1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:18,000 And if you will, turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 11 verses 1 through 11 of the Gospel of Mark. 2 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:33,000 Now this is Pomp Sunday, and the ecclesiastical year, it is that time in which we remember Jesus Christ taking that last journey into Jerusalem. 3 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:39,000 And here he is celebrated as a king. 4 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:48,000 But let's see after reading this what it meant for Jesus to be recognized as king. 5 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,000 Let's give attention to God's Word. 6 00:00:52,000 --> 00:01:03,000 And as they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethpage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples saying to them, 7 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:11,000 go to the village ahead of you and just as you enter it, you will find a cult tied there which no one else has ever ridden. 8 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,000 Untie it and bring it here. 9 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:22,000 If anyone asks you why are you doing this, the Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly. 10 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:35,000 They went and found a cult outside in the streets tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there ask, what are you doing untieing that cult? 11 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:42,000 They answered as Jesus had told them to and the people let it go. 12 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:57,000 And when they brought the cult to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. And many people spread their cloaks on the road while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 13 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:11,000 And those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, blessed is the coming kingdom of our Father David, Hosanna in the highest heaven. 14 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:25,000 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. 15 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:33,000 Let's pray and ask God to bless the reading of his word. 16 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:43,000 Our Heavenly Father, we now need your Holy Spirit to help us understand what's going on here. 17 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:50,000 Help us to see that it's not just a historical event, but there's more to it. 18 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:59,000 Help us to see who Jesus Christ is and to magnify him this Easter season. Amen. 19 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:09,000 When you think of personal power, the type that leaders have, what attributes come to your mind? 20 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:20,000 Perhaps you think it is someone who has an idea of how to fix a problem and they have the resources to fix that problem. 21 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:33,000 Perhaps you think of someone who is an absolute ruthless and he will use any means to accomplish his goals. 22 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:44,000 Perhaps you think of someone who uses his power to increase his glory. Now that is very common amongst rulers and people who like to lead. 23 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:51,000 It's really not about the people, it's about the increase of the glory that they get. 24 00:03:51,000 --> 00:04:07,000 Now this morning I don't want you to think that all power is bad. Power can be used in good ways, but it can also be a corrupting influence on people who are rulers. 25 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:16,000 And there are attributes of those who are lousy rulers who are self-focused. They have no concern for human life. 26 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:25,000 They have no concern for the public good. They have no concern for God and his kingdom and they have no concern for truth. 27 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:36,000 This morning as we look at the gospel record here, we look to King Jesus who is our leader, who is our ruler. 28 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:54,000 And here comes King Jesus into Jerusalem. I wonder what people are thinking about Jesus, what type of ruler he was, what were those people thinking and ultimately what kind of ruler is Jesus. 29 00:04:54,000 --> 00:05:16,000 This passage shows us this morning what type of king we have. And Jesus is our king. He is our Lord as we say, but let's see what this passage says about King Jesus who came into Jerusalem. 30 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:33,000 One idea that strikes us in this passage is he is a king who brings peace. Peace, not conflict. 31 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:40,000 Now we have to understand what's going on here. If you read the Bible it tells us that it's Passover. 32 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:50,000 It was that time in the Jews history when they were freed from the rule of Pharaoh and Egypt. 33 00:05:50,000 --> 00:06:07,000 They celebrated their freedom, their liberty, the deliverance that God had brought to them when they were enslaved by a hostile power who wanted to destroy them. 34 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:20,000 And if we want to make a modern equivalent to what the Jews were celebrating, it would be like our 4th of July or our Independence Day, freedom, vindication. 35 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:34,000 But really God acted. They are remembering the deliverance that Jesus had brought. But it was not a deliverance from Rome, it was Egypt. 36 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:47,000 Well as things progress here, we see the people coming out to celebrate, to worship, you could say, Jesus Christ as a king. 37 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:54,000 Now they are thinking Jesus is going to liberate them from Rome. 38 00:06:54,000 --> 00:07:06,000 Remember these people were under the heel of the Romans at that time. They didn't want foreigners ruling their land. They wanted the Centurions gone. 39 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:17,000 They wanted Roman rule gone. They wanted a return of Israel as it was under Solomon and David. 40 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:30,000 And we see here a picture of Jesus' kingship, his divinity. He seems to know where to get the ox from, not the ox but the donkey, on which he would ride. 41 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:36,000 He knows what people are going to say and what he foretells comes to pass. 42 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:43,000 We also see here in verse 7 that they are spreading their cloaks out before him. 43 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:49,000 They are spreading palm branches. That is a way that you greeted royalty. 44 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:57,000 We would say today that they are rolling out the red carpet or they are having a ticker-taker parade of some sort. 45 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:09,000 Now at first glance we may look at this passage and think, well this was a one-time event that happened at that time. But there is more to it than that. 46 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:17,000 What is happening here actually was foretold in the prophet Zechariah. 47 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:25,000 After Zechariah foretold the defeat of God's enemies and the restoration of Israel. 48 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:30,000 And listen to what Zechariah 9.9 in following says. 49 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:43,000 Rejoice greatly daughter Zion, shout daughter Jerusalem. See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, 50 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:51,000 lowly and riding on a donkey on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 51 00:08:51,000 --> 00:09:01,000 The passage in Zechariah was written after the Messiah brought peace. 52 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:07,000 It was a celebration of the peace that the king would bring. 