The King Has Come to Save His People.
Notes
Transcript
Opening:
Good morning again Connection Church. It is so good to gather with you on the Lord’s Day. We come together to worship our King. We come together to in essence do what is happening in our text today. In our text today we see what is commonly referred to as “The Triumphal Entry.” This has been the description of this event throughout history. However, on it’s face, this account does not seem triumphant. Mere days after this encounter Jesus will be put on trial, and executed by crucifixion. So the immediate question comes, “Is this a ‘Triumphal’ entry?” Throughout this sermon, my goal is to defend the fact that this really is truly a Triumphal Entry.
Introduction of the Text:
With this in mind, please open with me to Matthew 21:1-11. If you do not have a Bible, we have bible’s on the table by the door. If you do not own a Bible, please keep that as a gift to you. I would encourage you to follow along in your Bible. There is something special about being able to follow along in your Bible. In doing so, you can follow along and see that I am not merely saying things. You can track along with what is being taught and can hold me accountable to what the text is actually saying. Remember, Matthew wrote this to a Jewish audience in the first century. Matthew has been emphasizing the authority of Jesus. In fact, last week we looked at the account of the healing of the two blind men. This account was reminding of the audience of who Jesus is. It is a reminder of the authority of Jesus.
Reading of the Text:
I would ask the congregation to stand with me for the reading of the very Word of God.
Matthew 21:1-11 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “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 entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
The Word of God. Let’s pray.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you humbly. We do not deserve your grace, but you have given it. Even when we do not recognize it, you have been kind to us. You have spared the wrath we deserve. You instead have provided salvation through you Son, Jesus. May we worship you for this. May we no take for granted the beautiful mercies you give us. Every breath we take is a gift from you. You uphold all our life. The works of creation are yours. The sustaining of creation is yours. You are good and kind. You are slow to anger and merciful. We praise you for this.
Now as we approach your Word, may we do so with reverence and humility. May we not take for granted this gift that many have bled and died that we may have. May we humbly approach the words that you have preserved for us. May we see the truth. Lord, may your Spirit guide us into all truth. May we be sanctified in this time of reading and study of your Word. May we be grown as a church. May we be built up and encouraged through this time. May we go from here and boldly declare the truth of who you are. You are the Lord.
May you crush all pride in our hearts. May we kill the sin that so easily ensnares us. May our only boast be in you. May we boldly boast in the cross. We have no righteousness of our own to give. Salvation is all of you. Lord, will you humble me. Will you help me to simply be the proclaimer of what you have said. Keep pride from my heart. Keep lies from my lips. May you speak today.
Be glorified, oh God Almighty, through the service of broken vessels like us. We ask this in Jesus mighty name, Amen.
Transition:
As we open this text, we see Jesus sends two disciples for the colt.
Jesus Sends Two Disciples For the Colt.
Jesus Sends Two Disciples For the Colt.
Explanation:
Jesus and the disciples, and likely still the crowd that had followed Him approach Jerusalem. Jesus comes to Bethphage, a small town just outside Jerusalem, and then to the mount of olives. The mount of olives is central place to prophesy and to redemption. It will come up again several times. This is just outside of Jerusalem. When Jesus comes there, he sends two disciples on. He then tells them “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”
By the wording of “Village”, it seems they were to go to Bethphage, not Jerusalem. Jesus gives striking detail of what they will find. He even tells them what they are to do if anyone questions them. We know from the other accounts in Mark and Luke that the owners of the colt and donkey did question them. Jesus shows such detail even to know that they would be questioned and what they are to say in response. This is yet again a display of the deity of Jesus. He is displaying the divine nature known as omnipotence. The all knowing nature of God. Matthew is the only gospel that mentions the colt’s mother. This is likely to show the specificity of the fulfilled prophesy and to show just how young the colt was.
Illustration:
But What is so significant about the donkey? It speaks to the kingliness of Jesus. He is a King and this was a practice of kings. When a king would ride a magnificent steed, it was a symbol of the warrior nature of the King. Kings would often ride great war horses to show their military victory over wherever they were riding into.
