Triumphal Entry of Christ AM Sermon 4/17/11

There was a flagpole in the middle of a town square and they wanted to find out how high the flagpole was so they hired some experts to find out.
The hired a professor from Tennessee, Alabama, and Auburn.
All of these professors were doctors of Engineering and knew their stuff.

The professors from TN and Auburn were both trying to determine which equation they would use to find the height of the pole.

They were looking at the angle of the pole and trying to determine a frame of reference. With all of this going on the Alabama professor came upon them and just pulled the pole out of the ground and laid it on the ground. He took out his measuring tape and informed the professors from Auburn and Tennessee that the pole was 11 feet 6 inches.

He walked off and the professors from Auburn and TN remarked to one another – leave it to an Alabama boy to mess up a problem by turning height into length.

Some things just confuse people and seem upside down.

That is how Jesus operates and the Kingdom of God operates – it seems opposite to the values of the world and how the world thinks.

Today in our story we will see this counter cultural idea and how this leads to massive misunderstandings among the Jewish people.

Here are a list of things that we as Christians do and believe that seem confusing to the world:

We see unseen things (2 Cor. 4:18)

We conquer by yielding (Rom. 6:16-18)

We find rest under a yoke (Mt. 11:28-30)

We reign by serving (Mark 10:42-44)

We are made great by becoming little (Luke 9:48)

We are exalted by being humble (Mt. 23:12)

We become wise by being fools for Christ’s sake (1 Cor. 1:20, 21)

We are made free by becoming His bond servants (Rom. 6:10)

We wax strong by being weak (2 Cor. 12:10)

We triumph by defeat (2 Cor. 12:7-9)

We find victory by glorying in our infirmities (2 Cor. 12:5)

But perhaps most difficult of all for us:

We live by dying (John 12:24,25; 2 Cor. 4:10,11)

In this story today we will see a paradox just like the ones listed before. You will see Jesus come into Jerusalem in triumph and will eventually be put on a Roman cross.

The same people that will welcome Jesus into Jerusalem will be the same people that will cry out Crucify Him – this paradox will shape the rest of John’s Gospel.

This is Jesus Coronation as King of Israel – this His formal announcement, he will do certain actions that will say loud and clear that He is the anointed one of God.

His coronation would begin here and His enthronement will be on the cross. It will be on the cross when His ultimate identity as King of the Jews will be revealed.

This will be a different coronation than one has ever witnessed.

Today in the story Jesus makes His Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This is what is called by many as Palm Sunday.

This was also the beginning of the Passover feast. This was the 10th day of the first month of the year.

This was lamb selection day in Jerusalem to celebrate the great feast of Passover.

It was believed by the Jews of Jesus time that the Messiah would be revealed at the Passover feast.

Jesus would enter Jerusalem on this Sunday and would be crucified on the Friday of that week.

Jesus will make His way from the East of the City from the Mount of Olives. In the Messianic expectation of Jesus time, the Mount of Olives was associated with King David.

Jesus would come in from this Mount riding a donkey.

Zechariah had prophesied many years before this that Israel’s Messiah or king would come into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Zechariah 9: 9
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion ! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem ! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

What a contrast from the kings of this world because he would come in humility.

This was the same animal that Moses family rode out of Egypt on and the person riding on a donkey would be associated with this great prophet.

Now consider why the Jews were so excited about His coming. Imagine what it was like to live under the oppression of the Romans.

Imagine walking to the feasts and seeing roads lined with victims of crucifixion. Imagine seeing your countrymen oppressed, taxed to poverty, and sold into slavery.

You would want the Messiah to come and destroy the Romans, you would want a boot on the throat of the pagan Romans.

Now was the time they had waited for, they had waited for the King like David to lead this rebellion.

Word has spread as John’s gospel has told us of this great teacher, miracle worker, he just raised someone from the dead! The word is out about this possible Messiah. The people cant wait.

1) This will be a King of Peace
John 12: 12-19

12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, "Hosanna ! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel." 14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15 "FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION ; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY'S COLT."

The palm branches were waived by the Jews when they offered up prayers for rain and were usually equated with great expectation for God’s actions.

