1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,417 2 00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:03,125 "And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, 3 00:00:03,167 --> 00:00:05,292 "going up to Jerusalem. 4 00:00:05,333 --> 00:00:07,833 "When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, 5 00:00:07,875 --> 00:00:09,917 "at the mount that is called Olivet," 6 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,500 just behind me that we are descending, 7 00:00:12,542 --> 00:00:14,917 "he sent two of the disciples, saying, 8 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,833 "'Go into the village in front of you, 9 00:00:17,875 --> 00:00:20,833 "'where on entering you will find a colt tied, 10 00:00:20,875 --> 00:00:23,875 "'on which no one has ever yet sat. 11 00:00:23,958 --> 00:00:25,583 "'Untie it and bring it here. 12 00:00:25,667 --> 00:00:27,792 "'If anyone asks you, "Why are you untying it?" 13 00:00:27,833 --> 00:00:30,625 "'you shall say this: "The Lord has need of it."' 14 00:00:30,667 --> 00:00:32,917 "So those who were sent away and found it 15 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:34,792 "just as he told them. 16 00:00:34,833 --> 00:00:37,875 "And as they were untying the colt, the owners said to them, 17 00:00:37,958 --> 00:00:40,125 "'Why are you untying the colt?' 18 00:00:40,167 --> 00:00:43,375 "And they said, 'The Lord has need of it.' 19 00:00:43,458 --> 00:00:45,875 "And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks 20 00:00:45,958 --> 00:00:48,167 "on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 21 00:00:48,250 --> 00:00:51,208 "And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 22 00:00:51,292 --> 00:00:55,167 "As he was drawing near--already on the way down from 23 00:00:55,250 --> 00:00:58,083 the Mount of Olives--" the same road that we are journeying, 24 00:00:58,167 --> 00:01:01,792 "the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice 25 00:01:01,833 --> 00:01:04,917 "and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works 26 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:09,833 "that they had seen, saying, 'Blessed is the King who comes 27 00:01:09,875 --> 00:01:11,667 "'in the name of the Lord! 28 00:01:11,750 --> 00:01:15,292 "'Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' 29 00:01:15,333 --> 00:01:18,000 "And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 30 00:01:18,083 --> 00:01:20,375 "'Teacher, rebuke your disciples.' 31 00:01:20,458 --> 00:01:23,625 "He answered, 'I tell you, if these were silent, 32 00:01:23,667 --> 00:01:27,000 "'the very stones would cry out.' 33 00:01:27,083 --> 00:01:29,917 "And when he drew near and saw the city," 34 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:35,208 perhaps even from this place, "he wept over it, 35 00:01:35,292 --> 00:01:38,625 "saying 'Would that you, even you, 36 00:01:38,667 --> 00:01:42,500 "'had known on this day the things that make for peace! 37 00:01:42,583 --> 00:01:44,625 "'But now they are hidden from your eyes. 38 00:01:44,667 --> 00:01:46,500 "'For the days will come upon you, 39 00:01:46,542 --> 00:01:49,417 "'when your enemies will set up a barricade around you 40 00:01:49,500 --> 00:01:52,833 "'and surround you and hem you in on every side 41 00:01:52,875 --> 00:01:54,917 "'and tear you down to the ground, 42 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,208 "'you and your children within you. 43 00:01:57,292 --> 00:02:02,333 "'And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, 44 00:02:02,375 --> 00:02:06,500 because you did not know the time of your visitation.'" 45 00:02:13,167 --> 00:02:23,167 [music] 46 00:02:38,667 --> 00:02:41,000 We love kingdoms and weddings. 47 00:02:41,083 --> 00:02:42,417 It's amazing. 48 00:02:42,500 --> 00:02:45,417 Almost all the great children's stories, fairy tales, 49 00:02:45,500 --> 00:02:50,625 kids movies are built around these big ideas of kingdoms 50 00:02:50,667 --> 00:02:55,125 and weddings, either separately or collectively. 51 00:02:55,167 --> 00:02:57,000 And it starts when you're little. 52 00:02:57,083 --> 00:02:59,125 Having kids, I see it all the time. 53 00:02:59,167 --> 00:03:02,333 My boys love to dress up, the ones when they were little 54 00:03:02,375 --> 00:03:07,208 or the one that still is little, like a prince or a king, 55 00:03:07,292 --> 00:03:10,333 put a crown on, get a sword, slay bad guys, 56 00:03:10,375 --> 00:03:13,167 ensure peace and prosperity. 57 00:03:13,250 --> 00:03:16,583 My daughters, especially my youngest, Alexie, 58 00:03:16,667 --> 00:03:18,208 it's all about being a princess. 59 00:03:18,292 --> 00:03:19,833 You had a girl? 60 00:03:19,875 --> 00:03:22,375 It's all about being a princess: getting all dressed up, 61 00:03:22,458 --> 00:03:26,625 the shoes, the crown, tiara, all of it. 62 00:03:26,667 --> 00:03:29,625 And kids love, at a young age, there's just something in their 63 00:03:29,667 --> 00:03:33,167 heart about being a prince or a princess or a king or a queen 64 00:03:33,250 --> 00:03:37,167 and having a kingdom and ruling and dominion and domain. 65 00:03:37,250 --> 00:03:40,417 And as we get older, some of our thoughts turn more toward 66 00:03:40,500 --> 00:03:42,917 weddings, on getting married, 67 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,708 and a lot of gals are thinking about who they'll marry 68 00:03:45,792 --> 00:03:47,708 and what they'll wear on their wedding day 69 00:03:47,792 --> 00:03:49,708 and how that can be the perfect day 70 00:03:49,792 --> 00:03:51,333 and everything could be put together. 71 00:03:51,375 --> 00:03:52,833 If you've been to a wedding, 72 00:03:52,875 --> 00:03:55,833 you know the real big transitionary moment. 73 00:03:55,875 --> 00:03:58,083 Everybody's just sort of hanging out and everything's calm. 74 00:03:58,167 --> 00:04:00,625 And then all of a sudden, who comes in first? 75 00:04:00,667 --> 00:04:02,625 The groom. And there's the processional. 76 00:04:02,667 --> 00:04:05,417 He's got his guys with him, and in they walk. 77 00:04:05,500 --> 00:04:07,917 And you know, oh, it's about time. 78 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,167 It's about time. 79 00:04:10,250 --> 00:04:13,917 And for the bride, the big moment for her is when they 80 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,625 open the doors--remember that moment, ladies? 81 00:04:16,667 --> 00:04:18,417 Those of you who have been married? 82 00:04:18,500 --> 00:04:19,917 What's she hoping to see? 83 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:21,333 Who's she hoping to see? 84 00:04:21,375 --> 00:04:24,625 "I hope there's a groom on the other side of this door." 85 00:04:24,667 --> 00:04:27,625 Otherwise it'll be like one of those really bad movies. 86 00:04:27,667 --> 00:04:30,417 So for her she's got this anxiety. 87 00:04:30,500 --> 00:04:33,125 She's all dressed up in white. 88 00:04:33,167 --> 00:04:36,833 The doors open or the center aisle of the church 89 00:04:36,875 --> 00:04:38,625 is made visible. 90 00:04:38,667 --> 00:04:41,208 She looks, oh, there's her groom. 91 00:04:41,292 --> 00:04:43,917 She takes a deep breath, "It's gonna be okay. 92 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:45,708 He's there for me." 93 00:04:45,792 --> 00:04:48,375 And every once in a while, these themes come together: 94 00:04:48,458 --> 00:04:50,167 kingdoms and weddings. 95 00:04:50,250 --> 00:04:53,000 And when they do, the whole world erupts, 96 00:04:53,083 --> 00:04:57,125 pauses, and stops to see it. 97 00:04:57,167 --> 00:05:00,375 We're gonna investigate just such an occasion today in 98 00:05:00,458 --> 00:05:06,000 Luke 19:28-44 where we see that Jesus Christ is Lord, 99 00:05:06,083 --> 00:05:08,500 King, and Savior. 100 00:05:08,583 --> 00:05:11,208 And the moment you're gonna see is emotionally a bit like 101 00:05:11,292 --> 00:05:13,708 a moment that we recently saw. 102 00:05:13,792 --> 00:05:15,458 Who's that? 103 00:05:16,042 --> 00:05:17,667 Who's that? 104 00:05:17,750 --> 00:05:24,292 Well, there's a prince who is positioned to become king, 105 00:05:24,333 --> 00:05:27,625 taking for himself a bride. 106 00:05:27,667 --> 00:05:29,917 So the themes of kingdom and bride come together, 107 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:31,500 and the whole world stops. 108 00:05:31,542 --> 00:05:33,708 I was in London shortly after the royal wedding, 109 00:05:33,792 --> 00:05:36,667 and that's all they were talking about. 110 00:05:36,750 --> 00:05:38,417 It was a big deal. 111 00:05:38,500 --> 00:05:41,000 And even Americans, we're not so big on kings. 112 00:05:41,083 --> 00:05:44,833 We sort of had a little squabble over this issue awhile back. 113 00:05:44,875 --> 00:05:47,125 We still, however, stopped. 114 00:05:47,167 --> 00:05:48,500 I mean, it's amazing. 115 00:05:48,583 --> 00:05:52,917 I looked at it: 1,600 people were at their wedding-- 116 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,333 that's a lot of toasters. 117 00:05:56,375 --> 00:05:58,917 And before their wedding, there was what? 118 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,625 There was the processional in, probably from Buckingham Palace 119 00:06:02,667 --> 00:06:04,625 to Westminster, I would guess. 120 00:06:04,667 --> 00:06:07,708 We traveled that route when I was in town there. 121 00:06:07,792 --> 00:06:10,833 It's beautiful, it's amazing, historic. 122 00:06:10,875 --> 00:06:15,625 Half a million people lined the streets for the processional. 123 00:06:15,667 --> 00:06:17,500 Right, he's coming. 124 00:06:17,542 --> 00:06:20,875 Here comes the prince who one day will be king. 125 00:06:20,958 --> 00:06:23,292 He's coming to where? 126 00:06:23,333 --> 00:06:26,125 Ultimately the palace. 127 00:06:26,167 --> 00:06:30,583 From the palace he will take his bride. 128 00:06:30,667 --> 00:06:35,083 Additionally, 1.1 million people packed into London, 129 00:06:35,167 --> 00:06:37,500 the great city of London for that event. 