[Music] let's open our Bibles together to Mark's Gospel chapter 11 I want to take you on a journey today in mark chapter 11 through verses 1 through 11 a portion of Scripture that deals with what has been referred to in two different ways one is the triumphal entry and secondly Palm Sunday because today is Palm Sunday and so as you open your Bibles there and prepare for our study a couple of announcements and then we'll get into our our examination of this passage tonight we do have guests with us with Robert Balto Donald for evening service Jo Holden will be here and it's going to be a great service it's at five o'clock in the chapel and Joe is an apologist and he's going to give a great it's going to be a conversational kind of thing that's taking place it's going to be unusual because it's a bit different than what we normally do on a Sunday night but but if you're able to be with us on a Sunday night tonight I'd invite you to be with us for a evening service we do have on Wednesday a continuation of our series in the Book of Proverbs proverbs is a book that dispenses to us the wisdom of God and I enjoy the book of Proverbs and I'm looking forward to looking at chapter 13 we do have good Friday noon service as well as an evening service you can choose either one or be at both if you can and next next week is Easter as you know and we're going to have change in the the time for second service I sure it's been announced over and over again do it in the event that it wasn't I will fire the one who didn't announce it but we we will have the same time first service it's 8:30 and the second service this service will be starting at 11:00 rather than the regular time of 10:45 which means you'll be on time and that'll be next week only and that's because we have a longer time of worship Easter for us is one of those times that our worship teams will prepare some very special music and I just love I love celebrating the resurrection of Christ especially with the music that will be singing his praise too and so that'll be on Easter Sunday and Easter Sunday is one of the few times many of us will be wearing suits you know and so if you've never seen me in a suit you will see it one time and that's that's next week and then finally we do have our couples retreat it was already announced via the video bulletin we do have some rooms available it's going to be a great retreat and if you're a couple a married couple we invite you to be part of that and we have just a few rooms available and so if you'd like to go I highly recommend that you that you sign up before you leave and we'd love to take you with us to Newport Beach and for the retreat all right here we are a mark chapter 11 Palm Sunday also known as the triumphal entry and what we'll do is our read verses 1 through 6 I'm going to give to you a prolonged introduction and give you different things to think about before we actually develop this study together but as we look at this passage here that deals with Palm Sunday you're going to see one of the most amazing fulfillments of Scripture one of the most amazing prophetic fulfillments that you're gonna find in the New Testament so beginning at verse 1 reading 2 verse 6 mark chapter 11 now when they Jew near Jerusalem - Beth wash and Bethany at the Mount of Olives he sent two of his disciples and said to them go into the village opposite you and as soon as you have entered in entered it you will find a Colt tied on which no has sad loose it and bring it and if anyone says to you why are you doing this say mind your own business no say the Lord has need of it and immediately he will send it here so they went their way and found the Colt tied by the door outside on the street and they loosed it but some of those who stood there said to them what are you doing loosing the Colt they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded so they let him go again this portion of Scripture has been referred to in different ways it's Palm Sunday is also referred to as the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem this is one of those events in the ministry of Christ that is recorded in all four Gospels in Scripture when you read your Bibles you'll discover this in in Scripture there are not many events that are actually recorded in all four Gospels you have Matthew Mark and Luke which are called the synoptic Gospels and then you have John's Gospel Matthew Mark and Luke have a tendency of recording similar events John records different events from a different perspective and so when you begin to look at your Bible you're going to see that there are some events that are recorded in one gospel that may not be recorded in another well what we're looking at is an event that's recorded in all four Gospels now when you read your Bibles you'll discover that some things are recorded on all four for example his baptism Jesus's baptism is found in all four of the Gospels or the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 that particular miracle is found in all four Gospels when Jesus went to Gethsemane that is found in all four Gospels you'll see that his trials and his crucifixion his death is burial his resurrection well those are all found in all four Gospels and this other event this one event that we're looking at today this event is also found in all four Gospels the triumphal entry it's found not only here in mark chapter 11 but it's also found in Matthew 21 in Luke 19 as well as John chapter 12 and this particular event occurs during his last week and this is his last major public appearance before he dies verse 1 tells us that Jesus is entering into Bethpage that was a small village just outside an opposite of the village of Bethany according to John chapter 11 verse 8 Bethany