Kingdom Come

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to Tall Paul's preaching. Episode 14 is titled Kingdom Come and it is all about Jesus. Triumphal entry into Jerusalem that many call Palm Sunday. This episode was recorded on Palm Sunday on April 14th of 2019. This exploration of the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem riding on a donkey starts in Daniel 9 and then touches each of the four Gospels that mentions that special day in Matthew 21 and 22, Mark 11, Luke 19, and John chapter 12, along with some other scriptures. And the episode ends with a review of the Gospel of John, chapter three. [00:00:52] Speaker B: All right, well, let's pray. [00:00:55] Speaker C: Heavenly Father, we humbly come before you. You have, you've done it all, Lord, you're just waiting for us and we praise you for that. We just praise you for how good you are and how gracious, Lord. We praise you that we're able to come before you Sunday and worship you openly, Lord. Lord, you've put us here in this country and at this time and it's so up and down and Lord, we just need to trust that you're in control. You said you've got it, you know the end from the beginning and you're not shocked. And so help us to trust in you that you are going to direct and guide and give wisdom to all those in charge, from city and state to national. We just want to trust in you and we just want to pray for those in charge, Lord, would you give them your wisdom, Lord? And those that belong to you, would they just follow you and all that they do and every decision that they make. We just want to praise you for this day and praise you for the health that we have and praise you again that we are able to come together and study your word. So will you send your Holy Spirit upon us to open our ears and our minds and plant that seed of your word in our heart that it might grow and that our relationship with you would just blossom, Lord, just bloom and may we grow closer to you. We ask all this in Jesus name, Amen. [00:02:46] Speaker B: Well, Palm Sunday, this was from the prior service and little palm fronds. And it was on a palm Sunday, but because of a fever, little seven year old Billy, he stayed home from church with a babysitter. And when the family returned home and they were carrying several palm fronds just like those and Billy asked what they were for, I mean, what are those? And people laid them before Jesus. As he went by, his father responded, explaining to Billy. Billy said, wouldn't you just know it? Billy complained, the one Sunday I don't go to church, Jesus Shows up. Palm Sunday. Today is a celebration of the day the Messiah would ride in to be presented as king in Jerusalem. It was Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem. And it all started way, way back with the prophet Daniel. In Daniel, Chapter 9, Daniel 9, it foretold exactly when the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem. Daniel 9. What's happening is Daniel had prayed for Jerusalem and for his people, the Israelites. They'd been taken captive from Judah and. [00:04:31] Speaker C: Up north by the Babylonians. [00:04:35] Speaker B: So they're in Babylon and Jerusalem has been destroyed. And so Daniel's just praying for his country. And Gabriel the archangel, he appeared and gave Daniel this prophecy. Start in Daniel 9, 22. And he, being Gabriel, informed me, and the me is Daniel, and talked with me and said, o Daniel, I've come now forth to give you skill, to understand. At the beginning of your supplication or your prayer, the command went out. And I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved. Therefore consider the matter and understand the vision. Verse 24. 70 weeks of years are determined for your people and for your holy city to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up visions and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. And this is the big verse here, verse 25. Know, therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the prince, there shall be seven weeks and 62 weeks the streets shall be built again, and the wall even in troublesome times. And after 62 weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood until the end of the war. Desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week, he being the Antichrist. But in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who made desolate, even until the consummation which is determined, is poured out on the desolate. So Daniel understood, Jerusalem is currently destroyed and they're captive, of course. Verse 25. Gabriel explains what's going to happen. And he tells Daniel, well, Jerusalem is going to be rebuilt and the Messiah is going to come at the appointed time. When? Well, if you calculate the days of those weeks of years, you get 173,880 days. And so the command to rebuild the city was given on March 14, 445 BC by Artotaxis Longimanis. Boy, yeah, why do they glad we don't have names like that anymore? And again, you do more math. And speaking of math, I didn't know this, but I found out that there's no zero, there's no year zero. It went from 1 BC to 180, just 1 to 1. So anyway, people smarter than me did the math. And those 173,880 days come out to April 6, 32 AD that very day that Jesus rides into Jerusalem is the exact day that Daniel was told that the Messiah would appear. And that is why rabbis to this day don't study the Book of Daniel, because it's kind of embarrassing if they were to study the Book of Daniel and they come across that passage and they add up and they oh, whoops, we missed the Messiah. Well, all