What is your response to King Jesus?

now just before we turn back to look chapter 19 let's pray once again

lord david could pray with that desire that he would be satisfied in seeing your face

being in your presence and enjoying your glory and lord we pray that the same would be true for

each one of us today that you know that we've come here from different stories backgrounds

circumstances and situations and for some our hearts are joyful for some our hearts are troubled

for many our hearts even now are distracted but lord we pray that you would give us that desire

to seek your face and that you would show us more of jesus in your word we pray amen

so as we continue on the journey towards easter as we follow the journey of jesus in the gospel of

luke we come to what's sometimes known as the triumphal entry jesus approaching and entering

jerusalem and our question today is a very personal what is your response to king jesus

what is my response to king jesus and especially as we see him come as the king of peace as it

happened peace was the theme of our hope explored course this past monday and so we thought about

that deep longing that we have as people for peace now whether that's peace out there and we can think

about war we can think about hatred we can think about racism and we long to see an end to that

and whether the longing for peace right now is is in here in our own hearts perhaps we're full of

anxiety and stress and uncertainty or maybe for us when we think of our longing for peace we're thinking

about peace between us and we're conscious perhaps of relationships that are strained or broken

peace in our time peace in our time is something we are all going to be looking for perhaps we remember

in our history at school at the time when neville chamberlain arrived back home to a hero's welcome

announcing a peace in our time a great thanksgiving thanksgiving in churches because chamberlain believed he had

secured peace a promise of peace a promise of peace from hitler of course that turned out to be

a false promise and a false peace and perhaps even that reminds us that as much as we long for peace we also

recognize peace is something that's easily lost sometimes all it takes is a careless word sometimes it's the

word that's left unsaid sometimes it's words spoken in anger or we go to the attitudes and emotions

in our heart perhaps because of pride perhaps because of pride or because of selfishness or an

unwillingness to make the first move towards reconciliation we can live with broken peace

peace is a fragile thing fragile is a spider's web and all too often it's we that break the thread

so we long for it but we recognize how easily it can be lost well today there is good news for us as we

consider the journey of jesus because he comes announcing himself as the lord of peace here he is in this bold

public triumphant entry into jerusalem coming as the king of peace riding on a donkey and he comes to bring

the deepest peace a lasting peace a spiritual peace peace between us and god and he will make peace by way of

his blood by way of the cross

and as he is on this journey as he comes towards jerusalem we see that there are different responses

to jesus and that invites us to make our response to king jesus too

how will people respond how did people respond then how do you and i respond today

so let's notice and what happens when the king of peace arrives verse 28 to verse 35 we have it there

it maybe you've been around and seen the excitement and the crowds that gather when a member of the royal

family arrives in a city or a town or maybe a president or a prime minister comes but even if not we've

definitely seen it on the television we know that there are crowds and colors and flags and cheering and

gifts and honor is shown and we see some of that here don't we this is jerusalem at passover time

a great time of national celebration as well as one of those national times of worship and there's

always great enthusiasm and hope and expectation at this time wondering will this be the year when god's

king will come will this be the year when deliverance comes will we have peace in our time peace as rome

is removed most people were looking for a political peace one of the reasons why people missed the

significance of jesus but but look with me a few things first of all think about the plan

of jesus let's read again verse 30 and 31 these are jesus words to his disciples go to the village

ahead of you and as you enter it you'll find a colt tied there which no one has ever ridden it

has ever ridden untie and bring it here if anyone asks why are you untying it say the lord needs it

so jerusalem's on the horizon and jesus issues these instructions he's setting his royal timetable

his plan is put into effect now what do we make of that scene for some people they hear this and

think well jesus has planned this in advance so that the lord needs it becomes a kind of password

so jesus already pre-arranged it and for others and we hear the lord needs it and perhaps that reminds

us here is jesus who is the lord the lord of creation he owns it all he has rights over it all

and so the folks that own the donkey recognize the authority of jesus the lord

others look at it and say well here is jesus showing that he knows the future

he knows what's going to happen when his disciples go into the town he knows the conversation that's going

to take place and in a sense we're not invited to know which of these are true and in fact all of

them can be true at the same time but what we do know as we put those together is that here is the lord

jesus deliberately directing events so that he will make this journey to the cross now that's the ultimate

