The Coming King

Introduction

PRAY AT BEGINNING!

Introduce the series… Behold Your King

three messages

Friday - The Stricken King

Sunday - The Risen King

Today - The Coming King

The triumphal entry is recorded in the gospels

you have the account of Jesus coming into the city of Jerusalem for the Passover festival

having just completed the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, there were many following and believing the he is in fact the messiah

Even the pharisees at the time were saying the whole world is following him now…

they even wanted to kill Lazarus since he was the reason so many were following Jesus

He sends the disciples to get a donkey, and he rides humbly on a donkey into Jerusalem with the people shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

while the pharisees demanded that they tell them to stop

he responded that if they do, that the rocks would cry out

I expected Peter to tell everyone to hush so he could hear the rocks cry out

Matthew tells us that he did this so that it would be fulfilled what the prophet said

Zechariah 9:9 CSB

9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The righteous, victorious and humble king has come to rescue his bride and to give us life.

Celebrate the Coming King

When I was a kid, having a birthday party was a big deal

friends coming over or your mom bringing cupcakes to school

there was a looking forward, a celebration

Zechariah 9:9 CSB

9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Background on Zechariah

Written to those who came back after the exile

built the foundation of the temple then faced severe opposition

felt as if there was no point, why even live for God

took attitude of just do what makes us happy

Haggai prophesied about this same time, why are you living in panelled houses, yet my house remains unfinished

then in chapter 9:1-8; judgement is coming on all those who surround them, and God himself will encamp and guard them

they did not have to finish the temple before the promise came

your king is coming!

Because the king is coming they are commanded three things

Rejoice greatly

celebrate, worship exalt!

that is hard to do when you feel like God is far away

when you wondering if following God is worth it

Shout Triumphantly

your victorious battlecry!

I am not sure that we really understand this shout of triumphant battlecry

this is not a cheer for a sporting event

think of the people of Israel walking around the walls of Jericho

Look!

not how men look for things

behold

John 1:14

As dark as the circumstances you have today

we can celebrate and shout in triumph because behold, our king is coming

it is not just shouting Hosanna that he went into Jerusalem… but that he is coming back to take us to himself

Mission of the Coming King

Zechariah 9:9 CSB

9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

You can see why the people were confused that the messiah would be a military leader

the fear they had at the time of the prophecy

when Christ came, the Romans occupied the land

so maybe a different kingdom than the ones that surrounded during the time of Zechariah

We get confused on why he came

in the same way, we look at the circumstances we have in front of us and expect that to be God’s mission in your life

Too many people would turn down the salvation he came to obtain for us if it meant that our problem in front of us was solved the way we wanted

The mission of the king is to make you holy, righteous, and pure

the bridegroom has come to rescue his bride

the bride has disgraced herself and is enslaved to sin

the very thing that God hates!

yet though we lust after the very thing God hates he still came that

believer, he has come for you

so often I remind you that you are not God, the world does not revolve around you

but I do not want to bring you too far down, that you do not remember that he loves you, came for you, died for you and rose for you so that we might rise with him

Characteristics of the Coming King

It is important to know recognize this king

Jesus himself warned there would be many who come proclaiming to be him

false prophets and false messiahs attempting to lead people astray

you need to know him, not know simply what I have told you about him

Zechariah 9:9 CSB

9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Three Characteristics of the coming king

Righteous -

in every action…

judgment - every judgment he gives is just and right

people ask, how can a loving God send to hell

That day riding into Jerusalem Jesus was sinless

His death paid the penalty for our sin, but we are still lacking

in his active obedience he fulfilled the law perfectly

when he died on the cross the righteousness that he earned, was imputed to us

Victorious

the word means to bring salvation

the people on the road that day throwing their clothes out before him as he rode that donkey were shouting, “Hosanna”

Hosanna = give salvation now, save us

coming in victory having secured our salvation

He has saved us from himself… from the wrath of God

Humble

Philippians 2:8 CSB

8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.

a passive obedience by allowing the crowd to have their way with him that day

when they shouted out crucify him, he stood silent

when they beat him and nailed him to the tree, he did not call on the angels to come and rescue him

As the bride we are to submit to the groom

I have enjoyed speaking to young couples in premarital counseling and the passage in Eph

Ephesians 5:25 CSB

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her

a husband that loves his bride like that is easy to submit to

we to should find it easy to submit to our groom, who has done it all for us

Now we long for the second advent, the day that our bridegroom comes to collect his bride

where we will be with him in glorified bodies at the marriage feast of the lamb, dwelling forever with him

Rejoice greatly, Child of God! Shout in triumph, Church! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble…

Discussion Questions

What do the four characteristics of the Coming King (righteous, victorious, humble) reveal about God's nature?

How can we celebrate the Coming King in our daily lives despite difficult circumstances?

In what ways can we demonstrate the humility of the Coming King in our interactions with others?

How did the people of Jerusalem respond to Jesus during the triumphal entry?

How does the concept of the Messiah differ from the expectations of the people during Jesus’ time?

What does it mean for us to 'shout in triumph' as we await the return of our King?

How can we reconcile our current struggles with the belief that our King is coming?

What significance does the prophecy from Zechariah hold for the understanding of Jesus' role as the Coming King?

How can understanding Jesus' humility impact our approach to leadership and service?