Well, if you are visiting Grace City for<\/p>\n
the first time this evening, I know we<\/p>\n
have some visitors. Welcome to you. We<\/p>\n
want to<\/p>\n
uh be a welcoming community.<\/p>\n
Uh and we are glad that you're here. And<\/p>\n
after worship today, we have some uh<\/p>\n
refreshments, some food, and some time<\/p>\n
of fellowship. And we would love for you<\/p>\n
to stick around if you are able to. You<\/p>\n
don't have to uh leave right away. We'd<\/p>\n
love to have some more conversation with<\/p>\n
you because one of our values here at<\/p>\n
Grace City is really being a welcoming<\/p>\n
community.<\/p>\n
So, we'd love to hear from you, hear<\/p>\n
some of your story,<\/p>\n
uh and have some conversation with you<\/p>\n
today. So, if you're able to, please<\/p>\n
stick around. My name is Tim Mills. I'm<\/p>\n
one of the elders here at Grace City. Uh<\/p>\n
and we've been<\/p>\n
going through a series. We started it at<\/p>\n
the beginning of the year.<\/p>\n
And this series uh was given the theme<\/p>\n
or kind of working around the theme of<\/p>\n
influencers, influencers. Now, when I<\/p>\n
say that, uh and within recent years, it<\/p>\n
probably makes you think of of something<\/p>\n
in particular, doesn't it? Maybe a<\/p>\n
certain role or certain uh job even.<\/p>\n
That word has been expanded. That<\/p>\n
definition has has grown in recent years<\/p>\n
because of social media and its use uh<\/p>\n
in the social media platform platforms.<\/p>\n
Uh and and an influencer, we know,<\/p>\n
right? Is someone uh that influences<\/p>\n
someone else in the way that they live,<\/p>\n
in the way that they live, or the way<\/p>\n
that they act. Their lives, in fact, um<\/p>\n
their content, if you will,<\/p>\n
is really an advertisement. It's an<\/p>\n
advertisement. Purchase this product.<\/p>\n
Take this trip. Try this food. Listen to<\/p>\n
this music, and so on.<\/p>\n
Online influencers project a certain way<\/p>\n
of living.<\/p>\n
And others, uh the idea is that others<\/p>\n
are often attracted to the possibilities<\/p>\n
of having a similar experience or living<\/p>\n
in the same way, right? We know this.<\/p>\n
Well, here's here's why we have this<\/p>\n
series.<\/p>\n
In a similar way,<\/p>\n
the Christian faith, uh a Christian, a<\/p>\n
follower of Jesus,<\/p>\n
is a person that has been<\/p>\n
influenced.<\/p>\n
We've been influenced by the life, the<\/p>\n
person, and the work of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
So, through the word of God, through the<\/p>\n
work of God in our lives,<\/p>\n
we've been captivated. Our hearts, our<\/p>\n
minds have been captivated by God's<\/p>\n
love, by God's grace.<\/p>\n
And we've been changed. So, the<\/p>\n
Christian is one that has new life in<\/p>\n
Jesus.<\/p>\n
We are loved by him. We love him. We<\/p>\n
seek to love him.<\/p>\n
And we're drawn<\/p>\n
to his sacrificial<\/p>\n
and perfect love<\/p>\n
for us.<\/p>\n
You might say our hearts are warmed<\/p>\n
by the perfect love of God.<\/p>\n
We're known.<\/p>\n
We're known by our creator. Our lives<\/p>\n
find their purpose. They find meaning in<\/p>\n
him. We might ask ourselves, how can<\/p>\n
this be? How can this be? How does this<\/p>\n
happen?<\/p>\n
We've been influenced. We've been<\/p>\n
influenced, drawn to<\/p>\n
God's love and forgiveness of our sin.<\/p>\n
And what does it do? It transforms us.<\/p>\n
It changes us. Renews our hearts. Renews<\/p>\n
our minds.<\/p>\n
It changes the way that we see the<\/p>\n
world. It changes the way that we live.<\/p>\n
So, the love and mercy of God<\/p>\n
defines not just how we live, but what<\/p>\n
we live for.<\/p>\n
What we live for.<\/p>\n
Jesus himself was asked a question kind<\/p>\n
of in this theme.<\/p>\n
In the same way, how do we live? How do<\/p>\n
we live before God? What should we live<\/p>\n
like? How should we live a life before<\/p>\n
God? What should it look like? And the<\/p>\n
interaction, the conversation, it's<\/p>\n
actually recorded in the Gospel of<\/p>\n
Matthew.<\/p>\n
And I'll read it to us. One of them, an<\/p>\n
expert in the law,<\/p>\n
tested him with this question, \"Teacher,<\/p>\n
what is the greatest commandment in the<\/p>\n
law?\"<\/p>\n
And Jesus replied,<\/p>\n
\"Love the Lord your God with all your<\/p>\n
heart,<\/p>\n
with all your soul, with all your mind.<\/p>\n
This is the first and greatest<\/p>\n
commandment. And the second is like it.<\/p>\n