plan that's going on here and as we think about that we need to stop and think about who is this jesus

who is directing things towards the cross luke's gospel has been building a profile for us we've

jumped in towards the end of his gospel but we can think just for a couple of minutes for example back to

when jesus um birth it is being announced to mary his mother by the angels and what's mary told

that your son will be the son of the most high will be the son of god and he will sit on the throne of

david forever and we can think about jesus baptism and we see the significance of king jesus there is

the spirit comes down upon him and as the father announces this is my son i love him i'm well pleased

with him when you think about the ministry of jesus and what do people recognize in the ministry of jesus

they see don't they his power and authority as he teaches his power and authority in his miracles

here is one who has power over sickness and storms over disease and over death itself

so that people were frequently asking who is this

and then we can think about the mission of jesus last week we heard him say at the house of zacchaeus

that he'd come to seek and to save the lost he announces in the gospel multiple times he has come

to suffer and be rejected and to die and to rise in order to bring forgiveness and eternal life

and so here we have this powerful king this one with all authority this one who is god in the flesh

who deliberately chooses to ride on a donkey towards his own day

and so we think about all that we're told about jesus in the gospel we need to ask ourselves why

why that journey why the donkey

and that takes us to a really important prophecy

jesus is a very conscious that he has come by the plan of god according to the promise of god's word

and he's come to fulfill scripture so think about it even today and whenever a royal is moving around

or a prime minister or a president their transport is making a statement

it's always expensive grand there's always a grand entrance

just make it a statement in jesus day when a triumphant king was riding into a city you expect a war horse

and you expect this great procession you don't expect a donkey

and remember jesus is lord jesus is lord over all creation if he wanted a horse he could have had a horse

he chose a donkey so why is he making this statement and that's where we need to turn to the old testament

and we need to turn to zechariah chapter 9

Zechariah 9:9–11

verses 9 to 11 to help us to see this so we have the words of zechariah 9 9 to 11 up there so i'm going

to read them for us where we read rejoice greatly daughter zion shout daughter jerusalem and that's the

picture we have at the triumphal entry see your king comes to you righteous and victorious lowly and

riding on a donkey on a colt the foal of a donkey i will take away the chariots from ephraim and the

war horses from jerusalem and the battle bow will be broken he will proclaim peace to the nations

his rule will extend from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth

as for you because of the blood of my covenant with you i will free your prisoners from the waterless pit

why does jesus choose the donkey he chooses the donkey to announce i am this promised king

the promised king we have here in zechariah the one who comes righteous jesus is the only truly

righteous person ever to have lived never sinned always lived for the glory of god lived in full

obedience to his father's will here is jesus the king who is victorious he is coming to wage war on those

great enemies of satan and sin and death those enemies that we are powerless against but he will win

a victory through the cross and the resurrection he is all powerful and yet he is humble and gentle and

lowly and he comes riding on a donkey and he is the king of peace and he proclaims his message is a

message of peace and not just peace for some but peace to all nations his rule and authority extends to

all nations so he is the hope for all people he's the hope for you and for me today so in choosing the

donkey jesus is announcing that those hopes of deep peace that you and i have in our hearts those longings

that we have they are met in jesus in jesus we can be reconciled to god our relationship with god

broken by our sin can be restored through faith in him why is it good news that jesus comes riding on

the donkey well it's good news if we see for ourselves the problem of sin and the lack of peace we have with

god because of our sin when the bible speaks of sin it speaks of us breaking god's good laws

god is our creator and our maker and he has designed how life is to work at its best and we break those

laws sometimes accidentally but often deliberately

sin is rejecting god's good rule the bible declares that god is our king and we owe him our

loyalty and our worship but sin is when we turn our back on god when we'd rather live our own way

now we'd rather not follow him sin is when we replace our one good god with an idol where we choose to

make something within creation whether that be a person or our work or our hobby or whatever it might be

more important to us than the living god we find our our security and our sense of identity and purpose

in a created thing and not our god the bible says that's idolatry and that's sin

sin is when we resist god's good and loving will

sin is when we choose darkness over light and the bible is clear and actually jesus is clear

that the consequence of turning away from the light and choosing darkness is to face eternal darkness

is to be cut off from god and all that is good and all that is loving forever it's the reality of hell as

