Prophet, Priest,and King — Luke 18-19

0:00 Morning. And all those holiday announcements and everything like that. One other one other thing, a little reminder is just remember to have fun, you know? Enjoy the enjoy the holiday season and all the things that accompany it. Well, let's have a word of prayer and then we'll get into our Bible lesson here today.

0:23 Our heavenly father, we give thanks for this opportunity to be here this morning. We're thankful for the scripture. We're thankful for this... How it reveals to us about the the truth about the lord Jesus Christ. How he would come as a babe in a manger, and all these things that we...

0:43 That catch our attention this time of year surrounding the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we understand that he makes it very clear. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. And father, we also know that the Lord Jesus makes it very clear that he came and he offers not only salvation, but he offers new life in himself, new life in Christ. And he him... He himself is a a leader, and we have the opportunity to follow.

1:15 He, the great shepherd, we, the sheep of his fold. He he, the king, we, the subjects. And so father, we we contemplate some of those things this morning as we have opportunity to take up this role of being being in the kingdom, being in the lord's kingdom. And so we ask for wisdom as we study the scripture in Jesus Christ name, amen. One day, Jesus was with his disciples and he would come and he called two of em over to himself.

1:51 You know, don't know if he they were they were talking or having a meal or just what but he calls two disciples to himself and he says, hey, here's what I'd like you to do. I'd like you to go you two fellows, go into the village and when you get into the village, there'll be, you'll see a donkey tied to a post there and it's a donkey that is is is an unbroken donkey. He's never been ridden upon but I want you to lose him and I want you to bring him back here to where we are And by the way, as you do this, if someone someone were to ask you, hey, excuse me, what are you doing? Just tell him this phrase, the Lord has need of him. Just tell him that and everything will be fine.

2:31 Bring him on back here. Well, that's where we are this morning as we turn to Luke chapter 19. Go ahead and turn to Luke chapter 19 and we... Our our first act you... If you will, our first scene of of the pass...

2:49 Of this portion of the passage is this record of the lord Jesus telling the disciples to go get this donkey. It's Luke chapter 19 and verse 29. Luke nineteen twenty nine. And let's let's read it and you can you can fact check what I just told you. Luke 19 verse 29.

3:17 And it came to pass when he, the lord Jesus, was come nigh unto Bethage and Bethany at the at the mount called the Mount Of Olives, he sent two of his disciples saying, go you into the village over against you and in in which entering that village, you shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never a man has set. Loose him and bring him back hither. And if any man ask you, why do you lose him? Thus you will say to him, because the Lord hath need of him. And they that were sent with their way, and they found even as he, the Lord Jesus, had said unto them.

3:58 And as they were loosening the colt, the owner thereof said, hey, why do you do this? Why do you loosen the colt? And they said, the Lord hath need of him, and they brought him to Jesus. And we'll pause we'll pause right there. So we have this occurrence.

4:14 And if you do a little bit of research on your own or if you look up this particular passage, you'll find a lot of devotional thoughts that have been written on this little phrase, the Lord has need of him. And that's really a neat thing to think about all the different things that the Lord used along the way in his journey. Now we probably should remind ourselves of where we are. You know, we go back even a year ago is when we first started this Luke study. It's been a year.

4:47 And, we kicked it off and we got right to the birth of the Lord Jesus right around Christmas time. And so here we've been watching the Lord Jesus, and he goes through all of this teaching, the selection of his disciples. He performs these miracles, many different miracles, not only just over nature, but over sickness, over the demonic or spiritual realm. He he he performs all these unexplainable things. It's only from the power of God that it could be explained.

5:18 And then he gives us teaching. Oftentimes we read, and they were astonished. They were amazed. They were wowed. And so Jesus has been doing all these things.

