Who Is That Guy?

Luke 19:28-44 

Palm Sunday, April 13, 2003

CBC Bishop

In a nutshell: The evidence that Jesus is God and came to save people from sin is overwhelming. It forces a decision-to accept Him, reject Him or Keep seeking Him.

I. Introduction

A. Sailing story

Several years ago, Diane and I had the opportunity to spend the 4th of July weekend with a doctor and his family who were part of our church in Scottsdale. He had just purchased part ownership in a large sail boat that was harbored in San Diego. So, he invited us along to be part of his crew.

There was one experience I remember quite vividly from that trip. As we were leisurely sailing in San Diego bay, on the afternoon of the 4th, a large navy destroyer came steaming into the harbor. Now, there were quite a few boats in the bay on that day, but that naval ship didn't seem to care. It just came barreling into the bay and headed for where it was going to dock.

Seeing this, our doctor friend began shouting orders to all of us on board his boat. He gave orders to raise sails, pull on ropes, and crank winches so he could steer our sail boat to one side of that huge ship. And we weren't the only ones who were doing this. About a dozen other boats had to decide to veer off to one side or the other as that huge destroyer made its way into port.

I distinctly remember that nobody played chicken with the Navy that morning. Nobody simply remained stationary to force the Naval ship to make a course change. And as you can imagine, the naval ship never flinched off it's course. Every boater on the bay that afternoon had to make a choice to sail on one side or the other of that ship.

B. Have to decide

Well, that's a lot like the first Palm Sunday, when Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey. Jesus Christ is very similar to that naval ship we encountered in San Diego bay.

You see, for nearly 2000 years of human history, the person of Jesus Christ has driven head on into the face of the human race. The person of Jesus Christ has been forcing people to one side or the other of a very important issue...literally requiring people to make a choice about who He is.

C. Day of Reckoning taught in the Bible

One of the clearest teachings in the Bible is the teaching about a "day of reckoning" at the end of time. All of humanity, the Bible says, will be divided on that day, into one of two camps...

1. In the one camp there will be those people who acknowledged the person of Jesus Christ as the forgiver of their sins and the leader or Lord of their life. They staked their eternal destinies on that belief.

2. In the other camp, will be those who ignored or resisted or rebelled against Jesus. Those people staked their eternal destinies on any one of a number of other options given by other religions, or philosophies or even their own deductions.

But the point the Bible makes is that everybody will have to make a choice about Jesus.

D. Transition

Today, is what the church for centuries has called, Palm Sunday. It's called that because when Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, less than a week before his crucifixion, the crowds waved palm branches and laid palm branches down on the ground to form a "green carpet", to welcome Him into the city. It was much like the symbolic "red carpet" that's rolled out for dignitaries at special events in our country today.

And it's clear as I study the Scriptures that this was a turning point for many who stood in the crowd that day. Most of the people who had been sort of floating in the middle of the bay up until then, made their choice about Jesus. -Some decided to follow Jesus as Lord and God, -while others decided He needed to be crucified. But the fact remained, that no one stayed in the middle.

And I believe this story will challenge each one of us in a similar way, today. Because as we are confronted with His claims, we are going to have to choose one side or the other.

II. 1st Basic Question

If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn to the book of Luke...chapter 19. This morning, I want to answer 2 basic questions. They're on your note sheet, if you want to take notes. The first of these questions is this, "What is it about Jesus that divides people?"

A. Not His Existence

Well, I'll tell you one thing that it isn't. It isn't the fact that He existed. His existence is a part of the historical record. The Encyclopedia Britannica lists Him as a bona fide first-century historical personality, and calls him the founder of the Christian faith.

On the Internet you will find thousands of pages devoted to the historical Jesus.

The truth is, people don't generally divide over the existence of Jesus. The historical fact of His existence is hardly ever disputed.

B. Not His Basic Teaching

I'll tell you another thing that doesn't divide people about Jesus. It isn't His basic teaching that forces people to take sides. By that I mean, most people generally have a deep respect for Jesus because of what He taught. Many people call Him the greatest moral teacher who ever lived. And many people who don't even give a rip about Christianity are still supportive of the basic principles that Jesus taught. So, it's not His basic teaching that forces people to make choices for or against Him. So what is it?