Hosanna means literally SAVE US!! But in the mouths of these people it would mean more in the lines of Save us from the romans and the pagans and Herod!!!

We need to understand that they are not crying our for personal salvation from their sin. If we read it that way we are putting our 21st century view on this text.

Jews at this time equated God’s Messianic work with military victory.

Jesus doesn’t come for this type of Kingdom. He is different. The way of the Romans leads to death.

But equally the way of the Zealots and those that would take up arms against the Romans was going to lead them to destruction. Jesus came to bring peace and not war with the fleshly powers of this world.

This kingdom will be greater than any other because it is a spiritual kingdom that brings God’s rule to this world.

In Luke’s account of the triumphal entry we get Jesus attitude of this concept of armed rebellion.

Luke 19: 41-44
41 When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. 43 "For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, 44 and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."

Israel had longed for their visitation from God, they wanted Yahweh to return to Zion

Because the Israelites did not recognize that God had come in flesh and because they keep this path of destruction it will lead to their ultimate demise.

Jesus is specifically talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD when the Romans surrounded the city and laid siege to it.

In essence Jesus is telling them that He came to bring peace and if they chose the way of Rome and war they will get exactly what they want.

A few days after this Jesus will allow all the evil of Rome and the Jewish authorities to crash down on Him and take its best shot and He will be triumphant.

2) The Kingdom that Jesus establishes will be about self sacrifice.

John 12: 20-26
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast ; 21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." 22 Philip came and told Andrew ; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone ; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. 26 "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also ; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

The Greeks want to see Jesus – they have heard of his fame.

We know that the King of Edessa named Agdbar had heard of Jesus and wanted to provide protection for Him from the Jewish authorities.

His fame had started to spread outside of Judea.

These men go to Phillip which is interesting because Phillip is the only apostle with a Greek name.

Jesus makes it clear what He is all about. A seed has to be buried to bring fruit.

Jesus will be the first fruits of those that will be raised from the dead.
His Burial and raising will point forward to ours.

We hope for our resurrection because of Jesus’

This teaching of Jesus is counter what this world teaches:

When the Apollo project was beginning, there arose an argument between the engineers and scientist over how to make the best use of the space on board the rocket.
The scientists wanted as much space as possible for lab work, the engineers wanted it for back up systems in case something failed. They were at a stalemate until they asked the astronauts. What would you have decided for - lab space, or back up units? What do you think they opted for? That’s right - survival.

The astronaughts were about survival first, But Jesus is saying you have give up your life.

Jesus is calling is to the fullest type of life.
Possessions, status and the things of this world don’t concern us, we are so devoted that even our own life doesn’t really matter to us.



3) Jesus Kingdom comes to destroy sin and Satan

John 12: 27-33
27 "Now My soul has become troubled ; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour '? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 "Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came out of heaven : "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." 29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered ; others were saying, "An angel has spoken to Him." 30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. 31 "Now judgment is upon this world ; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.

The purpose of Jesus’s coming was to bring Glory to the Father

Bringing Glory to the Father meant that He would be raised up on the Cross, this would show God’s love.

It also meant that God was faithful to the covenant that He had made with man because of Jesus sacrifice.

But even more than that, Christ came to wage war with the very source of evil – Satan.

The Jews had missed the point, they wanted to fight the Romans who were influenced by Satan.

Jesus wanted to go after the very source of evil, the Devil.

Tis battle is much more risky and would cost Jesus his earthly life and death on the cross.

Jesus allowed the best that Evil could do to Him and he won.
Now he has left us here to do battle with Satan.

Jesus told His followers that they would do greater things that He did and namely that is do battle with Satan and take back territory.

Each time someone is saved one more is reclaimed from the enemy. But if you look at Churches today you realize we are not on war footing.