However, when a King came in peace, they would ride into the city on a donkey. This was a vehicle of peace. In fact, this is an image that the Jewish people would understand well. In 1 Kings 1:33 we read this, “33 And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.”
When King David was old and dying, his son Adonijah practically anointed himself king. David had promised the throne, according to the Word of God, to Solomon. So when Solomon was anointed the true king, there was great worry that there would be war. In fact, Adonijah feared that Solomon would have him killed. David gave this instruction to have Solomon ride in on a donkey in order to show that there was to be peace. The true king was to ride in a donkey not a war horse. The king was declaring peace not war. Solomon was the true King. He was riding in to be anointed, but he rode in on a donkey.
Argumentation:
The Jewish audience would have recognized not just the practice but the historical significance of what was happening. I doubt if David knew the prophetic nature of what he had commanded right before his death, but we can see the providential nature of God at work. God had promised that Solomon would sit on the throne and that one of Solomon’s descendants would sit on the throne to rule forever. God had specifically promised that the Messiah would be of David’s line. And here is Jesus calling for the donkey to ride in on. The historical parallel is uncanny.
Solomon, the true king, rode in on a donkey to claim his throne that was occupied by a false king. Jesus, the True King, rides in on a donkey to claim His throne that is being claimed by Caesar. Caesar is claiming to be lord of all, a deity. Yet, here comes Jesus, claiming His true place as Lord of all. This is a beautiful picture that I am sure people recognized. The Son of David had come to claim what was His.
Transition:
And this is the beautiful nature of this passage. We see something that Matthew has emphasized throughout his entire book. The fulfillment of prophesy.
The Fulfillment of Prophesy.
The Fulfillment of Prophesy.
Explanation:
Matthew has shown again and again explicitly that Jesus has been fulfilling prophesy. Here again this is shown. Why did Jesus send for the colt? Matthew tells us in verse four and five.
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
This is a quote from Zechariah and Isaiah. Matthew explicitly quotes a couple lines from it, but we must remember that this book was written to a first century Jewish audience. The first century Jews were expecting the Messiah. They were very familiar with the prophesies of the Messiah. Because of this, Matthew only includes a couple lines. Listen to the prophesy from Zechariah.
Zechariah 9:9-11 9 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.
10 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.
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
It is also hearkening to a prophesy from Isaiah.
Isaiah 62:11-12 11 Behold, the LORD has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion,
“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.”
12 And they shall be called The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the LORD;
and you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
Argumentation:
These prophesies were clearly fulfilled in Jesus. The prophesy from Zechariah specifically mentions the donkey. The Messiah would ride into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the foal of a donkey. The detail in this is incredible. Let’s just break down what is being said about Jesus, the fulfilment of this.
The people are to rejoice. They are to shout aloud. The king has come. Jesus is here declared to be the promised King. He is righteous and bringing salvation. He is humble and mounted on a donkey. Clearly about this event. Then God says that He will cut off the instruments of war. The chariot and the war horse and the bow. Jesus will speak peace to the nations. Jesus’ rule is from sea to sea. All the way to the ends of the earth. But there is more. For the saved, true Israel, they will be free from the waterless pit because of the covenant of blood. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, all those under the new covenant will be saved from the waterless pit, hell.
This is astounding! This is clearly speaking of Jesus. He is the fulfilment of this. He came not in war but in peace. He is King over all the earth, from sea to sea, from the rivers to the ends of the earth. He has saved His people. We are saved from hell through the covenant of blood. This is what Jesus has done!
But what of the prophesy in Isaiah? God has proclaimed to the end of the earth that salvation has come. His reward is with Him. In Scripture this language of Christ’s reward is reference to the elect, the saved. This is shown in the next verse, speaking of His reward, “And they shall be called The Holy People. The Redeemed of the LORD; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.”
