Title of the messages or the stones will cry out.
I'm not talking about The Rolling Stones or the stones
will cry out in this passage. And on this day, we enter into
the holy of Holy Scriptures this morning as we're just days from
the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus with Jesus to be crucified
on the Thursday of the coming week due to it being a double
high day. That is a double Sabbath at this
time of the Passover at Christ's death, a double high day.
What is that? It's a double Sabbath.
The Bible refers to that whenever there's an an annual
festival and the normal Sabbath, a high holy day, and they fall
on the same period as the weekly seven day Sabbath.
This creates what's called a double holy day.
Frequently referenced in the context of the crucifixion is
why they hurried to have Jesus buried quickly in John 19 verse
31 to explain the timing of the Passover.
At the time of Jesus death Jesus lived just 33 years, his active
ministry just three years, but the last week of his life.
The Gospel of Matthew gives 1/4 of the entire gospel to it,
chapters 21 to 28. Mark gives 1/3 of his gospel the
last week of Jesus life, Chapter 11 to 16.
Luke gives 1/5 of his gospel chapter 19 to 24, the last week
of Jesus life. The apostle John gives over 1/2
of the entire gospel chapter 12 all the way through to 21 on the
last week of Jesus. So there's 89 chapters in the
Gospels, 29 1/2 of them, exactly 1/3 recount what happened
between today, Jesus triumphal entry and his resurrection.
That's a lot. So let's look at the background
before we read our text. The city of Jerusalem at this
time, it's Passover. It's teeming with people.
Probably some 2 million to 2.5 million additional pilgrims have
arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.
The amazing event, an account that occurred 1500 years earlier
in Egypt. You remember the death of the
first born Jesus is coming. He's he's he's headed from
Caesarea Philippi right up on the border of Lebanon and he's
made his way in Caesarea Philippi.
He said to Peter and said to the disciples who do men say that I
am? And they said, well, something,
it is something you that, and then Peter says you're the
Christ, you're the son of the living God.
And from that moment on, Jesus began to tell them of his death
and they headed to Jerusalem, quite a journey from Caesarea
Philippi to the north all the way to Jerusalem.
And on the way, he's coming from Bethany now into drew into the
Mount of Olives, the area of Olivet just opposite the mount
of the Temple Mount. And he spends the Sabbath
Saturday at Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
Now the interesting thing is Lazarus, remember, had been dead
just a little while back. Jesus had called him back from
the dead. And his death is not a
resurrection. He was called back from dead
because Lazarus would die again. Jesus resurrection is the only
resurrection because he was raised never to die ever again.
And so here Jesus is the Passover lamb.
And at the same time as all this is happening, Jesus is near
Bethany and it's just those 22 KS from the Temple Mount to
kilometres 260,000 lambs. Over 1/4 of a million lambs have
been herded into the city, into Jerusalem for the sacrifice.
Because every family had to have a lamb.
If you didn't have enough, you need to have 10 of you.
Every family had to have their own lamb, had to be selected,
and had to eat and consume that whole lamb together as a family
to celebrate Passover. So it tells you how many people
there were. And so all these lambs are being
herded into Jerusalem. And Jesus is now about to
choreograph, orchestrate a massive public demonstration as
he offers himself as the king of Israel.
Now at this time, Jesus has a price on his head.
They want him dead. If you dobbed in Jesus, told the
religious leaders where he was, you would get a reward so that
they can arrest him and kill him.
Jesus turns this on its nose and he comes in publicly to this
massive crowd. Now, it's no ordinary Sunday.
This Sunday, Palm Sunday, the prophet Daniel had predicted
this day. You and I read Psalm 118.
We read the words, this is the day that the Lord has made.
We used to sing that in church. This is the day that Lord has
made. We would go out and rejoice in
it. Well, it's not talking about
just every every day. And yes, God has made every day,
but it's talking specifically about Palm Sunday.
This day it was predicted. That's why they're singing it in
Psalm 118 as Jesus is riding in Daniel said, and he prophesied
from the time from Artaxerxes, King Arxerxes of Persia, Medo
Persia from the decree that he gave to Nehemiah for the
ordering and the rebuilding of the temple, which was in ruins
until the coming of the Messiah would be 7 weeks and 62 weeks.
