Crossing Back Across the Kidron

Kongsvinger Lutheran Church

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:10

Welcome to the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church. Kungsvinger is a beacon for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of northwestern,

00:18

Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone.

00:25

And now here's a message from Pastor Chris Roseberg. The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke chapter 19 verses 28 through 40.

00:34

When Jesus had said these things he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem And when they drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the mount that is called

00:41

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 yet sat untie it and bring it here

00:52

If anyone asks you why are you untying it? You shall say this the Lord has need of it

00:57

So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them and as they were Untying the colt its owners said to them.

01:04

Why are you untying the colt and they said? The Lord has need of it and they brought it to Jesus throwing their cloaks on the colt

01:12

They set Jesus on it And as he rode along they spread their cloaks on the road and as he was drawing near already on the way

01:19

Down the Mount of Olives the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and to praise

01:24

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

01:31

Lord Peace in heaven and glory in the highest and some of the Pharisees and the crowd said him teacher rebuke your disciples

01:38

And he said well, I tell you if these were silent the very stones would cry out. This is the gospel of the

01:43

Lord Grace mercy and peace to you from God our

01:48

Heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of his Holy Spirit You may be seated Has it ever bugged you that like the first Sunday in Advent like the first reading every year?

02:01

It's always the same one It's the Palm Sunday reading and you sit there and go didn't we do that on Palm Sunday?

02:08

Why are we doing that on Advent one? It doesn't seem to make any sense So I kind of did what pooh bear likes to do

02:15

I went to my thinking spot and got think think think and then I realized wait a second My son is a film student and I realized oh wait, you know what?

02:23

This is this is a nonlinear Storytelling kind of thing going on here. Let me explain.

02:29

Have you have you ever done any Netflix binging? Now now I know Don likes to binge watch

02:35

Netflix one show at a time one show per night We're not sure if that's binging or not, but I'm just saying

02:44

Told you I was gonna do that But here's the idea is that if you've watched some of those shows on Netflix sometimes you get an episode where the story begins like Far down the line and then all of a sudden they go back in time to tell you how you got to this point

03:01

You know I'm saying this is a nonlinear Storytelling kind of thing and so the idea here is as we begin the new church year advent we're preparing for to celebrate the birth of our

03:13

Savior Jesus Christ and it begins just about near the end

03:21

To remind us of something important and then as I was doing some research and pondering doing more the pooh bear thing think think think

03:28

Think I realized you know what? There's a little bit more we can go back in time to figure out to connect this account of Jesus's triumphal entry

03:39

Into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday and so if you were we're gonna pick up a couple of passages in the Old Testament First one just by way of starting point first Samuel first Samuel chapter 8 and I'm gonna start at verse 4

03:52

We're just gonna pick a little bit up from here and note a few things here This is the time before Israel had a king and Samuel the

04:00

Prophet Samuel the first prophet and the last judge of Israel You think about how appropriate that is because when you fast -forward in time

04:08

John the Baptist who will be hearing from next week He was the last prophet and the first evangelist kind of an interesting thing

04:15

But here the last of the judges and the first of the prophets is

04:20

Going to be confronted with the fact that the children of Israel no longer want to be a nation without a king

04:25

And so it says this in verse 4 of chapter 8 of 1st Samuel Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and they came to Samuel at Rama and said to him behold you are old

04:37

Nothing good is gonna come next. I'm just saying if you're gonna start off a conversation that way, you know Behold, you are old your sons do not walk in your ways.

04:44

So appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations but this thing displeased

04:50

Samuel and When they said give us a king to judge us and so Samuel prayed to the Yahweh and Yahweh said to him obey the voice of the people and all that they say to you for they have not rejected you

05:03

But they have rejected Me from being king over them

05:10

Note that it's kind of not just the thing about Israel That's what we've all done

05:16

When we disobey God's commands when we sin and thought word and deed

05:21

We're rejecting Christ as king and exalting ourselves as king or worse submitting ourselves to the despotic dictatorship of the devil himself now

05:35

Fast forward just to look a little bit 2nd Samuel chapter 15 This is where the type in shadow lives the type in shadow so now

05:46

Saul is dead David is now king of all of Israel and We learn in the preceding chapters to this one that David has a very arrogant very ambitious son who has devices on Becoming the king himself so much.

06:04

So that he's let's just say killing his father and Engaging in a coup d 'etat are not off the table.

06:11

That's how wicked this fellow is And his name is Absalom and Absalom if you would I think in the story kind of typifies

06:19

Humanity's rebellion against the one true King now think of it this way Jesus is the son of David He sits on the throne of David and he will be on that throne forever and ever and ever and ever and so Here David It's kind of a stand -in for Christ and the rejection that we're going to see the coup d 'etat that takes place is so Indicative so quintessential of our own rebellion against God that it's actually kind of frightening and scary

06:48

And as we work our way through this we're gonna note here that in the face of this rebellion

06:53

David is going to leave Jerusalem and the geography becomes Very important to understand our gospel text because if you're familiar with Jerusalem now,

07:04

I've never been there I always travel there with other people's vacation photos but when you get if you were to be in Jerusalem and you were on the

07:11

Mount of Olives the Mount of Olives is higher than Mount Moriah Mount Moriah is where the temple mount is and at the very place where Isaac was going to be sacrificed by Abraham Sits the dome of the rock that big golden dome thing on the temple mount

07:26

So keep that in mind, but between the two mountains Mount of Olives and Mount Moriah.

