Why did the cheering stop?

Message this week. I kind of went back and forth on my title. You know, why did the cheering stop or A little more personal note, I think you know the idea came to me of should I change it to? Why do we stopped cheering sometimes? Why do we stop praising? Why do we stop?

So, our passage for today is Luke chapter, 19 verses 37 to 42.

since when he came near the place, where the road goes down, the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples begin joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the Miracles, they had seen Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord peace in heaven and glory in the highest. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, teacher rebuke your disciples. I tell you he replied if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out. as he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, If you even you had only known on this day, what would bring you peace. But now it is hidden from your eyes.

You know, one very obvious thing is that the Jewish people desired a warrior king? They wanted someone who was going to come in and be a conqueror and set them free from the oppression that they were experiencing under the Roman government. And then seen the mighty works of this Jesus who was now riding into town. You know, they were witness to him restoring. The sight to the blind, they saw the evidence of him healing. The lame. They saw him feed multitudes of people with leftovers to spare. They heard about him, raising Lazarus from the dead and they listened to him teach with authority and heard him speak with authority to the religious leaders. I mean surely with power and authority like that. Jesus had to be the one, right? He had to be the guy that they've been waiting for.

so, when Jesus came to Jerusalem, the crowds began to cheer, They began to hail him as king and, you know, the timing of everything was perfect. It was just before the Passover feast and you know, that was a very symbolic event in Jewish history because it symbolized when the angel of death passed over Egypt and they were set free. From Faro. So the people thought it is all just lining up perfectly. God is acting once again to set his children free.

And the people hope that somehow Jesus would lead them out from the oppression of the Roman government and they had their ideas of how that was going to happen. Jesus knew this, he knew their heart. He knew their desires, he knew what they were expecting. He knew why they were cheering. So is Jesus rode into town. They also waved palm branches. The US that might seem a little bit weird, but palm branches have long been a symbol of Jewish nationalism. So it's kind of like everybody along the parade route, waving Little American flags on 4th of July. That's basically what it was very similar to as Jesus came in and they shouted, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. I always think of it, like the 4-H parade, you noticed x a whole bunch right with less tractors you know as they come in all the people are just crowding. The road there, you know, cheering appraising exalting But then the amazing thing about this whole story to me, always as you know, we called today, like the kind of the beginning of Holy Week.

but as this week progresses, you see, if you read the biblical accounts, that the cheering starts to be replaced with Disgruntled people, angry cries. You know, the crowd did not like, what it was seeing. They weren't seeing someone come in and take some decisive, military action to set them free. Images. It didn't do anything. He didn't gather any troops, he didn't talk about leading a revolt against the Romans. Basically, he wasn't doing what they expected. Instead, he went in and cleanse the temple by you. No driving out the money changers and he taught about giving out of poverty and how that means so much more than giving out of your abundance and wealth. He thought that in order to be great, you must be a servant.

Two things were nice, but they weren't what the people wanted. They weren't what's people expected.

And you knows I think about that. It's amazing. But you know when things go our way, when

We feel like God is doing what we want when we want it. When we feel like Jesus is rising and Taking up our cause it's really easy for us to cheer for God. It's really easy for us to praise him during those times when He's doing what we want him to do.

But what about when we begin to experience troubles?

What happens when he doesn't answer all of our prayers? Exactly. The way we think they should be answered.

All too often, we react the same way that the crowds did. The cheering stops. The praising stops. The worship stops. Words of praise and adoration fade away when God doesn't give us what we want. When we

And you're the reality is that sometimes God does give us what we want.

But we all know sometimes he doesn't. But the one thing you better believe is that God always gives us what we need. that we can always be sure of It's just that sometimes we have this little problem. This problem is that often when our wants and desires are what we're focused on, it begins to blur our vision. And all we can see is our immediate circumstances of what's going on around us. We don't see what it is that we really need.

It's the same thing that happened to the crowds that lined the streets to cheer on Jesus.

There are some things there that they didn't see, but Jesus didn't. We're going to dig into that a little bit and we'll see why Jesus wept. Just kind of a strange reaction, isn't it? Everybody's cheering your name, how great you are, how excited they are, to have you here, and you start crying.

