The Contrast of Palm Sunday

Introduction:

Funny Story about Contrast- things that are opposite that go together.

There are some things in life that just don’t seem like they should ever go together- they are in direct contrast from one another.

Foods that seems to be opposite but fit perfectly together.

Sweet and Sour Chicken- and yet it doesn’t taste sweet or sour to me.

Pepperoni pizza and a glass of milk.

and the worst contrast is people thinking that bacon and donuts should go together- thats just wrong!

I like bacon and I love donuts- but you cant get more opposite than bacon and donuts

This week is known in Christianity as the Passion week of Christ

it begins with Palm Sunday (which is today) as Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the donkey, and the crowds of people sing out “Hosanna, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Even the king of Isreal!

This triumphal entry s just the beginning of the week long story of Jesus’s final days before his death. This final week includes the Betrayal Jesus by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane , His arrest and trial before the Roman government, His condemnation by the Jewish people, His torture by the Roman Guards, His walk down the Via Delorosa where he had to carry his own cross, his crucifixion on mt. calvary, His burial in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, and the passion week of Christ ends with His glorious resurrection form the Grave on Easter Sunday , which we will celebrate in one week, together as the church.

Understand that there is no greater story in all of human history than this week that took place 2000 years ago in Israel.

My Desire is that we as a church take this week that is before us , as a time to remember and reflect on the magnitude of love and grace that God showed us through his sons arrest, trial, death, Burial and resurrection.

Today on this Palm Sunday, as we begin to remember all that Christ went through for us, I want us to consider 3 contrast in the story of Jesus’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.

But Before we jump into the story for today, let’sget a big picture of the background of where we are at.

Background

Jesus has been proclaiming the gospel for 3 years now to the Jews. In our study through the gospel of John we have only reached the 5th chapter and already Jesus has been proclaimed as the Messiah as the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world. Jesus has called the nation of Isreal to repent and believe in him as their Messiah.

The four gospel accounts - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, are full of Jesus doing numerous miracles, and many super-natural signs to show them his authority as God. He has healed the sick, Made the blind to see, the lame to walk again, and even raised Lazarus from the dead after being 4 days in the grave.

In fact the gospels record 37 different miracles that Jesus did to prove His deity. and John at the end of his gospel says that Jesus did many more than what was recorded.

And even with all of these miraculous signs that proved his deity the people still refused to believe in Him as their promised Messiah.

Remember what Jesus said his purpose for coming to earth was?

“To seek and save the Lost.” Jesus came to earth to bring salvation to the lost.

We pick up our story in Luke chapter 19. where Jesus has just been teaching his followers about being stewards of what God has given them in their lives

Luke 19:28-36 “After Jesus had said this, [about stewardship] he continued on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

19:29 Now when he approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples,

19:30 telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you. When you enter it, you will find a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 19:31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” 19:32 So those who were sent ahead found it exactly as he had told them. 19:33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” 19:34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.” 19:35 Then they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and had Jesus get on it. [NET]

The Final week of Jesus’s life and ministry has begun.

OUR BIG IDEA FOR TODAY: is a question....

What kind of King will Jesus be in My life?

Remember this question because we will come back to it at the end of our time together today.

As we look at the story of Palm Sunday...

The first contrast we need to consider is....

The Arrival of Christ Brings Both Rejoicing and Weeping (Triumphal Entry)

This morning we will be in John chapter 12 but we will also be visiting the other accounts of the same story written by the gospel writers (Matt, Mark, & Luke .)

John 12 gives us a concise description of the triumphal entry but Dr. Luke in his epistle gives us a much more detailed account.

Turn with me to Luke 19 beginning in verse 37.

Rejoicing -Luke19:37-38

“As he was drawing near [ as Jesus was getting closer to the city of Jerusalem]—already on the way down from 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, “[Hosanna] Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem is the picture of a triumphant king coming to the city to bring Peace.

Jesus came sitting on a young donkey- in our culture this wouldn’ t seem so special but for the Jews this was a sign of Royalty, A king riding into a town on horse meant that he was declaring War, but a king coming to town on a donkey meant he was coming in peace.

The people were waving and laying down palm branches to honor Jesus as their king.

Palm trees were a symbol of strength beauty joy and salvation,

and palm branches were waved in honor of a returning victorious king.

as Jesus got closer and closer to the city the crowd got larger and louder.

and they began to chant “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Jesus came into Jerusalem declaring himself as the Messiah.

The nation of Isreal had been waiting and wait for this moment when the promised Messiah would come and reestablish the throne of David on this earth.

Jesus came as that messiah- the one who will establish the throne of David on this earth.

and as the king on the throne of David, Jesus has the power to bring reconciliation between the Jews and all the nations of this world bringing with him peace.

But Jesus also came as the Messiah of all mankind. The one who would establish his eternal kingdom and bring spiritual peace to all those who accept him as their king.

The peace that Jesus brings as the messiah is reconciliation to the relationship between God and Man- something that has been broken since the very beginning of mans existence when Adam sinned in the garden of Eden.