C. The Problem

It's simply this... -He claimed to be God's son, -the Savior of the world, -the only One worthy of all worship, and -the only One through whom a person can find forgiveness for sin , and eternal life with God in heaven. That's what sends people flying to one side of the issue or the other. With that in mind, let's look at Luke's account of the first Palm Sunday, in...

Luke 19:35-38 35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

When Jesus climbed on that colt, and began moving towards Jerusalem, He was sending an unmistakable message about His identity. One of the best known prophecies in that day concerning the coming of the Messiah came from...

Zechariah 9:9 9 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.

By entering Jerusalem on that colt, Jesus was saying in no uncertain terms: -That prophecy is talking about ME! -I am the Messiah. -I am the Son of God. -I am the Savior of the World! -You can either accept that or reject it, but you can't hang out in the middle anymore.

D. Thread that runs throughout Scripture

This claim to deity is a thread that runs throughout the teachings of Jesus. One time he said, John 14:6 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

A few verses later, he said: John 14:9 9 ...Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

And another time he said in... John 10:30 30 I and the Father are one."

And that was recognized by the Pharisees and religious leaders who were watching this Triumphal Entry. They knew what was going on. They knew what Jesus was claiming. And they wanted Jesus to stop the crowds from worshiping Him. Look at the next verse in your Bibles…

Luke 19:39 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" ...In other words, "Stop this immediately! Only God deserves worship, and we don't believe that you're God. So stop those people from saying that!"

Now, look at how Jesus responds (next verse):

Luke 19:40 40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." ...In other words, "You can try to quiet the crowd, but the praise will just keep on coming. Because even a rock, and anyone with the intelligence of a rock... is smart enough to know who I am!"

Then look at how Dr. Luke puts it in the book of Acts. You can't mistake the claim in...

Acts 4:12 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

It's so clearly taught in the Bible, that it's impossible to miss! Jesus makes the unequivocal claim of being God! And that's what divided the crowd on that first Palm Sunday, and it is that fact that divides people today!

C. S. Lewis put it this way in his great book, Mere Christianity: (front of worship folder) A Man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level of one who says he is a poached egg -or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make the choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit on him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to.

So friends, understand, all throughout history people have been making a choice about Jesus.

Some people have ultimately rejected Jesus and His claims-Others have investigated Jesus' claims of deity, and they have concluded that He is who He said He was: the Son of God and Savior of the world. So they worship Him, follow Him, and they stake their life and their hope for eternity on Him.

Now let me ask you: Which camp are you in today? I mean if Jesus were here today and walked down this center aisle and stood before you, and looked you in the eye and asked you, "Who do you say I am?" ...how would you respond to Him? ...Who would you say He is? Be serious, friends. Because your eternal destiny hangs on how you respond!

III. 2nd Question

Now because this is so important. I want us to think even more deeply about Jesus Christ by answering a second question raised in Luke 19...If it's true that Jesus claimed to be God, is there any evidence to support this claim?

I mean, Jesus rides into town on a colt, which everyone of that day recognized as a clear claim to being the Messiah...So, can He back it up?

A. All Kinds of Messiahs

You see friends, the truth of the matter is, people claim to be Messiahs all the time. Some of you remember when Jim Jones did it; later, David Koresh did it in Waco, Texas. And just a few years ago, a fellow by the name of Marshall Applewhite of the Heaven's Gate group did it in San Diego.

But the real question is: Can any of those people back up their claims? In each of these cases and the cases of thousands of other self-proclaimed "messiahs" through the centuries, the answer was "No." They couldn't back up their claims.

But what about Jesus? Is there evidence to back up His claims? And the answer to that question is "Yes!" In fact, there is boatload of evidence that backs up Jesus' claims of being God in the flesh, and the Savior of the world!

B. Evidence

1. Prophecies

One piece of evidence is found in how Jesus fulfilled ALL the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, including the one in our text, this morning. This would be impossible to do, unless you really are the Messiah.

