It Might Be Hard, But It's Worth It
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“Palm Sunday 2022”
“It Might Be Hard, But It’s Worth It”
Luke 19:28-44
R. Kent Hughes in his book Luke: That You May Know the Truth tells the following story.
On December 4, 1977 in Bangui, capital of the Central African Empire, the world press witnessed the coronation of his Imperial Majesty, Bokassa I. The price tag for that single event, designed and choreographed by French designer Olivier Brice, was $25 million.
At 10:10 a.m. that morning the blare of trumpets and the roll of drums announced the approach of His Majesty. The procession began with eight of Bokassa’s twenty-nine official children parading down the royal carpet to their seats. They were followed by Jean Bedel Bokassa II, heir to the throne, dressed in a white admiral’s uniform with gold braid. He was seated on a red pillow to the left of the throne. Catherine followed, the favorite of Bokassa’s nine wives. She was wearing a $73,000 gown made by Lanvin of Paris, strewn with pearls she had picked out herself.
The emperor arrived in an imperial coach bedecked with gold eagles and drawn by six matched Anglo-Norman horses. When the Marine Band blared “The Sacred March of His Majesty, Emperor Bokassa I,” His Highness strode forth, cloaked in a thirty-two-pound robe decorated with 785,000 strewn pearls and gold embroidery. White gloves adorned his hands, pearl slippers his feet. On his brow he wore a gold crown of laurel wreaths like those worn by Roman consuls of old, a symbol of the favor of the gods. As the “Sacred March” came to a conclusion, Bokassa seated himself on his $2.5 million eagle throne, took his gold laurel wreath off, and, as Napoleon 173 years before had done, took his $2.5 million crown, which was topped with an 80-carat diamond, and placed it upon his own head. At 10:43 a.m., December 4, 1977, the twentieth century saw a new emperor.
Mercifully, Bokassa’s reign was not as imposing as his coronation. Just two years later, while Bokassa was out of the country, the French engineered a successful coup. It came too late for many of his victims, among them 200 children who had been executed because they complained about the expense of their school uniforms.
Bokassa did his best to establish an enduring kingdom but infamously failed. So it is with the kings and rulers of the earth. Try as they will, even though they cling tightly, when death comes they always lose their Reich, empires, and kingdoms. They leave it all behind![1]
It amazes me the lengths to which men will go to look and feel important. 25 million dollars for an event that lasted just over 30 minutes for a dynasty that would last only 2 years.
This morning we are going to read the story of another leader that came with pomp and fanfare. This celebration was possibly of His own making, but as we will read in the story the people came because of “all the mighty works that they had seen.”
They came for a ceremony that lasted an untold amount of time, but they celebrated a King that would reign eternally!
If you have your Bibles turn to Luke 19:28-44
As you turn there I will read the first verse just to introduce some background.
Luke 19:28 “And when He had said these things…”
This story starts long before the passage of Scripture we are reading today.
The story actually starts with a man named Zaccheus,
The Story starts with Jesus already getting the religious leaders hair all fuzzed up and out of whack.
That part of the story ends with Jesus saying, Luke 19:9-10
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Form there Jesus begins to set the stage of what they should expect. In the parable of the 10 Minas, Jesus set the expectations for those in the kingdom.
And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 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, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 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. 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 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.”
I am going to preach today from the title…
“It Might Be Hard, But It’s Worth It”
This story is full of instances and examples of things that are being done even though they are hard.
Unfortunately, we all face times in life when we are faced with difficult decisions, but let me assure you that even when the right way is the hard way, it is worth it.
I. HE WENT ON AHEAD Luke 19:28
And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
a. Jesus knew what was waiting for Him and IT was HARD
i. John 11:7-8
Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”
ii. John 11:56-57
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?” Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.
iii. John 12:9-11
When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
iv. Mark 14:1-2
It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”
b. BUT IT WAS WORTH IT
i. This was His purpose for being HERE
ii. In Mark 1:14 “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God,” BUT the fullness and completion of His Kingdom would only come through the cross
II. Mount of Olives (side note) Luke 19:29
a. Significant in the Big Picture of all that Jesus would do.
b. Overall not a happy place. 2 Samuel 15:30-31 This is the place where David fled from his own son Absalom who was stealing the kingdom from him
c. Later after the Triumphal Entry, Jesus would return to this Mountain to give the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 that tells of the End Times…
d. He would pray in the Garden of Gethsemane (on the mount of olives) for the cup to pass from Him, while droplets of blood were excreted from his pores.
e. He would be arrested in the Garden
f. He would ascend from the Mount of Olives Acts 1:12
g. EACH OF THESE THINGS WAS HARD, BUT WORTH IT EACH OF THESE THINGS WOULD LEAD TO BETTER THINGS.
III. FECTHING A DONKEY THAT ISN’T YOURS LUKE 19:30-35
saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.
a. Westerns and Horse Thieves
b. Modern equivalent (taking a car with the keys in it.”
c. The Significance of the Donkey
i. Matthew 21:4-5
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.’ ”
ii. Zechariah 9:9
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.
iii. Jesus was identifying Himself as the Messiah.
iv. It identified Him directly with David
1. Davidic Covenant 2 Samuel 7:16
And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
2. Psalm 89:34-37
I will not violate my covenant
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.
His offspring shall endure forever,
his throne as long as the sun before me.
Like the moon it shall be established forever,
a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah
3. He was fulfilling Luke 1:32-33
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
v. In ancient times a King riding in on a donkey was an indication that they were coming humbly or in peace.
vi. The fact that is was borrowed indicated his poverty humility, and servanthood.
