Sermon Tone Analysis

Alêtheia Christian Fellowship ~~ Easter Sunday ~~ 032308

 

 

*John 12:12-15 ~~* 12On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna!

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.”

14Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15“Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

*Zechariah 9:9 ~~* Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

On Sunday Jesus and a large crowd *left Bethany* for the 1 ½ mile walk to Jerusalem.

Opposite the city Jesus sends for the donkey (He’s not tired).

They laid out palm branches and cloaks and shouted Hosanna.

Imagine the rejoicing; finally we will be rid of the Romans.

*COLLAGE ~~* The palm branches were from the Date Palm in Greek foini>x, we pronounce it Phoenix.

Phoenix also means reddish-purple (Purple dye traders) and the magical bird of Phoenician lore.

Remember the Phoenicians?

It’s the same word because the Phoenicians cultivated and exported the dates.

*MAP ~~* Atlantis – Minoan – Phoenician – Carthage – Hannibal = Grace of Baal.

*PALM ~~* When the victorious Roman legions would return to Rome the people would honor them in this way.

The Jews had used the branches for similar purposes as they did under Judas Maccabeus when he overthrew the Seleucid King, Antiochus V Eupater, son of Antiochus Epiphanes and rededicated the second Temple in 165bc.

(Hanukkah).

They shout in Hebrew “Yah-shah-naw,” ~~  נָא* *יָשַׁע* *meaning Save Now, transliterated into Greek in the New Testament as wJsanna>, it refers primarily to

 

*Psalm 118:25&26a ~~* Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!

This Psalm was the last sung by Jesus.

It was the last sung after the Passover meal.

According to Ezra, it was sung at the dedication of the second Temple and likely was sung at the rededication.

The children ascribed the same Psalm to Jesus and when the Jewish religious leaders heard it they were indignant, but Jesus claimed the Psalm by applying another Scripture to Himself, this time out of *Psalms 8*, “From the lips of children... ordained Praise.”

The reference to *Psalm 118* starts by taking us further back to *Psalm 28:8-9*, another Messianic Psalm saying, “... fortress of salvation for His anointed one... save your people... be their Shepherd forever.”

In 118 it says essentially, “Oh Lord save us... blessed is He who comes in the name of Yahweh.”

The name Jesus is *Yeshua meaning Yahweh saves*.

*Matthew 2:1&2 ~~ *1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?

For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

* *

*Luke 12:20&21 ~~* 20Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; 21these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

Probably on Thursday Jesus washes the feet of His disciples and they eat a traditional Passover meal at which Jesus institutes two separate things which are really one and the same.

*Communion* and to *love* one another as I love you - by this people will know you are mine.

It is an *agapê feast*.

*1 Peter 2:21-24 ~~* 21For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

25For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

*Isaiah 53:5-7 ~~* 5But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

6All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

7He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.

Jesus is tortured, crucified and buried by *Joseph* of Arimathea and *Nicodemus* both members of the Sanhedrin and secret disciples of Christ.

*Luke 24:1-6a ~~* 1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

2And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

4While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?

6“He is not here, but He has risen.

*JUDAH BOX*

*MARIAM KAI MARA*

*1 CHEVERON TOMB*

*JESHUA*

*2 CHEVERON TOMB*

 

*A leading New Testament expert from Princeton Theological Seminary, Professor James Charlesworth*, organized a conference in Jerusalem to reopen evidence as to whether or not the crypt of Christ had been found.

Charlesworth, who is also a Methodist minister, says that the possible discovery of Christ's tomb will elicit mixed reactions among Christians.

Most, he believes, will view it positively.

The faith of some believers, he says, will be buoyed by historical proof that Christ, the son of Joseph and Mary, did exist.

"I don't think it will undermine belief in the resurrection only that Jesus rose as a spiritual body, not in the flesh."

He adds: "Christianity is a strong religion, based on faith and experience, and I don't think that any discovery by archeologists will change that."

These recent findings send *Christians back to basics*, to the *Teaching of Jesus as a better way to accept Christian faith than to the later teachings* and interpretations about Jesus.

*Nice tidy safe Jesus*

 

*1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ~~* 1Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

 

*1 Corinthians 15:5-8 ~~* 5and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

*1 Corinthians 15:14-15b ~~* 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

15Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ… 17-19 ~~ 17and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

19If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

*Luke 19:43&44 ~~* 43“For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, 44and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Today is the time of *your visitation – what will you       do*?

*Nice tidy safe Jesus* or God become flesh dying for your sins and commanding you to love Him through obedience to His will instead of your will.HH