Incarnation Part 25 - Gospel of John - Palm Sunday

[00:00:00] Well, as you may have seen it's Palm Sunday and we're here to celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

[00:00:08] And he's entering Jerusalem as a king, some, oh what has it been a couple thousand years ago?

[00:00:15] And he's still having these effects on people's lives every day.

[00:00:19] But he wasn't just entering as any old king, he was entering as the King of Kings.

[00:00:26] And this event here we'll see has to do with who Jesus is, his identity.

[00:00:33] He certainly was a king but he was a king from a kingdom that's not of this world.

[00:00:41] And this is because he was not only a man which we believe he was, truly a man, he was also God, truly God on earth.

[00:00:50] And it's quite fitting that our regular passage out of John 8 falls on today because it says something as well about Jesus' identity, who Jesus is.

[00:01:02] And so for the past few weeks we've asked ourselves a question because the people in Jerusalem were asking who is Jesus?

[00:01:10] Who is this man? He says he's the son of God and he makes these big claims.

[00:01:15] He really, and we're trying to figure that out with these Pharisees, unbelievers, people that are almost believing, people that aren't quite sure, asking the question who is Jesus?

[00:01:27] And so I think today we'll see Jesus answer this question a few different ways for us.

[00:01:31] We'll finish the last few verses of our John 8 as an introduction to our trample entry passage which will be today out of Mark chapter 11.

[00:01:41] So before we dive into that, let's pray.

[00:01:46] Heavenly Father, you are a king. You are a king of our lives if we're believers and even if we're not, you're still a king.

[00:01:54] You're a king over the world, the universe. And we are airst you when we believe.

[00:02:00] You brought us in, you adopted us as sons and daughters by faith. And so we can never need to fall for those thoughts that tell us we're anything less.

[00:02:12] Help us today as we learn from your word. Help us to apply what we hear. Understand that your word is living an active today for our hearts and for our lives.

[00:02:21] Be glorified today as we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

[00:02:26] I'll be beginning out of John chapter 8 then in verse 48, where John writes, the Jews answered him.

[00:02:35] And remember he's speaking again with the Pharisees and the Jewish leaders.

[00:02:38] And they're going back and forth about who he is. And he comes back and he says, the Jews answered him.

[00:02:44] Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?

[00:02:49] Jesus answered, I do not have a demon but I honor my father and you dishonor me.

[00:02:54] Yet I do not seek my own glory. There is one who seeks it. And he is the judge truly, truly I say to you if anyone keeps my word he will never see death.

[00:03:07] As we can see clearly there still be raiding Jesus and insulting him calling him a Samaritan which really just means a half breed.

[00:03:14] You're not really Jewish, you're not really Gentile, you're something in the middle.

[00:03:19] And I'll cast and they're accusing him of being demon possessed. They're going right to the top of all insults.

[00:03:27] And Jesus claims that if you listen to him, you'll have eternal life.

[00:03:32] And just like he's been doing he continues to give the Pharisees the straight truth and the hard truth with big claims about who he is.

[00:03:41] And why they're wrong about him and why it matters.

[00:03:47] Verse 52, the Jews said to him, now we know that you have a demon. They double down.

[00:03:52] They say Abraham died. As did the prophets yet you say if anyone keeps my word he'll never taste death.

[00:03:59] Are you greater than our father Abraham who died? And the prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?

[00:04:07] You see their arguments said, well if all these prophets even Abraham and the Old Testament believed your word, you say they would never have tasted death but they all died.

[00:04:18] That's their argument. Now I see how the argument only goes so far as the physical world.

[00:04:24] Well Jesus is speaking spiritual things. All those prophets including Abraham gained eternal life.

[00:04:31] The Pharisees are still thinking in the physical world. They all die. Truth is they all have eternal life.

[00:04:37] Their eyes were still blinded to his truth. Even though they thought that they had Jesus cornered at this point, I think they were pretty proud of this argument.

[00:04:47] Well they continued to challenge his claims in verse 54 Jesus answers them.

[00:04:52] He says, if I glorify myself my glory is nothing. It is my father who glorifies me of whom you say he is our God but you've not known him.

[00:05:05] I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him I'd be a liar like you but I do know him and I keep his word.

[00:05:15] Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.

[00:05:23] Once again the Pharisees said that they knew God. They called Jesus on Father God but Jesus said you don't know him.

[00:05:34] In fact what he said was you have not known him. You see they never knew him.

[00:05:45] They thought they did but they never knew him.

[00:05:48] And it was people like these Pharisees that Jesus also spoke about in Matthew chapter 7 where we hear the verse that we all probably have heard a hundred times.

[00:05:58] In verse 21 Jesus says, not everyone who says to me, Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven.

[00:06:06] I'm not saying many will say to me, Lord Lord did we not prophesy in your name?

[00:06:11] Cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name.

[00:06:16] And then I will declare to them I never knew you.

[00:06:24] You don't want to hear those words. I never knew you.

[00:06:28] You said you knew me. You called me by name. You did things in my name but we never had a relationship.

[00:06:34] You did it for your own gain. Your first note says we must truly know God, not merely act the part of a believer.

[00:06:46] You can look like a believer you can look like a Christian. I'm sure we all know how to act like one but it really doesn't mean anything unless we really know God.

