Palm Sunday 2024

 

Palm Sunday 2024                    NOTES NOT EDITED
The King Is Coming: Are You Ready
Matthew 21:1-11

SIS: The King of Kings is coming again and we must be ready to receive Him.

The King of Kings entered Jerusalem over 2000 years ago through the Eastern Gate on what we now call, Palm Sunday.   Let’s read together about that glorious, triumphant day.  MAT 21:1-1

The Lord arrived that day to a mixed reception.  Some were ready to receive Him and shouted: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”  The religious leaders on the other hand, according to Luke 19:39 complained of all the shouting and praise for Jesus. His disciples were too “emotional.”

►

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” ⁴⁰ “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

The word, "hosanna" sums up what it means to receive Jesus as the Lord of one's life so He becomes your Savior.  “Hosanna” comes from the Hebrew OT, particularly the Psalms.  Hosanna is the Aramaic and/or Greek equivalent of "hoshi^eah na" which combines the word for "save us" with "now" (Ps. 118:25-27). Many of the people recognized that Jesus was the Messiah who had come to save them now!  However, they mistook a political idea of salvation for the spiritual salvation Jesus would secure for them on the cross.

The word, “na, or now,” associated with salvation is extremely important.  The Bible reminds us that “Today is the day of salvation” (2Cor. 6:2). There’s no other time to surrender to and to love and serve the Lord than “now.”  You can’t eat yesterday’s manna for it has worms in it, and you aren’t guaranteed a tomorrow so all talk of salvation and devotion must be connected to “now.”  

The Triumphal Entry passages highlight the two primary responses people had then, and still have today, when Jesus rides into their lives:  some are elated -- even ecstatic to receive Jesus as the Lord and Savior.  Others, are skeptical or apathetic on one level or the other, or even openly rebellious toward Jesus. Some have hearts prepared to receive Christ, others have hearts hardened against His love and grace and unprepared to receive Him as Lord.

Now, here's the point I really want to make today.  There were hundreds of prophecies fulfilled when Jesus came the first time, such as Zechariah 9:9:

►

⁹Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

What many Christians do not know is something a pastor pointed out a few years ago: “Prophecies of the Second Coming of Christ outnumber the prophecies of the First Coming eight to one (8:1). Scholars have identified 1,845 Biblical references to the Second Coming” (Dr. David Jeremiah). The Second Coming is mentioned in 17 of the 39 O.T. Books.  It is noted in 23 out of 27 N.T. books.  Seven out of ten chapters in the N.T. deal with the Second Coming.  It is noted in 1 out of every 30 verses in the N.T.

è

A major consideration in examining the Triumphal Entry of Jesus is to realize that God has always had a plan, and it will always play out EXACTLY AS PLANNED.  The question is:  will YOU be prepared to receive Him as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings when He comes the next time? Most people were not ready to receive Christ the first time He came, and even more are unprepared for His Second Coming.

I want to give you three ways you can be ready to receive the King of Kings when He comes again.  I call it, “being on the Hosanna side of the street.”  First, we must view

❶ Our SAVIOR  as more important than our SELVES (v3)

►

³ If anyone says anything to you, you should say that the
Lord needs them, and immediately he will send them.” 

The key to the success of our mission in this life and the key to our rewards in the next is to comprehend the question, “Who is Jesus Christ?”  I doubt very seriously if the man with a highly valued donkey and colt would have given them up simply because two rough looking itinerant preachers asked.  But, when they dropped the name of Jesus, the man gave up his possessions without so much as a question.  God had prepared this man to be who he was, where he was, with a donkey since before the beginning of time.

Notice the wording in verse 4:  “This took place SO . . . ,” or as the as the NIV translates it, “This took place to fulfill.”  Like so many texts referring to Jesus in the N.T. our text today ties His Identity to the Promise Messiah (Savior) of the O.T.  In this case, the promise of Zech. 9:9.

The most important doctrine in the Bible is the doctrine of the Deity of Christ.  What Jesus did would have had no eternal value whatsoever if it were not for Who Jesus is.  If Jesus Christ was not the prophesied Messiah, His death on the cross was no different than the death of the many thousands of other such deaths—except that he would have been a man of sterling character, unlike many who were common criminals.

In the 11^th Century the Archbishop of Canterbury England, Anselm, wrote a book explaining why Jesus had to be both man and God. The logic is quite simple. Jesus had to suffer and die as a man because the penalty of sin belonged to man. Jesus had to be God because the penalty of sin was eternal—only a perfect, eternal sacrifice once-for-all would suffice. People obviously could see Jesus was a man as they were. This entire pageantry, indeed the entire N.T., was given to show that Jesus was also God—the Messiah.

