Bursting Hearts (Palm Sunday)
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Introduction
JESUS WAS DETERMINED TO DIE!!!
Show Map and use laser pointer…
Tell the story of Jesus’ Raising of Lazarus…
After the raising of Lazarus, because the Pharisees and the Chief Priests convened the Sanhedrin and determined to kill Jesus (John 11:45-53), He, according to John 11:54, retreated to the little town of Ephraim…
Jesus had been residing for a few quiet weeks at the small town of Ephraim, awaiting the time when “all things should be fulfilled.” Now He knows that the time is at hand, that the ‘Jews’ Passover was nigh,” and that He must go to Jerusalem where He would “finish the work” of Him who had sent Him. The Lord takes a rather lengthy route, traveling first to Perea, then crossing back into Judea at Jericho, making the trek up to Bethany and finally arriving at Jerusalem.
As Passover grew near, Jesus and His disciples departed the little village of Ephraim, moved north through Samaria and Galilee (Luke 17:11 (ESV) On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee…) and then, evidently just into Galilee, crossed over the Jordan rift and joined on of the great pilgrim bands going up to Passover (Mt 19:1).
Jesus and the twelve then travel with that band of Jewish pilgrims south through Perea, across the Jordan near Jericho, and finally up to the village of Bethany, just outside of Jerusalem. As He traveled with that band of Passover pilgrims, Jesus began to conduct Himself once again as the public claimant to the Messianic mantle:
He taught concerning the condition of men at the coming of the Son of Man (Lk 17:20-37)
He spoke parables, including…
the story of the persistent widow (Lk 18:1-8)
the tax collector and the Pharisee who went down to the temple to pray (Lk 18:9-14)
the parable of the talents given to invest, which this parable was told specifically to dispel the notion that the kingdom was to come at once (Lk 19:11-26)
as well as the parable of the workers in the vineyard who were hired at various times (Mt 21:1-16)
He clearly predicted His soon coming death and resurrection (Lk 18:31-34; Mk 10:32-34; Mt 20:17-19)
He confronted the false teaching of the Pharisees (Mt 19:1-12; Mk 10: 1-12
He accepted little children brought to Him for a blessing (Mt 19:13, 14; Luke 18:15-17; Mk 10:13-16)
Challenged a rich young ruler regarding the danger of Riches (Mt 19:16-30; Mk 10:17-31; Lk 18:18-30)
Received the request of James and John for the most honored places in the kingdom (Mk 19:35-45; Mt 20:20-28)
Invited Zaccheus to faith (Lk 19:1-9)
Worked dramatic miracles…
Healing of the ten lepers (Lk 17:12-19)
Healing of two blind beggars at Jericho (Mt 20:29-34; Mk 10:46-52; Lk 18:35-43) [1] Dr. Doug Bookman, The Life of Christ class notes
The point is this, there was a lot that took place as he traveled back to Jerusalem for the Triumphal entry were he would present himself as the rightful King of Israel. The King that would be rejected.
Transition – The prevailing thought on the minds of all the Jews that were coming to and in Jerusalem was this…Is Jesus going to show up for the feast?
Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?”
We are starting a 3 part series that begins with the Triumphal Entry, moves to the Crucifixion and culminates is the glorious resurrection of Jesus. The fact of the matter is Jesus did come, He did die and He did rise again from the grave. These are the facts every Christian hangs their hopes on.
Today we focus on the triumphal entry - “Bursting Hearts”
This coming Friday at 6:30pm we focus on the Crucifixion - “Broken Hearts”
and next Sunday morning we CELEBRATE the fact that our Lord and Savior was not bound by the grave. But He beat death and rose on the third day, just as he promised! “Burning Hearts”
Today, as I said, we focus on the Triumphal Entry. A profound and necessary event for our Lord to participate in. Why was it necessary? Because it was promised to happen! It was foretold…It was the fulfillment of multiple prophecies…
· Zechariah 9:9 - told of the manner of the King’s presentation
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
· Daniel 9:25, 26 spoke to the moment of the King’s presentation
Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
· Psalm 118:21-29 gives the meaning of the King’s presentation
I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
Jesus Himself had clearly foretold this event. Just several weeks earlier, after Jesus had fled from Judea because of the murderous designs of the Pharisees, when some of those Pharisees came to Perea, to entice Jesus back to Judea that they might take Him, Jesus had clearly stated that the citizens of Jerusalem would “…not see me until you say ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Luke 13:35).
