We have much reason to be celebrating because of the God
that we serve. But I wonder if you've ever
asked the question why most Christians, most churches, set
apart the Sunday before Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday
to celebrate what is commonly known as Palm Sunday.
What's this day really about? This is just tradition is it's
just us going through the motions.
I want to propose to you today that one of the primary reasons
we should be rejoicing and turning our attention and what
is recognized as the triumphal entry is because on this day,
Jesus Christ of Nazareth fulfilled ancient prophecy.
Moreover, it is at this event that Christ strategically and
intentionally entered into Jerusalem to declare the truth
of His Messiahship in the most open and public way than He ever
had in His three-year ministry. We have to remember that Christ
did, during His ministry, reveal Himself as Messiah, but it was
frequently to individuals and it was mainly private.
But on this day, Jesus Christ decided to present Himself as
such for all to see and all to hear.
And the reason is because He is who the prophets pointed to, and
the way that He chose to do it at this point was to fulfill
what one prophet said the Messiah would do 500 years
before Christ even entered into our world.
Many of you are familiar with the common scripture that is
quoted at this time of the year, but it's worth revisiting.
So turn with me in your Bibles to Zechariah Chapter 9, and
let's look at verse 9 together. Zechariah 9, verse 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 full of a donkey?
Lord, this is our portion today in your word.
We pray that it would be delivered and received in power.
We pray that it would do something in our hearts.
We pray that it would help us fall deeper in love with Jesus
Christ. Lord, we thank you for your
word. Thank You that we have access to
all of it. Thank You that it is the reason
why we are saved. It is the reason why we can
grow. It is the reason why we can have
hope and joy and peace. And it is the reason why we can
know you. And we pray that we would know
you deeper through this service. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen. While all the Gospel accounts
record how Jesus entered into Jerusalem on the donkey, it was
only Matthew and John who explicitly quotes Zechariah when
he did so. This is a common connection to
most believers. They understand how Christ
fulfilled this prophecy. But what I want to show today is
that what Zechariah is saying here is much more profound in
Christ fulfilling it than we might have realized.
There is so much more going on here than Jesus Christ
displaying Himself in humility, although that is paramount, that
is wonderful. We do serve a humble king.
There is much more to understand about how Christ fulfilling this
says much more about him. And the first thing that I
believe we have to do is consider what Zechariah's words
in this verse meant to his original audience.
Have you ever thought about that?
What did his original listeners here when Zechariah preached
this to them? And I think it's worth examining
who Zechariah is number 1 and who are his listeners #2 So did
you turn to Zechariah 9? Go to Zechariah 1 and look at
verse one with me. If you've been with us here on
Fridays, then this shouldn't be too new for you because we've
looked at Zechariah briefly through the book of Ezra.
But let's look at it here in a new lens.
Zechariah one verse one it reads in the eighth month, in the
second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet
Zechariah, the son of Berekiah, son of Iddo saying so, Zechariah
is a prophet, right? It's clear, it's obvious.
But the timing of his prophetic ministry is what's so vital to
grasp. He began preaching in this way
in the second year of Darius. What does that inform us about?
It informs us that Zechariah was raised up by God after the
people of Judah were taken from their land in the Babylonian
exile. And more than that, he began
preaching after some of the Jews returned to Jerusalem after
enduring some time in captivity in Babylonia.
So Zechariah is someone here who is preaching after the people
were removed and after some of them came back.
Which makes Chapter 9, verse 9 all the more enthralling because
what the Bible teaches is that the Last King that Judah has
ever known was Zedekiah. That's what we see at the end of
the Book of Second Kings. And since Zedekiah's time, there
was no king. Even after the people returned
to Jerusalem, even though they were restored to their homeland,
the monarchy was never revived. God did use very important
leaders to bring the people back to the Holy Land.
Men like Ezra, men like Zerubbabel, men like Nehemiah.
But none of them were kings. Ezra was a priest.
Zerubbabel and Nehemiah were appointed governors.
Nothing more, nothing more. In fact, you'll notice something
interesting about most biblical books that were written after
the exile. They're known as the post exilic
books like what we have here in Zechariah.