[00:06:54] And then while Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees further, Jesus spoke as if he knew Abraham himself in verse 56.

[00:07:05] He says your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day and he saw it and he was glad.

[00:07:09] He was speaking in a way that suggested he was somehow intimate with Abraham that he knew him.

[00:07:16] And to say at least their blood began to boil at that point they thought how long can we let this man go on?

[00:07:24] And then he was making these ridiculous, even more ridiculous claims.

[00:07:29] And what was he really claiming by saying this about knowing Abraham and what he had hoped for and what he had seen and how he felt about it?

[00:07:39] That he actually existed at the time of Abraham. Was that what he was saying? Well, verse 57.

[00:07:49] So the Jews said to him, you're not yet 50 years old and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, truly, truly I say to you before Abraham was, I am.

[00:08:02] And the next thing they said is interesting. It says so they picked up stones to throw at him but Jesus hit himself and went out of the temple.

[00:08:13] A couple of things here. They wanted to know you're not even 50 years old, you've seen Abraham? How does that work?

[00:08:20] And he goes further than what they might have expected. He says truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.

[00:08:32] Confirming all of their suspicions that they didn't want to hear. He doubles down again and says no, not just Abraham, I was before Abraham.

[00:08:42] Not only was I, I am. That prompted them to pick up stones to stone him right there and by stoning we mean death. They wanted to kill him on the spot.

[00:08:54] Why? Just because he says that? What's so important about that? Why is that such an egregious statement?

[00:08:59] Well, when Jesus replied before Abraham was, I am. He was invoking the holy and divine name of God. Before Abraham was, he could have said I was. But he said I am.

[00:09:19] Your next note here says, Jesus claimed to be God and that is why the Jewish leaders sought to kill him.

[00:09:27] Well, how did he claim to be God by saying that sentence? He said I am. He used the divine name of God. Here Jesus is proclaiming his deity, his godness so to speak.

[00:09:42] We think back on Exodus 3 when Moses is speaking to God.

[00:09:48] We read from verse 13 and he says, then Moses said to God, if I come to the people of Israel and say to them the God of our fathers has sent me to you and they ask me what is his name? What shall I say to them?

[00:09:59] God said to Moses, I am who I am. And he said, say this to the people of Israel. I am has sent me to you.

[00:10:09] By using this specific language and by referring to himself as I am, he was claiming that he was God in the flesh and he knew that they knew it. He knew that that would mean something to the Pharisees. And it sure did.

[00:10:28] Why did they pick up stones immediately to stone him because he said that? Because claiming to be God was a capital offense and that's what he did. He said, not only did I know Abraham, I was before Abraham and I am.

[00:10:45] They knew exactly what Jesus was saying. He was saying that he was God in the flesh. How do you think that sat with the Pharisees?

[00:10:56] And so that now leads us into our triumphal entry passage. Jesus has just let in John 8 the Pharisees know who he was. He kind of let the cat out of the bag in clear terms, I am God on earth. You say you know the Father but you don't even know me and if you don't know me, you don't know my father.

[00:11:14] When Jesus was entering Jerusalem, people had many different ideas about who he was. Some crazy prophet from up north, the Son of God. We saw him do miracles. They just saw Lazarus shortly before this be raised from the dead. There was certainly a spectrum of degrees of belief about who Jesus was as he wrote in that they.

[00:11:39] And that's why we're here celebrating this triumphal entry into Jerusalem to kick off Holy Week.

[00:11:48] And the question on the minds of those people today are I'm sure similar to the questions that society has about Jesus today, who's Jesus?

[00:11:57] They still have commercial campaigns out about how he gets us and people had different thoughts about those types of things or TV shows about trying to explain the life and times of Jesus. And so people are interested.

[00:12:11] They're interested about Jesus if they're not Christian, that they may be Christian adjacent interested arms length, not quite sure asking these questions. This was happening on that day as well.

[00:12:23] As you really got on earth, they heard about all these different signs feeding the 5000. Could it really be true?

[00:12:33] And from our perspective a couple thousand years later looking back we might think to ourselves, well what's the whole point of this entry on a donkey? Why do you do this? What does it all mean?

[00:12:45] Well, at least to be certain we can understand that this must be very meaningful because this event is captured in all four gospels.

[00:12:55] Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all have an account of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem so it must have some significant meaning.

[00:13:03] And so today we'll focus primarily on Mark's account out of Mark chapter 11 of Jesus' triumphal entry. And I'll begin at verse 1.

[00:13:14] Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Beth, Page and Bethany at the Mount of Olives Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them,

[00:13:22] go into the village in front of you. And immediately as you enter it you'll find a cult tied on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.

[00:13:32] If anyone says to you why are you doing this? Say the Lord has need of it. And we'll send it back here immediately.

[00:13:39] And they went away and found a cult tied at a door outside in the street and they untied it.

[00:13:44] Some of these standing there said to them, what are you doing untying the cult? And they told him what Jesus had said and they let them go.

[00:13:55] On this day in Jerusalem six days mind you before Jesus would die on a cross. He entered the city of Jerusalem for the feast of Passover.

[00:14:06] And he'd done this before. He'd done this before dozens of times. Go to Jerusalem for the Passover or any mail of maturity would go.

[00:14:17] But he never went like this. This time was different.

