The Symbol He Chose
First B Jackson
2023-04-03

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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How's the blizzard? Would you stand up? And we're gonna sing about something that doesn't change. Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus.

Hymn number 92 if you got a hymnal. Our weather's not changing either. Somebody just said. It hadn't changed much. I'll give you that.

Here we go. Amen. Alright. How about blessed assurance? That's another something that doesn't change.

All the day long perfect submission all is at rest I am my savior watching and waiting, looking above, filled with his goodness, lost in his love. This is my story. This is my song, Praising my savior Praising my my

Y'all can have a seat. I have a few announcements this morning and they are these. Monday night is not happening this week because we're in the middle of spring break. So, Monday night, not happening this week. The Jackson Hole Men's Alliance normally would be the first Wednesday of the month month, but it's not gonna be this week.

It'll be next week, April 12, 06:30 in the Fellowship Hall right here at 1st B. They're postponing it again because a lot of people are on spring break. Ladies fellowship also postponed for spring break. So those are the first three are non announcements. And this one is always going be true.

Sunday school volunteers are needed. It helps to spread the load a little bit. If you would, contact Liz Owens, if you're willing, to help out with the Sunday school volunteers. There are some training procedures and things to do. We have a great group of people leading down there.

But if you would like to, they make it pretty easy to lead. If you'd like to help, please let Liz know and she will get you signed up. Coming in September, Will Graham, Billy Graham's grandson, is doing a tour, cross country tour of, it's called the Look Up Tour. Crowder, formerly known as Dave Crowder. Crowder is a musical guest, that is coming along with this September twenty third and twenty fourth in Idaho Falls, but we're doing Christian life and witness courses, which would be good if there were not an event happening.

There... It's still gonna be a good thing. The Billy Graham, Evangelistic Association is doing doing those, putting those on here at the church, May fourth, eleventh, and eighteenth from seven to nine. Did it in the evening, so more people could take part in it. So this is pre summer, May 4.

May 11 to May 18, seven to nine. We are in the middle of a time of thirty days of prayer for the Muslim world. That's an expansive people group, and it's made up of a lot of smaller people groups. But if you would be praying, in your own quiet times, that would be great. Just pray that God would show who he really is instead of just Isa, Jesus, that he becomes Isa Masih, Jesus the Messiah, the long expected one.

Would you please be praying for Muslims on this... During this thirty days, but also April 16 from six to seven right here at 1st B. We're gonna get together and pray for the Muslim world. And Easter Sunday. Hey.

The garden tomb there. 9AM and 11AM services. We're not changing it up. We're not doing just one service. We're gonna do nine and eleven services.

The nursery will be open, but it won't be staffed. We we would like for everybody to get the opportunity to be upstairs or celebrate resurrection Sunday together, and it'll be open if needed. But you can carry the babies down there and hang out if they start being so unruly. You can't stand it. It won't bother me.

I promise. Alright. So nine and eleven next week. Potluck dinner, sending celebration, an extravaganza for the Eon family. So Florin and Violetta will be heading out towards Romania at the end of May, the very end of May.

So April 22, we're gonna do this kind of a send off potluck, at 05:30 here in the Fellowship Hall. Feel free to invite anybody that you think this family has blessed. It won't be enough space in that fellowship hall. Alright? But I wanna say something else.

They still need monthly supporters. Tanya and I were on the mission field for seven years. And to be there, we are their sending organization. To be on the field, most agencies require that you not just have a lot of money in your coffers. Right?

You have monthly supporters that will be praying for you monthly and will be supporting you monthly, quarterly, yearly, so ongoing type support. Typically, you get a one time gift, you can use that for a one time type purchase. But monthly supporters, quarterly, yearly supporters are what they still need. If you want to be a part of that, you can get in touch with Nick, you can get in touch with Florine, you can get in touch with me, and we'll help direct that. And I think that's it.

Would you stand? We just sang about a wonderful story. This is my story. This is my song. How about let's tell that story and not be caged evangelists, Okay?

We're not locked in. We can tell this story to the nations. Would you? Sing out. I'm gonna invite the ushers to...