Illustration: A few years ago, a scientist named Dr. Peter Stoner wrote a book titled Science Speaks. And in it, he calculated the odds of one man in all of history fulfilling the messianic prophecies by chance. He began with just eight prophecies and determined that odds of one man in history fulfilling just those eight were 1 in 10 to the 17th power. The odds of one man fulfilling 48 prophecies were one in 10 to the 157 power. That's a 10 with 157 zeros behind it!

In other words there is no chance of this being an accident. If you think of those prophecies as a fingerprint of the Messiah, Jesus is a perfect match! That degree of fulfilled prophecy adds tremendous credibility to His claims.

2. Miracles

Then there are Jesus' miracles. Even secular historians in that day referred to Jesus' wonder-working power. Wherever Jesus went, people were healed-the lame walked, the blind regained sight, storms were quieted, and 5000 or more people were fed with a sack lunch.

Remember friends, these miracles weren't done in a vacuum. Hundreds and thousands of people saw them and attested to them as eyewitnesses. Even His enemies never denied that Jesus performed miracles. His miracles are well documented. That adds credibility to His claims as well.

3. Raising from the Dead

And next week, on Easter Sunday, we are going to hear about the most compelling evidence of all... A fact that no one can dispute. The fact that the tomb was empty, three days after He died on the cross and was laid, dead, in that grave.

IV. One Last thing

But there is one more piece of information that you need to know. The Jesus who walked through the crowds on that first Palm Sunday is NOT like that naval destroyer we encountered chugging through San Diego Bay on that 4th of July afternoon, several years ago. He is not some impersonal truth that will crush you under its weight!

No, instead He is a personal, loving and compassionate God who's been on an all out search for every person in this room! As He makes His way through this room, towards you and me; and as He settles in on each of our faces-this is what he says: "I love you!!"

When it's all said and done, this is what has tipped the scales for many of us. It's not just the evidence of His deity, or His teaching, or His death on the cross, or His resurrection, but it's the realization that He did all that because He loves me!

You need to know as you get ready to move to one side or the other, just how Jesus-God Himself-feels about you! I've told you many times that my favorite verse in the Bible is John 3:16. This is why it's my favorite. It tells me of the full extent of God's love for me... John 3:16 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Friends, you need to know that Jesus is here today! And as He makes His way through this crowd, He is looking for you! And when He settles in on your face in this crowd, He'll look you in the eye and call you by name, and say...

"I, Jesus, the God of the universe, love you. -no matter who you are, -what you've done, -where you've been, -how much money you have, or -how you have responded to Me so far in your life. And proof of that love, is my death on the cross for you!"

What more do you need to know?

V. Conclusion

Friends, it's time to make a decision, if you've never made it before! What response are you going to make to Jesus, today? In other words, "Who is this Guy?" There are just three possible responses.

A. 1st Response-reject Him

One response is: I'm going to reject Him and the offer He makes to me. You are saying, "I don't care if you love me, I don't love you. Maybe you are who you said you are, maybe there is evidence for it. But I am going to live my life on my own terms. I don't think I need you. I don't want you. I don't believe I need forgiveness. I don't want any help with my life. So, when it comes to eternity, I'll roll the dice, and I'll take my chances."

Many who had gathered along the road on the first Palm Sunday made that choice. Believe me, Jesus won't force Himself on you.

B. 2nd Response

Or there is a second possible option. But let me caution you, this one's only good for a limited time. You could say... "Jesus, You have my attention. But I don't know enough just yet and I am not ready to make a final choice. So I am going to become a seeker. I am going to find out more about you and what you have said. And I am asking you, please, make it very clear to me!"

And friends, Jesus will always answer a prayer like that! And if you visit the table in the foyer, that says, "Tell Me More", we will give you a book that we believe will help you in your seeking!

C. 3rd Response

Or there is a third option: You could accept Him and the offer He makes, by praying a prayer something like this:

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner and I need your forgiveness for my sins. I believe that you died and rose again... for me. I want you to be the forgiver of my sins and the new leader of my life. Thank you for loving me. Amen.

If you've never chosen before, which are you going to choose, today? Before you leave today, don't kid yourself, you will make a choice. Friend, my sincere desire is that you will choose to accept Him today! Amen. 

(If you prayed that prayer, raise your hand)