[00:14:23] On this occasion Jesus made a point, a deliberate point of entering the city riding on a donkey.

[00:14:30] But why? What was the point of that? He was probably around early 30s, 33 years old give or take.

[00:14:39] He'd probably been there. I don't know how many times probably from the age of 12 or so.

[00:14:47] But he never wrote it on a donkey and this time he made sure that. What's the reason?

[00:14:52] In his mind, you know we're asking the question as the people did back then who is Jesus? Who is this man? I know what he says he is.

[00:14:59] But in all reality we know that Jesus knew who he was. He knew exactly who he was. He was about to give his life. He knew the plan. He was the king of kings.

[00:15:09] He was the Lord of lords. He was Messiah. He was Savior of the world. But in the minds of the people around him the crowds. His identity was not so clear.

[00:15:22] What he now clearly answered that question in their minds, who is this Jesus? Would now be the time where he'd finally reveal himself for who he was clearly.

[00:15:32] We'll learn why he did this. Riding in on Passover week on a donkey in a few minutes.

[00:15:40] But in any case he exhibits one or two of his divine attributes by how he procures this donkey.

[00:15:48] By how he gets this donkey, he shows us a few things about who he is.

[00:15:55] Because you think about it. Jesus could have just easily walked down the road with his disciples. They said that a village was right in front of them. He could have just kept walking with him and said hey guys hold on a minute here.

[00:16:08] I'm going to go grab this donkey and then just continue down the way. But he didn't do that.

[00:16:13] He did something that is now commemorated for time eternal and we're still talking about it. Why? What's the big deal about the donkey?

[00:16:24] He told them to go and not only that he told them when they would find the donkey immediately as you enter the village and it was there.

[00:16:34] He also told them that someone may wonder what they're doing and they did. They asked.

[00:16:40] He told them what to say for them to have it and they did. They released the donkey.

[00:16:45] Why did Jesus go through all this trouble?

[00:16:50] What your next note says, Jesus was exhibiting to his disciples and to us is divinity.

[00:16:57] What have been easy for any of us to go walk down the road with our disciples if we were him and just get the donkey but we couldn't do this.

[00:17:11] And they couldn't do what he did today on that day. He told them where to go, what to say, where to find it. He knew what would happen and it did happen.

[00:17:22] As these disciples were entering Holy Week with Jesus, they didn't know what was in store for them but he did.

[00:17:29] And so maybe just as a loving touch to let them know hey I'm in control here before they did enter and start that week to let them know hey he really knows what he's talking about.

[00:17:43] He knows who he is. Might have just edified their trust and their faith in him a little bit more before they entered.

[00:17:48] Jesus shows us here that as God knowing all things, Jesus knew what would happen. We call that omniscience. He's all knowing.

[00:18:01] He's in control of all things. He's sovereign.

[00:18:07] You know a king is sovereign. Fits with the week.

[00:18:13] Who in the kingdom can get whatever he wants whenever he wants but a king. If he needs a donkey, what would he have? The disciples say tell him the Lord needs it.

[00:18:24] Okay, the king needs my donkey. He can have my donkey. He's he's everything kingship. He is the king. He is the Lord.

[00:18:33] And he's showing us he's king. He could tell us he's king but you know words are cheap. I'm king. You know how they say don't tell me show me.

[00:18:42] I know what's going to happen. I know it's going to be a donkey right down the street when you see these people they're going to ask the question you respond and you know this is what's going to happen and it did.

[00:18:55] He was showing them who he was. He knew what was happening and he knew what would happen. And in fact, he was directing all of it down to the last detail a donkey.

[00:19:07] And any other story it probably could have been left out of the story. They could have skipped ahead to the part where he already had the donkey and then just went into the entry.

[00:19:16] But they included this. The Holy Spirit moved the hearts of these four apostles to include this. Got to include this part.

[00:19:24] The king the Lord is in control. He's directing all of it in a remind me of Acts chapter four after Christ had been resurrected.

[00:19:36] Luke writes for truly in this city Jerusalem there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed both herod and Pontius Pilate along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

[00:19:53] God knew what was coming not only did he know it was coming he was directing all these people were involved. Pontius Pilate the Gentiles the peoples of Israel king Herod they're all involved. Jesus had six trials the night before he was crucified.

[00:20:13] Not a people involved God knew what would happen when how he's in control he sovereign it says.

[00:20:22] Truly in the city they were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus all these people to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. God's not surprised.

[00:20:32] You think God's ever been surprised? No, I don't think so. That would mean he would experience something that he didn't see coming.

[00:20:42] It's not the kind of God we serve. Not only did Jesus know who he was he knew what was going to happen before it happened and he was the one calling the shots even when it looked like he wasn't you know he was up there on the cross as the king as the Lord as God Almighty and everything was going to plan.

[00:21:02] He wasn't surprised either.

[00:21:07] You next now it says these attributes of Jesus should give us comfort even today.

[00:21:15] She give us comfort knowing that God's in control.

[00:21:20] She gives comfort that he's never going to be surprised at what happens in my life or what happens in the world. He knows what's coming and he can always determine to disallow something or to determine something to make sure he's here.

[00:21:36] I'm going to make sure you get there and what he is ultimately determined is that we're going to get there in a spiritual sense if we're in Christ we're going to get there. It's as good as done. We are saved because of him.

