FBCWest 599 | The Real Triumphal Entry
Recorded On: 03/24/0224
Bulletin
Hymn # 33 “To God Be the Glory”
SCRIPTURE READING – Luke 21:1 - 4
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“Only King Forever”
“Great Are You Lord”
“Great I Am”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“The Real Triumphal Entry”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Behold the Lamb of God”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Benediction “Praise You Anywhere”
Sermon Notes
Luke 19:28 – 40 Jesus enters Jerusalem that is called the Triumphal Entry
Zechariah 14:9 – 17 Jesus comes to the rescue of Jerusalem and then rules and reigns as the King, the Lord of Hosts
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Palm Sunday. All those universally Christian churches on this day will celebrate Palm Sunday and as a part of that celebration will read or preach on what is called the triumphal entry. I want to take a little departure from that. I think that was an important entry by Jesus into Jerusalem but I think there is another real triumphal entry. Come and listen to what that alternative may be.
Good morning. Like many or most Christian churches today we are going to be celebrating Palm Sunday, the time when Jesus entered Jerusalem and people shouted Hosanna and waved palm branches and putting their coats on the floor for Him and that is often known as the triumphal entry. I think there was a more significant triumphal entry that will happen and so let's take a look at what people call the triumphal entry and what I think may be that real triumphal entry. If you look in your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke chapter 19 it says this, "And he that being Jesus had said these things he was going on ahead going up to Jerusalem." Now going up to Jerusalem means that it's a higher point than any of the surrounding areas and it's not a matter of north or south or east or west. It's that Jerusalem is higher than the other points in the area so he's moving up the mountain up to Jerusalem.
"And when he approached Bethbeth and Bethany near the mount that is called all of it, he sent two of his disciples saying, "Go into the village ahead of you. There as you enter you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here." "If anyone asks you why are you untying it, you shall say the Lord has made of it."
So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them and they were untying the colt. Its owner said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?" And they said, "The Lord has made of it." And they brought it to Jesus and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it. And as he was going they were spreading their coats on the road. As soon as he was approaching near the descent of the mountain of Olives that the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest." And so you have all this crowd of people shouting and saying, "Hosanna, blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord." And they are putting their coats on the pathway, just like if you will a red carpet and in the other gospels it talks about them taking palm branches and spreading them out and waving them kind of as a sense of the expectation
that Jesus is going to set up this earthly kingdom and that they are celebrating that they will now be restored and the Romans will no longer occupy them and they're excited and they're praising God. But yet Jesus is coming on a colt and dunking not a white horse as many conquering heroes do. So he's entering Jerusalem in a meek fashion and the crowd is praising him and is excited and shouting and yet these many of these same people who are shouting, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna, blessed be his name, peace in heaven and glory in the highest." Many of these same people will shout, "Crucify him, crucify him." They will choose a murderer over Jesus, these same people and yet this Jesus comes meekly into Jerusalem and he does so to fulfill the scriptures of how he enters, initially into Jerusalem and it shows forth that he is a servant of the people. He's not coming in as on a white horse having conquered and setting up his kingdom. He comes that way and the people at this point are rejoicing and shouting but he's not coming as the King of kings and Lord of lords. He's coming as Messiah, the suffering servant.
But because the people are shouting and giving praise to God and are excited about the entry of Jesus, it says, "Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." They're saying, "Tell them to shut up. Tell them that it's inappropriate for them to be glorifying God in this way." But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out."
So Jesus tells the Pharisees that God will receive God's glory whether mankind participates or not, that God is so significant that the earth will cry out in Zana, "Blessed be the name of the Lord, the King of kings and Lord of lords." And so this day churches everywhere celebrates this, what is called a triumphal entry, this Messiah who enters Jerusalem with shouts of praise and honor and adoration. Only a few days later he placed upon a cross and crucified and thought to be left for death. But I want to tell you that there is a different story that will happen in Jerusalem and a different outcome and a different realization of who this Messiah is, as the people on this day will shout, "The King," and praise his name. But this is not the only entry into Jerusalem. In Zechariah chapter 14 it talks about a different entry while during Jesus's entry on Palm Sunday, the Romans were occupying the city. And as a matter of fact, the entire country, we're going to see a different situation where it seems even bleaker. So if you'll turn in your Bible, Zechariah chapter 14, starting with verse 1, it says this, "Behold the day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you." So notice that there has been an occupation that things have been seized from the people of God. "For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city." This is devastating. Can you imagine what's taking place? This is in essence, if you will, almost like October 17th of last year, where people are surrounded Jerusalem and they are capturing people and exiling people and ravishing them. And you might say, "Well, why would God allow that to happen?" Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on the day of battle. "In that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will be moved towards the north and the other half towards the south." So when Jesus started to enter Jerusalem on Palm Sunday that we called, he started out from the Mount of Olives and went to Jerusalem. Now we see in this situation where Jesus will set foot on the Mount of Olives and it is going to split into and create a valley. "And you will flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel. Yes, you will flee just as you were fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. And the Lord my God will come and all of his holy ones." So then we see in essence the second coming of Jesus and he comes with his holy one, with his people. "And in that day there will be no light, the illuminaries will dwindle. For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light. And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them towards the eastern sea and the other half towards the western sea. And it will be summer as well as in winter." So I say that there is going to be an entirely unique geographical situation and that not only will this valley be created, but the living waters will flow from the city of Jerusalem.