The death of a  mere man—even the most virtuous man who ever lived—would not have been enough to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind.  It had to be God.  Only the Messiah—the promised, prophesied God-Man, could do that. We must recognize Who Jesus is, and understand our SAVIOR is more important than our SELVES 

Jesus Christ fulfilled hundreds of prophecies in the O.T. to establish His identity as the Messiah—God in human flesh Who came to “save mankind from sin.” We must always keep our focus in church on Jesus, and not our selves. The second way to be ready is to view

❷ Our SERVICE as more important than our STATUS.  (6)

►

{6}The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.

In context, this verse had to do with a specific assignment to two specific (unnamed) disciples at a specific moment in history.  The instructions were simple enough (Mat. 21:1-3):

►

¹ When they had approached Jerusalem and had come 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 there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. ³ “If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

This wasn’t a very impressive assignment. The disciples did not achieve “celebrity status.”  In fact, as I mentioned, they remained nameless.  But, celebrity status aside, they were faithful.  Their actions, though anonymous, have become a part of God’s eternal record.  They opted for “eternal status,” over celebrity status.

We are in one of the most annoying times of the year for me.  No, I'm not talking about “Tax Time.”  I'm talking about American Idol.  Week after tortuous week that we have to endure the pompous ceremony of an "idol in the making."  I could go on and on but my sermon would degenerate into a rant.

Here's my beef:  there is so much glitter and so little substance to the whole idea of the show -- and I could probably make the same argument for nearly any other Hollywood production.  Hollywood is all about shadow and very little about substance.  Tens of thousands of young people give up nearly everything in life for a shot at becoming the next "American Idol."  And, when -- as will be the case -- one finally does win, what have they gained?  Fame? Fortune? The adoration of mind-numbed, soul-less T.V. audiences?

We live in a society that idolizes status and disdains service.  Society talks a lot about climbing the ladder of success to grab the brass ring, but nearly ignores descending the stairs to minister to drug-addicted homeless stung by the silver needle. 

In the crowd that day was a motley mix of common folk prepared to receive Jesus gladly.  Also in the crowd were those with status and standing in the community, like the Pharisees, were not about to take their cloaks off to be used as the red carpet for the Coming King.  Like most people of status, the Pharisees were used to BEING PRAISED NOT GIVING PRAISE.  The Lord must have really pricked their hearts when he said to the self-righteous Pharisees, according to Luke, (19:40) 

►

"If people don't praise me, the rocks will cry out." 

Wow!  That had to leave a mark.  The Pharisees
in God's eyes didn't even rate the status of "rocks!"
They were self-righteous and spent a lot of time “evaluating” others, but precious little time evaluating themselves. 

That was then.  This is now. That assignment for those two disciples was completed.  But, what about you and I.  Do we as disciples of Jesus, today, have an important assignment to carry out?  According to Jesus we do have an important assignment.  His last words to his disciples then, and to us by extension today are these:

►

Mat 28   ¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing  them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Our assignment is not glamorous.  We will not achieve celebrity status.  In fact, we may be persecuted as we carry out the assignment, but we must realize our service to God is more important than our status in life.  We must tell people about Jesus.

A BARBER had just been gloriously converted in an old-fashioned revival meeting. He was really excited about being saved and was determined to tell as many people as possible. The next morning a customer came in for a cut and shave. The barber was trying to muster up words to say but just couldn't figure out how to start a conversation with the man. Finally the barber stood with his razor poised over the man's throat ready to give him a shave and these words popped into his head:  "Are you prepared to meet God?"

That’s our assignment.  Tell the world about Jesus.  It may not be a glamorous assignment, but it is our duty to God. Perhaps we should put down any sharp objects first.  Like the barber, though, it is sometimes hard to come up with the right words—but we must try.

To be ready to receive the King of Kings when He returns again we must recognize that the Savior is more important than ourselves, and that our service to Him is more important than our status in life.  We must also understand

❸ Heaven tomorrow is more significant
than Our sacrifice today. (8)

Something wonderful takes place in the pageantry of the Triumphal Entry that can be easily overlooked.  Watch this:

►

 ⁸ A very large crowd spread their robes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.

Now, because of the palm branches the people cut and laid in the road in honor of Jesus that Sunday.  This is why the Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday in the Christian calendar.

