He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

Prayer

Our Father,

You alone are worthy of all glory and honor and blessing and power.

You alone are our God and we are your people and the sheep of your pasture.

When we were scattered, afraid and lost – you took on flesh and came to earth to find us.

When we were in grave danger and without strength, you came as a conquering king to destroy the enemy.

When we were condemned and dying, you became the Lamb of God and took away our sins.

Cleanse us with the blood and water that flowed from your side.

Gracious Father, receive us today. Draw us to yourself with bands of love and open our eyes so that we can see the height and depth and breadth and width of your immense love that we can never exhaust.

Teach us to rest quietly in your bosom. To put off that restless business that occupies our minds; that discontent that is always seeking after more, more, more – and teach us to be content with whatever you have given us, knowing that our home isn’t here, but in another country where Christ reigns forever and ever.

Give us courage to not fear the works of darkness, but expose them. Give us renewed confidence in the Holy Spirit and leave his work to him. For we cannot soften a hard heart. We cannot legislate the fruit of the spirit. So teach us to do good in due season, to not grow weary in the battle, but continue to uphold and rejoice in the glorious good news of what you have done for us.

Lift up the hands, we pray. Give us renewed joy in a cynical and angry world. May we live as people of peace, as people of hope, as people of joy. And may that life that you grant us spring up in us as living water, flowing to all around us.

Give wisdom. Each day we make foolish decisions. If you left us to our own, we would follow after the foolishness of the world and the foolishness of our own hearts. So give us wisdom, dear Father – so that we might know the words to say, so that we might be restful, so that we might know how to live in this world – how to come in and how to go out.

And forgive us our sins, cleanse our hearts. Search the deep things of our hearts and draw us out of hiding so that we might be healed.

Give health to the body – for all who suffer from the various illnesses and injuries, we pray for healing. Give patience to those who struggle with continual pain. Smooth the way for those who need tests and appointments.

Bless our community, Father. Bring help to those who need it; draw your people into the light, release those bound by sin and misery. Open a door for the gospel. Soften the proud heart.

Give wisdom to those who make the decisions for our community. Prosper us, we pray, according to your great mercy. Cause our crops to flourish, give water where it is needed, restrain wickedness and pride.

And bless our state with wisdom. Give wisdom to our governor and other leaders. Teach us to joyfully submit to them as is fitting for children of the Great King, for you have seen fit to govern us by their hand.

Deliver us from evil, expose it wherever it lurks. Do not let your sheep become prey to the teeth of the wolves, no matter what clothes the wolves wear.

Bless the reading and preaching of your word today. Guide my lips and give us ears to hear,

And together:

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer, Amen.

Scripture Reading

Psalm 118 KJV 1900

1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: Because his mercy endureth for ever. 2 Let Israel now say, That his mercy endureth for ever. 3 Let the house of Aaron now say, That his mercy endureth for ever. 4 Let them now that fear the Lord say, That his mercy endureth for ever. 5 I called upon the Lord in distress: The Lord answered me, and set me in a large place. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: What can man do unto me? 7 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. 8 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes. 10 All nations compassed me about: But in the name of the Lord will I destroy them. 11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. 12 They compassed me about like bees; They are quenched as the fire of thorns: For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. 13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: But the Lord helped me. 14 The Lord is my strength and song, And is become my salvation. 15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. 16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted: The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. 17 I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord. 18 The Lord hath chastened me sore: But he hath not given me over unto death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord: 20 This gate of the Lord, Into which the righteous shall enter. 21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, And art become my salvation. 22 The stone which the builders refused Is become the head stone of the corner. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvellous in our eyes. 24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. 26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. 27 God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: Bind the sacrifice with cords, Even unto the horns of the altar. 28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: Thou art my God, I will exalt thee. 29 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Text:

Matthew 21:1–11 NKJV

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” 11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Sermon

All of Jerusalem - in fact, all Israel - was quivering with anticipation.

First of all, it was passover week. All of the Jews from all over the world gathered in Jerusalem. They remembered passover. Thousand of years earlier, while Israel was in Egypt, God told Moses to command Israel: On the tenth of the month, every family is to separate out a lamb. They were to watch it for 5 days - they were to test it to see if it had any spot or wrinkle on it.

Then on the 14th day, in the evening, they were to kill that lamb - the whole assembly together. And then they were to eat it together.

They would remember that God killed all of the firstborn of Egypt, but spared Israel because of the blood of the Passover lamb. God accepted that lamb as a substitute -pointing to the day when the lamb of God would take away the sins of the world.

