Conquering Through Humility

Please turn your Bible to Luke chapter 19 that can be found on page 878 of your pew. Bible Luke chapter 19. The preaching will be on verses 28 through 36. But I will read all the way to verse 40 preparation of the proclamation of the Word of God when you have that please stand for the reading of God's Word.

And. When he had said these things he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem when he drew near to Bethphage and.

Bethany.

The mount that is called Olivet. He sent two of the disciples saying Go into the village in front of you where on entering you will find a colt tied on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.

If anyone asks you why are you untying it? You shall say this the Lord has need of it. So those who were sent away and found it just so those who were sent away and found it just as he told them and As they were untying the colt its owners 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 throwing their cloaks on the colt. They set Jesus on it. And as he rode along they spread their cloaks on the road as he was drawing near. Already on the way down the Mount of Olives the whole multitude of his disciples Began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice.

For all the mighty works that they had seen saying 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 crowd said to him teacher rebuke your disciples.

He answered I tell you if these were silent the very stones would cry out.

Amen, dear Heavenly Father.

We ask today that you would open your word to us that we would understand it that we would see more of Christ. We pray that you would show him to us. It would show him to us Triumphant as a king standing on the Mount of Olives Jesus name.

Amen. The call for the Christian is Paradox. In some ways is it called to be victorious to be a part of a conquering kingdom. It is also a call to be humble to be meek. Many people will embrace one of these things without the other not understanding how they are supposed to go together.

It is indeed a conquering kingdom, but is a Conquering kingdom that conquers through the means of humility. Christ has conquered for the means of humility and he symbolizes that here with this entrance into Jerusalem.

Those who would think that Conquering is something that must happen regardless of the means will use all kinds of means. They will not humble themselves before the Lord. They will instead act contrary to him and ultimately they will harm his kingdom.

There are many people who even in a even people with political power or national power have Tried to advance the kingdom through force. Through means that God has not authorized to advance his kingdom.

There are people just in their own lives who know the priorities of God's kingdom know the things that he would value and They believe that as long as they are advancing those priorities. Any means that they may use are appropriate.

And then on the other hand you have those who recognize that we have been called to humility. We have been called to meekness, but then they don't understand that that means has a particular end in Conquering in the advancement of the kingdom and so they engage in a passivity and a defeatism.

That ultimately harms the kingdom of God to understand the calling of the Christian must understand both of these things both the goal the conquering of the kingdom and also the means humility meekness.

If you can embrace both of these then you will reign with Christ. Those who suffer with him will be glorified with him as it says in Romans 8. In this passage Jesus makes his entrance into Jerusalem. He signifies what kind of king he is by riding on a donkey like us to consider that.

So it says here in verse 28. And when he had said these things he went on Ahead going up to Jerusalem when he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount which is called all of it. He sent two of the disciples saying go into the village in front of you.

We're on entering. You'll find a colt tied on which no one has ever sat untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you why are you untying it? You shall say this the Lord has need of it. So he's entering Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is where he's going to claim his crown as king. He had just spoken in this previous parable about how about a man Who had gone to take a kingdom for himself? Clearly he is talking about himself.

All the disciples are ready. He is about to go into Jerusalem and take the kingdom for himself. So there's this question. What kind of king will he be? He explains this through the donkey. He gives his disciples particular instructions.

He tells them that they will go into a village this village up ahead. They will find a colt a donkey that has never been ridden on. They're supposed to ask for if they're questioned they're supposed to respond that the Lord has need of it and Then they are supposed to bring it back and he will enter on this donkey and as he enters it says.

So those it says and as they were in tying the colt its 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 throwing their cloaks. On the colt they set Jesus on it and as he rode along they spread their cloaks on the road.

First Jesus is signifying that he is the Messiah. He's doing this in a couple of different ways. He's first doing this showing that he is a king. Even the notion of a donkey is a kingly thing. You see this in the Old Testament and the judges in the book of Judges.

There are these different judges. Judges are kind of like kings that don't rule over the whole land. That's what you're supposed to imagine. A judge is in our country. Judging is a the. The judicial branch is a different branch than the executive branch.