Love your neighbor<\/p>\n
as yourself.<\/p>\n
All the law<\/p>\n
and the prophets hang<\/p>\n
on these two commandments.\"<\/p>\n
Do you see the influence?<\/p>\n
Do you see the influence of the Gospel<\/p>\n
on our hearts here? This is what we're<\/p>\n
being This is what we've been given to<\/p>\n
do before and in the Lord Jesus. God<\/p>\n
radically works in our lives to help us,<\/p>\n
to lead us to do that which we are given<\/p>\n
to do and that which we cannot do<\/p>\n
unless he helps.<\/p>\n
To love the Lord our God with all our<\/p>\n
heart, our soul, our minds, our<\/p>\n
strength, to love our neighbors as we<\/p>\n
love ourselves, we cannot do that well<\/p>\n
unless God works within us and helps us<\/p>\n
to do that.<\/p>\n
This is the core teaching and the ethic<\/p>\n
of the Christian faith.<\/p>\n
It's what Jesus taught. It's how Jesus<\/p>\n
lived. So, the desire of the Christian<\/p>\n
that follows Jesus is to influence, to<\/p>\n
be an influencer,<\/p>\n
through the love of Jesus Christ, to<\/p>\n
care for and to serve this hurting world<\/p>\n
that we just prayed for, we just prayed<\/p>\n
about, to serve this world in and<\/p>\n
through the power and the grace of Jesus<\/p>\n
Christ.<\/p>\n
So, the Christian<\/p>\n
believes that the Gospel changes<\/p>\n
everything and that it influences every<\/p>\n
aspect of our lives. The Christian is an<\/p>\n
influencer<\/p>\n
marked by the love of Jesus. So, this is<\/p>\n
what our series is all about. We're<\/p>\n
looking<\/p>\n
um through the Gospels. We're walking<\/p>\n
towards Easter. And today we will<\/p>\n
continue to do that. Let me pray for us<\/p>\n
as we uh prepare and read this passage.<\/p>\n
God, it's with expectant hearts<\/p>\n
that we come before you today.<\/p>\n
If we say that, if we believe that, that<\/p>\n
the Gospel changes everything, we we<\/p>\n
have expectations.<\/p>\n
We believe that your word is eternal.<\/p>\n
And that it has the power, real power,<\/p>\n
to reveal our hearts to us,<\/p>\n
to lay them open.<\/p>\n
So, we ask that you would speak through<\/p>\n
your word, through this passage,<\/p>\n
that you would reveal your truth within<\/p>\n
it to us.<\/p>\n
Jesus, would you help us to see what you<\/p>\n
would have us to see? Help us understand<\/p>\n
what we would understand, that you would<\/p>\n
have us understand.<\/p>\n
Perhaps our hearts need to be challenged<\/p>\n
by your truth.<\/p>\n
So, do that, we ask.<\/p>\n
If you reveal any sense uh from us of<\/p>\n
any change you would want to bring<\/p>\n
within us,<\/p>\n
help us even in that. Lead us.<\/p>\n
Give us courage to walk towards you in<\/p>\n
repentance.<\/p>\n
And then we know that as we do that, we<\/p>\n
find and experience great grace and<\/p>\n
mercy.<\/p>\n
So, help us, Lord Jesus. We ask and pray<\/p>\n
in your holy name. Amen.<\/p>\n
We talked briefly earlier, and we've<\/p>\n
been singing some songs referencing uh<\/p>\n
referencing this passage. We're going to<\/p>\n
be talking about the triumphal entry<\/p>\n
today. That's our passage. Now,<\/p>\n
traditionally, that is held on Palm<\/p>\n
Sunday in a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n
Uh come back in 2 weeks and you'll see<\/p>\n
that we're going to be looking at<\/p>\n
another part in the Gospels uh in the<\/p>\n
Gospel of Matthew as Jesus has entered<\/p>\n
Jerusalem, as Jesus is there and what's<\/p>\n
transpiring before<\/p>\n
his<\/p>\n
uh crucifixion. But today we read the<\/p>\n
triumphal entry. In some ways, let this<\/p>\n
prepare our hearts for the next couple<\/p>\n
of weeks. Let me read this text to us.<\/p>\n
Now, when they drew near to Jerusalem<\/p>\n
and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of<\/p>\n
Olives,<\/p>\n
then Jesus uh sent two disciples,<\/p>\n
saying to them, \"Go into the village in<\/p>\n
front of you, and immediately you will<\/p>\n
find a donkey<\/p>\n
tied and a colt with her.<\/p>\n
Untie them and bring them to me.<\/p>\n
If anyone asks anything of you, you<\/p>\n
shall say, 'The Lord needs them, and he<\/p>\n
will send them at once.'<\/p>\n
This took place to fulfill what was<\/p>\n
spoken by the prophet, saying, 'Say to<\/p>\n
the daughter of Zion, \"Behold, your king<\/p>\n
is coming to you,<\/p>\n
humble<\/p>\n
and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the<\/p>\n
foal of a beast of burden.'\"<\/p>\n
The disciples went and did just as Jesus<\/p>\n
