Sunday, February 17, 2013

Jesus rides into Jerusalem!


2013.02.17                                    The King is Here
Luke 19: 28- 40
As we have followed Jesus in the pages of Luke´s Gospel……we have heard his words of lif… we have seen the miracles …. We have witnessed His unfailing love and compassion for the least…… the worst in society….. Many have believed and repented and received the grace and Mercy the Lord offered them…… They have been forgiven…. Rescued from the very pits of hell…….others have because of their pride and rebellion have refused to believe This man……. They have rejected Jesus authority even thoughthey knew that He had spoken as no man ever had…….. They had heard of ….. some had even witnessed the miracles…….. They would not repent… and believe the Good news….
Finally this morning….. Jesus is going to allow Himself to be acknowledged as the Messiah…… as king……. But His crowning….. His coronation is not like the crowning of an earthly king…… His coronation was very humble…….. It was very much like His humble birth… in a stable……   His birth was witnessed by shepherds…… They were the lowest people in society……  His was accepted and hailed as king messiah by all the lowly people…… The least…. The worst….. publicans and sinners…. People like you and me….. But he was totally rejected by the religious establishment….. The scribes and Pharisees were unwilling to confess their pride and sin…… They rejected the King of Glory…...
Jesus was God's true King……. God´s long promised redeemer….. Just as prophesied by Isaiah 700 years before Jesus was born….. 
Isaiah 9: 6,7               NKJV
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever.The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9: 5,6             Schlachter 2000
 5 Denn ein Kind ist uns geboren, ein Sohn ist uns gegeben; und die Herrschaft ruht auf seiner Schulter; und man nennt seinen Namen: Wunderbarer, Ratgeber2, starker Gott, Ewig-Vater3, Friedefürst.
6 Die Mehrung der Herrschaft und der Friede werden kein Ende haben auf dem Thron Davids und über seinem Königreich, daß er es gründe und festige mit Recht und Gerechtigkeit von nun an bis in Ewigkeit. Der Eifer des Herrn der Heerscharen wird dies tun!  


