WEBVTT 00:00:03.839 --> 00:00:09.199 Well, Poem Sunday, we celebrate that Jesus enters as the King. 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:11.919 That's why I wore this shirt today. 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:14.400 Shout out to uh Jim for giving me this shirt. 00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:15.119 I love this. 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:19.679 Looking forward to Palm Sunday when I get to wear my Jesus is King shirt. 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:27.280 And uh one of the things about royal entrances, like we read about in Luke 19, is they tend to come with a fair amount of pageantry. 00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:39.840 Some of you really love the British royalty, and anytime there's a major event going on, you are glued to the television to see how all the pageantry will shake out. 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:45.600 Others of you, uh, this past week were gripped by Major League Baseball's opening day. 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:53.359 Maybe some of you even went over to Cincinnati and you were there to see how that was for the Reds and enjoying, like, boy, this is a different kind of royalty. 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:56.719 They don't wear crowns per se, but we treat them like royalty. 00:00:56.799 --> 00:01:07.040 Uh, some of you are looking ahead to the Indy 500 and all the pageantry that goes around to the greatest spectacle in racing and everything that leads into that. 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:24.000 Maybe you can imagine uh in January, every four years, at the presidential inauguration, all the banners that are up, and all the people that gather, and all the limousines and the cars, and the band, and everything that goes into the presidential inauguration. 00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:26.959 And lots of people celebrate that. 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:31.040 Of course, not everybody is happy about the royal entrance either. 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:45.200 Maybe one of the greatest pictures of the last 10 years you could see on the screen right here is that uh, you know, the moment of a royal entry, there does tend to be somebody who's grumpy, and that happened to be the case in Luke 19 as well. 00:01:45.359 --> 00:02:02.239 Uh, but the the point of all these royal entrances is that the worth of the royalty tells us that the pageantry, it's not only appropriate, it's far more than appropriate, it's good and valuable and something we look forward to and celebrate, right? 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:03.439 We look forward to that. 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:07.120 Yes, it's good to do those things, and I can't wait to have more of it. 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:09.520 This is the scene at the end of Luke 19. 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:12.080 It's the culmination of Jesus' ministry. 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:15.840 He has fulfilled his purpose or is there to fulfill his purpose. 00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:20.319 Like Pastor Rob told us last week when he kicked off our Easter series so well of Luke 19, 10. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:21.520 Why did Jesus come? 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:23.439 To seek and to save the lost. 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:29.280 I so appreciate his message from uh Luke 19 and Zacchaeus and Jesus and their interaction there. 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:32.639 The fact of the matter is, guys, Jesus came to save sinners. 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:34.960 He came to save sinners like me. 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:38.159 If you are in Christ, he came to save sinners like you. 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:54.719 And if you're not yet a Christian, it's really important for you to know that Jesus came to save sinners, not to high-five us along the way, not to lock arms and be your buddy, not to do all sorts of things that our world tells us, but to save us from our sins because we needed saving. 00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:58.479 In fact, if you just track through the Gospel of Luke, it's really interesting. 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:01.599 One of the first people Jesus called was a tax collector. 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:06.560 Here is a guy who is known for his political and financial corruption. 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:11.599 Not long after that, Jesus calls a Roman military leader to follow him. 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:15.039 Like, this is not the person you expected to be in the family of God. 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:17.759 And Jesus says, Yes, I have come to seek and to save the lost. 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:19.840 I've come to save sinners. 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:25.840 We find him regularly, what the Gospel of Luke says is dining with sinners. 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:28.319 It's the people he hung out with. 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:35.120 One of the most regular critiques of Jesus, he was a glutton and a drunk, is what the religious people said. 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:39.120 Like, why are you hanging out with those people and why are you hanging out in those places? 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:42.319 Because you didn't understand my mission. 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:44.159 And I came to seek and save the lost. 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:46.960 I didn't come for the healthy, I came for the sick, he said. 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:50.319 I could put what is broken back into order. 00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:58.479 There's an epic passage right in the middle of Luke, chapter 15, three consecutive parables where it just makes it so abundantly clear. 00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:04.560 Luke 15 starts in he says, I am the one, the shepherd, who leaves the 99 behind to find the one that's lost. 