130 00:06:37,542 --> 00:06:40,625 Some 18 million people tuned in on the Internet--most of them 131 00:06:40,667 --> 00:06:45,167 at work, sinning against their boss, alright, on company time, 132 00:06:45,250 --> 00:06:46,667 watching the royal wedding. 133 00:06:46,750 --> 00:06:50,000 Forty million people watched on television. 134 00:06:50,083 --> 00:06:52,667 It seemed like much of the world stopped 135 00:06:52,750 --> 00:06:55,500 because there's something in us, deep down, 136 00:06:55,583 --> 00:06:57,833 as the image bearers of God, 137 00:06:57,875 --> 00:07:02,000 that the themes of kingdom and marriage, 138 00:07:02,042 --> 00:07:05,708 they awaken hope in us in a way that nothing else does. 139 00:07:05,792 --> 00:07:10,417 And the reason for that is this: that's the story of the Bible. 140 00:07:10,500 --> 00:07:14,333 The story of the Bible is that Jesus Christ, 141 00:07:14,375 --> 00:07:20,083 he is the Prince of Peace, that he has come into human history 142 00:07:20,167 --> 00:07:24,167 to take for himself a bride called the church. 143 00:07:24,250 --> 00:07:27,000 And what we have been investigating and examining 144 00:07:27,083 --> 00:07:31,000 in the story of Luke is that up until this point, 145 00:07:31,042 --> 00:07:36,000 Jesus has lived in obscurity and humility and poverty. 146 00:07:36,083 --> 00:07:38,875 That God chose a simple lifestyle for the first, 147 00:07:38,958 --> 00:07:41,292 roughly, years of his life. 148 00:07:41,333 --> 00:07:45,625 And from chapter 9:51 we heard, in Luke's Gospel, 149 00:07:45,667 --> 00:07:49,708 that Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem and he began 150 00:07:49,792 --> 00:07:52,083 his journey toward Jerusalem. 151 00:07:52,167 --> 00:07:55,708 Think of it like a wedding processional. 152 00:07:55,792 --> 00:08:01,583 Think of it like a prince coming to take his bride. 153 00:08:01,667 --> 00:08:05,333 Think of it as a prince going to his palace. 154 00:08:05,375 --> 00:08:10,500 So Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is journeying toward Jerusalem, 155 00:08:10,542 --> 00:08:15,000 ultimately to the temple, his palace, his home, 156 00:08:15,042 --> 00:08:18,708 as God on the earth, and he is going to take for himself 157 00:08:18,792 --> 00:08:21,000 a bride called the church. 158 00:08:21,042 --> 00:08:23,125 This is the language of the Bible. 159 00:08:23,167 --> 00:08:25,875 Before there could be a wedding, there first needed to be 160 00:08:25,958 --> 00:08:30,625 a funeral, that Jesus would ultimately die in our place for 161 00:08:30,667 --> 00:08:36,208 our sins to conquer our enemies of Satan, sin, death, hell, 162 00:08:36,292 --> 00:08:40,125 to take us as his possession so that our sins could be forgiven, 163 00:08:40,167 --> 00:08:43,625 so that we too can wear white, showing that we're cleansed, 164 00:08:43,667 --> 00:08:46,500 made clean and pure in Jesus. 165 00:08:46,583 --> 00:08:48,833 And as we are going to read today, 166 00:08:48,875 --> 00:08:53,000 we're going to read about the way in which Jesus 167 00:08:53,083 --> 00:08:58,375 had his princely processional to his kingdom city, 168 00:08:58,458 --> 00:09:03,125 to his holy palace, to claim for himself his people. 169 00:09:03,167 --> 00:09:05,417 And he's on the way, ultimately, to the cross, 170 00:09:05,500 --> 00:09:07,792 where he is going to die. 171 00:09:07,833 --> 00:09:12,208 He is going to then rise and then ascend into heaven where he 172 00:09:12,292 --> 00:09:15,417 would be seated on a throne and a crown will be placed upon 173 00:09:15,500 --> 00:09:19,708 his head and he would be adored and rejoiced in 174 00:09:19,792 --> 00:09:22,500 as the King of kings. 175 00:09:22,583 --> 00:09:26,833 So as you saw, even during the royal wedding--and I'm sure you 176 00:09:26,875 --> 00:09:32,500 saw it--when they kissed and the whole world erupted in applause, 177 00:09:32,583 --> 00:09:36,125 that day is still forthcoming where Jesus will return for 178 00:09:36,167 --> 00:09:40,125 his bride, the church, and there will be this great celebration 179 00:09:40,167 --> 00:09:43,000 around that final wedding. 180 00:09:43,083 --> 00:09:46,500 The last wedding in all of human history. 181 00:09:46,542 --> 00:09:49,500 And so I want you to see this as Jesus is journeying 182 00:09:49,542 --> 00:09:51,417 into Jerusalem. 183 00:09:51,500 --> 00:09:55,875 Here comes the prince going to take his bride. 184 00:09:55,958 --> 00:09:58,708 And after the funeral there will be a wedding. 185 00:09:58,792 --> 00:10:02,417 And so we pick up the story, and the first thing that we read is 186 00:10:02,500 --> 00:10:04,792 that Jesus Christ is Lord. 187 00:10:04,833 --> 00:10:08,333 Luke 19:28-34, "And when he had said these things," 188 00:10:08,375 --> 00:10:11,708 Jesus had just got done talking about investing our time, 189 00:10:11,792 --> 00:10:13,833 talent, and treasure for the kingdom of God, 190 00:10:13,875 --> 00:10:16,000 "he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem." 191 00:10:16,083 --> 00:10:18,833 So he's making his way into the great city of Jerusalem 192 00:10:18,875 --> 00:10:21,167 to the temple, his palace. 193 00:10:21,250 --> 00:10:24,917 "When he drew near Bethphage and Bethany," two small towns, 194 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,917 "at the mount that is called Olivet," so the Mount of Olives, 195 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,125 "he sent two of the disciples, saying, 196 00:10:31,167 --> 00:10:33,125 "'Go into the village in front of you, 197 00:10:33,167 --> 00:10:35,333 "'where on entering you will find a colt tied, 198 00:10:35,375 --> 00:10:38,333 "'on which no one has ever yet sat. 199 00:10:38,375 --> 00:10:39,833 "'Untie it and bring it here. 200 00:10:39,875 --> 00:10:42,125 "'If anyone asks you, "Why are you untying it?" 201 00:10:42,167 --> 00:10:45,333 "'you shall say this: "The Lord has need of it."'" 202 00:10:45,375 --> 00:10:47,625 The Lord has need of it. 203 00:10:47,667 --> 00:10:50,708 "So those who were sent went away and found it 204 00:10:50,792 --> 00:10:52,333 "just as he had told them. 205 00:10:52,375 --> 00:10:55,333 "And as they were untying the colt, its owner said to them, 206 00:10:55,375 --> 00:10:56,833 "'Why are you untying the colt?' 207 00:10:56,875 --> 00:10:59,958 "And they said, 'The Lord has need of it.'" 208 00:11:00,083 --> 00:11:02,208 Now, the situation is this, historically, 209 00:11:02,292 --> 00:11:03,708 and I've explained this to you. 210 00:11:03,792 --> 00:11:05,833 This is the season of Passover. 211 00:11:05,875 --> 00:11:08,625 Many years prior, during the days of Moses, 212 00:11:08,667 --> 00:11:12,917 God's people were in slavery and bondage and they wanted God to 213 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,917 deliver them so they could be free and live new lives for 214 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:19,208 themselves and their children and their children's children. 215 00:11:19,292 --> 00:11:23,083 And so God judged their enemies and he delivered his people 216 00:11:23,167 --> 00:11:25,000 in an act of Passover. 217 00:11:25,083 --> 00:11:29,833 And that is where a sacrificial lamb was chosen by the people 218 00:11:29,875 --> 00:11:33,333 of God, and they would confess their sins that they had sinned 219 00:11:33,375 --> 00:11:37,375 against God, and that animal would be functioning 220 00:11:37,458 --> 00:11:39,667 in a substitutionary way. 221 00:11:39,750 --> 00:11:43,000 And the animal was then killed, died in their place 222 00:11:43,083 --> 00:11:45,000 for their sins. 223 00:11:45,083 --> 00:11:50,792 And then that blood was to cover them so that God wouldn't need 224 00:11:50,833 --> 00:11:54,917 to judge them or kill them, that rather they trusted that 225 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:57,417 ultimately a greater Lamb was coming who would make 226 00:11:57,500 --> 00:12:01,917 a greater sacrifice and be a more perfect substitute. 227 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:05,125 And all of this was typified with a lamb without spot or 228 00:12:05,167 --> 00:12:08,083 blemish, showing that ultimately Jesus would come as 229 00:12:08,167 --> 00:12:11,083 the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 230 00:12:11,167 --> 00:12:13,792 Christ, our Passover Lamb has been slain, the Bible says, 231 00:12:13,833 --> 00:12:17,375 that he would die in our place, that he would shed his blood 232 00:12:17,458 --> 00:12:20,208 though he was perfect without spot or blemish 233 00:12:20,292 --> 00:12:22,917 or any imperfection or sin. 234 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,708 He would die for us so that the wrath of God, 235 00:12:25,792 --> 00:12:28,333 that the penalty for sin, that eternal condemnation 236 00:12:28,375 --> 00:12:30,875 would literally pass over us. 237 00:12:30,958 --> 00:12:33,208 It would literally pass over us. 238 00:12:33,292 --> 00:12:36,500 And so they celebrated Passover every year from that 239 00:12:36,583 --> 00:12:40,208 year forward until it was finally culminating 240 00:12:40,292 --> 00:12:42,167 at the cross of Jesus. 241 00:12:42,250 --> 00:12:45,500 And so the season here is the season of Passover. 242 00:12:45,583 --> 00:12:48,333 And all that they had been eagerly anticipating is about 243 00:12:48,375 --> 00:12:53,167 to be fulfilled at the murder of Jesus. 244 00:12:53,250 --> 00:12:58,417 And so Jesus is making his way with the crowds for this 245 00:12:58,500 --> 00:13:02,375 big holiday celebration in Jerusalem. 246 00:13:02,458 --> 00:13:05,000 And as he approaches the Mount of Olives--and we got 247 00:13:05,083 --> 00:13:07,208 to show that to you before the sermon 248 00:13:07,292 --> 00:13:10,500 and I wanna thank the elders for letting me take a camera crew 249 00:13:10,583 --> 00:13:12,500 to Jerusalem so you could see the topography. 