[00:21:49] You see, he knows who he is but sometimes I wonder do we know who he is? Do we really know the one who reigns over creation and has secured our salvation by his blood.

[00:22:03] Do we live like we may still have some questions about that because we say we believe it but do we live like we believe it.

[00:22:13] When we worry you know we show that we don't fully trust him. People worry about things he trust God.

[00:22:23] He knows that he's king of kings writing in the Jerusalem at the end of donkey he knows he's king of kings but do we do we know we really know.

[00:22:32] Do we live like he's just a character in an old dusty book and the best that we could hope for is that all these things are actually true.

[00:22:40] Do we know? He knows what the future holds and he's in perfect control of it.

[00:22:50] There's ever a moment that you think well God probably wasn't in control of that that was really a bad thing that happened.

[00:22:57] It was a really nutrocious thing. God must not have had control of that. He must have been busy over here and this terrible thing happened over here and he just couldn't get to it in time.

[00:23:06] Do we really think that about God?

[00:23:10] But the Bible says that he uses these things to glorify himself somehow some way he'll use that evil and turn it for good.

[00:23:19] Now that's outside of our comprehension but if we trust God we know that in the end he always does the right thing.

[00:23:25] And if we worry about things big things small things we kind of implicitly say God I don't really trust you on this one. I'm worried about it.

[00:23:33] I don't know how this is going to work out. I know I say I trust you and I say that you're king of kings but in my heart and I may never speak the words but I may think to myself

[00:23:43] I don't know how God's going to do this. I wonder if he even knows about this but that's not the God we serve. He's in perfect control.

[00:23:54] He knows what the future holds.

[00:24:00] So we want to know, do we really trust him? Next time you worry about something think about it. Why is my trust in God waiting here at this moment? Trust him.

[00:24:09] We should at least be learning to trust him more. We're human beings we're fallen and we worry it's just part of being human.

[00:24:18] But we should at least be learning to trust him more.

[00:24:23] Verse 7 out of Mark 11.

[00:24:28] And they brought the cold to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it and he sat on it.

[00:24:33] At many spread their cloaks on the road and other spread leafy branches that they'd cut off from the fields.

[00:24:39] The disciples threw their cloaks on the donkey and Jesus sat on it. I can understand this maybe you know the donkey might have been dirty or something or let's just have our Lord have a nice cushion to sit on or something like that.

[00:24:51] Why would they do this? Because there are people throwing their cloaks on the ground too so that he could pass along over them.

[00:24:58] Well, in Luke's account also as a little note they set Jesus on it. They might have helped them up or picked him up and set him on there.

[00:25:05] That's also looking back could have been a tradition for a king.

[00:25:11] Remember Jesus entered Jerusalem many times before. Never on a donkey. Never this way but this time the people spread out their cloaks and leafy branches before him.

[00:25:19] That hadn't happened before. Why this time? What was different about this time?

[00:25:23] If you look back to 2 Kings when Elisha in chapter 9 anointed Jahu the king of Israel the people spread out their garments before him.

[00:25:33] The people knew in their culture and the Jewish culture if a king's being anointed this is what the things that you do.

[00:25:43] They might write in on a horse maybe on a donkey. You have palm branches, you have cloaks and you put them down your garments spread them.

[00:25:50] It's like rolling out the red carpet for the king, the new king. And so they thought about this.

[00:25:55] So they're making these connections in their own minds and their actions show us this.

[00:26:00] Their actions show us that in their minds somehow they realize the king is here.

[00:26:05] But I wonder what kind of king they thought.

[00:26:09] The act of doing these things showed that at least somehow some of them may have understood that Jesus was a king.

[00:26:17] And he was Jewish, he was their king. A king of Israel and if you went through 10 people and asked them who is Jesus?

[00:26:25] If you think he's single what kind of king and you might have got 10 different answers.

[00:26:29] But something in that crowd was stirring enough to have this happen. It was about time. It was almost time.

[00:26:37] And also palm branches signified victory and triumph in Scripture and the Old Testament for Israel. God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

[00:26:47] And since that time palm branches became an important symbol of victory, of freedom of triumph. We did it without. We're free.

[00:26:57] And the Lord commanded them to use palm branches in feasts like the Feast of Boos, Feasts of Tabernacles.

[00:27:05] And since that time they had been a part of Jewish culture to signify triumph, victory and peace.

[00:27:12] They were also used on Israelite coins. And in first king six we're told in another couple of places about how Solomon decorated the walls of a temple with pictures of palm trees and palm branches.

[00:27:27] It was an icon in their culture, even in Revelation chapter 7, the great multitude of saints, waving palm branches, victory, who made it.

[00:27:37] Triumph. And so to some degree the people knew something was happening here, something good was about to happen this time around. It was different.

[00:27:49] Though not all of them did. And not all with the same degree of clarity. Some like the disciples been to bend in that inner circle and realized maybe a little bit more about what was really happening that week.

[00:28:01] Maybe some on the outer rings, new of Jesus maybe had seen him do a miracle or two. Maybe new Lazarus had just seen him raise recently.

[00:28:11] They just knew bits and pieces as they talked and they maybe put some pieces together and things were kind of culminating and now it was Passover. So everybody was there in town.

