So today I'd like to look at the humble king.
We're going to be turning to the book of Zechariah
chapter 9 and verse 9 and then looking at Matthew
21 just again which was just read but we're going
to be seeing the prophecy in verses 4 and 5 and
then we're going to go to look at Philippians,
the book of Philippians chapter 2. So a few different
passages that I'm going to read here. Beginning
in Zechariah chapter 9 verse 9. Rejoice greatly,
O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Behold, your king is coming to you. He is just
and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey,
a colt, the foal of a donkey. Matthew 21, verse
4 and 5. Matthew records, All this was done that
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the
prophet. which we have just read, saying, Tell
the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming
to you lowly and sitting on a donkey, a colt,
the foal of a donkey. Now we turn to the book
of Philippians chapter 2, beginning in verse
1. Therefore, if there is any consolation in
Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship
of the Spirit, If any affection and mercy. Fulfill
my joy by being like -minded, having the same
love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing
be done through selfish ambition or conceit.
But in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others
better than himself. Let each of you look out
not only for his own interests, but also for
the interests of others. Let this mind be in
you. which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being
in the form of God, did not consider it robbery
to be equal with God, but made himself of no
reputation, taking the form of a bondservant
and coming in the likeness of men. And being
found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death, even
the death of the cross. Therefore God also has
highly exalted him and given him the name which
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow of those in heaven and
those on earth and of those under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Let's pray. Father, thank you for this time together.
We pray, Lord, that you would open up your word
to us today, that you would speak to us, Lord.
We pray that you would grant us the power of
the Holy Spirit, that we might know and understand
how we are to be followers of this Christ, of
Jesus Christ, our Lord, the humble servant. We
pray, Lord, that you would open up your word,
and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. The time of
the great festival had arrived, the Passover
and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Now this was
the time of the celebration of the birth of the
nation of Israel, when they had departed from
the land of Egypt, where they had grown from
a family of around 70 people 430 years prior,
as Jacob and his descendants moved to the land
because of severe famine. Though Pharaoh, the
ruler of Egypt, did not allow them to depart
to return to the promised land, the Lord God
Almighty miraculously intervened with great and
mighty deeds through plagues that destroyed their
crops, their livestock. And finally, after he
gave the Israelites instructions on how to have
the Passover meal and then to cover the doorposts
and lintels with the blood of the lamb, God struck
down all of the firstborn. sons and firstborn
of the cattle of the Egyptians, and all who had
not obeyed him in his instructions. The people
of God were then set free to return, and which
they did and were led to the land of Israel.
Now all this and more were in the minds of the
people as they ascended to Jerusalem and to the
Temple Mount, for this was a very joyous time
for Israel. Alfred Edersheim writes, from all
parts of the land and from foreign countries,
the festive pilgrims had come up in bands, singing
their pilgrim psalms and bringing with them burnt
and peace offerings, as according as the Lord
had blessed them, that none might appear empty
before him. The instructions for this are found
in Exodus chapter 23 and in Deuteronomy 16. God
had commanded that every male come to the temple
or to the place of worship for three feasts a
year. This was one of the most important. Luke
tells us that the parents of Jesus went up every
year for the feast of the Passover. And when
Jesus was 12, they took him along. Around 2 .7
to 3 million people would gather. Some inside
the city walls, some camped outside around the
city, or some who stayed with the dwellers of
the nearby towns of Bethphage and Bethany. These
towns were noted for their hospitality toward
the festive pilgrims. The Psalm of Ascent would
be sung, Psalm 120 through 136, and around 256
,000 lambs would be sacrificed on each Passover
day at this time. in the narrative in Matthew
chapter 21. This would feed around 10 people
each, as recorded by the historian Josephus,
thus giving the approximate numbers of people.
Truly it was an incredible sight to behold, as
the sacrifices were made, and the Passover meal
was eaten, and all of the ceremonies, and the
singing, and the fellowship. It was very impressive.