What good news! And even though they did not understand the fulness of these prophesies, the people knew them well. The Jews were under the subjugation and persecution of the Roman government. Because of this, there was much buzz about the Messiah. They longed for Him. They were waiting for the one who would come and free them. As I said, they did not understand the fullness of these passages but they knew them well. The sign of Christ riding on a donkey was an immediate sign to them of who He was.
Transition:
And we see this in their reaction to Him. They do two things. The first reaction we see is the spreading of cloaks and branches.
The Spreading of Cloaks and Branches.
The Spreading of Cloaks and Branches.
Explanation:
The disciples did as Jesus commanded and brought the donkey and its mother. They laid their cloaks, their outer garment, on the colt and Jesus sat on them. He rode the colt into Jerusalem and as He did, we see the crowd react. Verse eight says “8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.” As Jesus approached, the crowd present and gathering began to take off their cloaks and spread the road. The spread them in from of the colt for it to walk on. Those who did not have cloaks or who kept their cloaks began to cut down tree branches. This is why we refer to this day on the church calendar as “Palm Sunday.”
Clearly we can see this is an act of reverence, but it is not just reverence. This was not a common thing. People did not do this for anyone. It was a symbol of great honor and reverence. In fact, it is specifically a symbol of great reverence for the Jewish people. Most will recognize the names Ahab and Jezabel. They were wicked rulers and God raised up Jehu to be King and to eliminate them. When Jehu, God’s anointed, was made king, the people reacted in a specific way. 2 Kings 9:13 says 13 Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”
The taking off of one’s outer garment and laying it down for one to walk on was a practice reserved for kings. Specifically for welcomed and revered kings. Here Jesus is walking in Solomon’s footsteps by riding the donkey. Here Jesus is walking in Jehu’s footsteps to restore righteousness. But this is not all.
Transition:
The crowd honor’s Jesus in yet another way. They cry something very important out. “Hosanna to the Son of David.”
“Hosanna to The Son of David.”
“Hosanna to The Son of David.”
Explanation:
If you have spent any time in church, likely you have heard that word “Hosanna.” However, it never really tends to sink in. There are so many modern and classic christian songs titled “Hosanna.” But what is so significant about that word? Verse nine records the cry of the people. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Clearly this is significant. But why? They were quoting a Psalm. Hosanna is a shortening of “Save us, oh Lord.” It is a cry of worship and honor. They were crying to Jesus for their salvation. They were crying out to Jesus Psalm 118. Specifically this is drawn directly from Psalm 118:25-29.
25 Save us, we pray, O LORD!
O LORD, we pray, give us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
What words! These people are quoting these words in regards to Jesus. They are saying that Jesus is the one to save them. They are saying Jesus is the one who comes in the name of YHWH. They are saying that Jesus is the fulfilment of all that has been promised! These are incredible words. They are applying this prophetic Psalm to Jesus, and they are right!
But it is more than this. They also call out that familiar phrase we have looked at previously in Matthew. “Son of David.” The crowds are literally crying out to Jesus as the Messiah. “Save us oh Son of David!” is their cry. “Save us in the highest!” They are recognizing Jesus as the promised descendant of David who had come to save them.
Argumentation:
We are so numb to this. These people are under oppression. They are enslaved. They are lost and hopeless. The boot of Rome is on their necks. But here at last is Jesus. Jesus has come! Here is the Son of David! They are lining the streets. They are laying their coats and tree branches down so as not to allow the colt’s feet to be sullied by the dirty street. They are crying out to Him, “Save us oh Son of David!” Hope has ridden in on a donkey and they will not be silenced. This is an incredible picture. But what is even more incredible is the fact that Jesus accepts this.
Jesus is the instigator in this account. He sent the Disciples to get the donkey. This is all His plan. He accepts their praise. He accepts their adoration. Luke hammers this point home by giving the account of the Pharisees telling Jesus to quiet the crowd. The Pharisees attempt to silence people and Jesus says that if they stop praising Him, the stones would begin to cry out. What a claim! This was so set to happen in God’s plan that even the stones would cry out if necessary. The earth itself would begin to hail Jesus as King.
