Crowning, Crying, Cleansing

day. It's a happy day. But I wanted to read this to you today Luke 19, 28-48 to set it in our minds and hearts before we actually get to the word in just a little bit. And I want you to see those three divine actions that take place there. You'll pick them up real easily.

this morning in our early morning devotional out of Ephesians Paul is writing about how we need to experience divine revelation and wisdom in our understanding of the word this is the revealed word of God but it comes to us when we get into it and so I want to I want to plant it in your hearts this morning before we get into it in just a little bit. I want to read it to you. So Kim was going to put it up on the screen here. [Luke] 19, verse 28.

And after he had said these things, he was going on ahead and ascending to Jerusalem. And it came about that when he approached Bethage and Bethany near the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples saying, saying, go into the village opposite you, in which as you enter you will find a coat tied,

in which no one yet has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you why are you untying it, you shall speak, the Lord has need of it. you know that's kind of a strange thing right there you know either the Lord prearranged it or these guys were actually followers of Jesus and understood what he was about and when they said the Lord has need of it okay you can take you can take this donkey this colt and those who were sent away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt the owner said to them, why are you untying the colt? And they said, the Lord has need of it. And they brought it to Jesus and they threw their garments on the colt and put Jesus on it. And as he was going they were spreading the garments in the road and as he was now approaching near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen. You see the motive of their praising? For all of the miracles that gave testimony that he was the Christ.

Saying, blessed is the king. If you don't see anything else here, see that. Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him, teacher, rebuke your disciples. Shut them up They shouldn be saying this They have no authority to have declared you king Shut them up And he answered and said to them I tell you if these become silent, the stones will cry out. The very stones will cry out.

And when he approached, he saw the city and wept over it. there's two Greek words there's two references to Jesus crying in scripture and you can think of the first one Lazarus he cried at Lazarus' tomb the Greek word used there it really talks about the singularity of a tear there was not lots of tears he just a tear dropped the weeping here is another Greek word which is wailing he is crying tears are running down his face he saw the city and he wept over it now this is all on the first day saying if you had known in this day even you the things which make for peace but now they have been hidden from your eyes. It wasn't as if he had cut off the lights, they'd cut the light off. They had chose to blind themselves, to darken their eyes. For the day shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you and surround you and hem you up in every side and will level you to the ground and your children within you. and they will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.

Kim and I have been to Israel. Some of y'all might have been to Israel.

If this is in reference to 70 A.T. when they routed the city and knocked down all those stones, today in the walking level, those stones are still present. Where they knocked that temple down. There are stones still present. From 70 AD. Sitting there. On the path of where the walkway would have been at that time.

And he entered the temple.

And began to cast out those who were selling. Saying to them. It is written. My house. Shall be a house of prayer. but you have made it a robber's den. Boy, I wouldn't have been wanting to sit in those tables at that time, would you?

And he was teaching daily in the temple before the chief priests and the scribes and the leading man among the people were trying to destroy him. And they could not find anything that they might do for all the people were hanging upon his words.

May God give us revelation and illumination, insight into his word today as we study these divine actions. Amen. God plant it in our hearts.

Luke 19, 28 through 48 that I just read to you.

There are three actions that I want you to see today and I bet y picked those up Crowning crying and cleansing

As we read that, did you see that? You know, this morning, Kim and I, in our devotional time, in Ephesians 1, verses 15 through 18, where it's talking about the spirit of wisdom and the spirit of revelation. Paul says open the eyes of our heart have you ever thought about that that your heart has eyes open the eyes of our heart and she and I instantly thought of songs we would sing often times before I would preach about open my eyes Lord that I might see so God opened our eyes today crowning, crying, cleansing on this first day these actions initiated and yet also began the culmination of revealing the nature and the ministry and the mission of Jesus. Now let me say that to you again. These actions, and I put divine actions, initiated and yet also began the culmination. This is the last week. The culmination of revealing the nature, the ministry, and the mission of Jesus. let's look at the word crowning in Luke 3 verses 21 through 22 I want to give you a little foundation for this crowning it says and it came about when the people were baptized that Jesus was also baptized well he wasn't baptized for the goodness of sins was he? it was a baptism of identity of nature, of who he was.