53 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:14,000 And as Jesus Christ comes into Jerusalem, he does not come in as a warlord. 54 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:24,000 He does not come in as a conquering Caesar. He comes in as the king of peace. 55 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:34,000 And what does it say in Luke chapter 2, there will be peace on earth. Jesus comes to bring peace. 56 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:44,000 And the way that peace is found is not by a peace treaty, it is because eventually he would go to the cross as he enters into Jerusalem. 57 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:53,000 And he would die on the cross to bring peace between God and man and man and man. 58 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,000 And you read the book of Romans, what does it say? 59 00:09:56,000 --> 00:10:06,000 And therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 60 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:16,000 In another section of the Bible and Ephesians chapter 2, it says in verse 13, the following, 61 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:26,000 But now in Christ Jesus, you who are once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ, for he himself is our peace, 62 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:35,000 who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. 63 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:46,000 Jesus enters Jerusalem bringing peace, peace from God, peace to men. 64 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:52,000 We live in a world that desperately needs peace, don't we? 65 00:10:52,000 --> 00:11:04,000 Ukraine, Palestine, and there are all sorts of organizations that have been invented to try to help bring about peace in the world, 66 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:09,000 such as the United Nations and before that the League of Nations. 67 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:13,000 How has that worked itself out? 68 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,000 It didn't stop wars from happening. 69 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:24,000 And if there isn't that external wars that go on with bloodshed, there is the internal war in our souls, 70 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:33,000 where we don't have a lot of peace with ourselves and we turn to counseling and drugs. 71 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:36,000 How is that working itself out? 72 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,000 Not too well, is it? 73 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:43,000 Because ultimately what we want is peace. 74 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,000 Peace with God. 75 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:49,000 That's what stirs things up. 76 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:51,000 Peace with God. 77 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:59,000 And deep down in the souls of a lot of people, they think God is against them and is out to destroy them. 78 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:05,000 When the Bible makes it perfectly clear, if you come to God through Jesus Christ, there can be peace. 79 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:13,000 You perhaps remember earlier about the woman's soccer player who got injured, tore up her knee, 80 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:18,000 and her words were, see, this proves there is no God. 81 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:21,000 No, it does not prove there is no God. 82 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:27,000 What it proves is you're hostile towards God, but you can have peace with God. 83 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:33,000 If you give up your sinful lifestyle and turn to Christ, deep down in a lot of folks' hearts, 84 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,000 they are shaking their fist at God. 85 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:39,000 They need peace with God. 86 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:42,000 And they're never going to find them. 87 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:49,000 And deep down inside of some of you here this morning, you may also have that vague feeling that God is not for me. 88 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:51,000 He is against me. 89 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:55,000 He doesn't really like me. 90 00:12:55,000 --> 00:13:00,000 But the Word of God says peace. 91 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,000 You can have peace. 92 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:06,000 And if you have peace, that means God is not against you. 93 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:10,000 He's actually for you. 94 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:18,000 And I think that this Easter season, what we need to focus in on is Jesus. 95 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:24,000 Christ, our King who brings us peace. 96 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,000 Now, often in the Christian world, we want to feel good. 97 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:34,000 We are concerned about our own personal spiritual problems, and there's nothing wrong with that. 98 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:36,000 There's nothing wrong with counseling. 99 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:43,000 There's nothing wrong using means that God has given us. 100 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:52,000 But we've got to magnify Christ because he is the key to peace in our souls. 101 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:56,000 And that is what we fail to do. 102 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,000 But that is what this passage is about. 103 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:04,000 Christ, the King, coming in to bring peace to his people. 104 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,000 That is what Easter season is all about. 105 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:12,000 There can be peace between God and man, and eventually between man and man. 106 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:13,000 Peace. 107 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:17,000 He comes in as the King of peace. 108 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:21,000 But I also want you to think about something else here. 109 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:28,000 He also is a King who comes to be humiliated. 110 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,000 Humiliation, you say? 111 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,000 I don't see it right here. 112 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:41,000 I mean, look, he's coming in, and the crowds are adoring him at the moment. 113 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:48,000 I like what Matthew Henry and some of the other commentators who are older said about this passage. 114 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:53,000 Notice that for Jesus, he's got to borrow a donkey. 115 00:14:53,000 --> 00:15:01,000 He's got to borrow the upper room to eat him, and when he dies, he's got to be buried in a borrowed tomb. 116 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:03,000 That's not his own. 117 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:07,000 Now, there are other commentators who say as a King, he was entitled to these things. 118 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:16,000 I'm not really sure where to come down on this, but it does seem like he's got to borrow an awful lot in this world. 119 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:22,000 But a human perspective doesn't seem to be his own. 120 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:28,000 We've got to keep in mind, I think, that the life of Christ was one of humiliation. 121 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:44,000 He gave up the glories of heaven for this, and the glories of heaven, and the praise of heaven is by far superior than anything that could be given in Jerusalem at that time. 122 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:58,000 And I think Paul Harvey is right when he says there is the rest of the story, and what's the rest of the story, what's going to happen a few chapters later? 