[00:28:20] And things were somewhat coming together from John's gospel or even read that his disciples did not understand the full picture.

[00:28:31] Even they didn't have complete clarity. So when we go through life and things are happening to us and we don't have full clarity and we're confused about how these things are working out, don't feel too bad.

[00:28:43] Even his own disciples that week as he entered Jerusalem weren't quite sure.

[00:28:50] You ever felt that way about Jesus but what he was doing in your life? You figure, well, as far as I can tell I'm doing all the right things.

[00:28:59] I'm not living a life of sin and I'm being a good dad and a good parent and I'm still dealing with that illness.

[00:29:09] I'm still struggling with the finances. I'm still staring down that surgery. Why? Why aren't things working out for me?

[00:29:20] I don't understand. And what do we mean when we say working out for us? What does that mean? Well, it could mean something different to me than it does to the Lord.

[00:29:30] As John wrote in his gospel he was being honest writing that even those who knew Christ best were uncertain.

[00:29:40] Did not have a full understanding but they still trusted him and they still continued with him. They still follow him into the city.

[00:29:48] And in the end he didn't let them down. He saw them through. Your next note says, we do not need perfect clarity about what Jesus is doing to continue to follow Him.

[00:29:59] Are you going to wait until you really understand God's plan and what Christ is doing even in the intimate details of your life before you say, okay now I'll follow you.

[00:30:07] That's not how it works. I think of the story Abraham and God called him out of his father's house out of pagan society and he says, I need you to go.

[00:30:16] I'm not going to tell you where yet but I need you to go. And Abraham didn't know where he was going. But he obeyed. He trusted God. He said, okay I'm calling you to a place. I'll show you.

[00:30:27] Where you call me? I'll show you later. You trust me? Okay, he went. Many times Abraham expressed that kind of faith.

[00:30:36] God showed us the entire plan that he had for us. A lot of us probably would say no thanks. I'm not going to follow you. He shows us what he needs to show us. And we've got to trust him every day, every step.

[00:30:49] He doesn't give us the whole flight plan. He just gives us the next step. Let me trust him or we don't.

[00:30:57] But his disciples did that. They weren't even quite sure but they still trusted him at least for a while.

[00:31:06] Let's still be thinking back to the donkey. Let's clear up this donkey issue. Why the donkey? What's the big deal? It's all four gospels and our culture we might think it more appropriate to ride in on a stallion, a big white stallion for a king coming into be coronated or on a war horse.

[00:31:23] But not a donkey. In our culture, a donkey is looked at as being stubborn. Not very beautiful. A beast of burden.

[00:31:39] In fact, I'd rather just walk in if it was either walking in or riding in a donkey. I'll just walk. I don't need the donkey. People are going to think weird things and get confused. I'll just walk. Thanks but no thanks.

[00:31:53] But Jesus was deliberate about the donkey. And here's why he was deliberately riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. In order that prophecy would be fulfilled.

[00:32:04] He was fulfilling prophecy and he knew what prophecy is he talking about. Well out of Matthew's account, Matthew 21, verse 4 says,

[00:32:13] He knew this prophecy and he knew he was about to fulfill it. And so from Zachariah 9,

[00:32:24] which says,

[00:32:55] This prophecy was fulfilled that day. When Jesus sent his disciples down the road, got the donkey and he rode in on the donkey.

[00:33:09] This was in Jesus' mind. One of the countless prophecies fulfilled by Jesus Christ.

[00:33:17] The disciples probably weren't exactly sure about why he was doing this, making the big fuss. But Jesus knew. He was coming humbly. That's our Lord, humble. He's got a humble side.

[00:33:33] Ushering in his kingdom, overthrowing the enemy, not on a war horse. He didn't bring any army with him.

[00:33:44] But on a lowly donkey and he was going to walk right through the front door and conquer the enemies of the people.

[00:33:57] They didn't quite see it that way. He would be victorious because the truth of his gospel shall never be overcome.

[00:34:08] But they weren't thinking about the gospel. Jesus was being in a way coordinated on this day as the king of Israel, the king of the Jews, as king over his kingdom in a public sense.

[00:34:23] But it was not the kingdom that people had expected. They had an inkling, they had a sense about what was happening.

[00:34:32] You could tell by their palm branches in the air and they were putting the garments on the ground. They were singing Hosanna, God save us. But not all of them.

[00:34:43] Some of them just came to spectate. The king was finally entering Jerusalem after all these years, hundreds of years.

[00:34:52] And they were anticipating finally some sort of victory. Look at verse 9.

[00:34:57] And those who went before, there are people in front of him and those who followed, there are people all around them shouting, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

[00:35:06] Blessed is the kingdom, the coming kingdom of our father David, Hosanna in the highest.

[00:35:13] Hosanna, what does that mean? Hosanna. The word Hosanna is an aromatic word that means basically Lord save us. Oh God save us.

[00:35:22] Just to say that word, show some kind of faith or trust in a person you're saying to God save us. He's our savior.

[00:35:31] And they were calling upon Jesus to save them, save them from what though? Oppression from the Roman Empire.

[00:35:40] They were quoting Scripture out of Psalm 118. And interestingly enough that same Psalm 118 mentions that stone that the builders rejected which had become the cornerstone who was Christ.

