Don't Miss Your Oppurtunity

We are continuing our Journey through the gospel of John. And I said last week, John one and only purpose in writing this book is that you and I and many others would come to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and by believing in him we might have life in his name.

Welcome everyone to Relevant Church and happy Palm Sunday. If you are not familiar with Palm sunday, well it was the Sunday that Jesus arrived into Jerusalem just a week before they would crucify Him. Churches all around the world are celebrating.

Entitled this message today, Don’t Miss Your Oppurtunity

And I know that it sounds like a headline for some Pyramid scheme, or some Life Coach guru

I was reading a a quote from Francis Chan last night, and he send our greatest fear is not failure, our greatest fear is succedding in things that dont really matter.

And this is a momentous occassion. For the last 3 and a half years Jesus, the Son of god. God in human flesh has walked among them, preaching, healing people, casting out demons, transforming hearts and minds, drawing thousans out to the remotest parts in the desert. And many are wondering is this the Promised one. And as Jesus enters into jerusalem, this is the entry of the great King...

Luke 19:37–42 ESV

37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” 41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Luke 19:

Why were the people gathered out here? Waving their Palm Branches? Because they knew their Bible. You see in the Old Testament the Prophets foretold about one that would come. A promised saviour. That would rescue them from their sins and their enemies

Why it is important is because in the Old Testament there are prophecies about a Saviour that God would give to his people. There are over 340 of these prophecies from multiple authors of the Old Testament

But you see the Rabbis used to get into arguments about what this Messiah would look like?

Question, what is it that makes the gospel so scandalous, so outrageous compared to other religions across the world? It is this, that we all need forgivness, we all need redemption, and the Gopel offers us grace in the place of works. In the modern mindset, when we thing of redemption, we think of a comeback story. Like in the Rocky movies. Where through sheer determination, hard work, new found grit and fortitude of mind, we bounce back. The Problem is you aint no Rocky, and your enemy is not a big, white Russian.

Our enemies are much more deadlier than the big bad Ivan Drago, our enemy is a powerful dragon. Satan the leader and commander of hells armies, and like the lame man that we read about last week, we couldn’t fight him on our own if we wanted to. It would be like a wheel chair bound man getting in the ring with a man that has three times the punching power of Tyson, the footwork of Mohammed Ali, and the toughness of Evander Holyfield times 100. And like the Physically lame man that Jesus healed, we have a terminal illness called sin living in our core

The thing is

THe way we need to view ourself is

While debating the old Testament Rabbis views on the messiah,

would he be the Conquering King described in who comes with the clouds with great power and conquers all the Kingdoms of the world and inherits an everlasting Kingdom?

or would he be the suffering servant that Isaiah described in in who had no form or majesty that we should desire him, despised and rejected of men, one who was pierced for our transgression.

2. or would he be the suffering servant that Isaiah described in in who had no form or majesty that we should desire him, despised and rejected of men, one who was pierced for our transgression.

The question is would he be the final sacrifice or the Supreme Sovereign when He comes.

Because there were conflicting Old Testament passages

Would He come in on the clouds with great power described in

Daniel 7:13 ESV

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

Or would He come into Jerusalem riding a donkeys cold, meek and humble as described in

Zechariah 9:9 ESV

9 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.

The Rabbis would debate this issue and the way that they settled the matter was, they said if we are found worthy when He comes, then He will come on the clouds with great glory, but if we are found unworthy then He will come humble riding on a donkey.

To them it was an either/ or situation, but they didn’t realize that it is a both/ and situation. They didn’t realize there were actually two Appearances of the Lord.

You see the Old Testament Prophets not only prophesied about a great King. But what Kind of King would He be but this King Would be a Priestly King. Now the Kings of the Old Testament were forbidden to take on the roles of the Priest. Why? Because the Priest dealt with peoples sin. He made atonement for the peoples sins. In Fact in the death of a high priest could serve as an atonemte for certain sisn that had no other earthly atonement. And the King was to rule the nation under God’s direction.

You see this kind would come in riding on a donkey, lowly and meek. But He is now sitting at the right hand of the Father and one day He is coming back in the clouds

Revelation 1:7 ESV

7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

Revelations 1:7

You see the first time He came as a carpenter, the next Time He coming as the King of Heaven and Earth.

The fiirst time He came as a gentle saviour, the next time he will come as a conquering General.

The first time He came to pay for sin, the next time he is coming to judge sin.

The first time he was nailed to a tree, the next time he will come to a throne

The First time he came as a Lamb- The next time he will come as a Lion

ILLUSTRATION OF THE DIFFERENCE

Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive II. He Is the Reigning Christ with Unrivaled Majesty

I heard about an individual, one time, who was arrested for a crime, and he indeed was guilty. But, he thought perhaps he could find mercy in the court because the judge that was sitting on the bench had one time represented this man as a lawyer. And, the judge said to him, “I’m sorry to inform you of this, but I can show absolutely no partiality on your point. At that time, I was your lawyer to represent you, but now I am your judge to judge you.” And, I want to tell you this, folks: that if you do not allow the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Savior, you will meet Him as your judge.

BUT THEY DIDN”T RECOGNIZE HIM,

Luke 19:41-42

Luke 19:41–42 ESV

41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

And He comes into Jerusalem, while there is the festive occassion when the entire nation was carrying Palm Branches and crying out, Hosanna, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! And it says that the Lord wept over the city… This is not like sort of wet between the lashes, but this is a gut wrenching sob.

Why? Because He knew their hearts, He knew that this same crowd would be hollering crucify him in the next few days. And not only did they not truly recognize him, but He gave this fearful proclamation, BUt now the things that make for your peace are hidden from your eyes!