Daniel Chapter 9 verse 25. That's 69 weeks in total.
The literal translation is 7 sevens and 62 sevens. 7 was a
common designation for a week in Hebrew culture.
But more literally it's 69 * 7 years which is in the old maths
483 years to the day to the day. Daniel said from the time that
art exerts, he said Nehemiah go and rebuild the walls of the
temple of Jerusalem until Palm Sunday to the day it's 483 years
exactly. Jesus is the Messiah, it says in
verse 41 of our text. Luke 19.
Just drop down there. Now as Jesus drew near, he saw
the city and he wept over it, saying if you had known even
you, especially in this your day, they should have known who
it was, how he was coming, who it is on this day.
Because their Bible that they went to the synagogue and they
read and they studied over and over and over.
All the prophets said He's coming on this day.
They should have known all this is the day he's coming, but they
didn't. Then Jesus said the things that
make for your peace, but now they are hidden from your eyes.
In Psalm 118, which we read, it says verse 22, the stone which
the builders rejected Jesus is the cornerstone, has become the
chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing.
It's marvellous in our eyes. Psalm 100 and 1824.
This is the day the Lord has made.
What are we to do? We will rejoice and be glad in
it. Why the messiahs come finally.
This is why Jesus said on this day, years in the making and
prophesied. If on this day human voices
failed to rejoice, Jesus said the stones, the very stones
would cry out their praises and hosannas.
Now each time I go to Israel, I actually happen on the journey
that Jesus took. So I've been a couple of times
and it's these stones, these very stones.
But Jesus would have rode over with his donkey and if the crowd
had a kept silent, I wonder what these stones would have blasted
out. The Bible speaks clearly with if
that the world rejoices, the trees clap their hands, the
hills and the valleys, they rejoice.
And so these stones, Jesus said, if the crowd is quiet, then the
stones are going to cry because this is the day, this is the
great day. So let's read verse 28.
So Jesus, when he had said this, he went on ahead going up to
Jerusalem and came to pass when he drew near to Beth Phage and
Bethany. It's just as I said, when you're
looking for the Mount of Olives back towards the temple, Beth
Phage and Bethany had just around here crossover the Kidron
and you go like one to two, about two kilometres up to the
Temple Mount and the mountain called Oliver.
Then that he sent two of his disciples saying go into the
village opposite you where as you enter you will find a cult
tied. So there was a mother and a new
cult, a mother donkey and a cult tied on which no one has ever
sat this cult. No one has ever ridden this
cult. Loose it, undo it from its
reins. Bring it here.
And if anyone asks you why you're losing it, what are you
doing? You shall say to them all,
because the Lord has need of it. So those who were sent went
their way, found it just as Jesus had said to them.
But as thou undoing the, the the reins to loosen the cult, the
owners of it said to them, Hey, why you loosen the cult?
And they said, well, the Lord has need of him.
And then they brought him to Jesus, and they threw their own
clothes on the cult. And then Jesus sat on him.
And as he went, many spread their clothes on the road, as
you can see behind me. And then as he was now drawing
near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of
the disciples, the old city, the crowd began to rejoice and
praise God. Notice this with a loud voice.
You know, if you ever get the chance to go to Israel, and I
still hope we can get to it there in January, you'll hear
when something happens in Israel, they're loud.
When families get together and they celebrate Sabbath and when
they begin singing, when they have a wedding, they have a bar
mitzvah and anything like that, it's it's loud.
You and I, we've got to get used to something.
When we get to heaven, heaven's going to be loud.
Heaven's going to be loud. And so it was cranking.
They were really crying out and singing at the top of their
lungs. Praise God with a loud voice for
all the mighty works they had seen.
Notice they're praising God for all the things that God had
done. That's why you praise God.
If you praise God, I should ask you, well, why are you praising
God? You shouldn't be able to say I'm
praising God because of what He's done in my life.
He's given me a family, He's given me a wife, given me a
husband. He's been here, He's faithful to
me, He loves me, He's forgiving to me.
That's why you can praise God. There's always a reason why you
praise God, not just well, I think this is what we do before
the bloke starts speaking about something and it says they were
saying blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord,
peace in heaven, glory in the highest singing.
The Psalm that we read and some of the Pharisees is that the old
party poopers religious leaders called the Jesus from the crown.