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:09.840 And then I'm like the woman who leaves the nine coins and I go to find the one that's lost. 00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:25.839 And then after that is maybe Jesus' most famous parable where he says, I'm gonna go and I'm gonna seek out the prodigal son who's blown all the inheritance on reckless living, and his older brother, who's totally lost in his religious self-righteousness, I'm gonna come to save him too. 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:28.959 This is the whole picture of the Gospel of Luke. 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:34.240 Jesus has come to seek and to save the lost, and to actually do that is gonna require his death. 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:39.199 Because as Romans 6 23 says, the wages of sin is death. 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:43.519 In order to save us from our sin, Jesus must die. 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:50.000 And so his whole mission is to get to Jerusalem where he will die to pay the penalty for sin. 00:04:50.160 --> 00:05:01.040 This is why in Luke chapter 9, as we're getting sort of a geography of Jesus' life and ministry, Luke 9.51 says, He set his face towards Jerusalem. 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:02.800 He was resolute. 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:04.639 I am going to get there. 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:06.959 I will not be deterred. 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:08.879 I know why I have come. 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:12.800 Must complete my mission. 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:15.439 I wonder if you would personalize that just a little bit. 00:05:15.519 --> 00:05:18.879 Like you imagine the Savior of the world set his face on Jerusalem. 00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:21.600 He's going to get there on his mission to seek and save sinners. 00:05:21.759 --> 00:05:31.759 Could you personalize that by thinking of someone who is really important that perhaps had sought you and found you at some point in your life? 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:34.160 They've been pursuing you. 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:36.319 Like, wait, you came for me? 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:43.600 One of the ways I think about that is, you know, in the cookhouse, we've got uh three little girls. 00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:46.720 Welcome to the Danny Tanner Club for girl dads. 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:49.680 And um and so we like to watch the parent trap. 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:51.279 Anybody else like the parent trap? 00:05:51.439 --> 00:06:10.879 And so at the at the end of that movie, there's um there's the dad who's really important guy, and he's wealthy and good looking and single, and um he he they're on a camping trip, and his his latest girlfriend is on the camping trip as well, and he looks at the the little girls and he realizes he's gonna have to pick his daughters or the fling, and he looks at the girls and he says, I choose them. 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:13.680 T H E M, them. 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:19.600 And of course, the the woman stomps off in a huff, and and the little girls go, Dad, you would pick us? 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:22.639 Wow! Like, what do we need to do, Dad? 00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:29.120 Like, we'll we'll do your laundry, we'll do the dishes, we'll make dinner, we'll we'll do anything because you picked us and you pursued us. 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:33.680 And their hearts are melted into wonder, and they'll say, Dad, I'll give you anything. 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:35.279 I'll do anything. 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:41.439 Because I see that you are the important one, you are the worthy one, you are the quote unquote royal one, and you chose us. 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:47.279 And that's the picture of what the whole gospel of Luke is meaning to bring you to as a Christian. 00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:58.720 You're the sinless savior of the world, the son of God who is eternally perfect in every way, and you would choose and pursue me, what can I give you? 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:02.720 Anything and everything and melt your heart. 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:10.319 And so the main question I want you to hear this morning from Luke 19, the application kind of question is simply this. 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:13.439 Will you give the king all that he is due? 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:16.319 Will you give the king all that he's due? 00:07:16.959 --> 00:07:25.040 That's what is leading up to to see the worth of the king, the value of the king, the pursuit of the king, and lead you into all of that. 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:33.920 So as the passage unfolds itself, we're just gonna kind of tell the story of the passage, and uh our outline will sort of follow that, but it's not complicated. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:45.600 We're just gonna see the preparation for the king, the entry of the king, and the response to the king, all getting us back to this question Will you give the king all that he is due? 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:49.120 Let's let's look first at the preparation for the king. 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:53.759 We're here at the beginning in Luke 19, uh, starting in verse 28. 00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:54.399 Here's what it says. 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:57.680 I hope you've got your copy of the scriptures open, because we'll go back to this quite a bit. 00:07:57.759 --> 00:07:59.519 Uh, starting in verse 28. 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:07.360 When he had said these things, I mean Jesus saying these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:15.120 When he drew near to Bethpage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples. 