Triumphant Palm Sunday
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· 8 viewsWe must prepare those around us for the next Triumphal Entry of Christ.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Being forced to celebrate the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ this year because of the pandemic has many Christians unsettled. However, I believe that this is a prime opportunity to become greater witnesses to those around us concerning what is coming.
As would be obvious, there are a great number of people that have no thought in the world that Jesus will return or that He had even been here the first time. Of those that are aware of Jesus’ previous advent, not everyone believes He is coming back like He said. Many religions teach that Jesus was a mere man and not the Son of God as He stated. Muslims vehemently declare that Allah has no son, therefore Jesus cannot be the Son of God. They are at least partially correct in their thinking; Allah has no son, because Allah is not the one True God. Allah is an idol that was set up in opposition to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when they lost the birthright when human pride interfered with God’s plan.
Right now, multiplied millions of people are wondering what comes next. Not just in America but around the world. In Jesus’ day it was the same, the Jewish people wanted to be free from their Roman oppressors. They wanted to restore their dignity as God’s Chosen people; but as usual they had the wrong idea about what God was up to. Zealots had been trying for years to murder their way into power, feeling that taking back the government by force was the only way to get things done.
Jesus’ First Triumphal Entry
Jesus’ First Triumphal Entry
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah
Contrary to popular belief, the first triumphal entry was not when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey! The first triumphal entry was when Jesus was born of the virgin Mary! Just think of how miraculous His birth was, what He gave up to be born into the world through the means of child-birth to live and experience life exactly as we do yet without sin. Think of the hundreds of angels that heralded His arrival over a field of unsuspecting shepherds that went immediately to find the Infant King!
“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 and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”
Daniel
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—
“My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes.
Ezekiel 37:24
I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore.
My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Ezekiel 37:
Jesus’ Second Triumphal Entry
Jesus’ Second Triumphal Entry
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.
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.”
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.
For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side
and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Luke 19
We need to understand how God is operating here. God is using things that seem foolish to those who are not in alignment with His ways and His will. All throughout Scripture God never missed an opportunity to use powerful symbols throughout the biblical narrative. The fact that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey reveals much about not only His character, but His true purpose in coming.
Jesus was claiming His rightful place as the Messiah that had been prophesied hundreds of years prior. Zech. 9:9
Jesus rode a donkey to symbolize peace.
Jesus demonstrated that He was the bearer of our burdens who came to save us.
But people wanted the warrior Messiah to come at this time so that they could take back their nation. They felt they had been oppressed enough, but the truth was and still is that their hearts were not yet ready to follow God in humility and singleness of heart.
The equivalent for you and I today is the person that attends church services claiming to be a born again child of God but living a secret life that they know in their heart does not please God. Such people often become prideful and boastful when judgement does not fall immediately. They even get to the point of wondering why God isn’t moving in their lives when they have allowed a veil of darkness to cover their hearts and they become deceived in their thinking. Such people will not be ready for the next Triumphal Entry.
While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
1 Thessalonians 5
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians
The Last Triumphal Entry
The Last Triumphal Entry
Even from the time that Jesus ascended into Heaven after being with His disciples for a time after His resurrection, it has been told that He would be coming back.
and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Yes ladies and gentlemen, make no mistake about it, Jesus will be returning in His resurrected body.
It will be a physical entrance
It will be a personal entrance
It will be a dramatic entrance
It will be a public entrance
And it will be an unmistakable entrance!!!
Now of course there will be detractors to this statement as Peter foretold...
They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
The Bible speaks over and over about the return of Christ, yet you hear so little about His return from most pulpits. In fact, what we hear predominantly today is a message of impending peace coming upon the earth through the Church. The only peace we will see brothers and sisters on a world scale is the peace that Jesus will set up after He has declared war to destroy His enemies!
Jesus spoke of how the earth would appear at the time of His Coming.
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,
people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luke 21
His return will be glorious! This is the return they wanted over 2000 years ago, but the one few want today!
For some, the return of Christ will be absolutely terrifying if they were not prepared for His arrival. If you are watching this or hearing a podcast of this message later, please listen carefully: you have nothing to fear if your heart is prepared to meet your God. No matter what you have thought before today, I assure you, I promise you that Jesus will return one day and He is coming back in a powerful way.
Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,
for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
Rev. 6:15-
We are called upon by Scripture to prepare ourselves and to live in constant readiness for the return of the Lord. The world has been witness to a dying whimpering Church in many cases, but the power of the Lord is about to be revealed as God calls us into one last Great Awakening. This is not a reformation of theology, it is not a kingdom now movement, it will be a genuine work of the Holy Spirit that cannot be replicated by human ingenuity. It is time for us to make the decision that so many throughout history have had to make to be prepared for this last Triumphal Entry. Within the whole of Scripture I feel Moses was the most direct when he said:
then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.
Exodus 32:
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
We could spend a lot more time discussing the finer points of Eschatology here, but the point of all of it is to be prepared. Many have felt the need to become contentious over an event that we will only fully understand after it happens. Jesus told His disciples that He was going to suffer at the hands of the religious leaders, die, and rise on the third day. None of them understood how it was going to happen until after the fact. We can argue and fuss over details but the Lord wants us to be prepared in our heart by being right with Him through our faith in Jesus.
Jesus rode a donkey to symbolize peace.
Jesus rode a donkey to symbolize peace.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.Jesus rode a donkey to symbolize peace.