[00:35:53] And Jesus later in Matthew 21, the same trample entry chapter refers to that verse.

[00:35:59] This is going back and forth from the Old Testament to the new and these things are being confirmed and Christ is aware of these prophetic messages.

[00:36:06] And he's trying to tell the people who had the ears to hear in the ICC, hey this is happening now and that person is me and I'm here. And it's happening today.

[00:36:17] Verse 10, the crowd shouted, blessed is the coming kingdom of our Father David. They knew at some point they were promised that the son of David would reign on his throne again and they knew Jesus was of the line of David.

[00:36:31] With little knowledge they may have had about Jesus, they expected him to be their king in some form and some fashion. Here comes the king.

[00:36:39] For the line of David, everything's falling into place. They expected victory. Finally, they expected the kingdom. Finally, it's back.

[00:36:49] We're on top again. And this man Jesus was to be their king. We'll take what we can get.

[00:36:58] Only throughout that week he would not deliver on those expectations.

[00:37:04] Their expectations of a military, Messiah, a political leader king, one that would push Rome back, reestablish Israel as a political powerhouse.

[00:37:20] He would turn out to be king. Just not the king they wanted.

[00:37:28] That's not what we meant Jesus. You're not the kind of king we want.

[00:37:37] Again, it has something to do with the question of if we've ever felt God doing something in our lives that we didn't understand.

[00:37:45] Well you knew I've been praying for this thing for six months. Now you've given me something near that but that's not what I meant, God.

[00:37:55] It's close but it's not what I meant. It's not what I was looking forward to.

[00:38:02] You ever given any thought to the fact that he's not obligated us to give us what we want?

[00:38:08] He's not just here to be sort of a butler God. Well, what does Nate need today? What does he want today? Oh, I better get right on that.

[00:38:18] I think that's how God works. Here to give us what we want, when we want it, how we want it or else what?

[00:38:29] What are we going to do if we don't get it complained, cry, reject him maybe?

[00:38:37] He's already given us more than we could ever have hoped for in salvation.

[00:38:44] He's given us more than we could have ever hoped for in salvation. We don't have to pay the horrible punishment and the price for our sins when we're saved.

[00:38:55] And you know, we didn't deserve that. None of us deserved that. We deserve our punishment.

[00:39:00] If we ever complain and say, oh, that's not fair, life's not fair. If you want to argue and fight for fairness, you know what would be fair as if we have to pay for our sins.

[00:39:09] I don't think you want to be fighting for fairness. We should embrace the mercy and grace God has given us. But then we also want extra things.

[00:39:21] What about this and what about that? I want more, I want I want to feel good and I want health and I want to be wealthy and it's not what he came for. He came to save you.

[00:39:36] We didn't deserve it, but for those who believe he saved us. And this part's important here when we must mature in our faith by getting better at something,

[00:39:48] we must mature in our faith by tailoring our expectations to his will for us. We should kind of tweak and submit our expectations of what he will do for us according to what his will is for our lives.

[00:40:07] Not by expecting him to tailor his actions to the expectations that we place upon him. He doesn't have to tailor his actions according to what we want.

[00:40:18] We share one lot of stuff. You know, we're like kids. We're just grown up kids because I have kids and they want lots of stuff and they want it now and they want it this way and they want it that way. You know how that is?

[00:40:30] We're just like kids when we talk to God. Well, God, what about this and that? He's just got to be thinking, oh my goodness. You know, it comes through Jesus personally sometimes when he says I've been with you this long and don't you know this.

[00:40:44] Your next note says we mature in our faith by learning to submit our expectations of him to his will and by not expecting him to appease our every whim.

[00:41:01] That's how we grow on our faith part of the way, learning to adjust our expectations of what God has to do for me today and not expecting him to appease our every whim.

[00:41:14] We're pretty fickle. One day I went this one day, I went that God knows best. There's an old show back when I used to watch the rerun.

[00:41:24] I think it was called Father knows best. Remember that one? Why is that a popular title because it's true? Our Heavenly Father knows best. You think you know best what's best for your life more than what God would know or do you trust your Heavenly Father to know best.

[00:41:42] He's not here to give you what you want. We want some stuff that will hurt us sometimes. We want some things that are dangerous sometimes. He knows best.

[00:41:54] And after a week, those people, the people that were shouting, Hosanna, Hosanna, save us. God save us. You're here, you're a king. We're finally victorious. We got the Palm branches. Try them. After a week, those people rejected him because they failed to do this.

[00:42:11] He wasn't the king they wanted. He said, that's not what I meant, Jesus. We went king like king, not like that. And we are like those people.

[00:42:27] We take him off the throne of our lives when we demand from him or expect from him that what he does not will for us. We take him off the throne of our individual lives.

[00:42:42] Who's on the throne of your life? Probably at some point it's been you. It shouldn't be. It should be Christ in all things. Every big decision, every small decision, check with the king of your life. Who's on the throne of your life because it fits you, you're in trouble.

[00:43:04] You know, it says Jesus didn't come to give us what we want. He came to give us what we need, namely salvation. He came to give us salvation.

[00:43:19] And like it or not, Jesus is the king of kings and the Lord of lords. He came to save sinners. That's what he did. He didn't come to make us wealthy. He didn't come to make us feel good and healthy until the day we die. We all struggle with illness and this fallen world we have sinned. We have struggles physically.

