04-13-03 Communion Dedication - Baldwin Christian Church

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

It took 500 years to fulfill the words of the prophet Zechariah, but on that day we call Palm Sunday, Jesus began that ride into Jerusalem on the back of an unbroken colt.

Luke 19:41~44 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Relying on the kindness of strangers, Jesus was born among animals in a borrowed stable, and again here as He looks up to see that shining city on the hill, He's relying on the kindness of strangers, borne on the back of a borrowed stable beast. What He sees affects His tender heart, and He weeps as His ears ring with the bittersweet sound of the multitudes along the road crying "Hosanna" (save us now, we pray). Many of His chosen people will not choose Him, and soon many of these same voices will cry "Crucify Him!" His every tear proves His love for the city named after peace, and every tear proves His love for those who will be lost. The inhabitants of Jerusalem will not open their eyes to the peace of salvation, and a terrible destruction will come upon them forty years later. For us, like Jerusalem, this is our day, the day that God is still offering His blessings, His mercy, His grace, and we have no excuse for not knowing the advantage we have. The things that were hidden from Jerusalem have been revealed to us, and we've been called upon to share them. This is the day to seek the Lord. This is the day to call upon Him. This is the day of salvation. Like Jerusalem, we only think we know the things of peace. The things of this world blind us to true peace, and we forget that everything essential to our happiness and a rest beyond our comprehension can only be found as we discipline ourselves to seek Him. Do you know the time of your visitation? Do you heed that still, small voice, or do you need to hear the thundering voice of reproof before you snap to?

He was God in the flesh, and the good news today is that we are sinners. Greater news is that He loves sinners; so much that He carried the agonizing burden of our sins all the way to the cross. The best news happened three days later when He proved that through faith and repentance we can be forgiven. Jesus is coming again. Does He weep when He sees us? When He approached Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday, He rode humbly on a borrowed donkey, bringing salvation. While we still can, let's run to meet Him.