jesus speaks about it in the bible and so when we understand the problem of sin

and the problem that it brings with our hearts and we can have no peace with god by ourselves

then it's good news that jesus comes as this king bringing peace and if we're ready to listen we can

receive the solution we even find it here anticipated in zechariah 9

so he will proclaim verse 10 he'll proclaim peace to the nations and then in verse 11

we're told about the blood of my covenant with you

here's the reason for jesus journey to the cross

last week in church we celebrated the lord's supper and every time we celebrate the lord's supper it's a

picture of the work of jesus we take bread and it represents jesus said his body which is broken

for his people we take a cup of wine which represents his blood shed for us and and jesus said this cup

is the new covenant in my blood

so jesus has come to bring us back into restored relationship with our god he has come to make peace

but he can only do that through his blood

and that explains why jesus rides on a donkey it explains why he journeys to the cross

so that he might out of sheer love and mercy and grace cover our sin

that he might be the sacrifice that absorbs the wrath of god that we deserve to face instead it will fall

on jesus his is the blood that pays the redemption price so that we can know freedom and not slavery

and not live with fear

jesus experiences rejection jesus tastes death so that we might have peace that we might have peace in here

in our hearts knowing forgiveness from god knowing there's no condemnation for us knowing that guilt has

been removed and that we can enjoy through faith in jesus a peace that passes all understanding

a peace to guard our hearts and our minds come what may

but it's not just peace in here the cross actually provides peace between us between us and god

there's a wonderful little section in colossians chapter 1 verses 19 and 20 it says for god was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him

Colossians 1:19

jesus is fully god and through him to reconcile to himself all things

whether things on earth or things in heaven by making peace through his blood shed on the cross

reconciliation peace through the blood of jesus

and when we by faith trust in jesus the war is over between us and god

peace breaks out and joy breaks out perhaps we

remember

perhaps when the the berlin wall fell and the celebrations that happened perhaps we've seen scenes of

street parties at the end of world war ii well by faith in jesus as

our peace is restored there's a greater joy

for the people of god

but it's not just peace in here it's not just peace between us that jesus came to secure it's also peace

out there peace in the world by trusting in jesus as jesus comes to bring in his kingdom

we can look forward with hope as the people of god

to jesus future kingdom

of perfect

lasting peace

a place of wholeness and completeness of security and tranquility

when he comes to establish the new creation

when he comes to deal with sin once and for all

and when we get to live with peace hope and joy

and perfect love

so the king of peace arrives

but the question still remains

what will the response of the people be

and more importantly for us what will our response be

to this king

who brings peace

two responses we recognize

the first is that of rejoicing

there is a group who are rejoicing over the king of peace

here is jesus again he's boldly publicly

entering into jerusalem and these actions are calling for a decision and there's one group

who bring out the royal carpet

verse 35 and 36

they brought the colt to jesus through their cloaks on the colt and put jesus on it