had directed them.<\/p>\n
They brought the donkey and the colt and<\/p>\n
put them on there and put on them their<\/p>\n
cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the<\/p>\n
crowd spread their cloaks on the road,<\/p>\n
and others cut branches from the trees<\/p>\n
and spread them on the road.<\/p>\n
And the crowds that went before him and<\/p>\n
the crowds that followed him were<\/p>\n
shouting, \"Hosanna to the Son of David.<\/p>\n
Blessed is he who comes in the name of<\/p>\n
the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.\"<\/p>\n
And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole<\/p>\n
city was stirred up, saying, \"Who is<\/p>\n
this?\"<\/p>\n
And the crowd said, \"This<\/p>\n
is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of<\/p>\n
Galilee.\"<\/p>\n
This is the word of the Lord.<\/p>\n
For the last few weeks, as we've been<\/p>\n
going through the Gospel of Matthew,<\/p>\n
and as we prepare our hearts for Holy<\/p>\n
Week,<\/p>\n
the Gospels, remember, they give us a<\/p>\n
first-hand account of Jesus, historical,<\/p>\n
what happened. We get to see it. We get<\/p>\n
to read about it. We get to hear Jesus<\/p>\n
even speaking and teaching. And as we<\/p>\n
read the Bible,<\/p>\n
we understand more and more as we read<\/p>\n
the Gospels, we understand more and more<\/p>\n
about just who Jesus is.<\/p>\n
And what he accomplished, what he did,<\/p>\n
what he set out to do, and what he fully<\/p>\n
accomplished in his life.<\/p>\n
Two weeks ago during his sermon, Kuni<\/p>\n
Iran referenced this verse in Matthew<\/p>\n
16.<\/p>\n
Uh chapter 16, verse 15. And again,<\/p>\n
Jesus was speaking with his disciples<\/p>\n
and there's a whole context here. But he<\/p>\n
asks them this similar question.<\/p>\n
They were, you know, he was asking them,<\/p>\n
\"Who do people say that I am?\" And there<\/p>\n
are all these different answers they're<\/p>\n
giving. But Jesus asks this of his<\/p>\n
disciples, \"But who do you<\/p>\n
say that I am? Who do you say that I<\/p>\n
am?\"<\/p>\n
And that question<\/p>\n
is for each of us, as well.<\/p>\n
For as we read the Gospels, as we read<\/p>\n
the Bible, as we hear<\/p>\n
the story of who Jesus is<\/p>\n
and see the claims of who Jesus is, both<\/p>\n
that he made himself and that others<\/p>\n
made of him,<\/p>\n
we're invited to answer this. In fact,<\/p>\n
we we have to answer this. We have to<\/p>\n
answer this. Who<\/p>\n
is Jesus?<\/p>\n
And we'll revisit this question later.<\/p>\n
In the Gospel accounts of his life, of<\/p>\n
Jesus' life, there are a number of<\/p>\n
instances, as you read through, where we<\/p>\n
see him, you see him perform miracles.<\/p>\n
He may heal someone.<\/p>\n
But then he goes on to instruct them to<\/p>\n
not tell anyone about this. Go, go home.<\/p>\n
Don't Don't go out. Don't say anything<\/p>\n
about this.<\/p>\n
How interesting, how peculiar.<\/p>\n
There are times where he performs these<\/p>\n
miracles and it's hard to keep it under<\/p>\n
wraps. They're so the scale is so large.<\/p>\n
But we see this happen. He was to a<\/p>\n
degree<\/p>\n
keeping things under control, keeping<\/p>\n
some control over just how his identity<\/p>\n
was being revealed. Who is Jesus?<\/p>\n
Why is he tamping this down?<\/p>\n
It's because the timing of his mission,<\/p>\n
the timing of what he came to do<\/p>\n
was important.<\/p>\n
There was a reason behind it. And we can<\/p>\n
see that now, looking back.<\/p>\n
But people must have wondered, \"Why<\/p>\n
would I not tell someone<\/p>\n
if you have given me new life or you've<\/p>\n
healed me? Why would I not share that?\"<\/p>\n
Certainly they'll have questions.<\/p>\n
But the timing, the timing was so<\/p>\n
important and we'll see that today.<\/p>\n
At points in the Gospels, other points<\/p>\n
too, Jesus would say things like, \"My<\/p>\n
time<\/p>\n
has not yet come.\"<\/p>\n
Remember when<\/p>\n
at the wedding at Cana,<\/p>\n
he said to his mother, \"Why do you<\/p>\n
involve me in this? My time is not yet<\/p>\n
come.\" Before, of course, performing<\/p>\n
that miracle. But Jesus was well aware<\/p>\n
of timing. He was well aware of how<\/p>\n
things were supposed to go. He was in<\/p>\n
full control of that.<\/p>\n
But in today's text, in today's text<\/p>\n
that we just read, we see a major shift<\/p>\n
in this tamping down of Jesus' identity<\/p>\n
or this<\/p>\n
somewhat control over it. As Jesus is<\/p>\n