There can be no mistake, Jesus is riding into Jerusalem as THE King. He is the one and only. He is the Lord almighty. He is the King. He is the one who made heaven and earth. He is the one who holds all authority. He has come to redeem His people. He has ridden into Jerusalem bringing with Him the salvation of His people. There can be no mistake about Jesus’ intent here. He has come to announce Himself as King.
Transition:
And yet, the crowds misunderstand.
The Crowds Misunderstand.
The Crowds Misunderstand.
Explanation:
The closing words of Matthew’s account of this matter shows the limited understanding of the people to what is happening around them. Matthew 21:10-11 “10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” The whole city is stirred up and begins to ask “Who is this?” This is a good question. Who is this who is coming as a king? And the crowds said “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” It is true that Jesus is a prophet. He is THE prophet. But He is so much more. I feel that John clarifies this in his gospel account.
John 12:16 “16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.” Even the disciples did not understand. It was the blinding hand of God to keep people from understanding. They were hailing Him as King but it is as if they did not fully know or recognize they were hailing Him as King.
Argumentation:
This shows so clearly the providence of God. He orchestrated the entire affair. Jesus is hailed as King at the will of God God had set this from before the foundations of the World. Nothing could change it. It was determined to happen on this day, at this time, with these people. Ever detail had been set. God had set the female donkey to have her colt at such a time as to be able to be ridden by Jesus. All of this was at the hand of God. This why He prophesied it through the prophets in such detail. Truly Zechariah and Isaiah spoke their words to foreshadow this exact day. Truly the Psalmist penned his song with those exact words so as to be sung to Jesus as He entered into the city.
The cry was “Save us, oh Son of David!” That is why He came. He came to save His people. Salvation and righteousness had followed Him as He entered into the city of His crucifixion. This was no accident. Jesus set His face to Jerusalem. He was heading here for the reason of the eternal plan of God to crush sin and death. Jesus willingly marched to the cross. He came to save His people.
The crowds did not grasp this. They did not see that Jesus had come to save them from their sins. They expected Jesus to crush the Roman government. But the reality is that there was a far worse oppressor than the Roman government. The tyrant of Rome was wicked and had overstepped it’s bounds. But there was a far nearer tyrant. There was the tyrant of the sinful man. Every single man alive is a tyrant. Every lost soul is a slave to their sin. Christ came to crush sin. He came, not to overthrow the Roman government. Jesus was not an anarchist. He came to crush the tyranny of sin in the hearts of man. The crowd missed that. The King had come. But His kingdom was not as they expected. His rule is not just temporal though it is that. His rule is from sea to sea. It extends even to the hearts of men. His rule knows no bounds. He is Lord of every life. He is Lord of all. He rode into Jerusalem and there in Jerusalem He would be flogged. He would be nailed to a cross. He would die. He would rise again. He would crush sin. He would redeem His people and He would rule over all. All authority is His. He is God. And we are His people.
Transition:
So let us look at that question we asked at the outset. Is this a “triumphal” entry?
Is this a “Triumphal” entry?
Is this a “Triumphal” entry?
Skeptics have often painted Jesus as misguided. They claim He was a religious leader who was tragically killed. Some claim He was a failed radical. They look to this passage and say, “How could this be a triumphal entry what He dies mere days later?” They see this through darkened eyes. To the skeptic, Jesus came and was hailed as a king, then was killed. To the skeptic this passage is hailed as a great tragedy. Jesus here is not seen as marching to victory, He is seen as marching to failure. This is the road to death and failure to the skeptic.
Blind and wicked fools. This is not A triumphal entry. This is THE triumphal entry. No king has ever marched to such success. No king has ever been more rightly hailed. No king has ever been so justly honored. No other moment like this has ever occured in human history. Only one moment will ever overshadow this. When Jesus returns, the cry will go out again “Hail to the Son of David!” That will be the second triumphal entry. He entered Jerusalem this time to establish His kingdom and to concur sin and death. He will return to the New Jerusalem to the victory of the church. We will see our Lord and we will know all is made right.
