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Series C – First Sunday of Advent – Sunday, November 29, 2015 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:28	the holy Gospel According to Saint Luke
0:30	chapter 19 verses 28 through 40.
0:34	after Jesus had said this he went on
0:36	ahead going up to Jerusalem as he
0:39	approached Bethpage and Bethany at the
0:42	hill called the Mount of Olives
0:43	he sent two of his disciples saying to
0:45	them go to the Village ahead of you as
0:48	you enter it you’ll find a cult tied
0:50	there which no one has ever ridden untie
0:53	it bring it here if anyone asks why are
0:55	you untying it tell him the Lord needs
0:58	it those who were sent ahead went and
1:01	found a Justice he had told them as they
1:03	were untying the cult its owners asked
1:05	them why are you untying the cult they
1:08	replied the Lord needs it
1:10	they brought it to Jesus through their
1:12	cloaks on the cult and put Jesus on it
1:15	and as he went along people spread their
1:17	cloaks on the road and when he came near
1:20	the place where the road goes down the
1:22	Mount of Olives the whole crowd of
1:24	disciples began joyfully to praise God
1:26	in loud voices for all the Miracles that
1:29	they had seen blessed is the king who
1:32	comes in the name of the Lord peace in
1:34	heaven and glory in the highest some of
1:37	the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus
1:39	teacher rebuke your disciples I tell you
1:43	he replied if they keep quiet the stones
1:46	will cry out
1:48	in the name of Jesus
1:50	So In Our Gospel reading today you might
1:53	recognize this as our Palm Sunday text
1:56	it’s kind of a strange way to start off
1:59	a new church here by the way Happy New
2:01	Year
2:03	yeah it’s today’s the first Sunday of
2:05	the new church here because this is kind
2:07	of like the Chinese New Year no one
2:09	understands how that all works it just
2:10	happens so today is the beginning of our
2:13	new church here so a happy New Year and
2:16	today’s Gospel text
2:17	we are anticipating the arrival of our
2:20	King this is advent is the season where
2:23	we’re anticipating the arrival of Christ
2:25	and you can kind of put it this way as
2:28	Christians We Are In Perpetual Advent as
2:31	we wait for Christ’s second Advent in
2:34	between his first coming and his second
2:36	coming and so as we read in the previous
2:39	weeks where Jesus said stay awake I come
2:42	quickly he does indeed come quickly we
2:44	just don’t know when to us it seems like
2:46	a long time but God’s never late Jesus
2:49	is never late and so we’re constantly in
2:51	anticipation of his arrival and so
2:55	Advent prepares us for Christmas and
2:58	Christmas prepares us for Easter and
3:00	Easter prepares us for the end of the
3:01	world and so the cycle continues and so
3:04	with our text today it is a fulfillment
3:06	of the prophecy found in Zechariah
3:08	Chapter 9 verse 9. let me read it
3:10	Rejoice greatly o Daughter of Zion shout
3:13	aloud o daughter of Jerusalem behold
3:16	your come as king your King has come
3:17	coming to you righteous and having
3:20	salvation he is humble and mounted on a
3:24	donkey
3:25	on a cult the foal of the Donkey
3:29	Jesus apparently didn’t come to flex
3:31	political muscle notice that Kings
3:33	normally ride in on war horses right
3:35	Jesus comes in on a borrowed donkey
3:38	and I mean that borrowed we’ll talk
3:40	about this as we work through the text I
3:43	mean those of you who have experienced
3:46	daughters old enough to date
3:48	if a boy came to your door and asked to
3:51	take your daughter out on a date and he
3:53	was in a borrowed car
3:57	yeah
3:59	I’m just saying okay just I don’t even
4:02	need to fill in the blank we all know
4:03	kind of that feeling we’d have inside is
4:07	this really the right guy well notice
4:09	Jesus doesn’t come in writing on his own
4:12	War stallion he comes in on a borrowed
4:15	donkey so we’ll talk about that let’s
4:17	return to the text and I’ll be reading
4:19	from my translation here’s what it says
