Sermon Tone Analysis

My message today speaks of the power of prophecy but as we begin looking at scripture today We find Jesus weeping… Luke 19:41-42

But the people...

They are celebrating and cheering

The disciples are elated and full of anticipation for what lay ahead

Jerusalem is preparing for it’s biggest celebration of the year… Passover

The town is a buzz with the news that this Jesus everyone is talking about has raised Lazarus from the dead

This is the same Jesus who fed 5000 people

They become excited… let’s make him our king!

A king to FREE them

A king to FEED them

A king to HEAL them

Luke 19:37-38 Describes the scene well...

So, why was Jesus weeping?

Warren Wiersbe states well why Jesus wept…

No matter where Jesus looked, He found cause for weeping.

If He looked back, He saw how the nation had wasted its opportunities and been ignorant of their “time of visitation.”

If He looked within, He saw spiritual ignorance and blindness in the hearts of the people.

They should have known who He was, for God had given them His Word and sent His messengers to prepare the way.

As He looked around, Jesus saw religious activity that accomplished very little.

The temple had become a den of thieves, and the religious leaders were out to kill Him.

The city was filled with pilgrims celebrating a festival, but the hearts of the people were heavy with sin and life’s burdens.

As Jesus looked ahead, He wept as He saw the terrible judgment that was coming to the nation, the city, and the temple.

In AD 70, the Romans would come and, after a siege of 143 days, kill 600,000 Jews, take thousands more captive, and then destroy the temple and the city.

Why did all of this happen?

Because the people did not know that God had visited them!

“He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11).

“We will not have this man to reign over us!” (Luke 19:14)[i]

[i] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996).

The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 255).

Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Jesus, in His lament, says “if you had known in this day”… What should have been known?

Who Jesus was

When He would come

Scripture States WHO they should have been looking for, and even the WHEN!

Luke begins his gospel going back to Adam and continues this line all the way to Jesus...

From the very moment God punished Adam and Eve in the garden… God had been promising one who would come, one who would redeem mankind from their sin… one who would be a savior… God had been promising and foretelling of a Messiah who would come.

God promises that the seed of the woman promised to Adam and Eve would crush the serpents head In Genesis 3

In Genesis 12 we see Abraham, God promises him that He will bless all families of the earth through his seed

Jesus is a Jew

In Genesis 49:10 God narrows down the tribe of Judah as the one who would come to rule.

“Until Shiloh comes.”

Many sources see “Shiloh” as a title of the Messiah.

However, the Hebrew word šîlōh should be rendered “whose it is,” that is, the scepter will not depart from Judah … until He comes whose it (i.e., the scepter) is (or as the niv puts it, to whom it belongs).

[i]

[i] Ross, A. P. (1985).

Genesis.

In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.),

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 98).

Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

From the tribe of Judah would come King David son of Jesse from Bethlehem.

David was anointed king by Samuel

A man after God’s own heart

He wants to build a temple, a house for God, 2 Samuel 7:16 God has other plans...

In return God says He will establish David’s line/house forever!

David was God’s anointed King

The Hebrew word mashiyach means “the anointed” gradually over time this would become the title for God’s coming Savior-King … Messiah!

For centuries the people would wait and anticipate who from David’s line would become this King… this Messiah!

Luke in his gospel tells us Mary and Joseph, in the line of David

This baby Jesus the angel said would be called Emmanuel God with Us!

When Jesus is born they know he will come from Bethlehem!

The angels declare in Luke 2:14

The Messiah had come!

Zechariah 9:9

Jesus comes riding the donkey… but the religious leaders want nothing of the people’s praises Luke 19:32-40

So… why would the stones cry out?

Daniel 9:24-26

Daniel is to “know” and “discern” some things…

A decree will be given that will start the clock 483 years to the Messiah’s comeing!!!!

Nehemiah 2:1-6 444BC in the month of Nisan issued for the rebuilding of Jerusalem as a whole

7 weeks…seven sets of seven or 7x7=49 years to rebuild Jerusalem!

And the 62 weeks continue to follow this time… 62x7=434 years

Jewish years are lunar and therefore are 360 days and our years are solar 365 days

Over 483 years’ time this would be 173,880 days

IF… the decree was given on Nisan 1, 444BC 173,880 days later would land on March 30, 33AD

To the day, to the hour, I believe even to the minute!

If the people were not proclaiming it… THE ROCKS WOULD!

These rulers, religious leaders, scholars could have known to the month if not even to the day when the Messiah would come!

The religious leaders were looking… they just didn’t like what they found!

God’s Word is accurate and true

God’s promises are kept, His prophecies fulfilled

The power of the prophecies is this… it happened as God said it would, when He said it would, and Jesus was the Messiah

And if all that is true then what He did in His death and Resurrection has the power to save you and me!

This was God’s plan from the beginning; He knew He would send His Son to die for the sin of the World.