Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

When?

Introduction

Today is Palm Sunday, the day that we recognize Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.

Matthew 21:1-11

Matthew writes,

This is often called the “triumphant” entry, but I’m not sure if Jesus saw it as a triumph or not.

This is often called the “triumphant” entry, but I’m not sure if Jesus saw it as a triumph or not.

There was a huge, excited response to His presence, and yet the people quickly abandoned Him.

He would ascend to heaven about 46 days later.

Paul writes in that Jesus had appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time between His resurrection and His ascension.

That’s still a fraction of those traveling to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover.

The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that around 250,000 lambs were slain during the Passover feast, which reasonably puts the temporary population of Jerusalem and the surrounding area at one million people, and perhaps more.

Many thousands were on the roads traveling into the city on that first day of the week.

The people clearly saw it as a triumph.

They spread their cloaks and branches from trees on the road, and shouted out Messianic phrases.

His arrival became the focal point of the day.

The entire city was buzzing with excitement, wanting to know what was going on.

The crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

The key statement in this passage is found in ,

This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet … ()

Jesus deliberately fulfilled the prophecy made by Zechariah, made about 550 years before.

He knew exactly what He was doing when He sent His disciples for the donkey.

Jesus deliberately fulfilled the prophecy made by Zechariah, made about 550 years before.

He knew exactly what He was doing when He sent His disciples for the donkey.

A Long Time To Wait

550 years is a long time to wait for anything.

550 years ago it was 1468 A.D.

Gutenberg’s printing press was less than 20 years old.

Gutenberg himself died that year.

Christopher Columbus was 17 years old.

Leonardo da Vinci was 16.

There were no Bibles in the English language, or any language other than Latin, for that matter.

The Tyndale New Testament was more than 50 years in the future.

In fact, there was no modern English.

Britain was still speaking Middle English, a language that would not be recognizable to you and me.

Modern English would not begin to develop for another 50 years.

Zechariah 9:9-12

550 years before Jesus entered Jerusalem, God made this promise through the prophet Zechariah:

550 years before Jesus entered Jerusalem, God made this promise through the prophet Zechariah:

zech 9 9

Before creation God had the time of this fulfillment set in stone.

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.

I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.

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Before creation God had the time of this fulfillment set in stone.

The people of Israel had to wait for God to fulfill His promise.

He only very rarely reveals His timing of events.

But the fact that He didn’t print out His schedule for them didn’t mean that He didn’t have one.

His calendar contains not only years and months and days, but hours and minutes and seconds.

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem took place exactly as He had promised, and at the exact moment that He intended.

It’s only natural that they would have asked “When?”

When would this promise be fulfilled?

When would the King come to Jerusalem?

When would God cut off the chariots and war horses, bringing peace to the nations?

When would the rule of God stretch from sea to sea, to the ends of the earth?

When would the prisoners be set free?

When would God restore?

But the Lord didn’t put a date on the calendar.

Instead, He commanded them to live as though the promise was already fulfilled: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!”

Faith in His promise meant living as though He had already fulfilled it, rejoicing greatly, shouting aloud.

God expected His people to trust that He would not fail to keep His Word.

After all, He had proven Himself over and over.

God made a promise to Noah, to destroy the wicked on the earth, and to preserve Noah and his family.

God kept that promise.

God made a promise to Abraham, to make him a nation.

God kept that promise.

God made a promise to Isaac and Jacob, to fulfill the promise made to Abraham through them.

God kept that promise.

God promised to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt.

He kept that promise.

God promised to lead them in the wilderness.

God kept that promise.

God promised to provide them with food and water during their wandering.

He kept that promise.

God promised that the children of those delivered from Egypt would enter the promised land.

He kept that promise.

God only made two kinds of promises in the Bible.

Those He has already fulfilled.

Those He will fulfill.

He NEVER forsakes a promise.

He NEVER misses His target.

Hebrews 11:1

Do you remember ?

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

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Second Corinthians 4:17-18

Do you remember ?

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.

For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

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Faith does not focus on what can be see or experienced.

We see in these passages and many others that faith does not focus on what can been seen or experienced, touched or tasted or felt.

Faith is not concerned with how something looks.

Faith is the conviction that God’s promises are more solid, more real, than the world in which we live.

We could reasonably define faith as patiently waiting for God to do what He promised to do.

Faith is not concerned with appearances.

Faith is the conviction that God’s promises are more solid, more real, than the world in which we live.

Jesus has made other promises to His church.

John 14:3