250 00:13:12,583 --> 00:13:15,375 The Mount of Olives is basically a cross--I believe it is 251 00:13:15,458 --> 00:13:19,375 the Kidron Valley--from where the temple was. 252 00:13:19,458 --> 00:13:24,083 And so as Jesus was passing along the Mount of Olives, 253 00:13:24,167 --> 00:13:27,333 Jerusalem, the city up on a hill, made out of rock, 254 00:13:27,375 --> 00:13:28,833 would have been in sight. 255 00:13:28,875 --> 00:13:31,625 The temple was in sight and Jesus knew it was time 256 00:13:31,667 --> 00:13:33,625 to begin the processional. 257 00:13:33,667 --> 00:13:38,167 Again, think of it like a prince riding into town so that 258 00:13:38,250 --> 00:13:40,167 he might take his bride. 259 00:13:40,250 --> 00:13:42,417 And so how will Jesus be transported? 260 00:13:42,500 --> 00:13:44,333 On a donkey. 261 00:13:44,375 --> 00:13:45,875 On a colt. 262 00:13:45,958 --> 00:13:49,708 This was a very humble way to travel. 263 00:13:49,792 --> 00:13:51,875 This was an exceedingly humble way to travel. 264 00:13:51,958 --> 00:13:54,667 I mean, think about it. 265 00:13:54,750 --> 00:14:01,708 Let's say today there was a different wedding 266 00:14:01,792 --> 00:14:04,500 that happened in London. 267 00:14:04,542 --> 00:14:08,208 Let's say that this prince and princess, 268 00:14:08,292 --> 00:14:16,167 the ride for them to or from their wedding, was in a Kia. 269 00:14:17,958 --> 00:14:20,500 Not a horse-drawn carriage, a Kia. 270 00:14:20,583 --> 00:14:24,833 Not even a new Kia, like a used Kia. 271 00:14:27,167 --> 00:14:30,000 Imagine that. 272 00:14:30,042 --> 00:14:33,417 "The BBC here live, bringing you the royal wedding. 273 00:14:33,500 --> 00:14:37,292 And the prince and princess are now stepping into their Kia." 274 00:14:37,333 --> 00:14:39,083 You're like, "Really? 275 00:14:39,167 --> 00:14:42,500 That's not what we were expecting." 276 00:14:42,542 --> 00:14:45,833 Jesus rides into town on a Kia. 277 00:14:45,875 --> 00:14:48,417 The King of kings, the Prince of Peace, 278 00:14:48,500 --> 00:14:51,500 God the Creator of the heavens and the earth. 279 00:14:51,583 --> 00:14:55,000 He chooses his own vehicle for transportation 280 00:14:55,083 --> 00:14:58,083 for this great moment, for his processional. 281 00:14:58,167 --> 00:14:59,500 "Go get me a colt. 282 00:14:59,583 --> 00:15:03,500 Get me a young donkey that's never been ridden." 283 00:15:03,583 --> 00:15:05,000 That's it. 284 00:15:05,083 --> 00:15:06,917 How about you? 285 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,500 If you were a prince or a princess or a king or a queen, 286 00:15:10,583 --> 00:15:14,583 let's say you were going to be married one day. 287 00:15:14,667 --> 00:15:16,833 How would you live before that? 288 00:15:16,875 --> 00:15:18,625 Would you live in wealth or poverty? 289 00:15:18,667 --> 00:15:21,333 Honestly, wealth right? 290 00:15:21,375 --> 00:15:24,333 Would you live in a public way so that everyone knew you? 291 00:15:24,375 --> 00:15:26,667 Or would you live in a humble, private way? 292 00:15:26,750 --> 00:15:29,333 Would you work a blue-collar job? 293 00:15:29,375 --> 00:15:31,667 Would you work any job? 294 00:15:31,750 --> 00:15:35,083 Jesus comes as this humble prince. 295 00:15:35,167 --> 00:15:38,083 He comes in a way that no one was expecting. 296 00:15:38,167 --> 00:15:40,583 He lived in a small town, not a big city. 297 00:15:40,667 --> 00:15:42,000 He was poor, not rich. 298 00:15:42,042 --> 00:15:45,125 He was homeless, he didn't have a huge home. 299 00:15:45,167 --> 00:15:48,000 The first 30 years of his life he was a carpenter 300 00:15:48,042 --> 00:15:50,292 working with his dad. 301 00:15:50,333 --> 00:15:55,000 And here this humble, simple, homeless prince 302 00:15:55,083 --> 00:16:01,792 begins his journey to his city, to his palace, 303 00:16:01,833 --> 00:16:07,500 to die and secure marriage with his bride, the church. 304 00:16:07,542 --> 00:16:09,333 That's amazing. 305 00:16:09,375 --> 00:16:12,000 No one thought it would happen like this. 306 00:16:12,083 --> 00:16:14,208 But there is something really interesting here, 307 00:16:14,292 --> 00:16:19,125 is that he tells his disciples, his leaders, his men, 308 00:16:19,167 --> 00:16:21,208 "Go get me that donkey," and they do. 309 00:16:21,292 --> 00:16:23,708 So they go to the guy, apparently Jesus knew this 310 00:16:23,792 --> 00:16:26,000 through the power of the Holy Spirit or whatever, 311 00:16:26,083 --> 00:16:27,417 I don't know. 312 00:16:27,500 --> 00:16:29,792 Goes to the guy, "Hey, we need this colt. 313 00:16:29,833 --> 00:16:31,167 We need this donkey." 314 00:16:31,250 --> 00:16:32,583 "Why?" 315 00:16:32,667 --> 00:16:34,792 And they say, "The Lord has need of it." 316 00:16:34,833 --> 00:16:37,125 Who is Jesus? Lord. 317 00:16:37,167 --> 00:16:38,500 This is important. 318 00:16:38,583 --> 00:16:41,417 There are many titles for Jesus in the Bible. 319 00:16:41,500 --> 00:16:45,292 He's rabbi, good teacher, he's Lord, he's King, 320 00:16:45,333 --> 00:16:47,208 he's Prince, he's friend. 321 00:16:47,292 --> 00:16:48,708 There's all this language. 322 00:16:48,792 --> 00:16:50,125 He's shepherd. 323 00:16:50,167 --> 00:16:52,125 All these images and titles for Jesus. 324 00:16:52,167 --> 00:16:55,292 And some of us can pick one we like and solely see Jesus 325 00:16:55,333 --> 00:16:57,792 that way and sort of omit others we don't like. 326 00:16:57,833 --> 00:17:00,833 So for some of you, yeah, Jesus is friend to the poor 327 00:17:00,875 --> 00:17:03,167 and teacher, but he's not Lord, he's not God. 328 00:17:03,250 --> 00:17:05,292 Yes he is, he's all of that. 329 00:17:05,333 --> 00:17:07,583 And so the shortest declaration of what we believe 330 00:17:07,667 --> 00:17:11,625 as Christians is simply Jesus Christ is Lord. 331 00:17:11,667 --> 00:17:13,792 He is above everyone and everything, 332 00:17:13,833 --> 00:17:18,000 there is no one equal to him, there is no created person, 333 00:17:18,042 --> 00:17:21,625 thing alongside of him or above him. 334 00:17:21,667 --> 00:17:24,208 And the Jews would have heard this as blasphemous. 335 00:17:24,292 --> 00:17:27,125 The Romans would have heard this as treasonous, 336 00:17:27,167 --> 00:17:29,208 because only God is Lord. 337 00:17:29,292 --> 00:17:33,208 And Jesus here is saying, "Yes, I am that Sovereign Lord." 338 00:17:33,292 --> 00:17:36,375 And for the Romans they would have said, "Caesar is lord." 339 00:17:36,458 --> 00:17:38,833 And Jesus is saying, "No, I'm Lord." 340 00:17:38,875 --> 00:17:43,417 So Jesus here is establishing himself in authority over 341 00:17:43,500 --> 00:17:47,708 everyone and everything that has ever lived upon the earth 342 00:17:47,792 --> 00:17:50,667 or will ever live upon the earth. 343 00:17:50,750 --> 00:17:52,500 Massive statement. 344 00:17:52,583 --> 00:17:55,833 So they say, "The Lord has need of it." 345 00:17:55,875 --> 00:17:59,333 And you and I need to be this way with all of our possessions. 346 00:17:59,375 --> 00:18:00,833 "Lord Jesus, it's yours. 347 00:18:00,875 --> 00:18:02,208 "You need my car? 348 00:18:02,292 --> 00:18:03,625 "I'll give it away. 349 00:18:03,667 --> 00:18:06,292 "You need me to help fund the cause of the kingdom? 350 00:18:06,333 --> 00:18:08,500 "Glad to. You need me to feed the poor? 351 00:18:08,583 --> 00:18:09,917 "It's your fridge. 352 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,333 "Lord Jesus, you want my home to be opened up 353 00:18:12,375 --> 00:18:13,708 "for Community Group? 354 00:18:13,792 --> 00:18:15,208 Feel free to have it." 355 00:18:15,292 --> 00:18:16,708 The owner has this open-handed attitude. 356 00:18:16,792 --> 00:18:19,708 He says, "Well, if the Lord needs it, he can have it." 357 00:18:19,792 --> 00:18:21,333 And this was a valued possession. 358 00:18:21,375 --> 00:18:26,333 And so what they do then is they bring this animal to Jesus. 359 00:18:26,375 --> 00:18:29,333 And the full meaning can be lost on us because we think, 360 00:18:29,375 --> 00:18:31,333 "Well, that's just a humble way to go." 361 00:18:31,375 --> 00:18:32,708 But Jesus here was making 362 00:18:32,792 --> 00:18:36,417 a very important public statement by action. 363 00:18:36,500 --> 00:18:38,000 And some people will wrongly say, 364 00:18:38,042 --> 00:18:39,625 "Jesus never presenting himself as God." 365 00:18:39,667 --> 00:18:41,125 He did. 366 00:18:41,167 --> 00:18:43,375 And he did it in a multitude of ways. 367 00:18:43,458 --> 00:18:44,917 Sometimes he would just say it, 368 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:46,667 and others he would just show it. 369 00:18:46,750 --> 00:18:49,417 This is an occasion where he says it, "I'm the Lord," 370 00:18:49,500 --> 00:18:51,708 and he shows it, "Go get me the donkey." 371 00:18:51,792 --> 00:18:53,500 Now, most of us wouldn't recognize that. 372 00:18:53,542 --> 00:18:55,500 We think donkey, we go right to "Shrek." 373 00:18:55,542 --> 00:18:57,500 What does that have to do with anything? 374 00:18:57,542 --> 00:18:59,125 Right? 375 00:18:59,167 --> 00:19:03,000 But for those who were waiting-- 376 00:19:03,042 --> 00:19:06,000 So, you think of the people of God like a bride. 377 00:19:06,042 --> 00:19:08,333 We shouldn't think of ourselves as a bride individually, 378 00:19:08,375 --> 00:19:11,500 but collectively and corporately like a bride. 379 00:19:11,542 --> 00:19:14,000 There had been a prophecy given hundreds of years prior 380 00:19:14,083 --> 00:19:17,833 through the work of a man named Zechariah. 381 00:19:17,875 --> 00:19:19,625 And God had promised through him, 382 00:19:19,667 --> 00:19:21,417 "You'll know that your prince has come. 383 00:19:21,500 --> 00:19:25,500 "You'll know that your King-to-be is among you. 384 00:19:25,583 --> 00:19:29,333 Your Lord is at hand when you see something." 385 00:19:29,375 --> 00:19:31,708 And so they were waiting. 