Palm Sunday
The King Has Arrived - Luke 19:28-44
Lead Pastor, Darrin Mariott
Luke 19:28-44
28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 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. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 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, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” 41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 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. 43 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 44 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.”
Big Idea: Jesus came to bring us what we really need, but will we accept His rule in our lives?
I. Jesus is Worthy of our Devotion.
A. What is the significance of Jesus’s entering into Jerusalem on a donkey? It reveals both His kingly status and is a fulfilment of prophecy (cf. 1 Kgs. 1:32-35; Zec. 9:9). But Jesus is no ordinary King, He is the King of Kings who has come:
1 Kings 1:32-35
32 King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. 33 And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. 34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place. And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.”
Zechariah 9:9
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.
1. To establish God’s eternal kingdom (vv. 39-44) – This refers Jesus’s rule and reign in our lives, which in this case, clashes with the crowd’s expectations of earthly rule.
2. To reveal to us the ethics of God’s Kingdom (cf. Mk. 10:42-45).
Mark 10:42-45
42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
3. To go to the cross (cf. Jn. 12:27).
John 12:27
27 “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.
B. An essential question: Is Jesus king of our lives?
II. Jesus is Worthy of our Worship.
A. Jesus is more than King, He is Messiah:
1. The fulfilment of all God’s promises (cf. 2 Cor. 1:19-20) – We can trust in God’s promises!
2 Corinthians 1:19-20
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
2. He came to free us from slavery to sin and death and reconcile us to God (cf. Rom. 8:1-2).
Romans 8:1-2
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
B. An essential question: Is Jesus the object of our worship?
III. Jesus Calls us to Make a Choice.
A. Throughout His ministry, Jesus called people to make a wise choice about His identity and place in their lives. And this choice has real consequences (cf. Mk. 10:17-22). We are reminded:
Mark 10:17-22
17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
1. God loves us – Jesus came to redeem us from sin and when we refuse, it breaks His heart (v. 41).
2. God’s offer still stands – If we come to Him, He will not refuse us, nor will He ever forsake us.*
B. The essential question: Have you chosen to follow Jesus today?