We'll see why he wept as he approached the city and will begin to reveal why the cheering stopped.

The first reason is that they did not recognize his purpose. They just didn't get it. Luke 19:40 forces because you did not recognize the time of Gods coming to you. In. What did Jesus mean by that me? They were aware of his claims to be the Son of God they were witness to his Miracle working power. But they still didn't get it.

I mean, these people were looking for the kingdom of God.

And Jesus was telling them that quite literally the kingdom of God was standing there in their presents, looking them in the face. And they still didn't get it.

Because that wasn't what they wanted and how they wanted it. They didn't understand that. But you know, there's a reason they couldn't see his purpose. They couldn't see Jesus his purpose because they had their eyes on their immediate circumstances instead of their inner condition. They just didn't understand that, that's what God was more concerned about. But we're the same way today. When we experience trials, and we suffer through various difficulties, we tend to shift our Focus off of God and onto our circumstances.

And when this shift in Focus happens, It leads to other things. Our prayers, start to change.

We say Lord Deliver Me Lord help me Lord fight for me. Lord uplift me. instead of saying, Lord mold me. Lord to use me. Lord grow me through these things, like change me and how I need to be changed. Lord, may you be glorified through this trial. Our prayers change because our desire is for God to change the circumstances.

We don't realize that. So often, the reason those things are being allowed in our lives is because God is trying to change us through those circumstances.

We lose sight of him and his purpose. We diminish, our worship when we do. We stopped cheering. We stop praising. Sure, we still show up at church on Sundays, we still go through the motions. But we failed to truly worship God for who he is, and what he's doing in our lives.

We don't want to. Be that way. I mean we don't want the reason of the stuff that's happening in our life to be. What causes us to stop praising and worshipping and cheering. Forgot God's bigger than that, our faith should be bigger than that. You know. We can't lose sight of the fact that through any circumstance, we are still in the presence of the Prince of Peace. God still walking with his. He still helping us. John 16:33 it says I have told you these things so that in me You may have peace in this world, you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.

You're the problem is so often we look everywhere but God to find peace.

You know, and it's hard to get peace from the world. When it's clear that the world is full of trouble. What's the news for 5 minutes? You don't want to anymore, do you? Cuz there's more than we want to deal with there with Jesus? We can have peace even in the middle of trouble. And that was part of where they didn't recognize his purpose. They didn't see that Jesus was trying to tell them that they can experience peace. Even under the Roman occupation. That wasn't the real thing that was taking their peace from them. But they just couldn't get past that. Second thing is they refuse to accept?

His terms. Luke 19:40 to. It said, if you even you had only known on this day What would bring you peace but now it is hidden from your eyes.

You know, I believe that the crowds never would have stopped cheering if they would have recognized that what Jesus was offering them was what they really needed. What Jesus was offering them, was far better than what they thought they wanted.

All they wanted was the temporary relief of being out from under the boot of the Romans. Jesus was offering them Eternal peace. The problem is you know Jesus also as he was teaching these other things he was clearly spelling out the terms of his peace. you're one place we can look as in Luke chapter 14 and we see things like, you know, his peace involved across Where it says, take up your cross and follow him. You know, Jesus terms also and ball of careful consideration and count the cost. He wanted the people to really think about it. but the term that was the toughest for them was perhaps the fact that all those involved submitting to the lordship of Christ,

You know, the people in Jerusalem desired peace, but they wanted it to come on their terms. They wanted peace to come through conflict.

And here's Jesus offering them peace without conflict.

yeah, Jesus said of Jerusalem in Luke Chapter 13 Verse 34, Oh, Jerusalem Jerusalem. You who kill the prophets and Stone, Those sent to you how often I have longed to gather your children together. As a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.

Jesus is talking about how many times he has offered them, peace. He's offered them safety. He's offered them. What they really need. In the city of Jerusalem, just refuses to accept that.

You know, it's just because they want to set the terms for peace. They don't want God to tell them what the terms of Peace really are. You know, they thought that the Romans were the ones who were keeping them from peace, that they were the ones stealing, their joy, in their peace, and they're everything, if the Romans were gone all their problems would go with them.