07:31

There's a little valley It's called the Kidron Valley Watch the directions.

07:37

It's fascinating. So here's the story after this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses 50 men to run before him

07:46

Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate and when any man had a dispute to come before the king for Judgment Absalom would call to him and say hey from what city are you and then he would say well your servant is from such

08:00

And such a tribe in Israel and so Absalom would say to him. Well, I I see your claims are good and right but there is no man designated by the king to hear you and Then Absalom would say oh if only

08:14

I were the judge in the land And so you'll note that he's picking off people as they're coming into Jerusalem Looking for the kingdom judge in their favor, you know, because remember in those days there was no separation between Legislative branch the executive branch and the judicial branch all of the branches got smooshed into one guy

08:33

And so Absalom here is slanderously claiming. Oh my father. He cares nothing about his judicial responsibilities

08:41

He's totally shirking them. He doesn't care a thing about you, but I do I do I do

08:46

I really do Oh, if only I were the judge But alas, I am NOT and you can see what's going on, right?

08:54

It's quite the clever plot. And of course all of the people he's doing this with are falling for it in spades so Absalom would say oh if I only

09:03

I were the judge then every man with a dispute or cause Might come to me and I would give him justice

09:09

And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him He would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him.

09:16

Oh boy. This guy's buttering them up, right? So thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment

09:22

And so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel and now the coup d 'etat is on and note

09:29

He wants his dad dead. So at the end of four years Absalom said to the king Please let me go and pay my vow which

09:37

I have vowed to Yahweh and Hebron and oh, isn't it funny this the coup d 'etat Is now gonna officially come out in the open and he's putting on the pretense of doing religious spiritual stuff

09:47

I'm gonna go and pay my vow to God I'm so religious and stuff like that and the guy's as murderous as the devil himself

09:54

So your servant I vowed a vow while I lived at Gashur and Aram saying if Yahweh would indeed bring me back to Jerusalem then

10:01

I then I will offer worship to Yahweh and so the king said to him well go in peace So he arose and went to Hebron but Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel saying as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet then say

10:16

Absalom is king in Hebron and with Absalom went 200 men from Jerusalem who were invited guests and they went in their innocence and knew nothing and While Absalom was offering the sacrifices he sent for a hypothel of the

10:33

Gilead night David's counselor from his city of Gilo and the conspiracy grew strong and the people with Absalom kept increasing and The messenger came to David saying the hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom Then David said to all of his servants who were with him at Jerusalem arise

10:52

Let us flee or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom go quickly lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword and You'll note here

11:06

That in the face of this type of coup d 'etat and direct rebellion David recognizes that he is in an untenable position and that if he stays in Jerusalem Not only will he die but many people who try to defend them would die as well

11:21

And so he is going to decide very shortly here and you'll see this To leave Jerusalem and the route that he takes is quite important so Text continues the king's servants said to the king behold your servants

11:36

They're ready to do whatever my lord the king decides so the king went out and all of his household after him the king left ten concubines to keep the house and the king went out and all the people after him and they halted at the last house and all of His servants passed by him and all the

11:51

Karathites and the Pellethytes and the six hundred get tights who had followed him from Gath Passed on before the king and then the king said to it tie the get tight.

11:59

Why are you also? Why also do you go with us go back and stay with the king for you're a foreigner and also an exile

12:06

From your home you came only yesterday and shall I today make you wander about with us since I go

12:12

I know not where Go back and take your brothers with you and may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you but it

12:20

I answered the king as Yahweh lives and as my lord the king lives wherever my lord the king shall be whether for death or for life

12:28

There also will your servant be so David said to it I go then pass on so it tied the get tight passed on with all of his men and the little ones who were with him

12:37

And the land wept aloud as all the people passed by and the king crossed the brook

12:46

Kidron and all the people passed on toward the wilderness and Abia Thar came up and behold

12:53

Zadok Zadok's a priest came also with the Levites bearing the Ark of the Covenant of God and they set down the

13:00

Ark of God until the all the people had passed out of the city and then the king said to Zadok carry The Ark of God back into the city if I find favor in the eyes of Yahweh He will bring me back and let me see both it and its dwelling place

13:12

But if he says I have no pleasure and you behold I here I am Let him do to me what seems good to him.