Hey teacher, rebuke your disciples or this is only for
the Messiah. It's funny how you can know the
Bible not know Jesus. You know, there's a lot of
people that know the Bible. I know the Bible, Genesis X and
I know all the people in the Bible, but you know they don't
know God. You know about God, but you
don't know God. The religious leaders were that
Jesus answered and said, if I tell you he's pretty savvy on
this, if this should keep silent, the stones would
immediately cry out. And everyone always says if only
they kept silent for just a little bit, see what would
happen. So how was all this that
happened on Palm Sunday carried out?
All things were prepared, planned and in place on this
day. Zechariah, the prophet
Zechariah, Chapter 9, verse 9, written 520 years before the
birth of Jesus, gave this prophecy, which the Jews knew
of, to identify who the Messiah is.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.
That's Jerusalem. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem,
behold, your King is coming to you, how he is just having
salvation. Lowly riding on a donkey, a cult
the fall of a donkey specific see why it's specific and he
could have just said he'll come, he'll enter.
Now why does the Bible give us all that specific detail?
Because he wants to tell you this is how God worked.
God operates in the area of specifics my life, how I live
and how long I live. God has down to the dot went on
to to go home. Actually, the Bible says in the
book of Proverbs, he says that every step I make, he plans the
steps of a good man, the Bible says are ordered by the Lord.
So your life, you may think it's well, I'm just bumbling here and
going there. No, no, no, if you're a child of
God, God is controlling and directing, ushering, shepherding
off, protecting, and you don't know about it, but he's guiding
every step of your life. I love that because when I think
about our children and our grandchildren, when they go off
to school and you can't watch over them, the Good Shepherd
does. The Good Shepherd does 520 years
before the birth of Jesus Christ.
Zechariah gives this absolute specific prophecy going to the
village when you enter, you'll find a cult.
Tide, a cult. No one's ridden it loose the
colt, and they ask you why you're losing it.
Tell them the Lord has need of it.
Who arranged all this? Didn't just, you know, the guy
didn't just go. Why are you taking this?
Who? Oh, the Lord has need of it.
OK, you know what? You know, we kind of think this
way. It's been arranged by God.
Jesus has gone ahead and arranged all this.
So the first point today there's going to be 4 is Christ's
perfect knowledge. Jesus Christ not only a man born
in Bethlehem, but he was also God, the Son of God.
Romans Chapter 9 verse 5 says in the new living, Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an
Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned.
And he is God as well, the one who rules over everything and is
worthy of eternal praise. Amen.
So he's a man, but he's also God, God Incarnate.
The thought of Jesus Christ, perfect knowledge, should alarm
all sinners, all those who don't know Jesus.
And the thought that Jesus Christ knows everything should
alarm every Sinner. Why is that?
That Christ is omniscient. All knowing should wake every
Sinner and turn them to repentance.
Why? If someone knows all about you,
isn't that a bit wow? They know everything, absolutely
everything about you. It tells us that the Holy God,
God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, knows every minute
detail about every part of my life and your life.
He knows, He knows every, he knows what you're thinking now.
He knows what you're going to think in 5 minutes time.
He knows when you're going to stand up before you're going to
stand up, when you're going to sit down before you sit down.
In Luke chapter 12 verse 7, it says I've always thought, why is
this in here? It's kind of like it's a bit
weird, but even the very hairs of your head doesn't say I
counted as such. It says they're numbered,
numbered. That's like it's another detail.
It's like 123. Some of us help.
We've got four or five others. We have how many?
And God is why is that in there? Why does why does the Bible say
God knows and has numbered every hair on your head because the
next part of that verse says therefore fear not because you
are of more value than that of a Sparrow and he throws in the
sparrows. Then what is that?
Remember Pastor John Miller telling me this is just great
little thing and I've always mentioned that Jesus attends the
funeral of every Sparrow. God knows whenever and I I never
forget I was coming down one day and I ran over.
Unfortunately one of those water hens that you know, run all over
the place and I hit 1 and I know I've run it over and I get out
of the car, stop, pull over and I got to pick it up, take the
side of the road. I feel like I'm the most evil
person in the world and I take it across and it's laying down.
I can't do I can't do nothing like 2 of that to it, you know.