They didn't realize that it was their own Hearts, their own minds, their own attitudes, their own lifestyles. That's what Jesus was trying to give them. I mean, how often do we do the same thing? You know, we want peace in our lives and we won all the blessings. But at the same time, We want to do things our way in order to get them. We think that when we know our circumstances the best, so we know the best plan, right? You know that since it's our attitude towards God is, okay God I want your peace and I want your blessings. And this is what I'm going to do. These are my plans, this is how I want my life to go, you know? Because that's how I want to handle it. And Lord, your job is to ride along and bless me along the way.

It always makes me chuckle when I see those license plates that say, God is my co-pilot. We're okay with that, aren't we?

We're okay with God setting in the co-pilot seat. As long as we're still the one that gets to fly the plane, The truth is, we have to let him be in the driver's seat.

I mean, or, you know, there's a lot of people who have thought about accepting Christ as their savior, but they don't, and a lot of times, if you sit and talk with them, the whole reason is because they keep trying to set the terms. On their own.

You know, they want to they like the idea of heaven, right? They like the idea of getting there but they don't really want to be told how they need to act between now and then.

Yeah, Jesus made it pretty clear and John 14:6 when he said I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father, except through me.

But time and again, we refuse his terms.

It's because we just want things to be on our way, but we have to realize that Jesus is the only way, the only provision for salvation comes through him. The blood that was shed on the cross of Calvary is the only way we can be forgiven of sin.

It can only be the righteousness of Christ that can be applied to us, through his sacrifice, that can make us. Worthy of being in heaven.

So here, you have those crowds who started the week out cheering? But they didn't recognize his purpose. They've refused to accept his terms. The third thing is they did not realize that it would bring judgment.

Reviewing a little bit and Luke 19 their versus 42 through 44. It says, if you even you had only known on this day, What would bring you peace but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you and your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle, you and hem you in on every side. They will Dash you to the ground you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another. Because you did not recognize the time of Gods coming to you.

you know, when Jesus spoke those words, People didn't realize that that was a piece of Prophecy that would come true years later when Jerusalem would be under siege. When the walls all would be torn down just as he describes there.

So they've been warned. What was going to happen if they didn't accept? Jesus is terms of peace. They knew what the terms were. They knew who Jesus was but they still. Refuse to accept it.

So it brought judgment upon them. So how does this all apply to us? You know, we have to realize that we cannot approach God on our own terms.

You know, we all meet God in our own ways. We all come to him in our own ways, but the terms are the same for all of us.

We can only get to the father through Jesus. We must accept that he is the Son of God, that he is the sacrifice for our sin. That he is our Lord and savior.

Cuz if we refuse those things we condemn ourselves.

And you know, life can seem dark and hopeless when we're on the Friday side of the cross. And that's what I think is. So interesting about this week as we go through it. You know, you have the triumphal entry that happens today and you go through the whole week in the crowds get more and more angry. And finally, it ends

with what happens on Good Friday. The crucifixion and he knows we see that happen. It mean, I think you can feel what the people who loved and knew Jesus had to be thinking when that happened.

You know, the whole difference is for us as we have the Bible in front of us, that we know the rest of the story. So, when we come to that point, we know that Sunday is still coming. That there is a Sunday side to the cross.

But you'll never know the true joy and peace of Easter until you accept all of Christ terms and truly accept who he is.

And part of that is that we must learn to cheer for Jesus to continue to worship to continue to praise him, no matter what our situation is in life. Cuz when we can bring ourselves to praise God, in the midst of any situation, it will become easier for us to see how he can bless us in any situation.

And then we will have the peace that all those people cheering in that crowd, were looking for that. So many people are looking for and our joy will be complete. Please bow with me in prayer.

Heavenly father's, we come to today. Lord, we thank you for The blessings that you give us Lord. We pray that you will continue to be with us and guide us and largest help us. As we struggle Lord, with wanting things to be our way. Lord, we want life to be easy. We want life to be stress-free but Art, that is simply not the world, we live in.

Lord help us even on the hard days even on the stressful days to still praise. You to still worship you for all that you do in our lives.

Lord help us to see no matter what we are facing in life that you can bless us and change of some older since the person that you created us to be.

And Lord, when we allow you to do that, that we will truly have peace in our life. We pray this all in your most holy name. Amen.