Now it's about at this time and occasion, around
three and a half years into the ministry of Jesus
on earth, and he made his way to Jerusalem for
this feast. Only this one was going to be different,
far different than anyone either before or after,
because Jesus would fulfill the prophecies concerning
himself. He began by instructing two of his disciples
to bring the colt of a donkey. This was his triumphal
entry into Jerusalem as a king, but in a different
way than any king had ever come or would come
hereafter. Rather than great pomp and circumstance
and with the blowing of trumpets and the beating
of drums, the disciples instead threw some clothes
on a young donkey's back and Jesus sat on it
and descended the Mount of Olives toward the
city proper. The crowd saw it, and they knew
that this was an auspicious occasion, some knowing
that it was a fulfillment of prophecy. They spread
their clothes on the road for him to ride on,
and others cut down leafy branches from the trees
and spread them on the road. Those who went before
and after cried out, saying, Hosanna! Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna
in the highest! Jesus received the acclaim of
the crowds, and he rode on in humble majesty
into Jerusalem and into the temple, that place
of the public worship of the Lord God Almighty.
But while Jesus was indeed and in truth a rightful
king, he was not the king that they expected.
Jesus started by returning the following day
to overturn the money changers' tables in the
temple. and to cleanse it. He taught his disciples.
He answered the question of his authority by
shutting the mouths of the opposition, which
consisted of the chief priests and the scribes
and the elders and the Pharisees and the Herodians
and the Sadducees and the lawyers. He prophesied
of the destruction of the temple that would occur
around 38 years later within a generation. He
wept over the city of Jerusalem as recorded in
Matthew chapter 23. A most stirring and poignant
lament in which he cries out and he says, Oh
Jerusalem, oh Jerusalem, the one who kills the
prophets and stones those who are sent to her.
How often I wanted to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.
But you were not willing. See. Your house is
left to you desolate. For I say to you, you shall
see me no more till you say, blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord. Now today on this
Palm Sunday, as we remember these events, I'm
going to be focusing on the humility of Christ
the King. Now this humility was prophesied already
back in Psalm 45, which Paul read to us today.
Verse 3 and 4, gird your sword upon your thigh,
O mighty one, with your glory and your majesty,
and in your majesty ride prosperously because
of truth, because of humility and righteousness.
and your right hand shall teach you awesome things.
Now Matthew quotes the prophecy of Zechariah,
which we read, and he applies it to Jesus in
Matthew 21, verse 5. Tell the daughter of Zion,
behold, your king is coming to you. But what
is this king like? He is lowly. He is lowly,
riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.
And instead of being received into the temple
as the anointed king and Messiah by the leaders
of Israel, Christ receives the acclaim of the
children. Of the children. Children of those
whom Jesus had said earlier in his ministry in
Matthew 18 verse 3 saying, Assuredly I say to
you, unless you are converted and become as little
children, you will by no means enter into the
kingdom of heaven. And now, who is it but the
children? It is the children who cry with acclaim.
And they continue then the following day, crying
out in the temple, following Jesus around, Hosanna
to the son of David. And then Jesus quotes Psalm
8, out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants,
you have perfected praise. As we meditate and
consider today the humility of our king, where
better to turn to? Then the St. Paul's description
in the book of Philippians chapter 2, this wonderful,
incredible passage that speaks of the passion
of Christ and of his exaltation. So we'll then
finish out with Jesus' teaching about children
in Matthew 18. First of all, number one, we want
to look at Christ's example of humility. He is
the humble king. It says, In verse 6, Christ
Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not
consider robbery to be equal with God, but made
himself of no reputation. Taking the form of
a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men
and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled
himself and became obedient to the point of death,
even the death of the cross. We're going to take
this apart a little bit. The first, I would like
you to notice that Christ, it says, is in the
form of God and equal with God. Now this, where
it speaks of him being in the form of God, later
we'll see he's also in the form of a bondservant.
