Which One Are You? Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Palm Sunday, Passion Week, the triumphal entry, the day that we recognize that Jesus comes in to the city of Jerusalem, and where people celebrated and recognized something about him. And so we're gonna share a few thoughts from these, portions of scripture. I'm gonna stop at a specific verse for a specific reason. And so we're just gonna read a portion here, and, I'm reading from the ESV, and then we'll ask the Lord to open our eyes. Verse 28 of Luke chapter 19, it says, and when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of his disciples saying, go into the village in front of you, or on entering, you will find a colt tied on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you why are you untying it, you shall say this, the Lord has need of it. So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owner said to them, why are you untying the colt?

And they said, the Lord has need of it. And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they said Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. And And as he was drawing near, already on the way down the Mount Of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, teacher, rebuke your disciples. He answered, I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it. Father, we thank you for your word. We pray that you would speak to us.

We pray that you would stir our hearts. We pray that you would comfort the afflicted, but you would also afflict the comfortable. We pray that you would have your way in this place by the spirit of God. We believe that your word is alive. We believe that your word can change.

We believe that it is the only revelation concerning who you are, and so we submit to it. Lord, we pray that your spirit would move in the hearts of every man and woman here. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We see here that Jesus, as we know the story, is entering into Jerusalem, but he's starting here in the Mount Of Olives, and that's a significant mountain.

That's a significant specific area where he's starting. We see here on the mount that is called Olivet, he sends two of his disciples. And later on in Acts chapter one, he will send all of his disciples to receive the Holy Spirit. So he says here, go, two disciples, go and get the colt. But in Acts chapter one, he would say, go, wait, and obtain the Holy Spirit.

Here we see Jesus in the Mount Of Olives ushering himself in to be ushered into suffering, but we know later on that Jesus himself will find himself on the Mount Of Olives, not ushered in to suffer, but ushered in to bring victory when his very feet will be planted on that mount. We see on this mountain as he's entering into Jerusalem, there is a crowd rejoicing and saying, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. But in the same area, Jesus will find himself alone crying out to the father, let thy will be done. So he sends out these two disciples saying, go into the village in front of you. Run entering, you'll find a colt tied on which no one has ever yet sat as though this colt has been birthed and fed and raised for this very purpose, just for Jesus to sit on it and to be entered through this city.

And these disciples go. And just in case the owners of this colt would ask, why are you untying this colt? Jesus gave him a short enough answer that would suffice. The Lord has need of it. The lord has need of it, and that stirs us, or at least it should, to ask a self examining question.

Lord, what have you of need of me? Not that the Lord needs anything, but the question really is, Lord, what do you require of me? What is it in my life that you need of me? Because this very cult that seems kinda insignificant is not insignificant. We know that it is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah nine nine, which says rejoice greatly, oh daughter of Zion.

Shout aloud, oh daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. Righteous and having salvation is he. Humble. We serve a humble king and mount it on a donkey.

When a king comes into a city on a donkey, it's to symbolize peace. When he comes on a horse, it's to symbolize war. Jesus is coming in, ushering in peace, bringing the opportunity to build that bridge between mankind that has sinned against God and between a holy God saying, I'm building that bridge. I'm here to declare peace, not war. And he asks these owners, they we don't know their names, but they must be disciples for that colt.

And again, it begs us to stir that question. Lord, what do you have need of me? What do you require of me? The Lord has need of it. And that cult that seems so insignificant, yes it fulfills prophecy, but on a practical level, this very cult will be used to lift up Jesus.

It will be used for others to see him and to adore him and to worship him and to love him. And so once again, the question is, Lord, what do you have need of me that can do the same thing? What do you have need of me in my life that can lift you up, and so other people can see you and worship you and exalt you, and you think that your life is insignificant? You think that you can't offer something to Jesus that would lift him up? Lord, do you need my voice that would lift you up?

Do you need these hands that would glorify you? Do you need my artistic abilities so that people when they see it they see you? Do you need my time? Do you need my money? Lord, what do you have need of me?

And what's so significant about these owners is we don't know their name. We don't know their name, but Jesus knows their name. And so it adds another layer to us asking God, what do you have need of me? Lord, even if nobody knows my name, I wanna exalt you. Even if my name is not recorded in books or in the history books or known as one of the greatest Christian evangelists or Christian this or Christian that or Christian books, if nobody knows my name, Lord, as long as I contribute to the fact that you're high and lifted up, I'm willing to do it.

And so, Lord, what have you need of me? And you think that you have nothing to offer the Lord. We think that sometimes because we don't have a special gift, and we're not standing behind a pulpit or a microphone when the Lord can use a donkey for his glory. Lord, what have you need of me? And so the disciples come up to these owners.

They say, hey, why are you taking this colt away? And all they needed to hear was the lord has need of it. They need they didn't need any other argument. If the lord needs it, let him have it. If it's for his glory, let it be.

Know my name? I don't care. Let him be exalted and lifted high. And so that's what happens. They were sent, in verse 32, away and found it just as he had told them.

Its owner said in verse 33, why are you untying the colt? And they said, the Lord has need of it. And they brought it to Jesus and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. We know in Matthew's gospel and in John's gospel that they actually took palm branches, laid them on the road, and this is symbolic of almost rolling out the red carpet.

We see it in second Kings with King Jehu. When he comes into the city, they lay down their garments, and they said, Jehu is king. And so they're doing the very same thing here with Jesus. They're laying the garments down. They're laying the palm branches down, and they're saying Jesus is king.

And it's saying here in verse 37, as he was drawing near already on the way down the Mount Of Olives, the whole multitude we're talking a lot of people here. I'm not talking about twenty fifty, we're talking hundreds. The whole multitude of his disciples of his disciples, notice, began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen. Everything that they have seen up to this point, they recognize something about Jesus. The multiplying of the bread, casting out devils, healing the sick, opening blind eyes, opening deaf ears, walking on all these different things, they recognize that there's something different.

They are laying out their garments. They are laying out palm branches. They are rejoicing him, and rightfully so. And they were celebrating him, anticipating that this could be the Messiah that has been prophesied about, anticipating that he might be the very deliverer that might deliver them from Rome, deliver them from their oppression, and they're celebrating him in this way. And here's the truth, we will celebrate in the same way one day.

But here's the difference, we will not be anticipating that Jesus is our deliverer on a political level. We will have full knowledge that Jesus is the deliverer of our souls. This picture is an echo in Revelations chapter seven. Revelations chapter seven, when we're standing in glory, in case you forgot that there's eternity. After this, I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice.

This does not sound familiar. Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb, Revelation seven nine to 10. In Luke's gospel, they were celebrating him as king as for the Jewish people. In Revelation, we will be celebrating him as king with every tribe, nation, and language. In Luke's gospel, they celebrated the king by throwing their garments before him on the road.

In Revelation, we will be celebrating him as king, but with him clothing us with white robes. In Luke, they're celebrating this king who is sitting on a colt. In Revelation, We will be celebrating the king who sits on a throne. And this is what this week is all about. Is it not?

We know why Jesus is entering into this city. We know the full picture. We know what he has in mind, but that is not the full picture of this event. There's a tension in this text because though we're celebrating, Jesus has a different sense of emotion. Look at verse 41.

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it. And so here's this jubilation. Here's this praise. Here's this crowd. Here are these songs and this marvelous scene, and Jesus is not swept up with the emotion of it.

In fact, he is operating under a different type of emotion. He weeps. Why is he weeping? Because though there is celebration, though there is crowds, though there is overwhelming praise, there are different motives. It's mingled with different people, with different ideas, different conceptions.

Oh, sure. There was a lot of people, and here's the reality of this time of the year, that we will find churches packed out more than any time of the year except Christmas maybe. But in the same way that we see this multitude of people with different motives, the same manner we will see churches packed this week, Multitude of people, but different motives, different hearts, different perspectives. And that's what Jesus is dealing with here. Sure, there's a crowd.

Sure, there's songs. Sure, there's celebration, but not the right hearts. Not all of them at least. And so the first we see here is his disciples, and they're, yes, acknowledging him as king, but there's also those within that group that are, yes, singing the songs, yes, worshiping him, but have a wrong conception of what it means for Jesus to be king. They see it on a political level.

They see him as coming to deliver the people of Israel alone and the nation from oppression and the Roman Empire. That's how they see him. He is king, but on a different level. He is king, but for my own benefit. He is king, yes, over certain areas of my life, but not the king of my soul.

He doesn't sit on the throne of my heart. These are the John chapter six type of followers where Jesus multiplied the bread, and they were like, wow, this guy can feed us. We don't have to work another day in our life. Let's follow him. And Jesus says, you

don't

understand. It's not about eating food. It's not about me blessing you and giving you a good life. It's about me being Lord of your life. And if you don't understand that, walk away.

And he looks at his own disciples and says, do you wanna go too? And I said, Lord, do you have the word of eternal life. Where can we go? And in the same manner, my friends, brothers and sisters, there will be people that will be swarming in, maybe even today, and Friday and Sunday that will be coming in that have a different perspective of how Jesus is really king. They don't see him as king of their lives, king of certain areas of their lives.

They they wanna seek Jesus fulfill certain things about them, but not be Lord of their life. And they'll be sing singing the songs, they'll be waving the palm branches, but in reality, their life does not line up with their confession. And so there are those in there that are celebrating Jesus, but Jesus knows what's inside of man. And he's not fooled by the singing. He's not fooled by the celebration.

He's not fooled by the hoopla. And so there are those, yes, who would acknowledge Jesus as king, but not the right understanding of how he's king. But then there's others in this crowd. In verse 39, and some of the Pharisees in the crowd. There were Pharisees in the crowd.

