Depiction of a Roman triumphus parade
STILL EXPECTANT OF WHAT THE KING MIGHT DO ?or !
The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was the King coming to die!
The crowd was expecting some sort of overthrow of their Roman oppressors and the re-establishment of the glory of Israel; they were to be disappointed at what this king would actually do.
A military triumph would have been quite something, but nothing that they, in their history, had not experienced; Jesus' death for our sin was something altogether unheard of - God dying for sinners! - and would lead to the ultimate victory over our sin, death and the devil.
Jesus still has much to do in this world. The Triumphal entry shows us His commitment to saving many!
so, are you,
Still excited about what the King might do?
or,
Still excited about what the King might do!
Let Paul's faith speak into your spirit (speaking of the imagery of a Roman Triumphas parade, as the victorious army led a convoy of spoils and captives through the streets)
'But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.' (2 Cor. 2:14)
You can listen to this message at,
Going deeper
– Personal daily study notes on 12:9-19
Monday: The
victory of Jesus
Read John 12:9-13 and Revelation
7:9-12. Waving palm branches signifies a great victor and
victory. Do you live with a sense of the sublime greatness of God; that He
loves you and His church and is working out His victory in our lives and the
world?
Tuesday: Blessed
king
Read John 12:13. ‘Blessed’
speaks of heaven’s favour and joy over Jesus. He is beloved of heaven; when we
worship Jesus, we are joining in heaven’s song. Let’s make worship a habit in
our lives.
Wednesday: War to end all wars
Read John 12:14-15 and Zechariah 9:9-10. John quotes
this Old Testament prophecy to show that Jesus is the promised Messiah. If you
read that quote from Zechariah, you will see that the next verse speaks of the
international peace and rule that will be brought about by King Jesus. On the
cross He has fought a war on sin; and it is a war/victory that will end all war
in the end.
Thursday: Spirit and truth
Read John 12:16 and John
16:12-13. Only after the disciples received the Holy Spirit did
they understand what Jesus had done for them. The Holy Spirit has inspired the
bible to be written (See 2 Timothy 3:16); He also inspires us as we read it.
Make it a habit to pray for the Spirit’s grace each time to read the bible or
pray for the preacher when they stand up to speak from the bible.
Friday: You are a witness to the miracle
Read John 12:17-18.
The crowd that saw Lazarus raised from death (John
11:38-46) were convinced that Jesus was the Saviour, King, the Messiah, and
their enthusiasm could not be kept to themselves. When we are excited about something
we have to share it! Are we sharing the good news about the miracle of the
death and resurrection of Jesus? There are many ways of doing this but it
starts with being astounded; pray that God would restore your joy in Jesus.
Saturday: Living with victory whilst being
attacked
Read John 12:19. We have
spoken a lot about victory this week. We will live in a restored world free
from sin, suffering, death, and all that is opposed to King Jesus. This victory
has been won through the death and resurrection of Christ and is assured to us
because of His greatness and faithfulness.
But, this passage, as the entire book shows, that during this age their
will be a range of responses to us and to Jesus: some will believe, some will
be polite, some will be murderous! Many
in this adoring crowd will turn on Jesus and will call for His crucifixion,
stay silent or run away. Their expectations of an immediate victory are wrong
and they will not be prepared to live for Jesus in the face of opposition.
Let’s be those who are confident in the victor, confident of His final
victory, although we may face disappointment and have to suffer before the end
comes.
0 comments:
Post a Comment