5:29 And so here we are in Luke chapter 19. This is a pivot point. This is a turn, if you will, because now he's, I won't say that he's come to the end of his teaching. That wouldn't quite be accurate because he's going to teach a little bit more and I wouldn't necessarily say he's come to the end of his miracles because I mean, we just read a miracle, didn't we? Like, he just showed his power like he knew where a donkey was tied, and he knew what the owner was gonna say, and he told us to sign.

5:58 I mean, that's a miracle. Right? That's a little... I'm gonna say it's a mini... I mean, don't know.

6:13 The Lord had need of five loaves and two fishes. The Lord had need of a boat. The Lord had need... And you start thinking back through these things. He had need of 12 men that would follow him.

6:34 He had need of a of a of a child to come sit on his lap. And we think back through all these things that the Lord used, and here he's going to use a donkey. A colt who was tied up. Now, I'd like to maybe suggest to you that as we transition from the chapter or or you know, from last week's message, we had this teaching of the lord Jesus Christ who taught about the parable, we call it the parable of the pounds. You'll have to excuse me.

7:08 I'm I'm working through my some of this cold but excuse me for the stiffling but maybe maybe this is a little example like the lord puts right in front of us an example of what he was trying to teach with the parable of the pound. He gave each disciple 10 or or or a pound and told him to go occupy till I come. He gives these two disciples what seems like an insignificant task. But they have a choice to obey or disobey. We read in the scripture where it says, They did as He said.

7:47 And here it comes to fruition. Their pound, if you will, if their pound was the task to go and do this errand, it was successful. They were fruitful and multiplied. They would the lord would say, well done. You've done well.

8:06 But what kind of a lesson would there be here for us in this little synopsis of the lord Jesus telling the disciples to go and find a donkey. Well, I'd like to suggest to you that everything that we've read about well, let's just confide it for a minute to our book of Luke. Everything that the Lord Jesus has said that will happen has happened in the book of Luke. Like, for example, in this story right here, he said, go into the town and you'll find a donkey. Did it happen?

8:47 Yep. It happened just like he said it would. Now in in some of the miracles, like we're we're just a few... A little ways back, we have blind Bartimaeus at the end of chapter 18. He said, Jesus says, give...

9:03 You will have sight. And Bartimaeus has sight. He would tell the the storm, peace be still, and the storm would be still. He would tell Peter, walk on water and Peter would walk on water while he had his gaze or his his his eyes fixed on Christ. Everything that Jesus said would happen, happen, okay?

9:25 Now, everything that Jesus said happen would happen if it's already occurred in the time frame of of of time as we know it. There are some things that Jesus said that were prophetic that are will still to come. Okay? Are you with me? So, there are some things that he said that would happen and it happened right away.

9:47 Other things he said, this will happen in the future and some of those by now, two thousand years later, have happened. Other are still yet to happen. But if we would agree with this principle, if Jesus said it, it's gonna happen. So what's the lesson that we take from this? If he said it's it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen.

10:20 We go into the world and preach the gospel, making disciples. What do we do as followers of Christ? This do in remembrance of me? And you notice when he he says, go into the world and make disciples, he's saying, I will come again. You notice when he says, this do in remembrance of me?

10:44 Do this till I come again. How about this? Love your neighbor as yourself. That's something he told us to do and so the lesson here for us is that remember that everything Jesus said would happen will happen and everything he's asked us to do, if we'll do it in the same way of obedience, it will come to fruition in the sense just like these disciples happened for them. There's the colt.

11:16 They're asked the question. They give the response. And you know, this is really cool. You know what you and I could say if we're ever asked the question like, hey, what are you doing? Why are you going to preach the gospel?

11:29 Why are you think it's important to share the gospel with your neighbor? Why do you... Just ask it... Answer this. The Lord has need of him.

11:40 Why is it important for me to share the gospel? The Lord has need that other people would hear it. Why... If someone says, why are you going to the breaking of bread? Why are you doing this in remembrance of the Lord?

11:53 The Lord has need of it. He has need of it? Yeah. He likes to be remembered. He likes to be recalled.

12:02 Don and I were talking in between meetings. He's... There's so many benefits to the remembrance of the Lord. It's a safeguard for us. It's a drawing back.

12:10 It's a freshness. And so the Lord has need of it. How about loving your neighbor as yourself? Well, the Lord has need of him. You know, like...

12:20 And so here we've got everything that Jesus said would happen will happen. And then we have this little reminder as we are obedient to Him, and if we're questioned by the world, all we need to do is tell the world, The Lord has need of it, of them fill in the blank. So that's a little lesson we take away from this this first episode or this first act, if you will. We pick up in verse 35. Chapter 19 and verse 35.

13:00 And they brought him to Jesus. This is the the donkey that's being brought to Jesus. And they, this is the disciples that were gathered, and this is beyond the 12. We'll... You'll see as we read this.

13:14 And they brought unto him the donkey, brought him to Jesus, and they cast their garments upon him, upon the colt, and and they set Jesus their own. They set Jesus right up on the donkey. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. Now, we're going to confine our study this morning to to the book of Luke but we know that here, this would be the, they would all also not only put their clothes out there as a way to honor but we know that they would take branches. They would take palm branches.

13:46 They would take willow branches. And lay all that there. It's a processional. It it it and it it very much fits with the Jewish custom going all the way back. We can read about it in the in the prophets of of Jeremiah.

14:17 Or or or... Excuse me, back 36. And and as he went, they spread their clothes in the way, and he was come nigh, even now, unto the descent of the Mount Of Olives. The whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen. And we'll just make a quick comment right here, is that you see what's happening, that that it says that they praise the Lord with a loud voice for all the things that they have seen.

14:48 Remember just a minute ago as I was making this kind of recalling some of the things like they had seen Bartimaeus receive his sight. They had seen Jesus turn these five loaves and two fishes into a multitude of meal with... A a big meal with 12 baskets left over. They have seen him calm the waves. They have seen him cast out the demons.

15:11 And so here they... They're saying like, we've recognized this. We've seen it with our own eyes. You can't, it's like that blind man. Who he is?

15:20 I'm not really sure, but this I know I was blind. Once I was blind, but now I see. I know I have my sight. And so they're all acknowledging this as Jesus rides in to Jerusalem. Here they are singing Hosanna, singing praises.

15:36 Verse 38 saying, blessed be the king that comes in the name of the lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And some of the... Well, so here here... You know, just just kind of think about that scene for just a moment.

15:53 We... As we've been tracking through these last... These later teen chapters in the book of Luke, it starts in 14, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, you have this kingdom teaching. And of course, all the kingdom teaching refers to the Lord Jesus Christ as being king. Now one thing that we do notice is that as we're tracking through, anytime the people try to give Jesus any kind of attention or fanfare, he rejects it, right?

16:23 If there's a if there's a swell, he'll bow out, he'll sneak out of the crowd. He just, you know, but now something's different. Remember, this is a turning point. Now now here he... Here the people are crying out to him, Hosanna.

16:37 They're saying this is the Messiah. We see all the things that you've done, and Jesus is accepting the praise. He is accepting the worship. Jesus is taking his place as the king, set on the set on the donkey to make an entry into Jerusalem, the holy city, the capital city, if you will. Now we understand from last week, we know the kingdom is not going to be set up, but Jesus revealed...

17:08 Not not yet. It's gonna be delayed. That's one thing that the parable taught us, that there will be a delay in the king, the kingdom, but we know who the king is. And so now Jesus comes receiving the worship. Now look at verse 39.

17:27 Some of the Pharisees, they didn't like it. Some of the Pharisees were among the multitude. They said unto Jesus, master, rebuke these disciples. And Jesus answered and said unto them, I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. So people that had had seen Christ perform or function as the king, perform as ruler, as God in the flesh, they were giving him that they were giving him that acclamation.