And while he was praying, heaven was opened. Now, I can't even wrap my mind around that. Heaven was opened.

And the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. and a voice came out of heaven thou art my beloved son and thee I'm well pleased. Do you see the establishment of identity and nature there? This is my son in whom I'm well pleased. You know other signs of the Holy Spirit are fire and wind. Fire and wind and the dove are the crowning identifiable signs of Jesus' nature. He is fully God and fully man.

This is his identity. This is his nature.

He is dressed in our human flesh and yet fully and completely covered and possessed by and in and with the Holy Spirit of God Now let that sink in for just a minute Fully God and fully man Dressed in our flesh and yet completely, totally covered, possessed by and in and with the Holy Spirit.

In Luke 4, 18, when Jesus was teaching in the synagogue to the religious Jewish establishment of that day concerning that he was the fulfillment of prophecies in the Old Testament said the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me.

Sometime we'll do a study of anointing. but let me tell you when you get anointed you get covered the spirit of the Lord has anointed me in our text today there is obviously a coronation going on a crowning by the multitudes Luke 19, 37 and 38 says and as he was now approaching near the descent of the Mount of Olives the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen saying blessed is the king there's a crowning going on isn't there a coronation blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

Now, I'm going to admit to you, there was probably some confusion on their parts as they proclaimed Jesus as the king because, guys, they expected him to ride in on a white warrior stallion. and to set up a political kingdom right there in that very moment. That's what the Jews expected for him to eliminate all the Romans from their eyesight and for him to establish that kingdom right then. A position of sovereignty and exaltation. That's what they really expected. And a lot of that's based on Old Testament prophecy too. It's not just out of conjecture. They had reason for believing that.

But they hadn't read the deeper parts of prophetic words.

They weren't expecting him to come on the coat of a lowly donkey.

The position of humility.

Now I'm going to tell you something. He is coming back on a white stallion.

And he will set up a political kingdom at the second coming. He is coming back. But his first coming was personal salvation. It was a position of humility.

But even so, there was a crowning there that day because they had recognized him as a supernatural miracle worker. He was different from other prophets.

Over and over you'll hear that they would say of him,

He speaks with authority.

He was different. Do you remember when John the Baptist himself began to question the nature and identity of Jesus? He sent two of his disciples to ask him if he was the expected one, the expected Messiah. And they came during a spectacular healing revival. Everybody was getting healed. and in Luke 7 21 through 22 it says and that very time he cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits. Wouldn't you like to have been in that revival? And granted sight to many who were blind. And he answered their questions by saying to them go and report to John what you have seen and what you have heard the blind receive their sight the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the deaf hear the dead are raised up the poor have the gospel preached to them the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me that is his identity That is his nature.

In this text, in the triumphal entry of Jesus, we see the crowning anointing of Jesus, that he is truly the king of kings, the anointed heavenly king of salvation and eternity. There's no other way to see that. The crowning was a revelatory action instigated by Jesus.

It didn't just happen. He set the whole thing up. He sent them after that donkey. And the crowning was instigated by him. It unfolds the identifiable signs that he is who he says he is. You hear what I'm saying?

There was a crowning. A divine action. Now it was different than they expected.

I've had some of that happen in my life.

When it turned out different than I expected.

But the fulfilling was still happening. Secondly, crying on that day. He was being crowned and he was crying.