Wait a second. We got one more? That's it. Alright. We got one more.

Stand back up. Why not? We're pressing on the upward way here. Sorry. My rhythm is off this morning.

Y'all can have a seat for real this time. We've been doing this for eleven years and I still get thrown off of this horse every once in a while. God, would you help us, lord? As we lose our way, would you help restore us? Would you help bring us back into a right relationship with you, lord?

We know that you have offered that, that you've offered the good old gospel way. Lord, we find freedom in that. We find salvation in that. We find sanctification in that. Lord God almighty, I pray that you would have us, Lord, in step with you.

As the wind of the Holy Spirit blows, lord, may we allow it to carry us along and never brace ourselves against that wind. In Jesus name, I ask your blessing on this offering. I ask your blessing on each giver and also each gift. Lord, that you would do with both exactly as you intend. You have established the steps for us, Lord.

I pray that you would allow us to see them and to walk in them, the strength to carry it out. In Jesus name, we ask your blessing and your multiplication on everything that is given here this morning to your kingdom's advance. In Jesus name, amen. Amen. Together.

The Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the synoptic gospels And this is a Palm Sunday edition. So I'm skipping over some stuff. I'm skipping over it because this is Palm Sunday, and traditionally, this is when we do the triumphal entry of Jesus. Now, I have been here for 11 of these so far, I think. So maybe just 10, 10 or 11 of these.

And I have tended to preach from John because John is the place where I feel like he mentions palms for one thing. He mentions that the branches were palms. And so it's Palm Sunday, we gotta say that. Some of the stuff, you will have seen some of these slides before. It's the same story.

Right? But I want you to look at it today. There are several symbols here. Some of them are symbols that people have chosen, and they have their reasons why. One of them is a symbol that Christ chose, and he has his reasons why.

And then there's another one that is another symbol at the very end. And we're just gonna work our way through this. If if you're keeping track as to where we are in our study, we're within about four months of the cross in our normal study. We're skipping forward to one week before. The beginning of Holy Week is the Sunday, Palm Sunday.

And Monday, we're gonna cover just Monday morning, Sunday and Monday morning today. This is what it looks like if you look at everything that they say about Palm Sunday or the triumphal entry. In Matthew, it's a little longer. Mark's a little shorter. Luke is right there.

They're very, very similar. But there are a couple of details that I'll try to bring out. We're gonna actually walk through all three of those. If you were to look and include the fourth gospel, John there, John is the shortest, but it's the one I usually go to. But part of the reason is because in John, we have the raising of Lazarus, where you have the raising of Lazarus, which seems to initiate what we're gonna talk about today.

So we're just gonna cover these. I might hit a verse or two from John. But Matthew, Mark, and Luke. God, would you bless the reading of your word, the exposition of any little nugget there, Lord, that you've left for us to find. Would you allow us, Lord, to understand and to implement in our lives.

In Jesus' name, amen. So here we are. Matthew twenty one one through five says this, when they had approached Jerusalem, Passover's coming, and they had come to Bethphage at the Mount Of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, doesn't tell us who they were, saying to them, you go into the village that's opposite you and immediately, right there, you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with it. Untie them, both of them, and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say the Lord needs them, and he will send them on immediately.

Now this took place so that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled. Say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your king, capital k, is coming to you humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Young donkey. So Jesus gives that in Matthew. And in Mark...

Let's see what Mark says. Mark says, and as they approached Jerusalem, or technically, anytime you see that asterisk in the New American Standard Bible, it's historical present. It kinda draws you into the story. And as they are approaching Jerusalem, that's what it says. As they are approaching Jerusalem at Bethpage and Bethany, twin cities right next to each other, near the Mount Of Olives, he sent...

Or he is sending out two of his disciples. And he is saying to them, go into the village opposite you. And immediately, as you enter it, you'll find a colt tied there on which no one has ever sat. That's new information. It's a young colt, but it's one that's never been ridden before.

Go into the village opposite immediately, and you'll find there a colt tied on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. And if anyone says to you, why are you doing this? Say, the Lord has need of it. And immediately, he will send it back here.