Look at verse one again and the 8th month in the second year of
Darius. Something happens with these
authors after the exile. They write their books
differently than those who wrote before the exile, so you don't
have to turn to these references.
Just listen to them very carefully.
That's Zechariah one, one in the second year of Darius.
Listen to Haggai 11 Haggai one one who was another prophet
during the same time. It says here in Haggai one one
in the second year of Darius the king in the sixth month, on the
first day of the month, the word of the word of the Lord came by
the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubel the son of Sheautiya,
governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehovah, that the
high priest again in the second year of Darius.
Listen to how Ezra opens his book in Ezra, one one in the
first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the
Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled.
And it goes on. I'm not sure if you've noticed
this. It's subtle, I'll admit that,
but if you look closely, these biblical authors are doing
something very different than those who wrote before this
massive moment known as the exile.
They date their writings according to foreign kings.
On your own time, I encourage you to look at Isaiah, for
example, Jeremiah, other prophets, and look at how they
place their time stamps regarding their prophecies.
They refer to the kings of Judah.
They refer to the kings of Israel in some cases.
But then after the exile, the prophets don't.
Do you know why there are no more kings?
And so now they are looking to empires and rulers who are not
directly connected to the people of God, obviously to put their
messages into context. And so you can imagine how
shocking it must have been for Zechariah's audience, among the
first to return to Jerusalem, when he said to them, Rejoice
greatly. O daughter of Zion, shout aloud.
O daughter of Jerusalem, behold, your king is coming to you.
A king is coming to us. Who?
From where? It's been decades upon decades
since we had a king, and even our own prophets refer to other
kings. And now all of a sudden you're
telling us that a king is coming to us?
When And here's what makes Zechariah 99 even more glorious
when you consider what other prophets are saying about this,
namely what would come about the people after their exile and
makes this shocking. Here's what I mean.
There are other prophecies made that show that even after the
suspension of the monarchy, there would be another king, but
it wouldn't be any ordinary king.
That the next king that would come after the Kingdom of Israel
and Judah lay dormant would be the king, the Messiah, the son
of David, the one who would accomplish what no other king
before could ever do. And one of the strongest cases
for this, that the next king that Judah and Israel as a
nation should expect will be the final one, is in the book of
Ezekiel. Go to Ezekiel chapter 21.
This is not a very known prophecy, and it's a shame
because it is so powerful. Ezekiel was a prophet in
Babylonia. He was not a prophet in Judah.
He was not a prophet in Israel. He was among the Exiles and he
prophesied from Babylon to encourage the people in the land
with him and those who remained in Judah.
You have to remember that the exile of the people of Judah was
not in one moment. It happened in three
deportations, and Ezekiel was among the second group that were
removed from their homes. And God used them, though a way
to give encouragement and primarily warning about the
final judgment that is looming. The people still thought we, we
still have our king. We still have our people.
Surely God is not going to remove us from our land.
And Ezekiel is one of the main mouthpieces that's saying, hey,
it's coming. It's coming.
Yeah, we're the second deportation, but there's a final
one coming. And it's going to settle
everything once and for all. And God's judgment will come to
fruition. And here's one of the ways that
he says it. Are you there in Ezekiel 21?
Scroll down with me here to verse 25, Ezekiel 21, verse 25,
And you, O profane wicked 1, Prince of Israel, whose day has
come, the time of your final punishment.
Pause. Who is he speaking about here?
Who's the wicked one? The Last King of Israel,
Zedekiah, the Kingdom was divided.
You had Judah and Israel was the northern tribes.
But here he just mentions them as one.
And he calls the Last King Zedekiah wicked and profane, and
more than that with prophetic punch.
He didn't even call him a king. What does he say?
O profane, wicked 1, Prince of Israel, whose day has come, the
time of your final punishment. Look at verse 26.
Thus says the Lord God, remove the turban and take off the
crown. Things shall not remain as they
are. Exalt that which is low, and
bring low that which is exalted. So you see, the warning goes
beyond Zedekiah here. Ezekiel also predicts the end of
the royal office itself. What does he say?
Remove the turban and take off the crown.
Things shall not remain as they are now.