as he went along

people spread their cloaks on the road

now this is the way for people in those days to show honor

to give a glad welcome

to give the smoothest ride possible

perhaps for us the closest we get is towards the red carpet treatment

but the way jesus is welcome to jerusalem

is the same

you can go to the old testament second kings nine

and you'll discover

that's how jehu

is welcomed and honored

so there are some who rejoice because god's king

has come

and then they join this royal chorus

in verse 38

blessed is the king who comes in the name of the lord

peace in heaven

and glory in the highest

so that first

part of the verse

from psalm 118

Psalms 118:26

verse 26

so there are some

who are singing those psalms of ascent

festival psalms

and they recognize

here is jesus the royal king

who arrives to jerusalem with honor

think about those verses that we sang

jesus is the king who saves

jesus is the king who demonstrates

the love and goodness of god

jesus is the lord's king

and so there are some people

as they're singing that psalm

they recognize this is true of jesus

and so they are rejoicing

but then they also find themselves shouting

peace in heaven

and glory in the highest

and that

is very reminiscent of

the song of the angels

as jesus is born

and as the angels appear

to shepherds

looking after their sheep

that first christmas

and we find in chapter 2 verse 14

glory to god

in the highest heaven

and on earth

peace

to those

on whom

his favor

rests

peace

and glory

in earth

and in heaven

why

because god

is reconciled

to the human race

through jesus

who is totally god

and totally man

there is joy

for those who recognize

that the events of easter

are the only path

to true peace

that jesus has come

as promised

to bring

lasting peace

the crowds

as they rejoice

they do so

for two reasons

in verse 37

they praise god

in loud voices

for all the miracles

they've seen

so they've either

been there

or they've heard

by reputation

the wonderful

powerful things

that jesus has done

and they conclude

well this

isn't any

ordinary person

this is none

other than god's

promised messiah king

and so they rejoice

they also sing

because they recognize

here is one

who fulfills

all those

old testament promises

and they're reading

or they're hearing

the scriptures read

and they're recognizing

this is fulfilled

jesus

and so they have joy

because they see

jesus

as the answer

to their longing

for peace

much deeper

than just a

political peace

peace in their

hearts

peace in

the world

peace between

them and

god

because jesus

has come

and so they sing

for joy

just as we began

with that

great hymn

of praise

praise my soul

the king of heaven

to his feet

thy tribute

bring

why

because we've been

ransomed

healed and restored

and forgiven

who like we

his praise

should sing

the people of god

rejoice

over the king

of peace

but that's not the only

response

and we also need to

consider the second

response

because we see

there are those

who reject

the king

of peace

for those of us

who like football

i wonder if you've

ever been the away

fan

in the home

end

when a match

is being played

if so you've

probably had the

uncomfortable

experience of

of not joining

in the same

songs that everyone

else is singing

you don't celebrate

the same goals

as they are scored

you stick out

different emotions

different responses

well here

there is a crowd

joyfully praising

and then there are

the pharisees

you can almost

picture them

can't you

with their arms

folded

and they're scowling

and they're ready

to rebuke

jesus

teacher

they say

in verse 39

rebuke

your

disciples

here is a group

of religious leaders

so they've read

their bibles

they study

their bibles

that's their

life

but they refuse

to recognize

jesus as worthy

they reject

his claims

and they would

actually rebuke

jesus the son

of god

and jesus responds

verse 40

i tell you

if they keep

quiet

the stones

will cry

out

those stones

i have

better

judgment

than the pharisees

jesus saying

those stones

if they had

voice

they would

worship

their creator

but the pharisees

stand there

scowling

they've been

blinded

by pride

they don't

like

that people

are listening

to jesus

and he speaks

with a greater

authority

than them

they've been

blinded

by prejudice

he comes

from an

unimportant

time

from an

unimportant

family

and so

they do

not want

this king

who brings

peace

that brings

us to the

city of

jerusalem

this city

whose name

means city

of peace

we see

that they

too

will by

and large

reject

the king

of peace

and in

verse 41

to 44

jesus does

two things

first

the first thing

we'll consider

is that he

announces

future judgment

verse 43

the days

will come

upon you

when your

enemies

will build

an embankment

against you

and encircle

you

and hem

you in

on every

side

they will

not leave

one stone

on another

future judgment

destruction

of the city

which happens

in ad

70

just like

in the

old testament

god's

people

they were

in covenant

relationship

with him

and they

were told

if you live

in obedience

to me

if you

honor me

and worship

me

then you'll

enjoy

blessing

but if

not

you will

experience

curse

curse

for turning

their back

on god

and what

we got

here

jesus

knows

here

he is