In Luke 19, 41, you probably caught it. And when he approached, he saw the city and he wept over it. now I brought to your attention a minute ago the Greek word for weeping here is wailing it's tons of tears pouring down it's ripping the gut apart there is grieving unbelievable happening here he looks down over his city the holy city and he weeps He wept because of the hardness of their hearts He wept because of the scales over their eyes He wept because of the enemy conquest

He wept because of their captivity. They were surrounded and hemmed up and leveled. He wept because they ignored the call of God.

the Old Testament prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah speak of a suffering servant although they do not use the language weeping Savior the image can be seen when they say he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief what's a common display of grieving and sorrowing tears isn't it weeping this sorrowful grieving man is a foreshadowing of Jesus weeping as he looked down over the city of Jerusalem he is a man of sorrows and grief he had a broken heart you ever been broken hearted did you weep even the toughest guy when his heart gets broken weeps in John chapter 1 verse 14 and 16 it says and the word became flesh and we beheld his glory glory is the only begotten from the Father full of grace and truth for the law was given through Moses grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ in Matthew 9 36 Matthew describes it in more of a pastoral way in saying and Jesus seeing the multitudes he felt compassion for them because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.

On a walk to Emmaus that I went on one time, I had a guy that had lost his son and I've mentioned him to you. And as he came forward to what we call dying moments,

it had been a couple of years since his son had died. and he had struggled, and he was angry, and he was mad.

And as he came forward, he looked at me with tears rolling down his eyes and said, Carrie, you may need to help me.

And I said, I can do that.

But I didn't have to because when he hit the floor on his knees, guess who met him? Jesus did.

He had compassion for him.

Jesus understood his broken heart.

And he knew that he was like a lost lamb without a shepherd.

And Jesus shepherded him in that moment. His ministry action here is of a heartfelt weeping and compassion

This is where our humanity and His Lordship mesh.

He is in the flesh, full of the Holy Spirit. and compassion.

And that's where he meets us, guys.

When we're broken, because of his brokenness, his humanness, there is a bonding that the world cannot explain. A peace beyond all understanding. invades our hearts.

I'm glad he cried.

I'm glad scripture was honest enough to say he cried.

Because his crying brought healing.

Lastly, cleansing.

In Luke 19 verses 45 through 46, as he entered the temple and began to cast out those who were selling.

Now that's not a meek and mild Jesus, is it?

He's overturning tables.

He's whipping them out of the temple.

He's casting them out. I thought well Hercules just walked in can you imagine that scene here's all these money changers and all these people selling sacrificial animals and making money for the temple and he comes in and there's God's house and he gets so bummed out about it all of a sudden he's turning over tables and he's casting them out and he says to them this is my father's house and it's to be a house of prayer but you've made it a robber's den in Matthew's gospel if you go and read that account you know what Matthew adds to it and the blind and the lame came to him in the temple and he healed them.

After he cleansed the temple, the blind and the lame flock in and he heals them.

This cleansing of this temple at this time is a foreshadow of what is going to take place at the end of the week when Jesus is crucified.

In 1 John 1, 7, it says, but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sins.

He walks into your temple. He turns over your tables. He cast out all that stuff that shouldn't be there and He cleans us up the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin

In Ephesians 1, 7, In Jesus we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace.

When I was a brand new Christian, maybe six or seven months into my faith I had a friend Stan Cosby share a cassette tape with me that was entitled God's Atomic Weapon it was a sermon by a guy named Derek Prince it was and still would be one of the best sermons I ever heard the scripture text was revelations 12 11 and they overcame the devil because of the blood of the lamb and because of the word of their testimony and they did not live their lives even to death God's atomic weapon you know we're hearing a lot about atomic weapons today mass weapons of destruction Well, I want to tell you the blood of Jesus is the number one mass destruction weapon that destroys sin and death.

Cleansing was his mission.

Cleansing was personal salvation from sin and death. that was his mission that first coming he came to personally save us victorious living in Christ was his mission crowning crying and cleansing now let me ask you a question did you notice this was there opposition to these actions?

Luke 9 39 and some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him teacher rebuke your disciples who do they think they are? they don't have authority to crown you.

And you're going along with it.

What's wrong with you?