was located two miles outside of Jerusalem so Jesus and his men are now in an area called the Mount of Olives the Mount of Olives is located just east of the city of Jerusalem and he's about to finish the work that he had been sent to perform he's about to lay down his life to redeem the world Jesus made it very clear that he had a purpose there was a reason that he came somebody one time said to me that he thought that that Jesus was somebody who didn't want to die because he enjoyed life so much and when he was there in the Garden of Gethsemane and he was saying if it's possible take this cup from me he said I believe that Jesus was enjoying life so much that he didn't want to to die I don't believe that at all didn't believe it then when I first heard that and I don't believe it now because Jesus knew exactly why he came as a matter of fact he makes it very clear various times as he shares concerning his purpose and all he said this is something that he is that he had come to do he had come to lay his life down in Matthew 18 verse 11 for example jesus said the Son of man has come to save that which was lost in Matthew chapter 20 verse 28 he said the son of man didn't come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many in Luke chapter 19 verse 10 he was speaking to a man by the name of Zacchaeus and he said the son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost so Jesus Christ came with the purpose and it was to lay his life down for the redemption of the world he wasn't murdered he laid his life down voluntarily and he did so as what is referred to in Scripture as a sin offering in John 10 verses 14 and 15 he said it like this he said I am The Good Shepherd I know my sheep my sheep know me just as the father knows me and I know the father and I lay down my life for the Sheep so he knew why he came he came to lay his life down he came to seek and save that which was lost and so somebody said it like this the great saving truth is the doctrine of atonement by substitution without it ministers will keep souls in bondage year after year because they do not proclaim the finished Redemption nor let men know that sin was laid on Jesus that it might be forever removed from the believer one of the problems I'm seeing in the church today and I'll say this briefly it may not be something many in this room realize or even think about but it's something I as a pastor think about one of the things that concerns me greatly today is in many quarters in many church services there is so much emphasis on you having your best day and knowing how good you are that you're not being equipped for works of service we have right now a battle that's going on and I won't spend a lot of time sharing with you about it you're all familiar with it but there's a battle going on it's a battle for the mind and there are various ways that that battle is being fought there are various different things that are being used to undermine your trust in God in his scripture there's just no doubt about that but one of the things that's happening in the church today is people are coming to church not to be taught but to feel and instead of thinking what they're doing is they're emoting and the problem is is the things that are being told to them they may feel good when they walk out but they're not being equipped with works of service and I was listening to something that a great apologist by the name of Ravi Zacharias was saying and Ravi Zacharias is saying one of the things that's a problematic in the church today that people are not realizing is in the way the church is being conducted and the things that are being said from the pulpit it's not equipping the Saints to know how to defend their faith he says and they're not being equipped to be able to speak to those of other faiths and not being equipped to be able to speak to those of the Muslim faith they're not capable of doing that because they're too busy right now being taught things that don't matter to the exclusion of the things that do and that's true that's what's taking place right now the American Church is very weak at the moment though I have great hope that'll rise from its knees and begin to stand the way it's supposed to but that comes through the word of God it doesn't come because I feel good about myself or I felt good when I walked out at that church service it comes because I've been equipped for works of service it comes because I know who Christ is and I know what the Bible teaches concerning him and and Jesus wanted wants us to know that he wants us to know that he came not just to enjoy life but to lay his life down in order that we might be saved you see the Bible teaches very clearly that all mankind is guilty it's guilty of sin in Ecclesiastes in Chapter 7 verse 20 the writer said there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin not a single one there's not one person on the face of the earth who's perfect just the point he's making not one all are guilty of sin according to Romans 3:23 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God they're stunned a single person who is alive who doesn't sin and so we're in need of redemption were in need of salvation we're in need of being rescued so to save us God sent his son to take our place as an atoning sacrifice Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah 53 verse 6 said it like this he said all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all Jesus is about to lay down his life for the sheep voluntarily he said in John 10 17 and 18 therefore my father loves me because I lay down my life that I might take it again no one takes it from me but I lay it down of myself I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again this command I have