4:21	when he said these things he was going
4:24	ahead ascending to Jerusalem and it came
4:27	about as he drew near to bethphage in
4:29	Bethany to the mount that is called of
4:31	Olives he sent two of the disciples
4:33	saying go into the opposite Village in
4:36	which as you are entering you will find
4:38	a cult tied upon which no one ever of
4:41	mankind has ever sat untie it and bring
4:44	it I like the idioms of the old world
4:47	upon which no one of mankind has ever
4:50	sat Jesus officially said right so if
4:53	anyone questions you here we’ve got this
4:56	dubious thing so you want us to do what
4:58	I want you to go over to that Village
5:00	over there what do you want us to do
5:01	Jesus uh okay there’s a cult there
5:04	just untie it and bring it to me
5:08	okay that’s called theft okay right you
5:13	know back in the day I used to live in a
5:15	place called horse thief Canyon and
5:17	there was this big Oak Tree in horse
5:20	thief Canyon and it had died decades
5:23	before we had ever arrived there but as
5:25	The Story Goes horse thief Canyon was
5:28	named as a result of the horse thieves
5:30	who were caught and then hung on that
5:33	tree now I don’t know if back in the day
5:35	the Cowboys in Jerusalem would uh you
5:38	know get a posse together and go hunt
5:41	down a cult stealer but you kind of get
5:43	the idea this is a little bit on the
5:45	dicey side and so if anyone questions
5:48	you Jesus said for what reason you are
5:51	untying it thus you shall say
5:54	the Lord has need of it
5:57	the Lord what
6:00	since when does the Lord have need
6:05	think about this for a second
6:09	scripture says that God owns the cattle
6:11	on a thousand hills
6:13	I think he does
6:15	Jesus doesn’t come to us in riches he
6:18	comes to us in poverty and he comes his
6:21	great triumphal entry into Jerusalem
6:24	not as a triumphal King but as a beggar
6:27	one who has need
6:31	he’s humble
6:32	having salvation riding on a cult the
6:36	foal of a donkey so the Lord has need of
6:38	it so those who were sent went and found
6:42	it just as Jesus had told them and as
6:46	they were untying the cult the owners
6:48	plural said to them why are you untying
6:52	The Cult
6:53	and then we all say awkward
6:57	right
7:00	and I I almost imagined they say like
7:02	this
7:03	the Lord has need of it
7:07	yeah because it’s such a silly sentence
7:09	right the Lord has need of it oh okay
7:12	that’s fine
7:14	right
7:18	so they LED it to Jesus
7:22	and then throwing their garments on the
7:24	cult and they set Jesus on it
7:28	and then while they were proceeding they
7:30	were spreading beneath him their cloaks
7:33	in the road now this is an interesting
7:36	thing hematia in the Greek it could be
7:39	cloaks it could be clothes we have
7:41	people literally undressing to some
7:44	degree or another in order to spread
7:48	for The King The Humble King he’s not
7:50	coming in on a red carpet he’s coming in
7:53	on smelly laundry right
7:56	yeah I mean this is this is his great
7:58	triumphal entry all right so they’re
8:00	spreading their their clothes beneath
8:03	them they’re disrobing in some sense and
8:05	as he was drawing near now to The
8:07	Descent of the Mount of Olives the whole
8:10	multitude of the disciples
8:13	keep this in mind it doesn’t say the
8:14	whole multitude it says the whole
8:16	multitude of the disciples
8:19	began to praise God in a loud voice
8:21	rejoicing for all the Miracles they had
8:24	seen now to kind of paint the picture of
8:27	just how underwhelming this is in Acts
8:29	chapter 1 verse 15 we have the total
8:32	number of Believers in Christ post death
8:36	and resurrection of Jesus are you ready
8:39	for the whopping number
8:42	120
8:46	that’s it
8:47	so here we’ve got the beggar King on a
8:50	borrowed cult coming in with a multitude
8:54	of a group of people well
8:57	if you think about it not much bigger
9:00	than a Kong’s Winger funeral
9:02	in fact I’ve been to Kong’s New York
9:04	funerals where there have been more
9:05	people than 120.