[00:43:43] He came to build a spiritual kingdom. Not to keep us healthy forever physically. That's not what he said. But the people in Jerusalem that they wanted a physical kingdom. They wanted to be on top again in the nation, in the region. They wanted to have a mighty army again and be strong and be well read out. And that's not what he came for.

[00:44:09] It's a physical kingdom. He told Pilate my kingdom is not of this world. Those people just like us today, they wanted what we want. They wanted health and wealth and power and influence.

[00:44:29] It kind of sounds like what a lot of Christian teachers are peddling these days too and it sounds like honestly what Satan tempts us with. Physical things, fleshly things.

[00:44:39] You want some more money? You want to feel good? You want to have an influence? You want to have a nice business? That's all fleshly stuff. That's temptation that the devil wants for us.

[00:44:50] Let me go for it sometimes. But don't bring Jesus into that. That's not what he came for. It's not the kind of king. It's not the kind of kingdom he came to establish.

[00:45:02] And so we have to ask ourselves, is that what you want today? Is that what I want today? If I want those physical things, do I yearn for those things, those physical, that physical kingdom?

[00:45:15] Or were you settled for what he came to give you? The salvation of your souls. Do we settle for that? Or do we want more than that?

[00:45:28] You may have to ask yourself when you're feeling selfish. I know that's hardly ever for most people, but if you can find it in your heart, somewhere in your heart to just be content with that.

[00:45:45] Can we just be content with receiving what God came to give us? Salvation? Or do we need more than that?

[00:45:53] Sometimes we demand more than that from God, and we shouldn't.

[00:46:00] Is the fact that some of us are so frustrated and so beaten down and angry with God due to the fact that we're so much more concerned about our earthly situation rather than our heavenly one?

[00:46:13] We think more about our earthly situation than we do our heavenly one. We just do, we're in it, we live it. It's the water, it's the air we breathe, it's the water we swim in for your fish. You don't even notice it, you're just in it, our physical situation.

[00:46:30] So we can let that fog our vision sometimes and say this is all there is, this is all I can see is what's happening today, and it's a bad day.

[00:46:37] And this week, all these things I have to do just stop once in a while and realize there's more to this.

[00:46:45] And if we can understand how we are secure with our salvation and Christ because we're in Christ, we can then maybe have a better perspective to view the physical situation and say all this, you know what?

[00:46:58] If it all comes down like I say, it doesn't really matter even if I lose my very life, he's got me, he's got me.

[00:47:05] We win, in the end, we're victorious. We'll have those palm branches as Revelation 7 talked about.

[00:47:13] It's not about the physical as much it is, it's about the spiritual.

[00:47:21] Christ is King, but he's the kind of King that some people just aren't looking for.

[00:47:29] And every day we have to confirm that in our hearts is Jesus the King that we're looking for.

[00:47:36] Now if you're in Christ, you're sealed till the day redemption Ephesians 2 tells us, but do we live that way? Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't.

[00:47:44] We need to know what kind of King we're looking for.

[00:47:50] A week after the crowds were shouting, Hosanna lured save us palm branches were victorious.

[00:47:57] You're finally here praise God. A week later those same people were shouting crucify him.

[00:48:07] We're fickle people. We're humans.

[00:48:13] You think God is going to rely on us to determine what's best for ourselves? No. He knows best.

[00:48:24] So next time you want to complain about something, even though it's really easy to complain, I would challenge you don't...

[00:48:34] something big, something small, doesn't complain. What is that to? It makes you frustrated.

[00:48:42] You know if we lower our expectations about others, we won't complain as much because we won't expect as much.

[00:48:49] And people won't quote let us down as much. Hey, we're going to suffer trials. We're going to suffer tribulations.

[00:48:57] If our expectations are so high that no one could ever reach them and I'm expecting God to keep me healthy my entire life and I should never get a cold because I'm a Christian, you're going to be upset every day, every time you get a cold, you're going to be mad at God and on and on and on.

[00:49:09] Bring it on. What did God come to do? He came to save us spiritually. Can we settle for that? Can we be content with that?

[00:49:19] Or do we also need to feel good along the way and we need to have enough money to bank along the way?

[00:49:28] When they found out that he wasn't there to give them what they wanted, when they wanted it and how they wanted it, they said no thanks.

[00:49:38] It's not what I meant.

[00:49:44] And so friends, we know Christ is king and because of that we know we're victorious over our enemies.

[00:49:50] The people that they thought he was finally going to conquer our enemies.

[00:49:54] We know Christ is king and by that we know that he has conquered our enemies.

[00:49:59] And yes, the enemies of the people that day were the Romans, the Roman soldiers, the Roman Empire.

[00:50:05] But not ultimately.

[00:50:08] The enemy of the people that day were the oppressor Pharisees and their culture that was a burden to everyone.

[00:50:16] Surely they were enemies of the people but not ultimately.

[00:50:22] Jesus came to save us by indeed conquering our enemies.

[00:50:28] The ultimate enemies of sin and the one that always follows him death.

[00:50:37] Those are the enemies that Christ conquered.

[00:50:42] Those are spiritual heavenly things.

[00:50:45] Christ is taking care of those most important things.

[00:50:48] I'm sure they're Roman army and the Pharisees and whoever else, physical things.

