClinton, you don't happen to go and know a guy named Neil McClinton, do you? She goes, That's my dad. And he started laughing and said, Man, I hated your dad when I was in high school. He beat me and my friends at youth camp and basketball every day of the week. And he said, That wasn't the worst part. Your dad could talk smack. And she's like, Dad, did you talk smack? I said, I did not talk smack. I spoke prophecy and I fulfilled the prophecy. She goes, Oh my gosh, dad, what does that mean? I said, Here's what that means. I would tell these punks, listen, I beat you on Monday, I'll beat you on Tuesday, I'll beat you every day of the week. I spoke it, and then I fulfilled the prophecy at two o'clock every day. And she goes, Yeah, but you they he said that you would win, your team would win. I said, because I would take old guys, we play together. Those guys play one-on-one. They're like putting it between their legs out there, and we're we're packing the paint, like, hey, we're not in the bonus, we got fouls to give. Come on, kids, come on in here. And she goes, Dad, did you really say this? He said that when they were walking off, one of them kicked the ball, and you said, Hey man, come here, hold my trophy while I kiss your girlfriend. She goes, Oh my gosh, Dad, did you really say that? I said, Did he tell you anything else? She said, No, what'd you say? I said, When I saw his girlfriend, I said, Never mind, your girlfriend's ugly. I don't want to kiss her. Uh he goes, we were so enraised. And then my daughter's like, ah, and he goes, but we loved it. Because that was our love language. Your dad could give it and take it. I said, Oh, don't think they weren't talking smack to me. Give me a break. Every night I get poked in the eye, scratches on my back. She goes, Dad, why did you do that? I said, I wanted kids to understand prophecy. Things get spoken and things get fulfilled. Now, why do I tell you that? Because Zechariah chapter 9, remember politically and biblically, this is familiar to them. Zechariah chapter 9, verse 9. Look at me. 500 years before this happened, before Jesus rides the donkey into Jerusalem. 500 years before. Now understand there's a difference. Some other world religions profess to have prophecy, but they're kind of vague. There's really biblical prophecy is very detailed. That's one thing about it. Here's the second thing that's not in your outline. It's about the Messiah. Other religions don't have a messiah. In other world religions, you have to be your own savior, your own messiah. No one's coming to save you. Here's what distinguishes Christianity. If you're considering the claims of Christianity against Judaism or Islam or Zarasidism or whatever, okay, or the Baha'i faith or whatever, you got to understand this. In all these other world religions, there is no Messiah coming. Why not? Because you're the Messiah. You have to save yourself by keeping the rules. Christianity is the only world religion where the leader of the religion lays his life down. He sacrifices himself on your behalf. And the prophecy about the Messiah of Christianity is very detailed. Here's an example. Zachariah chapter 9, verse 9. It says, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Remember, they're riding in Jerusalem, people are losing their minds. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. Righteous and having salvation is he. Humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt. Hello. Remember, Jesus said right here in Luke 19, you will find a cult tied up? On a colt, the foal of a donkey. Now, by the way, he says, Your king is coming to you and having salvation. Circle that word salvation in your mind because I don't want you to think about that just in terms of when you became a Christian or conversion or however you language that, okay? Because salvation is not just conversion, it's also provision. Like my mental chewing gum, my wife is like, Could you please learn another part of the song? Because I get a song in my head and I just sing it over and over, and it's usually just a phrase. It's I've been singing this for about three weeks now, and it just says, Salvation belongs to you. Salvation belongs to you. When it seems impossible, I know that you'll come through. Salvation belongs to you. So I just sing that over impossible situations. Like, I'm praying something right now for our church that in the flesh it feels impossible. But I'm in my back, I'm sitting on my back porch the other day just singing, salvation belongs to you. My neighbors are peering over the fence. Is Marcy home? I'm like, no, Marcy's gone. I thought so. I keep a little one-cock BB gun on my back porch. And I just picked it up and named it at the fence. Mind your own business there, Mrs. Kravitz. Because I want to remind myself. It wasn't, it just sting, it wouldn't hurt them when he breaks the skin. Besides, they're kids. Anyway, they're mostly cartilage. I want to remind myself, look at me. Salvation, being rescued, is not just conversion. It's when you find yourself in a situation that seems impossible. And when it seems impossible, I know that you'll come through. Salvation belongs to you. So this is familiar to them politically and biblically. Now you may hear that and think, okay, so 500 years ago, someone luckily just said, guess that Jesus was going to come riding a donkey or a colt or whatever. Let me just tell you, uh, there's four