WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:03.109 Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Always 00:00:03.109 --> 00:00:06.669 good to be back at Bridge. Thank you. And I love 00:00:06.669 --> 00:00:09.169 sharing with you. I love worshipping with you. 00:00:09.550 --> 00:00:11.509 And as I've said many, many times, it's home 00:00:11.509 --> 00:00:13.810 from home. So thank you once again for the opportunity. 00:00:14.269 --> 00:00:16.870 And as has been said, I'm sort of... kicking 00:00:16.870 --> 00:00:20.190 off the Easter conversation because traditionally 00:00:20.190 --> 00:00:23.370 in the Christian calendar, this is regarded as 00:00:23.370 --> 00:00:26.510 Palm Sunday. And so we're going to think about 00:00:26.510 --> 00:00:29.809 Palm Sunday as we begin our Easter conversation. 00:00:30.149 --> 00:00:31.989 So if you've got a Bible with you and you want 00:00:31.989 --> 00:00:34.909 to follow a reading from the Bible, I'm going 00:00:34.909 --> 00:00:39.109 to read from John's version, John chapter 12. 00:00:39.189 --> 00:00:41.189 So if you're new to church, don't worry about 00:00:41.189 --> 00:00:43.090 it. If you're brand new, you're just a visitor 00:00:43.090 --> 00:00:45.710 and you're here and you haven't got a Bible with 00:00:45.710 --> 00:00:48.259 you. It's a really short reading, so it won't 00:00:48.259 --> 00:00:51.659 take very long. But if you are a member of this 00:00:51.659 --> 00:00:53.960 church or a Jesus follower, I always encourage 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:56.679 you bring your Bibles so that you can engage 00:00:56.679 --> 00:00:59.259 with the text, not only with your ears, but with 00:00:59.259 --> 00:01:02.280 your eyes as we read together. Now, just before 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:04.420 we start reading, let me just set a little bit 00:01:04.420 --> 00:01:06.659 of a scene for you. We're gonna read from John's 00:01:06.659 --> 00:01:11.989 version, but all four gospel writers. talk about 00:01:11.989 --> 00:01:14.549 the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Now let me 00:01:14.549 --> 00:01:17.709 just pause there to say this as a sort of a little 00:01:17.709 --> 00:01:19.969 help in terms of how to read the Bible and how 00:01:19.969 --> 00:01:22.189 to engage with the Bible. When you come to the 00:01:22.189 --> 00:01:24.730 Gospels especially, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, 00:01:25.329 --> 00:01:30.049 if they all record the same story, then that 00:01:30.049 --> 00:01:33.400 is a big signal to me and you. they are saying 00:01:33.400 --> 00:01:37.019 something really heavy about Jesus. There's something 00:01:37.019 --> 00:01:40.719 going on in that story they really, really, really, 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:43.500 really want us to get. Because you have each 00:01:43.500 --> 00:01:45.799 of the gospel writers brings their own sort of 00:01:45.799 --> 00:01:48.500 take on the life of Jesus. They're not all the 00:01:48.500 --> 00:01:50.840 same, although there are great similarities. 00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:53.500 So they're not just telling the same story four 00:01:53.500 --> 00:01:57.280 ways. They're actually bringing dynamic ideas 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:00.060 into the text for us to get a complete picture 00:02:00.060 --> 00:02:03.000 of Jesus. So they do their own individual stuff. 00:02:03.219 --> 00:02:05.620 Luke will have his own stuff. Matthew has his 00:02:05.620 --> 00:02:08.500 own stuff. John has his own stuff as does Mark. 00:02:08.840 --> 00:02:11.419 But when they all quote the same story, that's 00:02:11.419 --> 00:02:14.789 a big sign. Me and you should go, ooh, something's 00:02:14.789 --> 00:02:18.210 going on here that we should pay a little bit 00:02:18.210 --> 00:02:21.750 of extra attention to. And they're probably saying 00:02:21.750 --> 00:02:25.009 something there about who Jesus is and what Jesus 00:02:25.009 --> 00:02:28.750 has come to do. And Palm Sunday is a classic 00:02:28.750 --> 00:02:32.750 example of this. So all four gospel writers have 00:02:32.750 --> 00:02:36.840 it. So Matthew has it in chapter 21. Mark has 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:39.979 it in his gospel in chapter 11 and Luke has it, 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:42.439 in fact, Anna read from Luke this morning from 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:46.080 Luke chapter 19. And they all say slightly different 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:49.159 things, but they're leaning in to a big, big 00:02:49.159 --> 00:02:52.860 idea. I'm reading from John's version simply 00:02:52.860 --> 00:02:55.479 because, and this is the only reason, simply 00:02:55.479 --> 00:02:57.259 because I could have picked any one of the four, 00:02:57.539 --> 00:02:59.539 I'm only reading from John because John's the 00:02:59.539 --> 00:03:02.520 only one who mentions palms. So with the being 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:04.099 palms Sunday, I thought we'll have to have the 00:03:04.099 --> 00:03:07.120 palms in the story. So we will touch on that 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:10.159 in just a moment. So here we go, John chapter 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:14.659 12, and we'll read from verse 12, and it says 00:03:14.659 --> 00:03:19.020 this. The next day, the great crowd that had 00:03:19.020 --> 00:03:23.580 come for the feast heard that Jesus was on his 00:03:23.580 --> 00:03:27.340 way to Jerusalem. So the feast there is the Passover, 00:03:27.659 --> 00:03:30.639 and the day before, Jesus has been anointed. 00:03:30.830 --> 00:03:34.349 for burial by a lady called Mary. So that's the 00:03:34.349 --> 00:03:37.789 connection for us as we go to verse 13. So the 00:03:37.789 --> 00:03:41.870 crowd, they took palm branches and went out to 00:03:41.870 --> 00:03:45.789 meet him, shouting, Hosanna, blessed is he who 00:03:45.789 --> 00:03:49.870 comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the 00:03:49.870 --> 00:03:54.189 King of Israel. Jesus found a young donkey and 00:03:54.189 --> 00:03:57.150 set upon it as it is written. And this is a quote 00:03:57.150 --> 00:03:59.889 from the Old Testament part of the Bible. Do 00:03:59.889 --> 00:04:03.849 not be afraid, O daughter of Zion. See your king 00:04:03.849 --> 00:04:08.770 is coming, seated on a donkey's coat." At first 00:04:08.770 --> 00:04:13.949 his disciples did not understand all this. Only 00:04:13.949 --> 00:04:17.610 after Jesus was glorified did they realize that 00:04:17.610 --> 00:04:22.050 these things had been written about him and they 00:04:22.050 --> 00:04:26.389 had done these things to him. Now the crowd that 00:04:26.389 --> 00:04:29.680 was with him When he called Lazarus from the 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:32.139 tomb, so that's in chapter 11 of John when he 00:04:32.139 --> 00:04:35.399 raises Lazarus from the dead, right? So that 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:37.399 crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus 00:04:37.399 --> 00:04:40.500 from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued 00:04:40.500 --> 00:04:43.980 to spread the word Many people because they had 00:04:43.980 --> 00:04:46.680 heard that he had given this miraculous sign. 