All of this to say, God was planning this event for a long time. And the point of it all was to officially present Jesus as the Messiah! This was all part of God’s redemptive plan!
So, there are three things I want you to see out of Matthew 21:1-11 that should help us understand the significance of this event as well as how it should impact our lives today…
Main Idea: Hearts are Bursting with Messianic Anticipation
Interrogative: Messianic Anticipation was at a fevered pitch…
Transition: Three reasons why…
1. Hearts are Bursting Because of Unfulfilled Prophecy (vs. 1-7)
I cannot emphasis this enough about Jesus! He was no victim. He was not a passive participant in a political drama in which He simply waited for His inevitable death. While it was true His death was inevitable, He worked the plan His Father set forth before the foundation of the earth. Jesus got Himself killed! He purposefully, willfully orchestrated events to bring about His demise (Acts 2:23).
this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
Jesus was prepared to fulfill prophecy about Him! Look at the text…
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.
God is a planning God. From before time began, for His good purposes and for His glory (fame) the Lord’s plan of redemption was etched in stone. It would come to pass, and there was nothing anyone could do to derail the Lord’s agenda.
Jesus Planned it (vs. 1-3)
Bethpage - A small town near Bethany, on the SE slope of the Mt. of Olives. MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997. Print.
Donkey and a colt – Matthew is the only one to make this distinction…A colt would do much better with mamma at his side. Especially for his first ride.
An emphasis on the humanity of Jesus…
This wasn’t a haphazard event. God sovereignly planned it from eternity past. Jesus worked the plan…to the letter.
The Scriptures Predicted it (vs. 4-5) – The people had their idea of what the Messiah should be like. But they didn’t need to look any farther than the Scriptures. Zech 9:9 foretold not only how He would arrive, but His demeanor as well. Humble, not exalting himself.
The Disciples Did it (vs. 6-7) – If we are not careful, we could gloss right over these verses. But don’t miss the simple significance of what was said here…The disciples obeyed. Jesus gave them a seemingly simple task…think about the implications…
Repeat points – Jesus Planned it, The Scriptures Predicted it, and the Disciples did it!
Illustrate – Now I want you to think about something for a minute when it comes to God’s plans. God didn’t simply plan some things here and some things there. He didn’t plan the big stuff and leave the little stuff to random chance…that is a logical fallacy.
Actually it is a logical impossibility! God is a planning God down to the minutest of details. And if that is the case, He has done a lot of planning to provide salvation for you!!!
A number of years ago, Peter W. Stoner and Robert C. Newman wrote a book entitled Science Speaks. The book was based on the science of probability and vouched for by the American Scientific Affiliation. It set out the odds of any one man in all of history fulfilling even only eight of the 60 major prophecies (and 270 ramifications) fulfilled by the life of Christ.
The probability that Jesus of Nazareth could have fulfilled even eight such prophecies would be only 1 in 1017. That's 1 in 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000. "one hundred quintillion."
Stoner claims that that many silver dollars would be enough to cover the face of the entire state of Texas two feet deep. Now I've been to Texas. I've driven for days to get across Texas. Texas is a very big state. Who in his right mind would suppose that a blindfolded man, heading out of Dallas by foot in any direction, would be able, on his very first attempt, to pick up one specifically marked silver dollar out of 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 "one hundred quintillion." - http://christiananswers.net/q-aiia/jesus-odds.html
The point is this, Jesus was prepared for that specific event…but we can extrapolate…
Apply – The Lord went through a great deal to save you. Why? His Glory (fame) and His GREAT love for you.
Praise Him for being prepared
Prepare yourself to be used by God
Purpose to be obedient to the Lord
Transition – Jesus was prepared for this leg of His journey. His incarnational visit was about to come to an end. A gruesome end.
