|
This is a text reader for the article below:
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Sunday 03/13/25
Title: How you see Him is how you will crown Him
Click for Message Video
Message Audio Player:
Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:20:20 — 95.9MB)
How you see Him is how you will crown Him
Well it’s Palm Sunday.
You know I’ve said many times that I think Palm Sunday is an odd thing for Christians to celebrate. Why celebrate the national Jewish rejection of their Messiah?
Typically on Palm Sunday I talk about expectations – misguided expectations in particular since to me that is what the Biblical narratives of Palm Sunday and Jesus’ week of Passion reveals. Today I will touch on this but only as a segway into continuing our teachings on Renewing the Mind.
You no doubt remember that the last week of Jesus’ earthly life began with the Jewish people who were in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, shouting “Hosanna”. Later that same week it ended with those same people shouting “crucify Him”.
Now this was all a Divine set up.
You see, Passover was a commemoration of Israel’s liberation from slavery to the Egypt nation. Now in order for this to make sense, you would have to know that throughout the Bible, Egypt is used metaphorically as a symbol for the world, sin and death.
You may not remember, but the paschal lamb was to be brought into the home for examination of purity for 4 days prior to it being sacrificed on the night of Israel’s departure from slavery to the world (sin).
We learn from John 21, that Jesus went and stayed with Lazarus, Mary and Martha in Bethany 6 days before Passover.
Now this means Jesus’ first night in Bethany was on a Friday which also means He observed Sabbath there and did not go to Jerusalem until Sunday which was the first day of the week.
THIS WAS THE DAY OF THE TRIUMPHANT ENTRY and it was precisely 4 days prior to Passover and Jesus’ crucifixion.
So unbeknownst to Israel, God in His sovereignty, had Jesus come into Jerusalem the house (as it were) of Israel to be inspected for four days.
During this time Jesus really doubled down on His message making it clear that the kingdom of God was about to debut on this Earth beginning in Jerusalem and that He would have to be crucified – something NOBODY, not even His disciples believed was predictive of the Messiah. (Remember that!)
Jesus made no apologies for this but instead He upped His game pressing issues which would lead to His rejection by the majority.
In that week…
- Jesus entered the temple and drove out the money changers (for a second time).
- He taught some unpopular parables.
- Of the two sons (one obedience the other not)
- Of the tenants (taken from you and given to a nation who will bear the fruit of it)
- Of the wedding feast
- Of the fig tree
- Of the 10 virgins
- Of the talents
- His authority was challenged.
- Jesus weeps over the city and calls Israel bind – Luke 19:41-48
- He encouraged them to pay taxes to Caesar (this was a big one)
- He confirmed the belief in the resurrection which made Him unpopular with the Sadducees.
- He warned people about the scribes – which undoubtedly upset the scribes.
- He put the Pharisees in their place a few times – even pronouncing 7 woes upon them.
- He foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (also not popular)
- He spoke about the coming of the Son of Man (Which is Who He was – but this would have confused them – because they did not see a second coming only one)
- Comparison made of the blindness of the Jews due to their unbelief and that which can yet happen to the Gentiles for the same reasons – Romans 11:1-22
- He again foretold His death and that it would be by crucifixion.
None of this was not done in order to sponsor His rejection by Israel but rather to place Israel in the position of having to make a decision regarding Jesus’ being the Messiah. And their decision was largely rejection.
Little did they know that their cry of “crucify Him” was in fact their declaration of purity over Jesus.
He had passed inspection and was therefore the perfect sacrifice for their house – the house of Israel.
All of this was a perfect picture of Passover or said more accurately, Passover was a perfect, annual rehearsal of the day God would redeem His people from sin and death through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus and Israel (including His disciples) missed it due to their unscriptural expectations regarding the Messiah.
The question of relevance today is Why? Why did they have unrealistic expectations regarding the Messiah?
Well, even though we could spend the entire day looking over passages which explain this, I’ll offer you a look at two which capture the whole truth.
John 9:39,
“Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.”
John 12:27-50,
“(27) Now My soul is troubled. What should I say–Father, save Me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. (28) Father, glorify Your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven:
“I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again!”
(29) The crowd standing there heard it and said it was thunder. Others said,
“An angel has spoken to Him!”
(30) Jesus responded,
“This voice came, not for Me, but for you. (31) Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. (32) As for Me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to Myself.”
(33) He said this to signify what kind of death He was about to die.”
34) Then the crowd replied to Him,
“We have heard from the law that the Messiah will remain forever. So how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
(35) Jesus answered,
“The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he’s going. (36) While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light.”
Jesus said this, then went away and hid from them. (37) Even though He had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in Him. (38) But this was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet, who said:
“Lord, who has believed our message? And who has the arm of the Lord been revealed to?”
(39) This is why they were unable to believe, because Isaiah also said:
“(40) He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they would not see with their eyes or understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I would heal them.”
(41) Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke about Him.
(42) Nevertheless, many did believe in Him even among the rulers, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, so they would not be banned from the synagogue. (43) For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.