received from My Father what human being could have killed Jesus if Jesus resisted he laid his life down and so he's come to do that he is now finishing the task that he has been sent to perform so before entering into Jerusalem he stops in a small village named Tibet faj and there he sends two of his disciples out on an errand it says in verse two he said to them go into the village opposite you and as soon as you have entered it you'll find a Colt tied on which no one has sat loose it and bring it and if anyone says to you why are you doing this say the Lord has need of it and immediately he will send it here so he sends them he says going to this village opposite you now Matthew adds a detail found in chapter 22 verse 2 of his gospel and Matthew says that Jesus said you'll find a donkey tied and a Colt with her but Jesus is about to do right now he's about to receive public adulation open worship it's interesting that in the Gospel of Mark up to this time when Jesus had basically discouraged public honor for example in mark chapter 1 verse 44 Jesus had cleansed a leper and after cleansing the leper he spoke to him and said see that you say nothing to anyone but go your way show yourself to the priest offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded as a testimony to them again in mark in Chapter 9 verse 9 at the transfiguration it says as they came down from the mountain he commanded them that they should tell no one the things that they had seen he had been discouraging public recognition and public honour he didn't want them openly promoting him why he was a he was a marked man all the way back to a time when he had healed the paralytic on the Sabbath the Jewish authorities were bent on killing him for that it was common knowledge John 7 1 says after these things Jesus walked in Galilee he did not want to walk in Judea because the Jews the Jewish authorities sought to kill him so in spite of the danger he now determines the enter into Jerusalem his time has arrived and is now proper time for him to receive open honor he gives his disciples a simple order in verse 2 he says you'll find a Colt tied on which no one has sat loose it and bring it so he sends them because he has enemies who are planning to arrest him john 1157 says both the chief priests and the pharisees had given a command that if anyone knew where he was he should report it that they might seize him well he gives his order I want you to notice with me it's a very simple one it's an order that's really not that difficult to obey he simply says loose this colt and bring it if somebody asked what's going on just say that the Lord has need of it he'll let it go now I'm going to say something briefly here as I was preparing this message I thought of it so I added it to my notes I began to think of how often Jesus issued orders or commands to his disciples his followers sometimes we don't realize that Jesus gave many orders to his followers and so as I was thinking about that I saw this very simple order I started to thinking I wonder how many commands we find in the New Testament that Jesus in the Gospels gave to his disciples and so I began to do a little you know research you know I I asked the almighty Google some questions and Google responded and so I began look and I ask the question how many orders did Jesus give how many commands are recorded that Jesus gave and there are various books that are written one book that was written counted some 147 commands another book lists some 125 now the reason there are that many commands found in both of those books is because they would take a command that is found in Matthew if it was repeated in Mark or Luke they would count that so it actually multiplied it into having that kind of number but the majority of the books narrowed the list to somewhere around 50 commands that you can find that were given by Jesus one book had 49 and so as you read your Bible you'll remember these these are commands and as you read your Bible you'll see them for what they are for example in in Matthew 4:17 Jesus commanded everyone to repent that's a command not a suggestion so Jesus commanded us to repent Jesus commanded us to not let our hearts be troubled he commanded us to follow him pick up your cross daily he said and follow me he commanded us to let let our light shine so that men may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven he commanded us to give to pray to fast he commanded a seek ye first the kingdom of God he commanded us to refrain from judging he commanded us to beware of false teaching he commanded us to honor marriage there's a command that gives to love the Lord he commanded us to love our neighbor he commanded us to remember him as we celebrate communion he commanded us to await his return he commanded us to love one another and he commanded us to go into the world to make disciples are a lot of commands that the Lord Jesus Christ gave to the church many of them are ignored by people who call themselves Christians and yet Jesus gave command after command after command and the central command that makes all the other commands possible to obey is when he said in John 3:7 you must be born again because without the power of the Holy Spirit I will not please him without the power of God's Spirit in my life I cannot obey Him if without his power I'm gonna walk in the flesh by his power I walk in the spirit those who walk in the flesh cannot please God Paul told the Romans and that's an absolute truth you find a scripture that's why some people are trying so hard to please God without the power of the Spirit you'll never do that in order to be able to be that one whom God says is my disciple and you pick up that cross daily and you follow him you must first