Review - Hearts are Bursting with Messianic Anticipation
Hearts are Bursting Because of Unfulfilled Prophecy
2. Hearts are Bursting Because This Could Be Him (vs. 8-9)
Many have opinion about Jesus Christ. Some say He as a good man, some say He was a great example, others say He was the best teacher that ever lived. And, these are true statements. He was and is all of these thing and more. But here me…while these are true, they are not complete. Jesus is, above all else, the God of the Bible. He is God very God. The great I AM. How do I know? Well, the Bible is replete with examples of the deity of Jesus. Even here in the text we are working through this morning clearly shows Jesus was not only worshipped, but He accepted it! Look back at the text again…
Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Explain – Imagine the excitement. Remember, Jesus purposely stayed back in Bethany with Mary, Martha and Lazarus while the rest of the crowd, traveling from Galilee hurried to Jerusalem to be in time for the Sabbath. This crowd walked with Jesus as he said amazing things and did amazing miracles. And they certainly were amazed most of all about the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead which occurred several weeks before.
Think about this just for a minute…What did the Jews want more than anything? They wanted messiah to come. From everything they had seen and heard, this Jesus fit the bill.
Add to this that He can raise people from the dead? Amazing! They could go to war against the Romans and as the causalities mounted, the Messiah could simply raise them from the dead to continue fighting until they at last defeated the Romans! They would have to submit to the Roman tyranny any longer! Anyone who can raise people from the dead is worthy of my allegiance, right? Well, maybe. Truth be told, I think their motive was off…
The Crowd’s Actions Demonstrated Jesus as King (vs. 8) – 2 Kings 9:13 (ESV) 13 Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”
The Crowd’s Words Proved their Need (vs. 9) – Hosanna! The term “hosanna” is a transliteration of a Heb. word that means “give salvation now.” It was a term of acclamation or praise occurring in Ps. 118:26 which was familiar to every Jew, since that psalm was part of the Hallel (Pss. 113–118) sung each morning by the temple choir during the Feast of Tabernacles (7:37) and associated with the Feast of Dedication (10:22) and especially the Passover. After shouting out the “Hosanna,” the crowds shouted Ps. 118:26; significantly, the original context of Ps. 118 may well have been the pronouncement of blessing upon a Davidic king. Jewish commentaries on the psalm have understood the verse to bear messianic implications. “He who comes in the name of the Lord” refers to Messiah, especially in context with the phrase, “The King of Israel,” though that messianic title is not from Ps. 118.[1] MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997. Print.
The Crowd’s Worship was for all the Wrong Reasons – While they certainly were extolling the messiah-ship of Jesus, it was more about what He could do for them than how they should humbly serve their King.
Illustrate – Worship for the wrong reasons…So often we approach God as if He is a Genie in a bottle poised to grant us our every wish!
Apply –
Who do you worship?
When to you worship? Convenience? All the time?
Why do you worship? What is the motive of your heart?
Review - Hearts are Bursting with Messianic Anticipation
Hearts are Bursting Because of Unfulfilled Prophecy
Hearts are Bursting Because This Could Be Him
3. Hearts Are Bursting But They Get It Wrong (vs. 10-11)
As I said in the second point, there are many differing opinions on who people think Jesus really is. Many get it wrong. And it wasn’t any different for those at the scene we are studying this morning. Look at the text…
And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Explain – Now wait one minute Green, I thought you said they got it wrong. After all, he was a prophet, right? He was from Galilee, Right? Okay, I’ll give you that…They were technically correct, but they were so far short of the correct understanding. They misinterpreted Jesus Altogether.
A Mob Mentality (vs. 10) – Picture in your mind what is happening here. Jesus is ascending into Jerusalem on a colt. Word has already moved into the city that the miracle worker is indeed coming for the feast
More than a Prophet (vs. 11a) – Was Jesus a prophet? Absolutely! In fact He is referred to as a prophet, priest and king. A prophet was one who spoke on behalf of God. Certainly Jesus did that. He said some amazing and wonderful things (Matt 5-7) and he said some really hard things in John 6! But Jesus wasn’t simply speaking on behalf of God, He was and is God!