And then as I'm seeing there, it's eyes went, it's eyes
closed, it died, I felt. This small but in the Bible
tells me that God knew God was there.
You see, God is telling you through this verse, I know
everything, everything about you.
I know everything about everything that every time you
see a little dead bird. Now remember you know who's been
there. Jesus has been there.
He knew that little bird was there.
Jesus attends the death of every Sparrow.
Now, if you're a Sinner for all sinners, Jesus knows what He
knows what they've done. Everything is everything you've
done. He knows what they've thought,
Every thought, every thought. How often did Jesus answer a
question when the religious leaders were around him and they
haven't even asked it and he's gone.
He was thinking that and they've gone.
Who blabbed? Who slips sank ships?
Who said, you know, he knows what they thought.
Jesus knows every word that they've said.
Nothing is hidden. Nothing is hidden.
God knows everything about us. Jesus Christ, who is coming back
to judge the world in righteousness at His second
coming, tells us that heaven contains the records of all that
exists of a person here on earth in full detail.
Now we have smartphones, we have AI, and now you can be talking
and or you send an email off about something or you're
talking and all of a sudden you're up on your phone pops an
advert, doesn't it? Oh, here's where here's a good
holiday for you. You go, what?
Where's that come from? Or you send an email to someone
about something and next an advert comes or a are you
thinking of? Here's a good thing for you to
buy. Our smartphones, our laptops,
everything's listening. If you have Alexa, it's
listening. Never does what you tell it to
do. All these things are going on
around us. A little Chinaman sitting in
China going, I know what you're doing, He's running everything.
No, sorry, I shouldn't say that, but but God knows everything.
In Revelation 20, verse 12, talking about these books, it
says, and I saw this is John, I saw the dead small great stand
before God and the books and the books were opened, plural, lots
of books. And another book was open, a
specific book which is the book of life.
And the dead were judged out of those things which were written
in the books. Everything's recorded everything
according to their works. So when the dead stand before
God, there's the great wide throne Judgement.
It's not like I won't. Yeah, no, no.
I have a reason. It's Panorama.
Here you are. This is who you are.
This is what you said on January 21, 1964.
This is what you thought. December 2021.
This is what you did. It's all it's all recorded.
That's why it says in Romans chapter 3 that when sinners
stand before God in the judgement day, their mouths will
be closed. You'll have no excuse.
You know your gaps. Just you're done.
It's not a it's not a case. Are you good or bad?
Remember the great white throne judgement is a sentencing.
It's not like, oh, let's see if you can come into heaven or not
according to the works. Matthew 12, verse 36.
Jesus says this, but I say unto you, Jesus says, but I say unto
you, every idol, I kind of like that word that men shall speak.
Every idle word they shall have give account of thereof in the
day of judgement. Every idle word you're by
yourself. Man wish that bloke get off the
road. Every idle word, every detail.
You see, the Bible tells us of Christ's perfect knowledge.
That's how Palm Sunday was so beautifully set up and planned.
God knows everything. That's why he said it all up
perfectly, that there is no where we can hide.
David wrote Psalm 139 verse 7. Where can I go from your spirit?
Where can you hide from God? Where can I flee from your
presence? These are all questions.
If I ascend into heaven, you're there.
If I make my bed in hell, behold, you're there.
It goes on to say Psalm 139. Your eyes saw my substance being
yet unformed. You saw me before I was created
and my heart started beating. Before there was even 1 cell of
me in my mother's womb, you saw me.
And in your book it says again. And in your book, Psalm 139,
they were all written. In other words, God knows all
about you before you're born, before a cell.
We have started beating that day.
And in the book, in heaven, everything is written down of
what you're going to do, what you're going to say, what you're
going to think. Staggering, staggering, the
day's fashion for me. You have written down, whereas
yet there were none of them, but you had them all, all recorded.
When judgement begins during the tribulation period after the
rapture of the Church, God knows where everyone is to the
minutest detail. Now it's physically where you
are spiritually, what's going on in your heart, and he knows all
your emotions. In Revelation chapter 6, when
judgement has begun, this is after the church has been
raptured and judgement starts to be poured out upon the earth.
