Jesus the Triumphant King

Thank you for joining us for this broadcast from The Ninth Avenue Church of Christ in Haleyville, Alabama. We hope that you will subscribe and we'll share our broadcast with others. Now. We take you to the pulpit of the 9th, Avenue Church of Christ. Take your Bibles out and turn them to Luke chapter 19. Luke chapter 19 is we're going to look at the triumphant entry of Jesus today.

I'm working on, I'm just serving kind of trying to figure out what to preach on all weekend and it kind of settled into a, a, a certain kind of. Frame of time in the life of Jesus. Because next Sunday is Easter. And so there's a lot of things that happened in the life of Jesus leading up to that moment that we celebrate on Easter that we look at it is that time and which Jesus was crucified and then 3 Days Later raised from the dead in the last couple of weeks, Jonathan I even though it's not meant to do it kind of hit, kind of two of the last big Ministry, moments of Jesus wife leading into that time. On his way, as he's on his way to Jerusalem to be crucified. I bet something very interesting happens in Luke chapter 19, talk about that. Look at that wound. Seems so right now going on kind of an R. How's it going on? I'm on TV right now. Is it is award-season. So the Grammys and the Oscars and all you know, those different award ceremonies are going on and for a lot of people the most interesting parts of these things. Outside of Will Smith. This morning is the red carpet, the red carpet. What's the famous phrase of walking down the red carpet? Who are you wearing that Ron? All the people in the room. All the women, all the ladies, Ron new, the fashion question answer. There you go. Play. So you know that bet red carpet moment is is a lot of people's moment to shine. And then there's also some of those people and I'm sure Ron can tell you that, you look at your like what are they thinking right now? Those are my favorite ones, right? Those are my favorite ones. There was one one girl liked it. I guess it was at the I guess it was at the Oscars. I saw it later. They were like a big girl. Who are you wearing heels? I'm wearing success because this is what success looks like and I'm like, okay, so you got a little spunk in you, you know, but they're all, you know. Just that moment walking down the red carpet and you're like, okay. This is my moment to shine. This is, this is my moment and Luke chapter 19, very much is Jesus, red carpet. Mold, is his moment to shine as the King of Kings the key that, that, that he was going to be. None of us. Are we in the way that the party was going to be able to talk about that? But at this moment, I'm sure it was really a change, kind of in the dynamic of Jesus wife. Because up to that point, many times, when Jesus was a week before a miracle, when he would heal somebody, when he would do some things. He was very adamant to tell people. Very, very, very many, very many moments. Very adamant to go out. Hey, Talk about this. My time has not yet. Come they don't don't make this don't make this a big deal. Now how well do you think that work? If if you were blind and Jesus came and he healed you and you could see if he's okay, but don't tell anybody about this. Like how many of you were obeying Jesus in that moment. How many of you like? Hey guess what, just happened. How many of you are really more like that? Like I mean, it's going to be obvious. I mean you're blind 10 minutes before and now you can see like something's happening. Right? But but he's like, hey don't give don't give me the credit to God and you healed of leprosy. He says hey I go to the priests and presenting yourself the way you're supposed to but don't miss Lily mention. You know that I'm the guy that did that and so Jesus Jesus tried Jesus trying to think as much as he could to minister in a quiet way to minister in a way that didn't cause a big scene that was about I did not about him. But now as we open up our Bibles to Luke chapter 19, that's all fixing to change. Its fixing to come very public. It's fixing to come very known in and out there until it. Lets go to our passage here and it's going to pass this year's to Luke chapter 19. I'm going to start in March 28th. You got your Bible study Bibles up this morning. Hope your Bibles up. All right, even if you got your lightsabers sword lightsaber, whichever one works k. Luke chapter, 19.

