The Triumphal Entry

Intro: NOT SURE YET

These are the three different types of people in church on Easter

The Faithful - The Disciples

Matt. 21:1-7 “When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. “If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, Gentle, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ” The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats.”

The disciples were willing to follow Jesus through anything

They were even willing to commit a felony!

Here are three things a faithful disciple should do

Trust God. V. 3

Follow God. V. 6

Honor God. V. 7

The Emotional - The Crowds

Matt. 21:8-11 “Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.””

The crowds seemingly pour from the surrounding villages and city of Jerusalem. They praise Jesus while He rides through the streets

They even quote Psalm 118 when they cry out “Hosanna” (Save us please)

But… they are the same crowds in Matthew 27:22-23 “Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!” And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!””

These people are those who have an emotional response to the Gospel. The worship is really good, they feel all the feelings, and because of that they want Jesus to be their “homeboy”

How to tell if you are like the crowds

Church isn’t good if you didn’t “feel” God.

The church is there to serve you

You only surrender to God and pray when you are in a crisis.

The Defensive - The Pharisees

Matt. 21: 23-27 “When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. “The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ “But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.” And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Later on, the Pharisees addressed Jesus

In the triumphal entry story of Luke, the Pharisees addressed Jesus right away, but Matthew has it at a different spot.

The Pharisees showed their hand when talking to jesus

They didn’t want to change their faith because they wanted control. They wanted to be in power.

And we do the same thing. We run from Christ because we don’t want to geive up our own control, our own comfort.

But, if you are unwilling to give God the control of your life, He might just let you take control. You will find yourself broken, alone, and empty.

The Gospel.