headed into Jerusalem, headed into the<\/p>\n
city,<\/p>\n
he knows that now the time<\/p>\n
has come.<\/p>\n
The time has come to set in motion, full<\/p>\n
motion, the culmination<\/p>\n
of what he has come to do.<\/p>\n
The time is now. Jesus has come<\/p>\n
to save.<\/p>\n
The time<\/p>\n
has come. The time was here.<\/p>\n
And it was time to reveal himself in<\/p>\n
full.<\/p>\n
So, what we have in the triumphal entry<\/p>\n
is<\/p>\n
this interesting spectacle, this<\/p>\n
interesting event.<\/p>\n
Now, Jesus' disciples had experienced so<\/p>\n
much of his<\/p>\n
power, his ability, his omniscience,<\/p>\n
everything that he is.<\/p>\n
They had experienced it.<\/p>\n
They had seen some pretty amazing things<\/p>\n
in his presence.<\/p>\n
Their lives around him.<\/p>\n
They had seen him heal people.<\/p>\n
They had seen people that were that were<\/p>\n
lame have their their strength restored<\/p>\n
and get up and walk away.<\/p>\n
They had seen him miraculously<\/p>\n
multiply food to feed thousands of<\/p>\n
people. Like they had They were there.<\/p>\n
They saw it.<\/p>\n
And they're probably trying to figure<\/p>\n
out what is going on.<\/p>\n
They had seen him show power over the<\/p>\n
elements of the world. They had seen him<\/p>\n
in the in the midst of a storm<\/p>\n
calm<\/p>\n
calm a lake, calm a water. Make it be<\/p>\n
silent. Just<\/p>\n
What Who is this man? Who is Jesus? What<\/p>\n
is going on? They had seen this<\/p>\n
firsthand.<\/p>\n
And And they had wrestled at times with<\/p>\n
what was going on and who is this man?<\/p>\n
They'd seen They'd seen his power and<\/p>\n
again and again<\/p>\n
um<\/p>\n
they they were aware of this. Now, here<\/p>\n
in this, we may have kind of missed it.<\/p>\n
It's a short passage tonight, but<\/p>\n
there's so much here.<\/p>\n
He tells a couple of his disciples, \"Go<\/p>\n
into this village.\" Now, he He's saying,<\/p>\n
\"Go ahead. Like go and do this and<\/p>\n
here's what you're going to find.\" He's<\/p>\n
demonstrating his power, his<\/p>\n
omniscience, his understanding of look,<\/p>\n
\"You're going to find a donkey and a<\/p>\n
colt.<\/p>\n
Bring them to me. If anyone asks you,<\/p>\n
like, \"What in the world are you doing<\/p>\n
with my animals?\" You tell them,<\/p>\n
\"The Lord needs them and he'll he'll get<\/p>\n
them back to you. He'll return them to<\/p>\n
you.\"<\/p>\n
Kind of lays out the whole thing that<\/p>\n
they might you know, that they would<\/p>\n
find. Jesus knew. Again, dem-<\/p>\n
omniscience, his his all<\/p>\n
um knowing nature, his full command uh<\/p>\n
of all things.<\/p>\n
Now,<\/p>\n
what happens here in this text, too, is<\/p>\n
that it's tied These unfolding events,<\/p>\n
this this event, this major event in<\/p>\n
Jerusalem at the city gate,<\/p>\n
uh<\/p>\n
it's it's directly tied to prophecies of<\/p>\n
old. We see this even mention of of the<\/p>\n
donkey and her colt.<\/p>\n
Uh<\/p>\n
we see the prophecy that's connected to<\/p>\n
the Messiah<\/p>\n
uh from the book and this is back in an<\/p>\n
ancient book, the book of the prophetic<\/p>\n
book of Zechariah. So, let's read that<\/p>\n
text here. We'll see this in Zechariah<\/p>\n
chapter 9.<\/p>\n
Rejoice greatly, daughter Zion. Shout,<\/p>\n
daughter Jerusalem. See, your king<\/p>\n
comes to you, righteous<\/p>\n
and victorious,<\/p>\n
lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt,<\/p>\n
on the foal of a donkey. So, this text<\/p>\n
and what's occurring in this, this<\/p>\n
event, is being tied back to and<\/p>\n
revealing<\/p>\n
prophecy that was spoken, taught, and<\/p>\n
was known widely<\/p>\n
about the coming king, the Messiah.<\/p>\n
Jesus here,<\/p>\n
in doing this, in sending his disciples<\/p>\n
ahead, he's linking himself, he's<\/p>\n
revealing himself, he's showing himself<\/p>\n
to be<\/p>\n
the king that has come, the Messiah.<\/p>\n
He's linking himself to this prophecy of<\/p>\n
old. The time has come.<\/p>\n
The curtain is up. Here's who he is.<\/p>\n
It's time for him to proclaim his full<\/p>\n
identity and mission. The king<\/p>\n
is here.<\/p>\n
The king has come.<\/p>\n
Your Messiah, oh Israel,<\/p>\n
has come. Here he is.<\/p>\n
in those ancient times, here's what<\/p>\n
makes this event<\/p>\n
really<\/p>\n
uh interesting.<\/p>\n
In those ancient times, this kind of<\/p>\n
entrance into a city where you have<\/p>\n
uh an important person coming in, you<\/p>\n