Jesus truly is the ….. King of Kings and Lord of Lords……
There's never been one so magnificent, so majestic, so powerful, so sovereign, so worthy to be praised and worshiped… no one comes close to His infinite majesty……   
This morning we´re going to look at Jesus' coronation…….  Open your Bible to Luke 19…….  Remember while you're turning there……….  He will be acknowledged as  king….. He will allow Himself to be worshipped….. He will allow himself to be arrested and beaten and crucified……. He will be mocked and spit upon as King of the Jews….. He will die on the cross for us……… and he will rise from the dead……. He will establish His kingdom by redeeming the lost and giving new Life to all who will repent and come to Him…… Remember The son of man is come to seek and to save the Lost….. Jesus will be victorious….. He will establish him kingdom….. in the hearts of men and women…… And we who have believed will worship Jesus as King…… As lord…… forever….
Then…. Just like in the parable from last week…..Jesus will go away to a far country…. to receive His eternal kingdom and His is there now to prepare a place for us….. we who have repented of our sins and cried out to Him for mercy and forgiveness…….
Remember…. Jesus saves everyone who cries out to Him from their hearts………….. Jesus is being hailed and worshipped as the King messiah in our text today….. But
this time He has come to die…. To rescue and redeem us….. But He will be back and be crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords….. It  will be glorious…..
But this first coronation (crowning as king) is described for us in Luke 19, beginning in verse 28…….   Turn there please…..   We have now come to the last of His earthly life and ministry……We are entering the week of His crucifixion and resurrection…….. Jesus is near Jericho on the main road to Jerusalem…. Let´s read…. Luke 19….. 28…
Luke 19: 28- 40                            NKJV
28 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’”
32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. 33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”
34 And they said, “The Lord has need of him.” 35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. 36 And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.
37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, 38 saying:
“ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Luke 19: 28- 40                           Schlachter 2000
28 Und nachdem er das gesagt hatte, zog er weiter und reiste hinauf nach Jerusalem.
29 Und es geschah, als er in die Nähe von Bethphage und Bethanien kam, zu dem Berg, welcher Ölberg heißt, da sandte er zwei seiner Jünger
30 und sprach: Geht in das Dorf, das vor euch liegt; und wenn ihr hineinkommt, werdet ihr ein Füllen angebunden finden, auf dem noch nie ein Mensch gesessen hat; bindet es los und führt es her!
31 Und wenn euch jemand fragt: Warum bindet ihr es los?, dann sprecht so zu ihm: Der Herr braucht es!
32 Da gingen die Abgesandten hin und fanden es, wie er ihnen gesagt hatte.
33 Als sie aber das Füllen losbanden, sprachen seine Besitzer zu ihnen: Warum bindet ihr das Füllen los?
34 Sie aber sprachen: Der Herr braucht es!
35 Und sie brachten es zu Jesus und warfen ihre Kleider auf das Füllen und setzten Jesus darauf.
36 Als er aber weiterzog, breiteten sie ihre Kleider aus auf dem Weg.
37 Und als er sich schon dem Abhang des Ölberges näherte, fing die ganze Menge der Jünger freudig an, Gott zu loben mit lauter Stimme wegen all der Wundertaten, die sie gesehen hatten,
38 und sie sprachen: Gepriesen sei der König, der kommt im Namen des Herrn!1 Friede im Himmel und Ehre in der Höhe!
39 Und etliche der Pharisäer unter der Volksmenge sprachen zu ihm: Meister, weise deine Jünger zurecht!
40 Und er antwortete und sprach zu ihnen: Ich sage euch: Wenn diese schweigen sollten, dann würden die Steine schreien!
The crowd around Him is huge……..  It's getting bigger with every miracle…… growing every step He takes toward Jerusalem…..  What He did recently near has Jericho added to the size of the crowds……… Sure some were just fans…….. Some wanted to see Jesus and some wanted to see Lazarus…..They knew that he had died….. they had attended the funeral…… I mean it had It had gone on for 4 days before Jesus stopped death it it´s tracks with His words of life……. Lazarus come forth…..
They had witnessed the transformed life of Zaccheaus……. That was a very powerful miracle…… He got a new heart……. He demonstrated the transformation in his heart by what he did….. Everyone was amazed…..