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:50.060 That's the raising from the dead Went out to 00:04:50.060 --> 00:04:52.939 meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another 00:04:52.939 --> 00:04:57.220 see this is getting us nowhere Luke how the whole 00:04:57.220 --> 00:05:02.959 world has gone after him. Now at one sense this 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:07.899 story has a magnificent simplicity to it. There's 00:05:07.899 --> 00:05:11.379 a gorgeous, very simple idea at the heart of 00:05:11.379 --> 00:05:14.740 Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. And we have this 00:05:14.740 --> 00:05:17.740 gorgeous connection between Jesus being carried 00:05:17.740 --> 00:05:21.529 into Jerusalem by this little cult, this little 00:05:21.529 --> 00:05:25.129 foal of a donkey. And of course, at one simple 00:05:25.129 --> 00:05:29.269 level, we've got this idea that Jesus needed 00:05:29.269 --> 00:05:32.449 the donkey to get into Jerusalem. It's a gorgeous, 00:05:32.610 --> 00:05:34.649 beautiful little thought. In fact, if you read 00:05:34.649 --> 00:05:37.029 the other gospels that we'll be referring to 00:05:37.029 --> 00:05:40.160 throughout this morning. They tell us that Jesus 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:43.959 sent his disciples into the city to find this 00:05:43.959 --> 00:05:47.480 little cult. And then Jesus told them, when you 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:49.339 go to get it, someone will say, hey, what are 00:05:49.339 --> 00:05:52.100 you doing with that little donkey? And they're 00:05:52.100 --> 00:05:54.699 to say something like this, the Lord needs it. 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:57.519 Now there's a gorgeous thought there, a beautiful 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:00.120 devotional thought that actually here's the creator 00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:02.660 of the universe and he needs a little donkey. 00:06:03.180 --> 00:06:06.160 And I love that idea. And there is a beautiful, 00:06:06.279 --> 00:06:09.680 beautiful message to us at the heart of Palm 00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:13.120 Sunday that actually the God who made the universe 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:17.160 still needed something in order for him to achieve 00:06:17.160 --> 00:06:18.819 what he wanted to achieve. And this morning, 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:22.389 this morning he needs you. And he needs me, and 00:06:22.389 --> 00:06:25.389 he needs the church. He needs bridge in order 00:06:25.389 --> 00:06:27.509 to carry him. Of course, what is the donkey doing? 00:06:27.790 --> 00:06:31.129 The donkey is carrying Jesus into the city so 00:06:31.129 --> 00:06:33.490 that Jesus can be seen. And although the donkey's 00:06:33.490 --> 00:06:36.230 an important character in the story, of course, 00:06:36.550 --> 00:06:39.310 the donkey's not the main character. Jesus is. 00:06:39.470 --> 00:06:41.769 And of course, that speaks to us powerfully, 00:06:42.069 --> 00:06:44.769 that Palm Sunday reminds us that Jesus needs 00:06:44.769 --> 00:06:49.459 us, but it's not about us. It's about him. That 00:06:49.459 --> 00:06:52.500 the church, the church's big job, the church's 00:06:52.500 --> 00:06:56.459 one job really, is to carry Jesus to the world. 00:06:56.680 --> 00:06:59.680 If you're a Jesus follower, our big job, wherever 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:01.980 we are, whatever our job, whatever our family, 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:05.500 whatever our background, our big job is to be 00:07:05.500 --> 00:07:09.160 like that little donkey and carry Jesus to our 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:11.680 world. And we could sort of leave it there. And 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:13.519 by the end of my sermon, some of you would hope 00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:17.100 that I did leave it there and moved on very, 00:07:17.100 --> 00:07:18.600 very quickly. And that's a beautiful thought. 00:07:18.660 --> 00:07:22.319 And actually that Jesus needs us. But actually 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:25.600 my life is not about me. My life is really ultimately 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:28.540 about carrying him to our world. What a gorgeous 00:07:28.540 --> 00:07:31.079 thought that is. And that's a beautiful devotional 00:07:31.079 --> 00:07:33.339 reflection. And I would guess there'd be many 00:07:33.339 --> 00:07:36.480 churches over this Palm Sunday will be leaning 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:39.240 into those beautiful ideas and we shouldn't ignore 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:41.709 them. So I wanted to sort of say. that by way 00:07:41.709 --> 00:07:44.670 of introduction. But having said all of that, 00:07:45.569 --> 00:07:48.810 there's a lot of heavy lifting going on in Palm 00:07:48.810 --> 00:07:51.610 Sunday entrance. The gospel writers are wanting 00:07:51.610 --> 00:07:56.110 to say very significant things to us. about Jesus 00:07:56.110 --> 00:07:57.990 and some of those things we've been singing about 00:07:57.990 --> 00:08:01.189 this morning in the context of our worship and 00:08:01.189 --> 00:08:05.009 in terms of Palm Sunday there are three big ideas 00:08:05.009 --> 00:08:07.709 that I want to draw your attention to and if 00:08:07.709 --> 00:08:11.430 you're a Jesus follower these ideas are absolutely 00:08:11.430 --> 00:08:15.089 crucial. If you're here searching for Jesus or 00:08:15.089 --> 00:08:16.889 searching for meaning or searching for life, 00:08:17.149 --> 00:08:19.170 then actually, in these three things I'm about 00:08:19.170 --> 00:08:22.529 to say to you, there is in fact the essence of 00:08:22.529 --> 00:08:25.029 the life that you are looking for. And you can 00:08:25.029 --> 00:08:28.209 find that. And these are three massive ideas 00:08:28.209 --> 00:08:32.090 that all four gospel writers are leaning into 00:08:32.090 --> 00:08:34.750 because they're saying something massive about 00:08:34.750 --> 00:08:37.210 Jesus. So three ideas that I wanna bring. Here's 00:08:37.210 --> 00:08:40.710 the first idea. I want you to notice the direction 00:08:40.710 --> 00:08:44.899 of travel. Now, John's not explicit here, so 00:08:44.899 --> 00:08:47.360 that's where we need to go to other gospel writers, 00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:50.779 and the other writers help us with this interesting 00:08:50.779 --> 00:08:53.580 piece of information, which just looks like a 00:08:53.580 --> 00:08:55.759 piece of information to begin with, but it's 00:08:55.759 --> 00:08:58.000 really important. It's sort of an incredible 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:02.019 idea hidden in plain sight. Matthew, I'll quote 00:09:02.019 --> 00:09:05.799 Matthew on this. Matthew says this, as they approached 00:09:05.799 --> 00:09:08.460 Jerusalem, that's Jesus and his disciples, and 00:09:08.460 --> 00:09:11.379 they came to a place called Bethphage. on the 00:09:11.379 --> 00:09:15.139 Mount of Olives, Jesus sent his two disciples. 00:09:15.460 --> 00:09:18.200 So, we're given a little bit of geography here, 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:20.600 and the geography is something like this. That 00:09:20.600 --> 00:09:24.940 Jesus is approaching Jerusalem from the east. 00:09:25.370 --> 00:09:28.909 And in fact, we're told that he sort of positions 00:09:28.909 --> 00:09:32.169 himself around the Mount of Olives while he sends 00:09:32.169 --> 00:09:34.750 his disciples in, they go and get everything 00:09:34.750 --> 00:09:37.509 ready for him. Then they bring back this little 00:09:37.509 --> 00:09:40.330 donkey and then they make the approach. And so 00:09:40.330 --> 00:09:42.570 they're approaching from the east, the Mount 00:09:42.570 --> 00:09:46.110 of Olives, and then they are entering Jerusalem 00:09:46.110 --> 00:09:50.210 through what's called the East Gate. Now, if 00:09:50.210 --> 00:09:52.750 I put a map of Jerusalem up for you, the east 00:09:52.750 --> 00:09:54.769 gate in the first century world of Jerusalem 00:09:54.769 --> 00:09:58.470 was the closest gate you went to if you wanted 00:09:58.470 --> 00:10:01.830 to get to the temple. So there's lots of gates 00:10:01.830 --> 00:10:04.129 getting you into Jerusalem, first century Jerusalem, 00:10:04.409 --> 00:10:07.470 but the east gate, literally from there, you 00:10:07.470 --> 00:10:11.230 are virtually on the temple. So it's the fastest 00:10:11.230 --> 00:10:14.389 route to get to the temple. Now, the gospel writers 00:10:14.389 --> 00:10:16.950 are telling us that Jesus comes from the east, 00:10:16.950 --> 00:10:20.049 from Mount Olives. Hold that thought. And when 00:10:20.049 --> 00:10:24.169 he enters on Palm Sunday into Jerusalem, he enters 00:10:24.169 --> 00:10:27.210 through the East Gate. And I hear all of you 00:10:27.210 --> 00:10:31.389 say, so what? All right, so what, John? Yeah, 00:10:31.389 --> 00:10:33.149 I know you're a Bible nerd. You love this sort 00:10:33.149 --> 00:10:36.409 of stuff. But so what? Well, that bit of detail 00:10:36.409 --> 00:10:41.610 is alerting us to something that's happened before. 