The King of Kings

“The King of Kings”

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Identity theft is a real concern nowadays. Credit card companies are constantly coming up with ways to make it harder for criminals to steal your identity. They asked you security questions that you set up in case you forget your password, my problem is I forget the answers to the security questions that I set up. I’ve recently had someone email my staff pretending to be me. They asked for money, and Amazon gift cards to be transferred. One time they emailed and asked for money to be sent from the benevolence account. Of course our staff is too smart to fall for that. They call me and ask; did you send an email asking for money? No! I didn’t send an email at all; it was someone impersonating me.

Down through history there have been many people who have tried to impersonate Jesus. People who came on the scene saying I am the Christ, I’m the Savior. Everyone from Sun Yung Moon,

Charles Manson, Jim Jones, David Koresh, and many others. Jesus told us in the last days many will come saying I am the Christ.

How do we know, that Jesus Christ truly is who he says he is? How do we know that Jesus is the King of Kings, the Son of God?

I want us to give you three reasons why you should believe Jesus is the king of kings, 1st because:

1. He Demonstrates His Power!

V:28-34.

Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem, it is Passover time, the feast when Jews brought their sacrificial lambs to the city of Jerusalem. The Jewish historian Josephus said that there would be 2-3 million people in and around the city during Passover. The atmosphere was electric, people where excited, their hearts were filled with love for their nation, and praise to God! Jesus is on His way to Passover, but He was not bringing a Lamb, He was coming as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world!

This ride into Jerusalem is known as the Triumphal Entry. Jesus was coming to present Himself to Israel as their Messiah, savior and King!

Jesus is going to do something that he normal didn’t do; make Himself the focus of attention!

He is openly and publicly saying “Here I am your King, and messiah.

The way that Jesus goes about presenting Himself, demonstrates His Power. Each of the Gospels record this event and they tell us that Jesus arranged everything that happened.

His power is seen in that:

· He knows Everything.

V:29, Jesus is on the mount of Olives in the little village of Bethphage.

This little village was between Bethany and Jerusalem, about one mile from Jerusalem. Jesus has walked from Jericho to Bethphage. Jesus walked everywhere He went, but now he is going to send two of His disciples into the village to get a donkey for him to ride into the city of Jerusalem on.

Jesus is going to make a statement to the Jewish people! The details of the disciples getting this donkey reveal the Omniscience of Jesus.

V:30-31-Read.

He told the disciples where to find the young donkey, and that it would be tied up.

That it had never been ridden. He told them the owners would be there watching out for the donkey, and what to say when they were asked “What are you doing taking the donkey”.

How did Jesus know all of this? Jesus knew everything that would take place and predicted it. He was demonstrating His Power, Jesus knew everything, Because He is omniscience God, the King of Glory.

Do you remember the time when Jesus sent Simon Peter down to the Sea of Galilee? He said to Simon Peter, "You go down there and catch a fish. When you catch the fish, you will open up its mouth and there will be a coin in its mouth. Do you think Jesus checked with the fish ahead of time? Well come to think of it, YES He did! Jesus is all-knowing and all-powerful!

Jesus had power over:

· Spiritual world- Cast out demons.

· Physical world- healed the sick.

· Natural world- calmed the storms.

· Animal world- controlled fish, and a roaster and a donkey.

Jesus was more than just a man, or a prophet; He was God in human flesh! Jesus knew everything that was going to happen that day. He wasn’t just making it up as he went!

a. He Knows everything.

b. He Owns everything.

Can you imagine what the owners of this donkey thought when they looked out and saw two men untying their donkey? Maybe they thought they were cattle rustlers, stealing their donkey. So they asked the disciples the obvious question, what are you doing?

The disciples gave them the answer that Jesus told them to give.

V:31-“The Lord has need of him…

The owners of this donkey obviously knew Jesus as Lord. Because they didn’t say, who is the Lord? They knew Jesus was the Lord; and as the Lord Jesus owned everything. And if Jesus needed their donkey, their donkey was available to Jesus!

Jesus hardly ever asked for anything, Jesus was always giving things to others, never getting things for himself.