386 00:19:31,792 --> 00:19:34,917 And here's exactly what Zechariah 9:9 said. 387 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,000 Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, 388 00:19:37,083 --> 00:19:39,083 this prophecy was given, "Rejoice greatly, 389 00:19:39,167 --> 00:19:40,625 "O daughter of Zion! 390 00:19:40,667 --> 00:19:44,667 Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!" 391 00:19:44,750 --> 00:19:47,875 So you'll know the Lord is among you when he comes to Jerusalem. 392 00:19:47,958 --> 00:19:49,333 Where's Jesus going? 393 00:19:49,375 --> 00:19:50,708 Jerusalem. 394 00:19:50,792 --> 00:19:54,625 "Behold, your king is coming to you; 395 00:19:54,667 --> 00:19:56,917 "righteous and having salvation is he, 396 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:02,000 "humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, 397 00:20:02,083 --> 00:20:04,500 the foal of a donkey." 398 00:20:04,583 --> 00:20:07,500 So the prophecy was given hundreds of years prior, 399 00:20:07,583 --> 00:20:10,333 "Your King is coming. 400 00:20:10,375 --> 00:20:15,917 "He's humble, he's righteous, he's coming to save you. 401 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:19,125 "And you'll know it's him when he rides into Jerusalem 402 00:20:19,167 --> 00:20:21,125 on a young donkey." 403 00:20:21,167 --> 00:20:25,083 And they'd been waiting for hundreds of years. 404 00:20:25,167 --> 00:20:28,500 Think of a woman who God has told her, 405 00:20:28,542 --> 00:20:30,417 "You're going to be married. 406 00:20:30,500 --> 00:20:33,667 Just wait for your husband." 407 00:20:33,750 --> 00:20:37,333 Days, weeks, months, years. 408 00:20:37,375 --> 00:20:40,125 She wonders, "Is he ever coming?" 409 00:20:40,167 --> 00:20:43,333 But God had revealed to her some specific details. 410 00:20:43,375 --> 00:20:44,708 "He'll come like this. 411 00:20:44,792 --> 00:20:46,417 You'll know this is he." 412 00:20:46,500 --> 00:20:49,500 And then one day--she wasn't expecting it, 413 00:20:49,583 --> 00:20:53,958 she'd sort of lost hope--and there he is. 414 00:20:55,750 --> 00:20:58,000 And he starts approaching her. 415 00:20:58,083 --> 00:21:02,167 And in that moment she realizes, "This is the day 416 00:21:02,250 --> 00:21:06,000 where the promise of God comes true." 417 00:21:06,042 --> 00:21:10,875 That was the feeling on the road to Jerusalem that day. 418 00:21:10,958 --> 00:21:12,292 "There he--" 419 00:21:12,333 --> 00:21:13,667 "Who's that?" 420 00:21:13,750 --> 00:21:15,083 "Jesus." 421 00:21:15,167 --> 00:21:16,500 "What's he riding?" 422 00:21:16,542 --> 00:21:17,875 "A donkey." 423 00:21:17,958 --> 00:21:21,167 "Oh, it's that day. 424 00:21:21,250 --> 00:21:24,208 "It's that day. 425 00:21:24,292 --> 00:21:26,125 "The King is here. 426 00:21:26,167 --> 00:21:28,333 He's coming for his bride." 427 00:21:28,375 --> 00:21:30,917 Do you feel it? 428 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,375 See, this is why we love weddings; 429 00:21:33,458 --> 00:21:36,625 they're just echoes of the gospel. 430 00:21:36,667 --> 00:21:38,875 This is why we love processionals; 431 00:21:38,958 --> 00:21:41,833 it's echoes of the gospel. 432 00:21:41,875 --> 00:21:43,583 It's why little girls, little boys, 433 00:21:43,667 --> 00:21:46,500 like to get dressed up like a prince or a princess 434 00:21:46,542 --> 00:21:50,792 or a king or a queen; it's echoes of the gospel. 435 00:21:50,833 --> 00:21:53,875 Jesus Christ is Lord. 436 00:21:53,958 --> 00:21:58,208 Second thing we learn is that Jesus Christ is King. 437 00:21:58,292 --> 00:22:01,333 Luke 19:35-40, "And they brought it to Jesus, 438 00:22:01,375 --> 00:22:04,333 "and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 439 00:22:04,375 --> 00:22:07,500 "And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 440 00:22:07,542 --> 00:22:10,000 "As he was drawing near-- already on the way down 441 00:22:10,042 --> 00:22:12,917 "the Mount of Olives--the whole multitude of his disciples 442 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:17,417 "began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice 443 00:22:17,500 --> 00:22:21,333 "for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, 444 00:22:21,375 --> 00:22:23,333 "'Blessed is the King who comes 445 00:22:23,375 --> 00:22:25,167 "'in the name of the Lord! 446 00:22:25,250 --> 00:22:28,500 "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' 447 00:22:28,583 --> 00:22:31,500 And some of the Pharisees--" the religious types. 448 00:22:31,542 --> 00:22:34,208 Here they go again, Mars Hill. 449 00:22:34,292 --> 00:22:37,083 We'll give them an A for consistency, right? 450 00:22:37,167 --> 00:22:39,208 They get it wrong every time. 451 00:22:39,292 --> 00:22:40,708 "--in the crowd said to him, 452 00:22:40,792 --> 00:22:42,292 "'Teacher, rebuke your disciples.' 453 00:22:42,333 --> 00:22:45,083 "He answered, 'I tell you, if these were silent, 454 00:22:45,167 --> 00:22:49,417 the very stones would cry out.'" 455 00:22:49,500 --> 00:22:53,292 At this point Jesus had ministered in some 35-plus 456 00:22:53,333 --> 00:22:58,708 locations, most of them rural, and he is now approaching 457 00:22:58,792 --> 00:23:02,833 the great city of Jerusalem and he tells his disciples, 458 00:23:02,875 --> 00:23:05,208 "Go get me that donkey." 459 00:23:05,292 --> 00:23:08,583 He knows he is presenting himself as the fulfillment of 460 00:23:08,667 --> 00:23:13,333 prophecy, as God among us, as the King of kings 461 00:23:13,375 --> 00:23:16,625 and Lord of lords. 462 00:23:16,667 --> 00:23:20,417 And so they go and retrieve for him that donkey. 463 00:23:20,500 --> 00:23:23,625 But of course, there is no saddle. 464 00:23:23,667 --> 00:23:27,000 Jesus is so humble and homeless and poor 465 00:23:27,042 --> 00:23:30,125 that he doesn't have a saddle. 466 00:23:30,167 --> 00:23:31,917 And so what do his disciples do? 467 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:34,125 They take their cloaks. 468 00:23:34,167 --> 00:23:37,500 Now, in that day, your cloak was exceedingly important. 469 00:23:37,583 --> 00:23:40,667 You probably had one coat, most people did. 470 00:23:40,750 --> 00:23:43,833 And it was a big coat, and it was to protect you from 471 00:23:43,875 --> 00:23:46,917 the elements and keep you warm and as you're traveling. 472 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:48,500 It's not like our day. 473 00:23:48,583 --> 00:23:50,833 Oftentimes you would find yourself sleeping outside 474 00:23:50,875 --> 00:23:53,625 or crashing at someone's home or in their barn, 475 00:23:53,667 --> 00:23:56,833 and your cloak for the night became your blanket. 476 00:23:56,875 --> 00:23:59,083 You needed it. 477 00:23:59,167 --> 00:24:01,708 You only had one most of the time. 478 00:24:01,792 --> 00:24:05,208 And they took their cloaks, tied them together around the animal, 479 00:24:05,292 --> 00:24:08,708 to create for Jesus a makeshift saddle. 480 00:24:08,792 --> 00:24:11,000 This is exceeding generosity. 481 00:24:11,083 --> 00:24:14,000 This is like you all who are generous, saying, 482 00:24:14,083 --> 00:24:17,000 "I know it's a big deal, but it's for the Lord, so 483 00:24:17,083 --> 00:24:20,000 I'm going to be generous because I want him to be exalted," 484 00:24:20,083 --> 00:24:21,583 and that's what they were doing. 485 00:24:21,667 --> 00:24:23,417 In their generosity they were exalting Jesus. 486 00:24:23,500 --> 00:24:25,625 "Let's get him up where everybody can see him. 487 00:24:25,667 --> 00:24:28,000 "Let's get him up where everybody can know him. 488 00:24:28,083 --> 00:24:30,417 Let's get him up where everybody can praise him." 489 00:24:30,500 --> 00:24:34,333 We want to be generous so that we can help exalt Jesus. 490 00:24:34,375 --> 00:24:37,000 And he climbs upon that colt 491 00:24:37,083 --> 00:24:40,792 and he begins his ride into Jerusalem. 492 00:24:40,833 --> 00:24:44,583 And it's amazing because a few who began with generosity 493 00:24:44,667 --> 00:24:46,000 are then joined by others. 494 00:24:46,083 --> 00:24:48,125 And friends, this is how it works. 495 00:24:48,167 --> 00:24:50,333 Everybody isn't going to be generous, 496 00:24:50,375 --> 00:24:52,083 so somebody needs to be generous, 497 00:24:52,167 --> 00:24:54,292 and eventually everybody joins in. 498 00:24:54,333 --> 00:24:56,708 Everybody isn't going to worship Jesus, 499 00:24:56,792 --> 00:25:01,375 but if somebody worships Jesus, eventually everybody joins in. 500 00:25:01,458 --> 00:25:04,792 And so the disciples go first, "We're gonna exalt Jesus, 501 00:25:04,833 --> 00:25:07,333 we're gonna be generous to Jesus, we're gonna serve Jesus." 502 00:25:07,375 --> 00:25:10,500 And then Jesus begins his ride into town and lots of other 503 00:25:10,583 --> 00:25:14,833 people join in and they take their cloaks and they lay them 504 00:25:14,875 --> 00:25:18,500 on the ground before Jesus. 505 00:25:18,542 --> 00:25:19,917 What do you prize? 506 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:21,375 What do you treasure? 507 00:25:21,458 --> 00:25:24,125 Which possession is most important to you? 508 00:25:24,167 --> 00:25:27,208 Would you throw it on the ground? 509 00:25:27,292 --> 00:25:29,292 No. 510 00:25:30,292 --> 00:25:32,125 What if it was for Jesus? 511 00:25:32,167 --> 00:25:33,625 Would you give it away? 512 00:25:33,667 --> 00:25:36,417 The answer should always be yes. 513 00:25:36,500 --> 00:25:40,125 And they throw their cloaks on the ground. 514 00:25:40,167 --> 00:25:43,917 That's saying, "Jesus, you're worth anything and everything." 515 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:49,208 And so the proverbial red carpet treatment for Jesus 516 00:25:49,292 --> 00:25:52,000 are the cloaks or coats, 517 00:25:52,042 --> 00:25:54,833 many of which belonged to those who were poor. 518 00:25:54,875 --> 00:25:57,000 And he rides in like a regal prince, 519 00:25:57,083 --> 00:25:59,333 heading to his palace, the temple. 520 00:25:59,375 --> 00:26:02,333 And he is doing so humbly. 521 00:26:02,375 --> 00:26:08,417 And as he's riding this donkey, they would have harkened back 522 00:26:08,500 --> 00:26:10,208 to the days of King David. 