To that peppermint up. So I can read it said that he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem as he approached Bethpage and Bethany at the Hill Called Mount of Olives. He said, two of us to stop was saying them, go to the Village of head of you. As you enter it, you will find a Colt tied there with Noah. That no one has ever ridden untied and bring it here. If you want. I asked you what are you? And tying it say the Lord needs that those who were sent ahead went and found it just as they were told. As they were untying the cult, its owner asked, why are you in time, too cold? They were plowed, the Lord needs, then they brought it to Jesus, through their clothes on the cold and put Jesus on it as he went along. People spread their cloaks on the road, 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, the stop right there. This is a change of pace for Jesus. Jesus had been all about subtlety in a lot of ways. Hey, I'm going to tell you, I'm going to heal you. I'm going to do this for you, but hey, don't go tell anybody about it. Keep it quiet. Keep it calm. But now all of a sudden Jesus is allowing those around him to make a scene. He's allowing those around him to call him the king, but God, the Lord that he is. Now, let's try to put a lot of this in context and kind of understand what's going on. It's it's pretty obvious. We know here that Jesus is on his way to the Cross. It's pass over. There are tons of people in Jerusalem, but Around Jesus. And I don't think this was a big part of why he wanted to try to, to, to keep a lower profile as possible, because he knew that when the time came near for his crucifixion, that it was going to be a high-tension time that the leaders that were the religious. Elite those that did not want Jesus to be king because that would take all of their power away. You know, they aren't they're getting real anxious. They're getting real nervous. They realize that, you know, this could be a problem for them. And so they're they're trying to figure out a way. How do we deal with Jesus in later on the story? We know that, you know, they go to Judith and they figure out. Hey, we'll get this guy to turn this, this Jesus got in. And so, so they're on their way and they're coming toward Jerusalem. And we see here, and I think it's important to notice this. There are two different parts to the it, to the group that are kind of with Jesus. We, we talked last week about, you know, the the crowd that was following Jesus and we had these Messiah saviors, you know, these Messiah protectors that when the blind man called out, you know, Jesus, Son of David, what did they do? Their like, hay? Hush be quiet. He doesn't have time for you, you know. and so, You've got those disciples that you got those followers of Jesus, but obviously mixed into the group is some of those Pharisees, some of those spiritual leaders, some of those religious Elite, and and they're getting anxious to course about what's going on. And they look at you. So you got part of the group that's excited and they are acknowledging Jesus as king and they're saying you are, I love the song that we've song Through the morning cuz all of those songs were around this idea of who Jesus is And in what he is in, that is the attitude coming in that they are bringing Jesus in as the king as the key in this image of Jesus coming in, on, on the back of a Colt, some some passages, some some other text calls it, a donkey. That was an image. That was so prominent people because when an especially, let's just take it in the immediate contact. When a Roman general, when he won a victory, he would ride back into town in this grown this great glorious horse as as the Victor, but for the Jewish people want to keep you or keep your Bibles Mark here in Luke. And flip over with me, the 1st Kings 1st Kings. I think it's interesting that that that a donkey was was kind of the idea here was the what's the animal shows in it and locked it will stay. Well that just shows Jesus humility, but I believe I believe that there's more to it. The man, I think there's a greater. A greater moment here. So, David in 1st Kings. David is realizing that his Thomas King is coming to an end. He's he's getting old and he realizes it's time to pass on his kingship to Solomon. And so he decides to to go ahead and make Solomon King and so in 1:32. And I'm going to miss print out some of these words. Just hang with me. King David said, calling zodiac the priest, Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehovah. When they came before the king. He said, take your Lord's servant with you and have Solomon. My son, mount my own mule, and take him to gion. There have zodiac, the priest and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him King over Israel. Blow the trumpet and Shout Long Live King Solomon, then you are to go up with him and he has to come and sit on my throne in the rain in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah. So you keep reading that section. That's exactly what happened that. It wasn't. This Majestic horse that Solomon rides in on. It is a mule. It is a ewe, what we would consider maybe a Leicester animal and that is very much the image and the the scene A Jesus as he comes into this moment. I love the response response. Have you read all the different account for, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John their responses of the people that are standing around blessing, is the king who comes in the name of the Lord blessed. As the king of Israel bless. It is becoming king of our father. And then as we read the prophecy, I said that they will say rejoice greatly Daughters of Zion, shout Daughters of Jerusalem, senior, King comes to you righteousness, and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey on the cold, the foal of a donkey. So the crowd is around Jesus, in their yelling, here comes our King. Here Comes our King. How many of you believe this morning? But this is an accurate image of Jesus. Jesus, the king. How many of you look at Jesus this morning? And say, Jesus is knocking. Jesus is maki. So you got one group that's excited saying, hey, Jesus is my king. And then you have another group, you have this Pharisee group and they're very uncomfortable with what's going on. They're very uncomfortable with the excitement's, they're very uncomfortable with the president. That's He said with the imagery that's going on. Very uncomfortable, people going hate. This guy is going to be our King. Okay, they're very uncomfortable with all of this. And, and they, they have what I called the wet blanket syndrome, the wet blanket syndrome. And I first heard about the wet blanket Syndrome from, from, from a, a great, dear friend named Miss. And she said, you know, Christians what they like to do. When you've got somebody in the Pew with you, that's on fire and you're not what we like to do, as Christians as take a wet blanket and just throw it over top of them because we can get uncomfortable when someone's excited about Jesus, and we're really not, we can get nervous when they are excited about Jesus, but we're really not in these Pharisees. Had this wet blanket syndrome and all these people, I mean, How excited would we be if we walked outside? And everybody was Downton yelling and shouting Jesus is King. Jesus is Lord. When we be like, man, this is great. This is wonderful, but there's going to be something for their, like, Slow Down, slow down. Don't love Jesus that much. Don't get that excited about Jesus. And that's what these Pharisees did it. Look at Jesus. Hey, you need to control these people. These people are on fire for you. We can't have that blow them down and watch Jesus response. One of my favorite responses of all scripture. If you don't call out and wash them in. What does he say? The stones will Jesus was going to be called the king one way or another. And these guys had a really big problem with that. Okay. So what that's the question I'm asking myself all week. So what, what does this story have to do with me? What does this story have to do with us? I understand understand it, in the moment. I understand the importance of an understand the visual context of it, but what I've wrestled with all week. And almost move past it, and it went to something out, cuz I wanted to preach something in this. In this week. Leading up to Easter from the week leading up to the death and burial and resurrection. And I'm sorry if I'm kind of like a paste. So what does this have to do with us? I think there's a lot of parallelism. I see a parallel where the, where the disciples are following Jesus and they understand that the kingdom has arrived, and I could see it all unfolding to see him riding into the root Zone in there, and they're welcoming the establishment of Jesus Kingdom, but their idea of Jesus kingdom was not the church, was their idea of Jesus kingdom was, he's going to come in, and he's going to overthrow the Romans and he's going to be this this King. Like David was this. Conquering, and you say that I believe with, with Peter in the garden when he's ready to draw his sword and defend his King, you know, he's going to take care of this, so I think that's going on, but that's not enough. Sara Lee, the complete parallel that I see that but but what I do see in that idea, as I see the parallel that God surprised them all. God surprised them all. You see why? I like the people who were following Jesus. Some people saw Jesus as a problem. Play. Some Jesus is a problem. Some people saw Jesus as a problem. Solver. We're up this problem where we're under rule, and and we don't we want our kingdom back. We want our freedom back. So Jesus is going to be our problem. Solver. Some people saw Jesus as simply a Healer. Some people saw Jesus is simply a rabbi or simply a teacher. Everybody had their own idea of who Jesus was of what he was and why he came. And I believe the parallel that we see here. Is that despite what they thought Jesus was or who they thought, Jesus was God, surprised them all. And I say that because I believe each and every one of us has an idea. Of who we think Jesus is. And what role he plays in our life and in and out, I'll even take it a step further, and this becomes more personal, because I believe that a lot of us. Most of us can probably agree on the idea that above all, Jesus Is Our Savior.