Seems like Jesus has gone ahead and talked to the owner of this colt and said, hey, there's gonna come a time when I'm gonna need this thing. Alright. We... It doesn't say that in the text, but he does very confidently say, if you say the Lord has need of it immediately, he'll send it back here with you. They went away.

They found the colt tied at the door just like Jesus said, outside in the street, and they untied it. So they're untying it, and some of the bystanders were saying to them, what are you doing untying that colt? And they told him just as Jesus had said, and they gave him permission. They're bringing the colt to Jesus and putting their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. First one to ever ride this little foal of a donkey.

What does Luke say about it? Luke says this. When he approached Bethphage in Bethany, near the mountain that's called Olivet, Mount Of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, still doesn't say who they are, saying, go into that village ahead of you there, and as you enter, you'll find a colt tied on which no one has ever sat. Untie it. Bring it here.

And if anyone asks you, why are you untying it? You shall say this, the Lord has need of it. And so those who were sent left and found it just as he told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owner said to them, it's not theoretically, more it's happening. Why are you untying that colt?

And they said, the Lord has need of it, and they brought it to Jesus. And they threw their cloaks on the colt, and they put Jesus on it. So how many of y'all ever seen seen the first time anybody's ridden a donkey? You know, he... They brought back both the mama and the little one.

And I think it would be very reassuring for the little one to have mama right there with him. You know? I have seen my dad dragged through a mule pen trying to break a mule before anybody could ride that thing or use it in any way. It doesn't sound at all like that, but I do think it'd be reassuring for that. And it also was the first time that anyone had ever sat on...

This is not a is not a beast of burden so much as a symbol, it sounds like. And and it it is. We can see that because of Zechariah nine nine. Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, o daughter of Jerusalem.

Behold, your king, capital k, is coming to you, righteous. Amen. And having or possessing salvation. He has salvation in his hand, and he's coming. Righteous and the holder of salvation.

He is humble, and he's mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. It's interesting that it says on a donkey on a colt, the foal of a donkey. It seems almost like Jesus had both of them there because this might be two different animals, but he carries it. He's definitely riding on the foal of the donkey. Can you imagine more humble position for the king, capital k, to come in on?

The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt. They laid their cloaks on them. He sat on the cloaks. Most of the crowd...

Now there's a crowd. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees. Now all of the gospels mention these branches, but only John tells us what kind of branches. And here he says, so they took branches of palm trees, went out to meet him, crying out, hosanna. Let's let's get on back to the gospels.

The Synoptics. I I do wanna mention this, and I've mentioned this before. You'll recognize this slide. Around a hundred and thirty five BC, there was a rebellion. And Simon of the Maccabees, the Maccabean revolt happened.

Simon led Israel in their struggle against their oppressors, and they kicked them out of Jerusalem. So it was a military victory for the Maccabees. If you have a Bible that has the Apocrypha in it, it's the Maccabees. It's it's in Maccabees one... No.

Maccabees 13... First Maccabees thirteen forty nine through 53 gives a summary of what happened. Okay? The summary of what happened is this. When they, the oppressors, cried out to Simon to make peace because he had whipped them so unmercifully.

Right? When the oppressors cried out to Simon to make peace with them, he did so. But he did expel them from the city, and he cleansed the citadel from all its pollutions. Filthy Gentile scum trying to rule over us. Sorry.

I'm injecting that, but that's the sense right here. This is from the first Maccabees 13. On the twenty third day of the second month in the one hundred seventy first year, the Jews entered it with praise and palm branches. Palm branches are a symbol also. It's a symbol of Israel, but it's a nationalistic symbol of Israel with the harps and the cymbals and their stringed instruments and the hymns and songs because a great enemy had been crushed and removed, ejected from Israel.

And Simon decreed that every year, they should celebrate this day. Great leader, great military guy. He strengthened the fortifications of the Temple Hill alongside the citadel, and he and his men lived there. When they minted their own coins, they put palm branches on the back of them, just like we have an eagle on the back of ours. If you think of America, a lot of times you would say, oh, the eagle, the bald eagle.

