Always Triumphing In Christ Jesus

Matthew 21:1-11

Today is Palm Sunday, the precursor to Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday when Jesus arose from the grave!

Palm Sunday is based on the historical event of Jesus entering Jerusalem to the praise of the people.

It is called the triumphant entry for 2 reasons:

The people, as we will read, thought of Jesus as an earthly deliverer. As John’s account of this event tells us, Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead. Word had spread and the people believed their earthly deliverer, The Messiah, had come to save them from their oppressors!

The disciples worshipped too, how could you not after they witnessed the things that Christ had done.

The people in Jerusalem was actually thinking that the reign of God on earth was about to begin.

One thing they forgot, sin has to be atoned for.......

That brings us to the next and real reason this event is called the triumphant entry....

Jesus enters Jerusalem to begin His journey to the cross and to the atonement for our sins.

You see, it is Passover week very soon the people will bring their sheep to the priests to see if they were without spot or blemish, ready for sacrifice.

This was in obedience to God’s law as this was established from the Exodus from Egypt. As the death angel passed over the houses if the blood was not applied to the door post then the first born sons will be killed.

The Passover lambs brought atonement to the believing Jewish households on that signal night of judgment and redemption.

The blood of the lamb removed sin from God’s view.

Every year they did this!

Jesus was now entering Jerusalem, to begin that journey to be a fulfillment of all the law for us!

To pay the price for sin once for all…Hebrews 7:27 “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.”

Hebrews 10:9-10 “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

No more daily or yearly sacrifices, “ONCE FOR ALL”

That is the real reason for the Triumphant Entry! That is the real reason for our praise and palm branches!

Let’s read the account.....Matthew 21:1-11......

Having just arrived in Bethpage, Jesus sent some of the disciples to prepare for his entry, to get a young donkey colt that was still with their mother. He would have no opportunity to prepare this.

Jesus also told them that if anyone says anything tell them that the Lord has need of them.

According to Mark this happened exactly like Jesus said it would......simply but powerfully proving that He knew where the animals were, also what the owners would say and what to say to please the owners.

Divine omniscience!

This was done to fulfill Scripture which we will get to, if the Lord tarries, in Isaiah 62:11

John’s account has the disciples getting into the praise and worship, as He approaches! They had saw and heard so many wonderful things....

This is the only time, during Jesus’ earthly ministry, that He allows people to worship Him!

They lay palm branches down and their coats as a sign of royalty.....it is what they would do for dignitaries and rulers.

Pretty high praise for someone riding in on a donkey’s colt, which is not what those dignitaries would ride, they would be on majestic white horses....nothing but the best!

As Jesus got on into Jerusalem, all the city asked “who is this?”

The answer is quite telling “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth....”

All the miracles, all the signs.....Jesus said in John 14:11 “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.”

Jesus had done so many miraculous things that the only answer for that would be that He was from God as Nicodemus confessed in John 3.

It seems they were more concerned about the works than the Person! Jesus even speaks of this in Luke’s account Luke 19:41-42 “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.”

As this scene closes, I want to point out one thing......This is important to what we just talked about, they had missed the true Christ.....Jesus said believe that He is in the Father because of the works, not to focus on the works....it is in Christ that we are saved and the only reason for eternity in the presence of God for us in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ!

This is never more proven as Jesus moves toward the temple and seeing merchants and customers......

Currency exchangers were there because Roman money was not acceptable in the temple and they were extorting the people.

The priests would inspect the lambs for sacrifice and extort them by refusing theirs and causing them to have to buy one.

Jesus was full of righteous indignation and cleared the temple......One thing of note, there was a lot of people there, how did one man do that?

Because that man was the Christ the Son of the living God!

Jesus told them that His Father’s house was a house of prayer!

Think about this for a moment, all of Israel was in Jerusalem, there to make a sacrifice to God. They were exchanging money, selling lambs and there was Jesus coming to fulfill the very thing that they were trying to do, which they had to do every year, yet in Jesus it will be fulfilled once for all!

There the perfect sacrifice was in the midst of them, to pay the high cost for our sins, God the Son........but yet they had no idea what pertained to their peace, they thought of Jesus as a prophet from Nazareth rather than the True High Priest, the true Messiah!

Through His Life, Death, and Resurrection is our triumph!

Turn with me now to Colossians 2:6-15........I knew of 2 occasions where the word triumph is in Scripture and this is one........

All of this to me is pretty self explanatory......go to verse 13 is one of the key understandings.....”And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh”

Dead and uncircumcised.......meaning our lives are dead and unclean unto God! This is the real life that Scripture points to.......we need to be made alive and to be cleansed!

All of this is done in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ!

Paul is telling this church and us, to not let traditions of men, philosophy, the principles of this world, spoil you and turn your faith away from Christ!

Because it is all through Him!

It is in Christ.......He took it all out of the way and now it is through Him that we live, it is through Him that we are forgiven, it is through Jesus Christ that has spoiled satan and his demon’s plans and when Jesus died on the cross for the sins that satan has tempted us in, Jesus spelled the doom of satan and his demons!

This is good news, this is great news! This is worthy of our praise.....Jesus is worthy of our praise!

In Heaven there is rightful praise directed toward the right Person....Revelation 5:12 “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”

The crowd was looking for another Savior, I think they were looking for physical redemption, instead of understanding rightly what Colossians 2:13 “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;”

No really belief that they were dead in their sins, no uncleaness!

Boy we can get into that mind set can’t we! We can let what goes on around us dictate what state we are in!

If I believe that God is greater than all and I say I believe that Christ died to bring us to life with the Greatest of all, then why is are we dictated by what is less?

When the world falls we will praise, when our lives collapse we will praise!

As the psalmist tells us in Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; And with my song will I praise him.”

Are we letting the principles of this world direct our praise? Traditions of men? Philosophy or the meaning of life?

Let’s read on final passage.....2 Corinthians 2:14 “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”

Paul makes an abrupt transition from his narrative and looked above and beyond his difficulties of ministry to praise and thanks to God!

He turned from the difficulty to praise.....

Then he says: “God which always causes us to triumph in Christ”.......

Paul drew from the imagery of the official exalted Roman ceremony called the Triumph, in which a victorious general would be honored with a festive, ceremonial parade.

In that fashion Paul gives thanks to God for the promised victory that is given in Jesus Christ!

Then he praises for the privilege of being used as an influence for Christ!

Through the difficulties there is praise, through the “blah” times their is praise, through the good times there is a praise!

Not for the good times, but for Christ Jesus Who always in every situation causes us to triumph!

No matter what the people believed about Jesus as He was entering Jerusalem that day, no matter what the world is saying, no matter what the culture is pulling us toward, no matter the circumstances, because Jesus entered Jerusalem to begin His faithful mission to die for my sinful flesh, Him that knew no sin, .........He has triumphed for me, Jesus has cast everything out of my way and stood in my place and saved me! I am always triumphant because of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ my Lord and my Savior!