But I also think that we all carry an idea of what we think if you'll allow me to use the word, what church is supposed to be. Of what church is supposed to be? I've got a I got a cheat book in my office and I've had it since I was in college and it's called The Minister's manual. The Minister's manual in its, it was a very, very good tool for me when I first started the ministry because it's got, I mean, it's got like how to, you know, his thoughts and ideas on the visitation on worshipping, on on, on how to do a wedding and had to do like wedding Counseling in all these different things that it's a cheat sheet. Okay. I'm going to go and I've got to speak it. This certain of its got a section in there in a probably coincides with that event was about fifteen scriptures that relate to that and so you don't have to do a whole lot of searching. It's just it's the preachers cheating and in the end that idea in that book, it talks about at the time, the three major Generations that made up the church and how each of them looked at worship and looked at a Angela's and and looked at different things.

And it was very enlightening because I was of the younger generation. And, like, I really agreed and in, like, two things that those kind of, that kind of party talked about but then some of the things from the older generation like I saw and I knew they felt that way but, you know, I didn't completely understand why, and let me ask you this. Have you ever looked around and just wondered Why does this generation feel this way about something? Or why does that generation? Will? I can even do you ever get to a point where you look at a group of people and you like another, my brother and sister, but I really don't know how to relate to them. Cuz it feels like there's such a gap in between where they are in their faith, in what they believed in what they think church is supposed to be in look like and what I feel and what I think and how I feel church is supposed to look. Like that's a very challenging place to be as a church as a very challenging place to be the church and now our churches are made up of more than three generations, our churches. And in this congregation in particular, we strongly represent, five different generations, and it's one of those Generations are going to have thoughts and opinions and feelings and and, and wants and desires. And I think that a lot of us will agree on some of the really, really core issues of scripture, but then there's going to be our own opinions and thoughts and ideas. Of how we think other things should be and go and do and happen.

And that's the challenging place to be. That's a challenging place to be in what I think above. Everything else is regardless of how we feel and think about church in about Jesus. I think the parallel here is that if we just really humble ourselves, we will see that God will surprise each of us. About what's really important and what really matters when we decide to truly allow. Jesus to be the king. Of our life.

and I want, My hobby. Jesus and this I want Jesus and that you fill in the blank. We all have this idea thing. A lot of times. I want Jesus and I want Jesus to be part of my life, but we struggle with saying Jesus. I want to allow you to be all of my life. You believe that. Do you have that struggle in your life? That that Jesus is right here. He says, I'm everything. Need. But man, it's hard to let go of some of these other things. I want Jesus and something else.