Revelation 615 it says and the kings of the earth, the great
men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men,
every slave, every freeman hid themselves in the caves and in
the rocks of the mountains, said to the mountains and rocks fall
on us and hide us. Can't hide what from from the
face of him who sits on the throne, From the wrath of the
Lamb. That's why the church won't be
in the tribulation period, because the wrath of the Lamb.
Jesus has taken our wrath when He died on the cross for us, but
the judgement during the tribulation period upon those
who rejected Christ falls on them and it comes from God
Himself for the great day of his wrath has come.
Who is able to stand, who is able to stand means you're
guilty. You are guilty.
But now to those you and I, we pray, who today called Jesus
Christ our Saviour and Lord the omniscience, the all knowing
power of Christ should what not scare us?
It should come for us. How how does this comfort us as
a Christian today? One, it means our masters eyes
never off us. I love that I don't know about
you. I've been in several situations
in the ocean ocean where I thought I'm going to die and I
literally thought I'm going to drown.
One, we were shipwrecked out in the in the sound and people were
looking for us and there are miles in and we were miles out
and we're sinking. It's getting dark.
I thought we're done. We've been surfing in the
morning and it's spear fishing all afternoon and we got sailing
and the boat sank although we cooked.
It was another time down South surfing and surf.
They shouldn't have gone out in and massive set hit me and I
lost my board. It's just torn off me and I
thought I'm going to drown. I am.
I'm struggling here. I'm out in the middle of nowhere
struggling. But you know, the Bible tells me
God is watching over me. The Master's eyes never off me.
He knows where we live. He knows your situation, where
you're at now. He knows our daily trial.
You go off to school and you got a difficult teacher or this
situation, or you got a bully at school or or whatever, or you've
got a difficult boss or you're in a workplace where it's just
so anti God. He knows.
He knows who our friends are. He knows our every thought and
word before we even think them. He captures beautifully, the
Bible says in Psalms, every time you weep and you shed a tear,
the Bible says he captures that tear, puts it in a little
bottle, stores it. He controls.
Daniel tells us how every breath, you know, you have no
control over your breath right this moment.
It's an involuntary action. Your lungs are moving.
You're not telling them to do that.
Those people that have to do that have to live, you know,
operate what's called a, it's called an iron lung.
So they could live for you. You're sitting here today.
You're sitting here today living and breathing.
By the grace of God, His breath is keeping you alive.
Your heart is beating. You have no control of your
heartbeat and he's just keeping it pumping.
But you know, the beautiful thing is that all of this is in
the hands of my heavenly Father. How good is that?
So that when anything would stop, I know, oh, God says this
time I have nothing. I have No Fear now.
So we can take confidence and courage from this.
And you should know John chapter 10, everyone of you should read
John chapter 10 and make it one of your favourite chapters just
like it is mine. Why?
Because it talks about the Good Shepherd.
He knows the sheep. He calls you by name.
He protects you, keeps the wolves away from you.
He'll never have any allow anyone to take you out of his
hand. He watches over you, you see, He
knows when you're slandered. He knows when the boss or some
workmate is saying something, or person at school, or a
schoolmate is saying something about you and you know it's not
true, or it's going on a text. Someone sent a text and saying
this about you. Ever had someone lie about you?
He knows when you're misunderstood.
Well, that's not what I meant. I never meant that.
He knows when you're
misunderstood and he knows when you're mocked.
I remember being in a workplace and there's certain chap just
screaming at my face. You're one of those born
againers, are you? You're one of those born
againers, are you? All these other men around him.
And he was just like this far away from my face.
I said, yeah, I am actually. And he was shouting at the top
of his voice, making himself like an idiot.
I didn't have to do anything. Now none of this matters to you
and I because why? John chapter 21 verse 17 says
when Jesus was with Peter and restoring to Peter, remember
cooking breakfast and it said to Peter, you know Peter, do you
love me Peter, do you love me? And then on the third time,
Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?
And Peter was grieved because twice already.
Now this is the third time he said to him the third time, do
you love me? He said to him, Lord, you know
all things. You know that I love you.
I love that because there are times when you and I are acting
rather foolish, not acting correctly.
You know what, God even knows you still love him.
And when you're not being very loving to someone or very right
before him, he knows you love him.
Peter said, Lord, you know all things, you know I love you.
