VICTORY IN JESUS

Getting ready for the Final Battle

Matthew 21:1–17 ESV

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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.” And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “ ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

Introduction

This morning, we are looking at the second part of our sermon series titled VICTORY IN JESUS ~ The Final Battle.

Let me pause briefly to clarify: when we say “The Final Battle,” we are not referring to the battle at the end of the ages at Christ’s second coming, which is sometimes referred to as the Battle of Armageddon.

What we are referring to here is the most important battle of the ages —

The battle to conquer sin, death, and Hades;

The battle to redeem God’s people from the curse brought about by our first parents in the Garden of Eden;

The battle to restore our relationship with our holy Creator.

By His victory in this battle, Jesus secured the salvation of all God’s people. He did this by taking the sin of all God’s people upon Himself and drinking the cup of God’s wrath on account of that sin — so that all who repent of their sin and believe in Him will not have to bear God’s wrath, but instead receive a full pardon and the free gift of eternal life.

That’s why the Holy Spirit, writing to us through the pens of the apostles Paul and Peter, says:

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 Peter 3:18 (ESV)

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.

Now, the other battle — the one at the end of the ages, often called the Battle of Armageddon —

Will bring an end to all rebellion against God by those who reject Him and Jesus Christ, His Son. God’s judgments will be poured out on all unbelievers.

Will bring an end to Satan’s dominion over this world — a dominion that began when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden.

Will result in the eternal punishment and banishment from the presence of God for all who reject His offer of salvation through His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. There will be no opportunity to repent or receive forgiveness.

Will bring the world — and all of creation — under the full and visible subjection of King Jesus. Satan and his demons will no longer have dominion or influence over people, as they will be cast into the lake of fire forever. Even the presence and influence of sin will be completely removed.

I hope this helps you understand the difference between the Final Battle on Mount Calvary, and the final battle that will take place at the end of the ages.

Today is Palm Sunday, a day that signifies Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It marks the beginning of the series of events during the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry, leading to His crucifixion and resurrection. All four Gospel writers recorded it: Matthew 21:1–17, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–40, and John 12:12–19.

As we read the account of the Triumphal Entry recorded by all four Gospel writers—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—we notice several common elements:

Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:1–7; Mark 11:1–7; Luke 19:29–35; John 12:14).

As He approaches and enters the city, crowds and/or disciples spread cloaks and palm branches on the road (Matt. 21:8; Mark 11:8; Luke 19:36; John 12:13).

People shout praises and blessings, joyfully welcoming His arrival (Matt. 21:9; Mark 11:9–10; Luke 19:37–38; John 12:13).

In addition to these shared elements, each Gospel writer includes unique details and emphases to highlight the deeper significance of this event—both in Jesus’ life and in the grand story of salvation history.

Since the passage assigned to me this morning is Matthew 21:1–17, let us look at what the Apostle Matthew is conveying to us.

He is writing to a Jewish audience who, from their scriptures, are aware of the promised Messiah and have been waiting for His arrival for centuries.

Matthew’s purpose in writing his Gospel is to portray Jesus as God’s promised Messiah, the coming King of Israel who will sit on throne of Israel as “David’s offspring” forever.

That’why he begins his Gospel with these words:

Matthew 1:1 ESV

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

And he proceeds to support this truth through the genealogical record given in Matt 1:2-17.

The word Christ means, the Anointed One - In the original New Testament Greek, it's Christos, which is a translation of the Hebrew word Mashiach, from which we get our word Messiah. The word means “Anointed One.” So, when we say “Jesus Christ,” what we're actually saying is “Jesus the Messiah,” or “Jesus the Anointed One” (“anointed” meaning “chosen”).

Also, in Matthew we see repeated emphasis on the words “King”, “Kingdom of Heaven” or “Kingdom of God”.

Matthew’s intention clearly is to show that Jesus is the Messiah promised in Scripture, the King who comes from the line of David, who is to occupy the throne of Israel forever.

With this in mind, let us turn to our passage that we read from Matthew 21:

As Jesus prepares for the Battle against sin, & Satan - on mount Calvary, he is journeying towards Jerusalem. He has passed through Samaria, Galilee, and Jericho. He did many miracles along the way. From Peter’s confession of the Christ, to the Transfiguration on the mount, to healing the sick, the blind, the lame, the demon possessed, raised the dead, etc., He was showing his disciples that He is indeed the Messiah, the King of Israel.

In chapter 21, Matthews records four progressive stages of this event known as the Triumphal Entry as Jesus prepares (I am trying to keep it simple)

Jesus and the donkey’s colt. Vs.1-7

Jesus and the people. Vs. 8-11

Jesus and “His House”. Vs. 12-13

Jesus and the religious authorities. Vs. 14-17

I want to focus on the first 2 mainly this morning.