We'd see them around here, and you just... It has this majestic kinda feel. They felt that way about palm branches. Even in the time of Jesus, this is the coin of Herod Antipas. Now Herod is a puppet king.

He's under Romans. He's allowed to have his rule over the Jews, but he has to kinda toe the line. But he's kinda given them a little bit of, I know. I'm one of you. I agree with you.

The Romans don't even know what this means, but I know what this means. Do you get what I'm saying? So that palm branch there is a symbol of Israel. There's another one with a palm branch right there. It's in an urn.

You see some of these will have a little harp or a lyre or a symbol from the same kind of Maccabees tradition. Palm branch, again, on a different coin. Now the crowd's going ahead of him and those who followed. They were all shouting together, Hosanna. Hosanna to the son of David.

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. This is actually from Psalm one eighteen. One eighteen twenty five and twenty six. So one eighteen twenty five says this, and that's the Hebrew up there.

I'm not a Hebrew guy. But tzotzon dei means save now. It's not just save, save us. It is save us now. Now is the time.

Right now. We want it. I beseech you, o Lord, save us now. Send prosperity now. So Psalm one eighteen twenty five and twenty six.

Please, oh Lord, do save us. Please, oh Lord, do send prosperity. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. ESV says, save us.

It's in a primary position right there, which is what it says. Save us, we pray, oh, Lord. What does Mark say? Here's Mark. And many people spread out their cloaks on the road.

They are showing honor to Jesus. And others spread leafy branches, palm branches, which they had cut from the fields, and those who went in front and those who followed were all shouting, Hosanna. Save us now. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David.

Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple area. And after looking around at everything, he left for Bethany with the 12 since it was already late. So that's Mark's version. What does Luke have to say?

He adds a little more to the story here. Now, as he was going there spreading their cloaks on the road, and as soon as he was approaching near the descent of the Mount Of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen. That's kind of a common thing. It's a common theme among God's people in the Old Testament whenever there's a time of celebration or joy, and he calls for them to do celebration and joy and look back on what he's done. You are mighty, o Lord.

Your loving kindness endures forever. You are the one that opened the Red Sea so that we could walk through it. You are the one that closed the Red Sea on top of our Egyptian enemies. Lord, you are the one that is to be known. You are the one that delivered us.

You are the one that allowed for the child of promise to be born of our father Abraham. You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, looking back on all the good things God had done. I remember that pile of rocks where you helped us cross that river. Right? They began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had been seeing, shouting, blessed is the king, the one who comes in the name of Lord.

Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. I have a feeling that they were praying for peace in heaven and eventually peace on earth right after we whipped these Romans. Do you get that sense? Blessed is the king, the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

I like peace in heaven, but I want to see on earth as it is in heaven. And yet, some of the pharisees... Every time I say the word pharisees in the in the gospels, like, every time I see the word pharisees, it's almost like the snidely villain in the old black and whites that has the the curled up mustache on there, and he's tied the girl up. He's put her on the on the track. You know, trains are coming.

I I hate that it is that way because I think that if we demonize them to the point that we don't recognize that we're them, the enemy the enemy is us. Right? Phariseeism is is is a... Is the danger for religious folk. Yet some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, teacher, rebuke your disciples.

My goodness. Are you gonna allow this to stand? Teacher, rebuke your disciples. And Jesus said, listen. I tell you what.

If these stop speaking, the stones will cry out. I... The the children's ministry here is great, and I have a rock in my office that the kids painted a while back. And on the top of it, which you can see if you would look behind the behind the door on one of the shelves in there, there's a rock, and it says, praise the Lord. And I thought that's beautiful.

If you pick it up and flip it over, it says, or I will. Isn't that great? Praise the Lord or I will. Jesus replied, I tell you, if these stop speaking, I deserve the praise that they're given. Even though I think their motivation is off, I still deserve the praise that they're given.

I am doing it. I'm just doing it a different way than they're expecting. I tell you, if these stop speaking, the stones will crowd. And when he approached Jerusalem... So from the Mount Of Olives over Jerusalem, you look down on the whole city, but the Temple Mount is very, very evident right there.

The temple site is what you see from the Mount Of Olives. It takes up a lot of the old city of Jerusalem. And when he approached that, he saw the city, and he wept over it. He cried. This is Luke 19.