He appeared as a bondservant. He was, in reality,
a bondservant. And so he was, in reality, And
he was equal with God. In this statement, the
apostle speaks of the divine nature of Christ.
He is the only begotten son of God. He is the
eternal son of God. This is also sometimes referred
to as the deity of Christ. John speaks of Him
in John chapter 1 verse 1 as the Word, the Logos
that is referring to Christ in these powerful
words. In the beginning was the Word and the
Word was with God and the Word was God. He was
in the beginning with God. All things were made
through Him and without Him nothing was made
that was made. In Him was life and the life.
Was the light of man. This points out a few things
to us. It shows the eternality of Christ. That
he was at the beginning with God. It shows that
he is God. The word was God. It shows that God
the Father created the world through him. All
things were made through him. So that without
him nothing was made that was made. And we show
that in him was life. And life, this life became
the light of man. This comports with what Paul
says in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 15, that
Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He is
the firstborn over all creation. For by him all
things were created that are in heaven and that
are on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created through him. and for
him and he is before all things and in him all
things consist we're showing here the position
that christ had before he came to the earth because
we cannot understand his humility if we don't
see first of all his eternal being and existence
and his great power and his unity in the trinity
We also see this in Hebrews chapter 1 and verse
1 to 3. God, who at various times and in various
ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the
prophet, has in these last days spoken to us
through his son or by his son, whom he has appointed
heir of all things, through whom also he made
the worlds. who being the brightness of his glory
and the express image of his person and upholding
all things by the word of his power, when he
had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the
right hand of the majesty on high. Jesus himself
speaks of this in John 17, verse 5, as he references
the glory that he had with the Father from eternity
past. He said, And now, O Father, Glorify me
together with yourself with the glory which I
had with you before the world began. This is
the eternal second person of the Trinity, Jesus
Christ, our God. Now, this is not the main thrust
of this sermon, but I just would note that this
point is one that has been under great attack
from the very earliest days of the Christian
faith. It continues to be so in various heresies,
in various false teachings, and in cults. No,
Christ was not the brother of Lucifer. He was
not created. He has always and eternally existed
as the second person of our triune God who is
one. Therefore, we confess, and thus we confess
in the Nicene Creed, I believe in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the only begotten Son of God. begotten
of the father before all worlds he is god of
god light of light very god of very god begotten
not made being of one substance with the father
by whom all things were made who for us men and
for our salvation came down from heaven and was
incarnate of the holy ghost of the virgin mary
and was made man this speaks to us of the exalted
state and being of christ before his humiliation
Now let's move on, because what's next? He made
himself of no reputation. He took the form of
a bondservant, and he came in the likeness of
men, made like unto a person by assuming a body
like theirs. This is the first step of humility.
It's when God became man. After the humiliation,
the deceit, the deception, and the fall by Adam
and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the Lord God told
the serpent that the seed of a woman would be
at enmity with the seed of the serpent and that
this descendant would crush his head. So what
the word broods, sometimes it's in our Bibles
as the word broods, it means crush. It would
crush his head, the head of the serpent. It was
a prophecy of Jesus. But in order to do this,
a man would need to be born of a woman who would
become pregnant, not from a man, but miraculously
by the Holy Spirit. And indeed, Isaiah prophesies
of this when he says, Behold, the virgin shall
conceive and bear a son. and shall call his name
Emmanuel. This meant then that the Messiah, this
Messiah, this future head crusher of the serpent
dragon, would enter this world and first be a
tiny human being inside a woman's womb. He would
be born in the usual way, with his mother experiencing
the pain of childbirth. He himself would be subject
to pain, to hunger, to being utterly dependent
upon his mother and nursing at her breast. the
woman that he himself had created. He came in
the likeness of men, but was the only begotten
son of God, who was himself God in the flesh.
But not only did he become a man, he also made
himself of no reputation. That is, he was God,
and God through Christ created all things to
worship the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost. But now it says that he emptied himself.