The palm tree is one of God’s grand designs. I remember the first palm trees I had ever seen. I got off the plane in the Honolulu airport on my way to my submarine assignment.  I felt as if I had arrived in the Garden of Eden.  In the open areas of the terminal were the most spectacular palm trees.  They looked like giant sentries guarding the airport grounds.  I was so impressed.

Palm trees in the Bible are associated with victory in the Bible—the victory of good over evil; the triumph of God’s people over our enemies. But, I’m even more impressed by another group that day.

In the first part of verse 8 we read,

►

“a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road.” 

Now, that’s impressive.  That is a little more of a sacrifice.  God grew the palm branches so that required no personal sacrifice, but the cloaks were provided by the peoples’ own hard work.  The cloaks cost them something; the palm branches did not.  I think it is more apt to call this Sunday, “Cloak Sunday,” rather than Palm Sunday.  But, nobody on the “Calendar Committee” asked me.  “Cloak Sunday” is more in line with the sacrificial nature of Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem.  Within a week, Jesus would die on a cruel cross for the sins of humanity. The people gave their cloaks for the One who would soon give His life. 

When God made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, he gave nothing less than His Only Beloved Son.  This reminds me of the hen and the pig.  This is one of my favorite stories and I tell it often because it really makes a good point about sacrifice.   Both were asked by the farmer to make a contribution to the morning’s breakfast table.  The hen without reservation gave two eggs.  The pig hesitated and balked.  The hen reprimanded the pig.  “The master is quite good to us.  Is it too much to ask a little in return.”  The pig very quickly replied, “Providing a couple eggs is little enough sacrifice for you, but providing the bacon will cost me everything!”

How true.  Discipleship takes on a whole new meaning depending how much we have invested in it.  Church is a lot like that barnyard—some are hens and some are pigs.  Too many Christians, people in general, are like the hen, not the pig. They make a small contribution, perhaps, but no great sacrifice.

One of my scripture memory verses a few years ago was Rom. 8:18.  It is a penetrating verse that really makes us stop and assess our readiness to meet Jesus: 

►

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.

So often, in life, we focus on our struggles or our sacrifice. This can cause despair.  Struggles are real—no doubt about that.  However, for the follower of Jesus, struggles are not permanent—heaven is! 

To truly live as a follower of Jesus Christ in our world today requires great sacrifice. It doesn't require much sacrifice to attend church every now and then.  It doesn't require much sacrifice to have a pot luck every now and again.  It doesn't take much sacrifice to drop a twenty in the plate every once in a while. But living day by day to serve Jesus in this world—that’s a sacrifice!

Over and over in the N.T. there are references reminding believers of the unbelievable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, inexplicable glories that await us.  We must understand that HEAVEN tomorrow is much more significant than any SACRIFICES we face today.

Jesus entered Jerusalem that Sunday over 2020 years ago and people literally gave Him the coats off their backs.  Since that day millions of people have watched with expectation waiting for the Lord to return again.  Are you prepared to meet the Lord when He comes again? Do you live as if the SAVIOR is more important than yourSELF? Do you live as if your SERVICE to God is more important than your STATUS in life? Do you live as if Heaven TOMORROW is more important than your Sacrifice TODAY?

It has been over 2020 years since Jesus entered the Temple Mount the first time through the Eastern Gate.  Ezekiel prophesied nearly 2600 years ago that Jesus would enter that gate a second time: Ezk 44:1–3

►

¹ Then He brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces the east; and it was shut. ² The Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. ³ “As for the prince, he shall sit in it as prince to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the porch of the gate and shall go out by the same way.”

Note that this gate “shall be shut.” Today, that very same gate is sealed. The gate in its present form was sealed by the Muslim Sultan, Suleiman, 480 years or so ago (1541). The exterior face of the gate is a sealed double entrance that leads into two vaulted halls (copied). According to one source we learn this:  “Historians disagree as to why [Suleiman] did this, but legends abound that, learning of the prophecies which predicted the Messiah's entrance through the Eastern Gate, Suleiman tried his best to make sure it wouldn't happen during his reign. And just in case a sealed entrance didn't thwart the Messiah's coming, Muslims built a cemetery directly in front of the gate - conventional wisdom being that a Jewish Holy man would never defile himself by walking through a Muslim cemetery (copied).

Ezekiel prophesied accurately of both the first and second comings of Christ in this one passage.  He predicted the closing of the Eastern Gate, as well as a time it would be reopened.  To be fore-told is to be forewarned.  Jesus, the King of Kings, is coming again—Are you ready?