18:10 They were giving him that recognition. They were praising him. The Pharisees, even though they have had observed the very same things, their their hearts were jealous. They were moved with envy. They say, shut the crowds up.

18:29 Tell them to be quiet. You know what? The the Pharisees were like the stones that Jesus referred to. The Pharisees' hearts were hardened. They were rejecting Christ.

18:47 They were like a stone, cold, lifeless, rejecting Christ. The other folks that are praising the Lord are are that very... Not stone like. They're crying out. They're crying out.

19:21 Well, really, this is the week before Jesus' death. Okay? Or or or this is leading up to his death, the week before his resurrection is what I should say. But this is the final week. The...

19:34 All these thing... All these things are gonna transpire in the next few chapters are gonna be his his trial, his crucifixion, his, you know, his burial. All that's gonna come up. And so right now, you have to go through the gospel. I've got a little a book.

19:54 It's by Robertson who he does a synoptic gospel and so what he does is a chronological order of the of the gospels here. Luke doesn't give us chronologically step by step going like the Sunday... Palm Sunday, then Palm Monday, then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. He doesn't give it just like that, but he does hit events that happen along that way. And so here we're reading about this triumphal entry that's happening that is on the Sunday proceeding when Christ would raise from the dead.

20:27 So we're one week away. You know, all that we talk about Palm Sunday, the the chronological order there is correct. Now, Jesus is on the donkey. All this is going on. The palm branches are out.

20:44 The people are are are praising him. Prophecies being fulfilled. This is prophesied in Jeremiah... Yeah. Jeremiah nine nine talks about this very thing that the Lord Jesus Christ would ride into town on a donkey being just and having salvation.

21:00 He's... He he... Here he is. And so now he crest the hill. Look at verse 41.

21:08 He crest the hill, and when he was come near to the city of Jerusalem, he looked at the city. He beheld the city, and there he wept. There he wept. Now remember, the crowds are still screaming. The crowds are praising with a very loud voice.

21:30 In the midst of this, I would... I just imagine it to be kind of surreal, you know, like, they're praising, they're clamoring, they're cheering, and then here Jesus crest the city and he sees Jerusalem, and he starts to weep. Now, we could apply the same if you look at the the Greek here, he wept over it. He wept with a loud voice. He lamented.

21:53 He cried out a strong weeping. Raise your hand if you think of another time that Jesus wept. You you know, there's a couple of times. General, what do think? Lazarus?

22:06 Yeah. That's the that's kind of the first one that comes to mind, right? Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus. Is there another time you can think of where he wept? Yep.

22:17 That's right. Yep. And I would say those two are are more often known. This one right here, we don't... Like it would have been a kind of a neat case study to say, hey, when did Jesus weep?

22:29 Or when did Jesus weep? And most of the time people say, Lazarus or in Gethsemane? We rare... We kinda... You rarely...

22:55 He knew he was dying. He comes. Lazarus dies before he gets there. All the people are sad. Jesus loved Mary and Martha.

23:04 He loved Lazarus. Here he sees the people that he loves that are sad. Ain't it true that sometimes when you... When somebody else is crying or is sad, it makes you sad. You hurt for them.

23:17 You hurt with them. And that's what we see the Lord Jesus. Here he says that he wept. He came to that grave and he wept. We see that he weeps for the city of Jerusalem.

23:37 You know, he knew what other people didn't know. Although they should have known, it was all prophesied for them. It it it, you know, like the the the astute folks that were studying prophecy, they probably looked at this scene and they understood what was going on. But for the crowd, the most of the crowds, they were just there going... Getting caught up in the moment, and Jesus knew that here he was going to his death, and he's...

24:04 He cries. He knew he was gonna be rejected. He he knew that this was the very point that he's coming unto his own and his own is gonna receive him not. He's got these people cheering in in one ear, and he's got these Pharisees saying in the other ear, tell them to be quiet. The Pharisees represent the heart of Jerusalem.