I don't want to have any preconceived ideas about what Jesus wants. I've got a lot of ideas. I probably got outside of maybe Jonathan. I probably got more ideas for this church than anybody else in this room. It's all I do is think about ideas. What can we do next? What? What's, what's what's coming up. What would I do next? What needs to be done? I got a lot of them. I don't want to have any really preconceived ideas about what God truly wants. I want him to determine those things and I want to Simply follow his Direction in his will. I read the story this week and I don't know if this is a true story is one of those preachers stories, you know, that it could be true. It could be not, but it was about an emperor years and years ago. They decided that that he was going to pass on his kingdom. And then he called in some of the smartest and brightest young men in his kingdom was. He didn't have any heirs himself? And he said I'm going to give each one of you, a seed in a year from now. I'm going to call you back and I'm going to see what you've done with this seed in it and based on what you've done with this seed is going to determine who is the next emperor of my kingdom. And so he has all these guys, these things and they go home and they plan on them and this one guy in in in, in particular realize that after so many weeks that that his seed wasn't doing anything just said wasn't growing. He's talking to the guys that that were there with him until I call you Darcy is it has grown to a plant this tall in that tall. And and and, and as the year wouldn't own. He did nothing and he's talking to his buddies Rocky album on my tree looks like this and my plant looks like that. He's so discouraged, but they all show back up here. Later. They all bring their pots with their trees and their plants are the grown from the seed.

And then there's this one guy with nothing. making wood siding with you're the guy. You're the guy.

Raise the volume on the Geico, but I didn't do anything. He does. Exactly. He said, I pulled all these thieves before I gave them to you. They were never going to grow. He said everybody else has lied. Everybody else has created their own idea of what they think, would make me happy. He said that your honesty, your Purity is what made me happy and that that that seems like a simple story. But that made my mind. Go to 1st Corinthians chapter 3.

1st Corinthians chapter 3. Starting in verse 1 says, brother and sisters. I cannot address you as people who live by the spirit, but it's people who are still worldly mere infant. Some cross. I give you milk. Not solid. Food for you or not, yet. Ready for indeed. You are still not ready. You are still worldly for since there is jealousy and quarreling among you are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans for one says, I follow Paul and another, I follow Apollo's. Are you not mere human beings? What after all is a policy and what is only servants through whom you came to believe? As the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So, neither the one who plants know the one who Waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. The one, who planted the one who Waters have one purpose and they will each be rewarded, according to their own labor for. We are co-workers in God's service. You are God's field, God's Building. I read the the the the the worldly story, and then I read this moment and Paul's life, that he's riding the Corinthians and I realized God's all giving us a seed. God's all giving us to seed. And Paul makes it very clear that happens to that seed, really doesn't need to depend on you. It doesn't need to depend on me. It doesn't need to depend on the different preachers that have that have worked here through the years. You know, it is. It's funny. I ask from time to time different people hate, who's your favorite preacher? That's ever been at Knotts Avenue. I'm not once had one person see me. I can't figure that out yet. But but I hear a lot of other different names and I know there's been some great men that have stood before you and high priests in her for going for claim to have watered you. Call Sis. It's not about them. It's about who? About, who? Stop. Let God grow you. The way that God wants you to grow. Let God grow this church, the way that God wants this church to grow. Let's make it a point to be like the people that are following Jesus and say, you're going to be our King. You're going to be the most important, you're going to be the ruler of Our Lives. You're going to be the one that we look to the one that we strive to be like the one that we let have control. Let's not be like the Pharisees who says we want it to be this way, or that way. We wanted to be our way. We want you to come down. We want you to get control of this. No, let us make our focal point as the 9th, Avenue Church of Christ above everything else. To say Jesus is king of our lives. And when he's King Of Our Lives, he will be king of our church. And when he's king of our church, we will grow and become the church that he desires us to be. Let's go to God In Prayer.

Are we thank you for today. We thank you for our time together and The time that we spent singing praises to you and and exalting your name and and glorify your name. We are thankful for Jesus and for the kingship that he can claim. We pray that we all leave this place with a better understanding of how he needs to be the thing in our life. God, I thank you for this church family and for the desires if they have to disturb you and to worship you, and then to let you leave them, God help us to always keep you as the focal and Center Point and everything that we do. We thank you for Jesus sacrifice. We thank you for. His death. We are also equally grateful for his miraculous Resurrection. And if those things all combined, give us hope of Salvation and eternal life and forgiveness, in a way is that we're never never possible. Prior to, that moment, help us to live in the shadow of that sacrifice on the cross every day and your son's name. We pray. Amen.

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