Bible Text: Mark 11 | Preacher: Rev. Dr. Lou Saldiveri | Series: Sunday Morning Worship

— Pastor Lou’s Notes —
Intro: In our country and our culture, we really don’t know what it is like to be under the rule of a king and be a part of his kingdom. We know from history, there have been good kings and bad kings. Some of the characteristics of a good or benevolent king are that he has a genuine concern for his subjects, wishes to serve them, desires what is best for them. A bad king is one who rules by force and fear and doesn’t care at all about his subjects. All he cares about is his own pride, greed, and image.

Isn’t it great that the King of kings and the Lord of lords is the perfect King! Jesus’ kingship is so different than any other king or kingdom. He is a King whose kingdom won by grace, love and righteousness, not force and tyranny. This gives us great hope for now and the future. This passage gives us some great insights about the king of Kings.

Jesus Proclaims Himself to be King v.1-7
He comes into Jerusalem as the King of Peace
Riding on the colt of a donkey; not on a white horse as a conqueror
He planned this for the right time and place
He wanted to coordinate this with the Passover season
King Jesus is a Conquering King; not the Militant King the people expected
Sin
Death
Satan
Jesus Establishes His Kingdom Through Grace and Love
Jesus’ love is a holy love
Sin must be dealt with on God’s terms
It is a love that is based upon His righteous character
It is a love that is unconditional
It is a love that is through His grace
King Jesus Never Forces People to Follow Him
He always calls by invitation one heart at a time from all ethnic groups
He always calls people to respond to His love
He calls people who are broken by sin
He calls the outcast and hurting people
He always calls for a commitment of loving obedience
Jesus is a benevolent King
He really dose know what is best for us
Obedience always issues out of a love relationship between the person and Jesus
He promises inner joy and blessings when we lovingly obey Him
King Jesus Desires Us to Be a Vital Part of His Kingdom
He calls us to be His ambassadors
He calls us to be a good citizen of my country
He call us to be a good citizen of heaven
He will let us reign with Him when He comes again

Closing: The question this morning is are we willing to fall deeper in love with the King of kings who loves us more than all we can ever imagine? As we fall deeper in love with Him, our obedience to Him should deepen through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is all offered to us by grace through faith and repentance.