9:08	Jesus was not a multi-site mega church
9:11	pastor
9:13	he did not command the attentions of
9:15	tens of thousands in fact when we read
9:17	about Jesus
9:19	basically taking Loaves and Fishes and
9:22	feeding a multitude of 5 000 men
9:24	John chapter 6 makes it clear after that
9:27	he got into such a dispute and started
9:28	saying such harsh words harsh words like
9:31	unless you eat my flesh and drink my
9:32	blood you have no life in you that most
9:34	of the people who thought that Jesus was
9:36	the bee’s knees decided yeah this guy’s
9:38	saying some tough things I don’t think
9:39	we can believe this
9:42	so at the end of the day the final tally
9:45	for Jesus
9:47	120
9:51	that’s not impressive is it by all of
9:56	the world’s standards Jesus is a total
9:58	flop complete washout complete and utter
10:01	failure
10:03	he doesn’t own a private jet has to
10:05	borrow a cult I mean what kind of loser
10:09	are we following
10:11	see that’s the thing
10:13	Jesus didn’t come to flex political
10:15	muscles and be well Successful by the
10:19	world standard
10:21	he didn’t come to call the Beautiful
10:24	he called the he came to save sinners
10:28	and Philippians 2 makes it clear that
10:30	this is all part of Christ’s humbling he
10:34	humbled himself and was found in the
10:37	form of a servant and became obedient
10:41	obedient even to death on the cross you
10:43	think this is scandalous
10:46	the cross is even more scandalous
10:50	because there’s Jesus and according to
10:52	the Mosaic Covenant
10:54	cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree
10:57	cursed
11:00	and there’s Jesus
11:01	nailed to a tree
11:05	by their standards and as World
11:06	standards this man has nothing to offer
11:11	you
11:12	you shouldn’t even be listening to him
11:15	he is a despised criminal he’s cursed of
11:19	God indeed truly he was but see there’s
11:22	kind of the issue he was cursed for me
11:25	he was cursed for you
11:27	scripture says in Isaiah that he was
11:30	pierced for our transgressions he was
11:33	bruised for our iniquities the
11:36	punishment the chastisement that gives
11:38	us peace with God was upon him or as
11:41	Paul writes God made him to be sin who
11:45	knew no sin
11:46	so that you might be the righteousness
11:48	of God
11:49	so there’s Jesus on his way to the cross
11:53	in a very unimpressive
11:55	well
11:56	multitude
11:58	and he had to put it in quotes
12:01	on a borrowed donkey humble
12:04	having salvation
12:08	so they began to praise God in loud
12:10	voice rejoicing for all the Miracles
12:12	that they had seen saying and here’s
12:15	what the disciples said blessed is the
12:18	king
12:20	despite the meanness and Poverty of this
12:23	whole situation they are proclaiming
12:25	that Jesus is the son of David that he’s
12:28	the king blessed is the king who comes
12:30	in the name of the Lord and we’ll talk
12:32	about that remember that phrase in the
12:33	name of the Lord in the name of the Lord
12:35	right
12:36	in the name of the Lord in heaven peace
12:38	and glory in the highest
12:41	oh but the Pharisees were on the scene
12:43	oh those Pharisees
12:45	yeah they’re all about money they’re all
12:47	about Fame they’re all about wealth
12:49	they’re all about power they’re all
12:50	about themselves and they’re not about
12:53	to well let this sad and pathetic
12:58	rejoicing in Jesus go unchallenged
13:00	because they knew what the prophecy of
13:03	Zechariah said and they knew that what
13:06	Jesus and his disciples were doing were
13:08	fulfilling Zechariah Chapter 9 9 and the
13:10	Pharisees had already made it very clear
13:12	yeah we get that you’re performing
13:14	Miracles but we refuse to believe that
13:16	you’re doing this by the hand of God
13:17	instead we think you’re doing this
13:19	because you’re doing this in the power
13:20	of bials above they knew that Jesus was
13:24	fulfilling all of the Prophecies of the
13:25	Messiah and they said not that Messiah
13:28	we need one who’s helpful who’s relevant
13:32	who can help meet our needs get rid of
13:34	these pesky Romans and help restore the
13:36	glory of Israel not that Jesus and so