523 00:26:10,292 --> 00:26:14,333 The king that they loved so much so many years prior 524 00:26:14,375 --> 00:26:16,792 was the great King David. 525 00:26:16,833 --> 00:26:20,875 And David was a foreshadowing and a type that ultimately led 526 00:26:20,958 --> 00:26:24,500 to Jesus, who was a greater King than David. 527 00:26:24,583 --> 00:26:29,375 And in David's day, as king, he often road around on a donkey, 528 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:34,083 symbolizing that he was a humble king 529 00:26:34,167 --> 00:26:36,583 and he didn't want to lord it over his people, 530 00:26:36,667 --> 00:26:39,500 but he wanted to love and lead his people. 531 00:26:39,542 --> 00:26:42,208 And after the reign of David, history records, often outside of 532 00:26:42,292 --> 00:26:46,125 the Bible, that it is then that many of the kings stopped riding 533 00:26:46,167 --> 00:26:49,875 donkeys because those are not fit animals for a king. 534 00:26:49,958 --> 00:26:54,083 And instead they began riding horses mounted up higher. 535 00:26:57,083 --> 00:27:01,083 And so for hundreds of years, maybe a thousand, 536 00:27:01,167 --> 00:27:03,292 kings have been riding horses. 537 00:27:03,333 --> 00:27:06,833 Here comes Jesus, back on a donkey. 538 00:27:06,875 --> 00:27:11,583 We're back to a humble King who's even greater than David, 539 00:27:11,667 --> 00:27:15,708 and he is a descendant of David and he fulfills the promises 540 00:27:15,792 --> 00:27:18,417 that, through David, would come an even greater King 541 00:27:18,500 --> 00:27:20,208 with an even greater kingdom. 542 00:27:20,292 --> 00:27:23,875 And here he is, Jesus Christ. 543 00:27:23,958 --> 00:27:26,625 And there are two responses to this. 544 00:27:26,667 --> 00:27:31,000 Some people rejoice and they worship and they're glad 545 00:27:31,083 --> 00:27:34,875 and they celebrate! Right? You can read it. 546 00:27:34,958 --> 00:27:39,000 "They began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice 547 00:27:39,083 --> 00:27:42,917 "for all the mighty works they had seen, saying," 548 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,500 and they quote here from Psalm 118:26, 549 00:27:46,583 --> 00:27:50,125 "'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! 550 00:27:50,167 --> 00:27:53,000 Peace and heaven and glory in the highest!'" 551 00:27:53,083 --> 00:27:56,000 People are celebrating and shouting. 552 00:27:56,083 --> 00:27:58,833 Again, kind of like that day of the royal wedding, 553 00:27:58,875 --> 00:28:02,125 where the prince is entering in to take his princess, 554 00:28:02,167 --> 00:28:05,000 so that one day he might inherit the throne. 555 00:28:05,083 --> 00:28:08,833 And people line the street and they cheer and they sing 556 00:28:08,875 --> 00:28:11,708 and they're filled with emotion and passion. 557 00:28:11,792 --> 00:28:14,208 There's hope for us as a people. 558 00:28:14,292 --> 00:28:17,208 We have someone who will be a good king. 559 00:28:17,292 --> 00:28:20,792 And this is even greater and bigger and grander. 560 00:28:20,833 --> 00:28:24,833 And all of those lesser longings are ultimately disappointing 561 00:28:24,875 --> 00:28:27,792 because whether we have a prince and a princess, 562 00:28:27,833 --> 00:28:31,208 or a president and a first lady, they're still sinners. 563 00:28:31,292 --> 00:28:34,792 And even if they're the best among us, they're still mortal, 564 00:28:34,833 --> 00:28:36,583 and their reign comes to an end 565 00:28:36,667 --> 00:28:39,125 and it's imperfect along the way. 566 00:28:39,167 --> 00:28:42,875 And here, there's heart cry from the people of God. 567 00:28:42,958 --> 00:28:44,667 They're worshipping and rejoicing 568 00:28:44,750 --> 00:28:46,708 and loudly celebrating. 569 00:28:46,792 --> 00:28:50,125 And this quote of Psalm 118:26 was fitting. 570 00:28:50,167 --> 00:28:53,792 That was a particular Psalm that would be sung when a king, 571 00:28:53,833 --> 00:28:56,792 when their king, when he would go out to battle against their 572 00:28:56,833 --> 00:29:02,500 foes and enemies, when their life was in danger. 573 00:29:02,583 --> 00:29:04,500 The king would ride out. 574 00:29:04,583 --> 00:29:08,667 And if he was victorious, and if he defeated their enemies, 575 00:29:08,750 --> 00:29:10,667 he would then ride back. 576 00:29:10,750 --> 00:29:13,875 And the people would meet him along the way and they'd want to 577 00:29:13,958 --> 00:29:17,083 get the report of the war and they'd sing and celebrate and be 578 00:29:17,167 --> 00:29:20,417 glad and they'd follow him all the way up to the temple. 579 00:29:20,500 --> 00:29:27,667 And then the priest would then give Psalm 118:26 580 00:29:29,583 --> 00:29:31,333 and would say, 581 00:29:31,375 --> 00:29:34,792 "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. 582 00:29:34,833 --> 00:29:38,000 Peace and heaven and glory in the highest." 583 00:29:38,042 --> 00:29:40,917 And a declaration would be made by the spiritual leader 584 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:45,417 in the presence of the political leader, "God has anointed you. 585 00:29:45,500 --> 00:29:47,125 "God has appointed you. 586 00:29:47,167 --> 00:29:48,833 "God has blessed you. 587 00:29:48,875 --> 00:29:50,500 "God has delivered us. 588 00:29:50,542 --> 00:29:52,208 "God has saved us. 589 00:29:52,292 --> 00:29:53,875 God has preserved us." 590 00:29:53,958 --> 00:29:58,167 And it would be a national day of feasting and rejoicing 591 00:29:58,250 --> 00:29:59,708 and celebrating. 592 00:29:59,792 --> 00:30:02,500 As big as it could possibly be. 593 00:30:02,542 --> 00:30:06,917 And they see Jesus and they sing that line. 594 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:13,208 And they add to it, "King," because he is the King of kings. 595 00:30:13,292 --> 00:30:16,708 And see, Jesus at this point, he is riding into Jerusalem 596 00:30:16,792 --> 00:30:23,125 to conquer Satan, demons, sin, death, hell. 597 00:30:23,167 --> 00:30:25,833 He's going to conquer all of our enemies. 598 00:30:25,875 --> 00:30:30,708 He's going to wage war against all that is against us, 599 00:30:30,792 --> 00:30:34,667 that he might defeat our enemies, 600 00:30:34,750 --> 00:30:38,167 that he might deliver his people. 601 00:30:38,250 --> 00:30:40,208 And they're rejoicing. 602 00:30:40,292 --> 00:30:44,500 And Mars Hill, they're doing so loudly and gladly, right? 603 00:30:44,583 --> 00:30:47,208 There's something we need to learn here as a people. 604 00:30:47,292 --> 00:30:52,500 We're growing in it, but there's still more to learn. 605 00:30:52,583 --> 00:30:56,417 And the reason they're celebrating is because of 606 00:30:56,500 --> 00:31:01,417 this line: "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest." 607 00:31:01,500 --> 00:31:04,625 No one has glorified God, reflected the goodness, 608 00:31:04,667 --> 00:31:06,625 the perfection, the love, the justice, 609 00:31:06,667 --> 00:31:09,500 the mercy of God, like Jesus Christ. 610 00:31:09,542 --> 00:31:11,917 He is the image of the invisible God. 611 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:14,417 He says, "If you see me, you see the Father." 612 00:31:14,500 --> 00:31:17,208 He says, "I and the Father are one." 613 00:31:17,292 --> 00:31:22,500 So here God the Son is rightly being worshiped because no life 614 00:31:22,583 --> 00:31:26,833 glorifies God the Father like the life of God the Son, 615 00:31:26,875 --> 00:31:28,208 Jesus Christ. 616 00:31:28,292 --> 00:31:32,625 He perfectly mirrors, reveals exactly who the Father is 617 00:31:32,667 --> 00:31:35,792 and what his affection and character is like. 618 00:31:35,833 --> 00:31:38,375 And they're rejoicing because they understand 619 00:31:38,458 --> 00:31:40,667 there is peace in heaven. 620 00:31:40,750 --> 00:31:43,833 And let me say this, friends: We are each conceived 621 00:31:43,875 --> 00:31:50,000 and born by nature and choice, sinners, enemies of God. 622 00:31:50,083 --> 00:31:52,417 Sinners, enemies of God. 623 00:31:52,500 --> 00:31:54,625 We do not live as we ought to live. 624 00:31:54,667 --> 00:31:57,708 We do not speak as we ought to speak. 625 00:31:57,792 --> 00:32:01,833 We are sinners by natures and choice. 626 00:32:01,875 --> 00:32:04,833 Now, the world is filled with ways to try to deal with 627 00:32:04,875 --> 00:32:10,000 our sin, and Jesus alone is the Savior of sinners. 628 00:32:10,042 --> 00:32:12,625 And when we sin, we do sin against others, 629 00:32:12,667 --> 00:32:15,125 but we ultimately sin against God. 630 00:32:15,167 --> 00:32:18,417 And because God is a King and rules over a perfect, holy, 631 00:32:18,500 --> 00:32:22,625 righteous, just kingdom, he is displeased with sin 632 00:32:22,667 --> 00:32:25,292 and folly and rebellion. 633 00:32:25,333 --> 00:32:29,125 Satan and demons and sinners have conspired together 634 00:32:29,167 --> 00:32:32,333 in the kingdom of darkness to declare a war 635 00:32:32,375 --> 00:32:34,625 against the kingdom of light. 636 00:32:34,667 --> 00:32:36,792 Those of you who do not know Jesus, 637 00:32:36,833 --> 00:32:39,917 those of you who do not love and serve and follow and worship 638 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:42,833 Jesus, you have a king, his name is Satan. 639 00:32:42,875 --> 00:32:45,625 You have a destiny, it is death. 640 00:32:45,667 --> 00:32:48,208 You have an eternity, it is hell. 641 00:32:48,292 --> 00:32:50,792 Let me, out of love and affection for you, 642 00:32:50,833 --> 00:32:54,625 be exceedingly clear: there are two kings, two kingdoms, 643 00:32:54,667 --> 00:32:59,500 two destinies, and they are in conflict and war. 644 00:32:59,583 --> 00:33:04,333 It is not yin, yang, good, evil, all is one, Monism, 645 00:33:04,375 --> 00:33:08,875 One-ism, Pantheism, Panentheism, general spirituality, 646 00:33:08,958 --> 00:33:11,375 all religions lead to the same place. 647 00:33:11,458 --> 00:33:13,292 It is darkness and light. 648 00:33:13,333 --> 00:33:16,167 It is the kingdom of God and the enemies of God. 649 00:33:16,250 --> 00:33:20,625 And if you do not belong to Jesus, you are foe, not friend. 650 00:33:20,667 --> 00:33:22,583 Jesus is a King. 651 00:33:22,667 --> 00:33:24,083 Jesus has a kingdom. 652 00:33:24,167 --> 00:33:29,000 And Jesus will deliver his people and he will deal justly 653 00:33:29,083 --> 00:33:30,833 with his enemies. 654 00:33:30,875 --> 00:33:34,875 And you and I, by nature and choice, we are sinners, rebels, 655 00:33:34,958 --> 00:33:37,500 law breakers, enemies. 656 00:33:37,583 --> 00:33:41,917 And there is not peace between God and us. 657 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:47,375 But in this man, Jesus Christ, read the line: 658 00:33:47,458 --> 00:33:49,500 "Peace in heaven." 659 00:33:49,583 --> 00:33:56,083 Jesus has come to die in our place for our sins, 660 00:33:56,167 --> 00:34:01,250 to rise victorious in our place as our Savior. 661 00:34:02,542 --> 00:34:05,583 As a result, through this man Jesus Christ, 662 00:34:05,667 --> 00:34:08,875 through faith in him and forgiveness from him, 663 00:34:08,958 --> 00:34:11,500 there is peace in heaven. 664 00:34:11,542 --> 00:34:14,833 God is not--if you are a child of God, hear me in this. 665 00:34:14,875 --> 00:34:17,917 God is not angry with you, he loves you. 666 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:22,625 God is not sick of you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. 667 00:34:22,667 --> 00:34:26,375 God will not abandon you, he has adopted you. 668 00:34:26,458 --> 00:34:30,208 Yes, God might be disappointed in some of the things you were 669 00:34:30,292 --> 00:34:34,000 doing, but he's disappointed in you because you were his child 670 00:34:34,042 --> 00:34:38,833 and he loves you and he has much more intended for you. 671 00:34:38,875 --> 00:34:41,833 There is peace between you and God. 672 00:34:41,875 --> 00:34:44,125 He is not against you, he is for you. 673 00:34:44,167 --> 00:34:46,000 And friends, even when you suffer, 674 00:34:46,083 --> 00:34:48,167 hear me in this: when you suffer, 675 00:34:48,250 --> 00:34:51,417 God is not punishing you. 676 00:34:51,500 --> 00:34:54,208 He's already punished Jesus in your place, 677 00:34:54,292 --> 00:34:57,333 and it would be unjust to punish both Jesus and you. 678 00:34:57,375 --> 00:34:59,708 There is peace between you and God. 679 00:34:59,792 --> 00:35:02,417 Sometimes our suffering is the consequence of our sin, 680 00:35:02,500 --> 00:35:03,917 we reap what we sow. 681 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:07,125 Sometimes God does allow us to go through a hard season, 682 00:35:07,167 --> 00:35:10,500 just like a parent who loves a child will give them 683 00:35:10,583 --> 00:35:14,167 a bit of correction to instruct and mature them. 684 00:35:14,250 --> 00:35:16,917 But there is peace between you and God, 685 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:20,125 if you belong to Jesus Christ. 686 00:35:20,167 --> 00:35:24,500 And if you do not, there is not peace between you and God. 687 00:35:24,583 --> 00:35:27,500 And there will be eternal consequence for that lack of 688 00:35:27,583 --> 00:35:30,125 reconciliation in this life. 689 00:35:30,167 --> 00:35:34,000 And they see Jesus and this is like a bride who's been waiting 690 00:35:34,083 --> 00:35:37,917 for a groom for thousands of years, 691 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:41,500 waking up every day, the people of God, is today the day? 692 00:35:41,583 --> 00:35:43,667 Is our King coming? 693 00:35:43,750 --> 00:35:45,375 Is our Lord coming? 694 00:35:45,458 --> 00:35:47,667 Will our sin be forgiven? 695 00:35:47,750 --> 00:35:51,625 Will there be peace in heaven? 696 00:35:51,667 --> 00:35:59,083 And this was the day that Jesus was seen and worshiped 697 00:35:59,167 --> 00:36:03,792 and rejoiced in as King, coming to take a bride 698 00:36:03,833 --> 00:36:06,083 through his own death. 699 00:36:06,167 --> 00:36:08,833 A funeral, and then a wedding. 700 00:36:08,875 --> 00:36:10,708 And they rejoiced how? 701 00:36:10,792 --> 00:36:12,833 Loudly. 702 00:36:12,875 --> 00:36:16,583 This is the part we could grow in, okay? 703 00:36:18,042 --> 00:36:24,708 See, all of us are worshipers, so we'll go to a stadium or 704 00:36:24,792 --> 00:36:30,750 an arena or a field and someone will do something amazing. 705 00:36:32,292 --> 00:36:35,417 And we cheer and we jump out of our seats and we get 706 00:36:35,500 --> 00:36:39,417 really excited and we clap and we sing their praises. 707 00:36:39,500 --> 00:36:41,417 We'll put their face on our t-shirt, 708 00:36:41,500 --> 00:36:44,000 or at least the name on the back. 709 00:36:44,042 --> 00:36:45,708 Woo! Yay! 710 00:36:45,792 --> 00:36:47,125 All excited. 711 00:36:47,167 --> 00:36:48,500 Unless you live in Seattle, 712 00:36:48,583 --> 00:36:50,708 then you don't have a lot to cheer about. 713 00:36:50,792 --> 00:36:56,292 But other people, they get to do this when their teams win. 714 00:36:58,333 --> 00:37:00,917 Or, let's say you're a musician, right? 715 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:02,708 You're an arty type. 716 00:37:02,792 --> 00:37:07,667 You go to a concert, favorite performer, musician. 717 00:37:07,750 --> 00:37:09,125 What do you do? 718 00:37:09,167 --> 00:37:11,125 Well, you give a lot of your money, 719 00:37:11,167 --> 00:37:13,083 gather together with a bunch of people. 720 00:37:13,167 --> 00:37:16,125 You kind of become like a church for a little bit. 721 00:37:16,167 --> 00:37:18,667 And then you praise, "Yay!" 722 00:37:18,750 --> 00:37:22,708 You sing along, you raise your hands, you light your lighter. 723 00:37:22,792 --> 00:37:27,208 Whatever your thing is, you do that. 724 00:37:27,292 --> 00:37:32,167 And yet we hear about Jesus and it's not so great. 725 00:37:33,750 --> 00:37:35,708 Or some of you want to be expressive, 726 00:37:35,792 --> 00:37:37,333 but you're wondering what everybody else 727 00:37:37,375 --> 00:37:39,500 is going to think. 728 00:37:39,583 --> 00:37:41,833 Or some of you have even been shut down, 729 00:37:41,875 --> 00:37:43,333 like what's happening here. 730 00:37:43,375 --> 00:37:45,875 They're rejoicing, and then the religious people come to Jesus, 731 00:37:45,958 --> 00:37:48,500 "Uh, this is getting very loud. 732 00:37:48,542 --> 00:37:52,125 "This is feeling a little too excited. 733 00:37:52,167 --> 00:37:56,792 I think we need to tone it down." 734 00:37:56,833 --> 00:37:59,417 All the guys in hats and suits are feeling very uncomfortable 735 00:37:59,500 --> 00:38:01,333 all of a sudden. 736 00:38:01,375 --> 00:38:04,708 And Jesus says, "Well, I could tell them to stop, but if I do, 737 00:38:04,792 --> 00:38:06,500 "then the rocks will cry out. 738 00:38:06,583 --> 00:38:10,417 I don't know if you'll feel any better." 739 00:38:10,500 --> 00:38:14,500 Because all of creation was made by Jesus. 740 00:38:14,583 --> 00:38:18,000 All of creation exists to glorify Jesus. 741 00:38:18,042 --> 00:38:21,833 And if people won't praise God, then apparently it gets 742 00:38:21,875 --> 00:38:25,000 to a point where like some really crazy musical, 743 00:38:25,083 --> 00:38:28,333 the trees and rocks jump in. 744 00:38:28,375 --> 00:38:32,708 It's like the craziest kid's movie ever, right? 745 00:38:32,792 --> 00:38:36,083 And you get an echo of this in Romans 8 where it says 746 00:38:36,167 --> 00:38:40,125 that creation has been frustrated by human sin, 747 00:38:40,167 --> 00:38:43,417 and that it longs for liberation and deliverance in the coming of 748 00:38:43,500 --> 00:38:46,625 Jesus so that it might be free to glorify 749 00:38:46,667 --> 00:38:49,583 the Creator God of the Bible. 750 00:38:49,667 --> 00:38:54,792 And Jesus here is saying, "I am to be worshipped 751 00:38:54,833 --> 00:38:57,500 "and the people are not wrong. 752 00:38:57,542 --> 00:39:02,208 And even if you silence them, the rocks will cry out." 753 00:39:02,292 --> 00:39:04,917 Again, some of you say, "Jesus never considered himself God 754 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:06,500 or presented himself as God." 755 00:39:06,583 --> 00:39:08,167 Oh, yes he did. 756 00:39:08,250 --> 00:39:10,500 And that's why they killed him. 757 00:39:10,542 --> 00:39:12,792 So how about you? 758 00:39:12,833 --> 00:39:17,125 Are you a person who likes to sing, celebrate, rejoice, 759 00:39:17,167 --> 00:39:18,833 raise your hands? 760 00:39:18,875 --> 00:39:22,208 You know, some of us, we're a little more free. 761 00:39:22,292 --> 00:39:24,833 Some of us, not so much. 762 00:39:24,875 --> 00:39:28,167 I still remember as a brand-new Christian I'd never been in 763 00:39:28,250 --> 00:39:31,583 a really excited celebratory church service ever, 764 00:39:31,667 --> 00:39:34,625 and I remember I went to a good Bible-teaching church 765 00:39:34,667 --> 00:39:37,500 as a brand-new Christian, and then there was a joint service 766 00:39:37,583 --> 00:39:40,125 with something called a charismatic church. 767 00:39:40,167 --> 00:39:42,417 I did not know what that meant. 768 00:39:42,500 --> 00:39:45,167 We met in a different place, sort of a neutral place, 769 00:39:45,250 --> 00:39:46,875 the churches came together to worship, 770 00:39:46,958 --> 00:39:49,875 and I went and I thought, "We are in the wrong place. 771 00:39:49,958 --> 00:39:52,125 This is an aerobics class and--" 772 00:39:52,167 --> 00:39:54,000 [congregation laughing] 773 00:39:54,083 --> 00:39:56,333 "And I must have gone to the wrong address, 774 00:39:56,375 --> 00:39:58,208 "because everyone here is like stretching out 775 00:39:58,292 --> 00:39:59,625 "before we start church. 776 00:39:59,667 --> 00:40:05,000 Man, this is gonna be very interesting." 