There was opposition to him being crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And to his crying and cleansing. Luke 19.47 And he was teaching daily in the temple but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy him.

When you stand up for the crowning of Christ and when you begin to tell people that he can heal your broken heart that he weeps for you and that he can clean you up get ready because the world would rather see him sick

than well.

I've seen that time and time and time again. When I sat into office counseling with people that were struggling emotionally and mentally and had been going to secular psychiatrists and secular sociologists to get help, and they wasn't doing anything but digging the hole deeper for them. they just needed to come to Jesus to crown him king to understand his healing to be cleansed points of application here today let me ask you these questions Have you crowned him as your king of kings and lord of lords?

Where would you have been that day on that road?

Even though you didn't have complete understanding and have it all figured out, would you have still been crowning him as king of kings? Matthew 6.33 says but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness Romans 10.9 says if we confess with our mouths Jesus as Lord interesting here not just Savior as Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him up from the dead you shall be saved it's not just go get a good feeling from Jesus when you come to Christ you come to the Lord of Lords and King of Kings you confess him as Lord of your life he controls it all guys we don't control anything you know the greatest freedom you'll ever find in your life when you discover that that you don't have control but he does have you cried over the lost Matthew 9 12 through 13 the Pharisees are upset Jesus is eating with sinners I want you to listen to what he said he said it is not those who are healthy who need a physician but those who are sick Go and learn what this means Now, you've got a lot of going and learning before you do it.

Go and learn what this means. I desire compassion and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.

Charles Spurgeon, one of the great preachers from past days, said you cannot evangelize the lost until you've gotten on your knees and wept for them.

You know, when's the last time the church literally got on his knees and wept for lost people?

lastly have you been blood bought and cleansed 1 Corinthians 6 19 through 20 says do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit you think there's a tie back to the physical temple there your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you who you have from God and that you are not your own. You talk about losing control. You're not your own. You don't even control yourself. For you have been bought with a price.

You hear that? The blood of Jesus is your down payment. therefore Paul says glorify God with your body glorify God with your body Jesus walked in here today he walked in this room today and he said I'm going to invade your temple today would there be immoral unethical selfish tables in your heart that he would turn over and cast out of the temple would there be It a good thing we are being saved

I was saved in 1971, but I'm still being saved today. and someday my kids will stand beside my casket and they'll be able to say well he's fully saved now he's fully saved you see the three divine actions there?

Crowning,

crying, and cleansing. Guys, that all happened on one day, the first day of the week.

A lot of things transpire.

You know what that said to me? Today is the day of salvation.

Today. this day. That's what Jesus was saying. When he was crowned king of kings and when he cried over the city of Jerusalem and when he cleansed the temple, that's what he was saying. Today is the day of salvation.

I really like it.

The Apostle Paul, when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, what happened to him?

He was blinded, wasn't he?

You know, most people when they met Jesus were healed.

He's blinded. And they have to take him into the city. and they sent a guy named Ananias to come in and talk to him and pray with him.

And what does it say?

And the scales fell off his eyes.

I'm afraid that sometimes we in the church have been so blinded that our eyes become scaled over

And we have to have an Ananias come along and explain the gospel to us in order for those scales to fall off.

who should you be Ananias to?

Who's God calling you to be Ananias to?

Family? You got family that are not following Jesus, that are not part of the body of Christ, that are not living out their faith?

You got friends?

Relatives?

Your neighbor?

Well, this sermon really got all over me.

I thought, man, what divine actions these were on that first day.

It was proclaiming Jesus is who he said he is. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

So I thought, well, I'll just believe I'll start crowning him.

I believe I'll start weeping over the lost.

And God, give me direction how to witness. in order for me to do that though I gotta have my temple all cleaned up day by day turn over my tables God to clean me up amen well that's a spirit of revelation isn't it the word is good isn't it amen let's bow together in prayer Lord open the eyes of our hearts that we might see Jesus in your precious name I pray Amen