be born again you need to be born again for the other things to be made possible and and as Jesus is speaking here to his disciples he's given them a simple order these are men who have already given up and followed after him it's pre Pentecost when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and and baptizes them and brings them into the body of Christ but they are disciples following him they are pursuing him now and he gives them an order and a disciple will follow the order now here's another thing for you there is a new and a prominent TV preacher that many are following today I'll leave his name unnamed I just don't feel like mentioning him but I will say this he was in Israel when we were there and he had 60 bus loads of people following him all through Israel while we were there he preaches something that it's called today it's a if you haven't heard this term you will it's called hyper grace I'm not gonna give you a study on that at the moment but eventually I'll probably be giving you some things that will help you to understand what I'm saying I'm just using this as an illustration but it's is a it's a it's a philosophy of ministry today that's called hyper grace and basically what it speaks is is that once you're saved by God and the grace of God has been shown to you you can basically do what you want you never need to repent again because there's going to be an automatic flow of obedience to God because you're walking in grace and that is not absolutely true at all as with all bad teaching that leaves certain elements of discipleship out interestingly enough while we were there my my my guide while we were in Israel my guide was speaking to me and these buses are going past us you need to understand 60 buses each bus contains 50 to 55 people you're looking at the three thousand plus people that all came to hear this guy and so my my my friend who is our our guide is saying to me and he starts talking to me and he said you know and he shows he says that's that guys with they are with this guy here and I said I'm familiar with him he says yeah he goes you know he said they charged they charged about 60% more for their tour than we did they traveled half the distance we did and they got half the Bible studies he says they don't go and have Bible studies he said what they do is they go to hear him speak in different sites he said you know that this guy brought his hairdresser with him and flew him here first-class he said it cost six thousand dollars for him to bring that guy to make sure his hair looked just right as they were filming him because he was filmed at each site his his studies will be on TV and those of you will see this guy he's got real sweet hair and so he's telling me about that and I'm going oh really should have brought my hairdresser mr. Bick and I told our church IIIi I said you know this fella here and I mention him by name I said is brought sixty bus loads on a hairdresser and you guys I said he his people are not being taught the word they're not being taught the word but they paid two thousand plus more for their trip than you guys did they're getting twice because you're going to we have so many sites you're going from 8 o'clock in the morning until 5 o'clock at night site after site Bible study after Bible City why because we want you to know the Word of God that's why you need to know God's Word that's why we go to Israel so you have an opportunity to be there by the Sea of Galilee that's why we're on a boat and and I'll climb out and walk on water no I mean that's just to show you it can be done no you see what it is is there are people who are doing whatever they desire because they're being taught you're living in grace and there's no discipleship jesus said pick up your cross daily and follow me Christians are commanded to walk in the spirit so that we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh the Apostle Peter in 1st Peter 2 verse 1 said it like this he said lay aside all malice all deceit hypocrisy envy and all evil speak and lay it aside Ephesians 4:31 let all bitterness wrath anger clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and as verse after verse after verse after verse that speaks about us pursuing the Lord dying to south walking in his spirit as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ we understand that obeying his commands is about most importance it's a mark of a believer it's the cornerstone of being one of his disciples in matters of faith obedience is an earmark up a person who's born again Jesus said in John 14:15 if you love me keep my Commandments if you love me keep my Commandments it's easy to say you love me he asked the question in Luke 6 he says why do you call me Lord Lord and do not the things that I say see that's that's the Lord he's speaking to us it's obedience that demonstrates that you're saved in John 14:21 he who has my Commandments and keeps them it is he who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my father I will love him and manifest myself to him so obedience in the lesser things makes it possible to be entrusted with the greater in Luke 16 verse 10 he who is faithful and what is least is faithful also in much he who is unjust in what his least is unjust also in much and so when you're faithful in the small things and that's what he's doing here he's saying this is a simple thing I want you to go I want you to find a colt it's a colt that's been that is tied no one's ever sat on it I'm simply saying loose it and bring it if anyone says to you why are you doing this all you need to do is say the Lord is need of it immediately he'll send it here so verse 4 so they went their way found the colt tied by the door outside on the street they loosed it some