777 00:40:05,042 --> 00:40:07,417 You see people like, "Okay, what are we doing here?" 778 00:40:07,500 --> 00:40:09,917 The next thing you know, the band kicks in; 779 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:11,708 they start singing like they mean it. 780 00:40:11,792 --> 00:40:14,500 And then I saw hands go in the air, I thought, 781 00:40:14,542 --> 00:40:16,000 "Uh oh, somebody's got a gun." 782 00:40:16,042 --> 00:40:18,917 You know, like this--I'm gonna put my hands on my wallet. 783 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:21,375 Something's going bad up here in the front. 784 00:40:21,458 --> 00:40:24,500 And then people would shout and they would rejoice and they were 785 00:40:24,583 --> 00:40:29,375 exuberant and it's like they thought Jesus was alive. 786 00:40:31,875 --> 00:40:35,208 And at first I thought, "This is very awkward." 787 00:40:35,292 --> 00:40:36,833 And then I started thinking, well, 788 00:40:36,875 --> 00:40:41,000 if I was at a concert of a band I liked, it might go like this. 789 00:40:41,083 --> 00:40:45,125 I know if I was at a sporting event, a big game, 790 00:40:45,167 --> 00:40:49,167 and there was a big moment, I'd pretty much be like this. 791 00:40:51,500 --> 00:40:54,000 Jesus is alive. 792 00:40:54,083 --> 00:40:57,083 I guess I should be a little happier. 793 00:40:57,167 --> 00:41:01,708 And see, sometimes it's that conflux of emotions that 794 00:41:01,792 --> 00:41:04,333 Christianity is really about a wedding and a funeral, 795 00:41:04,375 --> 00:41:06,833 a wedding and a funeral, a wedding and a funeral. 796 00:41:06,875 --> 00:41:09,125 You killed God. 797 00:41:09,167 --> 00:41:14,083 And he's alive and he loves you. 798 00:41:14,167 --> 00:41:17,792 It is kind of an emotional roller coaster, right? 799 00:41:20,250 --> 00:41:22,333 And some of you are more funeral Christians, 800 00:41:22,375 --> 00:41:24,333 and some of you are more wedding Christians. 801 00:41:24,375 --> 00:41:26,792 And the trajectory of this story is really, 802 00:41:26,833 --> 00:41:29,417 it's funeral and wedding. 803 00:41:29,500 --> 00:41:31,417 And when you understand the wedding piece, 804 00:41:31,500 --> 00:41:34,625 that Jesus is like a groom and the church is like a bride, 805 00:41:34,667 --> 00:41:37,417 and we get to wear white 'cause we're forgiven and cleansed, 806 00:41:37,500 --> 00:41:39,917 and he's a King with a kingdom that'll never end 807 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:42,417 and he's coming again for us, you can rejoice. 808 00:41:42,500 --> 00:41:44,708 So we even put our services together this way. 809 00:41:44,792 --> 00:41:47,708 My hope and goal, whether it's myself or others 810 00:41:47,792 --> 00:41:50,708 who would be preaching here, is to open the Bible every week 811 00:41:50,792 --> 00:41:52,500 and say, "Hey, here's Jesus. 812 00:41:52,583 --> 00:41:53,917 "You see him? 813 00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:55,708 "Get to know him. Isn't he amazing? 814 00:41:55,792 --> 00:41:59,000 Lord, King, Savior, isn't this fantastic?" 815 00:41:59,042 --> 00:42:02,375 And then we do much of our singing after the sermon. 816 00:42:02,458 --> 00:42:03,833 Just like they. 817 00:42:03,875 --> 00:42:05,375 They weren't a group. 818 00:42:05,458 --> 00:42:07,292 They weren't rejoicing much. 819 00:42:07,333 --> 00:42:09,708 It wasn't an enormous occasion. 820 00:42:09,792 --> 00:42:12,333 It was, for some, but they weren't all gathered together 821 00:42:12,375 --> 00:42:15,500 as a people with a common voice until what? 822 00:42:15,583 --> 00:42:20,125 Until Jesus was in the center, until Jesus was unveiled, 823 00:42:20,167 --> 00:42:22,375 until Jesus was exalted. 824 00:42:22,458 --> 00:42:24,875 Then all of a sudden it becomes a crowd. 825 00:42:24,958 --> 00:42:26,625 That's how you get a church, friends. 826 00:42:26,667 --> 00:42:29,125 Mars Hill is nothing more than a bunch of people 827 00:42:29,167 --> 00:42:30,500 looking at Jesus. 828 00:42:30,583 --> 00:42:31,917 That's all it is. 829 00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:34,125 You wanna boil it down to its basic essence? 830 00:42:34,167 --> 00:42:35,500 "Why are you all here?" 831 00:42:35,583 --> 00:42:36,917 "Jesus. 832 00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:39,125 We're all around him." 833 00:42:39,167 --> 00:42:42,333 And the job of the preaching and teaching is to open the Bible 834 00:42:42,375 --> 00:42:43,708 and say, "Here he is." 835 00:42:43,792 --> 00:42:46,917 And then to invite you all to gather around him and then what? 836 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:48,917 Rejoice and respond, to be generous and celebrate 837 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:51,083 and have hope. 838 00:42:51,167 --> 00:42:54,500 And so the course of our services tend to be, 839 00:42:54,542 --> 00:42:57,083 open the Bible, here's Jesus, then we take Communion, 840 00:42:57,167 --> 00:43:00,167 you're a sinner, Jesus died for you, funeral. 841 00:43:02,292 --> 00:43:04,833 And then singing, Jesus is alive, 842 00:43:04,875 --> 00:43:06,917 he forgives you, loves you. 843 00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:09,333 He's a King. He's got a kingdom. 844 00:43:09,375 --> 00:43:11,875 He loves you like a groom loves a bride. 845 00:43:11,958 --> 00:43:14,125 Wedding. 846 00:43:14,167 --> 00:43:16,208 And some of us get stuck in funeral, 847 00:43:16,292 --> 00:43:18,583 we don't make it to wedding. 848 00:43:18,667 --> 00:43:20,917 You got to move from funeral to wedding. 849 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:23,000 That's the movement of the gospel. 850 00:43:23,083 --> 00:43:26,000 And so here there's rejoicing, rejoicing, rejoicing. 851 00:43:26,042 --> 00:43:29,125 And when we go to our singing time, raise your hands, clap, 852 00:43:29,167 --> 00:43:32,417 cheer, sing, have a good time. 853 00:43:32,500 --> 00:43:35,833 And here then, he's gonna turn it and it goes to funeral 854 00:43:35,875 --> 00:43:38,417 for a moment. 855 00:43:38,500 --> 00:43:40,875 And we read that Jesus Christ is Savior. 856 00:43:40,958 --> 00:43:44,833 Luke 19:41-44, "And when he drew near and saw the city--" 857 00:43:44,875 --> 00:43:47,833 so apparently Jesus is coming around the Mount of Olives 858 00:43:47,875 --> 00:43:50,125 where his vision is obscured. 859 00:43:50,167 --> 00:43:52,417 He's riding in. 860 00:43:52,500 --> 00:43:56,500 And simultaneously there's rejoicing and weeping. 861 00:43:56,583 --> 00:43:59,625 So much of the Christian life is like this. 862 00:43:59,667 --> 00:44:03,083 Jesus sees the city of Jerusalem. 863 00:44:03,167 --> 00:44:07,500 "He wept over it, saying, 864 00:44:07,542 --> 00:44:08,917 "'Would that you, even you, 865 00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:11,625 "'had known on this day the things that make for peace! 866 00:44:11,667 --> 00:44:13,625 But now they are hidden from your eyes.'" 867 00:44:13,667 --> 00:44:15,583 You've closed your eyes. 868 00:44:15,667 --> 00:44:19,708 There's Jesus, and people close their eyes. 869 00:44:19,792 --> 00:44:21,500 "For the days will come upon you, 870 00:44:21,583 --> 00:44:24,500 "when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and 871 00:44:24,542 --> 00:44:27,500 "surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you 872 00:44:27,542 --> 00:44:29,833 "down to the ground, and your children within you. 873 00:44:29,875 --> 00:44:32,625 "And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, 874 00:44:32,667 --> 00:44:35,125 because you did not know the time of your visitation." 875 00:44:35,167 --> 00:44:36,500 God has visited them. 876 00:44:36,583 --> 00:44:40,083 Here is God, and some people have closed their eyes, 877 00:44:40,167 --> 00:44:44,667 spiritually speaking, and said, "We do not see him." 878 00:44:44,750 --> 00:44:48,333 And Jesus looks at Jerusalem and he weeps over Jerusalem as 879 00:44:48,375 --> 00:44:52,375 Nehemiah wept over Jerusalem, as Jeremiah wept over Jerusalem, 880 00:44:52,458 --> 00:44:56,917 as Paul wept over those who were of the line of Abraham 881 00:44:57,000 --> 00:45:00,917 that closed their eyes to Jesus as Messiah. 882 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:03,625 And friends, Jesus doesn't cry a lot. 883 00:45:03,667 --> 00:45:06,667 There are only two occasions that I can remember in the Bible 884 00:45:06,750 --> 00:45:08,417 where Jesus wept. 885 00:45:08,500 --> 00:45:11,208 John 11:25, where his friend Lazarus died, 886 00:45:11,292 --> 00:45:13,333 and the Bible has the shortest sentence. 887 00:45:13,375 --> 00:45:16,000 It simply says, "Jesus wept." 888 00:45:16,083 --> 00:45:18,083 And then here, "Jesus weeps over Jerusalem." 889 00:45:18,167 --> 00:45:21,125 Some of you men have been taught, "Real men don't cry." 890 00:45:21,167 --> 00:45:25,000 Real men don't cry for the wrong reasons. 891 00:45:25,083 --> 00:45:29,375 But when God's heart is broken, and God weeps, 892 00:45:29,458 --> 00:45:31,417 if we have the Holy Spirit in us, 893 00:45:31,500 --> 00:45:34,167 we should have the heart of God and we should weep 894 00:45:34,250 --> 00:45:35,917 for what breaks the heart of God. 895 00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:38,417 And what breaks the heart of God is a city 896 00:45:38,500 --> 00:45:41,000 that closes its eyes to Jesus. 897 00:45:41,083 --> 00:45:43,125 And it is Jerusalem, in this occurrence, 898 00:45:43,167 --> 00:45:45,625 that has closed its eyes to Jesus. 899 00:45:45,667 --> 00:45:48,333 And Jesus weeps. 900 00:45:48,375 --> 00:45:50,917 Everyone is rejoicing, "It's a wedding!" 901 00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:55,708 And Jesus is weeping, "Not for all." 902 00:45:55,792 --> 00:46:00,792 And he prophesies here that that city would be judged because 903 00:46:00,833 --> 00:46:04,500 they had been visited by God and that they would be besieged by 904 00:46:04,542 --> 00:46:07,833 an enemy and that the city would be destroyed. 