he is

emmanuel

he is

god

with us

he is

god

actually

with

them

he's

come

down

to love

them

to save

them

to restore

them

but

verse 42

if you

even you

had only

known on

this day

what would

bring you

peace

but now

it's hidden

from your

eyes

they didn't

see

jesus

as the

one

who came

to bring

peace

verse 44

why does

the judgment

come

it comes

because you

did not

recognize

the time

of god's

coming to

you

god came

in the flesh

in the person

of jesus

but the door

was locked

no red

carpet was

laid out

rejection

of the

king

and so

he announces

future

judgment

but he

also

weeps

for them

verse 41

as he

approached

jerusalem

and saw

the city

he wept

over it

and in

this moment

jesus shows

us the

heart of

god

god

declared

i do

not take

delight

in the

death

of the

wicked

here we

find jesus

longing

for them

distressed

that they

would turn

their back

on their

creator

and their

savior

he doesn't

gloat over

his enemies

who will

gladly conspire

to judge

him falsely

and to put

him to

death

rather

he is the

savior who

weeps

and it

reminds us

of the

tragedy

of their

response to

jesus

the scandal

of their

response to

jesus

as god's

king and

god's

savior is

rejected

so the

journey of

king jesus

because it's

so public

is deliberately

calling for

response and

so today

this journey

of jesus is

calling for

our response

jesus rides

on a donkey

and that donkey

helps us to

appreciate more

of the gospel

story here is

jesus coming as

god's humble

king a

servant king

a king who

would bring

peace and

how would

he do

it

by journeying

to jerusalem

by journeying

to the cross

to pay for

sin

to face

our judgment

before rising

again for our

justification and

to give us

eternal life

what does he

invite us to do

he invites us to

put our faith

in him

to trust in him

that we might

have peace

with god

and in that

journey as we've

considered it

he's calling

each one of us

to decide

which side

am i on

in this story

in this response

to jesus

am i rejoicing

over jesus

today

or am i

rejecting his

rule and

authority today

in part invites

us to decide

on his identity

do i today

think that jesus

is god's son

and god's king

who brings peace

and salvation

or do i not

and how we

respond to that

will then

probably determine

how we respond

to following him

or not

his identity

and his mission

matters

life and death

matters

as luke records

this for us

in his gospel

he's inviting us

to heed the

warnings that we

find here

i think we see

at least three

warnings

one

a reminder

and a warning

it's not enough

to just be

around jesus

it's not enough

just to be

around his

church

we need to

personally respond

in repentance

and faith

and we can say

this because

these many in

this crowd

who are so

joyfully it

seems welcoming

jesus will

in the next

week be crying

crucify him

crucify him

caught up in a

moment but their

hearts were unchanged

it's not enough

to just be

comfy

to be in church

and to be around

god's people

and to enjoy

singing songs

and to find

friendship

we need to

find friendship

with jesus

it's also a

warning to

beware

that same

pride and

prejudice in

the pharisee's

heart can rest

in our hearts

too

perhaps when we

think that

we're fundamentally

good and so

we're okay with

god regardless

of whether we

trust in jesus

perhaps it's in

failing to see

peace with god

as our greatest

needs we have

other things on

our agenda

rather than

getting right

with god

perhaps it's

failing to see

sin as our

deepest and

most serious

problem

perhaps it's

simply failing to

take jesus

seriously

to write him

off as not

being worthy

of consideration

i think the

third and in

many ways the

most solemn

warning that we

find in luke's

gospel from

jesus is a

pointer to the

reality of

future judgment

what happens to

jerusalem is a

foreshadowing of

future judgment

which is real

which is inevitable

which is painful

and which is

tragic for all

who would choose

to reject

jesus as king

jesus the most

loving man who

ever lived spoke

about the

judgment of god

and the reality

of hell more

than anyone else

in the bible

it's so important

for us to find

peace with god

through jesus and

to do that

today

so there are

warnings for us

to respond to

but we're also

invited to rest

and to rejoice

peace in god's

promises

in god's

peace

and it's

wonderful you

think about

the contrast

with perhaps

the fragile

peace that we

feel in our

own relationships

or in our own

hearts so often

in contrast to

the struggle

and the failures

to find lasting

peace in the

political realm

we need to

recognize that

jesus has

secured

for his

people

peace with

god

through his

blood

that is a

finished work

our faith

rests in

past

completed

actions of

the lord

jesus

and they mean

peace with

us

peace for

us

for now

and for

eternity

but it's

not just

about the

past

think about

what difference

the work of

jesus makes

to our

present

we're gonna

have peace

in our

hearts

today

and think

about the

transforming

power of

that as we

receive grace

and mercy

day by day

as the people

of god

as we know

we have been

forgiven by

god's grace

doesn't that

give us the

capacity

to bring

healing in

our own

relationships

to pursue