00:10:42.370 --> 00:10:45.929 And Palm Sunday can't be understood without our 00:10:45.929 --> 00:10:47.950 ability to go back into what we call the Old 00:10:47.950 --> 00:10:51.629 Testament. and pick up big ideas, connect them 00:10:51.629 --> 00:10:54.549 to this moment, and bring them back to Jesus 00:10:54.549 --> 00:10:57.769 now as he enters Jerusalem. And to understand 00:10:57.769 --> 00:11:01.309 the significance of that east side and east gate, 00:11:01.549 --> 00:11:04.730 we gotta go back to a prophet called Ezekiel. 00:11:05.090 --> 00:11:07.389 Not everybody's favourite prophet, a hard book 00:11:07.389 --> 00:11:09.429 to read. You may or may not have encountered 00:11:09.429 --> 00:11:11.889 him. You may or may not like him. But Ezekiel 00:11:11.889 --> 00:11:15.250 has something significant to say about this particular 00:11:15.250 --> 00:11:18.860 moment. In fact, two things. If you read Ezekiel, 00:11:19.059 --> 00:11:23.519 in Ezekiel chapter 10 and in chapter 11, Ezekiel 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:27.419 tells us about a catastrophic moment. And here's 00:11:27.419 --> 00:11:30.080 what he warns. He says, because of the wickedness 00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:32.960 of the people of Jerusalem, the people of God, 00:11:33.379 --> 00:11:36.779 because they persisted in their wickedness, God 00:11:36.779 --> 00:11:41.200 says to them that my glory is going to leave. 00:11:42.279 --> 00:11:44.440 So in other words, this idea of the presence 00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:48.360 of God the glory of God which would traditionally 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:52.100 been rooted in the temple so God's glory or presence 00:11:52.100 --> 00:11:55.120 is centered around this temple God is saying 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:57.539 to the people in chapter 10 and 11 I'm going 00:11:57.539 --> 00:12:00.580 to leave because of your wickedness because you 00:12:00.580 --> 00:12:03.080 will not listen to me because you persist in 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:05.700 doing the things over and over again I tell you 00:12:05.700 --> 00:12:08.159 are wrong to do because of that I'm gonna leave 00:12:08.509 --> 00:12:11.269 And I'm not only going to leave the temple, I'm 00:12:11.269 --> 00:12:14.970 going to leave the city. And Ezekiel tells us 00:12:14.970 --> 00:12:18.690 the route that God leaves. He's going to leave 00:12:18.690 --> 00:12:22.570 through the east gate and he's going to stop 00:12:22.570 --> 00:12:25.610 at the Mount of Olives before he goes further. 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:29.779 So we get this incredible moment. Ezekiel, hundreds 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:33.879 of years before, is saying God's glory will leave. 00:12:33.940 --> 00:12:36.919 And in fact, we know it did because that particular 00:12:36.919 --> 00:12:39.980 city and that particular area were taken into 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:43.580 exile by the Babylonians, which was a sign that 00:12:43.580 --> 00:12:45.960 God's glory had departed. Now, that sounds like 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:49.419 bad news, but Ezekiel doesn't leave there. In 00:12:49.419 --> 00:12:53.620 fact, in chapter 43 of Ezekiel, he says something 00:12:53.620 --> 00:12:57.200 really encouraging. He says, actually, the glory 00:12:57.200 --> 00:13:02.960 that is left one day will return. Alright? So 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:05.419 that's good news. So he's told the people at 00:13:05.419 --> 00:13:07.580 one level, because of your wickedness, God's 00:13:07.580 --> 00:13:09.899 presence and glory will leave. Now he's telling 00:13:09.899 --> 00:13:13.899 them, God will return. And here's what he says, 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:17.419 chapter 43 of Ezekiel, and it says these words. 00:13:17.539 --> 00:13:20.019 Listen carefully to the words. Stay with me now. 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:25.019 The glory of the Lord entered the temple through 00:13:25.019 --> 00:13:29.879 the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted 00:13:29.879 --> 00:13:32.919 me up and brought me into the inner court, and 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:38.360 the glory of the Lord filled the temple. So we've 00:13:38.360 --> 00:13:41.620 got two things going on in a man, in a book called 00:13:41.620 --> 00:13:45.000 Ezekiel, this prophet, he's prophesying two things. 00:13:45.159 --> 00:13:47.019 Number one, there's gonna come a moment in history 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:51.070 which happened. where the glory will leave Jerusalem 00:13:51.070 --> 00:13:54.169 and the people will be exiled and Ezekiel says 00:13:54.169 --> 00:13:57.289 that glory will depart out of the East Gate and 00:13:57.289 --> 00:14:00.590 stop at the Mount of Olives before it departs 00:14:00.590 --> 00:14:04.929 but then he says one day, one day the Lord will 00:14:04.929 --> 00:14:09.750 return and his glory will return and that glory 00:14:09.750 --> 00:14:13.669 will be seen by entering through the East Gate 00:14:13.669 --> 00:14:19.500 and coming to fill the temple. And listen, ladies 00:14:19.500 --> 00:14:22.179 and gentlemen, it's easy to miss when Jesus just 00:14:22.179 --> 00:14:24.320 rides into Jerusalem that day through the East 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:27.100 Gate. It's just easy to miss all of this because 00:14:27.100 --> 00:14:30.440 it's not obvious. But when we make the connections, 00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:33.700 if our eyes are open, if our ears are open, we're 00:14:33.700 --> 00:14:36.259 going, hold on a minute, hold on a minute. Jesus 00:14:36.259 --> 00:14:39.259 is entering through this East Gate from the Mount 00:14:39.259 --> 00:14:41.700 of Olives. And in fact, Matthew, Mark and Luke 00:14:41.700 --> 00:14:44.940 tell us the first place he goes after he enters 00:14:44.940 --> 00:14:49.399 Jerusalem is the temple. Wow. Now either that's 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:52.840 a super cool coincidence or something's going 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:55.340 on. Now, if we just had that, that might not 00:14:55.340 --> 00:14:58.299 be enough. But John's gospel, in his gospel, 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:01.419 John says this, we read from John earlier on, 00:15:01.740 --> 00:15:03.879 earlier in the gospel of John, he says this, 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:09.100 the word, speaking of Jesus, became flesh and 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:11.879 made his dwelling among us. And then he says 00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:18.389 this, we have seen his glory. the glory of the 00:15:18.389 --> 00:15:24.009 one and only Son who came from the Father full 00:15:24.009 --> 00:15:26.210 of grace and truth. Now here's what John's doing. 