Engage your kids later. Who really is Jesus? Everybody's asking that question today. Even the kids who were there that day. And here's what we're going to find. Jesus is not quite who you think he is. I hope that's what we'll see by the end of today. Maybe this little illustration helps. Have you ever sized up a gift and then looked at the wrapping paper that you have? And being a man, Maybe I won't condemn your manhood, but I don't measure. I just eyeball. This much wrapping paper, this much gift, and then I think this will work. But it never works. There's one corner. It just doesn't quite go far enough. And that's what often happens with us and Jesus. We try to wrap Jesus neatly up into our expectations, but He never quite fits. In fact, he's the gift that can't be wrapped. He's the gift that can only be received and treasured and adored. So as we listen, think of all the responses to the king as he rides in. And what we'll find is, Jesus Christ, you can't wrap him up. He's not who you think he is. Now to give you a, to pace yourself, I'll look at my kids, Carson, Pat and Catherine. There are nine things that I'm going to say about Jesus. I love to see those nine things when I'm done. And I'll give that a challenge to anybody else here. I'd love to see you come up to me and say, here are the nine things that you mentioned. And I'll try to make them really clear, but hopefully that can pace yourself mentally as you listen this morning. Okay. Nine things as we go along. So let's read. We're going to read John 12, 12 to 36. We're going to break it up in sections, just like we might do and pausing after each round of charades and listen to all the responses. So we're going to read round one of responses. John 12 versus 12 to 22. Here is round one of responses to the king. Let's get the scene of what happened. The next day, the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, crying, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. As Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as written, Fear not, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's foot. His disciples did not understand these things at first. But when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they had heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, you see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the whole world's gone after him. Now, among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip went and told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. This is the word of the Lord. Let's think about round one. Jesus rides into the holy city. Everybody's frenetic. Hosannas are going up, and now the crowd noise starts to die down a little bit. And people are trying to make sense of it all. And verses 19 and 22 give us the first round of responses, and they come from the crowd. Let's think first of the responses from the crowd. And if we listen clearly, we'll hear three groups coming from the crowd. The disciples respond. The Pharisees, a religious group, respond. And then we have foreigners respond. So let's think of those three groups from the crowd. We have Jesus' disciples in verse 16, the Pharisees in verse 19, and then we have the foreigners in 20 and 22. Well, the first group, they're actually silent here, but the first group that are talking amongst themselves and we don't know exactly what they say and offer response is the disciples. What do they say? It might surprise you. Look at verse 16 again. His disciples did not understand these things at first. You would have thought that of all the people who have understood who Jesus was, it would have been his closest friends. But they don't fully realize what's happening. The first people who fail to understand the full significance of Jesus' identity are those who are closest to him. What does that tell us? Well, I think it's a caution. The disciples' lack of understanding, being this close to Jesus, is a caution to us. That just because we know a lot about Jesus, just because we're very familiar with Jesus, doesn't mean we really know Him. So again, you're growing up here at church, you're having some great classes and teachers, and you're hearing about God often and regularly, but just because you're hearing about God doesn't mean you have a relationship with Him. Have you as a child, a young adult, come to embrace Christ as your King, your only King in your life? In adults, that means that even though we live in Malden, where everybody is a Christian, we live in the Bible Belt, just because we know a lot about Jesus doesn't mean we know who the real Jesus is, or that we even have a relationship with Him. Throughout this event and in the Gospels, Jesus is constantly overturning their conceptions, or we could say misconceptions of Him. I was talking with some friends this week in a Bible study. We were actually reading through Mark's Gospel. We came to Mark 11. Rhett shared that account with us in the prayer service this morning. How Jesus goes into the temple during Holy Week, of all weeks, when it's the busiest, and everybody's watching, and he overturns the tables, and he drives out the religious hucksters. Well, what's happening? Well, at one level, Jesus is saying, I'm not who you think He is. I am. This table's a symbol of religion and morality. It's covered up the way to God. I'm the true temple, Jesus is saying. I'm the way to God. Jesus overturns our expectations. He overturns the holiest object in place in the heart of their