Charles Swindoll told a great story in one of his books.
Let’s pretend that you work for me. In fact, you are my executive assistant in a company that is growing rapidly.
I’m the owner and I’m interested in expanding overseas.
To pull this off, I make plans to travel abroad and stay there until the new branch office gets established.
I make all the arrangements to take my family in the move to Europe for six to eight months, and I leave you in charge of the busy stateside organization.
I tell you that I will write you regularly and give you direction and instructions.
I leave and you stay.
Months pass. A flow of letters are mailed from Europe and received by you at the national headquarters. I spell out all my expectations.
Finally, I return. Soon after my arrival I drive down to the office. I am stunned! Grass and weeds have grown up high. A few windows along the street are broken. I walk into the receptionist’s room and she is doing her nails, chewing gun, and listening to her favorite disco station.
I look around and notice the wastebaskets are overflowing, the carpet has been vacuumed in weeks, and nobody seems concerned that the owner has returned.
I ask for you and someone in the crowded lounge area points down the hall and yells, “I think he’s down there.”
Disturbed, I move in that direction and bump into you as you are finishing a chess game with our sales manager.
I ask you to step into my office (which has been turned into a television room for watching afternoon soap operas).
“What in the world is going on, man?”
“What do ya’ mean?”
“Well, look at this place!
Didn’t you get any of my letters?”
“Letters? Oh, yeah – sure, got every one of them.
As a matter of fact … we have a letter study every Friday night since you left. We even divide all the personnel into small groups and discuss many of the things you wrote.
Some of those things were really interesting.
You’ll be pleased to know that a few of us have actually committed to memory some of your sentences and paragraphs. One or two memorized an entire letter or two! Great stuff in those letters!”
“Okay, okay – you got my letters, you studied them and meditated on them, discussed them and even memorized them. BUT WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT THEM?”
“Do? Uh – we didn’t do anything about them.”

We do the same thing, we read this radical words from Jesus – like lay down your life and follow me, but nothing really changes in our lives.

Its like oh well, lets just keep doing things like we have always done and act like these are just timeless truths.

If we start to understand that these teachings are transforming and powerful then things are going to change.

Are we like that company that just reads the letters and pats each other on the back and just lives a normal life, or do we see them as correspondence from Headquarters telling us how to fight this battle.

Paul tells us to take out the offensive weapon of the sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6 but we many times live Christianity as a defensive posture.

We are on the offensive, and not the enemy.

CONCLUSION:
It was one of the most inspiring sights of World War II. Four
chaplains were standing on the deck of the USS Dorchester, hand-in-hand, singing the old hymn "Nearer My God To Thee." But then, these were inspiring men. And this was a scene the men of the USS Dorchester would never forget.
George Fox was the oldest of the chaplains. A veteran of WW I and a recipient of the Silver Star for bravery. He had become a public accountant after the war and then a minister. When WW II began he told his wife he would have to go. "I know from experience what our boys are about to face," he said, "They need me."
Alexander D. Goode was the only Rabbi in the group. A father of four and a medical doctor, he was patriotic to the core.
Johnny P. Washington came from a poor Irish immigrant family. He grew up in the slums of Newark, New Jersey, but went on to become a Catholic priest. He was known for his laughter and his love of music.
Clark V. Poling, the youngest of the four chaplains, was a minister from the Dutch Reformed church. Clark was the seventh generation in an unbroken line of ministers. However, he wanted to be a fighting soldier instead of a chaplain. He didn’t want people to think he was "hiding behind the church." But when he found out that the mortality rate of the chaplains was the highest of all he felt he would be doing his full part as a chaplain.
It was a stirring sight to see these four men united, hand-in-hand, on the deck of that ship. But they weren’t conducting a service for the men as you might think -- they were preparing to die. It was in the early morning hours of February 3, 1943. The ship was bound for Greenland with 906 men on board. Suddenly a torpedo from a Nazi U-boat ripped through the hull and the ship began to sink in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.
Fear gave way to panic among the soldiers. Rushing to the deck, many left their lifejackets below. The chaplains helped calm the panic by helping the men escape the sinking ship. Then, with the lifeboats full, they gave their own lifejackets to soldiers who had none. The ship completely sank in only twenty-seven minutes.
As the men who had escaped looked back at their doomed ship they saw the four chaplains standing on board the sinking ship hand-in-hand and listened as the men lifted their voices to God. It was a sight that would forever be etched in their memories.

What is fascinating about this story is that these men knew that they were forfeiting their lives for the lives of others.
They had willfully given up their life jackets so others could survive.