That of no reputation, there's a few different
translations there. It means that he emptied
himself, laying down his glory so that he might
live not as a rich king, But as a humble bondservant
with no reputation, he lays aside his rank. He
lays aside his dignity. He lays aside the outward
expressions of his majesty and glory. Now in
this, just to be clear, he did not change his
nature or perfections. For he could not cease
to be God. He could not cease to be omnipotent,
omnipresent, and most holy, true, and good. But
what he does is he takes on human nature, and
he is made like a servant in the lowly condition
which he assumed. He came as God the Father's
servant to do what? To minister to men, to live
a life of humiliation, of poverty, and of disgrace.
When he ministers, what happens? He lived off
of alms, and he has nowhere to lay his head.
Even as he says in Matthew chapter 8 verse 20.
And Jesus said to him, foxes have holes and birds
of the air have nests. But the son of man has
nowhere even to lay his head. This is the humiliation
of our Lord Jesus. Going from the king of glory
with all of the majesty and glory that he had.
And he becomes a man. And not even a man to live
in a rich king's house and to serve in a great
and lordly manner, but to become and to be a
servant, to be subject to pain and hunger and
where he doesn't even have a place to lay his
head. This is the humiliation of Christ. Jesus
then comes into Jerusalem and he's not being
carried on a litter or a palanquin. And by servants
holding him up on big rods and in a comfortable
chair being elevated above everyone else. No,
he doesn't come with fanfare, but as a king who
rides, not on the back of just any donkey even,
but on the foal of a donkey. And he comes with
shouts, with great joy, with the acclaim of children
and the shouts of the multitude who cry out.
Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the
highest. Only to lose them as followers throughout
the week, as the week goes by, or at least many
of them as followers. And then, as if that were
not enough humiliation, he takes it a step further,
Paul says. He humbles himself by being obedient
to the father. Not only being obedient to the
Father, but obedient unto death. Obedient unto
death. And even this death is not just a normal
death, but it is the horrible and excruciating
death on a Roman cross. His hands. and his feet
nailed to the wooden beams. Now we're going to
consider this in greater detail on Friday evening
in our Good Friday service, but our focus today
is on his humility, and we see his humility as
carried out. First of all, coming as a man, and
then he comes as a man, he's a bondservant, and
then he is willing to die, and then not only
die, but to die the death. one of the worst deaths
that anyone can imagine, the death on the cross.
Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your king
is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey,
a colt, the foal of a donkey. Lowly in the Hebrew
where this was first prophesied means poor, afflicted,
humble, wretched, needy, and weak. This is the
humiliation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now Paul
describes this in vivid detail. And then he goes
on to talk about the exaltation of Christ. And
we'll be getting to that Lord willing next Sunday.
As we see the resurrection and the exaltation
of Christ. But I really want us to understand
this lowliness of Christ. This humility of Christ.
And Paul wants us to understand this. The apostle.
Which is why, and I put them in reverse order
here because I wanted to describe the humiliation
of Christ first, but we're going to go back to
Philippians at the beginning of chapter 2 and
see what came before and how that he says we
are to have the same mind as Christ. So let's
go back now to verses 1 through 5. Therefore...
