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Entering Jerusalem (4 THINGS)
• 1ST- A VERY IMPROTANT PLACE- MT.OF OLIVES••• VS. 28-34
o Having concluded the Parable of the Kingdom – Jesus made His way up to Jerusalem…
• Jesus & Disciples arrived at Bethpage- at the eastern foot of the Mt. of Olives…
• The western slope faces the east gate of the Temple Mount (across Kidron Valley)…
• Mt. of Olives is where Jesus prayed before His Crucifixion (Garden ofGethsemane)…
• Where Jesus ascended after His resurrection- Acts 1:9…
• Where Jesus will return at His second coming- Zachariah 14:4…
o Jesus sent two disciples to get a donkey from the neighboring village of Bethany…
• It was a donkey that no man had ever sat on…
• I am sure the disciples found the request a bit strange – but they obeyed…
• When they arrived in the village – they found the donkey and untied it…
• When someone asked why they were taking it- ‘the Lord has need of it’…
• Sometimes God asks us to do things- that don’t seem to make,much sense…
• Following Jesus – sticking yor
• Even if we do not understand – it all works out for the best if we obey the Lord!
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The question has to be.!. why a donkey (it would be like riding in on a goat)…
• A King would not’come to conquer a nation – riding on a donkey…
• For a king to ride in on a donkey was a sign of peace…
• Jesus was not coming to conquer Rome- and establish His Kingdom…
• Jesus came the 1st time bringing peace between God and Man – came to conquer sin!
• But Jesus will not be riding a donkey when He returns for the znd time…
• Revelation 19:11- “I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, in righteousness He judges and makes war .”
• When Jesus comes for the znd time He will NOT come to make peace…
• He will come with all the armies of heaven for war – against the Antichrist…
• To set up His Kingdom here on Earth lfor 1000 years- Millennia/ reign)…
• 2ND -A VERY IMPORTANT DAY – PALM SUNDAY••• VS. 35-40
o The Triumphal Entry…
• The disciples threw their robes on the donkey- and set Jesus on it…
• As He rode down the Mt. of Olives into Jerusalem (up to the Temple Mount)…
• Multitudes gathered laying clothes and palm branches at Jesus’ feet (Palm Sunday)…
• When you approach the city of Jerusalem from the east you cannot see the Temple…
• It is only when you crest the top of the Mt. of Olives it first comes into view…
• But at the bottom of the Kidron valley you loose sight of it again…
• Only to have the temple come into view again as you approach the city walls…
• It was as Jesus came riding up out of the Kidron valley ‘- the ct ds broke out in praise!
• This was an act of spontaneous worship- they were proclaiming Jesus as their King!
• They began to worship Him as the Messiah (savior) rejoicing and singing…
• Hosanna – a Hebrew word that means – ‘save us now’ …
• Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord- Psalm of accent- Psalm 118:26
• The people were expecting Jesus to overthrow Rome – set up God’s Kingdom…
• They were looking for powerJ glory – not to be saved from their sins…
• Which is why four day later- this same crowd would cry out- ‘crucify!’
• God did not come to make us rich – an easy life – He came to give us eternal life…
• When we come to Jesus for the wrong reasons- we will be disappointed…
• And we may end up rejecting Jesus – because we did not get what we wanted!
o A very important day…
• The Passover – the festival that remembered how God saved Israel – slavery in Egypt
• The 10th plague -the death angel -killed the 1st born of every man and animal
• Yet if the blood of the lamb covered your house – you were passed over!
• All Jews were required to attend the feast of Passover- Exodus 23:14
• The population of Jerusalem would swell from 100,000 to over 1 million people!
• They were all there for the Passover feast – to celebrate freedom from slavery
• Four days before Passover- every household chose their sacrificial lamb – Exodus 12:3
• On this same day- Palm Sunday- God choose His lamb for the perfect sacrifice!
• The Lamb of God – John 1:29 – who would take away the sin of the World!
• God choose to give us His Son Jesus- as the sacrifice for our sin- John 3:16…
• He was willing to offer His Son because of His great Love for us…
• That anyone who believes in Him – would be forgiven and have eternal life!
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o When the Religious leaders heard this – they were extremely upset!
• Jesus was threatening their power/control- more and more people believed in Him…
• Even the children were crying out- Hosanna, Hosanna- Matthew 21:14-15
• The religious leaders completely understood what all of this meant…
• The crowds were accepting that Jesus was the promised Messiah- Savior
• John 12:19 – “The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, ‘You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”‘
• So they tried to quiet the crowds – silence Jesus…
• Jesus answers them- if the people were quiet- the stones would cry out!
• What the children/ and even stones could see- that Jesus was the Messiah
• The religious leaders missed – because they . re not looking for a savior…
• They were more interested in using religion to see what they could get from men
• It does not take a seminary degree – or years of Bible College- to know Jesus…
• Children know him / the blind can see him / even the stones worship him…
• If we are wiser than kids – see better than the blind – are smarter the rocks…
• Then we can know Jesus – see Him -and be able to recognize He is our salvation!