So we think of these as Fulfilling complementary functions. This is not historically how judges have been regarded and judges are lesser Kings. They are like princes and Kings are higher judges. In fact, if you go and you read old literature about government.

You read theological works trying to help you understand the Bible's view of kings and governors. It talks about lesser judges to describe things like governors or mayors. They're lesser judges the king being the highest judge in the whole land.

So Different judges that you have in the book of Judges often had donkeys. Judges 10 for there is a judge named named Jair who has 30 sons with 30 donkeys. In judges 1214, there's a judge named Abdon who has 70 sons with 70 donkeys and.

These are pictures of how much power they have. How not only are they rulers? But their sons are all rulers as well having these donkeys. Why else would it bother mentioning that they have donkeys. The idea is that they have they have this.

The steed that while it is Described as lowly in this passage is something that is associated with rulership in first Kings 133. David in order to declare Solomon as king has him set but if it is mule and rides him in.

So.

This is associated with several different passages and not only that but even the authority to take a donkey from someone else. Is a kingly kind of authority in 1st Samuel chapter 8. When? When Samuel is preparing the people?

To have a king over them. And he's describing the kind of authority that the king will have. One of the things he mentions is that he'll take your donkeys from you. And this is precisely what Jesus is doing.

He's taking a donkey from someone. He has the kingly authority to conscript a donkey and moreover He is one. Who is the Lord? Notice that it says you shall say this the Lord has need of it. Not my Lord has need of it, but the Lord has need of it.

There's not even a clear explanation of who the Lord is. Perhaps the man is supposed to imagine that God himself is requiring it. Indeed we have a lot of clarity in the New Testament that Jesus himself is God but even in the Old Testament the Messiah is described as one who is not only.

A.

Man, but one who has divine authority one who is One who is God come the one who is Emmanuel God with us. So even in the Old Testament they had an anticipation the Messiah would be one who is not only kingly but one who has Divine authority one who is in a sense God himself.

It's only in the New Testament that we see how true or how complete that sense is that he truly is God. In this passage that is alluded to by this incident John 12 15 quotes precisely. This is talking about Zechariah 9 9.

This is the prophecy of the Messiah that even the Jews at the time recognized Zechariah 9 9 prophesied the coming Messiah which as we read in the call to worship says this. Rejoice greatly o daughter of Zion shout aloud o daughter of Jerusalem behold your king is coming to you.

Righteous and having salvation is he humble and mounted on a donkey on a colt the foal of a donkey. So he is coming in this displays that he is a king displays. He has divine authority. It shows that he is the Messiah.

He is the Messiah, but what kind of King what kind of Messiah will he be? Jesus is answering this very explicitly in the way that he is going about this notice that he is speaking Not just as a king but as a prophet.

First of all, he tells the future. He says that they will find a donkey when they go into the city. Not only will they find a donkey. But it will be a donkey that has never been sat on by the way. This is very intentional in Zechariah 9 9 in Hebrew or in your English translation.

It just talks about a young donkey. But if you were reading the Greek translation of scripture that was common at the time of Jesus talks about a new donkey in other Words a donkey that's never been sat on so Jesus by specifically telling them that it's a new donkey.

But it's a donkey that's never been sat on. He's letting them know that he is fulfilling this prophecy. So not only does he tell them that it will be a donkey that's never been sat on. He also tells them that they may be asked whether or not.

They may be asked about taking it and that the owner will give it to them. Indeed. The owner does give them the donkey. So he speaks as a prophet. Predicting the future but he is also speaking up as a prophet interpreting the words of God.

Remember in the Bible a prophet when they prophesy they are not just telling the future. They are often explaining the very words of God and this is precisely what Christ is doing. So he is taking Zechariah 9 9 and he is letting everyone know this applies to me.

These words of the Lord they apply to me. He is the king who will come in Riding on donkey and so he is telling them what kind of king he is. He is giving them. He is communicating to them. He is speaking prophetically.

Interpreting the situation telling them what kind of king he will be. He will be a humble king. He will be one that conquers by Humility. His entrance into victory is by humility. That does not mean that he is Permanently marked by humility, but his entrance into the kingdom his Beginnings of the kingdom are marked by.