(44) Then Jesus cried out,
“The one who believes in Me believes not in Me, but in Him Who sent Me. (45) And the one who sees Me sees Him Who sent Me. (46) I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me would not remain in darkness. (47) If anyone hears My words and doesn’t keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. (48) The one who rejects Me and doesn’t accept My sayings has this as his judge: the word I have spoken will judge him on the last day. (49) For I have not spoken on My own, but the Father Himself Who sent Me has given Me a command as to what I should say and what I should speak. (50) I know that His command is eternal life. So the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”
So you can see that Israel had unscriptural expectations of Who Messiah would be and what He was predicted to accomplish.
Now as I said, recently we’ve been focusing on the renewing of the mind and since today is Palm Sunday, I figured we’d just bring the two topics together.
So now that I have showed you how Israel missed their Messiah because of wrong thinking, we will study the renewing of the mind using the lens of what happened between Palm Sunday and Jesus’ crucifixion as a tutor or guide.
Turn with me to Luke 24. Wew will begin in verse 13. Earlier in the chapter we see several of the women who had followed Jesus, going to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body and it was then that they discovered He was risen. They went and told the disciples and all those who were with them and they did not believe.
Peter runs to the tomb to confirm and returned in amazement. That is where our story picks up…
Luke 24:13-53,
“(13) Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.
(14) Together they were discussing everything that had taken place. (15) And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus Himself came near and began to walk along with them. (16) But they were prevented from recognizing Him.
(17) Then He asked them,
“What is this dispute that you’re having with each other as you are walking?”
And they stopped walking and looked discouraged. (18) The one named Cleopas answered Him,
“Are You the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?”
(19) “What things?” He asked them.
So they said to Him,
“The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, Who was a Prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people, (20) and how our chief priests and leaders handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified Him. (21) But we were hoping that He was the One Who was about to redeem Israel.
Besides all this, it’s the third day since these things happened. (22) Moreover, some women from our group astounded us. They arrived early at the tomb, (23) and when they didn’t find His body, they came and reported that they had seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.
(24) Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see Him.”
(25) He said to them,
“How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken!”
THIS is THE key verse!
“(26) Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?”
(27) Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
(28) They came near the village where they were going, and He gave the impression that He was going farther. (29) But they urged Him:
“Stay with us, because it’s almost evening, and now the day is almost over.”
So He went in to stay with them. (30) It was as He reclined at the table with them that He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
(31) Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him, but He disappeared from their sight.
(32) So they said to each other,
“Weren’t our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?”
(33) That very hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and those with them gathered together, (34) who said,
The Lord has certainly been raised, and has appeared to Simon!”
(35) Then they began to describe what had happened on the road and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread. (36) And as they were saying these things, He Himself stood among them. He said to them,
“Peace to you!”
(37) But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost.
(38) “Why are you troubled?” He asked them. “And why do doubts arise in your hearts? (39) Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”
(40) Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet. (41) But while they still could not believe because of their joy and were amazed, He asked them,
“Do you have anything here to eat?”
(42) So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, (43) and He took it and ate in their presence.
(44) Then He told them,
“These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you–that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
(45) Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
(46) He also said to them,
“This is what is written: the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead the third day, (47) and repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (48) You are witnesses of these things. (49) And look, I am sending you what My Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high.”
What was Jesus sending them that the Father promised? THE HOLY SPIRIT!
“(50) Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them. (51) And while He was blessing them, He left them and was carried up into heaven. (52) After worshiping Him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. (53) And they were continually in the temple complex blessing God.”
Jesus asked them why they were slow to believe and understand.
Modern objections to this say that the Old Testament is not nearly as clear regarding these things as this passage would seem to indicate they were.
Are they wrong? Well yes and no.
God’s long-standing means of working with man has been to hide in plain sight.
The scriptures tell us that God is a God who hides himself and the prophetic word from the Old Testament was that God would send his people a spirit of stupor so that seeing they may see and not perceive and hearing they may hear and not understand.
Jesus repeated these words often and even told His disciples it was the reason why He spoke in parables.
But if people would have believed if they had just told them the plain truth why not do that?
Well the answer to that is directly tied to the reason for salvation.
God wants genuine relationship from hearts that are devoted to Him and seeking after Him rather than seeking their own agenda and their own little Mesopotamian household God crafted by their desires to meet their own needs.
As such, those who seek – according to Jesus and a good number of statements throughout the Old Testament – are the ones that find.
That is those who truly seek Him. If what they are seeking is a Messiah who will act like they want him to – fulfilling their desires and making their life easier from a human earthbound perspective, then that’s the Jesus they will find and they will reject all others.
But if you’re seeking God for Who He really is, regardless of whether you’ll be offended by Who you meet when you finally see Him, then God is Who you will truly find.
As I said, we’ve been talking about the renewal of the mind and we also know that the means of that renewal is God’s word.
Now again, Israel had God’s word and yet didn’t recognize the Messiah when He came. Why is that?
Well their beliefs regarding the Messiah were wrong because they misread the scriptures.
Why did they misread the scriptures? Because they were seeking for something they wanted to find rather than what was promised and that is STILL a problem we all are prone to!
