What Will You Be Saying When Jesus Comes To Town? Series

What Will You be Saying When Jesus Comes to Town?

Pastor Glenn Newton April 4, 2004

Text: Luke 19: 28-42

We are a society that seems to be swayed by the softest breeze, have you noticed that? Our politicians anymore don’t seem to make really strong, this is what we need to do kind of decisions, but instead, after reading the latest opinion polls, then they will make a decision always with the option of changing their mind at any time.

We can see this in our culture probably the clearest in our sports world. When the star of our team is making all the plays, doing everything right and leading our teams to wins, what do we do? We cheer, we make up signs that say “You’re the Greatest!” and “So and So for President”, we literally probably would vote for them… we just love them so much right?

Well, really you need to just wait a week or two, there will be a stretch where our team doesn’t play as well, our hero all the sudden is playing like a human, making mistakes, losing some games… and guess what we, the fans our doing???? We are booing with all our gusto, gone our the signs of “We Love You” and “You’re the Greatest!” now those signs have been replaced with, “trade the bum” or “You’re a Loser”. Can you imagine the emotional roller coaster our sports hero’s must learn to live with… it makes what they do 10 times harder knowing how their so called fans will react if they don’t perform up to a unreal expectation.

We really haven’t changed much over time… the people in Jesus day played this same kind of game… they really were looking for a hero to cheer for, they were looking for the promised Messiah… the one who would bring freedom.

In our text today, we see such an example. Jesus, the son of a carpenter, educated in Nazareth, one who gained favor with men, one who was cheered and praised, would soon be mocked, scorned, and cast aside by the same ones who did the cheering.

This morning I want you to think about the Question that I raise in my title….. “What will you be saying When Jesus comes to town? What are you talking about Pastor? What I want to show you today is a people who praise and Worship their Savior when Jesus is doing all the right things, when He is doing all those things they want to see done….. Kind of like our sports hero’s when they score the Touchdowns….. But, there is another side to this story…. By the end of the week… when they see that Jesus is not leading the reforms and the changes that they had hoped for, when the people realized they weren’t getting what they thought they should be getting, guess what happened?

Those same people who were shouting “Hosanna, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord”…. Now, they are shouting, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” with just as much passion… We want to shake our heads and say, “how could they do that?”

I want you to remember this statement today, I will bring it up later….. “When we reject Christ in our lives, with our words, with our actions, with our attitudes, when we reject Christ as Lord of our lives, we are shouting with our lives…. “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.”

Ask yourself right now…. How does the way I am living today, reflect the message that I am sending to others, and more importantly, to God….. Does my life say, “Jesus is King and Lord of my Life!” or does it say the opposite, Does it reject Christ as lord and say, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him?”

Pastor, I don’t really fit into those two categories, I’m still trying to decide. I say Praise God you are here and you are seeking an answer, but let me tell you what Jesus said about the undecided just so you won’t stay in that camp long…. Matt. 12:30 “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”

On that Palm Sunday as Jesus approached Jerusalem, there were several things that He was aware of. He knew the conditions surrounding the people, and He knew the condition of the people’s heart.

The Jews found themselves under heavy Roman oppression. There were heavy taxes, restrictions, numerous executions by means of crucifixion, and Jesus knew all about those things. But He knew their heart.

The Jews were in search of someone. They desired a king, a conqueror, someone to set them free. They had seen the mighty works of this man Jesus. They were witness to Him restoring sight to the blind. They saw the evidence of Him healing the lame. They saw Him feed the multitude with a little boy’s lunch, and had leftovers to spare. They heard about Him raising Lazarus from the dead. They listened to Him teach with authority. Surely, with power and authority like that, Jesus was without a doubt the one who would set them free. So, Jesus came to Jerusalem, and the crowds began to cheer.