Humility.

Humility is necessary. Is necessary for Christ to save by humility. He has been born a man. This is one of the marks of his humility. Recall that he being God did not have to be born a man. What what is man.

As the psalmist says man is a lowly creature. Being made lower than the angels now Christ having Won our salvation it has been exalted high above the angels. But in being born he is made for a little while lower than the angels but this was necessary in order for him to redeem humanity.

As It says in Hebrews 2 he did not come to save angels. The fact that he came to save man that made Meant that he needed to be made like us lower than the angels.

Then.

Beyond that he is born in a low condition. Heavers to also explains that this is necessary nor that be he be a high priest who is able to sympathize with us in our weakness. This also was necessary in order for our salvation.

Beyond that he's born under the law apart from being born under the law in Particular all the the laws that God had given to that particular people Christ would not have fulfilled the particular Righteousness that God had required of him in order that he would achieve glorification.

First Corinthians 15 explains if there's a natural body. So also is there a spiritual body the spiritual body referring to a resurrection body? Adam was born with a natural body, but even Adam had something that he was to be accomplishing.

He was supposed to accomplish a Spiritual body. If he had obeyed God, he would have received a glorified state. He did not obey God. He did not receive that Christ has obeyed. Being made under the law and is able to into having having perfectly fulfilled.

The law has earned us glorification. So these being different marks of Christ's humility that he is a his born man and a low condition that he is. He's born under the law and that he died and was put under the ground for some time.

These of course are necessary in order for our forgiveness. If Christ had not born that curse on the tree We would have no hope of salvation. Every single one of us is owed death because of our sin against God we are owed the curse of God.

But Christ has born that and it is through his humility that he has conquered. He has conquered death. He's conquered sin. The enemy's only power is to accuse. He is borrowing power from the judge of the earth.

He has no power on his own but his power is to use God's law against God's people and he would say look this one has Violated your law and this is the power that Satan wields as the accuser that name Hasatan.

The Satan means the accuser. He is the accuser. This is the only power he has so Christ in Taking away that power of guilt by forgiving his people is taking away all the power from Satan. He is he is conquering Satan.

He is conquering death. He has conquered through the means of humility and he Invites us into that kingdom. We are likewise called to conquer through humility. Now on one hand the victory has already been accomplished by Jesus Christ.

But he has chosen in his wisdom to not make that victory fully manifest yet at this time. But rather to permit us to undergo this period of time where we await the full manifestation of the kingdom and during that time We are called to follow in his footsteps to carry our cross to conquer through humility.

Now this is something that one can do Joyfully, it may seem like a difficult things to count your comfort as a. And it is a difficult thing in some ways to count your comforts as little and to count God's glory as much.

But those who understand the greatness of the joy set before them just as Christ Anticipated the greatness of the joy set before him.

It is.

Easy it becomes quite possible and even joyful to conquer through humility but the one who only thinks of humility the only one who only thinks of the means and not the end will become Discouraged because what is the Christian life?

It's one failure after another failure after another failure after another failure if you are thinking of humility as Being a handing over of victory if you're not thinking of it as an actual conquering.

And so in order for you to realize that Jesus is not supplanting the notion of conquering with humility, but rather is showing that humility is the means by which he conquers. I Would like you to consider several different illusions that are happening in this passage before that perhaps.

It would be best just to point out the very context of this verse. Consider at the very end of the parable. What did he say at the end of this parable. I tell you that everyone who has more will be given but from the one Who has not even what he has will be taken away.

But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them bring them here and slaughter them before me the context here is not of a King who has supplanted conquering with humility. This is not a king who has said I'm not going to conquer I'm only going to be humble and Perhaps he will even be conquered rather in the context he has made it abundantly clear that he is a conquering king and Paradoxically the means by which he is conquering is going to be humility so to not lose that to not lose the The emphasis of conquering and that conquering is not being supplanted.

Consider these three allusions that this passage is making some of them by The Holy Spirit as He has ordained the nature of history and the events. Some of these more directly by Christ himself as he is the one who has chosen that he will enter by a donkey.