of those who stood there said in what are you doing loosing the Colt and they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded so they let them go it would seem that this was pre-arranged somebody said clearly the owner of the colt was a disciple because at once he gave up his property when the message was repeated the Lord has need of him so that allows the disciples to bring them to Jesus without sparking interest notice how it says the Lord has needed them the word the Lord speaks of the proprietor of all of all things the owner of everything has need of the donkey and the Colt in order to fulfill prophecy in order to humbly enter Jerusalem he needs what you have notice with me that Jesus didn't make a demand instead he made a request and it says the Lord has need that word need speaks of necessity he has a need a necessity and through this simple exchange God's Word is being fulfilled Jesus was not afraid of what was about to happen he knew that as any enemies would arrest him he knew he was going to be taken but he still sent them nonetheless in order to fulfill the prophecy they found that Colt tied by the door people did ask him what are you doing they gave the answer that Jesus supplied and they were allowed to go now why did Jesus need animals the animals were needed to enable Jesus standard Jerusalem in a manner conforming to prophetic requirements worthy of the Messiah you see Matthew 21 4 & 5 reveals that a prophecy by Zechariah was fulfilled Zechariah was written 520 years before Christ five centuries before Christ think about that for a moment we Americans don't understand that five centuries the United States is less than 300 years old as a nation we don't have a long history but Israel does I mean you'll go to places in Israel where you'll see you'll see a gate that abraham himself walked through centuries ago you'll go to places where you see that our 2,000 3,000 year old sites and you'll go my goodness America has a very short history we don't understand this so when I say Zechariah prophesied 520 years before Christ we may not allow that to sink in because we don't understand what that means five centuries ago this was said is going to happen five centuries ago Zechariah 9 verse 9 tell the daughter of Zion behold your king is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey a Colt the foal of a donkey Zechariah prophesied that concerning Messiah Jesus is fulfilling that if these people would not have done what Jesus said that prophecy would not have been fulfilled simple obedience and the will of God is revealed and he's going to come meek filled with kindness and compassion even towards those who were plotting his destruction Jesus had come to do his father's will in John 4:34 he said my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work and he also came that he might fulfill the Old Testament prophecies concerning Messiah in Matthew 5:17 he said do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets I haven't come to abolish them but to fulfill them and so he comes on a donkey the donkey represents his rule humble and gentle when a king came in peace he would ride a donkey so Jesus was coming in peace but if the king came upon a horse that was associated with coming in war revelation 19:11 speaks of it that way I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and he who sat on him was called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and makes war Jesus came the first time on a donkey coming in peace with humility the next time he returns as the judge to make war the Colt that Jesus is riding on by the way has never been ridden by anyone it says in verse two as soon as you have entered it entered it you will find a Colt tied on which no one has sat an unbroken Colt an unbroken Colt it was reserved is what it was for sacred use this unbroken animal yielded to the Lord without resistance it's interesting when you you read your Bible and Jesus encounters a man who's demon-possessed and with a word he cast that demon out be silent come out and it happens you see that over and over again he'll he'll encounter a fever and will actually speak to the fever and say to the fever depart and it does he encounters somebody with blindness and and and that blindness is is dealt with he encounters somebody who's paralyzed I'll say pick up your mat and the man does it instantly responds he even speaks to death itself and brings life nature when you read the Bible you see that nature itself responded to the commands of Christ and there was a storm Jesus stands up and he says be still be silence be muzzled literally it's what he is saying and the response is it calms instantly and the disciples will say even the wind's and the sea obey Him it's interesting when you read your Bibles notices that that demons and illness and even nature nature itself yields to the word of Christ but man doesn't in then interesting nature itself when Jesus spoke nature listened when he says to the wind and the sea be settled be muzzled that's it but he speaks to man over and over and over again and man resists constantly it's easier to tame a donkey than it is to tame a man it's easier because we resist well it says in verse 7 they they brought the Colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it he sat on it many spread their clothes on the road others cut down leafy branches from the trees spread them on the road those who went before and those who followed cried out saying Hosanna blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord blessed is the kingdom of our Father David that comes in the name of the Lord hosanna in the highest Jesus is coming down from the Mount of Olives and as he's walking down there are people who are pouring out from the