Jesus and the donkey’s colt. Vs.1-7

When we read the Gospels, there is no mention of Jesus riding a horse, or a chariot, or taking any other form of transportation, other than that He walked. He did a lot of walking from town to town, village to village, and from city to city.

However, we see that as He comes to Bethphage, on His way to Jerusalem, he calls two of his disciples and sends them to bring him a donkey’s colt so that he could ride on it.

Matthew 21:1-3 “Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”

We could easily mistake Jesus’ request for a donkey’s colt to ride on, as a sign that he was tired from all the walking. He was human! He could have been tired.

But that was not the reason that he asked his disciples to bring him a donkey’s colt. We don’t have to speculate as to why - because Matthew gives us the reason.

Matthew 21:4–5 “This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”

This is a quote from Zechariah 9:9 “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.”

Zechariah was one of the exiles who returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity in 536 B.C. So this prophesy was made 500 years before this event took place.

This is a Messianic prophecy that was given to assure the Jews that God had not abandoned them, and that He will send them a King to save them and rule over them in righteousness.

What we see here is that Jesus is identifying himself as the subject of this prophecy. He is clearly indicating that He is the King of whom Zechariah had prophesied. He is the fulfillment of this prophecy.

By riding on the donkey’s colt - Jesus is saying :

I am your King - the promised Messiah I am the righteous One I am your Savior

There is another very important truth that is given in this prophecy - and that is: This King who is coming is “humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Beloved, note that Jesus did not choose a horse - but a donkey! That too, a borrowed one. Kings ride on horses, not donkeys!

Brothers and Sisters, I want you to behold His humility, behold His condescension.

The Bible tells us that this Jesus, who “was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Phil. 2:6-8.

Again in 2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

Brothers and Sisters, the Lord Jesus is our example of humility. As His disciples we are to lead our lives in humility and surrender to God, just as Jesus humbled Himself and surrendered to the Father’s will.

Before we move on, I want to read the words of a Puritan by the name of Thomas Watson. Writing about the humility and condescension of Jesus in his book - A Body of Divinity:

He was poor, that he might make us rich. He was born of a virgin that we might be born of God. He took our flesh, that he might give us His Spirit. He lay in the manger, that we may lie in paradise. He came down from heaven, that he might bring us to heaven. . . . That the ancient of Days should be born. that he who thunders in the heavens should cry in the cradle. . . . that he who rules the stars should suck the breast; that a virgin should conceive; that Christ should be made of a woman, and of that woman which himself made, that the branch should bear the vine, that the mother should be younger than the child she bare, and the child in the womb bigger than the mother; that the human nature should not be God, yet one with God.

Come and worship!

Jesus is showing us here that the path to victory is through humility.

2. Jesus and the People Vs. 8-11

Matthew 21:8–11 “Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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.”

The disciples brought the donkey’s colt as Jesus had instructed them, and as Jesus sits on the donkey and travels towards Jerusalem, we are told that:

Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road

Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road

The crowd went before Jesus shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

By spreading their cloaks and branches on the road, the people were acknowledging Jesus as their King. It’s kind of like the red carpet for dignitaries and celebrities that we see today. They are received with a red carpet welcome.

The crowds recognized the allusion to Zechariah’s prophecy, and acclaimed Jesus as their King shouting Hosanna which means “Save now!” This is a quote from Psalm 118:25–26 “Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.”

The word Hosanna means “Save us” - It was a plea for salvation. The literal meaning of the word Hosanna is “I beg you to save” or “Deliver us”.

Although the people recognized Jesus as the promised Messiah, their plea for salvation was political rather than spiritual. I don’t think that even Jesus’ disciples fully understood at that point in time as to the full implications of this event.

The people at large were seeking salvation from the yoke of Roman rule. They have been ruled by several different nations, and at that time of Jesus were under the rule of Rome. They were seeking for a Savior who would free them from the Romans, and reestablish David’s kingdom, and rule over them.

Jesus fits the bill! They have seen Him feed thousands miraculously, heal the sick, the lame, the blind, the dumb, the paralytics, and all other sorts of diseases. They have seen Him even raise the dead! Why won’t anyone want Jesus to be their King?

In fact when Jesus fed the five thousand with five loves and two fishes, the apostle John tells us in John 6:14–15 “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”

He can feed us for free! we don’t have to work so hard after all - let us make him King.