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:22.160 So they're having this conversation on the way to Jerusalem, a little bit of geography to help you find your bearings here. 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:26.480 They go up to Bethpage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives. 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:33.120 So Bethpage is this spot that is near like the peak of the mountain, where the Mount of Olivets is. 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:35.039 It may have even been at the Mount of Olivets. 00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:40.240 And so from that spot, they can look actually down on Jerusalem. 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:42.960 There may be 300 feet above Jerusalem. 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:46.639 Okay, so that's kind of the picture of where they've been hiking up to this. 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:53.840 And Jesus gives them instructions from this place called Bethpage, near the Mount of Olives. 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:55.440 Verse 30, here's the instructions. 00:08:55.600 --> 00:09:03.600 He says, Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you'll find a colt tied on which no one has ever sat. 00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:06.399 Untie it and bring it here. 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:09.120 If anyone asks you, why are you untying it? 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:12.799 You shall say this, the Lord has need of it. 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:16.159 Now, you imagine you're those disciples. 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:18.559 It's an interesting set of instructions you get from the Lord, right? 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:23.039 Okay, you're gonna go down the mountain, go into the village, you're gonna see this cult, no one's ever ridden it. 00:09:23.279 --> 00:09:24.480 Untie it, bring it to me. 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:29.840 And if anybody asks, here's the secret password, the Lord has need of it. 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:36.639 Right now, if you grew up in the 90s, maybe you're thinking back to like a lad, and you're like, the secret password, open sesame. 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:38.080 And then, like, it's okay. 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:39.279 All of a sudden it goes forward. 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:44.080 Like, I don't know, it seems like a unique thing to be told right there. 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:48.000 There's lots that I wonder about when I read this passage. 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:53.039 Like, how did all that work with the people who own the cult and the disciples and them going? 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:56.080 But what does the passage explicitly tell us? 00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:02.960 Like, I think sometimes when we read our Bible, it's easy to get sidetracked onto like speculations of things that we don't know about. 00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:04.799 That's not a wrong thing to do. 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:07.519 But God has very clearly told us what we need to know in his word. 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:08.320 What does it say? 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:10.080 Here's what you need to tell the people. 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:13.840 The Lord has need of it. 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:16.639 And that was enough. 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:18.799 And you ask, well, why did that land? 00:10:19.039 --> 00:10:20.559 Why was that the instruction that was needed? 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:22.240 Was there something different about their culture? 00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:26.159 Was there something about the town of Bethany where that would be significant? 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:27.759 Would it be this or that? 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:30.159 I don't think we need to complicate this. 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:36.159 I think those first disciples, the ones in Bethany who owned the cult, they understood who Jesus was. 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:39.039 And if the Lord has need of it, that's all I need to know. 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:41.360 The Lord has need of it. 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:43.519 Great, take it, take all of it. 00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:45.120 It's all his. 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:46.799 God owns it all. 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:47.519 Amen. 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:48.960 Yeah, that's what they knew. 00:10:49.039 --> 00:10:50.960 So let's not make this harder than it is. 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:58.399 Because I think sometimes in the American church, we end up with a really distorted view of following Jesus. 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:01.120 We call that a distorted view of discipleship. 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:03.679 What it means to be Jesus' disciple. 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:09.440 We're like, you almost sound like people think they can have Jesus on a leash. 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:12.399 Like he can kind of come with me where I want to go. 00:11:12.639 --> 00:11:15.039 He's like my Tesla with assisted driving. 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:22.879 Like when I want to merge lanes and get maybe take a new job or a new house, like Jesus is there to help guide that process so it's smooth and I don't wreck. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:25.519 Like Jesus isn't your co-pilot. 00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:29.360 That's not the picture in the scriptures at all. 00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:33.919 And I think these first disciples understood that really clearly. 