In John 11, we see Jesus crying. John eleven fifty three, great. I want a memory verse. You get your verse, and it's only two words long. Jesus wept.

Jesus wept. He wept because of grief, individual grief for Mary and Martha. He saw their grief and dismay, and he felt moved with compassion, and he wept for his friends. Even though he knew that the resurrection was coming and that he was gonna do it, he waited so that he could do it. He still felt this human emotion of grief.

Here, it's more than just an individual having lost a friend or family member. Here, when Jesus looks down on the city, he weeps over the whole city saying this, if only you had known on this day. If if you had known that on this day, even you, Jerusalem, if you had known the conditions for peace, if you had known what makes for peace, but now here you are. There are people all around him, and there are people in that city down the hill where he's headed, and what they're looking for is not peace. What they're looking for is to throw off the oppression.

They're looking for messiah, the deliverer of Israel. But Jesus is messiah, the deliverer of the world. Does that make sense? It's beyond just us. It's beyond just us.

If you had known on this day, even you, the conditions that make for peace, but now they've been hidden from your eyes. You're blinded by your preconceived notions. For the days will come, and it's a sad statement, the days are coming when your enemies will put up a barricade against you. Barricade, ramp, bank. You'll see a lot of different translations.

Barricade is pretty good. It's a siege ramp. The days will come when your enemies will put up a barricade against you, and they will surround you on all sides. And they will hem you in on every side. And those enemies will level you to the ground, and they'll throw down your children with you, and they will not leave in you Jerusalem one stone upon another.

That's pretty massive undertaking to just destroy a whole city and level it, but it's exactly what happened in seventy AD. It was a forecast of what was coming to pass. If only you had known. If only you had accepted it. Because there were those who did accept it.

There are those that are with him that are absolutely believers. If only you had known the conditions that make for peace. But because you did not recognize them at the time of your visitation... This I have in my little Harmony of the Gospels from the first class I took at seminary. A green pen I wrote out.

This is when God injects himself into human affairs. And it's not just then. God is still reaching out. His word is going forth. When you hear the word of God, you can either be, Lord, may it be to me just as you have said, accepting it, hearing the word of the Lord, and keeping it, or you can be, what does that have to do with me?

Right? You can reject it out of hand. And that seems to be what they did because you didn't recognize the time of your visitation. God wanted to do something in your life in this place, and it wasn't military victory like he wanted. You had that in mind, and you couldn't see anything else.

When he had entered in... Matthew. When he had entered into Jerusalem at the city, all the city was stirred saying, who is this? Even the folks... I mean, he's got a whole possession of people with him, but everybody is like, who is this?

This is quite the deal. I don't remember anything scheduled for today. Watching my webcam and wondering what's going on at rendezvous Fest. Who is this? What's going on?

And the crowds were saying, this is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. Haven't you heard of him? Now the next thing that Matthew tells us is about the cleansing of the temple. I'm not gonna go into it here today, but that's the next two verses. Matthew, seems to not be concerned with chronology.

Both Mark and Luke mentioned this happening, and actually John does too. They mentioned it happening, but he puts it in there because it's forefront of his mind. When Jesus got into the temple, he he drove those people out of there. I'll get to this when we get to it in our study, but I want you to know that it is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you're making it into a den of robbers. What the people were doing that was upsetting for Jesus is they had commercialized they had commercialized approach to God.

They put up barriers for people instead of being able to just come directly to God. It's in the court of the Gentiles. This is somewhere where anybody is allowed. If they wanna approach God, they can. But they've put up tables and barriers, and they're selling them stuff, and they're trying to slow the progress and make some money at the same time.

My house will be called a house prayer. You're making it into a den of robbers. That's something to consider at a later date. It goes on and says, and those who were blind and those who limped came to Jesus in the temple area, and he healed them. Ain't that beautiful?

That's what he does. That's what Messiah does. For anybody who knew what to be looking for, Jesus ticked the boxes. He healed the blind and the lame and the deaf. And he set people who were captive to whatever malady free.