Many were asking out loud….. can this man Jesus be the Messiah……. I think so….. He has the power….. Is it now that he will establish His kingdom….? They hope so…… This Messianic hope is exciting the crowd as they go up to Jerusalem….. up to the Passover celebration…..
They hope the Lord will  bring in the glory of the Kingdom promised to Israel in the Old Testament……  The truth is, He's headed to the cross……..  He has told His disciples over and over….. He wanted to prepare them……. So that they will be able to hold on when their faith is shaken….. But Jesus repeated  reminders  don´t compute…… Their expectations are confused by the teachings and traditions of centuries of waiting for a deliverer….. A messiah that would set them free from foreign rulers….
They didn´t understand that Jesus was come this time to do so very much more…… To set them free from the ultimate wicked rulers of their lives sin and death……. To put them in a kingdom that will never end….. This time the kingdom is within them….. if they cried out to him from their hearts…… repenting and following Him….
Jesus is on His way up the mountain to Jerusalem…… 4000ft up…..  to face the unbelievable horror and suffering of death on a cross…… Jesus is God's chosen permanent final sacrifice for sin……. He comes later to reign as KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS….. .  And in the meantime (mitlerweile)….. we all have had opportunity to receive Him as Savior……. One day we will share in the Kingdom with Him the next time He comes……. But now…. We are walking with Jesus….. The excitement is thunderous ( loud and uncontainable)…..
Jesus is going to be hailed as King…… He is going to be worshipped….. Up to this point in His earthly ministry…..  He had never allowed this kind of open public worship and adoration…… .  He was always the Messiah…….  He was always the King……  He was always demonstrating His deity….. showing that He was God…….  But only now is He allowing the public worship that he deserves…….
It had always been right to worship Him…… But He never allowed it…… This is the only time He ever allowed it…...
Why now?  Because this is God's time…...  From the very beginning of His ministry….. many of  the religious leaders hated Him……  Very early in His life they wanted Him dead……  The plots to execute Him started early on…… Already when he began His ministry in Nazareth….. They tried to throw him off the hill so that they could stone Him…. 
But now is the time for Him to die…… 
Why?  Because this is exactly 483 years after Daniel's prophecy……  Jesus entered Jerusalem on the exact day prophesied by Daniel Back in Daniel chapter 9……
 Daniel wrote that in 69 times 7 weeks, seven weeks of years, 69 times 7 weeks the Messiah would be cut off, He would be killed, 483 years from the decree of Artaxerxes……  Artaxerxes made his decree in 444 B.C…..  The decree is made, 483 years later the prophet says the Messiah will be cut off, it is this year, A.D. 30……
All the people can think about is He's going to come and bring us deliverance and Show his glory…….  But there couldn't be any glory until after there was a cross…….  There couldn't be an eternal earthy  Kingdom until there was a sacrifice for sin………
Now, back to the humble coronation…….
  Remember…. This crowd that is crying out Hosanna…. Will cry crucify him in a few days…..
The worship of the crowd is really for some a product of the excitement….. It isn´t real…… Some are just fans……. They are hoping for better times…… But when the tide turns against jesus in a few days…. They will just as loudly scream…… Crucify Him!
But in spite of these truths…… it is a real coronation and He is really God's King…...  Ae we study the Triumphal Entry….. I would like for us to notice these three things…..
1 Preparation… Jesus is revealed as God's Son and King Messiah.
2 Adoration… He is worshipped as God…..
3 Condemnation…. He is revealed as one who has the right to judge….
Now let's look at the preparation……
Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the exact day Daniel said he would….   
Luke 19 verse 28……
Luke 19: 28- 31                    
    NKJV   
28 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’”
Luke 19: 28- 31                           Schlachter 2000
28 Und nachdem er das gesagt hatte, zog er weiter und reiste hinauf nach Jerusalem.
29 Und es geschah, als er in die Nähe von Bethphage und Bethanien kam, zu dem Berg, welcher Ölberg heißt, da sandte er zwei seiner Jünger
30 und sprach: Geht in das Dorf, das vor euch liegt; und wenn ihr hineinkommt, werdet ihr ein Füllen angebunden finden, auf dem noch nie ein Mensch gesessen hat; bindet es los und führt es her!
31 Und wenn euch jemand fragt: Warum bindet ihr es los?, dann sprecht so zu ihm: Der Herr braucht es!

All of history has moved toward this day……. God´s wonderful plan of redemption is at long last to happen…..
Everything is exactly according to the scriptures….. Everything is ready…..
V29 When He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany….
Bethany is very near the city of Jerusalem…. about two miles east……    It is the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus….. Jesus was often in their home….. he will sleep there and go into the city each day as this last week of His earthy ministry unfolds….  Today it has an Arabic name….., El-Azariyeh…. it means Lazarus…….    it's named for Lazarus, it's most famous citizen ever…...  The Mount of Olives is directly  directly opposite of the Temple Mount….. Prevents you from seeing the City…..it blocks the view….
you don't see the city until you reach the top of the Mount of Olives…….  So they're still below the Mount of Olives….. on the backside…… They are unable to see the great glorious city…… and Jesus sends two of His disciples…….
This is what He says in verse 30, "Go into the village opposite you," And He says, "In which as you enter you will find a colt tied in which no one yet has ever sat."
Now how does He know that?  Matthew adds that Jesus said, "Immediately you will find a donkey." 
This is just one of those simple signs of Jesus all knowing sovereignty…..  Matthew also says,
"You will not only find a colt, but you'll find a donkey," the mother of the colt.  You'll find a donkey with a colt.  "And it will be a colt on which no one has ever sat." 
More details only to our Lord Jesus could know….. 
 Jesus also knows what will happen…. He says…..  "If anyone asks you why are you untying it, thus shall you speak, 'The Lord has need of it.'"
Everyone knew that Jesus was near….the word was everywhere……  He had raised Lazarus from the dead and now the one who had done that and done all the miracles was there…...  He is staying with Mary and Martha in Bethany……  He is the Lord…..  He is called the Lord by those who love Him and believe in Him…..  The fever pitch has elevated to the point now where everybody is anticipating that this is His great moment……  They know of His many miracles…. They know He heals people……  Jesus healed everyone that came to Him…..They know He raises dead people……  Lazarus was with them alive…..
And He has the truth of God…… The words of life….  and He proclaims it like no one who has ever lived……  Nothing more needs to be said to the owners of this colt….. "The Lord needs it." 
So they did what they were told, verse 32…….

