God Has Spoken Peace to the Nations

God Has Spoken Peace to the Nations

PALM SUNDAY CELEBRATION
Matthew 21:1–11 (NKJV) — 1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” 11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

1. Last week we talked about the rebuilding of the temple after Israel’s exile.
   1. The implication is that we are rebuilding the temple in our day – Restoring True Worship – The Conflict and what is at stake.
   2. The attitude of the people who had seen the original temple and how it seemed like nothing in their sight
   3. The promise of the coming glory is fulfilled in this passage.
   4. God is mightily at work in history, to understand who we are and what we are a part of, let’s read the quoted verse:
   5. Zechariah 9:9–10 (NKJV) — 9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’
   6. Dominion to the ends of the earth
2. Jesus enters Jerusalem and:
   1. Cleanses the temple
   2. Heals the blind and the lame
   3. Sees a fig tree and it has no fruit
   4. Matthew 21:20–22 (NKJV) — 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” 21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
   5. Conflict with the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians
   6. Parable of the landowner.
   7. Matthew 21:43–44 (NKJV) — 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
3. The whole question is over the kingdom
   1. 1 Corinthians 2:1–8 (NKJV) — 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.
   2. Tie into peace to the nations.
   3. What this world needs is a demonstration of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
   4. Weakness implies prayerfulness
   5. What you can do: forgive, show mercy, cover faults with love, be grateful, generous, etc.
   6. Like Paul, we are going into the world, how are we going?
   7. Ambassadors who enter the world to speak peace.
   8. Changed hearts, changed lives, changed world.