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:43.919 And it is good for us in the American Church to hear that and say, if the Lord has need of it, then there's nothing else that needs to be said, nothing else that needs to be asked. 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:50.080 Like they don't come back, it's like, well, Jesus, could you give us your strategic vision for how you want to use this little cult? 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:53.279 Could you tell us why it has to be right now? 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:54.879 Because we're kind of busy right now. 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:57.759 We just sat down for dinner and like, can it wait an hour? 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:00.399 No, it's like if the Lord has need of it, then the Lord has need of it. 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:03.200 You can take it absolutely and go ahead. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:07.679 He's the creator of the universe and everything is rightfully his. 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:11.600 And if everything is rightfully his, do you know what that includes? 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:13.200 This little cult. 00:12:13.679 --> 00:12:16.159 And everything in your life as well. 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:24.720 So one of the ways that we prepare for the king is to recognize that everything in the entire universe is rightfully his. 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:32.000 And if we're honest with ourselves, I think there's a lot of stuff in our lives that sometimes feels like it's ours. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:32.799 Right? 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:34.240 Like I think about this afternoon. 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:34.960 I got some time. 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:36.879 What am I gonna do with my time? 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:38.240 It feels like it's mine. 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:40.879 Or you've got a job and it feels like the job is yours. 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:45.440 You've you've got some money and it feels like the money is yours, or you've got a family, it feels like the family is yours. 00:12:45.519 --> 00:12:47.200 It really feels that way. 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:50.399 But can I give you some biblical truth this morning? 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:52.559 Your feelings lie to you. 00:12:52.799 --> 00:12:54.960 They lead you astray sometimes. 00:12:55.200 --> 00:13:05.279 And before we go into like any kind of abstract reasoning about how I know that your feelings sometimes lead you astray, here's a really simple one simple way to know your feelings lead you astray. 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:07.840 Taco Bell was still in business. 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:11.759 Like that's a joke you don't even have to explain. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:14.240 It's just obvious, yeah, they're still in business. 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:17.600 Like, feelings have been leading people astray for a long time. 00:13:17.759 --> 00:13:21.200 And they're gonna keep leading people astray for a long time. 00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:25.679 Everything in your life belongs to King Jesus. 00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:29.120 And some of it feels like it's yours, but it's all his. 00:13:29.679 --> 00:13:38.559 So if I can just drive a little application right out of the gate this morning, like imagine the various parts of your life, like rooms in your home. 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:50.480 Okay, one of the rooms is your job, one of the rooms is your family, one of the rooms is your sexuality, one of the rooms is you keep going on, all different areas, right? 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:54.000 And imagine Jesus comes to visit you at your house. 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:58.000 And he starts to walk down the hallway. 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:00.159 You got this picture? 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:04.960 Which of those rooms are you hoping he doesn't go into? 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:09.519 Now maybe you think of the room that's really, really messy. 00:14:09.759 --> 00:14:13.039 Like, yeah, that part of my life I've been working on Jesus. 00:14:13.200 --> 00:14:14.240 I know it's a mess. 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:16.159 We got a bunch of stuff shoved under the bed. 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:18.399 Like, just give us some grace there. 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:23.360 And he may look at you in the eye and say, the Lord has need of that. 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:29.440 And are you willing to let him into the mess, or are you trying to clean it up before he can get there? 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:36.879 But I think what might be even more challenging than the messy room is the part of your life that's utterly pristine. 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:41.200 You have got that thing completely the way you want it. 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:50.000 Not only is the bed made, the floor vacuumed, if you got hardwood, they've been recently polished, you can basically see your own reflection in it. 00:14:51.519 --> 00:15:04.399 And if the Lord Jesus were to walk through and say, the Lord has need of that part of your life, would you be gladly saying, It is not a duty, it is not a discipline, it is only my honor to offer this to you. 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:07.759 These first disciples got it. 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:10.240 The Lord has need of it, that's all that needs to be said. 00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:14.159 They had prepared in their hearts that everything belonged to King Jesus. 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:21.120 And when the Lord had need of it, they gladly gave it, no questions asked, and said, It is our honor. 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:26.879 Let me return to our key question that I asked you at the very beginning this morning. 