Yet on this day as Jesus gets ready to enter into Jerusalem, he is orchestrating the events of Palm Sunday, Jesus says, he needs this donkey to ride on.

As the king of kings, the Creator, the donkey belong to him anyway. -“By him all things were created, and heaven and on earth, and all things were created for him”.

When they brought the donkey to Jesus, they were bringing an animal that was made by Jesus and for Jesus.

Jesus as the King of Kings, he has a right to claim personal ownership of everything he has made.

-“God owns the cattle on 1000 hills”.

God owns everything from that donkey tied to that fence post, to the stars in 1000 galaxies, to you and me, and everything we have.

And the owner of this donkey teaches us how to respond to Jesus claims of ownership. When they heard Jesus needed their donkey, they let him have it immediately. They did not claim it as their own, they offered it for the service of their Lord, and King. Knowing that their Lord had need of it was all they needed to know! We should have the same attitude toward everything in life that we call our own…our money, our time, and all our possessions. If the Lord needs it, then we should give it. As we think about how we are going to spend our money, we should ask yourself: does the Lord have need of this, does his work in the world have need of it? Do missionaries, church planners, the work of the church, have need of it? When we consider the great needs of our world that is lost without the gospel, the answer is always, yes!

The only question is are we willing to let the king have it. Jesus is the LORD, he knows everything, and he owns everything.

c. He controls everything.

Mark tell us in -“A donkey that no man had ever sat on”

I read that there is no animal on earth more vicious than a wild donkey when you try to get on it! They will kick, bite, and buck.

I remember getting on a wild pig one time. I was about 13 years old, my friends held him; and I climb on, Mr. Toad’s wild ride had nothing on that wild pig. That thing took off 190 miles an hour and ran me into the fence. It was a short ride!

You don't just get on a donkey that’s never been ridden, that thing will buck you off in a matter of seconds. Yet, the Bible says in psalm 8, when the King of glory comes “He hath dominion over the beasts of the field. Jesus sat down on that donkey and when King Jesus sat on the donkey, it didn't make a move. Now that is power!

I can imagine there was a gasp of surprise and amazement when Jesus sat on this unbroken donkey.

And in that crowd of loud people, waving branches this little donkey didn’t make a wrong move. Its creator was sitting on its back!

It brings me comfort to me to know that Jesus is in total control. He's got the whole world in His hands. By Him all things hold together, and

He upholds all things by the Word of His power.

I believe that Jesus is the king of kings because:

1. He Demonstrates His Power.

I believe that Jesus is the king of kings because:

2. He Fulfills Bible Prophecy.

V:35-36.

Why didn’t Jesus just walk from the Mount of Olives into the city of Jerusalem, He walked everywhere else he went. You don’t find any other account of Jesus ever riding an animal in the N.T.

Why ride a young donkey into Jerusalem Now?

Because this is what the O.T. prophet Zechariah said 500 years earlier the King of Israel would do!

-“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”

Jesus fulfilled this prophecy to the letter!

We find a prophecy about the King coming from the tribe of Judah, riding a tie up donkey.

Another thing to know is that in Jesus day Kings did not ride on donkeys, they rode on white horses! Donkeys had not been used since before Solomon’s time; the donkey was a royal animal during David’s reign.

Jesus writing this donkey, tells us that Jesus was:

a. The king of Israel.

Jesus was riding that donkey because he was fulfilling the O.T. prophecy about the King of Israel!

David’s greater son, the true King of Israel.

Also Jesus was riding that donkey to show that He was:

b. The King of Peace.

Jesus was a different kind of King! There has never been a King like Jesus. Jesus was the king who is bringing salvation, peace between God and man. The people in Jesus day were used to Kings who were arrogant, war-like rules who rode on white horses. Those who say that Jesus was just like every other prophet or religious rule have never thought about how Jesus presented Himself as King!

He came riding a donkey, which was a fulfillment of prophecy, and that prophecy also said he would “be gentle and riding on a donkey,”

The donkey symbolized that Jesus was coming in peace, not for war, and that his would be a gentle, peaceful reign.

The differences between Muslims and Christians can be seen in the differences of the founders.