24:32 They're rejecting him. They're not gonna have anything to do with him. Jesus weeps. In the garden, we get these words that Jesus is talking with the father and he says, if there be any other way, please let this cup pass before me. But then he comes back to this, but not my will, but thine be done.

25:03 And there's a weeping going on there. You notice the first time it's for an individual, the second time it's for a city, and the third time is for the whole world. Jesus wants to deal with us individually. Jesus wants to deal with us corporately. Jesus wants to deal with the whole world.

25:29 He's not willing that any would perish, but all would come to repentance. We see the tenderness of Jesus. We see his heart. We see his heart revealed tears reveal the heart. He he cries.

25:45 He weeps over the city. And I think even in this weeping, he may... Well, yeah, it makes this statement. This is what he says. Maybe the tears are running down his face as he says verse 42.

25:58 Let's just read it together and... Or or or, you know, back to 41, and when he was come near, he beheld the city and he wept over it saying, Jerusalem, if thou had known even thou at least in this day the things which belong to thy peace. You see there he is. What they said as they were coming in peace in heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ was representing peace.

26:31 He's the Prince of Peace. If Jerusalem had known this, now let me be very clear, they had opportunity to know. They chose not to know. They had opportunity. It was there.

26:45 If you had known, if you, thou, had at least in this day, the things which belong to your peace, they belong to you. They were given to you, but now they will be hidden from your eyes. Now you can't see them because you rejected them. You can't see it. This is part of his lament.

27:20 They will surround you, and and they will keep you on every side and shall lay thee even to the ground. You're gonna fall. Thy children will fall with you. They will not leave thee... Leaving thee one stone upon another because you did not know the time of your visitation.

27:42 You did not know the time when the God in the flesh dwelt among you. You did not know that I came unto you my own and you did not receive me. This is Jesus' lament. This is his lament. Now that all happened on one day.

28:08 Another day, 45 happens. K? Another day, 45 happens. You see, Jesus, as he kind of sets up, we don't know exactly where. He was somewhere in this Beth age...

28:20 Bethany region or, you know, right at... Right outside the city. He goes into the city for the triumphal entry, and we told Mark Gospel tells us that he went into the temple, looked around, then went home. Now, that would have been on the Sabbath day. Now comes the next day, Sunday or or excuse me.

28:42 Scratch that. That would have been on the triumphal entry was happening on the on the Sunday which is not their Sabbath. Okay? But then, he comes the next day, comes into the city. Now, he went back out of the city then he comes back in and this is where we pick up the verse 45.

29:01 And when he came into the temple, he began to cast them out that sold therein and them that bought saying, it is written, my house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. So Jesus comes again and he cleans the temple. You may remember that when he started, when he first started his earthly ministry, after his time of of fasting in the wilderness, he comes back into the city. One of the first things he does is go to the temple and he cleanses... This is the time when he knocks over the tables and throws them out.

29:45 That was at the very beginning of his ministry, and now here cycled back around at the end of his ministry, he gives us this cleansing it again, casting out the people that sold. What did these people do... Had done? They had they had commercialized or merchandised spirituality. They had taken the things of God and turned them in the thing for profit, and Jesus was having nothing to do with it.

30:13 He reset or he cleansed the temple just preceding his death. And then we read in verse 47, he taught them daily. Remember I said he wasn't done teaching. He taught them daily in the temple and he would he would come into the temple, be there, and then leave again as we transpire over the the events of this coming up week. But the chief priest and the scribes and the chief, of the people sought to destroy him.

30:49 Here he is teaching. They're not having it. All they're focused on is destroying him and and could not find what they might do for all the people were very attentive to him. I love that little picture there. They were very attentive to him.

31:34 He's going to ride into town and receive the worship of the people, which is going to be different. That he's going to receive the worship of the people as he goes into the town, and the people would sing Hosanna. Then he's gonna he's gonna he's gonna let us in. We see a little bit... Get a little peek into his heart as as while he's receiving this praise, he sees the city of Jerusalem and he weeps because he knows that he knows that they're going to reject him.