13:40	here’s what they say to him
13:43	the Pharisees from the crowd said to
13:45	Jesus teacher rebuke your disciples
13:50	shut them up
13:53	they’re embarrassing us
13:56	we refuse to believe that this is really
14:00	the Messiah
14:02	make them be quiet
14:04	and Jesus’s reply is I say to you if
14:07	these will not if these will be silent
14:09	the stones will cry out
14:12	and I don’t think Jesus was talking
14:13	metaphorically here
14:15	I think that’s really what would have
14:17	happened
14:18	and what’s funny is is that this story
14:21	of the embarrassment and the rebuking of
14:23	the Pharisees it’s kind of hidden in
14:25	type and Shadow in another text of the
14:29	Bible found in second Samuel chapter six
14:33	the story of The Return of the Ark of
14:35	the Covenant
14:36	to Jerusalem when David is King here’s
14:39	what it says
14:40	when Obed when David went and brought
14:43	the Ark of God from the house of Obed
14:45	Edom to the city of David with rejoicing
14:48	and when those Who Bore the Ark of the
14:50	Lord had gone six steps he sacrificed an
14:52	ox and a fatted animal and David danced
14:55	before the Lord with all of his might
14:57	and David was wearing a linen ephod
15:00	he’d somewhat disroped taking some of
15:03	his clothes off we have kind of a
15:05	similar idea going on here so David in
15:07	all the house of Israel brought up the
15:09	Ark of the Lord with shouting and with
15:12	the sound of the horn and by the way
15:14	what’s the lid of the Ark called by the
15:16	way do you all remember
15:18	it’s called The Mercy Seat
15:22	it is that mercy seat on which the blood
15:25	of the day of atonement the sacrificial
15:28	animal is poured out onto The Mercy Seat
15:31	pointing us to Christ so Jesus is
15:34	entering Jerusalem
15:36	this time hidden in a box
15:39	he would so as the Ark of the Lord came
15:41	to the city of David McCall the daughter
15:44	of Saul who by the way is
15:47	the the Bride of David
15:50	she looked out of the window and saw
15:52	King David leaping and dancing before
15:53	the Lord and she despised him in her
15:58	heart
15:59	and they brought the Ark of the Lord and
16:00	set it in its place inside the tent that
16:03	David had pitched for it and David
16:04	offered burnt offerings and peace
16:06	offerings before the Lord and when David
16:08	had finished offering the burnt
16:09	offerings and the peace offerings he
16:11	blessed the people in the name of the
16:13	Lord of hosts and distributed among all
16:15	the people the whole multitude of Israel
16:16	both men and women a cake of bread a
16:19	portion of meat a cake of raisins to
16:22	each one and then all the people
16:23	departed each to his house and David
16:25	returned
16:27	to bless his household and then you can
16:30	hear the very serious somber music in
16:32	the background done done done but McCall
16:35	the daughter of Saul came out to meet
16:38	David and said how the king of Israel
16:40	honored himself today uncovering himself
16:43	today before the eyes of his servants
16:45	female servants as one of the vulgar
16:48	fellows shamelessly uncovers himself
16:53	fascinating
16:55	how this all works so David said to
16:57	Mahal
16:58	it was before the Lord who chose me
17:01	above your father and above all his
17:03	house to appoint me as Prince over
17:05	Israel the people of the Lord I will
17:08	celebrate before the Lord in fact I will
17:10	make myself yet even more contemptible
17:12	than this and I will be a beast in your
17:15	eyes but by the female Servants of whom
17:17	you have spoken by them I shall be held
17:19	in honor
17:21	so notice in this story The despised
17:24	lowly made servants
17:27	get it
17:29	ones who have poverty get it and David
17:33	is honored in their eyes for his
17:36	rejoicing and praising of the Lord in
17:38	the return of The Mercy Seat to
17:40	Jerusalem
17:42	but McCall
17:44	the princess
17:45	the rich
17:47	the powerful
17:48	the self-absorbed I’m sure her Tiara was
17:51	wonderful to look at
17:55	she was embarrassed by all of this
17:58	showing that she had no faith
18:01	she didn’t trust in the Lord she trusted