religion. He sticks a finger in their eye. So Jesus comes into our lives too on Palm Sunday. And He overturns our expectations of Him. His presence is disturbing and disruptive. He's forcing us. Have you come to embrace who Jesus really is? Jesus did not come to be your life coach so that you could have your best life now. A kind of spiritual advisor to give you kind of spiritual vitamins to help you make it to the next level. He came to present himself to you as the Savior, as the only Savior. So the confusion of the disciples is a warning to all of us. Just because we know a lot about him doesn't mean we really know him. That's the first thing we learn about Jesus. Number one, Jesus is a confusing thing. Constantly crossing up our expectations. Now as a quick aside, let me say this. Maybe you're here today and you do have some genuine questions about God and the Bible. You see contradictions as you read the scripture with what God is like and what you actually see and you read. Maybe you have a friend like that. I mean, some things are just confusing and contradictory. I'd encourage you to do something simple if that's where you are. Here's something simple to do. Read through a short book of the Bible, like the Gospel of Mark or John with a Christian friend, and ask questions. Just ask away. If that's kind of too intimidating and you'd rather do something on your own before reaching out to someone like that, I'd suggest a book to you called Cold Case Christianity. The author is a cold case homicide detective who applies his skills to sections of the Bible, cold case Christianity, and his journey into faith all began when someone questioned him about what's happening in the Gospels. Cold case Christianity. Maybe that would be helpful to you to gain clarity with some of your confusing questions about Jesus. Well, now notice the rest. The verses end on verse 16. But when he was glorified, what happened? They remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. Here's the second thing we learn about Jesus. Small detail, but a big one. Jesus is a confusing king. Jesus is a historical king. Here's what I mean. John is the writer of this account. He was kind of an embedded reporter, but more than that, he was one of Jesus' closest friends. Among the twelve, and then within the three, very close to Jesus. And John records that he was one of them, that some of his closest friends failed to understand who Jesus really was. And Palm Sunday, this event is so important in the life of Christ that all four of the Gospel writers record this event. They don't always record the same events. They all record this event. They don't all record the virgin birth. They record this event, all four of them. Well, then it's a colossal embarrassment. Think of it this way. During one of the biggest events of his life, His closest followers don't understand who he is. Think of a kind of presidential campaign. Somebody asks a candidate, who do you think George Washington is, and what does he mean to our country? And the candidate draws a blank and says, I know I've heard his name, but I have no idea who he is. Well, that kind of gaffe would be all over everywhere, and it might even derail that person's campaign for such a major mistake. Well, what's the point? People often say that the Bible is made up to advance some kind of religious agenda and gain a following. But I don't think that makes the best sense of what's happening, especially in a detail like this. I mean, think again. You wouldn't run a presidential campaign and gain a following by constantly reminding people of a disastrous mistake you made on your part. You know, like claiming you were Native American and DNA came back and said that you weren't. You wouldn't do that again and again. You wouldn't out that again and again. Right? They derailed your political career. Well, likewise, if the disciples are trying to make something up to perpetuate a myth, then recording one of their most serious political gaffes in one of the biggest days of Jesus's life isn't how you do it. So what makes better sense? The most likely reason John records their failure is because it actually happened. They failed. It's too embarrassing. It's too costly to record if it weren't actually true. And therefore, you can trust the Gospels. It's real history. It's accurate. Jesus is a historical king. So at the end of the disciple's kind of quiet response, we learn two things. Jesus is a confusing king. He constantly challenges our expectations. And Jesus is a historical king. And unless you're willing to wrestle with the historical king presented in the Bible, as the eyewitnesses present him, you're not wrestling with the king at all. Jesus is confusing and he's historical. Well, the second group to step forward and give their response to what's happening on Palm Sunday, the Pharisees. They're the moral people. Now don't be too hard on them. They're the church people. They're the people that you would probably hang out with to some degree. very moral, very clean, the churchgoers of the day, and how do they reply? Look again at verse 19. This is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world is going out after him. Now, if you know the story, they're not saying this, wow, isn't this neat? They're full of envy and jealousy. They're actually threatened by Jesus. They're disturbed by his presence in Jerusalem this time of year. Jesus comes into the world to one of their own in John chapter 3 and