Now it is the 10th of the month. It’s that buzz you get right before Christmas. Something new. Something grand! The city is packed out. The surrounding villages are packed out. Passover is coming! The whole world is gathering in Jerusalem. The priests have already started bringing in the thousands and thousands of lambs! They will be kept in pens to be pronounced unblemished by the priests after 5 days of observation.

But this year, there is something even more exciting. Rumor has it that Jesus will be around. He’s the one that everyone is calling the Son of David. Everyone knew that Lazarus was dead for 3 days, and now he is walking around because of Jesus.

Maybe now is the time - the long time when David’s Son would come and defeat all the enemies and set up his kingdom!

And then, outside the city, a procession comes from Bethphagee

Bethphage is about 1/2 mile east of Jerusalem. A huge crowd is gathering. More and more and more.

And here comes Jesus. He’s riding on the colt of a donkey. The crowds are throwing their clothes on the street and cutting branches off of the trees and throwing them down as well.

And they are shouting - Hosanna to the Son of David!!

They are quoting from Psalm 118:

“Hosanna” is the Hebrew word that our text translates, “Save us now, we beg of you”.

The fact that the crowds are saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David” shows that they don’t really understand the Psalm and the word has simply become a part of the liturgy - like “Praise the Lord!”

But the entrance is the entrance of a king.

As the crowds watch and shout, Jesus doesn’t rebuke them for getting it wrong. He accepts it.

In fact, in Luke 19:39-40

Luke 19:39–40 NASB 2020

39 And yet some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!” 40 Jesus replied, “I tell you, if these stop speaking, the stones will cry out!”

Jesus is saying that this praise and reception of him as a king is entirely appropriate and necessary. Even the stones have more sense than the Pharisees did.

He enters Jerusalem as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Son of David.

It is interesting to note that according to tradition and unspoken rules, no one EVER entered Jerusalem riding on anything. Even when Alexander the Great was conquering and came to Jerusalem he dismounted and walked into the city - but that is another story.

You only entered Jerusalem on foot.

Why then did Jesus ride a donkey’s colt? It was not to show himself humble, for if that were the case he would have walked like everyone else. He was riding into the city as a king. He was the lion of the tribe of Judah. He accepted the praise of the disciples and the prayers of the children.

In the Old Testament, there are two places where riding into Jerusalem is mentioned.

First in 1 Kings 1:33

1 Kings 1:33 NASB 2020

33 And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.

Solomon riding the mule into Jerusalem to the Gihon Spring put his mark on him - that he was the successor of David and the king. When Adonijah heard about it, he was terrified and pled for his life.

Entering Jerusalem on a mule or a donkey was the procession of a king.

And that is how it is used in the second place where riding into Jerusalem is mentioned

Zechariah 9:9 NASB 2020

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

Hold the thought about his humility. We will come to that.

First we need to establish this: Jesus knowingly and deliberately set out to fulfill Zechariah 9

The multitudes knew it. The disciples knew it. The leaders knew it. The Pharisees knew it.

This needs to be dealt with, for if Jesus did this deliberately, and if he is truly God - then his actions can never be thwarted, because what will hinder him from accomplishing his good pleasure?

If the rejection of the city of Jerusalem five days later thwarted his plans, this has implications for his deity - for God’s plans cannot be thwarted.

The only conclusion that is possible is this:

Jesus is a king. He entered as a king. And he did exactly what he intended to do.

According to John, right after the entry, the Greeks came to see him. And Jesus knew that the establishment of his kingdom would mean his death on the cross.

So he said this

John 12:23–33 NASB 2020

23 But Jesus answered them by saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. 27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what am I to say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”29 So the crowd who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him!” 30 Jesus responded and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for yours. 31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” 33 Now He was saying this to indicate what kind of death He was going to die.

Listen to how he puts it. By falling into the ground and dying, the seed bears much fruit. By his death, the ruler of the world will be cast out, and when that happens, he will draw all nations to himself, including those Greeks waiting outside to talk to him.

Including you and including me.

When mankind rebelled against God in Eden, God gave them over to the bondage of the devil.

Adam and Eve thought that they could be originals, but they were created image-bearers. So they became slaves to the Serpent, subject to deception, liable to death and misery - and all of it was the just judgment of God.

God judged them just as he said he would:

The day you eat, you will surely die.

Man ate. And he died. Satan usurped the kingdom that wasn’t his to usurp.

Hebrews 2:14–15 NASB 2020

14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

The Greeks who came to see Jesus were justly under the curse of God and the bondage of the devil. Slaves in the usurped kingdom of Satan.

The Jews were justly under the curse of God and the bondage of the devil, and slaves in the usurped kingdom of Satan.

