The Triumphal Entry

Introduction

Hope you brought your bibles.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

Proverb of the Day

Proverbs 10:19 ESV

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

This morning we are going to dig into a monumental moment in History. Easter doesn't happen without Palm Sunday. This is the day that Jesus declares his Messianic claim.

Today we celebrate Jesus making his entry into Jerusalem in preparation for the cross.

Luke 19:37–40 ESV

As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Let’s Pray.

Have you ever had to make something clear. Let me spell it out for you.

With Kids we use spelling to conceal things.

We are getting to the age where we can't spell things out anymore. there is a new kind of code that we will have to develop. We often have said if i wanted you to know what i was saying i would not have spelled it.

But here Jesus is making the clear statement, no more parables but plain as day making his claim of who he really is. Not just a good teacher, not just a prophet.

Last week we talked about the crucifixion being set into motion when Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead.

Jesus has just spent time in Bethany the town of Lazarus, they had thrown him a party. We saw last week how the tension around Jesus was growing.

,His disciples were increasing, they were growing deeper in their faith and this following was growing all at the same time the Religious leaders are now plotting to kill Him.

Luke 19:28–36 ESV

And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.

Jesus is in this moment fulfilling prophecy. He is making known to the world around him that the king is coming.

Zechariah 9:9 ESV

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.

Jesus is declaring his Kingship

This is the exact image that King Solomon was presented in.

The Pharisees would have understood the claim that Jesus was making as he rode in.

He was making the declaration that he was the right-full King of Israel.

The people are crying out “blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord”

Several time the people have attempted to make him Kings, tried to elevate him and he has refused saying my hour has not yet come. But now not only does he allow for this moment to happen. He arranges it.

He sets himself up to be declared King because his hour to be glorified has come.

He arranges the Donkey, And I love the way he sees every obstacle that could stop his disciples from following through and he plans for. He is still leading and shepherding these guys in their faith.

The Lord has need of it.

This is what Herod feared when he Slayed all the boys under two in an attempt to kill Jesus.

Jesus is King and he is coming back. To fully establish his reign and rule.

Isaiah 9:7 ESV

Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

1 Timothy 6 declares that Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. When he returns on his white horse he will come baring that name on his thigh

Jesus declares his Messiahship

Daniel 9:24–26 (ESV)

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off.

Now this morning I wont walk the math all the way out. We have done it here before, Chuck Missler has a very in depth study on this.

The weeks referenced here are in two groups, 7 weeks and 62 weeks. these weeks are not like our weeks. In the Jewish tradition weeks were not just sets of days, they were groups of sevens so you had weeks of days, of months of years.....

These 69 weeks are weeks of years, when you walk out the math you get

483 years x 360 days/year = 173,880 days

Now Bible gives us an exact date of when the decree goes out to re build Jerusalem from Artaxerxes 445 BC

Neh 2: 5-8 March 14th 445 bc

Now from that moment a clock starts for 173,880 days and the day you land on is April 6th 32AD the exact day that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem declaring himself to be the Messiah.

A coincidence? I think not. Jesus is the Messiah, The Mashiach Nagid

The Pharisees should have seen this moment and know but they missed it.

Luke 19:41–44 (ESV)

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Don’t Miss this Moment.

Jesus declares himself to be God.

This is one of my favorite moments in Scripture....

The crowd is growing they are following Jesus, laying their garments on the ground and palm branches praising and worshipping Jesus.

Jesus doesn't Just allow it he says it cannot be stopped. The moment demands worship.

The religious leaders are furious because they know that no man, no angle no thing should be worshiped but God.

In revelation 19 John falls at the feet of an Angel in worship and the angel rebukes him. No one deserves worship but God.

And Jesus tells them that if they cease the rocks would cry out in worship.

Jesus will be worshipped, because he is God.

John declares it in the opening lines of his Gospel.

John 1:1–4 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

That is what makes this season so big, this moment in history so powerful. That the God of the universe who created all things would step down from Glory, leave his place at the right hand of the father and move into our neighborhood into our world into our darkness, be rejected by his own people. That he would suffer on a cross so that you and I could have salvation and a restored relationship.

So today, On palm Sunday we celebrate the coming of the King, The entrance of the Messiah and the recognition of this authority as God.

As Jesus rides into the city on the donkey he is making know to us who he is. He is clearly declaring himself as the Messiah and as God and King of the world.

When we come to see Jesus in this light we have to choose if we will put our faith and trust that he is who he says he is.

We must choose if we will serve the Messiah the prince.

Just as Joshua said to the Israelites, Let us choose this day who we serve.