[00:50:53] Sure they're important but Christ is, I didn't come to deal with them right now.

[00:50:58] I'm dealing with the most important things this week and I'm going to conquer sin and death.

[00:51:05] Can we settle for that?

[00:51:08] Can we be content with that? Or do we want more?

[00:51:15] Christ is our conquering king who through his death and resurrection conquered both sin and death.

[00:51:23] So there really should be nothing left to complain about.

[00:51:27] We should live in a joyful life.

[00:51:30] Hey, come what may?

[00:51:32] My salvation is secure.

[00:51:34] Sin and death where is your sting?

[00:51:38] You have nothing on me anymore.

[00:51:40] Christ has washed that away. He'll raise me up in the last day. Praise God for that.

[00:51:45] It should be really nothing left to get frustrated about anymore.

[00:51:48] Yeah I can have a bad day sure. Bring it on.

[00:51:51] If we're in Christ we should know.

[00:51:53] I'm not going to let it get to me.

[00:51:56] I know my salvation is secure in Christ.

[00:51:59] Because Christ is our victorious king.

[00:52:02] Hence the palm branches, there is victory, there is triumph.

[00:52:05] Why do we call it triumphal entry?

[00:52:07] Some people thought it was because he was going to throw over, overthrow Rome.

[00:52:11] But it was really because he came to overthrow sin and death and conquer it forever.

[00:52:16] Amen.

[00:52:18] It shouldn't be anything left to get frustrated about.

[00:52:21] Now because he's done this, we have eternal peace with God.

[00:52:26] Isn't that a good feeling?

[00:52:28] You know if you're in trouble with dad and you've got to go home,

[00:52:32] it's not a great feeling.

[00:52:34] I'm in trouble and dad is at home, and I've got to deal with it.

[00:52:39] But if you have peace with your dad and even do anything wrong,

[00:52:43] it's fine. I've got a good relationship with my dad. Praise God.

[00:52:48] Peace with God. Peace with our Heavenly Father. That's a big thing.

[00:52:51] And people in the world who know they don't have peace with God,

[00:52:55] it's got to be a miserable place until they repent and believe.

[00:52:59] But we have that. When we believe, peace with God.

[00:53:04] When the boss walks into the office and you've done nothing wrong

[00:53:07] and you're a great employee, hey boss, how are you doing today? Good.

[00:53:10] But if you've been stealing pencils from the desk for a week,

[00:53:13] but it's like, oh no, the boss came.

[00:53:16] What kind of abilities here?

[00:53:19] We have peace with God.

[00:53:22] We have joy through our pain.

[00:53:24] It's upside down to the world.

[00:53:26] We have joy through our struggles. That doesn't sound right?

[00:53:30] But we do, we have that. Why? Because we're not focused ultimately on the physical kingdom.

[00:53:35] We're focusing on the spiritual kingdom, the heavenly kingdom,

[00:53:39] which has already been one for us.

[00:53:43] Even if we lose some of the battles we fight on this earth,

[00:53:50] in the end we still win over death and over sin.

[00:53:54] Would you ever want that the other way around?

[00:53:57] Would you ever want to win on earth and then fail the sin and death test?

[00:54:02] Eternal death? Oh, I'd rather have it the way it is in Christ.

[00:54:06] You have eternal life. You're going to struggle on earth.

[00:54:13] But he is King. And he's the only King who ever conquered those enemies that really do matter.

[00:54:22] Jesus Christ, our King.

[00:54:25] We celebrate that by kicking off this week with Palm Sunday in his triumphal entry in the Jerusalem.

[00:54:31] And so as we continue a holy week, please be conscious of what our Lord might have been thinking about

[00:54:39] why he was doing what he did that week. It was for us.

[00:54:43] So be thankful this week.

[00:54:47] In his omniscience, in his divine mind, he knew your name.

[00:54:52] He knew everyone who would ever believe in him.

[00:54:55] And it just makes me wonder if he ever thought of us by name

[00:54:59] through that week and his quiet times.

[00:55:03] He had the capacity to do it as God on earth.

[00:55:05] Let's be thankful for him. Don't complain.

[00:55:09] Let's settle for salvation. Amen.

[00:55:13] You stand with me as we pray.

[00:55:25] Dear Lord Jesus, we know we're complainers but God help us to realize what you've done for us and

[00:55:35] rejoice. And let's be rejoicers.

[00:55:38] Show us every day Jesus that you have given us life, not just physical life but life eternal and so that we can cast our eyes upon you

[00:55:46] and have the right perspective about this life.

[00:55:49] Not be surprised if we struggle and not be too frustrated when we encounter things that just quite don't go our way.

[00:55:57] Help us to learn to appreciate your salvation that you've given us. Let's come through another name.

[00:56:03] I pray this week we have a good outlook about what you went through many, many years ago.

[00:56:11] What it meant for us, the extent of your love for us as we go through toward good Friday now and resurrection Sunday next week.

[00:56:21] Help us to minister to people around us that may not know you yet, that we might invite them so that they can meet you and also gain that eternal life.

[00:56:33] Lord, be glorified this week in our lives and our homes and at the workplace. Let us never shortchange what you've done for us

[00:56:47] and we'll commemorate your death and resurrection this week. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.