says, even religious people have to be born again. That's disturbing to their system of morality. Jesus says, I'm the son of man, I'm the son of God. That's disturbing to their own personal autonomy, their own authority. The Pharisees viewed Jesus as a disturbing threat. He's threatening. Jesus, number three, is a threatening king. What does this look like in our lives? Well, here's one example, perhaps. Adolph Huxley wrote a book I'm sure you've all read, 1937. ends and means. Adels Huxley wrote this, describing his own outlook on life. I had motives for not wanting the world to have a meaning. For myself, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation from morality. We objected to morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom. He objected to morality, and he goes on to say, to God's existence, because it interfered with our sexual freedom. In other words, Huxley says, my objections to the Bible, I admit to, weren't rational ones at all. I don't object to Christ because there's no evidence. I object to Christ because if he exists, then he interferes with my sexual freedom. Therefore, he can't exist. And so it happens today. Some. Some are, but many objections to Christ are not logical ones at all. They're protestations that I want to be master and commander of my own life, especially of our sexual desires, because if Jesus exists, if God's the creator, then I have to change my life. And that's too threatening to me. So therefore, he can't exist. I refuse to admit he exists. Jesus is a threatening king. He's a threat to personal, individual autonomy. He's a threat to expressive individualism. He's a threat to morality. We'll continue, but think for a moment. What do you think is the most popular view of Jesus in our own culture today? I'll offer this to you. I think most people view Jesus as an affirming king. His job is to affirm you on whatever direction your life is going, so long as you're nice and sincere. Jesus is an affirming king, a supportive king, a pat on the bum king to keep you going along. Atta boy, keep going. But the Pharisees found out Jesus is not an affirming king. He's a disruptive king. He's a threatening king, a threat to personal autonomy. He's a confusing king, a historical king, and a threatening king. Well, there's a third group now that steps forward. It's their turn to guess who Jesus is. It's in verse 21. Now, among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. And what did they want? They wanted to see Jesus. Well, what's happening? Well, the Pharisees have already told us at the end of verse 19. This is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world is going after Jesus. Well, Jerusalem would have been packed with people. full of more international people and foreigners than it ever is at any time of the year for this major religious holiday. But now notice all the different kinds of people. Look who's actually drawn to Jesus. Even foreigners want an audience with Jesus. What does this tell us? It tells us, number four, Jesus is a king for the nations of the world. Jesus is a king for the nations of the world, for the people of the world. Jesus is a king for everybody. Up to this point, Jesus' ministry has largely been among the Jews. He's come, He said, for the lost sheep of Israel. But now look what's happening. It's always been a plan. I don't mean to say that it's plan B, but now look what's happening. The Greeks, the Greeks are coming after Him. Palm Sunday tells us that Jesus is not just the King of the Jews. He's the King of all nations, of all people, of all classes, of the rich and the poor, the male and the female, the slave and the free. Jesus is the King for all nations and all people in all classes. Indeed, there's one name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, and what name is that? The name Christ Jesus. Now today, even then, people were taken back by that claim. You know, in discussions, people want to limit Christianity to a particular part of the globe, or a period of time, or a particular location, or a particular time period, or even culture. A cultural anthropologist will tell you. J.D. Crowley, who's been a missionary in Cambodia, has often had interaction with anthropologists, and he gets feedback that evangelism and mission work in other countries from Westerners is nothing more than the imposition of Western ideals on this culture. But I think that kind of overlooks a few things. Here's one thing. I do think that every culture tends to impose itself on others as the most subjective one, even when you don't know what's happening. Here's an example. You ever had culture shock? What's culture shock? Your culture seems to be the dominant and correct one until you meet another one. And you're shocked. And you wish, how can these people do this? Why do they stand so close together? What's happening? It's culture shock. You're imposing implicitly your culture onto this one, and you travel, and you see that it's not just religious people who have an idea of what culture should be. We all do, and that's why we face culture shock. More than that, even secularism, even the Western world has a kind of enlightened scientific materialism that it judges other cultures by. How do you know that if you're not a Christian, you're not imposing your views of the Enlightenment, of scientific materialism on other cultures that actually are quite happy to exist with a supernatural belief in an immaterial world. I know I've mentioned