If there is any consolation in Christ, if there
is any comfort of love, if any fellowship of
the Spirit, if any affection and mercy. Fulfill
my joy by being like -minded, having the same
love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing
be done through strife. or selfish ambition or
conceit, but in lowliness of mind that each esteem
others better than himself. Let each of you look
out not only for his own interests, but also
for the interests of others. Let this mind be
in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And then
he goes into this humiliation, which I have just
gone through. So not only are we to look and
consider this great humiliation, but as the apostle
commands, let this mind be in you. which was
also in Christ Jesus. He began this chapter with
an exhortation to humility and then goes on into
the humiliation and exaltation of Christ. And
so we look today to Christ as an example and
we see what we are to do. He first of all exhorts
the Philippians and commands, he gives them commands
that require humility. He says, fulfill my joy
by being like -minded, having the same love,
being of one accord and of one mind. Now this
is really four ways of describing essentially
the same thing. This is the unity of the Spirit
that we as Christian believers are to have with
one another. This is what was experienced on
the day of Pentecost. Acts chapter 2 records,
The disciples were all with one accord in one
place. In one accord. Paul uses a number of descriptive
phrases to speak of this one thing. This one
thing. It is the union of heart. It's a union
of feeling, of plan, and of purpose with an overarching
love of God and of each other. Let me say that
again. What he's calling for here is a union
of our hearts, our feelings, our plans, and our
purposes with an overarching love of God and
of each other. Jesus prays for this so that the
world would believe that he was sent by God in
his great and high priestly prayer. He asked
the Father, he says, I do not pray for these
alone, but also for those who will believe in
me through their word, that they may all be one
as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that
they may be one in us, that the world may believe
that you sent me. It's in John 17, verse 20 and
21. How can this happen? He tells us. It is first
of all with humility. Let nothing be done through
selfish ambition or conceit. but in lowliness
of mind let each esteem others better themselves.
This has to do with honoring one another in our
actions, in our listening, and in our attitudes.
Ambition, while it is not a sin in itself, but
selfish ambition that is. And what does it drive?
It drives factions. and divisions remember we've
just been going through that and seeing the corinthian
church as how they were so wrapped up in factions
and this is what they had they had selfish ambition
that's what paul speaks of here in philippians
2 think of the impact i'm sorry i jumped ahead
here a little bit conceit then is vain glory
and pride so selfish ambition vain glory and
pride and conceit That is how, if we focus on
those things, we will not be in unity, we will
not love one another, and we will not be like
Christ. He goes on, he says in verse 5, Let each
of you look out not only for his own interests,
but also for the interests of others. Think of
the impact that this would have if we simply
put this simple thing in practice. How about
children as siblings, your brothers and sisters,
or we are brothers and sisters. And we're to
look out not just for me, what I want, but also
to look out for the interests of others, where
we think about others and we seek to honor them
and bless them and please them at times. It doesn't
mean that we should live as people pleasers.
That's not what I'm talking about. But we do
things that bless others. Think of it with our
families or husbands and wives. when we have
problems or friction between us as husbands and
wives. What a solution that this is if we are,
if we, each of us, if the wife does not just
look out for her own interest, but that of the
husband, and the husband does not just look out
for his own interest, but that of his wife. He
seeks to please and bless his wife. Or how about
within the local congregation? How about if we
all do this with one another? Where we do not
have selfish ambition or conceit. But we esteem
others better than ourselves. And we look not
only for our own interests. But also for the
interests of others. How about within the community?
Or in business? Or in the civil sphere? These
are the words of God to us. And the example is
Christ. Because Christ did not just think of
himself. And withhold himself from the suffering
and the pain of the humiliation. gave himself
for it so that he might redeem us and bring us
near to God. He looked out for others. Jesus.
gives us the example in luke chapter 6 of how
we seek the good and blessing of others around
you with a humble mind and we see how god would
not only work in others lives but will also work
then for us he gives us very practical instructions
so if we go to luke chapter 6 verse 38 jesus
says give and it shall be given to you good measure
press down shaking together shaken together and
running over will be put into your bosom for
with the same measure that you use it will be
measured back to you again so in one sense here
there's a bit of a paradox because we're not
to be thinking of ourselves but thinking of others
and so as we bless others and we give and we
pour out ourselves for others we do end up getting
great blessings back upon us again that's what
jesus is promising but if we just try to bless
ourselves then we lose them both Then there's
also the golden rule. Therefore, whatever you
want men to do, do also to them. For this is
the law and the prophets. And Jesus there ties
this golden rule back to the law and the prophets.
This is really what is found in the whole word
of God, not just in the words of Jesus himself.