city of Jerusalem and there are people following after him the Gospels tell us that in in the Gospel of John chapter 12 verses 12 and 13 the next day and much people that were come to the feast when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem took branches of palm trees went forth to meet him cried Hosanna blessed is the king of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord so they're people pouring out from the city as there are others that are with him addressed coming with him and this these two crowds from the city and with him begin to merge and they're throwing these palm branches that's why it's referred obviously to Palm Sunday there are palm branches that are being thrown out there as Jesus is coming riding on this donkey and they're rejoicing they're praising God with a loud voice according to Luke 1937 for all the mighty works that they have seen Jerusalem this city what a beautiful city is filled with pilgrims they have come to celebrate somebody said the main sources available estimate that the population of those living in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus was probably around 80,000 to 100,000 citizens but during the Passover hundreds of thousands of Jews would pour into Jerusalem and the estimated number was around 3 million people both Jews and Gentiles who visited Jerusalem for the Passover the atmosphere would be electric it would be charged with energy there are people are crying at the top of their lungs hosanna the word was on to me and saved now they're charged with enthusiasm and emotion as Jesus is entering in and as he's entering in you can you can almost hear it you can almost hear the noise it would move you like waves the sound of that thousands of voices I've hello ancient history time I was at the World Series last time the Dodgers won long before some of you were born and Kirk Gibson hit that homerun I was there and the ball went flying right past me I was on the right field line and when he got up he hobbled up there and he had that bat he's this all like what's he doing up he's gonna strike out and then we connected and that ball came flying up that bat passed us and it was still being elevated and we saw it land in the bleachers there I am telling you I have never been in in an atmosphere so charged as I was that day it was so loud it was unbelievably thunderous and continued for an hour just continued it didn't stop there was just so much for a homerun when Jesus was entering in to Jerusalem and these small streets that he was coming down with all of these pilgrims who were pressing against the wall so that he could come on this donkey they were yelling at the top of their voices Hosanna Hosanna blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord I was and they're so enthusiastic as this is taking place the Pharisees the religious leaders as they see this taking place get upset and they turn to Jesus in and they tell him rebuke your disciples they shouldn't be doing this this is wrong this is blasphemous rebuked them but Jesus made it very clear that if they were silent the very stones he said would immediately cry out now for us to get a picture of that you need to know that everything there is stone the streets are cobblestone the buildings the walls are stone everything to this day there are regulations in the city of Jerusalem that it needs the buildings have to be built with Jerusalem stone the whole place during the time of Christ was made out of stones so when Jesus said if if you want them to be quiet I'm telling you these stones themselves will cry out is quite a statement to be made and they're saying master rebuke your disciples nope this is the proper time for this but as all of this is happening something begins to happen that's very very important before he enters in Luke 19 41 through 44 as a junior he saw the city and he wept over it saying if you would have known even you especially in this your day the things that make for your peace but now they are hidden from your eyes for days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you surround you and close you in on every side and level you and your children within you to the ground for they will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not know the time of your visitation hey Jesus weeps over individuals like he did over the tomb of Lazarus his friend who died behold how he loved him it's what we hear and there he is standing by this tomb crime but he also wept over cities that gives us the understanding that compassion concern for people is not just the one it's the many also it's a compassion for all and he says to them as he's weeping and and this this seems to be so out of place I mean these people are they're shouting they're welcoming him they're they're excited enthusiastic they're waving palm branches they're throwing it before him he's coming and he stops and he begins to speak to the city if you'd have known if you'd have known your day this your day not a stone will be left upon another you see Titus of Rome is going to come in 70 AD and he's going to level the city level and the people will die by the multitudes and that's what he's doing now you don't know he said he didn't know the time of your visitation you didn't know the time of your visitation the word visitation your inspection this was a surprise investigation a surprise inspection when I was in the military we had surprise inspections they wouldn't tell us they would just knock on your door you'd have to open up the door they'd come in and they'd check everything in your room and your cubicle it's a surprise inspection you don't know when it's going to come but it's going to come and that's what he's saying you did not know the time of your visitation