123 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:08,000 The crowds, and Mark 11, they're saying, Hosanna the highest, blessed is the coming kingdom of our Father David. 124 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:14,000 But what's going to happen in chapter 15 verse 13? 125 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:18,000 What are the crowds going to say then? 126 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:21,000 You're great, Jesus. 127 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,000 Crucify Him. 128 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,000 Crucify Him! 129 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:31,000 At one time, the masses are saying, Praise God, here comes our Savior. 130 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,000 Hope He knocks off the Romans. 131 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:34,000 Jesus doesn't do that. 132 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:35,000 He goes for the cross. 133 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,000 Then what are they saying? 134 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:38,000 Crucify Him! 135 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:39,000 Crucify Him! 136 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,000 Get rid of Him! 137 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:49,000 Our Savior, our King, lays down His life for God's people. 138 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:55,000 He is a King who is humiliated. 139 00:16:55,000 --> 00:17:00,000 He comes as the suffering servant King. 140 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:10,000 He is not a King at this point who has ultimately glorified the way He will. 141 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:16,000 Now, the worship turns into mockery. 142 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:19,000 Now, let me tell you why this is important. 143 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:26,000 When you think of the leaders of today, what do they try to do? 144 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:28,000 Do they want to be humiliated for you? 145 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:35,000 You've got the leader of Russia who likes to run around on horseback with no shirt on, 146 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,000 proving how macho he is. 147 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:47,000 You've got some American politicians who've got to give you their gym shots of how powerful and virile and strong they are. 148 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:53,000 And now recently, even the leader of France has started releasing pictures of himself in the gym 149 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:58,000 and looking all strong, very powerful. 150 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:03,000 And believe me, this has been going on for quite a while when I used to teach European history. 151 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:10,000 There's a picture of Louis XIV when he's like 80-some years old and you look at his hair and it's dark and black. 152 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:11,000 He's got a wig on. 153 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,000 And you know what's really noticeable? 154 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,000 This was back in the time when men wore tights. 155 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:20,000 He's got these nice-looking legs. 156 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:24,000 Touch-up from the old days. 157 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,000 Why was Louis doing that? 158 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,000 Because he's the king of France. 159 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:29,000 He is the son king. 160 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:30,000 He's got proof. 161 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:31,000 He's the man. 162 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:37,000 And all of the life of France revolved around him and his glory. 163 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:41,000 Louis wasn't going to do anything for you. 164 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:47,000 And do you think today any leader is going to humiliate himself for you? 165 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:52,000 Oh, I may get my letters from various candidates asking for money. 166 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:54,000 How much they're for me? 167 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,000 Do you think they're going to die for me? 168 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:03,000 No, I've only been invited to dinner at the White House or at the Governor's mansion in Tallahassee yet. 169 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:06,000 And I don't think I am. 170 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:09,000 Only Jesus is the true king. 171 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:15,000 And this true king does something so great. 172 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:29,000 He's willing to humiliate himself, to be mocked, to be tortured, to be put on a cross so you can become sons and daughters of God. 173 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:35,000 The king of glory goes to the cross of Galgotha. 174 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,000 No other human leader does that for you. 175 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,000 No one else. 176 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:44,000 No one else. 177 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:53,000 Oh, think of what our king did this Easter season as he marches into Jerusalem, ultimately to his own death. 178 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:56,000 Glory to humiliation. 179 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:02,000 He took the crown of suffering and warrent. 180 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:13,000 He drank from the cup of the wrath of God for your sake. 181 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:17,000 Here comes God's people again. 182 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:23,000 Not to a straight Jerusalem, but to the Lord's table. 183 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:42,000 Where we come to this table, remembering that it's not just any person who died, but it is King Jesus, who laid down his life for you. 184 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:56,000 Our king, our sovereign, our monarch, truly cared for his people enough that he suffered for them and was humiliated. 185 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,000 How does the hymn go? 186 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,000 Oh, worship the king? 187 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:04,000 The hymn we need to think about as we come to the table. 188 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:13,000 Frail children of dust and feeble is frail, and thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail. 189 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:25,000 By mercies, how tender, how firm to the end, our maker, defender, redeemer, and friend. 190 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:30,000 Can we say that about any other leader or king in this world? 191 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:35,000 No, but we can about King Jesus. 192 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,000 Let's pray. 193 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:44,000 Our heavenly Father, we come now before you as our king. 194 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:51,000 And we come before Jesus as the king who was humiliated. 195 00:21:51,000 --> 00:22:07,000 Our Savior, we ask that you will fill us with a vision of the crucified king on the cross who died so that we can live and become his brothers and sisters. 196 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:11,000 Oh, Lord Jesus, how we thank you. You are king. 197 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:22,000 And we have no other. Amen.