Even today there are churches around the world that are filled with people who seek and follow Jesus for the benefits. The leaders of those churches invite them with the promise that if they come to Jesus, all their problems will go away. All their diseases will be healed, they will become healthy, wealthy, and successful in whatever their hearts desire. That’s why their memberships are in the tens of thousands!

And the reason that these churches that are led by false teachers thrive is because the Bible is true! Because God’s Word is true!

The Apostle Paul writes to young Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2–4 “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

That’s the reason that these churches are full. Because the carnal mind is enticed and fed by these false teachers they flock to these churches.

Beloved, let me ask you this question. Why are you following Jesus? Are you following him because he gives you peace of mind, he will bless you, give you a promotion in your job, success for your children in their studies, bless your business, make you prosperous, and give you good health? And then in addition to that, you think you have a fire insurance from hell because you are a follower of Jesus!

If that is so, you are following Jesus for the wrong reasons. You need to repent!

Now please don’t get me wrong. To desire all these things is not a bad thing in and of itself. But if that is your only reason to follow Jesus, let me tell you that you are still lost in your sins.

You see Jesus said in Matthew 6:25–34 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

The crowds that shouted praises, and called out to Jesus Hosanna, “Save us”. were merely seeking political salvation. They did not realize that Jesus’ mission was to save them from a far more dangerous plight that they were in.

They were in bondage to sin with no hope apart from Jesus. And so are you, and so am I. Brothers and sisters, the Bible says in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Everyone of us who comes into this world is born in sin. We have inherited the sin nature of our first parents who sinned against a loving God in the garden of Eden and became recipients of the curse. The day they ate of that fruit of the tree of knowledge and evil, they died spiritually. From being the beloved children of a Holy God who loved them dearly, they became slaves to sin. Their relationship with a Holy God was no longer possible - their only prospect was death, both physical, and eternal.

But God - But God in His great love promises a Savior. The seed of the woman - who will come to crush the head of that old serpent, Satan. Not only will He crush the head of the serpent, He will rescue or save His people from their sin, and reconcile them to the Father. He will accomplish this be giving His own life as a ransom on our behalf.

Just as the people of Jesus day, we too need a Savior to save us from our sins. To save us from an eternity in hell away from the presence of God, in eternal torment.

And our only hope is Jesus. He is the only savior who is able to saveus from our sin. Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Apart from Jesus, you and I are hopeless. Without Jesus we will be lost for all of eternity. He alone conquered death and Hades.

700 years before Christ, Isaiah prophesied saying Isaiah 25:8 “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.”

Brothers and sisters, do you want victory from sin and death? Then Jesus is your only hope. Jesus destroyed the works of the devil and secured salvation for all who repent and believe in Him.

An old, but wonderful hymn, sadly which we don’t sing anymore called “There is a green hill far away”. Verses 3 & 4 say this:

3 He died that we might be forgiv’n, He died to make us good, That we might go at last to heav’n, Saved by His precious blood.

4 There was no other good enough To pay the price of sin, He only could unlock the gate Of heav’n and let us in.

The author of this hymn Cecil Francis Alexander - understood the truth quite well. That he was a poor and destitute sinner without hope, apart from Jesus.

Brothers and sisters Jesus won the battle against sin on the cross by dying on your behalf and my behalf. He rose on the third day victoriously.

The Bible says in Hebrews 7:25 “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Beloved, are you living victoriously over sin? Do you want victory over sin?

Jesus shows us the way to victory over sin. Let me rephrase that - “Jesus is the way to victory!”

He said John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Brothers and sisters, the Gospel is this: You and I are sinners. We come into this world as sinners. We are born in sin, as David acknowledges in Psalm 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” And on account of our sin, we are under the wrath of God, and our default destination is hell, the lake of fire.

But the good news is this: Galatians 4:4–5 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Jesus who is none other than God himself became a man who lived a sinless life. A life that you and I cannot live. That’s why the virgin birth was necessary, because if it was a natural birth like you and me, he would be tainted by sin, and cannot be our Savior.

He lived a perfect life, in perfect obedience to God - again, something that you and I cannot do.

And He died on the cross of Calvary as your substitute and my substitute.

And on the third day, He rose from the dead victoriously.

And everyone who calls on His Name will be saved. All you need to do is to repent of your sin, and put your trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross - and you will receive salvation full and free. You will receive Eternal life as a free gift.

Beloved do you have the assurance of Salvation? Do you have Eternal life? If you are not sure, I plead with you, do not put it off any longer - repent and believe now, for you don’t know when your life will come to an end. No one is guaranteed the next minute, or hour, of day.

Do not turn away from God’s grace for there will come a time when it will be too late...

Let us pray.

Benediction Numbers 6:24–26 The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.