Luke 19: 32-34                 NKJV    Schlachter 2000
32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. 33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”34 And they said, “The Lord has need of him.”
32 Da gingen die Abgesandten hin und fanden es, wie er ihnen gesagt hatte. 33 Als sie aber das Füllen losbanden, sprachen seine Besitzer zu ihnen: Warum bindet ihr das Füllen los? 34 Sie aber sprachen: Der Herr braucht es!

  And everything was exactly as Jesus said it would be….
And they said, "The Lord has need of it," end of conversation….. I think that that was all they needed to hear……  I'm sure they were looking at each other and going, "Can you believe it?  The Lord is going to use our animals."
He has supernatural knowledge because He is God in the flesh…. Jesus is come to tabernacle with us…. To live with us……..   He is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of our hearts….. Hebrews 4: 12 says that even His word is a discerners of our thoughts and intentions….
John 2 says, "He didn't need anyone to tell Him concerning anyone because He knew what was in man."
And so, they bring this animal, verse 35…. 
They brought it to Jesus and they threw their garments on the young donkey and they  put Jesus on it…… the clothes were a  kind of a saddle…… This little foal had never been ridden….  
What is going on here?  Well… David rode on a donkey and so did Solomon…. This also the fulfillement of prophesy…. .  In Zechariah….. We see one of the prophecies about the coming Messiah…..  Zechariah wrote this 500 before…..  .  Zechariah 9:9….
Zech 9:9                 NKJV   Schlachter 2000
9“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
9 Frohlocke sehr, du Tochter Zion; jauchze, du Tochter Jerusalem! Siehe, dein König kommt zu dir; ein Gerechter und ein Retter4 ist er, demütig und reitend auf einem Esel, und zwar auf einem Füllen, einem Jungen der Eselin.

Prophesy fulfilled….  five hundred years earlier the prophet Zechariah said He would come riding a donkey's colt…..  He knew that, he knew that was the plan…….  He knew exactly where it was and what to do…..  in Matthew 21 verse 4….. Matthew tells us it was to fulfill the prophesy of Zechariah….
The Old Testament then tells us that He wouldn't come as a conquering hero riding on a white horse…… that's the picture in Revelation when He comes the Second time…...  This first time…. He would come not to reign in earthly power….. would come in humility to seek and to save…… to die and give His life a ransom…... 
He didn't come in Kingly Glory….. He came in meekness…...  The incarnation is the time of His humiliation……  The next time He comes….. He will Come as absolute soverign and Judge…….  His fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy proves  His claim to be the Messiah…….   
Point 2…. The  adoration and worship of Jesus…..  
In receiving and allowing Adoration…. He is shown as the Messiah…… Jesus accepts the peoples worship which belongs only to God….. 
 So adoration is a sign…. verse 35…
Luke 19: 35- 38                NKJV
35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. 36 And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.
37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, 38 saying:‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Luke 19: 35- 38                Schlachter 2000
35 Und sie brachten es zu Jesus und warfen ihre Kleider auf das Füllen und setzten Jesus darauf.
36 Als er aber weiterzog, breiteten sie ihre Kleider aus auf dem Weg.
37 Und als er sich schon dem Abhang des Ölberges näherte, fing die ganze Menge der Jünger freudig an, Gott zu loben mit lauter Stimme wegen all der Wundertaten, die sie gesehen hatten,
38 und sie sprachen: Gepriesen sei der König, der kommt im Namen des Herrn!1 Friede im Himmel und Ehre in der Höhe!