reasons that biblical prophecy matters that when it's fulfilled. If you're like, so what? Let me give you four reasons you should think about. Okay. Four reasons it matters that biblical prophecy is fulfilled. Number one, it demonstrates the Bible to be divinely inspired. It demonstrates the Bible to be divinely inspired. If you think a bunch of men wrote this and blah, blah, blah. I got a question. The Bible spans 1,500 years. You think these all guys sit in the same room and say, This is the lie we're going to tell? They were never in the same room. There's individuals all writing about one story that God has been telling the whole time, all along. Who else has the capacity to make this happen? Here's the second reason that it matters that biblical prophecy is fulfilled. It proves that God is sovereign over human history. It proves that God is sovereign over human history. What do you mean? Here's what I mean. I made Costco right up here getting gas the other day. And I don't know, but every once in a while people just lean around the gas pump and talk to me. And I'm like, oh hey, there's a person. And he's like, Can you believe the price of gas? I mean, even Costco's getting on up there. And I said, I'm glad that Costco's not in charge of the world. And this person said, Well, I'll tell you what, our president's gonna make I said, he's not in charge of the world either. And I thought he was gonna yank the gas pump out of his car and hose me down. And I said, I like the guy. I wish he was nicer the way he talked about people, but I mean, my hope is not in a person. Because God is sovereign over human history. Here's the way you should say, real simply look at me. Someone is in control, and it's not the straight of hormous, it's not the Hooties. It's not America. Someone bigger and better is in control. Here's a third uh reason uh it confirms Jesus as the Messiah. Right there in Zechariah 9, he said, Your king is coming. Your king is coming. There's so many prophecies about Jesus as the Messiah: where he was born, how he would die, what he would do, uh, how he would enter into Jerusalem. Here's a fourth one. It gives us hope as it relates to the future. What do you mean it gives us hope as it relates to the future? Fulfilled prophecy assures us of that future prophecy will be fulfilled as well. Fulfilled prophecy gives us, in other words, that God's kept this promise, then he's made promises that have yet to come true, he's gonna keep those as well. So biblically and politically, Jesus was making a big statement, but they didn't understand what kind of king he was gonna be or the kind of kingdom that he came to set up, okay? And so, but you find a clue in verse 38 where we read, uh, where Jesus makes it clear, Jesus is on a mission from God and for God. In verse 38, hear these words. He says, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest. Now hear that again. Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest. Now, when I read this and it kind of pinged me in my spirit, kind of kind of funky. I was like, that sounds right but wrong all at the same time. It's like you see somebody who wears glasses and you don't know what it is, they've always worn glasses, and you see them, they're not wearing glasses, and you're kind of figured out have you lost weight? Did you get a haircut? What's up? And finally they go, Oh, I got contacts. And you're like, Oh, yeah. This bugged me for half a day. And I'm pacing around my kitchen going late at night one night, go, Lord, why does it bug me? And I don't understand. It blessed is a king who comes to the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest. Why the change and it dawned on me? Remember, this is Luke 19. Don't turn there, but back in Luke chapter 2, when Jesus was born, he said, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace. And then I plunged down the rabbit hole and I was like, Oh, this is here for a reason. And here's why the change is not just a change in words, the change is because Jesus is coming to do what is necessary to achieve lasting peace. The people in right here on the triumphal entry, Palm Sunday, the crowd with the palm branches, they desired peace that gave them freedom from Roman oppression, but God had something bigger in mind. Look at me. Some of the reasons God's not answering your prayer right now is he has something bigger in mind for you. So when you get a no, can you just say back to God, God, I'm gonna trust you got something bigger, something better. Give me eyes to see it and a mind to understand it. They wanted just political, hey, hey, hey, set up a new political party and let us run this thing. We can do better than these yehoos. Jesus could have changed their lives politically and not spiritually, and been very popular. He could have just appointed his disciples as a new cabin, and here we go. We're rolling out. What do you say? Here's what I'm saying. Jesus was born, Luke 2, to announce peace on earth was a possibility. But he enters Jerusalem on this day to establish that peace in heaven is the priority. He's born, hear it again, to just announce that peace on earth is a possibility. But he enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the triumphal entry, to make no bones about it that peace in heaven is a priority. And here's why. Look at me. If you do not have peace in heaven, you cannot have peace on earth. If God is not satisfied