32:01 He knows that in a few more days that same crowd that's crying Hosanna is going to be crying, crucify him. And then he he gives this prophecy, which came true, in fact, forty years. Titus, a ruler of Rome came in and destroyed the city destroyed the city, destroyed the temple, and and the Jerusalem has never yet recovered, so to speak, from that destruction, from that downfall. And here Jesus is teaching daily in the temple. We had those little lessons that we grabbed ahold of.

32:41 Remember that Jesus, whatever Jesus has said, will come to fruition. It either has happened or will happen. And we can obey. And we, if we're questioned or asked of the world, we just tell them, the Lord has need of this situation. Now one more thing I'd like to do as we wrap up this.

33:03 G Campbell Morgan made this little observation that I thought was very very helpful. You'll notice that Jesus, as He's riding in on the donkey, what was He doing? He was the King. There He was, the King. He came to Jerusalem as the King.

33:22 That was one day. The next day he comes and he goes and he cleanses the temple. What was he doing there? He came as a priest. You see that?

33:31 He came as a priest. He came in and he cleaned house. There was things that were out of order and there was corruptness. There was evil happening, and he cleansed it. The the role of a priest.

33:46 And then the third day he comes again, and we see that he... Area is teaching in the temple, and they're hanging on his every word. They're saying, master, how could this be? Master, that is incredible. Wow, tell us more.

34:00 You know what he came that day as? A prophet. And so we see him come in all three ways. He comes as a king riding on the donkey. He comes as the priest cleansing the temple, and he comes as the teacher teaching the people and they hang on his every word.

34:20 There's a direct application for you and I here, okay? Is he king of your life? Is he king of your life? Who's on the throne? If you picture your donkey, are you sitting on it?

34:39 Or is the Lord Jesus sitting on it? King. That hymn we sing, king of my life, I crown him now. Thine shall the glory be. Lest I forget thy thorn crow brow.

34:55 Lead me to Calvary. He's king. Have you got him king of your life? How about would you let him today? Would you let him minister as priest to you?

35:07 He came into the temple. Our bodies in the New Testament are referred to as temple, as a temple of the living God. If he peeks in our temple today, what's he going to see? Have we commercialized spirituality? Have we merchandised it?

35:24 Have we traded the spiritual for the material? Let him clean house. Let him peek in and clean house today. The prayer the prayer is this, search me, oh God. See if there be any wicked way in me.

35:45 Restore unto me the joy. This is the priestly role. Let the Lord Jesus be king. Let the Lord Jesus be priest. And then how about the third, prophet.

36:00 Would you let him be your prophet today? Say, Lord, what would you have for me to learn? Teach me. Would you do this? Would you hang on his every word like we read about here?

36:17 These following, these hearing, sitting in his audience, they were hanging on his every word. Let him be your prophet. The king, your priest, your prophet. There was one time when Jesus was with the disciples, and I can't remember exactly what had happened, but something happened to where they kind of got this, like, jolt of, like, oh, okay. This is getting this is getting real.

36:47 And there was kind of this multitude. It was more than just the 12. And some... It's recorded for us in John chapter six. Some of the people decided to leave like, hey, this is not what I signed up for.

36:58 I'm out of here. And Jesus is kind of huddling the 12 and calming them a little bit. And he asked them this question. He said, hey, are you guys going to leave too? And Peter speaks up and he says this, Lord, who could we go to but thee?

37:17 For only you have the words of eternal life. He's our king, he's our priest, he's our prophet. Come come to the Lord Jesus. Our heavenly father, we give thanks for this little portion that we see in the book of Luke. Father, we're thankful for the things that we can take and glean from it.

38:00 We see how his excellent knowledge, all these things, we want to make much of the Lord Jesus Christ this morning as we consider Him in these specific three roles of King, Priest, and Prophet. We pray this in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.