 "As He was going, they were spreading their garments in the road."  This is an ancient custom……  Second Kings 9:13 describes it……. 
The disciples really didn't get the big picture yet…..  In fact, in John 12 it says that when He fulfilled this prophecy, they didn't understand it, but later they did……. 
They looked back and said, "Ah, that was a fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9," but at the moment they weren't connecting the dots…… 
In spite of what Jesus said….. I´m going to be betrayed and suffer and die….. the idea of the immediate earthlyKingdom was dominating their minds…... He had warned them over and over….
He warned them in order to prepare them….. But they don´t yet understand that First…. Before the Glorious eternal Kingdom is established….. He has come to this even greater work…… To seek and save the lost….. To redeem hearts and lives…… to save forever those who are lost in bondage to sin and death…… Think about it for a minute…. I mean if you are under a death sentence what does it matter who is King….. You´re going to die….
 Look at verse 37….
Luke 19: 37,38                         NKJV
37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, 38 saying ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Luke 19: 37,38                         Schlachter 2000
37 Und als er sich schon dem Abhang des Ölberges näherte, fing die ganze Menge der Jünger freudig an, Gott zu loben mit lauter Stimme wegen all der Wundertaten, die sie gesehen hatten,
38 und sie sprachen: Gepriesen sei der König, der kommt im Namen des Herrn! Friede im Himmel und Ehre in der Höhe!
As they came over the top of the Mount of Olives…… the city comes into view and what happens?  They see the Temple mount…. They see Jesus….they remember all that has been happening….. and they worship and praise God for his grace and mercy….. and they bless the Lord Jesus …. Worshipping Him….. Finally giving Him the Glory and Honor that He deserves…..
.  And they were beginning to wonder and review all that they knew about Jesus…. And they were moved to Worship Him……
We know a whole lot more about Jesus than many in this crowd……. When is the last time that we were moved to worship Him….. To give Jesus the Glory and Honor that he deserves….
He's the one, He's the one…...  Hosanna Hosanna!
I´m sure that Lazarus was in the crowd along with Mary and Martha…….  And what do they say in their worship?  "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord." What does that mean?  Who comes with divine authority…….  If you come in the name of the Lord, you come with His full authority…….  They worship Him as the one who comes with the full authority of God…….. Blessed is God's King……     
A wonderful spectacle….. A preview of the worship and adoration that we will give Him….we who have repented of our sins and been redeemed will shower on the Lord Jesus forever….  But remember…. In a few days…. the same crowd is going to be screaming, "Crucify Him, crucify Him….
But for the moment, they're just swept away……  "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord."
They are singing the Psalms……The great Hallell…. Ps 113-118
These Psalms  anticipate the arrival of Messiah……  They were used as a chorus of celebration for some of the feasts…. and to welcome pilgrims coming up to Jerusalem….This was a celebration to end all celebrations…….  The joy was at a fever pitch…..  They were throwing their cloaks down……  They were cutting branches……  They were throwing branches at His feet, symbols of joy…... 
  John tells us in John 11:57, "The chief priests and Pharisees had given orders to anyone who knew where He was to report it so that they might seize Him."  
Well everybody knew where He was…..  And nobody was going to report Him…..  The excitement was so high the crowds didn't care what the Pharisees said….. They were swept away caught up in the moment……. 
Matthew adds that they said, "Hosanna to the son of David," that's the most common reference to Messiah, son of David… 
The phrase “save now….. Hosanna” is from Psalm 118 verse 26…...  Save now…..  This is the Son of David….. 
They thought this was it…...  This is the Old Testament promised Kingdom come…… But it wasn't time yet…. First…..  The King had to die…… 
Zechariah said, Zechariah 12, "Some day they'll look on Him whom they've pierced and they'll mourn for Him as an only Son and then they'll be cleansed and then will come the Kingdom."  But first He had to be pierced for their sins……
This is true worship……  And the Pharisees are outraged…….  They shout  blasphemy…..  It is blasphemy to worship any but God….  And so in verse 39, "Some of the Pharisees and multitudes said to Him, 'Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.'" This is blasphemy, put a stop to it…..  But they didn't for a minute believe Jesus was their Messiah…….  They didn't get caught up in this euphoria…..  They hated Him and they despised the action of this crowd…...  And what really made them furious was He accepted it...... He accepted the adoration……  They can't deal with the crowd, the crowd is way to massive……
So  they said, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."
His answer is amazing…..  You remember when the crowd worshiped Paul and his companion?  And he said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop that."  Well Jesus said this, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out." 
And that sets up the third and final section Where Jesus reveals His deity…… and His authority as King…… and that's condemnation…...  I think we´ll have to look at the judgment that is contained in this text next time…. Do you know what that means "the stones will cry out?"  I´ll explain it to you next time…… It´s not what you think…..
Close
Jesus has allowed Himself to be adored and worshipped as King….. And that is the way it should be,….. That is the way it will be…..   You see it in His preparation….. that was point 1 today…..
1 Preparation… Jesus is revealed as God's Son and King Messiah…… Everything was prepared….. every prophesy was fulfilled exactly…… The baby born in a manger was born to die…. For us….
you see it in His adoration…..  That was the second point in our notes for today…..
2 Adoration… He is worshipped as God….. Jesus allows it ….. It is finally time….. But many will reject him and refuse to repent……
Next time….. we'll see the third point of our notes for today…. His condemnation……   
3 Condemnation…. He is revealed as one who has the right to judge…. Jesus does judge sin and comdemn all who refuse to repent from their hearts…..