have a crowd cheering them. Uh this was<\/p>\n
common practice<\/p>\n
for military rulers, for royal rulers,<\/p>\n
for leaders. A king, a ruler might march<\/p>\n
out of a city through the city gates or<\/p>\n
back into a city. They might march out<\/p>\n
with all of their soldiers and a great<\/p>\n
show of power and strength, a<\/p>\n
demonstration of great might, right? Or<\/p>\n
they might return, coming back into the<\/p>\n
gates of the city. Imagine this, okay?<\/p>\n
With all of the spoils of war. They've<\/p>\n
been victorious.<\/p>\n
They've conquered and back they come<\/p>\n
with prisoners and everything that's<\/p>\n
been captured, all the plunder,<\/p>\n
everything. They're bringing it back in.<\/p>\n
And all the people would see.<\/p>\n
All the people would understand. They<\/p>\n
would experience their powerful leader.<\/p>\n
They would be in awe. They would be in<\/p>\n
awe of the might and the power of this<\/p>\n
leader, right? You can imagine this.<\/p>\n
Uh And the king, you can see the king up<\/p>\n
at the front, perhaps, in a chariot, a<\/p>\n
war chariot, or maybe riding a strong<\/p>\n
war horse. Or if you've read any epic<\/p>\n
Thai stories or seen epic films<\/p>\n
uh about years gone by, maybe a mighty<\/p>\n
war elephant, riding all of the armor.<\/p>\n
So, here is this mighty champion, this<\/p>\n
mighty ruler, strong, undefeated,<\/p>\n
returning into the city in might and<\/p>\n
power.<\/p>\n
These displays of might and power and<\/p>\n
strength<\/p>\n
and bravado<\/p>\n
still happen today.<\/p>\n
They still happen today.<\/p>\n
Countries will have military parades to<\/p>\n
show off their weaponry,<\/p>\n
numerous marching soldiers,<\/p>\n
perhaps air shows, which are kind of a<\/p>\n
fun outdoor event, but really it's<\/p>\n
saying, \"Look at our air strength. Look<\/p>\n
at our power.\" Demonstrations of<\/p>\n
equipment and machines and capabilities.<\/p>\n
All with the purpose of proclaiming,<\/p>\n
\"Look at our power. Look at our<\/p>\n
strength.<\/p>\n
Look<\/p>\n
and be in awe.\"<\/p>\n
Be in awe.<\/p>\n
So, as Jesus enters Jerusalem,<\/p>\n
remember, he's pronouncing,<\/p>\n
he's revealing himself and saying, \"The<\/p>\n
king,<\/p>\n
your king, Israel, has come.<\/p>\n
I am who I am.<\/p>\n
I am the Messiah.<\/p>\n
The time has come for him, for Jesus, to<\/p>\n
reveal and to put his mission<\/p>\n
in the final stages of it into action.<\/p>\n
But, we don't have a war horse.<\/p>\n
We have a small, simple<\/p>\n
beast of burden, a donkey.<\/p>\n
Not a very fierce animal at all.<\/p>\n
A beast of burden.<\/p>\n
And we don't see a massive crowd of all<\/p>\n
the important and powerful people<\/p>\n
spanning the entire city,<\/p>\n
all the people of the society, but a<\/p>\n
simple gathering, a crowd<\/p>\n
of locals<\/p>\n
that spread their cloaks down at the<\/p>\n
feet of Jesus before and along his path<\/p>\n
and behind<\/p>\n
into the city.<\/p>\n
What is going on?<\/p>\n
We read this and we read it in the<\/p>\n
context of these ancient practices,<\/p>\n
it's quite this spectacle.<\/p>\n
Jesus' entrance in Jerusalem becomes a<\/p>\n
clear<\/p>\n
statement about his own identity as the<\/p>\n
Messiah,<\/p>\n
the king, the promised one that has come<\/p>\n
to bring salvation.<\/p>\n
But, he does this in such a way, even<\/p>\n
this, even this part of it,<\/p>\n
in such a way that demonstrates just how<\/p>\n
radically different, radically different<\/p>\n
God's plan is for the world.<\/p>\n
How radically different God's plan for<\/p>\n
salvation is<\/p>\n
from the kingdoms<\/p>\n
of this world.<\/p>\n
Jesus<\/p>\n
takes this whole concept<\/p>\n
of a military parade and he turns it<\/p>\n
upside down. He turns it up on its head<\/p>\n
and says, \"Here I am, your king,<\/p>\n
on a donkey.\"<\/p>\n
He creates, in a way, this radical<\/p>\n
political<\/p>\n
spectacle.<\/p>\n
You see, the Jewish people<\/p>\n
were expecting this savior to come.<\/p>\n
They were expecting salvation. God had<\/p>\n
promised and he would deliver.<\/p>\n
But, what they saw as their greatest<\/p>\n
enemy was a political<\/p>\n
enemy. They were looking for political<\/p>\n
salvation.<\/p>\n
Remember at this time, Roman the Roman<\/p>\n
Empire occupying Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
So, the Jewish people were expecting and<\/p>\n
looking and waiting for deliverance from<\/p>\n
their enemies,<\/p>\n
from the Romans.<\/p>\n
They were expecting a great and mighty<\/p>\n