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:29.600 Will you give the king all that is due? 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:34.960 Now listen, this beginning section right out of the gate, we're talking how to apply this to our life. 00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:38.639 I'm getting a little bit in your face talking about every area of your life. 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:53.120 One of the dangers here is you walk out of this Sunday morning, this part of the sermon, without something specifically where you've engaged your mind saying, this area of my life the Lord has need of, and I may not be fully open-handed with it. 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:55.120 In fact, I might be totally closed-fisted. 00:15:55.519 --> 00:15:56.720 White knuckle in it. 00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:00.399 Spark said, Don't let this moment go by. 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:15.360 Close your mind around what that particular area is and recognize that you're going to need to take that to the Lord in prayer and ask him by his grace to open your hands and see that he is the worthy king of the universe. 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:18.240 And if the Lord has need of it, it all belongs to him. 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:20.080 That's how you prepare for the king. 00:16:20.320 --> 00:16:24.399 Now, this brings to the second part of the story where it's actually the entry of the king. 00:16:24.480 --> 00:16:29.120 So it's not just preparing for his entry, but actually getting to the entrance. 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:34.559 The entry of a king is really an interesting thing to consider. 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:40.240 The kind of pageantry that's used tells you about the kind of king that's going to enter. 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:48.559 And one of the best ways to think about this is if the Indy 500, they're going around, they have the warm-up laps, they have the pace car. 00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:54.320 The kind of pageantry, the kind of entrance tells you about the kind of king. 00:16:54.559 --> 00:16:57.120 What kind of pace car do they have? 00:16:57.679 --> 00:16:59.120 Not a Prius. 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:01.279 Why? 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:06.799 Because the kind of pace car tells you about the kind of other cars to follow. 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:12.640 This year they've got this really slick Corvette that some of you car nerds could tell us all about. 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:17.839 All I know is it's got an obscene amount of horsepower, and I looked it up this morning. 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:22.480 It said it can go zero to 60 in 1.6 seconds. 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:25.519 That just sounds like neck problems to me. 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:28.720 It does sound awesome. 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:30.000 I agree with that as well. 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:38.000 So I don't know how they got all that hooked up, but the point is the style of entrance tells you about what's coming behind it, right? 00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:40.240 And you know that's entirely appropriate. 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:49.519 So the Jewish expectation was this military king comes in on a tall white horse, symbolizing this dominant victory. 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:58.079 Like you come in on a white horse or you wear a fully white outfit at a spot where you don't anticipate there being much of a battle, much of a mess. 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:02.079 You're gonna have spaghetti for lunch, not eating a white shirt or not wearing a white shirt. 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:03.359 This could be messy. 00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:07.839 You wear a white horse into the battle, you don't anticipate it being real difficult. 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:10.480 I'm gonna strike them all down right away. 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:12.240 That's what they were expecting. 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:20.400 And yet, the prophecy that had been made about Jesus in the Old Testament would redefine the kind of king that's entering. 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:25.119 Jesus is the one who comes and he says, I'm a different kind of king for you. 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:26.799 Now catch this. 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:32.400 They thought he was gonna overthrow Rome, but instead he overthrew death. 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:37.119 And in the moment it actually looked like a smaller thing. 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:40.240 Like, oh, well, but what about this Rome thing? 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:43.759 It was actually far greater than they ever could have imagined. 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:47.359 It went beyond any category they had for him. 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:49.119 Look at verse 30. 00:18:49.279 --> 00:18:52.079 We're gonna see the kind of entrance that this king receives. 00:18:52.240 --> 00:19:00.079 Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a cult tied on which no one has ever sat. 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:03.039 Untie it and bring it here. 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:09.359 There is enormous significance in that little cult, the one that's never been written. 00:19:09.599 --> 00:19:09.920 Right? 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:16.480 When we understand the kind of entrance and what it tells us about the king, there is just a huge payload attached to that. 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:19.519 So we're gonna build that out a little bit here. 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:22.480 On the screen, you're gonna see Zechariah 9:9. 