They were all about the promises of the Messiah ushering in an age where Israel would have sovereignty over the promised land forever through the rule of the Messiah. What they failed to see en masse was their being set aside, the gentiles coming into the kingdom, His suffering, death and resurrection…etc. which are seen throughout the Old Testament.
Short list of O.T. Prophecy | N.T. Fulfillment
- That Israel would not recognize Him or believe in Him when He came – Isaiah 53:1 | John 12:37
- Betrayed by a close friend – Psalm 41:9 | Luke 22:47,48
- Falsely accused – Psalm 35:11 | Mark 14:57-58
- Silent before executioner – Isa. 53:7 | Mark 15:4,5
- Spat on, mocked and struck – Psalm 22:7 & Isa. 50:6 | Matt. 26:67; Luke 23:35
- Hated without reason – Psalm 35:19 | John 15:24,25
- Vicarious sacrifice – Isa. 53:5 | Rom. 5:6-8
- Crucified with sinners – Isa. 53:12 |Mark 15:27,28
- Pierced through hands and feet and side – Zech. 12:10 | John 19:34; 20:27
- Reproached – Psa. 69:9 | Romans 15:3
- Soldiers gambling for cloths – Psalm 22:17 | Matt. 27:35
- Forsaken by God – Psalm 22:1 | Matt. 27:46
- Buried with the rich – Isa. 53:9 | Matt, 27:57-60
- Raised from the dead – Psa. 16:10; 49:15 | Mark 16:6,7
None of these purport the Messiah and nothing more than a conqueror!
- Genesis
- Daniel 9:24-27
- Jeremiah 31:31
All also agreed with these much of which is referenced in Pauls words in Romans 11:25-27,
“(25) So that you will not be conceited, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery: a partial hardening has come to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. (26) And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Liberator will come from Zion; He will turn away godlessness from Jacob. (27) And this will be My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”
So it isn’t that the scriptures didn’t foretell it, it was that Israel was blind to it!
We are told Israel did not seek by faith.
Faith is a relational term. It implies a relationship of knowing and trusting. That relationship is with God through His word revealed to His people BY HIS SPIRIT – and THAT is how this all connects with renewing the mind.
In order to renew the mind we must have right thinking which is revealed in God’s word. But as we have readily seen today, exposure to God’s word alone is not enough. One’s motives must be pure and the object of their seeking must be God Himself.
The only way to know the Father is through the Son:
“(6) Jesus told him,
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (7) “If you know Me, you will also know My Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”
(8) “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.”
(9) Jesus said to him,
“Have I been among you all this time without your knowing Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” – John 14:6-9
And the only way to know the Son is through the Spirit:
John 14:6,
“Jesus told him,“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 16:12-15,
“(12) I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. (13) When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.
(14) He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. (15) Everything the Father has is Mine. This is why I told you that He takes from what is Mine and will declare it to you.”
So it is that in order to renew the min we need the person and work of the HolySpirit.
If you remember, when we read through Romans 8 last week, we saw that renewing the mind was the means by which we overcome the flesh. It is THE way we walk in the newness of life and take on the nature of Jesus Christ.
It was also in Romans 8 that we read that this overcoming is BY THE HOLYSPIRIT.
“If BY THE SPIRIT, you put to death the deeds of the flesh you will LIVE!”
So we will simply introduce this before closing, but I want you to fully appreciate this work of the HolySpirit.
Anna and Simeon both knew who Jesus was and what His mission was to be while He was still only 8 days old and they knew this BY THE SPIRITOFGOD!
Most of the rest of Israel missed it even though they talked with Him as an adult and witnessed His miracles and heard His teaching.
That is a powerful testimony to the inward work of the Spiritof God. Even the disciples lacked understanding, though they knew He was Messiah they still misunderstood what that meant!
This means that having a relationship with the SpiritofGod places you in position where your ability to know Jesus personally is in NO WAY inferior to that of those who met Him, walked and talked with Him!
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 2:1-16,
“(1) And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
(2) For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
(3) I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. (4) And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, (5) that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
(6) However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. (7) But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, (8) which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (9) But as it is written:
“EYE HAS NOT SEEN, NOR EAR HEARD, NOR HAVE ENTERED INTO THE HEART OF MAN THE THINGS WHICH GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
(10) But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
(11) For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?
Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
(12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
(13) These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (14) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (15) But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
(16) For “WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD THAT HE MAY INSTRUCT HIM?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
John 8:31-47,
“(31) Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him,
“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. (32) And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
(33) They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
(34) Jesus answered them,
“Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. (35) And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. (36) Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (37) “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. (38) I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.”
(39) They answered and said to Him,
“Abraham is our father.”
Jesus said to them,
“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. (40) But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. (41) You do the deeds of your father.”
Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”
(42) Jesus said to them,
“If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
(43) Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.
(44) You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
(45) But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
(46) Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?
(47) He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
Holy Spirit is the spirit of grace and grace comes to the humble.
So the lesson this morning is we will find what we seek, so we need to seek God for WHO He really is by the power and leading of the Holy Spirit of God. He IS our connection to the Father and the Son and therefore the means by which we have eyes to see, hearts which understand and lives which are transformed.
Blessings!
Tri