00:15:26.529 --> 00:15:30.350 Now watch this. John is describing the incarnation 00:15:30.350 --> 00:15:34.549 of the Son of God as the manifestation of the 00:15:34.549 --> 00:15:41.289 glory of God. God has returned. God has come 00:15:41.289 --> 00:15:45.049 back, as it were. And John makes that really 00:15:45.049 --> 00:15:49.809 explicit for us. And later on, John, when speaking 00:15:49.809 --> 00:15:53.070 of Jesus, Jesus says these words, speaking of 00:15:53.070 --> 00:15:58.149 himself, he said, destroy this temple and in 00:15:58.149 --> 00:16:00.950 three days I will rebuild it. Now it's clear 00:16:00.950 --> 00:16:03.610 there in John chapter 2 that Jesus is not speaking 00:16:03.610 --> 00:16:06.350 of a physical temple. In fact, John makes it 00:16:06.350 --> 00:16:08.690 clear to us that Jesus is speaking of himself. 00:16:08.809 --> 00:16:11.029 So I want you to see two things happening now. 00:16:11.389 --> 00:16:14.769 John set this up in his gospel, which he's hoping 00:16:14.769 --> 00:16:16.990 that when Jesus enters Jerusalem, me and you 00:16:16.990 --> 00:16:20.409 get this. And here's what he's saying. The person 00:16:20.409 --> 00:16:26.159 we call Jesus is the glory of God. He is the 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:29.179 manifestation of God's presence and God's glory 00:16:29.179 --> 00:16:32.519 among us and not only is he the glory of God 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:39.440 But he is the temple that carries the glory of 00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:42.460 God Now you'll see something that Jesus does 00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:44.879 when he enters Jerusalem He goes to the temple 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:47.600 Matthew Mark and Luke tell us this and he doesn't 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:49.919 do anything at the temple He just looks around 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:52.539 and then he goes to where every stain and in 00:16:52.539 --> 00:16:59.980 the next day He returns with a whip and he chases 00:16:59.980 --> 00:17:03.870 the money lenders and the merchants. out of the 00:17:03.870 --> 00:17:07.210 temple. Why? Because he declares they have turned 00:17:07.210 --> 00:17:09.990 God's house into a den of thieves. And there's 00:17:09.990 --> 00:17:12.289 a whole backstory there of the wicked things 00:17:12.289 --> 00:17:14.789 they were doing and exploiting and manipulating 00:17:14.789 --> 00:17:17.549 people and literally raking money in off the 00:17:17.549 --> 00:17:20.009 back of the poor. So Jesus says you've turned 00:17:20.009 --> 00:17:22.750 the house of God into a den of thieves and you've 00:17:22.750 --> 00:17:26.390 turned the place of prayer for the nations into 00:17:26.390 --> 00:17:29.599 a market house. And Jesus clears the temple. 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:32.680 Now again, there's a cracking Old Testament connection 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:36.819 here because before Passover, every Jewish household 00:17:36.819 --> 00:17:40.660 was encouraged to go through the house and sweep 00:17:40.660 --> 00:17:43.680 it clean. And what are they sweeping it clean 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:46.259 from? They're cleaning it of the leaven, all 00:17:46.259 --> 00:17:49.059 the stuff that God wants removed so that there's 00:17:49.059 --> 00:17:52.099 no impurity in the house. So that in the house 00:17:52.099 --> 00:17:55.140 then, when they celebrate Passover, when they 00:17:55.140 --> 00:17:58.059 celebrate the lambs, then for the exodus of the 00:17:58.059 --> 00:18:02.740 people, they're doing it in a clean house. Brothers 00:18:02.740 --> 00:18:07.140 and sisters, this is unmissable. And here's what 00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:09.720 John is saying, that Jesus, when he entered at 00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:13.839 his gate, he is the glory of God. He's returned. 00:18:14.579 --> 00:18:18.279 Ezekiel's words have now come to pass. And not 00:18:18.279 --> 00:18:23.980 only did Jesus return, but he's the temple that 00:18:23.980 --> 00:18:26.700 carries the glory of God. And when he stands 00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:30.869 in the temple and cleans the temple out, He's 00:18:30.869 --> 00:18:33.809 saying, actually, the glory of God has returned, 00:18:34.049 --> 00:18:37.670 not to this building, but the glory of God has 00:18:37.670 --> 00:18:41.069 returned because I am the temple. I'm the fulfillment 00:18:41.069 --> 00:18:46.309 of all of these ideas. And so when Jesus rides 00:18:46.309 --> 00:18:49.890 into Jerusalem from the east, that's not a coincidence. 00:18:50.970 --> 00:18:55.079 That's not random. That's deliberate. Every action 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:58.759 of Jesus on Palm Sunday is chosen, deliberate 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:02.740 and special. He's sending out a massive signal 00:19:02.740 --> 00:19:06.259 and he's saying to anybody who will listen, pay 00:19:06.259 --> 00:19:10.099 attention. The glory of the Lord has returned 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:12.380 but it hasn't returned in a way that you expected 00:19:12.380 --> 00:19:15.039 and it hasn't returned to the place that you 00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:20.559 expect but it has returned through me. I am the 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:24.039 glory of God. Now, in our 21st century world, 00:19:24.140 --> 00:19:26.759 we miss that. But be encouraged, let me just 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:30.240 encourage you, the disciples missed it too. They 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:32.180 didn't understand any of that. In fact, John 00:19:32.180 --> 00:19:35.259 tells us explicitly, they did not understand 00:19:35.259 --> 00:19:37.960 what was going on here. It would be later that 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:41.359 they would connect the dots between Ezekiel and 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:44.180 the East Gate and the glory of God and Jesus 00:19:44.180 --> 00:19:46.960 cleaning out the temple. So when Jesus rides 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:49.380 into Jerusalem that day through the East Gate, 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:53.049 this is not random not coincidental this is a 00:19:53.049 --> 00:19:56.349 deliberate action of Jesus to say something and 00:19:56.349 --> 00:19:58.130 here's what he's saying and here's what he's 00:19:58.130 --> 00:20:01.150 saying to the 21st century world I am the glory 00:20:01.150 --> 00:20:05.549 of God That actually he is the manifestation 00:20:05.549 --> 00:20:09.049 of God's presence and God's glory in our world 00:20:09.049 --> 00:20:12.130 Anna encouraged us to be people who would gaze 00:20:12.130 --> 00:20:14.869 on the face of the Lord who would be open to 00:20:14.869 --> 00:20:16.869 him not just rush through this but recognize 00:20:16.869 --> 00:20:22.329 that Jesus is the glory of the Lord And he does 00:20:22.329 --> 00:20:24.910 that by entering through the East Gate. Is that 00:20:24.910 --> 00:20:27.809 okay with me? Here's the second we thought I 00:20:27.809 --> 00:20:29.910 want you to get so hold that thought as we go 00:20:29.910 --> 00:20:32.910 to thought number two really quickly I want you 00:20:32.910 --> 00:20:34.670 to look not only in the direction of travel, 00:20:34.849 --> 00:20:36.809 but I want you to see the donkey on which he 00:20:36.809 --> 00:20:40.029 rode. Now this is important for us. It's not 00:20:40.029 --> 00:20:43.150 just a piece of information. It's a sign. It's 00:20:43.150 --> 00:20:46.150 a signal. And a little thing to notice is that 00:20:46.150 --> 00:20:48.210 in all of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and 00:20:48.210 --> 00:20:51.089 John, this is the only time, the only recorded 00:20:51.089 --> 00:20:55.329 time we have Jesus riding a donkey. Every other 00:20:55.329 --> 00:20:58.140 time he walks. So just from a piece of information, 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:00.859 it's a bit of an outlier moment in the life of 00:21:00.859 --> 00:21:03.619 Jesus. This is the only time he rides on a donkey. 