00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:25.279 This is the prophecy I referenced a moment ago. 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:37.359 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. 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:43.279 All right, so it's fulfillment of the Old Testament that tells us a little bit about who this Messiah is, who this king is. 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:55.279 But the foal of a donkey is a phrase that oftentimes would have meant a donkey under one year old, which would have made it fairly easy for those first disciples to identify. 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:56.880 Oh, that's the one. 00:19:57.119 --> 00:20:00.480 So here's a picture of what this may have looked like. 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:05.519 That's just not a picture of military strength. 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:10.160 That doesn't strike me as zero to 60 in 1.6 seconds. 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:11.440 Right? 00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:13.119 That's not what you would imagine. 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:26.799 And what's really fascinating is in the Old Testament, an animal that had never been ridden, a beast of burden that had never had any burden placed on it, symbolized an additional level of sacredness and honor. 00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:42.079 And so here is Jesus on this sacred, honored animal, and yet one that is humble and lowly, almost to the point, like it's not hard to see on that animal a man riding it and almost kind of like walking with it, like a kid on a balance bike. 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:43.440 Right? 00:20:43.759 --> 00:20:49.680 It's just like shattering your expertise, like king, high, holy, victorious, low, humble. 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:53.920 Not exactly what I thought was coming here. 00:20:54.720 --> 00:21:05.759 And so instead of this military victory to overthrow the government, Jesus comes as this humble king on a colt, the foal of a donkey, to change and melt hearts. 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:14.559 So the principle, the idea here is this that Jesus, in his kingly authority, has the right to demand your life from you. 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:17.359 Everything belongs to Jesus. 00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:18.720 Everything is rightfully his. 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:27.200 He has the authority to demand all of it from you, and yet in his humility, instead of demanding your life from you, he lays down his life for you. 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:32.240 Now that's a switch that is crazy to wrap your mind around. 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:41.039 The Bible language for this throughout Old and New Testament is that Jesus is both a king and a priest. 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:46.880 And when you get the king and the priest together, it will utterly transform how you see Jesus. 00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:52.640 So just stick with me for a second because this is a really rich picture of who Jesus is. 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:59.759 And if I get a little emotional, like I don't often get super emotional, this is one of the things that actually makes me a little bit emotional to think about. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.640 Like his king and priestness together. 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:06.960 So as a king, there's a picture of strength and authority. 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:12.880 Strong, authoritative, justice must be maintained. 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:18.880 In a school context, kids, teenagers, this is like getting called to the principal's office. 00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:34.880 You go down there, and no matter how much you think that you're good and you've been on time and you haven't skipped class and you haven't failed to turn in assignments and you haven't been like whatever, you're still a little nervous, your heart rate is a little higher, your blood pressure is ticking. 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:36.000 Like, what happened? 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:36.880 What happened? 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:43.200 Because to be in the presence of the authoritative one just makes you kind of nervous. 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:47.920 At the same time, he's not just a king, he's a priest. 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:56.480 The ministry of priest was a ministry of service and of sympathy, a ministry of mercy. 00:22:56.640 --> 00:23:21.119 And if you place it back into the school context, it's a little bit like the math tutor, who comes alongside you in your weakness, is always encouraging, is not afraid to roll up their sleeves and help you figure it out no matter how many times you failed the quiz, and always has those like good jolly rancher candies there to reach out in kindness, even when you didn't study as hard as you should have. 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:25.440 And these are two radically different roles, right? 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:28.240 Two radically different people. 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:32.799 And Jesus unites them in a shocking turn. 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:39.839 And if I place myself in that spot, I'm almost nervous knowing that the principle is the same as the math tutor. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:46.559 I'm nervous to tell all my secrets to the math tutor because then the good cop could go bad cop and get me in trouble, right? 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:58.319 And all that shows is my own weakness, how I can only see the bad version of the unity instead of a glorious vision of that unity that Jesus brings. 00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:11.279 In fact, in Acts chapter 2, after Jesus has gone up, and it's the first sermon that's ever preached to Christians who believed in the crucified and risen Lord Jesus. 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:12.640 Do you know what Peter does? 