Sermon Tone Analysis

This morning’s first Scripture lesson is taken from Deuteronomy 17:14-20:

Our second reading is from The Gospel According to Luke 19:28-40:

May God bless this, the reading of His holy and infallible Word.

Deuteronomy and Holy Week?

What does Deuteronomy have to do with Holy Week?

Everything!

In Matthew 5:17, we find Jesus saying, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and Prophets, I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Jesus is not saying in this verse that he has come to fulfill all the requirements of the law.

(To be clear, there are other passages that teach this, such as Lk 24:44, this however, is not what he is saying here).

Jesus is saying He came to accomplish the purpose of the law, and in doing so, He reveals the true meaning of the law.

This is confirmed in Romans 10:4, where Paul writes, “Christ is the end of the law”.

This is a very special Greek word.

It does not mean “end” in sense of canceling the law, but rather, “end” is in the sense of the “finishing point” of the law.

In other words, every OT law finds its ultimate finishing point in Jesus, and consequently, He determines the true meaning of every law.

Holy Week provides a perfect opportunity to illustrate this:

Palm Sunday reveals the true meaning of the kingship laws

Maundy Thursday reveals the true meaning of the sacred feasts

Good Friday reveals the true meaning of the sacrifice laws

Easter reveals the true meaning of cleanliness laws.

What you will be learning in the four sermons I will preach this week will transform the way you read your Old Testaments, and give you an even greater appreciation of the New Testament.

So let us begin our journey though Holy Week, beginning with Jesus as King.

“When You Ask for a King”

In our Scripture lesson this morning, God anticipates a day will come when Israel will ask for a king, and God is O.K. with this!

This may come as a surprise if you have read First Samuel, for in that book we read...

If you are perceptive, you probably noticed that Israel used almost verbatim the words found in Deuteronomy where we read, “set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me.” Consequently, it is not the request for a king that was wrong, but rather Israel did not meet the most important precondition for asking for a king—having God as their King.

Why is this?

It is because a people that does not have God as their King quickly falls into idolatry.

Listen to what God tells Samuel next:

As an illustration of this, consider how low the Chief Priests and other religious leaders of Israel were willing to stoop at the trial of Jesus in order to preserve their idolatrous power and privilege.

They said something, no Jew should never say, “We have no king but Caesar.”

(Jn 19:15).

We will look at this passage in more detail in a moment.

In addition, in Deuteronomy 17, we find three other preconditions.

The first is that the king must be a man whom God chooses.

Second, the man who would be king must be from “among your brothers.”

Finally, a third precondition, he must internalize the book of Deuteronomy--copying it, daily reading it and always obeying it!

Who can live up to all these standards?

There is only one man—the God-man Jesus Christ!

This brings us to the confession of the people on Palm Sunday and our second point:

“Blessed is the King Who Comes in the Name of the Lord!”

On that first Palm Sunday, the crowds shouted out, “Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the Lord!”

This is the first and most important confession a person can make concerning Jesus.

This ancient confession is found in Romans 10:9:

Even before we confess that Jesus is Savior, we must confess that Jesus is King.

Why is this?

The reason we must first confess Jesus is King, is because only as our King can He be our Savior.

Jesus was crucified as “the King of the Jews”:

A King represents His people.

Only as our representative head, could Jesus bear our sins upon the cross.

Some people claim they can accept Jesus as Savior, without receiving Him as King.

They are deceiving themselves.

According to Jesus, even creation knows the truth as to who is their Lord and King.

If we fail to praise and worship Jesus as King, even “the stones will cry out!”

The Stones Cry Out!

There is irony in what Jesus says.

Often Scripture equates our hearts to stones.

In the prophet Ezekiel, we find this promise:

What does this tell us?

It tells us that our hearts are so hardened by sin and rebellion, that we need a miracle!

As we begin Holy Week, we need the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts so that we receive Jesus as our King.

Let us pray for that miracle right now!