This is THE triumphal entry because Christ won. Jesus won. The cross was not a symbol of failure. The cross is the greatest victory. On the cross, sin was paid for. On the cross, man was made right with God. On the cross, all of God’s sheep were redeemed forever. On the cross, the wrath of God was satisfied. Think about it. The greatest problem we have is being under the wrath of God. The greatest problem we have is being in sin. In sin we are rightly deserving of the wrath of God. We deserve hell and eternal torment. No one has ever gone to hell who did not fully and rightly deserve it. It is truly what we all deserve. But God, in His mercy sent Jesus. And here, Jesus rides into Jerusalem to accomplish the perfect plan of redemption. Here the sovereign and providential plan of God is perfectly executed to provide salvation. Here the lost sheep of God are brought back again. They are saved.
Transition:
There is but one question.
Application:
Will you cry Hosanna to the Son of David?
Will You Cry Hosanna to The Son of David?
Will You Cry Hosanna to The Son of David?
Will you cry out to Jesus for salvation? Will you bow to the King? He is the Lord. He rules over all. He is Lord of the entirety of creation. He is THE King. Will you bow to Him? Many have yet to submit to the Lord. If this is you, then you are lost. Salvation is found in one. Acts 4:12 “12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Salvation is only found in Jesus. He alone is the Savior. He alone is the Lord. You must bow to Him. Romans 10:9 “9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Submit to the lordship of Christ. Confess and believe. Then you will be saved. If you do this, even today, you will be saved. This is the promise of Scripture.
But I recognize that many of you, if not all of you, claim to be saved. Are you recognizing the Lordship of Christ? This really is a major issue within the church today. Studying Matthew has been a direct attack on some of the assumptions we tend to hold to as Christians. Studying Matthew has been challenging to me. In our place in church history, we have doctrines that come easy to us and doctrines that are rather difficult. It is our duty to ensure that we are consistent in our faith and that we pass that consistency on to the next generation. We find the doctrine of the mercy and love of God to be easy. This is not wrong. It is a good thing. God is merciful. God is loving. These are wonderful things and they come to us naturally. I believe this is a blessing.
However, there is always a temptation to get things out of balance. We tend to lean heavily to the doctrines that are easy for us. Sadly this results in us twisting and manipulating them to mean things they never were meant to. The doctrine of God’s love was never meant to lead us into a place of justifying sin. Sin is still sin. The only way we can counteract this is to balance our approach. We are to love the doctrines of the faith that are easy to us and the ones that are unnatural to us.
One doctrine that is rather unnatural to us is the idea of the kingship of Christ. We don’t like this doctrine. Sure we acknowledge it in word, but do we believe it? We might claim it by saying Jesus is King, but how many of us actually live it? Claiming Jesus is King means that He is the highest authority in your life. But is He? When a situation arises, does the authority of Jesus come into question? When you are deciding to do something, does the authority of Jesus come to mind? Let me ask it this way, has the kingship of Jesus ever changed anything in your life? If the answer is no, then Jesus is not your king. Think of how many times the authority of the highway patrol has affected your driving. How often do you limit your speed when you see the light-bar across the median from you? How often have you let off the gas when you see what you think is the highway patrol? That is the affect of their authority. They have the authority to regulate the speed on the interstate. How many of you submit to the laws of the nation?
