Palm Sunday 2022
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Peace
Peace
Good morning rivertree. It is such a joy to be with you. Whether you are here downtown, watching online or at cove I am so grateful for every single one of you.
You matter so much to our church and we couldn’t be more grateful for you presence with us.
WE’ve had a special morning across our campuses this weekend as over 10 people will be baptized. We are so excitd about their professions of Faith in Jesus Christ and can’t wait to see what the Lord does next.
If you have your Bibles go ahead and turn to Luke 19.
We are taking a break the next 2 weeks from matthews gospel to prepare our hearts for Easter Sunday.
As we read look 19 this morning we are going to see what Lukes gospel tells us about peace.
Which I am really grateful for. Because at times the world we live in today feels anything but peaceful.
In my house it’s sometimes as simple as the sound of the alarm clock that brings some choas. Part of that is because my alarm clock is Darth vader saying
I’m not your father. Which is strange for so many reasons. It starts our day of with confusion in my house.
First why is it morning already
second why is darth vader in my bedroom
To say the least my wife and I sometimes wake up confused. And then there is the noise of the rest of the day. Whether it’s music in the car, or news on the TV, or the podcast I’m listening to
Then there is the phone call, the robo call, the car warenty call
and then there is just life. It’s bad whether, it’s a world at war, it’s a divide country
There are a lot of days where peace is allisive and life is nosiey.
and maybe that’s something you and I share in common. Maybe you don’t have darth vaders voice waking you up in the moring(hopefully not) But life is noisey
and that noise, that choas, that lack of peace takes it’s toll on our souls.
What I’d love for you to know choas, confusion and noise is not Gods heart for you. He wants you to have peace. Real peace. Peace in your own soul that comes from having peace with HIm.
and as we look at luke 19 this morning we will see a prince who brings peace.
Let’s read
And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
As I thought through this story this week I was enouraged in so many ways.
The first thing we see is Jesus had a plan to bring peace.
He has come to Jerusalme where he will lay the foundation for us to have peace with God. As he draws near to this great city He tells his disciples about his plan.
he tells them to find a colt which no one has ever sat on. And because Jesus is great at anntiacapting peoples thoughts. He says if anyone questions you
Just say it’s becasue the Lord needs it. In other words this was part of His plan.
from the outside looking in it’s a little curious Jesus choose a donkey to come into Jerusalm. If it were me I would want an awesome horse. Something that look powerful and strong. So the city would know I was the king.
Jesus choice is intietniol. In this time in history if a king rode in on a powerful horse he was declaring war. If they rode in on a donkey they were proclaiming peace.
What a beitufl site it is as Jesus enters the city. The prince is pursing his people with Peace.
and thousands began to rejoice and praise God. This was the moment for the nation of Isreal. They had been waiting for this day for centirues. and they were extatic.
The prince was bring the promised peace to his people.
This moment was seen by Zechariah the prophet when he said one day the people would would REJOICe gratly when the messiah came.
What I love about this moment of praise is they are actually echoing what happened when the agles annouced the birth of Jesus.
Maybe you are fammiliar with the christmas sotry or you have sang the chrismas choarl hark the hearld angels sing
The people are qouting Luke 2:14
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
and what we see is wherever Jesus goes he brings peace. That’s good news!
When he was born the angels in heaven cried “peace on earth”
When he was about to die on a cross the people cried out “peace in heaven”
As Jesus, who is the prince of peace, riding on the animal of peace is enter the city of peace.
There can be no mistake about what Luke is showing us. Jesus is peace
and in an intersting turn of events a group called the pahrisees who were the relgious leaders of the day told Jesus to rebuke his followers.
But he makes it clear to them even if they were silent the rocks would praise me!
Even creation is groaing longs for this peace. It is what we are told later in scripture when Paul writes to us
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
and after Jesus reminds those who questioned him about what was really going on he turns the corner and sees the city.
He sees the city whose name means peace and he begins to weep. it’s a suprising picture in some ways. Here is someone who has complete peace himself and weeps over his city
There in the middle of the road, with the great city in full view, the stunned multitude heard the Savior of the world wail over Jerusalem! We must fix this picture in our eyes and hearts, for it will do us great good.
This was a new kind of king.
He is showing us we can do the same. He is showing us when there is a lack of peace becasue of what sin has cuased in our lives, our families and our cites it is okay to weap.
The tears of christ remind us our tears matter. He looks at this city he loves and his heart begins to melt for it. Some have said Luke is showing us what it means for Jesus to be human in this moment. And while there is truth to that he is also showing us what it means to be God.
He is showing us that we don’t have a distant God,
We don’t have a God univilved in the World
We have a God who draws near and comes close. We have a God who cries for the choas in the world.
We have a God who weeps for a whole city
Whoe enteries that city and who wants to bring healing to his poeples hearts who are broken
and this gives me hope today. because really people often weep over what matters most to them. The tears of CHrist show us the vaolue of our souls
Even today. In the world we leave in we have cities full of people who do not know what can bring them real peace.