warrior king to come<\/p>\n
on that war horse.<\/p>\n
They were expecting and they wanted the<\/p>\n
war horse.<\/p>\n
So, what Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem<\/p>\n
does is it it sets up a paradigm. It<\/p>\n
sets up a setting or a way, if you will,<\/p>\n
uh for the for all that's about to<\/p>\n
unfold. And as we look back on Jesus'<\/p>\n
life, we see that everything<\/p>\n
that Jesus is going to do<\/p>\n
is not the way we think it's going to<\/p>\n
play out.<\/p>\n
God is bringing salvation, but it's far<\/p>\n
more powerful than we can possibly<\/p>\n
imagine. Again, we know the rest of the<\/p>\n
story. We look back on it today. But,<\/p>\n
remember what the people were thinking<\/p>\n
now. They were waiting for this Messiah<\/p>\n
to come.<\/p>\n
They did not know what was going to<\/p>\n
transpire.<\/p>\n
Friends, God's ways are not our ways.<\/p>\n
The powerful king, the promised one, had<\/p>\n
come to conquer<\/p>\n
our greatest enemy.<\/p>\n
Rome was pretty horrible,<\/p>\n
but it is not our greatest enemy.<\/p>\n
Jesus, the Messiah, had come to<\/p>\n
overpower and to conquer sin<\/p>\n
and death.<\/p>\n
And he would do so. Spoiler alert, if<\/p>\n
you're coming back on Easter.<\/p>\n
He would do so not through the kind of<\/p>\n
strength that the world perceives,<\/p>\n
but how?<\/p>\n
Through utmost<\/p>\n
humility.<\/p>\n
Humility.<\/p>\n
This event points to Jesus' great<\/p>\n
It reveals<\/p>\n
his ultimate power, right? As we see<\/p>\n
what's hap what's going to happen, as we<\/p>\n
reference this text in in Zechariah,<\/p>\n
we see prophetically Jesus revealed as<\/p>\n
what? The righteous one<\/p>\n
and the victorious one.<\/p>\n
And a contingent of the crowd calls out,<\/p>\n
\"Hosanna to the son of David.\" What is<\/p>\n
behind that?<\/p>\n
This is both a call for salvation<\/p>\n
and adoration or praise, worship for the<\/p>\n
king, towards Jesus.<\/p>\n
As the people cite, they refer to Jesus'<\/p>\n
lineage to King David here,<\/p>\n
what they are also doing is<\/p>\n
acknowledging<\/p>\n
that he is the Messiah, cuz the Messiah<\/p>\n
was going to be from the line of David.<\/p>\n
So, they're saying that.<\/p>\n
They're saying it.<\/p>\n
They're acknowledging that. They're<\/p>\n
affirming that.<\/p>\n
The term Hosanna in Hebrew,<\/p>\n
it means save.<\/p>\n
Save. Save now. Save, we pray or we cry<\/p>\n
out. It's kind of all that.<\/p>\n
Hosanna. Hosanna to the son of David.<\/p>\n
Hosanna. Save us, Messiah.<\/p>\n
In this event,<\/p>\n
so we again we see Jesus revealing<\/p>\n
himself to be the promised one<\/p>\n
and a host of those gathered that day<\/p>\n
acknowledging this reality.<\/p>\n
They're crying out for the salvation<\/p>\n
that God is bringing through Jesus, the<\/p>\n
Messiah.<\/p>\n
this stood out, okay?<\/p>\n
Something's happening at the gate.<\/p>\n
It's going to stand out to the city.<\/p>\n
There's commotion. There's a man on a<\/p>\n
beast of burden.<\/p>\n
People are putting their cloaks on the<\/p>\n
path. What is going on?<\/p>\n
It's standing out.<\/p>\n
There's commotion. They're crying out.<\/p>\n
\"Who is this?\"<\/p>\n
the text says.<\/p>\n
Pastor uh Timothy Keller said this about<\/p>\n
the triumphal entry.<\/p>\n
As Jesus was entering Jerusalem, he came<\/p>\n
and and Keller says this,<\/p>\n
\"Challenging<\/p>\n
societal power structures<\/p>\n
while demanding complete<\/p>\n
personal surrender.\"<\/p>\n
And Tim Keller said this,<\/p>\n
\"Either you crown him<\/p>\n
or you kill him.\"<\/p>\n
Let me read that again.<\/p>\n
Jesus came in this spectacle coming into<\/p>\n
Jerusalem<\/p>\n
on the donkey, pronouncing himself king<\/p>\n
and Messiah, coming in,<\/p>\n
challenging uh societal power<\/p>\n
structures,<\/p>\n
personal<\/p>\n
surrender.<\/p>\n
We are left with the choice.<\/p>\n
We crown him<\/p>\n
or we kill him.<\/p>\n
You see, the people there had to deal<\/p>\n
with Jesus' pronouncement. We too have<\/p>\n
to deal<\/p>\n
with this reality. Either this man<\/p>\n
on this donkey<\/p>\n
all those years ago, again,<\/p>\n
looking at all the prophecy, looking at<\/p>\n
all that Jesus did, looking at the<\/p>\n
Gospels, either this man is the Messiah,<\/p>\n
he is<\/p>\n
who he claims to be, who others claim<\/p>\n
him to be,<\/p>\n
millions look to as and believing this,<\/p>\n
or he's an impostor.<\/p>\n
And if he is an impostor, he's at this<\/p>\n