More than a Nazarene (vs. 11b) – In those days, you were known by where you were born…Mark of Onekema…Where was Jesus born? Well from this passage, you would think He was born in Nazareth…but He wasn’t…
Micah 5:2 (ESV) 2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Why is this significant? While Jesus certainly was from Nazareth, it is not the place of His birth. His Birthplace was a prophecy foretold hundreds of years before the event. And it promised that he would be the King of Israel. They missed it, He was so much more than a Nazarene!
He was more than a king that would alleviate their political and social suffering. He was more than a prophet that spoke on behalf of God! He was more than a Nazarene, He was the fulfillment of ancient prophecy. He is Jesus Christ! The God of the UNIVERSE who deserves our dedicated, unmitigated, unadulterated WORSHIP!
Folks, there are a lot of things we can get wrong in this life and it’s no big deal. This one is a big deal…our ETERNAL DESTINY hangs in the balance! We cannot afford to Misinterpret Jesus! Often people make this deadly mistake…believing things that are true about Jesus, but all the while missing the true Jesus!
Listen to C.S. Lewis’ thoughts on this…
Illustrate – “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
The majority of those at the Triumphal Entry, didn’t see the true Jesus…Do you?
Apply – Sometimes, if we are not careful, we can make God conform to our image instead of us conforming to His. Jesus did not conform to the image that the Jews had in their mind of what their King should be.
Think about it -Jesus, ascending into Jerusalem, the crowds becoming more and more excited…whipping themselves up into a frenzy…but when they actually see Him? And his band of disciples? They were certainly not majestic or impressive. Perhaps some began to think, “Does it really make sense for us to hang our hopes on the likes of a humble man like this guy?” “Where is his army?” “Where are his mighty men?” The misinterpreted Jesus. And because they did so, they would easily turn on Him in less than a week.
What does this mean for you and me? Know the real Jesus! Study Him in the Scriptures. Purpose to have the same mindset as the Apostle Paul…
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
In his book, The Jesus I Never Knew” Philip Yancey said, “When he lived on earth, [Jesus] surrounded himself with ordinary people who misunderstood him, failed to exercise much spiritual power, and sometimes behaved like churlish (rude) schoolchildren.”[2]
May that not be said of us here this morning! Make it your business to know Jesus. Make it your goal to conform to His image…don’t expect Him to conform to yours! - Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew
Review - Hearts are Bursting with Messianic Anticipation
Hearts are Bursting Because of Unfulfilled Prophecy
Hearts are Bursting Because This Could Be Him
Hearts Are Bursting But They Get It Wrong
Conclusion
Jesus knew what He was doing on that day when He rode into town on the colt. He was fulfilling prophecy. Very important prophecy. Prophecy that identified Him as King. Please remember, if one prophecy is not completely fulfilled, the prophecy is null and void. Every prophecy about Jesus was fulfilled thus proving His worth as King.
Some of you might be on the fence this morning as to Jesus as King of everything. If He is King, it may radically change your life…
Last week we read in Philippians 2 that every knee will bow…Every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.
In the scene we looked at this morning, we certainly see a foreshadowing glimpse of this future reality.
The King made His official appearance before a fickle, self-focused crowd of people who honestly should have known better! But they were not ready for such a King.
The offer is now extended to us. The King has come, and the King will come again! The question is, will you be ready?
Connection Group Reflection Questions
1. What did we learn about God from the text or Sunday’s message?
2. What did we learn about the importance of Jesus as Messiah from the text or Sunday’s message?
3. What can you do to improve in helping other understand the importance of Messiah?
4. What does God desire from us at ABC, or you personally as an individual in the area of bursting in anticipation for Jesus?
5. If you or we as a church were to practically apply what we learned from this passage or message, what would that look like? What changes will we or you make this week?
6. Summarize what you learned in one sentence, and how does God want you to respond in obedience?
7. This week, who would benefit from this truth, and who will you share it with?