Second point, Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on that fateful
day, the first part Sunday, and received adoration and public
praise. And for the first time he
allowed it. The whole city of Jerusalem, the
whole multitude of the disciples says in verse 37, they were all
rejoicing around him. They were all praising him and
singing hosanna. Hosanna means save now, save now
son of David. And it was, as I said, loud.
It was loud. Some of you need to move a
little bit from your librarian culture make up and you need to
move a tad. And you know, when we sing a
song about lifting your arms, you can go.
I ain't lifting my arms. Well, Jesus lifted his arms and
he was crucified for you. I think it's just worth it.
You'll go to the football and you'll go.
Oh, go. But Dad, I thought you don't
lift your arms. Oh, give him the joy and the
praise. He's, he's Jew.
Let your children see how much you love the Lord.
This day was like no other Jesus 33 years previous.
Previously, Jesus had withdrawn himself from the crowds, hadn't
he purposely? He's usually returned to the
desert place to get away from those he healed.
He said. Now don't tell anyone about the
healing. Be silent.
But today is different. Palm Sunday.
Jesus courts, He encourages and he approves the public
attention. Jesus wants the multitudes to
take notice of his entrance into Jerusalem.
Why? Why?
Good question. The Lamb of God that John the
Baptist had declared was coming in to Jerusalem, The Messiah,
the Lamb of God to end all sacrifices.
This sacrifice, John sees Jesus coming unto him, John 129 and
said, behold the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins
of the world. Now on Palm Sunday, it's the
10th of Nissan, not Nissan the car, but Nissan the Hebrew
month. It's the 10th of Nissan.
Now on the 10th of Nissan, if you go back and read Exodus 12,
chapter 12, on the 10th of Nissan, the lamb that was to be
inspect that that was to be eaten and killed for the
Passover was inspected. And it was inspected for four
days leading up to the 14th of Nissan, which was Thursday, the
day of sacrifice. Jesus rides in on the 10th of
Nissan, according to Exodus Palm Sunday.
He's going to be crucified on the 14th.
You see, the Lamb of God was about to be slain.
Jesus rides in and what he's doing, he says, here I am.
I am the Messiah, I'm here for inspection.
I am the Lamb of God. There is, there is no spot, no
blemish. I'm innocent, I'm guiltless.
I've done no sin, nothing. I am the Lamb of God and that's
why He declares and allows this, this massive praise and
adoration of him. He's stating I am the Lamb that
is going to end all sacrifices. The Lamb of God.
The Lamb of God was about to be slain.
The great sin offering the sacrifice to end all sacrifices
was about to be killed and all Israel should have known this.
He's the Messiah, but the joy of that day was short lived, wasn't
it, when he presented himself? Because there is coming, but
there is coming another day when Christ will return to rule and
reign, the second coming to establish His Kingdom.
And on that day Paul writes Philippians 2 verse 9.
On that day, therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given
him the name which is above every name, that on that day
that the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in
heaven, those on earth, those under the earth, that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of
God the Father. That's what's coming when he
returns the second time. No rejection.
Third Point, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem.
Why did Jesus do this at this time, this great day?
Why, why, why in the midst of this, this moment of prophecy,
of prophecies, does he weep? Jesus knew the hearts of the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, his people, He knew of their pride.
He knew of their self righteousness.
They just thought, born a Jew, I'm, I'm good with God, Gentile.
They're just for wood, for the fires of hell.
He knew of this stubbornness. He knew the rejecting of the
truth. It was not hidden from Jesus.
Jesus knew in just a few days what they were going to do to
him. He came riding in, knowing that
this crowd, Oh yeah. He knew of his unfair trial.
He knew of his being handed over to the Gentiles, to the Romans
to be killed under pilot because the Jews couldn't do capital
punishment. He knew of the cruel whipping
that he was about to face, the many beatings he would get, the
spitting and the fight, the tearing of his beard, the
mocking. And he knew of his crucifixion,
the most horrific death, shamed for all the world, treated like
a convict and killed in the midst of two other convicts,
criminals. Yet knowing all this, Jesus
pitied Jerusalem. He didn't go.
Man, this crowd, you know what I should do to this crowd.
You know what they're going to do to me.
I should just, but Jesus wept for him.
You see, that's the God of the Bible.
You and I can't comprehend God. If you and I were like God, we'd
kill everyone. As I said, you know, one night
in the youth and I said, why doesn't God just get rid of
every bad person, every evil person?