"And the Lord will be king over all the earth, and in that day the Lord will be the only one, and his name the only one. And all the land will be changed into a plain from Gibba to Rimon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin's gate as far as a place of the first gate to the corner gate from the tower of Hanel to the king's winepress." And so they're saying even though that there's going to be this tremendous geographical change, the valleys will be created, Jerusalem will still remain, will still remain in its height and will remain, and the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords will be there. "And people will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security." That is the triumphal entry. That is where Jerusalem is secure. That is where it is safe. And that is where the King of Kings and Lord of Lords will live. "Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone in toward against Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouth." They're saying that God is going to fight, but just like God calls and brings His holy ones, it is the Lord who wins the battle, and is the Lord who affects the flesh of all these who have gathered to war against the city of Jerusalem. "And it will come about in that day that a great panic from the Lord will fall on them, and they will seize one another's hand, and the hand of one will be lifted against the hand of the other." In essence, they're going to kill themselves, much like we've seen in some of the other Old Testament situations where God safely provides for His people in battle by having the enemy, in essence, destroy itself. "And Judah will also fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments and great abundance." And so, while in the past people were seizing things from Jerusalem, now they are receiving the wealth of the nations. And so also, like this plague, will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey, and all the cattle that will be in those camps. So basically, all the supplies. "Then it will come about that anyone who is left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths." So here, God has conquered all of His enemies and has entered into Jerusalem and has secured it and made it safe and made it prosperous and has changed the geographical situation. And now, living waters are flowing from it. And He's saying, "Those who were destroyed, they are required every year at the Feast of Booths that time to celebrate the Kingdom of God. And if they don't come, something will happen." And so, they're saying that now, this King of King and Lord of Wards, everyone is going up year to year to worship Him, to celebrate Him. That is the real triumphal entry. You see, there are those who are nothing on that Palm Sunday, "Blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna." And we're shouting praises.
But now, the one who enters Jerusalem and secures it doesn't come as a suffering servant, but comes as the King of Kings and Lord of Wards, and He is worshiped.
And they come to celebrate Him at least annually. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, there will be no rain on them. So, if there is a country or an area that refuses to send worshipers to acknowledge the King of Kings and Lord of Wards, that there will be a drought on them. So, my view is, yes, we should celebrate Palm Sunday and acknowledge that the King of Kings and Lord of Wards was there, but He came as a suffering Messiah. He came on a donkey's coat. He came to give His life a ransom for many. And even though He was the King of Kings and Lord of Wards, He was not recognized as such in reality except for a few. And even those who cried out would later cry out, "Crucify Him." But now, as Zachariah foretells, that there will come a time in the future when we will look, when it will seem the darkest and the bleakest, and the people of God will be surrounded by enemies, and that they will be suffering tremendous hardship,
and death, and destruction, and ravishing. Even when then He will come and save His people, and just vanquish His enemies, and be acknowledged for who He is, the King of Kings and Lord of Wards. And that will not depend on a few people crying out, but in reality, He will be who He is, and will be recognized for it for the rest of eternity, celebrated and worshiped as the King of Kings. And just as Jesus said to the Pharisees, "If these people don't cry out and worship me, then the rocks will." In this future time, if the people don't come and worship,
then we'll receive no rain, the earth will judge them. But the battle and the victory
belongs to who we call the King of Kings and Lord of Wards. But if we look at the end of the Scriptures in Revelation, over and over and over again, not only is He called the King of Kings, but He's also called the Lamb of God. So He comes on Palm Sunday, that suffering servant who is the Lamb of God. But there will come a time on the true and real
triumphal entry where He will be victorious, and He will win the battle. And we will simply be there to observe all of His holy ones, and all of God's people's self.