this investigation this inspection the word visitation speaks of the act by which God looks into and searches out the ways deeds and character of men in order to judge them accordingly you did not know that God was judging your heart when it's happening and he's weeping over it now here's the question how could they have known that they would have a surprise eyes inspection well in the Old Testament book of Daniel Daniel was written somewhere around 535 BC in Daniel chapter 9 verses 24 through 27 Daniel was inspired by the spirit to write these words seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city that would be Jerusalem to finish the transgression to make an end of sins to make reconciliation for iniquity to bring in everlasting righteousness a seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and build jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks you add those 69 weeks the street shall be built again and the wall even in trouble sometimes and after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off but not for himself and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary the end of it shall be with a flood and till the end of the war desolations are determined then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week that's called Daniels 70th week that's the tribulation but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering and on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate even until the consummation which is determined it's poured out on the desolate Daniel prophesied 490 years were determined to accomplish six things one to end Jewish apostasy for the Jews to receive Messiah second to make an end of sin in other words that sin would be completely dealt with third to make reconciliation which is accomplished through Jesus Messiah forth to bring everlasting righteousness in which occurs at the second coming fifth seal up vision and prophecy those things are not necessary when all is complete and then finally six to anoint the most holy referring to Jesus and his reign as Messiah Sir Robert Anderson in a book called the coming Prince gave us insight into this and he wrote concerning the 70 week prophecy of Daniel he treated it as weeks of years because when you looked at it as just seven-day weeks there was nothing that happened but when he began to use a system of weeks of years which you find in Leviticus 25 he was able to pinpoint some things you see when it says when the order is given to restore and rebuild or restore and build Jerusalem you find that order in scripture it's found in the book of Nehemiah chapter 2 that's when King Artaxerxes gave the command to restore and build Jerusalem and the date is found in history that date is actually recorded March 14th 445 BC now Daniel spoke of 69 weeks of years you add the other week which is 70 weeks and you have the 70 week prophecy but he's speaking of 69 weeks at first so you take the 69 weeks you multiply it by seven seven days in each week then you multiply that by 360 which were the days at that time equal in a year you end up with a hundred and seventy three thousand eight hundred and eighty days and so what he did sir Robert Anderson did is he went to the order which was given by our desert seas and he knew as March 14th 445 and he began to count he began to count from March 14th 173,880 days and he came to April 6th ad 32 which is Palm Sunday one of the most fantastic demonstrations of the accuracy of prophecy the order was given he counted one hundred and seventy three thousand eight hundred eighty he arrived on Palm Sunday and Jesus said you did not know the day of your visitation it was recorded for you in Scripture from the day that our exerts cease gave the order to restore and build jerusalem to messiah the prince a hundred and seventy three thousand eight hundred eighty days you did not recognize the day of your visitation and he cried because of it they didn't recognize messiah though they had been prepared by scripture to receive him the result the destruction of jerusalem under Titus of rome 70 AD well as this is taking place verse eleven finally Jesus went into Jerusalem into the temple when he had looked around at all things the hour was already late he went to Bethany with the twelve you see what happened and I'll close with this Matthew 21 says he had come into Jerusalem all the city was moved saying who is this so the multitude said this is Jesus the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee they saw him as the prophet but they didn't see him as Messiah the hour was late in many ways and he left many of those who are crying out Hosanna very well could have joined with the crowd just a few days later saying crucify I guess the question that we would close with us we look at this as which boys am I am I the one saying Hosanna to the highest Visayan who is honor to Messiah or have I rejected him again there are many people in churches today even this one right now go to church who have never really gotten right with God who aren't born again or just attending church because that's what people do who have never said God be merciful to me I am a sinner forgive me of my sins and cleanse me of my unrighteousness god I'm miserable without you forgive me well the scripture says today is the day of salvation and perhaps this is the day for some of you to get right with God to actually say I'm not going to play anymore with you I'm not going to play games anymore you see God's Word is true and the blessings that come following him are true but the result of rejecting him are equally true they're equally true I want to be on the side of the one who says yes I believe you're true and therefore I'll follow you that's called being born again