four gospels describe that event, that Palm Sunday event. And anytime that all four gospels talk about an event, it's pretty important. It's a momentous event. And they all have their unique insights. And so I'm actually going to jump around between all four gospels as I recant that event. So if you want to put bookmarks, I'll be in Matthew 21, Mark, chapter 11, Luke 19, and John, chapter 12. And we're going to start with Mark, chapter 11. In Mark, chapter 11, verse 1, it says when they. This is Jesus and his disciples when they came near Jerusalem unto Bethphpage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he being Jesus, sent forth two of his disciples. And he said unto them, go your way into the village over against you, and as soon as you are entered into it, you shall find a colt tied, whereupon never a man has sat loose him and bring him. And Matthew, Matthew was a tax collector. And part of his job was he had to know shorthand and ability to take notes. So Matthew's account generally has a little more detail. You don't have to turn there, but Matthew says that and straightway you shall find a donkey tied and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them unto me. So there's mama donkey with her little boy, the colt. So Mark continuing in Mark, chapter 11, verse 3. And if any man says unto you, why are you doing this? Say that the Lord has need of him, and straightway he will send them here. And they went their way and found the colt tied by the door outside in a place where two ways and they let him loose. And certain of them that were standing there said unto them, what are you doing letting loose the Colt. And they said unto them, even as Jesus had commanded, and they let them go. Here we have our first miracle of the day, Having someone take your stuff in the name of Jesus. Now, I was standing by and someone got in my car and what are you doing? Well, the Lord has need of. Is a miracle that Jesus somehow let. [00:11:19] Speaker C: Those people know that he was going. [00:11:21] Speaker B: To be borrowing their cult for the day. Either through a dream or somehow, some way. It's a miracle that that was prearranged. Somehow they somehow knew of Jesus plans. Now, in Matthew, chapter 21, verse 6, Matthew 21:6 says, and the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way. Others cut down branches from trees and placed them the way. And here we have the second miracle of the day. I don't care what it is. If it's a horse, a cow, a donkey or a bull moose. When you put someone on the back of that animal and that animal has never had anything on their back, it's gonna freak out. They are not gonna like it. And so they sacked Jesus on an animal that never before had a man sat. And that animal did not freak out and take Jesus on a rodeo ride. And that's the second miracle in Luke, chapter 19, verse 36. Luke 19:36, it just says, and he being Jesus went. And they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come near at 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 that they had seen, saying, blessed be the king that comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. Anytime God does something, we should respond by glorifying God. You know, when a doctor heals us. [00:13:34] Speaker C: We should glorify God. [00:13:36] Speaker B: When whatever happens, we should do as the disciples did and just glorify God. And his disciples knew that this was the day that the king that comes in the name of the Lord. And if you'll notice, up until this day, Jesus never allowed himself to be worshipped as king or even exalted as king. But this day, Jesus not only allowed it, he set it up, he arranged it. Jesus presents himself as king here. John chapter 12:13 says, and they, the people, they took branches of palm trees and they went forth to meet him. And they cried, hosanna. Blessed is the king of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord, now, hosanna sounds very spiritual. It really means help or save now. That's what hosanna means. So they were crying, save now. Blessed is the king of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord. Now, one of the Israelites feasts was the feast of Tabernacles. And that was the feast that reminded them of their wandering time in the wilderness. And they would sleep in these tents or tabernacles. And you had to have enough holes in the roof that you could see the stars and enough holes in the sides the wind could go through. But for some unknown reason, the people, when they would celebrate this feast, they would cut down palm branches and run around yelling, hosanna. Nobody knows why. And here the crowd is basically doing the same thing. The. The crowd is super excited and they're rejoicing and yelling, hosanna. Blessed is the king. And so Jesus rode from Bethany up over the Mount of Olives, down through the Kidron Valley into Jerusalem, deliberately fulfilling Zechariah 9. 9. And Zechariah 9:9 says, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is come, coming to you. He is just and having salvation. Lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. That prophecy Jesus is deliberately fulfilling right there, riding in on a donkey. And it is a celebration of that day, that day in Daniel that Gabriel told Daniel and predicted. And so it's a celebration. In Psalm 118, Psalm 118, verse 21, 29, it talks about that celebration. And it says, I will praise you, for you have heard me and have become my salvation. The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. And here is the big verse. This is the day which the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. This was the day Jesus was going to be presented as king. Verse 25. Save now that hosanna. Help. Save now. I beseech you, O Lord, O Lord, I beseech you. Send now prosperity. Blessed be he that comes in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. God is the Lord which has showed us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. You are my God and I will praise you. You are my God, and I will exalt you. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. You'll notice that even in these Psalms of praise. There's always these little things tucked away in there. Buying the sacrifice with cords, even into the horns of the altar, where it just hinted at Jesus death. But the people are excited, and rightfully so. However, this is a crowd that is sheep without a shepherd. The leadership has no clue, and they're upset. So the political and religious leaders of the day rejected Jesus. They knew the people were proclaiming that Jesus was the Messiah, the king, and they were upset. In Luke, chapter 19, verse 38, the people are saying, blessed be the king that comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And 39. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Jesus, master, rebuke your disciples. See, they knew what they were saying. And they told Jesus, rebuke them for saying that you're the king. And Jesus answered and said unto them, I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out, this is the day God said the Messiah, the prince will ride into Jerusalem and be king. And if the people were to just be silent, the earth was just going to sing it themselves. And Jesus told them so. This was that day Gabriel announced way back in Daniel, God set up that day for the Messiah. Now we're in Matthew, chapter 21, verse 10 and 11. And when he, being Jesus, was coming to Jerusalem, all the city moved, saying, who is this? And the multitude said, this is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth, of Galilee. Whoops, they missed it. Those people. The people weren't prepared when everybody's asking, what's going on? Who is this? They didn't say, this is Messiah, the prince, the king. They said, it's a prophet. The people missed it. And that same people, in just a few days are going to crucify the Lord Jesus. So we have a king, the King of Kings. And he's writing in, but he has no kingdom. There's nobody there. The people and the leadership, they weren't ready. They weren't prepared. They've rejected their king. So who will enter into the kingdom of heaven? Luke, chapter 19. And when he was come near, he beheld the Seti and he wept over it, saying, if you had known, even you, at least in this your day, the things which belong to you, your peace, but now they are hid from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you that your enemies shall cast a trench about you and encompass you round about, and keep you in on every side, and shall lay you even with the ground and your children within you, and they shall not leave in you, one stone upon another, because you knew not the time of your visitation. And that's going to be fulfilled in 70 A.D. the Romans are going to. [00:21:48] Speaker C: Slaughter over a million people if Jerusalem. [00:21:52] Speaker B: And someone's going to throw a torch in the temple, and there's all that gold in the temple, and it's going. [00:21:57] Speaker C: To burn and melt. [00:21:59] Speaker B: And so the soldiers were ordered to turn over every stone because there could be some gold under it. And so that's going to be fulfilled. What Jesus said there in 70 A.D. it wasn't a surprise rejection for Jesus. It wasn't a surprise for Daniel, because Daniel knew. In verse 26, Gabriel told him, messiah shall be cut off or killed, but not for himself. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The king of kings would be crucified in just a few days, and Jerusalem would eventually be destroyed. John continuing with the Palm Sunday story. John 12:16. These things understood not his disciples at the first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. So what did Jesus do next? As the official king of the Jews, did he march up to Herod and claim his throne? No, but he did march into his house and set it right. Matthew, chapter 21. This is after Jesus had ridden on the donkey and he's at the temple. Matthew 21:12. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and he cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple and overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of them that sold doves. And he said unto them, it is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer. But you have made it a den of thieves. I've always wondered, why is there a temple? And in the millennium and beyond, when we'll have Jesus right there, well, Jesus explains it right here. It will be a house of prayer, the temple. [00:24:15] Speaker C: We can go in and we can. [00:24:17] Speaker B: Just pray and see they've made it a den of thieves. And what would happen is, the people that sold doves, when you came to offer a dove as a sacrifice, they'd say, well, that's not a perfect dove. See, the sacrifice had to be perfect. And they would say, well, I'll tell you what, you give us your dove and some money, some little extra money, and we'll give you this perfect dove. So then they take that dove and the next person that came along, they'd say, well, your dove isn't perfect, but this one is. And I'll take that and you give me some money. And they were ripping off the people. And they would say, well, your Roman money is no good here. You need temple money. But I'll give you a deal. I'll give you three for one. You give me three, and I'll give you this one temple coin that you can offer in your offering. And so Jesus said, no good, and. [00:25:15] Speaker C: Took care of that. [00:25:17] Speaker B: His Next act, verse 14 of chapter 21 in Matthew. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple and. And he healed them. Our Lord just loves to heal. He loves to comfort. And just as the blind and the. [00:25:37] Speaker C: Lame went to him, we should do the same. [00:25:41] Speaker B: Verse 15. And when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, as well as the children crying in the temple, saying hosanna to the son of David, they were sore displeased. So the children have picked up what was happening as Jesus rode in, and they're still crying hosanna to the king, the son of David. And of course they're upset, they're jealous. And they said to Jesus, don't you hear what the kids are saying? And Jesus said unto them, yeah, haven't you read? Out of the mouth of babes and children, you have perfected praise. And he left them, and he went out of the city into Bethany, and he lodged there. We can easily forget that Jesus is Jewish. Our Lord is and always will be an Israelite. And Jesus will reign forever on David's throne. And David was a Jew. And like I talked about a couple weeks ago, Jesus is that lion of the tribe of Judah, one of the 12 tribes of Israel. And Jesus came to fulfill the law. And Jesus obeyed all the laws that God gave to the Israelites. And so Jesus went to his people, the Israelites first. They were his people. And so Jesus was presented as king and he went to them. And Paul the apostle is going to do the same thing. Even though Paul was called to minister to the Gentiles, to take the gospel to the Gentiles, Paul is always, when you see him go into a city, in the book of Acts, he goes to the temple, first to the Jews, and he offers this free salvation to the Jews. And when they reject him, then he goes to the Gentiles. And Jesus, same deal, he came to the Jews, and here's the kingdom of God for all that want it. Their rejection, because they didn't know God's word. Truly, if they had known Daniel, they would have expected that would have established that kingdom. And the Israelites would have been the people that would have finished it and. [00:28:08] Speaker C: Closed it, and they would be the ones that would present Jesus to everyone. [00:28:14] Speaker B: But that's not what happened. Jesus is going to be crucified. And now that kingdom of heaven is going to be open for all. It's going to become a new age of grace, this age of grace that we live in. And we're all invited to be members of the kingdom of God, to be called Christians, followers of Christ our King. And in Matthew chapter 21, a little bit down farther from the Palm Sunday story, Jesus, the next day is going to give them some parables. And this is going to explain to the Pharisees what's happening. Matthew 21:33. And Jesus says here another parable. There was a certain landowner which planted a vineyard, and he hedged it round about and dug a winepress in it. And he built a tower and leased it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. Verse 34. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. But the husbandman took his servants and beat one and killed another and stoned another. These servants that are being sent to this husbandman represent the prophets that God sent to the people. And they stoned one and killed another, and that's exactly what they did to the prophets of God. Verse 36. And again he sent other servants more than the first, and they did unto them likewise. But last of all, he sent unto them his Son, saying, they will reverence my Son. Did the people reverence Jesus? But when the husbandmen saw the Son, they said among themselves, this is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. They were jealous always of Jesus power and his fame. And they too said, let us kill him. And they caught him, and they cast him out of the vineyard and slew him. Verse 40. When the Lord, therefore of the vineyard comes, what will he do unto those husbandmen? He asked the Pharisees this, and the Pharisees answer, and they answer rightfully. They say unto him, he will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus said unto them, haven't you read in the Scriptures? The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous your eyes, that psalm we read, Psalm 118. That's where that came from. That psalm that was supposed to be this is the day the Lord has made Jesus is king in, said the. [00:31:30] Speaker C: Head of the cornerstone, that Jesus, that rock is being rejected. [00:31:35] Speaker B: Verse 43 Therefore I say unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken. But on whosoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. When we go to Jesus willfully and just pour out our lives and our souls to him, we're healed. But if we go defiant of God. [00:32:09] Speaker C: We'Re going to be crushed. [00:32:11] Speaker B: Verse 45. And when the chief priests and the Pharisees had heard his parables, they started to perceive, they started to realize that he was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because the people took him for a prophet. Just yesterday the people were crying, hosanna, blessed is the king. So the kingdom was offered to other vinedressers and husbandmen, and that's us. But don't worry, God isn't finished with the Israelites. That's the whole purpose of the tribulation. The tribulation is going to bring back those Israelites back into the kingdom that they rejected. They will recognize Jesus as the Messiah and petition his return. They'll be blind no more. Jesus said, it's going to be hid from your eyes, but that will be lifted, and they will look upon whom they have pierced. Matthew 22. It's actually the next verse, but changes chapters Matthew 22:1. And Jesus answered and spoke unto them again by parables. And he said, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son. And he sent forth his servants to call them that were invited to the wedding, and they would not come again. He sent forth other servants, saying, tell them which are invited. Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come unto the marriage. This is being presented to the Israelites. Come. But they made fun, or they made light of it. They went their way, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. They went back to home, and they went back to work, business as normal, and forgot about that king. And the remnant took his servants and entreated them spitefully and slew them. There's how they treated the prophets again. But when the king heard of it, he was angry. He was wroth. And he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city. There's that 70 AD reference again go you therefore, into the highways, and as many as you shall find, bid them to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all as many as they found both bad and good. And the wedding was furnished with guests, guests to the kingdom. And when the king came to see the guests, he saw there a man which did not have on a wedding garment. And he said unto that man, friend, how came you in here not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Verse 13. Then said the king to the servants, bind him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into the outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. And there it's offered to all. But it's only through Jesus that that salvation. It's only through Jesus, when we put on his righteousness and clothed with his righteousness, that we can enter in. Now is the time. The kingdom of God is ours for the asking. The entry price has already been paid by Jesus. Death and resurrection. We are the chosen. We are called, we who repent and accept God's gift. The king of kings is actively looking for people to freely enter his kingdom of heaven. We're going to end with the most famous chapter in the Bible, John chapter three, where Jesus explains exactly how we can inherit the kingdom of God. John 3:1. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that you do except God be with him. And Jesus goes right to the point. And Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily or truly? Truly, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And Nicodemus said unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? And Jesus answered and explains, verily, verily or truly? Truly, I say unto you, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. And so if we want that kingdom, first we must be born of the flesh from our mother's womb. And each one of us was born by our mother. Check that one off. That's half of it. 50%. Come on, complete. We're well on our way to the kingdom of God. And that second1 that second birth to be born again. How do we get the Holy Spirit's new birth? How can we be born of the Spirit and gain the ability to enter that kingdom of God? Well, it's explained for US so clearly, John 3:15, that whosoever believes in him being Jesus, should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not die, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. That second part, the second birth, is easy and free. If it wasn't, I wouldn't be able to do it. If I had to be righteous and not sin for a day, ah, I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it. But Jesus did, was paid in full. Tetelestai it is finished, he said from the cross. And Jesus fulfilled all the scripture. He did all the work. Let us rest in God. Let us rest in him. Please leave here with that blessed hope and assurance that we will someday enter into that kingdom and be there with the King of Kings forever and ever. Amen. Let's pray. Oh, Heavenly Father, thank you for doing. [00:39:15] Speaker C: The work, paying the price for me. [00:39:19] Speaker B: Lord, we're not worthy. But you love us. [00:39:23] Speaker C: You are God of love. And you knew before we'd even been born, Lord, you knew what type of people we would be. [00:39:35] Speaker B: Sinners. And yet you loved us so much. [00:39:38] Speaker C: That you sent your Son, your only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish. And Lord, we just claim that as we go into this Easter week, let us be reminded of what you have done for us. Let us be reminded of your victory over death, that we should live again and live forever. And your kingdom, Lord, thank you for that. And Lord, as we take this offering, let it bless you, Lord, as you have blessed us with salvation. We pray all this in your son's name, Jesus Christ. [00:40:22] Speaker B: Amen. [00:40:25] Speaker A: Thank you for listening to this message. [00:40:28] Speaker B: We hope you enjoyed it. [00:40:31] Speaker A: Our prayer is that the message, in some way or another, helped in your walk with God and that your relationship with God was strengthened and grew more intimate. If you would like to contact us with questions or comments, you can email us at the following that's meredletters.com or me@ R E D L E T t e r s.com thank you.