There was great reason for the crowds to rejoice whenJesus entered Jerusalem as the Messiah. Because he was bring reconciliation with him.

Transition: But as we move on in our story in Luke 19 We can see that rejoicing is not the only emotional response that is there look with me at verse 41.

Weeping - Luke 19:41

NET- 19:41 “Now when Jesus approached and saw the city, he wept over it, 19:42 saying, “If you had only known on this day, even you, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 19:43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and surround you and close in on you from every side. 19:44 They will demolish you—you and your children within your walls—and they will not leave within you one stone on top of another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”

The crowd is welcoming Jesus as their messiah, as the one who will bring reconciliation to the throne of David. and as he gets closer and closer to the crowds lifting up his praise instead of Joy in his heart, Jesus begins to weep.

How could Jesus weep at this moment when when it seems that His purpose for coming to earth as the Messiah has finally come to fruition?

How could he not be rejoicing at the people finally acknowledge him for who is truly is?

When Jesus sees the crowds of Jews scattered around the city , The people he chose bless and honor- He begins to weep because he knows that in just a couple of days they are going to turn against him and instead of Crowing him as the king of Kings and Lord of Lords they are going to put a crown of thorns on his head , and they will relentlessly mock and ridicule Him and instead of shouting Hosanna to the king they are going to cry out crucify him, Crucify-Him! We do not want Jesus as our king.

Jesus heart was broken- He weeped because his own people were about to reject him as their Savior.

Jesus entire ministry on earth was to redeem the lost ,to restore mans relationship with the father.

And this time of great rejoicing was met with great sorrow. Because although the Te people were excited for an earthly savior they rejected the spiritual savior.

Transition; the 2nd contrast that We need to consider in this story is that..

The Mission of Christ Brings both Glory and Judgement

John chapter 12 tells us that After Jesus enters Jerusalem that people were trying to get to Jesus and meet Him..

Illustration: In my life I haven’t met too many famous people but I have had the chance to meet a few.

Growing up I collected Baseball cards-

my favorite team was the Chicago Cubs - I’m pretty sure I liked them just because the Iowa Cubs were in Des Moines and each year we would get to go to their games.

One of my favorite players was Mark Grace- He was a first basemen for the Chicago cubs, but for 21 games he was an Iowa Cub.

And I remember going to the game as a kid with his baseball card, trying to get as close to him as I could to talk to him and get his autograph.

it took a lot of Cheering and a lot of waving but eventually he came over to where we were hanging over the wall and gave us a high five and autographed my card.

That was an amazing day for me- I met someone super famous. I

Our story is kind of like this.. People wanted to meet the man who has just been declared as the Messiah . Everyone wants to meet the star of the show. . and among them were some Greeks who where in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.

listen to what verse 20-32 say in John chapter 12.

John 12:20-32

Glory vs 20-28

John 12:20-29 “Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ..

[jumping to verse 26] . If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”

Jesus came to fulfill a purpose - and in verse 27 Jesus tells us his purpose is to glorify the name of God the Father-

Jesus came to earth to bring God Glory

In Luke 19:10 Jesus tells us how he accomplishes this purpose

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.””

Jesus came to bring God the father Glory by restoring the broken relationship between God the Creator and mankind the Creation.

He came to seek and save the lost.

So the we need to consider is what is so broken about mans relationship with God and how can restoration Bring God glory.

Gen. 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Isaiah43:7 “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Col. 1:16 “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

We were created in God’s image so that we could reflect His glory.

we were created to live perfectly by a perfect God who desires to live with us in his perfect eternal kingdom.

But you see there is a serious problem. - Not one of us is perfect.

Which means all of us are disqualified from living with a perfect God in his perfect Kingdom!

You ask me why? Because if our imperfections were in his perfect kingdom it would no longer be perfect.

Romans 3:10-12 “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

We get this idea in our heads that if only I am good enough. If my good outweighs my bad) then God will accept me even with my little bit of sin.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Our relationship with God is broken because of our sin. Because of our rebellion against his perfection.

and the reality of our sin is that it carries with it the death penalty.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death,

When the Bible refers to death in this passage it means total seperation from God forever in a place of eternal punishment called Hell.

And remember why God created You? For his glory-

You were created to bring God glory- to proclaim his praises for all eternity.

- understand this morning that it is your sin that condemns you tell hell

- It is your sin that has broken the relationship between you and God

- and it is your sin that robs God of the glory He deserves from your life.

And as we come back to our passage in John chapter 12- Jesus says his purpose is to restore the broken relationship between God and man

Jesus came to pay the debt of our sin that separates us from God So that our lives can be restored and bring God the glory.

Remember the words of jesus “I came to seek and save the lost. “

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. We are completely lost in our sins. All have turned aside; together we have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.

ROmans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus purpose was to come to earth to live perfectly so that he could take your place and pay your eternal debt of sin, so that when you stand before God the father -you are no longer sinful but are righteous in Christ.

Jesus Brings the only way of restoration to the broken relationships of mankind from God because of our Sin.

