Monday, April 6, 2020

The Book of the Revelation (Rev. 5) Palm Sunday 4/5/20

THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION
(REVELATION 5) PART IV
PALM SUNDAY APRIL 5, 2020


TEXT: MATTHEW 21:5-9

INTRODUCTION:

On this day over 2,000 years ago, the Son of God rode into the city of Jerusalem to the shouts of “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” As Zechariah 9:9 said of the coming Messiah:

5 "Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'”

The question that I want to ask on this Palm Sunday is this: why did Jesus ride into the city of Jerusalem “gentle, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey?” What was His objective? Why did He come like this? What did He come to do? And how does it affect you today on April 5, 2020?

The answer to that question will be my message to you this morning. Let’s pray.

1. The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

A. For the past two Sundays I have been teaching from Revelation 5, and in particular, the song that the angels sing in worship to the Son of the uncreated God. I have shown you how that the angels worship Him because He is God—He is begotten and not created (Angels do not worship anyone but the uncreated God). And Jesus is God! Also I have taught you how that the angels worship Him and sing about Him because He alone is worthy to take the scroll from the Father’s hand and release the 21 judgments of the seals, trumpets and bowls of wrath to redeem back to the Father all that was lost in the fall of man. The climax of these judgments will occur at His Second Coming to the earth with the sounding of the 7th Trumpet (also known as the last trumpet). This time He will not be coming to Jerusalem “gentle, riding on a donkey, on the foal of a donkey.” Instead His entrance into Jerusalem will be as Rev. 19:11-16 says,

11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.   12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of thefury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Jesus is worshipped in Heaven because He is the only begotten Son of the uncreated God, and also because He is alone is worthy to take the scroll, release its’ judgments and so complete the Father’s eternal plan of glory! Praise God! Even so come Lord Jesus! What a day that will be!

But today on Palm Sunday, the beginning of Passion Week that would end at the cross, we take a closer look at the other reason of why the angels are singing a song of worship to Jesus. Once again I draw your attention to,

Rev. 5:8-10

8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
"You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;


B. Jesus’s first coming to the earth was to be the Lamb, more specifically the Passover Lamb. By His death, ours sins would be forgiven (Passed over). Why is our sins being forgiven so important? Because through the forgiveness of our sins, the way has been opened to relationship with God—the way to know the glory of God, forever!

The scripture says, “For all have sinned and have fallen short of THE GLORY OF GOD” (Romans 3:23).

From the moment you were conceived, God’s plan for you has been to share His glory forever. You were created for eternal glory! Get that fixed in your mind until it is in your heart.

Last week I put something on Facebook that was in my heart:  When you realize (know by the revelation of the Holy Spirit) that you were born for the eternal glory of God, you will understand why nothing and nobody on this earth (temporal things) can complete you. The completion we seek will only be realized when we see Him (Jesus) as He is. For then we shall be like Him! Knowing this gives meaning and purpose to the journey that we are on! “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” Rest in Him. 🙏

Back to Romans 3:23 for a moment: “For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.”

Jesus rode into Jerusalem “gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, on the foal of a donkey,” because “all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.”

Sin stood in the way of us knowing the glory of God, for which we were created. Sin caused us to fall short or miss the mark of knowing God’s glory. Consequently, the Son of God became the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world, our sins, so that we can know the glory of God!

It took the shed blood of the Lamb to redeem us back to God—back to God’s glory—back to His eternal purpose for us.

Romans 6:23 says it this way: “The wages of sin is death (separation from God) but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Revelation 5:10 says And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;

Jesus, the Passover Lamb of God redeemed us back to God by His blood out of every tribe, tongue and people and nation! Why? He did it so that He could  make us “kings and priests to our God.”

What does it mean to be made a king and a priest unto God? It means to realize and experience the purpose for which you were created! You were created to know and live in the glory of God forever! You were created to be a king and a priest! And you will not be complete until that happens in its’s fullness!

The journey that you are on will not be complete until you realize your eternal purpose in Jesus!

That’s why Jesus, the Passover Lamb of God rode into Jerusalem that day “gentle, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, on the foal of a donkey.” He humbled Himself and died on the cross so that our sins would be passed over, (forgiven, expunged) so that we could have the hope of knowing and living in the glory of God forever! Forgiven for a purpose!

The crowds in Jerusalem shouted, “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” They actually were shouting a Psalm (a song) Psalm 118:26.

When some of the blind religious leaders of that day told Jesus to rebuke his disciples for saying (singing) that, Jesus said to them “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Why would the stones cry out? They would cry out because Jesus, the Son of the uncreated God, had come to make the eternal purpose of God possible by His death on the cross! This is what set the angels to singing His song in Rev. 5!

Through the death of the Passover Lamb, God’s eternal purpose of man knowing and sharing His eternal glory was now possible!

Where we fell short, He didn’t. The God-man—even Jesus has put salvation within the reach of whosoever will!

CONCLUSION/ALTAR


On this Palm Sunday, let all who are in Jesus and who will share His glory forever, join in the song of worship to the Lamb: Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood have redeemed for God persons from every tribe, and language and people and nation. You have made them kings and Priests unto God. LET’S PRAY.