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:21.680 Peter turns to the book of Psalms, to Psalm 110, and he preaches a sermon from Psalm 110 that talks about Jesus being king and priest at the exact same time. 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:30.559 Like the first opportunity he has to preach to Christians, he says, you got to get who Jesus is, the king and the priest at the exact same time. 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:33.200 It is mind-blowing if you'll get it. 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:40.480 Here's the principal who thunders the law, and the tutor who comes alongside and comforts you. 00:24:40.640 --> 00:24:49.359 The Bible says he's the lion who roars, and the lamb who is gentle, who has this righteous anger over your sin and boils over. 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:54.799 The righteous judge who demands justice from the guilty. 00:24:56.240 --> 00:25:02.319 And yet the priest who makes payment for you by becoming guilty for you in your place. 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:11.359 2 Corinthians 5, 21, he became sin who knew no sin, so that in him you might become the righteousness of God. 00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:24.960 Here is the king who shows up to the religious people and says, Not just you've kind of missed the way, he says, brood of vipers, venomous snakes, poison. 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:28.880 And he thunders authoritatively at them. 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:32.480 And he comes to the little girl who's dead in her bedroom. 00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:37.920 And in utter gentleness, he says, little girl, it's time to get up. 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:44.400 And he takes her by the hand and he walks with her and says, Let's get some sourdough. 00:25:45.119 --> 00:25:46.880 And they eat a sandwich together. 00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:50.319 High and holy, low and gentle. 00:25:53.839 --> 00:26:00.160 This is what theologians through the years have this two-word phrase I love, they call his diverse excellencies. 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:02.799 Jesus, diverse excellencies. 00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:06.480 And it's really hard to see all the facets of the jewel together. 00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:11.680 One of the ways that I've thought about this, and I think I've told you this story before, but it's worth going back to. 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:19.599 When I was in college on our basketball team, our coach had a rule that the team captain had to do the laundry after basketball games. 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:25.039 And so, you know, oftentimes the team captain is one of the starters, scores the most points, all that sort of thing. 00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:33.599 And so, you know, imagine a guy scores, you know, 25 points, and then the laundry room was right next to our coach's office. 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:34.000 Okay? 00:26:34.160 --> 00:26:49.680 And so after the game, what would happen is there would be recruits who would be in visit in the coach's office, mom, dad, son, and uh, and this team captain would walk by, and the son and the dad would look like, you scored 25 points today. 00:26:49.839 --> 00:26:52.079 You hit five, three pointers. 00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:54.799 That dunk was incredible. 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:56.799 They're seeing his highness, right? 00:26:56.880 --> 00:26:57.920 Like, wow. 00:26:58.559 --> 00:27:07.839 And then he's carrying the laundry, and the mom looks over and is like, you mean the high scorer of the day does the laundry here too? 00:27:08.160 --> 00:27:11.599 And you could just see it in their eyes and in their body language. 00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:18.240 The victory of the captain with the humility of the captain together warmed their hearts. 00:27:18.319 --> 00:27:22.640 And that was often the moment where the family said, This is the place for us. 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:24.240 I want my kid to be there. 00:27:24.319 --> 00:27:28.640 Because the dad's like, Yeah, I want my kid to shoot like that, and the mom's like, I want my kid to serve like that. 00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:34.960 And sometimes it was flip where the mom's like, I want my kid to dunk like that, and the dad's like, I want to be a servant strong leader. 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:39.359 But the diverse excellencies melted their heart and said, I want to be part of that. 00:27:39.519 --> 00:27:42.319 That's how Jesus embodies this for us. 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:49.119 And what happens for us, I think a lot of times we tend to see one part of Jesus as bigger than the other. 00:27:50.319 --> 00:27:54.319 Like he's the king and also kind of the priest. 00:27:54.559 --> 00:27:59.279 And guys, how you see Jesus matters immensely in this. 00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:09.519 Because if you see him as mostly the king and only a little bit the priest, you're gonna quake in fear and never approach him with boldness, like he says to. 00:28:09.680 --> 00:28:23.119 And if you see him as mostly the priest and a little bit the king, you're gonna see him like a substitute teacher in the third grade, where you can kind of do whatever you want and never have to be afraid of the discipline that comes from disobeying. 00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:32.240 And if you see him as a distant, just kind of like big man upstairs, you just try and do a little bit to appease him around Easter time so he stays out of your business. 00:28:32.799 --> 00:28:40.799 And if you see him like a vending machine, then you're just gonna try and look for like the code to punch it in and get whatever you want out of the vending machine. 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:52.640 You have to see Jesus rightly, and here in his triumphal entry, you see him in his diverse excellencies as king and priest, as high and authoritative and low and humble in entering in. 00:28:54.400 --> 00:28:56.160 Even if you go back to the Old Testament. 00:28:56.559 --> 00:28:57.599 This is so fascinating. 