You and I are justly under the curse of God and the bondage of the devil, and slaves in the usurped kingdom of Satan.

But Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey - a conquering king, who would crush Satan’s head by taking away the judgment of God against sin. And he would ransom the slaves, free the prisoners, bind Satan - and this would break the fear of death, break the power of Rome and Babylon, break the power of the curse.

Not only did he ride in on a donkey, entering as a king fulfilling the prophesies - but he also comes from the East. Adam was kicked out of Eden, and the entrance faced east. The temple faced east. The gate that Jesus entered faced east. Jesus enters the Temple, showing us that he is the Star from the East - the Anatole, that Zachariah the High Priest prophesied about - the dayspring from on high - literally, the sunrise from the east.

And that light shines not all over the world.

And over the centuries, the proclamation of Christ as King would travel to the ends of the earth, and men and women and children would be delivered from the bondage of the devil and the fear of death and be ushered into the kingdom of God - even as they continue to live in a world that is under the curse.

And eventually worms will destroy this body - but now it isn’t a punishment for sin. Now it is a dying to sin and an entering into eternal life.

And the day will come when the sky will be rolled back like a scroll and the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will finally be free at last!

And since this is the case, why is it that we spend so much time and energy fearing the kingdoms of this world, taking up their weapons, fighting on their terms?

It only leads to where it has always led - fear, anxiety, misery, death. For the kingdoms of this world are temporary, governed by fear and power, and will eventually be destroyed.

But I jumped ahead of the story....

When we understand who the enemy really is…when we understand how the battle is meant to be won…when we understand that nature of Jesus’ kingdom…what he does next is finally understandable.

According to Mark, he cleanses the temple on the next day. Mark also tells us this:

Mark 11:11 NASB 2020

11 And Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple area; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.

Remember that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem would not have gone unnoticed by the Romans. They were certainly watching. They knew about the legends of the Son of David, the Christ who was coming. They had crucified many Messiahs. They didn’t put up with it.

But this man is something completely different. He enters as a king. And then he enters the temple. The crowd, apparently, disperses - saying, “This is it? Why isn’t he doing anything?”

We are here. We are ready. We are willing. Come on, Jesus, do something....

But he goes to the temple. He looks around. He says, “Look at the time!” and he leaves for Bethany. The next day, he would come back. He would cleanse the temple and teach there every day.

And just as the priests were watching the passover lambs to see if they were without blemish or spot, so also the priests would be testing Jesus every day - with questions designed to trip him up.

Pilate and the Romans would be watching every day to see if he was an insurrectionist.

And at the end, the Jews and Pilate would have to admit that there was no fault in him. That he was without blemish or spot.

Because he was not only the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He was also the Lamb who would take away the sins of the world.

He enters Jerusalem on a donkey - he enters as a king.

But his weapons are humility and taking the lowest place. His battle wasn’t on Monday. Or Tuesday, or Wednesday. It was Friday, while he hung willingly on the cross taking the full weight of the wrath of God upon himself. And when he cried “It is finished”, it was.

And Satan fell like lightening from heaven.

The triumphant entry was the beginning of the war. It was concluded on the cross.

Then came the victory - he rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

It is the confession of every Christian that Jesus is NOW at the right hand of God. It is true that as God, Jesus has never been anything but sovereign over all creation. But this is something new.

We have our flesh in heaven; the same one who conquered the devil, took God’s wrath from his people, and is now reigning over all things for the good of his church - and we reign with him, if so be that we suffer with him.

And where is the sting of death that gave Satan his power?

When the Jews were stoning Stephen, he said,

Acts 7:56–60 NASB 2020

56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one mind. 58 When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.

Isn’t that beautiful? And because of Stephen’s death, the church went throughout the world plundering the devil’s kingdom. Saul himself, who approved of Stephen’s death, was converted and preached as Paul throughout the world. Satan tried his best to hold on to his power, but the curse of death was taken away by Jesus. There is now no more condemnation for those who walk according to the truth of the gospel. Those who believe in Jesus are held safely in his arms and nothing can take them away from him.

And all of this is done so that all of us - just like Stephen - that no matter what God sends on us here, no matter what tomorrow brings - whether it is feast or famine, riches or poverty, sickness or health - Jesus is still standing at the right hand of the Father, guiding us every step of the way. After Stephen’s execution, Paul is going to Damascus, and he sees the dayspring - the light of Christ. And he is raised from the dead and given a new life and a new purpose, because he serves a living king.

And Paul would eventually write,

Ephesians 3:14–21 KJV 1900

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.