Remember he himself speaking prophetically even acting prophetically. You know many of the prophets a lot of their prophecies were were signs right. Elijah would build things and excuse me Ezekiel would build things and You know, Isaiah was supposed to wear certain things etc.

Right? There are different signs that they're doing. He is speaking prophetically. He's acting prophetically. Telling you about himself and this is what he says says that he's conquering through humility.

But he is indeed conquering the first illusion. It's in Genesis 49 I've gone ahead and written down the pew Bible pages. That is of need for you. So this one is on number 42 page 42. So recall if he is entering into the entering into Jerusalem to take this kingdom.

He's going to sit on David's throne. What is David. David is the king of Judah. So be good to look at Judah himself and the prophecy that Jacob gave of Judah. This is what it says of Judah in Genesis 49 verses 10 through 12 the scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the rulers staff from between his feet until tribute comes to him and To him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Okay, so it describes Judah as Being one who has the scepter. That's the symbol of a king's authority has the ruler staff. Imagine it imagine him sitting on a throne and the staff in between his you know, his legs are here and it's right here.

This is what it's talking about the staff from in between his feet. It is here. It is planted firmly. He has that until tribute that is other nations serving him through Bring in their taxes right until all the people serve him.

He rules until that time. And then it continues to describe him Binding his fold to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine there's a same word by the way, if you're reading a Greek Bible, it'd be the same word and He has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.

His eyes are darker than wine and his teeth whiter than milk. It was describing him as this opulent King. Who's Enjoying the goodness of the earth so much that his eyes are Filling with wine his eyes are don't think like red with drunkenness.

But that you know, there's a meter of wine going up such as his eyes are even filled with it. They are dark because he is he is so full of. He has conquered so much and has so much goodness from the earth.

This is also very similar to Isaiah 56 1. Isaiah 56 1.

Speaks of.

The Messiah saying this way who is this who comes from Edom. Edom being an enemy people? But it's also a word that means red. Who is this who comes from Edom. All his all his Garments are drenched with blood.

It is like he is stained with wine. It's describing his victory and it talks about his eyes being red with it. Isaiah 56. Alluding to this passage also the Messiah being one who is who has trampled his enemies like you would Trample grapes in a winepress.

That's a image that's used several times in Scripture even in Revelation of Jesus. So this is describing him as a conquer. The scepter does not depart from his feet and when he says that he is going to go sit on a colt.

He's not just alluding to Zechariah 9 9. He's also alluding to Genesis 49 11 That he is the king of Judah. He has the donkey's colt now. If you continue on look at the next passage that I'd like you to consider 2nd Kings beginning in verse 9 or excuse me 2nd Kings beginning in chapter 9.

That's on page.

315 now this rather than being.

At least as we see in Scripture rather than being by Christ's Instigation or prompting rather by the Holy Spirit's these people end up Putting their garments on the colt. They end up putting their garments on the ground so that he can walk across them.

That's maybe a scene that you've seen a few times in movies that people will do this for a king. It's not a scene that happens frequently in the Bible. In fact, there's only one other time that really stands out as being a similar kind of occasion where people put their garments on the ground in order for the king to walk over them and that is this very striking image of.

Jehu.

So in 2nd Kings chapter 9 What has happened at this point is that Ahab is the king of Israel. Judah and Israel are separate at this time. Ahab has been a very wicked King. He has passed but he has passed on the kingdom and his son is wicked and it's just been.

Israel has gotten worse than it is really ever gotten before this. It's very wicked Kingdom through the influence of the very wicked King Ahab. If you are Struggling to remember who Ahab is he's the one who stole the vineyard away from Naboth.

Okay, so this is a king who takes property away from his own people. All kinds of all kinds of things have Wicked things have happened through Ahab. Lots of worship of Baal God through Elijah anoints Jehu as king in order to cleanse this northern kingdom of Israel and.

I.

Would like you to walk you through this. I'm going to Point out some of these verses, but I'm also going to just rely because this is several chapters long. I'm going to be relying a lot on the titles of the section headings in the ESV.