Those who were blind and those who limp came to him in the temple area, and he healed them. But when the chief priest and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he

had done, wonderful things. It says it in

the text. They're wonderful things. It's hard to look at a blind man that couldn't see, and now he can. Once was blind, but now I see, and think that's not wonderful. That's wonderful.

What does it go on to say though? When the chief priest and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he had done, and they saw the children who were shouting in the temple area, Hosanna to the son of David. Well, we've never had this effect on children before. They became indignant. That's terrible.

Wonderful things. Folded arms, indignant. Jesus. Hosanna to the son of David. They became indignant, and they said, do you hear what these children are saying?

This is sort of like what we just said. Do you hear what these children are saying? And Jesus said to him, yes. I do. I do.

Have you never read from the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself? That's a a quote of Psalm eight two. Here it is. Eight one and two says this, Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You who have displayed your splendor above the heavens from out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies.

You have established strength. And listen to what else it says. Because of your enemies, to do away with the enemy and the revengeful. Does indignant and revengeful seem to go together? They who saw themselves as God's only chosen ones were experiencing a reversal when they really looked at Jesus.

They were seeing themselves turn from people that thought they were God's only friends to being the enemy of God right here. And the children recognized Jesus for who he was. He left them, and he went out of the city to Bethany, and he spent the night there. Okay. That gets Sunday over in Matthew.

Mark eleven eleven says, and Jesus entered the temple area. After he looked around for a bit, he left for Bethany with the 12 since it was already late. So Mark gets him out of there too. Now, here we go. This is the last two from the passages from the Gospels I'm gonna share.

But this is another symbol. So, so far, as far as symbols, we see them choosing palm branches and Jesus choosing a humble foal of a donkey to ride into town on. Now there's one... Now there's another one here that is another symbol here. Now in the early morning, when he was returning to the city, he became hungry.

And seeing a lone fig tree, just a fig tree right there by itself on the side of the road, he came to it, and he found nothing on it except leaves alone. And he said to it, no longer shall there be any fruit from you. And at once, the fig tree withered. So that's an interesting one for Matthew. Let's look at it in Mark.

He adds a couple of new details. On the next day, when he had left from Bethany, he became hungry, and seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf. In leaf. So it's... You know there are leaves on it, but you can tell in that area of the world.

And what time of year it is during Passover time, it's not really the season for figs. Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if perhaps he would find anything on it. Maybe it's an early bloomer. And when he came to it and he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season of figs, He said to it, may no one ever eat fruit from you again. And his disciples were listening.

Oh, the disciples listening is an interesting one. Now for us, fig tree, shmig tree, who cares? But fig trees are a symbol for Israel throughout the prophets. There are probably 10 or 12 examples of the fig tree, and it's usually, but not always, unbelieving Israel. It's...

Let's let's just go to them. Jeremiah. Jeremiah eight says this, I will certainly snatch them away, declares the Lord. There will be no grapes on the vine and no figs on the fig tree, and the leaf will wither. And what I have given them, which is all the knowledge in the world necessary to recognize messiah, what I've given them, it'll pass away from their obstinates.

Hosea, and I found Israel. When I found Israel, it was like grapes in the wilderness. There was fruit. I saw your forefathers as the earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Right? God was with them, There was fruit in their lives. They... Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. But before long, they came to Baal Peor and devoted themselves to shame.

And they became as detestable as that which they loved. They came to Baal Peor. They came to a place where the culture around them was so evil, and what they wanted and what they devoted themselves was actually shameful. They had forgotten their relationship with God altogether. They turned to idols.

They became as detestable as that which they loved. Joel. Joel says, it has made my vine a waste and my fig tree into a stump. It has stripped them bare and hurled them away. Their branches have become white, not green, not doing any good to anybody.

Joel, Micah. I'm gonna close with Micah, I think. Micah seven says this. And it... Usually, the reference is later on down here, just seven one, but I wanna go because I think it's important.

In the Psalms, when there's a deep feeling of dismay, there's often a but, and it turns on that. That's what I'm working towards. So the first six of these is a picture of the world at that time, the evil generation, and honestly, it's a picture of the world at our time, an evil generation. But listen to this. Woe to me, Micah says, for I am like harvest of summer fruit, like gleamings of grapes.

