Jesus...Our King ... Comes to Us (CC)

PALM SUNDAY MARCH 24, 2013 PASTOR DAVID BOSTEDT WELS ZION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA WWW.ZIONTORRANCE.INFO LET US RISE FOR THE READING OF THIS MORNING'S SERMON TEXT RECORDED FOR US BY THE PROPHET ZECHARIAH WHERE WE READ FROM CHAPTER 9, VERSES 9 AND 10: REJOICE GREATLY, O DAUGHTER OF ZION! SHOUT, DAUGHTER OF JERUSALEM! SEE, YOUR KING COMES TO YOU, RIGHTEOUS AND HAVING SALVATION, GENTLE AND RIDING ON A DONKEY, ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY. I WILL TAKE AWAY THE CHARIOTS FROM EPHRAIM AND THE WAR-HORSES FROM JERUSALEM, AND THE BATTLE BOW WILL BE BROKEN. HE WILL PROCLAIM PEACE TO THE NATIONS. HIS RULE WILL EXTEND FROM SEA TO SEA AND FROM THE RIVER TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. THIS IS THE WORD OF OUR LORD. LET US PRAY: GLORIOUS AND GRACIOUS GOD, MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH AND THE MEDIATION OF EACH OF OUR HEARTS BE ACCEPTABLE IN YOUR SIGHT, OUR ONLY SOURCE OF HOPE AND COMFORT. AMEN. [TEXT TAKEN FROM THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, 1973, 1978, 1984, USED BY PERMISSION OF ZONDERVAN BIBLE PUBLISHERS] DEAR FOLLOWERS OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST: I ALWAYS HAD DIFFICULTY RELATING TO THE PERSON OF ZACCHAEUS. DIDN'T REALLY LIKE THE LITTLE SONG ABOUT THE WEE LITTLE MAN DIDN'T GET IT! NEVER WAS A WEE LITTLE MAN MYSELF. I WAS ALWAYS THAT PERSON WHO WAS SAYING: GET THAT BIG GUY OUT OF THE FRONT ROW. AND MY MOM WOULD SAY: HE IS IN SIXTH GRADE. YOU KNOW, GOTTA PUT THE TALLEST IN THE BACK. SO I KNEW WHERE I WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE. I HAD A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING ZACCHAEUS AND HIS NEED TO SEE JESUS. THE FACT THAT JESUS HAD COME TO JERICHO. HE WANTED TO SEE HIM. HE WANTED TO GET A GLIMPSE OF THE PERSON THAT EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT. THE BUZZ CONCERNING HIM AND EVEN THOUGH ZACCHAEUS WAS A TINY MAN, HE WAS GOING TO SEE JESUS. AND NO BIG PERSON, NO TALL PERSON WAS GONNA STAND IN HIS WAY. HE RAN AHEAD OF THE CROWD AND CLIMBED UP A SYCAMORE FIG TREE ... SO THAT HE COULD SEE JESUS. ARE WE THAT EXCITED AND THAT FOCUSED TODAY TO SEE JESUS? TO SPEND TIME WITH OUR LORD AND SAVIOR? OR ARE WE ALREADY NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS HOLIEST OF HOLY WEEKS AHEAD OF US? BECAUSE FOR US IT'S MORE OF A BURDEN. YOU REALIZE THAT THERE IS CHURCH ON THURSDAY. THERE'S CHURCH AGAIN ON FRIDAY, THERE'S TWO SERVICES ON SUNDAY. WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND IS GONNA GET UP TO BE AT CHURCH AT 7 A.M. ? ARE WE EXCITED ABOUT THE FACT THAT JESUS CAME TO BE OUR LORD AND SAVIOR? THAT HE IS THE ONE WHO IS OUR KING! HE IS THE ONE WHO RULES OUR LIVES. AND RULES THE WORLD ON OUR BEHALF. WE SHOULD HEAR THESE WORDS OF THE PROPHET ZECHARIAH AND TAKE THEM TO HEART. TO REJOICE! TO REJOICE GREATLY! BECAUSE OUR KING COMES AND OUR KING REIGNS! WHAT WONDERFUL NEWS THAT IS! THAT JESUS KEPT THE PROPHECY THAT ZECHARIAH FORETOLD. THAT GOD'S KING WAS GOING TO RIDE INTO JERUSALEM. RIDE INTO JERUSALEM NOT IN SOME GOLD CHARIOT. NOT BEING CARRIED BY ATTENDANTS. BUT IN TRUE