this before, this book before, so if you remember it, I'm sorry, it's part of being here for 15 years and my trying to find what illustrates this point. Here you go again, all right? About 12 years ago, I read a book by Lama Insana. He used to teach at the University of Yale. I don't know if he does anymore. He was from Gambia, convert from Islam, and he wrote a book on whose religion is Christianity. When he hears people say that Christianity is only for people of the West, only for people of a certain race and demographic, here's one way he responds. He says, if you object to missionaries because they're foisting their agenda on people, then how careful are you about foisting your enlightenment agenda on other cultures? In other words, he argues that contrary to the assumptions of scientific materialism, There are many cultures, including his own in Gambia, in which, in his own African culture, it's actually okay to believe in the supernatural and the immaterial, to believe in a spirit world. So how does secularism honor the desire for the supernatural? Dismiss it. Ignore it. Try to educate you to a better place of understanding what's really going on. But when you come to Christianity, Lama Sanna says that you find something totally different, even different from religion and morality. Here's how he starts. The old religions provided rules rewarding good conduct and punishing wrong for bad conduct, but they could never help us change. That's how a lot of people think you get right with God. Rules for this, good, you get this. Bad, you get this. But Sanna is saying, but it never helped us change at all. He continues. Christianity answered this historical challenge by a fundamental reorientation. People in Africa sensed in their hearts that Jesus did not mock their respect for the sacred, nor their clamor for an invincible savior. So they beat their sacred drums for him until the stars skipped and danced in the skies. And after that dance, the stars weren't little anymore. Christianity made Africans into renewed Africans, not remade Europeans. You know what that means? If you're Greek and coming to Jesus, you don't become a Jew, you don't become a European, you become a Christian. It means if you're from the Far East, you don't become a Westerner to become a Christian. Instead, you become a Christian who's Asian. You're a Christian who converted from Islam. You're a Christian who is a Greek. You see, only in Christ do you have an identity that transcends and transforms all others without dishonoring any of them. The Pharisees, the disciples, and the foreigners found out that day, Jesus is not who they thought he was. He was a confusing king, he's a historical king, he's a threatening king, and he's a king for the nations of the world, for everyone. He truly is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And can I tell us that since he is the king for the nations, I want to encourage us this week Share the good news with someone. What excuse would you give that you won't share the good news? He loves you. He's the king of the nations. He saved you to share his love. Because he's the king of the nations, tell somebody about Jesus this week. Take up a packet as you go out and give it to a neighbor. Because Jesus is the King of the nations, you can go anywhere and share His love with anyone. Well, round one ends. We're ready for round two. Let's read verses 22 to 36. And here's who we're going to see respond now. Jesus, as the game master, steps out and redirects the conversation. We hear God from heaven, and we hear a final response from the crowd. So let's listen to these three responses from Jesus, God, and more voices from the crowd, verses 22 This is what Holy Scripture says. I read 22 already, let's do 23. And Jesus answered them, the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves life loses it. And whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me. And where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this purpose I have come to do this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven. I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again. Then the crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus answered, this voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, We have heard from the law that Christ remains forever. How can you say now that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man? So Jesus said to them, The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he's going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. This is God's fruit. Well, as the game master of sorts, Jesus steps out now to redirect the conversation a bit. You see what He said in verse 22, He answered them, The hour has come for the Son to be glorified. Truly, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. Now what's so striking about this when Jesus says, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. As at three previous times in John's letter, Jesus has said three different times, My hour has not yet come. My hour has not yet come. My hour has not yet come. And now for the first time, Jesus says it's time for the Son of Man to be glorified. And the timing of this isn't an accident. Jesus has timed His arrival into the city at just the time of Passover. It's the hour for the Lamb of God to be offered up for the sins of the world. Jesus now will be the ultimate Passover sacrifice. Jesus illustrates what He means by a simple statement from