• 3RD – THE BLINDING OF THE }EWS••• VS. 41-44
o As Jesus drew near the Jerusalem – He wept over it…
• Israel was expected to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah because…
• Jesus came riding in on a donkey- according to the Prophet Zechariah- Zechariah 9:9
o Daughter of Zion -Another name for the natio ·
o Your King is coming – you will know Him because He rides on a Donkey…
• They had even been told THE VERY DAY Jesus would arrive on that donkey!
o They were to know – because God had given them a prophetic watch…
o Daniel9:25- “Now listen and understand! [483 years] will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until… the Anointed One comes.”
o The watch counted down 483 years (70×7) to THE DAY- to Palm Sunday…
o The Start- the ‘command to rebuild Jerusalem’ – given on March 14th, 445 B.C.
o Then 483 years or 173,880 days later- April 6th, 32 A.D.- Jesus arrived!
o THE DAY Jesus entered Jerusalem on a Donkey proclaiming Himself King!
• God had told the Jews the exact day Jesus would come- but they missed it…
• The Jews were all very religious- they all went to ‘church every Sunday’…
• But very few of them actually knew their Bible – read their Bible…
• So they missed how (Donkey) and when (Aprif6th) the Messiah came!
• It is so important we learn – read – and get to know our Bible…
• It is easy to be religious- but miss most important thing of all- Jesus!
• That’s why we go to Bible studies / read the Bible/ listen to the Bible on the radio
• So we get into the Word to learn all about our Lord- so we don’t miss Jesus!
o Because they missed Jesus – they were blinded…
• Israel as a nation (not as individuals)was blinded- dulled of understanding…
• Romans 11:25- “Blindness in part has happened to Israel…”
• That is why even today- the Jews as a nation do not understand God’s Word …
• Only about 10,000 of the 6 million Jews in Israel believe in Jesus
• As a result- not one stone of the temple will be left standing upon another…
• Literally fulfilled 35 years later- 70AD -when Israel rebelled against Rome…
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- Future Caesar – Tttus Vespasian- responded with the lOth Roman legio .
• He laid siege t Jerusalem killing over 1 million Jews- destroying the city…
• He did not intend to destroy the Temple – but in the Siege it caught fire…
• The gold of the Temple melted between the stone blocks…
• The Romans dismantled the Temple stone by stone to get the gold…
• Not one stone remained upon another- the ruins are still in Israel to this day
• Jesus knew all of this was going to take place- and so He wept!
• The Jews will not be blind forever- only ‘Until the fullness of the Gentiles’…
• The idea is there are a set number of people who will receive Jesus as their savior…
• No one but God knows the number- or who will be the last gentile to be saved…
• But when the ‘Last Gentile’ to believe – recei Jesus – the rapture of the church!
• You never know who might be holding the rapture up- the last one to receive Jesus
• All the more reason to tell anyone- everyone about Jesus…
• The Rapture of the church- marks the beginning of the end…
• After the 7 years of tribulation – when Jesus returns – Revelation 19:11
• The Jews will see Jesus- re ‘ze He is their Messiah- and believe – Zechariah 12:10
• Do not be like the Jews – it · not worth the consequences to reject Jesus…
• Today is the day to believe – God does not guarantee tomorrow- II Corinthians 6:2
• No one plans to have a heart attack/stoke- or have a car accident…
• There are many people w o wait till12:00 to receive Jesus- only to die at 11:59…
• m – THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE…VS. 45-48
,o This is the znd time Jesus cleansed the Temple…
• The first time was at the beginning of His ministry- John 2:14
• The Temple -the Jewish religion – had become a moneymaking industry…
• One that took advantage of the poor and those who were seeking to know God
• Jesus drove out those selling- doves and animals for sacrifice- Mark11:15…
• The Dove was a poor man’s sacrifice- for those who could not afford a lamb…
• Those who sold the doves – charged exuberant prices – robbing the poor…
• Even if you brought your own sacrifice – it had to be perfect… ..
• The priests would always find a flaw- so you had to buy one of theirs – $$$
• Jesus overturned the tables of the money exchangers…
• You could not purchase things in the Temple with regular money…
• All purchases had to be paid with the ‘Sanctuary Shekel’…
• The exchange rate for which was tantamount to extortion…
o It is written – ‘a house of prayer for ALL nations’… Isaiah 56:7 f Jeremiah 7:11
• The Temple was supposed to be a place where you could meet with God – Prayer…
• Instead they had made it a ‘den of thieves’ – a way to make money off of others…
• Rather than drawing men to God – they were misrepresenting God to the world…
• I fear if Jesus walked into many churches today He would overturn a lot of tables!
• Rather than being a place where people come to learn about the Lord…
• Churches instead teach about a God who only wants money- misrepresenting Jesus….
• God does not want or need our money- He is the creator of Heaven and Earth!
• Church should be a place of prayer – where men from ALL nations can meet with God…
• Where we learn to have a relationship with the Lamb of God -who takes away our sin!
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