These were the religious elite of the day. And they told Jesus, rebuke your disciples. How can they be calling you the Messiah? They understood that they were fulfilling Psalms one eighteen. They were singing those Psalms, that they were fulfilling Zechariah nine nine.

What are you doing? And so we even have another blend, another mingling in this kind of crowd on this festive moment. The self righteous, those who upheld traditions above the Word of God, Those who have a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Those who if you were to ask them why they go to church, it's just because they grew up in church. If you were to ask them why they do what they do, it's just because it's tradition.

If you were to ask them what they believe about God, they would tell you the right scriptures, but they don't have a heart change. Those are the Pharisees. And so we have Pharisees in the crowd. And brothers and sisters, I'll make the same argument as I did before, that there will be people filling up churches this week that are doing it based on tradition. They're not there because they're born again.

They're not there because the spirit of god has changed them and they realize what Christ has done for them. They're there because it's just tradition. It's just the thing that we do. So there are Pharisees. There are those who, yeah, would acknowledge Jesus as king, but they don't have the full revelation of who Jesus is.

There are those that are there, but they are just traditional people, self righteous, not understanding that Jesus' righteousness suffices alone. And then there's another crowd, and they weren't necessarily in the crowd. It was the city itself. Those who just outrightly reject Jesus. Because as we are here worshiping and we have every right to do so and we should be glad and we should be rejoicing because of the revelation of what this text is saying, If you just look out your window, you'll realize that there's a dying city out there that have no understanding of what we're doing here, that are so blind in their sin, dead in their trespasses and iniquities.

And Jesus comes up to the city, and you can just imagine the songs in the background as he's sitting on that colt. You can imagine the the jumping of joy. You can imagine the palm branches and the celebration, and he just pulls up to the city and he has that view. And grief strikes his heart and tears fill his eyes, and he looks, and he says they have no idea what they're missing out on. Is that not what he says in verse 42?

Would that even you had known on this day the things that make for peace, but now they are hidden from your eyes. And so in the same argument of those who will come that have a general understanding of how Jesus is king and those who come like the Pharisees, they're traditional. They have tradition. They have knowledge, but not the reality of being born of the spirit. There will also be those that will come in for the very first time that are blind, that have no knowledge of who Jesus is, that have blasphemed his name, rejected him, have no interest, that are dead in the spirit.

And Christ weeps over them. He weeps over them. And so there's this tension in this text. Though there is celebration, there's also brokenness that we should feel as people of God. And we have to realize that this is a very specific and special week.

And I say this specific thing about weeping, seeing Jesus weeping, because we should be encouraged between now and Friday and now and Sunday to get before God on our knees and ask God for those that are coming in, whether it's this church or any other church, that their eyes would be open and that they would see Jesus for who he is. But enough looking out there. We kinda have to look inside too because we can look out there and not examine ourselves. Which one are you? Which one are you this morning?

Are you the one that is rejoicing? Are you one of his disciples that understand what Jesus is doing? Are you the one that kind of has an understanding of who Jesus is? You you you see him as king, but not king of everything. Just certain areas of your life.

You love him because he blesses you, and he leads you, and he gives you stuff, but it's not about him being Lord over your life. Or are you just the Pharisee, the the traditional one? I mean, just ask yourself right now, why am I here this morning? What am I celebrating this morning? Am I just on am I just on auto and just I'm going?

I'm on cruise control and I'm just going? And you can know the Bible all you want, but if you're not walking in the full revelation of what Jesus done for you, that's dangerous. Or are you the one who's not even understanding what's happening at all? You're outside of the crowd, but you just found yourself here. And you're blind.

You don't understand who Jesus is, what he's done for you. You don't understand what this whole celebration is all about. Here's the reality. Jesus was being ushered in, not to overthrow an earthly kingdom, but to die. Jesus, as said earlier, as we recognize this day, is coming to redeem not just a specific people group, but the entire human race.

And Jesus wants to do the very same thing for your soul. He wants to save you. He wants to change you. He wants to open your eyes to realize that you need a savior and only he is a savior. Find it within your heart to get before God because you know that you have family members that are gonna go church next week that don't know God, and you have friends that are gonna be going to church next week that have no idea who Jesus is, but that God would be merciful enough to use those services here and across America to save souls.

And so let's pray and ask for that. Let's take a little bit of time and pray and ask for that. And if you're in here and you don't know why you're here, ask God to open your eyes. If you're in here and you've just been invited here, but you're not a Christian, ask God to open your eyes. But if you're in here and you know why you're here, ask God to do a mighty work in those that you know and love so much.

Father, thank you. We take the time to meditate right now because there are names that are popping into our heads, and and we wanna dedicate them

to you. So just in a moment of silence. There's nothing wrong with silence in church. In fact, it's good.

But just in your own heart right now, would you just utter under your breath and pray for those that you know, maybe those that you don't know because America needs revival, and ask God to open people's eyes in this next week.