00:21:03.960 --> 00:21:05.819 And when something like that happens in the Bible, 00:21:05.940 --> 00:21:08.859 when the Bible breaks a pattern or changes a 00:21:08.859 --> 00:21:11.279 pattern, pay attention to the change of the pattern. 00:21:11.450 --> 00:21:14.930 It's asking you to look a bit more closely at 00:21:14.930 --> 00:21:18.170 the fact that the pattern has changed. So Jesus 00:21:18.170 --> 00:21:20.670 is riding this donkey for the very first time. 00:21:20.849 --> 00:21:23.269 And we see him do that for the very first time. 00:21:23.390 --> 00:21:25.769 And three gorgeous things quickly about the donkey. 00:21:25.890 --> 00:21:28.529 Number one, it's a donkey that no one had ever 00:21:28.529 --> 00:21:34.710 ridden on. It's a cult of a donkey. It's a foal. 00:21:35.450 --> 00:21:39.490 No human backside had ever sat on this donkey. 00:21:41.379 --> 00:21:44.140 Jesus is the first, forgive my language, the 00:21:44.140 --> 00:21:49.140 first bum to sit on this donkey. It's a sense 00:21:49.140 --> 00:21:51.700 in which there's a beautiful idea here that the 00:21:51.700 --> 00:21:56.039 donkey becomes a first fruit offering unto God. 00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:00.500 This donkey isn't just any old donkey, this is 00:22:00.500 --> 00:22:05.559 a donkey that hasn't been ridden by anybody else. 00:22:06.220 --> 00:22:09.220 And Jesus becomes the first person to ride on 00:22:09.220 --> 00:22:11.099 it. And of course, there's a gorgeous little 00:22:11.099 --> 00:22:13.880 nuance there around the fact that he's able to 00:22:13.880 --> 00:22:17.279 ride on it without the little cult struggling. 00:22:18.290 --> 00:22:21.690 Somehow Jesus can sit on this thing and it just 00:22:21.690 --> 00:22:24.329 obeys him and follows him. The second little 00:22:24.329 --> 00:22:26.690 nuance in that idea is if you go back to the 00:22:26.690 --> 00:22:30.269 Old Testament again, certain animals when they 00:22:30.269 --> 00:22:34.289 were sacrificed for the sins of the people that 00:22:34.289 --> 00:22:37.349 brought them, they had to be animals that were 00:22:37.349 --> 00:22:42.220 unused. So, for example, you'll see this in both 00:22:42.220 --> 00:22:44.900 Numbers and Deuteronomy. A heifer, for example, 00:22:45.140 --> 00:22:48.599 if it was being offered for sacrifice, it had 00:22:48.599 --> 00:22:51.079 to be a heifer that wasn't used in the field. 00:22:51.380 --> 00:22:53.759 It didn't have a yoke on it. In other words, 00:22:53.880 --> 00:22:56.940 it had never been pressed into service. It was 00:22:56.940 --> 00:22:59.619 something that was given, as it were, as a first 00:22:59.619 --> 00:23:03.289 fruit. onto the Lord. So there's a lovely little 00:23:03.289 --> 00:23:07.910 nudge there that this un -ridden donkey is offering 00:23:07.910 --> 00:23:11.450 something new and fresh to the Lord. But the 00:23:11.450 --> 00:23:14.730 second thing to see is connected with the kingship 00:23:14.730 --> 00:23:17.509 of Jesus. So again, we got to travel back to 00:23:17.509 --> 00:23:20.190 the Old Testament. And there are two big ideas. 00:23:21.879 --> 00:23:24.759 massively colliding in this moment of Jesus riding 00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:27.660 a donkey. The first one is to do with King David. 00:23:27.920 --> 00:23:30.279 Now, if you're not sure who that is, he was a 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:33.119 king of Israel way back at the beginning of the 00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:35.779 journey. So the second king of Israel, Saul and 00:23:35.779 --> 00:23:38.539 then David. And David, when he's about to make 00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:42.740 his son Solomon king, he does something very, 00:23:42.740 --> 00:23:44.960 very significant. And you can read this in the 00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:48.180 book of Kings. I'll read the language to you. 00:23:48.200 --> 00:23:51.579 It says this. Take with you the servants of your 00:23:51.579 --> 00:23:57.839 Lord and have Solomon my son ride on my mule 00:23:57.839 --> 00:24:02.259 and bring him down to Gihon. Now, it sounds like 00:24:02.259 --> 00:24:04.359 it's again an irrelevant piece of information 00:24:04.359 --> 00:24:06.700 to me and you, but this is important, really 00:24:06.700 --> 00:24:11.160 important that David is parading Solomon as the 00:24:11.160 --> 00:24:14.519 king, the new king. But how is he doing that? 00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:19.819 Solomon is riding on his donkey. So there's a 00:24:19.819 --> 00:24:21.920 sense in which David is sending out a signal 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:25.660 before the coronation of Solomon, before Solomon 00:24:25.660 --> 00:24:28.599 is officially made the king. Actually, you get 00:24:28.599 --> 00:24:32.740 this idea that because he's riding David's donkey, 00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:36.819 this is a sign that Solomon is the king. Okay, 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:39.980 are you with me? Now then we connect that idea 00:24:39.980 --> 00:24:43.839 to another prophet in the Old Testament. called 00:24:43.839 --> 00:24:47.019 Zechariah. In fact, we mentioned Zechariah's 00:24:47.019 --> 00:24:50.539 words in John chapter 12. And Zechariah says 00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:54.180 these words, possibly, possibly doing two things. 00:24:54.559 --> 00:24:58.299 Zechariah's possibly riffing off the David story, 00:24:58.859 --> 00:25:01.920 going back the way, grabbing that idea, but then 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:04.240 pushing forward prophetically to the future. 00:25:04.619 --> 00:25:07.500 And Zechariah says these words, rejoice greatly, 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:12.900 daughter Zion. Shout, daughter Jerusalem, see 00:25:12.900 --> 00:25:18.200 your King comes to you righteous and victorious, 00:25:18.259 --> 00:25:20.960 or we could translate that, righteous and having 00:25:20.960 --> 00:25:26.740 salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a 00:25:26.740 --> 00:25:29.500 colt, the fall of a donkey. Now if you want the 00:25:29.500 --> 00:25:33.119 reference, that's Zechariah 9 .9. Now, I know 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:35.039 you're looking at me, you're already a bit glazed 00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:37.900 over and have probably maybe lost half the congregation, 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:41.099 but this is absolutely crucially important. Jesus 00:25:41.099 --> 00:25:45.599 could have walked into Jerusalem. He walked everywhere 00:25:45.599 --> 00:25:52.039 else. Jesus technically doesn't need the donkey 00:25:52.039 --> 00:25:56.759 to get into Jerusalem, but Jesus gets the donkey 00:25:56.759 --> 00:26:00.640 because he wants to say something through the 00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:04.799 donkey. The donkey is speaking to the whole of 00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:08.200 that crowd if they have ears to hear and eyes 00:26:08.200 --> 00:26:12.180 to see. Jesus is picking up on two massive ideas. 