Mohammad entered Mecca and Jesus entered Jerusalem. Mohammad rode into Mecca on a warhorse, surrounded by 400 mounted men and 10,000 foot soldiers. Those who greeted him were absorbed into his movement; those who resisted him were vanquished, killed, or enslaved. Mohammad conquered Mecca, and took control as its new religious, political, and military leader.

Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, accompanied by his 12 disciples. He was welcomed and greeted by people waving palm branches, a traditional sign of peace. Jesus came by invitation and not by force.”

Jesus is NOT like Mohammad, He is not like Alexander the Great, Napoleon; he is the king of peace!

The Romans processional was something to see, victorious general on a white horse, trophies of war on carts, prisoners of war chained to chariots, elephants, tigers and other animals, then a celebration.

The Romans would look at this and laugh; a lowly Nazarene, sitting on a donkey with coats for a saddle, and a motley crew of common people waving palm branches; it would be a joke compared to their parades.

Jesus was God’s anointed King and savior, His conquest was not military, it was spiritual!

A Roman general had to kill at least 5000 enemy soldiers to merit a parade. Well in just a few weeks the gospel will conquer some 5000 and bring them to life, and transform their lives forever! Jesus triumph was to go to the cross bleed and die for the sins of the world, be placed in a borrowed tomb, and raise from the dead victoriously!

The Romans would have laughed and mocked this little processional: but their triumphs are all gone, they are over, they are no more. But the triumph of Jesus Christ that began that day long ago, topple the Roman Empire, and changed the course of the world.

Jesus came in peace, to make peace between God and man! Jesus was a humble, loving, kind King!

Jesus is King, because He fulfilled every Bible prophecy about His coming! Born of a virgin, in Bethlehem, form the tribe of Judah grew up in Nazareth, riding a donkey into Jerusalem. All foretold in the O.T.

I believe that Jesus is the king of kings because:

3. He Receives Man’s Praise.

V:37-40.

Get the picture in your mind, Jesus is on the donkey, a multitude of people are walking in front of Him, and behind Him, V:37-38-Read.

The first people to give him the glory were his own disciples. This detail is sometimes overlooked, but it sets the stage for everything that follows. After they untied the donkey, V:35-“they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it”.

Here was the first acknowledgment that Jesus was the King.

Kings do not ride bareback; they sit in a royal saddle, riding a mount decorated with royal purple.

If Jesus was the King, then he was too exalted to sit directly on the donkey. The dignity of his royal person demanded special honor; he needed a saddle fit for a king. In the absence of anything else they could find, the disciples stripped off their cloaks and covered the donkey’s back. They lifted Jesus up and set him on the donkey. The disciples wanted Jesus to receive the honor that he alone deserves. The disciples were the first to give the King his glory, but soon others started to follow their example, V:36. This illustrates what happens when we lift Jesus up and worship him as our King: other people start to join us in acknowledging who he is. Luke tells us they are shouting, V:38-Read.

They are laying their clothes on the road in front of the donkey that Jesus is riding on. They are waving Palm branches, a sign of peace. It is the triumphal entry of the King into Jerusalem; it is a time of GREAT celebration and Praise! The people are filled with Joy as they made their way down the Mount of Olives into the city of Jerusalem. Their King has arrived! The people are praising Jesus as their Messiah and King, and Jesus is letting them!

What does that mean? It means that Jesus was claiming to be God in human flesh, worth of Praise!

Jesus said in -“You shall worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shall you serve”

Ordinary men in the Bible were careful to stop anyone from worshiping or praising them.

Peter-Acts 10:25-26-“And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.

John-Revelation 19:10-“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God!

The Bible makes it clear that no one is to be worshipped or praised but God!

-“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God”

Only God is to be Praise, there is only one God, Jesus is receiving Praise from men; Jesus is God!

Most people admire Jesus for some reason, they may hate “Organized religion” the “Church” and “preachers”, but they admire Jesus.

Some admire Jesus because:

· He criticized the establishment.

· He championed the cause of the poor.

· He was friends with the outcast of society.

· He taught us to love our neighbor.

· He was humble.

No matter how much a person admires Jesus;

you still have to understand who He really is!

Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, accepting the people’s praise was a public statement that He was the King, worthy of Praise!