Honestly even in this room today and for those of you watching online or at cove we might have many who don’t feel peace at all.
and I know from expiernce we are desperate for that peace. We will fill our lives with anything in any form which we think could calm our raging hearts.
but friends....their is no amount of money, there are no amounts of relionships, no amount of power that can bring us real peace. Sure thier are moments were things may seem peaceful. But real peace only comes from God through Jesus.
Honestly I think so many people today would do anything they could to have peace
But what the gospel teaches us is there is nothing we can do to have real peace.
It’s already been done on our behalf. It’s one of the reasons Jesus went to the cross and died in our place. Because of our sin and rebellison and the choas it casued in our lives Jesus because of great love went to the cross and purchashed our peace through his precious blood.
and the work we have to do is put our faith in Jesus to reciave peace from God. Because when we put our faith in him we can actaully stop trying to ear God’s approval by gods work
we can stop tryuing to please everyone around us.
We can actually begin to live to please a God who already accepts us through his son Jesus Christ.
We realize Christ is our rightouness. Chris is our Justice, Christ was punished in our place
and all the anger God had towards sin was satisfied in Jesus death. When Jesus spoke the words it is finished, it truly was finished
and now we have an inviation to actaully rest in the finihsed work of CHrist. There is peace with God. We can actually have a quiet mind and a confident assuaren that in belvievng and follwing Jesus we have peace with God!
This is amazing! THis is what those who have been baptized this weekend have delcared. Peace was found
becasue God pursued them
God kept his promise
and God provided peace!
When we meditate upon Jesus’ deliberate march into Jerusalem, a march that would seal his fate on the cross as the atonement for our sins, our hearts should praise him
And I know in for those of you
Peace is open today for you! He still cares deeply for you. He sees you, he knows your Choas and confusion, your pain and your longing for peace
and he is pursuing you. Jesus came so you could have peace. And even if this morning if peace seems impossible. If the noise just seems to loud, if peace seems far off know you can have peace today.
Jesus offers you that. The incarnation of Jesus reminds us peace is possible. So this morning I want us to reflect and mediate on the cross. To walk with Jesus into Jerusalem. To see him weep and follow him through Holy Week.
To see him then cleanse the temple and declare his fathers house would be a house of pray
to see Jesus love and teach in Jerusalem during the last week of his life, To observe his last meal when he sat with his closet friends, The men who had followed him and then to see the CHoas that Judas betrayal would bring.
To hear the noise of Good Friday and to see the choas that we happen the day Jesus died. And to be remind he understands our lack of peace but even on his worst day he was longing for our best. He was willing to come to earth and even die on a cross so you and I could have peace.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
What was meant as a mockery. As a charge to be hung about Jesus head Matthew sees as an anthem for the early church.
Instead of something to mock Jesus, Matthew uses it as a rallying cry
This is Jesus, the King
and today. If you haven’t put your faith in this King. If you haven’t turned your life over to him. You can. The prince of peace has come to you to be your King and to bring his rule and reign of peace into your life. Turn from your sin and give your life to service of this King
He will save you.
For those of us who have given our lives to the prince of peace Jesus. Who have turned from our sin and beleived the gosepl and now have peace with God know that’s enough. Everything may not seem peace right now but your salvation is secure.
Your future is secure and your peace is secure. When you breath your last breath on earth you can know heaven is your home because Jesus has won our peace. He has defeated death and sin and brought us into peace with God. I don’t think there is anything better then this.
There have been moments in life, and still are moments where I sense a lack of peace. Where things are chaotic. Where stress is overwhelming. But if I will create some space to reflect on the cross. I start to realize my prince of peace is already with me. That he loves me. That he hasn’t forsaken me. That his heart still breaks for the chaos and confusion sin can cause in my life. Whether it’s mine or someone else’s done to me.
And he gentle reminds me there is a day coming, a day he secured where all wrongs will be made right
sometimes a children’s bible is a good place to be encouraged in our faith . Sally Loyed Jones in her wonderful “Jesus story book Bible” has a great summer of what happens after sin enters the world
There is shame
There is guilt
There is choas and confusion
The pain sin would cause
but she summarizes what God would do next in these words
“God loved his children too much to let the story end there. Even though he knew he would suffer, God had a plan-a magnificent dream. One day, he would get his children back. One day, he would make the world their perfect home again. And one day, he would whip away every tear form their eyes.
you see, no matter what, in spite of everything, God would love his children-With a Never Stopping, Never Giving up, Unbreaking, Always and Forver Love.
And though they would forget hm, Run from him, deep in their hearts, God’s children would miss him always, and long for him
Before they left the garden, God whispered a promise to Adam and Eve: “It will not always be so! I will come to rescue you! And when I do, I’m going to do battle against the snake. I’ll get rid of sin and the dark and the sadness and let you in here. I’m coming back for you!
and he would. One day, God himself would come
Beutiful words. And a great reminder for us today.
so my hope is
we Join with those from palm sunday from 2000 years ago and all those who have followed this king since
and we sing praises to our KING OF KINGS
let’s pray
Isaiah 55:10–13 (ESV)
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
“For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”