905 00:46:07,875 --> 00:46:12,500 And that came true around 70 AD when the city was sacked, 906 00:46:12,583 --> 00:46:14,875 the temple was destroyed, 907 00:46:14,958 --> 00:46:18,167 and all that Jesus promised came true. 908 00:46:22,958 --> 00:46:27,792 There is a window of opportunity that God gives each of us and 909 00:46:27,833 --> 00:46:33,000 each of our cities, to take the hand of friendship 910 00:46:33,083 --> 00:46:35,667 extended to us through the person and work of Jesus, 911 00:46:35,750 --> 00:46:38,208 and to respond in kind, 912 00:46:38,292 --> 00:46:41,833 to say, "I will be a Christian and I will walk with Jesus. 913 00:46:41,875 --> 00:46:47,125 "I will not close my eyes to this Lord, King, Savior. 914 00:46:47,167 --> 00:46:50,125 "I'll receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life. 915 00:46:50,167 --> 00:46:53,625 And I will turn from sin and I will trust in him." 916 00:46:53,667 --> 00:46:58,000 And some of you, probably just because you're at Mars Hill, 917 00:46:58,083 --> 00:47:01,500 you know the parts of the Bible where it says that God saves 918 00:47:01,583 --> 00:47:05,000 people and God elects people and God chooses people and God 919 00:47:05,083 --> 00:47:08,583 predestines people and God does all the work of salvation. 920 00:47:08,667 --> 00:47:10,625 The Bible teaches all of that. 921 00:47:10,667 --> 00:47:16,583 But friends, it should never lead to a hard heart. 922 00:47:16,667 --> 00:47:20,833 Jesus weeps for people who reject him. 923 00:47:20,875 --> 00:47:23,292 This is the heart of God. 924 00:47:23,333 --> 00:47:25,833 I believe when God looks at Seattle, 925 00:47:25,875 --> 00:47:29,833 when God looks at Bellevue, when God looks at Shoreline, 926 00:47:29,875 --> 00:47:32,708 when God looks at Federal Way, when God looks at Olympia, 927 00:47:32,792 --> 00:47:36,292 when God looks at Portland, when God looks at Orange County, 928 00:47:36,333 --> 00:47:38,917 when God looks at Albuquerque, 929 00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:42,500 I believe there is a grief in his heart. 930 00:47:42,583 --> 00:47:47,375 I believe that there is sadness in the heart of God. 931 00:47:47,458 --> 00:47:53,125 That to this day great cities, great cities would close 932 00:47:53,167 --> 00:47:55,792 their eyes to Jesus. 933 00:47:55,833 --> 00:47:57,917 And that's the heart of God. 934 00:47:58,000 --> 00:48:00,083 And that should be our heart, as well, 935 00:48:00,167 --> 00:48:02,500 as the Holy Spirit breaks our heart for the cities 936 00:48:02,583 --> 00:48:04,708 in which we live. 937 00:48:04,792 --> 00:48:08,333 It should be this continual conflux of emotions. 938 00:48:08,375 --> 00:48:09,708 "Tell me about Jesus." 939 00:48:09,792 --> 00:48:13,208 "Oh, I rejoice in him, I love him, he's my Lord, he's my King, 940 00:48:13,292 --> 00:48:14,625 he's my Savior!" 941 00:48:14,667 --> 00:48:16,000 "Tell me about your city." 942 00:48:16,083 --> 00:48:17,417 "Oh, I'm devastated. 943 00:48:17,500 --> 00:48:22,333 "So many people don't know Jesus and so many lives are ruined 944 00:48:22,375 --> 00:48:23,875 because they don't know Jesus." 945 00:48:23,958 --> 00:48:26,667 And not only that, like Jesus says, it affects their children, 946 00:48:26,750 --> 00:48:30,917 it affects their grandchildren, it has legacy for generations. 947 00:48:31,000 --> 00:48:33,833 That rejection of Jesus, 948 00:48:33,875 --> 00:48:39,792 it echoes from one generation to the next. 949 00:48:39,833 --> 00:48:43,083 And so friends, if you're here, here is the good news. 950 00:48:43,167 --> 00:48:47,000 The good news is this, that it's not too late for you. 951 00:48:47,083 --> 00:48:49,125 It's not too late for you. 952 00:48:49,167 --> 00:48:53,125 For those of you who are not Christian, it's not too late. 953 00:48:53,167 --> 00:48:55,500 You're still alive. 954 00:48:55,583 --> 00:48:58,125 There could be rejoicing today. 955 00:48:58,167 --> 00:48:59,708 We're gonna rejoice in a minute, 956 00:48:59,792 --> 00:49:01,792 please rejoice with us. 957 00:49:01,833 --> 00:49:07,208 Please love, serve, trust Jesus as Lord, King, Savior. 958 00:49:07,292 --> 00:49:08,917 It's not too late. 959 00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:11,125 For those of you who were religious, 960 00:49:11,167 --> 00:49:13,083 you like to criticize how other people worship, 961 00:49:13,167 --> 00:49:14,875 rather than worshiping. 962 00:49:14,958 --> 00:49:17,708 Some of you say, "I don't like how they do it." 963 00:49:17,792 --> 00:49:20,375 I'll tell you this, I like how they do it, 964 00:49:20,458 --> 00:49:22,583 better than how you don't do it. 965 00:49:22,667 --> 00:49:25,083 It's a lot easier to criticize someone else 966 00:49:25,167 --> 00:49:28,208 than it is to be a worshiper yourself. 967 00:49:28,292 --> 00:49:30,500 So as we go into our time of worship, 968 00:49:30,542 --> 00:49:32,500 for those of you who are more religious, 969 00:49:32,542 --> 00:49:34,500 don't worry about what everyone else is doing. 970 00:49:34,542 --> 00:49:36,000 You be glad. 971 00:49:36,042 --> 00:49:37,917 Raise your hands, raise your voice, shout, clap, 972 00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:39,500 have a little fun. 973 00:49:39,583 --> 00:49:41,583 I don't know if you heard, he's alive. 974 00:49:41,667 --> 00:49:43,708 That's good for us. 975 00:49:43,792 --> 00:49:48,625 [congregation applauding] 976 00:49:48,667 --> 00:49:52,292 And lastly, for those of you who you were some of the first 977 00:49:52,333 --> 00:49:55,833 to be generous to Jesus and to exalt Jesus 978 00:49:55,875 --> 00:49:57,625 and to worship Jesus. 979 00:49:57,667 --> 00:50:01,000 Maybe you've been in this church for a long time or you're one of 980 00:50:01,083 --> 00:50:02,625 the first Christians in your family. 981 00:50:02,667 --> 00:50:05,583 You're like the disciples who went and got the colt 982 00:50:05,667 --> 00:50:08,125 and put the makeshift saddle together. 983 00:50:08,167 --> 00:50:11,208 And they got things started. 984 00:50:11,292 --> 00:50:13,375 Today, as you worship and rejoice, 985 00:50:13,458 --> 00:50:16,917 I want you to be glad and say, "Look at that, 986 00:50:17,000 --> 00:50:19,292 when we started there was only a few people," 987 00:50:19,333 --> 00:50:21,792 or "In my family, there was only a few people," 988 00:50:21,833 --> 00:50:24,792 or "In the relationships that I know, there's only a few people, 989 00:50:24,833 --> 00:50:27,292 "but boy we're getting a bit of a crowd now. 990 00:50:27,333 --> 00:50:29,292 "Seems like people are coming to see Jesus. 991 00:50:29,333 --> 00:50:30,833 This is a really great life." 992 00:50:30,875 --> 00:50:33,417 So I'm going to pray. 993 00:50:33,500 --> 00:50:36,208 We're gonna take Communion, little funeral moment. 994 00:50:36,292 --> 00:50:39,500 Then we're gonna sing and celebrate, wedding time. 995 00:50:39,542 --> 00:50:46,500 Father God, thank you so much that when we see Jesus we see 996 00:50:46,542 --> 00:50:49,333 the full revelation of who you are and how you feel 997 00:50:49,375 --> 00:50:51,708 and what you do. 998 00:50:51,792 --> 00:50:53,917 Jesus, please send the Holy Spirit 999 00:50:54,000 --> 00:50:57,708 to help us be funeral and wedding Christians. 1000 00:50:57,792 --> 00:51:00,875 Yes, funeral Christians, like Jesus, here weeping, 1001 00:51:00,958 --> 00:51:03,625 broken-hearted, wanting people to get saved, 1002 00:51:03,667 --> 00:51:07,000 wanting people to respond, wanting our family, friends, 1003 00:51:07,042 --> 00:51:11,125 co-workers, neighbors, people we love, faces we see, 1004 00:51:11,167 --> 00:51:14,917 names we know, lives we're worried about, 1005 00:51:15,000 --> 00:51:17,833 we pray for them to meet Jesus. 1006 00:51:17,875 --> 00:51:20,833 Jesus, we pray that they would see you, 1007 00:51:20,875 --> 00:51:24,500 that they would join this magnificent crowd of worshipers 1008 00:51:24,542 --> 00:51:27,625 and rejoicers and adorers. 1009 00:51:27,667 --> 00:51:32,208 And Jesus, we ask that you would ride into their life as you've 1010 00:51:32,292 --> 00:51:35,708 ridden into our life, as you rode into Jerusalem humbly, 1011 00:51:35,792 --> 00:51:42,375 lovingly, graciously, magnificently, compellingly. 1012 00:51:42,458 --> 00:51:44,917 God, we need to be funeral Christians. 1013 00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:47,917 We need to always have our heart broken for those who don't 1014 00:51:48,000 --> 00:51:50,833 know you, and for the city in which we live. 1015 00:51:50,875 --> 00:51:53,125 But God, please allow us, as well, 1016 00:51:53,167 --> 00:51:55,500 to not only be funeral Christians, 1017 00:51:55,583 --> 00:51:57,875 but to be wedding Christians. 1018 00:51:57,958 --> 00:52:00,875 That our King is alive, our King has conquered 1019 00:52:00,958 --> 00:52:03,917 Satan, sin, death, hell. 1020 00:52:04,000 --> 00:52:07,083 Our King has taken the throne. 1021 00:52:07,167 --> 00:52:09,625 Our King is seated upon a throne. 1022 00:52:09,667 --> 00:52:12,917 Our King is wearing a crown. 1023 00:52:13,000 --> 00:52:16,917 Our King is coming again to judge the living and the dead. 1024 00:52:17,000 --> 00:52:20,917 Our King is coming to put an end to sickness and suffering 1025 00:52:21,000 --> 00:52:26,333 and injustice and poverty and tyranny and evil and death. 1026 00:52:26,375 --> 00:52:29,708 Lord Jesus, we confess, you are alive. 1027 00:52:29,792 --> 00:52:32,000 We confess that you died and rose. 1028 00:52:32,083 --> 00:52:35,083 We confess that you are our great King, 1029 00:52:35,167 --> 00:52:38,625 that you are our Lord, and you are our Savior, 1030 00:52:38,667 --> 00:52:42,333 and you are worthy of praise, and we were made for that. 1031 00:52:42,375 --> 00:52:46,208 And when we do, you get glory, we get joy, 1032 00:52:46,292 --> 00:52:48,333 and others get saved. 1033 00:52:48,375 --> 00:52:50,333 And we pray for that, Holy Spirit, 1034 00:52:50,375 --> 00:52:53,208 now and into our future for our children 1035 00:52:53,292 --> 00:52:55,083 and our children's children. 1036 00:52:55,167 --> 00:52:57,500 In Jesus' name, amen.