Triumphant Entry: The King Has Come!

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Imagine waiting for the arrival of a much-anticipated package that you've been tracking for days. Every time your phone chirps, your heart skips a beat, wondering if it's the update you've been hoping for. This builds your expectation, and sometimes you picture how excited you’ll feel when it finally arrives. Similarly, we wait for God’s promises, trusting that what is coming is worth the anticipation, just like Paul writes in Romans 8:19 about creation eagerly waiting for God’s revelation.

Picture a child counting down the days to their birthday, each day marked off a little brighter than the last. With each passing moment, their excitement grows, culminating in pure joy when the day finally arrives, filled with cake and presents! As believers, we can share in that excitement, knowing we await God’s promises with the same joyous expectation—like the hope described in Jeremiah 29:11, where God promises a future filled with hope.

Text: Mark 11:1–10

Sermon Big Idea: Palm Sunday isn't just about celebration—it's about recognizing the true nature of Jesus' kingship and responding with lives of worship, surrender, and obedience.

Introduction (5–7 minutes)

Palm Sunday marks the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem—a moment filled with messianic expectation, but also deep misunderstanding.

The people wanted a political king, but Jesus came as a humble, sacrificial King to bring peace between God and man.

The question for us today: How do we respond when the King shows up?

The heavenly perfection of Jesus discloses to us the greatness of our own possible being, while at the same time it reveals our infinite shortcoming and the source from which all restoration must come.

Augustus Hopkins Strong (America’s Leading Baptist Theologian)

Read Mark 11:1–10

1: The King Comes With Purpose (Mark 11:1–6)

“Go into the village...you will find a colt tied there...” (v.2)

Jesus orchestrates the details of His entry, fulfilling prophecy and showing He is in complete control.

Isaiah 62:11 “11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, “Lo, your salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.””

Key Truths:

Jesus deliberately fulfills prophecy to show He is the Messiah, not by chance but by divine intention.

Zechariah 9:9 “9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

The donkey signifies humility and peace, not war.

He is not the King they expected, but the King they needed.

It is as unbiblical as it is unrealistic to divorce the lordship from the Saviourhood of Jesus Christ.

John Robert Walmsley Stott (English Preacher)

Illustrations/Application:

We often want God to show up our way, but He comes His way.

Are we allowing Jesus to define His purpose in our lives, or are we trying to define it for Him?

2: The King Deserves Our Praise (Mark 11:7–10)

“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (v.9)

Key Truths:

“Hosanna” means “save us now!”—it’s both a cry for help and an act of praise.

Psalm 118:25–26 “25 O Lord, do save, we beseech You; O Lord, we beseech You, do send prosperity! 26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord; We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.”

The people shouted praise, but many would later shout “Crucify Him!”—their praise was conditional.

Even if people remained silent, the stones would cry out He is worthy, regardless of our response.

Luke 19:40 “40 But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!””

Challenge:

Do we praise Jesus only when things go our way? Is our worship situational or sacrificial?

True praise comes from knowing who He is, not just what He does for us.

We write Jesus’ name upon our banner, for it is hell’s terror, heaven’s delight and earth’s hope. Jesus Christ Himself, Volume 23, Sermon #1388 - Ephesians 2:20

Charles Spurgeon

3: The King Demands Our Surrender (Mark 11:2–3, 10)

“The Lord has need of it…” (v.3)

Everything about this passage is a call to surrender:

Romans 12:1 “1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

The disciples obeyed.

The donkey was released.

The people laid down cloaks and palm branches—symbols of honor and surrender.

Philippians 2:5–11 “5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Key Truths:

Following Jesus means letting go of things we cling to—control, comfort, expectations.

6515 When we try to understand Jesus Christ’s teaching with our heads, we get into a fog. What Jesus Christ taught is only explainable to the personality of the mind in relation to the personality of Jesus Christ. It is a relationship of life, not of intellect.

Oswald Chambers (Lecturer and Missionary)

He rode into the city that would crucify Him. Surrender leads to sacrifice, but also to resurrection.

Illustration:

Compare surrender to laying down our “cloaks” before Jesus—our identity, status, comfort.

Application (5–7 minutes): Will You Recognize the King?

Application Questions:

Will you let Jesus define your expectations?

Will your praise persist in the storm?

What are you holding back from Jesus that He’s asking for?

Call to Action:

Reflect on the Jesus you're following—is it the Savior King, or a customized version?

Invite a time of reflection or worship. Surrender expectations, sins, plans, or pain.

Questions:

What is the significance of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem as described in Mark 11:1–10?

In what areas of your life do you need to allow Jesus to define your expectations?

How can you ensure that your praise for Jesus is not conditional on your circumstances?

What does Paul's writing in Romans 8:19 teach us about waiting for God's promises?

Why is it significant that Jesus fulfilled prophecy during His entry into Jerusalem?

How does the contrast between the people's initial praise and later cries to 'Crucify Him' illustrate human nature?