We see that Jesus is our King….  We see it in His perfect fulfillment of every Old Testament prophecy……  He is King by virtue of adoration…….  He receives worship from His people
And we will see it even in His authority and His right to bring judgment on those who refuse to repent….. they are His enemies…...
There are three groups of people here in this crowd….. the same three that were in the parable last week…..  There are 1… the committed…..  His real followers who did exactly what He told them to do….. They obeyed Him and loved Him…...  There are
2… the curious….. the superficial crowd saying one day  He's a King…….  and a few days later screaming, "Crucify Him, crucify Him,"
They are the false followers…… The fans…. The hangers on…..  And then there are
3… His enemies…. They hate everything about Him…...  The world is still like that…... 
We need to pray that even those hearts will be awakened to His glory……  He alone is the answer to every need of the heart…… Can I make this all very practical for us here today… ? 
Jesus allowed himself to be crowned King at last…. Offering salvation to everyone who came to Him…. To everyone who cried out to Him….. But many in this crowd have not believed and repented….. They have rejected Him.,… The King of Glory…. They saw his miracles they heard his words of Life and they threw away their opportunity to be saved…… They said…..
No… we will not have Him to rule over us….. Just like the parable that Jesus told in this chapter of Luke…… My friends…. Rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord is a disaster for any one of us….. don´t refuse Him who speaks from Heaven….
What about your day of opportunity?  What about the time when the gospel’s been presented to you? 
What are you doing about God’s gracious gift….. The Son of man came to seek and to save the lost……  
Of course many of us are genuine believers…. We have repented of our sins…… We are followers of Jesus…. Not just fans…….. We´re not just trying Jesus on for size….. Are we?We´re not cappuccino Christians…. Are we?
I think most of you saw the cross as you walked in to the church this morning….
I want to leave all of us with this scripture as we leave today…..
Luke 9: 23, 24              NKJV   Schlachter 2000
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
23 Er sprach aber zu allen: Wenn jemand mir nachkommen will, so verleugne er sich selbst und nehme sein Kreuz auf sich täglich und folge mir nach.
24 Denn wer sein Leben retten will, der wird es verlieren; wer aber sein Leben verliert um meinetwillen, der wird es retten.
The cross is right outside of the door….. Take up your cross on you way out…… It´s the secret to the Joyful Christian life that we all seek….. Let´s pray…

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