Sermon Tone Analysis

*TRIUMPFUL EXIT*

 

*INTRO:*

 

2000 years ago, the Sadducees had a tradition.

They believed the Messiah would show up four days before Passover.

because of this tradition, they kept the gates of the Temple open so that Messiah could walk right in and take His rightful place.

During this time,

Jewish nationalistic fervor would reach a peak.

When the Passover celebration was going on, the Romans would have all their troops activated and on alert.

The reason was, they feared that the Jews might try launching a revolt under some religiously crazed radical Jew.

This had happened in the past and so tensions could easily

run high on a day like this.

\\ \\ And then; here comes Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.

He was Fulfilling the prophecy of *Zech 9:9 (NIV)*.

THE ROMANS DIDN’T REALIZE WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

ACTUALLY THE JEWS DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT WAS HAPPENING EITHER.

*I.                  **POINT #1 TODAY IS PROPHESY WAS FULFILLED *

*THIS WAS JESUS’ FIRST COMING*

 

THE VERSE IN ZECHARIAH 9:9 IS ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE VERSES IN THE WHOLE BIBLE.

WRITTEN CENTURIES BEFORE JESUS WAS EVEN BORN.

*Zechariah 9:9 (NIV) \\ /The Coming of Zion’s King/*

*9     Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! *

*Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!

*

*See, your king comes to you, *

*righteous and having salvation, *

*gentle and riding on a donkey, *

*on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

*

 

 

IT'S NOT UNCOMMON TO HEAR A MESSAGE FROM THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE ON PALM SUNDAY

 

AND TODAY IS GONNA BE NO EXCEPTION BECAUSE

THAT’S EXACTLY WHERE I'M PREACHING FROM TODAY.

ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS ABOUT THE BIBLE IS THAT WE’RE ABLE TO SEE WHERE GOD HAS PROPHESIED SOMETHING THAT’S GONNA TO HAPPEN

 

AND THEN TURN A FEW PAGES AND SEE WHERE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE PROPHETIC EVENTS, AND WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT IT TODAY

 

WE JUST READ THE PROPHESY IN *ZECHARIAH 9:9* ABOUT THE MESSIAH COMING TO THE TEMPLE.

THE ZECHARIAH  PASSAGE ACTUALLY CONTINUES ON FOR SEVERAL MORE VERSES.

IT TALKS ABOUT A SUFFERING REDEEMING MESSIAH THAT COMES IN PEACE.

AND IT ALSO TALKS ABOUT A CONQUERING WARRIOR MESSIAH THAT IS COMING TO CONQUER ALL OF ISRAELS ENEMIES.

HE’S GOING TO RULE THE WORLD AND JERUSALEM WILL BE THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING.

----------------------------  FORSHORTENING  ------------------------

 

ONE OF THE CONFUSING THINGS THAT WE SOMETIMES ENCOUNTER IN PROPHESY IS THE EFFECT OF FORSHORTENING.

THIS PHENOMENA HAPPENS WHEN THE PROPHESY LOOKS DOWN THROUGH THE CENTURIES TO THE FUTURE EVENTS BEING PROPHESIED.

FORSHORTENING CAN BE SEEN IN PHOTOGRAPHY.

WHEN YOU PHOTOGRAPH A SCENE WITH A TELEPHOTO LENS, ALL THE OBJECTS SEEM TO BE CLOSER TOGETHER THAN THEY REALLY ARE.

SOMETIMES ON THE NEWS, YOU'LL SEE A FILM CLIP OF CARS ON THE FREEWAY AND THEY ALL LOOK LIKE THEY'RE RIGHT ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.

THEY REALLY AREN'T ON TOP OF EACH OTHER, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE IN THE FILM CLIP.

THAT'S CALLED FORSHORTENING AND IT CAN BE LIKE THAT WITH PROPHESY TOO.

THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IN ZECHARIAH

CHAPTER 9.

 

THERE ARE TWO EVENTS BEING PROPHESIED, THAT ARE REALLY FARTHER APART THAN THEY APPEAR TO BE.

 

THERE'S THE FIRST COMING OF MESSIAH.