But he was the great example of it, of how he
humbled himself and served others. We see the
humility of Christ. And we are to pattern our
thinking and our actions by putting on the mind
of Christ. Like Peter says in 1 Peter 4 verse
1, arm yourselves also with the same mind that
is the mind of Christ. We follow the steps of
Christ in his obedience to his Father and in
his humility. So as you read the accounts of
Christ's humility, ask God to illuminate you
to see how you can have the mind of Christ. We
should be constantly praying, Lord, give us the
mind of Christ in this particular situation or
this problem or this responsibility or even in
his promotion, exaltation, or greater responsibility
that we might have. Let us pray for the mind
of Christ. Are you in a difficult situation?
Do you have an enemy that is continually needling
you or coming against you or is frustrating you?
Have the mind of Christ. Now, it's easy to just
say that, but... Sometimes that requires work.
We need to go in prayer to the Lord. Lord, what
is your mind? Help us to see this with the mind
of Christ and work through this very difficult
situation. But how do you know the mind of Christ?
Is this some supernatural type of thing that
you can only get if you have some kind of a mystical
experience? Is that how you know the mind of
Christ? No, it is not. You know the mind of Christ,
yes, through prayer. But it's through prayer
and the illumination of God's word. Because God's
word is the revelation of the mind of Christ.
All of it. Genesis to Revelation. This is the
mind of Christ. And so we humbly come and we
bow before the Lord and we pray. Lord, this is
your word. And I want the wisdom of your word
in this situation. So help me to carry it out.
Please give me the wisdom to know how, I mentioned
of enemies, how to love this enemy. How to deal
with this particular problem. Or how to deal
with my own sins. This is the mind of Christ.
So soak yourself in the word. Dig into the word.
It's important to sometimes spend a time of...
In the portion of God's word where you really
dig into it, you do word studies and you do some
intense work. But at the same time, it also simply
means just regularly reading the word of God.
So one of the reasons why at the beginning of
every year we put out pamphlets that show how
to read through the Bible in a year and gives
assignments for each day. Spend time in the word.
And maybe if it's... If reading comes hard for
you, maybe it'll take you two years. But go on
a systematic reading of the word. It is the mind
of Christ. That is how we know it. And then we
pray for illumination. The only way to have the
mind of Christ and to live in humility and unity
is through the cross of Christ. It is when we
see the abundance of our sin, our ugliness, our
grasping to be like God. And to dethrone him
and put ourself in his place. But then we see
Jesus. We see our sin and then we see Jesus.
And he took our sins. He took our ugliness. He
took our selfish ambitions. Our self -centeredness.
Our conceitedness. And the whole putrid mess.
And he suffered for them. He suffered for our
sins. The just for the unjust. Why? That he might
bring us to God. That he might bring us to God.
He bore our sins on the cross. He offered himself
as the sacrifice for our sins and our old self
dies with him. So that in Christ then we are
a new creation and that is how we can do justly
and love mercy and walk humbly with our God and
with our fellow man. But then we move to number
three. We receive this kingdom of God like a
little child. And that also involves a lot of
humility, doesn't it? No, it's not a major 12
-step program for improvement. No, it's not this
thing of, as it used to be, go on pilgrimage
to a particular place or do so crawling or on
your hands and knees or crawling over glass or
sleeping on a bed of nails or all sorts of other
hardships like that. No, it's simply by coming
to the cross of Christ and receiving the kingdom
like a little child. We see this example and
Jesus gives to us in Mark chapter 10, verse 13.