00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:15.339 Remember who Jesus is? He's the Messiah. What's 00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:19.420 another phrase for the Messiah? He is the son 00:26:19.420 --> 00:26:25.700 of David. He's the son of David. He's not a son 00:26:25.700 --> 00:26:28.920 of David like Solomon was. David had many sons, 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:35.380 but the Messiah will be the son of David, who 00:26:35.380 --> 00:26:40.740 will sit on David's throne forever and make that 00:26:40.740 --> 00:26:44.980 throne secure and establish that kingdom. So 00:26:44.980 --> 00:26:48.039 when Jesus grabs that little donkey, there's 00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:54.339 a son of David vibe going on, but he's also unmistakably, 00:26:54.599 --> 00:26:58.140 he's grabbing the Zechariah prophecy that says 00:26:58.140 --> 00:27:02.299 you're king, Jerusalem. And look who Zechariah 00:27:02.299 --> 00:27:05.740 is speaking to, specifically Jerusalem. He's 00:27:05.740 --> 00:27:08.319 not speaking to Israel in general, he's speaking 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:11.839 to Zion and Jerusalem in particular. He's saying 00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:15.259 one day Jerusalem, keep your eyes open, one day 00:27:15.259 --> 00:27:20.440 the king will come to you sitting on the cult 00:27:20.440 --> 00:27:25.019 of a donkey. Not on a great big charger, not 00:27:25.019 --> 00:27:27.880 with a great big army. not with a great sword 00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:31.299 in his hand. He will come, as Zechariah said, 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:37.640 lowly, humbly, riding on a donkey. And brothers 00:27:37.640 --> 00:27:40.480 and sisters, this is why this little donkey becomes 00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:42.680 so important. It's not just a cute little thing 00:27:42.680 --> 00:27:45.799 and a cool little piece of information. It is 00:27:45.799 --> 00:27:49.920 a massive sign. Jesus is saying to the crowd, 00:27:50.259 --> 00:27:52.680 for anyone who is easy to hear, or eyes to see, 00:27:52.920 --> 00:27:54.839 and he's saying to me and you in the 21st century, 00:27:55.279 --> 00:27:58.839 this donkey is screaming at us. And the donkey 00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:04.180 is saying, Jesus is the king. The king, not a 00:28:04.180 --> 00:28:07.430 king. He's the King. He's God's Messiah King. 00:28:07.769 --> 00:28:12.890 He's the Son of David who has come into the world 00:28:12.890 --> 00:28:15.609 not just to be the King of Jerusalem, not just 00:28:15.609 --> 00:28:18.990 to be the King of Israel, but to be the King 00:28:18.990 --> 00:28:26.569 of the whole world. And that's what's going on 00:28:26.569 --> 00:28:31.460 in Palm Sunday. That actually when Jesus rides 00:28:31.460 --> 00:28:34.299 on that little donkey, he is declaring to the 00:28:34.299 --> 00:28:39.680 world I am the son of David and I am the fulfillment 00:28:39.680 --> 00:28:44.960 of the Zechariah Prophecy. I am the king of the 00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:52.180 world Amen Such an important idea for us to understand 00:28:52.180 --> 00:28:54.819 So two thoughts I want you to hold as we go to 00:28:54.819 --> 00:28:58.180 the third one number one entering through the 00:28:58.180 --> 00:29:01.430 East Gate He's declaring the glory of the Lord 00:29:01.430 --> 00:29:05.829 has returned. And actually that glory will ultimately, 00:29:06.130 --> 00:29:09.230 brothers and sisters, ultimately be seen on the 00:29:09.230 --> 00:29:13.230 cross. A complete contradiction. The glory could 00:29:13.230 --> 00:29:17.490 be manifest in a naked man hanging on the cross, 00:29:17.930 --> 00:29:21.930 executed by the Romans. But the glory has come. 00:29:22.349 --> 00:29:24.289 And because that glory has come through the East 00:29:24.289 --> 00:29:27.430 Gate, the whole world can experience the glory 00:29:27.430 --> 00:29:31.049 of God. Secondly, the donkey that he rides on 00:29:31.049 --> 00:29:36.930 screams to his all. The king has come. The king 00:29:36.930 --> 00:29:41.190 has returned. The son of David. There will never 00:29:41.190 --> 00:29:49.569 be another son of David. He is the son of David, 00:29:49.750 --> 00:29:54.380 the final son of David. and he has come to take 00:29:54.380 --> 00:29:58.480 his throne not just over one little country in 00:29:58.480 --> 00:30:00.960 the Middle East, but he has come to take his 00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:04.359 throne over the whole world. And that's what 00:30:04.359 --> 00:30:06.579 we celebrate on Palm Sunday. Here's the third 00:30:06.579 --> 00:30:09.039 idea, and I'm drawing to a close. You'll be glad 00:30:09.039 --> 00:30:12.160 to hear. Here's the third thought. It's the declaration 00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:16.210 of the people, so the direction of travel. The 00:30:16.210 --> 00:30:18.430 donkey in which he sits and in the declaration 00:30:18.430 --> 00:30:20.529 of the people. Anna read this so beautifully 00:30:20.529 --> 00:30:23.250 to us. Was that the NLT you were reading from? 00:30:23.869 --> 00:30:27.670 Message? Yeah, beautiful. So a very poetic version 00:30:27.670 --> 00:30:30.589 of that lovely moment. And when we read the other 00:30:30.589 --> 00:30:33.210 Gospels, they really pick up the power of what 00:30:33.210 --> 00:30:35.990 Anna read for us. And Matthew puts it like this. 00:30:36.230 --> 00:30:39.789 As the people see Jesus, they start to declare 00:30:39.789 --> 00:30:46.400 these words. Hosanna to the son. of David blessed 00:30:46.400 --> 00:30:51.579 is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna 00:30:51.579 --> 00:30:54.480 in the highest now again sorry about this but 00:30:54.480 --> 00:30:57.480 it's really important they are riffing off the 00:30:57.480 --> 00:31:02.140 old testament so they're quoting a psalm psalm 00:31:02.140 --> 00:31:06.519 118 a psalm worthy of your devotional reflection 00:31:06.519 --> 00:31:10.420 over Easter week a magnificent psalm a psalm 00:31:10.420 --> 00:31:13.410 much quoted in the new testament And they are 00:31:13.410 --> 00:31:16.009 riffing off Psalm 118. And here's what Psalm 00:31:16.009 --> 00:31:20.529 118 says, Lord save us. In the language of Psalm 00:31:20.529 --> 00:31:25.309 118, Hoshiana, Lord save us, save us. It goes 00:31:25.309 --> 00:31:29.349 on to say this, Lord grant us success. Blessed 00:31:29.349 --> 00:31:32.450 is he who comes in the name of the Lord from 00:31:32.450 --> 00:31:35.910 the house of the Lord, we bless you. Now, at 00:31:35.910 --> 00:31:38.210 the same time that the people are saying that, 00:31:38.369 --> 00:31:40.589 they're putting cloaks and they're also putting. 00:31:40.759 --> 00:31:44.220 palm leaves or palm branches down and one of 00:31:44.220 --> 00:31:47.359 the symbols of the palm branch which was very 00:31:47.359 --> 00:31:50.539 powerful in the time of Jesus was a symbol of 00:31:50.539 --> 00:31:55.759 liberation a symbol of victory a symbol of the 00:31:55.759 --> 00:31:59.440 casting off of oppression and bringing people 00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:01.619 to liberty. And this goes all the way back to 00:32:01.619 --> 00:32:05.039 a bit of the history in between the Old Testament 00:32:05.039 --> 00:32:07.940 and the New Testament. When a group of people 00:32:07.940 --> 00:32:11.460 called the Maccabees, they cast off the oppression 00:32:11.460 --> 00:32:14.539 of the Greeks and they set the people of God 00:32:14.539 --> 00:32:18.359 free and you have a sort of a Jewish kingdom 00:32:18.359 --> 00:32:21.500 re -established right in the middle of the Old 00:32:21.500 --> 00:32:23.759 Testament and the New Testament bit. Now that 00:32:23.759 --> 00:32:25.619 didn't last very long because the Romans came 00:32:25.619 --> 00:32:28.269 along and like squashed that like a bug. But 00:32:28.269 --> 00:32:30.569 you got this moment where one of the symbols 00:32:30.569 --> 00:32:33.970 of the liberation of the Maccabees was that they 00:32:33.970 --> 00:32:37.349 used the palm branch. It was like a code. It 00:32:37.349 --> 00:32:40.490 was a symbol. When you held that up, it was a 00:32:40.490 --> 00:32:43.130 symbol of defiance. It was a symbol of liberation. 