What will you do with Jesus

Introduction

Matthew 21:1–11 “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”

Up to this point Jesus had told his followers not to reveal his true identity. With the Passover impending and the time of his purpose was near Jesus decided it was time to turn up the pressure on the leading religious bodies of the Jewish people to take action. The best way to do this was to challenge their position by claiming his own.

For the first time Jesus orchestrates a public display of his kingship sending his disciples to get a Donkey and a colt that had never been ridden. This display was for two reasons; to fulfill prophecy and to force the religious leaders hands.

Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; Lowly, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

As he rides into Jerusalem sitting upon the colt he demonstrates his deity as he maintains control of this never before ridden colt. As he makes his way into the city the people begin shouting HOSANNA. This means, “Save Now.” They spread palm branches down and laid their cloaks out in front of the colt. This all represented a kingly procession. The people were recognizing Jesus as King of the Jews, but they would soon be crying, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” At this moment, however, they thought they had a political Savior to get rid of their Roman captors and restore their position to the center of the world. They didn’t realize that their Messiah had to first conquer the greatest enemy of all; Satan. He would give his life as a sacrifice for the sins of man and take power over death. They didn’t want a Savior from their sin; just their situation.

Many people want that; to be saved from the circumstances they are in, but they rarely want to give up the sin that put them there.

Jesus is King

The people acknowledged that on this day, but they only believed it if he did exactly what they expected of him. He was supposed to set them free from Rome. When that did not happen they crucified him. Many people want to follow their version of God until they do not get what they want from him.

Here is the truth! Jesus is King no matter whether we acknowledge him as the King or not. Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and your belief in him or lack thereof will never change that fact. Your acknowledgement of Jesus as King will determine your eternity, but it won’t change this fact.

Unfortunately, the same people that laid palm branches out and calling him Hosanna would be the same people that would cry Crucify Him. Their lack of belief showed their own hearts.

The question this morning is what will you do with Jesus? Will you acknowledge him as King? The Bible says that “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Will you do that now or later? Will you believe upon him as your king? Will you serve him as your king and Lord of your life?

Jesus is the Messiah

The people thought that the Messiah would deliver them from Rome. They thought they would get a political Savior. When that didn’t happen they abandoned him to the cross. They thought that his failure to overcome Rome was proof he was not the Messiah, but the reality is that the fact that he chose to go to the cross was the real test that he is the Messiah. He was not a Savior of political power and position, but he is a Savior of sin and condemnation.

Jesus came to this earth not to save the Jews from Rome, but to save all mankind from their sin. He has paid the price for your sin. He has given his life so that you could have eternal life. He has sacrificed himself so that you do not have to face the condemnation of Hell. He died so that you could be set free, be clothed with the righteousness of God, and be given eternity in heaven.

Will you acknowledge him as the Messiah today? Will you believe upon Jesus as the Son of God who loved you enough to come to this earth, to bleed and die for your sin, and to rise again from the dead? Will you trust Jesus Christ this morning, not only as your King, but as your Messiah?

Jesus is Coming

On that day he was acknowledged as King, but it was not his time to take his rightful place here on earth. He first had to be the Messiah for the sins of the world. Having given his life and raised from the dead there is coming a day where he will put his feet on Mount Olive, walk through the eastern gate of Jerusalem, and claim his throne for a thousand years. First he is doing a work of grace in the hearts of people, calling them to salvation, and building an army that will return with him.

There is coming a day when Jesus splits the eastern sky and calls all believers home to be with him in heaven. Then after 7 years he will step upon this earth to become King of Israel and rule the world.

Jesus is coming whether you believe in him or not. Jesus is coming whether you are ready for him or not. Jesus is coming = fill our hearts and lives with great joy. The only ones that need fear his coming are those who do not humble themselves and believe in Jesus Christ as the King and the Messiah.

Those that truly trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as the King and as the Messiah are the ones that will welcome his coming with great joy and anticipation.

Conclusion

This morning we learned about a group of people that showed all the outward signs of crowning their king, but when his agenda did not align with their own they rejected him and they crucified him. I ask again, What will you do with Jesus, because as we used to say in the game of hide and seek Jesus tells us in various ways in Scripture, “Ready or not hear I come.”

Are you ready for the King?