So even though they aren't scripture themselves know that they are a fairly faithful summary of each section here so in verse 13 of 2nd Kings chapter 9 after he has been anointed king by Elisha and Others have realized when others finally realized that this has happened that he has been anointed king.

Says then in haste every man of them took his garments and put it under him on the bare steps. And they blew the trumpet and proclaimed Jehu is king. So this is the this is the most direct Comparison we have to anything like what we see in Luke 19 where the garments are being spread out so that Jesus can Can traverse over them?

This is the this is the only thing we have really that's so similar and It is Jehu an incredibly striking picture of a conquering king. So what does he do given that he's been given the kingdom over Ahab and Ahab's line?

Well, the first thing he does is assassinate as you can see in the ESV's titles. He assassinates Joram Joram being the The descendant of Ahab who sits on the throne of Israel. So first thing he does is kill the king.

Well, what about a has I as I as I a being the king of Judah why does he kill the king of Judah? Well, he kills the king of Judah because that king of Judah has allied with them and in fact Isaiah is the grandson of Ahab because there was a marriage alliance formed before this and so Isaiah is a being a descendant of Ahab.

There is some possibility that he could actually take over the the kingdom of Israel. There's there's an attempt to reunite these people not through the worship of God as they were supposed to but rather through marriage.

And this has not served to purify the nation of Israel rather. It's served to sully the nation of Judah. So He kills the king of Israel and he kills the king of Judah. Then he goes on and he kills Jezebel Ahab's Ahab's wife you see that in Their beginning in verse 30 then after that in chapter 10, he slaughters Ahab's descendants.

He kills all his descendants. He he makes sure that there's no one who is able to sit on the throne this is a complete victory, right? This is a complete conquering. No chance that Ahab's line can ever come back because he kills all of them and in describing this.

This is one of the I I keep using the word striking but really this this particular scene has always struck me and it's always really uh, I Wish that more of my life looked like this, you know desiring to do difficult and great things for the sake of For the sake of the purity of God's kingdom.

Second Kings 10 verse 15 and when he departed from there He met Jehonadab the son of Rechab. Coming to meet him and he greeted him and said to him is your heart true to my heart as mine is to yours and Jehonadab answered it is Jehu said if it is give me your hand.

So he gave him his hand and Jehu took him took him up with him into his chariot. Okay, so he's inviting his friend into his chariot. Why why would you do that going into battle? And he said come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.

He wants him to see his zeal for the Lord. So he had him riding his chariot and when he came to Samaria He struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria till he had wiped them out according to the word the Lord of The Lord that he had spoke to Elijah so Jehu comes in and destroys every last person who is loyal to Ahab all of Ahab's descendants and Then after that he strikes down the prophets of Baal.

He first tells them that he's actually going to serve Baal more than Ahab did and so he gathers all the prophets together because he wants to make a big sacrifice to Baal and then once he's got them all in together, then he Essentially locks the doors and has everyone go in and slaughter all the prophets of Baal.

And so this is how he purifies the people so Count this all together. He's he's killed the king of Israel. He's killed the king of Judah kills Jezebel. He kills all they have descendants he kills all the prophets of Baal.

He is conquering conquering conquering conquering and What is his entrance into the kingdom? When he is first anointed as king. People spreading art out their garments in order for him to walk over them when the people are doing this and Jesus accepts it.

He does not object to what they are doing. They know what they are doing. They are treating him as a king like Jehu. He is going to be this conquering King. Jesus acknowledges that he is going to be this conquering King.

He sits on the donkey, even though the donkey has the the garments on it that they have placed there. Next like you to consider Zechariah 14. Zechariah 14 which of course has some relation to this passage because it's in Zechariah and the Zechariah 9 9 about the donkey.

Behold your king is coming to you humble and mounted on a donkey. There's some connection there and that it's a nearby passage, but there's something more notice that when Jesus Makes this announcement when Jesus tells them to go fetch the donkey.

He is telling them this. While he arrives at the Mount of Olives he has chosen this particular place. To tell them this and to go in while they're on The Mount of Olives the Mount of Olives is significant.