He wept Over their Hardened Hearts and Their Shallow Religion

THEY DIDN’T RECOGNIZE HIM, THEY DIDN’T KNOW

YOU SEE THEY WERE THERE FOR THE PARTY, FOR GRAND CIRCUS, THEY WERE THERE BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS GOING THERE, AND THOUGHT MAYBE JESUS WOULD MESMORIZE THEM ONCE MORE WITH A MAGIC TRICK. NOT THAT ANYTHING HE DID WAS MAGIC, HE PERFORMED REAL MIRACLES.

And with a broken heart, the Lord wept over the people. He wept over their hardness of heart, He wept over their superficial religion, he wept because they were there for the sideshow attraction and when they perceived that the show was over, to impress the religious smucks in Jerusalem they would turn on him in a dime.

They were there for Passover Week..... The Passover is the celebration they had every year, when God delivered them out of Egypt with a mighty hand . When the Angel of Death went throughout all the camp

He Wept Over their Missed Opportunity

This was their day and they did not understand it. In fact they should have known this day was coming. In fact God told them over 400 years before that that day would be coming. That the Messiah would be riding into Jerusalem on that very day. This prophecy was written in Daniel chapter 9

Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive II. Jesus Wept over Passing Opportunity

Daniel prophesied that the Messiah was to come in 483 years from a particular date. And that particular date was from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem. The command to restore and build Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes the king on May 14, 445 BC. Now the Bible teaches, therefore, that in 483 years—and a biblical year of prophecy is 360 days; if you extrapolate that out and multiply that, in 173,880 days—Messiah would come.

Now, my dear friend, historians and Bible scholars have worked this out, and they have studied the calendars, and they have calculated, and they can tell you that Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem was on April 6, 32 AD, exactly, minutely, to the day that the prophet Daniel had prophesied. When Messiah the prince would come—483 years—it was prophesied. You say, “Well, they didn’t know.” They should have known. They could have known. They ought to have known

Why is this importantn… Because they had opportunity before God brought judgment. You look in the Od Testament which was written for our edification and instruction. God always gives light before He allows utter darkness to invade. He warns, he pleads, He gives chance after chance. But there comes a time when his mercy will give way to just justice.

They had religion but they didn’t have the Lord.

And these same people that are crying out hosanna, will be crying out crucify him in just a few short days...

The Lord does not see as man sees, he sees the heart and He knew what was in the heart, and he knows whats in our hearts.

He always sends oppurtunity before He sends judgment, The Greeks used to say” He who God judges He first maddens, that isn’t true, From scripture it seems before God judges He first makes Blind.

He Wept over Coming Judgment

YOU SEE THEY WERE THERE FOR THE PARTY, FOR GRAND CIRCUS, THEY WERE THERE BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS GOING THERE, AND THOUGHT MAYBE JESUS WOULD MESMORIZE THEM ONCE MORE WITH A MAGIC TRICK. NOT THAT ANYTHING HE DID WAS MAGIC, HE PERFORMED REAL MIRACLES.

And with a broken heart, the Lord wept over the people. He wept over their hardness of heart, He wept over their superficial religion, he wept because they were there for the sideshow attraction and when they percieved that the show was over, to impress the religious smucks in Jerusalem they would turn on him in a dime.

Luke 19:43–44 ESV

43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Luke

Now this is very important to catch this. Jesus here Prophecies the destruction of the temple. This was the Temple. On the Temple Mount

Jesus Prophecied their destruction. Because they were uncircumcised because they didn’t recognise him. Because He didn’t act like all the other men that had ever come with power. He was riding a donkey instad of a great White Stallion. He had a rag tag group of disciples that weren’t formally educated, and pretty rough guys

This is why I love the Bible because we can go back and fact check. And historians tell us that this happened forty years later in 70 AD. When the Romans came in and they demolished the Temple and killed lots and lots of Jews.

SHOW PICS OF THE TEMPLE FIRE

THE GLORY OF THE SECOND TEMPLE/ Vocus on “the time of your visitation

PICTURE OF THE TEMPLE

Now this is important, because not only did the Old Testament Prophets tell us that the Messiah would both be the suffering servant and the Conquering King, but another part of this was the Temple itself.

You see the first Temple that was built in Old Testament times was destroyed in 586 BC when King nebudkennezar brought his armies into Jersulaem, and killed millions of Jews in the process.

The First temple had the Glory of God there. When sacrifices were offered, fire came down from heaven and consumed them. The Shekinah Glory of God dwelt in the Holy of Holies. But the people of God began to worship demons, false Gods and the people apostacied from the true God. And judgement in the form of the Babylonians. The Jews then went into captivity, and later repented and God allowed them to return and rebuild this second Temple.

And the Prophet Haggai said that the second Temple will have greater glory than the first Temple. And the Prophet Malachi prophesied that the Lord “himself”… God himself will visit the second Temple. And Daniel Prophecied that before the destruction of the second Temple that many things would happen, including the bringing of the final atonement, the final dealing with sin. That is a final sacrifice would be made for peoples sins…

The problem with this second Temple is it never had divine fire consuming the sacrifices, it didnt have the shekinah glory about it. And jesus propecies its destruction and that happened forty days later.

Now if this divine visitation wasn’t the Lord Jesus Christ, then please tell me when it happened. What other Messiah did we miss that came before its destruction.

Luke 19:45

And this apples today… People kind of get into church, they will sing the songs and

THE ENTERING OF THE TEMPLE

Luke 19:45–48 ESV

45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.” 47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

<a target="_blank" href="https://ref.ly/logosres/interactive:before-and-after?pos=index.html%23!%2f%3fkey%3djerusalem">Jerusalem</a>

https://ref.ly/logosres/interactive:before-and-after?pos=index.html%23!%2f%3fkey%3djerusalem

And the way the Old Testament rabbis settle this issue, was with the passage of this King riding into Jerusalem