Luke 19:11-48

Bringing the sermon home:

Verses 11-27: As we consider the events of the “Triumphal Entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem, we ask: What does it mean to receive this man as your king? What does it mean to be a citizen of His heavenly kingdom while still living here on earth? From Jesus’ parable, we see that it means delighting in His reign through joyful stewardship of the “good deposit” (2 Tim 1:14) that has been entrusted to every believer (i.e., the gospel).

Verses 28-40: Jesus’ life and ministry didn’t look the way the religious authorities expected the Messiah’s life and ministry to look, and their faulty expectations blinded them from seeing Him rightly. Also, they were more concerned about disturbing the peace with human authorities than they were over their lack of peace with God, wrongly believing they were already right with God. To receive Him as your king is to rejoice in the heavenly peace that only the King of Peace can bring, no matter the cost to your peace with others here on earth.

Verses 41-48: The worldly peace the Jewish leaders most wanted was not the kind of peace they most needed, and it was these distorted desires that lead them to kill Jesus. To receive Jesus as your king is to surrender your demand for a different kind of peace here on earth as you await the perfect peace of heaven. May we be like those who gathered in the temple for prayer and were hanging on every word of Jesus, delighting in His reign over us.