00:28:57.839 --> 00:28:59.119 Exodus 19. 00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:03.599 I know we've been in Luke and in Romans before that, so go back to Exodus. 00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:04.799 Exodus 19. 00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:09.200 This is right before the Ten Commandments, right before the law comes. 00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:18.640 And God comes down to Moses on the mountain, and it's like a combination of a fierce tornado and a fireball. 00:29:20.880 --> 00:29:24.319 It's absolutely terrifying for all the Israelite people. 00:29:24.480 --> 00:29:31.279 This is the thunder of the authority of the king of all the universe about to give the law to his people. 00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:35.519 It makes you quake. 00:29:35.680 --> 00:29:38.400 In fact, the whole mountain shakes with an earthquake. 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:44.160 And you know what happens at the other half of the Bible? 00:29:45.440 --> 00:30:00.640 You find Jesus on another mountaintop, absorbing the full fury, full wrath of God, another earthquake that he absorbs so that that fireball and that tornado and that earthquake don't wreck you because it did wreck him. 00:30:01.119 --> 00:30:04.960 And then he can offer you freely this gift of life and say, I know you've missed the mark. 00:30:05.119 --> 00:30:17.119 I know you haven't kept these Ten Commandments, I know you haven't kept one of them, but I have, and I've absorbed the wrath of God so that you can come and enter into my house in eternity. 00:30:17.599 --> 00:30:25.519 You see, the way that Jesus enters as a king on a lowly donkey tells you so much about his glory. 00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:40.640 And sometimes the best thing to do is to not walk out of a sermon with like stuff to go do and application points, but just to look at Jesus and look a little more and keep looking right at him and try and take it all in. 00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:42.720 Because this is what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3. 00:30:42.799 --> 00:30:49.279 He said, Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are transformed from one degree of glory to another. 00:30:49.599 --> 00:30:52.240 Like, yeah, there's stuff you need to do in your Christian life. 00:30:52.480 --> 00:30:57.279 But the most important thing you can do is gaze upon the glory of the Lord. 00:30:57.359 --> 00:31:12.000 And in seeing his blinding beauty, his diverse excellencies, him as king and as priest, as the principal and as the math tutor coming alongside, that's what actually melts your heart and says, everything is yours, and I gladly give it all to you. 00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:14.640 The entry of the king tells us who he is. 00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:22.160 And then lastly, we see in this passage how the people in the story respond to the king, how they respond to the king. 00:31:22.559 --> 00:31:26.799 For sure, the disciples, the Pharisees, they respond in different ways. 00:31:28.640 --> 00:31:32.720 We'll take them in order, but before I read, it's it's almost like the disciples. 00:31:32.799 --> 00:31:40.799 If you imagine their response, it's like an explosion in wonder, like a whole batch of pop rocks in your mouth at one time. 00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:44.000 They just can't contain themselves. 00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:48.079 Like that's the 21st century version of what we're gonna read here. 00:31:48.240 --> 00:31:54.480 I don't think they had pop rocks back then, but anyways, verse 36 hear the full explosion of worship. 00:31:54.640 --> 00:32:02.079 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. 00:32:02.319 --> 00:32:18.079 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 he who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest. 00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:23.759 Verse 37 says there's a growing number, the whole multitude. 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:26.400 And what's the action they take to show their worship? 00:32:26.559 --> 00:32:30.240 They take their cloak, their clothes, and they throw it on the ground. 00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:35.680 And others throw it on the colt because he's worthy of a dignified entry. 00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:38.319 He shouldn't be riding bareback on this animal. 00:32:38.480 --> 00:32:41.200 And the animal shouldn't have to walk on the dirt. 00:32:41.519 --> 00:32:45.119 It's as if with their lives and their actions, they're saying this. 00:32:46.000 --> 00:33:05.119 Jesus, when your donkey walks on my clothes, when your donkey leaves its droppings on my clothes, when your donkey grinds my clothes into the dirt on this mountain, it's not an insult, it's an absolute honor. 00:33:06.799 --> 00:33:10.559 Because it's all yours, and we are thrilled to bring it to you. 00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:16.079 Luke's account doesn't mention any of the palm branches, but other accounts do that, right? 00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:27.920 So the idea as I put these accounts together, it's like I got these clothes, I take them off, I throw one thing on the ground, I take my other jacket and I throw it on top of the donkey, and I'm looking at it like I need more to bring to Jesus. 00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:30.160 Here's the king, I see his diverse excellencies. 00:33:30.640 --> 00:33:31.440 Here's a palm branch. 00:33:31.519 --> 00:33:33.200 Let's start snatching these and throwing them down. 00:33:33.279 --> 00:33:35.279 Let's go get some more, snatch these, throw them down. 00:33:35.519 --> 00:33:36.880 Like, what can I find? 00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:41.200 Pop rocks, worship, everything I have. 00:33:41.359 --> 00:33:44.000 And how can I go find some more to lay at his feet? 00:33:44.240 --> 00:33:46.799 And with his words, they they continue on. 00:33:46.960 --> 00:33:54.880 Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord, peace, glory in the highest. 00:33:55.839 --> 00:33:57.440 It's an utter delight. 00:33:58.160 --> 00:34:06.160 This isn't duty, this isn't white-knuckled spirituality, this is not grit and willpower. 00:34:06.559 --> 00:34:09.840 Absolute joy over who the king is. 00:34:10.719 --> 00:34:16.719