If you read the King James Version, verse 26 should read
remove the diadem and the crown. But the Hebrew word for diadem
is more accurately turban, the headpiece that a priest would
wear. So this is where this is an
instance where the ESV and other modern modern translations are
more accurate. Remove the turban, remove the
crown. Things will not be the same.
What's Ezekiel saying here? The priestly and especially the
royal office symbolized by the turban and the crown, would
never be the same once the people come into exile.
In other words, the glory of these functions would be
diminished and ultimately their offices would not function.
They would cease to be an operation.
And that's exactly what happened.
There was no king after the exile, and though there was a
brief resurgence of the priesthood, it was never what it
was before. This is a staggering prophecy,
and thank God it didn't end here.
Notice what he says in verse 27, Ezekiel 21, verse 27.
A ruin, ruin, ruin. I will make it.
This also shall not be until he comes, the one to whom judgement
belongs, and I will give it to him.
What a prophecy. You see what he's saying here?
This should take your breath away.
The crown is going to be removed, the throne will be
unoccupied, there will be no monarchy in Israel until he
comes. And when he comes, I'm going to
give it all to him. Who?
That's a question we should be asking.
And this is where knowing our Old Testament is absolutely
crucial because the Bible doesn't spoon feed us with
quotations and references all the time.
Much more than that, the Bible assumes that you and I have been
reading our Bibles. And so when you pick up on
certain phrases or languages, you should be able to say, I've
seen this before. This is an echo of something
that I've read in the past. And that's what Ezekiel is doing
here until he comes. That should sound familiar to us
because it's an allusion to one of the first prophecies about a
royal Messiah. Back in the book of Genesis,
when Jacob looked at each of his sons who had become the tribes
of Israel, and when he came to Judah, he made an amazing
promise. Would you like to know it?
Genesis 49. Look at this with me.
Scripture interprets Scripture. Genesis 4910.
The ESV renders this verse a little differently, and I'll
explain why in a moment, but most other word for word
translations are the same. In Genesis 4910 it reads, the
scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler staff from
between his feet, until tribute comes to him.
That's where it's different, and to him shall be the obedience of
the peoples. Let me read it to you from the
New American Standard in Genesis 4910.
It says the scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler
staff from between his feet until Shiloh comes.
Is that what you have in your translation?
Maybe for some until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the
obedience of the peoples. Why do other translations have
the word or the name Shiloh while the ESV says until tribute
comes? Because the etymology, the
original word, is a little bit complex.
It can mean Shiloh, and it can mean one to whom something
belongs, one who deserves something.
That's why the ESV renders it in the following.
But with whatever translation you go with, one thing is
absolutely clear. The prophecy anticipates that
Judah will be preeminent among his brothers.
He will have a ruling class. He will have a ruling role even
of and above his own siblings. You can imagine the shock on the
the brothers faces, the scepters coming from his line.
Yes, and there's a reason for that.
Maybe we'll talk about in the future, but the prophecy is much
more precise than this. Yes, there will be a Kingdom
that will come and it'll be the line of Judah that will have a
succession of kings to operate and to regulate that function.
But there's a person in view here.
Notice the last part of verse 10.
And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
There's a person, there's a king among the kings from the line of
Judah, who will do what no other king could do.
And what's that? This king is not just going to
subdue and rule over Israel, but over the world, the obedience of
the peoples, the nations, until Shiloh comes, until tribute
comes, until he comes. And then Ezekiel, after
pronouncing that the royal government would be paralyzed
for a time, says until he comes. So we have to step back now and
put this all together. We started in Zechariah 9.
Why did we go to Ezekiel? Because what Ezekiel is telling
us, yes, there is no king now. There will be no Kingdom until
the one that Genesis speaks about arrives on the scene.
And Zechariah, who's coming to a people who have not known a
king, who can't even imagine a king emerging with all the
complexities of the world and geopolitics adds to Ezekiel's
promises, says you will know when this king comes, when he
arrives on a donkey, righteous, humble and armed with your
salvation. And then hundreds of years pass
and you have guys like John and Matthew who say Jesus of
Nazareth is that king. And they quote Zechariah and
they apply it to him and Jesus himself.
This, it wasn't accidental what he did.
He planned it in order to convey the message.
I am that king. And I'm not just a descendant
from the line of David. I am the final king.