Transition :As we look back a John 12 in verse 30 Jesus tells us that His death on the cross will not Just bring God glory but will also bring Judgement on the guilty.

Judgement

“31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. "

When God created adam and Eve in the Garden He gave them authority over this world.

But when they sinned against God, they forfeited that authority of the created world to Satan.

And Satan has made every attempt to defeat God and Rob him of His glory.

Satan wants you to hate God and reject him, because every soul he takes to hell with him is another voice that will never Sing God’s praises for all eternity.

His entire mission is to rob God of his glory.

But the Bible tells us that When Jesus Christ Dies in mans place for mans sins. He not only provides a way of restoration for mans relationship with God but he drives the final nail into Satans eternal coffin

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 ““O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Christ ‘s mission was to come to earth as the creator himself and die on a cross in place of His own creation so that our relationship with God the father could be restored for Gods glory.

and by dying he paid our debt of eternal seperation from In full. and this brings victory over death to all those who put their faith and trust in him, and it also brings eternal Judgment on Satan , and on this sin cursed world, and on all those who reject the free gift of Salvation.

Transition: John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Do you understand that God is offering you a free gift today.

He is offering to pay your entire debt of Sin in full

He is offering to redeem you from your eternal damnation in hell.

But I want each of us to understand that this gift that god is freely offing to each of us is both Temporary and eternal.

The Offer of Christ is both Temporary and Eternal.

john 12:35-36 “So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. [what is the light? in John 8:12 “Jesus said , “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” }

“The light is among you for a little while longer. [ meaning I am only here with you for just a little bit longer] Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

The Bible is very clear- the offer of eternal life expires the moment you take your last breath.

Temporary

If you die without accepting Jesus as your savior, You will be condemned to an eternity in Hell. Thats your reality.

Hebrews 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,”

When I was 14 years old my wrestling coach decided to take one of my friends hunting- While they were walking the boy tripped and his gun went off and it killed our coach. His life was over at 45 years old - his eternity was sealed.

My friend Tim was 19 and on his way back to school for our Sophmore year at faith. Tim got in his car and had a massive heart attack and died on the spot. His life was over - his eternity was sealed.

4 years ago a young man who grew upcoming to camp got married and went to Florida for his honeymoon. On their first night He went into the ocean and was swept out to sea and drowned. His life was over. - his eternity was sealed.

The one thing about all of these men that I know for certain is that when each of them got up that morning none of them thought to themselves this is my last day here on earth I better make sure I have everything in order.

James 4:14 “..What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

Your life compared to an eternity apart from God is just the mist that comes from your breath on a cold Iowa's morning. Its here for just a second and then it is gone for all eternity.

The only breath that you are guaranteed is the one you are taking right now.

We do not know how much time we have left to let Jesus take our place and pay our debt of sin.

But what we can be sure of is that if we wait too long it will be too late.

The point Jesus is making in John 12 is this - You see the truth before don’t wait until it is gone, because when it is gone it will be too late.

In verse 36 of John 12:36 “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

When we believe in Jesus he takes our place and pays our debt for our sins and this perfect payment is eternally secure.

meaning there is nothing more for you to do, Jesus takes your debt of sin Past present and future and he pays them in full.

Although the offer has an expiration date it comes with an eternal guarantee

I love what Romans 10:9-10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

When we believe in Jesus we are Justified before the perfect God- This means that when God now looks at us he no longer sees our debt of sin but he sees Christ’s righteous and it is Just as if I had never sinned.

And when this happens our eternity is secured.

John in chapter 10 Jesus speaking of those who believe in him calls them his sheep.

Sheep follow their shepherd, because the shepherd is the one who cares for them and protects them from all dangers

John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

The gift of Salvation is a temporary gift You must believe in Jesus before its too late.

The gift of Jesus is an eternal gift.- If you put your faith and trust in Jesus alone for your salvation- there is no one or nothing that can ever separate you from the love of God.

BRING IT HOME

The Triumphal Entry was jesus Declaring himself as the Messiah

to the jews this meant he would establish his earthly kingdom on the throne of David, but for the world this means that He would redeem then from their sins and restore their relationship with God.

The Jewish people praised him as their earthly king but failed to see him as the heavenly king.

Remember our question we started with this morning? “ What Kind of King will Jesus be in your Life?

Will you be like the Jews and reject him and his gift of salvation. or will you accept him and the free gift that he brings with him?

........

As we celebrate the Passion week of Christ there is no greater form of worship than for a lost sinner to be found.

If you are here this morning you are on borrowed time.

Your life may be over in just a few breaths away and the only decision that will last beyond that final breath is weather or not you believe in jesus.

Christians- you have been redeemed- Your eternity is secure. But the question we should all ask ourselves is are we letting jesus be the king of our lives or are we still trying to be in control.

This week as we enter the passion week I want to encourage all of you to read through the accounts of what Jesus endured during this last week of his life before his death on the cross.

in your notes for today are a few simple passages for you to look at each day of this week as we lead up to our time together next Sunday as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

Final challenge to unsaved

Pray