18:03	in herself she trusted in her power she
18:05	trusted in her riches and so she was
18:07	embarrassed
18:09	by this shouting dancing and praising
18:12	and much like the Pharisees she had to
18:14	get her little quip in
18:19	here’s how this story ends
18:21	and McCall the daughter of Saul
18:25	had no child to the day of her death
18:33	the son of David is not married to an
18:36	unbeliever
18:39	see it
18:40	he’s not
18:42	so she spends the rest of her life in
18:44	her room alone
18:48	and dies
18:50	childless
18:53	but the reality of the situation is
18:55	everyone
18:56	who has no faith
18:58	dies childless even if they have
19:00	physical children
19:02	because Jesus talks about fruitfulness
19:05	the fruitfulness of the Kingdom as the
19:08	one who bears fruit for the kingdom
19:10	and that only happens by faith
19:13	in the one who humbly trusts in the Lord
19:16	and his mercy and his forgiveness and
19:18	Grace and goes and tells the world of
19:21	what Jesus has done and calls people to
19:23	repent and to believe in him
19:26	the one who does that
19:29	fathers and mothers children and
19:31	children and children some 60 some 30
19:34	some 100 fold
19:36	right
19:38	think about that
19:40	coming back to our
19:43	text
19:44	now let me remind you
19:47	blessed is the king who comes in the
19:49	name of the Lord was the phrase I wanted
19:51	you to remember
19:53	let me read again from Jeremiah chapter
19:55	33 but a slightly different translation
19:57	to help you see something here in those
20:00	days
20:01	Judah shall be saved
20:03	Jerusalem shall dwell in safety
20:06	and this is the name by which she shall
20:09	be called
20:11	in our NIV it says it ESV it says it the
20:15	Hebrew pronoun is she the nasb gets it
20:18	right by the way
20:20	in those days this is the name by which
20:22	she shall be called
20:25	the Lord is our righteousness
20:31	so this Advent here we have our King
20:35	writing in on a borrowed donkey
20:37	people disrobing before him
20:41	throwing their smelly clothes in front
20:43	of him and shouting blessed is the king
20:45	who comes in the name of the Lord in the
20:47	name of the Lord as the Lord is our
20:49	righteousness
20:50	and she will be named by this this is
20:53	her name
20:54	and I think that reference is ultimately
20:56	the church
20:57	we who are in Christ we collectively are
21:00	the bride of Christ yes that includes
21:02	you men as well
21:03	that’s the metaphor
21:05	and like the brides of the past when
21:09	they’re married they take on the name of
21:11	their husband
21:12	the name of the Bride of the of the Lord
21:14	is this the Lord is our righteousness
21:18	see we come to Jesus in poverty we come
21:21	to Jesus in need we come to Jesus
21:24	without anything on our own just like he
21:27	was humble and came on a borrowed cold
21:29	we come to Jesus bruised beaten battered
21:33	bankrupt spiritually
21:35	completely sinful and in need
21:38	and Jesus rather than turn us away
21:41	says to us
21:43	I love you
21:44	and he goes to the cross and he bleeds
21:47	and dies for our sins and then he covers
21:49	Us in his righteousness
21:52	we are clothed in splendor Beyond
21:54	splendor
21:55	and this is what Jesus does for his
21:58	bride so that our name is the church is
22:02	this the Lord is our righteousness not a
22:05	righteousness of your own it’s a
22:06	righteousness given and so this Advent
22:09	season
22:10	as we anticipate the arrival of Jesus
22:14	the arrival of Jesus born of the virgin
22:18	let us also anticipate his second Advent
22:22	where he comes in glory to call us from
22:26	the grave to clothe Us in new bodies and
22:29	so we shall ever see him without end and
22:32	by the way what’s the first order of
22:34	business upon Jesus’s return after the
22:37	creation of the new heavens and new
22:38	earth it’s the wedding Feast of the Lamb
22:43	so let us anticipate that day
22:45	when we get to write on our documents
22:49	the Lord is our righteousness because
22:52	that’s our name in the name of Jesus
22:55	Amen
22:57	[Music]

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