Observing the Triumphal Entry

John 12:12-19

Today is Palm Sunday, this is the day we recognize as Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where in this week it would culminate in the Lord’s crucifixion.

Now it is called the triumphal entry but friends I believe it to be a tearful entry. Because those praises of Hosanna when Jesus entered in would turn to screams of Crucify.

Now each of the four gospels speaks about the entry of Christ into the city, four times the story is given to us, and I believe if God inspire each of the writers to share it, it is important for us to read it, understand it, and apply it to our lives.

So today, we are looking at John’s account of the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem.

(Read Scripture)

What an exciting day this must have been. Here is a multitude of people, who have come to Jerusalem to prepare and celebrate Passover.

Some perhaps were visiting this city for the very first time and for others this had been something they had done many times.

But this one was different. Of all the other times that the people had celebrated Passover, this one had a special feeling.

What made it so different? Was it the influx of people? Was it all the goods and animals? Was it the priest that were gathering?

What made this week in Jerusalem so different was the fact that Jesus was coming. Now when we read the story, it is easy to just read through it, but friends I believe we often miss some powerful things when we just rush through it.

Now friend I want you to observe five things that we see in this passage. And the first one is what we read in verse 12.

Have we heard the news that Jesus is coming? (12)

· 2 group of people when it comes to news, those who know and those who don’t.

· Are you up on the news? I talk with some people and they can tell me everything that happened in a 50 mile radius.

· News story, it is reported that Jesus is coming.

· People have heard that news about Jesus coming and some don’t believe it. They think it is fake news.

· 2 Peter 3:4 “And saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

· What did Jesus tell us in John 14? I will come again. Even the angel said as much.

· So, how should we respond? Are you dreading his coming or are you excited about his coming.

· These people heard the news, and they were excited to see Jesus.

· If Jesus walked into this room right now, would you be excited to see him?

Are we welcoming Christ as King into our life? (13)

· The second thing we find is in verse 13. Read scripture again.

· Now what do we see these people doing? They have heard that Jesus is coming and they are preparing for him.

· They see him as a king coming.

· They welcomed his arrival. And that is the question we should ask ourselves are we welcoming Christ as King into our life?

· They were waving the palm branches and went forth to meet him.

· Are you struggling to meet Jesus. What is it that is holding you back?

· What we must do is lay it down at the feet of Jesus.

Jesus came to fulfill the scripture (14-16)

· Now there is a third thing we see from this passage and that is in verses 14-16.

· Jesus is riding a donkey, now to the people they didn’t realize what was taking place. Scripture was being fulfilled.

· Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

· Do you know that there are around 2500 prophecies in Bible and of that 2500 about 2000 of them have been fulfilled.

· Friend when Jesus rode that donkey, he knew the scriptures, he knew what it said.

· He didn’t deviate from the word, he didn’t change the word, he lived by the word and he fulfilled the word.

· We serve a God who doesn’t cut corners. He doesn’t change the scripture. He came to fulfill it, and friends he knew what he was riding in to.

· You see, Jesus knew the scripture that he was to ride a donkey, but friend he also knew he was going to suffer and die. Isaiah 53.

· He knows the details. What a great God we serve.

The people told others what Christ did (17-18)

· Now here is the fourth thing we see and it is found in verses 17-18.

· Right before Christ coming into the city, he stopped over in a little town called Bethpage.

· Which means the house of the unripe fig.

· He raises Lazarus from the dead.

· Now that miracle was told around the town and it spread even to Jerusalem. Here was the man of miracles.

· Now how did they know about Jesus? Someone told them. You know it is critical that we tell people about Christ.

· Has Christ done a miracle in your life? Are you telling others?

· We are not to be silent when it comes to Christ. Christ is counting on us to share Him with others.

Are we preventing Christ or letting Christ prevail? (19)

· Now here is the last thing we see from our text, and it is found in verse 19.

· What do we see here? We see doubters. We see people who were envious of the Lord. We find these who have tried to stop the Lord, unable to do anything.

· If they could they would have stopped Christ as soon as they saw him. And that is how many people are today.

· Trying to stop Christ from coming in. Putting up barriers, looking at what might be happening around us, and shaking our heads.

· You know, this is how many of us are. We trying to stop Christ from working, we try to silence the work, we see people coming to Christ and it bothers us.

· Friend we cannot prevent Christ from working, and what really must happen is that we open our hearts to Christ and allow him to come in.

· We need to allow Christ to prevail in our lives. We need to allow him to have a triumphal entry into our life.

Conclusion

· The final part of the verse says – the world is gone after him.

· The people were coming for Passover, are we letting Jesus pass us by, or are we going to go after him. He is here.

· Do you see him? Did you hear him? Then come to him and give him your life.