00:32:43.390 --> 00:32:46.150 It was a symbol of liberty. So when the people 00:32:46.150 --> 00:32:48.730 put down the palm branches, they're literally 00:32:48.730 --> 00:32:52.369 saying, at a political sense, we are looking 00:32:52.369 --> 00:32:55.369 for the son of David to come and rescue us from 00:32:55.369 --> 00:32:57.910 the Romans. We're looking for the salvation of 00:32:57.910 --> 00:33:00.309 God to set us free from political oppression. 00:33:00.690 --> 00:33:03.309 We're looking for a day when the Messiah will 00:33:03.309 --> 00:33:07.089 come, not... the emperor in Rome, not Pilate, 00:33:07.150 --> 00:33:10.049 not even Herod, but the son of David will come 00:33:10.049 --> 00:33:13.210 as the king and savior of the world and he will 00:33:13.210 --> 00:33:17.230 set us free. So these people are crying for salvation, 00:33:18.670 --> 00:33:22.490 save us, but probably the salvation they're crying 00:33:22.490 --> 00:33:26.890 for is more political than spiritual. They're 00:33:26.890 --> 00:33:30.690 looking for a revolution. They're looking for 00:33:30.690 --> 00:33:33.970 someone to set them free from the Romans. Now 00:33:33.970 --> 00:33:37.809 here's the gorgeous irony, of course. Magnificent 00:33:37.809 --> 00:33:40.289 theological irony here. The loiter crying out 00:33:40.289 --> 00:33:47.109 for salvation, the one they're crying to literally 00:33:47.109 --> 00:33:52.490 is the Savior. He is going to save them. He is 00:33:52.490 --> 00:33:54.529 going to set them free. And again, we go back 00:33:54.529 --> 00:33:57.339 to the Old Testament. I make no apology for this. 00:33:57.400 --> 00:33:59.740 It's like an Old Testament study, but Palm Sunday 00:33:59.740 --> 00:34:01.640 doesn't make sense without the Old Testament. 00:34:01.940 --> 00:34:04.619 We go back to Isaiah. Here's the prophet Isaiah. 00:34:05.339 --> 00:34:08.880 Behold, behold, the Lord is proclaimed to the 00:34:08.880 --> 00:34:11.699 end of the earth. Say to the daughter of Zion, 00:34:11.900 --> 00:34:15.940 there's that reference again. Behold, your salvation 00:34:15.940 --> 00:34:19.889 comes. Behold, his reward is with him. and his 00:34:19.889 --> 00:34:23.030 recompenses before him. Zechariah picks up the 00:34:23.030 --> 00:34:26.010 language exactly of Isaiah and Zechariah says 00:34:26.010 --> 00:34:29.690 this, rejoice daughter of Zion, shout aloud daughter 00:34:29.690 --> 00:34:33.269 of Jerusalem, behold your King is coming to you 00:34:33.269 --> 00:34:38.809 righteous and having salvation is he or he is 00:34:38.809 --> 00:34:43.980 salvation. So when Zechariah prophesied the coming 00:34:43.980 --> 00:34:46.480 of this king on the donkey, he's not just saying 00:34:46.480 --> 00:34:51.539 he's bringing salvation, he's saying he is salvation. 00:34:51.820 --> 00:34:55.159 He is the saviour. And that's what Jesus' name 00:34:55.159 --> 00:34:59.699 literally means. The Lord saves. And the one 00:34:59.699 --> 00:35:03.460 who was named by God, the Lord saves, is now 00:35:03.460 --> 00:35:06.519 sitting on a donkey and riding into Jerusalem 00:35:06.519 --> 00:35:09.219 and people are singing Lord save us and they've 00:35:09.219 --> 00:35:12.840 no idea what they're singing. And they're actually 00:35:12.840 --> 00:35:16.519 singing to someone who in the days to come will 00:35:16.519 --> 00:35:20.000 save them. But he won't save them with an army. 00:35:20.739 --> 00:35:23.639 He won't save them with a sword. He won't save 00:35:23.639 --> 00:35:25.980 them because he crushes the Romans under his 00:35:25.980 --> 00:35:29.719 feet. He will save them by yielding up his life 00:35:29.719 --> 00:35:33.840 and giving himself completely and totally on 00:35:33.840 --> 00:35:36.659 the cross. What it looks like on the surface 00:35:36.659 --> 00:35:42.679 is he's failed. has crushed another son of Israel 00:35:42.679 --> 00:35:46.820 but no no no he hasn't failed in that moment 00:35:46.820 --> 00:35:49.900 on the cross and a few days later when he smashed 00:35:49.900 --> 00:35:53.119 the grave to smithereens he said I'm not failing 00:35:53.119 --> 00:35:57.360 I'm here to save the world I'm going to change 00:35:57.360 --> 00:36:02.679 the world. One other gorgeous little twist brothers 00:36:02.679 --> 00:36:06.980 and sisters is that the East Gate was the gate 00:36:06.980 --> 00:36:10.599 through which the lambs were taken for the slaughter 00:36:10.599 --> 00:36:14.860 on Passover. In fact, our general research points 00:36:14.860 --> 00:36:18.139 to the idea that most of the sheep and lambs 00:36:18.139 --> 00:36:21.199 bred for slaughter were bred in a little place 00:36:21.199 --> 00:36:30.659 called Bethlehem. There's a thought. That the 00:36:30.659 --> 00:36:33.360 shepherds who came to visit Jesus when he was 00:36:33.360 --> 00:36:36.880 a baby were probably raising the sheep and the 00:36:36.880 --> 00:36:40.289 lambs. That would be taken to the temple through 00:36:40.289 --> 00:36:44.230 the East Gate For slaughter at the Passover my 00:36:44.230 --> 00:36:48.289 goodness gracious me What a thought and here's 00:36:48.289 --> 00:36:51.489 now Jesus as he enters the East Gate. He's not 00:36:51.489 --> 00:36:56.590 a lamb Come on come on people. What is John call 00:36:56.590 --> 00:37:01.809 him John says behold Just like Isaiah says behold 00:37:01.809 --> 00:37:05.210 Just like Zechariah says behold. What does John 00:37:05.210 --> 00:37:11.800 say behold? The lamb of God who takes away the 00:37:11.800 --> 00:37:16.460 sin of the world, not by killing the Romans, 00:37:18.480 --> 00:37:22.349 but by dying for the Romans. Come on. What a 00:37:22.349 --> 00:37:25.969 story, what an amazing idea that is, brothers 00:37:25.969 --> 00:37:28.690 and sisters. It is a juxtaposition of our power 00:37:28.690 --> 00:37:31.349 structures. We're living in a world today, and 00:37:31.349 --> 00:37:33.530 my goodness, we're watching the TV and listening 00:37:33.530 --> 00:37:36.690 to the news, and it's just day after day of utter 00:37:36.690 --> 00:37:41.369 madness. People playing power games with our 00:37:41.369 --> 00:37:44.909 world. And it's the people who've got the most 00:37:44.909 --> 00:37:47.630 power are claiming the victory. Well, let me 00:37:47.630 --> 00:37:50.690 show you something about Palm Sunday. The saviour 00:37:50.690 --> 00:37:52.949 of the world didn't come with a sword, and he 00:37:52.949 --> 00:37:55.469 didn't come with an army, but he changed the 00:37:55.469 --> 00:37:58.530 world by giving his life and laying himself down. 00:37:59.489 --> 00:38:04.070 He's the king and the saviour of the world. And 00:38:04.070 --> 00:38:06.969 that's what we trust in, not the power of men. 00:38:07.349 --> 00:38:09.469 Goodness gracious me, half of them don't know 00:38:09.469 --> 00:38:12.409 what they're doing. But we trust in the king 00:38:12.409 --> 00:38:14.780 of the universe. and the saviour of the world. 00:38:14.840 --> 00:38:18.360 The book of Revelation calls Jesus the lion of 00:38:18.360 --> 00:38:23.119 the tribe of Judah once. Revelation 5 .5 and 00:38:23.119 --> 00:38:25.099 yet we've made a whole song list about that. 00:38:25.320 --> 00:38:29.639 Once he's called the lion 28 times in the book 00:38:29.639 --> 00:38:34.119 of Revelation. Come on, what's he called? The 00:38:34.119 --> 00:38:39.659 lamb. The lamb. The lamb. He overcomes. by his 00:38:39.659 --> 00:38:42.960 blood. He doesn't overcome by destroying. He 00:38:42.960 --> 00:38:46.099 doesn't overcome by squashing and killing. He 00:38:46.099 --> 00:38:52.000 overcomes by laying down his life. And that day 00:38:52.000 --> 00:38:55.300 when they sang, Hoshiana, Lord, save us, save 00:38:55.300 --> 00:38:59.820 us. Little did they know that the man on the 00:38:59.820 --> 00:39:03.280 donkey was the lamb of God who would not only 00:39:03.280 --> 00:39:05.440 save them and their children and their children's 00:39:05.440 --> 00:39:07.179 children, but he would save the whole world. 00:39:07.400 --> 00:39:12.300 And we are here today because Jesus became that 00:39:12.300 --> 00:39:19.460 lamb and lay down his life for us. Brothers and 00:39:19.460 --> 00:39:22.539 sisters, that is our hope. That is our future. 00:39:23.800 --> 00:39:26.400 In that we trust. And I know I'm speaking to 00:39:26.400 --> 00:39:28.320 people this morning, you go, what is he talking 00:39:28.320 --> 00:39:32.099 about? Well, the first century disciples struggled 00:39:32.099 --> 00:39:35.980 with it as well. They didn't understand it. They're 00:39:35.980 --> 00:39:38.139 seeing Jesus riding from the east didn't get 00:39:38.139 --> 00:39:40.260 it. They're seeing Jesus on a little donkey. 00:39:40.500 --> 00:39:43.000 They didn't get it They're seeing Jesus entering 00:39:43.000 --> 00:39:45.679 the East Gate They don't get it but after his 00:39:45.679 --> 00:39:48.019 death and after his resurrection all the dots 00:39:48.019 --> 00:39:52.019 started to connect and then they get it and now 00:39:52.019 --> 00:39:55.989 20 centuries later me and you Why should we get 00:39:55.989 --> 00:39:58.409 that stuff? But the gospel writers are begging 00:39:58.409 --> 00:40:01.590 us. They're begging us. Listen, this is not just 00:40:01.590 --> 00:40:04.329 a little ride into Jerusalem. This is Jesus declaring, 00:40:04.429 --> 00:40:07.090 I'm the glory of God returned. This is Jesus 00:40:07.090 --> 00:40:10.550 declaring, I am the king of the world. This is 00:40:10.550 --> 00:40:13.670 Jesus declaring, I am the savior of the world. 00:40:15.289 --> 00:40:17.800 That's why the devil hates Jesus. That's why 00:40:17.800 --> 00:40:20.320 he hates worship, where Jesus is at the center. 00:40:20.559 --> 00:40:22.639 That's why he hates preaching, where Jesus is 00:40:22.639 --> 00:40:25.019 at the center. That's why he hates people, where 00:40:25.019 --> 00:40:28.000 Jesus is at the center. Because he knows, more 00:40:28.000 --> 00:40:30.159 than anybody else, that Jesus is the glory of 00:40:30.159 --> 00:40:32.619 God. That Jesus is the king of the world. And 00:40:32.619 --> 00:40:35.880 that Jesus is the savior of the world. And that's 00:40:35.880 --> 00:40:40.960 what we celebrate today. Do you want to come 00:40:40.960 --> 00:40:45.559 in the midst of the madness? Where people, mere 00:40:45.559 --> 00:40:53.760 men, Mere men think they are keen. Jesus is keen. 00:40:57.179 --> 00:41:01.780 And our hope is not in mere men, our hope is 00:41:01.780 --> 00:41:05.719 in the Saviour of the world. Brothers and sisters, 00:41:05.820 --> 00:41:09.579 don't reduce Palm Sunday down to a wee analogy 00:41:09.579 --> 00:41:12.800 about a wee donkey and a moment and a few palm 00:41:12.800 --> 00:41:15.760 leaves. This is one of the greatest moments in 00:41:15.760 --> 00:41:18.179 the life of Jesus. It's the coronation before 00:41:18.179 --> 00:41:23.760 the coronation. He will be crowned as king on 00:41:23.760 --> 00:41:28.320 a cross and established as king through an empty 00:41:28.320 --> 00:41:32.139 grave. But as he enters into Jerusalem, he declares 00:41:32.139 --> 00:41:34.139 to the world, Luke, for those of you with eyes 00:41:34.139 --> 00:41:36.800 to see, those of you that have ears to hear, 00:41:36.840 --> 00:41:41.320 Luke, I am the glory of God. I am the king of 00:41:41.320 --> 00:41:46.039 the world and I I'm your saviour riding on a 00:41:46.039 --> 00:41:49.280 donkey. Come on, stand with me. Let me pray for 00:41:49.280 --> 00:41:54.739 you. I hope that's made sense to you. I really 00:41:54.739 --> 00:42:02.760 do. One level is just a story of a man getting 00:42:02.760 --> 00:42:06.579 into Jerusalem. On another level, it's a declaration 00:42:06.579 --> 00:42:10.579 of some of the most amazing ideas in the whole 00:42:10.579 --> 00:42:15.179 of the Bible. Jesus becomes the substance of 00:42:15.179 --> 00:42:18.780 every shadow and he becomes the fulfillment of 00:42:18.780 --> 00:42:24.179 every prophetic word as he rides into the city. 00:42:24.800 --> 00:42:27.079 As we go back to our world, a world filled with 00:42:27.079 --> 00:42:40.579 craziness and madness and utter. As we go back 00:42:40.579 --> 00:42:44.190 to our world. We go back with the confidence. 00:42:45.050 --> 00:42:48.389 If you're a Jesus follower, the glory of the 00:42:48.389 --> 00:42:52.750 Lord lives in you. Because Jesus lives in you. 00:42:54.449 --> 00:42:56.489 If you're a Jesus follower, we go back to our 00:42:56.489 --> 00:43:01.710 world with the reality, Jesus is King. Whoever 00:43:01.710 --> 00:43:05.489 seems to be in charge on planet Earth, Jesus 00:43:05.489 --> 00:43:09.519 is King. And we go back with the message to our 00:43:09.519 --> 00:43:12.099 friends, family, to a world that is broken, lost, 00:43:12.340 --> 00:43:16.239 anxious, and then utter confusion. We go back 00:43:16.239 --> 00:43:20.699 to a world that says the Lamb of God gave himself 00:43:20.699 --> 00:43:24.739 for the world. And because of that, we are saved. 00:43:27.500 --> 00:43:31.059 And so Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are 00:43:31.059 --> 00:43:35.409 the glory of God made manifest among us. Lord 00:43:35.409 --> 00:43:38.250 Jesus, we thank you that you are the King of 00:43:38.250 --> 00:43:44.050 the world. Seated on a throne that will never 00:43:44.050 --> 00:43:48.250 diminish or crumble. A throne that will outlast 00:43:48.250 --> 00:43:53.690 every throne in the world. A name that is above 00:43:53.690 --> 00:43:57.309 every ruler. A name that is above every principality. 00:43:57.710 --> 00:44:00.389 A name that is above every government. A name 00:44:00.389 --> 00:44:04.969 that is above every person. The King. of the 00:44:04.969 --> 00:44:08.449 whole world. But Lord we declare over our families, 00:44:08.730 --> 00:44:12.190 we declare over Bolton, we declare over our country, 00:44:12.309 --> 00:44:16.750 we declare over the world that Jesus is the saviour 00:44:16.750 --> 00:44:19.409 of the world. We say like those pilgrims of old, 00:44:19.769 --> 00:44:21.550 even though they may not have fully understand 00:44:21.550 --> 00:44:24.289 what they were singing, we pray save us oh Lord. 00:44:25.110 --> 00:44:28.619 Save us oh Lord. Save our families oh Lord. Save 00:44:28.619 --> 00:44:31.860 our nation, oh Lord. Save our world, oh Lord. 00:44:32.059 --> 00:44:34.460 In the midst of the darkness and craziness, we 00:44:34.460 --> 00:44:37.920 declare that you are the savior of the world. 00:44:38.539 --> 00:44:41.219 And we pray in the name of Jesus that Lord, those 00:44:41.219 --> 00:44:45.019 realities will live in us. Your glory, your kingship, 00:44:45.639 --> 00:44:50.059 and the fact that you are our salvation. So Lord, 00:44:50.059 --> 00:44:52.679 I pray that as we enter into our Easter journey, 00:44:53.219 --> 00:44:56.219 may we enter it into it with hope. May we enter 00:44:56.219 --> 00:44:59.599 into it with confidence. May we enter into it, 00:44:59.619 --> 00:45:02.619 Lord, with passion and enthusiasm as we were 00:45:02.619 --> 00:45:04.780 encouraged at the very beginning of this service. 00:45:05.119 --> 00:45:10.000 May we burst into song. Because we know that 00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:12.400 you are the glory of God. We know you are the 00:45:12.400 --> 00:45:15.420 King of the world. And we know and declare today 00:45:15.420 --> 00:45:19.920 that you are the Savior of the world. In Jesus' 00:45:20.159 --> 00:45:21.099 name. Amen.