I said, well, we'll all be dead because the Bible says no, it's
none, right? Just no, not one.
So Jesus weeps. Matthew 9 verse 36.
We know the heart of Jesus because previously he'd seen the
crowd. When Jesus saw the crowds, he
had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless,
like sheep without a shepherd. The word compassion, it's the
literal word of, of of of the innards, His gut, his.
Oh man, look at these people. That's the God of the Bible.
You see, we make a massive mistake if we think Christ cares
only for those who believe in him.
Jesus cares for all humanity. John 316 For God so loved who?
The world that whosoever it's your choice, that whosoever
would believe in him, should not perish, but have everlasting
life. Christ's heart is wide enough to
know intimately all mankind. When Judas betrayed him in the
Garden of Gethsemane, what did Jesus say?
You rat man? I knew you, he says.
My friend, He called him my friend.
He betrayed me with a kiss. How?
How was that? Christ's heart weeps for every
man, woman, every boy, girl on earth to whom he gives the
breath of life itself. The Bible tells us we serve a
God that is ready to forgive. Did you know that?
Ready to forgive? God's not just sitting there.
Yeah. Not yet, no.
A bit more. No.
The Bible actually says that God leans in to those of us who went
in living in our sinful ways before we found Christ.
And the Bible says in Psalm 86, verse 5, these words, O Lord,
you are so good, so ready to forgive.
It means Jesus is leaning in. He's just waiting for you to go.
Lord, I need to say, yes, I'm here.
Remember the prodigal father and the prodigal son came home.
Dad didn't go like most Australian dad.
Yeah, I don't want to say. Just get to the room.
Wash up. We've been working here.
The farm. Me and your your brother.
You've gone off. You've blown everything.
You want us to look up. You want us to, you know, drink.
You take you all back now and everything.
Everything's all good and dandy. You wish me dead.
That's us, isn't it? But no, the prodigal father,
it's the only time you see in the Bible God in a hurry.
It's the only time you see God in a hurry.
He pulls up his garment, which was not the right thing to do.
And he ran down and hugged his son who smelt like a pig pen.
And I mean, I've worked with pigs.
That's that smell stays it is rank hugged him.
What did he say? Party get the calf, get the
cloak, get the ring, get the shoes.
Yo, my son who is dead is now alive.
That's how he thinks of you. That's the God of the Bible to
you. Jesus weeps.
But here's the other thing. But ignorance is not excusable.
He's a holy God when people should know the truth and refuse
to know it. I know what you're telling me.
It's true. I know it's right, Romans 118
says. But God shows his anger from
heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the
truth by their wickedness. In other words, the truth keeps
trying to help them and help them and help them, and they
keep pushing it away. I don't want to.
I know it's right.
I remember witnessing in in, in Perth one Sunday night, the US
fleet was in town. We're giving a Bible tracks.
All these sailors said, hey guys, you know, thinking that
they know that. And the guy said, man, I know
about the Lord. He says, but I'm here to sin.
So that's knowing the truth but suppressing it.
Romans 119 They know the truth about God because he has made it
obvious to them. There's people who know what
you're saying is right. They know it's truth and they
go, I don't want it. I know what you're telling me is
true. I know I should get my heart
right. I know what you're saying it's
true. I don't want it.
It's a dangerous place to be. Why is it dangerous?
Because their guilt is very great in God's sight.
It's deliberate ignorance and will never be allowed as a plea
in man's favour. On the contrary, it will
increase their guilt. 4th and final point, Jerusalem, a city,
had been privileged. Palm Sunday, the Son of God
himself had visited at the time prophesied and the way
prophesied, miracles had been performed in our walls by Jesus.
That's why they were rejoicing. Read back through the text.
They praised God for the things that they've seen and heard.
The greatest preacher and teacher had filled the air of
Jerusalem with the word of God from God's lips himself.
The message was plain and clear. Repent and believe.
But all these were disregarded. This rejection, Christ himself
declares, when they should have known, was to be the turning
point to their ruin, to their guilt.
And in just a few years, on 70 AD, 40 odd years on, the city
would be in ruins. The Sporia would come.
General Titus would light siege, take him.
This rejection would be their ruin.