None will come after me. I will do what the prophet said
I would. Do you see how deep this is now?
As glorious as it is, as as harmonious as it sounds.
Like all the prophecies in the Old Testament pointing to
Christ, this one has its objections, and we won't be able
to cover all of them today. But I want to touch on the most
common one from our Jewish friends especially.
So you have some Jews who would outright deny that Zechariah 99
is in fact a Messianic prophecy. They would say that Christians
are forcing Jesus into that passage, and even the New
Testament authors are manipulating it in order for it
to seem as though Christ fulfilled it.
And besides the biblical evidence that we just sampled,
the way you answer this objection is to remind such
people that their own rabbinic literature says that this is a
Messianic prophecy. So I'll give you one example.
In the Babylonian Talmud, in the part where you have the
Sanhedrin 98 verse A or part A, you have a rabbi who's dealing
with an apparent contradiction. Here's the contradiction that
he's trying to solve. You can read this.
He understands that Messiah from Daniel 7 will come on a cloud.
And then he says, but Messiah will also come on a donkey from
Zechariah 99. And they try to solve this and
they try to reconcile this. So you know what this rabbi
concludes? This is it.
If we, the people of Israel are worthy, our Messiah will come on
a cloud. If we are unworthy, he will come
on a donkey. This is how they interpret it.
And there are other things in the Talmud that show and reveal
that this passage is indeed messianic.
To say then, that this is not messianic, it's to deny your own
authorities. But there are some Jews who
don't go that far. They acknowledge that Zechariah
99 is in fact a prophecy about the Messiah.
But they will challenge us in another way.
They will say the following. It's very convenient for you
Christians to quote Zechariah 99 and attribute it to Christ.
But you forgot about Zechariah 910.
And if you look at Zechariah 910, then you'll understand that
Jesus in no way could have fulfilled Zechariah's
prediction, therefore nullifying him as a candidate to be the
Messiah. What does Zechariah 910 say?
Well, some of you already got ahead of me.
Let's read it from verse 9 to look at it in its totality.
Zechariah 9 Verse 9. Again, 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 cold, the foal of a
donkey. Verse 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
nation's. His rule shall be from sea to
sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.
Do you see the supposed dilemma? Zechariah's prophecy says that
the Messiah will not only come riding on a donkey, but that He
will usher in universal peace, that He will eliminate Israel's
enemies, and that He will in fact establish a global reign.
Did your Jesus do that? How do Christians answer this?
You know how some Christians answer this?
They say, well, well, well, Zechariah 99 is to be taken
literally. The Messiah will in fact be on a
donkey, and he will present himself in such a way.
But Zechariah 910 should be taken metaphorically, that this
is a illustration, this is poetic language to depict the
power of the Gospel and the transformation that the
Christian message will bring to the world.
And I want to say this kindly. The context doesn't allow that.
And you and I have to be careful of determining what's literal
and what's allegorical whenever it suits us.
There is a better answer, there is a better explanation, and
what we have going on here is one of the instances that we
find so frequently in the Old Testament of gaps between
prophetic declarations. This is a customary component of
biblical foretelling. If you were here last week, you
saw this when we spoke about Isaiah 61, verse 2, where the
Messiah will proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day
of vengeance of our God. And Christ comes in Luke chapter
4, and he says that He is a fulfillment of this prophecy,
but he ends it after the year of the Lord's favor.
He didn't go on to the day Avengers of our God.
Why? Because there's a gap.
There's a gap of time between that prophecy.
Another example, famously is Isaiah Chapter 9, verse six and
seven. To us, a child is born, to us a
son is given. And in the same breath, we read
about how his government will have no end.
What's going on there? The same thing.
There's a gap in the prophecy. Zechariah's prophecy is no
different. He's not speaking about Messiah
in a single arrival, but in two separate advents.
And that is not reading too much into this prophecy That makes
the most sense when you consider all of prophecy concerning the
Messiah. Here's what I always ask those
who object to this. Many Jews are making the same
mistake that the Jews in Jesus they made.
You focus on all the prophecies of the Son of David, the
conquering king, the ruling 1 and you neglect the ones where
the Messiah suffers. So answer this then, where does
the death of Messiah, suffering of Messiah, burial of Messiah,
resurrection of Messiah fit in your understanding of God's plan
and your understanding of God's program for Messiah?