Then they brought little children to him that
he might touch them. The disciples rebuked those
who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was
greatly displeased. And he said to them, let
the little children come to me and do not forbid
them. For of such is the kingdom of heaven. Assuredly,
I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom
of God as a little child. will by no means enter
it. And he took them up in his arms, laid his
hands on them, and blessed them. Now today, in
just a bit, we're going to have a baptism for
a newly born little one, a child given by the
grace of God to Paul and Angie Shumway. This
little one is a saint of God, one of whom is
the kingdom of God, Jesus says. He said, let
the little children come to be and do not forbid
them, for of such is the kingdom of God. But
then he goes on to tell all those around, all
the adults, all the disciples, the multitudes
listening, because there were many people gathered
when he was saying this. And he tells them that
they must receive the kingdom of God as a little
child. And if they do not, they will by no means
enter his kingdom. How then does a little child
receive the kingdom of God? First of all, it
is in complete helplessness and dependence upon
God. This word little child here is referring
to an infant or a baby or a very young child.
How are they? They are helpless and dependent.
They can't go out and get harvest food for themselves.
They can't take money and go out and buy something.
They are completely helpless and dependent. No
grand schemes to dethrone their parents or God.
No, they are helpless. and they are dependent.
That is how we are to receive the kingdom. And
then, as they get a little bit older, they're
teachable and they're humble and have a simple
faith and can trust in God. Now, I'm not denying
here the fallen nature of little ones. We all
know that that is there as well. But we're looking
here at what Jesus says about little ones, how
he receives them, how that we are to receive
them. And we see that we are to receive as they
do. Jesus uses the analogy then of a birth of
a baby. To explain the kingdom of God to Nicodemus.
This is in John chapter 3. He tells him. Most
assuredly I say to you. Unless one is born again.
He cannot see the kingdom of God. Again he says.
Most assuredly I say to you. Unless one is born
of water and the spirit. He cannot enter the
kingdom of God. There's no amount of good deeds
or forced humility or lying on a bed of nails
that will suffice for what Jesus is talking about.
You must be supernaturally, spiritually reborn
from above. This is the way of Jesus. This is
the way to have humility. And this is the way
to be unified with the body of Christ and the
kingdom of heaven on earth. Now, if you do not
know Christ, then I urge you, dear friend, run
to him, believe in him, trust in him as a little
child, repent of your sins, ask to be born again
and regenerated with a spirit and a new heart.
Ezekiel says, cast away from you all the transgressions
which you have committed and get yourself a new
heart and a new spirit. For why should you die,
O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in
the death of the one who dies, says the Lord
God. Therefore turn and live. But how do we live?
How can this be? The apostle gives it to us in
Acts chapter 3 and verse 9. Repent therefore
and be converted. Repent and be converted. Change
from darkness to light. your sins may be blotted
out so that the times of refreshing may come
from the presence of the Lord now in all of this
there is a supernatural work of regeneration
that occurs within the heart and we can't do
this we cannot regenerate ourselves so we must
look to Christ for it is he who regenerates us
And so in all of this, don't think that by a
series of good works that you can somehow make
it. No, it is only through Christ. It is supernatural
work. But you are still commanded to repent of
your sins and to look to Christ. Jesus then came
as a king into Jerusalem. He rode in the cult
of the donkey. He cleansed the temple. He spoke
the truths of the kingdom of God. And he was
rejected by the Jewish leaders. He was crucified
by the Romans with the Jewish leader's assent.
But the story does not end there, and Christ's
kingship was not ill -fated or an illusion or
performance act. No, the triumphal entry was
only the first act in this holy week, this history
of a magnificent, glorious, and true story, a
story of how Jesus would display his glory in
this world. By the way of the cross. By the redemption
of the world through his atonement. And then
new life in his resurrection from the dead. And
then his ascension back to the father. There
to rule and reign at the right hand of the father.
Until everyone, every enemy submits to him. But
this man. after he had offered one sacrifice
for sins forever, sat down at the right hand
of God, from that time waiting till his enemies
are made his footstool. For by one offering,
he has perfected forever those who are being
sanctified. Let us then, dear brothers and sisters,
all who are here, let us follow him in humility,
in service, in worship, Of the Lord God almighty.
Hallelujah. For the Lord God. Omnipotent reigns.
Let's pray.