You see, you and I find ourselves living in the last
days of Bible prophecy. There's coming A1 world leader.
There's coming a cashless society.
We're just about there. There's coming a point where you
won't have to worry about credit cards and all these numbers that
you've got your pen and all that.
There's coming a time when you have to, if you want to buy or
sell, be part of the world lawless society, anti God.
You'll have a mark here or a mark here.
So you won't have to worry about, you know, what's my pin
number and swipe on the card. It'll be or just a laser across
here and it'll come up. There'll be a false prophet
because there'll be a one world religion headed by the false
prophet who's the right hand man of the, the new world leader,
the Antichrist. And so there's coming a massive
shift to our world economically, politically and spiritually.
Let me ask you, can you see that now where we're shifting?
I mean, you, you'd have to be blind to not see what's going
on. Can you see where we're at?
It's getting set. It's so close.
Is Christ today the question is once more weeping over his
people, his creation. Does the world know of Christ
soon return? Are they listening or have they
rejected the gospel of truth because it says in Second
Thessalonians chapter 2 during the tribulation period when the
Antichrist is on his throne ruling his dictatorship and the
church has been taken out. Verse 7, it says for the mystery
of lawlessness is already at work.
That's back 2000 years ago. Only he the coming of the
lawless. 1 the Antichrist is according to the working of
Satan. Satan himself will be using this
man to rule the world with all powers, signs and lying wonders,
and with all unrighteous deception among those who
perish. That means you're lost for good.
Why? Because they did not receive the
love of the truth that they might be saved.
It's like Pharaoh. Each time Moses came to Pharaoh,
let the children go. Let my people go.
Let my people go, Pharaoh. No.
And another plague would come. A massive miracle occurred.
And in the end, it says God set Pharaoh's heart.
It's coming to a place where you reject Jesus Christ.
You knowingly reject it, you're done.
That's it. It says in Romans, God, God
gives you over to a reprobate mind.
It says verse 11 and for this reason these people, God will
send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie.
You see, it's it's over that they all may be condemned who
did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness,
who now restrains will do so until he is taken out the way.
When sinners believe God and God's truth, God saves them.
But when they believe Satan's lie and reject the love of the
truth cannot be saved. Being neutral about God's truth
is a dangerous thing. It has eternal consequences.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jesus said you kill the prophets and stone
those who sent to her. How often?
I just wanted to gather you as a mother hand gather the chicks
under her wings. But you were unwilling.
You made the decision. We're not standing in Jerusalem
today. This Palm Sunday, Calvary
Chapel, Secret Harbour. We're not seeing Christ ride in
on a cult as it happened, but we are still in the crowd watching
on and needing to make a decision on who is this man.
Palm Sunday was the proclamation to the world that this man is
the Christ, the Lamb of God. When beaten and bloody Jesus
stood beside Pilate and Pilate said to the crowd, You remember
therefore, when they were gathered together, Pilate said
unto them, Who were you that I release unto you Barabbas or
Jesus, which is called Christ? Pilate said unto them, What
shall I do with Jesus is called Christ?
And they all said unto him, Let him be crucified, let his blood
be upon our children and our children's children.
When Pilate saw that he could prevail, nothing, but rather a
tumult was made. He took water and washed his
hands before the multitude, saying I'm innocent of the blood
of this just just person. He was guiltless.
See you to it. Like here's the deal, Pilot,
you're not innocent. You had a choice.
You had a choice Pilot before you stood the truth and you
rejected it. You see, no one is innocent.
What do you say today for this man?
And resurrection from the dead, when he rose from the dead, blew
up all man's reasons and excuses to say who is this man?
Today, Palm Sunday, you must decide what to do with him.
As our worship team comes forward, I want to read just a
few words from an old hymn that tell it best.
He came from his blessed throne, Salvation to bestow.
But men made strange, and none the longed for Christ would
know. But all my friend, my friend
indeed, who at my need his life did spend.
Sometimes they strew his way, and his sweet praises sing,
Resounding all the day. Hosanna to their King, then
crucify is all their breath, And for His death they thirst and
cry. Why, what has my Lord done?
What makes this rage in spite? He made the Lamb to run, He gave
the blind their sight sweet injuries, Yet they these
themselves displeased. And against him rise just to
know you.