And we just got a sample of it from the Babylonian Talmud.
OK, He's coming on the cloud. He's coming on a donkey.
So it's depended on us, how we live and how we obey that will
determine how he arrives. And you have other Jews to say
no, no, no. In order to make sense of this,
there must be two messiahs. There's Messiah son of David and
Messiah son of Joseph. Messiah son of David is a
ruling, conquering. 1 Messiah, son of Joseph, is a suffering
one who will die in battle. The answer is simple.
For us as Christians, it's the same Messiah to advance, and the
Bible's honest enough to show us that with many prophecies,
especially those concerning the Christ, the timing and the full
scope of the mission are not always spelled that as plainly
as people might think, And the Bible even tells us that.
Did you know that first? Peter?
Look at chapter 1 in verse 10, first Peter chapter one, verse
10 concerning the salvation.
The prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be
yours searched and inquired carefully.
We have this almost cartoonish understanding of how the
prophets prophesied that when the Holy Spirit moved upon these
men, they were almost like in a trance like state and God took
control of their hands and wrote out these prophecies and then
they came to he said what just happened.
That is not how prophecy happens.
These men who were used by God were in total control of their
faculties, of the personalities and God used them in their
uniqueness to pen down Revelation and Peter's
confirming this, that when they prophesied about the grace that
was to be yours, they searched and inquired carefully.
So they understood this is God speaking through me.
And then when they came to this revelation, they go, OK, what is
this about? And they began to research and
don't even doubt that they looked at other prophecies of
other prophets and said, does this make sense with this?
Does this reconcile with this? Look how specific Peter gets in
verse 11 inquiring what person or time highlight that, what
person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating
when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent
glories. So they received revelation
about the Messiah, but they didn't fully understand it.
And part of the things that they would research with whatever
resources they had was, OK, who is this Messiah going to be and
when is he going to do what the Spirit of God just revealed to
me? So in one sentence, he speaks
about his humility and his first coming.
And in the next part he's speaking about his global
messianic reign. And you can just imagine how men
like Zechariah are trying to understand how this all fits.
And Peter tells us that they didn't understand it fully.
I'd like to provide an added layer to our explanation of why
Zechariah 910 is not an obstacle for Jesus being the fulfillment
of this prophecy. Let's go to John chapter 12.
Zechariah 910 clearly describes what Christ will accomplish at
His return. But the point that I want to
make is that when He fulfilled Zechariah 9/9, He also gave a
sample of His power, of His Majesty, and of His sovereignty
that verse 10 alludes to at the time of His triumphal entry.
I hope that makes sense, but let's read from verse 12 of John
12. The next day the large crowd
that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to
Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm
trees and went out to meet him, crying out, Hosanna, blessed is
you comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel.
See what they're saying? They're calling Jesus king.
Verse 14. And Jesus found a young donkey
and sat on it, just as it is written.
Fear not, daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey's colt. Now these next few verses are
very important. Please pay attention.
Verse 16. His disciples did not understand
these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they
remember that these things had been written about Him and had
been done to Him. The crowd that had been with him
when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the
dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to
meet Him was that they heard He had done the sign.
Have you ever wondered why the crowds greeted Jesus the way
they did? Again, we almost have a
cartoonish understanding of some of these events that because of
the Passover, the city was crammed with people from all
over the world and Jesus decided to come in a certain way and
there was just a group of people who kind of gathered others and
audience. And then there's just was a
spontaneous parade and people just got caught up in the
emotion and just decided to hail him as king.
That is not what happened. Something took place shortly
before Jesus entered into this scene.
What was it? He raised Lazarus from the dead
and that created a buzz. In fact, it was the miracle that
brought these people, though unfortunately not an accurate
understanding, but brought them nonetheless to the point where
they say, OK, this has to be the Messiah.
This has to be the king. This has to be the one he who
else is going to deliver us? And so even them realize how
dangerous this is. They're under Roman oppression
and they are out loud saying even the king of Israel and what
brought them to that point? What made them do this?
They had a revelation of the extent of the power of Jesus
Christ. They had eyewitness accounts
telling them this. Jesus raised a man from the dead
after being dead for several days.