AND THERE'S THE SECOND COMING OF MESSIAH.

WE FIND THE FIRST COMING OF MESSIAH, RECORDED IN ALL FOUR OF THE GOSPEL ACCOUNTS.

THE SECOND COMING OF MESSIAH HASN'T HAPPENED YET.

THERE ARE A LOT OF PROPHESIES IN THE BIBLE ABOUT JESUS CHRIST'S SECOND COMING, AND IT REALLY IS AN INTERESTING STUDY.

YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE MIGHT JUST START A SERIES ABOUT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, ON SUNDAY NIGHTS.

WE’LL SEE.

BUT FOR TODAY, WE'RE ONLY GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THE FIRST COMING OF MESSIAH.

LET’S READ THE STORY OF JESUS’ FIRST COMING AS RECORDED IN *MATTHEW 21:1-11*

*Matthew 21:1-11*

*/ /*

*/The Triumphal Entry/*

*21**     As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her.

Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” *

*4 **This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: *

*5**     “Say to the Daughter of Zion, *

*‘See, your king comes to you, *

*gentle and riding on a donkey, *

*on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’

” *

*6 **The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.

7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.

8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, *

*“Hosanna to the Son of David!” *

*“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”*

*“Hosanna in the highest!” *

*10 **When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” *

*11 **The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

II.

*POINT #2*

*THE JEWISH PEOPLE WERE CONFUSED BY THIS PROPHESY.

*

 

THE PEOPLE HAD READ THE PROPHESY IN *ZECHARIAH 9:9*, BUT AFTER IT TALKS ABOUT A MESSIAH THAT'S RIDING IN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY IT GOES ON TO DESCRIBE A WARRIOR MESSIAH.

FOR INSTANCE, LATER ON IN

*Zechariah 9:14 (NIV) WE READ \\ 14     Then the Lord will appear over them; *

*his arrow will flash like lightning.

*

*The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet; *

*he will march in the storms of the south, *

 

THE PEOPLE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THAT MESSIAH HAD TO SOMEHOW BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN LOST MANKIND AND GOD.

THEY DIDN'T REALIZE THAT MESSIAH HAD TO FIRST SUFFER AND DIE FOR OUR SINS.

WHAT THEY REALLY WANTED WAS A MESSIAH THAT WOULD KICK OUT THOSE HATED ROMAN SOLDIERS AND PUT THE REST OF THE WORLD UNDER JEWISH CONTROL.

EVEN HIS OWN DISCIPLES THOUGHT THAT JESUS WAS GOING TO SET UP AN EARTHLY KINGDOM.

THAT'S WHY JAMES AND JOHN GOT THEIR MOTHER TO GO TO JESUS AND ASK FOR HIM TO GIVE JAMES AND JOHN SPECIAL PLACES AT HIS SIDE WHEN HE BECAME KING.

THAT'S WHY HIS DISCIPLES WERE ARGUING ABOUT WHO WAS THE GREATEST.

THEY WERE EXPECTING TO BE PART OF THE PRESIDENTS CABINET.

WHAT THEY ALL WANTED WAS A WARRIOR KING THAT WOULD DRIVE OUT THE ROMANS THAT HAD INTRUDED INTO THEIR COUNTRY.

THEY WANTED THEIR NATION TO RULE THE WORLD.

THEY KNEW THAT IT WAS PROPHESIED THAT THEY WOULD SOMEDAY BE THE CENTER OF THE WORLD AND

 

THEY THOUGHT THAT IF JESUS WAS THE MESSIAH THEN HE WOULD FULFILL THOSE PROPHESIES.

THE ONES FOUND IN DANIEL AND IN EZEKIEL.

THEY EXPECTED JESUS TO SET HIMSELF UP AS THE KING OF THE JEWS AND MAKE THE WHOLE WORLD SUBSERVIENT TO THEM.

THERE WAS ONLY ONE OR TWO PEOPLE THAT I CAN POINT TO THAT REALLY UNDERSTOOD WHAT WAS GOING ON.

 

BOTH WERE WOMEN, AND BOTH WERE NAMED MARY.

I THINK JESUS’ MOTHER MAY HAVE REALIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING.