Hosanna
Notes
Transcript
Reading:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
Introduction:
The day we are celebrating today, or at least observing is the day when Jesus proclaimed to the whole of Jerusalem that their King had arrived!
Their long awaited Messiah had entered the city!
The skepticism or questions concerning Jesus would all have been confirmed in this moment as He fulfilled Zechariah's prophecy.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Some of the things Jesus had done as Messiah would be:
He called Apostles to disciple and teach
He performed miracles
He taught big crowds and fed them through a miracle
Trained and prepared 12 men for what they would do.
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Word was getting around about Jesus.
He had authority, wisdom, and power to perform miracles and His ambition and demeanor was unlike the religious authorities of the time.
Imagine what rumors may have been going around about Him.
Jesus sent out the 12 to tell people that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
He told them how they would be received by the towns and the leaders in those towns; telling them what to expect:
and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Jesus really made some noise coming into this world and was thee most controversial person ever to have been born.
He didn’t incite the controversy or conflict, Satan did.
Satan did it with rumors, lies, twisting of scriptures (what the Messiah would do), Pride and anything else to derail God’s plan for redeeming the world.
All the scriptures were written considering Messiah.
People would’ve known each watermark in Jesus’ life and how it aligned perfectly to the prophecy.
They would’ve known what He was coming to do.
Just in case some misunderstood what Jesus’ purpose was in coming to mankind: Jesus corrected that misconception.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.
Jesus came to bring freedom to those who would accept it by faith in Him.
And those who didn’t accept Him by faith, would be against those who did.
Transition:
All of the rumors, All of the wondering if Jesus was the Messiah was answered at this one moment.
And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Jesus was the King who came into His city!
Everyone praised God; the day had finally come.
The Messiah would bring freedom and peace!
He did bring peace; but not the political peace some thought would happen.
He brought peace between God and man.
Today I want to focus on the package that was delivered to man through Jesus’ triumphal entry that we can rejoice at today, like they did when He came into town.
It can be found in Matthew 11.
Jesus reveals to us:
The Father’s Will (25-26)
The Father’s Will (25-26)
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
Notice that in these passages Jesus transfers a principal that He will reinforce later in Matt. chapter 18 and 19.
Who does it say that understand the grace extended to the world by Him?
Little children.
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;
Jesus highlights God’s Sovereignty as the Master of the Universe.
And what kind of relationship He has with Him.
Connection:
With the statement about the little children:
Jesus is teaching that those of humility and dependence would receive His message of Grace, by faith.
? Why would they be more prone to receive His grace?
Mainly because when you’re at the bottom the only way to go is up.
In reading this we could be reminded of our own comfort level.
In what areas are we too comfortable and not living dependent upon faith because we can do it ourselves?
Every aspect of our lives should be given over to the Lord’s will.
What kind of impact does that kind of faith have on those around us?
What fruit does it produce?
Jesus reveals that impact through people who are choosing to do it for the Lord instead of any other reason.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
Jesus highlighted that all we have is the Lords and for His use.
We can’t be stingy and deny those in need.
Whether it is our expertise, finances, tools, time, etc...
It can all be used to meet the physical needs of our “neighbors”.
But we cannot neglect their spiritual needs, all of the temporal resources should be tools to reach their spiritual need.
Some have need of hope, joy, peace, love, etc… that takes a little more “digging” to see what their need is, and a lot of prayer and patience as we plan to meet that need.
It may not be a one time deal, it could be something that requires a good length of time.
Notice that Jesus thanked the Father for hiding these things from those who seemed to “have it all”.
Those who didn’t think they had any need for their spiritual lives, since they had already figured it all out and were “doing” all the lawful things.
Point:
There isn’t much difference in these passages from a lot of people in this generation.
Also among those who claim to have faith in Jesus.
Many don’t see the need for Jesus in certain areas of their lives.
They have it all figured out and are doing all the “lawful” things.
Like going to church, giving to the church, are polite to neighbors, etc...
We must approach each day as a child ready to believe what our Father is telling us and what He has in store for us.
As we read His word we receive what He says and by faith make choices that reflect that belief.
We are going to get it wrong a lot, He knew that so there is a contingency.
In verse :26 Jesus describes the Father’s will as gracious.
yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
God’s will was gracious towards who?
Everyone, including the religious leaders who are spoken of as the wise and understanding.
They too could accept God’s grace too.
Until their death it wasn’t too late.
God’s will to extend salvation to mankind was always going to come through Jesus as the sacrifice.
It was the only way to provide grace to all.
Transition:
Jesus wasn’t just a reflection of God’s will, It was His will as God to bring Grace to all.
When people saw and encountered Jesus, they encountered God Himself in the flesh.
Jesus alone reveals God to the World.
There is a contrast brought up in verse :27, when compared to verse :25.
The religious leaders were supposed to reveal God to man through scripture.
Here in verse :27 Jesus makes something very clear:
All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
The Father Revealed (27)
The Father Revealed (27)
Jesus states that God, YHWH, gave everything over to Jesus.
What would you think if someone told that to you about themselves?
Is this the only time Jesus said anything like this?
No, many times Jesus has recorded this teaching.
not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.
I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”
Jesus had possession of all that is the Father’s.
Jesus by His life revealed God to all, because He is God.
Clarke in his commentary describes this thought very well.
“None can fully comprehend the nature and attributes of God, but Christ and none can fully comprehend the nature, incarnation of Christ, but the Father. The full comprehension and acknowledgment of the Godhead, and the mystery of the Trinity, belong to God alone.”
Understanding the Trinity is near impossible.
The best understanding I have gleaned from other pastors is to think of it as “offices” held, or positions.
God the Father is the office held over heaven.
God the Spirit is the office over the spiritual realm.
God the Son is the office over creation.
All 3 are God; but are the prominent figure that differ from one another.
Connection:
Verse :27 tells us that the only way to see God in the flesh is to admit that Jesus is Him and He reveals the Father’s will to all.
Have you accepted Jesus as God?
Do you believe Him in the claims like this one: that He is God?
If you want to know about someone’s faith ask them: who is Jesus to them?
If it is anything other than God in the flesh, or Lord, then what are they believing in for redemption and forgiveness?
Their works?
Their baptist?
Their giving?
Their merits to be a good person?
Anything other than faith in Christ doesn’t make the cut.
Transition:
Jesus has the authority to offer grace to any who would place their faith in Him as saviour.
Because of grace we find mercy at the feet of the Almighty King.
The relationship between God and you can be reconciled, no longer estranged from Him.
And…we are benefited because of:
The Father’s Promise (28-30)
The Father’s Promise (28-30)
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
He promises rest for those who believe in Him.
It is suggested that Jesus is speaking to those who are overloaded with the rituals and sacrifices and have a huge burden to carry as they perform those duties.
He is pleading with them to trust Him so they can find rest from that burden.
Connection:
When the burdens of this world begin to crush you there is something that we all admit.
I can’t do this alone, I need help.
Who do you turn to when no one can help you?
When no one has the ability to fix what is happening to you?
I would call that the bottom of the barrel and the only direction is up, and the only way to get out is if someone reaches down to pull you out.
The helping hand in a time of need.
Jesus is reaching down to us every day through scripture and sometimes through one another.
Amazingly He is providing for the need we have.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Accept by faith Jesus and He will carry your load for you.
Listen to what He says about His yoke.
“…learn from me...”
What can we learn?
We can know our Father and what He expects of us as His children, so we can live a life choosing to glorify and praise Him.
Illustration:
When I was a youth pastor Katie and I would plan trips to many different places for the kids to:
Have fun.
Take part in camp.
Outreach...
At every event we planned it didn’t matter what it was or where.
Before everyone exited the vans we had “the talk”.
Basically laying all the rules and expectations for them.
After a while they knew what was expected of them when they were under our authority.
They knew those things because of a relationship we had with them.
There were always 3 things we told them:
First you represent God.
Second you represent our church.
Third you represent your family.
Don’t disappoint any of them.
Connection:
Having a relationship with God, and knowing Jesus and His life provides the knowledge of what He expects of us and that should give rest for our soul
His expectations aren’t unachievable or out of reach, the goalpost isn’t moved, it is always there in black and white, sometimes written in red letters.
Read of His life and all He asked of His disciples, (That is you and I)
Read and recognize the abundant mercy and grace to all.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Conclusion:
When Jesus came riding a donkey into town.
He proclaimed that the King had arrived and Jesus was Him.
Point:
Rejoice today and every day because Jesus brought peace between you and God.
He reconciled the relationship between sin and perfection.
You and I can know and grow closer to Him each day.
Our lives should be lived in worship of Him.
Worship isn’t just singing, it is reading His word, believing it and doing it.
Zac had come home from school one day a few years ago singing a song:
Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe...
What a truth! Obeying God is worshipping Him!
This next week wave your palm branches in your heart as you learn more of who Jesus is and praise Him.
Thank Him for taking the burdens of your life and giving you rest as He promised.
Tell others of the Messiah that came, brought a gift, and how to receive grace: By believing in Jesus (Faith).
Pray!