with humanity, if there's not a way for the justice of God to be satisfied by the Son of God, then you're never gonna have peace on earth. You'll just have a revolving door of political figures that you like or dislike. You say, I don't know what you mean. To achieve lasting peace on earth, Jesus has to bring peace in heaven by dealing with our fundamental problem, which is sin, and he reconciles man to God by satisfying the demands of God's justice on the cross. Heavenly peace is the necessary prerequisite for any peace on earth. This is why Jesus talked about the cross a lot, and he would not stop talking about it. Like we're in Luke chapter 19, correct? Say amen. Yeah, back in Luke chapter 8, twice he mentioned it. And then in Luke chapter 18, he brings it up again. I'll just read them to you, talking about the cross. Luke 19, excuse me, Luke 9, verse 21. And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one. Now, what's he talking about? This is where he asked the disciples, they're kind of huddled up together. He goes, Hey, hey, who do people say that I am? I want to check my socials. What's the buzz about me out there? And they said, Oh, some say John the Baptist, some say Moses, some say Elijah, one of the prophets. And then Jesus sharpens it down on Peter and says, Hey, who do you say I am? And Peter said, You're the Christ, the Son of the living God. And this is the response to that. Now that they understand who I am, he said, and he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and scribes and be killed, and on the third day be raised. You think, okay, they got it. Luke chapter 9, starting about verse 41, 43, says this, and all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, Let these words sink into your ears. The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, but they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying. Luke chapter 18. We're progressing now, we're getting closer to the cross. Notice how graphic, how in graphic detail Jesus talks about the cross. And taking the twelve, he said to them, See, we're going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. See, Jesus believes in biblical prophecy as well. Everything written about me by the prophets will be accomplished, for he will be delivered over to the Gentiles, he'll be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon, and after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise. But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. See, you have to ask yourself, is your life more about peace on earth or peace in heaven? Do you think more about, hey, does everybody like me? Or is God pleased with me? Because you can obsess about peace on earth and never know peace in heaven. And again, let me just say it one last time, we'll go to the last point. Until you get peace in heaven, there will be no peace on earth. This is why Jesus rides into Jerusalem to do what he knows satisfies the demands of a just God and makes peace in heaven so that you have the possibility of peace on earth. Here's a third thing you got to realize not understanding Jesus is consequential. Not understanding what Jesus is about is consequential. Look at verse 41. And when he drew near the city, he wept over it. You know, if Jesus shows up in your city, the first thing he does is cry, you better be concerned. Yeah. Now, there, by the way, there's two times in the New Testament, Jesus Christ, here and at the death of his friend Lazarus. And it wasn't because he was sad, it was because people didn't understand. He's like, oh my gosh. And he wasn't angry. He's like an algebra teacher that tries to teach people. My next door neighbor is the head of the math department at Clemens High School. He is like a math savant. He just looks at me and is kind of like, hey, hey, and I'm like, you're like real smart in math, aren't you? And he goes, Yeah, I hate math. He goes, Well, algebra, you use algebra every day. No, you don't. Don't say that again. I will charge out of my garage with a sharp shooter or shovel and kill you with it and bury you in your own front yard. He's like, Well, if you just give math a chance, I'm never gonna give math a chance. I haven't taken algebra since my freshman year of college, and I don't miss it. Well, algebra, what about trigonometry? What about shut up? Yes. Absolutely. You say, I don't know what you mean. Yeah, it not understanding Jesus is consequential. Not understanding algebra, that's a give or take. Let me just say something that's gonna sound crazy, okay? And I don't want this to sound edgy or controversial. I think this is very biblical. You gotta understand what Jesus is all about, because not understanding him is consequential. You show up, he shows up, he starts crying. Look at verse 41. And when he drew near, he saw the city, he wept over it, saying, Would that you, even you, had known on this day, circle those two words, this day, the things that would make for peace, but for now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will set a barricade around you. See, not understanding Jesus means you can't believe in him. And by the way, if you don't if you don't submit to Jesus, you're gonna submit to somebody. This is talking about the Roman occupation that happened in 70 AD. They just demolished the city. He said they'll set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. Hey, I don't have time to go into this. Look at me, mom and dad. Your kids are gonna love Jesus about as much as you do. And so you're not just walking with God for your sake. Your kids are watching, they're taking their priorities about church from you. If your biggest priority is their extracurriculars, then guess what? They're gonna have kids, and your grandkids are gonna be at the baseball field, not at the church. 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. And I say not understanding Jesus is consequential. This is what I mean. Here's a statement I want you to hear. Don't react to it, just hear it. We've got to stop trying to get people to believe in Jesus. Stay with me. You've got to stop trying to get people to believe in Jesus. I would say that's not even your job. Instead, here's what you and I should do. We should live in such a way and speak in such a way that we want people to understand Jesus, who he was and what he was about. Because look at me. I don't know anybody that understands Jesus and his mission, his nature and his mission, and says, I don't want to believe in that guy. Because when you understand his nature and his mission, it's fascinating. And belief is not even in question, it's kind of like, oh my gosh, no one ever explained it to me like that. So this is what I mean when I say stop trying to get people to believe in Jesus. Instead, help people understand who Jesus is and what he was about. This is why Jesus weeps over the city. They do not understand. They want peace on earth, they want relief from political oppression, but they have no peace in heaven, and therefore they have no peace on earth. Said differently, the city of peace has no peace because they do not know what makes for peace, and they don't recognize the Prince of Peace when he shows up right there in their city. Now, what is happening? Remember, I said earlier, circle these two words. He says, Would that you had not even you had known on this day? I said, circle those two words this day. What is happening on this day that doesn't happen on any other day? What is there's a reason Jesus says, Would that you, even you, had known on this day. What's happening on this day that doesn't happen any other day of the year? Here's what's happening. For thousands of years, God's people, since Exodus 12, you can check me on this. Since Exodus 12, way back in the Old Testament, Genesis, Exodus, second book of the Old Testament, God's people have observed what is called Passover. If you've ever heard the phrase Passover, say amen. So Passover, basically, here's the background Passover. Remember Pharaoh in Exodus 5? God said, Let my people go. And Pharaoh said, I do not know the Lord, I will not do what he says. And God says, You don't know me? Let me introduce myself. And these ten things called plagues, and they get more severe. They start kind of low, and then by the tenth plague is what's called the plague of the firstborn, the death of the firstborn. God says, I'm gonna kill the firstborn of not just your people, but your livestock, your kitty cat, your cocker spaniel, everything. I'm gonna slaughter it all as a sign. Now, God is severe in judgment. Look at me, but he's also merciful in judgment. Because here's what God says He says, Hey, I'm not a God that likes to just kill people. I want people to obey me. And so he said this to his people. He said, if you will sacrifice a lamb, take the blood of that lamb, apply it to the doorpost of your house, when the death angel comes, he will pass over your house and let you and your household live. Because the blood on the doorpost will be a sign that you are looking forward. You you you you you have faith in God, but also you're looking forward for the Lamb of God that is to come. See, it's one story. God's been telling for 1500 years through a bunch of different people who never all got in the same room and said, Hey, let's make up a big lie called the Bible. What about you, John? Let's put that in there. And so for thousands of years they've been celebrating Passover. On this day, here's the rules of Passover. On Passover, you go, you select your lamb, you get a lamb, you have to keep it in your home for five days. Five days allows you to inspect it, make sure it's spotless without blemish. At the end of five days, you have to sacrifice the lamb, and that becomes your Passover meal. You track with me so far, say yes. All right, so that's what happened. This has gone on for thousands of years. Remember, I said earlier, Jesus comes to us in ways that are familiar, so familiar we don't get what he's saying, what he's doing, we don't understand. Remember when Jesus first showed up, there's a guy named John the Baptist. Looks like he won alone. He eats locusts, doesn't shave, he's got a big beard. He graduated from Duck Dynasty. He just rocks it. If he was on alone, he'd win every year. Remember John the Baptist? Jesus shows up. Remember what he said when he first saw him? He's he's doing stuff. He looks up and he goes, Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. And people are like, hey, dude, calm down. Drink decaf, okay, and shave that beard. That statement didn't make sense to anybody on that day. But on this day, where Jesus says, Would that you, even you, had known on this day, look at me. On this day, what is happening is that people are observing Passover. And the day Jesus rides into Jerusalem is the day that they're all selecting their lambs. The Jewish historian Josephus tells us there's as many as 250,000 baby lambs in the city that day. So there's all over the city. Jesus rides in as the lamb of God who's gonna take away the sins of the world. Remember, they got to keep their lamb in their home for five days. Jesus rides in on this day. Look at me, for the next five days, he's gonna be passed around from one politician to another. He goes to Annas, the former high priest, to Caiaphas, the current high priest, to the Sanhedrin, which a bunch of religious weasels, Pontius Pilate, to Herod Antipas, and then finally back to Pontius Pilate. And Pilate's, his wife has already told him, hey, get away from that guy. Had a dream about him. Don't mess with him. There's some bad juju. You better not mess this up. And Pilate cannot find any fault in him. And so he orders a bowl of water. Look at me, we're almost done. Don't miss this. He gets a bowl of water sent to him and he puts his hands in it and he washes his hands, saying, Hey, and he says, I find no fault in him. And he thinks I'm excusing myself from y'all killing this innocent man. But look, God's always doing more than what we can understand. When he speaks those words, what he's saying to the world is, you now have a spotless lamb that can be sacrificed for your sins. God establishes the innocence of Jesus in the mouth of a pagan politician. I find no fault in him. And heaven smiles because Jesus can now go to the cross and be sacrificed so there can be peace in heaven. And because there's peace in heaven, there can be peace on the earth. See, God is always doing more. And so, students, you got to ask yourself if God's in charge of all of that stuff at the same time, does he not know who I'm gonna marry, what I'm gonna major in in college, where I'm gonna go to college, the first house I'm gonna live in? He knows all that stuff. If you're 17, if you're 15, you should just take a deep breath and kind of go, everything I need, my father has it. He's been working, he's been orchestrating the world for a long time, and he has a plan and a purpose for me, so I don't have to get anxious and jump out there and try to do something, okay? Jesus rides into Jerusalem on what is known as Palm Sunday as a Lamb of God to be sacrificed for our sins, and in so doing, he makes peace in heaven so there can be peace on the earth. Now let me get at you one last time before I let you go. You still with me say amen. If Jesus does all this to establish peace in heaven so there can be peace on the earth, why do you think you earn the right to be on the ounce with anybody? This is why the Bible says, and as much as it depends on you, to be at peace with all men. So let me just ask you, is there anybody in your life you're not at peace with today? When you see them, you get a little heartburn, like, eh, okay, you would. Because there's peace in heaven, there can be peace on the earth. Because there's peace in heaven, there can be peace on the earth. Someone asked me this week, I said, Oh, you said one time I don't know if you meant to say it. I said, I probably did. Go ahead. Well, you said you don't have any enemies, you don't hold grudges. I don't. Because I understand what all Jesus did to establish peace in heaven and bring peace on the earth. I'm not gonna live in violation of that. Now, that doesn't mean everybody loves me, not at all. Some people may hate me. That ain't my problem. I will not hate them back. He goes, Yeah, but don't you think some people deserve to be hated? I said, Really? You want to go there? And I said, Look at me. You by nature were hated by God, you're his enemy. And he chose to forgive you. Let you be at peace with him. Here's a question you gotta ask yourself. Have you ever applied this truth to the door of your heart? Because unless this truth has been applied to the door of your heart, the blood of the Lamb of God has been applied to your life. There will be no Passover for you. All that awaits you is judgment. But God is merciful. This is why the Bible says over and over whosoever will, let them come. Let them come. It's not for perfect people, it's not for people who have it all figured out, it's for people who just want to understand who Jesus is and what he's all about. Let's pray together. If you're a guest, just relax. We'd like to teach the Bible, then we'll give you some space to think about it. So questions come up on the screen. That's just to kind of direct our mind towards some things around what we heard today. So just ask God. Hey, God, what I have my name on it today. You did a lot to make peace in heaven. And make peace on earth a possibility. Maybe we need to ask ourselves, is there anybody I'm not at peace with? Let's think for just a moment. Yes, Lord, we just confess that. That not just in our conversion, but in our provision, the mighty to save. And that the solution to our problem comes from you. We may come up with it, we may think about it, whatever, but but but you get the glory for it. So, Holy Spirit, just brood over us. Uh, Holy Spirit, lead us to think about salvation, not just in terms of our conversion, our coming to faith, but also our living in faith and our demonstrating the sufficiency and the juiciness of the faith on the daily. Lord, this is our prayer. We pray in Christ's name. And everyone said, Amen.

SPEAKER_00 41:05

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