It's not just significant by New Testament prophecy. It is significant by Old Testament prophecy. Consider what Zechariah 14 5 through 4 says and Jesus knows this he knows his Old Testament. He knows what he is doing when he decides to make this announcement on the Mount of Olives.

On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east. That's exactly what Jesus is doing. He's on the Mount of Olives just before he goes into Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from the east to the west by a Very wide valley so that one half of the mount shall move northward the other half southward and you shall flee to the valley shall flee to the valley of my mountains for the valley of the mountain shall reach to Azal and you shall flee as you fled From the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah.

Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him talks about when the Lord arrives. Coming he's gonna start at the Mount of Olives, and he's gonna bring all his angels with him. You know just like says elsewhere that he could call legion.

He could call a myriad of angels to assist him. This is what? This is one of the illusions. It's happening here. It goes on in verse 9 of Zechariah 14. And the Lord will be king over all the earth on that day the Lord will be one in his name one.

So describes the Lord Descending from the Mount of Olives God himself becoming the king of the people. Verse 10. The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimman south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate to the corner gate and From the Tower of Hananel to the king's wine presses and it shall be inhabited for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction.

Jerusalem shall dwell in security. And This shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot while they are standing on their feet.

Their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongues will rot in their mouths. And on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them so that each will seize the hand of another and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other.

Even Judah will Fight at Jerusalem and the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected gold silver and garments in great abundance. And a plague like the plague shall fall on the horses the mules the camels the donkeys and whatever beasts may be in those camps.

Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the king. This is describing the Lord becoming king. They're all going to worship him year after year.

The Lord of hosts and to keep the feast of booths. And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the king the Lord of hosts there will be no rain on them. And If the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves then on them there shall be no rain.

There shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the feast of booths. This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the feast of booths.

The feast of booths being that which celebrates God's provision for people while they're in the wilderness. We are right now in the wilderness. Awaiting to go into the promised land that he has prepared for us.

And this is what he has said when he comes as king that he will Destroy all those who are not willing to celebrate the feast of booths who are not willing to engage in that wandering in that. In that dwelling not calling this place your own Jesus by standing on the Mount of Olives when he makes this announcement right before he comes in to be declared king.

What is he doing? He is not just saying that he is the king of Zechariah 9 9. He is saying that he is the Lord of Zechariah 14. He is not just the one humble Mounted on a donkey. He is the conqueror of chapter 14.

So Christ is Conquering through humility. He is not conquering apart from any notion of humility and he is not humble without Any sense of conquering rather? He is a great conquer. He is.

A.

Accomplishing his purposes even even violently in some of this imagery. But through the means of humility and this is what he calls you to today. He calls you to suffer with him in order that you may also be glorified with him.

What you need is to be able to embrace both of these truths both the conquering and the means by which the conquering happens. The humility first there's the real humility. You need a real humility. What is real humility look like?

First of all, it looks like actually serving the Lord. There are many people who think that they will find their success their victory by Whatever means that they see fit. They'll go about end up. You know pursuing some kind of career that's going to give them wealth and status.

Pursue their own pleasures and this is going to put them in some place of exaltation. But death is coming for every single man and apart from an answer for the grave apart from a hope of resurrection.

You will be humbled. It is not your path to exaltation. It is your path to a further kind of humility than any kind that Christ calls you into. It is rather an eternal shame that you must bear if you were not to serve him.

You must serve Jesus Christ another kind of humility a Real humility is a can an eager confession of your sin. Rather than going about in pride trying to hide all your sins. That need rather to be made known should eagerly confess your sin.

You should have a Non-pragmatic you should have a principled view of God's law rather than a pragmatic one. What does the person do who thinks that the goal is to conquer and doesn't understand the means?

That the means is humility. They'll engage in all kinds of pragmatism. They'll understand the priorities of the Lord. Okay, the Lord wants the gospel to go forward. But then if they don't understand the means is humility.

The means is the Word of the cross.

They will.

Downplay sin, they will downplay repentance. They will up play those blessings that are in the Bible and they will by their pragmatism End up giving a false gospel and ultimately harm the kingdom. People understand that God wants peace they understand that was one of his priorities and if they go for their own means.