HUMILITY. ON THE COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY. RIDING INTO JERUSALEM AMID THE PRAISE AND WORSHIP OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAD GATHERED THERE. SHOUTING THOSE HOSANNAS IN THE HIGHEST. GLORY IN THE HIGHEST. PEACE IN HEAVEN. SO MUCH SO THAT THOSE WHO WERE NOT HAPPY WITH JESUS AND OPPOSED HIM WANTED HIM TO SILENCE THEIR PRAISE. WANTED HIM TO SILENCE WHAT THEY WERE SAYING. THAT CROWD THAT HAD GATHERED THERE HAD COME TO SEE JESUS. AND TO REJOICE IN THE FACT THAT GOD WAS KEEPING HIS WORD. THEY WERE EXCITED THAT THERE WAS THIS IDEA THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD WAS NEAR. THEY HAD HEARD JESUS PROCLAIM TO THEM AND SPEAK TO THEM ABOUT THE FACT THAT HE WAS THE SAVIOR. THE ONE WHO WAS GOING UP TO JERUSALEM TO SUFFER AND TO DIE AT THE HANDS OF EVIL MEN. TO DIE AND THEN TO RAISE TRIUMPHANTLY IN THREE DAYS. THE KING HAD COME TO THEM WHO WAS GOING TO LEAD THEM AND GUARD THEM AND PROTECT THEM AS HIS OWN, AS HIS PEOPLE, AS HIS SUBJECTS. AND THEY WERE TO REJOICE AND TO BE GLAD BECAUSE THEY WERE NO LONGER HELD OUTSIDE OF THE KINGDOM. THEY WERE NO LONGER CUT OFF FROM THE FAMILY OF GOD AND ITS BLESSING BECAUSE OF SIN. BECAUSE JESUS CAME TO TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS. HE WAS THE ONE WHO OPENED THE DOOR TO GOD'S PARADISE FOR THEM. THAT THEY WERE NO LONGER LIVING OUTSIDE OF GOD'S LOVE AND GOD'S PROTECTION AND GOD'S CARE. THAT THEY WOULD BE HIS SUBJECTS. HE LOVED AND CARED FOR THEM SO MUCH THAT HE OFFERED HIS LIFE TO SAVE THEM FROM THE HANDS OF HIS ENEMIES. THAT IS OUR KING. JESUS IS OUR KING WHO HAS ALSO COME TO US THROUGH THE PAGES OF THE WORD. THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS CREATED FAITH IN OUR HEARTS TO KNOW AND BELIEVE AND TO TRUST IN JESUS AS OUR KING. THE ONE WHO RULES OUR LIFE. THE ONE WHO IS THE AUTHORITY OVER EVERY SINGLE THING THAT WE DO. AND FOR THAT WE REJOICE! WE SING HIS PRAISES. OUR HEARTS ARE FILLED WITH GOD'S LOVE. AND IT IS FILLED WITH JOY AND IT OVERFLOWS IN OUR WORDS AND OUR ACTIONS. THAT EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IS DONE IN THANKS AND PRAISE FOR WHAT GOD HAS DONE. FROM THE MOST MENIAL OF TASKS IN OUR LIVES TO THOSE THAT WE CONSIDER TO BE A GREAT HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO DO. THEY ARE DONE OUT OF OUR LOVE FOR GOD. AND WANTING TO BE WITH HIM. THE ONE WHO RULES AS OUR KING. THE ONE WHO HAS AUTHORITY OVER OUR LIFE. THE ONE WHOSE THRONE WILL ENDURE FOREVER; WILL EXTEND TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH AS THE PROPHET TOLD US. WE WAIT AND LONG FOR THAT DAY WHEN CHRIST WILL TAKE THAT THRONE OVER EVERYTHING ON THAT LAST AND GREATEST DAY. AND EVERYTHING WILL BE UNDER HIS AUTHORITY AND HIS CHURCH WILL BE WITH HIM. AND WE WILL REJOICE FOR ONCE AGAIN WHAT GOD HAS DONE. BUT WE ALSO HEAR THOSE WORDS OF THE PARABLE. THE PARABLE OF THE MINAS FROM LUKE'S GOSPEL ... REMINDING US THAT NOT EVERYONE LIKES THE KING. NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE UNDER THE KING'S AUTHORITY. AND THAT IN OUR SINFUL NATURE SOMETIMES IS THE WAY WE LOOK TO GOD. WE DON'T WANT GOD TELLING US WHAT TO DO. ESPECIALLY IF IT'S INCONVENIENT. OR IF IT'S DIFFICULT. WE WANT TO GIVE GOD THE PARTS OF OUR LIFE THAT ARE EASY FOR HIM TO CONTROL AND YET HOLD ON TIGHTLY TO THE FACT THAT WE ARE THE ONES WHO SECURE OUR LIFE. WE ARE THE ONES WHO HOLD OUR FUTURE IN OUR HANDS. IT'S UP TO US ... UP TO US TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN FOR US. SOMETIMES WE TRUST MORE IN OUR BANK ACCOUNT, WE TRUST MORE IN OUR DOCTORS THAN WE PLACE OUR FAITH IN GOD. THAT HE HOLDS OUR FUTURE IN HIS HANDS. THAT HE KNOWS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. HE HAS ARRANGED WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. HE KNOWS THE DAY THAT WE ARE GOING TO LEAVE THIS EARTH TO BE TAKEN TO BE WITH HIM. HE KNOWS THE VERY NUMBERS OF HAIRS ON OUR HEAD. WHAT AN INSIGNIFICANT THOUGHT FOR ANY ONE OF US. YET JESUS KNOWS THAT OF ALL OF US. HE IS OUR KING. HE IS THE ONE WHO RULES SO PERFECTLY FOR OUR GOOD AND FOR THE GOOD OF THE CHURCH. AND IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SUBMIT TO HIS AUTHORITY. TO SURRENDER OUR PRIDE; TO SURRENDER OUR OWN SELFISH IDEAS; TO SURRENDER WHAT WE THINK IS THE CONTROL THAT WE HAVE OVER WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR LIFE. TO PLACE IT IN GOD'S HANDS. AND TO TRUST HIM THAT HE WILL BLESS US BEYOND WHAT WE CAN IMAGINE. TO TRUST HIM TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WILL IN US. AND TO REJOICE IN THE FACT THAT HE DOES THAT. TO BE GLAD IN HIS LEADERSHIP IN OUR LIFE. TO REJOICE IN HIS AUTHORITY. TO WANT TO BE ABLE TO COME TO HIM AND SPEND TIME WITH HIM IN WORSHIP AND PRAISE. HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED WHAT NONE OF US COULD DO. HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED OUR SALVATION. AND THIS MORNING WE RAISE OUR HOSANNAS WITH THE PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE IN JERUSALEM. BUT WE'RE TO RAISE THOSE HOSANNAS EVERY DAY. WE ARE TO COME WITH HEARTS THAT ARE REJOICING GREATLY FOR WHAT GOD HAS DONE! TO PUT HIM FIRST AND FOREMOST IN OUR LIFE. TO LOOK AT THIS WEEK AHEAD AND SAY: WHERE IS GOD # 1? AND THEN ... I LOOK AT THE REST OF MY LIFE AND CHANGE MY SCHEDULE TO MEET WHAT GOD WANTS FROM ME. AND WHERE I KNOW I WILL HEAR HIS WORD AND BE BLESSED. TO COME TO HIM IN HUMILITY ... WITH JOY AND PRAISE INSTEAD OF TRYING TO PUSH HIM INTO THE POCKETS OF OUR LIFE WHERE WE HAVE THIS LEFTOVER LITTLE BIT OF TIME. WE DON'T ACCEPT THAT FROM OUR SPOUSES. WE DON'T ACCEPT THAT FROM OUR CHILDREN. THOSE PEOPLE IN OUR LIFE THAT WE CARE ABOUT AND MATTER TO US ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WE WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH; WE LONG TO SPEND TIME WITH AND WE MAKE EFFORT TO DO THAT. CHRIST PUT IN TREMENDOUS EFFORT ... IN MAKING US HIS OWN ... BECAUSE HE ... LOVED ... US. HE WANTS TO SPEND TIME ... WITH US. LET US BE LIKE ZACCHAEUS MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO SEE JESUS. LET US HEED THESE WORDS OF THE PROPHET ZECHARIAH AND TO REJOICE TO REJOICE GREATLY FOR OUR KING HAS COME. AMEN. LET US RISE. NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH GOES BEYOND ALL OF OUR UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS AND ESPECIALLY YOUR LIVES IN THE ONE TRUE FAITH UNTO LIFE EVERLASTING. AMEN.