13:18

And so the king also said to Zadok the priest Are you not a seer go back to the city in peace with you and your two sons

13:26

Ahmad and your son Jonathan the son of Abia Thar See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me

13:36

So Zadok and Abia Thar carried the Ark of God back to Jerusalem and they remained there

13:41

But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives weeping as he went

13:49

Barefoot with his head covered and all the people who were with him covered their heads and they went up weeping as they went so note

14:00

The rebellion is in full force The king has deposed He's on the run as a fugitive and the route that he takes in the face of this very imminent threat

14:11

Is across the Kidron Valley and up the ascent of the

14:17

Mount of Olives Fast forward to our text today

14:26

Luke 19 When Jesus had said these things he went on ahead going up to Jerusalem the son of David is coming back to Jerusalem But the rebellion is still on and humanity is still under the grip in the dominion of the devil

14:46

The devil is overthrown Jerusalem is toppled Rome gone

14:52

Babylon crushed There is no place that is not under the domineering control of the dark

15:01

Lord of darkness And here Jesus Unlike David David fled

15:10

Jerusalem in order to save his life Now the king returns

15:17

And he doesn't return to conquer not in the way we think of conquering What David was unable to do lay down his life

15:24

Jesus is able to do The son of David now comes to Jerusalem and he takes the same route that David took but only backwards

15:36

Not to live not to save himself but to die and To die as the rightful

15:44

King and we can see the strains of rebellion in this but listen when we as we read

15:50

So when Jesus drew near to Bethpage and Bethany at the Mount that is called Olivet He sent two of the disciples saying go into the village in front of you

15:59

We're on entering you will find a colt tied on which no one has ever yet sat untie it and bring it here

16:05

And if anyone asks you why are you untying it you shall say this? The Lord has need of it

16:14

Christ owns the cattle on a thousand hills there is nothing that you can see taste smell or touch that does not belong to him and You'll note that coming into Jerusalem He comes in poor needy humble on a beast of burden not only a beast of burden, but a borrowed beast of burden

16:34

He didn't even have one of his own And that telegraphs something to us

16:41

Jesus is not here to conquer us He's not here to harm us

16:47

He's here to serve us to bleed for us to die for us even while we were yet under the grip and dominion of darkness

16:58

So those who were sent away Found it just as he had told them as they were untying the colt its owners said to them

17:05

Why are you untying the colt and they said the Lord has need of it And so they brought it to Jesus throwing it their cloaks on the colt

17:12

They set Jesus on it And as he rode along they spread their cloaks on the road and as he was drawing near already on the way down the

17:21

Mount of Olives the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and Praise God with a loud voice

17:30

You'll note that when David was leaving when he was climbing the ascent of the Mount of Olives the people were weeping

17:37

But here comes the king now he's riding back into Jerusalem and rather than weeping they are rejoicing

17:45

This story is the exact opposite of what we read in 2nd

17:51

Samuel There they are rejoicing praising God with the loud voice

17:56

For all the mighty works that they had seen and they had seen just recently like the day before Jesus raised

18:03

Lazarus from the dead. They had seen this preacher and teacher from Galilee he was the one who opened the eyes of the blind made it so the deaf can hear he even raised the dead and These mighty works that he did signaled that he was coming to rescue us not to judge us

18:23

To set us free. So they praised

18:29

God because of the mighty works that they had seen saying blessed is the king

18:36

Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord peace in heaven and glory in the highest

18:44

Oh in those Pharisees who were in league with the devil They couldn't bear to hear

18:51

Jesus proclaimed as king And so what do they do they get in Jesus's face teacher rebuke your disciples tell them to be quiet We will hear none of this kingship stuff here

19:06

Jesus says well If they didn't didn't cry out if they were silent then

19:12

I hate to break it to you This creation that I made if they were silent it would cry out that I'm the king

19:20

In other words stuff it Right, this king will not be bullied

19:29

This king will not be put in his place This king has come to conquer. And so here's the idea this first Advent Sunday we are getting ready to consider and ponder and meditate on this fact that the baby is being born to us a

19:47

Baby who will be called mighty God the everlasting father the prince of peace

19:54

And you cannot understand the manger until you understand the cross What David fled from Christ rides straight into he did not

20:10

Shirk away from death David had to save his skin and Jesus laid his skin down let it be beaten and whipped and flogged and He bled and suffered and died

20:24

So that you and I could live praise

20:30

God that the king has ridden back into Jerusalem And he's done it for you, and he's done it for me.

20:37

Huzzah. I Save us

20:48

Lord in the name of Jesus Amen, if you would like to support the teaching ministry of kungsvinger lutheran church

21:01

You can do so by sending a tax -free donation to kungsvinger lutheran church 159 5 0 470th

21:10

Avenue Northwest Oslo, Minnesota 567 4 4 and again that address is kungsvinger lutheran church 159 5 0 470th

21:24

Avenue Northwest Oslo, Minnesota 5 6 7 4 4 We thank you for your support

21:31

All of our teaching messages may be freely distributed as long as you do not edit or change the content of the message and again