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THE UNWELCOME
KING
All of us can grow
closer to Christ the King by understanding 3 ACTIONS of the King
. . .
1. THE PURPOSE OF A KING (Luke 19:28-34)
After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem,
walking ahead of his disciples. As they came to the towns
of Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, he sent two
disciples ahead. "Go into that village over there," he told
them, "and as you enter it, you will see a colt tied there that
has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone
asks what you are doing, just say, 'The Lord needs it.'
"So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. And
sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them,
"Why are you untying our colt?" And the disciples simply
replied, "The Lord needs it."
2. THE ENTRANCE OF A KING (Luke 35-40)
So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over
it for him to ride on. Then the crowds spread out their coats on
the road ahead of Jesus. As they reached the place where the
road started down from the Mount of Olives, all of his followers
began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for
all the wonderful miracles they had seen. "Bless the King who
comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in
highest heaven!" But some of the Pharisees among the crowd
said, "Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like
that!" He replied, "If they kept quiet, the stones along
the road would burst into cheers!"
3. THE PASSION OF A KING (Luke 19:41-48)
But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city
ahead, he began to cry. "I wish that even today you would
find the way of peace. But now it is too late, and peace is
hidden from you. Before long your enemies will build
ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on
you. They will crush you to the ground, and your children
with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place,
because you have rejected the opportunity God offered you." Then
Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants
from their stalls. He told them, "The Scriptures declare, 'My
Temple will be a place of prayer,' but you have turned it into a
den of thieves." After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but
the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the
other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. But
they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on
every word he said. |