agriculture. He says, My death is like a kernel of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, but then it brings forth a rich harvest. This is a simple, marvelous illustration. I know that most of us are largely free from a, I think all of us are free from an agrarian world, and that's not how most of us make our money. But I think we still see the principle that one seed goes to the ground, it dies in a sense and it's buried, it's covered over, but what comes out of the ground is greater than what went into the ground. One seed of corn produces a whole stock of corn. One seed and a whole harvest comes. But unless that seed is buried, unless it's covered up alone, there's no hope of harvest. So far from being defeat, the death of the seed produces the harvest. And Jesus is saying, that's my life. I'm going to lay down my life in the ground. I will be buried. I will die. But through this dying will come gain. And don't miss His intentionality. The hour has come now. This must happen. What do we learn here? We'll see it again later. Jesus is the intentional and obedient king. The intentional and obedient king. He knows why he's come. He knows what his mission is. Like a seed buried in the ground, he has to die that others might live. We'll come back to that in a moment, that Jesus is the obedient king. But we learn something else the more that we hear Jesus pray. Jesus is praying, and then John gives us a perspective on what's going on in Jesus' life. In verse 27, we learn that Jesus is a troubled. Look at verse 27. We're listening to a private conversation between God, the father and God, the son, and we're told Jesus prays now my soul is. Father, save me from this. He's going to pray that same thing on Good Friday. Father, save me. We get a window into the emotional life of the Lord Jesus. Then he will groan again in Gethsemane, my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow, even to the point of death. It all starts, that tidal wave of sorrow that crashes on Jesus Christ in Gethsemane starts to swell now on Palm Sunday. That word trouble, John uses it like this in his Gospel. His soul swirls like an agitated sea. He shakes like a person who's just been made the object of false accusations. He shakes like a person just aware of an unexpected loved one's death. Jesus is troubled. It's a trouble that you feel, a trouble that shuts you down, that leaves you so exhausted but you still can't sleep. Jesus is a troubled king. And why is he troubled? Well, Jesus knows. We know the story too, right? But put yourself back into why He's troubled. He knows that the donkey that He rides on will be replaced by the coarse cross that He's fastened to by the end of the week. Jesus doesn't face the crucifixion stoically. Here's the Son of God in all of His glorious humanity. Here's the Son of God in all of your glorious humanity. One author reflects like this. Remember, when you think of Jesus' resolution to die, remember He had a nature like ours. He shrunk back from pain like we do. He would have enjoyed marriage and children, grandchildren, and a long life and esteem in the community. He had a mother, brothers, and sisters. He had special places in the mountains He liked to go to. To turn His back on all of this, and set his face toward vicious whipping and beating, spitting and mocking crucifixion was not easy. It was hard. Here is the troubled king in all of this humanity. Just as Isaiah said, here is a king who would be acquainted with grief. A man of sorrows. That's the cloud that hung over Jesus' life. A man of sorrows. A troubled king. We always want somebody that we can relate to, somebody who knows what I'm going through. Friend, that's never been more true of Jesus. We may think of Jesus as a wise philosopher, but not powerful to care for us. Maybe you actually think that God is a king, but he's so distant. But Palm Sunday reminds you that Jesus is not who you think he is. Jesus is a troubled thing, a heartbroken thing. This King understands our weakness. He's faced all the same testings that you do, so let us come boldly to the throne of this gracious God that we might find grace and mercy in the time of need. Jesus has been in a darker darkness than you. He's a troubled King. But this is not all Jesus says. He prayed, Father, save me from this hour, but that's not how Jesus ends his prayer, thanks be to God. because he continues, save me from this hour. But for this purpose, I have come to this hour. Father, glorify you. That's the theme of Palm Sunday, that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son. Palm Sunday is about beholding the love of God. It's about beholding the love of the Son who delights to do His Father's will. Father, can I use it this way? Think for a moment. I hope this isn't confusing. Jesus isn't a magnifying glass to God's glory. Jesus is a telescope to God's glory. Magnifying glasses make small things look bigger than they are. Telescopes make far away things look as big as they really are. And Jesus is saying through His death, use my life to be a telescope. Your glory and being seem so far off to people, but through my life, bring the massive, immense presence of your reality into full view of people. Bring what's far off near. May my life be a telescope that reveals how big and beautiful and scary and threatening you are. Bring it right into our lives. Do that, God, through my life, that we planned before the foundation of the earth. And that's the prayer of every true