The Peace of the Kingdom of God
I. A PALM SUNDAY passage in Advent? (v.9-17)
A. The KING is COMING to you. (v.9)
B. A PEACE that EXTENDS. (v.10; Ps. 72:8)
C. FREEDOM and RESTORATION. (v.11-13)
D. The COMING of a new REALITY . (v.14-17; Rev. 21:3-4)
“Did you get your seasons mixed up Jeff? Why a Palm Sunday passage in Advent?” Good questions. But the reality is that long before people saw this as a Palm Sunday passage it was prophecy of the coming Messiah, which means it was an Advent passage first.
1. Kid’s Question: What would it be like to have a king for a friend?
2. Which part of v.9-17 resonates most with you as you read it. Why do you think that might be?
II. The king’s CHARACTERISTICS and METHODS. (v.9-17)
A. He is RIGHTEOUS, SAVED, and HUMBLE. (v.9)
B. He uses a DIFFERENT kind of WEAPONRY . (v.9,10,13)
The King is coming…but what is he like? How does he do things? We’ve had enough of leaders with power to realize that their character and the way they do things are very important. People in positions of power can bring hurt or healing, and it often all comes back to who they are and how they lead.
3. What does “righteous” mean to you? Is it related to justice? How would a righteous king impact the world today?
4. Jesus strikes a pose as a humble king. What are some ways that the church may be failing in that regard today? What about you in the relationships you have?
5. The king uses different weapons…the people. What kind of “weapons” are used for peace today, both on the large, global scale and in your own personal life?
III. EMBRACING the MESSAGE of Advent. (Lk 2:10)
A. We often SEEK peace through AVOIDANCE. (Jn 11:7-8; Lk 22:54-60)
B. GOVERNMENTS seek peace through POWER. (Jn 19:10-11; Mk. 10:42-43)
C. Jesus brings “SHALOM” through HUMBLE loving SACRIFICE. (Mt. 5:44-45)
D. We are CALLED to FOLLOW our King. (Mk. 8:34-35; 1 Pet. 2:21)
So where does this humble king on a donkey leave us as we walk the Advent journey? As we light the candle of peace, how does the light it brings challenge our own understanding of what peace is and what it looks like? How is the peace Jesus lives out and promises different from the versions of peace that our world seems to offer?
6. What are the ways that you “seek peace”? What are the ways your family sought peace as you grew up? How has that impacted you?
7. Is peace through power ever an actual possibility? How does Jesus model a different way?
8. Where is God calling you to follow by offering humble loving sacrifice in order to cultivate peace?