time, he's a dangerous one.<\/p>\n
He's a dangerous one to the government.<\/p>\n
He's a dangerous one to the religious<\/p>\n
leaders of that time.<\/p>\n
And he has to be dealt with.<\/p>\n
So, as Keller<\/p>\n
focused our hearts in on this, it leaves<\/p>\n
us, left them and leaves us with two<\/p>\n
choices.<\/p>\n
We either turn to him in faith and we<\/p>\n
crown him. And as we crown him, we<\/p>\n
denounce our own crown.<\/p>\n
Can't be two kings.<\/p>\n
Or we kill him.<\/p>\n
We have to deny who he is and in<\/p>\n
essence, we call for his death.<\/p>\n
Friends, as we move closer to Holy Week<\/p>\n
and here we are in the season of Lent,<\/p>\n
as we move closer into Jerusalem as<\/p>\n
Jesus does,<\/p>\n
we know<\/p>\n
what's going to transpire<\/p>\n
when he gets to the city. We know that<\/p>\n
he will, just by his presence and who he<\/p>\n
is and what he's done and what he's come<\/p>\n
to do, we know that he will challenge<\/p>\n
the religious leaders<\/p>\n
who do see him as an impostor.<\/p>\n
They will set about<\/p>\n
trying to orchestrate his demise.<\/p>\n
And they will succeed.<\/p>\n
We know, too, that Jesus will prove to<\/p>\n
be an issue for the local Roman<\/p>\n
authorities.<\/p>\n
Come back in 2 weeks.<\/p>\n
We'll look at a conversation that he has<\/p>\n
with a Roman a local Roman authority<\/p>\n
also asking this question, who are you?<\/p>\n
Come back and we'll look at that text.<\/p>\n
And they're trying to figure out what do<\/p>\n
we do with Jesus?<\/p>\n
What do we do with Jesus?<\/p>\n
And that's left to us<\/p>\n
the same way.<\/p>\n
That question.<\/p>\n
We know that Jesus will ultimately give<\/p>\n
himself.<\/p>\n
We know that he will give himself in<\/p>\n
crucifixion, taking on the sins, our<\/p>\n
sins,<\/p>\n
dying for the sins of this world.<\/p>\n
We know that the great humility of<\/p>\n
Christ demonstrated here<\/p>\n
will be triumphant.<\/p>\n
We know that he will<\/p>\n
uh conquer death itself.<\/p>\n
Christ will be shown<\/p>\n
as he allows himself to die for us.<\/p>\n
Submits himself<\/p>\n
to Roman execution on a cross.<\/p>\n
It's the humility of Jesus<\/p>\n
and his sacrificial death that comes<\/p>\n
with overwhelming power.<\/p>\n
Conquering sin and death.<\/p>\n
We read of this power in the book of<\/p>\n
Philippians.<\/p>\n
The Apostle Paul writes this.<\/p>\n
So, if there is any encouragement in<\/p>\n
Christ, any comfort from love,<\/p>\n
any participation in the spirit,<\/p>\n
any affection and sympathy, complete my<\/p>\n
joy by being of the same mind, having<\/p>\n
the same love, being in full accord and<\/p>\n
of one mind.<\/p>\n
Do nothing from selfish ambition or<\/p>\n
conceit, but in humility count others<\/p>\n
more significant than yourselves. Let<\/p>\n
each of you look not only to his own<\/p>\n
interests, but also to the interests of<\/p>\n
others.<\/p>\n
Have this mind among yourselves, which<\/p>\n
is yours in Christ Jesus. And listen to<\/p>\n
this.<\/p>\n
Who though he was in the form of God,<\/p>\n
did not count equality with God a thing<\/p>\n
to be grasped, but emptied himself<\/p>\n
by taking the form of a servant,<\/p>\n
being born in the likeness of men and<\/p>\n
being found in humble human form, he<\/p>\n
humbled himself by becoming obedient to<\/p>\n
the point of death, even death<\/p>\n
on a cross.<\/p>\n
Therefore, God has highly exalted him.<\/p>\n
And bestowed on him the name that is<\/p>\n
above every name, so that at the name of<\/p>\n
Jesus every knee should bow in heaven,<\/p>\n
and on earth, and under the earth,<\/p>\n
and every tongue confess that Jesus<\/p>\n
Christ is Lord to the glory<\/p>\n
of God<\/p>\n
the Father.<\/p>\n
This text<\/p>\n
is so rich with instructive<\/p>\n
encouragement, admonition for us to walk<\/p>\n
in the way of Jesus and to live with<\/p>\n
Christ-like humility, right? That first<\/p>\n
section. We can get a lot from that. I<\/p>\n
wanted to read it a bit more so we'd<\/p>\n
have some context.<\/p>\n
But we can glean so much towards<\/p>\n
personal application, yes. But I really<\/p>\n
want us to focus on the latter portion<\/p>\n
that's still up on the screen. Jesus'<\/p>\n
great humility<\/p>\n
and his obedience.<\/p>\n
It was his humility that brought a sure<\/p>\n
Jesus humbled himself<\/p>\n
and took on flesh.<\/p>\n
Jesus emptied himself<\/p>\n
that we who look to him in faith will be<\/p>\n
filled.<\/p>\n
Jesus went down to the depths<\/p>\n