1. Humility
a. Matthew 21:5
“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.’ ”
b. Philippians 2:5-10
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
c. Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
d. 1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
IT MIGHT BE HARD, BUT IT’S WORTH IT
WE MIGHT BE CALLED OR HAVE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO THAT WILL BE INCREDIBLY HARD, BUT IF WE TRUST THE LORD, HE WILL HELP US AND IT WILL BE WORTH IT!!
IV. PALM BRANCHES, CLOAKS, AND HOSANNAS LUKE 19:35-40
And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 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, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
a. The disciples offer their own garments for Jesus to sit on.
b. Garments in general 2 Kings 9:13
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.”
c. The people were offering what they had to the King
d. People generally had the clothes they had on…MAYBE 1 change.
e. Matthew 21:8 includes Palm branches
Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
i. In ancient times, palm branches symbolized goodness, well-being, grandeur, steadfastness, and victory. They were often depicted on coins and important buildings. King Solomon had palm branches carved into the walls and doors of the temple:..Palm branches were regarded as tokens of joy and triumph and were customarily used on festive occasions (Leviticus 23:40, Nehemiah 8:15). Kings and conquerors were welcomed with palm branches being strewn before them and waved in the air. Victors of Grecian games returned to their homes triumphantly waving palm branches in their hands. The palm branches represented their nationalistic desire to be delivered, for the palm had been the symbol on the coin of the second Maccabean revolt. “Hosanna” was an anticipatory cry that literally meant “Save” or “Save us”
f. Hosanna was easy when everyone was crying out Hosanna! Treating Jesus like the King that He is is easy when everyone’s doing it. The hard part comes Tuesday when everyones standing around the water cooler telling dirty jokes. The hard part is Wednesday when your husband or wife is mad at you and you have to hold back your anger and rage. The hard part is Friday when the same crowds that were crying hosanna start yelling “CRUCIFY HIM!”
g. IT MIGHT BE HARD, BUT IT’S WORTH IT!!!
i. Peace in Heaven and Glory to God in the Highest Luke 19:38 vs. Luke 2:14
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
ii. Jesus was on His way back to Heaven. When Jesus came to Earth as an infant the angels cried out PEACE ON EARTH…as He is about to go back to the Father the people are crying out “PEACE IN HEAVEN AND GLORY IN THE HIGHEST…”
iii. WHERE JESUS IS, PEACE WILL BE ALSO.
iv. JOHN 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
v. IT MIGHT BE HARD, BUT IT IS WORTH IT!!!
vi. YOU CAN HAVE THAT PEACE TODAY!!!
vii. JESUS WANTS YOU TO HAVE THAT PEACE TODAY!!!
V. THE KING WEEPS LUKE 19:41-44
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 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. 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 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.”
a. Different from John 11:35.
i. This “weeping” is more like a wailing.
b. What kind of king is this? He is weeping in front of the people that are laying down symbols of victory, goodness, and grandeur. They are laying down symbols of their nationalistic desire to be delivered, and their “SAVIOR” is wailing about the destruction that is coming!
c. Make no mistake, this was a literal destruction that was coming to Jerusalem. In AD 70 the Roman army would surround the city of Jerusalem. One story I read a while back talked how family members that wanted to join their family members inside the walls of the city were stopped by a Roman soldier. His commander interrupted the interaction and allowed the families to go into the city knowing that their food sources would run out quicker. One commentary said that the scene outside the walls was horrifying as the inhabitants of the city were throwing their dead over the walls because the conditions inside the city were so terrible.
d. BUT EVEN IN ALL OF THAT, EVEN THOUGH JESUS WAS LITERALLY WAILING OVER THE COMING FALIURE AND DESTRUCTION OF THE CITY, HE IS WEEPING OVER SOULS TODAY.
e. HIS DESIRE IS THAT NONE WOULD PERISH AND THAT ALL WOULD COME TO REPENTANCE 2 PETER 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
f. G. Campbell Morgan wrote the following poem in his commentary The Gospel According to Luke “Will he weep over you?”
The son of God in tears
The wondering angels see.
Be thou astonished, O my soul,
He shed those tears for thee.
g. SO, IS HE REJOICING OVER YOR SALVATION TODAY, OR IS HE WEEPING OVER YOUR REJECTION OF HIM?
I started my message this morning with the story of His Imperial Majesty Bokassa I. A story filled with Pride, self-indulgence, worldly desire. The story of a “Triumphal entry,” that ended in DEFEAT.
But this morning we end by seeing a true TRIUMPHAL ENTRY that ends with an eternal king.
A king that did the hard things because YOU ARE WORTH IT!
We end by seeing an eternal King that weeps over the destruction that was created by the hands of the destroyed.
We see a King that weeps, because in His Triumphal Entry, the ones that should have recognized it first, were the ones that rejected it the most.
We see a King that even today, cries out “TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION”
So, the question is will you cry out Hosanna, or will you cry out crucify Him.
The question is will you accept His free gift of salvation, or will you chance it until tomorrow, or next week, or ….
Will He Rejoice with you, or will He Weep over you?
ADMIT you have sinned
BELIEVE Jesus was born, lived a sinless life, died a sinners death, and was raised to later ascend back to Heaven
CONFESS Jesus as Lord
Communion
We practice open communion which means we believe all BELIEVERS should join in the Lord’s Supper
However, we do insist that you are a believer with a clear conscious. This is for your good.
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.
Prayer and time for reflection
As Kristi and I serve communion we ask that you hold the bread and wine so we may all partake together.
Serve Communion
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Pray
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Pray
[1]R. Kent Hughes, Luke: That You May Know the Truth, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1998), 237–238.