You can imagine what they're thinking then.
Hold on this. Jesus raised somebody from the
grave. If death obeys him, what nation,
what army, what foreign power can stand against them?
If death obeys him, then we have a chance.
Then let, let's, let's elect him, and he will surely deliver
us from Rome. And more than that, oh, he can
bring to reality what the prophets have said, that we will
conquer from sea to sea. We will have dominion over all
things. Christ demonstrated his power.
And I argue in a way that alludes to the potential of what
verse 10 of Zechariah mentions. You know, it's so funny.
The language of the Pharisees in the very next verse is
unintentionally insightful that they began to perceive that
there was this understanding developing among the crowds.
They were far less optimistic about it though.
Look at verse 19 of John chapter 12.
So the Pharisees said to one another, you see that you are
gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after
him. You know, these Pharisees have
the habit of saying things unintentionally prophetic, and
this is hyperbolic, sure, but I believe that they are
understanding what's taking place here.
He's going to win the world if we don't stop him.
Why do I mention all this? To show that when people say
that Jesus could not have fulfilled Zechariah 99 because
He did not accomplish Zechariah 910, we can explain that
although Zechariah 910 is going to be fulfilled at His return,
when He did do this, He gave a preview of it because He raised
a man from the dead. Who can stop such a man?
No other king has done this. And this crowd though they
didn't understand the suffering passages they were so fixed on,
the conquering ones caught that. So if anyone points out that
Christ that fulfilled the entire prophecy Zechariah made, and
that Christians only focus on the donkey riding part, remind
them why the crowd greeted him the way they did.
He raised somebody from the dead, and in doing so he shows
that he is unlike any other ruler and power and authority.
But he didn't unleash all of it the way Zechariah 910 hoped for.
Why? Because there was another
mission that needed to be accomplished.
Because this king set aside his glory.
He set aside his authority so that he can lay down his own
life and raise it up three days later.
At the same time, he still keeps in motion this prophecy because
he will rule and reign forever when he comes back.
My desire in coming into the service was to equip us because
sometimes we quote scriptures and we sing about scriptures,
and then when somebody confronts us about our beliefs, we don't
know how to answer them. Like, why are we here now?
You know why we're here now. You know how this book is God's
book and how Jesus is the Messiah.
But let me offer you just a couple of truths that can stir
you on a personal level. How do these things apply to me
now? I'm ready for objections.
Thank you, brother. I'm more confident in the
Scriptures. Praise the Lord.
Let me mention a couple of observations that hopefully stir
you even more. You're still there in John 12.
Scroll back to verse 16. I want you to see the commentary
made about the disciples. His disciples did not understand
these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they
remember that these things had been written about Him and had
been done to Him. It's amazing how the Spirit of
God LED John to admit this. It was an exciting time.
They were moved, but they didn't understand it.
What's going on here? And it wasn't until Christ had
died and resurrected and was ascended into heaven that they
fully understood the implications and the
significance of events like this.
Here's what's so startling. Think about it.
We read how the prophets of old, though they predicted these
things about Christ, didn't have a comprehension about the
details. Though they were those who gave
revelation, they themselves were left in the dark to some degree.
And then you come up to the apostles themselves, who lived
in the moment. They're witnessing it, and yet
they didn't fully appreciate or properly interpret what was
unfolding in front of them. But the church, ever since
Christ died and raised, has been given full revelation.
And you and I can actually look back through Christ's teachings
by way of his apostles laying the foundation of the doctrine
of the church. And we have the most clarity
that at any point in redemptive history.
Do you understand this? The prophets didn't fully grasp
it. The disciples were trying to
make sense of it. And here you and I are with a
copy of God's word on our hands and all that God has to say to
man. And we can have sermons like
this and we can study for ourselves and say, Yep, that
makes sense. Yep, I see this pattern.
Yep, that will be in the future. Yep, that was fulfilled.
This is one of the elements that make us more blessed in the new
covenant. If people say, I wish I lived in
the Old Testament times, do you really?