that we might be lifted up.<\/p>\n
Jesus died<\/p>\n
that we<\/p>\n
might live<\/p>\n
in him.<\/p>\n
What the world saw as weakness<\/p>\n
proved to be the very power of God at<\/p>\n
work.<\/p>\n
And it's from that place of humility<\/p>\n
that we come to Jesus.<\/p>\n
That we ourselves come to Jesus.<\/p>\n
To crown him as our king is to denounce<\/p>\n
our own crown.<\/p>\n
We are not king.<\/p>\n
There is a king.<\/p>\n
King Jesus.<\/p>\n
We bring nothing to Jesus but our<\/p>\n
brokenness and our sin.<\/p>\n
And as we repent<\/p>\n
of our brokenness, as we repent of our<\/p>\n
sin before a holy God, we receive all<\/p>\n
things from him.<\/p>\n
That's the radical<\/p>\n
nature of the gospel.<\/p>\n
It's the inverted beauty of the gospel.<\/p>\n
It's what you get when you expect a<\/p>\n
warhorse, but your king comes in on a<\/p>\n
donkey.<\/p>\n
There's an old hymn<\/p>\n
called Rock of Ages.<\/p>\n
There are a couple of verses that<\/p>\n
capture and underscore this this truth<\/p>\n
so well.<\/p>\n
Let me read it to us as we close.<\/p>\n
Not the labors of my hands can fulfill<\/p>\n
thy laws' demands.<\/p>\n
Could my zeal no respite know? Could my<\/p>\n
tears forever flow?<\/p>\n
All for sin could not atone.<\/p>\n
Thou must save and thou alone.<\/p>\n
Nothing in my hand I bring.<\/p>\n
Simply to the cross I cling.<\/p>\n
Naked come to thee for dress. Helpless<\/p>\n
look to thee for grace.<\/p>\n
Foul<\/p>\n
I to the fountain fly.<\/p>\n
Wash me, Savior,<\/p>\n
or I die.<\/p>\n
This is kind of old English.<\/p>\n
It's kind of hard maybe some of these<\/p>\n
words or phrases.<\/p>\n
It's saying there's nothing we can do<\/p>\n
to fulfill the law of God. We we can't<\/p>\n
earn God's salvation.<\/p>\n
And you know what?<\/p>\n
We can't, and that's bad news.<\/p>\n
But the good news is that we we must not<\/p>\n
try.<\/p>\n
Naked we come. Nothing. That turn<\/p>\n
We have nothing to bring. Nothing except<\/p>\n
our sinful broken hearts. And Jesus<\/p>\n
says, \"Come.<\/p>\n
Come to me. I died for that.<\/p>\n
I rode a donkey for that.<\/p>\n
I'm here to save you. Come to me.\"<\/p>\n
Let's pray.<\/p>\n
Lord God, we know<\/p>\n
and we are grateful for the good work<\/p>\n
that you have accomplished all those<\/p>\n
years ago.<\/p>\n
We praise you as our good shepherd<\/p>\n
and sacrificial lamb,<\/p>\n
humbling yourself,<\/p>\n
giving of yourself to die for our sin,<\/p>\n
and giving us new and eternal life in<\/p>\n
you.<\/p>\n
Holy Spirit, work this truth into our<\/p>\n
hearts each day. Crush our prideful<\/p>\n
hearts and keep us humble before you.<\/p>\n
Help us to walk in humility in in your<\/p>\n
grace.<\/p>\n
And as we seek to love those around us,<\/p>\n
help us. We ask and pray that you would<\/p>\n
help us<\/p>\n
in all of this.<\/p>\n
We ask in your holy name, Lord Jesus.<\/p>\n
Amen. And one more thing.<\/p>\n
I want us to circle back quickly<\/p>\n
to this passage in Zechariah again.<\/p>\n
Forgot to add this part.<\/p>\n
But it's important.<\/p>\n
This is later in Zechariah after we read<\/p>\n
about that prophetic part about Jesus<\/p>\n
coming to the city. And it reads this.<\/p>\n
The Lord their God will save his people<\/p>\n
on that day<\/p>\n
as a shepherd saves his flock.<\/p>\n
They will sparkle in his land like<\/p>\n
jewels<\/p>\n
in a crown.<\/p>\n
A good shepherd protects the sheep at<\/p>\n
all costs.<\/p>\n
How did Jesus save his flock?<\/p>\n
Remember in the gospel, the good<\/p>\n
shepherd<\/p>\n
and the sacrificial lamb are one in the<\/p>\n
same.<\/p>\n
Jesus gave his life<\/p>\n
that we may have life.<\/p>\n
The assumed weakness of Christ<\/p>\n
ultimately showed the power of God. And<\/p>\n
as we continue walking towards Holy<\/p>\n
friends, let's turn again and again<\/p>\n
and meditate on these truths. With<\/p>\n
grateful hearts, let us remember<\/p>\n
the cry of the people, \"Hosanna,<\/p>\n
save us.\"<\/p>\n
And remember that that has been answered<\/p>\n
through Jesus Christ, the king, the<\/p>\n
the promised one.<\/p>\n
Let's sing in response to this truth.<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20260319","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=R_NCjn3OBT0","video_id":"R_NCjn3OBT0","video_duration":"39:01","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55\/revisions\/56"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/54"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}