reconciliation

and to live

with hope

and perhaps

that's the

last great

promise

is the

hope of

future

peace

so here

luke invites

us into

this royal

procession

which in

some ways

is a very

humble

procession

as jesus

rides on

a donkey

but we

have the

promise

that when

jesus

returns

things are

going to

be very

different

there'll be

an infinitely

more glorious

royal procession

to come

jesus will

return

as king

of kings

and he

will lead

his people

those who

put their

faith in him

he'll lead

his people

into the

new jerusalem

the new

creation

a place of

perfect

eternal

lasting

peace

that's our

hope

the king of

peace is our

hope in life

and in death

so as we

finish what's

our response

today

will we

reject

jesus

or will

we receive

him

and rejoice

in him

let's pray

together

lord god

we ask

that in

your mercy

and by

your spirit

you would

give to

each one

of us

a clear

vision

of who

jesus is

to see him

as your son

to see him

as your

promised king

to see him

as the one

who came to

seek and to

save the lost

who came to

lay down his

life for

sin and for

sinners

so that by

faith in jesus

by trusting

in him

by turning

away from

our sin

and turning

to jesus

we might

have peace

with you

we might be

reconciled to

you

indeed we

might be

adopted

into your

family

help us to

see the

significance of

who jesus

is

and to

understand

what jesus

did

that in

dying on

the cross

in giving

his blood

as the

new covenant

he made

a way

for sinful

people like

us to be

restored

to fellowship

to relationship

with you

a holy

god

help us

not to

take that

for granted

help us

not to

become

complacent

about that

for those

of us

who are

christians

may that

always be

the foundation

of our

hope

and lord

for those

who are

not christians

may you

give them

eyes to

see the

beauty

of the

salvation

that is

found in

jesus

lord we

pray today

for our

family and

friends

who won't

be in

church today

who won't

be worshipping

you today

whose hearts

are far

from you

lord we

pray for

our city

and our

nation

and the

nations of

the world

lord as

jesus came

as the

king of

peace

extending

his

rule

to all

nations

authority

over all

peoples

may there

be many

even

today

who would

turn

to trust

in jesus

to recognize

the wonderful

free gift

of salvation

found in

him

lord may you

renew

and revive

may you

awaken

spiritual

interest

and lord

help us

who are

your people

to be good

witnesses

for you

to be

faithful in

the way

that we

live

and the way

that we

speak

so that we

might point

others to

the hope

that we

have come

to find

for ourselves

lord as

we're invited

to pray

for one

another

we remember

different

churches

across the

country

we remember

this week

galspy

up in the

north

we thank

you for

preserving

them over

the last

couple of

years

and we

ask that

as we

look ahead

to the

end of

restrictions

for churches

that you

would give

them wisdom

and vision

to know

how to

communicate

the good

news of

the lord

jesus

to their

village

and the

villages

around

lord we

also remember

the church

of bon accord

we pray

for its

witness in

the city

center

we pray

for their

hope

explored

course

soon

to begin

lord asking

that you

would draw

many

who are

hungry

for truth

to be

gathered

there

lord we

also remember

the work

of dumasani

the theological

institute

in south

africa

and we

pray that

this would

be a

term of

good

learning

of people

growing in

their faith

growing in

their understanding

growing in

their ability

to communicate

the truth

of the bible

to a

needy

world

and to

the church

that the

church

might be

built up

and lord we

also pray

for the

church in

japan

and we

remember

the nakahashi

family

and we

remember

ken who

was in

our own

congregation

and others

lord recognizing

that the

church in

japan is

small and

declining in

numbers and

increasing in

age

lord we

pray that

you would do

a new

thing

that you

would cause

men and

women and

boys and

girls to

want to

know jesus as

lord and

savior may

you equip and

encourage the

small churches to

be faithful in

sharing good

news lord again

we remember

places with war

again we

remember ukraine and

we cry to you for

mercy we cry for an

end to war for the

beginnings of real

peace lord we

pray for the

ongoing refugee

crisis for

those whose

needs at the

moment are

immediately

physical lord we

pray for those

whose needs are

emotional and

we pray for

people's spiritual

needs as well

lord as there

are millions

pouring to

different countries

we pray for

your mercy we

pray for your

people among

them that you

would comfort

them and

sustain them

lord thank you

that in your

providence this

month is a month

where the the

bible society is

going to be

delivering bibles

to ukrainian

soldiers how

much they need

to hear that

message

lord thank you

for the good

news that in

your providence

there were many

ukrainian children

that were able to

receive

jesus storybook

bibles over the

last year

lord we pray

that those

words of truth

and love

would speak

hope and

peace

that you

the prince of

peace lord

jesus that you

would rule and

reign in hearts

and lives

we pray in

jesus name

amen

amen