There's not a cluster of grapes that's left to eat. There's no fruit. Nor an early fig, which I crave. I just look forward to it so much, and they're just not there. The godly person has perished from the land, and there's no upright person among mankind.

All of them lie in wait for bloodshed. They're looking out for number one. Each of them hunts the other with a net. As for evil, both hands do it well. Can I stand right in the center right here and say, the right and the left, both hands do evil very well?

As for evil, both hands do it well. The leader asked for a bribe, a one time administrative fee, and also the judge. And the great one speaks the capricious desire of his soul, and so they plot it together. The best of them is like a thorn bush. That's not figs.

The best of them is like a thorn bush. The most upright is like a thorn hedge. The day when you post your watchman, your punishment is coming, then their confusion will occur. Do not trust in a neighbor. Don't have confidence in a close friend.

Guard your lips. They might hear what you say. Guard your lips from her who lies in your arms. For son disavows father, daughter rises up against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A person's enemies are the people of his own household.

This is a picture of the way it was. And this is the turn. But as for me, as for me, I will be on the watch for the Lord. This is a forecast of Jesus. Right?

This is a forecast. As for me, I'm gonna set my mind to looking for the Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation, and my God will hear me. My God will hear me. I will be crying out to him like Psalm 86.

I cry out to you my day of trouble, Lord, because you listen and you answer. As for me, I'll be on the watch for the Lord. I'll wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. And eight says, do not rejoice over me, enemy of mine.

Though I fall, I will rise. Though I live in darkness, in a people of darkness, the Lord is a light for me. Ain't that good? Do not rejoice over me, enemy of mine. Though I fall, I will rise.

Though I live in darkness, the Lord is a light for me. I want you to consider these three symbols. So the fig tree... The palm branch. The palm branch is what the people chose for their reasons, and I've hit this drum a lot of times.

Their reasons were because it was a symbol of military victory and nationalistic pride. Jesus, though, chose a donkey. And please remove politics of the American system. It's not Republican and Democrat. It's not elephants and donkeys.

It's just the donkey is what Jesus chose for himself. It's a symbol of humble service and lowliness. Even the foal of a donkey. It's a young donkey. No one had ever ridden on it before.

But you know what? If you can ride an animal that no one's ever ridden before and walk peacefully, enough that people can lay down cloaks in front of you, he comes in peace. That symbol says, I'm coming in peace. I'm not coming marching as to war. And then if you consider the symbol of the fig tree, it's an Old Testament symbol for Israel, particularly for unbelieving Israel, for a fruitless faith.

So this is from Thomas and Gundry's Harmony of the Gospels. I thought their footnote was good, so I put it up here. The ritualism of national worship was hiding the absence of genuine piety from among the people. There's something about personal holiness that all the bravado and all of the talk of conquering and war and triumph, it hides that there's not any actual personal holiness. The ritualism of national worship was hiding the absence of genuine piety from among the people.

It appears that Jesus' cursing of the fig tree was emblematic of God's judgment that was going to fall on Jerusalem. That goes right along with what Luke said, that Jesus cried over the city, and he said, there's gonna be a siege, and it's just gonna be a horrible time. That's the end of the sermon. I think that there's a humility to calling ourselves sheep because sheep are dumb animals. Right?

They tend to stray. They tend to wander. They're prone to wander. Lord, I feel it. But what we're asking for is that we would accept the love that God has given in the way that he intended it, and that we would recognize the humility of a suffering servant as our savior.

And that we would willingly choose to walk in that path with him. In Jesus' name, may it be so. Would you all stand with me? We're going sing savior like a shepherd lead us. Amen.

The benediction is right there. God, I pray that we would we would live this way, that we would not let our own preconceived notions overtake us, but that we'd be listening for you. In Jesus' name, amen. I I love the last verse. It says, early, let us seek thy favor.

I think early in life, but also when we wake up in the morning, early, rather than prayer being our last resort, may it be our first response. Right? As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. God, may we live it out just like that.

Amen. Amen. Amen.