Has the law of Christ ever come into your mind? Has the authority of the kingship of Christ ever crossed your mind in this way? Have you ever wrestled through what it means that Jesus is King? If this account is the triumphal entry into Jerusalem then the fact that Jesus is King should affect our every day life. If Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the fulfilment of these prophesies then He has authority over all the earth. If Jesus is King then His words to Pilate are true. John 19:11 “11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” If Jesus is King then He is Lord of lords. If Jesus is THE King then He is King over kings. This means that Jesus, in this passage is declaring that He is over Cesar, He is declaring that He is King over ever Pharaoh, He is declaring He is King over ever prime minister, He is declaring He is King over ever president, He is declaring He is THE King over ever dog catcher. Jesus is King and He declared this without raising a sword once. Jesus won without drawing the sword. This is the authority He has. He can ride in on a donkey and claim the throne without having to draw the sword.
The Kingship of Jesus should affect our lives. Every person on earth will answer to Jesus. But we, we claim to worship Him. We claim to be in submission to Him. Are we hypocrites? Truly we are, but this is not an excuse to live in our hypocrisy. We ought to beg God for forgiveness and then live out the truth. Is Jesus your King? Live it out! How do we do this? We submit to Him above all else. We submit to Him over any personal desires. We put to death any sinful desire and obey Christ. It means we submit to Him over any family pressure. The greatest gift you can give to your family is to fully bow and submit to Christ. It means we submit to God over any law. Is any law in contradiction to the Word of God? Then we ignore that law and obey God. The kingship of Christ means that we obey Him first ad foremost. Submitting to Christ as king means that we submit to Him over any executive order. Nothing that comes from the administration is to be headed if it is against Christ’s orders or precepts.
These are hard sayings. These are offensive statements. But I am not your entertainer. I am your pastor, and I would rather offend you than to offend Christ. I would rather boldly honor my King than quietly please people. God forgive me for anytime I am silent about my King. God forgive me for anytime I choose to offend Christ rather than offend men. I must not choose to please people over pleasing God. And if this offends you, then I present to you that your sin is offensive to God. Perhaps it is time for God to be honored and you to be offended. I am so tired of seeing the church bow to everything except Christ. I am so tired of seeing the church honor every authority on earth over the one authority who rightly deserves all honor and glory. I am personally exhausted at seeing the church commit adultery against Christ. I am so tired of seeing the church refuse to honor Christ. I am sick of the idolatry. I pray God would raise up a generation of the church who care more about God than the thoughts of men. Would that we would be in awe of Christ. Would that we would be in awe of the holiness of Christ.
I wish that the church would actually care about the Kingship of Christ. I wish that the church would say enough with all of the games, let us worship God. I wish the church would repent and beg God for mercy! We are idolaters. We have worshipped other gods. We have worshipped the gods of relevance. We have worshipped the gods of social justice. We have worshipped the gods of woke thought. We have worshipped the gods of entertainment. We have worshipped the gods of government. We have worshipped the gods of safe-ism. We have bowed to so many other gods than the one true God. We are guilty. And we are under judgement. Look outside, the insanity happening right now in our nation and world is the judgement of Almighty God.
We have bowed our knees to so many lords and kings while ignoring the One True King. We have worshipped false gods and God has given us over to them. Our only hope is to be the people of God and repent of our sin and beg God to forgive us. We must cry out for forgiveness from our King. We are guilty. We must repent. We must cry out for salvation. We must cry out to the King. Until the church does this, things will get worse. We must cry out “Hosanna to the Son of David. Hosanna in the Highest!” “Save us Son of David. Save us in the Highest!” We must cry out “Save us Lord. Forgive us for not bowing to you as King! We repent! We will bow to no one else but you. We will bow to you alone. We will be your people. Save us from our sins. We repent Lord! We have not served you well. We are a lowly people! Forgive us. We have bowed to so many false God’s. Forgive us Lord. Remove the idols from us. Remove anything we worship other than you. Help us to worship you alone. Hosanna, Son of David. Save us, Lord. Hosanna. Save us. Hosanna.”
Will you repent? Will you confess your sins and worship Christ alone as savior? Will you be a faithful subject to King Jesus, or will you worship anyone or anything else?
Hosanna to the Son of David, Amen.
Prayer:
Closing Hymn:
Closing Benediction:
Jude 24-25 “24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”