He is accepting the Praise of men, because He was the King of King, and Lord of Lords!

The audacity of Jesus to do this! Listen this is not the only time that Jesus declared that he was God in human flesh, the King of Glory, come to earth.

What about the “I am statements in John’s gospel”

Jesus said, I am the great I am, that spoke to Moses out of the burning bush. I am God!

Jesus said: I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the door, I am the resurrection and the life. Jesus said, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Before Abraham I am. I and my father are one.

Who says that, who makes claims like that?

Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, the savior of the world over and over, Is He?

That is the question you must answer. Who is Jesus Christ really?

You say He was a good man. If He wasn’t who he claimed to be, then He was not a good man, no good man would go through life presenting himself to the human race as the savior, the son of God.

C.S. Lewis said, Jesus was a Liar, Lunatic, Legend, or the Lord.

When you look at His life, and read His words, see and consider the impact He has had on this world, there is only one correct answer, Jesus is LORD!

Jesus is God, messiah, and King, because He receives Praise!

V:38-Read.

-“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.

The word “Hosanna” means- Save us Now!

They are crying out for Jesus to save them now from Roman occupation. That is what they expect the Messiah; the King of Israel to do. Their mind was on an earthly kingdom. There cries where for physical deliverance. But the cries of Hosanna to the King, the son of David had a greater purpose than they knew.

The Hosannas- save us, save us, spoke of why Jesus came; He came to save us, but not from physical bondage, but from spiritual bondage; the bondage of sin. They wanted to be rescued from Roman bondage. But Jesus came to save them from their sin. He didn’t give them the salvation they wanted, but He gave them the salvation that they needed.

They expect a Savior only for Jews, but He is the Savior of the whole world! .

Jesus came to save/Rescue fallen man from his sin, and He did that by His death on the Cross and His resurrection from the grave! Jesus death on the Cross was not a defeat; it was a victory!

Christ’s death on the cross was to “Save us” It was the victory of life over death, salvation over sin, truth over error, love over hate and forgiveness over condemnation.

They cried out “save us” have you called on Him to save you? He is the only one who can!

What would you have done if you were there that day? Would you join the parade, would you have said, held to the king, King Jesus, would you throne your clothes down in front of the donkey?

Why don’t you join the parade this morning? Bow your knee to King Jesus, worship him now, praise him with all you are and all you have!

Now amazing as it is, there were some people there that day that did not join in the celebration. It was the grumpy old Pharisees; they were the

Party-poopers of the New Testament. V:39-Read.

They did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, or that he deserved to be worshiped as the king. Because they did not believe in Jesus, they want to silence the voices of those who did believe in Jesus. Tell your disciples to quit praising you, to quit saying that you’re the Savior, you’re the king, your God! This is the way people are today, not only do they refuse to worship Jesus, they try to keep others from worshiping Jesus. They do not want disciples of Jesus to be vocal, and public in their worship and declaration of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world; the King of the universe!

But I’m here to tell you this morning that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, he is the King of the universe. There is no doubt about it; Jesus is the King of Kings!

How should you respond to Him?

1. Surrender All to Him!

V:36-“they spread their garments in the way”

Doing this said, I surrender myself to you; I am willing to be UNDER your reign! You are my King and everything I have is going to be UNDER you Lordship! I am your subject, you are my King!

Have you laid yourself and everything you have at the feet of King Jesus? If He is the King of the Jews, the King of Righteousness, the King of Israel, the King of the Ages, the King of Heaven, the King of earth, and He is, then shouldn’t He be your King? YES!! Surrender to Him Today!

How should you respond to Him?

2. Praise Him!

V:38-“Blessed is the king that comes in the name of the Lord…”

Jesus receives praise and defends Praise. He told the anti-praise commitment when they told Him to stop His disciples from praising Him.

V:40-“I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out”.

I am not going to let a dumb rock praise God for me! I want to praise him, worship Him, exalt Him and lift him high! I want to love him, live for him and win souls for him. I want to blessed Him, and praise Him, for He alone is is worthy!

Do you know King Jesus? Have you bowed your need to King Jesus as your Savior and Lord?

If not I invite you to come this morning and meet the King of Kings, and the Lord of lords!