I wish I can see this and see that, yeah, they saw different
things, but they didn't have the clear that you and I have in our
Bibles. We're told in the Bibles that in
the Bible that we are more blessed on this side of the
cross. And we just got in a sample of
it together, putting Scripture with Scripture, comparing it,
seeing the consistency of God's Word, and leaving here more
assured I'm in the truth. So rejoice that your faith has
deep roots and that your faith in this Messiah, it's true.
But let me, let me end here. Let's let's go back where we
started in Zechariah 9. And this will be the last
scripture because in Zechariah 99, we looked at the Behold your
King is coming to you part. I want to look at how it begins.
Zechariah 99. Rejoice greatly.
Oh daughter of Zion, shout aloud.
O daughter of Jerusalem, behold, your king is coming to you.
Do you realize that the news of the arrival of this king and the
fruit of his kingship is that he would make a joyful people?
You know, the news of a new king is not always exciting.
It can sometimes be terrifying. Who is this king?
Is he a tyrant? Is he a maniac?
Is he selfish? Is he power hungry?
Where is he going to lead our nation?
Where is he going to lead us? What's going to happen to our
children? And Zechariah assures us you can
rejoice and not just rejoice, rejoice greatly at the news of
this king. He's not like the kings in first
and second kings. He's not like the kings in
history. No, he's righteous and he's
humble and he comes to save. He comes to save.
Here's my question for you today.
Does the revelation of Jesus being king over your life
produce real joy And if you if if you can't say with
confidence, yes, I have joy and listen, joy is not just this
like fluctuating emotion. I'm talking about the first
Peter 18 joy, that though you can't see him with your eyes,
though you haven't experienced him in the flesh, you rejoice
with a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.
That's New Testament and it's about us as Christians and our
common experience. If you can't say I, I have
experienced this reality that something was unlocked in my
soul when I crowned Jesus Christ as the King of my life.
Nothing in this world can even compare to the happiness that I
have. It could be for two reasons.
Number one, you've never made Jesus Christ King.
To some, whether they want to admit it or not, he's more like
a Butler and he's there in the margins and whenever you're
ready to call him Jesus, I need you and he comes and does your
bidding. He's not a Butler, he's a king.
Is Christ king? Did you make an intentional,
conscious decision at one point in your life saying I am not the
master of my faith, I am no longer the captain of my soul.
You are, and you are worthy of it because you made my soul and
you died for my soul. So take my soul.
Only then can you rejoice greatly.
What a wonderful reward for making someone king.
So maybe, maybe the reason why you can look back at your
Christian life and you're hanging by a thread.
Because if you're honest, you've been bored all these years.
You've missed something. But #2 it could be that even
though you can say with confidence that I unashamedly
made Jesus King, you lost vision of him and something else, some
other sparkling crown grabbed your attention.
Some other throne that promised protection and pleasure
convinced you for a season. And if that is you, then I pray
that what you heard today would refocus your gaze and you'd
realize that there's no other king with this kind of beauty.
There's no other king who wants to be my friend.
There's no other king who constantly extends his scepter,
so I can freely come before the throne of grace and talk to him
whenever I need to. I don't need to set an
appointment with this king. I can wake up at 3:00 in the
morning, get on my knees on the side of my bed, and have his
full attention. This king, though he rules the
universe, cares about my life day by day.
Yes, he has a scepter, but he also has a rod, and he shepherds
me whether I feel it or not. Rejoice greatly, Maranatha Bible
Church, because our King has come.
Is he your king? I pray today would be the day
where you make that decision. Let's pray.
Thank you, Father, for feeding us today.
Thank you for filling our hearts with joy.
May we never be. May we never be ashamed of the
gospel. May we be ready to defend and
give explanation to the hope that is in US.
Thank you that we are in the truth.
Thank You that we have all that we need to know you and to make
you known. Lord, we come to worship you
with joy. Yes, because we have perhaps
sharpened our way of being able to explain why we believe what
we believe. But more than that, we've
experienced this King. We've experienced your
salvation. We know you.
We love you so, Lord, We rejoice greatly in your presence.
And we say, Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus, come and finish what
you started. Come and receive your rightful
due. Receive the crown, receive the
throne, receive dominion, take over this world.
We thank you that we're part of your Kingdom by grace, that this
King died on a cross so that we would be yours forever in Jesus
name, Amen. Let's stand and worship this
King together.