The Triumphant Entry of Jesus Christ (His triumphant Entry is for our salvation victory, Mark 11:7-11)

A. It is early in the morning and Jesus is making preparations to go to Jerusalem.

1. He is moving through two little villages near the top of the mountain.

2. He is in Bethphage, which means “House of Unripe Figs” and Bethany, which means “House of Dates”.

3. Jesus had some dear friends at Bethany, Mary, Martha and Lazarus, with whom He stayed during His last days on earth.

4. In fact, Jesus had just performed one of His most outstanding miracles when He raised Lazarus from the dead.

There are four events that identifies Jesus as the eternal king of our salvation.

1. The selection of of a donkey

2. The sense of celebratory recognition

3. The Surveillance of the temple.

4. The sanctification of the temple.

I. The Selection of a Donkey (Mark 11:1-6)

A. As Jesus and His disciple approached Jerusalem near Bethphage and Bethany.

1. He sent two of His disciples to retrieve the colt (young donkey) that he had selected.

2. He tells them exactly where they are to find it and, not only that but, with His supernatural foreknowledge, what the people standing there will say to them.

3. He also gives them some details about the animal.

4. And when the two disciples went to complete this assignment, they find that everything is just as Jesus said it would be.

5. This should assure us that what ever Jesus tells us to do, do it and you will not be disappointed.

6. Jesus was well know in Bethany, after all, He became a local celebrity after He raised Lazarus from the dead.

7. When the two disciples came to retrieve the donkey, the people standing there asked “What are you doing?”

8. But when they heard that it was the Lord Jesus who wanted the colt, they immediately gave it to them.

9. They knew Jesus as Lord and It appears that as Lord, Jesus had made a spiritual difference in their lives.

10. Do you know Jesus as Lord?

11. Has Jesus, made a spiritual difference as Lord over your life?

12. Only when you surrender your life to Jesus as your Lord, will He make a spiritual difference in your life.

B. The young donkey Jesus selected, no one had ever ridden.

1. It was the Lords donkey to fulfill his prophetic purpose found in Zechariah 9:9—

Zechariah 9:9 NKJV

9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

2. Exod. 34:20 says—

Exodus 34:20 NKJV

20 But the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you will not redeem him, then you shall break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. “And none shall appear before Me empty-handed.

3. This donkey was redeemed for the Lord to us for His triumphant Entry as the eternal King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

4. There was a twofold purpose that Jesus accomplished in fulfilling this prophecy:

(1) He declared Himself to be Israel’s King and Messiah;

(2) and He deliberately challenged the religious leaders.

5. Which would set in motion the plot that would lead to His arrest, trial, and crucifixion.

6. The religious leaders knew that it would be unwise to arrest Him during the Passover feast with all of the religious excitement.

7. Certainly not during this religious display Jesus was putting on.

8. But God had determined that Jesus, the Lamb of God must die at Passover.

9. 1 Cor 5:7 reveals why Jesus is the believer’s Passover Lamb.

1 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV

7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

10. Jesus is the believer's passover sacrifice to purge us from pass sins, and make us a new batch, for a new life before God.

11. And if you’er here today, as a sinner, put your faith in Jesus as your Passover lamb for a new life before God.

II. The Scene of Celebratory Recognition

A. We are told by historians that the population of Jerusalem was 80,000 at this time.

1. However, during the passover, it was between two and three million people would come to the city for the celebration.

2. They were there with anticipation, looking for God to do something while they were there.

3. God did do something but most of the people would miss it altogether.

4. Most of them who missed it, like the religious leaders who were opposed to Jesus, were not spiritually in tune with the scriptures.

5. Jesus said to those religious leaders in John 5:39—

John 5:39 NKJV

39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

6. When we come to church, we should come with anticipation, looking for God to do something.

7. For God to do something in us, through us or something with us.

8. And God will, do something whether it’s in us, through us or with us, when we come to church with anticipation.

9. And in tune with the word of God.

B. Jesus was about to do something He had never done before, Something He had time-and-time-again told others not to do.

1. He was going to allow His followers to give a public presentation in his honor.

2. Because the time had come for Jesus to take action that demonstrated who He is; The Messiah, and eternal King.

3. The patriotic Jews among the crowd of pilgrims were excited and enthused as they joined the procession.

4. As Jesus entered Jerusalem with the triumph of a King.

5. When welcoming a king, it was customary for people to lay their outer garments on the road, and add festal branches, like palms.

6. Those who mostly made up the crowd were from Galilee along with the people who had witnessed the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 12:17-18 we read).

John 12:17–18 NKJV

17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.

7. Whereas the Jews from Galilee were sympathetic with Jesus and his ministry.

8. Galilee was were Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

9. It was where Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the masses of people with a few loaves and fish.

10. It is also where Jesus gave His blessed beatitude sermon on the mount.

11. The point is, most of those people in the crowd knew in there hearts knew that Jesus was there King.

12. As far as they were concern, Jesus was the Son of David who had come in the name of the Lord.

13. If you are not saved today, it is my prayer that before you leave this service, you will come to believe that Jesus has come in the name of the Lord to save you.

C. The people shouted “Hosanna” which means “Save now!”

1. Jesus knew that the people were quoting from a messianic psalm.

2. So, He allowed them to go ahead and shout because, He was openly affirming His kingship as the Son of David the eternal King.

3. But their enthusiasm was for a ruling king and a political kingdom.

4. Their aspiration was that Jesus had come as their king to over throw with military force, the oppressive Roman government.

5. But they did not realize that the one riding triumphantly into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey was God’s anointed king and Saviour.

6. But His triumph would be spiritual and not military.

7. The triumph of Jesus Christ would be the victory of love over hatred, truth over error, and life over death.

8. And that’s the kind of spiritual triumph and victory that people need in this world today.

9. And that’s what Jesus has given to those who believe, a spiritual triumph and victory in this world.

III. The Surveillance of the Temple

A. After entering Jerusalem Immediately, Jesus went to the temple and carefully surveyed the premises.

1. As King, He went there to see if they were being used as God intended.

2. Which would lead to His action the next day.

3. And it wont be petty!

B. Since it was about to be sunset and the city gates were about to close, Jesus went to Bethany with the Twelve disciples to spend the night.

1. While in Bethany, I would think, Jesus was thinking about what He saw going on in the temple that was not of God.

2. And I suppose He was contemplating what action He would take to address the issue.

3. However, the next day as He and the Twelve were headed back to Jerusalem, He saw a prophetic sign in connection to the temple in Mark 11:12-14.

Mark 11:12–14 NKJV

12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.

4. The prophetic sign had to do with the false appearance of the fig-tree, which had leaves but no fruit.

5. The explanation, lies in the simple fact that the fruit of the fig-tree appears before the leaves.

6. And since the tree produced leaves it ought also to have had fruit if it had been true of it’s purpose.

7. This sign represented the fruitless worship going on the the temple. so Jesus cursed the fruitless fig-tree.

8. And then headed to the temple to sanctify it.

IV. The Sanctification of the Temple

A. We read in Mark 11:15-17—

Mark 11:15–17 NKJV

15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”

1. Jesus reveals that in order for God’s House to be a place of prayer, it must be sanctified unto God.

2. As the eternal king, Jesus demands that we worship God in spirit and in truth in His house.

3. Jesus’ triumph over death, hell and the grave gives Him the authority to make things right in our life to sanctify us unto God.