follower of Christ. Every true follower of Christ, their heart beats. They have to burn for the blazing glory of God. Jesus is not who you think He is. If we go back to what we just made, do you see He's the intentional, obedient King? What King do you know who obeys? Who's He supposed to obey? He's the King! I think this is accurate. I mean it by way of illustration, not make a political point, but both are current and former presidents ruled by executive orders at certain points. But King Jesus never did that. He never asserted his own will. He never did anything of his own accord. He always acted in accord and the power of the Spirit carrying out his Father's will. Even at the end of this chapter, he says, John 12, I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has Himself given me a command. He's told me what to say and what to speak. And what's the commandment? Be true to life. That's why he's coming. You see, Christ's actions during His life, during Holy Week, are not passive resignation. Jesus isn't a fatalist. I guess this is what's going to happen. No, no, He's an active, willing, troubled, pained, obedient participant. Nevertheless, glorify Your life through my death. And by His obedience to the point of death, we are ransomed and healed and restored. Jesus is a confusing king. He's a historical king. He's a threatening king. He's a king for the nations of the world. He's an obedient king. And now, God responds to the Son. The crowds respond, Jesus responds, and now God says what's happening in verse 28. For the third time in the New Testament, God speaks from heaven, and what does He say? A voice came from heaven. Son, I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again. I have glorified it. It means this. Every act of healing that Jesus did, every hungry person he fed, every sexually damaged soul that he restored, every conscience he claimed. Do you know what was happening? God was being glorified for the grace of God. I have glorified your name, and now I'm going to do it again. At the very moment when the world will look on Jesus' death as defeat, when the demons danced and howled with delight, would be the moment when God's glory would be on display in its most unexpected but spectacular way. At the moment when Satan the serpent struck, when the Pharisees high-fived each other for their plans, when efficient Rome squashed another person who thought He was the Messiah. Yes, when all of that was happening, God was glorifying the work of His Son and His own grace and glory. Friend, do you see the cross that way? The cross is where God puts His glory on this earth. Most spectacularly, the place where you least expect it. And you know what God is saying? Jesus is the legitimate King. He's the only King. Jesus is the real king. This is the one that you have to reckon with. If you say you love God, then you have to love this. Prince, can I push all of us a bit? Can you really honor God if you just refer to Jesus as a holy prophet, as a wise sage? You're not being nice to Jesus. You're demeaning Jesus. He's the legitimate king. He's the only king. He's more than a prophet, God says. He's more than a sage. He's the only king. He's the legitimate king. He's the real one. And no one comes to the Father except through this king, Jesus. And in commending Jesus as the real king, this is an aside. This is a bonus. This passage tells us something about God. You know what it tells us about God? A lot. Here's one thing. It tells us that God is a just king. How does that work? God just doesn't simply issue a presidential pardon that leaves all of us wondering, was that really just? Or was that a political stunt and move? No, God is just. He can't let any crime go unpunished, not even yours, not even mine. God always requires a payment, a just payment that's consonant with the crimes that have been committed. So at the cross, Christ absorbs the payment The punishment sinners deserve. It's a real punishment for real crimes. And that's why Christians have sung for a long time. You know, the old song, was it for crimes that I had done? He groaned upon the tree. And what's the answer? Yes. Amazing pity. Grace unknown. This is love beyond degree. At the end of Holy Week, we see God glorified. As just and just. God doesn't excuse anybody's sin. And thanks be to God that at the cross, God punished Christ for all the sins of all those who would ever believe in Him. Palm Sunday tells us Jesus is a legitimate King. Do you know this King? Is this your King? Palm Sunday tells us two more things. Number eight, Jesus is the dying King. The crowd over here is what said They fail to understand. Some think they hear the thunder, the thunder, the thunder. Others think they hear the voice of an angel. But Jesus tells them in verses 32 to 33, perhaps two of the most important verses telling us what's going on in Palm Sunday. Here's what Jesus tells us. When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself. And he said this to show them what kind of death he was going to do. What a strange way to describe your death. I'm going to be lifted up. How would you use that terminology? I mean, I'm going to give you a promotion. I'm going to lift you up. I'm going to recognize you. Stand up here. Stand up. I want to lift you up and recognize you before everybody. You're going to be lifted up in front of everybody. I know you're going to be embarrassed, but I'm going to lift you. I'm going to raise you up, right? I'm going to lift you up. But here's the strangeness of it all. How will Jesus be lifted up? How will Jesus be glorified? He'd be lifted up not on a throne, but on a cross. His cross would be His throne. He was, as we sing, lifted up. Was He to die? The strangeness of it all. Notice the paradox. If you don't grasp paradox, you'll never come to see who Jesus really is. When He's lifted up, He suffers death. and His suffering, His death is His lifting up. It's the way that He'll be seen to be the all-sufficient Savior. He humbles Himself to the point of death, Paul writes later, and therefore God has highly exalted Him. Therefore, when this dark tragedy then becomes a glorious victory, the lifting up of Jesus on the cross becomes where we see the King in all of His beauty and all of His power. And beloved, if Jesus suffered so that you could live... Am I going to make a side application? If Jesus suffered so that you could live, How will others around us come to live unless you suffer? Unless you fill up the sufferings of Christ so that they'll come to see Him too. I share this illustration with an application for Friday. I've had pastoral time at Heritage and in manuals. I'm saying that so you don't think who this is. This person isn't here anymore. But I was talking with a husband whose wife had moved out, was repeatedly unfaithful. And I was trying to help this husband know how to pursue this person. We had a long relationship, long conversation. And he told me later, one thing that stuck out to me was you told me your patient and painful suffering might be the way that God uses to bring your spouse back. And then he said, well, sometimes we sing the song The Look. I saw one hanging on the tree in agony and blood. He fixed his loving eyes on me as near the cross I stood. And with a loving look, he said, I freely all forgive. I died that you might live. I live by him I killed. And his husband said, if Jesus did that for me, I will do that to try to bring my wife back to life too. Friends, the gospel advances through suffering, not in spite. And because Jesus suffered and died, we can live. He's the dying king. That's how the gospel always advances the best. He's the dying king. And his dying turns into his exaltation and our salvation and our motive to forgive and love. As we approach the end of the message, We've been talking a lot about Jesus, which is right. But Palm Sunday is not simply discovering who Jesus is. Palm Sunday is about discovering something about yourself. On the one hand, the cross tells us Jesus is not who you think he is. This is the dying king. On the other hand, the cross tells us that you, me, I'm not who I think I am either. The cross tells you that you're actually guilty, that you're broken, that you're a sinner. You see yourself that way? What's harder for you to believe, that Jesus is the Son of God, or that you're a sinner? You have to wrestle with both before you'll ever do anything about the wrongness of your life. Think about it this way. I know there are various views of suffering and evil, and where does sin and evil come from, and do such things exist. But I think you should realize that the Christian explanation is the most, I was going to say most best, that was really bad. A grammar teacher somewhere died. All you need is to plug your ears. It is the most realistic one. Think about it for a moment with me. The last century, we had a number of literary authors who endured the horrors of war. And some literary figures have called them the traumatized authors. Real trauma. William Golding, the author of The Lord of Flies, set off the coast of Normandy during the bloody invasion of D-Day. George Orwell, 1984, in Animal Farm, he was shot in the throat and the neck fighting in the Spanish Civil War. C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, saw the brutal trench warfare of World War I, and Lewis himself was shot in the chest. Then there's Kirk Vonnegut, who is in Dresden when it's leveled by the Allied bombers. These are the traumatized authors. The horrors of what they saw left them wrestling for the rest of their life with the face of evil in their post-war lives. They were bone-deep convinced that they had come into contact with something, listen to their language, irrevocably evil. But the explanations they were giving upon their return by their culture were hopelessly inadequate, they were out of date, at best irrelevant, and they often said that they're perpetuating the evil itself. William Golding was open about his search for an explanation of evil. In a series of essays called Hot Gates, Golding went on to make this biting observation as a World War II vet. I must say that anyone who's passed through those years of World War II without understanding that man produces evil as a bee produces honey must have been blind or wrong in the head. These are authors who saw real evil, experienced real, physically, life-altering trauma. And what these authors are telling you is what the Bible tells you. There's a deep evil that's a part of all of us. And the reason that there are wars is because there are evil people. And that evil people are people like you and me in this world. You see, as Jesus comes as the dying king, he's also telling you, you're not who you think you are. Why do you think I'm dying? You see, the cross is brutally honest about the sin and brokenness, the selfishness, the self-absorption in our world. Jesus is like a broken-hearted but brutally honest doctor who takes a look at the MRI of your life and says, I'm sorry, but there's cancer everywhere. But that's where we see this about Jesus. Number nine, Jesus is a forgiving Savior. Palm Sunday tells us that the king dies not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Oh, friends, whatever you have done, underline whatever. However far you've gone, underline however far. Come, warm your cold heart by the fire of his dying love for you. He's a forgiving God. He came to be near, to be in the middle of the gunk and the sorrow and the brokenness. He didn't come to condemn. He came to save and to heal and restore. And to make you alive. I mean, really alive. To help you see the world in color. And to taste and see that He's good. He's the dying King. And He's the forgiving King. And all who come to Him. I remember going to my dad with so many doubts as a young kid. I don't know what verse I'll quote when I die. I hope I'm in my right mind. If I'm not, you'll know that what will hang over my bedside is, and all who come to Him, He will never cast out. Jesus is a forgiven King. There's nobody like Him. Nobody like Him. And now the day comes to an end, my friends. Just before Jesus walks back outside of the city to retire, We hear the crowds confused one last time. Listen to the bewilderment. Christ is supposed to remain forever, verse 34. How can you say the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this? Here's their confusion. It's part of ours too. The Son of Man, even in Daniel, is a divine warrior figure who's going to come and destroy. He's going to restore God's enemies and biftoin the bad guys, and He's going to do everything right. But now, if Jesus is the Son of Man, which is what He calls Himself, how can He talk about dying? This doesn't match again. See, Jesus really is the confusing... The day ends like the response has started. He's confusing the disciples, confusing to the crowd. They wanted a king, as the song goes, full of power, with a sword in His fist. But Jesus is not that kind of king. At least not yet. One day he'll come back like that, but not at his first coming. Here's the son of man who gets power, not by grasping it, but by giving it. What do we learn from all these responses? Well, Jesus is not who you think He is. Did you get them all? Jesus is the confusing King. He's the historical King. He's a threatening King. He's a King for the nations of the world. He's an obedient King. He's a troubled King. He's a legitimate King. He's a dying King. He's a forgiving King. And now here's the point. Is He your King? That's what Psalm Sunday's Jesus is wanting you to think about. Is He your King? And Jesus makes one final plea before he turns and heads back out of the city for sleep. His final plea on Palm Sunday, verses 35 and 36. The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in darkness does not know where he's going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of Eve. Jesus makes a final appeal as the king. He refers to Himself with a simple, beautiful image as light. And if you come to Him, you will be a sun characterized by light. What an image. Jesus is the light shining in the darkness. Picture yourself, I don't know, this is how I pictured it, broken down on the side of the road in the dead of night. It's a comfort to see a light, a rescue light coming your way a distance away. Or maybe you're like It was one time, even here in Simpsonville, you're in the house weathering a violent storm at night, threats of tornadoes are on the way, the power goes out and it's dark. But you light a match, you find a flashlight, and there's small comfort in the dark. Jesus says, that's my life right now. I'm a light in the storm, a light in the darkness, but the light's about to go out, and then you'll be alone in the dark. And he ends Psalm Sunday with an urgent plea, Believe in me. Believe in the light of the world. Come to me. And Jesus is asking us today if you will go all the way with Him. To commit with Him with everything that you have. Jesus lost His own life. He lost it. He gave it up so that you could live. And you know what? If you're going to find eternal life, if you're going to have a relationship with God and continue it in a deep and meaningful way, you're going to have to turn your back on your life too. Whoever loves his life, Jesus said he would use it. Last illustration. You won't be surprised where it comes from. Most stories, I think, are quest stories. You set out to gain something. You're going to rescue the princess. You're going to retake the throne. You're going to go live happily ever after. The goal is to get something. But some stories are anti-quest stories. What's one of the greatest anti-quest stories? It rhymes with Lord of the Rings. Right? The real goal, everybody thinks it is, the real goal is not to get the ring. That would be a quest story. The real goal is to destroy the ring. It's to get rid of it. And that's how you come to Christ. You don't save your life. You lose it. You throw the rights and claims to your life. You throw the ring of your sin that you hold on to into the fires of His judgment and love, and you emerge a new creation. Renounce your life. Give your life to the King. And there can be no half measures with Him. Come to the light. Come to the King on a donkey. Come to the King on a tree. Have the courage and humility to say, Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief. And on this day, you will be with me. This is the only.